MechA cademy [IC/PG-13/Co-Hosted by Skaia/Not Accepting]

[Skaia 578]

Stella was a bit surprised as Vivian brought out a camera, rather than her phone, this time. Before she even began to look at the pictures, it was almost comical how clear the difference between the two of them was. Not to mention the view from some of the pictures was far more impressive than anything she had managed to do as well. While looking through the, rather extensive, library of Vivian's images the girl felt a vibration in her pocket. Almost instinctively and automatically, the girl reached in, grabbing out her cell phone. Seeing it was a message from Kelsey, the girl seeming to be quite lost, Stella looked back up and said, "oh, sorry about that. It's Kellz, just, one second." Sending the girl directions, she then went back to looking at the pictures. 

This process continued for a few minutes, Stella smirked at the first picture of the dog, starting to type a reply when she stopped with a chuckle as the second picture came through. Eventually though, her friend seemed to find their way in, and Stella gave them a wave in response. Eventually, as the girl made her way over to their table with food in hand, Stella pushed the chair back for Kelsey to sit into. As she made her comment about the clerk, Stella couldn't help but nod, thinking the two of them were quite strange in their own way.  As the girl then made her next comment, Stella gave the girl a humorless look, as if to judge her for speaking with her face stuffed. All the same, she picked up the camera and showed it to Kelsey. "Vivian was showing me the pictures of her home planet." 

Flipping through the pictures, it was clear that the planet was far more lush with vegetation, and the color green and blue were definitely prominent. Not to mention the different kinds of animals that Stella hadn't ever seen before. She had to admit that the buildings were far more advanced then she was expecting, and she felt a bit let down that it wasn't actually a planet of people in wooden tree huts that had achieved space exploration. Of course, the reality made far more sense and it was entirely Stella's own fault for such expectations to begin with. Putting the camera done once she and her friend were done looking, the girl said, "man, these are pretty impressive. Do you do a lot of climbing?" 

[yui 576]

"Wah oo ot dere?"

Kellz had arrived too! Vivian knew that it was bad table manners to talk with one's mouth full, but she wasn't really in a position to complain. She'd only just met this girl today for one, and family dinners back home were a lot like that too. Loud, talkative, and caring less about one's manners and more about just having a good time. She gave the girl a friendly wave as Stella gave her a rather less friendly look. As the two looked through the other pictures remaining on Vivian's camera, and Stella explained what she was doing, Vivian ate away at her fries, one at a time. When the camera was returned to her, Vivian made a mental note. She wanted to take a picture of this place when she left.

"Man, these are pretty impressive. Do you do a lot of climbing?"

"A bit," Vivian answered, trying to keep it modest. "I've climbed a lot of trees before, but climbing buildings is a bit more difficult, especially if it had been raining recently." Going to a picture of one of the buildings, Vivian pointed to a few struts coming out of the sides and into the pavement below. "These make it a lot easier to climb them though. There's also these little teleporters in the cities though; they don't go very far, but they're enough to make it easy to get between different levels of the city. Outside of town though, you don't get those, so you get a lot of exercise just by exploring. I may not look like much, but I'm an all-terrain girl if ever you'll meet one!" Vivian also opted to exclude the comments that climbing was a lot more difficult during the Colian stormy season, and that the local police didn't approve of climbing buildings, even if it wasn't strictly illegal. Looking at these two, each short an organic limb, Vivian had a feeling they wouldn't be much for climbing.

"I'll admit, it's a bit of a hobby of mine. Exploring, taking pictures, that sort of thing. What about the rest of you? There must be something you like doing with your downtime, right?"

 

[VCR_CAT 19]

Rosha

"Funny thing is some prisons where I'm from have larger cells than this."

"That's absurd, why would you waste so much space?!" Rosha said, with a look of confusion written on her face. "Some of our villages don't even give them cells! They would just hang them high in the air. Not many people want to risk falling to the ground, and usually the Kyrriks like to prowl around below."

Kelsey, however, was just looking at her phone, and Rosha only noticed too late that her roommate was likely not listening.

"Oh, Houses. Right. Well, I kinda wasn't paying a whole lot of attention. But I'm here to be a mech pilot so I guess best bet is to go with the military looking one. Bet I'd get along with Mr. Roboto though; seems a lot more fun than the girl. How bout you?" Rosha opened her mouth to answer, but Kelsey snapped her finger suddenly. "Actually, before you answer that, my friend's at a burger place near here do you wanna come with me to check it out?"

Rosha looked at Kelsey with her mouth agape, unsure whether to express her frustration with Kelsey's rudeness or to express her confusion with what a "burger" was. The word didn't translate very well, and Rosha quickly looked up what it was on her own phone, and after getting lost for a moment on the device she finally found the page, but the explanation was even more confusing. What was beef? Oh, okay the meat from a "cow", but what was a cow? Oooooh, okay, so a cow is a fatty livestock mammal native to earth. Large, bulky, feeds on vegetables, mostly defenseless. So that meat was... cooked? Why would anyone cook perfectly good--

Rosha looked up from her quick fact search only to find that Kelsey had already left the room. Rosha's face slowly contorted into a fierce glare as she growled loudly. "I wonder if all humans are so disgustingly rude," Rosha hissed under her breath. "Whatever. She can waste her time all she wants. I came here to be the best pilot."

Rosha stretched out and, still in her casual fatigues, exited her dorm and made her way to the exterior of the building. Finally being on solid land with real gravity meant that she could finally cut loose around the property, and that was exactly what she intended. Afterwards, she would find the "military-looking one". If she wanted to be the best pilot, then she needed to get a jump on making a good first impression.

 

[Chaos Sonic 443]

"Whoa you're like a detective. Yeah, I didn't want to come here. But the folks didn't really like me spending all my time in the garage or whatever. Was much better than this cramped place."

Sarcasm dripped from every word that Sid spoke, which made Chase really not like the guy even more. A simple yes or no would've sufficed as an answer, but instead he got the smartass answer. Regardless, Chase simply gave a nod, turning around and began to set his stuff over on his side of the room. Sheesh...this guy...

