The surface of the lake was covered in leaves - mostly brown, but some bright shades of orange and red. She hadn't been in Japan very long, but Khepri was starting to think that fall was her favorite season. The colors reflected off the blue surface of the lake, making an image that looked like it came straight out of a painting. The air was cool, but not too cold to make her stay inside. Regardless, Khepri had made sure to bundle herself in a sweatshirt. She was still getting used to any weather that wasn't blazing hot in the middle of a desert. 

Inhaling deeply, she appreciated how the air smelt in the fall. Like falling leaves, and sometimes like a bonfire. That was rare around here though, as she assumed it was probably against the rules to start a fire outside. The grass was cool on her bare legs, and she gathered her skirt up so it wouldn't dip into the lake. Leaning forward, she dipped her finger in, making fine ripples on the surface of the water. The previous crystal clear reflections became warped, and she watched them until the water stopped moving. 

It was truly a relaxing day. The perfect way to spend her weekend afternoon. Khepri had some trouble connecting with the girls here, and many of them were too afraid of talking to a foreigner to even approach her. She hadn't seen Hathor at all since their run in back in the bathhouse. Because of this, she had quickly given up trying to make friends with anyone here - not that there was much priority there anyway. It could be a little lonely sometimes, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and most of the people here annoyed her with how peppy they could be. So, she chose to keep by herself. and moments like this of enjoying the serenity of the lake made it worth it. 

This was actually going to be her first true fall.  Sure, the season had always existed.  But, she was more used to the milder forms of the seasons in California.  Not that Charlie had any doubts of her ability to adapt.  She would just have to make sure she bundled up when the temptures started to drop.  And kept on dropping.  Hey, at least she had the chance to look cool in a leather jacket, so that had to count for something, right?

As things stood, she could still get away with donning a flannel shirt and some jeans.  Things were cooler, but no colder than your average night out on the ranch.  Boots crunched along the leaves, creating a slightly unfamiliar sound, as she took in a stroll.  Eventually, she would have to pack in the old cowboy boots.  The thought sent shivers up her spine, but it beat actually cracking her spine should she take a spill on some pavement.  Or bump her head and gain yet another annoying little personality fragment.  One was more the enough.

But, the old boots were not known for their traction.  She'd have to do something about that...eventually.  Today, however, she didn't have a care in the world.  She just left her hands in her pockets as she hummed a little tune to herself.  If her memory served her correctly, she should be arriving at the lake at some point.  one thing she did have to admit, was that the change in scenery was pretty nice.  There were more than a few things she still had to get used to, but the campus had certainly lived up to it's reputation for being a beautiful place.

When she did reach the lake, Charlie was quick to discover that she had not been the only person who had this destination in mind.  Another girl with foreign features was already seated by the water.

'Well, guess it's safe to say I ain't the only fish outta water.' she thought to herself.  She had already met a few other girls who had traveled very far to attend St. Spica.  Would this be another classmate of her's?  Or was she from one of the other schools.  She let her her feet carry her the rest of the way over and dropped to a crouch next to her.

"Howdy!" she greeted with a grin and a tip of her hat.

Staring at the lake water, Khepri had started to zone out quite a bit - so when she heard leaves crackling somewhere near her it took her by surprise. She quickly whipped her head up to see another girl walking towards her. She was dressed in flannel and cowboy boots, the standard image of an American from the south. She even had the cowboy hat. Her first instinct was to ignore the girl, as she did most other people. Normally that worked well for her, as most other people weren't interested in talking to her. She had caused a small stir in the community when she first transferred in - properly being from another country and everything - but now that people knew her reputation, she didn't get bothered much.

Apparently, this girl was the exception.

She walked right over the the tan girl, crouched down as if they had known each other for years, and said hello. Khepri froze - she wasn't used to being in situations like this. Her body language became stiff, hands wrapped around her knees.
"Hello," she answered in a soft voice. Although she kept the volume of her voice low, there was a strength to it that most people noticed. The blonde adjusted her white linen dress to make sure it was covering her up properly. "Can I help you with something?"

