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Acacia K. Morning

"Just leave me alone, and I won't have to snap."

0 · 276 views · located in Death Weapon Meister Academy, Nevada

a character in “Witch Control: A Meister's Innocence”, as played by TaniaSoulEater

Description

Acacia K. Morning
Image
Thorn

ImageFull Name - Acacia Katelynn Morning

Gender - Female

Age - 15

Ethnicity - American

Appearance - Unlike how meisters are required to be, Acacia isn't as fit as she is thin. This is mostly due to her high metabolism, as one can usually see her eating quite a bit at mealtimes. Along with being thin, she is also short, giving the impression that she is rather frail. Of course, that is an illusion. Acacia's quite fast and strong, and moves very quietly.

Acacia's hair is so dark it almost appears to be black, when in reality it's brown. Her eyes are a similar deep colour. Even Acacia herself isn't really sure if her eyes are brown or black. She pays a lot of attention to her appearance, making sure she is absolutely tidy every morning. She takes good care of herself, and it is rare to see her without as flawless an appearance as she can manage. She's quite used to her morning routine by now, so it usually takes less than twenty minutes to get ready.

There are multiple crossed scars on her palm, from when she's tried to wield a weapon. There are also a few faded scars up and down her arms where she tried to relieve the internal pain after her best friend's death (see Background).

Personality - Acacia's soul is purple, to represent mystery and guardedness. She doesn't open up to others easily, is distrusting and distances herself from others. The one thing she fears the most is others betraying her trust. It takes a lot for her to open up to others, so if you break her trust, don't ever think of gaining it back again. She is wary of others, always keeping an eye out for danger. However, Acacia cares immensely for any friends she may have made, and would do anything for them at a moment's notice. She is loyal and reliable - as long as you get on her good side, of course.

Role - One Star Meister

Background - Acacia was born to a single mother who'd gotten pregnant after a one night stand. Her mother was always very busy, and barely spent any time with Acacia. Every time she promised Acacia they'd do something together, something at work would inevitably come up, and that promise would be broken again. As a result, Acacia learned not to trust people.

A few years ago, a family moved in next to Acacia. She met their son, a boy named Jamie, about her age. They saw each other every day, and became best friends. They did everything together, and promised never to let go of each other. However, Jamie was killed in a car accident a few weeks ago. Devastated, Acacia cried every night. She couldn't stand the thought of losing Jamie, so in order to forget him, she begged her mother to allow her to attend DWMA.

She's just started at DWMA, and is still finding her way around.

Theme Song - Titanium - David Guetta ft. Sia

Other - Acacia has heard of the greatest meisters at DWMA, and thinks her favourite might be Soul. She is sometimes called Thorn because of her untouchable personality.
Her weapon is Tennyson Thane.

So begins...

Acacia K. Morning's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tetsuya "Tetsu" Taiga Fujitaka Character Portrait: Axel Yagani Character Portrait: Noir Character Portrait: Karina "Reene" Matilde Marston Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Corbin "Hammer" Beausoleil
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Abelie Rizzocelli


The DWMA: Death Weapon Meister Academy. A perfectly symmetrical beauty of a school. Every student at the school has a special quality that allows them to be here. So, at seven in the morning, every students trudges into the school with a passion for training and fighting. The seniors sleep in peacefully, not needed until eight. Rumor has it the time was changed for a certain reaper senior who needed the time to be symmetrical, but who knows. The freshman are ready to pick their partners and everything is set for the day of orientation at the DWMA, some more ready than others. A grand room is set to accommodate the blooming of partnerships and rivalries, friends and enemies. Sid and Abelie Rizzocelli stand at the front of the room, the freshmen advisors and mentors. Below them on a second step are the top six pairs, the models of hard work at the academy, Maka's team and Ox's team. The only thing missing from the grand hall, filled with snacks and tournaments to find partners, were the actual freshmen. But, as the clock struck seven, the Meisters and Weapons came flowing in to meet each other more personally than just talking.

In the large group, a boy in a grey trench coat surveys the possible partners with a large calmness about him. His grey eyes set about finding the perfect partner. Abel, still at the front of the room, surveys the boy carefully. For a new Weapon, he's very calm and collected. Even when a large boy bumped into him, only a swift shake of his shoulder claimed his reaction. Abel would keep an eye.

"Speaking of new partners, your Weapon is arriving today, isn't he?" Abel eyed Sid from her side vision. Was he trying to get her mad, or was he genuinely interested in hearing about her new partner? Before answering, Abel took another look at the students, examining each blooming partnership forming. Each new pair symbolized each new hero, new protector in the world. "Baldur said he was coming in during freshman orientation, because Lord Death wanted us to show off for the new students." Abel added a grin to her words, knowing Sid was usually the one to show off today.

Abel found the kid again. Looking closer, she watches him interact with the other students, seeing them physically relax to the boy's calming, restful soul. She saw his soul's very green color, a healing soul. It was bigger than some of the souls around him, and big for a Weapon.

Hammer Beausoleil


Corbin "Hammer" Beausoleil had arrived at the school in a particularly good mood. He was another Beausoleil melee Weapon attending Shibusen. His name was known well, as the Beausoleil's one of the most prominent Weapon families from France. A blade family is a good ally and the most prominent. Hammer arrived early, only a few lonely freshman stood waiting anxiously to enter their new school. He, on the other hand, was very calm and collected, and tried to relate it to the other students around. His sister Sara would be returning to see him enter the school, taking Kim's place on Ox's team since she was out on a mission for Lord Death. It would be good to see her, after her absence during his past few years. A shiver pulled through him at the thought of bad memories. Never again would he be forced into something by a beautifully wicked girl. The bell bang from the tall, symmetrical building, allowing the thickening group of freshmen to trickle inside the building to find their partners and what exactly Shibusen is. Hammer took this time to find his sister, standing proudly at the front with her partner Alex, and examine people.

