[Wingardia] No. 921

[Misao]

Rachel's Room

There is no sign or welcome mat or anything outside Rachel's door to welcome anyone in. Visitors are simply met with the standard wooden door with which all the female dorm rooms are outfitted, with the numbers 921 on a small placard just above and to the right of the doorknob.

Looking inside, Rachel's room is fairly sparsely appointed, but everything that is there is meticulously organized. There is a bookshelf in the corner filled with science fiction novels, textbooks, and various works of famous literature. The books are separated on the basis of which of these three categories they fall into. The science fiction books and the novels are sorted alphabetically by author and then title; the textbooks are grouped by subject, then by author.

Rachel's desk is mostly consumed by her computer setup. She has a large flat panel monitor, and her sound is routed through her entertainment center setup with five point surround sound. Her case is tricked out with blue neon lights and is also transparent, allowing one to see the circuitry inside the system. She has a combination printer and scanner setup, as well as an extra external hard drive and CD/DVD burner. There are also two large desk lamps sitting to either side of the desk.

The shelf above the desk does not have very many things decorating it. The most prominent item on the shelf is a picture of Rachel's mother. To either side of this are smaller pictures, one of her father and one of her brother. There are no pictures of Rachel herself, either alone, with her family, or with friends.

Rachel's bed is always neatly made and ready to sleep in, with simple plain white sheets and a single pillow. She has no particular adornments or anything for her bed, using it only as intended - as a place to rest when she gets tired.

The entertainment setup consists of a flat widescreen television with DVD and VCR players built into the TV itself, a Nintendo GameCube, a Sony Playstation 2, and a Microsoft X-Box 360. She keeps all of her movies and games in the top drawer of her dresser, sorted by system, genre, and title for the games, and by genre and title for the movies.

Rachel's closet is rather full of clothing. She tends to buy a lot of different stuff, both because she is capable of wearing a wide range of sizes due to her appearance shifting ability and because of her nigh unlimited line of credit with the superhero umbrella organization her parents belong to. The clothing is organized into clear sections - tops, dresses, shorts, skirts, pants - and sorted by color and size. She has about thirty pairs of shoes lined up along the opposite wall of the closet, again organized by color and size. She keeps her underwear in her dresser drawer in the main part of her dorm room, organized in much the same fashion.

The bathroom is decorated in soft blue shades, and is always immaculately clean. There is a towel rack hanging on the side of the wall with various sizes of towels inside, and also washcloths. The medicine cabinet is full of various beauty products, although none of them have actually ever been opened. In the shower hangs a fresh washcloth, and there is also always a bar of soap, herbal shampoo and conditioner, a loofah sponge, and a bottle of body wash. The mirror on the front of the medicine cabinet has been removed, replaced with a simple wooden panel. There are no mirrors anywhere else in the rest of Rachel's dorm room, either.

That's all. Welcome to the private world of Rachel Robertson.  

[Misao]

After returning home from the mall, Rachel threw her purchases into the corner in a huff and sat down at the computer. Her shoulders were still shaking from the encounter with Seiya. She couldn't believe the things she had said and done - and right there in public, where everyone could see her.

What a horrible first day.

Opening up her e-mail client, she took a deep breath and set about typing a message to her mother. Her fingers clacked against the keys lightning-fast, both because of her mood and just because she'd had a lot of practice with it over the years.

Dear Mom,

I've had the worst first day of school ever. Everyone here looks like they're a character from one of Joseph's stupid anime shows. I mean, I shouldn't be talking either, but seriously... there are catgirls everywhere, and it's really starting to creep me out.

But that's not really why it was terrible.

After I got bored with people-watching, I decided to go check out the town, and ended up at the mall. I guess I got a little carried away with our family's line of credit, because I'd managed to rack up quite a few bags. Anyway, I was about to go hit the sushi bar when another store caught my eye, and I headed in to look around. Well, stupid me, I went and used my powers to see how this hoodie would look on me without having to set my bags down, just to have to gather them all back up a second later. I thought no one was looking, so I figured I'd be okay (you know how creepy I think my power is).

But it wasn't okay. This girl I passed on the way in must have seen me, because she turned in the other direction really fast and started whispering something to her friend. I tried to leave really fast without getting noticed, but ended up tripping and spilling my stuff all over the place. The girl came over to me and started talking to me, so I figured she might not have been too freaked out or anything, and I started talking with her.

