Kids Camp

[Meta Crisis]

(Okay

Rodaj swallowed nervously and stared up at the woman who had addressed him. He barely understood half of what the woman was asking him. His parents were fairly well off, but nowhere near the high rank of nobility that still spoke High Gallifreyan with regularity, and so they hadn't seen fit to teach him more than the basics in the language.

"Um..." he squeaked, trying to hide behind Tylerhathan as best he could, clutching his registration paper to his chest.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Tylerhathan sighed. This woman had just spoken High Gallifreyan to a child -- many of the adults on Gallifrey wouldn't even be able to understand it. He knew that the woman certainly wouldn't expect HIM to know it, as he dressed in a manor that reflected that he was from a lower class family. Tylerhathan didn't care. He knew the language, and knew it well, and could actually speak it better than the woman. He hated seeing children treated in such a manner, humiliated and whatnot.

Speaking up for Rodaj, he said to the woman, "He's just a child -- he can't be expected to speak High Gallifreyan."

The woman, surprised that this man could even understand, let alone speak High Gallifreyan, gave him a short smile that turned into a glare. "So, I assume that he is yours then?"

Tylerhathan looked to the child and then back at the woman. "He isn't my son, but he is a family friend, and I promised his family that I would see to it that he got registered properly. I would appreciate it if you didn't speak High Gallifreyan to him, as he is just learning it."

The woman gave him another smug look and then said to the child in normal Gallifreyan, "Come with me, dear." She had been so sure that the man and the child were not of nobility class, but perhaps they were dressed like peasants because they wanted to be. She then apologized to the child, "I'm sorry, dear, I wasn't aware that you had...connections."

[Meta Crisis]

Rodaj looked back at Tylerhathan, surprise clearly in his eyes. This man he'd just met had stood up for him! He smiled brightly at him and nodded thanks, before turning back to the woman. He was speechless when she spoke, though not from lack of understanding. He understood her perfectly well, he was just still nervous around her. He nodded again and held out his registration paper, falling into step beside her.

_____________

Koschei headed towards registration as well, alone, like a number of other children around him. He had asked his father if he could be allowed to go by himself, confident in his sense of direction and knowledge of the governmental buildings around to find registration without a problem. He also had no doubt that he would be accepted, but knew that this camp -formality that it was- would be a nice place to make some new acquaintances.

[Scarlett De Fontaine]

Kyra finally found the line registration area. She sighed as she looked for her mother, Krysta. She hoped maybe she could make some friends at this camp. She also supposed that that's what her mother hoped as well, including admittance to the Academy.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Tylerhathan nodded at Rodaj as he went off with the lady. He waited in line for his own turn to be registered -- or rather, to register his own children. As he saw the number of children who had gone alone, he began to get more and more nervous. Was what he was doing normal? Thinking back centuries to the time when he himself went off to camp before starting at the Academy, he knew that he hadn't gone to register. His father had gone for him. Tylerhathan started to worry a bit that he had been a special case. His father had been royalty, so perhaps it was normal for people in his family to handle the camp that way. He scanned the crowd for other parents.

Another little boy caught his eye, as did a little girl. All of the children looked so frightened, and he really couldn't blame them. Going off to the Academy was one of the most important things that could ever occur in a child's life.

________
The woman spoke to Rodaj, asking him, "Let me see your papers there." She asked him, "Did you bring your medical records?" It wasn't that she couldn't look them up in the Gallifreyan data records, but she preferred to receive a paper copy -- having a paper copy would save her the work. Of course she had encountered some of the poorer children who had no records. Those children would have to be scanned, which could be done right where they were at.

"Is there anything that you want us to know about you --- any reason that we should let you into the Academy? Is there any issue that you want us to know about you?" She glanced up tiredly from her papers. She had already registered hundreds of thousands of children in her lifetime. This was just the start of today's batch.

