Realistic or Modern -the grand scheme-

[.empathogen.]

Chapter One: Fifty-Two Pickup

the joker.

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  mood

  
  
  
  

  "Gotta have a little hope...especially with these guys."
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  outfit

  
  
  
  

  "Just...whatever..." *blushes*
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  location

  
  
  
  

  Dearie Hall, exiting the Auditorium, Savior's Crest Campus
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  interactions

  
  
  
  

  Everyone
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

"I swear, collective dreaming isn't as daunting as it seems."

Lucky turned to the partners that had been chosen by Professor Farley to be paired with him. He observed the faces as they formed a pack, like the other groups had done. It was the second day of the first semester and they were already plunging right into the coursework, at the end of the workday. It wasn't hard to tell that a lot of the class were a little green to what they were learning. Grandfather taught him the necessary spells to do it, but he wasn't too keen on the idea of Divination--said it was an invasion of privacy.

"I'm Leorian Edwards," he said, fumbling with his messenger bag, searching, "But you can call me Lucky. It's my dad's nickname for me. I suggest we go to the library and pick up Kristoff's Lucid States in the Subconscious and Henderson's Peering into the Third Eye. Follow me," He said, jogging down the steps of the building. It was only a 5 minute stroll to the library, so he took the time to take his partners in. There was a pretty boy that his gut told him to avoid like fire. There was one girl with stoic looks across their face and another who was wildly swinging her arms and skipping with her head down. There were to others, one long haired with a charming face and a guy, his roommate, who stared at Lucky a lot closer than he was used to.

They reached the library, which was about to be filled with people realizing they didn't know a damn thing about the dreamscape. Some of them might have had seasoned Embracers with them, but they didn't have a clue what to look for. Lucky opened one of the doors to the Library, slowly, and waved his hand as if to invite them in. He might of been a little obnoxious about it but he was actually in the company of other people. What a day!

"Come on, guys," he said after a minute of holding the mahogany door open for a minute, "This door is freaking heavy."

escape route

paramore

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[queenbean]

seraphina.

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  mood

  
  
  
  

  "Excited! I'm ready to learn!"
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  outfit

  
  
  
  

  a lil razzle dazzle
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  location

  
  
  
  

  The Library
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  interactions

  
  
  
  

  Everyone (:
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

Seraphina had, just a handful of weeks ago, lived in an entirely different world to the one she lives in now. Not only was magic real, but she - she - could wield it. Use it. She could do it. It wasn't everyday one's entire sense of reality is shattered into a million pieces, but all things considered, she's taking it in stride. Sure, her dorm mate is a little bit terrifying but Phina is certain that, once they're both settled, she'll get used to her. At least they shared Divination together, right? Maybe they could try and study together, or-

Crap. She definitely missed what the professor said. It's best to just smile, nod, and act like you're listening. Groups. Groups? A project? On their second day? Normally, Phina would jump at the chance to prove herself in any school assignment - but this sounded... dangerous. Or, at the very least, something far beyond her understanding. Of course, isn't everything here?

She gathers with the rest of the group, taking in each face slowly. The boy who had introduced himself as Lucky just a second ago was a face she was rather familiar with. Or, at least, the name was. She's heard quite a bit of gossip about him, just from lingering around in the halls. He's got a very strange reputation, though Phina has long since learned to ignore rumors of reputations. At least here she isn't a walking corpse. There's another boy she's somewhat familiar with - one she can just tell is going to need her help more than most. She'd overheard him complaining to himself about another student not being able to keep up in one of their other classes together. The other boy, she doesn't recognize. His hair is wild and sticking up in every direction, and something about him feels just a little bit off to Phina. Another person in the group is dressed to the nine - they're clearly someone who takes their physical appearance very seriously, and Phina would be lying if she said she didn't already like them for their unconventional fashion choices.

There are two girls with them, as well. One being Phina's own dorm mate - Cora - who still has that alarmingly piercing expression as she seemingly takes in their little pack. It feels like she's looking right through her, every time her eyes happen to fall upon Phina. The other is one she hasn't met yet, but she wears a similarly stern expression as Cora - though she is, admittedly, a bit more approachable in Phina's opinion.

