ѕннн! ιт'ѕ a ѕєcяєт! dnp

[Dangerosa]

XXXXXXXXXXXplace tab tab tab tab person

Maelyn smiled. Not only that, but she actually laughed at his attempt at a joke. Though it wasn't a rare thing to see her laughing, generally whenever Balian got to witness such an event it was from a distance and whatever she was laughing about typically had nothing to do with him nor did he in anyway cause the humorous situation. He was, more often than not, the person that people could rely on to take what could have been a joke or a lighthearted situation and kill it within three seconds flat. But now for what felt like the first time since he'd known her, he had actually gotten her to smile, heard her laughter within his presence, and, most importantly of all, he was the cause of it. Balian felt something akin to pride swelling within him. It was as though after two years of struggling he had finally managed to figure out Maelyn Bevian and how to get her to display that elusive emotion known as 'happiness' when he was around.

Now the question was, did he want to continue down this path for the rest of the afternoon in the hopes of getting something from her further down the line, or simply allow things to play out somewhat naturally and see what opportunities presented themselves. Balian had to admit to himself that he did prefer this side of her where she wasn't always a step away from wanting to strangle him and wasn't shooting him a look of hatred. Not that he would ever do anything more to encourage this sort of behaviour on a regular basis and he had probably only initiated it for selfish reasons -- because he didn't want to end up sitting alone and talking to whatever animal he could manage to convince to draw near and spend some time with him. As much he could probably die happily if he spent the rest of his days in the company of his animal friends, there were some instances where he did crave the company of another human being.

Deciding to play things by ear and file away any interesting bits of information for later, Balian gave a tentative smile in return, as he listened to Maelyn explain her reasons why she wouldn't run for office and then complimented him once more. She was being surprisingly nice to him this afternoon and Balian wondered if it was because he had made the effort to reach out to her and show her a kinder side of himself, or whether she was trying to get something. The thought of Maelyn being kind to him because of his perceived kindness to her almost seemed highly improbable. Wasn't she always calling him a snake? She didn't really trust him then, or quite believe, and rightfully so, that the face that he showed her was really how he actually felt in that particular moment in time. On the other hand, was Maelyn shrewd enough to attempt to win his favour so that she could ask for something later and attain his acquiescence? He didn't believe that she was based on her less than stellar academic performance and the fact that he often came out on top in their little encounters. So that left what then? Why was she complimenting him when she knew how this played out nine times out of ten?

Not willing to break the relative good mood they both seemed to be in today, Balian decided to bite his tongue and not say anything or bother to accept the compliment and slap her in the face with it as he was told he usually did. Though Balian would never say that his words were akin to sharp barbs, and he was sure that he could find others to support him if need be, sometimes it felt like those voices would be in the minority.

Just as he started to leave the group, he overheard Maelyn telling Damianos that she spent the summer studying and had actually managed to improve enough to take some of the higher level classes. That certainly explained why he had one too many classes with her this year, but Balian could not quite believe that he'd truly heard what Maelyn had said correctly. Could it be that after all this time she had finally seen the light and realized that he was right about her? Was it an admission that in years past she had been just as lazy as he suspected and was now trying to make up for lost time? Walking towards the field in silence, Balian couldn't keep the slight smirk off his face. He'd always knew he was right about her. She didn't apply herself. It was her third year and only now was she beginning to show who she really was. Balian doubted that she would be able to maintain such a high academic standard for long, but he admired the fact that she had been able to make it this far... even if he knew she would be taking a fiery fall once midterms rolled around.

"For your sake I hope you're able to stay --" An annoyingly familiar voice cut though the noise in the Courtyard, rudely interrupting what Balian was trying to say and he finished rather quietly and with a sigh : "... in the advanced classes."

Kai was another member of the Initium club and one that Balian found to be rather crude and disgusting. Turning and giving the older student one of his darkest glares, though his expression still quite haughty as if he believed, no he knew, that Kai was hardly worthy of his time and gave leaches a bad name. The upperclassman always seemed to show up at the worst possible times and when he did arrive on the scene something always went wrong, trouble followed, and he turned what would otherwise be a foolproof plan into, well.... Balian believed that Kai had the unique talent of turning anything elegant and with a beautiful simplicity into something wonderfully chaotic.

"If you would like to would like to spend time with your firebird of a boyfriend, Maelyn, don't feel obligated to bind yourself to our previous arrangement," he said evenly. "I have no idea what you see in someone so conceited, and I know that if you left his company you wouldn't have to worry about being able to keep up in class. Kai is nothing more than a distraction who lives to walk all over as many girls in the Academy as he can." It was no secret how he felt about Kai, and while Balian believed that he critiqued Mae for a valid reason, his comments towards Kai fell more into being mean-spirited than anything.

Continuing to a relatively empty spot on the grass, Balian placed his paper plate down on the grass and gently coaxed Dusty out of the pocket on his backpack. As the mouse climbed out and scurried over to the small piece of apple that had been set aside for him, Balian only smiled and opened the main compartment of his backpack to find the ziplock bag of mouse food that he carried around and the small bowls for food and water. "Sorry it took so long," he said softly. "People always act so weird when they see a mouse around food." And every time he thought of that, he was thankful he didn't have a pet rat instead.

Once Dusty was happily working away at his food, Balian relaxed on the grass, opening himself up so that he could sense as many of the animals around him as possible. There were some that were familiar, some were new, and through the curiosity, annoyance, and excitement that he could sense, Balian also felt at peace. There was nothing, to his mind, better than this. It made sense more than anything else would.

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i ＆ ━ EVERYONE SEES WHAT YOU 「APPEAR」 TO BE，
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
xxxxx and those few do not take a stand against the general opinion ✖

[Dangerosa]

"There's a meeting tomorrow," he replied, his voice uncertain and his eyes somewhat absent as he thought about it. The meeting was on Saturday, right? Kyrian was almost certain Mae or Damon had mentioned something to him about something important happening this weekend. Oh, right! Giving a nod to confirm what he had said just seconds ago, he added, "I hope you'll be able to make it... We can tried to find one of the other club members later. Don't think I wrote down a time." Or if he did it was on a slip of paper that was long gone by now. It wasn't that he was careless, it was just that... he had a tendency to doodle. The words and letters on the paper could have been swallowed by a lizard for all he knew.

When Grimur described some of the activities that the poetry club did, Kyrian found himself even more interested in the club than he had been originally. But upon hearing that they also had some activities where, within the club, each member would be called upon to attempt to add onto the poem of one of the other students, Kyrian immediately felt like he would want to shy away from the public speaking aspect of that particular activity. If he wrote poetry, which he didn't, he wouldn't be the kind of individual who would be able to come up with another line of poetry when put on the spot. It always had to be something... something that he thought long and hard about or just suddenly had this flash of inspiration that he wanted to draw and bring to life. Whether he painted the picture on paper or with words, thinking it through, deciding which tools to use to bring out the spirit of what he was trying to portray took time. He didn't know how the members of the poetry club were able to do that exercise and feel confident. He'd be running for the door.

"M-maybe I'll visit one day," he replied hesitantly with a somewhat shaky smile. Preferably not on what he was going to dub 'mad libs night.'

Right now, though, he was startled, alarmed, and somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden physical contact that was occurring. It was safe to say that Kyrian's personal bubble was more akin to a glass bubble than one made out of plastic, so when someone entered that comfortable sphere of space that he erected around himself it didn't pop, it shattered. He became visibly nervous, a slight fear creeping into his eyes, and he had an urge to snatch his hands away and scoot several spots back, which was only tempered by his promise to himself to try to be more open with other people. He just didn't expect for that openness to be so sudden and with someone he had just started to get acquainted with.

Greatly relieved when the physical contact came to an end, he took several calming breaths, reminding himself that Grimur just didn't know. How would he? It wasn't as though Kyrian walked around with a sign that said, 'no physical contact unless I give the ok' -- although sometimes he wondered if he should. Not that it would stop anyone. Seeing the pose Grimur had decided on, had Kyrian thinking that it was much more... academic, he supposed, than what he'd originally had in mind. He smiled nonetheless and nodded, agreeing that it was okay, before he picked up his sketchbook and pencil once more. "You sure you're going to be able to hold that pose? It might hurt your knees after a while."

