Welcome.

[trustfellows]

Rise and shine. There are a few things that matter right now - the fact that you're waking up in an unfamiliar but decently comfortable bed, the fact that you don't recognize the room you're in, the fact that you seem to have some sort of headache... Nothing severe, mind. Just the sort of odd, heavy fuzziness that comes with having slept far too long. You don't really remember where you were immediately before this, not upon waking. Something will come to you eventually if you think long enough, however - a couple of seconds of consideration will bring to mind a place, a memory, a recollection of where you were and what you were doing. It probably wasn't anything that would result in you being here, though. Welcome to Graceside Preparatory Academy. You may want to pick up the key to your room before you leave the room, but don't worry too much - your door won't lock automatically, so you won't be locked out if you've forgotten to pick it up. It seems you're not alone, either; the hallway outside your room is most likely full of other confused people by now, and should you turn around to look at the door of the room you just left, you'll find a nameplate with your name printed on it. There's a single word underneath it with no explanation. This is your title, but don't worry about that right now. Depending on when you left your room there may be a clock chiming in the foyer up ahead. It seems like it's seven, though it's difficult to tell if it's seven in the morning or seven at night. There aren't any windows, after all. Should you venture into the room with the clock, you'll find that the only exit is closed - there's absolutely no way to break down that steel bulkhead. It looks like you're not getting out of here anytime soon. The foyer also holds some very interesting information. There's a bulletin board with thirty-five pictures on it. Beside each picture is some very specific and very familiar information. Feel free to examine it. The bulletin board is large enough for plenty of you to gather around and gawk. Don't try to get at it though, that glass in front of it is very thick. If you try to break it, you'll find out the hard way that it's shatterproof. Sorry about that. Perhaps even more of a concern than the glass is the list beside the profiles. It looks like a set of rules. You might want to examine those, though they're not providing much of an explanation for why you're here or how you got here. So relax and get to know your fellow Participants. You might be stuck here for awhile.

Comments

[destage]

[...is this just common, did this school have a surplus of americans, they do that, right--]

Ah...are you certain? It seems rather rude to be on a first name basis, when we've just met...and if you're a guardian spirit, that seems even more disrespectful...

[She's. Not sure?]

[spiritform]

Yes, I am quite certain.

[And if it still feels weird--]

After all-- "Maxwell" is not a last name either, in the way it is for humans. Maxwell is simply the name of the previous Lord of Spirits.

[Which. She took. Before killing him. And still uses now. Because that's what the humans know her as....]

[destage]

[...it takes a few seconds of pausing, and being a little discerning for a moment. But after that moment...]

So that's more like a title, than...an actual name. I think I get it now...Milla-san.

[Still, she'll bow her head in respect.]

[spiritform]

Yes, that is correct.

[She seems very pleased. But this event told her one thing. For some reason it's natural for her to call people by their last names. Which means...]

So if my understanding is correct, I should call you Maizono...san.

[She's trying to Japanese.]

[destage]

Ah...if you'd like! It's simply a matter of speaking, where I come from-- -san is an honorific used with those one first meets, out of respect for not knowing the person well yet. I wouldn't want to force you, though, if it's different where you come from.

[Still, she does seem happy to be understood, so she won't press the issue further if Milla has no wish to.

...that and she's basically a goddess?? She can do whatever the fuck she wants, it seems like it'd be rude to deny her that]

[spiritform]

No. If this is how you'd prefer to be addressed, then I would like to honor that.

[That's just the way Milla does things.]

I have never heard of these honorifics before. Do humans use them often?

[But she seems quite pleased to be learning now.]

[destage]

[...The smile Milla gets is softer, kinder than Sayaka's usual.]

Thank you...I appreciate that.

[Still, once that's out of the way--]

It depends on the country, but yes! I think...well, have you heard anyone using Mr. or Ms. or the like before? It's sort of like that--an indicator of how familiar you are with the person you're speaking to. There's different ones for superiors and the like too.