Arriving in a somewhat undignified way - Open

[allyssianne]

- I hope no one minds me posing here after posting somewhere else... -

Allyssianne rested her head on the crest of her mare's neck, feeling tired. She hadn't had a headache this bad since she woke up in hospital with concussion. She wearily pushed herself up again to watch the gates of the House of Night approaching slowly. Midnight didn't seem to be bothered about where she was going, quite happy to wander up to an unknown place.

It was only thanks to another rider that Allyssianne was even heading in this direction. He had seen Allyssianne's fear and had recognised the new Mark on her forehead. He hadn't said a word, but had lead Midnight closer to the House before pointing Allyssianne in the right direction and leaving.

It was starting to get dark, and Midnight started prancing, chewing at the bit nervously. Allyssianne quietly shushed the mare, walking her up to the gates and looking in. There was a figure somewhere there, heading in the direction of the gates.

[``the K Y R A]

What was nightfall for humans may as well have been daybreak for vampyres and fledglings. Well, during the summer, anyway. Here in the northern part of the world, when the planet tilted and winter bared its frosty fangs, the sun dropped below the horizon before 5 in the evening, long before most fledglings actually woke up. Vampyres were usually up by then, at least, those employed at the Rochester House of Night, much like human teachers got up earlier than their students in order to finish up last-minute grading and the like. But as there were exceptions to every rule, such was the case in Rochester. Some of the local vampyres, namely the High Priestess, liked to get as much sleep as possible, and often did not wake until halfway through the breakfast period. Other vampyres, like the Sociology professor, were up the moment the sun set, though only Nyx knew why. The majority of the fledglings slept in until about seven in the evening, then showering before breakfast and classes. Some slept in later, others got up early. And, in some cases, some fledglings simply did not sleep.

Blackjack Ausley happened to be one of those fledglings. Luckily, the sudden appearance of winter meant that the thunder and lightning was done, if only for a few short months. Instead, ice, wind, and snow would do their worst to bring the northern regions to their knees. Not that he minded any of that: sure, the winter wind was brutal, and losing power and heat sucked, but he didn't really care. He wouldn't care even if he turned into a snowman. In fact, being a frozen snowman might be preferable to being an incredibly long-lived vampyre. Snowmen weren't subject to human rules, but adult vampyres were, and Blackjack had a very low opinion of rules. The only downside was that he would melt the moment the sun returned.

Normally, Alaine greeted the new fledglings, but of late she had been so preoccupied with Nyx-knows-what that she'd assigned the sixth formers the duty of greeting the fresh meat and getting them settled. The dorms had been all scheduled out by Alaine and Seth, so that the fledglings wouldn't have to figure it out themselves. But the sixth formers had been left to figure out their own schedules, and since Blackjack was one of the only few that hardly slept, he'd been given the duty of greeting the new fledglings. He didn't mind particularly, since he already had a reputation for being an obnoxious jerk, and a few new third formers wouldn't do much to make it worse.

And so it was. With the excellent night vision of a fledgling nearing the end of their four years, Blackjack could see the newcomer quite clearly, though he doubted they could see him. He spotted the horse first, it being considerably larger than its rider. He paused at the gates, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms to wait for the new fledgling to reach him.

(( *has far too much time on her hands today* ))