[Serena Miller]

To say Serena was apprehensive about leaving home would be an understatement.  She was barely able to sleep at all the week before she was due to depart for the school, and was constantly making sure all her belongings were in order every few hours just to make sure she wasn't forgetting something, or that her little sister didn't try to steal or hide something just to mess with her.  Throughout the whole week, she was just so sure that something really bad was going to happen and she didn't know how to handle it.  She was also going to have to leave home for the first time in her life, and she didn't know how to handle that either.  The entire experience was just overwhelming.

Actually getting to the island didn't make her feel much better.  Everything was just so different.  The buildings were HUGE compared to the small buildings and houses in her town.  She always heard that cities had big buildings, and that these may not even be the biggest, but she never imagined that everything would be this big.  The fact that there were even bigger buildings in other parts of the world just seemed impossible.  The roads were also actually paved or made of stone.   The ground was hard as opposed to just dirt and grass like in her hometown.  If you went to the outskirts of town you might see some paved roads connecting it to the bigger cities in the region, but that was about it.  The ground just felt hard and unnatural.  The fact that she could actually see a good distance around her was weird too.  In her hometown, there were so many trees that you couldn't even see across the town despite it only being about a ten minute walk from one side to the other.  Granted, this place was still covered with buildings and people, so it's not like she could see indefinitely.

And oh there were so many people.  She was sure there were more people in the docking area than in her hometown, and she was sure the school would be just as bad.  They were all talking to each other, and moving, so it was just so loud!  She couldn't even hear the wind blowing let alone her own thoughts like this.  And they were all wearing brightly colored clothing and had colorful Pokemon following them.  All she could see was this haze of colors while her brain tried to process this situation.  It still just seemed impossible for this many people to be in one place!

The idea of coming here may have been overwhelming, but actually being here was even worse.  Her mind just couldn't process everything that was going on around it, there was just too much!  It just left her feeling dizzy.

After a little bit of bumbling with a receptionist so she could get her uniform and find her room, she made her way to her room.  The dorm living areas were crowded, just as she suspected.  The pathways to the rooms however, were fairly quiet.  It at least gave her brain some time to calm down and start processing everything that was happening.  Fortunately, her room was right at the front of the hallway, so it was nice and easy to find too.  Hugging her Growlithe close to her chest, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room was quiet and sparsely decorated.  That might bother her a little later, but for now it was a godsend.  Her head was pounding and she still couldn't see entirely straight.  Serena knew that she should just unpack now, but it wouldn't hurt too much to rest a little bit right?  For now she just slid all her bags under the bed so they would at least be out of the way, pulled out a brush, sat on the bed and started brushing her Growlithe.  As sad as it was to leave her Aerodactyl in her pokeball, it was the best thing to do for now.  She would likely just destroy the room with in minutes and Serena did not need another thing to deal with right now.

[Amelie van Hoof]

The cafe on the outskirts of the city was only a short walk from the building that housed the lava dorm. Amelie had spent her morning there, sipping on coffee and planning out every last detail of her first day as a student at Gray Haven Academy. The first few weeks would be the most dangerous, as her status as a new arrival would make her a minor center of attention.

Attention could mean scrutiny, and scrutiny could mean her unmasking as a member of Team Origin. That outcome would be unacceptable.

Once she was fully alert, Amelie set out for the lava dorm. Upon reaching the grounds, she headed straight for her assigned room. Her street clothes, consisting of dark-colored jeans and jacket, would be conspicuous among the academy uniforms, and she counted herself lucky to have avoided notice from any fellow students intent on giving her a warm welcome. The exchange with the receptionist was brief and unremarkable, and Amelie went onward without any unnecessary words. She had studied the floorplan of the dorm extensively, of course, and so she walked unerringly toward her target.

At the door to her room, Amelie hesitated for a moment. This would be the moment of truth. As the single person she'd be spending the most time with, her room-mate would be the one most at risk of observing a slip-up that could compromise the whole mission. Depending on the nature of the other girl who would be staying here, keeping her cover could be fairly easy... or extremely difficult.

Amelie took a deep breath. Her determination left no room for fear. In performing her duties for Team Origin, failure was not an option. She hefted her bag over her shoulder, banished the grim expression from her face, turned the doorknob, and entered the room.