Putting pencil to paper, he started to work on his sketch and at the same time actually keep up a conversation. The school counsellors would be proud: he was actually making an attempt to socialize for once in a situation that was outside of the Initium Club. And after this he would be hiding away in his dorm room as soon as he had an opportunity.

"Even if you can stay still for long... if you ever wanna change positions just let me know," He didn't really get a lot of people posing for him. Usually it's just someone he saw during lunch or during a club meeting and they don't even realize he was working on a sketch until it was done. It allowed for more artistic liberties as far as he was concerned and he wasn't always too concerned, but with people he saw a lot, he was always touching up his quick sketches as he went and slowly filling them in. "Since that was the pose you took when I asked for a sketch, would it be fair to say your poems are like Shakespeare's? If you can remember one, it would be nice to hear it... or what inspires you to write."


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tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ courtyard
tab tab Wɪᴛʜ grimur & tammy
tab tab Mᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs mae, damon
tab tab OᴏC sorry it's late >.<

[Dangerosa]

XXXXXXXXXXXcourtyard tab tab tab tab maelyn

Did Maelyn really think that he thought her stupid? That was the furthest thing from the truth as far as Balian was concerned. But so long as it got her to work hard and quit slacking off he didn't see the point in correcting her. Maelyn was one of the few students who he thought would be able to keep up with him academically if they really applied themselves. Whether she knew it or not, she challenged him, motivated him and kept him on his toes. Though recently he found her to be a bit predictable and a bit lacking, so he pushed her even more and now it seemed as though his investment was going to pay off. He couldn't be more thrilled.

Though he still found her choice in 'friends' to be a bit questionable. Maybe he could work on that too and she would avoid speaking to Kai as much during this academic year. Then again, whether he liked it or not Kai was her friend, and trying to pull her away from him would probably be like Maelyn trying to pull him away from spiders; though she didn't like arachnids she didn't try to get him to dislike them. It may have been strange to admit it to himself, but there were ways where it seemed like Maelyn was rubbing off on him despite his best efforts to prevent it. The fact that he was even willing to act in a way that she would term somewhat 'decent' towards her right now was proof enough of that.

But the fact of the matter was, he didn't really understand her and wanted so desperately to figure her out. In his mind she was a complex puzzle, the pieces arbitrarily cut out of a larger picture and they didn't quite seem to go together no matter which way he looked at it. When he was home for the summer, he saw once again that his older siblings seemed to be able to relax and enjoy themselves while away from school, and he spent most of his summer reading ahead when not at the hospital volunteering or spending countless hours at the zoo. Other than the volunteering, both activities were quiet and solitary, though they were activities where he felt the most comfortable and relaxed. While doing both he could interact with animals to his heart's content. Volunteering involved animals and... humans. The species of which he was apart of but couldn't understand. So if he couldn't figure out Maelyn this year, he felt like maybe he was doing something wrong. It couldn't be that hard to get to know her... or at least it shouldn't be. And yet every turn he made, it felt like he was running into a brick wall.

Offering a tentative smile, as she spoke of Kai being able to feed himself without incident without a sitter to watch him, Balian took a few of the blueberries Mae had offered and gave them to Dusty, silently telling him not to get used to this. Today was the meet and greet and since it was a day where students could be let out of classes earlier than usual, talk and eat to their heart's content, Balian took it as a day where he would spoil his friend a little, giving him a few more treats than he usually allowed.

His expression calm, peaceful, and somewhat amused as he watched the mouse eagerly eat the fruits that had been provided before beginning on the rest of his food, Balian didn't immediately respond to what Maelyn had said, instead humming a contented note, more so to himself than in response to her comment. After another few seconds of silence, he looked up at her, still rather calm as the creatures he could sense didn't seem to alarmed or frightened in a way that was unusual or unnatural. Things were working the way they should be.

"Kai is a heliokinetic. Something is bound to explode around him if he doesn't learn to control his powers," he stated simply, with no malice in his voice. It was a fact that Kai Ryuijin, despite his multitude of other... talents, if one could even call it that, lacked control when it came to using his power. The air around the older student seemed to always be just a bit too hot, and Balian could almost hear Kai saying something about it being because he was just that good, or it was because he was undeniably attractive, or — and Balian almost cringed at the thought — because he was 'too hot to handle.' Puns...

"But... it has been one of the better meet and greets." Balian couldn't help but agree with Mae on this point. The weather was great, there wasn't as much ear-piercing screaming, and company wasn't bad. "Don't want to get too hopeful, but maybe this means the rest of the year won't be so bad. Things could always change, but until then, I'm looking forward to it." Grinning, Balian displayed a proud confidence that he seemed to pull off with ease, even in situations that may be out of his depth. Like this one where he was trying not to critique too much, or thumb his nose at Maelyn. She was trying to be nice, he supposed, so he would too. Though he just had to hint slightly at his competition with Mae.

The smile and pleasant expression lasted but a few seconds, and then his expression turned worried as he looked around the courtyard. Something didn't feel right... "Why do insects scare so many people? We're so much bigger than them..." But it wasn't only an insect. That feeling of fear and discomfort was coming from another source. It had him bitting his lip as he tried to pinpoint the source, only for both to fade away almost as quickly as they came. Turning back towards Mae, the concern still etched on his face, he took a small bite of his sandwich hoping that everything was okay with the creatures he'd sensed.

Unable to shake the thought away, he tried to move the conversation to something else while easing back on his connection with the creatures around him. "If you ever need help with your classes, you just need to ask. I don't want you to miss out on something else that's important to you." Nor did he want to lose out on a rival because she couldn't manage her studies. She could make what she would of the offer, though even if she thought he was being two-faced about it, she might be right. "You're still doing those sports right? Uh... swimming and...." There had been a second right? "Soccer?" Even as he said it, it seemed wrong and he frowned. That wasn't right.

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i ＆ ━ EVERYONE SEES WHAT YOU 「APPEAR」 TO BE，
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
xxxxx and those few do not take a stand against the general opinion ✖

[Dangerosa]

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut placerat elementum est. Etiam tincidunt nisl sit amet sem euismod finibus vel vitae nibh. Donec imperdiet quam non arcu lobortis, in gravida nulla ultrices. Curabitur pharetra ligula vel sagittis laoreet. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nunc id est dapibus, viverra orci quis, faucibus sem. Maecenas aliquet elit ac felis feugiat venenatis. Cras eget condimentum velit, at venenatis enim. Vestibulum sem lacus, lacinia quis posuere a, egestas at turpis. Proin dictum et tortor condimentum tristique.

Mauris eget felis venenatis, sollicitudin augue in, pulvinar ante. Maecenas viverra elit ornare faucibus elementum. Phasellus vel imperdiet erat. Morbi dignissim elit nulla. Nunc fringilla molestie metus, quis consectetur sem lacinia at. Nulla ac posuere tellus, id porta elit. Aenean facilisis vitae urna sed posuere.

Donec eu metus diam. Maecenas ut facilisis odio, nec semper odio. Nam suscipit eros lorem, quis egestas ipsum pretium ac. Sed nibh orci, lacinia non sodales eu, scelerisque non odio. Curabitur nec iaculis turpis. Quisque facilisis commodo risus sed vulputate. In at ligula fringilla, convallis sem eget, efficitur augue.


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tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ here
tab tab Wɪᴛʜ here
tab tab Mᴏᴏᴅ here
tab tab OᴏC ...

[Dangerosa]

Grimur’s words confirmed what he’d already suspected and then some. He seemed even more animated now that he was speaking of the Bard, his voice filled with an admiration that was plain to see. It was no wonder that Grimur seemed to be able to outshine the rest of their English class: Shakespearian English was something that was hard enough to understand as it was, without even trying to delve further into it to figure out what messages the writer was trying to get across. And Grimur, apparently, was fluent in it. At least now he knew who he would be trying to stick close to if he wanted to make it through that part of the school year: Grimur and Shakespeare for Dummies were going to be his best friends.

Giving a small nod, though not looking away from the paper as he continued to add to his rough sketch, his pencil only paused for a moment when a thought struck him. If his poems were like Shakespeare and were ‘very, very romantic’, that didn’t mean that there was going to be old English and hidden suggestive themes did it? Kyrian felt a slight blush threatening to colour his cheeks, in fact, a small blush did blossom the moment he heard the first few words of the poem. Thankfully, though, he quickly realized that the poem wasn’t about a girl in bed (she would have been quite oxygen deprived if that was the case, and the poem quite morbid), but a blue flower. And at that realization, he let out a quiet sigh of relief and was able to better appreciate the poem.

