Penance News and Announcements

[Kitrianna]

An alarm clock beeped in an ever-rising climb of noise, threatening to drown out the music that had left playing overnight. The one who had left it playing lay sprawled in bed, one leg dangling out from beneath a blanket and over the edge of the bed. His head was buried beneath two fluffy pillows, one arm draped over them. The beeping continued, and he groaned, turning over in the bed. With a shock, he sat upright, his brilliant blue eyes wide as his mind finally registered the blaring alarm. A quick glance at it showed that it had been going off for a good fifteen minutes. "FUCK!" he said, rolling out of bed, his bare feet smacking the wooden floor. Hastily brushing his teeth, he gave only a moment's attention to his bedraggled hair before stripping off sleep clothes, replacing them with more decent attire. All the while, he was cursing. "Damnit, I'm gonna be late," came the mutter as he bolted out the door of the room he'd been assigned, barely remembering to lock it. A lock of black hair fell into his face, and he irritably shoved it away, scanning the campus for a moment to get his bearings. Now, let's see... they said orientation is... that way! His eyes glimpsed a sign that directed freshmen to the orientation, and he bolted off in that direction, his tall, lithe frame easily covering the distance. He arrived at the auditorium only slightly out of breath, earning him an amused glance from one of the senior students, assigned to wait at the door. The woman peeked inside the auditorium, waiting a moment for a chance to let him in, before she waved him through, motioning for him to be silent. He nodded, giving her a jaunty salute and a grin (earning him another amused snort) before he slipped inside. The back row was sparsely occupied, and it was here that he made his way toward, collapsing into a seat with a relieved sigh. Doesn't look like I missed too much, he thought, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand as he stared at the stage, where a man he could only assume was the dean was talking about the school's policies and other things that the staff felt most incoming freshmen ought to know. Yeah... this was certainly going to be a long orientation day. He could already tell it would, doubtlessly, prove to be utterly, fantastically, morbidly boring.

[Terion]

The beeping of the alarm was cut off as soon as it started, the hand of its owner reaching out to smack a palm down on top of it. Said owner lifted his head from the comfort of a rather squished pillow and brown eyes focused on the face of the clock with its brilliant green numbers. After a moment, he grunted and glanced over at a calendar hanging haphazardly from a hook on the wall, focusing in on the current day. There was a scribbled note joted across the space of the day in black ink then circled in a broad red stroke. 'Orientation Today' it proclaimed in capital letters with the time underneath and he nodded to himself before rising from the bed. Another glance down at the clock as he yawned, stretching arms above his head, revealed that he had a good hour and a half before it started. Plenty of time to get ready and fix something to eat before he left. Getting dressed took no time at all and then he was in the kitchen, scrounging through the cabinets and refridgerator for something to fix for breakfast. Brushing back hair that was currently reddish brown, he flicked on a radio sitting on the counter as he put together food and hummed along to the music as he ate, the fingers of one hand tapping along with the rhythm against one thigh. He briefly pondered whether he could work on some music to match the lyrics that had been jotted down yesterday before leaving but a glance towards the clock shot that idea down. If he did not leave now he would end up late to orientation and being in a rush just wasn't his way of things. He did grab the notebook he had been scribbling lyrics in before he left. Just in case. Walking into the auditorium just as it was starting to fill, he smiled to himself. Perfect timing, he thought and settled into the back row, figuring it would remain fairly unoccupied. As he waited, he jotted down a few more lines in the notebook then looked up some time later to find that not only had the orientation started and he had not noticed but that a latecomer had entered and settled into a nearby seat. The ruffled appearance of his new neighbor also told all too well the story of waking up late and being in a rush. Arching an eyebrow, he shook his head and closed his notebook to actually try and pay some attention to what was being said by the dean.