"You can call me Phina," Seraphina introduced as they made their way to the library upon Lucky's suggestion. "I hope this dream realm stuff isn't too dangerous."

Once they reached the library, Phina was pulled out of her somewhat scattered thoughts about the project ahead by a struggling Lucky. She rushed forward to help, thanking her parents for encouraging her athletic streak all her life. She's already visited this library for hours. Her first day on campus, in fact, she'd come here right after settling into her dorm and spent so long among the stacks she'd walked out and it was an entirely different time of day. A familiar thrill of excitement rolls through her like thunder. She loves libraries. And this one, in particular, was chock-full of interesting books and tomes. She could spend a whole lifetime in here.

Make Them Gold

CHVRCHES

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[AreSneksSly]

scroll

the jack

August

mood

focused

outfit

simple and comfy

location

The Library

interactions

No one because Fran's a dick

Unlike the people sitting beside him, August was paying complete attention to the lesson. With his notebook out and fountain pen scratching against the parchment, those gray-blue eyes stared at the professor with such a sharpness that most would assume he was glaring. He’d already lost himself in his concentration, all higher thought pushed aside to absorb as much information as possible. Bottom lip trapped between his teeth, August continued to soak in the knowledge while everyone else seemed to be occupied with their own awe at the existence of magic. The brunette supposed he could relate. He’d been in the same position as them a few days ago.

When he first heard the news, a childish sense of excitement flowed through his body. He could remember the way the world seemed to brighten at the edges, when so many locked-away possibilities broke free in his mind, and when every adventure story he read came to life in gorgeous technicolor. The fact that magic was real, and that he could wield it, was beyond earth-shattering. It was a dream come true for him.

And what was even better was that he had so much to catch up on.

Suddenly, the man’s trance-like state was broken when the professor brought up an assignment. August’s fevered writing paused, those narrowed eyes relaxing. Ink bled onto the paper as August turned over the word in his mind.

Assignment, assignment, assignment…

A smirk appeared on his lips.

Competition.

August leaned back in his chair, finally lifting his pen for the first time since the lesson began and letting out an exhale as he did. The smirk had broken into a grin, August’s enthusiasm refusing to be contained. Though others may have groaned or even become nervous at the prospect of having to do an assignment while still being new to the magic world, August saw it as a challenge. Show me what you’re made of, he imagined the professor was thinking, and August always loved a challenge.

That was, until they announced it’d be a collaborative effort.

August’s smile twitched into a frown, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and more than a little annoyance. He wasn’t paying that close attention to what the assignment was called, focusing more so on the opportunity to crush the rest of the people in class, so he sure as hell didn’t catch the little collective part. The man groaned internally. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t a people person-- far from it-- it was just that, well… Most of the people here seemed new. And less excited about this than he was.

“Whatever,”

the brunette murmured to himself.

“I’ll just figure it out myself.”

As the groups gathered together, August took a moment to take in all the faces he’d likely forget once the project was over. A guy with brown hair that reached down to his neck assured them all that collective whatever the fuck wasn’t that bad, but August wasn’t really listening to him, deciding that the faces which made up their little group were far more interesting.

There was Mr. Collective Dreaming, who was currently leading the group. A cheery-looking girl with long brown hair was standing close by. August faintly recognized her face as one he’d seen around a few times, but he couldn’t recall her name, so probably no one notable. One girl stood a little farther off, fair and sporting an expression of seriousness. August caught the her eye for a brief moment, before he quickly looked away. Strangely, a nervous energy settled in his chest.

“...Leorian Edwards.”

August’s attention was torn away from the people around him, returning to the man who’d just introduced himself. There was a flicker of recognition behind August’s eyes as they widened in realization. Although he hadn’t seen the man’s face before, August could certainly remember a name that was involved in so many scandalous rumours. Talk of violence from a headmaster, of danger and banishment, very exciting stuff. A familiar curiosity crept into August’s mind, wondering how much of it was true. Leorian, or Lucky as he said they should call him, didn’t seem dangerous. Far from it, actually. He dressed humbly, dark colours covering his body, and not at all like the cartoon villain the rumours made him out to be.

August quietly hummed to himself, hand slowly moving down to his bag. It wasn’t a conscious action, just a habit he picked up. After all, writing things down was one of the best ways of keeping info for later, second only to keeping it digitally. But August always found himself writing faster with a pen than a keyboard.

