In the Beginning [Lara][Mildy Open, PM to join!]

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It was a very stormy afternoon in Gotham City. The sky had been blotted out by a thicker than usual clouds of grey and the wind was blowing in hard, forceful, gusts like someone was earnestly trying to blow out trick candles. The rain made the whole city smell like fish and stale oil. And Lulu Saint, a 14 year old student, would much rather be out in the rain than doing boring math problems in here.
 
Here was the Gotham State University Library.

Just a moment ago, she had been standing in the rain in front of this building in awe. Lulu had never seen a library so big and elegant before! She recognized similar architecture found in other buildings around Gotham. Did that mean they were all built by the same person? Or was it just the style that use to be popular here at the time of them being built? She didn't care enough to research that but she did like the uniformity of it all.

Before she was standing here, Lulu had been walking through the campus to find this place. This place made her feel so small and out of place, well...more so than usual, anyway. The buildings on this campus made her school look like some cheap offbrand knock off. She had seen some other kids in St Swithun's uniforms but none of them appeared to be going her way.

Lulu wished she could have changed out of her uniform but didn't have time (she also wished she had a pair of rainboots because she shoes were feeling soggy and gross) and she had used her hoodie to protect her school books from the rain leaving her hair exposed to the rain. The binding agent in her hair gel had begun to dissolve to now her ridiculous upright pigtails were sagging looking more like horns than the bat ears they were intended to be.

As she entered the building, her brain was buzzing with all the things she wanted to do here but then she remembered why she was here and her mood quickly soured.

On one hand, being enrolled in a program like this was proof that she did it--That Lulu had achieved her goal of staying in Gotham! She was on the enrollment list for next semester and now she just had to make sure she could pay the tuition when it was due. The more scholarships the better but she was having trouble connecting doing homework with better grades with more scholarships. Her poor grades weren't the only reason she was here. There was, ah....
 
An unfortunate “accident” where another student ended up with a broken leg. Was it Lulu's fault the girl landed funny on her leg and not her butt like a normal person? No, hardly. But she did, mostly, cause the incident and this was a proper punishment for her.

It felt good to get the punishments one deserved.  Lulu made a rather loud exhaling sound like a pooOf  (that caused the librarian at the front desk to look up) as she adjusted the scarf around her neck, double checking that it was covering all of her neck. She would have to get a warmer, more securely covering scarf. The wind of Gotham was truly a new experience for her.
Where she use to live it never got this windy, or this cool so early in the fall season.

Lulu looked blearily into the library, her eyes adjusting to the light. The entranceway was just as beautiful and the whole place looked bigger than the outside. The place smelled like wood varnish and book dust.

A wry grin was on her face, the rest of which looked appropriately concerned because she had no idea where in this building she was suppose to meet her program buddy. This whole thing was set up for "troubled youths" of Gotham to be paired up with successful college students in order to prevent teens from joining gangs or something like that, Lulu had stopped listening to the seminar she was forced to attend.  

[Lara Allen-Benedetti]

Lara was used to wake up late, but not anymore after the army's training. The alarm clock played the radio and she pushed the button one second after it started. The woman should use her time wiser, because of her work she couldn't sleep for several nights so when she had some spare time she should use it. However she didn't sleep much even because of the school program she started, that was a new thing and Lara was a little nervous about it.

She was looking her reflection on the mirror, her cheek had a red bruise and a scratch under her right eye. She hated using make up, but she had to. Bruises and scratches must be hidden. Luckily, she knew how to use natural make up, but that was all, if she hadn't to hide anything then she wouldn't use it. Lara got ready, a white shirt and black trousers with comfy shoes, looked like male attire and maybe the shirt was his uncle's, but who cares.

Lara didn't live at the university, but at her uncle's house so she ran off on the street with an arm up asking for a taxi...then started raining. Perfect. Why didn't I pick the umbrella up? she asked herself while the rain started spilling on her hair and on her Columbo's raincoat, at least her make up was waterproof Taxi...!! she yelled again, a cab stopped but it didn't pick her up, instead it picked up a woman near her Wait...what...?! she sighed. However she couldn't wait anymore so she started running towards the university.

Running. It came to handy even now, with the rain and the school bag on her head for protecting it from the water, at least her raincoat did its job, thank you Columbo.

She arrived at the university, finally, it was half empty because was Sunday morning, maybe most of the students were still in the dormitories. Mhh, sleeping, Lara needed a coffee. She took one and entered in the library, but the librarian gave her a glare looking at the coffee and pointed to a plaque "No drink/food allowed" Lara nodded knowing it and drank his coffee in a quick sip, coughed and throw the cup away.

The raincoat was wet and it was dripping on the library's carpet, another glare, Lara sighed and took it off and put it on the coat rack with others. The librarian had stopped looking at her and so Lara start searching for...the name was Lulu Saint. Okay...Lara kept looking until she found her Hi! Lara smiled I'm sorry for making you wait for me...I couldn't find a taxi and I don't have a car so... she shook her head ...doesn't matter...ehm...I am Lara Allen-Benedetti she liked having her both parents' surnames You are Lulu Saint, right? Lara had a picture of her, the school sent it.

Lara smiled again and pointed to an empty table We can go there, so, do you like here? she asked while walking towards the table. Lara observed Lulu a little better, Lara didn't make any comment and she hadn't any, nothing was wrong with Lulu, but the appearance could be deceiving after all. Lara knew it too well.

