Ｙｏｋａｉ Ａｃａｄｅｍｙ| Ａｎ Ａｄｖａｎｃｅｄ Ｒｏｌｅｐｌａｙ discussion

This is the tunnel that connects Yokai to the Human World.

Drusilla had been working herself into entering Yokai all morning. Dressed in her uniform, her blonde hair loose, blue eyes bright, she was ready for the day. Yet she was feeling more like running away and never returning to Yokai as she tried to pass through the tunnel. But finally, after an hour of debating, she walked down the tunnel, clutching the strap of her school bag like a lifeline. When she passed through into Yokai, she had to blink at the sunlight. Taking a breath, it was just as she remembered, except instead of the wonder she'd experienced when she first came to Yokai, now she felt dread. Going pale, she contemplated turning around and leaving. Instead, she stood frozen, biting on her lower lip. If going through the tunnel was so hard, I can't imagine going into the academy.

Dallon sighed as he stood at the entrance to the tunnel. He took his earbuds out of his ears and stares into the musty darkness. "It's now or never" he mumbled. He was nervous. He'd never made such a life altering decision before, although, it's not like he wanted to. With a heavy groaned and stepped into the tunnel, allowing the darkness to engulf him. When he was spat out the other end and into Yokai territory, he ran straight into Drusilla, flat on his butt. He fell to the ground with an 'oof' and his bass pressed close to his chest, "Sorry! Didn't see you there!"

Drusilla was knocked out of her reverie by someone running into her. The seer stumbled slightly, almost falling but catching herself in time. Turning, she looked to the boy who was now on the ground, blinking her big blue eyes at him. Hmm, if I had to guess, he'd be a merman. She was usually a pretty good judge of species around here. Or at least, she had been. Smiling slightly, she held a hand out to help him up, "It's not your fault, I was just standing there in the way, there was no way you could have avoided me." She was glad for the distraction, anything to let her procrastinate on going to class. "Are you here for Yokai Academy?" She asked, even though over 90% of Yokai residents were involved with the academy.

He nodded, a small, shy smile playing at his lips, "Yeah, I guess..." he trailed off, not really having much to say. After a moment, he remembered his manners and introduced himself in a rushed whisper, "Sorry, again. My name is Dallon Ruteledge, and you are?" He forced himself to maintain eye contact, determined to make his first encounter with another student a fairly decent one, even if it did look very obviously forced. He was aware of how strange he probably looked and only made it worse by sticking out his hand for a friendly shake.

Drusilla watched Dallon, wondering if he felt just as awkward as she did. Coming to Yokai Academy shouldn't be this hard... She thought briefly, biting her bottom lip, but she took his hand for a shake anyway, her own smaller than his, and cool to the touch. "Drusilla Lockwood. Is it your first time in Yokai? I used to attend but I lived in the human world for a while." She explained, pulling her hand away. She glanced in the direction of the school again, frowning. From here, she could see the gleaming tiles of the roof over the treetops, looming with its tall towers. She could hear the hum of voices, of pure life, in the breeze and through the trees. Even if she dreaded coming back, there was a feeling to Yokai. A connection, like she had been drowning in the human world and now she could breathe again. For a moment she closed her eyes, just taking it in. It was hard to describe, but Yokai had a vibe, like a hum of vibration that echoed through it. As much as I don't want to be back... it's become home. Drusilla sighed, looking back at Dallon with a brief smile.

Dallon smiled back at her, giving her hand a brief shake before awkwardly dropping it to his side. He had noticed the chill of her hand, but didn't say anything about it. Just about anything was normal to him now, considering what had occurred before his arrival. He took a quick glance around him and immediately noticed the lake set among the trees. The breeze blowing through the forest blew a fresh water breeze into his face and he sighed. He turned his grey-blue gaze on her and smiled, "Sorry. Yes it is my first time here."

Drusilla was glad to see she wasn't the only one who was relieved to be back in Yokai. Well, maybe relieved wasn't the best word in her case. Even so, she glanced at her watch, frowning slightly. "I'd be happy to give you a tour sometime. That is, if I remember where everything is. Apparently the academy doesn't think I do, they're sending someone to greet me." She explained. She knew this was probably a gesture of goodwill after the incident that made her leave Yokai, but it was still irritating. Unless the academy has been destroyed and rebuilt in the time I've been away, I'm pretty sure I'll remember every hallway of it. Being a seer came with impeccable memory. "So I should go, I'll be late. But um..." Deciding Dallon was decent for someone from Yokai, Drusilla reached into her pocket and grabbed a pen. Clicking it, she reached to take Dallon's hand and wrote her name and cell phone number on his palm. "...there. I know what it's like to be new at Yokai. So if you need anything..." she trailed off, smiling at him. Releasing his hand and putting away her pen, she started towards the academy. With a wave, she broke into a jog and disappeared in the trees.

Dallon watched her get swallowed up by the trees, a stunned look plastered on his face. A girl had never given him her number before, not like it matter anyway. He entered it into his phone and continued walking on the dirt path paved into the soft earth from generation upon generation of students coming and going from school grounds. It was a wonder that there was more than one oddity in the world than just himself. Hundreds, in fact. To be completely honest, Dallon was terrified. His school back home was bigger than this, but he couldn't honestly say that any of them were werewolves, vampires, and various other monsters. When he got closer to the school, he hesitated and cut through the thick woods until he stood on the shore of the lake. If he looked closely, he could see what he assumed to be the underwater community he'd seen in the advertisement. Making his way back, he stood at the grand front doors of the school, unsure of himself. It's now or never he thought and pushed his way in.