[Daisuke]

Che stretched his hands over his head, black cotton beanie over his black chin-length hair as he scratched the side of his nose that didn't have the nose ring looped through it. His dark eyes scanned the area as he smiled mischievously while popping his neck and back, as well as his knuckles before slipping his black cottoned hoodie-jacket over his gray t-shirt. Today was a brand new day and that meant only one thing for Che Fortefang. What was that one thing, you ask? Why, his annual escapade of cheating Death, of course. But how would he do so today, was the question, wasn't it? As he made his way through the simple kitchen area of his apartment, Che opened up the fridge and pulled out his carton of milk; opening it and glugging down a few healthy-sized gulps of his "breakfast" before snatching his keys off the wall, hefting his bookbag (which had his study books inside while his skateboard was strapped on the outside) and exiting the place. There were so many things that had to be done today: cheating Death, grocery shopping, having lunch, playing guitar with some guys he'd met the other day at an underground indie hangout, going to his tech support job (which he loathed, mind you), cheating Death, skateboarding down at the park, studying at the library, getting some dinner, check in with the Fam back in Brazil, and...cheating Death before going to bed and starting the day all over again! Yay. Making sure that his apartment door was securely locked, he unsnapped his skateboard from off his backpack and smirked as he ran and threw the skateboard onto the ground, jumped on top of the deck and ollied right onto the railing going down the stairs of the apartment complex. He greeted his neighbors (as they dodged him) and with a victory woop, Che landed on the surface smoothly before slipping his headphones over his ears and turning up the song playing on his CD player that was stuffed into his hoodie pocket. ------------------------------ Che pushed passed the crowd of people walking to work on the sides of the streets, being as nice as he could for the day while his music blasted through his headphones. He'd given up skateboarding through the crowd after the fifth bastard of a guy decided to not move like he'd been shouting while pushing along on the sidewalk. Finally, after much patience being worn off and finally reaching the crosswalk, he let his skateboard fall to the ground and the tip of his toe as the people brushed passed him. As he watched the cars line-up to continue the flow of oncoming traffic, Che's smile broadened as his eyes narrowed in thought. -Heh...haven't done this in a while. This is going to be WILD man!- He looked up, waiting for the pedestrian crossing light to change. White. White. Blinking. Blinking red. Blinking red again... Red. "It's showtime." Another hoop of triumph and Che kick-flipped right onto the street as the people behind him waiting for the light to allow them to cross screamed at him, calling him crazy and that he was going to get killed. The cars honked at him as he snaked through their gaps; weaving and dodging and even pushing through with his leg so hard that he had to jump on top of a car's hood and walk up the windshield, over the roof and slide down onto the trunk to land back on his skateboard once more. Che lifted his head and screamed happily as his little game with Death continued, all the while he continued to dodge the flying cars while lowering his body to full utilize the momentum his lithe body enabled him to obtain. It was so good to be alive today. It was a damn good day for Che to be alive! Unfortunately, his escapade was put to a halt as his watch beeped annoyingly. Che looked at the time, his eyes widening in horror as he soon realized that this was the sixth time that his watch had been beeping for the past twenty minutes! "Aw, Shit!" he yelled, slamming his foot into the ground and shoving forward on his board. Che skated around the corner, heading for his school. He couldn't believe how late he was for Freshmen Orientation! Kicking his skateboard into his hand as he reached the foot of the steps to the school, Che raced up the stairs and made a mad-dash through the throng of students being toured on the campus as he headed for the main hall. "Fucking hell! Where the hell is it?!" Frantically he followed the signs that lead to the welcoming ceremony area and burst through the door of the hall. The dean immediately quit speaking because of the loud banging of the doors hitting the wall and everyone - and I do mean everyone - turned their heads around to look at the source of all the noise. Che chuckled in shame and rubbed the back of his head, his skateboard clutched in the other hand. "Uh, sorry I'm late," came his apologetic response before he slipped into the nearest seat off to the right in the back as the dean continued with his speech. Che looked at the two sitting beside him, automatically pegging both of them to look a little older than him. "So uh, how late am I, exactly?"

