Lofty Heights Open Log

[codicies]

Who: Everyone school-aged or school-adjacent (so basically everyone??)
What: SCHOOL HAS BEGUN
When: All through September
Where: School bus stops, School bus, and Lofty Heights
Content Warnings: n/a

Some Top-Level Ideas:

• Faculty Preparations & Mingle (Before September 8th)
  The faculty of Lofty Heights has a lot to do before the school year actually starts — prepping their classrooms, working out a curriculum, getting to know each other, getting the office to order the right supplies.



• The Wormhole Projectors on the Bus Go Pew Pew Pew
  The bus stops for Lofty Heights students are peppered throughout each of the cities. Parents and students alike are waiting there to be picked up.
  
  Once you're on the road, things seem normal... until a womrhole opens up. The bus goes right through it, and suddenly all you can see out the window is clouds below... and the massive floating school complex on the horizon.



• In-School Interaction
  Are you lost on your way to your next class? Having trouble getting your locker open? See a friend and want to chat? Or maybe there's a pack of Seniors on the pros wl for new students, looking to do a little bullying hazing.
  
  Or maybe you're already in the classroom, trying to wrangle your rowdy students — or, perhaps, you're a student trying to make sense of the current lesson.
  
  When lunch time rolls around, do you sit alone? Or do you spot a friend or acquaintance and sit with them?
  
  Anything that would make sense in the context of the school :D

Comments

Nico di Angelo | PJO/HOO/TOA (10th grade, but in remedial 9th Grade English)

[demigoth]

Bus Stop, Sunset Hills

[ It's rare to see someone outside of a protest or over the age of six using this particular tantrum tactic, but Nico di Angelo is fully throwing himself into the role of nonviolent resistance. As a result, he's being physically drug to the bus stop by a troll-sized truancy officer, who is making a lot of false promises about how he's going to make so many friends at his new school and, really, wouldn't he like it if those nasty skeletons stopped popping up when he didn't want them to. Nico says nothing and just hangs limply from the hands that have him by the armpits.

He's put on the bus last, scowling and attempting to cling to the door. His hand slips off quickly though, and he's shoved through, stumbling into the driver, who berates him before pulling away from the curb and through the portal. Nico staggers to the first empty seat and slumps into it, looking exhausted. He can't even manage to shadow travel off the bus - he threw so much into the lost cause of losing the meta truancy officer that he'd definitely land on the moon. ]

Boys bathroom, in between 2nd and 3rd period.

[ The new backpack is in the trashcan. If you walk past the end of the stalls to where the sinks are, you'll see one of the inward-tilting windows is open and wind is whistling against it. Nico is muttering to himself as he stands with one foot on the windowsill, one hand on the window, and one on the mirror above the sink. His other foot is in angled space of the open window, trying to kick out the screen. ]

Can't even find a dead bird; it's like they cleaned everything that ever lived off the grounds.

Lunch - CW: Potential for disordered eating

[ Trashcans are a theme for the day. Nico has gotten a tray full of ... slop in the cafeteria. He's put the Kool-Aid in his backpack, apparently finding that acceptable, and dumped the rest of the tray into the first trashcan he passes. Five seconds later, it's full of a mix of red and green flames, and Nico's mouth is moving silently.

School staff are there within seconds, and the fire is quickly put out. Nico can be heard arguing about religious rights, and there is a very heated discussion with a teacher that drags on for three minutes. Somehow, miraculously, he doesn't get hauled off in the direction of the principal's office. Instead, he's dragged back to lunch line, commandeered a tray, and marched to your table and told to sit. Which he does, staring angrily at the tray that's plopped in front of him. The teacher tells him to eat his lunch, make some friends, and that they will discuss traditional offering procedures later. In detention. When she's gone, Nico mimics her. ]

We'll discuss the offerings to the Greek pantheon in detention, Mr. di Angelo. Learn to say my name right, or don't say it.

Wildcard

Let me know if you want to do something. The only class he'll attend willing is Greek. The stupid teachers wouldn't let him take Italian.

