Halcyon Halls

Who: Jillian and Vinnie!
When: Saturday Night
Where: The beach!

After their date last Monday, Jillian had been dying to see Vinnie again. Unfortunately, classes had kept her insanely busy and she hadn't gotten the chance to meet with him again until Saturday night. Thankfully, it was Saturday night!

Taking a cab to the town, she shopped around for a little bit, buying a small amount of snacks, all finger foods. Little sandwiches with cold cuts and cheese, some desserts, and a little selection of fruits and veggies. Overall it was pretty healthy, since Jillian didn't know what Vinnie liked to eat. She'd snuck what they needed to make smores in the basket too, because what was a bonfire without smores?

She made her way to one of the more secluded beaches with a blanket and a basket of food, setting everything down to the side before she started to gather wood for a bonfire. There was a pit already there so all she had to do was set the fire up and start it, which was easy enough given that she'd replaced her kit already.

She had dressed in her bikini with a sundress over it. She wouldn't mind a swim, even though the water would be a little cool. Once the bonfire was set, she glanced over and spotted a dark shape walking over towards her. She smiled, waving once before she sank down onto the blanket she'd set down beside the fire. The sun hadn't set yet, so it was still nice and light, but she knew that wouldn't last for long.

Who: Jillian and Vinnie
When: Wednesday Afternoon After Classes
Where: Soccer Field


Finally - a chance to take pictures for photography! She was beginning to think that photography was just full of boring lectures about light and shutters and film developing. Angles and exposures. Jillian smiled now though. A camera in hand, she made her way out to the field, intent on capturing photos of movement as the class had been instructed to. Surely she'd find someone out there, doing something. The camera bag bumping against her hip as she walked, she trod down the path for a while before stopping, finding exactly what she was looking for on the soccer field.

A lone figure was out in the field, practicing with a soccer ball, so she paused and aimed her camera, snapping a picture of him in mid-kick. The guy was pretty good, moving around the ball with an ease that suggested plenty of practice. She moved a little closer, leaning in, and she snapped another picture before she realized that she probably should have asked him before she started snapping away. Kicking herself, she lowered the camera and then walked over slowly, clearing her throat. She stumbled a little over a seemingly clear patch of grass, cursing herself before she righted up and looked out at the guy. What a time to be clutzy. Then again, why did it surprise her? She tripped over nothing all the time.

"Excuse me?" she asked, feeling silly and a little embarrassed, especially when she caught a glimpse of his face. He was cute. Wrinkling her nose, she waited, holding up the camera in one hand as she tried to force her face into a friendly easy smile, even if it looked far more timid than easy.

Who: Vinnie and Easton
When: Lunchtime
Where: The cafeteria

This week was turning out to be a lot better than the last for Vinnie. Granted, that didn’t really take a whole lot considering the week he had had. His first week of school had been full of a bunch of not so good surprises. First, he found out that Frankie had her first ever boyfriend and had also broken up with him within the first 24 hours of Vinnie having arrived at Halcyon. Then, he found out that their cousin Cissy was gonna be attending Halcyon and she was gonna be rooming with Frankie. That was a fight waiting to happen and who knows if it had or not. Frankie still hadn’t updated him on what happened when she and Cissy talked the night before.

As if that all wasn’t enough to drive the poor boy crazy, he also found out on Saturday thanks to a gossip column that his sister lost her virginity in a club to some whorish older dude. After reading that, he confronted Frankie about it and got into an argument with her about how disappointed he was in her. Once all that cleared up, another bomb was dropped on him. Frankie told him about how Cissy had had an affair with their papa’s best friend who was married with kids. Way too much to handle in one week.

Hanging out with Rain the night before had definitely helped clear his mind of all those worries. The girl was really cool and down to earth and not to mention cute as hell. He really hoped that he would get to see more of her in the future. Frankie approved of her after all.. not that he needed her approval for that but you know, it made things easier. He didn't like it when she ragged on the girls he dated and he hated having to defend them from her.

It was lunchtime and Vinnie was sitting in the cafeteria at a table by the window with only one iPod earphone in while he read his text for Supernatural Races: Fact or Fiction. He hated having to read while he ate but seeing as he skipped out on doing his homework last night to hang out with Rain, now was the only free time he had to do it before the class. Grabbing the burger he was eating, he took a bite as he turned the page of his textbook, accidentally splattering a bit of ketchup on the corner of one of the pages. “Damn..” He put the burger down and scrambled to grab some napkins from the dispenser on the table to dab the ketchup off. Hopefully it wouldn't leave a stain. See, this is why you should never have to read and eat at the same time.

Who: Rain and Vinnie
Where: one of the smaller common rooms
When: 7:00 pm
What: movie night!

So far it had been a terrific day, and Rain had high hopes that it would get even better.