”That’s really good! he exclaimed, his voice impressed. ”I enjoyed it!” Grimur was talented and Kyrian felt like by the end of the day if not some time over the weekend, he would end up sketching what Grimur had just described. This made him even more curious about what the other students in the poetry club were like and finding a time to visit.

He returned to his sketch, just about to ask Grimur to turn Tammy to the side a bit so he could get her profile finished, but it seemed as though Grimur was distracted by something… a bug apparently. And watching his fellow second year’s reaction to finding a bug in the doll’s hair, had Kyrian biting his tongue to try to hold back a laugh. He was marginally successful though a few muffled snickers which he then attempted to hide with a cough, escaped. ”Sorry,” Kyrian cleared his throat, hoping that he hadn’t upset Grimur with his horrible attempt at concealing his laughter. ”Even dragonflies and butterflies? They’re kinda cool to me. If one ever lands in Tammy’s hair and I’m around, lemme catch it.” The wings on those insects were just so cool and intricate, they made great studies.

It wasn’t long after that the headmaster’s voice cut through the conversation and laughter of the courtyard. Now what? Looking around, he spotted the headmaster and a few other teachers in front of one of the buildings. Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say that he assumed that’s where they were since that’s where everyone was looking and he couldn’t really see through the crowd. Sighing quietly, he tried to tune the headmaster out and get back to his sketch, drawing a few quick flowers near the bottom of the page. Could they just hurry through this announcement so they could go back to enjoying their free lunch and the weather? School was over…

”Huh?” Did Grimur say something, or had he just imagined it. There was more excited chattering in the Courtyard. A Scavenger Hunt? But why? The meet and greet was just fine as it was. They didn’t need something new added to it. And he was actually having fun for once with someone cool. Couldn’t they add this to — his internal whining was brought to a stop Grimur’s excited voice urging him to participate with him. And when Kyrian saw how animated his new friend was and how eager he looked, how could he say no? Sure, it would probably mean more socialization than he’d had in years previous, but he could just hole away for the rest of the evening in his room. Damianos was quiet and didn’t talk much. Didn’t have a significant other that he was constantly sneaking into the dorm so… that was always an option. ”Okay, let me put my book away.” His sketchbook and pencil went into his messenger bag and he was picking up his plate, finishing his snack as Grimur pulled him along into the excited crowd of students who had gathered in front of the headmaster.

Placed on a team with Grimur, Kyrian didn’t bother to hide the bright smile on his face. That was good. At least he’d know someone on this team and wouldn’t feel so out of place. Then he looked to see the other person that they’d been grouped with and he felt excited to say the least. He might not know Elene terribly well, but she was a familiar face and someone he’d spoken to occasionally. Plus she was Damianos’ sister so she couldn’t be that bad.

”Hi, Elene. How was your summer?” Though the question was asked, he didn’t really expect an answer and did it more out of courtesy than out of any really curiosity. Besides, they were just about to get their first clue:

Half of the year and the age he spoke for the school; his picture you find one floor away; the room within the jewel; think fast least your hair turn grey.

Kyrian blinked, he was stumped. ”What does that even mean? Half of the year… was that talking about days or weeks? Using his finger to trace imaginary numbers in the air in front of him, he worked out the number they would need in both instances and then felt more comfortable with the larger of the two. But then who was the he referred to in the puzzle? ”The room within the jewel… Do either of you know what he’s talking about?” All he knew for certain was that there was someone’s picture on the second floor of the building and that the man probably had gray hair… but with the date of this Academy, that could be any number of people. "Oh, Elene, this is Grimur and Tammy." Felt a little weird to introduce a doll head, but with the way Grimur spoke to and about her, it felt like it would be rude not to. "They might be joining the club," he continued brightly. He was happy to be able to introduce Grimur to another club member. If Grimur wasn't already sold on the idea, then hopefully Elene could win him over. But for now back to the task at hand. "You don't think the clue refers to one of the old guys on the second floor do you?"

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tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ In front of building 2
tab tab Wɪᴛʜ Grimur, Tammy, Elene
tab tab Mᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs -
tab tab OᴏC -

[Dangerosa]

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dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab LIFE IS LIKE A FORGE tab tab tab tab tab YES, AND HAMMER AND ANVIL, TOO
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tab tab & tab You'll be ▪ ▪ ▪ roasted ⊰ smelted ⊱ pounded ❖ ↘↘
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tab tab tab tab AND YOU'LL SCARCE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.

tab tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ tab tab tab Mᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs tab tab tab Wɪᴛʜ
tab tab 「 ballroom 」 tab tab 「 sia, liam 」 tab tab 「 npc group 」
dangerosa

The journey had been long, bumpy and uncomfortable. He had travelled through various landscapes, climates, and countries, but finally he was here after the long and arduous journey. Taking a deep breath of the crisp, fresh mountain air after he descended from the cab, he looked up at the dark, albeit impressive, castle that loomed before him. Whatever could a Lord want with him? He wasn’t of noble blood; knew nobody from the continent, save his relatives in France who visited once when he was but an infant; and he was hardly the best blacksmith around — it would still be years before he could say that he surpassed his father in his skill at the forge, no, he would not dare to utter such a thing. In his mind, he was certain that the Lord had made a mistake, but his mother had assured him that a Lord would always double check his work and wouldn’t send an invitation to one whom he did not intend to invite.

And so here he was, staring at the castle entrance while the cab rattled back towards the town. His luggage was at an inn back in the village as he hadn’t been too keen on bringing it with him… although the invitation did say something about staying the night, Brandon knew he would feel far too uncomfortable in such a lavish dwelling. Clearing his throat and adjusting his tie, he pulled out the small notebook in which he had written a few phrases in Hungarian. He probably wouldn’t be doing much conversing this evening, but he had made an effort to learn a few simple phrases along his journey. Brandon hoped it would be enough. Tucking the book back in his pocket, he smoothed his clothing and walked with a confidence that belied the nervousness that he was feeling in the pit of his stomach. Parties like these were always something he had seen at a distance and had never dreamed he would be invited to. Somehow his luck had changed… and he was expected to be able to influence Fate enough to change the fate of his sisters. And he hadn’t the slightest idea of how he was going to accomplish that!

His confidence wavered somewhat when he saw the butler for even he looked better dressed. Brandon had a feeling that this was how the majority of his night would go; that feeling of being underdressed would perpetually follow him throughout the night.

”Good evening, I was invited by…”

Apparently, he would need to say no more as the butler showed him inside and to the room where the event was to take place. Either that was a sign that his accent was horrible or, and more likely, he wasn’t the first guest to have arrived and he had said just enough for the man to get the general idea and show him in.

And once he arrived in the ballroom, his jaw dropped. The halls of the castle had been grand, the furnishings of a superior quality the likes of which he believed he was lucky to see, but the ballroom and the decorations, the rich variety of foods, the high quality of the clothing the people wore… — granted he was relieved that he wasn’t as underdressed as he thought he would be — it was a sight to behold. He, too, must have been quite the sight as he stood there gawking at what he was seeing. Finally finding his legs and gathering his wits, he continued further into the ballroom, taking the time to admire and appreciate what he was seeing. The castle really was quite stunning, and as he examined some of the metal finishings, it gave him ideas for new designs that he could use in his own work when he went back home. He wondered if perhaps the Lord would grant him permission to make a quick sketch of some of them so he wouldn’t have to work from memory.

Suddenly a loud voice spoke up, attracting the attention of all of the invited guests, and causing Brandon to tear his eyes away from the object he was examining. An applause rose from the guests and Brandon’s eyes cleared as he viewed the man standing at the top of the staircase. His host for this evening and the one who had apparently sent the invite to him: Lord Rosencrantz.

The Lord was light hearted and jovial, his smile bright, warm and welcoming. It was a sight that he had not expected and Brandon wondered just how old this Lord was, for he didn’t act like any of the old Lords from back home who were far more uptight, even with their servants. Brandon’s brows furrowed slightly as he tried to follow along, catching the chuckle from the crowd that alerted him to a joke that had gone right over his head. Taking a glass of wine from one of the passing servants, he took a small sip wondering if anyone else in the room spoke English — or French or Dutch. He had three languages under his belt, and Hungarian was still such a mystery to him… Finally, with glasses raised, the Lord ended his speech and was almost instantly swept into the crowd, the conversation resumed, picking up slightly, though he could hardly understand what the excitement was about.

