Liliane felt that it was her turn to give information about herself. It was the only reason their eyes would turn towards her, regardless if anything was said or not.
I don't know who my parents are either. I was in an orphanage from my younger years until I was old enough to do physical activities. After that I was transfered to a facility to help make my abilities stronger as well as give me new ones. Then I was transfered here to learn how to control demons. Liliane's hands tightened on her mask.
"The only thing I have connected to my parents is this mask." Liliane neutral gaze almost faultered but quickly dismissed any emotional feeling that was rising, just like she was taught. She then looked from Acacia to Shiore.
"My only rule is that no one touches this. If anything happens to my Kitsune mask there will be consequences. Lili didn't know if giving an indirect threat was good for first impressions but she was, indeed, serious. It was the only object she had emotional attachment too and was the only thing she felt that kept her from becoming a total mindslave at the previous facility she was trained in.
By this point, the boy had retracted his legs to his chest, and was resting his chin on his clothed kneecaps. His compactness was one of his good points. Shiore listened intently to every word, lacking emotion and fluctuation in tone. Yet another individual who lacked any original parents in their life. This was too coincidental, the boy began to piece the puzzle together. This was most likely the academy's doing, but he wasn't going to disagree with their decisiveness. It was actually a decent ploy, having students of similar backgrounds find reconciliation in their relations. She too lived in an orphanage for an extent of time, but not as long as he did. Shiore recalled days where he would have to keep his homage a secret from his school friends, always returning to a temporary residence. Without a break in line, Liliane laid down the one and only law within their dorm room, which was complete restriction from tampering with her mask.
"Of course. I would never wanted to tear such an important momento from you. I'd gladly protect such a fine piece of craftsmanship!" He spoke with a devote and upbeat tone, as his valor was upheld by his own version of seriousness.
Prying further into their past on the first day would be completely and utterly rude. They would be given time to unearth little bits of themself, at a gradual rate. Shiore was able to pinpoint a specific similarity between them. Unlike him, they were not contempt with their past, or how fate had thrown them into a turmoil. The turquoise-haired student had already came to terms with his past. He had bent and molded it into a shield, against any dreary emotions which could creep into his heart. This was why he was able to keep his spirits high at all times. The task was now at hand, and he gladly accepted the terms and conditions.
"The academy board is pretty cunning and smart, I'll say that. We all have the same backgrounds. We also have similar names! We're named after plants~" He paused and glanced over to Acacia, quickly renoting her nationality.
"Oh, woops. My name is written with the japanese characters for 'wilting' and 'flower'. But I personally find starflowers to be my favorite!" His name was most definitely contradictory to his personality.
"Well, now that we're on stable ground, I would like to toast! To a happy year, full of great endeavours." His espresso cup rose into the air, while keeping the bitter drink balanced inside.
"Erm... If you wouldn't mind, may I go take a shower? I'll draw the water first, and be out in a flash. It is getting a little late. We can establish a legitimate lavatory schedule tomorrow."Acacia was a little startled by the seriousness of Liliane's request, but she nodded anyways. There was no use in arguing with it. At Shiore's question about the showers, she paused. Draw the water? Her parents hadn't taught her much about Japan before she left, but she nodded anyways.
"That's perfectly okay with me, if it's okay with Liliane," she turned her gaze to the mage of their group. She hoped she didn't mind the informality of using her first name. Even in England it was customary to use someone's last name just after meeting them. Or maybe that was just her. Auringer seemed like a bit of a mouthful and she had such a pretty name it'd be a shame not to use it.
She diverted her gaze from their's and walked over to the bed under Shiore's. After a second thought, she looked at Liliane again.
"Is it okay if I have this one?" she didn't want to seem imposing. One screw up and her potential friendships were done for. Bye-bye. Don't let the back door hit you on your way out. A small feeling of loneliness once again filled her, but she pushed it down and forced her hand away from where she knew her phone sat, waiting. They wouldn't just leave her? Would they? She bit her lip as she waited for Liliane to respond.
"Of course." Liliane went to the beds and pressed on them to test their stability.
"I'll have to see about getting banisters installed. I'd hate to wakeup due to Shiore falling from his top bunk and hitting the floor." Acacia did have the same type of look in her eyes as Liliane's. Lili knew how she got her look. She was told why by the scientist and everything they said always came to be true. She wondered if those explanations applied to the girl here. Did she spend her life under strict training? Maybe she took a life or two.
Either way, with their relationship at a raw point, it was not the time nor place to ask. She was actually surprised that the three of their personalities were very much different. Shiore would take the most getting used to. He was the most animated person Lili had ever come across.
Lili walked to the window at the far side of the room and moved the curtains aside. Without turning around she spoke to Acacia.
"I met our teacher tonight. I think we're being taught by an angel." Lili turned to her roommate.
"Are there demons with feathered wings or do angels exist here as well?" Lili was truly curious and thought, who better to ask than another demon. Acacia might know of other demons as well even if she just found out that the girl, herself, was one recently. She wasn't surrounded by walls most of her life or at least Liliane didn't think she was.
Acacia felt at a loss with the question and she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know. Shiore's the first demon I've met besides myself.," she glanced at Shiore for help, hoping he would know. She was a bit curious herself.
"Well, demons can form a plethora of bodily extensions. Feathered wings could be a rare possibility. But they are a possibility. Sorry if I... interjected a bit. I've just been living with knowledge of my background for a years. But I've managed to live through society under the facade that I was a human. I barely act... 'demonic', nor do I look the part." He was able to catch his fellow roommates where she faltered in personal experience. The boy lept off his chair and crouched in front the bag and shifted through its contents. Shiore finally grabbed onto something, and suddenly shot up from the ground.