Lunch

[qualityfriend]

[Dana doesn't look very enthusiastic about having a kid who just set a trash can on fire forced to join her table. But she has to respond.]

Was that actually an offering to the Greek pantheon, or an excuse?

[demigoth]

[ That makes two not very enthused people. Nico shrugs at the question. He’s half tempted to not say anything at all, but high school is seven hours of sitting in desks and desperately trying to look attentive. This lunch is the only “free” period he has. ]

Does it matter? Whatever I say, I’m the freak.

[qualityfriend]

Aren't we all the freaks here?

And I'd like to know if you know gods or if you're a random arsonist.

[demigoth]

You can be a freak among freaks.

[ He knows that’s true - even at Camp Halfblood, he stood out as a son of Hades.

But - she said know gods. Like she knows that the gods, plural, are real. It’s not something he hears outside of demigod circles - although admittedly, he doesn’t spend a lot of time with people. ]

It wasn’t for the whole pantheon. It was just for one. I thought if I gave him the whole tray, he’d get me out of here.

[qualityfriend]

That would be needlessly... mean.

Which god? The one most likely to get you out of here is Loki, since there are three of him. I'm not sure if any would appreciate school lunch, though.

[demigoth]

Loki’s a Norse god.

[ Okay, she doesn’t know anything. Stung by the disappointment and angry that he’d misunderstood and thought she might be… something, Nico gives her a cold smile. He’ll lean in hard on being the creepy kid all in black, now. At least he’s used to that feeling. ]

Hades. And he likes camp lunches just fine, so why not school lunches?

lunch

[thecoolerloki]

No god would've appreciated that offering anyways.

[The person seated across from Nico is a girl around his age, with bright green eyes and long black hair. Her clothes are slightly punkish, and she pulls what seems to be a freshly made plate of pancakes and bacon out of an X-Men lunchbox. Yay magic!

She also speaks with the All-tongue, which might default to ancient Greek for Nico. It's hard to say, though, with inter-pantheon relations.]

Let’s go with it defaults to Greek, that’s fun

[demigoth]

There was an apple and a pudding cup. That’s a solid tribute, where I’m from.

[ Nico answers her in kind, in Greek. Oh, but - how does she know ancient Greek? And how does she know that he knows ancient Greek?

She’s a demigod. Why doesn’t he know here? Is she new? Maybe she’s one of the lucky ones who only comes for the summer?

Maybe it’s Artemis with a new look. He… kinda hates that idea, but manages to keep from scowling before she turns him into a fox for a hunt. ]

Who are you?

[ He’s eying her lunch. The bacon doesn’t have that chalky, cold look. That’s probably a bad sign. ]

[thecoolerloki]

I guess.

[She'd prefer something like a freshly made milkshake, but it is technically possible that other gods have bad taste.]

I'm Serrure, Mr. di Angelo.

[And although her smile is always slightly mischievous, she's treating this like it's a completely ordinary lunchtime happening. Even as she pulls out a glass from her lunchbox and it promptly fills itself with orange juice. The magic is all spells prepared by Stephen, not Loki, but it's still pretty show-offy.]

[demigoth]

You can call me Nico.

[ Serrure? Nico doesn’t know any Serrure. It’s not Greek, or Latin.

Demigod, then. That’s a relief, although there’s still absolutely a chance he could get turned into a pig here. Nico watches the orange juice fill itself up with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. ]

You can do magic, or is that something else?

[ Who’s your godly parent still isn’t the nicest question to ask people. She doesn’t look older than sixteen - she might not even know yet. But Demeter’s not fond of Hades, and her daughter Meg McCaffrey is an entire army. He just wants to know if he’s going to get kicked in the shins and attacked by a Karpos if he upsets her. ]

[thecoolerloki]

Magic!

[Loki holds up her hands, which then are surrounded by a glowing green energy. It's the easiest way to answer the question rather than saying yes, but. Finally realizing Nico's been staring at her lunch-breakfast this whole time, she adds,]

Did you want any?

[demigoth]

[ Huh. That was easier than Nico thought it would be. Definitely one of the kids from the Hecate cabin, and nobody’s upset. He’ll have to remember Serrure. She’s okay. ]

Then how would I have room to eat this … food?

