'Tomorrow' Arrives, Selene's Entrance

[Selene]

You know how people say, "Someday I will be a great Pianist" or "Someday I hope to climb Mt. Washington"? Well what if someday suddenly became today? What if 'Tomorrow' arrived and said "Here I am, I am all yours!" . . . Would you take it?

Selene Copperfield had always waited for someday. Her middle name even meant 'Tomorrow' in her native language . . . never did she think that the tomorrow she hoped for would arrive. Never did she think she'd get to go to a place where her powers as a witch would be not only wanted but cherished and encouraged to flower. Her mother had been looking into Magic School since she was a baby, but her father had always said no, he wanted her to learn something practical - waving her hands and saying magic words wouldn't save her if the bills needed paying.

Then 'Tomorrow' came - it's arrival wasn't like Selene expected . . . for 'Tomorrow' had come by post in the form of an acceptance letter to Four Points Academy. And here she was -far from home, yes- but standing before the same huge glass double doors as in the brochure.

Her throat was dry and her palms sweaty . . . Tomorrow was here at last, just through those doors.
Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be. She smiled to herself as she remembered the 80's song and grasping the door's large handle, pulled it open and let herself in.

[Jarek]

'Where to now,' Jarek wondered, when he noticed that someone else had entered the hall from the outside. The girl was dressed in what he could only think of as an odd mix of styles. But what he found less odd was the mix of emotions he thought he saw in her face. 'She must be as new as I am,' was his conclusion.

He stepped over to the dark-haired girl and cleared his throat. "Dzien dobry, pani. ... I mean, uhh... good afternoon, miss," he corrected himself and felt the blood rush into his cheeks. "Real sorry. I know English, but am not used to speaking it."

Now, to shuffle his feat uneasily, or do something else. Something else was maybe not such a bad idea.

"Jarosław Kowalczyk," he introduced himself as he offered his hand, "but please call me Jarek. Makes it easier, yes?"

The scarlet hue slowly retreated from his face as he spoke. Being a newcomer, a stranger in a strange land, wasn't such a welcome situation, but perhaps not being the only newcomer would make it more easy to live through.

[Selene]

"O si yo," said Selene before she realized he hadn't meant to greet her in his native language. "Oh, it's ok," she said with a slight British accent and -first wiping her hand on her skort- she shook his hand. "For a moment you scared me, the only language I know other than English is Cherokee." She smiled and giggled. "I was afraid this wasn't a English speaking school.

She listened to the polite man, looking up easily into his eyes though she must be at least a foot shorter than he. He's name was a bit hard to pronounce but she was spared trying to repeat it by his shortening of it.

"Jarek, that is a nice name. I am Selene Sunale Copperfield. But just Selene is fine. Mr. Jarek -er- I was just wondering if you knew where the first year girl dorms are? Or rather, where I should go next? I just got here and I'm not exactly sure where to go from here."

Selene smiled again and curled a black lock of hair around one finger. She was glad the first person she met was so kind. He seemed to much older, she wondered if he was a professor or something.

[Jarek]

He was tempted to lean down and raise the hand placed into his own to his lips, but thought better of it at the last moment. It would have been only a courteous gesture, but perhaps she was not used to what he considered polite. Better to hold back. Jarek knew little about the customs of Italy or the United States, but at least he knew that customs could be very different from country to country.

"Thank you." He smiled and felt a bit more at ease as she told him that she thought his name was nice. His smile was a bit forced though. Jaroslaw meant great glory, and he doubted he would ever live up to that name. "You have a nice name yourself. Selene... that is the goddess of the moon, is it not?" It was a rhetorical question. His schooling had been far from perfect, but his grandmother had taken all the time she could to teach him everything she knew about different mythologies and believes.

Jarek frowned a bit at the girls last question, but not at her. After all, he was as lost as she was. He gestured over his shoulder at his bag and backpack. "I wish I could help you there, Miss Selene, but I have only just arrived." He shook his head, helpless.

"I think we should perhaps look for a professor, or a member of the student council, to guide us, but before we go looking for one of them, may I ask you a question?"

For a moment Jarek gnawed at his lower lip, uncertain how to voice his question. "Are you here to study the natural sciences, or are you more interested in the... more, ah, what's the word... esoteric subjects?"