[Kitrianna]

Jiiro lost track of what the dean was saying as the minutes ticked away. He sighed, shifting slightly in his seat. The sounds of the other freshmen as they murmured to each other amused him for a while as he tried to listen to what they were saying. Talk of girlfriends, boyfriends, parents, what they would do after orientation was over, work... it all droned on around him. His fingers tapped on the armrest of his seat. Eventually, they took on a beat, and he smiled slightly when he heard it. He let the beat continued, tapping out another with his feet. It sounded a little similar to the mixture of his alarm clock and whatever song had been playing on the stereo when his alarm had gone off. The thought was amusing, even though he grimaced at the reminder that he'd been late to the orientation. Oh, well. He'd slipped in quietly enough, so only the guy sitting nearby had even really noticed; him and the lady who'd let Jiiro in, of course. He was only half paying attention to the dean. The guy beside him was scribbling something - too quickly to be notes. Maybe he was doodling. Jiiro didn't really look. It was quiet in the back of the auditorium. Well... quiet enough, anyway. Until the door slammed open, startling him from the middle of his improvised beat. He blinked furiously at the sudden flood of bright light into the back of the hall. "Uh, sorry I'm late," said the newcomer, letting the door shut. Some in the back chuckled. Jiiro merely snorted in sympathy. The newcomer - a male who looked a couple years younger than himself, settled down into a seat nearby. "So uh, how late am I, exactly?" Jiiro glanced at his watch, then frowned, shrugging. "Hell if I know. I was late, too," he said quietly, before glancing to his other side, at the male student who'd been there when he'd come in. "Hey... do you have any idea when this drivel started?" he asked, gesturing toward the dean, who continued to drone on about... well, Jiiro didn't even know anymore.

[Terion]

The tapping of fingernails against the armrest next to him was a curious sort of distraction as Daichi listened to the dean go on about...something. Starting to listen towards the end of whatever the subject was didn't really put him in exactly a good position to figure out what was being discussed. And the fingernails... He shifted his gaze towards his neighbor, listening to the tapping of the male's fingernails and realized that it wasn't just any tapping. It was some sort of beat...and he was tapping out an entirely different one with his feet. Interesting, he thought. I wonder if he... Daichi's thought - whatever remained of it - was cut off and fluttered away as the door behind him slammed open, startling his neighbor and everyone else in the auditorium. He tilted his head back to blink against the sunlight towards whoever this second latecomer was and heard, "Uh, sorry, I'm late." A chuckle rumbled out of his throat at those words; late was an understatement judging by the fact that the dean was well on a roll and obviously past introductions. As the newcomer settled in on the other side of the music tapping male, he tried to focus in on what was going on since he had kind of gotten a feel for what was being discussed. Then he heard the latest acquisition of the back row ask a question and the guy sitting next to him answered before leaning towards him. Instantly he knew that he was never going to figure out what exactly the dean was talking about. Not that he really needed to know most of this...but it was at least polite to try and pay some attention. "Hey...do you have any idea when this drivel started?" he asked and Daichi sighed. He flipped open his notebook to the page he had been working on and considered the lines he knew had been on it already as well as the new ones. Looking up, he replied, "I'm not exactly sure as I didn't even notice anything was going on until you came in." Gesturing at his notebook he added, "I'd guess twenty minutes though judging by how much I wrote since I came in ten minutes before it was supposed to start."

