Utopia Academy [MOVED ON 04/04/15]

Headcount

+1	100.0%	[ 22 ]
Total Votes:			[ 22 ]

[Kumako Shock]

His smile unnerved her. Though there was the definite possibility that it was because she didn't know what was behind his smile. Smiling seemed to be Edward's default expression, and she found him hard to read for it. Or, she found most people hard to read unless they were uncomfortable. When they were uncomfortable they at least had ticks that made them easier to read. Her own being, for example, that she often found herself balling her hands in her skirt when she was unsure of herself or the situation. But here and now he was just... Staring at her, smiling.

"I’m certain that’s what your father thought when he asked me to work with Cassiel, though I don’t think Mr. Dirac thought the risk was worth it at the time."

His mouth was once again running, though it seemed that this time he was more willing to let her get a word in edgewise. Maybe it was now that he knew she could speak he would let her. That seemed silly, however. Obviously she was capable of talking. Why wouldn't she be? Maybe he was more of an imbecile than she had originally thought.

On topic, she had heard of Mr. Dirac. However, she had never found herself terribly interested in the affairs of the castle. It was hard to find the people around her interesting when she had such an extensive library to keel her company. It also didn't help that she had no right to the throne. Without the incentive of ruling to guide her, she had never found the need to be trained or learned in such matters. What she did recall was that he was something like the head of security at the castle. She had never actually met him first hand, though she remembered occasionally seeing him in the halls of the castle at home. One day she suddenly stopped seeing him in the hallways. Admittedly, she wasn't all that upset by his sudden disappearance. She was so undisturbed that she had never asked why he had been dismissed.

"But I think when it comes to this line of work…" He paused, something that surprised Aleithia. But it did not last for long. "You’ll find it’s not so much about risk as much as it is about sacrifice and how it shapes you."

Admittedly, she had no idea what he was talking about. While she had once asked Eleanor about Edward, she had never asked for intimate details. Actually, she hadn't really asked much. She remembered that tea time quite well. Her exact question had been something along the lines of 'what is my brother's new advisor like?' Eleanor had answered her without hesitation, describing Edward to what Aleithia would consider... What was that phrase again? 'To the tee.' That sounded right in her mind. Eleanor's description had stuck with her, though it had been given to her only a few weeks after Cassiel had appointed the blond jester. Useful, with a unique skill set. The words echoed in her mind, mimicking Eleanor's voice. But most certainly... Different.

"But that’s boring! And more importantly, it doesn’t deal with horses so we can’t crack jokes about it. Let’s go back to long faces."

The comment sounded strange to her, and so she lifted her chin to look up at him. With her already frayed emotions that seemed to be a mistake. His face was visibly stretching, pulling itself longer and longer. With a power like that it was strange he didn't make his head physically appear as the head of a horse, as he wanted to get back to them. Or maybe the head of a donkey would be better for him. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her that his illusion was a lie. Even so her eyes were betraying her, seeing exactly what he wanted her to see. If she were anyone else she might have yelped or made some other sound of shock.

But she was not someone else and no noises of shock escaped her. Despite her rebelling mind and her tripping feet, her lips remained sealed and her expression remained disinterested. She continued on this way even when he began his remarks, even when his face started stretching the other way. Finally he corrected himself, blithely unaware of the distress he had just caused her.

"Just kidding! You shouldn’t take things so seriously, Princess Hathethi! Life is serious enough as it is." His pause was a respite. Quite frankly she was very ready to have a calm moment to herself, maybe even with a book. Unfortunately it did not last that long. "But I suppose it’s your seriousness which must make you good friends with Eleanor. How did the two of you become friends, anyways?"

Finally a topic she could control. She took a moment, turning the question over in her mind. She wasn't a fool. Even as a child she knew that Eleanor was only getting close to her to become close to Cassiel. Of course, she wasn't exactly close to him to put Eleanor into good favor. But that first time her mother had asked her to entertain the blonde while her brother was busy... Well, Aleithia didn't think the other woman had known that just yet. There had been an underlying, yet overwhelming, sense of awkward deception at the first few meetings. Admittedly, that awkward energy could have been her own. Later that had grown into genuine affection, or what Aleithia believed was genuine affection. She was not very good at that sort of thing to truly judge. Even so she was comfortable with where she stood with Eleanor, probably more so than anyone else. However, she was not quite willing to disclose everything about their relationship. It did not matter to her that Eleanor trusted this man.

"It was a coincidence." She started after a minute, feeling strange revealing something so intimate about herself. She would have ignored the question, but she found it much harder to do in a one-on-one conversation when there was nothing else to talk about. Besides, if she left him to ramble on who knew what else he would do and she was quite done with his antics. "She came to visit once when Cassiel was busy, and my mother asked me to entertain her until he was ready to see her. It would seem Eleanor found something about my company enjoyable, as after our first encounter she would come to the castle occasionally to call on me instead of him." She wasn't lying, however she either sounded like a fool for not knowing what Eleanor had wanted or like she was leaving out a significant amount of detail. There was no doubt in her mind that he would pick up on something.

