April

The door to the library's meeting room opened and closed quietly and one of the last members of Orange Squad stepped inside with little fanfare. She glanced at the assembled, and gave the ones she knew a small nod and faint smile, but then cocked her head curiously to regard the newcomer. The curiosity lasted for only a moment she she shrugged one shoulder and settled down in her seat, setting her book bag down on the ground and fishing out a notebook. She withdrew, as she always did, into her notebook and pointedly ignoring everyone around her. Occasionally she'd stop to brush a bit of her dark hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind one ear.

.... so what you're saying is I need to make Ringdown.

As people discussed their families, their upbringing, and the pain they witnessed or themselves felt, Abigail set her sketchbook aside and gave each one her quiet but undivided attention. It was clear from her expression--and the crown of three flames that flickered above her head--that, as the others spoke, she was wrestling with her own thoughts and feelings. She barely heard what Judy said before she opened her mouth, giving the other girl a small apologetic smile. "I'm not from Canada," she began without preamble. "I'm not even from Earth, Prime or otherwise. I'm from a realm called the Netherworld, where the ruler did not permit me to have a childhood." "From the moment I could crawl I was being turned into a weapon against my father, to breach the Master Mage's defenses and allow Una to conquer and subsume Prime into her realm. It was better for me to be.. incomplete." "I never thought about who I was attracted to before. My feelings and desires were something I was never really encouraged to explore before. Since coming to Prime, I've learned a lot. My father has died, and someone else is the Master Mage now, but my foster family has helped me through some things." "One of them is a literal ghost," she added brightly, smiling a bit before her expression turned introspective once again. "Liz met her," she added, blushing slightly as she looked at her roommate. "Like I said, I never really thought about attraction before, on a personal level. But then that giant Krampus attacked the Academy and ... like Ash, I like girls too." She sank back into her chair, and hoping nobody noticed the parts she deliberately left out at the end.

"This is the Black House, then?" Abigail Storm asked, striding up to the rest of her squad. She was wearing knee-length black velvet dress with long sleeves and a white collar, some black wedge-heeled shoes and black tights. Her hair was done in two Danish braids, she had on black lipstick and an understated a smoky eye. Her ever present medallion was still there, with its strange symbol only those deep into the magic community would recognize. Or avid fans of the late Eldritch. "Looks lovely."

Arcana Amygdala Rainbow Connection Ardent Blue Fox Chance Nightingale Willow

Abigail was quietly seated, keeping to herself and doodling in her sketchbook when her roommate entered the classroom. The young mage peeked out over her book but otherwise said nothing, her cheeks heating slightly. It had been quite some time since the fight with the Giant Krampus, the cocoa and her sisters helping the sorceress puzzle out some of the distress she was feeling. Something she still never brought up with Liz because, frankly, Abby was terrified of saying anything and potentially ruining their friendship. So she gave her roommate a small smile and a nod in greeting, gave some of the other new arrivals a similar gesture, and then turned her attention back to her book.

Arcana gave Rosa a curious look, but nodded. "I haven't experienced the first two examples, but I understand what you're saying." She drifted over to where Doctor Throne was seated and settled on the edge as well, looking down at the city as dreamed about by it's residents, and then shifting her gaze up to the stars above. The stars looking down on the young mage made her a little uncomfortable, though she couldn't fathom why, and hoped that her discomfort wasn't noticeable. "It was my mother that put you up to this," she said after a long period of silence. "This isn't Daniel's style, my father is dead, and Phantom is cryptic but not this cryptic."

"Mage," Abigail corrected, looking a little offended but still keeping her voice low. "I'm a mage, not a witch. Don't you know how magic works?" She looked curiously at her hand, then tilted her head slightly to regard Judy and gave a small shrug. "Claremont can't teach me everything," she said instead. "Summers knows this." Which was true, the Headmistress did know this, but would probably prefer if Abigail didn't leave the school grounds so late in the evening or teleport directly into the school property. Which Abigail didn't, usually, she would often taken multiple jumps and leave false trails because she always presumed she was being tracked. "It won't be an issue if the Headmistress doesn't find out," she said, giving Judy a pointed look, softening it with an impish grin.

Abigail started, reaching up to pull her hood back over her face, when she noticed the glowing eyes and realized it was already too late. "Jams," she whispered, dropping her fingers from her hood. One small gesture and uttered word caused her Arcana regalia to twist, tear and reshape itself into her pajamas, and another gesture brought a faint green glow to her own eyes. The sorceress cast a quick glance over at the sleeping Ashley, and then raised an eyebrow at the knitting. "Get in trouble for what?" Abigail asked the knitter in a whisper, buying some time to remember the name for the face she was looking at.

