A New Beginning [Event - OPEN]

Orion had slipped in early, but was not one of the first; while he wanted to observe people coming in, he didn't want to be noticed for standing out, more than his general appearance did anyway. He took a position near the front of the second tier, leaning on the railing that was there to keep people (hopefully) from falling over. He sat on the edge of his seat to do so, but this wasn't out of any actual desire to pay attention (well, not entirely):

It was so the two 3ft. long pipes he had holstered between his back and his overly long cloak attached to his jacket would be less uncomfortable where he sat. These two pipes were painted a matte black, to prevent them from shining and to be less noticeable, and on one end of each was a separate halves of a connector that could be screwed together, giving Orion a pole-arm in a pinch. He was not looking for a fight, and had no intention of disrupting the assembly. However, someone inevitably would, and he would be prepared if he was forced to defend himself.

It was highly unlikely, of course. The presence of all the pillars, who were each considered some of the strongest of the student body, the teachers, who kept the student populace mostly in check via physical force, and the headmaster himself, who was widely considered the most powerful member of the faculty, should be more than enough to keep even the most rambunctious of students in check.

Highly unlikely. Considered. Should be. Orion was prepared if all of these uncertain assurances fell flat.

Should be interesting, though.

Macht would be the first one to arrive in the auditorium, standing up at the podium on the stage. He'd been meaning to call an assembly of his own, just as soon as things kicked off, so it only worked out better now that he was aware the Headmaster himself wanted him to deliver a speech. He had nothing written, just a general outline of what he wanted to say. Everything, he felt, needed to come from the heart. Should he have rehearsed for this? Probably, but he was decent enough at public speaking that he wasn't too worried about it. Besides, anyone who knew Macht knew he did more talking with his fists than with his lips.

The Behemoth watched as student after student would make their way in. Right now, entrance was slow, but that's what he expected. Last time they had an assembly, their First Pillar was "murdered" in front of their very eyes. He expected people to be uncomfortable, unruly, insubordinate, and he would quell that if it came to it... but he wanted to take 552 in a new direction. Hopefully, they'd join him in that endeavor.

"Glad to see you made it out of there in one piece, Hikari," Macht spoke to his Third Pillar as the man made his way onto the podium. Now to wait on Ira and Lexington, the latter of which he hadn't seen since the execution.

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Jack had only spent a little time at this new school, but he was already experiencing a distinct sense of deja vu.

For one thing, it was filled with superpowered violent delinquents, just like his old school.  He was also new, just like back then.  And lo and behold, not a few days in, along came the big auditorium gathering and "meet the Pillars" speech, just like the first time.  Of course, that time, the school had been invaded by a vicious gang of thugs and the assembly had turned into a massive battle in which Jack had singlehandedly taken down four criminals in a row, and saved two of his weak and adorable classmates from being brutally beaten.  One of his finer moments.

Still, good memories aside, a gangster invasion wasn't really a pleasant way to start off the school year, and Jack was on edge.  His eyes darted around the open space, trying to pick out faces, any sign of weaponry, anyone who might suddenly burst from the crowd and turn the whole event into a storm of mayhem.  How many exits were there?  How fast could the pillars respond to a threat?  How fast could Jack respond-

He took a deep breath.  Geez.  For what was essentially meant to be a boring assembly, he was taking this way too seriously.  Just because one such gathering had turned into a fight for his life, didn't mean they all would, right? 

Riiiight.

For now, he resolved to be on his guard.  In the meantime, it was probably worth checking out the Pillars and hearing what they had to say, if only so he could figure out which one of them he wanted to beat first.  He made his way to a seat, plopping himself down next to some guy he'd never met before, who was wearing what looked like a cloak over his jacket, like some kind of wannabe superhero.  Jack hadn't been paying attention to this at first, having only sat down there because of the lack of cute girls to sit near, but the odd choice of clothing caught his eye.  How would he look in one of those?  He took a moment to picture it.  Utterly majestic... and then everyone else would say he looked like a dork.  Jack sighed quietly to himself.  PTSD from gang attacks at assemblies, inability to look good in a cape, such were the little miseries of life.

Things seemed to be taking a while to get started, so he leaned a little towards Orion, casually starting up a conversation.  "Hey, if you don't mind me asking... which of the Pillars looks the most badass to you?"

This assembly was silently walking the razor's edge between peace and bedlam, and Kevin was none the wiser.