She would have continued, but a new outburst surprised her. The new headmaster was now forcibly attempting to remove a girl with extremely vibrant red hair. Or, it was more vibrant than was common in Phronese. The display was violent, taking her back to his announcement involving Mister Incendi. It would seem that these sort of displays were going to be the norm now.

She hadn't quite noticed it at first, but now that she was standing and taking in the scene it couldn't help but be obvious. As Mister Fux' interruption had started, her dancing had stopped. She had snapped back out of Edward's arms, intent on watching them. Some of it may have been her own frazzled nerves and her readiness to be done with the class. Quite frankly she was ready to be done with school. This was exactly why she had begged her parents to let her stay home from school. Or, well, asked politely. She didn't really have to beg at all. Either way she had enough human interaction to last her the year.









Location ⇌ Classroom
Companions ⇌ Edward
OOC ⇌

[MakotoHime]

( Princess of Luna /)

Elodie Blanche

Erm...where? Etiquette Classroom
Nice to meetcha! Meadow Sumire
I'm feeling pretty... nervous, scared out of her mind
Shh, I'm thinking... A...a cell? what kind of school IS this?
Out Of Cake:

Princess Elodie's eyes widened a bit at how quickly the other girl jumped to her feet, looking even more as if she'd just seen a ghost, did the girl recognise her or something? Elodie couldn't recall ever having met her. The girl claimed she was ok, but Elodie wasn't that ignorant, it was pretty obvious she was rattled by something.

"Please, you don't have to do that. I didn't mean to cause concern. I just- the headmaster..."

Slowly Elodie rose to her feet, careful not to let the bottom of her dress come up too high, it was not the easiest task in the world, not for Elodie at least, especially considering the flare and length, but she managed. She observed the other girl fiddling with a polished blue rock that hung from her neck and then she did something that Elodie found quite strange, a simplified version of a traditional Lunan greeting, her cheeks coloured slightly at that and she shook her head, waving her hands in front of her to try to make the girl stop.
"Wha...what are you doing? relax...there's no need to be so formal...it's embarassing..." her cheeks were quite red by the time the other girl introduced herself as Meadow Sumire, though she was so nervous she even made a mistake saying her own name, Elodie sighed softly and tried to relax as Meadow flashed her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous. I don't mean to offend..."

Elodie talk a deep breath and smiled gently, answering quietly in her own language at first,
"I'm curious about how you know that greeting..." she then blinks and speaks once again, in utopian this time, "but, it's ok, I'm not offended, nothing..." She cut off as a booming voice echoed through the room, the big man she'd seen before she came into the classroom who had been livid about an enchanted letter and a girl named Ashia, his wrath was directed at a redhead, he even had the gall to pull her out of a dance in progress, terribly rude, even Elodie knew that much, he wasn't a King. The man dragged the girl towards the door as if she was a criminal, citing that the girl was disrespecting staff and communicating in some way that could reveal her kingdom of origin, and that he doesn't 'toy' with those who deliberately go against the rules.

A cold shiver ran down Elodie's spine, who did this guy think he was? she looked towards Meadow and saw the other girl had a hand over her mouth in fright, and then the man said something that made Elodie collapse straight to the floor, her body shaking as the cold, familiar sense of fear overtook her entire body, tears silently sliding down her cheeks as she sat on her knees, her palms flat against the floor. She was visibly shaking at the mere mention of a cell, why on Gaia did a school have CELLS? it was starting to sound more like a pretty prison already, and that frightened Elodie more than anything else possibly could. Just who was that big man? she was now frozen in fear, desperately hoping that Madame Videre would come back soon to reassure her, and the rest of the class.

Kurisumasu

Naturana

[Heather Feathersong]

Disbelief, that was all she could think and feel at the moment, the princess of time sitting off to the sides after a failed first attempt with her partner. Truly it had been such a long time since she last partook in formal events, for Adelaide never had a taste for them, she detested them and more often than not would get sick or ill on purpose to avoid them. She'd make an appearance once and awhile but otherwise she wanted no part, the politics of it all not to her taste, and that lack of interest and inexperience did not help her at all. She felt bad for her first partner having stepped on his toes a couple of times growing embarrassed and decided to step off to the side to take a breather. She had come to the school so confident and still was in a more casual setting, but formally she felt a little out of place, and honestly a tad insecure. She couldn't help but look at her brother Seta, he was doing better than she, and she was glad given at least one of them should look like they knew what they were doing.

