New Kids on Campus [Ambre/Alexis]

The door opened, revealing an almost completely bare room, empty of everything other than the very base essentials that the school provided. Ambre’s brow twitched slightly as she looked around, noting that it appeared that nobody had been in the room yet, judging by the lack of luggage or anything out of place, “Hmph, so much for living in the dormitory to be more sociable.” she muttered in French to herself. Up until now, she was convinced her father wanted her to live with a roommate to get her at a more flexible level of living with others, which would make them easier to understand. But without a roommate, all that it lead to was living in a cheaper apartment like some sort of plebeian. The idea of it having all been pointless certainly didn't amuse her.

However, the idea of perhaps not needing to live with someone would make up for that fact. Having a room all to herself would make this entire arrangement so much better, for the time being. Granted, she may miss out on all of the 'fun' activities that that type would typically do, but having all of this space to herself? Sure, it was a downgrade from her own room and she now needed to worry about neighbors, but it had way more upsides than downs. 

Letting out a sigh, Ambre closed the door after rolling her luggage bags into the room, setting it onto the bed that she would claim as her own for now. She took the time to truly examine her room up close. It was definitely organized decently, but everything here was so dull and bland that the heiress didn't want to look at it for long. Perhaps another reason she was sent here was to get her used to a life that wasn't all designer outfits and furniture, but Ambre certainly wouldn't figure that out for some time. And even when she did, it's doubtful that she would enjoy that little fact. The beds themselves were a bit stiff, but soft enough to sleep in; the bathroom was clean, but obviously used. Even the dressers and other furniture was decent, but have been used by a few girls before. 

Essentially, everything in this dorm was mediocre. And, by the heiress's standards, that means that everything here was useless and disgusting, "Terrible... everything is... terrible here!" she groaned out to herself, thankful that nobody was around to hear her make such unladylike complaints, "But... if I'm expected to live here, I may as well slowly get it into some functioning order to make it tolerable." she decided on with a nod. With that, she began to unpack her belongings, placing them on the bed. All of her lightly-colored clothing, her skirts, hats, and even her white undergarments were all to be laid out and neatly organized. It would be a difficult thing to get this place to her standard, but she had plenty of time to work towards that goal.

Any thoughts Ambre might be having about having the room to herself were about to be shattered by the fact that their enemy was making her way down the hall with her usual sense of good humor. Alexis hadn't been too keen on her exile, to be sure, but given that the choice of being shipped out of the country to another year of being crammed in a box full of people looking for some reason or another to provoke a rage which she hated being able to give in to, the idea of a bit of foreign adventuring became more and more attractive to her during the long flight. Her first worry had proven to be unfounded, as her Japanese had proven functional enough to get her from the airport all the way to the school.

Even the thought of a roommate wasn't all that daunting for her, even though it was something she would mainly expect from college life. The idea of going through the rest of high school on the buddy system did appeal to her, and maybe having someone she could get along with from the get go would make things just a bit easier, even though she had to banish the idea that it was unlikely that she and her roommate would be able to share clothes if needed.

When she arrived at the door of her room, she saw that it was closed, but unlocked- and given her hands were full at that moment, she took the most logical course and knocked on the door with her forehead to let whoever was in there know that someone was coming in before shifting her bags around in her hands so that she could open the door herself. She effortlessly tossed her heavy suitcases onto the bed that thankfully wasn't covered in her roommate's clothes, and placed her laptop carry bag on one of the desks, the large tags on her luggage showing her point of origin as America.

It was then that she actually took notice of her roommate, a girl as small and delicate as she herself was large and strong- but her demeanor wasn't dampened at all, helped by the fact that the other girl looked to be a Westerner as well, so she might even know English. She put on her biggest, brightest smile for the occasion, too. "Hey there! Name's Alexis Cooper, and looks like we'll be living together for the next year. Hope we can get along n' stuff." She went so far as to even hold out one of her hands to the other girl- no point in not going all in.

The quick knock on the door was the thing that alerted Ambre to her incoming roommate. That's who she assumed would be entering, at the very least; she had no idea who else it could possibly be. Her assumptions were proven to be true when a rather large, muscular girl entered and placed her bags on the bed that the French heiress hadn't claimed as her own. She didn't pay much attention to the girl other than a quick passing glance just when she entered. Afterall, it was unbecoming of a lady to stare at someone, even if they do look rather peculiar to her.

All things considered, her roommate was not someone that Ambre expected. She was obviously athletic at a glance, as well as noticeably western. Ambre was expected to being roomed with a much more prim and proper individual, but perhaps that was expecting too much. Afterall, she was in the dorms instead of having a private apartment, so the types that she were expecting would obviously have their own places to live. And she was going to need to get accustomed to this arrangement and make the most of it. Despite her earlier thoughts about living alone, she didn't think of having a roommate as a bad thing. She just hoped that they could get along and live in peace, at the very least. 

