another life flashing by [open]

[Lilliana Roberts]

As dusk befell the rounded hills and curves, painting the skies with muted rosy streaks of deep orange and red, hints of faint aquamarine and strokes of a bold royal magenta skimmed the outskirts. The sun leisurely threw skittering shadows across the landscape, and under the radiant warmth of the setting daylight, a sleek black vehicle soundlessly mastered the twists and turns of the arching road with ease, gliding to a graceful stop at the base of the school. Signature scowl forming habitually on her lips, Lilliana Roberts stepped out from the vehicle, slightly reluctant leaving the safety of the mobile behind, a small black bag slung over one shoulder. The girl would normally take the time to memorize the scenery, especially during a perfect sunset. The blue surface of the creek glittered like a thousand twinkling diamonds, and the sun cast rich evening rays onto her hair which cascaded down one shoulder messily, illuminating her waves with a lavishing golden glow.

If Lilli hadn't been currently confused as hell and feeling murderous, the artist would have immediately captured the scene down in her treasured journal. Unfortunately, she was bemused and merciless with a chaotic jumble of feeling and thought, and didn't know how or where to direct the unfamiliar emotions. Lilli wanted [and expected] to summon the reassuring rage of furious; at least she knew what to do with anger. It was hidden under a layer of anxiety and panic [though she'd never admit it], all wrapped up in a sheet of smothering calm and almost an eerily serene atmosphere. She suspected the doing of the supernatural, a divine barrier able to repel monsters. The place was frightening quiet, too cut off from the rest of the monster-invested world, almost unnatural. Lilli wasn't surprised; she had expected something of the sort, or this academy or whatever wouldn't qualify for being a safe haven for her kind with constant monsters snapping at the doors and snarling for their blood.

Speaking of her kind, Lilli didn't know what to expect of the students, other freaks like her [like that was supposed to be comforting and made her any less of a freak; she'd probably be even considered a freak among demigods, what with her dark style and peculiar habits]. Honestly, Lilli hadn't known what to think of the whole idea of the Greek gods actually existing, but it wasn't too hard to believe. She had seen enough prove, and it didn't sound too strange anymore; it was actually a logical explanation for the bizarre occurrences in her life, if not just a bit incredible. When she'd received the call a day after the mysterious letter, she hadn't been told or said much, only confirmed connections and next thing she knew, she was whisked away from the orphanage and was now arriving at her new home. Home. Lilli never had a stable place to call home, and after assuming her first family as permanent, she was determined never to make such a mistake again and take things for granted. Would this academy be allowed to kick her out? Gods, what if this place was exactly like the rest? Then where could she go? For Lilli, it was just another life flashing by, never to last or stay.

Swallowing worries she hadn't even realized had emerged, Lilli cautiously rapped her knuckles, once, twice against the large doors, slipping inside quickly as the way opened. To her great relief, she located the Main Office easily, spared the terror of wandering the isolated hallways. After retrieving her schedule and a map [thankfully], the daughter of Proteus followed the guide successfully to her dormitory [she had grimaced at the name, Minor Gods; would she be bunched together with all the rest of the students whose parents weren't one of the Olympians?]. She reached out to open the door, then paused, hand lingering on the doorknob. Did she need to knock? Surely she didn't require a key or permission to access the dorms? Shrugging away the thoughts, Lilli twisted the knob, and the door swung open. Wearing the daring and bold [and maybe intimidating] expression she had mastered through the long years, her hard cerulean eyes swept the dorm, scrutinizing her surroundings with a piercing gaze.

