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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 17:48:58 GMT -5
Duchess stood hesitantly at the edge of the forest, standing in between two worlds. There were pros and cons to both. The forest may be dangerous but it was home. She could be herself there. But it was dangerous. The school was said to be a safe house for people like her. It was safe. But to be there she had to change. Be human. Could she still do that? She didn't know, it had been so long. But it was safe. Taking a deep breath, she tried it focused on becoming that girl she had practiced turning into... years ago. Before she got into that argument with her father. Before he had dared her to actually leave, before they had died. There was no longer a horse staring at the school, instead there was a girl. About 15 years with blonde hair and green eyes. Behind her the forest rustled and casting a panicked glance behind her, the girl rushed into the academy's grounds. She could feel her energy draining away, and tried to change again; to conserve energy, but could not. There were people, staring at her. Duchess took a deep breath and quickly went inside. The quicker she registered the quicker she could relax. Inside the registration office, someone asked her name. She hesitated her father had said something about this. What was her human name? "Rose. Rose Duchess Riven." After this however, the secretaries seemed in no hurry as they seemingly slowly called the headmistress and told her to sit down and wait. She did, but only tensely and every time an adult walked by she jumped up to great them only to sink back into her seat. Finally a woman appeared, striding straight towards the office. This had to be her. Duch-Rose jumped up once again and waited by her chair, not wanting to be mistaken again. Tags: Ostrich
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Post by Ostrich on May 29, 2017 18:49:05 GMT -5
There had been quite a few students registering lately, which was good for the school and kept Kaylen on her feet. It kept her from thinking too much about what had happened with Rhage, and about what was going to happen at their wedding. She had been putting off thinking about it at all; no date was set and no plans had been made...every time she had brought it up something seemed to happen, so she was just going to wait until he did himself. Now wasn't the time though, as there was a student waiting. She strode into the office and gave a quick look to the receptionist, who waved their hand to the girl, and Kaylen turned to her and smiled, reaching her hand out toward her. "You must be Rose, welcome to Quasar Academy. I am Miss Kaylen, the headmistress." She noticed how tense the girl was, and her smile only widened a little. The office staff did a wonderful job, but they were not trained like Kaylen and Megan to deal with some of the more...unusual students. She shook the girl's hand and drew in a breath, then led her toward the office, a spacious room with two comfy chairs sitting in front of the desk. There was quite a bit of room even behind the chairs. While Kaylen was not able to tell what kind of magic user the girl was, she knew the signs of nervousness in one. Judging by what she had smelled of the girl when she had been shaking her hand, there was definitely the smell of horse sweat. She'd know that scent anywhere from being around Desdemona so often. She went to sit behind her desk, pulling out a few forms from her drawer as well as a notebook. "Please, Miss Riven, have a seat. Or, if you prefer..." She glanced up and gave her a little half smile, "You may stand there, in a more comfortable position." She didn't want to give anything away, in case she was wrong about the girl being a magic user. It would not do to scare the regular students by introducing the magic of the world too quickly or haphazardly. There was a bit of a twinkle of mischief in Kaylen's eyes though as she said it, hoping that the girl would show her what she was. @mouse
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2017 21:10:43 GMT -5
The woman appeared to actually be the headmistress, and Rose let out a soft sigh of relief. She wouldn't be here for much longer, just a couple moments. Her high hopes were quickly dashed when after they shook hands, the headmistress led her to her office. She would have to ask. Once they reached the office and the headmistress was pulling things out of her drawer, Rose winced with pain and swayed a little on her feet. At her name, Rose was momentarily confused, "Who? Oh... right." Kaylen's cryptic words however, took much more thinking. So were the rumors true then? This really was a school for people like her? But what if she was mistaken? What if she showed herself in front of someone who wasn't open to magic? Or worse something that hunted them. The headmistress was smiling comfortingly at her, and energy rushed out of her. She could last a bit longer. She was about to shake her head and sit down but then she remembered the glamour spell. That had been why she hadn't been able to change in the yard. If the headmistress was plain, then she couldn't change anyway so she may as well try.
So, after a moment, Rose gave the headmistress a quick and hesitant smile in return and released her body from it's human mold. The next moment instead of a girl there was a haflinger pony, eyeing the headmistress worriedly. How was she going to react? "Was this what you meant?" She asked nervously in a quiet nicker. Then she remembered that humans couldn't understand her, "Sorry" She ducked her head and prepared to change back into a human.