"I'm going to go see if there's any worthwhile scenes in this city. Don't wait up for me. Ugh, I bet there's a curfew too..."

Chase glanced to see Sid already walking off with his jacket, heading out of the room. On one hand, he thanked the stars above for him finally being gone at which point there was silence and quiet in the room. At the same time, he did also want to go out to see if anything good was happening in the city. After all, new locations to explore. With a quiet sigh, he weighed his options.

One hand...I get the room to myself to relax and actually enjoy the rest of the evening without too much noise pollution from him... he thought. On the other hand...I go out to explore...I have to probably deal with him...

After weighing his options, Chase let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "I'll hate myself for this..." he grumbled, immediately walking out the door as well, closing it behind him.

[LordCowCow 840]

Kelsey automatically put an arm around her friend as she looked through the pictures. "Whoa, so many trees! Only ever saw those in parks, if that." She looked up at Vivian. "How do you fit everyone on a planet with that much wilderness?" Back home they had to clear out much of the forests to make room for more and more cities. Even then there wasn't much space in most of them.

Kelsey hesitated as Stella mentioned climbing, and the girl would feel Kelsey's arm tighten around her for a brief moment.

"I'll admit, it's a bit of a hobby of mine. Exploring, taking pictures, that sort of thing. What about the rest of you? There must be something you like doing with your downtime, right?"

"Used to like to fight. Not, you know, not like street brawl. But legit stuff. But uh, can't really go legit with this thing." She wriggled her prosthetic hand. "I try and make things now and then. Just anything, you know? Did some volunteer work here and there." She shook Stella. "Not as much as this angel right here though. Charitable and a study-holic, what an absolute doll." Kelsey teased.

 

---

 

Once Rosha decided to set out to find Kris Ward, head of the Steel Hounds, she would, instead, be stopped by someone else. One of the other house leaders, the boy called Merlin, who headed the Sun Lizards. "Hello, new girl." He said, giving a grandiose wave and bow. "Ah, excuse me." He then repeated himself in her homeworld's language. "Something like that yes?" he chuckled. "It was hard to learn your language. Not much documentation. Whiiich brings me to why I've come to find you. I want to know you. And your people. It's a mystery to me and not many places can say that."

 

---

 

Sid could hear the door close behind him. He tried to ignore it. But he could hear the footsteps of someone going in the same direction. Not that there were many directions to go.

He didn't bother to wait for Chase to get in before hitting the button for the elevator to take them to ground floor so Chase would just barely have time to get in before the doors closed.

The boy let out a sigh. "Listen I doubt you share any interests with me, looking at you, so wherever you're going you probably want to go the opposite direction as me." The elevator moved slowly. Despite the relatively short distance it had to travel. "You'd think with so much technology these things would move faster. It's like a damn loading screen."

 

---

 

Spoiler

Again, don't feel you need to stick with the current interactions if you don't want to. Just let me know what you want to do and I can try and provide.

 

[Skaia 578]

Vivian had asked a question that, while Stella should have been expecting, she didn't exactly have an answer to. Stella didn't have much in way of hobbies, and outside of her time at school and with Kelsey she didn't really leave her home. And she really wouldn't call "hanging out" a hobby, nor did she really think that they did anything together that constituted as one. Thinking on her own answer, and thus Kelsey answering first, had proven to do her no favors as well. As her friend explained to Vivian about her old interests, Stella's eyes were fixated on the prosthetic hand of Kelsey's. Frowning, the girl's eyes then looked away, not really seeming to be focusing on anything. She simply stared down at the floor, with her attention only coming back as Kelsey shook her around. 

A bit jostled, having  her focus suddenly pulled back, the girl simply said, "huh? Oh um, well, not really..." Looking at Vivian she doubled back, saying, "well, it's not that I don't do those things, I just- I've just been focused on going to a good school, you know. So everything helps. But, I guess I don't really have a hobby, so to speak." Getting her smile back, Stella put a hand on Kelsey's head saying, "I guess outside of hanging out with this goofball." 

[Chaos Sonic 443]

"Listen I doubt you share any interests with me, looking at you, so wherever you're going you probably want to go the opposite direction as me. You'd think with so much technology these things would move faster. It's like a damn loading screen."

That'd make two of us... Chase thought, shrugging slightly. It was obvious him and Sid were pretty different as they came, but still, he was trying to bridge the gap and actually befriend the guy...that's how things worked, right?

"While that may be the case..." he began, sighing slightly. "I need a bit of fresh air myself and need myself some more inspiration on working on designs for my own mech." He slowly pulled out a small notepad before putting it back in his pocket. "Trying to get inspirations in almost everything just to make my own mech creation to be pretty much the best one out there."

Same time...his technology mention there...mental note: try and get the technology to move faster than normal. A faster reaction time with that would definitely be helpful. Chase thought, nodding slowly.

[LordCowCow 840]

As if some god got impatient the rest of the day seemed to simply speed by for everyone in MechA cademy. The day turned to night and then, as it always does, turned back to day again.

Kelsey groaned as she heard her alarm go off and threw something at it. This, unfortunately, didn't serve to do anything but knock it off the desk. And so it lay there beeping and beeping. Another groan. "Ahhh, Stella the thing won't shut up."

It was then she remembered she wasn't in a room with Stella and that, in fact, she had an entirely different roommate. The memory stirred her to get up and out of bed.

Then she saw what she had thrown at the alarm. It was her arm.

She laughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact with her roommate as she struggled to get the arm back onto her body. She vaguely remembered receiving a message from the school stating that everyone was to gather on a field attached to the gymnasium to have a meet and greet with the teachers.

That's right. Tomorrow classes actually started. She had gotten used to waking up when she wanted but soon enough she'd have to go back to a regular schedule. Sighing at this realization she took extra time to get ready to go. Even if she didn't actually have much to do.

The school had a uniform but it wasn't required, and the uniform was pretty much a glorified tracksuit anyway, so she just threw on her everyday clothing and set out.

 

---

 

The gathering place was a giant field. It somewhat resembled a football field but much more vast. Clearly made with mech in mind rather than regular people. There was even giant goalposts at each end, though no clear end zone, and stadium seating lining the edges.