[Selene]

Selene thought she would be eager to hear any question the man had, but was -instead- worried by what he asked. She suddenly found herself fearing being shunned by Jarek as many of her father's people in England had. She remembered all too well their cries of 'Witch' and efforts to convert her. She hadn't believed in her mother's "Great Spirit" till she saw how messed up her father's "God" really was.

Still that was then and this was now. She couldn't live in fear for what others would say, doing so was just foolish. Her worried frown soon turned back into the winning smile it had been a moment before.

"Well, don't tell my dad, but I wouldn't step into a science class if you payed me! He is always on about how I should learn something practical - well I'm sorry but magic is practical for a witch like me. Just like if you are a artist you should make art and if you are good at math, you should be a mathematician - or follow other math related careers. Magic is my birthright and my talent, I wouldn't think of betraying my true self anymore than a good writer would."

She smiled at Jarek, hoping she hadn't come across to forcefully. She was just telling it like it was, but some times people didn't like her frankness or honesty.
"Why do you ask? Is there something I can help you with?"

[Jarek]

“Oh, just curious,” Jarek replied. “This is a school for more than magic. Good to know who to talk to about what, tak?”

For a moment he was tempted to tell Selene that even a witch or wizard could find other skills than magic useful, but it wasn’t really his business. And he didn’t know all that much magic. Perhaps this young woman was talented enough that she could handle most of life’s problems with her witchcraft.

But something Selene had said had aroused his curiosity. “You call magic your birthright? So it runs in the family? I have inherited a little bit of magic talent from my grandmother, but the few skills I have, I learned through lot of practice and studying. It never felt like a… gift to me.”

The second he finished, he wondered if it wasn’t a too personal question. But it was such a nice change, to be able to talk openly about magic. The few magic-users Jarek knew were much older than he, more in his grandmothers generation. And like his grandmother they were more gifted than Jarek; magic came more natural to them than he had ever felt it. Perhaps here at Four Points he could find a few people who felt the same way he did.

[Selene]

Selene blushed a little. "Well, I didn't mean a birthright like that . . . perhapse I used the wrong words?" Selene thought more careful about what she ment, 'aragning the words on her tongue' as they said in her tribe.
"I mean, when one is born with a gift, it is that persons duty to use that gift. The Great Spirit gives us our talents for a reason. It is our job to find that reason - to follow that path and see where it goes. If that sounded preachy, I'm sorry - I wasn't really a believer till a few months ago. I don't mind if you don't think I am right. Everyone has their own thoughts on life and welcome to them, in my opinion.

Selene smiled happily, she didn't care what people thought, so long as they repected her as she respected them.
"But if you want to know, there a many many Medicine Men and Women on my mothers side and my mother herself is the Medicine Woman of the tribe. She has taught me all I know but, the knowlage is really mostly 'Kitchen Magic', she says I have great potental and she wants me to know as much as I can. What about you? Have you any magic in your family or are you hear for the more 'mundane' classes," she asked him, doing her best to not talk about herself too much.


(OOC: sory about that! I haven't been able to get on for a while, busy secdule!!)

[Jarek]

Jarek's eyes narrowed as she spoke of a Great Spirit. Like most Poles he was a Roman Catholic, and while not the most religious man, he believed firmly in God. But whatever Selene's believes, he could agree that divine gifts were given for a reason.

"I see," he slowly replied, pondering if he should mention his believes to her. Perhaps best not to. He'd never thought of himself as much of a philosopher, and a debate on believes wasn't something he really wanted. He believed - that was enough for him. He was no missionary, and Selene was entitled to her own believes.

"Ah, I can use a little magic, but not much," he answered her question. "Some small healing spells, and a bit earth magic. My grandmother taught me. But I will also take some science classes, maybe engineering."

Jarek smiled a wide, open smile at her. "Magic is good for many things, but it will not help milk the cows, build a new shed, or fix a broken ciągnik. Ah... a tractor I think it called in English, sorry." He gently shook his head. "It is good to make the best of talents you have, but just one skill alone is not good for everything in life. Not even magic."