[Serena Miller]

Relaxing in a quiet space was proving effective.  Her head was starting to clear a bit, she was feeling less dizzy, she felt like she could breathe again, and on top of all that her Growlithe was getting extra soft.  All of that reversed instantly the second she heard the doorknob to her room turning.  Serena had almost forgotten that she was going to have a room mate.  It was obvious she was going to just looking at the room, but even without that she remembered being told that at some point.  At first, she thought it would be nice to have one just so she wouldn't be alone, and while part of her still thought that, having to deal with a new person on top of a new city was just too much right now.  Her body stiffened, and for a moment she forgot to even breathe.  All she could do was stare at the door, anxious to see just who would come through it.  Natalia, noticing the sudden change in Serena's behavior, started growling at the door as though it was some kind of terrible monster that was getting ready to attack.

Seeing what was on the other side of the door didn't ease Serena's anxiety any.  She already knew that it would be another person, a girl probably relatively close to her age, so confirming that didn't actually change anything.  In the end, Serena was just too overwhelmed by her current situation to think straight, and on top of that she was already painfully shy, which just made her mind go completely blank.  For a moment, she just stared at the person with an expression that resembled a deer in headlights.  Fortunately, Natalia still seemed to think the door was the problem and continued glaring at it  menacingly rather than doing that to the person.

It took a moment for her mind to return to her enough to think about what she should be doing right now.  Well, she just met a new person, so what are people supposed to do when meeting a new person?  Just staring at them was definitely bad, so she had already messed up.  Serena quickly moved her eyes off of the new person and onto the ground, her face flushing slightly from embarrassment in how she already messed up a first impression.  Even if the situation probably couldn't be salvaged from such a terrible mistake, she should at least try to be polite so it doesn't get worse.  What else were people supposed to do when they met a new person?  Introduce themselves?  Ask about the other person?  Both of those seemed like reasonable things to do here.

"Oh, um..." Serena's eyes momentarily returned to the newcomer, only to dart away again.  "My name is um...Serena.  It's nice to meet you."  There was a slight pause as she pulled her Growlithe closer to her chest yet again.  "Um, I-I suppose you'll be staying in this room too?"

[Amelie van Hoof]

Amelie focused her attention on the other girl immediately upon entering the room. She quickly took in the most relevant details: highly submissive body language, not a very athletic figure, dependent behavior toward her Pokemon... all in all, a fundamentally nonthreatening appearance. In other circumstances, Amelie would generally find these mannerisms annoying, but in light of her fears of an overly outgoing room mate, this looked promising.

As she closed the door behind her, Amelie put on her most kindly expression and voice. "Likewise, Serena. My name's Amelie. My family lives just on the other side of the city, but I imagine I'll be staying here most of the time."

Amelie set her bag in the corner for later sorting and began to examine the room, but the Growlithe's growling quickly broke her concentration. Amelie adjusted her glasses as she turned to look at the Pokemon on the other girl's lap.

"That's quite a... spirited Pokemon you have there. Is she alright?" Amelie kept the disapproval out of her tone as best she was able. Being affectionate with one's Pokemon was fine as far as personal quirks go, but combined with poor discipline, it was just pathetic. She had to remind herself that this was a minor annoyance when compared with who else she could have been paired with.

[Serena Miller]

"Oh, it must be nice that they live so close. Mine live pretty far away, so I won't get to see them for awhile..." Serena looked down. "Oh, um...not that I'm unhappy to be here or anything. Everything seems um...f-fun? I've just never been this far away from home before."

Part of her was sad about being so far away from the rest of her family, but another part of her considered it a bit of a blessing. At the very least, it meant she didn't have to deal with her mom's episodes for awhile. In the end, she still missed them a lot and she hadn't even been away from home for a day yet. Serena didn't want to seem too sad about that though. Really, she just didn't want to seem sad at all, if only because it spoiled the mood and had a tendency to make everyone else sad too. Really, she didn't want to seem so nervous either, but that was a bit harder to hide.

Her shoulders slumped a bit more when Amelie mentioned Natalia's strange behavior. Not even five minutes had passed since their initial meeting and she was already messing up so many things. She didn't mean to bother her so much, and it was obvious that she found her Growlithe annoying.

"O-Oh no, she's fine um...she's just um...a little over protective sometimes." Serena gently patted her Growlithe's head and spoke softly to it. "Um, it's okay, it's just a door alright? It's not going to hurt me unless I open it in my face, and even then that'd be my fault, not the door's."