They had been loaded up onto a large, flat, floating device that brought them out into the middle of the field. It was uncertain why they had to go there for this, perhaps to give a scope of the place, or perhaps just because it felt more cinematic.

Either way they were dropped off in front of a small group of people who were standing behind the vice principal.

"Good. You are all here. No need for role-call I have already memorized all of your faces and know that there are no one missing. No one that would be missed at least. I will make this brief. This group of fine and talented individuals are the people hand-picked by our principal to teach at this school. You are to treat them with utmost respect at all times. Some of them may seem young but they are the best at what they do, each and every one of them. Now, stay silent as they introduce themselves."

The first was a middle-aged man. Stocky, but not muscular. With rectangular glasses and a fatherly smile. "Hello, my name is Dalton John, or Mr. John I suppose. Please, no toilet humor." He gave a pause and looked around, as if expecting laughter, before continuing. "Ahem, I teach General Education. I know, not the most exciting thing, but I assure you it's entirely important to know the basics in life. And I look forward t-"

He was cut off as a small, black and white, dog popped out from the back of his shirt. How no one noticed the bulge was unknown but the dog immediately ran towards the students and began weaving between them, stopping every once in a while to be pet.

"Mr John." the vice principal said, a warning tone in her voice. "I thought I said to leave that thing in your room."

"I did, I did, oh the rascal must've slipped on board. Quite the expert stowaway he is." He knelt down and held his hand out and the dog ran back towards him. "Aren't you?" He said, baby-voiced, "aren't you a little stowaway?"

The vice principal cleared her throat and Dalton nodded, scooped the dog up, and stood. "Er, well, that's all then. Suppose I should stop now before I get put in the dog house." another pause for a laugh before he chuckled to himself and backed into line again.

The next to step up was a rather unusual sight. Someone you'd see in ancient documentaries about cowboys rather than an elite mecha school. She tipped her hat at the vice principal, who was looking on with barely contained contempt, before looking towards the students. "Howdy! The name's Charlotte. Charlotte McCarty. But y'all can just call me Miss Charlotte. I'm the history teacher in these parts. I bet y'all think history is just dusty books and stuff but I'm here to show you it's a lot more than that. Why just last week I was tunnelin' through some ruins and found an ancient mummy curse..." At the sharp gaze from the vice principal she laughed. "Guess I'll save that one for class, when the boss lady isn't watchin like a hawk." She winked at the students. "We're gonna have ourselves a real good time this year, promise."

After that came a tall and powerful looking man. Somewhere between standing in line and stepping up to address the crowd he had lost his shirt and his rippling muscles were full on display. "YO!" He shouted out. "I'M JAX, THE MAX, BENTON! Don't forget it! I'm here to make sure you SCRAWNY WIMPS turn into REAL MEN by the end of the year. Anyone who thinks physical education doesn't matter to a pilot is an ABSOLUTE JOKE! I won't rest until you can fight off mechs WITH YOUR FISTS!"

His eyes darted around the group. "BY NEXT YEAR YOU'LL ALL BE AS STRONG AS ME, JAX, THE MAX, BENTON!"

With that he stepped back into line, shirt mysteriously back on, and the vice principal stared, stunned for a moment, before nodding to the next person.

Lighting a cigarette before slowly approaching the next teacher had black hair and was wearing a bulky track suit. She looked at the crowd and sighed, kicking the ground absently. "Lilith Malkin, Mech Combat instructor. Just call me Malkin. I doubt any of you have what it takes but I guess I'm supposed to try and make sure you don't get yourself, or any innocents, killed. I'll be real if you can't handle my class you shouldn't be here. And if I catch anyone failing and trying to go rogue and pilot a mech anyway." She took a long drag of her cigarette then stared straight ahead at them. "I'll kill ya."

With that she moved on back into position with the rest.

There was a long pause while the last, rather familiar, face stared off into the distance. Only when the vice principal approached her and said something into her ear did she perk up. She took a couple steps forward, not nearly as close to the students as the rest had, and inclined her head. "I'm Florence Patete. Call me whatever. I teach Mechanics. Can I go now I've got projects to work on."

The vice principal sighed. "You have to give them the devices."

Florence stared at the other woman for a few moments before slowly nodding. "Right. Those things." She pressed a button on a remote and a large tray, held up by some kind of floating semi-sphere, moved towards the students. Each with a name on them, one for each student, they appeared to be some sort of bracket with a large dome on it. "Squeeze the bracelet. The dome opens. Press the button. Your mech will come for you.....As long as its within range...and not broken....and you're alive." She paused. "I guess if you're not alive you can't press the button." Another pause. "I might have to fix that. Maybe a dead person will want their mech." She started muttering to herself, not moving from her spot, and the vice principal moved in front of her.

"And there you have it. These will be the teachers that you'll learn from the rest of your time here. Any questions ask them now. Otherwise you're dismissed."

 

---

 

Spoiler

Was a bit of a doozy but there ya go. We timeskipped to next day and met the teachers. Let's try and be a bit more active and quicker on this free day alright? Tomorrow is when class stuff actually begins so this'll be similar to the previous day where you can do what you wish and if there's anything you wanna do/need or whatever let me know. I'll give people things if they need it but be sure to let me know. And once you're done for the day or want to move on say so.

If you want to talk to the teachers about something you can do that too but they won't be around forever.

Also, art credit. Dalton's art is by nana (raiupika)
Florence is by asa (y-asa)
Jax is by hikari hachi
Charlotte is by taiyou (tori no su studio)
Lilith is by ihobus

 

[ZetaRESP 5]

5 a.m. It was dark. Erica was currently sleeping in the bed, Usami in a small chair next to the bed. Suddenly the clock started... but not loud, it was actually a whistle. She quickly opened her eyes, stood up from her bed, gave a soft hug to Usami and went to the table to have a tea with soda crackers. It was sort of her ritual to wake up, she spent a full hour in that. Once she got her tea on, she went to shower and to dress herself up. She shook her hair, put the goggles on and then simply changed into the uniform that was given to her by the school, ensuring it was fitting well. Once that was done, she went down to the meeting that she was messaged about last night before going to bed.

