Jasmine pulled into the parking lot of the Alpha Rho Kappa sorority house, and took a deep breath. The building in front of her looked ancient and imposing. There weren't a lot of buildings like this back on the West Coast.. then again, this building was probably around before Americans SETTLED the West Coast.

I should look that up.. I may be expected to know it.

Her lips twitched in a bit of a wry smile. But that was for later, so she got out of her Jaguar and headed towards the front door, remembering back to her conversation with her new cousin just a couple months ago.

"Dont be ridiculous - I want you to have the Jag!"
"I am NOT taking your car, Dean - and I wouldn't take it if it was a 1983 Ford Escort! I've got a car already - I'll be okay."
"Yeah, I know.. and you've done some nice work on her, I can tell! But you're going to Harvard now, Jasmine, and you need a NICE car. Besides.. if I give you the Jag, I get to buy one of the new Aston Martins I've heard so much about. Julie tells me I need an "adult car" now anyway."
"Oh, NOW I see the light. Fine.. give me the keys, you slick bastard."

By the time she had reached the entrance, her demeanor had changed. She looked calm and sophisticated, dressed in a pair of crisp, boot-cut black pants and a tan silk blouse a couple shades lighter than her mocha-colored skin. She wore a thick black belt over her shirt and loose on her hips, and a matching black purse with a designer's logo. She tapped the alarm button, and stepped up to the front door of the building. After a moment of hesitation, she smoothed her expression and rapped sharply upon the door.

The door opened to find a willowy woman so buxom that she had to be altered. Behind her, a sitting lounge was visible, and a pretty blonde woman with a vacant smile and a woman with black hair and blue eyes watched. The girl at the door swept her dark hair over her shoulder with a hand while her dark eyes roved over Jasmine once. “Deliveries go to the back door, just like whores visiting the boys,” the woman said coldly. “And if you’re selling something, we don’t want it. Good bye.”

The door closed abruptly.

"Geneva is practicing her charm again, I see." A young man dressed sharply in shades of blue and carrying several biology books smiled at her from the walkway up to the APK house. "Sorry about that. She's only that bad on days that end in y. I'm Davian." He held a hand out to her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Alexis might have similarly dismissed the woman Geneva had been rude to, but she had caught two details: first, the woman had been clothed expensively but not whorishly, which indicated she was not here for sex or delivery. Also, she was far too pretty to be a baseline.

"Well done, Geneva," Alexis said, standing up and brushing past the smug woman. That smugness faded to confusion as Alexis opened the door, determined to repair the damage that Geneva had done.

Would she have tried so hard had she believed that Jasmine was a baseline? She wasn't sure, and that was a little embarrassing. She didn't let it stop her. "Hello- oh, I see you've met my brother. How can we help you?"

Jasmine stood stunned for a moment, staring at the door as her jaw clenched slightly with unspoken fury. She turned at the sound of the man approaching, however, and smiled very fleetingly, though he could still catch a flash of anger sparkling in her eyes.

Just as quickly, her gaze flicked over to the door as it opened again, an arched eyebrow almost daring it to reveal the same trashy rich bitch that had opened it previously. But her gaze relaxed a bit as the woman introduced herself, and she glanced between the two of them, noting their similarities in appearance.

She took Davian's proffered hand, and shook it firmly, without any of the daintiness of weaker-willed or mansion-bred women. When she responded to them it was with confidence, and didn't betray the annoyance she had felt at the previous woman.

"My name is Jasmine - Jasmine Gentian. I was supposed to move into this building next semester, but it would appear that there was some sort of incident and now there's a vacant room to be filled. So.. here I am."

Davian's smile flickered for a moment, though his handshake never wavered. "I...see. I remember reading an article on you. Your grandfather held a fete for you in Paris a few weeks ago, yes?"

He glanced over at his sister, an unusual gesture between them since last September, but just right now Alexis was not privileged to his emotions or thoughts. "Has anyone told you what happened?" he asked softly.

She released his hand, and nodded slightly, looking a bit puzzled.

"Yes.. I mean, yes about Paris. I don't know what you mean about the other part though.. something happened with the room? I just assumed someone had dropped out of school, or had gotten kicked out. The person who called me didn't seem to want to get into details, so I figured someone had done something embarrassing for the college or.. something."

Her words sounded a bit awkward, even to her own ears.

Do people get "kicked out" of Harvard? Or do they get "expelled", or "dismissed"?

She shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind, keeping her attention on Davian for a response.

If I can prove myself to Grandfather, I can prove myself to anyone worth impressing. Don't freak out yet, girl.

"She died," Alexis said bluntly. It was shocking that someone as delicate-looking as Alexis would be so forward. "Suicide, though not in the room itself. Her roommate took the rest of the semester off after that. So you get a private room without the cost of one.

"Welcome to Harvard."

"Alexis." Davian's voice might not have the supernatural harmonics it did while he was a awake, but the soft rebuke was still poignant for being as public as it was. Even if we may not be able to make the truth public, we can at least refrain from lying about her. Diamante died; leave it at that.

Davian stepped around the girls, holding the door open enough for all of them to step inside. His demeanor had shifted to future fraternity leader and impromptu welcoming committee, "Please, Ms. Gentian, come in. We can show you around and have your luggage moved up to your room. Have you had a chance to look around the campus or Boston yet?"

Jasmine glanced briefly between the two siblings, then shrugged slightly.

"Oh, don't worry about the luggage, I'm a big girl - I can get it. I've been attending since the beginning of the semester, but I've been in an off-campus apartment. I thought it was going to be until next semester, but.. this came up."

She hesitated for a moment, unsure what kind of niceties she should offer in this situation.

I've sure never known anyone who killed themselves before.. everybody was too busy trying NOT to get killed in my neighborhood.

"I'm sorry to hear about the.. situation. I haven't had the chance to really check out Boston yet, I've just been hanging out around campus, and at the apartment."

Smooth, girl. You sound REAL sympathetic there.

"We can take care of that," Alexis said easily. "While finals are almost here, we can take some time to show you around." Alexis looked pleased at the idea, which may have something to do with the company she was leaving behind her.

"If you'd like to put your things in your room, but avoid Tiffeneva, you can come to the side door," Alexis added, waving vaguely toward one corner of the building.

She was ignoring further talk of Diamante.

Davian had been quiet for a moment, dredging up the details of the articles that had been put out on the new Gentian granddaughter. He'd only glanced over the articles, but that was usually enough for him. He shook his head slightly at Alexis' suggestion.

If they find out, or anyone sees her lugging her own bags in the side door, she'll be treated like a servant - or worse - for at least the rest of the year, if not her entire time in APK. Tiffeneva will make sure of that, if just to cover their rudeness today. Besides, the last thing Harvard or APK needs right now is bad publicity from Lance Gentian because the evil twins obviously skipped their etiquette lessons as children.

While sending this to his sister he smiled at Jasmine, "Nonsense, you have fraternity brothers for this sort of thing, and Tiffaneva owes you an apology. Here, let me grab your bags, we'll get you set up in your room, and then we can show you around town. I'm done with classes for the day; Lexy, can you skip your drafting class this afternoon?"

"Of course. We're just reviewing for the final, and Dennis will bring me a copy of his notes," Alexis said, raising an eyebrow at her brother's unusually pushy attitude. Suddenly, understanding flooded her face, as well as a crooked smile; this was not a good development. It had never boded well for her brother in the past.

"That is a good idea," Alexis agreed, nodding to the bags. "Seeing Tiffany and Geneva apologize will be... interesting."

Jasmine glanced slowly for a moment at Alexis, studying her, as if aware she was being played in some manner. But she nodded slightly, turning back to Davian and holding out her keys by a fingertip.

"If you insist. It's the black Jag in the main lot."

She turned back to Alexis, and arched a brow, her eyes flashing with another hint of dark amusement that belied her serious expression.

"I don't know who this Tiffaneva is, you said the girl who opened the door was named Geneva? Shall we see what kind of apology Miss Silicon manages to muster?"

"Tiffaneva is our - my brother and I - pet name for the combined duo of Tiffany and Geneva," Alexis explained as she fell into step with Jasmine. "They're my roommates. Geneva is probably a minor evil deity of some form personified. Tiffany just takes all her social cues from Geneva when she doesn't know what else to do, and because she has the mental depth of a Golden Retriever, that's quite a bit. She is a sweet girl when away from Geneva. And she likes to talk about the nova she's sleeping with, so if you're willing to listen to a bit of TMI, she'll be your BFF forever."

Alexis opened the door, grinning down at Geneva. "Genvie, dear, guess who I found outside?" Her tone was bright, brittle and dripping with sarcasm. "Jasmine Gentian." The emphasis was unmistakable, as was the shock on Geneva's face.