Around the time when the calls were made to convene in the auditorium, Kevin was outside with a portable stereo, practicing dance moves in the open. He was zone until his music was temporarily muted by his phone's notification tone (since it's the year 20XX and everyone either wirelessly pairs or auxilary plugs everything). Kevin stopped in the middle of his footwork, glancing over at the micro-sized boombox as his music eventually turned back on; he had half a mind to not even check the message, but decided to go ahead and see. Hazel eyes scanned over the invitation, raising an eyebrow until he looked up. Kevin realized there were other students who were around, all in their personal devices and likely reading the same thing. He'd pack up his belongings and make his way to the assembly.

The oversized freshman filed into the auditorium along with a handful of others, certainly not the first but noticing that he was fortunate enough to beat most of the others. Kevin initially scanned for which part of the back rows he wanted to hide in...and then a funny thing happened. One could say it was morbid curiosity, another could call it just a diversion from normal habits and routines. No matter what it was, Kevin would find a seat right up front. He gave it some thought as he casually strolled down the aisle with his hands in the pockets of a maroon pair of joggers. He was new to the school. Furthermore, Kevin was entering on the heels of events that were likely traumatic for some and horrifying for others...Didn't I hear some kids died? he thought. He was in a room with not just students, but survivors. Some part of him wanted to see up close how the leadership of the school would respond to that. What could you tell these guys to set them straight and reassure them? They were confined like rabid dogs in a kennel...in his mind, he could imagine some lost friends. Others may have seen violence they weren't accustomed to. They all had this time where things were pleasant and their biggest worry consisted of getting lodt on the island. Once that honeymoon phase wore off, though...was a relocation the first sign of change, or was it just a temporary fix before things went back to shit, with him in the midst of it?

Kevin figured if he was going to be in the front row when shit hit the fan, he may as well do the same here. He was about to find a seat right in the middle...when a girl appeared. Pink-headed and with a purpose, she took the seat right next to the one Kevin was ready to sit down in. Now, this shouldn't have been a big deal by any means. With Kevin, however...if Zoe paid him any attention, she'd see Kevin pause right in the middle of his descent into the chair before hesitantly rest his butt right next to her, turning a new shade of red with every second. He chanced one look in Zoe's direction, meekly nodded at her and immediately focused on the stage like his life depended on it. First impressions are everything!

Felix stood outside the Auditorium doors, his legs shaking. Last time he'd been at an assembly Zoe had died, people got beat up, and he'd gotten his shit completely rocked. But despite his nerves, Felix felt he had a reputation to uphold, Student Dean be damned he was going to make a statement even if it killed him (which it probably would).

"C'mon Felix it won't turn out like last time. No one's gonna get their neck snapped. You aren't gonna get thrown into a hole in the ceiling. It's just an assembly."

One of the teachers directing the students overheard his small pep talk to himself and froze, fixing Felix with a mixed stare of equal parts confusion and apprehension. Letting out a shaky breath he waded into the auditorium with the rest of the crowd. As he made his way down the runway, people began pulling away from him, staring at him like he was insane (which he most likely was). Felix toted behind him a red wagon, carting around a bluetooth speaker as well as a small cooler filled with drinks. With a press of a button his speaker began blasting music. A familiar crispy T-Shirt on his chest, as he smirked, shooting a glance at the people on his left and right.

To everyone else he seemed to be looking down at them, but the shutter shades did a good job of hiding the obvious tension in his eyes. He was on the lookout for any guards that might give him a hard time. He slowly made his way to the front, his song fading away as it finished while still looking at everyone around him.

Because of his tense movements he'd almost missed her, almost. A girl sitting in the front row, near the middle of the aisle caught his attention. Something about her eyes that struck him as familiar made him stop and stare at her. He stood there frozen as another song started to play, his mind racing. Her hair was different, but the face was exactly the same. "Zoe?" The moment the words left his mouth he felt stupid, she had died hadn't she? The last he'd seen of her Vivi had ran away with her body, and that was about it. Vivi was strong but she was no necromancer, at least not that Felix knew. He swallowed letting out a slow breath and closing his eyes. 

I'm acting crazy. They just look really similar that's it.

Opening his eyes he smiled ruefully. "Sorry-- uh, you. You just reminded me of someone. Sorry for bothering you." He stood there another moment before realizing what music was currently playing and quickly switched it. He made his way past the girl, grabbing his own seat at the far right, in the corner of the front as he waited.