alderwitch

"It is a clip on but that's just 'coz my mum made me take it out and let it heal," Tori grinned over at Kensei, scrunching her nose up. "But the aristocracy is largely in my maternal lineage. Can't be a lady if you're not the daughter of, say, an earl or somesuch. I get announced as the Honorable Miss, etcetera, etcetera." She wiggled her fingers in a dramatic handwave that seemed to poke fun at such sort of ideals. Tori shifted, pulling her legs up tailor style on the seat and plucking at the fringe of her shorts before she gave Ashley more of her attention. When her head tipped to the side, Tori took in the pins before she glanced over their guide curiously though she made a slight noise of disagreement. "I dunno about that, there are some things that where you come from and your experiences absolutely color. I mean, aren't our identities in the end the sum of experience which is somewhat dictated by circumstance? I mean, yeah, judging someone because of what they are is messed up for sure. But, like, three of you are wrapped in the stars and stripes, so....?"

Tori grinned at Neko, "Yep. I understand you just fine. And you'd be able to understand me even if you only spoke 'cat', though I think it'll just sound like English if you don't? Or maybe your native language? I'm not sure how the magic interfaces with people who speak human and animal, honestly. I can tell you that the animals and plants all understand whatever I'm saying, to the best of their ability to understand, I mean. They get the intent." Tori didn't stop speaking English but under the language, now that it was pointed out, Neko could make out the echoes of the language felines communicated in adding clarity to Tori's words. Along with it came the strong sense that Tori was safe; someone who would have warm places to sleep and likely to leave out tasty food for a hungry stray. It wasn't an intentional magic, just the pulsing of druidic power that signaled that Tori was a safe harbor in a human dominated world. "Of course. He's still cold but my magic's protecting him from the worst of it at the moment," Tori was perfectly happy to hand over the ball python to Danica, murmuring softly as she transferred the balled up reptile into Danica's waiting hands. It was clearly a baby still, not even a foot in length from nose to tail. It freed up her hands to reach up and coax Achilles from her hair and onto her arm to prepare for a launch. "I'm in a super-single this year cuz, uh, they weren't too keen on my taking over the closet to do rehab, but it's been decided with my power set and all that it's not like I'm keeping pets, so much as part and parcel with what I am. I have stuff to set up a temporary shelter but I got to do some internship stuff with wildlife rehabilitation over the summer so I have a couple of contacts because, I think, there's some concern I'll just take up any space provided. There's always more animals that need help, you know?" Tori shifted the bird to her arm and warned Neko, "He's still in rehab so he's going to flap a little lopsided when he launches," because wounded animals tended to trigger that hunt instinct worse in predators and Tori was hoping that the warning would help. She kept one eye on Neko as she threw her hand up in the air to launch the injured crow and only relaxed once a few flaps of those black wings took Achilles into the air and towards her always open dorm window. Only then did she give Danica back her full attention with a smile. "I've always felt pretty strongly about ecology stuff. Drove my mum nuts that I kept bringing home strays but it kicked into high gear when I inherited the power. It's plants too. I can hear 'em all. I think that took a bit to understand as Lady Celtic's powers didn't work quite like that and my Mum gave Ms. Summers a real earful about my habits of finding tatty strays to take in but they get that I hear cries for help from not just humans now and I can't just ignore it. D'you wanna see if your folks wanna take him in, Danica? S'fine with me. I try to find good rehabs and homes when they're stable past what only I can do. Ms Summers DID point out that part of being a hero is trying to maximize the stuff that only you can do. I'm working on that part. It's hard not to help."

