Strangers [P1]

It was a normal summer afternoon on the campus of Beata Academy. Wrens chirped busily in the trees outlining the courtyard, and students filtered from the rooms of their final classes and out into the open air. It was such a sweet air, the air of summer. Thought warm and humid, it was a pleasant escape from the cramped classrooms and congested hallways. As the students were exiting the school building, there were two persons that were entering the campus itself.

The strangers were clad in a peculiar uniform, one of white and light blue color. White was the dominant color of the mix, making up the majority of the uniform's blouse, and the light blue clung to the strangers' skirts. They were girls, blonde girls, girls who had an aura of calmness but also one of impatience. They were in a hurry, their pace quickened and their expressions hinting anxiety. One spoke a foreign tongue, a European one, the words soft and quick as she addressed the other. It was a question, an inquiry of opinion. "Should we ask someone where he is?" she had asked in the language. It was French, but her accent was not French. In the inquirer's hand was a small case, resembling one used for vacation purposes, but compacted and having limited space. She did not plan to stay long. Her eyes darted to and fro, studying the persons she passed. Occasionally she would offer them a friendly smile, but it was a curt one, one that reiterated their hurry.

OOC: This is the first topic of my plot, as I had promised today. The planned posters in this topic will be myself, Sleepy, Tree, and no more than two other persons. Please do not flood this topic, for you'll get plenty of opportunities to post in the future. Thank you.

"Should we?" Her voice was dreamy, distracted, aloof, but sweet and pretty ― a languid melody flavored with the music of Aquitaine. She seemed unhurried and complacent compared to her antsy companion. Each step was a slow swinging kick of her feet that scuffed loudly against the brick walkway, drawing every pair of eyes their way. The girl gave them small sleepy smiles as they passed, her arms swinging freely by her sides and her blonde hair tousled artfully over her shoulders, gliding through the summery courtyard as if in a dream. Elodie whistled, adding her voice to the sweet twittering songs of birds that filled the air as they flit and fluttered from tree to tree.

After a moment she broke off her song and raised a hand to wave a student down. "Bonjour!" she called out, coming to a pause in the center of the walkway, where dappled sunspots danced in the shade. They played across her face and made her watery blue eyes shine and shimmer like deep clear pools. She slipped out of her French and into her accented English. "Can you help us?"

Amy Rose was skipping by, her ponytails moving with every hop, when someone flagged her down. Someone new, with a strange uniform. She smiled brightly, though, and offered her kindest look with her cute face and brown eyes. "Of course! What can I help you with?" she asked.

The initiative was taken. There was no "I'll go ask this person," or "Ja, that is a good idea, Anke!"
The other blonde took longer to approach the student. She was rather surprised at her friend's eagerness to address someone. This came as no surprise, for it was Elodie after all, but through a grim sigh and irked saunter, Anke came to a stop beside the French girl. Claiming the conversation, she smiled sweetly, one that was never as convincing as her friend's, and asked, "Excuse me, but can you direct us to your headmaster?"
Unlike Elodie's accent, which was elegant and blissful, Anke's was breathy and quick. Her voice held a softness that carried beyond German pronunciation. Nevertheless, her eyes were firm, her jaw clenched. Her face was not bright and sweet as Elodie's, and it wasn't as pretty. It was beautiful though, in it's own way, as a wolf was beautiful in a hunt; a blend of delicacy and toughness.

Amy Rose lit up and smiled even more. "Sure thing!" she said excitedly. She pointed to her right. "The offices are over here! You want me to walk you there?"

Elodie's smile widened, and she half-walked, half-skipped over to the girl, crossing the distance between them in a few elegant strides, her skirt twirling with each floating step. "Yes please, Madame. Merci." She clasped her hand and swept her gaze over Beata's imposing brick facade, the shimmering pools of her eyes absorbing everything they washed over. Tall dark windows, heavy oak doors, marble steps and thick stone beams. It was easy to forget that it'd been a mansion once. "Magnifique, Madame. Your school is very beautiful. It is a shame we cannot stay long..." A dreamy sigh left her lips, but the gentle, soft smile still remained. "You say Monsieur Wright's office is nearby? We need to speak with him as soon as possible."

"Yeah!" Amy Rose said. She giggled. "Anyone who needs to come can follow us!" She walked in the direction a couple of steps, slowly, waiting for the other girl. "I just have to ask...are you guys really French? Can you really speak it?- because that is so cool! I love it, the language of love! I have dreams of finding true love someday! I mean, not now, I'm only thirteen! Oh, I'm rambling! Sorry!"

This girl seemed rather boisterous, taking the time to invite stragglers on their trip to the Headmaster's Office. Anke, however, did not want stragglers. She wanted to talk with the man alongside Elodie and nobody else. The girl began to babble about French, Elodie's mother tongue, and Anke assumed that she could not distinguish accents as well. "I'm German." corrected Anke with a vexed smile, stiff and feigned. She did not hate French persons, as it was not the early twentieth century. That being said, this was Anke's first visit to America, and the stereotype regarding their ignorance had not yet been unproven. Her accent was German, and it's phonetics differed from French. Saukerl... thought Anke, the word soundless on her lips as she mouthed the curse. She was tired, jet lagged, and irritable.