Warm smiles and tentative conversation with a few of the locals in the ballroom had him wondering if it would be at all appropriate for him to take out his notebook once more and add a few more phrases to his personal guide book. The guests in the room certainly were friendly. Perhaps a bit too friendly judging from what was happening right before his eyes.

A powerfully built man had caught the attention of a number of females in the room. One of which had even worked up the courage to lay her hand against the male’s chest while their arms were locked. Was she a lady brought to the castle for the Lord’s amusement or was this something more, something about the culture of the region he had yet to grasp and fully understand? His mother couldn’t possible want Victoria, Mary or Margaret to be with one of these men did she?

Brandon’s hand slipped into his pocket for the trinket his mother had given him. He had an urge to tell her that he wasn’t going to go through with her plan, but just as his hand made contact with it, he reconsidered. Give it the night. Perhaps there are others… Still, he couldn’t help himself from giving the pair a somewhat curious and surprised look as he moved past with his group. Shaking his head slightly, he then ignored the couple, and looked in the direction one of his companions was pointed. There was a woman standing off by herself. She was dangerous apparently, one of them had tried to approach her earlier and felt an overwhelming sense of fear and a need to get away. Curious. He wondered if he could perhaps speak to her before the night’s end.

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab BUT STAND BOLDLY TO IT! tab tab tab tab METAL'S WORTHLESS TILL IT'S SHAPED AND TEMPERED
dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████████████████████████████████████████
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ⁎ Face the pounding,
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ✖ don't fear the proving;
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⟢ and you'll stand well against any hammer and anvil ⟣⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

[Dangerosa]

Gerrard couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s words. ”Indeed it shall,” he agreed, his words still cordial despite the other’s bitterness.

And it was, perhaps, to be expected. Gerrard would never forgive Richard for taking his friend’s life. If the man were present in this meadow he would kill him all over again!
There was a slight tightening around his eyes as he thought of his old accomplice, the only sign of his anger, which he held so rigidly in check. But as he released Clement’s hand, it was gone, his expression smoothed out, and a smile once more on his lips.

”I was greatly upset when I heard of your murder. I do sincerely apologize for the actions of my subordinate — I’m loathe to even refer to him as such, he was a simpleton.” The simmering anger rose to the surface once more, and this time Gerrard allowed it to stay, showing both his anger over Clement’s untimely death, and his regret that it had ever taken place. ”I ordered my men to refrain from harming you. Richard thought it wise to take the initiative.” An almost sad smile twitched on his lips. ”I can assure you, I ensured your murderer was brought to justice.” Hopefully his apology would be accepted.

Stepping back, he gazed upon the banquet laid out before them deciding that this could quite possibly be a way to determine whether or not the food had been enchanted in some way. If Clement ate of it and there was no ill effects, the gateway to abyss didn’t open up beneath him, then he would take a bite as well. Granted, there was no guarantee that if Clement didn’t succumb immediately to some ill effect that he would remain unscathed as well. The goddess who had appeared before him appeared to be quite fickle with her appearance so there was really no way to know whether that same trait was present in other aspects that came under her domain. Perhaps his only course of action was the roll the proverbial dice and pray that when they stopped their tumble across the board, they wouldn't spell out his misfortune.

”Perhaps we can partake of the generous banquet that has been set before us,” he offered, starting to lead his friend towards it. ”If we must continue this game, even into the afterlife, then it would be better to do it well fed.” A ghost of a smile touched his lips as he took a seat and began to pull certain foods onto a plate. ”And this time our fun will not prematurely meet an end. I intend to see this through until the end, Detective, no matter what the end will be.”

Whatever that end was, he was looking forward to experiencing it with Clement this time around. Whether they were truly about to be pitted against each other once more after this meal or this was something else entirely, the Criminal was sure that he would enjoy it nonetheless. This was, he supposed, the game of a lifetime.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," he said as he rested his chin upon interlocked fingers and languidly rolled his head this way and that, his hair falling across his mismatched eyes, as if trying to determine whether there was anything else from off the table he wanted to try. There was a rather large selection and he had only taken a sampling of what was offered. In truth, he was studying Clement's movements, the selections he made, and wondering if death had changed his friend at all. From what he could see, there were no immediate changes: his appearance was largely unchanged and his eyes still held that fire and determination in them that he had held from his youth, and remained just as analytic and inquisitive as they were in his adulthood. "What were your impressions of the goddess? I'm thankful to have bene given this opportunity to apologize, but this entire scenario appears... quite odd, don't you agree?" There... the line was cast, hopefully there would be a bite and he might learn more about this mysterious competition he was thrown into.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ clearing tab // tab Wɪᴛʜ clement
tab tab Cʜᴀʀɢᴇs ◽ || ◽ ||◽ tab tab Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ 100%
tab tab OᴏC ...

[Dangerosa]

XXXXXXXXXXXplace tab tab tab tab person

His face suddenly neutral as Mae defended Kai, seeming to speak out in support of him despite the male’s propensity for getting into trouble with his shenanigans, Balian wished that she wouldn’t bother herself with him. Maybe it bothered him so much because part of him envied their relationship and that was something he wouldn’t ever dream of admitting out loud. Even thinking about it left a bitter taste in his mouth and he was quickly trying to cleanse his palette with the refreshingly sweet taste of watermelon and honeydew. He wasn’t jealous of Kai, ‘cause he was everything Kai wasn’t. Right? Right.

Looking over at Dusty scurrying around in the grass nearby, he worked on settling his thoughts, dipping into the current of excited curiosity and joy that his friend felt as he explored. It was always something so simple, like a new scent, colour, or texture, but it was something that he as a human with dulled senses in comparison couldn’t begin to understand. There was an entire world out there that he wished he could make sense of and he knew he never would. Dusty did and Balian could only hope to experience it vicariously, and even then, he was only touching the surface. It was frustrating and at the same time amazing.

A soft smile on his lips, he turned back to face Maelyn, looking quite encouraging when she suggested that she might not be able to keep up with her increased work load and their usual debates. ”I’m sure you’ll manage. If you could make it into the advanced classes, what’s one more friendly debate?” The smile took on a mocking edge as he continued. ”Unless you’re giving up before the school year has even started. That’s not like you, Maelyn.”

Her next words had the smile going away completely and he fell into a stunned silence. She spoke about him when she went home for the summer? But all she ever did with him during the school year was argue. They butted heads more often than not, if she built a tower three blocks high, he would instantly build one four blocks higher just to show that he was better and more capable. The higher she built her tower, the better she did, he just worked even harder to show her that she could never outshine him… and still she claimed that he wasn’t bad?

He was still thinking about this when she explained a little bit about her history with spiders, and remembering that she’d asked him to keep them away from her as long as they were sitting together, Balian glanced around with both his eyes and his senses to make sure that there were no multi-legged creatures deciding to attempt to conquer Mt. Maelyn, and if there were, dissuading them quietly.

As they continued talking, they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the Headmaster’s voice calling for attention. The glint of competition came to his eyes as he heard about the scavenger hunt, and he needed little persuading to pack up his things, call Dusty to him and hurry over to the group of gathered students who waited to be sorted into teams. When informed of the prize that would be given to the winning team, the spike of excitement he felt at the possibility of being able to create an all vegetarian lunch menu for the school had the mouse, scurrying around his shoulders chattering happily. Balian knew that at the end of the day it probably wouldn’t be fully vegetarian depending on what his teammates had to say about it, but if there could be more than the usual rabbit food that tended to be on the menu, then he would be so much happier!

Seeing that he was placed on a team with Maelyn and a first year, he felt his hopes of winning this competition sinking. Maelyn wasn’t that bad all things considered. At least she had been around a few years and probably knew her way around the school. But a first year… what did she know about anything? She would probably slow them down. Balian didn’t know anything about the other member of their team and just hoped that they would be more of a help than a hinderance to him. It already looked like he was going to be doing the bulk of the problem solving and that was enough to get a slight frown to form on his face.

The frown only deepened when Maelyn introduced him to the first year student, but he didn’t bother to say anything to either of them. He just gave the younger girl a ‘you better not slow me down’ look, which only softened marginally at Mae’s gentle teasing at his expense. ”You’re not that much of a challenge, Maelyn. But enough talking; if we’re going to win, we can’t spend all our time in committee.” And if they lost anymore time, Balian was sorely tempted to use his powers to get ahead; would he really get in trouble if he happened to ask a fly if it had seen any other teams walk by? He didn’t think so.