 

---

<Good thing I had a soft tea this morning; I would hate feel nauseous right now.> Erica was certainly not expecting her trip to meet the teachers to be a literal trip in a floating device. She then saw the vice principal in there, though she was in the middle of the bunch, so it's unlikely she would had been seen by her specifically. So the introductions were gonna continue, now with the teachers.

Mr. John was pretty much like her adoptive father, Dr. Miien Masaru, with the weird "dad" jokes and all that. The dog then popped out from his clothes. She wasn't expecting it. She did pet the dog when it approached her, but that was it. General Education was not really a subject she cared that much, but at least the teacher was homely.

Miss. Charlotte was someone she was both totally surprised by and not surprised at all. In one hand, she haven't seen a cowboy or cowgirl in real life ever... on the other hand, Erica herself was deemed as a "time traveler lost" a couple of time due to how everything she makes is steampunk, so she has no terrain. History... she really was gonna listen at that one. The rumors were strong about Heliosians returning in the military base she was on, knowledge was not gonna be wasted.

"The Max" was something she had seen a lot in Asari, as some kids there were... well, "imaginative", to say the least. She then heard about his class and thought A) Even if you use a mech, you need to be at least fit enough to survive space and B) Her mech was almost a motion capture with strong hydraulics, so she needs to be fit for the punching herself already. She was not going to fail in that class.

Malkin was one of those teachers. Those that seem to deem lost cause those she taught on. She still felt stingy about her battle earlier, so she would have to be sure to not miss on that one. She also took the threat a bit more seriously. After all, it was already a punishable crime to have a Roboframe back in Asari without a license and that required work, she knows how that works.

Erica then saw the next teacher... she swears she met her before... Somewhere... <Oh, she was the mechanic woman in the hangar back in the Finback.> Erica was slightly surprised she was a teacher. And in Mechanics, even, one of the subjects she was the most interested on for her "mission". She then took the bracelet with the dome thing and heard the explanation. How would it call her mech? After all, her mech was pretty much hydraulic.

Then the vice principal waited for a question and something came to her mind, so she stood up to ask. "Why are we given braces to call mechs if we need to approve Mech Combat first?"

[yui 576]

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

As much as she wanted to pretend it didn't bother, the sound of an alarm clock going off was always something that irritated Vivian. It wasn't that she wasn't a morning person. It was that it was an awful sound was all. As such, Vivian wasted no time turning off the alarm, and keeping it off as she stretched out, and went about her morning routine. Which - being the type to shower at night - was as simple as changing out of her PJs, at least for stuff she did in the room itself. Despite how important today was, it felt like a nice day to wear something cute and casual. Uniforms were important, but they weren't mandatory and definitely weren't cute, so Vivian would pass.

Instead, she opted for a checkered sundress. Cute and casual!

 

The students had been assembled on a sports field of some kind. It was here that students were introduced to their teachers. Mr. John was first, who taught general education and had THE CUTEST LITTLE DOG! As the little guy ran around in the crowd, Vivian couldn't simply not pet him and give him scratches behind his ears and on his belly when he passed by! She wanted a dog too! But alas, having parents with pet allergies made that difficult back home. Maybe if she asked nicely, she could spend lots of time with this dog instead. Next up was Miss Charlotte, who looked like a cowboy from a wild west film. She was a history teacher, and seemed intent on making it interesting. How wonderful! History was always a subject Vivian wanted to learn a bit more about, but with so many places and time periods it was hard to tell where to start. And then there was also Mr. Benton, Miss Malkin, and Ms. Patete, respectively teaching PE, mech combat, and mechanics. Vivian had a good feeling about Mr. Benton's class in particular out of those three.

"And there you have it. These will be the teachers that you'll learn from the rest of your time here. Any questions ask them now. Otherwise you're dismissed."

"Mr. John!" Vivian blurted out, hand raised high above her head. "Is it okay if I play with your dog?"

"Of course you can!" He responded. But a harsh clearing of the throat came from the vice principal. "Ahaha, maybe not..." He put a hand up to his mouth as though trying to hide his next words and stage whispered "Another time."

Close enough!

---

Night had come and gone. Sammi spent the whole time studying up of course. Who needed sleep when you ran on the most cutting-edge technology of the time?

...thinking about BOMB's explosive reactor made Sammi feel a bit outdated. But it wasn't like she could do much about it either. Although her roommate was now waking up, Sammi didn't pay her much mind. Just because they shared a room didn't mean they had to chit-chat all day. Sammi had more important things to do. Like changing into that boring tracksuit of a uniform, and heading out to where the students would be assembling. And trying to avoid BOMB along the way.

Once there, the students were introduced to their teachers. And if Sammi was being quite honest, none of them stood out to her. The only thing of note was she thought Malkin looked particularly untrustworthy. The students were then told to present any questions they had, and that they were otherwise dismissed. Not having much in the way of questions herself, Sammi opted to split off from the pack. She wanted to get a feel for just how big this field was by exploring it herself, up close.

[Skaia 578]

Being awoken by the alarm, quite like her roommate had been, Stella simply continued to lie in bed as she went to go turn it off. After a few moments more, the girl stretched herself and got out of bed, looking around to realize where it was she was. Rubbing her eyes a bit, the girl found herself tired having been unable to sleep well last night. After all, the start of school was coming soon and the whole situation did nothing but wrack her nerves. Being in a still creepy and unfamiliar room did nothing to help her out either. However, she still had no plans to be tardy to today's assembly, and got herself dressed rather quickly. Putting on her own set of casual clothes, the girl began to make her way out of her room, when she had  realized something. On dates like these, it was always important to be punctual. And she knew someone who was very much not that. 

As the girl went to go wake up her friend, she looked above her bed and noticed that it was indeed not a bunk bed. Right. They weren't roommates this time around. It was no issue though, Stella simply had to go knock on her door and make sure she was awake. And so, with that in mind the girl stepped out of her room and began to walk through the dorm, only to stop in her tracks fairly shortly. She realized there was an issue with her new plan. She didn't actually know what room that Kelsey was staying in. Furrowing her brow, the girl tried to think of what to do, knowing that it would be trouble if she was late. And it wasn't as if calling and asking would work, otherwise she wouldn't worry about her being asleep in the first place. After a few minutes of thinking, though, the girl eventually figured that it would be best to leave it in Kelsey's hands and hope that she would get out on time.