Leorian continued to speak, suggesting they pick up some books, and the peppy girl introduced herself as Phina. Realizing that taking out his notebook while they were walking would be rather inconvenient, August filed the thought away for later.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Leorian pushed open a door-- the door to the library, August faintly recognized-- before staring at the group. August held himself still, watching his reaction closely.

“Come on, guys,”

he said, when no one moved forward.

“This door is freaking heavy.”

Phina moved to his side to help, assisting him in holding open the door. Finally processing the invitation and having successfully observed Leorian’s reaction, August moved inside the library without a word, brushing past the two.

Standing in front of the library entrance, he scanned the familiar rows upon rows of bookshelves which filled the imposing room. He’d been here before, studying up on the basics of magic, but he hadn’t ventured far.

’Kristoff: Lucid States in the Subconscious. Henderson: Peering into the Third Eye,’

his mind helpfully reminded him to get. August pulled out his notebook and pen, sidestepping the entrance as he did so. He listed down the titles quickly, tucking away his pen once he was done. Those blue eyes returned to staring at the bookshelves, group mates having been forgotten once he was focused in.

“I wonder if they use the Dewey Decimal system here,”

he murmured to himself.

August scanned around. He spotted a few people from the Divination class, some wandering the room aimlessly and others lounging in the few chairs scattered around the room. His eyes caught on someone, a matured face among the younger students, who was sitting behind a desk not far from the entrance.

‘Must be the librarian,’

August thought to himself, legs already moving towards them.

“Hello!”

August exclaimed with a smile, affixing a pleasant expression on his face that was only half-fake.

“Would you happen to know where Kristoff’s ‘Lucid States in the Subconscious’ and Henderson’s ‘Peering into the Third Eye’ could be?”

The person was graying, salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a high ponytail as they glared at him from behind their half-moon glasses. A beat of silence passed between them, before they pointed to one of the rows.

“Thank you!”

August replied. He walked away from the others without a second thought, deciding to look for the books himself. Rather rude, but August was here to do an assignment, not get all buddy-buddy with his classmates.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[thirteen]

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  how she's feeling...

  
  
  
  

  amused, apprehensive. her feet are killing her. she should have ditched the heels.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  what she's wearing...

  
  
  
  

  tan dress slacks, a white blouse tucked in.

  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  where she's at...

  
  
  
  

  exiting the auditorium --> library
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  in the conversation...

  
  
  
  

  Lucky // August.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

cora

the blank

If anything, Cora was tentative in her exploration of magic. Her introduction had been marred by the traumatic catalyst that had changed her world forever, so pardon her if she wasn't really mustering up enthusiasm. She had still put in the effort though--she was given the opportunity to learn much more about this new world, and for all her hesitance, she'd be stupid not to take it. It just meant that alongside sitting down for class and scrawling notes in her elegant, slanted script, she'd trace along the burns on her wrist, an ever-present reminder of the fickleness of magic.

She crossed her legs, lightly rolling her wrist ever so slightly, pen poised to make contact with the paper once more, eyes fixated on the professor. Magic school and regular school wasn't much different, was it? Same people, standing in front of the same cliche children, talking about one subject or another. Divination was interesting enough, she supposed, but then again, she loathed lectures to begin with. Her gaze grew blank, and she faded out of being present in the classroom and listening to the professor entirely, pen dangling between her fingers in an incomplete spin. Instead, her eyes focused on the person--that professor had really tense shoulders. Was he aware that one sock did not match the other? Was it an intentional choice? She continued her analysis of the stout man, mentally raising an eyebrow at the out of place graphic character.

Well, she continued until the room twitched at the mention of something--what was that? An assignment? On the second day? Cora mentally groaned--she had been banking on no homework, intending to take a drowsy nap after class and wake up and make a steaming cup of coffee. Now--what was that? Groups? You had to be shitting her.

Now, what the hell? Collective dreaming? As a group assignment? Absolutely not. Was this common practice, just to allow complete strangers to poke around in your brain? When she had initially expressed her desire to nap, it hadn't been with the intention of allowing others to skip around in her nightmares. There were playgrounds for that, thank you very much.