"It's alright, Neko. This is a former Claremont student," Talya said, starting in the false American accent and finishing sounding much more like herself as the last of the students cleared out. She nodded towards the door, "Davyd, this is Neko. She and Owain are staying with us when they're not busy at school." Talya inclined her head towards Owain as she stepped away to flip the 'back in fifteen minutes' sign that perpetually hung by the dojo door and flip the lock in place. Fortunately, even if they had to cancel a class to deal with other matters these days, there wasn't much financial concern thanks to Talya's finances - though it was still a topic not much talked about in the house; just one of those situations that Talya quietly stepped in to address if there was a concern. That done, she gave Davyd her full attention, pulling herself up to perch on the countertop. It was tacitly clear that Neko and Owain could loiter should they chose to. "Career advice, hm?" She tipped her head, taking Davyd's measure. "Well, you're no thief so is it soldier or spy that you've come to pick my brain over?" She shifted, dropping her teacher's aide persona and assuming her superhero mannerisms instead. It was a million tiny details, her body language became more flamboyant, her posture more languid and the smile as sharp as dagger's edge even if she wasn't wearing the red lipstick that had been her signature for decades. "I can't imagine that Headmaster Summers sent you my way for advice about either, so I assume this is entirely your own choice?"

Saturday morning was a popular day for classes, which meant Talya was downstairs and dressed in what she usually wore for teaching. The blonde woman that opened the door didn't resemble Talya at all, and yet it wasn't even much makeup. Clothing, posture, body language transformed the stunning spy into an attractive twenty-something that was right in the pocket of pretty but not pretty enough to be memorable. With her hair straightened and pulled back in a braid and a loose tanktop over exercise clothes, she fit right in among the college students that often flocked to the Saturday morning class. Which, of course, was entirely the point. Talya opened the door for Davyd, just as the class finished up and smiled, popping the illusion of normalcy like a soap bubble as Bombshell's sharp edge smile briefly flickered across her features before vanishing behind a blandly polite smile and an indiscernible American accent that could have come from anywhere, really. "Hello, Davyd. Come on in. Class is just wrapping up. Are you here to see Erik?" Talya asked, pulling him out of the way before the women from the morning class started to file their way out of the dojo, chattering and smiling - occasionally waving at Talya who replied with the same bland smile and a laconic wave that seemed to somehow encourage ignoring her.

"Hm," Phantom hummed softly, the sound starting out echoing and hollow before ending in a very human register as she solidified, booted feet dropping down softly onto the tile. It might seem as if she were giving Set the cold shoulder, although really, Phantom's senses were stretching out through the twists and turns of the hotel as it folded and reconfigured. Reaching up, she finally pulled back her hood, letting it fall back, to show her features more clearly although the black mask still obscured her brow and eyes. Still, it was enough of her face to see the dimples flash in her cheeks when she smiled at Set. "Relax, Set. Young love is worth indulging in, regardless of how it may end. I just don't need to hear the details. My mundane life is depressing enough without adding that to it." Her gaze swung from Set to the tension lining Aquaria's body and her tone softened. "It's alright, I assure you. I may no longer carry the Void about in my pocket exactly, but I am never trapped. Especially not when the prison is a dear old friend." She stepped away from the pair towards the door that Aquaria had kicked, reaching out one gloved hand to press against the wood. There was a pulse of magic from her palm although Phantom murmured no spell and made no gesture. She'd left such trappings and tells behind a long time ago. "Well done. You've held her for the moment, my friend, but let us help you deal with the problem proper, yes? Isn't that what you called us here for in the first place? Open the path for us, please." It was very clear that that last part wasn't to anyone in the room but rather the hotel itself.

"Hullo!" Tori offered, returning Danica's smile with a warm one of her own. She lifted the ball python up slightly. It was young still but old enough that it was probably getting too big for a tiny pen and had started to reach the level of 'more work' than some errant pet owner had been willing to put in. "He says his name is 'Fang' but he doesn't like it very much. I told him we could come up with a new name. He got left out in the park today and it's just too cold, poor little guy. I said we could get him warmed up and find him a new place to live. I'm Tori, by the way. My crow friend is Achilles, although he's a friend, not a familiar. I don't have one of those - just friends that need a bit of help." Tori took in Neko's reaction and offered a small smile of understanding as the crow sidled back and forth on top of Tori's curls, digging in talons to try and keep purchase even as it reacted with some alarm to the clear predator. Achilles either felt very comfortable with Tori's protection, or he hadn't yet recovered enough to fly. When he began to flap his wings, Tori reached up one hand soothingly. "Don't bolt, Achilles, it's not polite to trigger someone's hunting instincts if you can help it. If I launch him to fly to my room, is that going to bother you, miss?" There was nothing but sympathy in Tori's tone, and some familiarity with having to play peacemaker between prey and predator species. As she talked, a sleepy head poked up from that pouch; an orphaned opossum by the looks of it. Followed by three more little heads of its siblings to see what all the fuss is about. "And these are the babies," Tori added as the opossums peered over the edge of the bag. She lowered her voice a little, deferential and sad, like she was telling the other two girls about a human's loss rather than an animal death and certainly like the opossums could both hear and understand her words. "Their mother passed away a few days ago. Car accident."