[Daisuke]

"Hell if I know. I was late, too," said the other guy and Che snickered. Well that was great. At least he wasn't the only one late today. Not that he actually even needed to be here. When the male he asked turned to the guy next to him, Che quirked a raven brow curiously and waited for his response. "I'm not exactly sure as I didn't even notice anything was going on until you came in." Gesturing at his notebook he added, "I'd guess twenty minutes though judging by how much I wrote since I came in ten minutes before it was supposed to start." Che stifled a yawn before nodding - but not before letting his eyes shift momentarily to zoom in on the words written on the notebook, removing his beanie for a second and running a hand roughly through his jet hair. Slipping the garment back onto his head, he scratched the side of his nose where the nose ring was and stuck his tongue out to run it across his lip ring. "Ugh," Che muttered as he leaned back lazily in his seat. "If no one knows what the fuck this guy is talking about, why the hell are we still sitting here?" The young male sighed, tapped both of his feet in rhythm to some kind of beat in his head while bobbing his head back and forth. Damnit, he wanted to put on his headphones and play his guitar. Was that so much to ask? He didn't think that it was. Fishing around in his pocket, he pulled out his guitar pick with the rising sun on it and let it slip between each of his fingers until he flipped it into the air and then caught it with a quick snatch. -And I had to go and leave my guitar back at my apartment,- Che thought irritably as he pouted slightly, the beat still going on in his head. A new idea popped into his head just as the dean was closing his speech. But...he didn't want to try this stunt on his own and by damn, he didn't want to deal with the student guided tour of campus. Turning quickly to face the other two, a cheerful smirk formed on his lips and he wiggled his brows at them. "Hey, when this old coot's done flappin' his lips, you guys wanna go somewhere with me? The student tour is so boring and so are some of the other activities." Che winked. "It'll be fun! Whaddya say?"

[Kitrianna]

Jiiro watched the guy next to him flip open his notebook and consider what was on the pages. He blinked slightly, adjusting his vision for a brief second as the auditorium went dark again. "I'm not exactly sure as I didn't even notice anything was going on until you came in." There was a pause as he gestured toward the notebook before he added, "I'd guess twenty minutes though judging by how much I wrote since I came in ten minutes before it was supposed to start." He glanced back up toward the front of the auditorium, quirking an eyebrow at the dean. It sounded to him like they would be released shortly. That was good, at least. He drummed his fingers on the armrest once again, sighing. He sure hoped there wouldn't be too much of just sitting here and being bored. And clearly he wasn't the only one to think so. "If no one knows what the fuck this guy is talking about, why the hell are we still sitting here?" He snorted again, shrugging one shoulder. He doubted anyone on this back row knew why they were still sitting around. Ugh... when will this be over with? he thought to himself, shaking his head slightly with annoyance. He hated all this long, boring talking. It had been the same in high school, doubtless it was going to be the exact same crap here, too. A flickering motion caught the corner of his eye, and he turned his head slightly, watching the guitar pick as it flipped in the air. His fingers tapped out his original beat again, but the beat he'd had going with his feet altered a bit, taking on a new rhythm as a new tune came into his head. He was distracted, though, when the male to his right spoke up again, turning to Jiiro and the guy to his left, a cheerful look on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Hey, when this old coot's done flappin' his lips, you guys wanna go somewhere with me? The student tour is so boring and so are some of the other activities. It'll be fun! Whaddya say?" Jiiro drummed his fingers on the chair in thought. "Oh, hell... why not? I'm game. How about you?" he asked, turning slightly to address the guy with the notebook.

[Terion]

"If no one knows what the fuck this guy is talking about, why the hell are we still sitting here?" asked the newest arrival and Daichi sighed quietly. I would know, he thought in response, if I didn't keep getting distracted every few seconds. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed that both of them were tapping out some sort of beat and, strangely, the two went well together. Hmm. Interesting. Glancing towards the front of the auditorium, he picked up on what the dean was currently talking about but was instantly bored. He was just telling everyone where exactly the freshman tour of the campus would be starting at and how to find it. And that was something which Daichi just didn't need since he had figured his way around during the classes he had started during the summer. There was a snort from the male sitting next to him and then a flicker of motion out of the corner of his eyes. His gaze caught onto the guitar pick as it was tossed and followed it into the air then back down until the new guy caught it. The continuous tapping of differing beats was all background noise now as he focused in on the hand holding the pick and then the cheerful expression of its owner. "Hey, when this old coot's done flappin' his lips, you guys wanna go somewhere with me? The student tour is so boring and so are some of the other activities. It'll be fun! Whaddya say?" It wasn't quite how he would refer to the dean but he did talk an awful lot... And avoiding the campus tour would be good since he didn't need it... Daichi tilted his head thoughtfully to the side as the guy next to him turned to ask, "Oh, hell... why not? I'm game. How about you?" He let the question hang in the air for a moment, considering it, then... "Sure," he finally answered as the dean finally started to wind down his speech, "I already know the lay of campus anyway. So...where are we going?"

