Raefldom Academy for Monsters

[Psyche]

The day was quiet after the excitement had died down, the opening ceremonies having finally come to an end. With all the groups of friends scattered across the campus, Grizko took the opportunity to enjoy an almost-empty common room. She plopped down upon the couch with a fatigued groan, careful not to place any undesired pressure on her wings, and stretched out to cover the entire length of the comfy furniture.

She inhaled a sharp breath and stared up at the ceiling of grey stone. One of her tiffs with this school was its lack of flare. But, then again, you’ve seen one ancient castle, you’ve seen them all. Grizko rolled onto her stomach and regarded the space in which she dwelt. There were a few other students; none that looked her age, however. Must be new blood. They were always such fun to tease. And rarely was there ever one who didn’t believe her nonsense.

As she sat up into a slouched position, she pulled out the crumpled up paper that detailed her schedule for the semester. She grimaced, reading the bolded print “Consumption”. With a sigh, she finished her analysis and rose to her feet. This was already faring to be one hell of a semester.

[Lacey]

Elinesense tottered about the halls, her face still flushed from all of the excitement. Her bright eyes eagerly scanned the walls, taking in each crack as though they were splitting in front of her. With a deep inhale she continued down the long corridor, spotting a group of rowdy young students. Happily, she marched on passed them, offering each individual a warm smile as her mind chewed them to bits.

"Filthy," she thought to herself, her lips curling into a sneer as an overwhelming stench crept up her delicate nose. Once again her gaze began to drift, away from the pitiful group in search of something more appealing.

While wandering passed a seemingly locked door she realized a scent most similar to her own. With a sudden jerk she stopped cold, sniffing around the door, not once even attempting to open it. "Peculiar," she admitted to herself, quickly tugging the key from her pocket in an effort to unlock this intriguing room.

[Ruu]

Chrysaor was quite overwhelmed with all of the opening ceremonies, the celebrations, the loud noises. He wanted nothing more than to find a secluded spot and to curl up inside his wings and go to sleep, but it seemed this place was extremely populated. Everywhere he turned were monsters huddled in groups of three or four. He often felt eyes on him, and he knew his pure white tunic made him stand out like a neon light. Why had the village elder ever believed this would be a good idea? He would have been content to just live in the village for the rest of his life, and helping the good people there. But then again, the elder was very wise. If he said this would be a good experience for Chrysaor, the young Pegasus believed him. So wrapped in thought was he, that he bumped into a strange looking creature that he couldn't identify.

"Whatch where you're going kid," it snorted with a threatening glare.

"S-s-s-sorry..." stammered Chrysaor, backing away and then running.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like the other monster cared to pursue him. After the blind feeling of terror wore off, Chrysaor blinked and looked around, finding himself in a small garden of sorts. The place was practically deserted and the air was cool and fresh. The natural color of flowers soothed his troubled spirits and allowed him to relax. Here was the place he was looking for! Sinking to the ground underneath a tall, lush tree, he curled his wings around his body and closed his eyes...

[Psyche]

Casting a disinterested glance toward a window at the other end of the room, Grizko noted and smiled at the relaxing weather that had blessed this day of new possibilities. She stretched out her limbs, much akin to a lazy cat, even opening her wings to their full span to let the muscles breath before she headed for the door. The common room had since crowded since she had first arrived, and so she believed some fresh air was due.

Upon opening the door, she noticed some resistance. Furrowing her dark brows, she pushed harder and then winced when she heard the thud that followed. Sheepishly, she poked her head outside the door and immediately dropped to one knee to identify the damage. Although hands were covering the face--for obvious reasons--Grizko recognized the body as female.

"Er... Sorry about that." She began with a hint of nervousness in her tone. "I just thought the door was jammed." Grizko offered a clawed hand to the girl lying on the carpeted floor of the corridor, hoping the small gesture would be enough to remedy the situation.

[Anubis]

Caj lumbered his way down the hallway. He had to stoop to fit, even in his smaller form. The massive number of creatures around weren't doing any favors for his concentration either.

He was impressed with the sheer number of creatures in this place, maybe he could find someone to relate to here. He was supposed to go to a language class, English not being his first language and all. As he made his way to the classroom, he turned a corner and found a huge group of people standing outside a room. They all turned and started making a commotion about how big he was.