He noticed a girl, darker skinned and very closed in, standing near him. Her badge read Meister, but the way she stood told him she probably wouldn't match well. One boy near her, a very open but also secretive soul, seemed to grasp for her soul. Before she could notice his stare, he pretended to flatten out his black t-shirt, also taking measure to cuff his khaki pants so his favorite Converse displayed very proudly. There were other pairs he noticed, a lazy Japanese Meister in the current situation of a conversation with a blue-haired Weapon, judging by their name tags. Another pair was a peppy blonde girl tugging along a red-haired boy covering his eyes with goggles. A very upbeat boy chattered on to a reserved girl. An older man walked through the group to meet the woman upfront.

The girl that peaked his interest was an experienced Meister, from her wearied soul. She looked similar to the blonde girl from before, but older and more mature. She has a fiery red waterfall of hair and a good helping of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. What had caught his eye were her eyes, the prettiest green and almost fluorescent bright. She is certainly a gem.

Hammer walked up to her with the charm of a millionaire bachelor, his small grin appearing. "Hi, I'm Corbin, but I'd prefer you'd call me Hammer."

His voice was a vocal oxymoron; strong but soft, deep yet light. The rough edges of a waning French accent returning softly to his voice. But it was his eyes that did the speaking. Hammer's eyes showed the want, the need, of having her as his partner. It's set.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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Acacia K. Morning


Acacia Katelynn Morning turned to her mother. Tears ran down her mother's face, leaving small tracks on her cheeks. "Do you really want to do this?" Cassandra Morning asked softly. "It's not too late to change your mind and stay, you know."

Acacia couldn't hold herself back. She flung herself at Cassandra, embracing her tightly. "I'm sorry, Mum. I'll come back to visit you. For now, let me leave, please? I want to forget Jamie. When I forget, I'll come back. I promise."

Without a backward look, she jumped into the cab and shut the door before Cassandra could catch her crying.

~


Hours later, Acacia finally reached DWMA, ready for her orientation. She looked around at all the other students, smiling and laughing, so cheerful. Acacia scowled darkly. Somehow, all these happy people annoyed her. Here she was, mourning a death of a loved one, yet they were cheerful and oblivious, stuck in their own world of ignorant bliss.

Of course, somewhere deep down, Acacia knew that they couldn't be blamed, they didn't know about Jamie's death. Yet, Acacia was so mad, she wanted to blame somebody. The drunk that mowed Jamie down hadn't been caught yet, and Acacia was angry. Angry that the man would pick Jamie, of all people, to knock down and kill; angry that the authorities hadn't tried their best to find him; angry that the driver had been allowed to escape.

Sticking her hands in her pockets, Acacia looked around, taking in the crowded scene. Somehow, she could feel a slight tugging from the other end of the courtyard, a magnet attracting her line of vision, if you will. She swung around to follow that tugging feeling, and saw a dark-skinned, tall and well-built boy standing there. She stared for a minute, enthralled. Somehow, looking at that boy, Acacia felt a strong sense of calm wash over her like a wave, settling her thoughts and emotions. She leaned against the nearest wall and closed her eyes, letting the serenity engulf her.

Why am I feeling this way? Acacia's eyes snapped open, a little alarmed, yet curious. She'd never felt this way just by looking at a person before. Even with Jamie, the friendship, the almost-love had been built up over time. What did this boy have that Jamie didn't? She'd always thought Jamie was the one for her.

Even from this distance, Acacia could see that his tag read 'Weapon'. She panicked. What were the chances that this boy was a Weapon? What if he got paired with her? What would she do then?

Thinking about Jamie was painful. In reality, Acacia'd lied to her mother; she didn't want to forget Jamie. For some reason, she wanted to remember him, she didn't want to lose his memory.

Acacia finally realised that, while lost in her thoughts, she'd still been staring at the tall boy. It took a great effort, but Acacia tore her eyes away from him and turned aside, pretending to busy herself with straightening her luggage, which had just been knocked over by someone. She kept her face turned away, unwilling to meet anyone else's eyes. She would not, could not, allow anything to interfere with her mission for closure. She'd try her best, but closure was the most important, right now.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Ridley Ashcroft Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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#, as written by Ion
Image


Ridley rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands, not bothering to suppress his wide yawn. He’d only slept ten hours the previous night, which while great for most people, was throwing him off a little and giving him the feeling of sleep deprivation. There was an extra heaviness to his limbs this morning, but then he supposed that could just as easily be the fact that he knew what was coming. The people at DWMA had asked himself, the kid walking just to his left, and a few other older students to go mingle with the incoming freshmen today.

Of course, there was more than just a desire for academy unity underlying this action. There was always more going on, and as sharp as he was, Ash hadn’t missed it. Dropping his arms back to his sides, he pushed his glasses back up his nose with an index finger and glanced to the youth beside him.

Tennyson was one of those people Ridley didn’t mind so much. He had enough courtesy to slow his speech just a little when he was talking to the weaponless Meister, but not so much that it came off as condescending. It made reading his lips considerably easier, and he was even picking up a few basic sign language things, which was apparently easy for someone who talked so much with his hands anyway. He also apparently didn’t get offended when Ridley was only half-minding him, such as right now, lost in his own thoughts as he was.

The two passed Ridley’s preferred nap location, and the half-Japanese teenager had to exercise rather extreme effort not to veer off his course and park himself in the tree where he’d spent many a lazy afternoon. His was a silent world, save for the vibrations, and those didn’t have sound so much as feel to them. Like he was a bat, and his soul perception a kind of sonar. It was why he could sense the faint traces of corruption in Teo’s soul, those that he tried so hard to suppress. It was why he knew there was more to the story when a couple teachers had dropped by and asked them to do this.

They were hoping he’d resonate. Unlike Teo, who’d lost his partner a while back and was only now prepared to deal with the process of acclimating to a new one, Ash had never had one to begin with. That was partly because of Estelle, partly because of his reputation as a useless layabout, and partly because the unique frequency of his soul just didn’t match any of the other students’. Hence his present predicament. How inconvenient
 he let the thought trail off, as the grand hall had come into sight.

They were there just slightly earlier than the wave of freshmen, and positioned themselves on the side of the room. Tennyson went immediately for the coffee, returning with a cup of the stuff and handing it to Ridley. “You’ve got to be at least a little more awake to get through this,” he joked with a grin. Ridley read the words on his lips and frowned, but took the coffee anyway. Some part of him did want this entire endeavor to be successful, it was just usually overtaken by the cynic that told him it’d never work properly. He was practically a defective human being, to say nothing of how he was as a Meister.