________
Nathan decided that he'd had enough of the woods. Ever curious, he decided to explore the Citadel himself. After all, his father hadn't forbidden him from going there. It wasn't all that far from where he currently was -- one path would take him near the edge of it. Grinning, he had made up his mind. Walking into the crowd, he looked around in awe. He'd never been to the city without his father by his side. Children were everywhere.

[Meta Crisis]

As he walked, Koschei happened to catch sight of a boy who just appeared in the crowd. He looked very excited to be here - quite a contrast from the children who looked as though they wanted to run screaming back to their parents. He was probably here for registration, too, Koschei thought. He slipped past a father and his daughter and walked up to Nathan, a curious gleam in his eyes.

"Hello." He said cheerfully.

_______

Rodaj looked down at the papers in his hands - his mother had put a copy of his medical records with the registration form. He'd had a clean bill of heath as far as he knew; no broken bones nor contagious illnesses in the past few months. He looked up and handed the papers to the woman as they walked.

As for why he should be let into the Academy...he hadn't considered that someone would ask him this. He just knew that he wanted to go; or rather, that it was expected of him to go. Rodaj scrunched his face in thought.

"I...I want to learn." He said quietly.

[The Tenth Doctor]

The woman nodded at Rodaj. "Very well -- that is a good reason, but you will want to think about and work on your answer, if you are to make it into the Academy ahead of some of those lower class children."

She took the medical records from the boy, noting that he seemed to be a healthy child. "All right, then," she said, glancing at the list and writing in Rodaj's name. "You will be assigned to Krysta's group. You have some free time, but you must be with your assigned group by 7:00 PM Citadel standard time."
_________
Nathan glanced up as Koschei happened to walk up to him. Smiling at the other boy, he replied, "Hello..."

Although he was anxious to make new friends, he had no idea what this other boy would think of him. Thankful that his small robe was hiding his legs, he nervously stood there. Supposing that this other boy was there for registration, he asked him, "So...are you eight?"

He'd heard his father tell him that sometimes older children would sometimes help with the camp, or that there would be children that were siblings of those who were being registered.

[Meta Crisis]

Koschei nodded and withdrew his registration papers from his robe. "My father let me come here on my own to register." He smiled at the boy, sensing his nervousness from the way he carried himself, but unsure as to the cause. Probably anxious about the registration process..if indeed that was what he was here for.

"What about you?"

_______

Rodaj nodded up at the woman again, smiling finally and looking around. He still had some time left before he had to meet with his group. He didn't even know who Krysta was, but he hoped she was nice. He smiled to himself and glanced around at the other children, wondering who else would be in his group.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Nathan glanced back at Koschei and grinned. "Yeah, me too.....but my dad's taking care of it. Not sure where he's at." He glanced around at the crowd. "I'm sure I can find him later. So....what do you think the whole process will be like?" He looked at the other boy curiously.
_______
Tylerhathan continued to wait in line, well aware that the upper class people would be going ahead of him, regardless of how long he had waited in line.
_______
The woman told Rodaj, "You can go now...I have other applicants to attend to. Why don't you go make friends or something...."

She moved away from the boy Rodaj and spotted a girl who looked like she had been waiting for a while. Approaching Kyra, the woman smiled sweetly at the girl -- that was until she got a good look at her. A look of disgust crossed her face.

Speaking in High Gallifreyan to the child, she spoke, "Tell me, child, what is your name?"

[Meta Crisis]

Rodaj glanced back in the direction the woman had gone and frowned at the sound of her speaking High Gallifreyan to another young child, and in the same tone as she had used with him. He bit his lip and wandered into the crowd, curious and hoping to meet someone new, but also trying to keep out of the way.
__________

Koschei tilted his head and smiled. His father had told him a lot about his own experience getting accepted to the Academy; which, for him hadn't been much of a trial, so he'd elaborated a bit. His family was of a higher nobility than some of the others here.