"Well, no, we're not just going to leave him outside. There's plenty of space in the dorm room. Advantage of a super single, and all that!" There were lots of odd sights at Claremont but the British teen heading towards the door at a quick clip was unusual even by Claremont standards. An oversized black bird was perched on top of her curls, talons digging into her braid to try and keep purchase and occasionally squawking with outrage and a flap of big black wings to keep balance. Dark blue tattoos covered much of Tori's exposed skin and around her neck was a handsewn pouch whose contents were occasionally wiggling and moving about. Keen eyes might spot the small snout of some young creature occasionally poking over the edge before quickly burrowing back down to avoid the chaos. In her hands, a tan and black snake curled limply around her hands. "He's a ball python; probably someone's pet. They're not native and it's way too cold. I know all snakes look alike to you, Achilles, but we didn't leave you out in the wild when you cracked that keel bone, did we?" Tori was so invested with arguing that she almost ran right into Neko and Danica. She caught sight of them out of the corner in her eye just in time to stop short. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It is good to see you as well, Ms. Danger. I hope your family is... well, I hope that they are continuing to defy the odds of their circumstances." That was said with a genuinely fond smile for that particular clan, and their antics. She nodded her greetings to the knot of young women but didn't comment further as they devolved into the taking of selfies and the happy chattering of the young. It made Phantom feel older than her years and she heaved a heavy sigh before nudging her son. "Go. Have fun with your peers," Phantom murmured, offering her tacit permission for him to go pursue Set for the evening instead of feeling the need to babysit his mother. Just because Halloween was one of the harder days didn't mean he needed to give up on the few fun parts of the job. "I'm more than capable of looking after myself, Huang." She turned back to Aquaria then, having been utterly unphazed at the production of the crab and offered her genuine appreciation. After all, she was relatively used to her children bringing back things for approval like the tiny predators they were. "Indeed, it is an impressive find. We will enjoy it." Or possibly set it free to once more be caught again by a hungry Deep One. "And, no, Ouroboros is correct. I do not believe this particular issue is lemurian in nature. The stars are not right; not tonight. Still, there are plenty of other realms interested in pressing on the thinner barriers that come with this particular time of year." She turned then, pinning Artificer with those blank, white eyes before Phantom smiled slightly and resettled her cloak so that its voluminous folds seethed more closely around her body. Like a living thing, the cloak had a habit of reacting to its mistress's thoughts and mood. In this case, it had slithered across the floor, taking up space in reaction to the Master Mage's discomfit with the social scene. This was Phantom's effort to make herself more approachable as she responded to the formal greeting with the appropriate response, in perfect Atlantean before returning to English, "Claremont is an excellent school. I have taught the occasional lecture there, as time permits. Are you enjoying your studies?"

"He's a vegetarian," Tori supplied cheerfully from where she'd dropped to sit on one of the middle seats, arms and legs akimbo. "Not a vegan. He doesn't like ramen without an egg in it. He doesn't eat meat, though." She gave James a sunny smile of encouragement at his nerves. "I bet you're from the future. That seems Claremont-level-of-weird. And who wouldn't like birds? Sure, they tend to chatter an awful lot about all the things but that's just part of their charm so, I'd guess you really do like chocolate? I mean, that makes sense to me. It's pretty tasty although the stuff you sell here can barely be called chocolate. It's all carnuba-wax in the candy here. SO sweet, too. I mean, sweet isn't bad but sometimes its just too much, you know?" Although it was punctuated with a question, Tori didn't really pause for breath to give much time for a response before barreling along. Her gaze swung back to whatever they were dragging to the museum and she made a small face. "I dunno about you folks, but I'm going to make sure my will includes a request not to put all my former bits and bobs under glass for my grandkids to have to awkwardly stand in front of in a few decades. That's a family tradition that I'm not eager to continue. Uh, let's see, two truths and a lie, right..." This time, she actually did pause to think for a long moment. Unlike Kensei, deceit wasn't something that Tori was well trained in. "Lessee, I've been picked up by the police before. I got my nose pierced when I was fourteen. I can technically call myself a 'lady' in British society."