Image


Tennyson watched the less-than-enthusiastic reaction of his Meister friend and shook his head sadly. Some days, it seemed like there was no helping Ash. It was almost like he didn’t want to resonate with anybody, and Teo put that down to the fact that he never had. He still remembered doing so for the first time incredibly fondly. It had brought his soul to the precipice of disaster, and ultimately, it had made a kishin out of dear Celene, the best friend he’d ever had.

But he still couldn’t bring himself to regret it. Because there, then, with her, he’d been more himself than he’d ever been before or since. Unlike the other young man here, he was hopeful that today would bring a taste of that wholeness once again. He’d mourned Celene for a long time, and spent even longer grappling with the fulminating darkness in his soul, but it was time to seek the good again, and he was confident that they’d succeed.

Perhaps that was his hopeless optimism speaking, though. The two watched the fresh-faced new students file into the grand hall, and Tennyson realized that he didn’t really care if he was being too hopeful. Just looking at the lot of them was enough to bring a smile to his face. They looked like good kids, all of them. He knew that, in all likelihood, he and Ridley would end up with partners younger than themselves by a couple years, at least, but there was something to be said for having experience on one’s side. He had a considerable number of kishin souls under his metaphorical belt already, the product of Celene’s unceasing diligence and ambition. Ridley was quite a skilled combatant even on his own; he suspected a Demon Weapon would only make that more true. That said, all new pairs started on even footing when it came to resonance, and that was the most important thing.

“See? Just look at ‘em. This won’t be so bad, Ash!” He’d had to turn his head to speak to his deaf companion, so he’d missed the fact that anyone was paying any attention to him in particular.

Ridley just huffed a breath in response, apparently rather stubbornly unmoved to excitement, and Teo rubbed at the back of his head. No pleasing some people, he supposed, but he was willing to let it drop. Adjusting his hat so it fit better over his inch-long hair, he was suddenly struck by an uncanny feeling. It was
 similar to the one he’d gotten when he’d met Celene, but most definitely not the same. It was like something was getting under his skin and setting off his nerve endings, drawing his usual warm calm into something more invigorated, like a cool breeze on a summer day.

“Qu’est-ce?” He murmured to himself, trying to pinpoint the reason for the sensation. Eyes the color of the sky at night alighted on a young lady fiddling with the straps on her luggage, and his smile widened. That had to be her; there was no mistaking it.

Why was she frowning, though? Was it possible she was displeased to be here? Or perhaps he was mistaken somehow? Tennyson shook his head. Now was not the time to go doubting himself. He’d just go make introductions and see what happened. Everyone here today had good reason to be nervous, and chances were, that could explain her unhappiness. Time to go see what he could do to help, because even if he was wrong and they were entirely unsuited, that was the kind of thing he’d never consider it a waste of time to do: cheer somebody up.

Approaching the girl, he cleared his throat softly. “Excuse me, miss, but is everything all right? You seem to be having some trouble.” Despite his best efforts, he’d never been able to rid himself entirely of his accent: a little bit Moroccan, a little bit French, the whole thing ended up sounding a smidge like
 well, he wasn’t sure. His mother had always said it was honey and vanilla, but those were flavors, not sounds, so who was to say? It was understandable, at any rate.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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Acacia K. Morning


Acacia had just strapped her bags together to prevent them from falling over again when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She didn't think much of it - after all, there were lots of people around her - and straightened up. However, that calming effect from earlier was getting stronger, and she wondered if the boy had moved closer.

“Excuse me, miss, but is everything all right? You seem to be having some trouble.” Acacia turned, and had the fright of her life. The boy hadn't just moved closer, he was right behind her. Though she didn't shriek in fright, or do anything typical girls would do, she did jump nearly a foot in the air.

Eyes wide and heart pounding, Acacia managed a quavery smile and tried to recall his words. Try as she might, though, Acacia couldn't for the life of her remember what he'd said. "I'm sorry, can I help you?" she finally asked, a slight frown on her face.




Image


Watching her reaction, Teo started to feel bad. He hadn't been trying to be particularly sneaky, but there were so many people around, he probably should have expected that she wouldn't hear him. "Ah, I'm so sorry," he apologized, holding both hands open at chest height as if to show that he was unarmed and not at all malicious in his intent. For all that, she seemed to be recovering quickly, and his smile found its way back onto his face nearly immediately in response. He was usually a happy fellow, but something about the atmosphere around this girl made it even easier to maintain, and he didn't have to remind himself to look content.

"I just came over here to see if you were okay. You looked a little down. And, well... I guess you could say I was just pulled in this direction." He shrugged lightly, lowering his hands so they were at his sides again. This close, he could tell that her name badge read "Meister," and something clicked softly in the back of his mind. Still smiling, he stuck out his right hand. "My name's Tennyson, but most people just call me Teo. I'm happy with whichever, really."

He thought about offering to help her with her bags, but it wasn't lost on him that there was a proper order for this kind of thing, and she'd need to get everything sorted out here before she needed to worry about unpacking.




Acacia K. Morning


"I just came over here to see if you were okay. You looked a little down. And, well... I guess you could say I was just pulled in this direction." Acacia relaxed from her defensive stance as the boy explained himself. However, mentally, she was still wary, ready for whatever he was going to throw her way.

To her surprise, though, the boy didn't try to sneak anything on her. Instead, he held out his hand, smiling at her. Slowly, Acacia reached out and grasped the profferred hand lightly. It was cool and smooth, expected of a weapon. Whereas for Acacia, though she hadn't been practicing with a weapon in a long time, her hands were slightly rougher and had a couple of scars crisscrossing across the palm, as well as up and down her arms, but no one needed to know that.

