Not Meaning to be a Bother

[Piper Galloway]

Piper had apparently been paired up with a startlingly prominent member of the Bellefonte Academy's student body.  She'd only just gotten the notice of her assignment within the Academy's orientation and mentoring program for new students and she already knew far more about the now young woman who's name and phone number was printed on the slip of paper she held in her hands.  Erika Conner (Bellefonte), Piper soon learned, was someone many people knew and admired.  Just the last name on its own was enough to cause Piper's eyes to widen when she read it.  Bellefonte.  It carried such weight given the large sign sitting in front of the Academy grounds.

Thankfully, Erika proved to be an easy person to find.  Far too bashful to use the listed phone number to contact who was supposed to be her new mentor and guide around the campus as the new semester started, Piper resigned herself to simply asking around.  She started with her roommates who pointed her in the right direction and ended up finding a young man with a confident demeanor and a faintly snarky smirk who nodded when asked and gestured toward the statuesque brunette talking to a handful of other students in the courtyard.

Cautiously, Piper approached.  She didn't go up to the much taller girl until it looked as though she was finished speaking with, who Piper assumed, were Erika's friends.  "Um."  She started, carefully tapping Erika on the shoulder.  "Excuse me, are you Erika Bellefonte?"  She asked, though the school photo she'd been given with her program paperwork already answered that question.  "I'm, um... Piper."  She offered.  "Piper Galloway.  I guess you're, um, my uh..."  Her eyes darted down to the paper in her hands and she held it up, pointing to the name printed on it.  "My mentor?"  Piper spoke with a soft, almost gentle tone that lent a certain warmth to her heavy, British accent.  Her eyes gleamed hopefully as she looked up to Erika.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Finally, the new school year had started. New students had appeared around campus and many had joined the ranks of the college students. Erika was more than eager to get back into the swings of things. As much as she had enjoyed the lazy summer of being able to do as she pleased and go wherever she wanted, she was glad that she could finally get her hands dirty again. She had never been one who particularly enjoyed sitting still for very long, and even though summer had been filled with various surprises and trips, this was something else entirely.

Naturally, this meant that there was a lot of catching up to do. Many people and friends to talk to, and many memories that needed to be shared. She had spent a good portion of the morning talking to various people around the courtyard, enjoying the sun before having to head back inside.

The sudden voice and touch against her shoulder caused the brunette to turn her head, eyebrows raised slightly at the unfamiliar face standing before her. "I am," she replied, nodding slightly before offering the young woman a warm smile. The smile immediately widened and Erika fully turned to look at the girl, reaching out her hand. "Ah, yes!" She didn't even bother looking at the paper. The first few days of school usually meant that the older students had to mentor the new or younger ones. "Of course you are," she chuckled. "Sorry, I completely lost track of the time."

[Piper Galloway]

Piper nearly sighed in visible relief at the friendly response the taller, dark haired girl offered. As hard as she tried to maintain a positive outlook, the simply fact remained she was a teenage girl who was not only adjusting to a new school, but also a new country and culture altogether. Having relocated during the summer break had helped, though she was still finding it much more of a struggle than she had anticipated.

"Oh! It's no trouble." She insisted almost apologetically as she took Erika's offered hand with both of hers and gave it a polite, yet eager shake. "I was just having a look around." Which wasn't wholly untrue. Sure, Piper had been wandering about the Academy with an agenda but she couldn't help but take in the impressive campus spread out around her. "It's much different here than St. Bethany's." Piper admitted, the hint of a slight frown touching her features as she took a moment to glance over the courtyard. "I hope you'll excuse me if this is forward, or rude..." She said suddenly, turning her curious gaze back to Erika. "But I could help notice... are you one of the Bellefonte's?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

The visible relief that almost seemed to pour out through the girl had Erika's smile widen. She couldn't help it, but she'd always had a soft spot for the softer personalities, such as the one this girl seemed to have. She was awkward in a really cute way. Or maybe awkward wasn't quite the right word; inexperienced. She had brown hair, blue eyes and a pretty darn cute smile. She had a feeling this one would have boys running left and right after her in a short amount of time.

Nodding in response, Erika chuckled softly at the two-hand greeting. "Is it?" she mused as she looked around. "Well, I suppose it's slightly less poss," she added with a smirk. She had been to St. Bethany before, and although the system was fairly similar, the two schools were incredibly different. Almost ironically so. Then, the girl continued and Erika turned her attention back to her with a small frown. Then, as the question was out there, Erika couldn't help but to laugh. Here we go again, she thought to herself. "That I am," she said, nodding. She then leaned in to whisper, "But keep it to yourself. I'm trying to keep a low profile."

[Piper Galloway]

A bright, shimmering smile shone upward toward Erika. Piper was positively beaming at the friendly ease in which the taller, dark haired girl had responded. Piper wasn't quite ready to claim best friends forever but she already Erika was just the type of girl she wanted to get to know better.

"Oh! Right." Piper gave a knowing nod, eyes wide as Erika expressed a desire for a low profile. Piper instinctively leaned in as well, her voice lowering to a hushed whisper as she spoke sincerely and honestly. "Mum's the word." She said. "Your secret's safe with me."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Grinning, the brunette chuckled when the other girl decided to play along. She could already tell she was going to enjoy having the girl around. She was glad that some of the newer arrivals weren't all batshit crazy. After all, Erika had heard her fair share of stories from the staff about some of these students said or did. Clearly, this girl wasn't one of those. Yet.

"Good to know," Erika grinned, lifting her hand to brush her brown locks away from her face. "So, what can I help you with today?" After all, the girl had come over for a reason. A reason which seemed to have been completely lost on the Bellefonte girl throughout their interaction. Ah well, it hardly mattered as long as she was enjoying herself, right?