Arcana Purl Two Una's Inferno Ardent Blue Fox Chance Nightingale Willow

Reality unraveled in the common room. A spark of arcane light flickered into being in the center of the dark room, mere feet from where Judy was knitting, spiraled outward into a disk that seemed to twist, fold into itself and refract what little light there was in a nauseating display. The distortion was utterly soundless but it felt like it had sound. A cloaked and hooded figure appeared from the portal--tall, slender and feminine--and stepped lightly onto the carpeted floor of the common room, the distortion behind them winking out. A quiet, relieved sounding sigh issued forth from the figured as they pushed their hood back from their head.

Name: Abigail Storm Codename: Arcana Year: Junior Pronouns: she/her Current Intramural Team: Orange Squad Current Roommate: Elizabeth Grey Reflection: Abigail spent the majority of the year hiding from the outside world and keeping her nose in her books, both magical and mundane. It was, on balance, a wasted year. School Club: She likes to draw, write and read, so something along those lines.

Arcana Ardent Blue Fox Chance Nightingale Willow

In order to make sure the Refs accurately count all your IC posts and award you the due amount of power points, please post with a list of all the threads in which your player character, NPC or sidekick posted IC this month (including the News forum). This topic will automatically close on the seventh day of the following month at Midnight EST. Also list any threads which you are GMing. GM posts count as double and can be assigned to whichever of your characters needs a 'push'. When you make your list, post a link to your first post for the month for each IC thread so we can jump right to it. When you start a thread, make sure IC is the first tag and topic prefix of the In Character thread, and OOC is in the first tag and topic prefix of the Out Of Character thread. It's not required, but additional tags including the major players and locations are viewed as a courtesy. Please list your threads in alphabetical order. Please clearly note any threads in which you are both player and GM/running an NPC. Please list your threads in a timely manner. Extending the deadline one week into the following month is already a grace period. If you've done any "extracurriculars" -- artwork, HellQ, 20 Questions, NPC, vignettes, guidebook pages, etc. -- please be sure to list them along with your active threads. For more information on ways to earn power points, see Character Advancement and Awards in the House Rules section of the Guide. Post counts should be formatted similar to the following: To make clear how many posts from rollover and GM posts ar assigned to each character. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in your post counts being postponed or skipped completely. If you missed the deadline, see this thread.

Arcana nodded a greeting to Dead Head, her face concealed behind the magic of her regalia, and turned to give Phantom a respectful half-bow. "Introductions," she said, and then gestured first at Masque and then Veronica. "These are my friends, Masque and ... well I see you already know Miss Danger." It couldn't be seen behind the illusion concealing her face, but the young sorceress' tone implied a wry grin. She indicated Phantom with a flourish, "And this is Phantom, the current Master Mage of Earth Prime." She spied Aquaria out of the corner of her eye and Doctor Thorne lurking among the tables and made a small inviting gesture in their direction.

Abigail laughed, "Yeah, that sounds like dad." She was poking her nose at the various dishes, not quite ready to sit down yet or grab something, just getting a feel for the offerings. She steered clear of the meat based dishes, though she had a less obvious aversion to some of the seafood dishes, and just mingled. "I always finish my homework," Abby said primly, though she flashed a grin at Kimber. "Unlike some mischievous older sisters that liked to sneak off Academy grounds," she teased. But the mention of her writing made her freckles stand out as her mocha hued skin turned a deep red when she considered what her mischievous older sister might have read in her journals.

Abigail tilted her head to the side, first regarding Rosa and the weird apparition that surrounded her, and then the rest of her environment. "OK," she started to say slowly, but then the rest of her words followed in a rush, "That was really cool. Are we still on Prime, or somewhere else? Is this an illusion, am I dreaming?" She stopped, held up a hand to catch her breath and then waved it like she was throwing away something. "Nevermind," she said in a more measured tone. "I am ready to learn."

"I think standing on the roof and hurling magic is a very sensible way to fight," Abigail said, smiling at Liz. "Besides, so much of the student body choose to sit out that fight. So.. you are very impressive Elizabeth." Her tone got a bit soft at the end of the sentence, but the young sorceress didn't notice. Now that her foster father's arms were free she wrapped him up in a tight hug and held it for several heartbeats before stepping back and giving him a warm smile. Then, with a laugh, she hurled herself at Becky and wrapped her up in a hug that was no less fierce or spine cracking.