"My name's Tennyson, but most people just call me Teo. I'm happy with whichever, really." Privately, Acacia thought she'd rather call him Tennyson; it sounded nicer and more mature than Teo. She nodded at him. "I'm Acacia. Nice to meet you." I guess, she added mentally.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tetsuya "Tetsu" Taiga Fujitaka Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Ridley Ashcroft Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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#, as written by Ion
Image


The vibrations were everywhere, and he found them troublesome in a similar way to what he imagined most people with hearing must find loud rooms with lots of people talking to be irritating. It was like the pressure of so many extraordinary souls in one place was overwhelming his senses, the reverberations bringing goosebumps to his skin and plucking chords down in the very marrow of his bones. The world trembled, just a little, and only he could feel it- an earthquake under their feet that threw only him off-balance.

Well, maybe not only him. Ridley was distracted from the increasing seismic pulsing of young souls beginning to match frequencies by an actual physical contact, one which left him entirely unmoved but had a markedly different effect on the other party. In short order, he was blinking down at a boy with the strangest hair color he’d ever seen. A very light blue, like he remembered cotton candy being at the fairgrounds. Well, he didn’t remember it at the fairgrounds, per se, as he was rarely allowed such mundane entertainment, but Estelle had once ventured out there and snuck him some. This person’s hair was almost the same color, and from the looks of it, the texture wasn’t all that different, either.

In the time Ridley spent with these thoughts lazily circling around in his head like a duck in a pond, the boy had put himself to rights, standing and brushing off his clothes to presumably rid them of dirt. His lips were moving, and Ridley had to concentrate quite considerably to translate the motions into words. Did this person always speak with such speed?

“Tetsuya,” Ridley repeated, committing the name and image to memory. It was something that helped him reproduce the sound accurately later, and if he didn’t do it now, chances were he’d mangle the pronunciation horribly in the future. “My name is- Ridley.”

The hitch in his speech was caused by a most peculiar sensation. For a moment, the vibrations around him had faded from his perception, allowing him to get a better feel for Tetsuya’s soul in particular. It felt
 like a polonaise. Probably closest to Chopin’s Heroique reverberating from his fingertips to his toes. That was something he certainly did not encounter every day, and Ridley wondered just what was going on to cause him to feel so.

But Tetsuya was still speaking, and the question was perhaps more surprising than it should have been. Hesitating for a moment, Ridley finally shook his head ‘no.’ He tried to return the smile, but the effort produced only something thin and grimace-like, reflecting exactly how awkward Ash found the whole thing to be. He supposed another question might be appropriate, but he didn’t really know what to ask.

“Ah,” he drew out the syllable for a few counts, as if to hold place until he could generate the right kind of words. “Of what sort are you?” That was probably too general an inquiry, but it was more or less intentionally so. What Tetsuya made of it might be interesting to discover, but Ridley had to admit he was still to some degree perplexed by the piano-like feel of this conversation.


Image


“Acacia. Now there’s a name you don’t hear everyday. It’s nice,” Teo replied easily, dropping his hands and shoving them into his pockets. Despite perhaps being one of the most sociable students on campus, he still wasn’t without his own sort of bashfulness, and he was aware that situations like this tended to be a little on the unfamiliar side. It was like
 they were all being forced to make a very important decision, one that could in some sense determine much of the rest of their lives, with little to go on but feelings.

Tennyson had always been able to trust his gut, but the fact was that many people didn’t find it quite so easy. None of these kids knew anything about each other: where they’d come from, how they’d wound up here, what they wanted to do with the stuff they’d learn. Sure, it was always possible to switch partners, but he’d always heard it said that the first selection like this always had an effect on the tenor of your future partnerships. His own had made him at once wary, sad, and optimistic, though chances were good that the last was just his need to hope that things could be better.

“Hey, so, um
 I know this is probably all kind of weird and stuff, so I don’t really want to be pushing you into anything. Not everyone finds a weapon or a meister at these early gatherings, you know? I guess what I’m saying is, you should feel free to wander around a bit, talk with people, see what happens. If you’d prefer, I could also tell you a little more about the DWMA, or about myself, or whatever. ‘Course, if you’d rather, I could also transform
?”

He remembered that Celene had basically walked right up to him and demanded this of him, which meant that the transition had been incredibly simple. She made the flow, and he just went with it. Acacia didn’t seem inclined to do the same, which was in some ways a relief. By the same token, though, it left him rather desperate to make her feel a bit more comfortable, regardless of whether they wound up partners or not. Either way, she kind of looked like she could use a friend at the moment, and if there was one thing Tennyson thought he was half-decent at, it was being one of those.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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Acacia K. Morning


Acacia smiled uneasily at Tennyson. "Thanks?" she replied. It wasn't really a statement, more like a question, but it wasn't every day that Acacia received compliments on her name being 'nice'. She could tell that Tennyson was trying to be friendly, but she could also sense the slight awkwardness, and wondered how to get around this topic. Obviously, Tennyson would ask her to be his meister, but Acacia wasn't sure if she wanted to be his meister. At a glance, she could tell Tennyson was much like Jamie; being around him would be like Jamie all over again. She would enjoy working with Tennyson, but if he got hurt... Well, Acacia wasn't sure how she would handle that.

After Jamie died, Acacia realised the meaning of heartbreak. She'd loved Jamie, she did. Minute after minute, day after day, her heart ached for his loss, the fact that she'd never see him again. To distract herself from the pain, she'd raked her fingernails up and down each arm, leaving bloody streaks crossing each other up and down her arms. The scars had long faded, but still visible. And of course, the pain was still there.

Acacia was afraid to become attached. She was afraid of trusting, period. Because if she trusted, and lost, then what would be left? What would there be for her to live for? She didn't think she could handle the pain of losing someone she'd known and loved. Already she was regretting her meister blood; how could she work with a weapon without being attached?

"Uh, Tennyson," she began softly, but was cut off by Tennyson's louder voice. "Hey, so, um
 I know this is probably all kind of weird and stuff, so I don't really want to be pushing you into anything. Not everyone finds a weapon or a meister at these early gatherings, you know? I guess what I'm saying is, you should feel free to wander around a bit, talk with people, see what happens. If you'd prefer, I could also tell you a little more about the DWMA, or about myself, or whatever. 'Course, if you'd rather, I could also transform
?" He trailed off hopefully, watching her reaction.

