Blinking her violet eyes in the painfully bright light, despite the overcast day even, Tali reached into her satchel and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, human devices that were amazingly capable of reducing the glare and overall brightness of the surface world. Her parents, of course, would have flipped if they had been able to see her wearing such accessories. They had been the ones to insist upon her wearing something "becoming" on her first day back. The black dress she had chosen was relatively light, so she didn't get too warm in the bright sunlight, and adorned with a spider-web design. The spider necklace complimented the design perfectly. Personally, she couldn't wait to throw the dress into the back of her closet and forget about it.

The gate opened easily before her, a faint sense of magic emanating from the action. It was quite possible that the gate was enchanted to recognize those attending the school and open accordingly, though any remnants of a spell were long faded. Still, she found it fascinating, wishing that she had more time to study it and see if she could figure out the spell that had been used originally.

Upon entering the courtyard itself, she noticed two students sitting on a bench near the fountain. She recognized both immediately, relieved that they weren't people that had participated in the spreading of rumours last year concerning her powers. Most Drow were looked upon rather poorly as a whole, which was fair considering they were well known for their cruel and devious nature. Still, not all Drow were like that, and it was rather hard to go day to day with people whispering behind her back.

The bat on her shoulder, Bast, clicked a few times before jumping off and flying into the garden. The bond had adjusted his circadian clock to be a more diurnal creature, though he still preferred the night over the day. Right now, he was merely hungry, and had scented several types of fruit in the garden. He would probably end up roosting near her dorm afterwards, waiting until nighttime to spend much time flying.

As she approached the other two students, she noticed a bright spot of color on the fountain. She frowned a bit at the beautiful insect. The previous year, she had panicked upon seeing one and burned it to a crisp. It really hadn't been her fault. Anything that bright in the Twilight Forest was either incredibly poisonous or attached to something larger. Though she had been trying to keep people safe, they hadn't been very sparing with their ridicule. A part of her briefly wondered if either would remember the incident, but figured that they probably wouldn't. It hadn't been that big of a deal after all.

Courage failing her, she passed by the two without a word, merely nodding towards them. Speaking to people seemed to be the real challenge in the school. It always seemed so impossible to her that anyone could just walk up to a person they didn't know and talk to them. Where was the subtlety in that? It really made no sense in the first place. But people did it, and so she walked by, mentally kicking herself for her weakness.

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Walking through the gardens, Aduran stopped to speak to a peach tree, taking its fruit only after permission. Speaking and being in touch with nature was a gift that the elves with which the elves had been blessed, though it wasn't nearly as potent as a Dryad's ability. Still, it was nice to be able to communicate with a flower or a tree and gain an understanding of the simplicity of life; they had no concerns really, and it was rather liberating.

He was rather easy to spot among the foliage due to his white clothing. A simple robe that befit his station as a Druid-in-training among his people. It was ornamented with gold thread, but not overly so. The clouds in the sky muted the light and made the effect even less noticeable, while it would be rather resplendent on a bright and sunny afternoon. The only other thing he wore was his necklace shaped like the head of a stag. It was his totem animal, which offered him several abilities as a Druid through magic, such as increasing his speed for short bursts.

His hawk, Horus, followed behind rather closely, flitting from branch to branch nearby as it searched for it's typical prey: mice, lizards, and small insects. While Aduran was personally a vegetarian, as were most of his race due to their connection with nature, he understood that the natural order of animals was for the predator to hunt, and consume, the prey. There was a savage beauty in the circle.

His contemplation was interrupted by a brown streak flying towards the trees, which he recognized as Tali's companion. The two of them had a sort of rivalry, or at least that's what he thought. He had tried to be friendly before, but she had usually rebuffed his attempts with stony silence or the occasional shaking of the head. Warm was certainly not a word that described her at all.

Shrugging, he whistled to Horus, who chirped back and flew off in search of breakfast while he exited the garden, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. The first thing he saw was Adela and Iris sitting on a bench in front of a fountain. Iris was sketching a butterfly that sat on the fountain, a curiosity with the noise of the water. He walked up behind them with a smile, glad to have some company on the first day back.

"Hello there, Adela. Iris. How are you this morning? Did you enjoy your summer vacation?" he asked, smiling as he stepped around to the front. He offered his hand for a handshake. "That's a beautiful flower in your hair, Adela. It compliments you marvelously." Hopefully she would take the compliment as it was intended and not as a reason to leave. Her coldness towards others was as famous as Tali's.

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