[Daisuke]

"Oh, hell... why not? I'm game. How about you?" he heard the other guy say and Che mentally fist-pumped the air. Now all he needed was to hear the other guy say "okay" and then everything else was a go. "Sure," said the brown-haired male and, again, Che did a victory gesture in his mind as his smile broadened. "I already know the lay of campus anyway. So...where are we going?" "Just wait and see," said the young boy as he waited patiently for the conclusion of the speech. As the dean dismissed everyone and all the prospective students rose from their seats, Che stood and stretched his arms above his head as he removed his beanie and stuffed it into one of the side pockets on his book bag. Tilting his head backward, he let his tongue sweep across his lip ring and then gestured with a sharp jerk of head toward the door. "This way, c'mon." Shoving passed a throng of students, Che led the other two men out toward the open and headed toward the courtyard area so they could get better breathing room. Slipping his skateboard through the harness on his backpack, Che readjusted the straps on his shoulders. Forcing himself to resist the urge to slip his headphones back on his ears. But well, that would just be rude, now wouldn't it? Moving his head from side to side to some beat in his head, Che took a deep breath and suddenly noticed something was...amiss. Or, was it right on the mark? Slowing his steps a bit, he inhaled slowly once more - quieter this time - and allowed his nasal cavity to take in the scent of the two males on either side of him. These two were...definitely not human. The one to the right of him with the darker hair smelled faintly of smoke lingering on his clothes and...was that feline fur Che smelt? It definitely wasn't the residue of a cat tumbling about its owner's lap, but the smell of feline blood. Quirking a brow, Che smirked while he shoved both of his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. -Well, well. I guess I've stumbled across someone like me,- he thought, looking to the left at the other shorter male. Like the other man, this guy smelled slightly of smoke. However, the smell of human was more prominent on him than on the feline shifter. Perhaps it came with older age which, in turn, equated to wisdom and experience. He learned how to mask his scent, but nothing could escape Che's well-trained werewolf nose. Smirking, Che smelled canine on this male, but he wasn't a werewolf like himself. He was...different somehow. However, this man was no domesticated dog. Instead, he still smelled wild and...liberated. -Ha! Two for one, huh? This is great!- Che thought while gently biting his lower lip. Perhaps he should make the first step and make some sort of semblance of introduction. "I'm Che, by the way," said the young man, smiling as he looked from one new companion to the other. "Che Izumi. Fresh outta high school and gracing the grounds of a new country to start my new life! Who are you guys?"

[Kitrianna]

