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

[ibara_no_mori]

[This? This is Sei bursting out laughing at that first quip. Holy cow that was great. Exactly what she wanted when she poked this sleepy, grumpy bear.]

If you're so sure! [Now that she is satisfied, she seems to be more willing to relent.] I think you could probably bring some much-needed fire to that old story, though.

[long_live_the_queen]

[If this was a Miyazaki film Kaede would look particularly fluffy right now. As it is not, her bristling is mostly confined to how her head drops and her shoulders come up.]

What's so funny?!

[kaede no don't do it--oh my god]

[ibara_no_mori]

How you just casually reduced the whole play to just 'a play with stabbing, poisoning, and character death', that was great! That's about all the more value Romeo and Juliet has, but everyone thinks it's so romantic. For people to want what they can't have because it's not what other people think is right. [That last little sentence has the weirdest tone to it, but Sei's expression doesn't change a single bit.]

this escalated quickly

[long_live_the_queen]

It has character names in the title. Of course they're going to be dead by act five.

[Most of Kaede's growling grumpiness remains intact! There's just a little wobbly bit in her armor. And that tone was just strange enough that it made the words all the more obvious. Wanting what she couldn't have—normal things, a normal life with smiles in it—because others put obstacles in her way. Because she wasn't supposed to have those things, and...she didn't want to think of it.

Kaede broke eye contact, glancing away just a little. Her voice was unchanged, despite that.]

you try getting abandoned at a train station by your girlfriend right when you're about to run away

[ibara_no_mori]

Well, it's also a Shakespearean Tragedy, so all you have to do is know a little Shakespeare. [Looks like Sei wins this little exchange of poking at things that shouldn't be poked at, though, which just affirms a few suspicions she'd also had about this particular girl. Anger is a secondary emotion - it's caused by something else, and she knows that very, very keenly.]

Juliet not falling quite so easily and deeply in love with Romeo would just be an improvement on it. Maybe then no one would've had to die.

that's rough buddy

[long_live_the_queen]

They were both being stupid.

[Now Kaede more obviously broke eye contact, glancing at a point somewhere over Sei's shoulder instead of her face. Her own shoulders weren't huddled so much like a defensive animal now, but she rocked back on her heels slightly too. Yes, yes, you win this time Gadget, please stop poking her.]

it is

[ibara_no_mori]

Well, I suppose I can agree there, in some ways. They didn't know each other very well, right? [A whirlwind romance that...

... Ah, too many needles, too close to home. Amazing she's still here, actually.]

Well, auditions will be in just a couple weeks. Maybe I can see you there.

And if not Juliet, maybe one of the background characters. Want to fight some Montagues or Capulets?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede perked back up again, at the second thing. Logically she knew it wasn't actually fighting, but some...enthusiasm certainly wouldn't hurt authenticity any.]

Maybe I do.

[Maybe that was a tremendous understatement.]

[ibara_no_mori]

Well, then, I'll make sure to sign you up for a background actor. Kaede, right?

[NETTED.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Some of that huffy grumpiness returns! Though it's not just a token display this time either, it also wasn't as bristling as it had been before.]

Yes, that's me.

[>You have obtained one (1) cranky teenager who is no longer a diclonius! Please don't leave her in the PC Box for the rest of the save file]

[ibara_no_mori]

[She'll try not to.

The Gigantea harem grows...]

Alright, I'll let the drama club know. I think you'll make the action scenes very... [Hm. What's the word she's looking for...] ... Dynamic.

[long_live_the_queen]

I'll try not to stab anyone.

[Probably! Maybe! Like a 50-50 chance. She'll tell a supervisor if one of the safety points falls off, though.]

[ibara_no_mori]

... I guess that's great news. [There's a disbelieving bark of a laugh in her first syllable, but she regains composure easily.

... She doesn't know what happened to this school since last year, but boy this is turning into something great.] I'll make sure the drama club tracks you down for rehearsal then.