"Alright, time to reveal my super duper secret power! All of a sudden, five-pointed stars began to pop up all around him, forming out of the middle of nowhere.
"OLD SPICE POWERS, ACTIVATE!" Like a ligthning bolt, the boy bulleted towards the bathroom, a trail of stars followed him and slowly dissapated. He had also carried with him a pair of jeans and a common white t-shirt, his usual night time apparel. After the door slammed behind him, there were a few moments of silence, and the sound of water trickling from the showerhead. Then, abruptly,
"Woah! It's already warm! Is this mag- Wait, mages already exist. It must be magic. COOL!" The boy sounded like a child playing with a toy for the first time.
Acacia watched the boy leave with his stars and listened to his excitement over hot water, which she found a bit odd, but didn't question. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she whipped it out. It was her mom.
So sorry about not texting earlier. Got caught up at the airport.After she read the text a sigh of relief unconsciously escaped her as she replied.
It's okay. Love you.We love you too, sweetie. Acacia looked away from to phone to look at Lilane.
"I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more help."Liliane shook her head.
"It's quite alright. To be honest, I'm not even sure if those wings are really real or not. I asked but she held her answer." Lili caught sight of the device Acacia was using. Liliane had not seen one before.
"What exactly is that device you have?" The only thing Liliane could guess was that it was an electronic device. The only ones Liliane was allowed to have at the facility were ear pieces and her music player.
Acacia looked at her cell phone and stood up, holding it out to Liliane.
"It's a cell phone. You use it to talk to people. You've never seen one before?" she tilted her head in a bird-like fashion. It seemed strange that a girl her age had never seen a cell phone before. She didn't pry though.
Suddenly the water stopped, since drawing wasn't required for such an intricate system of flowing water. Shiore quickly dressed himself and popped out of the bathroom, letting out a sigh of relief. His hair retained its usual unkempt appearance, and the clothes he was wearing looked a little too big on him. Either that, or his lanky skeleton barely fit the apparel.
"That was pretty refreshing... Oh, are we exchanging cellphone numbers?" Though, he realized that Liliane was not in possession of a cellular device. The boy's plan was covered by the orphanage, and because of their benevolence, he was able to keep in touch with his friends from highschool. He walked over to his desk and scrounged the phone out of his bag, then placed it on the wooden surface.
"I'm sure the academy will happily supply you with a phone, Liliane." Even though he was Japanese, in an internationally rounded institution, honorifics weren't as requires as per the usual.
"Cia-Cia, you can take a shower if you want. I'm gonna get settled in my bunk." He presented a book on astronomical theoretics from one of his bags, and began to climb onto his bunk. Acacia nodded and offered a quick thanks before proceeding to the bathroom. As the door shut, Shiore leaned back on his bed, finding respite in the comfortable surface.
"Can't wait for tomorrow, eh?"Liliane walked from the window to her bed.
"I don't know if I'm excited. I guess I am since both you and Cia seem like good people. And so does our teacher. But I just have an issue of being uncomfortable going into a situation I have no knowledge about. She glanced at the phone Shiore placed on the desk.
"Is it really necessary for people to possess those things? I used ear pieces to communicate with others but that was a constant link with them. It seems there is a lot of society I know nothing about. I wasn't really taught anything regarding socializing at the facility I previously stayed at. Liliane laid down in her bed pulling her knees to her chest.
"I've already showered before arriving here so there's no need to keep the bathroom in reservation for me."Shiore placed his pointer finger in between the crease of his novel and collapsed the pages, while listening to his mage's words.
"Ear pieces? I've only seen those things use in action-packed spy movies. People used phones to keep in touch with each other, when life throws walls in their way." Though, he could tell that it wasn't just the necessity for cellular devices which was unsettling the girl. She was discontent with being in the dark, and suddenly forced into foreign terrain.
"The whole point for the existence of the unknown, is to venture into its boundaries, and find out for yourself what lies within. It's normal to feel uncomfortable about going into a scenario where you know absolutely nothing. But, it's better to go in others rather than going in solo. 'Cause if you're with friends, they can pick you up where you fall, or guide you when you lose your way. They'll always have your back, even when it's against the wall. That's why the unknown exists." Although this was all said in a toned down manner, his childish expression didn't fit with the morals behind his words.
"I understand. Just be patient with me until I can get the hang of interacting with others. Lili held her mask close to her like she always did. She never rolled over when she slept so she didn't have to worry about damaging it in her sleep.
"And thank you, Shiore. You are a good person. I was taught that this world was a cruel place and its people were not to be trusted. I don't think they met people like you. See you in the morning." Liliane said before closing her eyes and quickly drifting into slumber.
Shiore affirmed that Liliane finally passed into rest once he only heard her faint breathing, from two bunks below. He couldn't help but smile at her compliment, the boy let out a yawn and stretched out. Soon after, the door clicked open, and out stepped Acacia. Furawa leaned over the edge of his bed and placed a finger against his pursed lips, then motioned at the sleeping Liliane. Acacia tiptoed over towards the triple-bunk, then climbed into the middle section.
"Good night Liliane. Good night Cia-Cia. I can make us some coffee in the morning, if need be." He folded the book onto his chest and leaned back his head, then slowly shut his eyelids.