She didn't let her face betray any of her reservations--as she met up with the group, she kept her face blank, eyes searching to see if the others were as disturbed as she was. As they walked down to the library, she stayed silent, listening and taking in the new people she was surrounded by. The leader, the one who was trying to convince her in vain that collective dreaming wasn't as bad as it sounded, was named Lucky--he seemed like he was trying to make the best of the situation. (Cora did suppose they were a ragtag group to work with.) And then there was her dormmate, Phina, who introduced herself in her usual, extroverted way. Cora didn't have anything against her dormmate--she largely suspected the other girl was scared of her, but for the most part, in the short period of time they had been living together, things had been amenable.

There were a few others in the group, one with an excellent sense of fashion and a haughtiness that made her fingers curl, another that looked like he'd set fire to the library at any point in time, and another sharp jawlined boy that met her eye for a brief moment. She tilted her head as their eyes connected, the corner of her rose-painted lips tugging upwards before he glanced away. Self-assured, until it came to eye-contact? Interesting. Her head swiveled back to the leader, who was opening the door with the aid of the perky dormmate. She gave them a nod of thanks as she passed into the library, inhaling the comfortable scent of books. It didn't escape her eye that one of the others, the boy who had just made eye contact with her, slipped away from the group.

Lack of cohesiveness, as well as an apparent lack of appreciation for collaboration. Look, Cora wasn't the biggest fan of group work either, but going off on your own was a douchebag move.

Cora nodded in greeting, a small smile pressing onto her lips at the others. She wasn't scary, right? Not scary at all. Look, she could smile.

"I'm Cora, Cora Lee. Pleasure working with you all."

Cora introduced herself simply, before daintily gesturing with the flat of her hand to where their missing groupmate had gone off.

"I think he has gone off to get the book that we need to look at."

She paused, head swiveling to make eye contact with the leader. Look, she was a great team player. Look at her communicating. Good job, Cora. She gave herself a pat on the back before continuing,

"I'll go and bring the book back here so we can look at it together. It will be better if we all can shed insight on how we're supposed to do this."

With that, she turned on her heel, following I-Hate-Groupwork boy, her shorter legs having to make double the strides to catch up to his headstart. She came to a stop behind him, leaning up on tiptoe to peek over his shoulder.

"Are you going to come share with the class?"

She asked, an eyebrow raised and an amused tilt of her lips.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[.empathogen.]

the joker.

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  mood

  
  
  
  

  "Not bad. Not great...but good enough will do."
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  outfit

  
  
  
  

  "Just...whatever..." *blushes*
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  location

  
  
  
  

  Library, Ground Floor, Savior's Crest Campus
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  interactions

  
  
  
  

  Maggie/Dawson( a reply)
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

"It's so nice to make your acquaintance,"

Lucky said as they shuffled into the building. Before long they were seated at the nearest table on the ground floor. Instead of going upward with its architecture the entirety of the library went downward, into the earth. Some say the depths of the place reached the double digits in number and held age old tomes, scrolls, and even artifacts of ancient civilizations that hid the truth of magic in its cultures.

Lucky noticed as his roommate, August, ventured off in search of something, presumably the books. One of the girls went off with them. They were within eye sight, talking to a tiny young woman. Lucky sighed deeply, taking a seat on one of the oversized yet comfy chairs that were near the table. He crossed his legs, sitting Indian style, out of habit. His eyes perked up and turned to the brown-eyed person asking him to explain the task they were to complete.

"Well, here's the thing: The way a mind is wired is never the same," he explained, getting comfortable in his seat, "So, in order to connect our consciousness' together we have to weave a world together in our heads. The fastest way to do this is to have something significant to bond over. Its best, but lightly, covered in the Seer's Hold. The book is close by, I'll get it." He raised his right hand and started to make signs, or holds as they're called. A few holds in he outstretched the hand. Suddenly, one could hear the book leave the shelf and 'woosh' through the air until you could hear a loud 'THUD' as it hit something.

"Oh shit!" Lucky squeaked as he got up and lightly jogged to the source of the sound. When he found it, he gasped, seeing the young woman from before, looking out of sorts. He guessed it was her that he hit with the book. Then, he got a real good look at her and his face could only portray a fraction of the shock he felt.

