forum Alfea College for Fairies [Elemental Fairies] (Closed)

Started December 03, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Penny nodded, eyes following where Mia was looking before looking back at the blonde. She was glad that things seemed to be going well so far. Maybe she and Mia would actually get along like she was hoping. "No problem," she responded. "And if you know the way, I'll just follow you then, I guess." She clearly didn't know her way around at all, so having someone older and more knowledgable on her side was continuing to sound like a great idea. This first day was really starting to look up now that Mia was here. Maybe all that she'd needed all along was a friend. Having some camaraderie really felt great.

As she had gone to look at the room assignment postings, she'd scoped out the people around her as well. Some of them were dressed quite nicely, but others were dressed extremely basic. Still, it looked as if everyone had put in at least a little effort. Penny wasn't sure if the trying to look nice thing lasted all year long, because she figured she'd tire of it in the middle of the year and wear sweatpants for a few weeks until she had the energy to care what she wore again, provided it was socially acceptable to dress like a half-dead university student.

As for scoping out her potential neighbors went, there were a couple that Penny could guess at what power they held, but most of them there was no way to know on sight. Not everyone was color-coordinated as Penny herself. Maybe she could make a game of guessing what elements everyone controlled as she walked through the halls. It would certainly take her mind off of worrying about what they thought of her.

“Sure. It's just down this hall.” Mila nodded, nearly reaching for Penny's hand to guide her but stopped short. They didn't know each other very well yet, and maybe Penny didn't like to be touched by someone who was still practically a stranger. Plus, there was always the possibility of Mila accidentally shocking her. So she just smiled and gestured for the fire fairy to follow her.

She carefully wove her way through the crowd as she made her way to their room, occasionally checking behind her to make sure that Penny hadn't fallen behind or gotten lost. Obviously, she was not nearly as curious about the neighbors or their magic type. That sort of question would be answered later anyway. “Ah. Here we are.” she said as she opened the door.

Penny trailed behind Mia, glancing around as they went. She was interested in the building itself and the people in it, studying them to try and see if there was anyone who looked as if they would make a good friend or acquaintance, and trying to discern their abilities if she could. It was all very new to her; being surrounded by such powerful individuals all working towards the same goals. She was glad the other girl hadn't tried to reach out and grab her hand or anything weird; Penny did not like physical contact, especially from those she didn't know well.

As Penny continued to play her little guessing game with the other students, she kept glancing up at Mia to make sure she wasn't falling behind. It would be a pain in the ass if she lost her guide. She just continued to follow her until Mia stopped in a less crowded area and opened the door.

"Whoa, it's nice," Penny breathed the moment she stepped through the door. Honestly, the dorm was nicer than what she had at home, if a bit small in the way all university housing was. It seemed to be apartment style, so they would have separate rooms. Thank god, because Penny wasn't sure what she'd do if she couldn't have the alone time that having her own room would give her. She went into the apartment far enough that Mia could follow her, looking around the room.

“Yeah. I'm pretty sure Alfea has the best student housing.” Mila nodded as she walked in after Penny. “Honestly, I don't think many schools even have a multi-room setup like this.” she admitted. “Speaking of, which do you want? I’m not picky.”

Penny eyed the rooms in question, though they looked more or less the same to her. She honestly didn't care much either. As long as she had a space to play video games or paint in peace, then she would be satisfied. She didn't care much about lighting or shape or whatever other people seemed to give a shit about with rooms. As long as it was a space of her own, she was fine with it.

"I don't care either," she responded, glancing between the two rooms again. "They're probably exactly the same, unless you care about the lighting or something. If you don't pick then I'll choose one at random, I guess." She threw a glance back at Mia, trying to assess whether she was actually as neutral as she seemed. Some people would say they didn't care when really did just because they were a people pleaser. Penny hated people pleasers. They were fake for the sake of others, and it never seemed to help them much in the end.

She crossed her arms over her chest again as she waited for a response. Hm, maybe she would like it here at Alfea. She would stay on her guard for now, though. Never knew when some piece of shit would come out of the woodwork if you weren't careful.

Mila just shrugged, genuinely not caring either way. “Nah. Lighting doesn't affect me.” she confirmed as she glanced at both rooms. “How about we just take the rooms we’re closer to since neither of us has a preference?” she suggested as a way to get past the decision.

Penny shrugged as well. "Yeah, that works," she agreed. "Better than spending five minutes going back and forth about how much we don't care." She chuckled, going towards the room closest to her. She walked through the open door, noticing once again how nice the rooms here were. It was clean, neat, and orderly. And the bed looked so comfortable. Wow, this was probably nicer than her room at home. Was this what it was like to be rich?

She settled in quickly, sitting on the bed to think about how exactly she was going to decorate everything. Add some posters on the walls, a patterned rug, and some LED lights and this place would be officially cool. Yeah, she could get used to this.

Honestly, as much as she said she didn't care about the lighting, the lighting in here was quite good as well. It was nice, soft and natural, but more often than not Penny figured she'd just use LEDs until her eyes hurt.