With a person so sweet and thoughtful, how could Acacia refuse him? Despite her fear of trusting, Tennyson was simply too thoughtful for words - he didn't want Acacia to agree without thinking. She thought back to earlier, when she'd felt that strong calmness deep in her soul. Perhaps Tennyson really was meant to be her weapon? Take a chance, Acacia... Hurting is part of healing.

Acacia smiled at him, a real smile this time. "Sure. Let's see what we can do."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tetsuya "Tetsu" Taiga Fujitaka Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Ridley Ashcroft Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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#, as written by Ion
Image


The only sign Ridley gave of what he thought about Tetsuya’s answer to his question was a barely-noticeable upwards twitch to his lips. Fair enough; he’d always preferred being shown to being told anyway, perhaps because telling in the normal sense was an awkward appendage to his world, requiring compensation for things he did not have anymore. When he’d lost his hearing, he’d gained something exponentially more valuable, and even though the frequencies of souls sometimes could keep him awake at night and made crowds like this one uncomfortable, he would not trade back for all he’d once known. Not even the sound of music.

The blue-haired boy was speaking a bit more slowly now, and Ridley read his lips with ease. The idea of a bladed bow was rather intriguing- it was certainly not a common form like swords and blunt weapons tended to be. Distance weapons were something of a rarity actually, and he was about to agree as much for the sheer novelty of seeing one when Tetsuya continued. Ridley of course had no access to the other boy’s tone, but his body language and a faint melancholy to the vibrations he was producing told the bespectacled boy all he needed to know.

The words, few as they were, left Ridley to contemplate for a few moments. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that, since he had not experienced anything similar in his lifetime. It seemed irrational to promise that things would be different this time, because he had no way to know that for certain, and he did not like to lie if it was avoidable. Still, he had the instinct, unusual and slightly unsettling to him, that he should say something to put Tetsuya at ease.

The other boy’s nervousness was palpable, and Ridley blinked rapidly a few times, at last uncharacteristically blurting the first thing that came to his mind. “I’m deaf,” he said flatly. “I’ve never been anyone’s meister before, and I can’t say I have any idea what’s going to happen. I’m not very good with people, and there’s always a chance that people at the Academy will try to keep me out of danger because they’re afraid I can’t succeed. But I can also say that my Soul Perception is pretty good; I’ll know if we ever stop resonating, and I won’t push it.” He wanted to make it clear to Tetsuya that he wasn’t the only one taking a risk. The partner to a disabled boy with more quirks than fingers wasn’t exactly a safe choice, but if Tetsu was willing to risk it, then Ridley supposed he was too.

“Should we give it a try?” He asked anyway. Tetsuya transformed, and Ridley found himself holding, indeed, a bladed bow. Something clicked, and he found that, though there were no arrows, he didn’t need to be told what to do. Being as sensitive as he was to soul wavelengeths, it was an easy thing to change his and direct it, producing a shining, silver-white arrow to nock on the string. Drawing back, Ridley held the fletching to his cheek, inhaling and exhaling slowly before pointing the arrow upwards and releasing. It was the only safe direction to fire, as the vaulted ceiling was quite high, and gave him the opportunity to dissipate his soul energy before the arrow hit stone.

To his quiet satisfaction, the arrow shattered when he willed it to, raining down in harmless lights that faded before making contact with anything.

“Well,” he mused aloud. “I’d say that worked satisfactorily, wouldn’t you?”


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A profound sense of relief washed over Teo, and he released a breath he hadn’t even been aware he’d been holding. He felt bad, now that he realized he’d inadvertently cut off something she’d been trying to say, and he resolved to ask about it later, when this madness was a bit more settled. Returning the smile- and he thought to himself that the girl in front of him deserved to smile like that more often- he nodded resolutely.

“Okay,” he breathed quietly. “You should know that I have two forms, so I guess I’ll just try both.” With an affable shrug, Tennyson let his eyes fall shut and focused. There was a bright flare of golden light, shot through with just a single black vein, but he brought that under his control immediately and it faded, overcome by the aureate luminescence. His shape shifted, and when all was said and done, he was a broad, curved blade in Acacia’s hand, somewhere between a machete and a saber. His blade extended for about a foot and a half, clearly designed for slashing, but not without the potential to parry, either. Mysteriously, a pair of rope tassels, purple and gold, appeared at the end of his pommel, which, while traditional to weapons of his type, he’d never had before. He suspected that might be Acacia’s influence, and that purple must be the color of her soul.

Go ahead and swing me around a bit, if you like, he urged, well-used to that much by now. Once she’d done so to her satisfaction, he shifted again, growing a long metal pole excellent for cross-blocking. The decorative ropes remained, but this time around the base of the blade part of the naginata. Naturally, this form was considerably heavier, but he doubted she’d have any difficulty.

He felt
 lighter. Like something ponderous had been lifted from him, and the relief this brought him surprised him considerably. Here he was, transformed for someone, no black blood influence in sight, and feeling completely at ease. He supposed he could only hope that the same was true of the young woman.

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Tennyson sighed, and nodded. Privately, Acacia wondered if he was happy with her request, or if he had offered only because he thought he had some kind of obligation since he had approached her. However, the sigh seemed more relieved than upset, so Acacia pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

“You should know that I have two forms, so I guess I’ll just try both.” Acacia hadn't met many weapons with more than one form, although of course the legendary Tsubaki Nakatsukasa had many different forms. She nodded and got into a ready stance. Tennyson shrugged and relaxed visibly. Then, with a flash of golden light, he transformed into his weapon form. For a second, Acacia thought she saw a line of black streak through the light, but it disappeared almost immediately and Acacia dismissed it as a figment of her imagination, probably brought on by the unexpected brightness.

A long blade appeared in Acacia's hand. It was obviously designed for slashing, and Acacia approved the form mentally, being comfortable with blades. A pair of tassels adorned the pommel, purple and gold. Acacia thought it might be their soul colours, hers being the purple and Tennyson's being the gold. Gold soul? Acacia thought. Gold means... friendliness, joy and... loyalty? It's a nice shade, anyhow.