The actual assembly itself was a simple meeting of all the teachers, and the students being introduced to them all. While the history teacher was unique to say the least, she felt most confident in both her classes and the man that her roommate had also seemed to be most taken by. After all, if there were two subjects that she would excel it would be those. The mechanic teacher as well seemed a bit on the spacey side, and Stella wasn't entirely proficient with mechanical work herself. However, as she tapped her foot on the ground, she figured that perhaps it would be good to start learning. Still, the teacher herself left some degree of worry for the girl. 

The final two were then the ones that she was most worried about. The first being PE. The man himself was certainly energetic and passionate about his work, which made things all the worse for Stella. She was never really the most physically fit girl, and though she had never tried to shirk off gym class it was certainly not one that she ever set out to improve herself in. And then there was the mech combat instructor. Stella had some knowledge and experiencing in piloting the mechs herself, but it wasn't something she was particularly comfortable with. In fact, counter to the school though it may have been, Stella would have preferred to pilot hers as little as possible. That this woman seemed to be only adding to Stella's own fears with her statement, did little to make the girl any less nervous about the class. 

When all was said and done though, the girl didn't really have any questions herself, instead just simply looking around to see if Kelsey had actually made it over. With her eyes scanning around the crowd, it was a bit difficult considering how many people were in attendance but the girl simply pulled out her phone and texted a quick, "even the teachers are something different from home," to her friend. Looking to Vivian she said, "I'm sure you'll get a chance later." If anything, Stella wouldn't be surprised if he brought it with him tot class. Putting her hand to her chin she then said, "I wonder if they have any kind of pet shops around here though...or allow pets at all." She hardly doubted the latter, and certainly didn't want to take on that responsibility, but couldn't help but wonder aloud in the face of her roommate's enthusiasm. 

[LordCowCow 840]

"Why are we given braces to call mechs if we need to approve Mech Combat first?"

The vice principal looked to Malkin for a response. The woman sighed and waved a hand. "Listen, these days who knows when you'll need it. And it's hell of a lot easier to do this than to go to the planet's core every time we need to do some training. But yeah, if it wasn't obvious, misuse these and you'll lose more than the bracelets."

---

Kelsey almost laughed at that. It was just so...dramatic. There's no way that this woman was as intense as she sounded.

"even the teachers are something different from home,"

She glanced down at the text and responded immediately. "I dunno, think it's all a big act. Bet it's gonna be just like normal crap once we actually get into the classroom."

Looking around she finally spotted where Stella was and, pushing between people, made her way to the girl. "Yo. Worried about the Phys Ed guy?"

Before Stella could answer an older boy spoke up. While he wasn't dressed in the school uniform he certainly couldn't be described as casual. With clothes that looked like it came from some kind of custom and expensive designer. "I certainly am." He said, scoffing at Jax.

Raising a hand he stepped forward and the crowd seemed to part for him. "Excuse me, Mr....Benton. But this whole 'getting strong' thing? Yeah, I can't really let my body get too muscular. It's just not my image. I'm sure you can understand."

Kelsey scoffed. "Who does fancyboy think he is?"

A girl nearby gasped as she said that. "You don't know? That's Weston Easton. Only like THE biggest actor in, like, the universe! I can't believe I was standing so near to him...Oh my god do you think I'm breathing air that he breathed out right now?" The girl started to hyperventilate and then fainted on the spot.

Jax gave Weston a glowering look. "I don't care about anyone's IMAGE! The IMAGE you want if you're going to be a TRUE PILOT! Should be one of MANLY MUSCLES! Don't worry about a thing 'Mr Benton' here is going to get you in shape. ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!"

The student didn't seem to like this response. "I don't think you get it, sir, but my 'shape' is just fine. Isn't that right ladies?" He then turned towards the others and gave a dazzling smile. After which several more girls fainted.

---

Spoiler

Strikes: Keto, VCR, Champion, and Chaos all have 1

Also, most people who have been around somewhere with media would at least somewhat know who Weston is. Though he's more one of those "teen heartthrob" actors and "biggest actor" is a bit of an exaggeration. He is very big though.

 

[ZetaRESP 5]

Aaaaand Erica simply sighed at Weston Easton's appearance. She knew about the young man, as her place was not really isolated, but she was not interested in teen dramas like the other girls in her asteroid. She was a tomboy, albeit a kinda feminine one, and she was glad with that. She then thought about the muscle thing and, yeah, she was a bit worried, so while she was already up after her question... "Will girls also get big muscles or we get thinner muscles? The control harness in my mech was already custom fit and refitting it not easy."

Still weird to bring, but at least it was a valid question.

Edited September 18, 2019 by ZetaRESP
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[yui 576]

"I'm sure you'll get a chance later."

But of course. It wasn't like Vivian would never see Mr. John or his dog again, so there would surely be plenty of chances to ask about or play with cute dogs! It was just a bit unfortunate that now was no such opportunity was all. However, Stella's next thought was one that resonated strongly with Vivian.

"I wonder if they have any kind of pet shops around here though...or allow pets at all."

"Mmmmm... probably not." It was a school after all. And if Mr. John wasn't supposed to bring his dog to this assembly, it stood to reason that students having pets of their own was probably out of the question. And even then, what sort of pet would Vivian want? A dog like Mr. John? Or maybe a cat? Bird? Snake? Frog? Turtle? Spider? There were simply so many options that even trying to figure out where to start was a bit overwhelming. Plus, there was no telling if Stella would be okay with a pet! That was also a crucial factor! "Pet ownership has to wait until I'm done here and take off on my own, I guess." Not that Vivian seemed upset about that at all. Indeed, as long as there was a future, there was a pet to be had.

