“Let’s see about these houses” I said as I sat on my bed, wrapped up in my blankets with my new laptop in front of me, it was…a little odd not hearing the whirling of the exhaust fan over my own thoughts or for the screen to be flickering, but just in one corner. I wasn’t able to sleep more than an hour or two just from the cold, so I was currently just flicking through the school’s website. The tour while virtual, was guided in a sense…the pathway in the picture moved forward as this panel showed with a small blurb of the school’s history.
“When Paradise Academy was founded in 1923, four prominent figures of overseas lands bound together to form a school together that blends methodology of overseas schooling with the kind of schooling they wished to see. These four formed the first four houses: Scarlet Bear, Golden Elk, Emerald Wolf and Cobalt Dragon. These four houses still stand, but as the school expanded, progressed and grew in prominence. Four others joined: one in the ‘32, two in the 40s: ’41 and ’49 respectively before the last in ’56 to later form the last four houses: Silver Serpent, Violet Hawk, White Rabbit and Magenta Spider, in that order. All eight being of other countries had fixtures and elements of their homes they wished to bring into the school hence why the school now stands by its name…Paradise Academy…as a utopic land of learning, betterment and healing.” I read, a little confused at some of the terminology, there was something…a bit culty about the rhetoric, but the text faded off to an ellipses with an arrow that said “read on”. I clicked out of that panel to continue on the tour. On the pictures, it showed this nice circular plaza with the school’s buildings looming in the background with little arrows off the four pathways on each side in the color of the houses, it was one of those interactive tours. I moved my phone over to the first arrow which was bright red, the picture moved turning the camera to face forward along that path as a small pop-up appeared in the corner of this gold badge like shape: gold filigree on the outsides with a red backing, adorned with an emblem of a golden bear head above an upward facing crescent moon. The small banner under it read, Scarlet Bear. I clicked and the pathway moved forward a little as the next picture came into view, but the entire side was occupied by a large screen that had a little blurb about the house along with various traits.
“Scarlet Bear, the first house of Paradise Academy: named after its founder, Viktor L. Ursa, whom was notable for his extremely red hair and a strong heart to his homeland of Russia. The house of the warriors, the fighters, those bold and brash enough to stand for what needs to be stood for. The members of this house are notable for blending into various aspects of his personality: driven, respectful, warm, cooperative and responsible, but at times callous, spiteful, absent minded, erratic and at time rather absent minded.” I read. A picture formed on the other side of the screen, one of the colorized vintage photos; the picture of a rather tall, stocky and rather powerfully built, dressed in vintage style clothing that was a dark charcoal gray and he had a rather out of place mane of unruly kinky curly electric ginger hair paired with much closer and cleanly cropped facial hair, huge chunky pieces of jewelry. The path zoomed forward again before a large house came into view: it was a stately and broad house of red brick, about three stories tall with neon white grout behind curtains of dark ivy covering the walls and roof, a massive wrap-around porch, a dark wooden shingled roof that was swept downwards at rather sharp angled, a few low brick chimneys along the roof, wrapped in curtains of ivy, red roses and other plants growing up white wooden trellis. There was a double door front door of dark wood ornately engraved and embossed in the depictions of bears and roses and moons, brushed with gold and a large piece hung above the door that matched the badge and flanked by half-circle windows, a few richly colored and thick canopied trees seemed to be too close to the house covering the house in washy sprawling shadows.
“No…not me” I said as I clicked the arrow to move backwards along the pathway to the circular plaza. I clicked on the next arrow which was bright yellow color. The pathway zoomed in the same way with the two panels showing on each side, the one on the right side depicted a very tall woman, at least in relation to the window she was standing beside, she appeared quite tall, deep rich toned skin and long hair worn in a protective style with twisted braids adorned with various wooden beads and charms, warm brown eyes and dressed in deep green and masses of gold jewelry. “Elowen C. White of Canada, founder of the Golden Elk house. A house for the healers, the empaths, those who are there as a shoulder to cry on and someone to look out for those around them. All who call Golden Elk their home find similar traits with Elowen: courteous, relaxed, insightful, observant and honest, but can lean towards being pompous or finicky, can be heavy-handed in procrastination and a bit obsessed over the details and often need the help of someone else for any kind of bug in the house, they’re so squeamish.” I read, the badge picture on the other side was the same badge shape edged in gold with the silhouette of an elk head framed by some kind of leaf: the badges were animated to slowly turn, though both sides were depicted with the same front.
The house that came into view was about the same size as the Scarlet Bear house, but instead of brick, the walls were pale grays cobblestone with paler mortar, dark wood frames, posts and beams visible as the framing structure of the house with various rather…log-cabin like adornments on it, raw bark shingled roofs with huge wooden framed windows with over-flowing window boxes that let vines and flowers hang in tendrils along the walls of the house. Same large porch, but it seemed to have various little glass sunrooms and all glass projections that were newer looking in comparison to the house’s main body. The house had some spots of stained glass by the look too. The front door was narrower than I was expecting and made of pale soft colored wood adorned with engraved flowers and plants with a huge pair of gilded elk antlers mounted above the doorframe, the landing was flanked by wooden elk statues and plants littered every surface possible with trees still growing in that too close proximity, but some sort of tree that I couldn’t recognize.
“No” I said quietly before clicking the button to go back again before clicking the next arrow which was green: the badge was depicted with silver and not gold, a green back with a wolf paw print framed with stars. The picture was of a rather petite looking man who was deeper tan than the first guy, but not as richly toned as the woman, I’m guessing based on the skin tone of the corrected photos, the short messy black hair, dark eyes and dressed in still maybe 20s-30s era clothing, a suit of dark green and black brocade, hands resting atop a cane with a silver wolf head on the top and smiling while looking at the camera with the other hand motioned out and a wink. “Third is the house of Emerald Wolf, founded by Samuel T. Lobo. Found in the fold after fleeing from the Philippines, the house stands for those seeking: knowledge, truth, to seek out corruption or dangers…anyone seeking anything find themselves in the fold of Emerald Wolf. Resourcefulness, rationality, sensitivity, witty and hardworking, but at times humorless, indecisive, blunt, possessive and possibly messy at times. The house is home to those of energy, drive and ambition.” I read before shaking my head. “No, no…that’s not me.” I said as I looked to the photo of the house as it came into view.
The house was also three stories, but a fair bit more stout than the others; dark brown stucco walls with thick dark wooden pillars at the corners and forming a structure between the floors, the same wrap-around porch, low overhanging dark green colored clay tiled roofs with lots of greenery and wolf adornments about it, huge bark edged logs were pushed between the floors serving as a structure. The front door was one of those weird circular ones flanked by a wide ornate frame of wolves and paw prints, a white stone wolf-head above the door and flanked by stone wolf statues with three thin, wiry birch trees nestled close to the walls.
“Alright…moving to number 4.” I said as I clicked back along the plaza…
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