Without bothering to wait any longer, he walked into the building and looked around. Half of the year (26 weeks) and the first age one steps (babies start to walk before they’re a year old so he decided to go with the youngest one could be to step into the Academy — 13. That also meant that ‘half the year’ was referring to 1375 right?); the colour of the sky (blue) one letter you take; the ground one shares with echoing footsteps (Maelyn may have been right about a classroom, but…); the place where one neighbours a lake (there was no lake close to the academy as far as he knew so that had to be referring to one of the pools).

Turning back to Mae and Eleanora he finally decided to speak his thoughts aloud. ”Half the year probably refers to the current year — 1375 AN — as it’s used in conjunction with ‘the first age one steps’. If the clue refers to when we start to walk, that's typically before we are even a year old. So probably what’s being referred to is the number 13: the age we’re able to enter Occassus, right Eleanora?” He smiled a little at her and continued. ”The colour of the sky is blue, we need to take one letter away from that, if I understand things correctly. And there’s no lake nearby Maelyn. But, as you know we do have two pools, both indoor and outdoor. So, if your guess is correct, we need a classroom near the pool,” he finished smugly. ”Maybe the rest of the clues will make more sense once we find the room.” This was, however, assuming he was right. Was there even a classroom 13B in this building that was anywhere near the pool or was he just completely off about all of this? There was only one way to find out.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
i ＆ ━ EVERYONE SEES WHAT YOU 「APPEAR」 TO BE，
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
xxxxx and those few do not take a stand against the general opinion ✖

[Dangerosa]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████████████████████████████████████████
dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab LIFE IS LIKE A FORGE tab tab tab tab tab YES, AND HAMMER AND ANVIL, TOO
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃


tab tab & tab You'll be ▪ ▪ ▪ roasted ⊰ smelted ⊱ pounded ❖ ↘↘
tab tab • tab tab • tab tab • tab tab ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
tab tab ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
tab tab tab tab AND YOU'LL SCARCE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.

tab tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ tab tab tab Mᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs tab tab tab Wɪᴛʜ
tab tab 「 ballroom 」 tab tab 「 Eirik 」 tab tab 「 sia, npcs 」
dangerosa

On their way to a part of the ballroom that was perhaps a little quieter, Brandon was slowly starting to feel a little more at ease. He and the two men he was conversing with seemed to have the beginnings of a system they could use to decipher what the other was attempting to say. It seemed to be working so far and with the help of some miming and descriptions on the pace of words it was working and Brandon was finding the event a little more enjoyable now that he had found someone to enjoy it with.

He had managed to learn that this was the first time in recent memory that the Lord of this Castle had ever hosted a grand party such as the one thrown tonight. That was the reason for a number of the curious expressions he had seen earlier. Not only was the party a rare occurrence, but it was unusual to even see the Lord himself. Now that, Brandon had a difficult time believing and wounded if he had misunderstood what was being said. Could this Lord really have lived in such isolation from the people surrounding him? Brandon could only imagine the rumours that the townsfolk must have had before tonight’s event, and the anticipation that built as news spread.

Though that didn’t explain how or why he had received an invite and his companions were at a loss for that as well. Henrik offered to go with him whenever he was ready to introduce himself to Lord Rosencantz, and Rafael was quick to add that he would join them as well. It certainly would help to ease his nerves a little and Brandon gratefully accepted their offer. However, as he was in no hurry to introduce himself to their host just yet since Lord Rosencrantz had already been swallowed by the crowd, he elected to wait until later when he would, hopefully, be a little less in demand.

No sooner had the word rather haltingly leave his lips did they come across the woman from before. The one Rafael had claimed was dangerous. Instantly the other male stiffened, apparently feeling some unease at being in her presence once more. For his part, Brandon didn’t know why his companion was anxious, as though he couldn’t quite sense warmth coming from her she didn’t appear to be threatening. Her features were soft, hair white with tints of pale blue and gray, her eyes a striking pink that had him studying them closely before he looked away, realizing that it may have ben quite rude.

Moreover, the lady appeared to be mute, writing her words in a journal and then holding it up for him to read. Though he was getting better at speaking Hungarian (as far as he was concerned), reading it was another issue. He still struggled a little with it and had to take a moment to try to sound out the words to attempt to decipher their meaning. Once he felt that he understood the words meaning, Brandon gave her a rather embarrassed and apologetic look hoping that he didn’t appear as illiterate as he felt he did.

”Thank you for the welcome,” he said politely, careful to make sure he wasn’t mispronouncing anything. ”The night has been quite enjoyable and the wine excellent.”

Belatedly, Brandon realized that if she was Welcoming him tot he Castle then she must either be a servant or a noble who lived here. Her clothing was nothing like that he had seen the servants in, so she must have been a Lady of some important ranking. Moving into a quick bow, he wondered how many times he would make a social faux pas by the time this night was over.

”My name is Brandon Thompson, my lady. I’m honoured to have been invited to your home. It’s quite lovely.” His introduction was given with a kind smile, his voice still warm despite what he had been told about her. Fire could be deadly and terrifying when wild, but useful and comforting when controlled. In a similar manner the woman before him might simply be misunderstood. ”Please forgive me if I make any mistakes in speech. Hungarian is still quite new to me.

It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady...?” Here he paused hoping that she would fill in the blank for him. Hopefully if his companions saw that he was able to have a decent conversation with her, they would stop looking as though they were ready to run for the hills and show the woman a little kindness.

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab BUT STAND BOLDLY TO IT! tab tab tab tab METAL'S WORTHLESS TILL IT'S SHAPED AND TEMPERED
dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████████████████████████████████████████
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ⁎ Face the pounding,
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ✖ don't fear the proving;
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⟢ and you'll stand well against any hammer and anvil ⟣⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

[Dangerosa]

"Oh… Smaller than one hundred… hmm…” Elene brought up a good point. If it was an age it had to be a small number. So maybe it was half of 52? But then that only gave you 26 and though that was higher than twenty, Kyrian wasn’t entirely sure anymore about his reasoning of the riddle. Twenty-six seemed awfully young for a headmaster, especially if it was one with gray hair. Didn’t people get that when they were 60 or something? Well, except for Balian but maybe that was because he was always so competitive and he acted old all the time. Stress could make you age prematurely... or so he'd heard. Maybe Balian was under a lot of stress... all the time. Would explain a lot.

Shaking the thought away, he followed Elene into the building and up the stairs to the second floor. Apparently the other groups had the same general idea that he did and were already here checking out the different portraits. Some seemed to think they were onto something and looked excited; others were still searching. At least they knew they were on the right path since they couldn’t all be wrong about it being one of the headmasters on this floor.

Kyrian looked a bit helpless when Elene asked if either of them were able to list the achievements of the people in the portraits. He didn’t pay attention that much to the school’s history; history class was hard enough without learning all this stuff! But maybe if they just followed Grimur’s lead and examined the portraits one by one, something would just jump out at them if they looked long enough at the pictures. Maybe the name and face would jog something that they couldn’t think of straight away.

”I don’t think they did anything other than be a headmaster,” he replied with a slight shrug. ”Maybe after you graduate you could come back later and be a headmaster, Grimur.” Kyrian laughed and smiled a bit, thinking of how weird it would be to walk in a school and see his own picture staring back at him. Then he pointed out one of the pictures. ”This guy was the first, I think. He’s old so he sort of fits the clue, but I don’t think we’ll get anywhere until we figure out the half the year bit.”

If it wasn’t 182 or 26 then what else could it be? Kyrian doubted that the riddle was going to make them sit around and do a lot of math to figure out how many days were in the school year. It could be the number of years they needed to attend school... but that was too small. It could also be the current year but… that was even bigger than the amount of days in the year! The again, it might not be a division problem in the sense he was thinking of though… and it could be referring to what would happen if you split the number in two: 13-75. And then in that case they would want to look at 75 since that was bigger than 20 and an age where someone could get grey hair? But who knew how old these people staring at them from their spots on the wall were. It could be any of them!