That's when the trouble started, though. Her friend came back over and started teasing me about my powers and how stupid I looked... and I just kinda lost it. I lost control, and started cloning hands everywhere to try to beat her up. She had a really smart-a** tone, y'know? And I just wanted to get in one good hit. I was about to win, when her cousin or something showed up to save her, and then the two of them started talking and she just waved me off. Just like that! Flat out ignored me! I couldn't take it, so I stormed back into the store for a while to look around before I just left altogether.

And now I'm back here. My hands are shaking as I'm typing this, and I think... yeah, I'm definitely crying right now. I don't know what to do. It's only the first day, and I've already made an idiot out of myself and made an enemy. I hate it here, but I don't want to come home either. I'd never hear the end of it from Joseph. Don't tell him or dad that anything's wrong, okay? Tell them I'm getting along just fine, and that I'm going to be okay at the new school. But... just tell me what to do, mom. You're always so good with this kind of thing.

Anyway, I'm gonna lie down for a nap or something. My stomach's all tied up in knots. I'll be waiting for your response. I love you.

-Rachel

With that, Rachel wiped a few stray tears from her eyes, shut off her monitor, and collapsed on her bed. Hugging her pillow and burying her face into it, she cried herself to sleep.  

[Misao]

Rachel woke up in the middle of the following afternoon. She'd missed all of her morning classes, but with everything that happened the previous day, she also didn't really care. Her pillow was still stained with her tears, and the sheets of her bed were all rumpled from a fairly sleepless night. Sighing, she got herself out of bed, making it neatly again as she set about cleaning up her mess from last night. Once she was finished organizing her new purchases, she logged onto the computer to check her mail. Just as she expected, there was a response from her mother - nice and prompt like always. Smiling tentatively, she opened the e-mail.

Monkey, (that was Rachel's mother's nickname for her)

I'm not really going to tell you again that your power isn't creepy, but you know where I stand on that one. I promise I'll make sure your father doesn't see the credit card bill this time, but try to be careful. Power, even money-power, is all about responsibility, too. I'm sorry your first day was so terrible but first days of school are usually really bad.

I don't suppose I really need to say anything about getting in fights or cursing in letters but I promise I won't tell your dad or Joey. Everytime I was alone at school I would go and visit a new sport or a club to meet people who did things I liked, and before I knew it, I was being invited to parties and had things to do practically every weekend. I think you just need to find where your niche is, sweety, and then everything will be fine.

Don't forget that your father and Joey and I are always rooting for you and always behind you, so even if you're far away, you're never really alone. We love you with all of our hearts, and when someone is loved that much the world takes notice. Or at least that seems to be the message your father always says.

Love you much,
Mom

Wiping a few stray tears from her eyes, Rachel smiled as she reached the end of the letter. Her mother always had something good to say, even in the worst of situations. She still doubted herself a lot, but she always trusted in her mother's judgement, so she at least owed it to her to give things another try.

It's not like today could possibly be any worse, I guess... she thought to herself as she started getting ready for the coming day.  

[Mia Eidenschink]

Yofiel knocked on the door, wondering who's room this was. she was new here, and was curious on how things worked around the school. "Um..excuse me?" She asked, barley above a whisper. Naturally, Yofiel was in her Pj's. she did not have her own room yet...well...not an OFFICAL room yet, but soon, soon she would!  

[Misao]

Rachel, only halfway ready for the morning, blinked curiously at the sound of someone knocking on her door. Immediately becoming suspicious, she slowly walked over and looked out the peephole. Seeing that it was some random student and not either of the girls from the mall the other day, she opened the door just a crack and peered out.

"...Can I help you?"  

[Mia Eidenschink]

Yofiel giggled a bit, nervous. "I'm sorry for bothering you this morning..." she bowed. "But I'm really lost. I have no idea where anything is in this school, especially my classes! I was wondering if you could help me...please?" She smiled politely, hoping not to have a door slammed in her face. "I'm Yofiel by the way."  

[Misao]

Rachel quirked an eyebrow at the girl, wondering why she chose her room in particular to knock on - certainly the other doors in the hallway must have looked more friendly and inviting. Sighing a little to herself, but also remembering her mother's e-mail, she decided to play it straight with the girl instead of blowing her off right away.

"Actually, I just moved here yesterday myself. The only thing I can show you the location of is the mall - but you really don't want to go there anyway, it's full of stuck-up whores." She frowned a little to herself at this comment before returning to the conversation at hand. "Oh. Um, I'm Rachel."  