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[Quinn Tempest]

She found the world here so dull and dreary. Demigods wandered here and there with their own multitude of problems and issues, complaining about their lives and how everything sucked for them. But wandering around the Silver Creek Academy grounds, she found that they were actually lucky in many ways. Rarely any school could compare to this one. From what she could tell, everything around here was rich and splendid in scenery. The education was linear to regular school with a few exceptions that we're just classes necessary for demigod survival, and there were so many different ways to pass time. What happened to normal demigods that didn't have the money to be enrolled here? She didn't want to consider them. They were unfortunate. Because monsters and other mythical beings in existence trying to hunt them down and conflict looming about, demigod life was more interesting. Being accustomed to fighting, though, was probably what made her fit right into this society. It was in this first week that she had risen to the top of her combat classes. Hand to hand in general she was first. There was no one, after all, who could compare to the Camorra Mafia's training.

The other day, Quinn had met her match in swordplay. It had been the Minor gods dorm leader. She had a feeling that he had been enjoying the match far too much to be serious. She had gotten a taste of his skill, and she wanted that skill. The daughter of Poseidon had always been ambitious in this way. She made her way from her dorm to his, wondering if he was free. After all, she knew no one else around here, and her supposed brother/dorm leader was never around. He was busy, from what she heard, and depressed. Something had happened before she had arrived. As she made her way towards the dorm, her chin-lengthed hair swished rhythmically, catching the setting sun in its blonde streaks. Her gray-blue eyes reflected the color of a smoking storm, and they flitted towards the dorm, catching sight of an entering figure.

The daughter of Poseidon paused, wondering who that just was, going in. Judging from the suitcase, she was new. Pyre had a new person to watch over. She nudged open the door, curiousity overwhelming her usual reclusiveness. She was always interested in demigod powers and such. Quinn wanted to know who this girl was, and what she was capable of. The smaller girl nudged open the door that had been left slightly ajar, and strolled in with her usual air of confidence. She stopped, letting the door shut behind her as she regarded the newcomer. "Welcome to Silver Creek," she greeted her, somewhat coldly. "I am Quinn of the Poseidon Dorm." it wasn't everyday that someone would get a young-looking girl such as Quinn strolling in with a welcome and an arrogant introduction, but then again, there weren't any normal days in the demigod world.

[Lilliana Roberts]

The dormitory was not unoccupied, but only lacking another living being at the moment; Lilli assumed her new dormmates were out finishing up whatever or roaming around the academy, but she definitely wasn't the only soon-to-be inhabitant of the dormitory. For one, seeing as how the minor gods were any god or goddess aside from the major few, she had expected at least ten dormmates, offspring from the hundreds [thousands, perhaps?] of minor gods. The biggest clue was that the dormitory was customized to suit each resident. Graphic posters of music groups lined the walls, a collage of a variety of distinct colors; photographs and any other kinds of paper were taped on walls as well, leaving scarce blank spaces, except for the areas next to unused bunks, generously left alone for another to fill with their life. Some bunks were neat; bed tidied and perfectly made. Others, various items ranging from writing utensils to teddy bears lay on the beds, sheets rumpled and pushed aside.

Lilli was fascinated by the bits and pieces, all adding up to a life, shaping ethics and personality, and building together to define a person. She had never been to a sleepover [no one invited her and she didn't have any friends], so it was kind of strange to see all sorts of items being shared. She had seen many people gathered in one place, like at school or at the market, but those encounters were too impersonal, too unimportant, too indifferent; she never saw under the same dull colorless shields everyone propped up. Now, Lilli would be living with a bunch of other strangers, and she truly saw the different characters and color and the simple fact of life she'd never seen in others before. After a life-time of being alone, the world seemed so different as she stood in the little cozy room, surrounded by other essences, other spirits, identities; it was a bit overwhelming. It was amazing.

When the door behind her swung on its hinges, drawing out a quiet squeak of protest from the friction, Lilli immediately retreated from her daze, melting into a protective state of mind as she spun around. Her first monster encounter had made her superstitious, and for the years afterwards, she jumped at every twitch or noise, falling into a tensed and ready position. She relaxed slightly as she realized it was just another demigod, but was still on guard. Who knew if the demigods were allowed to attack each other? For all Lilli knew, they were all crazy barbarians. Lilli peered at this new girl [actually, Lilli was the new one], studying and bookmarking her features for future reference. Although the girl seemed quite young, she carried around an aura of superiority, similar to her own. Lilli straightened, giving a slight nod. The way this Quinn walked around was admirable, she grudgingly noted, prideful and cool. "I am Lilli, daughter of Proteus." She didn't want to redundantly state her dorm, as it was obvious which she belonged to, considering she was already standing in her designated dorm.