Sighing, Kyrian turned to Grimur. ”What do you think the riddle means? This is harder than I thought it would be.” If only they could figure out the part about the room within the jewel. Even after they figured out who the portrait was referring to, then they still had to find the room in the jewel — ”Wonder if any of these people are wearing any jewellery,” he whispered as he started looking at the pictures again. Kyrian knew for certain that none of the rooms were cut out of a gemstone so maybe this could be the meaning to that part of the riddle which had at first puzzled him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ Building 2
tab tab Wɪᴛʜ Grimur, Tammy, Elene
tab tab Mᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs Balian
tab tab OᴏC ...

[Dangerosa]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████████████████████████████████████████
dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab LIFE IS LIKE A FORGE tab tab tab tab tab YES, AND HAMMER AND ANVIL, TOO
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃


tab tab & tab You'll be ▪ ▪ ▪ roasted ⊰ smelted ⊱ pounded ❖ ↘↘
tab tab • tab tab • tab tab • tab tab ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
tab tab ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
tab tab tab tab AND YOU'LL SCARCE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.

tab tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ tab tab tab Mᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs tab tab tab Wɪᴛʜ
tab tab 「 ballroom 」 tab tab 「 mentions 」 tab tab 「 sia 」
dangerosa

A look of amusement in her eyes, the woman before him took to writing in her journal once more, barely looking up from the paper even as a servant approached her. At first blush it appeared that he had been right in assuming that she was a resident of the Lord's castle: any other guest probably would heed the words of the servant a little more than she currently was. On the other hand, their conversation was not the instantaneous back and forth of oral communication, but one in which patience and silence would dominate more than what would be considered socially appropriate in any other circumstance. Any distraction would surely make an already slow process even slower.

Though curious as to what news the servant was relaying, as it looked quite grave indeed, Brandon turned his gaze from the servant to his companions. They looked as though they were ready to bolt at a moment's notice. The stories they that shared with him seemed to imply that there was some sort of mystery and danger about the woman in front of him, but thus far, there was nothing that told him that he should be alarmed. Moreover, personal experience had him setting aside the stories that he had been told and wanting to learn about the woman on a first hand basis. He had a power, one which he did not quite understand, and knew that should others learn of it, stories and rumours would circulate around the city. He and his family might no longer be as welcome in their community. Ignorance begets fear, and that fear prevents people from taking the steps necessary to get to know each other. It was possible, Brandon supposed, that the stories and rumours were justified; that the woman had done something so terrifying that it was better that he keep his distance.

But if she had, if she was in any way like him, then there was no need to make excuses to leave.

The motion of the female turning the notebook around so that he could read her response to his prior statement, caught his attention and he looked towards her once more, taking his time as he worked on reading what she had written. There were a few words that he wasn't immediately familiar with and those he attempted to define by the context in which the word placed. It was an interesting exercice to be sure, and Brandon half hoped that when he was ready to go back home, he would feel comfortable enough with the language to confidently say that he had a working knowledge of it.

Ah, it would appear that she was a guest of the King herself and so he hadn't been entirely correct in assuming that she was one of the Castle's permanent residents. A hint of a smile then touched his lips as she complimented his Hungarian, but he would get no further than that as she quickly turned the book around once more and continued to write.

His two companions, however, appeared even more uneasy, straightening abruptly beside him and muttering the word 'witch' under their breath, as if a curse. A sharp, disapproving look in their direction revealed that their faces had paled somewhat, and they motioned quickly that he should excuse himself and leave. Though they had been eager to cut this encounter short before, now they were even more eager to depart from the female's presence, whether he followed their lead or not. Not understanding what had come over the once rational gentlemen he had been conversing with, Brandon frowned and asked them to wait a minute. At least until he could get her name. And after that, and depending on what she had written, he would determine for himself whether he he would abruptly step away from this conversation or depart from the company of his companions for the company of one whom might prove to be far more interesting.

After a moment, the page was turned so that he could read it again, and a light of understanding came to Brandon's eyes. So that was why they were calling her a witch. Perhaps it was not so rude then, since that was the title she had chosen for herself.

"Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Sia," Brandon said politely, choosing to address her by her name rather than the title, for Sia was a lovely name and it would be a shame not to use it. "I do hope that I can continue to improve during my visit." A half smile tugged on his lips and he continued. "I hope you do not mind me saying so, but you're too modest. You have a..." Trailing off for a moment, he searched for the word for a moment, eventually giving a small shake of his head and choosing a synonym that didn't quite capture what, exactly, he wanted to say, "A presence that would rival that of any of the Ladies I've seen back home."

Pausing a moment, and looking quite embarrassed, he distracted himself by reading the second sentence that had been written upon the paper, nodding a little to himself and also quietly relaying that he had been one of the guests that was allowed to stay. Brandon still questioned whether or not he had made the right choice in deciding to turn down the offered room, but while he was beginning to feel comfortable amongst the crowd, he wasn't sure he would continue to feel this way once the majority of the individuals gathered here this night had dispersed.

Even after he finished reading her comments, Brandon remained silent as he considered what he should do. It wouldn't be right to leave a woman unescorted, especially one who seemed to be feared by not a small number of individuals in the ballroom. On the other hand, he was fairly certain that she held a place in society that was superior to his own and so though he may want to take her up on her offer, it might not be seen as socially acceptable. Then again, she had offered.

A courteous and thankful smile on his face, Brandon accepted, regardless of the gossip which his acquiescence may stir up. "I would be honoured to spend some more time conversing with you." Then looking to his companions who seemed horrified that he had even accepted, he gave them a polite albeit tense, nod. "Perhaps we will meet again later this evening and continue our discussions, sirs."

As they murmured their reluctant agreement, Brandon offered his arm, intending to escort her to a corner of the ballroom that seemed less busy, less chaotic.

"I'm sorry if their behaviour caused any offence. For various reasons, I don't share their superstitions." He only hoped he could leave the statement at that and wouldn't be asked to describe it in any way, for he feared that he would lack the right words to say or would say something he shouldn't and be run from the Castle. Though perhaps the so-called Witch might have a better understanding than those around her. Something about the way others spoke of her could suggest a certain level of kinship, though perhaps it was his own questions about himself that led to him attempting to seek out someone similar.

"You strike me as one who prefers a more quiet, less crowded setting. One where people aren't so quick to judge," Brandon tilted his head slightly to look at her to see if his words were in any way hitting the mark or if he was off in his observations. "Is that why you have chosen to remain in the Castle instead of travelling into town?"

Finding two empty seats along the side of the ballroom, he waited for Sia to take her seat before he followed suit. His eyes held curiosity and if one looked close enough, maybe even a bit of hope that he'd found a kindred soul, but disbelieving that it could be so easy.

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab BUT STAND BOLDLY TO IT! tab tab tab tab METAL'S WORTHLESS TILL IT'S SHAPED AND TEMPERED
dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████████████████████████████████████████
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ⁎ Face the pounding,
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ✖ don't fear the proving;
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⟢ and you'll stand well against any hammer and anvil ⟣⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

[Dangerosa]

XXXXXXXXXXXroom 13B tab tab tab tab mae, el

The way the first year was looking at him, and the words she spoke after he finished breaking down the riddle and giving his suggestion to what it all could mean made Balian swell with pride. He couldn't stop himself from looking at Maelyn with a look that seemed to proclaim that this was the benefits that one could reap after spending countless hours in the library or in the dorms studying. The look only lasted a few seconds, however, as Maelyn's next words almost had him deflating. Balian had to bite his tongue to keep back the words that he knew would almost surely start a fight. The day had been going so well at the moment that he didn't really want their relationship to deteriorate into their usual oneupmanship and bickering. One day without the fighting would be welcome. Maybe it was a sign that they really could get along.

"Unfortunately, I haven't paid too much attention to where all the different classrooms are in this building, but it should be fairly logical," he began in response to Eleanora's question about the map. Room 13B should be on the first floor as far as he knew. But... that shining sense of hopefulness and that look on her face that was so eager to help had him changing his tone somewhat and trying to keep the smile on her face. One difficult teammate was more than enough for him. "It wouldn't hurt to check the school map, though. I don't think anyone would consider it cheating to make use of the resources that are available to us."

Only moments after he'd finished speaking, Maelyn perked up again, seemingly providing an answer to their earlier question and sharing a story that had an amused smirk forming on his lips. "Ghost stories? You actually believed those fables? It's like the tooth fairy or santa -- they don't exist and there's a perfectly rational or logical answer to it. Hopefully this year you won't fall into the same trap." For all they knew the 'mysterious running' was simply, as the riddle said, the sound of someone running on another floor or nearby and it was echoing through the halls.