Go ahead and swing me around a bit, if you like. The words flowed through her mind as though they were her own thoughts, and Acacia marvelled at how well they seemed to fit together. Shifting her feet slightly to find her center of gravity, she whirled the weapon around and tried to familiarise herself with the weight of the blade. A minute later, Tennyson shifted form, becoming a long pole Acacia couldn't remember the name of. It was a long pole, with a blade at the end. Again, the coloured tassels hung on the weapon, but at the bottom of the handle this time, a little closer to where her scarred palms gripped tightly. The weapon increased in weight, but Acacia got used to it easily. Again, she spun the weapon around with ease, enjoying the feel of the smooth pole sliding through her hands.

After trying out the weapon, Acacia held it out in both hands, waiting for Tennyson to change back. She smiled once more. Her hair had fallen out of its loosely pinned style, and she reached up to brush it out of her eyes. "What do you think?" she asked carefully, still a little unsure about the real emotion behind his sigh before transforming.

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Character Portrait: Tetsuya "Tetsu" Taiga Fujitaka Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Ridley Ashcroft Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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Almost despite himself, Ridley chuckled. It was true, he’d never had to work with a weapon before, but that didn’t mean he was quite as raw as most of the freshmen. He had, after all, been attending the Academy for two years already, and was quite the competent meister on his own
 when he remembered to go to class. Considering he’d mostly rather be napping or in the library, that wasn’t perhaps as frequently as it should be. He was fundamentally lazy, and generally made up for the time he didn’t spend actually working on things by being smart and having an intuitive feel for soul frequencies.

There was likely no more to his success than that- his Soul Perception. All the same, he didn’t really get complimented often, and it was kind of nice. Moreso than he’d expected at any rate. It almost made him want to see what they could achieve if they both put some work into it, but perhaps not quite. He still didn’t really want to work, and surely, actually taking on a demon weapon would mean a lot more assignments for Ridley. He’d have to venture to all corners of the world, taking down kishin and making himself a big, tasty-looking target for witches. It was unappealing for obvious reasons.

On the other hand
 Estelle. Being out there, really accomplishing things and making a name for himself- for them, increased exponentially his chances of running into the witch that killed his sister and took her soul away. Freeing her was perhaps the one thing that had ever mattered to him, and here was an opportunity to step closer to that goal. He couldn’t do it at the expense of Tetsuya, he knew that, and he’d keep his word, but
 a little help wouldn’t hurt.

After a few moments of silence, Ridley remembered that his thought process was no longer transparent to the boy in front of him and nodded, pushing up his spectacles with one index finger. “I think that sounds like a very good idea.” He agreed firmly.



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Two years had been too long. Tennyson hadn’t realized how much he’d missed actually being able to partner with a meister in any capacity. For the longest time, he’d deemed himself too potentially dangerous, afraid of the black blood in his system and the damage it could do to someone unstained by it and unprepared for it. He’d also been a little afraid of himself, of the person he became when that blood temporarily took control of his system. To be sure, there was power to be had, and in spades. He’d be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t enjoyed it even a little, but it wasn’t something he truly desired to have and be.

His teachers had suggested that this was precisely the reason he was able to turn it to his use. Black blood was temptation, and he hadn’t the kind of personality that lusted after that power. He respected it, and acknowledged that it would serve a use if he needed it, but he did not seek to exploit it for personal gain. He thought that there might be some truth behind that hypothesis, if only because Celene had succumbed where he had not. She’d always been more ambitious than he had, and he knew she’d have tried to turn such a bad situation to her purposes. She wasn’t weak by any means, and so he knew that it wasn’t simply a matter of sheer willpower.

Acacia was slowing her motions, though, and he obligingly shifted back, a burst of bright light forming into boy-shape and resolving into Tennyson. She was smiling again, and that simple thing made him happy, too, so he returned it obligingly. “I think that was great,” he replied honestly. “Seems to me that we work well together.”

He paused in his speech for a moment, removing his cap and dragging his hand through his hair, appearing almost worried for a moment before he replaced the misshapen grey object on his head. “Hey, so
 there’s something I need to tell you. It’s not exactly common knowledge, so if you wouldn’t mind keeping a secret?” He waited for some form of acquiescence before he continued, a bit haltingly.

“I, uh
” he wasn’t exactly sure how to convey what he needed to without freaking her out. People were told horror stories about black blood, about the kishin and dark weapons, and truly, he could understand why. “My last partner
 we got into a fight we weren’t ready for, two years ago, and the both of us got infected with black blood. She
 didn’t make it, but I still have it, you know? I spent two years learning to get it under control, and the teachers cleared me and everything, but
 it’s still not maybe a risk everyone would be willing to take, you know? I’m not any danger to you, I promise you that. I’d die myself before I lost another partner to black blood.” For once, he sounded completely serious, and he met Acacia’s eyes directly. He needed someone to understand this about him, and somehow, he had a feeling that she might.

“If you’d rather go with someone safer, I’d understand, so don’t worry about offending me. I just
 even if I’m cleared, I couldn’t let you become my partner without telling you.”

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After he'd turned back, Tennyson beamed at her. "I think that was great," he told her. "Seems to me that we work well together." Acacia nodded and agreed.

The happiness didn't last. In the blink of an eye, Tennyson's expression changed, becoming dark and troubled. Acacia watched silently, wondering what was happening. Nervously, Tennyson removed his cap, ran a hand through his hair, then put the cap on again. "Hey, so
 There's something I need to tell you. It's not exactly common knowledge, so if you wouldn't mind keeping a secret?" Acacia nodded again. "Okay."

"I, uh..." Acacia frowned. Tennyson seemed incredibly nervous - was something wrong? Acacia sighed. "Look, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's okay." Tennyson persisted, however.

[b]"My last partner... We got into a fight we weren't ready for, two years ago, and the both of us got infected with black blood. She didn't make it, but I still have it, you know? I spent two years learning to get it under control, and the teachers cleared me and everything, but... It's still not maybe a risk everyone would be willing to take, you know? I'm not any danger to you, I promise you that. I'd die myself before I lost another partner to black blood. If you'd rather go with someone safer, I'd understand, so don't worry about offending me. I just... Even if I'm cleared, I couldn't let you become my partner without telling you."