Perhaps it was wrong to judge, but the new girl looked rather intimidating due to their differing statures and builds. Which made it that much confusing when Alexis greeted her with a smile. Turning around, Ambre put on a polite, thin smile, nothing like the American's large one. Now in this position, Ambre allowed her eyes to wander about, examining the girl without making it seem as though she was staring. She was right: obviously athletic, but much more friendly than she originally thought. In addition to that, she lacked a certain grace in the way Alexis talked and gestured.

Reaching out her hand, Ambre took the girl's, but didn't shake it as Alexis may have expected. It was a gentle grasp that connected the two, followed by the French girl giving a polite curtsy, never letting that slight smile leave her face. Speaking in a slightly-accented English, "Ambre Fey, I'm quite pleased to meet you, Miss Cooper." she greeted her formally, as she felt she should, "I hope for the same in return." she finished as she returned to her original stance with some amount of elegance, "Now then, do not worry about me, we can get more acquainted as you get unpacked and relax after a long journey. Perhaps you'd like to sit down for a short time?" she suggested.

"Hey, sounds like a plan to me." She sat herself down and got to work on that sort of thing. She unzipped one of the bags she had dumped right on the bed, and started pulling out her own things, checking mainly to see that it's all accounted for. Bras, whose main virtues seemed to be comfort and structural soundness, soon followed by exercise clothes for summer and winter, sleepwear, and more things made for the comfort of that amazon of a schoolgirl in a t-shirt and cutoffs. It soon became clear that all that was being used as packing material for certain other things located at the center at that large suitcase- her bathroom mug, and carefully packaged sets of knives, spoons, and other culinary implements. "Yeah, I can't really get much legroom on a plane, not unless I had planned to take the chair in front of me and throw it overboard. Don't think the airline would like that, though." Alexis didn't seem to mind that she had been fairly obviously examined- perhaps she was used to people staring a bit. In fact Alexis didn't seem bothered by much at all, even the modest accommodations that they were sharing.

She also opened up her other suitcase soon enough, the thing being full of outerwear. Beachwear, her white winter coat, and just more of the kinds of things she'd wear over the things that were in the other suitcase, as well as the all-important tools of cleaning- soap, shampoo, and all of the implements related to keeping the girl hygienic. "And you don't need to call me miss- I'm not a teacher or anything. Just call me Alexis, Alex, or Lexi." She picked a small alarm clock out of her suitcase, setting it on the dresser near her bed. "Bah, I'm going to have to reset everything about this. Well that's what travel will do. So, what brings you to the other side of the world?". Alexis next pulled out a framed picture of she and her family at the beach- she's certainly the tallest one in the picture.

Ambre gave a delicate giggle at the larger girl's joke, putting a hand in front of her mouth as she did so to keep a sense of grace yet show that she did find the comment at least somewhat amusing. And although it may have seemed like a display simply to be courteous, she truly did find the joke funny; if anything she needed to ensure that she didn't overreact and burst out into laughter. And while it's doubtful that her roommate would have judged her for such an outburst, she couldn't allow herself to slip up even once. Once means that she could get used to the feeling of being at ease and therefore could do it on accident at a time where it wouldn't be acceptable. That idea in itself was something that she had to avoid at all costs.

Turning back towards her area, Ambre gave a slight nod, "Alexis it is then." before pausing to consider the girl's inquiries, "Education." was her response, followed by a more in-depth answer, "Which is what I had assumed that most girls would come here for; that and becoming a better artist. But seeing as I am not an artist, I do not have much to do in that category." she explained. Starting on her belongings once more, "Well then, may I ask a question in return then? Of course, if you feel as though I'm asking about private things that you would prefer to not speak of, you have no obligation to answer." she prefaced before continuing with that actual question, "May I ask what your purpose here is?"

It was a fairly simple question, but Ambre understood that some people would want to talk about their past or what they intend their future to be like. Afterall, she just met this girl and Alexis had no reason to tell this person she just meant anything. But, getting to know each other a bit more would be good for them, the French heiress believed as it could allow them to understand each other, if not make them some amount of friends. And if Alexis decides to not tell her, Ambre would understand that the taller girl is a bit more secretive about that subject; and that in itself is a good thing to know so that she does not touch on the subject sometime in the future.

Alexis wasn't going to judge anybody, at least not right now. It was pretty hard to be judgmental when one's numerous undergarments and other clothes were sprawled out around them on the same bed. All the same, she was glad she had herself a roommate who could laugh, at the very least. Things would be a whole lot more difficult for her if she wound up with someone who was all business, twenty four hours, seven days, double on weekends. She soon made some rudimentary attempt at organizing things, at least to the point where similar things were all together, so that removing the rest of her clothes and tools would not appear to be some kind of total bedlam in the meanwhile. She took the moment to take off her shows with just her feet, too as she got things together.