Still... that determined expression on her face after she finished sharing her thoughts on the puzzle was one that he wasn't used to. Balian didn't have the sense that she was daring him to challenge her to prove her wrong, but there was a slight confidence to her eyes. Perhaps even pride or encouragement... though what exactly had brought forth this side of her, he didn't know. And more importantly... would there be another opportunity where they could have a day like today? It was nice even if he didn't understand it.

Keeping pace with Eleanora as they walked up the stairs, Balian noted the cat doll that she held in her arms. Wasn't she a little too old for stuffed animals? "Does she remind you of a pet you had to leave at home?" he asked, motioning slightly to the cat doll to clarify what he was talking about. "It's hard to stay away from them during the school year but little things can help." Pointing to his backpack when Dusty had retreated to take a nap he smiled. "I have a pet mouse so if you're ever lonely or want to relax let me know. If you don't like mice, there are a number of friendly strays around."

Once they were on the fourth floor, Balian hurried ahead, wanting to be the first one to figure out where the room was and to see whether or not he was right in how he'd chosen to decipher the riddle. Keeping an eye out for room 13B, he hurried down the hallway, not quite at a run, and almost missed the painting of the lake in his rush to hurry inside the classroom.

And Maelyn looked as though she was right again. Although not exactly in the way that he supposed either of them had been thinking about. "I think we've found our answer." Pointing to the picture just in case either of them hadn't connected the dots yet, he walked in to the classroom and gave the answer to the teacher who was there waiting for them, grinning proudly when she gave them their next clue -- or rather clues:

A red button; something older than a fifth year; map; school yearbook; a purple crayon; whiteout; a copy of the school newspaper; a blue mitten.

Now the real challenge began and he believed they already had one of the items on the list. "Eleanora, if we weren't allowed to use the map before, I think now is the perfect opportunity." As for the other items... Balian would guess that they would need to visit the Arts Room and the Kitchen to find some... and if they had a school journalism room they would need to visit that as well. As for everything else... they'd have to work together.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
i ＆ ━ EVERYONE SEES WHAT YOU 「APPEAR」 TO BE，
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
ifew really know what you are xx few really know what you are xx few really know what you are
xxxxx and those few do not take a stand against the general opinion ✖

[Dangerosa]

A slight frown creased Gerrard's face. His apology had been honest, sincere, and he meant every word of it and yet Clement was going to act as though it was nothing? That their years of history could easily be swept aside by an action which he did not condone? Had the fact that Clement had been able to make it, had managed to overcome the hardships in his life and live a life that others from his old neighbourhood would envy caused him to forget about their past? Gerrard was quite clearly baffled and disturbed by this unexpected turn of events. And yet, even as he tried to make sense of it, he couldn't help but laugh. And as he laughed, he remembered something else about their past.

"Am I beneath you now?" Gerrard's eyes were bright, animated and amused. For the first time since he had awoken in this strange place, he felt alive. "Are we not the same? Have we not both committed acts of violence against or fellow man? I suppose you might argue that you only pursued criminals; rapists, murderers, abusers. But with your badge, you lock human beings up like cattle -- abuse. Those you imprison are unable to provide for their families, some are killed -- murder. You abuse those less fortunate than you to earn your living -- rape. Tell me, how does that make you better than me?"

Knowing that he wouldn't get an answer to his question, Gerrard only smiled, and picked a bunch of grapes off the table and added it to his plate, humming idly to himself as he considered what to eat first, if he even bothered to allow this temptation to pass his lips. He still wasn't entirely convinced that this wasn't a test like in Pan's Labyrinth, and eating of the fruit would lead to his demise.

Looking up from his plate, he scoffed and shook his head, watching in silence as Clement carefully placed a few pieces of egg on his fork and brought it to his mouth. The ground didn't open up beneath him and swallow him whole, storm clouds didn't suddenly cover the bright clearing, and the birds kept on singing as if nothing happened. And perhaps nothing did happen or to his eyes everything was alright and the gates of hell had opened and taken his one time friend, leaving him to converse with an illusion in order to lull him into a false sense of security.

And maybe Clement was right: the food was safe to eat.

"It is not poison or the thought of death that bothers me," he stated calmly, pushing a grape around on his plate with his fork. It looked delicious. If Clement was waiting for him to speak further of what was on his mind, he would get no more than that.

"Don't you find it strange that you, a detective, a member of the police force and a supposed upholder of justice would find yourself with me, a criminal, in the afterlife? Of course, as you so rightfully said, it's a matter of perception and they are in control, but in what religion or system of beliefs would we ever face the same fate?" he let the question hang in the air for a moment and finally put down his fork and popped the grape he had been playing with in his mouth.

Gerrard bit into the grape, it's sweet juice bursting in his mouth, far sweeter than anything he could ever remember. The texture of the flesh a familiar comfort.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...

He waited for the gates of Hell to open... but nothing changed. The world kept on spinning. Interesting. If it was poisoned then it would be the sweetest way to die. Though never very religious or superstitious in life, Gerrard found himself crossing himself and murmuring a quick prayer before he began to eat.

"We are trapped in a meadow with a banquet laid out before us. The food is rich, if you are to believed, the goddesses won't lead us to our final resting place right away. There is a challenge or game they wish us to play for their amusement and -- ah, there is another

At that moment, they were interrupted by another man who seemed just a bit too confrontational for Gerrard's liking. His eyes narrowed and his hand reached for the knife on the table, his posture straightening a little more in his seat. At the moment he didn't recognize the man, but that could mean anything from they had never met before, or they had met in the past, perhaps even had frequent encounters, but Gerrard didn't consider him important enough to remember. Something about him had the criminal thinking that this man fell into the second category, but he couldn't be sure.

"Why would you say something like that?" he drawled, as he gave the stranger a quick, assessing glance. "I doubt you are the kind of person who would be able to put up much of a fight. You appear quite meek, not worth the time and energy it would take, as little as it would be, to knock you down." The hint of a cruel smile curled the corner of his lips and, assessment done, he leaned back in his seat, appearing quite relaxed as he played with the knife in his hands.

"And just as I was beginning to look forward to resuming our game...," his eyes returned briefly to Clement then he cut one of the fruits on his plate into a smaller, bite-sized piece, almost entirely dismissing the stranger at this point. "You can deal with distractions. You seem to attract some of the most curious, annoying and unchallenging individuals."


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ clearing tab // tab Wɪᴛʜ clement & stranger (donovan)
tab tab Cʜᴀʀɢᴇs ◽ ||◽ || ◽ tab // tab Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ 100%
tab tab OᴏC i sorry he's a jerk >.<

[Dangerosa]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████████████████████████████████████████
dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab LIFE IS LIKE A FORGE tab tab tab tab tab YES, AND HAMMER AND ANVIL, TOO
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃


tab tab & tab You'll be ▪ ▪ ▪ roasted ⊰ smelted ⊱ pounded ❖ ↘↘
tab tab • tab tab • tab tab • tab tab ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
tab tab ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
tab tab tab tab AND YOU'LL SCARCE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.
tab tab Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. tab tab Maecenas ultrices adipiscing dolor sed dignissim. tab tab Nullam tortor est, sodales consequat feugiat eget, dapibus nec elit. tab tab Sed faucibus augue at massa porta elementum.

tab tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ tab tab tab Mᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴs tab tab tab Wɪᴛʜ
tab tab 「 hallway 」 tab tab 「 sia, eirik, solteria 」 tab tab 「 no one 」
dangerosa

Waiting patiently for the answer to his question, Brandon’s blue eyes studied the woman as she sat, questions about why everyone seemed to shy away from her and what had happened to result in her becoming known as the Witch. Perhaps it would have been wiser for him to turn down her offer to stay and spend a few more minutes with her, but it had felt wrong to simply walk away with his companions. But it might not have even bee an issue of right or wrong; simply a stubbornness and a need to prove to himself and anyone watching that there was nothing to be afraid of. And maybe it was his hubris that would lead to his downfall if the title had some truth behind it and was not simply the product of people in a small town with nothing but time on their hands.