For the moment she did not catch the attention of her teacher at least so she thought, and so in that time where Madame Vadere's focus was on another, Adelaide decided to delve into something that had been on her mind. Her brother had come to the school obviously tricked to deliver a letter to her, she didn't know if perhaps there was anything of real importance or just something that'd tell her to "say sorry to your brother for us", either way the curiosity was just eating away at her. And while no one was looking she reached for the envelope. Tearing it quietly before the contents were revealed.

And what she read shocked her to her very core, eyes widened in disbelief, so much so she read it again, and once again to make sure what she had read was correct. It just couldn't be though! It couldn't at all!

Dear Adelaide,

First of all upon reading this your mother and I expect a reply as soon as you are in your power so that we may know both of you have reached the school safely. Second of all how was your trip? I do hope you were polite with your escort and are listening to your teachers, you've been a good student in the past, don't think that just because this is a new place and environment it gives you a right to shirk away responsibilities. However you were never that kind of girl even when subjects didn't interest you, you stuck it out through and through, do not lose of that my dear.

Well I believe its time to get down to the case, you and your brother are probably confused on the methods we had to take to ensure he attended, the Academy was adamant that a Prince and Princess from each kingdom represent themselves. And with your two eldest brothers preoccupied in other affairs that left Seta. Please do apologize to him for us, and explain not only did we have little to no choice, but that we truly believe this will be good for him. The boy hasn't been very social since well...since some negative events that befell him, and this could be a great chance for him, make a friend or ally to help him back onto his feet. If we had any other idea's or ways we would have done it to ensure his arrival there. But he is quite stubborn and too smart so we had to resort to such deception.

But that is not the only reason for this letter my daughter, no, I have some very serious news for you. As you know in our kingdom it is not always the eldest that takes power, I myself was the second child but was given the throne upon my brother stepping down to pursue other goals, and the current heir the second prince has done the same. He wants to command but not a kingdom but our army, he is really quite astounding in that field and seems to have a true passion, so without question he was allowed. You might be wondering what does this have to do with you? Well my dear daughter, after discussing the matter with not only your brother but also the court, we are deeming you as the next heir of Chronos.

I know this may come across as a shock, but as it stands no one is more qualified than you, I dare not speak ill of your eldest brother for the state he is in after last time. That alone should explain the reason he is no longer applicable, and as for Seta, well again I do not want to speak ill of your brothers and make you think the worst. Let's just say Adelaide that he is not right for such responsibility, and so that leaves you, do not try to fight this dear as I'm sure you will. Everything has been set and made final, you have been taught the basics as we ensure to have taught all of you, but still pay incredibly attention to your teachers and when you come home for breaks we will tutor you more on this subject. We do not plan to appoint you Queen anytime soon my dear so please do not be afraid or worried. Believe me after watching you grow your mother and I have full confidence in you. We know you will make a great leader, probably better than the two of us, just do well in the Academy and all should be fine. We will talk more of this when you come home for visits. As for Seta it is up to you if you wish to tell him or not. He will find out one way or another but when and how we leave in your hands, be it even if you decide for us to relay this upon him ourselves. The choice is yours.

Take good care Adelaide.

Sincerely,

Your Father

She couldn't think, she couldn't move, it just kept repeating in her head over and over. "You are the heir of Chronos", such a thing seemed so strange and alien to her. She never once considered she'd ever be in that position, being not only the youngest of four but a female, true Chronos wasn't as traditional in that area as other kingdoms. But some did consider it in order to keep good relations. But as her father said with one stepping down and two deemed unfit, there really was no one left, unless of course you delve into the dukes and duchesses of their court. But that was often avoided unless during times of crisis and emergency. Addie pinched herself multiple times to make sure it was not but a dream. And every time she'd feel that pain. This was real, everything real, and with that heavy weight in her head the girl just want to slip away and disappear for a moment.

'Dammit...', she thought a mental sigh, eyes drifting to the figure that was her brother. She didn't know what she was gonna do or say, after all he would probably be curious on what their parents wrote, would he be angry? Relieved? She didn't know their relationship was already so strained for reasons she didn't understand.'This is gonna be a long day...'




With: People in classroom
At: Her Desk
Feeling: Kind of Shocked and unsure
OOC: Finally posted!

[that DAFT p u n k e t t e]

OCC;; EDIT AT THE BOTTOM CHECK THE BOTTOM THE BOTTOM
Attire;; Sexy and I know it.
Guests;; Willow ---& Sonia ---& Eriwen ---& No one --& In front of gunter
Location;; Visio's Class


As Willow and Deniz finally parted, the dance having ended the older man couldn't help but wink in her direction as they moved away. She was cute when she was flustered. He couldn't help himself. Still, as he appraoched his second partner her couldn't help but peer down at the young girl with amusement. She was so small compared to him. He could do just fine with her stepping on his shoes like he did when he danced with his daughters. Still he glanced at the board to see how her name was written. As he tried to pronounce her name he struggled. He knew that the words weren't rolling off the tongue properly, still he shrugged to himself and did the best he could, "Would you happen to be Miss Sonia?" He bowed himself per instructed and realized on is bend back up that Sonia was one of the late students. Huffing to himself in amusement he watched as the girl giggled at him. So he had really butchered her name then. "Yep! That's me! Sonnnny-ah!" as she replicated his pronunciation he laughed along with her, "Well you're a sprightly young woman then! May I have this dance little miss?" His smile was bright as he extended his hand for her to grasp so that they may begin.

