Shiro Academy

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1

((Welcome one, welcome all! Feel free to ask questions on the out-of-character thread http://theeastpacific.com/topic/5191852/1! This post only contains reference information about Shiro Academy, Tilden Island, etcetera; feel free to just skip down to the next post to get right into it.))

Shiro Academy is a world renowned research university with campuses in Infinite Loop and the Free Pacific States. Founded as a war academy in 1783, Shiro grew to become a diverse educational institution over the next 150 years, and became a formally non-military college in 1953. Packilvania destroyed the Cupertino Campus during the 2005 Packo-Looplite War, prompting the Shiro administration to relocate “temporarily” to Tilden Island in the Free Pacific States. Shiro reopened its Cupertino Campus in 2009, but continued operating its Tilden Campus, which had became quite profitable. Shiro today offers secondary, undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and military courses, all world-class, and proudly hosts many of the smartest young minds in the East Pacific, along with the children of many of the most influential families in the East Pacific.

Shiro Academy Tilden is located on Tilden Isle, the tropical Free Pacifican island in the Bay of Joy. The Shiro Academy shares its campus with the University of Tilden, a mid-tier public college. The 40,000 Shiro students dominate the campus, but UT’s 5,000 students possess the advantage of being able to audit Shiro’s classes for free. Tilden University legally owns the campus, and handles all law enforcement, emergency services, facilities, and utilities. The two universities generally operate in harmony, largely by maintaining completely separate apparatuses for housing, academics, and student services separate.

The Shiro-Tilden Campus is absolutely stunning, and well connected, but surrounded by an unsavory area. The Academy is right on the beachfront of the tropical Tilden Island, making it a bright, beautiful place to attend, especially for those that enjoy a good swim. The booming metropolis of Garneldo is just an hour away by car or train (with a intercity train station just off campus), and students can fly anywhere from Garneldo International Airport, or sail anywhere from Garneldo’s booming port. But the Shiro-Tilden Campus is surrounded by abandoned homes left behind after the tech bust of the mid-1990s, and crime is rife in these old houses despite the best efforts of the well-funded University County Sheriff’s Department. Of course, many college students also enjoy booming parties in the shuttered mansions along the coast, despite the threat of being mugged on the way back to campus. Campus itself is quite safe.

The dormitory that serves as the setting for this story is the Wachin Dormitory. A five story structure, Wachin Dormitory is the Southernmost residence hall on the Shiro Academy campus, the closest to the Pacific Ocean, and it faces South towards the ocean. The dormitory features a bath house, located in the courtyard formed by the “L” shaped dormitory, and a parking lot on the North-Western side of the building. A circular driveway is located on the North-Eastern side of the building. There are both singles and doubles on the floor, so students may or may not have a roommate ((by roleplayer choice)). There are only public bathrooms on the floor.

((Please note that the below image is of the fifth floor, where our characters are all going to happen to live. The first floor features a lobby instead of the kitchenette, bathrooms, and communal area. To make up for this, the first floor also features a small computer lab where several rooms would be located, and a small lounge in the place of several other rooms. Please feel free to check out the OOC thread http://theeastpacific.com/topic/5191852/1.))

2

Matthew Terrus (Junior) showed up at 7:30 AM, along with six other resident advisers, to setup the lobby of Wachin Dormitory for resident move-in. The seven student staff members put up decorations, setup tables, and carefully laid out registration packets over the next half hour. By 8AM, when the main doors automatically unlocked, the seven staff members were ready for the influx of new students.

The seven staff members believed themselves ready, anyways, but that quickly proved completely untrue. Dozens of “early-bird” families arrived by 9AM, trying to move residents into the dormitory before the rush, and by 9:30AM, any semblance of order disappeared. Across Shiro Academy Tilden, the story was the same, as all first-year and transfer students arrived nearly simultaneously.

Terrus, a relatively cool-headed Resident Adviser with a half decade of experience, kept his table somewhat organized as the small building lobby became packed. As more students arrived, he continued to wave and call out, trying to get the attention of anyone listening.

“Fifth floor residents, over here! Fifth floor, register here! If there’s a big W and a big 5 on your orientation packet, that’s you! If there isn’t a W, you’re in the wrong building!”

((Feel free to refer to the first post in the thread for reference information, but a general note: all characters should be students assigned to the 5th Floor of Wachin Dormitory. The Dormitory contains both singles and doubles, so feel free to pick whether you’d like a roommate, but no room contains a bathroom. Public bathrooms are the norm in this dorm, sadly.))

