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.

Info | FAQ | Rules

[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

[ufonium]

[A:

You know, she's almost worried this is going to end in her saying or doing something stupid, but at the same time, she's entirely sure that nothing they're doing involves actually talking to anyone if she doesn't want to. There's a titter through the crowd as they get closer to the Yamayurikai - that's actually them! but Kumiko looks more or less nonplussed.

In fact, she sort of looks around, first at the girls ahead of her, and then at whomever is behind her, to see if she should be more wound up about this. Hey, person behind her... how are you reacting?]

[B:

Well, that was exciting. She keeps playing and fidgeting with her rosary, though, turning over the silver cross in her fingers. She's so distracted, she might have just almost walked into someone-] Heeeeii--! S-sorry! [And made a loud enough outburst to garner stares.

Shh, Kumiko. Speaking quietly is preferred here.]

A

[topbrass]

[Person behind her doesn't seem too fussed, either. Head tilted slightly, Reina is looking over the contents of a tall, ornate glass case. If Kumiko is curious, there are several old photographs on display in the case, including one or two of the band from many years ago. These are what caught Reina's eye.

More interesting than the Yamayurikai, to her, but not that interesting – so naturally she happens to catch Kumiko looking at her as soon as she turns her head. Reina's expression says "yes?" but she doesn't say anything, because… awkward.]

[ufonium]

[Well, being looked at directly is enough to make her want to look the other direction because hey, Kumiko's passive and wishy-washy. And she hasn't had the chance to start to outgrow it yet!

Instead, she glances off to the side, where Reina had been looking, and her eyebrows raise. Oh. Band stuff. Should she say- no. No. She's here for a new start, she doesn't need to talk about band, and they probably shouldn't speak much while they're in this line anyway.] Ah... s-sorry. I was just looking around, I guess. [Very. Very stiffly going to attempt to save face and turn back around.]

[topbrass]

Oh.

[Reina nods, only somewhat less stiffly than Kumiko. Subconsciously she may be glad just to have an excuse for some kind of interaction. Reina has hardly made eye-contact with any of her fellow students since she got here.

Which is normal, right? Given the crowd? So it's not a big deal. Anyway, they probably should keep quiet; there are arenas where Reina likes to stand out, but this isn't one of them. Still, just leaving it at "oh" is… well, it should be fine if she speaks quietly.]

Are you nervous?

[Way to get the completely wrong read, Reina!]

[ufonium]

[Somehow, she thinks this conversation is a bit over, so she's getting ready to fall back into a dull boredom waiting for the line to move, but the cute girl behind her keeps talking. She gives a soft ] Ah-

[As her attention is grabbed again, and she turns around, blinking slowly for a moment as the question sinks in. Then, she looks back up at the procession.] What's there to be nervous about? [It seems an honest question, even if a bit of an out-of-left-field one.]

Should I be afraid of them? I thought we were just getting a necklace from them.

[Yeah, 'a necklace'. Not 'a rosary', a 'necklace'. She's good at this.]

b.

[besieger]

[ what— haruki has to suppress a chuckle. ah. thankfully, they hadn't crashed into each other, but the outburst is loud enough that she doesn't even have to look to know that people are staring. the place really is steeped in tradition. a smile on her face, paying the others little mind (in contrast, keeping her voice at an appropriate volume,) ]

Hey, hey. It's no prob.

[ she pats kumiko on the shoulder. ]

New here—?

[ufonium]

[Well... it was a near-miss and at least she's not totally being stared at. She manages to reign her voice back down to a slightly more indoor-at-Lillian-appropriate level.]

Ah, y-yeah, new. First year, just got here. Um... just transferred in from Kyoto, in fact. [A harmless enough little fact about herself, but an important one - she's never seen a school quite like this.]

[besieger]

Kyoto? Never been.

[ not replied with disinterest; she wishes she could travel from where she lives—that being here, or her true home— to a city such that. alas, she's only studied it in school. haruki laces her hands behind her head, stepping out of the way of another. ]

I'm guessing it's a lot different than here, huh? Granted, this place is something special in its own right...

[ufonium]

Well, I guess in its own way, Kyoto's a big city in Japan, too, but... I guess people are a little different. [Also she's having to get used to the change in accent. Aside from all the other things. The second part ekes a soft chuckle out of her, though. More a breath than anything.]

But I can agree it's special in its own right. I've really never seen a school system like this before. They keep talking about giving rosaries like it's some kind of marriage proposal.

[besieger]

[ at the second part, haruki mirrors kumiko's chuckle. though hers isn't so much a breath, as it is as an unabashed laugh. the comparison had caught her off guard, and she has to take a moment to fully appraise its beauty. ]

... Honestly, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't like that. [ that gives her pause. it might be pretty strange to propose to someone, only to be called 'onee-sama' afterward. ] Well, not quite, but. Underclassman are usually considered pretty lucky to receive one; it definitely comes with a few perks...

[ufonium]

I hope it's not a binding contract... [She's... sort of half making a joke about equating it to marriage.]

... Um, but can I ask what? Aside from having a best friend forever, I guess.