Her fingers found themselves pointed towards his face instead of in his hand. His eyes widened in shock at the young girl. How tenacious. "Just one thing my good sir! Don't call me "little"! " his brow twitched in amusement but he held his gaze and waited for her to finish speaking, " Miss, m'lady,...not ma'am that sounds too old and I'm not an old lady. I accidentally called Visio ma'am and I think that's why she got upset with me because I kinda called her old. Ya know? I guess it's like what if I called you big old man because...well look at you! You're big and you got a beard! And if that were the case I would call you BoB. Short for "Big old Beard". " She grasped his hand and they began to dance about, moving entirely at her pace. Deniz was more that alright with letting Sonia decide how the dance would go. She was so easily excited it was almost bewildering to witness, "Well, Miss, as you don't like 'little' I don't like BoB, you may address me as Sir or Deniz if you'd like." He paused a moment so nod his head respectfully at her. "And yes I suppose there had always been a sensitivity to aging as you actually begin to do so, but just like any fine wine, people tend to get better with age!" He laughs again with a large grin, "You said before though? Were you attending Utopia prior to the closing?"

After what Willow had revealed to him it would be beneficial for his kingdom's sake to get some more information on the matter. His eyes slid between Aenon and Lilia, gliding over Iolandi and then resting on Willow for a moment. She had great potential for being an ally in the school. His eyes caught Sonia's as she began to speak, "Right! Orrrrr, you'll end up like aged old stinky cheese" she pinched her nose and fanned the front of her face. "But between you and me..." she looked around and gestured for him to lean in, "I think the Madame~ is headed her way for the stinky cheese route" she quickly covered her mouth and giggled. She held her head up with a sort of pride, "Been here since the place first opened up." Though her head didn't stand all too tall as she held herself upright as she recalled her memories, "It's...it's quite a place to be in. But I never thought I would ever meet so many new people! I still don't know everyone, but most of them are nice. I like it, meeting people. I did a lot of thinking back home, because my father didn't want me to come back, but I felt like I couldn't leave some people behind. But you have never been around here before huh? I know because you don't look familiar, you and my last dance partner. Aeanon, interesting guy...kinda sensitive, I think it might be hard for him, but we'll see! There's always surprises..." She managed to pause between her quick speech, "Not always good surprises..." There was a flicker of distress on her face but it was gone as soon as it had come, "What do you think? It's weird at first huh?"

Deniz grinned as the girl responded in the most animated way. She reminded him of Canan and even if it did make his heart long for them he was kind of happy to be reminded. When she mentioned Madame Visio becoming stinky cheese he quirked a brow and glanced down at the girl; an admonishing look on his face. That was rather rude. Perhaps not exactly like his Canan. Still he continued to watch the young woman as she spoke. When she mentioned Aenon a wolfish grin pulled at his lips. "He's very sensitive, clueless with girls as well." When her face shifted he slowed their dancing, a concerned gaze resting on her form, but as soon as it had appeared it was gone. Deniz hummed thoughtfully as she continued, "I think it's very exciting. Meeting so many nice people, like you and Lady Willow. It gives the kingdoms a chance to really open themselves. You know? Those in power must set the example for peace."

Her head lifted instantly and her cowlick seemingly rose as if also alerted, "Cannonball!" She exclaimed excitedly,"Willow makes one of the best cannonballs in the water, I would know!" Her giddiness continued to flourish, "She's really cool, and really tough! One of the toughest girls I know around here! She doesn't seem like she's afraid of anything, no sir ree! She could probably look death right square in the eye and laugh! Ha-ha-ha!" She held a wide grin, "Oh! But remember! We don't know which kingdom is which~" Sonia wiggled her shoulders and whispered in a loud hushed voice "Mysteryyyyyyyyyyyy~"

Deniz felt his chest rumble with laughter as her cowlick suddenly sprang to life. She went on about Willow which he nodded at, glancing at the woman in question with a fond grin. "You're absolutely right Miss, mystery abound!" Leaning in a bit closer and kneeling a smidge he whispered carefully, "But what good are mysteries if we don't solve them!" Deniz and Sonia had been dancing just as fast as they were exchanging conversation, he had made the final step a little while back but they had begun again. Deniz stepped back to bow, "Thank you for the dance Sonia." He lightly kissed her knuckles before returning to full height, "it's been most delightful, you're a wonderful dancing companion." Sonia pulled her hand away before his lips could touch it, her face as red as a tomato. Deniz quirked his brow with a smile, these women were so unused to these customs it was almost entertaining, "Excuse me? Is this not customary in your land? Forgive me, I'll withhold from repeating the gesture."