Natalia still looked suspicious because of what the door managed to do to her body language, but she was at least content to sit down and just glare at it to ensure that the door would not cause any future problems. She would definitely be ready if that door made any sudden moves.

[Amelie van Hoof]

So, Serena was unlikely to have any associates in the area. That would be a mixed blessing. On one hand, it would mean that she'd be hanging around the dorm more and quite possibly be devoting more attention to Amelie herself. On the other, this could present some interesting opportunities...

"Oh, you're new to Mavro City? You should let me show you around!" Amelie's enthusiasm was only partially faked. Shopping for its own sake wasn't something that appealed to her, but she always felt most comfortable lost in the city crowds, and there were a few secluded hangouts that served well as places to be alone with her thoughts. Going out with Serena would no doubt be less enjoyable than going by herself, but it could prove illuminating in its own right.

As Amelie spoke, she began unpacking her things. Aside from the essentials and a few private belongings she kept tucked away in her jacket, Amelie's only belongings of note were her books. It was an impressive collection of practical studies on the subject of Pokemon abilities, but she handled them carelessly as she stacked them near the door. A glance toward Serena's side of the room revealed that the other girl hadn't unpacked yet, and faint disappointment showed on Amelie's face. Well, there would be plenty of time to analyze her things later.

[Serena Miller]

"Um, yeah I just moved here, and um...That would be really great!  Um, where do you like to go?  Oh, and um, when should we go out?"

Serena wasn't sure how she felt about going back outside again so soon.  She was still feeling a little dizzy, and was still more anxious than she felt like she should be, just dealing with one person.  Going back out into the crowds and the noise just didn't seem like a good idea just yet.  Hopefully she wouldn't have to think of an excuse to avoid it.  Especially when Amelie was being so nice and offering to do that.

Serena tilted her head and leaned forward when she got a good look at the books Amelie was unpacking.  She wasn't staring because she thought it was weird or bad, but rather because she curious about them.  There were so many too, it must have been a subject she was really interested in.

"Oh!  I wasn't sure how many people outside my hometown used their pokemon for anything besides, um...the usual things.  My hometown is very um...simple? so people use their pokemon for just about everything.  Sometimes I'm surprised that anywhere in that place even has electricity."

[Amelie van Hoof]

"Let's go out this evening," Amelie replied. "You'll see for yourself what it's like." With a glance at the other girl's Growlithe, she took the volume on fire-type abilities from the middle of the stack and sat on her bed. She cracked it open, intending to signal to Serena that she wasn't inclined toward any more inane chatter until their outing that night, but the change in subject caught her attention. Amelie leaned forward, her forearms resting across the book's pages.

"The way Pokemon are used is very different in the... hm, more civilized world. Most practical niches they could be turned toward are instead filled by technology. Using them for anything but companionship and dueling is comparatively rare." Amelie's expression was thoughtful. "Some things would be a great deal more efficient if we had less compunctions about harnessing their power on an industrial scale. Of course, even for an individual trainer, it can be advantageous to put one's Pokemon to work. Using Pokemon to transport oneself is quite well-accepted, for example."

[Serena Miller]

Serena nodded at Amelie's suggestion about when to go.  "Yeah, that sounds great.  Maybe we can find some good food while we're out there.  I've been curious about what kinds of food exist out here."  She smiled slightly, but then her eyes widened a bit and she put her hands up when she realized she made a terrible mistake in her wording.  "O-Oh, though I wouldn't expect you to cover it.  I-I have enough money that I should be able to pay for us both!"

Hopefully that would be enough to make up for her little slip-up.  It was terribly rude to even slightly imply that she was expecting some kind of special treatment on top of the special treatment she was already getting.  Serena was glad she was content to wait until the evening though.  That should hopefully give her enough time to adjust to everything.  Even now she was already starting to feel a little better.  Talking to Amelie was starting to feel more comfortable.  The fact that they were already going to go out in the evening meant she no longer had to use the fact that she hadn't unpacked yet as an excuse to not go just yet, thus making it safe to unpack right now.