“Exactly.” Mila laughed with her before they both turn to their new rooms. She left her door open for now as she looked around and began planning where she would put things, though how close she would stick to that plan was subject to change. After all, she was usually a pretty go-with-the-flow (or current) kind of girl but she was still able to be serious and focused in the right situations.

Headmistress Dowling made her way through the halls of Alfea with long strides. Trailing her was a non-fairy man named Callum who carried a small, flat pot in his hands. Callum was Farah Dowling's assistant, and in his hands, he carried the vessel used at the Stone Circle to channel fairy magic. In the bottom of the vessel, a small collection of clear crystal-like objects rattled around.

After a short walk across the grounds, the pair made it to the Stone Circle. The headmistress pointed toward a tall and flat stone in the center.

"The Vessel goes there," she ordered. Callum nodded and walked to place it where the headmistress had pointed.

As Callum walked away, Farah took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. The magic was palpable here, blossoming under her fingertips and waiting to be unleashed. She felt multiple elements called out to her as opposed to her first year as a student when a weak, single element whispered her name. Now, a chorus of mystical murmurs begged her to reconnect with the nature of her magic as she had learned it here, in Alfea's circle of stone.

Her eyes opened as Callum approached her again. "The Vessel is in place, Headmistress," he addressed her formally.

"Thank you, Callum," Farah replied. "You may head back now."

The man nodded and began his trek back in the direction they had come from.

Once he was out of sight, Farah headed over to the Vessel. The murmured grew louder in her ear as she neared it, and when she put her hands on the Vessel, she felt a rush of power pass through her as she channeled a wide array of her abilities through the Vessel. She relished the moment, the power of having a raw connection to nature that was limited in the Otherworld.

Eventually, she retracted her hands and looked back at the school as she waited for the first and second years to make their way to the Stone Circle.

Penny had woken up late, unsurprisingly, and panicked as she realized she wouldn't have much time to get ready. Guess she was skipping breakfast this morning. She threw on a new outfit, deciding on a denim miniskirt with ripped black tights under it and a ripped brown t-shirt over a black tank top. This would do. She put her hair into two low messy buns and quickly did some light makeup, complete with the winged eyeliner she never went without and some lip gloss, clear this time instead of fiery red. To finish the look, she added some boots and leg warmers. Perfect.

She threw on her black headphones to listen to music on the short walk there, and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Cute! She checked her phone again and her stomach filled with anxiety. Shit! If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late. She double checked to make sure she hadn't forgetting anything, and slung her red school backpack over her shoulder, putting her keys in the front pocket. Okay, now she was ready to go. She hurried out the door to her room, wondering if her roommate had already left.

Apparently, Mila and Penny had different definitions of “late” at this point. Mila had managed to take up a few minutes earlier and had just finished getting ready, wearing a causal yellow tank top and dark-washed jeans with very little makeup.

“Good morning!” she smiled when she met up with Penny. “Ready to show off your power today?” she asked, remembering the routine of the first day.

Penny glanced at her roommate, feeling a bit overdressed for a moment before shaking it off. She was always overdressed compared to her peers, but fashion made her feel powerful, like her own personal armor to get through the day. It was a habit she'd developed a while ago, and it really helped her feel better about her day to day life to get dressed up.

"Morning," she said in response. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I guess. If I burn something to a crisp, don't be surprised." She was half-joking, and snorted before going to head out the door. "We should probably get going if we don't want to show up late." No reason to continue the embarrassment she'd begun her stay here with, but at least she would look amazing as she strolled up late if that did end up happening. She could handle everyone's gaze on her; the effort she put into dressing up helped with that.

She kept her headphones on her ears, trying to bar further conversation with her roommate. Sure, they could be friends, but another part of Penny's armor was the music she listened to beforehand. She had a routine of listening to her music before class and getting a breath of fresh air before having to deal with everyone there.

“Don't worry. Headmistress Dowling will be there so nothing will get too out of hand.” Mila assured, before taking the lead simply because she knew the way. Though she just shrugged at the comment about being late. She was fairly certain that they would still arrive with just enough time to get good seats.

She did raise a brow slightly when Penny put in her headphones but didn't bother saying anything. Instead, she focused on staying calm and not letting her power affect anyone else. Mila may have had a few stray hairs reacting to the static around her but that was just because she was both excited and a little nervous. She wanted to show Ms. Dowling how much she had improved.

Penny glanced at Mia when she talked, nodding along. She walked next to Mia, taking in the scenery again. She was ready for this first day. More ready than she'd been for any first day recently. It was nice here, even somewhat calming.

She kept walking, wondering how far away the place was. It definitely wasn't far, but with her terrible sense of direction and newness, she had no clue where it was.

(sorry it's so short i'm rly tired rn)

(It's ok. Sorry it took so long to reply. I was at my sister’s college graduation! So, I'm actually pretty tired too.)

Mila knew exactly where to go and had no problem guiding Penny to the Stone Circle. As she guessed, most of the students had already taken their seats but there was still a steady flow of others arriving. She gave Penny a light bump and pointed to a couple of free seats before hurrying over.