[Selene]

"Hmmm," this was quite similar to what her father had said to her so many times. Selene wondered if it was pointless to tell this man that she had built a dog house in the backyard with only her hand magic and some written charms. Maybe it wasn't but she decided not to bring it up anyway. She didn't want to embarrass her father – after all the tale would not be complete if she didn't tell how he was still unable to take it down after all these years.

“Well, perhaps not, but if I fail to make a living off of my potions and charms, I can always go into Art. I can sing, write and play the violin, tambourine, piano and the acoustic guitar,” Selene smiled. Singing and playing a instrument at the same time was a pretty cool talent in her mind . . . she knew a lot of kids who had applauded her for that talent.

“I wonder if they have a band here . . . or a drumming circle. I'd sing but I don't like choirs. They always pass me over because I am not pale enough to sing a solo in a English Private School.”

[Lorne Dawson]

Lorne was leaving Okeanos, humming to himself as he went. He hadn't actually been working, but having nothing better to do he'd spent the last hour or so lounging around in the coffee shop pestering Kat, who hadn't been so fortunate. Figuring he ought to actually get some work done at some point today, however, he at last bid Kat a cheerful bye-for-now and headed back towards the dorm. He wasn't the most scholarly person in the world, true, but even he could only ignore those assignments for so long before he started feeling guilty about them.

Passing through the reception hall on his way back, though, he was sidetracked almost immediately when he noticed a couple of people standing near the double glass doors at the entrance. Neither looked familiar. Probably new arrivals.

With an inward shrug, he changed his direction and headed towards him. Maybe those assignments just weren't meant to be.

"Hi there, guys." He offered them a smile as he approached them. "Can I help you with anything?" They were probably students, planning on boarding here, but one never knew. Not everyone who walked through the doors was here to stay.

[Selene]

Jarek had yet to reply to Selene's statement about her musical talents when another boy of quite opposite looks -thought much the same hight- came up and asked if he could be of assistance. Selene smiled at as she looked up at him.

"Hello there, my name is Selene and this is Jarek. You most certainly can help - well me at least. I was wondering what I ought to do first? I just got here and I don't know if there is a orientation or a meeting with a headmistress or just go to the dorms? Not that I know where the first year dorms are but eh' - I suppose anywhere that's not drafty or cold will do." Selene laughed at herself knowing that the school wasn't about to make her sleep in the kitchens or anything scary like that.

She looked into the Blond haired guy's blue eyes with her sparkling green ones, wondering what year he was in and if he liked written charms or guitar music.

((OOC: Ok there fixed that! Sorry 'bout that Miss Hikalyn! ^__^u))

[Jarek]

Jarek was still debating with himself if he should do the introductions, when Selene took the initiative. It would have been more polite for him, a man and older than her, to introduce her, but then again he hardly knew her.

Now that that was settled he offered his hand to the blond man. "Jaroslaw Kowalczyk, pleased to meet you. But calling me Jarek really is fine by me.

"Like Miss Selene I don't really now where to go from here." He pointed at his bag and backpack. "Finding a place where I can put my luggage first would perhaps be helpful." He shrugged and cast the blond a look that betrayed a good bit of uncertainty.

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OOC: edited to bring it in line with what Lyn says below

[Hikalyn]

Sorry to interrupt - but just to make a quick point: You would have already registered for your classes. (My university, at least, has its registration months in advance.) Like any school you can add or drop courses once you've registered, but you would have been registered in the minimum number of courses in advance, and know whether or not you'd been accepted into the dorms in advance. Make sense?

[Jarek]

OOC: Your board, your wave. Guess we just ran into one of the cultural differences that are bound to crop up now and then. *shrugs* Moving on.

[Lorne Dawson]

Lorne exchanged handshakes with Jarek, and gave them both a grin.

"No problem. There's no official orientation or anything that formal, though I can show you around if you want. I'm guessing you want to head to the dorms first, though, and drop your stuff." Lorne gestured. "The male dorms are actually closer but I think we'll hit the female dorms first, if that's alright with you guys." He glanced over at Selene. "I can show you where they are, but I won't actually be able to get you into the dorms. There are enough people going in and out that you shouldn't have to wait very long, though, and once you're in you - or I can say something if you want - can talk to one of the Student Council members. They'll get you a keycard, you should have it by the end of the day.

"Shall we?"