The other guy agreed to go with them, which altered Jiiro's opinion of him. At first, he'd thought the male was too engrossed in whatever it was he was doing. He'd even thought that maybe the other student was actually inclined to sit through all the garbage that was spouted and shown on orientation days. But when he'd said he already knew the lay of the school and that he'd go with them, well, of course it changed Jiiro's opinion. He grinned, running a hand through his black hair, and followed the tall male out the door. They made it outside, though not without some shoving and general annoyance at other incoming students getting in the way. Jiiro relaxed now that they were outside, though the light had gotten considerably brighter, as the sun had risen since his morning run to the auditorium. He gave a mental groan as he patted his pockets, realizing he'd forgotten his sunglasses. Damnit, he thought irritably. That just sucks. I hope we go somewhere shady soon. While he wasn't exactly hurt by the sunlight, it was certainly not very comfortable. Jiiro preferred nighttime; it suited his personality much better. "I'm Che, by the way," said the tall latecomer, smiling as he looked from Jiiro to the other student. "Che Izumi. Fresh outta high school and gracing the grounds of a new country to start my new life! Who are you guys?" "I'm Jiiro Kobayashi," came his response, giving a sort of saluting wave with the first two fingers of his hand. "Finally convinced my parents that I wanted to go to school here and not take over the family business." He grimaced slightly, rolling his eyes. The family business hadn't interested him at all. Honestly! Why would he want to be a doctor when he could make music? That was his particular dream, and it had taken every ounce of will he had to make his parents see that. A lock of hair fell down into his face again, and he blew it away, shaking his head slightly to aid in its removal from his eyes. As he moved, he caught a slight whiff of... something. But he wasn't well-known for his sense of smell, so he let it slide for the moment. He did catch the scent of cigarettes on the shorter student, and that really made him want to smoke... but he'd left those back in his room, too. This day was just all sorts of messed up... and the day had barely even begun!

[Terion]

"Just wait and see," wasn't exactly the response Daichi had wanted to hear but he got the feeling it was all he was going to get. But he shrugged and rose anyway to follow the taller male out of the auditorium, tucking the pencil he had been scribbling with into his jacket and kept his notebook firmly in his hand. If all else, following the younger boy somewhere wouldn't get him lost since he knew the lay of campus and a good bit of town pretty well by now. As they shoved past a group of other students, he drew in a breath and blinked. Then he sniffed again, rubbing his nose, just to check and make sure his senses were working right. And they definitely were. What are the chances? he thought, eyes darting from the taller male to the other that was closer to his own height. Both smelt of smoke - rather like Daichi did himself - but it did nothing to hide their scents from his canine nose. The tall latecomer had a similar scent to him and it was strong enough that he was surprised he hadn't caught it earlier in the auditorium. Then again with all of the bodies in there he had been trying his best not to breath in too deeply to avoid getting caught up in the thousands of scents that would have assaulted his nose. He could smell it now, though, and he took a guess from the strength of it that he wasn't that old of a shifter to now have a greater cover of a human scent over his natural one. Now the other guy...he smelt like a feline. Not one of the big one's, though - a domestic, definitely. He didn't have the scent of the wild around him like the younger male did. Now he just had to wonder...did they smell him too? Each other? And who was going to make the first probing step to let the others know they knew? If it wouldn't have made them both look at him like he was crazy, Daichi would have laughed at the situation. I can't believe this, he thought with a shake of his head. First day I get here, I meet Miori then I run into Ranmaru. Now I stumble across these two by pure chance. Crazy. He was pulled from his thoughts as the taller male introduced himself. As the feline said his name and gave a two fingered wave, Daichi smiled then spoke. "Daichi Mikage," he offered as he took note of their names. "Taking a break from the real world to go to college now that I finally figured out what I wanted to do. Only took me six years," he finished with a laugh.

[Daisuke]