Tori was in good spirits, standing next to Utsawa and looking about as much a contrast as it was possible to be. It wasn't possible to cover up her woad markings - they extended up to her face and down her hands and legs, but Tori wouldn't have thought to try. Instead, the bright teal and pink tanktop hung loose over a tighter sportsbra, revealing fit arms that were pale and freckled under the swirling woad tattoos that covered her skin. Sunglasses rested on top of her head where her curls had been pulled back into a haphazard bun. Between the jean shorts and paint spattered boots, it was quite the look. It wasn't in the least professional but she rolled her eyes at Utsawa and absently kicked his foot with a sort of fond carelessness that spoke of not finding him remotely frightening. "Don't be a sexist jerk, Utsawa," Tori scolded with amusement. "Totally ruins the insult when you make it gendered, y'know." Her accent was crisp; definitely English and probably upper class. Tori tipped her head back to watch where Rosalind was hoping to crawl back into a hole. "Trouble is pretty much always a risk, even crossing the road. Just depends on your luck. No one's sitting this out. Team activity means the TEAM. I'm not looking to get extra assignments. These sort of group building activities are always about learning to work together, even if there's nothing big going on. Hi, I'm Tori. Kid Celtic if you want to be formal. That's Utsawa. Kensei - he prefers that when working, yeah. He's not big on casual contact." Tori offered and then nodded to Rosalind, "And that's Starshine."

"I think the vegetables get a pass tonight, though." Talya murmured, gently cleaning Emily off and sending her scampering after her brother as she decided 'open talk about the war' did not need any little ears floating around. She was silent as Erik talked, collecting the children's plates and bringing them over to the sink in a neat pile, once she'd rousted all the younger children from the room. Thoughtful and pensive as her mind turned back to those early post war years and the aftermath. "Not that you'll be the same, or the children that you were," Talya offered finally, picking up in the pregnant pause after Erik's speech. "You can't go backwards and no one expects you to try. You have all these skills, and memories, and experiences. But we want you to have the time and space to deal with those. If you feel like chores would help, then we can come up with a few chores to make part of your responsibilities. What's expected of teenagers these days is rather different than what either of you are used to. That lack of structure might be hurting rather than helping you find a place to fit in here. We'd like you to feel more at home than guests."

Phantom's voluminous cloak and mask hid a great deal of her expression but someone close enough might catch the faint sigh or the slight hunch of her shoulders. Should have stayed home and enjoyed movies with JJ and the ghosts, clearly, instead of putting in an appearance. Things would probably have been fine without her presence, right? Certainly. But she had promised herself that she'd stop hiding and moping. Phantom DID love her son and she was even fond of his on again, off again paramour - but finding herself navigating a public gathering - something she had NEVER been fond of - while trying to keep an eye on Huang and Set and their potentially explosive interactions just sounded like a headache. I could have been in fuzzy socks and leggings instead. Eating candy. "This isn't a pending-apocalypse situation. At least not yet," Phantom offered to Set, her voice echoing ghostly and unnatural as it did when she was less than solid. "It's not a likely scenario. Not this Halloween, at least. Good evening, Set. Ouroboros." Phantom tilted her head to take in the knot of young mystics that were standing together before he gaze skimmed past and landed on Aquaria. A small smile flickered across her features. "Sea Devil. I hope your recent hunts have been fruitful."