3

On the 8:05am train from Garneldo was packed, mostly student age as far as Navarro could tell. He recognized some of the faces from the flight from Visaelitia International, but had little interest. He was focused on the internationals, the elites from all over the region- at least that was his directive from father’s advisers.

His head was pressed against the window and he tried his best to look unapproachable. The morning sun glared into his eyes and glinted off of his hair, golden in the light.
[hr]
The train slowed approaching its destination, Shiro Academy. He pulled his worn leather handbag from the overhead rack and sped towards the exit. He immediately spotted a student volunteer leader and requested he be shown to his dorm, switching on his charm. You can never make too many connections here at Shiro, so he pulled out his biggest ‘friendly jock’ smile and raked his hands through his hair.

Small talk filled the walk to the dorm registration area. The usual college banter- ‘What are you taking here at Shiro?’ ‘Foreign Affairs and Policy’, ‘Where you from?’ ‘Atlea province, Aelitia.’, ‘Oh cool! I am from just near there!’ ‘Awesome! You should visit sometime! The beaches are fantastic in my province.’ another smile. The volunteer student was significantly shorter than him, and Navarro could see one of the Registration desk’s attendants waving students wildly. He heard the floor he was calling and recognized it as his own. He excused himself from the volunteer, suggesting he could show him around sometime.

He walked up to the desk and confirmed his floor. With some rudimentary directions, he found his way to the fifth floor and looked for his room. It was immediately next to the communal areas, and all his bags were set up; no doubt a small gesture from his father, or at least his advisers. He flipped open his laptop and typed a quick email to his better half back in Aelitia.

[hr][hr]
A young woman with a tight bun and sharp glasses found her off the train last, preferring not to be rushed by the crowds. She diligently gathered her materials and departed from the train. The flight from Visaelitia was quick but taxing, as she hated flying. Her walk to the dorms however, were quick and familiar to Petra. She had already spent her four fantastic years in here undergraduate degrees in Physics and Engineering. He was now attending Shiro for her Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering with an added focus in Fluid Dynamics. Petra was terribly bright, and has benefited from Aelitian and Shiro academic scholarships through her terms.

This year she was forced to stay on the 5th floor, even through she requested the Masters-program only floor. Such was the life of a scholarship student, she figured. He room was to be the second from the common areas, so no doubt she will have to invest in some noiseproof headsets because of the underyear partying.

She took her time laying out her meagre belongings, but relished in hanging up her newly furnished uniforms and suits given to her through the Aelitian scholarship. She always dressed very well when at Shiro, and she liked that. Following that, she began chipping away at the stack of texts laid on her desk in the relative quiet of the move-in confusion.

4

Garneldo Seaport

“I know that leaving the country might seem disconcerting, but it really is for the best,” Duchess Maraterra Thas told her youngest adopted daughter, adjusting the spectacles adorning the bridge of her slightly beaky nose as she spoke.

Serunia Verday Cautille nodded as a response, the expression in her eyes ambiguous. Truth be told, she was not particularly upset that she was leaving the Empire to attend a school thousands of miles away. Her circumstances, however, were unique. It was incredibly rare for a member of nobility to leave Xoriet, much less a member of nobility intended to marry into the royal family should Val Xaeyth Beralis become Kath after his father. While arranged marriages were not a practice encouraged in Xoriet, it was nonetheless important to balance out the amount of blood one aristocratic family might contribute to the royal family.

Zandion Beralis, having married a Wisanta of Vavar, had inadvertently ensured that his heir would certainly have to wed an aristocrat from another of the Hierarchical families. Serunia was the only unmarried female of a similar age to the Val among all, and thus by default was expected to marry the heir should he become Kath.

“Try to get along with these foreigners,” her adopted mother continued, placing one wrinkled hand on the arm of her chair as she rose to keep her balance. Maraterra Thas had not been a young woman for many long years, and even with excellent health she was still not immune to the limitations of age. “I understand that they are not as…enlightened, but they are very important.”

“Yes, Lady Mother,” Serunia responded obediently, having already swiftly risen to aid the aged Duchess.

“And do try to enjoy your time here, Serunia,” the Duchess added almost as an afterthought, steadying herself with the carved rosewood cane offered by the dark haired man with the enigmatic eyes who had been standing behind her chair the entire time.[hr]Shiro Academy

The drive to Shiro Academy had been fairly uneventful, few words exchanged with the man sitting across from her. Oken Thas had never been a man of many words, largely due to the fact that he was the most wanted man in Xoriet and rarely had desire to converse with the aristocracy. However, he was Maraterra’s only birthed child despite being a professional terrorist. He had enough significance to be permitted to escort his mother and adopted sister to another country.