"Maggie?! Professor Bradford's daughter, right? It's me, Lucky! Lucian's grandkid!" he exclaimed, happy to have the familiar face of an old friend in sight.

escape route

paramore

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[AreSneksSly]

scroll

the jack

August

mood

talk about a meet cute

outfit

simple and comfy

location

The Library

interactions

cora, lucky, maggie, everyone else

August got to the bookshelf Ms. Silent Librarian had pointed to in no time, partly thanks to his god-given lankiness. No, lankiness was an ugly word. Tallness? Graceful beanpole-ness?

Well, he could think of prettier words to describe his height later. Right now, he was thumbing through some of the books on the shelf, storing the interesting titles far into his mind for later reading, when he’d inevitably return to the library to do more studying. Was being the key word, until a voice came from behind him.

“Are you going to share with the class?”

The voice was feminine and light, a far cry from the one he was used to hearing at home, but August jumped all the same.

“Jesus-”

he yelped, before his expression morphed into one of annoyance.

“Oh,”

he said plainly.

“You’re that one.”

Having found the source of the startling noise, August was no longer interested in interacting with the lady. Still, he answered her question all the same, because August Francis never did things in halves.

“For your information, yes I am. I’ll also be forced to share later, when we’ll all be sharing a dream, apparently.”

The words were clipped, betraying his emotions, but August’s face was still turned away. In fact, now that he’d gotten a closer look at her, he was feeling pretty ticked that he’d been intimidated by such a tiny and unassuming woman.

“Listen, you can just dance on back to the group, alright? I’ll be back with a few copies of the books we need and we can all be merry and happy and prance around in each other’s dreams.”

August couldn’t help the bite in his tone when he turned to face the girl. Group projects were always a bore, especially when his partners were insistent on getting to know one another first. It was dumb and it was useless. All August wanted was to get a great mark handed to him.

The sound of rolling plastic against wood interrupted the two, as a brunette on wheels approached the two of them.

“Hello,”

she greeted, friendly and pleasant.

“Is there something I could help the two of you find?”

The taller of the pair observed the new addition to their conversation, and for a moment, his face softened somewhat. She was someone he recognized from the library, though always from afar. Up close, he could see the shine in those blue eyes and experience the full brightness of that truly genuine smile.

“Uh,”

August stuttered, aggressiveness sapping out of him at a rapid rate. He’d never really had the nerve to approach her before, which was a sentence he honestly never thought he’d think, but that was just because she seemed so…

Sweet. Honest. Humble. Not… not what he was used to.

Thankfully, a book flying and eventually connecting with the short brunette’s head was all August had to see before he snapped out of his stupor, saved from the embarrassment of appearing unprepared. “What the…” the man murmured, taking a step back. As he did, however, a mop of long brown hair appeared from around the corner. It was Leorian from before, and August watched in amusement as he approached the woman who’d just gotten smacked.

“Maggie?!”

Leo suddenly exclaimed. August raised an eyebrow, lip tilting up at the side as he realised that the two apparently knew each other. It was certainly one of the stranger ways he’d seen someone run into a friend. Quietly, a little part of August's brain wrote down Leo's reaction.

“Very smooth, Leorian,”

August stated, hand coming to rest on his hip. Blue eyes rolled as he turned his attention back to the bookcase he’d been scanning. Finally, they landed on the books he’d been looking for, and he reached up to grab both of them off of the shelf. August momentarily looked back at the two disasters, rolly-wheels Maggie and Unlucky Leo, smirking as he did.

“I see you two can handle this. I’ll be with the others, then.”

Those were all the words he bothered to spare, before unceremoniously turning and strutting to where he saw the rest of the group were sitting. He barely took a moment to scan the room for them, the mismatched heads and fashion senses drawing his eyes easily enough. He swaggered over to the dark wooden table they’d all chosen, setting the books down with a thump, followed by another as he sat himself down on one of the chairs. August crossed his arms and threw a leg over his knee, appearing bored as ever with the unimpressive crew.

Eyes turned to him for a moment, and August returned the looks with an unaffected stare.

“What?”