Vivian was going to ask about what sort of pet Stella would want, but Kellz had also joined in, asking about the Phys Ed teacher. Right... Vivian hadn't really thought about it until Kellz brought it up, but would those two be okay in that sort of class? Vivian had met a couple people with prosthetic eyes or ears before, and one guy who had an entire jaw replaced, but limbs were a different matter entirely. If she was being honest, Vivian actually had no idea what it entailed for their health, but she did know Kellz's arm was capable of incredible feats of strength, and that Stella's leg wasn't really anything special.

Hopefully they'd be able to manage.

One boy, however, seemed concerned about the class himself. One boy that Vivian most certainly recognized! That was Weston Easton!

"He's really famous with girls our age," Vivian whispered to Kellz. Famous, good-looking, rich, he was what lots of girls Vivian's age probably called "the whole package". But while she did like his movies, Vivian had to admit. She didn't see all the craze about the guy himself. Maybe those girls all wanted to be actresses or something, kind of like how a famous painter would be idolized by people trying to get into that sort of hobby. Vivian knew that if she was in the presence of a famous photographer or conservationist, she'd be on the edge of her seat, to put it lightly. But having never seen him in person, it was always like he existed, but only in her mind. Though even Vivian had to admit, it was weird seeing him here.

Vivian checked inside her purse. Pen, pen, camera, pen, pen, phone, pen... how many pens did she have in here? Hopefully they weren't all junk. But no paper? Wait! An extra napkin from yesterday's trip to Burgz Palace! That would have to do. "I'll be right back," she smiled at the two, before heading in Weston Easton's direction. "Excuse me~"

He turned, the wind tossing his hair and he smiled. "Yes, what is it, little kitten?"

"Ah... I'm not a cat for one. Even if I'm really good at climbing things." Holding out the napkin and a blue pen that hopefully wasn't trash, Vivian continued "I was just really surprised to see a famous actor here of all places! Is it okay if I get your signature?"

Weston had a bit of a dumbfounded expression for a moment before chuckling and going back to the previous look. "Of course, of course, it's the least I can do for an adoring fan." He cringed as he looked at the napkin but swiftly signed it with practiced ease.

Vivian nodded enthusiastically to herself. Her first encounter with a celebrity, and she got out of it with a signature! Not bad for a first day of school! "Thank you!" With an appreciative wave, Vivian hurried back to the side of her friends, tucking the signed napkin somewhere safe in her purse.

"Makes you wonder why he's here, though," Vivian pondered. "Method acting?"

---

Nothing that way either.

Well, this field was about what Sammi had expected. A field. Aside from the size, nothing seemed all that special about it at a glance, prompting the robot girl to return in the general direction of the slowly-dispersing crowd of students and the teachers they'd been presented with. Some were asking teachers questions, and at first, Sammi didn't really care much to ask any herself. When her gaze drifted past Jax "The Max" Benton again, however, an important thought crossed her mind. As any appropriate physical education teacher would, he wanted to train these students to get them into outstanding physical shape. This was a concern.

What did that mean for Sammi?

Sammi turned, heading for the teachers, and Mr. Benton specifically. "Mr Benton," Sammi started. "What do you plan to do with students who show no signs of physical improvement?"

"That won't happen! You will all get stronger or BREAK TRYING!"

Sammi could have sworn she felt her engine skip a rotation. "I, uh... I see." That made sense, come to think of it. Suddenly, Sammi felt a need to locate BOMB and ask him what the hell to do about the phys ed class. Even if it meant outing herself to him. With that scan from yesterday, he probably already knew anyway, even if he never got the chance to finish it. Sammi hurried in the direction of the dorm building, equally surprised at Mr. Benton's barbaric answer and the sense of urgency it had elicited from her. Sure that platform would take the students back too, but who knew when that would happen? Besides, this would give her time to think.

Ways to strengthen myself... I should ask about BOMB's pump some more. It's probably better than the old engine I have, so swapping them out would improve my specs. Or I could pass myself off as incredibly weak at the start of the year, and put in more effort little by little... but it would be too easy to mess that up, even for me. This is a problem.

[Skaia 578]

It didn't take long for Kelsey to meet up with the two girls, thankfully. Asking the question that she did, Stella simply gave a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her head. As she was about to respond to the girl, she was suddenly interrupted by a young boy who had walked out from the crowd. Stella thought the boy looked familiar, wondering about his identity as Kelsey voiced that question and watched him get into his argument with the gym teacher. Stella had also wanted to get out of her gym activities as well - more specifically anything that involved running. And while the boy was met with about as much success as she would've expected for herself. Granted, the way he asked the teacher rubbed her far more the wrong way than she could've ever imagined herself asking for such a thing. 

As the other girls explained who he was, the girl suddenly remembered why he was so familiar looking. She wasn't particularly into going out to movies, and most of the movies she had seen were older ones with her father at home. And though she certainly could tell the young actor was handsome, her first impression of him seemed to outweigh that. The girl then raised an eyebrow as her roommate seemed to walk over to the boy and giddily get his autograph. As the girl asked about why he was here, Stella simply shrugged and said, "who knows? Maybe he's got some sort of mandatory service like you do?" Or, maybe his parents just sent him to a school to  become more disciplined. 

Turning away and  back to her friend she said, "well. What about you Kellz? You excited to learn more about all that mech combat stuff?" 

[Chaos Sonic 443]

First day...with no classes. Truthfully, Chase felt a little cheated at knowing this. Here he was, all gung ho about getting started around here...only to find out that there was absolutely no class today and it was a free day. A disappointed sigh escaped the young man's lips as he shrugged slightly. Still, least he got a cool as hell wrist band that actually was able to call his mech. That was pretty much the highlight of his day by far.

Then he showed his face...

"I don't think you get it, sir, but my 'shape' is just fine. Isn't that right ladies?"

Chase knew him...not personally, but he knew him. Weston Easton, an actor. Still baffled him, seeing an actor like this just appear at this type of academy...or to be frank, any academy at all.

...right, the 'shape' is fine...it's everything above the shoulders, starting with the brain. Chase thought, slightly shaking his head at seeing a few of the girls just fawning over this pretty boy actor. He really didn't like it.

[LordCowCow 840]

"Will girls also get big muscles or we get thinner muscles? The control harness in my mech was already custom fit and refitting it not easy."