She screeches, "PLEASE DO! NICEDANCINGWITHYOUITWASFUNWHILEITLASTEDOKAYHAVEFUNWITHYOURNEXTDANCEPARTNERKBYE", before curtsieing and scuttling away. Deniz tried not to laugh too hard, looking around the room for his next partner. Apparently they had free reign by this point to chose their partner. Even still, Deniz figured it might do him well to meet more women and his previously planned partner would fit the bill just fine. He squinted at the board, Eirwen. His eyes moved to the young man Willow had been dancing with, searching for the woman whom he had first been paired with. When he spotted her he quietly and approached Eriwen.

"M'lady? Would you honor me with a dance?" He bowed deeply before offering his hand tentatively with a smile.


❂


Hearing a voice, Eirwen turned to see who the man was talking to, only to flinch when she saw a large hand reaching toward her. Just offering it. Just offering it. He was one of the men from her group, the one who could snap her in half should he get the itch.

Even if she knew how to properly decline a dance, he was actually a member of her group. Was she allowed to do that? She was danced out before the lesson started. Eirwen fidgeted. Several months of being royalty and she still didn't like it when people bowed to her. She didn't want the attention. It made her feel like a fraud.

But she had it, and so Eirwen curtsied, slowly, trying to prolong the inevitable before tentatively placing her hand in his. "Y-Yes." His hand was so big compared to hers.

❂


Deniz watched the girl fidget, she was eyeing his hand like he might crush her and so he did his best not to smile. He understood that his size was intimidating to others. It was a natural reaction. Even so, she didn't seem all too pleased at the prospect of dancing with him.

He nearly withdrew his hand from offering to give the young woman a break, but her slow curtsy made him raise his brow. So she was accepting the dance? Patiently he awaited her hand in his and when it finally appeared Deniz peered at it considerately. Her hand was marred by some altercation and appeared to have healed without proper treatment.

It was very similar to wounds he had seen earned on the battlefield, where medics were far and few. Deniz lightly clasped her hand in a position that he hoped was gentle enough, and in just the right way, so that she wasn't uncomfortable. Though he could account much for his own calloused hands in terms of comfort. "So your name is Eirwen Gallant then M'lady?"

He slowly began to move them into the correct steps of the dance. Deniz moved slowly, without any sense of urgency, "I met a young boy by the same name, Gallant. He was an eager little thing hailing from Hyouden....ohh! Excuse me, not supposed to discuss kingdoms." A rumbling laugh rolled from his chest at his mistake. At some point he was just going to have to stop apologizing. Discussing kingdoms was one of the things he had been most excited about doing when attending Utopia.



❂


Eirwen was nervous. Tense. "Yes Sir," she said when he asked her to confirm her name. He must have read it on the board. She, one the other hand, had no idea who he was. He seemed nice enough, but her skin was practically screaming to not be touched. She hated this. She hated that she was like this, so she tried to focus on the conversation instead.

"T-Talking about the kingdoms doesn't bother me," she said, keeping her eyes on her feet. In fact she actively thought the rule was unnecessary, counteractive to Utopia's goal, and impossible to manage or enforce. Stupid, to make it brief. She may not know much about other kingdoms, but she imagined a lot of people her who traveled could pick out origins based on the other students' appearances. "My...brother's name is Kaden, if that means anything to you."


❂


Her tense figure was evident as he positioned his hands. Deniz felt his lips tighten as he tried to figure out why she was reacting that way and he could only figure that it must have been him. Standing alone she had been much more relaxed. Her eyes were averted to the floor, it wasn't much of a conversation that way, and from afar it might look as though he were scolding her. He sighed lightly before offering a soft smile as he listened to her respond, "Yes it does actually, and seeing as you aren't a stickler for rules then I'll share some things with you. It'll be our secret okay?"

"My name is Deniz Uzun, I first met Kaden on a supply trade between Hyouden and Stillicidium," his voice was lowered into a whisper as he peered down at the girl. He released her hand to undo the cap of the water flask at his hip. Glancing around to see that the teachers were still in the hallway the large man drew the water from the flask with a gentle flourish of his hand and directed it to her injured hand. The water circled around her hand in a delicate line before morphing into tiny water dolphins that swam around her hand, circling excitedly around her torso.

He made sure that they moved slowly in the steps, each of the four water dolphins moving between them to perform a short lived show in mid air, and then quickly shooting back into his flask. "I'm not sure what I was intending to do with that aside from show off a bit, but Lady Eirwen, I would like to extend my hulking mass to you. I'm at your service whenever you should find the need for it," he smiled again at her. He was trying the best he could at the current time to help her relax a tad in his presence. Now that he recalled the atmosphere of Hyouden he could understand why she might be reacting to him in such a way. Had she been any other woman he might've requested she make eye contact as they spoke, but with Eirwen he felt it might be best not to force it, "While I'm sure someone as darling as you would've made it on to my good side easily, our kingdoms are allies and so we shall be as well."