Asked about the invitation he had received, Brandon’s brow furrowed slightly. He had thought it strange that Lord Rozencrantz would have invited him to this event and included an offer to stay the night at his castle. The fact that he could find no reason for the invite and had, to his knowledge, done nothing to attract the attention of a Hungarian Lord had led to him initially wanting to dismiss this event entirely. Add to that the fact that Sia seemed to imply that there was only a small number who had been invited to stay the night and her questions about it now, and Brandon was wondering if there was more to it.

He said as much to Sia, in the hopes that later that night he would be able to meet the Lord of the Castle and determine how he had attracted the man's attention. Though there was part of him that worried that such a question would breech some code of conduct he knew nothing about. Even being here felt like he was reaching above his station.

After a moment, he had an answer to the question he had asked previously and a look of surprise crossed his face. ”For your protection?” he echoed, then cast his eyes about the ballroom, not because he was suddenly feeling unsafe, but more so because he was worried for Sia. Most, if not all, of the individuals present tonight were from the town and if they were a threat to Sia, he couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to be in a room where one must always be on one’s guard.

On the other hand, it also seemed as though the townsfolk feared her as well, and as his eyes returned to Sia once more, a soft ‘ahh’ passed his lips. it wasn’t that he understood the situation completely, nor did he though he would by the time this conversation drew to an end, but it seemed as though there was something done on both ends that led to this current state of affairs; something Sia had a proclivity of doing set the townsfolk on edge, which lead to her being threatened. Whatever that inclination was may even be tied into her being called a Witch.

”I’m sorry,” he murmured sincerely. ”That is a difficult position to be in.” One which he might understand to some extent, though without asking for details, he wouldn’t assume anything more.

Just before he could find the words to answer Sia’s question, a servant came and attempted to pull the woman away from the pleasurable conversation they were having. Though it was not his place, Brandon started to rise to his feet to ask what was going on when two incredible things happened which gave him pause. The first, words left the formerly mute Sia’s mouth; the second, the servant heeded those words without a sound or gesture of protest, his face a strangely dazed mask before he walked away.

A look of astonishment on his face, he slowly took his seat again and watched as she wrote another line in the notebook. When he managed to decipher what was written he nodded slowly then met her eyes, deciding that it was safe to tell her something he had told no other soul, save those in his immediate family.

”… It would appear we have something in common then,” he started, a slight nervousness in his eyes despite his measured tone of voice. ”I have a… a gift as well. I don’t know what it is called in Hungarian, but I can sense memories or emotions connected to an object when I have physical contact with it.”

tab tab ❝ & ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⟢ Time⌛ skip ▰▰▰▰▰

In large part due to Sia and his curiosity to learn more about her and the powers that she possessed, and the opportunity to finally be able to discuss his abilities with one who might be able to understand them, that had persuaded him to stay. The welcoming ball had been cut abruptly short by a mysterious ailment that had rendered the princess incapacitated and the Lord’s enquiries as to what had befallen her. There had been other events during the night that ultimately played a part in the ball ending as early as it did, and during the days he had remained in the Castle, Brandon was certain that he was only getting half of a story.

Whatever the case, his first few days here had been… rather enjoyable. There had been some initial frustration with the servants as he was used to doing things his own way and organizing his belongings in a particular fashion. As dispassionate as they may be when they handled his belongings, Brandon still preferred it if they refrained from handing his things as much as possible. The last thing he needed was an angry and grumpy servant touching something of his, and the next time he came in contact with it, he felt simmering anger washing over him. He didn’t know how anyone could possibly deal with servants.

There had been encounters with some of the other guests who had been invited to stay, but for the life of him, Brandon couldn’t figure out the purpose behind all of this. Lord Rosencrantz had been generous in allowing them to vacation at his home for the rest of the month (his mother was proud when she heard he’d been persuaded to stay a month, believing it to be a sign that an invitation for his sisters would be soon to follow), but Brandon still had so many more questions than answers.

Other than his brief encounters with the other guests, his frustrations dealing with the servants and their incredulity that he would dare venture to Sia’s chambers, he was enjoying those private moments with the ‘Witch’. She was helpful, knowledgeable, and seemed willing enough to help him with his powers. And the trace memories and sensations he had managed to sense while he touched certain object, either at Sia’s request or from his own curiosity as he attempted to see how something was made or examine the details of the object with greater scrutiny had been… surprising at times.

Even now as he finished getting dressed for the moonlight picnic, Brandon wondered why they had planed the event for this time of night. Not to say that he wasn’t looking forward to it, since he was rather excited for it, but it was just one more mystery that he hoped they would have an answer to eventually.

Leaving the room, Brandon started down the hall, hoping to catch one of the other guests to see if he could have a word with them before they went to the lake. Maybe they had managed to discover something that he hadn’t.

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab BUT STAND BOLDLY TO IT! tab tab tab tab METAL'S WORTHLESS TILL IT'S SHAPED AND TEMPERED
dangerosa
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████████████████████████████████████████
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ⁎ Face the pounding,
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰⋰ ✖ don't fear the proving;
tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⟢ and you'll stand well against any hammer and anvil ⟣⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

[Dangerosa]

“You and I are one and the same, I’ll give you that… my friend.”

It took an unusual amount of effort not to scoff and in turn do something petty, like repeat Clement’s earlier words back at him. So only now that he had exposed the absolute hypocrisy of his thoughts, and showed him the slanted lens through which he viewed the world, was Clement willing to accept the olive branch he had offered? Gerrard continued eating the fruits he had placed on his plate, not giving a sign or sound that he even respected the fact that Clement had decided to volunteer an answer to his question and in doing so, accept his apology. But as his old friend continued, Gerrard found himself shaking his head.

Seeking justice to better humanity…. Who did Clement think he was? In their lifetime they had been witness to the way in which the concept of justice could change from one generation to another! The composition of a family, conception, women’s rights… right and wrong, justice and criminality were simply arbitrary concepts created by those in power in order for them to remain in power. But it was pointless to try to show Clement just how slanted his perception of reality was. They had debated the issue for long enough and now the only way for either of them to change their opinion on the matter would be during whatever challenges they may face… challenges that Gerrard intended to win if only to open his friend’s eyes to the truth of the world.

Musing quietly on what Clement had said while the more recent arrival to the clearing droned on like an annoying fly in need of a swat while one was trying to study, Gerrard would have much preferred to continue his prior conversation with his long time rival were it not for Clement’s sudden interest in the boy.

“Is he really one of yours?” he interjected, incredulous. "I thought you would have done better than this,” he gestured vaguely with his free hand as he pierced another fruit with his fork. “Fool,” he concluded.

A small smile on his lips as he brought the melon to his lips, he noted with some amusement and regret that it took very little for this stranger, Donovan, to get riled up. Gerrard hoped that they wouldn’t have to work together in the challenges as the idiot was going to be the cause of their downfall should that happen. And, god forbid, he would have to simplify things for him to be able to understand!

Finishing his fruits and wiping his mouth in silence, Gerrard then rose to his feet, tilting his head slightly to be able to meet Donovan’s brown eyes squarely as the man was about two inches taller than him.

“I think there are those who would disagree with what you’ve said Clement. There are many who would say I’m more of a protector than a criminal. But whatever the case, I never realized you were so jealous.” Gerrard threw Clement a slightly teasing roguish grin then looked back towards Donovan, giving him a level glare, his heterochromic eyes darkening with a threat of violence should he not be able to control himself. “For Clement’s sake I hope you were listening closely to what he said. I would hate to leave a permanent mark on that unblemished face of yours.

“You’ve already told me a lot about your personality in just a few short minutes. You put on a show to try to pretend that you are something you’re not. Whether that is out of fear, incompetence or something more, that I have yet to determine. Perhaps you are good in a fight or a better investigator than I give you credit for, but you set yourself up for failure. Control your temper or it could be your undoing in these challenges, whatever they may be. That is the only piece of advice I’m going to give you.”

That said, Gerrard’s expression softened into one that was more friendly and open as he returned his attention to his high school friend and started away from the table. ”You know I’ve never been one to take a life, but I do have a habit of making people wish I’d killed them instead. You might want to remind him of that.” Peering into the dense forest that surrounded them, Gerrard wondered who or what else was out there…. and what other surprises the alleged goddesses would have in store for them.

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tab tab Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ clearing tab // tab Wɪᴛʜ clement, donovan
tab tab Cʜᴀʀɢᴇs ◽ ||◽ ||◽ tab // tab Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ 100%
tab tab OᴏC ...