Making his way slowly towards the dock, Maxwell Kraden was progressing by a combination of walking and stumbling, brought on by the fact that his eyes were focused more on his belt than on anything else. Impatiently blowing his blond hair out of his eyes for the third time that minute, he resumed his final inventory-taking. Wearing a belt with a kilt was not uncommon, but this particular belt was-It was more of a utility-belt than anything, with dozens of small compartments built in. Subtle, so as not to draw the "dork" label he attracted so often, but definitely numerous.<br/><br/>"Box 33... Strength, check. Box 34... Focus, check. 35... Wait, what are these aga-"<br/>His thoughts were interrupted by a very near miss. The wooden dock was slightly elevated, and he lost his balance on the edge, only righting himself at the last moment, and finally forced himself to look up.<br/><br/>Everyone seemed dressed more or less the same way, which was a relief to Max. The uniforms were so unorthodox, he wasn't entirely sure the whole student handbook wasn't a prank. Yet despite his initial doubts, he found himself quite comfortable in a kilt. The lack of a shirt worried him for purely practical reasons, but he had packed the white robe the handbook mentioned in case it was chilly. He wasn't terribly worried about his appearance to others, as he thought himself more or less average. He wasn't exactly "ripped", but escaping the bullies of previous years gave him a lot of running experience and kept him quite fit.<br/><br/>Matters of comfort and confidence aside, he still hadn't been sure that the whole thing was for real. But here he was, and the kilt uniforms were indeed for real. And the<em>girls</em>! He'd never taken a particular interest in them while at Hogwarts, but with the new uniforms, it didn't seem like he'd have a choice in the matter. They were very, very interesting.<br/><br/>Scanning the groups of students, he caught sight of one familiar face so far-Talvi, Max thought, Eirawen Talvi. And that was as far as he got before suddenly realizing the very specific benefits of the new school uniforms: They gave him a brand new perspective on his old schoolmates, for one.<br/><br/>This was going to be a fun year.