❂


Eirwen blinked. So Kaden and…Deniz...knew each other. Once more he was from Stillicidium. Maybe he knew Iolandi too, the girl who brought flowers to her mother’s wedding. Surely he knew Aenon… A man such as him was certainly not someone anyone would forget. ”I know we appreciated the flowers Stillicidium sent for my mother’s wedding.” Eirwen had never seen flowers in such quantity before that day, and to see them in her frozen homeland was truly a sight to behold.

Then she witnessed something spectacular. The teachers had all been called out into the hall. Eirwen tried not to be too appreciative of someone else’s misfortune, but she was glad the Headmaster wasn’t in the same room with her anymore. The staff here, in her past experience, had offered her little protection in the past, and now with Gunter Fux at the helm she felt that he was an added danger. Aside from that it allowed Deniz to show her something beautiful without being reprimanded. Dolphins made of the water from his flask swam around her as she looked on in awe. She almost forgot what she was doing as her smile followed their path, only to catch a glimpse of Deniz’s face and quickly avert her eyes.

”They’re lovely…” she murmured as they swam back into his flask. Though his next words made it hard not to look up at him, eyes peering up from her head still angled toward the ground. He was at her service? Her brows furrowed, confused. Kingdoms, allies. He was referring to politics? She knew nothing about politics… She stuttered out a thank you anyway. She didn’t know what else to say other than, ”What...does darling mean…?”


❂


When she mentioned flowers from Stilicidium his brow jumped and he glanced over at Iolandi, "Ah, so you're the new princess then? That's what it is then, you didn't seem very royal blooded, no offense to noble blood but it's a different breed eh?" He chuckled quietly, "And I'm sure our Io was more than pleased to make the deliveries. Seeing new places is usually pretty fun, eh?" As she watched the dolphins dance around in the air Deniz saw a smile grace her lips.

Deniz peered down at her with a soft look, she had a smile like Umut. She watched the dolphins in awe until their eyes met. She was quick to look away and be couldn't help but pout slightly at her refusal to look at him. It didn't take long for her to lift her gaze and peer at him again, his own smile returned. However, she asked him what darling meant.

Deniz blinked down at her, their steps slow and careful, "Darling? it's a term of endearment most times, it's also like a title for things that are cute, appealing to the eye." He glanced down at the locket around his neck before looking at Eirwen. A deep thoughtful hum vibrated from his chest as he reached to click the locket open again for the second time that day. He opened it properly to display his daughters to the young girl before him. "Like these three, they are darling, like you. These are my darlings though, I can't quite consider you as kin just yet M'Lady. You know, you have a smile like my youngest," his finger gently tapped the section of the locket with Umut's tiny likeness, "You're both quiet but you have smiles that can blind a man. I fear for my sanity when she's a young woman like you though, I'm not sure how I'll keep the suitors away." A laugh sprang forth from his chest at the thought of having to run men from his estate with a broom. Still, the dance was ending and Deniz didn't want to hold her captive so he gently bowed to the girl, thanking her for the dance, "Thank you for humoring me with a dance. It's been lovely speaking with you, I hope you will allow me to speak with you again when you're ready Miss Eirwen." He gave a slight nod and a kind smile before moving himself back to his seat where he observed the class, his eyes particularly conscious of his wards.

By this time the staff was reentering the room and his emerald colored orbs wandered over to the door as they slowly ebbed in. When they had left exactly he wasn't very concerned with. He was however concerned with their apparently new headmaster approaching a red haired girl. Deniz sat up straight. He had killed enough of them to know that the red hair and features were a dead give away to her lineage. When the headmaster grabbed the girl Deniz stood, the chair he was sitting in screeching against the floor. He was torn between watching the event unfold and wanting to help, but why would he help a Fukazan after all they had done to his people. He looked to the teachers who looked helpless. A angry sneer caught on his visage. What kind of teacher allowed their students to be treated in such a way. Much less the teacher of a royal. These were the next generation of rulers and they all stood their in fear of their own positions over the safety of their heirs. As the headmaster prattled on about breaking the rules and being thrown in a cell Deniz felt his blood catch fire. He looked at the young fire breather being man handled. Her people might be a treacherous bunch but she has done nothing to you, do what's right. The large man had to convince himself that helping her was right. He knew he couldn't allow a woman to be treated in such a manner. Deniz made his way towards the two, his figure large and taut, ready for the possibility that he might have to fight his new headmaster on the first day. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Miss Eirwen move to approach the scene as well, he shook his head at her, motioning briefly with his hand for her to stay back.