Charlie would have liked to believe that being called an exception was another way of saying she was exceptional.  Of course this debate could only occur if she had additional insights into the thought process of the blonde.  Her body language, however, spoke volumes.  Even the girl, herself, didn't appear to be a particularly loud talker.  She had tensed up at Charlie's sudden appearance, but the American was at ease.  She still had her easy going smile as she glanced across the lake.

"Nah..." she waved the question, "Just came out to see what was out here.  Didn't expect to run into anyone else."

Charlie leaned back and sat down on the ground.  "My name's Charlie!  How about you?"

So the girl was exploring? That was interesting. She must be new then, if she wasn't familiar with the area. Maybe the Egyptian wasn't so alone after all.

"My name is Khepri," she said. Hopefully her accent wasn't completely butchering her Japanese. "It's nice to meet you." There was no point in being rude to the girl, after all. Khepri was a believer in making life as painless as possible, and the less drama the better. That being said, she was still slightly uncomfortable with the idea of a total stranger wanting to talk to her. Not knowing how to act, she became painfully self aware of her actions. Fixing her dress, tucking a strand of blonde hair back behind her ear. She wondered how long this would last - she was sure that as soon as this new girl realized the extent of Khepri's alienation, that she would leave. If the girl really was new to the school though, that would explain why she even approached the tan girl in the first place.

She noticed that Charlie was particularly relaxed, more so then Khepri had ever been. Growing up with a slave owner as your father didn't exactly lead to a person being carefree.
"So...are you new here?"

Again, that body language just continued to display that the girl was uncomfortable.  Was this a common thing?  It wasn't like Charlie had adopted a particularly threatening pose.  In fact, she looked more liable to lay back and take a nap, than anything else.  But, nonetheless, things continued as they were.  Perhaps she was just a nervous person.  Well, she could put those fears to rest!  She was Charlie, after all!

"You are right." she gave a nod of her head, "Very new, actually."

She wondered how long the girl had been attending the school.  'Long enough.' her figment chimed in.  She was sitting on the other side of Khepri, and was also staring across the lake.  'Her grasp of Japanese is quite competent.  I would gather that she comes from some variety of means, although, the same could be said for a number of students here.'

Charlie did her best to ignore the additional voice to the conversation and pressed on.

"How about you?  How long you are here?" she paused and furrowed her brow, "Ah...how long have you been here?"

Hearing the girls grammar mistake, Khepri gave her a sideways glance. It wasn't that long ago that the Egyptian had been making the same ones.
"About a year", she answered. "I lived in Egypt my whole life before that. And you, I take it you're American?"

She hoped that this new girl wouldn't ask too much about her past. She really didn't feel like getting into the whole slavery thing. This girl seemed a lot more laid back then she was, so Khepri doubted that her past had been as dark as hers. Charlie seemed like a chatterbox, so maybe she would talk about America for a while and Khepri could just listen to her until it was time for dinner. She glanced out over across the lake, trying not to think about anything nostalgic.

"Do you like where you come from?" she asked, to keep the conversation going.

So, she was from Egypt.  That certainly seemed to fit with the theory she had been building upon.  Astraea Hill seemed to attract people from all over.  Charlie gave a grin and a slight chuckle, "Well, you have it." she said, confident in her words, even if her grasp was still a little clumsly.  "California, specifically."

Most conversations would have an equal amount of back and forth, but Khepri seemed content to keep the ball firmly on Charlie's side of the court.  Not that she was too shy about the topic.  After all, if she was to talk about her hometown (or home ranch, as it were) she would have nothing but nice things to say.  So, she gave an eager nod of her head.

"Oh yeah!" she answered, "The place is great!  We had a ranch, raising horses for stunts.  Er...have a ranch.  We still run it.  Although, there's not much call for horses, these days.  It still helps to know how to do good stunt work, though.  You ever ride?"