He said, when no one piped up. While August was academically brilliant, it wasn’t easy to snap him out of his single-minded pursuit of a goal. Still recovering from the intense focus he’d been drawn into just now, it took a few seconds for him to realize that they were probably waiting for him to say something akin to an introduction.

‘Ugh. Talk about needy,’

the brunette’s mind groaned, internally rolling his eyes.

‘But fine, I guess it’s the least I could do.’

“My name’s Augustin Francis, if that’s the answer you were waiting for,”

the man finally said, leaning closer to the table. He rested an elbow on the wood, placing his chin in his hand as he tried to look as casual as possible.

“So are we going to read the books or not?”

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[queenbean]

seraphina.

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  mood

  
  
  
  

  "Worried! Concussions are serious!"
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  outfit

  
  
  
  

  a lil razzle dazzle
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  location

  
  
  
  

  The Library
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  interactions

  
  
  
  

  August (mentioned), Lucky (mentioned), Maggie (directly)
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

Seraphina watched as a few members of their group split apart, but took her place happily at the table she'd been indicated to. It was hard to keep still in here, her fingers tapping relentlessly on the table as she fought the urge to grab a nearby book. Maybe she should have gone with that tall boy, he seemed like he knew what they were looking for. Maybe he'd even know more about the topic already.

Phina wasn't sure how to feel about sharing a consciousness with someone, let alone multiple people. She didn't exactly enjoy sharing her mind with herself, but the idea of others getting a peek in was daunting. It wasn't like she was crazy or anything - but, there were plenty of demons and ghosts she'd like to keep far away from others. It isn't their problem, and she's managing just fine thank you very much. Who cares about the occasional nightmare? Not her. No sirree.

At the mention of weaving a world together through something shared, Phina couldn't help wondering what on Earth all of them could have in common. Phina often got along with others - she never had any problems doing so. She typically found at least one common interest with another person, but something 'significant' with multiple people? This wasn't exactly a cheer squad or afterschool club and she's pretty sure their group was chosen at random and not because of some unknown enormous thing they have to discover.

Magic she can believe. Destiny, she'd be a fool not to. But finding something significant to bind her to so many people's consciousnesses? She couldn't even begin to fathom it.

A heavy thud caused the brunette's body to stiffen, ripping her from her rapidly spiraling thoughts. For a brief few seconds, Phina's vision clouded with crimson droplets. The echo of metal scraping against rock rang in her ears so loudly, she hadn't noticed she'd stood from her seat and nearly toppled the chair over; nor had she noticed the return of some of their group. As if in a daze, Phina rushed towards the source of the impact; a brunette on rollerskates being the target of the vicious book attack.

Without thinking, her hands moved towards the stranger whom she recalled seeing quite frequently in her trips to the library. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She asked, her voice, while not quite loud, verging on hysteria. If someone didn't know any better, they'd have assumed she'd known the girl as long as Lucky appeared to have. The conflict of wanting to help and not wanting to lay her hands on someone without their permission was plain as day on her face, almost painful. No blood, she reminded herself. There's no blood.

Make Them Gold

CHVRCHES

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[thirteen]

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  how she's feeling...

  
  
  
  

  "i fucking hate it here." // "hang on. let's take a breath."
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  what she's wearing...

  
  
  
  

  tan dress slacks, a white blouse tucked in.

  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  where she's at...

  
  
  
  

  library
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  in the conversation...

  
  
  
  

  Maggie + Seraphina, directly.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

cora

the blank

Cora leaned back as the boy she had followed, the one who had set out to grab the books, jumped as she made her presence known. Well, okay. Maybe she should start making a little bit of noise with her movements--fine. But the frosty reception that she received from the other made her head tilt--she had just gotten here, she had just breathed, why was she being attacked? And what the hell did he mean when he said "that one"? What did that even indicate? She didn't even know him.

Her lips pursed together as the idiot continued, snippily answering her question before spinning around and asking--no, telling her to rejoin the group. If there had been any semblance of wanting to play nice and get this godforsaken assignment done, the idiot before her ruined any intention. She shifted her weight, hands folding neatly behind her back, face refusing to break out of the neutrally schooled expression of blankness. Oh, she didn't like this one. Obnoxious, with a superiority complex he didn't deserve to have, and a personality that was absolutely lamentable. Seriously? Maybe she had had too high of expectations--when she applied, she had reckoned that aside from the few bad apples, she would be working alongside people with passions and with the least bit decency to be personable humans that were polite and cooperative.