"Fun, I would imagine..and stressful.They'll be deciding which of us get to go to the Academy, after all. And," He leaned in conspiratorially and grinned. "I've heard stories about the initiation process."

[The Tenth Doctor]

Tyler himself had been in the woods. He'd climbed a tree and spent part of the day there. However, boredom was starting to come in. Perhaps he could go find out whatever Nathan was up to. He couldn't stay mad at his brother forever, after all.

Glancing around, he looked for his twin, but couldn't find him. Frustrated, Tyler walked in the direction of the Citadel. Having just moved to that location, he hadn't really had the time to explore it yet. As soon as he set foot inside, the first thing he noticed was all the people. He hadn't expected the registration day to be so crowded -- in fact, he hadn't even considered it.
___________
Nathan nodded in understanding when he heard Koschei speak about them deciding who would go to the Academy. He'd known thta was the purpose of the camp. He didn't want to sound rude, though, to his new friend.

However, when Koschei had spoken of the initiation ceremony, he looked up with great interest. He'd only heard bits and pieces of what would happen from his father. His father hadn't told him much, and he wanted to find out.

He didn't have an older sibling to ask, so he asked Koschei, "Yeah? What have you heard?"

(you can play the person who will register Tylerhathan)

[Meta Crisis]

"Well..." Koschei tapped his chin in thought. He'd heard several stories from various sources: friends, relatives. They'd all been rather unpleasant, but he'd found them all very interesting as opposed to disturbing.

"I've heard that some people pass out due to the stress of seeing the Schism...some can't even look into it - they get frightened and run away." He grinned and lowered his voice to whisper into Nathan's ear. "And one person who looked into the Schism for barely a minute went mad and tried to throw himself in."

_______
A man at a registration table smiled politely as Tylerhathan approached. Another parent to register for their child, he thought to himself. He knew that some parents didn't feel safe sending their children into the Citadel on their own, and understood that logic. It was a big place, and children could easily get lost if they didn't know their way. "Good day. Here to register your child for camp, are you?"

[The Tenth Doctor]

Nathan stared back at Koschei, blinking at what he'd heard. "I...I heard that some people reacted badly to the schism, but nothing like that. Are you sure that those aren't just stories that people made up to make us eight year olds scared? I wonder what would happen if someone did walk into it....." Nathan visibly shuttered at the thought. "Would someone like that regenerate?"

_________
Tylerhathan nodded at the man at the registration table. "Good day to you as well, sir. And yes, I am here to register my "child" for the camp....twins actually."

The man seemed to be treating him civilly enough. In fact, this man seemed to be kind. Before his demotion, he hadn't realized so many Gallifreyans were stuck up when it came to people of lower classes. Of course he couldn't really talk about the difference with anyone.

[Meta Crisis]

The man nodded. He was one of the few volunteers who believed in proper civility when dealing with children and their parents on days like this. More stress only frightened children and irritated the adults..not that many cared about that. They just wanted to do their job and get on with their own personal lives.

"Of course. What are their names?" He asked, flipping through a stack of papers and readying himself to take down the names given.

_________
Koschei frowned. "They might. I'm not sure. I wouldn't want to find out, though." He shook his head to hide a shiver and looked around. The crowd was still large, but moving at a relatively swift pace. They'd just slip in later, he decided. "What's your name?" he asked, turning to smile at Nathan again.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Tylerhathan answered the man, "Nathanufdofehadik and Tylerelrug."

If he had to admit it to himself, he really was nervous for his boys. He was actually registering them for camp--which meant that they would be facing the untempered schism....and that they were growing up.

__________
Nathan answered Koschei, "Nathanufdofehadik, but you can call me Nathan for short -- that's what my dad calls me....but I also sometimes go by my middle name, Theta." After a short pause, Nathan asked the other boy, "What's your name?"

Nathan was, admittedly small for his age. The brown haired, brown eyed boy looked at Koschei. Perhaps this boy he was talking about could be a friend. The only friend he'd really had up to that point had been his brother.