[OOC; she's so withdrawn, xD]

[Quinn Tempest]

Pyre's dorm took the prize for most populated. Quinn found her dorm incredibly large, empty, but most of all, boring. And as mentioned before, her only half brother at the Academy, Garret, always had an excuse to be out. She wondered if she would ever get to have a decent conversation with him. Or at least exchange more than a greeting or a welcome.

Now, standing before this girl apparently named Lilli, she found herself wondering the same thing. The conversation reached an awkward pause, and the daughter of Poseidon realized that this was an odd situation. She had just barged in after barely knocking without a plausible reason. Pyre was out, obviously, how was she so dense to not think about the Dorm Leaders' many duties? Of course he would be busy.

Quinn decided to take a seat, pulling a chair from the corner awkwardly and sitting down. After getting some time to study Lilli, she had noticed her own confident air reflected back at her. "Proteus," she decidedly repeated, picking up a place to continue the small talk, "Can you just morph into whatever animal you want to?" To be honest, the daughter of Poseidon was still a child after all. She still had a little imagination and wonder stored inside from lack of use. The demigod world was still opening up for her, widening its gap. She had not seen enough to not be surprised at whatever there was in store for her. Though her heavy Italian accent and upright manner gave her a rigid look, there was still innocence in her voice.

(Sorry, mine's really short.)

[Lilliana Roberts]

Silence settled heavily in the room after she spoke, and Lilli blinked, unknowing what else to say. The curt somewhat greeting with the daughter of Poseidon was possibly the first introduction she had ever exchanged with another similar to her age in the past ten years, which seemed quite pathetic to the usual person, frankly speaking. But the teen had never given much effort into socializing, as she considered conversing a pointless waste of time and breath [unless it benefited her in a needed way, of course] and seeing how no one had voluntarily attempted to make idle chat with her, and couldn't care less about communication with others. Would things be different here, where she was surrounded by her 'own kind'? She doubted it; people were all the same anywhere you went, though acquaintances would be useful in this new harsh world. It wouldn't hurt if she formed alliances with some others, at least. If she knew how to... Lilli had a sinking feeling she would have an easier time acquiring enemies.

She stared at the younger, frozen in place, wondering yet again what to do. As Quinn grabbed a chair, Lilli mirrored her movements, dragging over one for herself and placing it at a comfortable distance from the other, setting her bag down at the foot of her chair. Was sitting down symbolizing the start of a proper conversation? She gazed curiously at the girl, suddenly reminded by the lack of other presences [not that she minded; she rather disliked crowds]. Did the different dorms have separate schedules? Assuming this demigod was telling the truth, why would Quinn be at a dorm not of her own? Or maybe the other had simply spotted Lilli moving in?

Lilli blinked as Quinn repeated the name of her ethereal parent, fixating her attention on the daughter of Poseidon. "With enough concentration, then yes," she answered without hesitation. Once she had discovered her strange skill, Lilli of course tested the limits and capabilities of the unique technique, and had done several analyses of the ability. Having begun the conversation on a point she knew well, Lilli was glad for the simple start, a topic she would not stumble on. But now what? Should she ask Quinn a question? Was she allowed to? This, again, reminded herself of the fact that she did not fully grasp the idea how to maintain a nice conversation.

[OOC; gyahhh >.< mine's so late]

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[Quinn Tempest]

Quinn watched as Lilli made herself comfortable across from her in a chair. She picked up the awkwardness that permeated the room, and she realized that they both probably had no idea what they were doing. Quinn had a habit of being authoritative and arrogant from her position as a leader in the Camorra organization. She was treated with respect and not as an equal to anyone withint the gang. She was either the subordinate or the commander. And there were many at her command.