Looking up at the Neanderthal that stood in front of her, Cora realized that might have been too high of an expectation to set. Nothing but disappointment.

He should be thanking his fucking lucky stars that Cora was interrupted--she had never been one to curtail her sharp words. Pretty boy should be grateful that at that moment, a sweet-faced library rolled into their tense stand-off. Cora settled for tugging her trademark 'Really?' eyebrow upwards in a neat arch, before turning to face the newcomer with a small smile curving on her lips. Her eyes immediately dropped to the rollerskates that the other wore, admiration swelling up in her. She had always wanted rollerskates--they seemed like such a fun facet of one's personality, a neat cross-section of amusement and class. Okay, wait. Maybe her personality wasn't best reflected in rollerskates--she had an absolute hideous image of her, grumpy and swaddled in many layers, rollerskating around. Okay, nevermind. A scary thought. She dismissed her miniscule fantasy with an internal 'Goodbye, rollerskates,' before turning her attention to the girl herself. She opened her mouth to address the other, before the girl crumpled, the culprit being a thick tome.

Okay, interesting. In the short time that Cora had applied to a Hogwarts-adjacent magic school, she had been asked to dream in a group of people, had been disrespected, and had watched someone get attacked by a book. Wonderful, all of that within the first few days.

Their leader, Lucky, joined the group--his entrance quickly turning into one of reunification--apparently he knew the other girl, Maggie.

Now, that was all fun, but was anyone going to help the poor girl up? Seriously, what kind of fuckass clown school had she come to?

Cora stepped forward, reaching downwards to grab the girl's elbow as her father had once taught her long ago. The bits of trivia in her dad's brain did eventually come into play, she supposed, especially the stern lecture he had given her about where to grab when lifting someone up. Whatever, she was thankful for it. She pulled the girl up, easing their weight distributions to be heavier on her side, just to allow the other to catch her balance and her bearings. Distinctly, she heard the pathetic lamppost behind her say something sardonic before excusing himself, but her focus was on the girl in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

Wait, she was an echo. Sometime during the ignorant pretty boy's departure, her roommate had rushed to the injured girl's side, the other asking the question first before Cora repeated it. Her roommate's hands seemed a bit more secure, so Cora felt alright to take a step back after adjusting the other girl, not wanting to overcrowd her. But then again, Seraphina's voice was odd, her surprise at the girl's accident threatening to descend into something greater, so she hovered, just in case she was needed. She braced a hand, pale and covered to the wrist with her blazer, just in case 'Maggie' toppled and fell.

Okay, hold on. This situation had the potential to devolve into something greater--something about her roommate's worrying and the unfortunate accident tugged at her, she couldn't leave now.

"Do you need to sit down? I think one of us can go snag some water. You let us know."

Cora said firmly, her voice calm.

Cora turned to Phina, her voice attempting to be soothing--eyes slightly softening at the apparent worry.

"Let's give her a minute. I'm sure it can't be easy, one day you're attacked by a book, and the next second strangers are asking too many questions, "

She said, trying for a medium sized smile, hoping her statement as came as more of a joke. Her head swiveled back to Maggie, addressing her again.

"Take your time."

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[kaito9049]

If he was being perfectly honest, Adrian had been zoned out for ... geez, how long had it been? He shook his head, sending brown locks dancing across his face. He hoped he didn't look as out of sorts as he felt.

He winced as watched the librarian — Maggie, the Lucky dude had called her — recover from her unfortunate hit to the head. He had had a book thrown at him once. Brothers Karamozov, if he remembered correctly. Man, that was a good World Lit class. But it hurt like hell.

Wait, had he done that? Adrian swallowed, looking at the empty slot where the book had — well, not fallen. It had flown! That had really happened! A week ago, Adrian didn't even believe in magic, let alone imagine that he could wield it. But no, it was far more likely that something had gone wrong with Lucky's — spell? Was that the right term? Adrian was really wishing he paid more attention during orientation.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself against one of the nearby tables. Be cool. This was just something new to get used to. He could do that. Things would work out on their own. He just had to keep moving forward.