Deniz was beyond needing to be afraid of what men like Gunter could do to him; but the younger students didn't stand a chance. They needed to be protected. When he heard what her apparent punishment was being based off of the older man felt his own face twist in disbelief. Being withheld from discussing and disclosing origins and titles was one thing but to present some previously unheard of rule about native tongues; this man was not of a sane mind. Deniz closed the proximity between the two quickly as the headmaster swung the door open. He would not let them leave the room like this. If Fux was going to hurt the girl when everyone was present who was to say he wouldn't attempt worse once they were out of sight. With his mass others might be surprised at how quickly he moved, dodging the two bodies in front of the door to block the doorway with his figure. He had made it just in time. However, he now stood face to face with the headmaster. His eyes were set on Gunter before he glanced at where his hand was roughly grasping Maren, "Headmaster Fux, you will release that young woman this instance. I can not allow you to brutalized her and I certainly will not allow you to cause further harm to someone of noble blood. Now, she has stated that you are hurting her, release your grip." Deniz stood to his full height and retained a stance that was ready for whatever the headmaster chose to do. Either way Deniz wouldn't let him leave the room holding onto the girl like that. "If you can't handle the responsibility headmaster then I'd be happy to escort her for you," he said humorlessly.

[Naturana]

Persephone stared at the door with big puppy dog eyes as her old friend had left the room. She looked to her teacher for direction now that she was left without a partner. Unfortunately, she was busy handling other situations around the classroom to notice that the small princess had been left alone. She sat behind her desk in defeat, pulling Willow's fur cloak close to her like a kitten in need of comfort. It occurred to her in that moment how the smell of fur was rather odd, especially after it had been separated from its owner. Even Punji smelled differently after she acquired his skin as a light coat. She watched the pairings dance around the room until they were stopped by the announcement of a switch.

Her name was next to a boy named Fwindae, but he was not done dancing with his partner at the time. She sat at her desk and waited, he'd have to go to her anyways. Her eyes darted around the room as new sounds continued to be introduced. The Headmaster giving a harsh lecture to her new friend Sunshine, what a terrifying sight. It brought back memories of her own teachers -- and at times, her father -- lecturing her in the same manner. Perhaps a part of her skipped out on the lessons simply to avoid being yelled at for doing them wrong. Oaky was dancing with a man that was as huge as the headmaster, but their conversation didn't seem as angry, Is Oaky blushing? she wondered. She never saw the warrior woman blush, it was almost like seeing a new insect for the first time and wonder why she had never seen it before.

Food Buddy was dancing with the friend of Oaky's who she never met yet. At least, not officially. She sat at their table during the Headmaster's speech, but she doesn't remember if a name was given. Not that it would entirely matter anyways, she was never good at remembering people's names. It was a miracle she hasn't forgotten her own. Then, a strange thing happened. A man with red hair and golden eyes -- she presumed he was Violent-and-Looney's brother -- walked in with a younger girl. The teachers and headmaster were called out of the room for a meeting. Suddenly class was interesting! Some people stopped dancing with their partner, some changed to dance with people they wanted to. It wasn't a bad idea, but she looked around trying to figure out who would be her dance partner (and make it a fun dance, too). She got up seeing the nice blonde man from the ball separating from Angel. She walked over to him and didn't notice his confused expression.

"You wanna dance?" she asked. The man stared at her quietly for a moment.

(Mercury) "I'm sorry, I don't understand?" words of a strange language left him. The green princess tilted her head, fascinated.

"What was that? Are you a wizard? Was that an incantation or something?" she continued bombarding the poor servant with questions. Her words sped up with every new question until she bit her tongue. "Owwwwwwww" she whined, sticking her tongue out to examine it. Though, her nose was in the way. "I cah' khee, ih ih bu-ee-ing?" she asked the man with her tongue flapping about.

The blonde looked like he was going to say something. His hands lifted as if he was to do something, but a hand grasped her own and interrupted them.

"Excuse us for a moment," Grayson cut in.

"Hoog Uggy?" she looked at him before down at their hand.

"I need to talk to her."

Perse slurped her tongue back in her mouth as she was being pulled away from the blonde man. She waved with an apologetic face, the throbbing of her tongue discouraging her from trying to talk anymore. She was led to a corner, where secrets were usually told in whispers. She wondered what kind of secret she'd be learning about her friend. Maybe he was going to tell her that he had a crush on the girl that was killed on her way to school? She remembered seeing him with her a lot, and he got into a fight with her boyfriend or something. Perhaps it was a big crazy love triangle and he lost the alpha-male battle. But that was the animal world, this was human-world and sometimes it didn't matter who won the alpha-male battle. She was going to ask what was going on, but stopped with a tingly warning from her resting tongue.

"I need to talk to you, well, right now but after class." her friend began when he turned to her.

"Ohay?" she responded automatically. She instantly cringed, scolding herself for talking when she knew the best option was to stay quiet.