[Mia Eidenschink]

Yofiel held onto her stuffed kitty, keeping her spine straight. This girl wasn't too friendly...she could tell. If she was new, then they could be new together...right? "It's nice to meet you Rachel." She bowed, trying to be friendly...but was slightly scared of this girl.

"I see...so the mall isn't really...worth it?" Rachel tapped her fingers on the door jam, Yofiel must be keeping her. "If your busy...I...I could come back later if you want..." Oh there you go Yofiel, just go inviting yourself into random people's rooms! Good going!  

[Misao]

Rachel winced to herself a little, sighing all over inside. She was never good with social encounters. Especially unexpected ones. Especially first thing in the morning. She wasn't even dressed yet! But it was probably worth the effort to keep her around, or at least in a friendly sort of mood.

"Well... it's just that I was in the middle of getting ready for today," Rachel explained, still speaking through the crack in the door. "I need to get a shower and get dressed, and then I was going to explore campus a little, since I already missed all my classes this morning."

She intentionally left her statement open-ended. If the girl still wanted to try to be friends with her, she could go ahead and try to invite her along to walk around campus together. It was sort of her way of trying to find out if her intentions were genuine, or at least if she was willing to put some effort into being someone's friend instead of just walking up to the first door she saw and knocking.  

[Mia Eidenschink]

Yofiel smiled. "Well, why don't you go shower and get ready, I'll go get some coffee for us and then we could go explore together. I have a good memory and can make mental maps, so we might not get too lost!" She giggled, then remembered she too was in her Pj's. "I might ever put on some normal clothes!" This girl looked like she could use a friend...she just probably wasn't a morning person. "I'll be back in 15 minutes with the coffee...or is that not long enough?"  

[Misao]

Ugh... this girl is entirely too cheery, Rachel thought to herself. But she promised herself and her mother that she'd try harder today, so she forced a smile back through the crack in the door.

"Sure... that sounds okay," she said. "I was thinking of maybe finding the dining hall first. Get some lunch or something, since I slept in..."

She thought for a moment about the girl's statements, putting a finger to her chin. After a second or two of consideration, she held the finger up again.

"Maybe half an hour. I have to clean up some in here," she muttered. "And don't worry about the coffee, I'll just grab something when we get to the dining hall. See you soon."

With that, Rachel disappeared back into her room, closing the door behind her and leaning back on it. She stared for a few moments at the fluorescent lights in her ceiling, wondering how this would all turn out. Shaking the thought from her head for the moment, she gathered up a fresh change of clothing - a black skirt and a fitted red top, and a pair of black boots - and headed into the bathroom for a shower.

((We can go ahead and skip the scene ahead half an hour to keep things moving along. I'm not really going to narrate her shower. xp

Also, your character is considered to have a dorm room even if you don't have enough stars to make a thread for it, in case you didn't know that. You just can't represent it with an actual post until you get the star. 3nodding ))  

[Mia Eidenschink]

((I know, thanks for telling me though. I have my own room, I was just wondering around for no reason...>.> I figured we'd skip ahead. ^^ ))

Half an hour later, Yofiel came back to Rachel's dorm room, wearing her baige pants and tank top, along with a mage's hat. Her Ipod was in her pocket, one headphone was in her ear. she knocked, waiting for an answer, she danced slightly to some techno music.  

[Misao]

As Rachel got out of the shower, she heard the knocking at her door. Still drying off her hair, she cracked open the bathroom door and called out toward the door to her room.

"Just a minute, okay?"

Finishing drying off, she neatly hung up her towel, put on her clothing, and started brushing her hair. As her fingers ran through her hair, she changed the color from yesterday's black to blonde. In truth, it was her least favorite color, but today was social day, and blondes have more fun - or so she'd been told. After all of this, she answered the door, giving a small wave to Yofiel.

"Okay, ready. Let's go."  

[Mia Eidenschink]

((to the dining hall!!))  

[Misao]

Rachel arrived back in her dorm room in something of a hurry, closing the door quickly behind her and opening up her backpack. The cat popped its head out almost immediately, climbing out and jumping to the floor as it begun scouting around its new surroundings. Rachel sighed.

"Well... now that I've got you in here, what do I do now?" she asked out loud. Years of growing up with her parents - especially her mother - had sort of given her the expectation that if you talked to animals, they'd be able to talk back in an understandable fashion. The cat simply looked at her and meowed, starting to clean itself.

"I guess I have some more shopping to do..." she muttered to herself, mentally composing a list of things she'd need to take care of a cat in her room.