Jax looked to the girl who had said it and pointed a finger at her, striking a dramatic pose. "If your mech can't handle a POWERFUL BOD it just means your mech needs to ALSO GET BUFF!" He proclaimed, without any hint of joke in his voice.

"Haha, Mr Benton is pretty popular it seems." Mr John said, chuckling to himself. "But I guess he does have a rather EXPLOSIVE personality doesn't he?" He paused. "I guess that pun doesn't work well if you don't know about his mech..."

"It doesn't work even if you do, trust me." Malkin said. Then she called out. "You kids got anything else for us? Or can we get outta here. I've got some shit to do, don't have all day to spend on you guppies gawking at us."

---

"Makes you wonder why he's here, though. Method acting?"

Kelsey shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. "Whatever the reason I'm sure it's to make himself look good. God, look at these girls, fawning over him like that."

The trio could feel glares on them as Kelsey spoke, quite loudly.

"well. What about you Kellz? You excited to learn more about all that mech combat stuff?" 

"Oh heck yeah!" Kelsey said. "Teacher seems like a hardass but I bet I can handle it just fine. Can definitely do better than that Wester guy at least."

The glares became even more intense as Kelsey, only half unintentionally, raised her voice to match their intensity.

---

As Sammi made her way out she would realize the field was much larger than she had first thought. It was almost as if a field designed for mechs would be difficult for one to travel on foot. Though it was a wide open expanse without anything between her and the end so it wasn't particularly difficult of a trek.

There was also a bird. With bright blue feathers and a forked beak. It was digging at the field with the confidence and purpose of an animal that didn't know it was just there to provide a bit of flavor and to stretch out an otherwise dull and pointless section in the story of one's life.

---

Spoiler

Keto, VCR, and Champion are at 2 Strikes

Chaos is just at 1

As always I'm around in case people want more stuff be it dialogue or otherwise.

 

[ZetaRESP 5]

Erica simply stared. She didn't seem any more interested in the whole thing, so she just bowed. "Nothing else from me." She then left the platform and went into the field. She started with a walk, but seeing the field, she sighed heavily and began to run. Of course, due to cultural osmosis given by what's popular in her homeworld of Asari, she ran leaning forward and with her arms angled to her sides and behind her. Much to her chagrin, she actually caught up with the Asari fashion of "Shinobi Sprinting", which was popular among the boys of Asari and that lead to a lot of Robattlers using it, including her. She internally blames the creators of "Cyber Shinobi Ramen-kun" for that storybook in the first place.

[ChampionZero 62]

Kansuke made a loud, glottal sound of derision, followed by a sarcastic, "Oh GREAT, a pretentious spoon-tongued socialite. Because THAT'S what a school of Mecha Pilots needs-- a showboating, preening prettyboy." He wasn't subtle about it-- this guy was the kind of person that really got Kansuke's urge to pick a fight going-- and knowing there were no classes today, Kansuke was even more restless than on the Finback.

He sized the supposed actor up, and honestly, he wasn't impressed. Sure, he was handsome, but he figured the actors only advantages in a fight would be trickery and dexterity.

"Here's the deal, Spoontongue," He snapped, the middle-class accent and slang of his homeworld coming to the fore to match the dark stare he'd picked up from his father, "If you can't measure up to the school standards, dive off the rocks and don't come back. Otherwise, pull the silver out of your teeth and quit grandstanding. Nobody came here to deal with your crap, least of all the people actually committed to making a difference in the world."

[yui 576]

"Who knows? Maybe he's got some sort of mandatory service like you do?"

Maybe he does! I never considered other planets might have that sort of system too.

"Whatever the reason I'm sure it's to make himself look good. God, look at these girls, fawning over him like that."

"They were probably really surprised," Vivian suggested. "It's not every day you meet a celebrity!" Though, fainting is definitely a bit much. Those girls might be a bit TOO into Weston's movies and stuff. It couldn't have just been from his looks alone. That simply didn't make sense to Vivian. Whatever the reason, it seemed that some people didn't quite appreciate Kellz's input, based on the glares being cast in her general direction.

"well. What about you Kellz? You excited to learn more about all that mech combat stuff?" 

"Oh heck yeah! Teacher seems like a hardass but I bet I can handle it just fine. Can definitely do better than that Wester guy at least."

"It will be fun to see you behind the cockpit again." It was already exciting to watch her fight some bandits with crummy mechs. But against actual competition, it was bound to be a spectacle! Hopefully Viv didn't end up being that opponent. It was just a gut feeling, but someone who used to do mech fighting as a hobby in a mobile mech would be more than a match for the relatively inexperienced Vivian and her standard-issue Bighand. She tried not to pay much mind to the boy that was badmouthing Weston though. What was his deal?

"Stella, are you good at mech fights?" She'd never mentioned them before, but being friends with Kellz who seemed pretty enthusiastic about them probably meant she had some experience, right?

[Skaia 578]

Stella couldn't help but agree with her friend, finding it a bit amusing as Vivian spoke up about the other girls, as she herself had just fawned over the actor. Though, she supposed what the girl said was true. After all, she probably wouldn't be able to contain herself that well if a famous author she followed was around. All the same, she figured it was best to start leaving the area, the girl not at all comfortable with the hostility that was directed towards Kelsey and by extension the rest of them. As Kelsey answered her question, the girl smiled, beginning to walk away from the area and hoping the others would follow, saying, "well, even if she is, I'm sure you'll do great." 

Stella was then momentarily seemed to be paused by Vivian's question, a nervous hint across her face before she simply smiled back at her roommate. "Ah well, um, I'm not all that great. I haven't practiced all that much and when I do I get a bit..." The girl stopped before saying, "well, school is to help us get better right?" Giving a small nervous laugh, the girl merely pivoted the conversation saying, "well, it's our last free day before school starts. So we should probably get going and um...do something...like...get ready for school! I'm sure there's an office supply store somewhere, right?"

