The Moon Shall Never Have Them

[Carillus]

It was nearing dusk when the car arrived.

With a solid 'click', the car door opened, and she stepped out.

Bang. The door closed behind her. Before long, the black sedan was gone, slipping swiftly and silently off down the road.

She padded noiselessly up the slight slope to the entrance of the dormitory. In the orange glow of the setting sun, one could just make out a bit of a glimmer on the surface of her pale skin.

The counter girl wordlessly passed her the key. The institution had been around for a long time, and the ones with the deep scarlet eyes had been enrolled for an equally lengthy period. It came as no surprise that the staff knew which key belonged to who.

Of course, the head of the house had requested his latest school-going descendant be treated equally as everyone else. She had no problem with that; she rather much preferred it be so.

The stairs were inviting; Lucetia had no luggage on her.

Pad. Pad. Pad. Booties made no sound on stairs.

Room 0308. She put the key in the lock, and entered. Instantly, a dull musk from a room left unused enveloped her. She wrinkled her nose slightly, and made to open the windows.

Her various implements had already been brought into the room. That was one thing good about being a long-time customer - you knew all the services inside-out.

She sat down on the bed, wrapping the sheets around her, and looked out of the window that opened out to the school's huge garden.

Well, not much to do here. I should probably head down to the lounge.

And so she did.

[Carillus]

The moon was already rising in the sky when she got back to her room.

She glanced out the window. The light from the oversized satellite filtered in, a giant half-lit orb floating in the sky.

She knew that the moon she saw was not what everyone else did; her own moon was many times the size of theirs, an alien intruding upon the dark night. Even now, its girth took up one-eighth of the visible night sky.

There she sat, staring at the moon as she took in its invigorating rays, her eyes slowly returning to the bright scarlet they once possessed. The moonlight filtered off her pale skin, rendering her as if a ghost, a feather, a fragile glass sitting delicately atop the soft folds of the bed, infinitely delicate in its matter.

One who saw a vampire in the process of reenergisation under the moonlight would certainly be captivated by the beauty of it - but it was a strictly private matter, and walking in on one would be equivalent to a male human walking in on a female public bath.

She opened her mouth slightly, taking in a small breath of air, feeling the refreshing taste of moon-drenched oxygen upon the tip of her tongue. She sighed contentedly, and at once became a child, nestling deep in its mother's warm embrace, throwing away the worries and concerns of the unforgiving, harsh world.

And then it was over. She stood briskly, and turned on the artificial light in the room. The harsh fluorescence flickered into being.

The announcement to report at eight in the main lobby came over the speaker. She decided to bring her gilded silver cross with her - then maybe that Aspirant will get off my back - and headed back out the door.

As she closed it, she flicked off the light switch, gave one last glance at the rising moon, and took off down the hallway. The soft "pad, pad" of booties was nigh inaudible upon the carpeted floor.

[[OoC: Will be off for ten days looking at artwork in museums. Have fun in the meantime, y'all.]]

[Carillus]

Morning.

The light streamed in through the windows.

A restful night. Lucetia had gotten through it without much complaint. The year ones, barely knowing each other, had retreated to their havens - their rooms - and had quickly settled in for the night.

The night had been silent. Nothing but the diffused light of the moon that hung, precariously, in the sky. A beautiful night.

A soft rustle. The light day curtains that surrounded her four-poster fluttered slightly in the wind. She tied them back swiftly with experienced hands, and dressed.

The school uniform. A nostalgic feeling - how many years ago had her last school session been? The periods of home schooling in between felt abjectly cumbersome, lacking the sense of freedom that peers and not elders brought with them.

She put it on leisurely. The shirt, its cuffs reaching down to her wrists. One, two buttons. Skirt. There was a belt - uncommon, but a welcome addition. She replaced it with her a own - a subdued gold-plated affair. The patent leather felt comforting and soft in her hands.

This skirt - perhaps it was too short? ...Never mind. School conventions. The edge of the pleats barely reached two-thirds of the way down her thighs.

The necktie. A swift double butterfly loop settled it. The length of ribbon, perhaps, might allow for some fancy knotting skills - but on her first day a standard might suffice.

Blazer and shoes. Her normal half-knee socks would suffice.

...Early. The flag ceremony would only start in about an hour.

Picking up the leatherette briefcase that sat expectantly on the desk, she softly opened the door and headed down toward the dormitory lounge for breakfast. Perhaps a bit of coffee and the papers before school was a good idea.