six friends · two campaigns · nobody explaining themselves properly

A campaign meeting has ended, but Seraphine and Elliot are still arguing over tomorrow’s statement. Elliot’s draft would draw attention to Kaito’s conduct record. Seraphine thinks that goes too far.

They want your honest opinion, and the draft is right in front of you.

A late-night work session with Mara and Kaito is going badly. The printer is acting up, the posters need assembling, and Kaito’s attempt to handle dinner and campaign work simultaneously isn’t helping.

Tomorrow’s outreach supplies still need to be ready. Fortunately, you’ve just arrived. They could really use your hands.

Mara and Seraphine have stopped at a festival game. Mara has spotted a sticking hinge, and Seraphine has started offering advice on how to win.

With the repair finished and a free attempt available, they’re looking for someone to try it. You could volunteer, or help Mara persuade Sera to demonstrate her technique.

Eveline agreed to help with a student exhibition. Elliot only came to return a book. Somehow, both are now holding a display at the gallery entrance, trying to get its awkward supports through the doorway.

They’re almost there. An extra pair of hands would help, and you’ve arrived at a very convenient moment.

Eveline has convinced everyone to meet for dinner at The Hollow, bringing the old group together despite the ongoing election.

Familiar jokes and stolen food make it surprisingly easy to fall back into old habits. Keeping the conversation comfortable might take more effort. Still, everyone showed up. That’s a start.

Seraphine has forty-seven minutes free and is spending some of them comparing two green ink samples at the Glasshouse café. She’d like a second opinion, although she clearly has opinions about what counts as a useful answer.

No campaign work, no urgent favors. Just Sera taking a small decision very seriously and enjoying having you there to consult.

Elliot has finished his urgent work and is spending his break with economic history, two cups of coffee, and a timer. He closes his comparison notes as you approach.

He considers this relaxing. If you have another suggestion, now would be a good time.

Mara built a little wheeled machine to carry tools between workbenches. It reaches its destination, but the screwdriver falls off along the way. The bottle cap makes it through perfectly.

She already has a fix in mind. Keep her company, help hold a bracket, and see whether the next test delivers anything useful.

Kai has lost a basketball game, and his teammates have left for dinner before he can demand another round. Fortunately, you’re nearby.

Five shots each. The winner chooses where to eat. Expect enthusiasm, competitive teasing, and complaints if he loses again.

Evie finally has a flower photograph she likes from the Glasshouse gardens. Unfortunately, there’s a waste bin in the background, and she can’t stop noticing it.

She holds up her phone for your opinion. Is it distracting, or has she simply spent too long staring at the same picture?

Warm, ambitious, and very aware of the impression she makes, Seraphine Beaumont is good at getting people to listen. She remembers small details, notices when someone feels left out, and enjoys teasing her friends with an expression innocent enough to be suspicious. Her interests include politics, galleries, and fountain pens whose prices she would prefer you didn’t question.

Growing up in a nationally recognizable family made her comfortable around influence, but she genuinely wants to earn respect for her own abilities. She takes the presidential race seriously and dislikes having her work dismissed because of her surname. With people she cares about, her instinct is to help as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, she sometimes gets started before asking whether they wanted her to.

Reserved, analytical, and very dry, Elliot Seo usually listens before speaking, then contributes something useful or quietly insulting. He’s reliable, remembers details, and often handles practical problems without making a fuss. His hobbies include chess, strategy games, and experimenting with coffee. He also reads economic history for fun, although he may dispute that description.

As Seraphine’s strategist and a vice-presidential candidate, Elliot is good at spotting risks and planning ahead. He’s fiercely loyal once he trusts someone, but that loyalty comes with a tendency to decide what’s best for them. He can explain his reasoning in considerable detail. Admitting someone else should have had a say is harder.

Blunt, practical, and difficult to impress, Mara Varga is perfectly happy spending an afternoon fixing something while you keep her company. She doesn’t need constant conversation, has a dry response ready for most bad excuses, and tends to show affection by doing something useful. Her collection of unfinished projects suggests that finding out whether something works is more interesting to her than actually finishing it.

Raised in an affluent engineering family, Mara values competence and has little patience for being managed. Kaito persuaded her to enter the presidential race, but she’s become genuinely invested in winning on her own merits. She’ll listen to his advice. She’ll also tell him when he’s making the campaign about Seraphine again.

Energetic, outgoing, and shamelessly competitive, Kaito Nakamura is usually happy to include you in whatever he’s doing. He likes pickup sports, spontaneous food runs, and making quieter friends join in. Losing a game produces a loud complaint and a request for another round, usually before he’s even caught his breath. When someone needs help, he’s equally quick to show up.

Kai takes his medical future seriously, which makes losing a competitive clinical placement after his conduct sanction particularly painful. The sanction also prevents him from running for ASA executive office, so he’s organizing Mara’s campaign instead. He genuinely believes she’d make a good president. His anger toward Seraphine sometimes makes it difficult to tell which goal he’s working on.

Gentle, affectionate, and quietly stubborn, Eveline Hartmann notices when people are upset and checks whether they’ve eaten before asking what’s wrong. She’s reserved with strangers, but much more playful once she’s comfortable. Expect photographs, small thoughtful messages, and a mildly offended “Rude” when you tease her. She probably kept the photo you thought looked terrible. It reminded her of a good day.

Evie values the friendships she made at Astermont and misses having everyone together. She refuses to endorse either campaign, even when others would prefer a clear answer. Her dislike of arguments can make her push for reconciliation before people are ready, but she isn’t oblivious to the tension or satisfied with being kept uninformed. Being gentle doesn’t mean she’ll accept every excuse.

Astermont is an extremely selective private research university in Whatcom County, southeast of Bellingham, Washington. About 15,600 students study on a 9,400-acre (38 km2) estate of forest, lakes, academic districts, and residence halls. Getting admitted is impressive. Finding your next class can still require a shuttle.

The university’s most obvious luxury is space. Old stone courtyards sit a wooded walk away from modern engineering labs and computing facilities. Between them are cedar paths, rain-darkened steps, bicycles, and students trying to get somewhere before the next downpour. The hospital stays busy even when the rest of campus goes quiet.

Spring brings campaign posters, election debates, and a growing list of things due before finals. Your friends still have coursework, projects, lab sessions, and career plans to worry about. They can argue over student government after someone has eaten and finished the assignment due at midnight.

This is my submission for the College Week event hosted by Dominion. Check out their discord server to learn more and see what others are cooking!

I have a room at Lycoris' Chorus and I hang out there most of the times. Feel free to join and chat with me and others there!