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Post by Ostrich on May 30, 2017 22:09:41 GMT -5
Kaylen couldn't help but clap her hands in awe as the girl changed, her own eyes glinted a bit of purple as she watched; calling out to Des. The girl would certainly need help adjusting. The best way to do that would be to slowly acclimate her to the human environment, get her around a horse who had done the same. She smiled to her. "I think you are beautiful in your horse form, do not apologize love. This school is intended for people like you." The horse that now stood before her was probably not used to humans being able to talk to her, which only made the headmistress smile widen. She was always excited when she found another student with special abilities; they seemed so few and far between anymore that she worried if some of them had been killed or worse. Not caring about the horse standing before her, she turned to the notes in front of her, and the applications. "Tell me about yourself Rose, as you truly are." She looked up to her briefly to her with a smile and then turned look to the papers.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2017 15:03:15 GMT -5
Rather then seeming surprised or scared, Kaylen seemed rather excited when she changed into her natural form, even cheering for her! Duchess was stopped from changing back into a human when the headmistress actually answered her. She blinked in surprise and caution, not used to anyone but other horses and shifters understanding her. Because of her confusion, Duchess missed the purple glint the appeared momentarily in Headmistress Kaylen's eyes. "So it is true then? The rumors I mean." After pausing a moment to gather her notes, the headmistress looked back up at her, asking about herself. Except she called her Rose. "Well first off my name is actually Duchess. I'm only Rose in my human form. My father was a human shifter and my mother was a normal horse like me. I'm naturally a horse and don't you dare call me a human shifter!" Her last sentence escalated in tension as she made it clear what she was. "And what about you?" The question was antagonistic but also suspicious. "I've only ever met human shifters who could talk to me like this. Are you one of them?" Rose eyed Kaylen nervously as she waited for her answer. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought. Maybe the headmistress was also an animal shifter. Maybe.
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Post by Ostrich on Jun 27, 2017 14:15:25 GMT -5
Kaylen's eyes lit up a bit when the girl seemed surprised by her being able to speak back to her. She even let out a light giggle, unable to contain her excitement of not only a magical student, but a magical horse shifter student. She would be the first animal to come to the school and try to conform to society; but Kaylen hoped that it would not dampen her spirit. She could not help but stand and come around to the front of her desk, leaning against it a moment as she looked upon the horse in aw. Part of her wanted to reach out and let Duchess sniff her, part of her felt it might be seen as disrespectful. "Yes, the rumors are all true. " She smiled as she bowed her head to her, thinking of the best way to tell her all the story without boring her. "My great grandfather was a unicorn shifter, and he opened the school as a way to create a safe haven for all others like us who might have been shunned or hunted by society. The old tribe, you may have seen them in the woods in your travels as a young horse, created a glamour spell that protects all the humans and all the magical creatures; hence why you cannot transform in front of regulars. Your mother, being your mother obviously would have been an exception." She smiled to her, and turned to look at her desk. She leaned over it and in the upper drawer pulled out a few mints, which she unwrapped and placed into a wide mouthed but small candy dish that had been sitting on her desk, and then offered them to Duchess. "We like everyone to go by there true names here, so if you wish you can go by Duchess Rose; we'll put Rose as your last name." She gave her another gentle smile as she asked if she was a shifter, and another light giggle escaped her. "Ah, no. I wish I was. Being stuck in this human form all the time..." She sighed, half joking, and shrugged. "I am what they would call a warg. I can share the mind of other creatures. The first creature which allowed me to do so was a horse, and so she also taught me equine speech. I have grown over the years fluent in many other animal languages, including draconic." She drew in a sharp breath; hoping that no one would ever have to meet The Beast, the only dragon she knew of on campus. She still did not quite understand what all was going on with Rhage, and it was beginning to disturb her how little she knew. She knew how her parents would react to this news. She knew how they'd react to what she wanted to do about it.
She pushed the thought from her mind and focused her attention back on Duchess. "Tell me, Duchess, would you prefer to live in the dorm, or the stable? The other students would just assume you lived with your family off campus."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2017 10:51:08 GMT -5
Duchess listened to Kaylen's story with interest that had appeared in her when the headmistress had mentioned unicorns. After all what teen aged girl isn't interested in unicorns? Even though she was technically still a horse, Duchess was no exception to that unspoken rule. Kaylen had done a good job of telling the story without boring her, and her interest would've shown on her face had she been in human form. As she was in her natural form however her emotion showing capabilities in ways humans would recognize cut down significantly. She leaned forward during the story to better hear (As if she couldn't already) stretching her neck out towards the woman.
Then the story finished and Duchess's head returned to normal size, no longer stretched out. Kaylen offered to change her name back into Duchess and the pony hesitated. It would be nice to go by one name but at the same time her father's constant instructions brought themselves to the forefront of her mind. 'If you ever have to live among humans, your name is Rose. With them your true name is sacred.' "Thank you but no. Rose is my name. Not my true name perhaps but my name."
Kaylen's soft laugh as she asked whether the headmistress was a shifter unsettled the pony and she shifted on her hooves, flicking her tail sharply. It was just a moment of unrest though, when no more unexpected sounds followed, Duchess relaxed again. The headmistress's next words however, disturbed her again. Sharing the mind of other creatures? Was she in her mind? Duchess shifted on her feet again, readjusting her weight. She reassured herself that the warg could not be in her mind by thinking 'she said the first who allowed her in.' Then simply repeating allowed. There was now mistaking that this scared Duchess just a little, her eyes were roaming about the room and her hooves were moving uneasily.
Then they were back to business. "Well, I'd like to live in the dorms. I came here to live among you after all." She paused then, thinking. "But I don't think I would be able to hold my form for a full night. When I can I would like to live in the dorms but right now I don't think I can."