Serunia went through the registration process with fairly little trouble, but the chaos in the area did provoke a very odd expression throughout the duration. She was not used to disorder. It was one of the peculiarities of foreign culture. Discovering that she had a room on the fifth floor did not really bother her. It was a single room that would afford her all the privacy she could want. Oken lingered long enough to help her unpack and organize, but he did not stay any longer than necessary.

He nodded at Serunia in a perfunctory farewell, giving her a quick once-over before he left.

The young woman’s features, though not beautiful, were nonetheless attractive. Long, silky hair worn down in an elegant sheet framed a fair-skinned face of a fine bone structure. Two measures of her ebony hair were intricately braided and clasped at the back of her head to prevent her hair from obscuring her vision. In Serunia the slight upwards tilt to the eye of a native of Xoriet was further emphasized by unusual verdant irises so sharp and bright that their color could only be described as acid green. They were undoubtedly her most distinguishing feature.

He shrugged, analysis complete, and carelessly tossed a small box in her direction. With the reflexes of a trained athlete, Serunia caught it as dispassionately as he had thrown it. “Try not to fail too miserably,” he said brightly as she examined the enamel exterior.

Serunia smiled a little at that light barb. “Try not to get caught and condemned.”

With the faintest ghost of a smirk, Oken closed the door and left her to stand in her room in silence.

5

Chapter House
The Fourth Imperium

Reverend Mother Syaksa entered the Quintinius Violet Chenoeh and Tawsuoko’s shared room inside Chapter House. The two had been expecting her all day long because every Sister in Chapter House knew the Assessment Of The State Of The Region was underway. Reverend Mothers Akeli, Eknekosk, Mamulut, Syaksa, and Yitob would be sending their acolyes on fact finding missions across the region, and information gleaned from these missions would be incorporated into the assessment themselves. Chenoeh was specially trained as an oral recorder so she was more likely to be assigned a critical mission; whereas Tawsuoko was still a young acolyte. However, neither had undergone the spice agony to become Reverend Mothers so, in the eyes of Syaksa, they were virtually the same.

“Chenoeh. Tawsuoko,” Syaksa greeted them.

“Reverend Mother,” they replied demurely in unison.

“You both know why I’m here so I’ll just cut right to the chase,” Syaksa said. “Chenoeh, you are to go to the Citadel and secure an invitation to converse with the God-Emperor himself. He will not be very indulgent in our questions or very generous with his own information, but you must do nothing that will bring down his wrath upon us.”

“Yes, Reverend Mother,” and, with that, she was out the door.

“Tawsuoko.”

“Yes, Reverend Mother”

“You are to go to Shiro Academy in the Free Pacific States. The children of many of the most influential families in the region attend the Academy so there should be much information to glean about the state of the region, if you ask the right question, but the same warning that went for Chenoeh goes for you. You must do nothing that will bring down their wrath upon us.”

“Of course, Reverend Mother.”

“Very well then. An ornithopter is waiting for you. The pilot will have your train tickets, and there will be a car for you at the Academy,” Syaksa said as she left the room.

Tawsuoko made her way to the 'thopter, and, sure enough, the pilot did, in fact, have tickets for the 8:05 train from Garneldo to Shiro Academy. The pilot lifted off, and, after a brief layover in Coocoostan, they would arrive at Garneldo International Airport

[hr]
Garneldo International Airport
Tilden Island

As the 'thopter made its final approach to Garneldo International, Tawsuoko had an excellent view of Garneldo Seaport. Having lived her entire life in the desert, she had never seen so much water or so many ships up close. Her education had already begun. The touch down at the airport was uneventful, as was the trip in the car from the tarmac to the train platform. However, Garneldo did remind her of Onn somewhat.

As she exited the car, she quickly noticed something about all the people around her. They all had so many things. Books and bags and clothes and even computers. The Sisterhood was one of the wealthiest institutions in the Imperium, but the Sisters themselves, from the youngest acolyte to Mother Superior, lived a life of poverty. While they wanted nothing, they never wanted for anything either. She assumed the car waiting for her at Shiro Academy would contain a few changes of clothes, but they would almost certainly be more robes of the Sisterhood, not clothes of every color and cut that she saw being worn around her. Tawsuoko fought off feelings of woeful inadequacy as she boarded the train.