Talya nodded with approval over Raina’s research. Background checking a date was entirely appropriate, especially in their line of work. “By all means, borrow the shoes. You’ve more than earned them.” Talya agreed, pulling the chair back to help Terry down from his booster. Separating the twins when they got rambunctious was never a bad idea. Emily tended to hit first but her brother was the one who held a grudge. Her gaze followed Neko with some concern before she exchanged glances with Erik in a clear ‘you got that’ question, before her gaze strayed back to Raina. “You know I love your company but it isn’t the sort of job that you want your persona to be associated with,” Talya offered candidly. “Very much on the darker end of grey- but if I want to stay the Interceptors black sheep, there’s always a price to pay. You’re not missing much. Boring lift really and likely to be a little messy. Unfortunately it’s been much more work than pleasure on the cape and cowl side of things lately.” Her lips curved in a smile that was only slightly melancholy and her hand came down on Terry’s golden head. “Go on and see if Mama is ready for you with the bath, hmm?” Terry huffed a sigh before thumping into Erik’s leg for a hug and one more one-eyed glare at his sister. Emily stuck her tongue out in response but they’d likely be thick as thieves again by bed time.

No one expected Phantom to show up, but show up she did. Of late, Earth's current master magus had been even more remote than usual. Some attributed that to the burden of her position although certainly there were rumors that there was more to it than that. She showed up with no fanfare or showmanship, simply ghosting into existence between one breath and the next. Her ragged cloak spilled out from the shadows between the world, wrapped around the tiny sorceress although it slithered and moved like a living thing along the ground as she floated from the shadows to be a more visible presence. Phantom's chin tipped up enough to reveal the silver of jaw and her stern-set mouth below the hood's shadow. She offered a small nod to one of the gathered guests, one of the few faces that was familiar before floating silently through the crowd - in some cases literally as she remained insubstantial; more shadow than woman as she made her way to the bar. It must be bad if Phantom was actually making in an appearance. On Halloween, nonetheless. Or maybe she was just running from memories.

Talya chuckled softly at Raina’s response, “Oh, very well. Truly, I should just let you keep those. Green has never been my color.” Her blue eyes twinkled, as if there was a joke there, although it softened in commiseration. “Do I get to ask any questions about the date? Or will I be woefully ‘uncool’ if I ask?” It was light and certainly easy to ignore in favor of conversing with Neko; Talya was very careful to keep her parental efforts lighthanded with Raina. Emily meanwhile had turned the full force of her adorable little pout on her father, fingers tangling in her corkscrew curls as she dredged up the most sorrowful look she could muster. ”Daddy… plants are friends, not food,” Emily informed her father. An excellent gambit although quickly marred by a snicker from her twin brother. “We watched Finding Nemo again. -ow! Emmy kicked me!” ”Snitches get stitches!” Emily intoned, clearly parroting something she’d heard from one of the more rambunctious dojo classes.

"Doctor Hemmingway is only in his late forties, my darling, don't let the white hair and absent minded professor routine color your perceptions. He's much closer to Erik's age than mine, truth be told. I did know his grandfather, though. Delightful man; tried to give the Dangers a run for their money in the crazed explorer route. Alas, not as lucky as that lot at the whole 'danger' portion of that particular career path," Talya's refined accent floated out airily from the deeper confines of the apartment before the woman, herself appeared. In contrast with Erik, she was dressed to the nines from the golden hair styled to fall 'just so' over one eye down to the impossible shine of her black stiletto peep toe shoes. Those heels really ought to have made much more sound on the tile floors - and would have, if Talya had been making an entrance rather than simply moving through her home. She was clearly in working clothes - although not her superhero costume - but she wore her signature black with only the red of her lipstick and the soles of her shoes for contrast; this time in pencil skirt and expertly fitted jacket. Still, the smile on her lips was all Talya, warm and not nearly so sharp edged as it was when she had slipped fully into her working persona. She ghosted past Raina, managing to somehow brush a hand over her in fond greeting without taking on any of the dust, somehow - a trick that she'd not yet passed down to Raina. "Thank you for helping out the good doctor, even if it was not the most pleasant of duties. I'll make it up to you," Talya promised before she made her way over to the youngest Espadas, leaning over to clean off Emily's face with a napkin before nudging aside the not-quite-hidden vegetables. "Going to have to be better at hiding those, little love, if you want to get out of eating them." Not the lesson most parents would teach but Talya had never been most people. She offered the two newest foundlings a small smile and the smallest of encouraging nods towards Neko as she revealed her additional parts before turning towards Erik as she reached up to put in first one earring and then the other. Studs, not hoops, which meant that whatever had Talya dressing up ran the risk of turning violent. "Everyone's finished their homework, but Mia has a bit of reading to do before bed if you could remind her."