[ He indicates the plate that the teacher had left for him, dominated by its square of depressed-looking cafeteria “pizza” and bowl of ranch dressing which may or may not have lettuce-and-tomato salad underneath.

There’s a YooHoo box though. Nico starts freeing the straw to drink it. ]

The first tray was better, and this is how you know pudding cups are the upper echelon of lunch. The teacher didn’t give me another one.

Bathroom

[codicies]

[ Dylan's been enjoying his first day of school so far — but if someone's trying to leave, he's not gonna question it.

He walks into the bathroom and spots Nico trying to climb out the window. ]

I'm not sure that's gonna help if we're in the air, dude.

Have you tried faking sick and going to the nurse?

[demigoth]

[ Meep, says the look on Nico’s face, in the space between realizing someone’s in the bathroom and recognizing the other teen. He recovers quickly.

Nico looks back out the window. ]

There’s the sports fields and stuff. They have to keep the bus somewhere.

[ He doesn’t have a fully formed plan. “I’m out” is as far as it got. ]

The nurse’d try to get in touch with my guardian to send me home.

[codicies]

[ Dylan's eyebrows go up, but he doesn't question it — he knows what it's like not to want to go home, too, for a multitude of reasons. ]

Well, I can't fly or anything, so outside of faking sick I'm not sure I can help with escape.

But once school lets out... do you need somewhere else to crash for a while?

[demigoth]

[ He hops down to the floor. It’s a weird angle to have a conversation, and, if he stays in the window too long, he might be seen. ]

I guess escape would only be good for today anyway. I need something permanent.

[ Nico just doesn’t know what that IS. After the debacle at the boarding school, no one’s bothered trying to send him. He doesn’t like the attention the guilds and government give him, despite it being the bare minimum by ordinary standards. ]

Ah… no. I’m fine. I’ve got places to stay.

[codicies]

Okay, cool.

Sorry I can't help with busting out. But if you need anything, you can still text me.

[demigoth]

I can?

[ Forgive him. He’s still used to this whole “friends” things on a grander scale, especially when it doesn’t involve some element of force. You have to work with Nico because only he can balance a banana on his head. ]

I mean - yeah. You’re great with automatons in a fight.

Bus;

[anewtruth]

[Ciri can't do anything but stare with wide eyes at the absolute fit the boy is throwing. No matter how much she didn't want to go to her lessons, never in her life would she have acted like that, and she can't imagine what had possessed him.

She follows after him, eerily quiet after his tantrum, and stares at him as she passes by in her attempt to find a seat. She ends up behind him, and can't resist the urge to lean forward and around the back of the seat in front of her to hiss-whisper: ]

What that necessary?

[demigoth]

[ Nico turns to get a better look at who has to make their disapproval known, as if it's not obvious that he is probably not in the mood for this. He folds his arms over his chest and hisses back at her. ]

Yes, it was necessary. Maybe you're okay with being forced to go to a school that you don't need and don't know where it is, but I'm not.

[ Surly and unashamed. Nico would do it again - and will, tomorrow. ]

[anewtruth]

Well, it doesn't seem like they're giving you much choice. So why make such a scene?

[Look.
Look.

She's a Princess. Regardless of how far removed from that life she has become, those lessons of decorum...have a tendency to stick. ]

[demigoth]

[ Decorum is ... not really a part of his daily life anymore. It used to be, but he barely remembers those days thanks to getting his memories partly wiped in the River Styx. ]

Because I'm not going to let them do it without a fight. I might not have a choice, but they're going to work for it. Maybe they'll decide it's too much effort - I'm not bending first.

[ High school is war. ]

[anewtruth]

And if they don't decide that?

[She challenges, every inch of her defiant and playing something of a devil's advocate.]

You're just going to throw a strop everyday for no reason?

[demigoth]

[ Strop is unfamiliar, but he's heard stroppy before. Nico can figure it out from the context clues. ]

Yes, and you should too. They just decide that all the "metahuman" kids go to the secret school they're in charge of because nothing bad ever happens to kids with no parents at really strict schools?