She looked at her ticket and took her assigned seat where she proceeded to look around at all the people with all the things. It was a much better view than all of the shuttered mansions and abandoned homes she saw outside of the window, once they left the city limits. She noticed one particular young man with golden hair and interesting eyes sitting near her with his head pressed against the window, but she didn’t approach him on the hour long ride to Shiro. He was quick to exit the train, and, by the time she exited the train herself, he was already talking with someone else so she made her way to the car waiting for her.

[hr]
Shiro Academy

Just as she expected, there were a few neatly folded robes and an orientation packet in the backseat next to her when she sat down. Not even a bag. The driver parked the car on the northwest corner of Wachin Dormitory, and she scooped the robes into her arms and placed the packet on top. He opened the door for her, and she slid out of the backseat of the car, careful not to drop anything. The driver placed the key to the vehicle on top of the pile, and he made his way to a circular driveway on the other side of the building where it appeared another car was waiting to pick him up.

As she made her way through the lobby of the dorm, she noticed it getting more and more chaotic by the minute. However, over the din she heard someone calling, “Fifth floor residents, over here! Fifth floor, register here! If there’s a big W and a big 5 on your orientation packet, that’s you! If there isn’t a W, you’re in the wrong building!”

She looked down at her packet, and, under the keys, she could still read W5. She was in the right building, and she slowly but surely made her way to the helpful voice. She stood in line behind a very fair skinned young lady with long, silky hair standing next to a rather unsavory looking gentleman. He was quite a juxtaposition to her aristocratic look.

After they made their way up to the fifth floor, Tawsuoko approached the table and read the name tag of the man in front of her. When he spoke, she recognized his as the voice that called out into the crowd earlier. Otherwise, the registration went along without incident, other than trying to juggle her robes, keys and packet, but she finally made her way up to the fifth floor. She passed through a communal area to see who but the golden haired boy in a room that already looked like he’d been here hours ago, but she knew he couldn’t have beaten her there by more than a few minutes. In the next room, she spied what appeared to be a slightly older woman with her head already buried in the door. The following room was a double, but it appeared empty so she didn’t know if she was going to have a roommate or not.

She placed her few belongings on her bed, and, when she realized Chenoeh wouldn’t be her roommate again for the foreseeable future, she was assaulted by a sudden feeling of sadness. She had always had her Sister around. In an attempt to take her mind off of it, she looked outside the window at the most foreign of views, an ocean, but, in that moment, she was hit by a sudden realization.

“What if my roommate is a boy!?”

6

Most of the rush had died down by around lunch time, which allowed the staff a perfect chance for a shift change. After making sure he had submitted all the proper move-in forms, Terrus made his way upstairs. He swung by his room first, so as to drop off a couple things, then stopped to say hello to the couple returning students on the floor. Nearly everyone in Wachim was a first year or a transfer, but a few folks did stay each year. Of course, none had stayed as long as Terrus, who had come to Shiro at age 14, and remained there at age 20 pursuing another degree. But it was nice to see a friendly face nonetheless.

Terrus’ job in this moment was not to seek out friendly faces, though, but to be a friendly face to new students moving into the residence hall. And so, Terrus made his way to one of the rooms, and knocked. That was the only way to meet people, after all – and it’d also give Terrus the chance to check in to see if there were any problems.

((People can still feel free to move in – just figured I’d get some interaction underway.))

7

Tawsuoko was still lost in thought when she heard a knock on the door. She had literally only been here for a few hours. She didn’t even go to lunch, having used her internal organic-chemical control to ever so slightly slow her metabolism enough to stave off any hunger or thirst. As she didn’t know anyone here and hadn’t even spoken to anyone since she had registered earlier, she had no idea who would be knocking on her door. Nonetheless, she moved to the door and turned the knob. When she cracked it open to see who was on the other side, she recognized the young man from the registration desk, and she open the door fully.

“Greetings…Was there a problem with my registration?”

8

Having finished catching up on the latest in Aelitia, Navarro set down his computer and made way for the communal living room to see if there was anything going on. A couple students occupied themselves half awkwardly with an “ice-breaker” card game and some others milled about and introduced themselves. Navarro jumped in to the introductions, flipping on the charm and trying his best to remember any names. Two other students were from Aelitia on that floor, and he grouped with them for a small while.

They spoke of student organizations and government on campus, and what programs they are all in. Navarro had a keen interest in student politics, despite his stated deference towards Aelitian politics. He started to pitch an idea about organizing Floor Councils for the dormitory, and maybe some inter-floor games in which they could meet the other students. He thought it could be a fun way to occupy themselves and the new students. He asked the others to spread it around, and waited for some feedback while he made himself comfortable on one of the couches in the living room.