Serena didn't bring too much in terms of personal belongings because she didn't really have that much to begin with.  She brought most of her clothes, which was probably overkill for something like this, but she wanted to be prepared.  Most of them were in light pastels, especially pinks and yellows, but there were several blues and purples there as well, and the vast majority were very frilly and girly and didn't really suit her at all, much like the yellow sundress she was wearing right now.  There were a few sets of clothes that were a bit sturdier and more meant for running around outside and camping, but there were very few of them.  Along with that, she had a few pairs of shoes, most of which were again very girly and didn't really suit her, though she had a pair of hiking boots and knee length boots, one for rocky terrain and one for wetter terrains. 

After fishing everything out from under the bed, and putting her clothes away, she just slid the folded up tent and other camping gear back under the bed, along with the small black box that held her bow and quiver.  She wouldn't need it most of the time, and there wasn't really a more appropriate place for it.  Even if it was a little improper to store something under a bed, that honestly seemed like the most appropriate place for this to her.  A few of the smaller things that could be useful elsewhere, like the water bottle and small compass, she just set on the desk near her bed.  Beyond that, she only had a few odds and ends like Pokemon food, treats her Pokemon liked and a few materials for writing letters back home.

As she organized her things, she continued to speak to Amelie.  "I wonder why.  They can do so many useful things, and so many things that humans just can't.  They're much better at building buildings or carrying heavy objects, and can even heat up food better than any oven I've ever seen.  They don't seem to mind any more than a human would either, and it doesn't seem mean at all to expect your Pokemon family members to do anything you would do yourself."

Serena wasn't quite sure what Amelie meant about 'civilized society' exactly.  Her hometown was perfectly civilized, they just did things a little differently from her understanding.  While she wouldn't go as far as to call them Amish, there were some similar ideas there.  Everyone that lived there were just really good Pokemon trainers, so using Pokemon became a usual part of every day life.  She was pretty sure they even powered the one power plant in the town, so they were even responsible for what little technology they did use in the end.  That didn't seem any less civilized than anywhere else though.  The comment embarrassed her a little bit, but she was content to let it go.

[Amelie van Hoof]

Amelie was taken aback at how determined Serena was to pay for their outing, but she wasn't inclined to complain. Petty thievery was more than sufficient to pay for Amelie's basic needs, and any unneeded money could be dead dropped to contribute to Team Origin's funding. It was was an insignificant fraction of the organization's total budget, of course, but she was proud to help out however she could. Amelie wondered how Serena would feel if she knew that her generosity would contribute to the funding of Team Origin.

As Serena unpacked her things, Amelie watched with interest. The things she could see weren't especially surprising. Plenty of outdoor gear, fitting for someone who lived out in the middle of nowhere. Pokemon treats, fitting for someone who spoiled her Pokemon. Some things which were packaged so that Amelie couldn't identify them, which was momentarily disappointing, but it wasn't like she couldn't sneak a glimpse at them sometime while Serena was out and about.

The other girl's perspective on using Pokemon for labor was interesting, but not enough so for Amelie to dig deeper at the moment. Cooking and building were all well and good for surviving outside a city, but the applications Amelie was interested in were entirely more... destructive.

"I've read as much," Amelie was content to reply. "Though I haven't had an opportunity to try those methods myself." Then, after a moment's thought, "If you like, feel free to borrow any of my books and compare the contents with your experience. I'd be very interested to hear if either has something the other lacks." For all that Amelie was loathe to risk someone losing or damaging one of her books, the possibility of getting a useful new perspective on things was worth it.

[Serena Miller]

Serena just blinked a few times and stared in Amelie's direction, though not directly at her this time.  For a moment, she was just stunned, not sure if she hears right or not.  She was actually letting Serena touch her stuff, without the expectation of cleaning up the room or something similar?  No one at home ever let her do that.  Her mother in particular would throw a fit if she ever found out Serena looked in one of her books, or even touched the dishes when she wasn't supposed to.  Her siblings were a little less possessive if she was reading the situation right, but it was always a good way to get her in trouble and they took advantage of that.  Even her father was wary of letting any of the children touch his things, granted most of the things that were exclusively his, and not shared between him and her mother (thus belonging to her mother) were fairly dangerous.  Once her surprise subsided, she nodded, a little more enthusiastically than usual, with a wide smile on her face.

"Y-Yeah!  I'll definitely do that.  Um...thank you so much!"

The gesture meant more to Serena than any person would likely expect.  Not only did this person actually want to talk to her, but she was trusting her with something too.  The fear of messing up and accidentally damaging the books in any way, or coming to any wrong conclusions still entered her mind, but in the end she knew she couldn't let this person down.  She would have to fight through it.