In that instant, Acacia learnt that Tennyson was a true gentleman. Not many people had the courage to admit such a thing to a prospective partner. Acacia understood - in the couple of weeks after Jamie's death, she'd been shunned by everyone. Everyone had that look of pity for her, even the teachers. If they had to speak, they used that gentle tone, so afraid of breaking the wall Acacia had put up. Acacia knew what it was like to be different, and dangerous.

She raised her head and looked Tennyson straight in the eye. "Look, this black blood business..." How was she to phrase it? She didn't exactly know. After a pause, she continued. "It's just ridiculous. Two years is a long time, and I trust that you've tried hard enough to control it. I know where you're coming from, I can sympathise. You won't hurt me, I know that. And besides, it's hard to find someone who resonates as well as we do. So," she held out a small hand, "be my weapon?"

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Character Portrait: Tetsuya "Tetsu" Taiga Fujitaka Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Ridley Ashcroft Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane
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Ridley blinked slowly, brows creasing just slightly to create a small vertical furrow between them. The abrupt switch in topic was a little odd, but he was willing to go along with it, since he saw its usefulness. It wouldn’t do to remain strangers if they were expected to work together.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Tennyson waving at him, but he was too busy thinking to properly respond to it. His friend seemed to be standing next to a girl he didn’t know; perhaps his new Meister. Strange, how things had a way of working out.

“I play piano,” he replied offhandedly. “Mostly by feeling the vibrations and so forth. My hobbies are that, reading, and taking naps. Sometimes I play sports.” That wasn’t often, of course, but his sister had often been able to talk him into soccer or basketball or tennis when they were younger, to get him out of the house and away from his parents. He was aware that he wasn’t a particularly lively or interesting individual, but then given that Tetsu was so
 bright-looking, it should hardly have come as a surprise to the demon weapon boy that his partner was considerably duller.

He supposed that the proper thing to do would be to return the question, or perhaps ask some other kind. Unsure what was relevant, he cocked his head to one side. At least he didn’t have to ask what Tetsuya’s favorite color was. “Favorite food? Oh, and
 what’s your family like?”


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Tennyson released a breath slowly, the lines of his posture visibly slacking. Despite how easy and simple he tried to make everything, it had been anything but to admit that out loud. It wasn’t like he’d been expecting anybody to shriek and tell him he was a monster or anything. After what had happened to Evans and a few people like him afterwards, it was generally accepted that Black Blood could be controlled in the rare cases when it didn’t turn the person infected into a Kishin or a Dark Weapon, but there was still a level of distrust there. In all honesty, he thought it was probably wise, but he couldn’t even begin to quantify how grateful he was that someone was willing to give him a chance- that she was willing to give him a chance.

He took the proffered hand, enclosing it with his own. It wasn’t that Acacia was much too small, but Teo himself was a taller-then-average fellow, with the limb proportions to go along with that, and his palm did rather dwarf hers in comparison. Still, he shook firmly. He’d learned a long time ago that just because a lady (or anyone for that matter) was smaller than him didn’t mean they were made of glass, and if she was here, she was good enough to be here.

“I’d be honored,” he replied truthfully, nodding before he released the handshake. Looking around at the others present, he took note that the majority of the pairing off seemed to have completed, and it was likely that most of them would be clearing out soon. His first year, they’d given a speech, but he wasn’t sure if they planned on that this year as well.

“Looks like things are kind of wrapping up here. If you’d like to meet some of your classmates, I know a few of the kids in here. Otherwise, we can just hang around until they let us go- I’ll help carry your stuff once they tell you where to put it.” He caught Ridley out of the corner of his eye and waved, but the other youth didn’t respond- he rarely did. It never really bothered Tennyson all that much.

He considered asking Acacia a little more about herself, but at this point he figured things were probably a little overwhelming, at least he remembered them being so. There was no need to rush getting to know each other after all- he was counting on this being a partnership with considerable duration, so why should he feel the need to rush?

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Acacia watched as Tennyson released a tentative breath, relaxing visibly. He reached out and took Acacia's hand. It totally covered hers. Acacia looked up into his face, having to tilt her face up quite a bit. Tennyson was much taller than her, and very much stronger, Acacia thought, much larger than her small frame. "I'd be honored."

Acacia smiled at him. "It's settled then. Nice to be working with you." She was glad to have a weapon, actually; it made her feel like she really belonged here at DWMA. Tennyson's voice cut into her thoughts. "Looks like things are kind of wrapping up here. If you'd like to meet some of your classmates, I know a few of the kids in here. Otherwise, we can just hang around until they let us go - I'll help carry your stuff once they tell you where to put it." Acacia shook her head. "It's my first year - I don't really know anyone yet. I'm not exactly a social butterfly here, if you've noticed, so it's fine."

Out of the corner of her eye, Acacia saw a brown-haired woman step forward and start speaking. Acacia listened carefully to the speech, then turned to Tennyson. "Let's go find a dorm, then. Where are they located?"

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Character Portrait: Tetsuya "Tetsu" Taiga Fujitaka Character Portrait: Acacia K. Morning Character Portrait: Ridley Ashcroft Character Portrait: Tennyson Thane Character Portrait: Abelie Rizzocelli
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“Mostly classical, I guess,” Ridley replied, his tone just a little bit perplexed. It had never been so much about what he liked with him, but what provided adequate challenge, or what was considered proper for young men of a certain background to do. This applied to pretty much everything in his life, and always had. His one small rebellion form the burdens of expectation had always been his outward affectations of careless laziness, but, as perhaps only a few people in the world could say, underneath even that lay a diligence and seriousness that one would expect of a youth like him.

He couldn’t help the small hum in the back of his throat at Tetsuya’s mention of helicopter parents. It was pretty much the same with him, though they’d also had his sister to fuss over. Given how much they still managed to irritate him, he could hardly imagine having grown up alone. It was a sound of agreement, small and otherwise inconsequential, but now was hardly the time or place for a wide-ranging discussion of the subject. Still, he filed that- and the pendant that had been inadvertently been brought to his attention- away as possible further conversation for later. Ridley wasn’t so great at small talk; he generally preferred to know what he was saying and why he was saying it, and pointless chatter had never sat well with him.