Her first week at school had been just what she'd hoped for. There were tons of people to talk to, her classes were interesting, and the island itself was beautiful, from what she'd seen. She'd gone wandering down by the shore the day before, taking some alone time after a busy week to just walk and look for seashells and listen to the gulls wheeling and crying overhead. She hadn't even taken her cellphone along, which was major. She had enough friends from home and family members texting her that she'd had to be sure she turned the sound off during classes, because she couldn't imagine a teacher that wouldn't totally hate that. Sometimes it was nice to have a break from that sort of thing, too.

There were plenty of activities in which to lose herself, in which she could not think, she'd found. Saturday evening she'd visited the club she'd been told about by another student and danced for hours, ending up in the depths of Hell, just another faceless, nameless girl writhing in the heat of a dark, smoky oblivion. She could not have said with whom she'd danced; she didn't remember a single name or face. It hadn't mattered. It was only the void into which she threw herself at times, an inner darkness that made it possible for her to be her light, cheerful self the rest of the time. It was a dichotomy she had not experienced to such strong degrees since the nightmare that had befallen her family.

Today, though, she was cheerful and more than a little bit excited about meeting Frankie's brother in person. He'd seemed so nice, but not bland nice. More like witty and as if he'd be fun to chill with. If he was cute, that'd totally be a bonus, she thought. She checked herself out in the mirror one last time before leaving her room and nodded, smiling at her reflection (mostly to make sure she didn't have anything in her teeth). White halter embossed with tiny multi-colored butterflies and held up by lacy straps, faded denim cut-off shorts that had originally been designer jeans three years ago when she'd first bought them, flip-flops that showed off her polished toenails and silvery bracelets on both wrists. It was her typical studied-casual look, because one never wanted to look as if they'd put in too much effort or not enough. Just right.

She headed out of Zephyr House, the promised cookies in a little basket she'd had in with her things and the star-printed blanket tossed over one shoulder. At this time of the evening, there didn't seem to be many people milling around. Everyone was probably either out or doing homework. That was fine with Rain. As much as she loved being around people, she'd prefer this to be a one-on-one first meeting kinda thing. Once she reached the common room they'd decided on, she sauntered through the door and saw that there was somebody in there already. "Hi," she said to the dark-haired boy (whom she really hoped was Vinnie because he was adorable) with a smile.

Who: Miss Errona and Vinnie Vincenzo
Where: The Potions and Charms Use classroom/Lab/Abstract Sciences classroom
When: Monday afternoon
What: You think she has those long nails for no reason? The future Lady Szczyk does not do menial labor in her classroom.

For an award winning Witch such as Aqzlece Szczyk, her classroom appeared surprisingly normal. Some of the people who had taught here before had the room look a little more arcane, but not her. With the racks of dried flowers and other assorted goods, her lab looked more like a crafts area than any sort of scary bubbling cauldron hollywood set. Before she came to Halcyon, she'd held a conversation with some other very respected magic users about what they thought about the institutional teachings of their magics. Their conclusions was resoundingly practical; removing the fear and increasing the wonder of their magics would only increase their rankings within supernatural society and allow them more freedom of economy.

Of course, her course was based around commonly known magics and explaining and having them demonstrate the real applications and preparation. This way she appealed to their commonality without betraying any true secrets. Also, the students had no idea how much basic power many of them had. Some of those projects would actually be useful for her. Especially the section about weaveworking.

But what was pleasing her most was sitting in the middle of her classroom. Once a little dusty and now shining. Once covered in old chalk now wiped clean. A desk was covered in four different cleaning products and a small grocery bag of used paper towels. Taking off her plastic gloves, Leecee was rather proud of herself. It sparkled and was exactly what she needed.

Despite the change in name of her academic course, which had certainly seemed to boost its popularity, it was every bit as intensive as her Ancient Runes and Numerology courses. She'd encouraged her students who had been in both to take this course. This way she could weave in and out of different subjects without needing to tiptoe around them. The students were every bit as perplexed half of the time, but some of them she could see their minds opening up.

It was in honor of her ancestors and the Universe itself that she felt compelled to teach them this. No longer would they walk with their eyes closed to the true meanings of the universe. Religion was a hard thing to walk into that classroom with. Unlike many pundits in the mundane world, Leecee had very real explanations for 'miracles' that not only did not lean on Science, but defied it. Most importantly, she could also display how it worked. With a smile she'd asked when they planned on cannonizing her. In fact, some saints had been Witches, but dedicated to that specific kind of magic. Humans sometimes called them "white witches" and they were often more hated than women like herself.

"Oh, excuse me. Sir, could I bother you for a minute?" Leecee was in one of her myriad tailored black dresses. This one actually fell below the knees with a slit up above the knee. little stretchy but not too clingy with a gather around a circle of semi-precious stones by the bust. Not very conservative, but hardly scandalous. Her white jacket was over her desk chair. She smiled sweetly, knowing she was still young enough in appearance to not look like some snooty, older teacher. It also helped that she breathed and respirated like any other teacher. Unlike the demons and weres, there was nothing physically about her to differentiate her from a human.

