The first thing Harper did on their first full day as Brannor was get lost in Brannor. Jasper considered this justice.

"The stairs all look the same."

Ava held the map.

"They do not."

"Stone. Rail. Door. More stone."

"This one has a red tile band."

"Tiny red tile band."

Priya waited at the next landing with her arms folded.

"You three finished?"

Harper pointed at the staircase.

"Bad architecture."

"It is two hundred years old."

"Time to improve."

The new Brannor students spent the morning learning their next-year spaces. Not moving in yet. Summer maintenance happened first. But their likely residence floor had been assigned. Jasper had expected rooms identical to first-year West. They were not. Brannor rooms were rectangular rather than round, built deeper inside the cliff with broad windows facing both sea and courtyard. Four beds each. Small desks. Shared shelves. A washroom between pairs of rooms. The biggest difference was the common area at the centre of the floor. Low couches. A long table. Noticeboard. A kitchenette students could use under year-level rules. Harper saw the kitchenette.

"Toast."

Ava said, "You are not allowed to use it alone until Year Three."

"Future toast."

Priya handed every new student a housing preference form. Jasper read it. ROOMMATE REQUESTS MAY BE CONSIDERED BUT ARE NOT GUARANTEED. Underneath:, Ava stared. STUDENTS MAY ALSO REQUEST NOT TO SHARE WITH A PARTICULAR PERSON. REASONS MAY BE GIVEN PRIVATELY TO STAFF. Jasper liked that second part more. Room assignments needed to work, not preserve appearances. Harper had already written JASPER + AVA in the preference box.

"You didn't ask."

Harper froze. Again. Then crossed it out.

"Right. Sorry."

She looked at them.

"Do you want to request same room?"

Jasper said yes. Ava said yes. Harper rewrote both names. Not a huge moment. Still mattered. Priya collected forms.

"You'll find out before next year. If not all three fit together, you will survive."

Harper said, "Debatable."

"We have counselors."

"Cruel."

They toured Brannor's study rooms. Workshop. Equipment store. Quiet room. That surprised Harper. A whole room with soft chairs, no games and a sign asking for silence.

"Brannor has quiet?"

Priya stared.

"We are not a species of drum."

Jasper nearly choked laughing. The quiet room overlooked the inland garden rather than the sea. He liked it immediately. Ava liked the small reference shelf. Harper lasted forty seconds before leaving. Then came responsibility boards. Every Brannor student took rotating community jobs. Common-room reset. Equipment check. Mentor table setup. Garden water. Emergency kit inspection with staff. No job was punishment. If someone repeatedly failed, staff worked out why before assigning consequences.

"What if someone just doesn't want to?" Harper asked.

Priya shrugged.

"Sometimes you do things because other people live with you."

Harper looked suspicious of society. At midday, Professor Keene joined the new students in the courtyard. He carried a crate.

"First Brannor job."

Harper brightened. Inside were damaged cushions. Her face fell.

"We repair these before summer storage."

Ava picked one up. Split seam. Simple. Students learned a basic hand stitch. No magic. Harper's first seam looked like an injured spider. Jasper's held. Ava's was so neat Keene checked whether she had secretly used a repair charm. She looked offended.

"I followed the instructions."

"Compliment."

"Oh."

Mia sat beside Harper and redid one corner.

"You are attacking fabric."

"It started it."

By lunch, ten cushions had been repaired. They ate on them outside. Jasper looked around. Brannor did not feel like winning. That was important. Choosing had not promoted them above Theo or Soren. It had given them a new set of people and expectations. At the end of the afternoon, Priya returned their chalk stones from the welcome feast.

"Take these home for summer. Bring them back next year."

Jasper held his. LISTEN BEFORE HELPING. Harper's: CHOOSE WHEN TO ACT. Ava's: PROTECT WHAT MATTERS WITHOUT NEEDING CERTAINTY. Harper looked at Ava's tiny writing.

"You needed a bigger rock."

"I managed."

They carried the stones back to Room Fourteen. Three days as Brannor. Three days still West first-years. The overlap felt strange. Not one identity replacing another. Layers. Jasper put his Brannor stone into the history box. Harper did too. Ava hesitated.

"We're meant to bring them back."

"The box is coming back," Harper said.

Ava smiled.

"Fair."

Her stone joined theirs.