Welcome to Montagnard!

The Sorting Ceremony was exciting if you weren't the one being sorted. She saw all the tense expressions on the eleven-year-olds' faces.

Serah remembered how uncomfortable she felt after being sorted. The cheers and applause were fantastic, but the lonliness crept over her when she sat down.

So at the end of her first year, she promised herself that she would make the classes below her feel comfortable and accepted. Starting with this one.

"Hi!" Serah greeted when everyone was finally sorted and the feast had been started. "Welcome to Montagnard! Are you guys excited?"

She felt awkward as she started speaking randomly. But an awkward silence amongst the first years seeemed like the perfect time to start speaking.

Serah briefly wondered where Fiona was. Wasn't it her job to be the welcome wagon?

Indigo wasn't a people person. She had never been around people enough to know how to react to all of the new things that had entered her life. She just wanted to crawl into a ball and find and never see anyone ever again. But she had no choice but to go to the Montagnard table after she was sorted. She took one look at it before a frown spread across her face. There were too many people. People could touch her or worse say hi. How could she deal with all of these new people? How was she supposed to adjust to all of this? There was no way she was comfortable with any of this but yet she was making her way towards the table.

She shook her head slightly as she got closer and closer. How could mother throw her into a world where there were strangers everywhere? She balled up her fists, her body was ever so slightly shaking. Breathe in, breathe out. Sit down. She slowly took a seat as far as she possibly could from other, which wasn't far at all since the table was so crowded. She was stuck between two people and she felt like a sandwich. She moved her plate out of her way then put her head on the table. "Peace be with me," she mumbled over and over.

Fiona watched the sorting ceremony and played a game of guess the house as she heard the answer each first year gave to the unheard question. That added to the game. What was the question? Her own sorting had been so long ago she couldn't recall what question she'd been asked. Though she did vaguely recall giving a confused answer. Must have been one tricky question.

The sorting was over with Fiona having gotten more guesses wrong than right and she fell into eating like those around her. She wasn't the sentimental type and thus didn't think back upon the lastness of anything. Her head came up slightly though at the mumblings coming from the first year seating awfully close to herself. "Excuse me?" she asked. "Are you having a spot of bother here? Maybe she scared you with her enthusiasm." Fiona waved her hand vaguely in Serah's direction. "Let me tell you there are people much scarier than her. My sister for example is a vampire."

Serah was beginning to get annoyed with Fiona. Serah liked her very much, but she felt very insignificant around her. Serah's class was the smallest one. Everyone was older or younger. Maybe that was what Seventh Years did. Belittle people.

Serah just sighed. She was also sick of Fiona calling Mabel a vampire. Yes. Mabel had a strong personality that clashed with others'. But calling your sister a bloodsucker was just cruel.

"Whatever," she mumbled. Maybe her goal would have to change from welcoming new students to putting jinxes and hexes on annoying people. That would probably be counter-productive in the fight to beat lonliness, though. Enthusiasm is better than being a stupid bitch, she thought.

Serah felt First Year Anxiety creeping over her again. She looked down at her hands and bit her lip before any words could come off her tongue. Not the time to embarrass yourself, she reminded herself.

Indigo hadn't meant to start any drama by keeping to herseld. She just didn't like people and it didn't matter who it was. It wasn't anything personal, she just was scared of people. She bit her bite has the girls talked. Don't look up, don't look up. But it was too late, she had already raised her head fro, the table. She turned her head so she was looking at one girl then turned her head so she was looking at the other. She held her breath for what seemed like forever until she slowly let it out.

"I have nothing against anyone," she said softly, she was hardly above a whisper. There was no way she could get her shaky voice to get any loud. "I'm sure you both are nice people, but I'm not big on making friends." She looked at her hands as she spoke. They were beginning to sweat and she was growing more nervous by the second. Get a grip.

Fiona smiled at the first year and shook her head. "Oh I'm not trying to make friends with you. I'm your prefect and thus it is my duty to make sure you have everything you need and know the rules." She nodded sagely. "Rule number one: Never enter the dungeons unaccompanied. It's very dangerous down there. Have you been told about the troll who lives down there yet?"

She paused to take a bite of her meal. Just a pause because Fiona hadn't finished yet. She'd only just begun. "Rule number two: Tuesday is hopping day. You have to hop from the Montagnard common room to the stairs. Cerisiers have their hopping day on Thursdays." She was finished for now but Fiona was sure she would find plenty more in her cauldron of wisdom to pull out to share. Mostly false but maybe she'll add in one little fact along the way.

"Fiona! Why the hell would you say that? That's not even funny. Or fair. Prefects are supposed to help people, not lie to them," Serah asked. What would possess someone to say something like that?

"Look," Serah said, looking at the first year. "Here's the deal: We don't do any crazy shit here. We go to class. No hopping is involved.  In fact, it would make more sense to crawl. I'm sorry that Montagnard's Prefect was of no help to you. Cerisier's Prefects will pick up the dropped ball, I promise," Serah finished.

Serah's goal to help people was going to start with correcting any lies that the older kids told. Pranks that involve others getting hurt were pranks to be avoided.

Serah's outburst was a shock.   Who would have thought a second year would dare to speak to a seventh year like that? Fiona stared at her with wide eyed amusement and ignored any twinge of guilt she might have had.  Her guilt in the pranks she'd played had been suppressed long ago.

She then shook her head at the second year in dismay.  "Dear.  Dear.  Dear.  Do you always take life so seriously?  Keep that up and you'll have an ulcer before the age of seventeen.  And she doesn't have to rely on a Cerisier prefect.  I'm not the only prefect in Montagnard.  Besides I'm sure our little first year here is smart enough to realise I'm only joking. You do no know that don't you?  Of course you do. Anyway, you'll be happy to know that I'm not the one who'll be showing you up to the commonroom.  Otherwise I may have a line of hoppers starting with myself.  My hopping abilities are dismal at best and it would not be a pretty sight."  

She chuckled and then returned to her meal.