"I sort of annihilated my mother's hedge maze. My magic manifests as a connection to the earth; plants and animals mainly," Tori told Utsuwa cheerfully. Her grin widened at Ryder and she headed over to the window, stepping over Magenta and Tango's antics with ease. Mochi leaned forward huffing and scenting the hesitant bug before she curled up on her side to look a little less intimidating. She started chuckling at the yellow robug in what seemed to be encouragement. Tori, for her part, was leaning out the window to peer down at the side of the building. "That's why you have to be a little bit creative. 'Sides, we're supposed to get a better handle on our powers, right?" That did not include making ladders between the rooms but that didn't seem to stop Tori even a little. "And down to the ground, obviously, just in case flying is a no-go." She wiggled her fingers once and the tattoos on her skin lit up with a much brighter inner light than the flickers that appeared when she was just chatting with the animals. Gesturing slightly, Tori murmured something low, melodic gaelic and coaxed the rather cheerful ivy that clung to the side of the building in places to turn into a much thicker weft over the brick. "How's that, Ryder? There's handholds in it but they're a bit better hidden."

"Oh, I dunno if mine really count as tattoos since they just appeared when my powers did," Tori glanced down at the blue swirls decorating her hands and arms. Since she was in shorts and a tank top, it was easy to tell that they ran all the way up to the line of her clothing and probably continued. Honestly, they even ran under her hair. She'd halfway been considering an undercut on one side. Might as well embrace it if you couldn't change it after all. "But nothing nifty ever pops out of them or anything. They're just the way my body manifests the the power. Mine's a family thing too. My code name is Kid Celtic - 'cuz I got it from my great grandma, Lady Celtic." A fact that Utsuwa was probably having screamed in his ears. Tori wiggled her fingers before letting her hands drop to her sides. She offered a bright grin and then crouched down towards where the yellow bug was hovering. "You can go play with Mochi if you want. She's calmer than Tango. Tango, settle down, yeah? Not everyone has your energy and enthusiasm." She glanced up at her roommate with an undiminished smile, "Either that or cuz I promised to show Ryder what a hedge maze looks like when we could use our powers without getting scolded."

One of the doors down the hall banged open and Tori burst out, chasing pel mel after a small fox. "Give that back, Tango. That's MY breakfast." The fox darted between the legs of the ladies gathered about on the floor. For a moment, it seemed like Tori might just crash into the knot of girls but her tattoos flashed as behind her flared the ghostly animus of a fox. The redhead was suddenly much more quick and nimble as she slid through the other teenagers and scooped up the misbehaving fox in her arms. "Give it. Giiiiiive, Tango. It's not going to be good on your tummy, you idiot." Sitting on the floor, the keening fox kit in her arms, Tori was very disheveled and wearing loose comfy shorts and a tanktop. It was not move in clothes as she'd been here all summer. She had her legs akimbo and the fox tucked under one arm as she tried to wrestle her blueberry bagel back from his determined jaws. It was at that point that Tori realized the move in crowd was all filling the halls. "Oh. Uh. Hello."

Mochi and Tango woke up the rest of the way, leaping down from the bed to bounce excitedly around Magenta and started squeaking and laughing with the weird happy fox noises. "Aw, Tango told Mochi all about Magenta when we got home. She says hello." Tori translated. Her tattoos briefly flickered with an inner glow when she tapped her magic to understand the fox's chattering before she turned back to the humans. Mochi was a little more shy than her brother, crouching down and snuffling at Magenta while Tango bounced happily with clear invitation to play. "Hi, Utsuwa! Come on in. Make yourself comfortable." Tori went to sit on her bed as well, leaving their desk chairs for the two boys. It was very clear who's side was who's as Tori's bedding was all bright colors and her walls were splashed with posters that seemed a relatively even mix between obscure anime shows and 'save the planet' posters that one gets for making donations to wildlife funds. There were a fair number of plants spread over her desk and shelves and her closet had been converted so the bottom half was clearly the bedding area for the foxes. Thankfully, she didn't have any other foundling animals inside... for now. "Killer robot gorilla is pretty neat! Ryder's suits are super bad-ass." Her bright gaze turned up to Utsuwa's taciturn features expectantly, "Magic swords or normal swords or both?"

