Welcome to the New Year

[garden_of_maidens]

"Gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou."

The clear morning greeting travels through the serene, blue sky.

Today, once again, the maidens that gather in the Virgin Mary's garden smile purely to one another as they pass under the tall gateway.
Wrapping their innocent bodies and souls is a deep-coloured school uniform.

Walking slowly as to not disturb the plaits in their skirts, so as to not toss their white sailor scarves into disarray... such is the standard of modesty here. Running because one is in danger of missing class, for instance, is too undignified a sight for students to wish upon themselves here.

Lillian Private Academy for Women.

Founded in Meiji 34, this academy was originally intended for the young women of nobility, and is now a Catholic academy of prestigious tradition. Placed in downtown Tokyo, where you can still see traces of Musashi Field's greenery, it is protected by God, a garden where maidens can receive tutelage from pre-school to university.

Time passes, and even now, in Heisei, three era-names past Meiji, it is a valuable academy, where nurtured ladies raised in greenhouses are shipped out in carefully packaged boxes after 18 years of schooling - an arrangement that continues to survive.
As the last note of Maria-sama's Soul rings through the chapel, echoing into the high rafters, the Yamayurikai stands tall at the front of the procession, ready to give out the gifts of rosaries to their newest arrivals.

The respective classes of each first-year are called, and each one receives their gift from the Yamayurikai members. The second and third year students are sitting by, simply watching, perhaps commenting quietly to each other whenever a particularly interesting first-year passes by, but they are quick to silence when the stern gazes of the nuns passes over them.

A new year has come to Lillian Academy, and the students are ready to start their adventures in life, love, and everything else.

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[Open post for the welcoming ceremony and the beginning of the year! Feel free to use this for the actual ceremony, shortly thereafter, or the general first day of school. Welcome!]

Comments

Yuyuko Saigyouji | Third Year

[resurrection_butterfly]

[A]

[Yuyuko had completely forgotten about the ceremony, and instead was off sitting quietly under a cherry tree. The thing about the new school year was that it was also when the cherry blossoms bloomed. She couldn't help but want to sit below it and appreciate the subtle breeze rustling through the branches. It had been so pleasant that she had fallen asleep, a book open on her lap. She was almost the perfect example of a classical painting.]

[B]

[Alas she had missed everything, and it was far too late to do anything about it. Perhaps she could at least regroup with her class and carry on from there? Of course she didn't hurry or anything, she wasn't even worried about anything. But, she could at least see the new first years mingle about after receiving their rosaries.]

I really should have been there, it's my role to set a good example now.

[She spoke with a softly, a slight giggle in her tone. She had made a promise, but ended up doing exactly what she had promised not to do. But, sometimes it was hard to change your nature. And really, it was just as important to appreciate the beauty of nature, especially when it was so short a time to appreciate it. She was sure she would be forgiven for being late.]

B - let's put the oddest of the odd ducks together

[ufonium]

[And this is Kumiko Oumae - first year student extraordinaire, and usually the person found saying random things out loud to herself.]

Um... did you mean to say that out loud?

[It is the strangest thing in the world to be on the other side of that.]

[resurrection_butterfly]

Oh! My apologies. I was thinking out loud. How embarrassing.

[She didn't seem embarrassed by it at all though.]

I'm not doing very well so far am I?

[ufonium]

[She

She has no shame about that at all.

... Damn.]

... Um. I-I wouldn't say that, just really surprising. I'm usually the one to stick my foot in my mouth cuz I don't think when I speak. [... Like right now.]

[resurrection_butterfly]

Oh... well, sometimes it can't be helped. We are who we are. There's nothing wrong with that though. It's simpler that way.

[ufonium]

... I can't really disagree. [She can't, either. It's easier to just kind of be herself and let herself go along with the flow. Well, except the part where she acts distant to hide that she's really blunt and cynical, but whatever. It's easier to fit in with a small group of people.]

It's just I don't see it around often. Not a great way to make friends. [Yeah, like that.]

[resurrection_butterfly]

I feel any friends you make that don't know who you are, probably weren't having in the first place. Sooner or later they'll see what you want to hide, and a choice will have to be made. Isn't it more comforting to not worry about those sorts of things?

[But then it might be easy for her to feel this way since she really didn't care what others thought.]

Everyone can make friends just being who they are. It just might... not be as straightforward?

[ufonium]

... But sometimes you're not supposed to really be a certain way... [The number of funny looks she's gotten from saying things a little too bluntly...]

You're really weird. [LIKE THAT.]

a.

[besieger]

[ as a fellow third year, can haruki blame yuyuko for forgetting? no, not really, particularly when this area does seem like a tantalizing place for a nap. approaching the sleeping figure, she ducks to gently nudge the other girl's shoulder.

yeesh. the portrait that she appears to be, it's almost a shame to wake her. ]

Hey, hey. You don't wanna miss out on free food, do you?

[ like, tea and biscuits and other prim refreshments. she's hoping to find something more substantial before class, though. ]

[resurrection_butterfly]

[She rouses from her slumber, a little groggy and not quite sure what was going on.]

Oh? Did I miss tea? I'm sure the Door Mouse won't mind.

[Had she been dreaming about Alice in Wonderland?]

[besieger]

Door mouse? ... Oi.

[ she has no idea what that's meant to mean. this place was extraordinary in its own comparative right, but she's fairly certain door mouse are non-existennt.

she chuckles. ]

He probably won't mind much. [ her smile turns wry; she straightens and tucks her hands into her pockets, deliberating another nudge— with the toe of her foot, this time. ] If we're quick about it, anyway.

[resurrection_butterfly]

[They were the most adorable tiny rodents.]

Oh then I suppose I should try and hurry then. I don't want to cause any sort of upset.

[And with the nudging she gets to her feet, brushing out her skirt to get it back into shape. Though she said she would hurry, she wasn't particularly hurrying. But, perhaps getting up at all right now was in a way a type of hurry.]

[besieger]

[ haruki, keeping one eye shut, observes this languid pace. watches the girl slowly rise to her feet, slowly brush out her skirt... "slowly" seems to be an all-encompassing adjective, here. ]

... Sure.

[ haruki's torn between the potential for food and this perfectly alluring pace. —cue a sigh of resignation, as she presumes to take a (slow) lead. ]

You got a name?

[resurrection_butterfly]

Saigyouji Yuyuko.

[She said softly with a small bow.]

I must apologize for not having said anything sooner. And your name?

[besieger]

... Sounds fancy. Nice to meet'cha, Yuyuko.

[ a jump to informality— she's still getting used to these sorts of things. for example, she didn't think to bow, but at yuyuko's action, she imitates it. it's clumsy. ]

Sagae Haruki, but you can just call me Haruki. I'm a third year.