The daughter of Poseidon had gotten education from her foster father, and she was highly intelligent in the economics and physically capable of the feats of those years older than her. She hadn't gotten training to speak normally to some other random kid before to gain friends, though. This was completely new. She found the silence unnerving after Lilli had answered her question,and she fidgeted, trying to find something to shove aside the quiet and drag the conversation alone oddly.

"That is interesting," she admitted, her eyes still plenty curious. She would have continued on asking all the questions that had popped into her mind, but she found that this was way too similar to interrogations, so the obvious thing to do was to slow herself down. "You are like my niece then. Proteus is my technical half brother. Do you own any abilities to manipulate water? I am still working on mine." It felt odd to point out the whole demigod interconnected family tree thing. She didn't want to end up scaring the daughter of Proteus, but she had me need to slip up already.

[Lilliana Roberts]

Instead of submerging herself in feeling utterly clueless and hesitant about proper social etiquette, Lilli decided to let the other girl lead the conversation, not wanting to risk humiliation, though Quinn seemed very sophisticated and understanding, quite contrary to the majority or the expected of her appeared age range. During her attendance at her former school, she had learned that rather than maturing, most teens grew more reckless and audacious, frenzied with glee at their new-found freedom but lacking control. Control. Quinn carried herself around with a sense of pride and control, Lilli realized, and she wondered how Quinn had not turned out like the rest of them, but shaped into a polite respectable figure, and for someone so young...

Lilli raised her thin eyebrows, nodding at Quinn's statement. As she tended to isolate herself from social interaction, she directed most of her time into her studies, and was not unfamiliar with the subject of Greek Mythology. "That's quite peculiar," she commented with a small smirk, to think that she could technically consider the younger her aunt. The concepts of this new world were indeed very strange, but Lilli would adapt soon enough. She had always known she was different, from the looks and smirks thrown her way and how no one shared her beliefs, even before she had learned about her apparent ethereal heritage, so when she first heard the news she hadn't been as shocked as she probably should have that the truth would sound so far-fetched. Then, of course, there was the fact that she had managed to morph into a bird and flew along the countryside. "I have tried, but accomplished practically nothing, besides breathing underwater and manipulating small amounts of water. My main focus was on my shape-shifting and camouflage, as I did not live in an environment in which water was a major factor. I assume water plays a bigger role here?" She recalled the creek she had crossed into the Academy's grounds.

[OOC; sorry, I had a small project for social studies I needed to finish.]

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[Quinn Tempest]

They could have gone on all day about the mechanics of the Greek family tree. There were so many branches and leaves and roots that tracing and working around it would get anyone who tried to completely tangled and confused. Quinn usually attempted to get everything worked out about who was her what when she met them here at the Academy. She settled with an estimate most of the time. Thinking that a god was her half sibling- even if he was a minor god- was mind-blowing to say in the least. She certainly didn't feel half-god. And yet she had proven to herself that she wasn't just merely a normal human- mortal, they were called- with her powers.

Quinn listened with acute interest as Lilli specified her powers. They sounded different, but her powers did have parallels with hers. "I do not know," she replied truthfully, looking a little thoughtful, "I always considered water to be vital. It is everywhere, even in places that you do not look. Therefore, I enjoy my powers." As if to prove her point, she raised a hand, stretching out her fingers as if she were reaching for a tangible thing, and then slowly closed them into a fist. At the same time, she pulled slowly downward as if she were dragging an indivisible string from the air. Water droplets swirled from the air, condensing in a long line that she soon morphed into a blob. When she waved her hand through it, it vaporized once more. "It takes concentration, but changing and gathering the state of it is not impossible. I do not get a lot of it, though." With that, the calm-eyed girl sat forward, studying the daughter of Proteus opposite from her. "Your powers seem fun too, though. When did you discover them? I didn't find out about mine until I moved here in America from Naples."