Che waited for them to respond to his introduction. After all, what better way to get to know people than with introductions? The dark-haired guy finally spoke up, giving him the necessary "salute" before actually speaking his name. "I'm Jiiro Kobayashi," came his response and Che's smile grew. "Finally convinced my parents that I wanted to go to school here and not take over the family business." So, a family business. He had clout and status somewhere, but where, he wasn't quite sure. Che would have to figure this out as he went. It wouldn't take long; at least that's what kind of vibe he was getting at this moment. Thing were certainly getting interesting for the werewolf and Che merely continued to observe his two new companions curiously. "Daichi Mikage," said the other male with the reddish-brown hair. "Taking a break from the real world to go to college now that I finally figured out what I wanted to do. Only took me six years," he finished with a laugh and Che chuckled. "You mean it took you six years to figure out what you wanted to do after graduating from high school?" Che teased, quirking a raven brow. "I would have pegged you for someone a lot younger than that." Che whistled a bit as they headed past the cafeteria and beside a large brick building. Making a motion for them to follow, he looked in both directions and opened the doors. Slipping inside unnoticed, there were other students there who were carrying instruments. Some of them waved in greeting and Che punched fists with several other guitar players who were going into the practice rooms or the recording studios. He'd gotten well acquainted with this place before finally deciding to come here and this building was the main reason for it. Because no, becoming a computer engineer and programmer totally was his reason for going to college. Heh. At least that's what he told his family. Che led the way toward the back room where there was a larger performance area and instruments already on the stage. A bassist was tuning his strings while the drummer played around the the bass pedal and splashed the high hat a bit. Sticking two fingers in his mouth, Che let out a sharp whistle and got their attention before waving. "Yo! Tommy, Brandon, what's up?" The bassist smirked. "Nothin' much, Che. So, you decided to come here after all, huh?" "C'mon Tommy," said the drummer as he scratched the side of his temple with his drumstick. "You know he couldn't stay away after hangin' with us." Brandon looked to the other two on either side of Che and pointed them both out. "So Che, who're the new faces?" "They're some guys I met at orientation. Jiiro? Daichi? This is Tommy and Brandon." Che paused, looking at the two shifters and smirking. "So, you wanna play?"

[Kitrianna]

Jiiro gave an amused smile at Daichi's mention of taking six years to figure out what he wanted to go to school for, but didn't say anything. Che, on the other hand, did. "You mean it took you six years to figure out what you wanted to do after graduating from high school?" teased the younger student, quirking a brow. "I would have pegged you for someone a lot younger than that." Well, he had to agree; Daichi did seem a little younger than that, though not by much. And, hell, at least the guy'd figured it out, right? Hell, Jiiro was still arguing with his parents over what he was allowed to study. 'Useful' was not really on his agenda. He didn't even want it to be in his vocabulary, really. But, he'd consented to take some more practical courses, just to silence his father enough to let him take the music classes that Jiiro himself wanted to take. He took note of where Che was leading them, keeping a mental map of the important locations, like the cafeteria. Where to eat was always a good thing to find out. He rubbed the back of his neck, working out a kink that had presumably been left by his usually awkward sleeping positions. When they slipped into the new building, though, Jiiro almost stopped dead. There were people carrying instruments around, and his eyes goggled somewhat. There were quite a bit more students than he'd thought would be doing something like this. Of course, now that they were in closed quarters, Jiiro could definitely smell... something... from both of his companions. Something canine, definitely. He sneezed softly, wincing a bit at the feeling. Another sneeze, and he rubbed his nose. Okay, so not canine as in they both had pets. His nose may not have been the greatest, but even he could smell the shifter blood from the two of them. His thoughts were distracted when Che let out a piercing whistle, causing Jiiro's eyebrow to raise somewhat at the sharp sound. "Yo! Tommy, Brandon, what's up?" said Che to a couple of people, a drummer and a bassist. "Nothin' much, Che. So, you decided to come here after all, huh?" said the bassist - Tommy, as he discovered, thanks to the drummer (who he could only assume was Brandon). "C'mon Tommy. You know he couldn't stay away after hangin' with us. So Che, who're the new faces?" asked Brandon as he looked from Jiiro to Daichi, making a gesture toward them. "They're some guys I met at orientation. Jiiro? Daichi? This is Tommy and Brandon." He looked at the two of them and smirked. "So, you wanna play?" Jiiro grinned broadly and gave a mock sigh of relief. "Do I wanna play?" he asked, mimicking Che's tone of voice. "I had to travel to the other side of the planet just to get to where my parents would let me do just that. Hell yes, I want to play! What've you got in mind?" Okay, so now Jiiro wished, in addition to his sunglasses and cigarettes, that he'd brought along an instrument. But, hey, he didn't know, and there would be plenty of time for that later. Besides, sitting around in that auditiorium with a guitar would've been somewhat uncomfortable, if not a little awkward. Ah, well. Again - there was always next time.