Adrian took a moment to memorize the faces of the other students in his group. There was Lucky, of course, who seemed to have more of an idea of what was going on than most. He'd be a good one to hang with. Then there was the brunette with the bubbly attitude and wide smile — Sarah? No, that wasn't right. Seraphina? Phina. That sounded better. She gave Adrian good vibes; she reminded him of a lot of his friends back home. Always happy, never deterred, probably secretly in need of therapy.

Who else? Ah, right, Augustin. Named after the title of the Roman emperor, maybe? Emperor. Royalty. Confidence — this guy had plenty. Adrian drilled the nouns into his brain. They'd help him remember who was who. Lucky's name, or rather nickname, was easy to remember as well, given that he clearly didn't seem to be when it came to removing books from shelves.

And lastly there was Cora. He wasn't really sure what her deal was, yet. She seemed kind, given her reaction to Maggie's predicament. But she was also pretty stoic, so it hard for him to get a bead on how she was dealing with all this.

Adrian snapped out of his pondering as Maggie pointed to the water fountain in the lounge. Oh, right! Injured librarian here.

"I got it," he told the others. "One water coming up."

Really? That was the first thing out of his mouth to these folks? He shook his head as he reached the fountain, filling one of the paper cups from its spout. Steady. This was just like high school. Everyone was nervous, even if they didn't show it, right?

Adrian returned with the cup of water and his friendliest smile. Things would work out. They always did.

"So, this 'collective dreaming' stuff," he said to the room, handing the cup to Maggie. "do you just know how to do that? I don't know about y'all, but I'm a bit new to this whole magic thing. Should I brew some camomile? Grab some melatonin tablets?"

the trump

Adrian

• aaaaaaaaa
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• filler tab!
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  hello

  
  
  
  

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  hello

  
  
  
  

  goodbye

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[.empathogen.]

the joker.

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  mood

  
  
  
  

  *smiling while set on fire*
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  outfit

  
  
  
  

  "Just...whatever..." *blushes*
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  location

  
  
  
  

  Library, Ground Floor, Savior's Crest Campus
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  interactions

  
  
  
  

  Maggie/Adrian(mentioned)

  
  
  

  
  
  

Lucky moved out of the way as Adrian went to get water. "Sorry about the book," he said to Maggie, reaching out and stroking the spot where the tome had hit her. It was slightly reddened but there was no sign for alarm. "That's what I get for showing off. Come on, you can sit with us. It's the least I can do." Lucky motioned for everyone to come take a seat, placing the book on the table gently and turning the pages to the correct chapter. He got another chair for Maggie so she could put her feet up. When he was ready he sighed and looked to his audience. "Well...let's dive in." he said softly, running his finger to the beginning.

"The spell for dreaming simultaneously within one's mind relies more on trusting one another to hold the other's psyche. One mind can create a world whereas many can ignite a new universe of possibility. Within that is much warning: In the right conditions one can end up in the wrong world, one laying in reality rather than a dreamscape." Lucky looked up and saw eyes widened and staring in his direction. There were more details on the page, many symbols and holds, but that was left to the wayside at the moment. It was at that point he knew he'd fucked up. "...But that rarely ever happens, ever. I mean, I've done this spell for shits and gigs, out of boredom. And, while Maggie hasn't done any spell like that, it's totally unheard of...right?" He asked, trying to get support from her--even if she couldn't do magic.

"I hear it's best if you're in a happy enviroment for the atmosphere of the spell. So, here's what we do: I'll get a suite at Baiser de Fée, we have a chill fest kind of slumber party and BOOM. We do the spell and no one get's teleported to the Teletubby World." He wasn't gonna tell them he owned the most luxurious Embracer-hotel this side of Dubai...nor was he gonna tell them that the Teletubby land was real and less fun than it seemed. Hopefully the group could relax and have drinks and just have this ordeal go smoothly. He was gonna have a long talk with the Dean though. This was one hell of a way to start magic school and it was really weird that this lesson wasn't being taught later down in the syllabus.

"And you guys can bring friends if you like. You're all coming...you too, Mags." he said, smiling at the young librarian while inwardly panicking inside.

escape route

paramore

♡coded by uxie♡