"Is it Ryder?!" Tori had been quiet, for once, but mostly because she had been dealing with the plants and her two half grown foxes had been both blessedly asleep once. She bounced up from her bed, waking the foxes snuggled there and the bird that had been perched on a window sill. Living with Tori was like living with an especially tatty Disney Princess. The fox pair woke up and started making their weird keening noises and Tori absently patted both Mochi and Tango before she bounced to her bare feet on the floor. Like Natalia, she was dressed in lounge wear, which in her case was a pair of ripped denim shorts and a loose tank top. Her corkscrew curls were a tangled mop loosely knotted on the crown of her head. "I haven't seen Ryder since the summer. I mean a little with moving in but, you know - it's been right busy." It was Tori who flung the door open next with a wide smile and bright enthusiasm. "Ryder! And a friend. Hello, Ryder's friend. D'you wanna come in? It's okay if they come in right, Natalia?" The question was perfunctory at best as Tori was already flinging the door wide to invite the two boys inside.

"When you come to school, I can show you what it looks like!" Tori offered with unbridled enthusiasm, "I'm much better now at getting the plants to do what I ask rather than just taking it as open invitation to go all 'reclaim the earth'. That is one of the AWESOME things about school. You get to practice without people freaking out." Tori paused for a long moment, tipping her head to the side before she amended, "Well, most of the time, at least." She glanced around the room, as if deciding to suddenly be a bit more discrete than loud enthusiasm over the ability to move plants. "So, uhm, is it fire that's your 'thing' or ...?"

"Well, it's not the BEST, but, I mean, I was at a boarding school before so it's not really different. New country, though, for sure," Tori shrugged, a little uncomfortable but she probably didn't look exactly okay. It was pretty sucky. She fidgeted a bit before lowering her voice and whispering, "More like I turned our hedge maze back into a chunk of forest and it won't let them manicure it back into the grounds. I mean, there's something of a metaphor there, if you think about it. It's okay, though. I have Tango and I have Mochi and there's lots of little critters always coming around to poke their heads in. There's a possum family under the eaves that I sneak a little bit of food too after I go to the dining hall. I mean, it's real nice to talk to people for a change. Are you looking forward to starting or nervous? Both?"

Name: Victoria 'Tori' Griffen Codename: Kid Celtic Year: Sophomore Pronouns: she/her Prospective Roommate: Nocturne Goal: Saving the Planet and making some friends along the way First Impression: Vapor Ware Hippie Disaster Bisexual

Tori's eyes crossed a little as she tried to follow that explanation but a big smile blossomed on her face at having found another student. She offered him a calloused hand, though not from fighting, just from being gnawed on by animals and digging in the garden; hard work callouses that didn't go at all with the posh accent. "Oh, that's just fantastic. I don't know anyone else in our class. I mean, sophomore, right? Campus is dead empty right now. If I didn't have Tango and Mochi to talk to, I'd be going right bonkers. My friends call me Tori. S'short for Victoria but only my mum calls me that, and then only when she's really mad." She bounced on her toes a little in excitement. That excitement transferred to her pet quickly. Unfortunately, excited foxes tended to get a little noisy and Tori winced. "Oh, sorry, I can take him outside. Tango, hush. You'll get us in trouble," Tori chided gently before she looked up and offered, "I....fell into a thing and then sort of exploded our gardens. I mean, they're fine. Everyone's fine. It's just... gone a bit native now. Primordial, really. Mum was livid and she called a... family friend and so I'm here instead of there, now. Did you end up breaking things after all or did everything work out?" Someone was going to have to teach them a better code word than 'thing' in the near future.