Jasmine's lips twitched slightly in amusement as she glanced slightly at Alexis, then she turned back to Geneva, and tilted her head, as if observing her for the first time.

The last thing I'm going to do is let this stuck-up little bimbo think she's gotten the better of me. Might as well start this off on the right foot.

"Geneva, is it? False apologies can be tacked onto the dorm's public boards, just like take-out menus. And if you're selling implants, I'm not interested." She turned to the blonde girl, and smiled politely. "Tiffany, I believe? Nice to meet you, I'm Jasmine Gentian. I do hope we can be friends." Her voice, wry and sarcastic as she addressed Geneva, completely switched as she turned to Tiffany, who (thus far) had done her no harm. Aside from overlooking the other girl's rudeness, that is. It was, or at least sounded, completely genuine - not to be confused with sounding as if she was kissing the other girl's ass.

I'll give her a fair go, though I imagine it won't take her long to blow it. She reminds me of my Dad's sisters.. sit back and smile with one hand, and sling shit at you with the other once you turn your back..

She glanced back at Alexis, and smiled a bit hesitantly, as if unused to doing so.

"Where did you say that room was, Alexis?"

"Follow me," Alexis said, giving Geneva a 'you asked for it' glance as she walked by her. "It's upstairs, in the girl's wing." As they walked, Alexis began to give her the quick tour, pointing out various spots and rooms, such as the bathrooms and the lounge. She also gave her a quick run-down of the rules of the house, which were just like the rules of any other dorm, save the last one: "Don't erupt and try to kill your Brothers and Sisters."

"That one," Alexis admitted a bit sheepishly, "is because of me." She tapped on a door and said, "Here it is. Home sweet home."

Jasmine listed patiently to the tour, staying silent most of the time and just absorbing what Alexis had to say and the areas around the building. Once they reached the room, Jasmine placed a hand on the doorknob, then turned back to Alexis.

"That last one's a good rule, as long as they haven't done anything to deserve it." Her lips flickered again in that faint smile that suggested she was.. probably.. joking? "I am sorry to deprive you of your chance to listen to Geneva stutter out an apology. But I don't have a lot of patience for bullshit.. and no doubt that's all it would have been. Thank you for showing me around, Alexis. I'm sure it's going to be an experience."

"It wasn't a problem, Jasmine," Alexis assured her, and she meant it. "And don't worry about Geneva - she's harmless, if you ignore her words as the idiocy that they are. I'll let you get settled. Call me when you're ready to head out; I'm going to go needle Geneva for a while." With a last smile, she turned and left Jasmine to her room, to get her bearings and settle in.

*Better hop to it, brother, she's already to her room,* Alexis jokingly said to her borther. *You shouldn't keep a pretty woman waiting.*

Davian's reply wasn't so much word-thoughts as mental eye rolling. He made his appearance just a minute or so later, covered in the straps of expensive luggage bags and carrying an out-of-place old army locker in his arms. He set the locker down and divested himself of the extra forty pounds of clothes, books, and personal items on the bed.

"I think that's all of it." He should have pretended to be out of breath, but if his new fraternity Sister, and the Brothers that saw him in the common room and asked if he'd decided to leave off medicine and take up portering as a career, thought he was a little more buff than he looked, he wasn't going to argue. He was curious about the chest; it might have been just a memento of whatever life she lived before being taken in by her grandfather, but small electronic thumb-print lock he'd discovered on the back panel of it argued for something far more interesting. Other than a brief flick of his eyes he didn't let on to his interest and simply asked, "Ready for that tour?"

"Thank you, Davian."

Jasmine glanced around the room quickly as he set the bags down. Her eyes settled on each piece of luggage for just a moment (the intriguing old army locker the first of the lot), and he could almost see the mental nod as she checked things off her list to make sure all was in place. As soon as her belongings were accounted for, he saw her make a cursory glance at each wall - more reminiscent of the way a doctor would check for their needed instruments than the way a woman would linger over which curtains she should buy.

She turned back to Davian when it was all complete, and nodded firmly.

"Yes, I believe I am. And your sister should have had plenty of time to give Geneva hell." He saw a faint flicker of amusement, almost imperceptible, cross her features. She crossed to the door, and opened it wider, gesturing for him to pass. "Shall we go?"