But maybe that was just because he wasn’t any good at it.

The next answer stilled on his tongue when Abel started talking, which he was only able to figure out because of the way everyone seemed to turn and face one direction. He thought about it, tilting his head to one side and pushing his glasses up his nose. His current roommate was a nightmare: always leaving mess out all over the place, having other people over at obscene hours, and even though he couldn’t hear the noise they were making, he could certainly feel it- all those high-energy souls buzzing against him like he was in a hive of bees.

The speech concluded, and Ridley nodded cautiously. “That would be
 nice. My present living conditions are suboptimal at best.” His lips thinned briefly, and he shook his head. “I suppose there’s no time like the present. I’ll retrieve my things. Where exactly do you live?”


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Tennyson nodded kindly, deciding to hold off on introducing his new partner to anybody. That was probably for the best; there was a lot of new stuff happening to just about everyone today, and yet more things to remember was probably not going to help anyone’s stress levels.

He listened politely to Abel’s speech, flashing a grin at his mentor, though he’d heard the words in similar form before. It was still a nice speech, and summed up the general spirit of the DWMA very well. When she was done, he turned back to Acacia and considered the question. “Well, there are several different girls’ dorms. There’s one located kind of close to the library, one closer to training areas, and one kind of near the cafeteria. It’s really up to you which one you want to live in; the teachers don’t really care what you pick as long as you don’t cause trouble.” He grinned briefly, to reassure her that he didn’t think it’d be a problem.

Making his way back over to Acacia’s luggage, he hefted the two largest bags easily, then gestured at the door with one of them. “I can show you around a little on the way, if you like.”

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Acacia shrugged, contemplating the choices Tennyson had just offered her. "I won't cause trouble," she assured him. Spreading her arms out to prove her point, she asked, "Do I look like the kind?" Grinning, she told him, "How about the one near the library? I'll probably spend a lot of time there, reading and all. I'm not a very social person."

Looking around, she asked a passing student where the library was. The student explained kindly, and even offered to show her the way, but Acacia declined. Turning back to Tennyson, she said, "Let's go!"

She made to pick up her luggage, but Tennyson beat her to it. He picked up the two largest bags easily, and Acacia started to protest. "No - it's okay, I can manage them..." One look at Tennyson's face, however, told her that he wouldn't be changing his mind anytime soon. She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Fine."

She accepted his offer as well, however, "Let's just put those bags down first. They're a little heavy." She led the way to the dorm, following the helpful student's instructions easily, finding it without any problem. She paused outside, then opened the door, revealing the dorm. "Thanks." Taking the bags from his hands, she gestured for him to stay. Quickly, she darted inside, found a bed and dumped her luggage by it, then zipped back out just as fast. "There. Now where should I be taking notice of?"

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Ridley gave it some thought, and then tried to figure out what Estelle would have done. Almost on cue, a mental train that sounded suspiciously like his sister even in his head decided to offer an opinion. Of course you should go with him! The bonds between weapons and Meisters are incredibly important, and you should never pass up an opportunity to get to know more about each other.

Well, that pretty much decided it then. “If you don’t mind, let’s both go,” he offered, attempting a smile. He wasn’t very good at them; his face was naturally set into a contemplative sort of expression, not quite a frown, but close. To his credit though, he was trying, and this from the Academy’s laziest student was actually quite something. It was a lopsided slant to his mouth that resulted, but of course he had no way to know that.

Stepping outside, Ridley was hit with some choice sunlight, and his eyes automatically sought a nice tree to sleep under. That was entirely automatic by this point, but there wasn’t anything quite like sleeping in the golden sun. Well, napping on rainy days was nice, too, but usually indoors rather than outside. Trees were good for shade, but the roof of the classroom building was better if you wanted full sun, and the concrete ensured that on the right kind of day, one was practically ensconced in a pleasant heat-bubble.

Ridley realized that he should probably be paying attention to the route they were taking, so he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans and looked around. “So uh
” he wracked his brain for an appropriate question. “Why the DWMA?” He well knew that not everyone with the right kind of talent chose to use it, and many of those that did seemed to have wildly divergent goals about it. “I came here trying to find something that was mine, you know? Something that wasn’t just given to me, because those things always felt like they kind of belonged to someone else, too.” He thought about mentioning his intentions to kill the witch who’d murdered Estelle and retrieve his sister’s soul, but maybe this wasn’t the right tone of conversation for that little piece of information. He didn’t want to make Tetsu uncomfortable, though to be fair, he wasn’t exactly sure how to avoid that.


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Tennyson chuckled. “You don’t look like the type at all,” he admitted, “but doesn’t that just make it more dangerous if you are?” He didn’t push it though, because it really was just a bit of a joke, and instead he followed Acacia as she led the way to her new accommodations, more than happy to let her even though he had long memorized the layout of the entire campus.

Her bags, they set down in her room, and she asked after the places to know around the school. “Hm
” he hummed at the back of his throat, then nodded. There were small whiteboards outside all the rooms, with markers so that students could leave each other messages. Taking up one of these, he sketched out an aerial view of the campus, and though it was quite rough, it was clear from the crisp lines and details that the boy had some level of talent for drawing. “Okay, so
 we’re here
” He drew a little ‘x’ on the board at their location. “And this is the library. Over here’s the cafeteria- do not eat the lasagna if you value your stomach- and this is the main classroom building.” He shook his head slightly, reliving a very unfortunate memory of unsavory pasta dishes before something else came to him.

“Oh, and this is where I live. Room 254 inside this building. If you ever need anything, I’m either there or I’ve left a note telling anyone who needs to know where I am.” He was actually the senior student on his floor, and while DWMA didn’t have an RA system, he was basically the go-to person for advice, so he liked to make sure people could find him if they needed to.

Stepping back, he contemplated the map for a second. You know, it really is better if you see these things for yourself. I can give you a walking tour, if you like, but if you’re tired or hungry, it can wait till you’re ready.”