"But she speaks it very well," Elodie added with a low hum. "I am not very good at foreign languages myself. Poor Anke has to speak French to me whenever she wants to say something. My accent in German is atrocious." A breathy, quiet, sheepish laugh left her lips as they continued on towards the office building. "And we all dream of true love I think, mademoiselle. Especially at thirteen." They reached the doors and Elodie gently pushed it open, holding it ajar for Anke and their guide before slipping inside herself.

The foyer was comfortably furnished, with clean white tiles, worn blue-gray chairs, and low maple coffee tables decorated with vases of colorful wildflowers that must have been plucked from just outside. Stairs led up past an empty desk, which had the word SECRETARY embossed into a bronze plaque.

"Is that his office upstairs, Madame... um..." She pursed her lips and blinked. "Pardon, I don't believe I caught your name?"

He'd known something was off the moment they'd stepped onto his campus.

There were two new souls stepping past Beata's gates, one direly anxious - he noted quickly - and the other greatly less-so. It wasn't that their unease wasn't there, but that it was simply masked over with a pure, serene nature. Elizabeth hadn't told him of the arrival of any new students before she'd left for the day, leaving him shifting through a few papers on his desk in slight confusion, as the small group headed up for his office doors.

The Headmaster stopped when he'd heard the door creak open, a few light voices trailing in and echoing around the quiet building. Curious, he straightened his shirt out before turning the corner out of his office and going down the stairs. "Hello, girls." Nathaniel called, glancing at the two strangers. He vaguely recognized their uniform. "Were you looking for me, by any chance?"

The German gave a friendly nod at Elodie's comment, agreeing that what she said was indeed the truth. Her friend was difficult to teach, and the insurmountable task for her was pronunciation. Anke, on the other hand, was skilled in learning languages. She was certain that she had a grasp on Spanish at a moment in time, but she had thrown it away some time ago. Before she could pass a teasing comment Elodie's way, a new face appeared in their presence.

Anke surely brightened when she saw the Headmaster. Finally, they had arrived. This was their person of interest, the vacant goal at the end of the field. Eager to kick the ball into this goal, the German rushed forward to great the Headmaster, bowing slightly in respect and haste. "Guten tag, Herr Wright. We come from Sofia Akademia. My name is Anke, and this here is my fellow student: Elodie. Could we speak in private, please?" she suggested, voice cordial and flooding with relief. She kept a stiff posture, however, seeing as the deed has not been completed. The Headmaster could easily turn down their proposition. This possibility put a goalee in front of their net. A goalee they had to conquer. She would not relax until she did so. For Sofia.

Amy Rose smiled. "Oh! Right! I'll leave. But if you need anything, my name is Amy Rose and you can find me or my sister Amaya for help, 'kay?" She giggled, gave a small wave, and skipped out the door. The moment she was out of earshot, she gave a small squeal of delight. "So cool! And I have to tell Amaya! And Hosa!" She skipped out and off to find her sister or Hosa.

Elodie smiled gently as their guide took her leave before slowly turning to face the Headmaster. She crossed her ankles and bent her knees in a low curtsy. "Monsieur," she greeted, lifting her face and meeting his gaze again. Each action was measured, calm, and slow, almost like it'd all been choreographed and formulated beforehand. Anke's anxious demeanor was a jarring contrast with Elodie's serene, relaxed elegance. "We are very pleased to meet you. It is a pleasure to visit your school."

A curious look passed over each of them as they greeted him, the only student of his turning quickly on her heel and walking away fleetingly from the offices. The contrast between the two strangers that remained was rather off-putting for the Headmaster, though he said nothing of it.

"Anke. Elodie." Nathaniel repeated, smiling politely. "The pleasure would've been mine, had Sofia warned me at least of your arrival. We could've given you a proper welcome." He noted the stiff posture of the first girl, the anticipation and the relief that flooded from her, as well as the black suitcase she seemed to be clutching onto near for her life. He wondered why another school had sent their students to them under such short notice, especially Sofia. Of all the Gifted schools he was aware of in the world, Sofia was by far the most prestigious, and had made it clear more than once it wanted little to do with Beata.

If they wanted to talk though, he saw no means to turn away, nodding and closing the door where Amy Rose had skipped out. He held a hand towards the stairs up to his office, inviting them in.

Anke accepted the gesture, walking up the stairs to his abode. With each footfall came a drawn out creak. She took awareness of the hardwood floor. She studied it, she listened to it, she remembered it. It was a memory so useless, that it was undeniably useful. Anke located his office by the golden nameplate stuck to the door, engraved dully the name of Beata's Headmaster. Nathaniel Wright. Anke had heard of him in class once. Her English teacher was an American, an ebullient woman with a firm grasp on anecdotes and current events. Originating from Beata, she would cheerfully reminisce on experiences from the school, as well as gush over the fact that it had been revived.
"Had I become a teacher a few years later," she'd state to her students in mock petulance. "I'd be teaching over there right this instant. I love you all, sadly, so it is too late for me."
Nathaniel Wright was the man who caused her gushing, her monumental elation. He revived the school. Anke remembered this English teacher, the grouchy Chemistry teacher on the topmost floor, the pretentious man who taught Philosophy in Room E6. She had to convince Mister Wright to answer their plea, even in the most miniscule way, so she could say that she did everything in her power for her school. She loved her school.
Deciding it rude to enter the office first, she waited at the top of the stairs for the two persons in her company, who were following behind her.

OOC: that last sentence is so you don't think she rushed ahead. ;-;