[Terion]

Daichi shrugged as Che said, "You mean it took you six years to figure out what you wanted to do after graduating from high school? I would have pegged you for someone a lot younger than that." He could tell that at least one of them knew that the other two were shifters by that statement alone as he knew he looked a few years younger then he should. That was how he liked his appearance, though, and he wasn't about to shave off a few years that weren't really necessary right now. Too much of a hassle to do that. "I had a few things I was thinking about doing," he answered. "Looked into them while I hopped between jobs here and there. Finally decided to pursue music." As they headed past the cafeteria, he nodded in greeting to a girl that had been in one of his summer classes then focused on where they were going. He cocked his head curiously at Che's glancing around before he opened the doors of a building - which the name of looked slightly familiar - and they all stepped inside. His eyes lit up at the sight of the students inside carrying instruments and a grin began to show on his lips. The name on the building's familiarity came back to him then; he had a class or two that were going to be in here. Suddenly he was very glad of deciding to follow the younger shifter instead of going back to his room. As he led them to a room further back in the building, the canine shifter greeted a bassist and drummer sitting on a stage practicing with, "Yo! Tommy, Brandon, what's up?" "Nothin' much, Che. So, you decided to come here after all, huh?" replied the bassist and he wondered which was which before the answered was revealed as the drummer spoke up a second later. "C'mon Tommy," said the drummer now revealed to be Brandon as he scratched his head with a drumstick. "You know he couldn't stay away after hangin' with us. So Che, who're the new faces?" "They're some guys I met at orientation. Jiiro? Daichi? This is Tommy and Brandon," answered Che before he looked back at Daichi and Jiiro. "So, you wanna play?" Daichi's grin widened as Jiiro's, "Do I wanna play?" echoed his own thoughts in perfect unison. He laughed at the feline's exclamation as he finished speaking and shook his head before he looked at Che, Brandon, and Tommy. "I think he answered for the both of us," he said with a tilting of his head in Jiiro's direction. Looking at all of them in consideration for a moment, he then held up the notebook he had been scribbling in and asked, "So...any of you good at putting music to lyrics?"

[Daisuke]

Che smirked at hearing both of their responses. Of course they would say yes. That was all he needed to hear before he turned his head and looked toward the two friends he'd made during the tour he'd gotten of the school the last time he visited. They nodded, gesturing for them to get up on stage just as Daichi spoke up. "So...any of you good at putting music to lyrics?" "I am, but I don't feel like singing today." The werewolf shifter looked at Jiiro. "And since Daichi wrote the lyrics, that means you gotta sing." Che gently took the notebook from Daichi, read over the lyrics and tapped his foot with a certain beat in his head. As one finally laced through his mind, he smiled and nodded toward Brandon and Tommy. They knew what the deal was. All they had to do was follow Che's lead on guitar and just shoot out the beat from there. It was simple, really. He picked up the black and white electric guitar, plugged it up to the appropriate amplifier and pulled out his pick. Plucking out a few notes here and there, Che tuned it up to suit him and then adjusted the guitar strap so that it sat more comfortably on his shoulder. Looking to Daichi, he smiled and looked at the other guitar: a dark cherry and black guitar that was ready for him to be plugged in to jump into rhythm. "I'm assuming you know what to do from there, right?" Che looked back at Jiiro, waiting for him to get on stage before handing him the notebook with the lyrics scribbled on it. "All right man. It's all on you. We'll worry about the beat. You just concentrate on singing." And with that said, Che nodded to Brandon, Daichi, and Tommy as the werewolf began pumping out a few notes on the guitar. -Redemption...it's a good song.-