Still, once the girl responded, she did have enough attention to turn her blue eyes back on her partner. "Yeah? Well, maybe you just haven't discovered what you're good at yet. I knew it took me a few tries to discover what I actually liked to do." She thought for a moment as to how to answer her roommate's question. "I don't know that purpose is the best way to put it, but me and regular schooling didn't get along back home, for a few reasons." She pulled a few measuring cups out of one of the suitcases. "But it turns out that I was actually really good at something that I liked to do anyway- good enough to make myself the kind of student this place actually wanted to have, if you can imagine that, so I've managed to get myself into the Academy's culinary program. So, I got enough Japanese crammed into my head so that I didn't completely embarrass myself, and so here I am, five thousand miles from home."

She gave her big smile afterwards, and went back to pulling out her clothes- she seemed to have packed for all seasons, though from her piles she did have some hopes of going to the beach, or at least swimming somewhere- she eyed her dresser and closet, satisfied that she could make it all fit, before turning back to her roomie. "But hey, just coming up to this place made it look like the school for me."

Ambre considered her roommate's words quietly as she continued her meticulous activities, "Hm, I did not mean it like that. Whatever talents that I claim to have just don't involve the more artistic activities. Not painting, or cooking, or... and certainly not music." the French heiress explained, but her tone certainly didn't sound as though she was disappointed or discouraged because of her apparent lack of artistic ability. That is, except when the young girl mentioned music; then her tone turned slightly more resentful. But to what the bitter tone was towards was almost impossible to tell from just that sentence.

"My condolences, that sounds rather unfortunate." Ambre said, looking over her shoulder towards Alexis after she was told the American's condensed story, "But quite fortunate that you were accepted by this academy then. I'm sure you know, but that's partially what this school excels at." she stated with a nod, "And as for being out of place, you shouldn't worry, I think. Most people here seem to speak more than one language, typically English. However, if you find that the language barrier too much at the moment and have the desire to improve, it would not be hard to learn Japanese here of all places. In fact, I would not mind helping you myself, if you would prefer a more personal tutoring."

Following that, she returned Alexis's smile with a thin smile of her own, "It's quite an amazing school, given how it gives people such great chances that many wouldn't be able to get otherwise. In addition, the way they teach here is one of the best ways to learn such skills. So given time, I have no doubt that you could excel in your culinary endeavors, Alexis." It's doubtful that the American really needed to be uplifted at this point, but the heiress figured that saying something of the like certainly wouldn't hurt the girl's confidence; it may even make her feel a bit more relieved about being here.

Alexis went quiet for just a moment, taking that time to make a mental note to not ask Ambre about the whole music thing- seemed to be something she was sensitive about. She rolled her shoulders, though, and realized that her bed was getting somewhat crowded, what with everything that has been shoved on her bed. She took the time to step up and just dump a whole bunch of her underthings into the one of the drawers in her dresser, arranging it just enough so that it closes properly. She took a deep breath before getting back to her bed, having made room to sort things out as she sat herself back down.

As for that, she certainly had some response of her own. "I'm still kinda surprised that I got accepted." She paused a bit as she heard the offer,turning it over in her head. Getting help from a roomie did sound like a better deal than pestering a teacher about it. "Hey, sounds good. If I end up having any real trouble, I'll ask you to help me out. Probably wouldn't be a good idea to be a problem to too many people."

Apparently Alexis actually did need that kind of reassurance, or at least wanted some. Her muscles had apparently been quite tense for much of the conversation, but those words caused them to relax- Alexis did seem to be a rather physical person, so it only made sense to keep an eye on how her body reacted to what people around her were saying. "I don't know if I'll set the world on fire, but, yeah, I think able to get a whole lot from coming out here. Maybe I'll just plain be able to have some fun out here, too."

Finally, Ambre got to the point of organizing her belongings that she was content with their arrangement. Carefully, she began to place things away in whatever dresser drawer she assigned to whole whatever type of clothing or item that she may have decided. Bottom was, of course, for her legwear. The left side was for her skirts while the right was for shorts and the like; the skirt side has significantly more, interestingly enough. The second drawer was for her upper clothing; organized in such a way that her her undershirts and the like were on the right while the things she wears outwards is on the left. And finally, the final drawer contained her more private clothes, along with some of her beauty supplies that she brought with her from France.

With that, Ambre let out a very slight, almost undetectable, sigh of relief that she was done with that part. But now the problem was that she still needed something to busy herself with for the time being, "Hm, getting accepted in itself is something to be proud of. That means you had the talent, skill, or even the potential for someone to notice you and want you here. That fact is something that I feel someone should be more confident about whatever it may be that got them here." she explained her view as she began to slowly walk around the room, checking the condition of things such as the amount of dust build-up and even how off-center the placement of the furniture was.

Confidence was something that Ambre considered herself to know quite a bit about. This was because she was raised to always show that she was confident and that she knew what she was doing. Even for a moment, letting down that mask was unacceptable for her, "But of course, that's just my opinion about the subject." she stated as she continued her rather pointless task, "As for having fun, I've heard there's plenty to do around here. On campus, there's the music and theater buildings, if you enjoy watching people perform or are interested in doing that yourself. And then there's the sports and club areas which have more things to do in it than I know of." she listed off as she thought about the various places that she was told about as she arrived, "Outside of campus, there's the park and hot spring, if you like that sort of thing."