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Post by Ostrich on Jul 26, 2017 11:21:23 GMT -5
Kaylen's smile faltered slightly when she noticed the pony's unrest. She might never understand why others preferred to go by multiple names in different situations, but then...Kaylen had always been quite comfortable in her own skin and never questioned her ability to get out of sticky situations. What further upset her was the girl's unease at her explaining what she was. If the girl was going to react to a teacher explaining her ability in such a manner...how might she react to a student? An empath or an actual telepath? Those that had little or no control over who they saw and unless you were guarded, they could get in. No, she couldn't see her thoughts right now, but seeing the look in the girl's eye, the fear, she knew it well enough. She'd felt it enough with Des. "Wargs cannot enter the minds of intellectuals. Most of us can not share the mind of anything much larger than a true wolf unless given permission. There are others, though, that cannot control their abilities and can see all..." Her voice trailed off. There would be a lot of the human ways this girl would need to understand before Kaylen could let her around the regular students. Kaylen, deep in thought, whirled around and went back behind her desk, taking her seat. She did not want to appear frustrated to the student...but she was worried for her and the others. As a horse shifter, she could significantly hurt someone with a kick in the right place. She let out a sigh, and looked to the girl again. "You will need to attend all campus activities in human form, so to have a dorm room you will need to be able to retain your human form for a full day. Not all the students here understand magic, not even all of the teachers. And, as I'm sure you are aware, the protection spell upon the island does not allow shifters to shift forms in the presence of regulars." She pulled out a book from a drawer in her desk, opening it up. "There is staff housing at the western barns, and there appears to be an empty cabin, would this be suitable for you? We could pretend you were a working student. You would be able to interact with all of the people out at the barn, and on campus, but also have a place well away from others that you can practice your shifting on your own terms." Kaylen wanted to help the girl, but there were her other students to protect as well.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 16:28:01 GMT -5
Kaylen explained in more detail what a warg was and what it entailed which relaxed Duchess some. Knowing what Kaylen was made her less scary and more interesting, though what she sad about other wargs was unsettling it wasn't so much know that Duchess knew what a warg was. In her experience anything not known was bad. What was known could be either good or bad but had a tendency to be good rather then bad. Explanations meant that surprise was useless because the target (her) knew about said surprise. Kaylen sighed and went back behind her desk to sit down.
She began to explain the procedures that Duchess would need to do. And Duchess bobbed her head, agreeing with her. Obviously she would be in her human form in classes and such. "I've noticed and heard of it." She said about the glamour spell. Kaylen continued offering an alternative for a dorm room. "Yes!" Duchess exclaimed, "That would be perfect! Thank you! I really do want to learn to live peacefully here. Trust me I do. I'll do my best to fit in!" Duchess was quite excited about the alternate arrangements. They meant she could have privacy and at the same time meant she could interact with the other students in the school. Normal's and others. Though Duchess was still nervous about the 'others' she knew that she wanted to try to accept them and that knowing about their abilities would help.
So she asked, "Can you tell me a bit about other abilities and people I might meet? And is there anything else I need to know about where I'll be staying, or the school?"
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Post by Ostrich on Jul 27, 2018 11:54:43 GMT -5
As she seemed to relax a little, so did Kaylen. There was only so much Kaylen could cram into one session, but it seemed like Kaylen and Megan both would need to work with her more privately. Call it...life coaching or something. There was not yet a teacher who actually taught a shifters class, something she would need to change as soon as possible. As she asked about anything she needed to know, she smiled. "The counselor, who you will see soon to help you with adjusting, is also a shifter like you. She tends to like to roam the campus at night as a black panther; but she is fully aware of what she is and who she is, so she will not harm you. That being said, if you're out roaming around that late at night and she sees you, she will most likely scare the daylights out of you. People should not be roaming campus after quiet time." She smiled sheepishly, hating to have to explain to a student about Megan's other form before they'd met Megan, but knowing it was necessary. She smiled once again though, warmly. "You may also run into Fadei, who checks in periodically and does a round of the campus, he is the night security. He's a vampire, but gets it from the blood bank." She tried to think what other student's abilities were. "There are a few other shifters, and a few weres. If you are visiting at night in a dorm, please note that you will see some rooms barred from the outside-this is for everyone's protection. These are weres that cannot yet control themselves. Do not enter the rooms, or go near the room, on nights the bars are down. We have a mismatched lot of students, including some who are witches and warlocks, a few regulars." She tried to think of the people she would run into at the barn. Besides Preston, she did not really know anyone there. "Preston runs it for us. He is a regular, but he is gentle and understanding. I'm not sure about everyone else there." She thought to all that she knew, and sighed a little, before looking to the girl. "What is it that you know of other abilities? It will make it easier to tell you about them, if I know what you already know. We do have a special section of the library as well that you could do your own research in. Warwick is a regular, but he is gifted and knows pretty much everything there is to know about magic users. You would be able to practice shifting with him, though he can't give you any pointers."
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