[Asriel Dreemurr 38]

Xa'tok looked a little rough at the gathering where they were being introduced to their teachers. As a matter of fact he looked like he had not slept at all the previous night...because that was the case exactly. He had never been able to settle down, and had spent much of the night laid out on his bed staring up into the darkness and trying everything he could manage to sleep. Nothing worked. The building was much too quiet for his tastes. On a starship there was always noise from the numerous systems that ran through it working at varying capacities, and more than that the spirits peculiar to starships always flocked to him. Here, in this place, they were wary of him. The lesser ones darted out of his reach, and the greater ones ignored him outright. The only company he had really been expecting had ignored him at every turn, and the oppressive silence was impossible to escape.

So he had been standing, swaying unsteadily on his feet, through much of the gathering and had almost failed to actually collect the bracelet that would apparently call his mech. He might have wondered about how they had managed to accomplish that with the distinctions between Chapaayan technology and that of the rest of the universe, but he was too tired to think about it much right now. Hence why he was still standing there while the crowd around them slowly dispersed, without much lasting impression of the introduced teachers.

[LordCowCow 840]

Malkin watched as two of the students went off on foot. "So uh. Should someone stop them?" She suggested halfheartedly.

The vice principal shook her head. "Let them learn from their mistakes. Anyway, time to head back students! Your first class begins in the morning. Try not to cause any problems. You've only been here for a day."

The words weren't specifically directed at anyone but it would be clear who may have been the primary targets.

---

"If you can't measure up to the school standards, dive off the rocks and don't come back. Otherwise, pull the silver out of your teeth and quit grandstanding. Nobody came here to deal with your crap, least of all the people actually committed to making a difference in the world."

The glares of the female students turned towards Kansuke. Weston glanced over at him and gave a single, short, laugh. He walked up to the other boy with one hand in his pocket and the other waving absently. Almost as though he were waving off a fly. "Oh? And what's this now? A difference you say." He smirked and put a hand over his mouth. "Oh my, how incredible. Care to tell me what kind of difference you've made so far? I'll be happy to hear what kind of difference you made slumming around in the gutters. Hate to break it to you like this but you should direct that uncouth behavior to someone who isn't in a prime position to make a difference. Like, say, yourself? Talk is cheap, friend, and nothing in this world comes free you know. But I guess it makes you sleep better at night thinking you can actually do something."

He started stepping closer when a short, horned, girl gave a small cough.

"Everyone's getting back on the transport." She said before turning away and walking back with the rest towards said transport.

"Ah, well, suppose I should go with my lovely roommate shouldn't I? Guess we'll have to chat more later." Weston said.

The glares of the female students seemed to be split between Kansuke and this "rommate" of Weston's. Though for her part the girl kept her head held high and simply stared straight ahead as they boarded the transport.

---

"It will be fun to see you behind the cockpit again."

"Maybe I'll get a chance to really let loose." Afterwards Vivian asked Stella something and Kelsey found herself grow distracted.

"well, it's our last free day before school starts. So we should probably get going and um...do something...like...get ready for school! I'm sure there's an office supply store somewhere, right?"

Kelsey had been zoning out as the conversation went on. She was watching the almost fight going on between the actor and...some other guy. Her hand, the flesh and blood one, twitched as she watched. The urge to get in the scrap rising as the two exchanged words. She wasn't sure who she wanted to get in with but the desire was there.

She glanced over at Stella. "Ah, yeah, sure, sounds good to me." She said. She didn't actually know what Stella was suggesting but whatever she said was probably something Kelsey would want, or should, do anyway. She followed the other two to the transport. "Let's go do the thing. We got the whole day ahead of us after all."

---

The transport then brought the students back. Racing past both Sammi and Erica who had decided to travel by foot.

Spoiler

Might be a bit abrupt but don't want to spin our wheels. Heading on out of there now. If you need anything always be sure to ask.

I can come up with some things for y'all but it'll be easier to do so if some groundwork is laid out. As in either you let me know things your characters would be wanting to do or at least give them a place to be at/go to so I can bring something to you easier that's not just in the void.

Also Keto and Chaos are at 2 strikes yet, but consistent posting can get that down easy enough.

Right and to those who don't know VCR_CAT has left the RP.

 

[ZetaRESP 5]

One thing is certain: Thank god she learned to run that way, as unlike the regular run, this one spends little energy and is easier for her to cover more distance without getting that tired. Of course, she was nowhere near the speed of a mech, so she was taking a while to cover the distance. She didn't stop, even though she saw the platform pass over her. She looks at her side and sees Sammi running slightly ahead and simply saw her heading the dorms, then took that way. Not for anything like chatting, but because she was gonna head there. It was her final free day and she wanted to try and do something she feared since a while: socialize. She ran begins Sammi and tried to reach her, if only because they technically were going to the same place and it would make more sense for both to arrive roughly at the same time and save on opening twice the door.

[Skaia 578]

Stella wasn't quite sure how to feel about the group's current situation. She had lead her friends to the place she had suggested herself, that being an office supply store on campus by the name of Clips. This kind of chain of stores that Stella had visited quite frequently back home and was glad to see it was a brand that crossed galaxies. And, naturally, as she had frequented these stores quite often she didn't have any actual need to be here. That and she was positive this was not the way that most people wanted to spend their last day of break before school, yet outside of eating fast food Stella didn't have many alternatives come to mind as to how to kill a day. And so, the girl said, "um, well...here we are." Taking a deep breath, Stella entered the store. 

Once inside, the girl seemed to calm down a bit as she felt more in her element. Looking at the others, she said, "well, with school starting, we need to make sure we won't get tripped up in class. Having notebooks, pens and pencils is always a good start. But binders and folders are just as important, and without dividers you'll never find anything in there without struggle. Similarly, highlighters are as important as they're practically the dividers of the marker family. Not to mention - " the girl's attention was distracted as she looked further down and saw the section filled with desks and chairs causing the girl to mutter, "I wonder if we're allowed a chair in our room. That'll have to be something I ask the princi - " the girl caught herself as she remembered the party they had after landing, correcting herself to, "something I ask the vice principal later." Looking to the others she said, "well, where would you like to begin?" The girl seemed to be filled with an unnatural and uncommon confidence in her voice. No matter what planet it may have been on, a Clips was still a Clips. And there was no building Stella knew better than that.