Abigail Eldritch, known as Abigail Storm to her classmates and simply Abby to her friends, stepped out from a portal that yawned open outside of the Elder Sign followed by Veronica Danger and Elizabeth Grey. Abby looked back back over her shoulder to make sure they arrived in one piece, and allowed herself a small, satisfied, smile. "Just a moment," she said, and then a hushed word and a small gesture lit up the wards to her sight. "OK, follow." Liz or Veronica could have navigated the wards of the Elder Sign themselves of course, but Abigail being the ever practical minded thought that would have been a waste of power and time and so like a magical icebreaker she guided her companions through. Her eyes adjusted to the witch light, light which gleamed of the medallion around her neck, and she smiled a much broader smile when her gaze settled upon the woman that took her father's place as Master Mage.

Arcana Castle Dining Cocoa and Company Down in the Underground Una's Inferno Ardent Blue Fox Chance Nightingale Willow

In order to make sure the Refs accurately count all your IC posts and award you the due amount of power points, please post with a list of all the threads in which your player character, NPC or sidekick posted IC this month (including the News forum). This topic will automatically close on the seventh day of the following month at Midnight EST. Also list any threads which you are GMing. GM posts count as double and can be assigned to whichever of your characters needs a 'push'. When you make your list, post a link to your first post for the month for each IC thread so we can jump right to it. When you start a thread, make sure IC is the first tag and topic prefix of the In Character thread, and OOC is in the first tag and topic prefix of the Out Of Character thread. It's not required, but additional tags including the major players and locations are viewed as a courtesy. Please list your threads in alphabetical order. Please clearly note any threads in which you are both player and GM/running an NPC. Please list your threads in a timely manner. Extending the deadline one week into the following month is already a grace period. If you've done any "extracurriculars" -- artwork, HellQ, 20 Questions, NPC, vignettes, guidebook pages, etc. -- please be sure to list them along with your active threads. For more information on ways to earn power points, see Character Advancement and Awards in the House Rules section of the Guide. Post counts should be formatted similar to the following: To make clear how many posts from rollover and GM posts ar assigned to each character. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in your post counts being postponed or skipped completely. If you missed the deadline, see this thread.

Arcana Ardent Blue Fox Chance Nightingale Willow

In order to make sure the Refs accurately count all your IC posts and award you the due amount of power points, please post with a list of all the threads in which your player character, NPC or sidekick posted IC this month (including the News forum). This topic will automatically close on the seventh day of the following month at Midnight EST. Also list any threads which you are GMing. GM posts count as double and can be assigned to whichever of your characters needs a 'push'. When you make your list, post a link to your first post for the month for each IC thread so we can jump right to it. When you start a thread, make sure IC is the first tag and topic prefix of the In Character thread, and OOC is in the first tag and topic prefix of the Out Of Character thread. It's not required, but additional tags including the major players and locations are viewed as a courtesy. Please list your threads in alphabetical order. Please clearly note any threads in which you are both player and GM/running an NPC. Please list your threads in a timely manner. Extending the deadline one week into the following month is already a grace period. If you've done any "extracurriculars" -- artwork, HellQ, 20 Questions, NPC, vignettes, guidebook pages, etc. -- please be sure to list them along with your active threads. For more information on ways to earn power points, see Character Advancement and Awards in the House Rules section of the Guide. Post counts should be formatted similar to the following: To make clear how many posts from rollover and GM posts ar assigned to each character. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in your post counts being postponed or skipped completely. If you missed the deadline, see this thread.

"Dad's too surly for the cold to bother him," the young mage teased her foster father, flashing him a warm smile, while slipping off her bed to take the parcels and jacket from Becky's hands. She decided she'd wait a moment to let Liz get her greetings in before wrapping the two new arrivals in the fierce hug she wanted to. "Yeah, Kimber and Becky are the best," she said turning to her roommate and going back an earlier point in the conversation. "You're great too!" she added with enthusiasm. She turned to her foster family and made a sort of swooshing gesture with her hands. "You all should have seen Liz! She just.. leapt into action when Krampus arrived. She was so fierce and cool!" And in her robe, the young mage thought. Won't mention that part. "Oh," Abby added, "I promised her cocoa."

It is hard keeping a serious expression when Kimber was trying to cheer you up and simultaneously throw you off balance, so despite herself Abigail broke down in a fit of laughter. She felt her cheeks heat a little at Elizabeth's comment and she made the best shrug she could with her hands where they were. "Becky!" the young mage squeaked out between giggles, "Come in, meet Liz! And save me."