(It’s all good! I was sick yesterday and today, so I wasn’t on a whole lot. Respond when you can, and you don’t have to worry about length :))

Farah began to hear footsteps approaching the Stone Circle as a few of the early students made their way through the slightly wooded path.

"Have a seat around the edge," she instructed, motioning to the bench-looking slabs of stone. She greeted each of them with a smile and a nod, remembering most from instructing them in the previous year. "Have a seat," she repeated to a boy that looked a bit lost.

Goodness, how fast have they forgotten what to expect? she wondered with a shake of her head. Murmured broke out amongst the group while they waited for the lesson to start, and Farah was glad to see a few students sitting without direction and waiting patiently for her to start class. Well, at least some are able to recall…

Penny followed Mia's example, taking off her headphones and setting them around her neck again. Luckily they were bluetooth, so she didn't have to worry about any annoying cords to get in her way. As she sat down, she looked around the circle at the other students arriving. There weren't too many other students here yet, and Penny realized with relief that she and Mia were actually a bit early. That was a first for her. Maybe her time management skills were getting better. She hoped that was the case. Even when she'd woken up late, she was able to get ready fairly quickly–compared to her normal time, at least. Maybe she was just getting faster at makeup. Either way, she was early and that was a relief.

The headmistress was here today, and she seemed to genuinely know each student by name. It was honestly a bit impressive, since Penny was terrible with both names and faces. She was glad she remembered Mia's, but having her as a roommate definitely helped with that. Interacting with each other daily would keep the girl's name in Penny's mind.

Penny wondered what exactly it was that they were going to do. Thanks to Mia, she had a rough idea, but still not a clear picture. She figured once more people arrived and a few minutes passed, she would know. Hopefully she wouldn't have to go first; she hated that and never volunteered for it, actively avoiding making eye contact with the teacher when they asked. She also didn't want to go last, or after anyone who was especially talented. God, her stomach was filling with nerves. As long as she didn't do something stupid, though, she figured things wouldn't be too bad.

(thanks guys! and i hope you feel better camie–is it cool if i call you that? i just checked your bio ^^)

(Thanks! I’m feel much better than I did yesterday. And yes, of course! <3 :))

"Welcome back, second years," Farah began her practiced speech. "I hope over the summer recess you were able to practice your abilities. And welcome, first years, to Alfea. Magic lives in the very fabric of nature. And here in our circle of stone, it’s magnified. The vessel tests your ability to channel that magic. Your first year is all about the element you were born with. In your second year, you will build on the core abilities you learned in your first year while also experimenting with more abilities across your particular element. Further down the line, you may learn to connect with other elements. In the past, some of the more advanced first and second years began to develop other elemental abilities. I don't believe that will be the case for anyone this year, however, I would like to see several of you prove me wrong." Her warm but firm brown eyes swept over the faces around her before she continued.

"One by one, you will approach the vessel simply to channel your abilities. Whatever your element, the emotions underlying it are the same for all fairies, and the duration, finesse, and level of control you demonstrate while performing ability will help to determine where each of you will start your year. And as for the second years, I will be able to see who put in practice time this summer… and who did not. Hallie," Farah addressed an earth fairy sitting with her friends on the opposite side of the circle. "Would you like to begin?"

Hallie's grey eyes widened at the sound of her name, but she nodded all the same. "Yes, Headmistress Dowling." She popped off of her seat and walked toward the vessel. Her fingers touched the vessel, and the second they did, Hallie's eyes turned green.

"Earth," Ms. Dowling stated as Hallie commanded roots to form and blossoms to grow inside the vessel. "Soil, sand, rock, and all manner of plant life." Hallie blossomed little white flowers around the interior of the vessel, and when she withdrew her hands, magic caused the plants to disappear so the vessel was plain again for whoever used it next. "Good work, Hallie," Ms. Dowling acknowledged the girl with a smile. "Next. Ester?"

The next fairy approached the vessel confidentially. "Water," Ms. Dowling acknowledged as Ester’s pale blue eyes deepened their shade to almost a royal blue. "The lakes and oceans of the world or the molecules that exist in all organisms around us." A pillar of water spurted up from the vessel and spiraled into the air. It looked amazing, but it didn't last long before Ester dispersed the magic into the surrounding air. Farah nodded. "Well done Ester. Minerva?"

A shy mind fairy approached the vessel. Her eyes lit up purple almost instantly after she touched it, and a hazy cloud of thought came into view of the other students. "The mind," Headmistress Dowling explained. "Thoughts, memories, dreams." Her words were few, but her knowledge of the mind and its abilities ran much deeper. Few people knew just how powerful she was. Farah was easily able to feel Minerva's apprehension, and the rest of the class could soon tell as well as the girl's hands began to tremble while she maintained her abilities for another few seconds. Then, her eyes went back to their normal brown, the hazy mind-cloud disappeared, and she scurried back to her seat.

"Stop thinking." Farah was always quick to teach a lesson, and the first day was no exception. Her words were directed at Minerva, but they addressed the entire group. "Magic comes from emotions. Focus on clear positive feelings, and open yourself up to the magic of the world around you." Her dark brown gaze shifted from Minerva to Mila, and Farah nodded to urge her to step up.