He felt his concentration start to fall and ran for one of the door, running out into the grounds as he reverted to his full ten feet of height. He stretched and enjoyed the moment, not having to focus on his size.

[Ruu]

Chrysaor didn't know how long he had been lost in slumber when the sounds of heavy footfalls awoke him from his sleep. He suddenly realized with apprehension that his flying lesson was supposed to be now. Had they realized he was missing from the class? Would he be punished severely? He quickly got up, unfurling his wings from around his body. The footfalls came closer and closer until a young man with rather lengthy golden hair and eyes the color of emeralds stood before him, stretching his muscular body in the sun.

The young Pegasus' eyes widened at the newcomer's awe-inspiring height. Never before had he seen such a tall creature, secluded as he had been in small village. But then again, was it really a surprise to find a variety of heights and shapes in an academy dedicated to all sorts of mythical and legendary beings? The giant's beginnings of a beard and his height made him appear older than he really was to Chrysaor, and the youth wondered if he was one of the teachers. For a brief moment, the Pegasus considered fleeing, even taking flight if he had to. But there was something about the gentle expression in the man's face that made him pause. The elder had always told him to never judge a book by his cover. It wouldn't be fair to believe he was some kind of terrible creature without meeting him first.

"H-hello," Chrysaor stammered, trying to hide the fear in his sky blue eyes and his trembling knees, "A-are you a teacher? I...I...I'm really sorry I'm late."

[Anubis]

Caj nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice. He had thought he was alone when he had run out. He slowly turned around, thinking he had either been caught missing class or someone say him change height and he was going to get kicked out now.

He looked down and found a small boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. Though the thing that had drawn Caj's attention was his wings. After a moment of staring Caj realized that the boy had spoken to him. When he replied, his voice was deep, and with a distinctly Scandinavian accent.

"Oh, no. I'm not a teacher, I'm only 16. My name's Caj. I just...sometimes it's hard to make myself stay smaller and it was too much and I had to come out here. I'm sorry, did I disturb you?"

[Ruu]

Chrysaor trembled just a bit under the giant's piercing gaze, though he was able to gather enough courage to lift his head to survey the towering figure before him. The giant must have been at least nine feet tall if not more, and the boy felt even more dwarfed as his human form made him appear much younger than his 16 years. But when he looked past the height, the newcomer's face still held that same expression of calm and kindness. Though his height was imposing, the Pegasus didn't feel as frightened as he would have thought upon meeting his first giant.

"Oh no, you didn't disturb me at all," Chrysaor assured Caj, surprised to learn that they were the same age, "I just came out here because there were so many people and it was so loud...This is my first time with...lots of people. But it's really nice to meet you Caj! My name is Chrysaor and I'm sixteen too. Oh, and you can call me Chrys if you want. All my friends do."

The young boy allowed a natural, bright smile to touch his features, taking away any lingering traces of fright in his deer-like eyes. He already felt a bit more at ease with this gentle giant than he had with any of the multitude of creatures milling about the academy.

[Anubis]

Caj smiled warmly at Chrysador.

"I completely understand. I'm not used to being around so many people, I think that's what broke my concentration. Back home, everyone treats me like a...konstig. In English....different person, I think."

He stretched again, shrinking his size always left him with cramps in his muscles.

Anyway, seems we're already late, no need to rush anywhere now. How about we talk a bit?"

[Ruu]

Chrysaor felt immediately as if he had found a friend when Caj smiled. Caj's demeanor was very different than most of the other monsters Chrysaor had seen. Many of the others seemed intent on boasting how powerful they were or trying to scare each other. But Caj was a gentle giant, and he certainly wasn't threatening. Chrysaor was somewhat surprised when the lofty creature said he was a bit of an outcast in his own society. How could someone as kind as this giant be a pariah among his own people? He thought back to his own home and felt certain that the elder would never have ostracized or made fun of anyone. Then again, he knew little about societies other than his own. Perhaps they were different and less...accepting.

"I'll be your friend if you want," he said, a touch of compassion in his voice, "I don't think it's fair that people treat you different. You're very nice so they shouldn't!"

When Caj asked if the young Pegasus wanted to talk, the boy hesitated before nodding eagerly.

"I'd love to talk as long as you don't think we'll get in trouble. You know...I was getting a little lonely here, but some of the other...students scare me some. You don't scare me at all!"

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