It was just when you moved beyond the veil that things got a little strange.

Who: Vinnie and Jaida
When: Saturday night
Where: Heaven and Hell

Ever since Frankie had mentioned that there was a good club in the city, Vinnie had wanted to check it out. Obviously, he had to get through his first week of classes at Halcyon first. He didn’t want his parents getting on his case on his first week there. It took enough time convincing them to let him come here earlier than they wanted so he didn’t wanna do anything to fuck that up. No, he was gonna be good and do all his work and shit and then go out to play on the weekend.

Classes were easy enough, only four of them to worry about now as opposed to the seven he had in high school. Completely different educations but at least this load was easier. Percussion Instruments was up first followed by Fire Use, Magical Weapons and finishing off with Supernatural Fact and Fiction. Percussion was probably his favorite with Magical Weapons coming in at a close second. Vinnie had always wanted to learn how to play drums but because of the sports in high school, he didn’t have time for music class. Then when he got Rock Band for his 360, playing the game’s drums was cool and all but it made him want to learn even more. Who woulda thought that they’d offer music classes at a school for supernaturals? Vinnie sure wouldn’t. He thought he was just gonna be learning about other races and how to perfect his powers. Good thing that wasn’t the case or he’d get bored kinda quick.

His Fire Use class actually made him feel a little better about his abilities too. There were some people in there who couldn’t create fire either. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only one who lacked in that department. None of them carried around lighters like Vinnie did though. He thought that was kinda weird but eh, to each his own. He personally felt defenseless without a lighter on him so that was part of the reason why he always had one handy.

Vinnie wanted to head down to the club on Friday night but because of the full moon, he was stuck inside the school the whole night. No matter though since he had his video games and his sister to entertain him. He spent a good chunk of the night playing Grand Theft Auto, killing nearly every character in the game that crossed his path and doing some incredibly reckless but fun driving. When he wasn’t playing, he’d sit back and rag on Frankie as she was trying to get through the missions. Felt just like the old days again.

When Saturday night rolled around, Vinnie was definitely ready to go out. Since Frankie owed him a drink from their mosquito torching competition, they were gonna head down to the club together. Dressed in dark jeans and a black button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, he arrived at the club with Frankie and handed the bouncer his fake ID. The bouncer looked at the ID for a while and then back at him. Vinnie played it cool and kept talking to his sister until the bouncer handed him back his ID and waved him inside. Whew, close call. Heaven and Hell? Interesting name. Vinnie followed his sister into Heaven first because apparently Hell was a little more hardcore. Who woulda thunk it? Of course, that piqued his interest so after getting the Red Bull and vodka that Frankie owed him, Vinnie went off exploring on his own.

Who: Cissy and Vinnie
When: Sunday Afternoon
What: Cissy arrives and Halcyon Halls will never be the same

She was so tired. One last night of partying in NYC was not the brightest idea that Cissy had ever had. She had barely gotten home when it was time for her to go. She had whined about that all the way to the plane that had brought her hare, and even now she was being a bit mopey on the cab ride from the airport to the school. She had slept a little on the plane, but she was exhausted, and the bags under her eyes!!! She could have packed half of her wardrobe in those bad boys. Oh my!

Really though, she looks as perfect and well put together as always in what she considered her "scrub" clothes. Even if she had been tired as could be, she had still managed to paint her nails to match perfectly the color of her Rocawear Hoodie with matching pants. And the Prada sandals that adorned her lovely little feet, toes complete with a French manicure, were the same shade of copper as the frames of her Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses. She looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine, her hair in soft curls about her face and her pink Motorola Razor in the hand that wasn't holding her Gucci bag.

Perfectly manicured fingers quickly tapped out the contents of the text message she sent to her cousin, Vinnie. I kno ur here. Come help me. Plz. She had more luggage than was humanly possible, and honestly she had done her best not to bring that much. But there were 4 suitcases of clothes, two suitcases of suits, one suitcase of makeup and hair stuff and other female items, a small bag of jewelry and accessories, another suitcase full of purses, not to mention the personal items she had brought, books, music, photo albums. The trunk of the taxi was practically weighted down and the back seat wasn't exactly empty.

"He's on his way." Cissy said, flashing a smile at the Cab Driver who had started to unload her stuff onto the curb in front of the building. "Be careful with that." She was never one to refrain from chastising the hired help. A foot tapped impatiently on the pavement. He better be on his way soon. If not, how else was she going to... "Ooohh.. Hi there." A smile was cast in the direction of the cute boy who had done a double take while walking by. Maybe this place wasn't going to be so bad after all. He was a little young for her taste, but he looked naughty, very naughty, and she liked them like that.