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The librarian was watching Lulu out of the corners of her eyes but the girl fully intended to stand in the entrance way until her person found her--its not like she was obstructing foot traffic since there wasn't any--that is until she got bored of standing there.

By the time Lara found her, Lulu had plundered the ground floor of its local urban legend books (which were set up on various displays likely for the interest of tourists as anyone who had grown up in Gotham was probably tired of them by the time they reached college age. The Gotham State University library was a public (for anyone who could get passed the campus security) library after all so it needed to cover both the students and the tourists needs.)

Hearing a "Hi" that felt directed at her Lulu teetered out of the bookshelves with her arms full of books as though her hip bone had been replaced with a round balljoint and the only thing keeping her from bobbling completely about was the weight of the books.

She simply nodded as the older student rattled off the short list of excuses.


'You should be sorry,' Lulu thought, doubting that this person was qualified to tutor her if she couldn't even be here on time. But even while she was thinking that her stomach felt fluttery and she was struggling keeping the corners of her mouth down. She had been practicing all day long in her head how she was going to introduce herself and what conversations they were going to have. Lulu wanted so very much for this person to like her. On some subconscious level, Lulu knew it would be nice, and necessary, to have someone to trust and rely on but...she would be just fine if this older student wasn't going to be that for her. Lulu was always just fine., anyway

"Oui, bonjour! This is me ❤," Lulu spoke in a baby voice, the kind very little kids use, "Uh..."

Lulu's gaze followed to where Lara was pointing. More nodding.

"Lara-beara-beara~" She said in a singsong voice, following the older student in a toddling sort of walk. She used this time to look over Lara better. Lara was athletic looking, the clothes she was wearing could not conceal the springyness about her. She was attractive in a run of the mill mainstream fashion magazine cover sort of way, which Lulu found frightfully boring but Lara's name was nice and cute. Lulu had spent an entire spring memorizing as many names and their meanings as possible, "Our names are very similar~"

In sound only. Lulu didn't feel like talking about names right now. She dropped the books she was carrying on the table, creating a huge noise like a sound bomb had gone off in the practically dead library, and then carefully stacked them back up again with a curious care.

Once she was done, Lulu sat down. The back of the chair was a whole head taller than her.

"Huhm," She sounded surprised that she was being addressed again, "I like the busy people and the push carts of food and your tall buildings," Lulu was using a heavy fake French accent that American's seemed to enjoy and the way she held out her vowels and gave a half pause before speaking her words suggested that she had a very tentative grasp on the English language, "Oh! They are my tall buildings now, too! I am, erm," She looked to Lara for assistance, "Wrapped up in the care system?" She knew she was bottom priority in the foster care system, she was older and the school provided shelter, food and allowance for its students, "I hope to stay for a very long time."

[Lara Allen-Benedetti]

Lara saw the girl's endurance, but Lulu was right to be a little annoyed about Lara's delay and Allen was annoyed about the delay herself too. Lara was supposed to be a responsable adult for this girl and the things weren't starting well at all. Well, Lulu was a nice girl at least, but some of Lara's students talked about their program and their guys to help saying that they weren't so nice so Lara felt lucky, however she wondered if Lulu was lucky to have her.

Lulu was carrying some books, Lara tried to help her, but the girl did by herself. Lara felt incompetent again. When the books made that loud noise, Lara looked around and smiled at the gazes as saying she was sorry, rightly nobody looked bad at Lulu because Lara was responsible for her now.

However, Lara made another kind of smile when Lulu sang her name. Lulu had a france accent while Lara had an italian one "So cosmopolitan" Lara thought sarcastically. Lara liked Lulu already "Oh, really? Are they? How?" she asked Lulu about their names "Your name is a nice one too" Lara said nodding and she sat down at the table, the schoolbag hanged at her chair.

Allen moved her head to see Lulu behind the books "I like the tall buildings too" a smile on Lara's face, these were true smiles and not fake ones. Lara was smiling so much because this situation wasn't so bad, she thought about this a lot and every scenario ended up badly, but luckily the real scenario was a lot better, unluckily Lara's incompetence was real too.

However, Lara's face made a serious expression when Lulu asked about the system, seemed that she was really worried about that "If you are here means that you are in the system already" a frown appeared on Lara's face "However, I don't know about the shelter, you have a house and a family" she tried to explain. While talking, Lara was looking at her phone where there was a document on the display "Here says like this" she turned the document off "You can stay in the program" she replied.

Lara pointed to the books asking if she could see them "So..." she nodded "...where do you like to start?" they had to do homework and stuff. While talking, Lara always gesticulated without even realizing, but her movements weren't nonsense, they always went with what she was saying, it was strange sometimes, but she did like this. From her gesticulation someone could see more about what Lara said.

However, Lara was careless and when she moved her hands, one of them hit some of the books that fell down on the floor making more noises. Lara got other annoyed gazes. She sighed and took the books from the floor and put the on the table. Another noise came through the library, it was a thunder. Outside the weather was orrible, the rain was too strong and the students could hear the rain's noise against the windows. Lara liked that noise.

Allen took out a notebook from her bag, a new one, she needed to write things down like schedules and things, "Oh no" she said when she opened the notebook, it was all stained, the pen inside broke. Lara watched Lulu and looked away right after. Lara was ashamed, she wasn't doing a fine job right now. Yes, this was the first time, but still.