"I need. I need." he struggled with his words, a feeling Perse knew all too well, "I need to explain myself."

She tilted her head, Explain what...? his face looked more serious than she was used to. But if this was the time to be sharing secrets, then of course he would be serious! Don't be mean Persephone! Pay attention! she told herself, straightening her head on her shoulders and nodding for him to continue.

"I do not know what is wrong with me, and I do not know if I can take it. We just, need to talk ok?"

For some reason, her chest ached. She felt sad that her friend was in serious distress, but the phrase 'we need to talk' seemed dangerous. Why was she scared all of a sudden? Did I do something wrong? she asked herself, thinking about how he had acted weirdly after their break. But he was weird before the break! Even so, he never left her alone like he did today. Maybe he didn't like her anymore? Maybe he was breaking up with her as a friend? She saw the result of love-break ups, but somehow a friend break-up seemed more upsetting for her. She gulped down the strange feeling and gave him a quiet nod.

"After class, let's grab as much food as we can and head to my room, like old time. Ok?" he suggested.

This time the words weren't as scary. She smiled a little bit, thinking about their first time binging on whatever food he had in his room. It was after the trial, after they were pranked into thinking they ate a real person! But it was probably Goat or something. Didn't matter though, she threw it all up and was hungry after they got back to the school. They had ate so much food that they passed out on the bed together like two kittens after nursing. She gave him another nod, this one more confident.

"Okay!" she exclaimed, then gasped in awe, "I can talk again!!" her smile grew, tongue no longer needed rest! Her positive energy quickly came back, "After class, yes! Let's get some food, all the food, back to your room! Then I can tell you all about my adventures back home -- it's really pretty when it snows. I mean, it's pretty ALL the time, but I wanna talk about it's Winter-Pretty! What does your kingdom look like -- is that against the rules to ask -- I mean, I wanna talk about it but I don't want to break the rules -- the headmaster looks like he's really serious about the rules -- Oh speaking of headmaster! There he is!"

The teachers came back inside, with the headmaster looking around before going straight for another student and pulling her from her dance partner. Perse heard herself squeak in fright and grip whatever was in her hands tighter. In this case it was Grayson's hand and Oaky's cloak. He was going on about speaking other languages, apparently that was against the rules because it was considering revealing their kingdoms of origin. Is talking about home the same thing then...? she wanted to ask, but was worried that she would be right, and then get in trouble for thinking about breaking the rules. The girl tried to pull away from the headmaster, and the scene again concerned the princess.

"I....I need to find Oaky..." she told him.

Persephone quickly let go of Grayson's hand and clip-clopped away from the corner, weaving around the crowd of people to her tall friend. She slinked her arm around Willow's and used the other one to hold the furry cloak closer. She remembered how Oaky responded about her first question involving the headmaster and how she was confused.


Willow, the strong and sturdy friend who rooted Persephone in comfort, was not entirely convincing in her response. First she hesitated with a frown, and squeezed the small princess's hand. Perse's lip quivered as something bubbled within her chest.

"Lavill deserved what he got and more," she finally said, firmly. In this way, the Earth Princess saw her mother during royal duties. This was the first time Persephone thought that Willow might have been the princess of her own kingdom. More of a princess the Earth Heiress was to her kingdom, anyways. "But I wouldn't trust the headmaster,"

"Why...?" her face scrunched in confusion.

"...he's an idiot."



The word echoed in her head, and she was still unsure of the statement. Even if the headmaster was an idiot, he still punished someone that Oaky thought got what he deserved. Did the girl fighting so hard against punishment in a dungeon -- Wait, what?! finally registering more of the situation, she squeezed her friend's arm and inched closer to her body until there was no space between them. Is that what happened to rule-breakers before? Was this always the way things worked? Even if it wasn't, the idea that she would be in a cold dungeon for breaking little rules worried her. She didn't involve herself enough in the royal proceedings to know of what happened to those that went against Symphonia or the Rosario name in general. Did her parents throw people in dungeons too?

"What's...going on...?" she hiccupped. "Is she getting what she deserves too...? Is that normal-- how often to people get thrown in dungeons?" The tears of confusion and misunderstanding again threatened to spill. She tried to fight them back, and prayed to Mother Earth that Oaky's response will aid her in that battle.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


✿ ζocation: Etiquette Class (Desk >> Corner >> Middle of Room)
✿ ℭompany: Alone >> Armando >> Grayson >> Willow
✿ Ѳutfit
✿ ѲѲℭ:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[street riot]

xxxx☪ xxxxＬＯＣＡＴＩＯＮ: Etiquette Class
xxxx☪ xxxxＷＩＴＨ: Sirah > Willow > Alice > Deniz, Gunter, and Maren
xxxx☪ xxxxＷＥＡＲＩＮＧ: Clothes
xxxx☪ xxxxＯＯＣ:





Peeta waited for Videre to give him an answer. She stared at him, with interest. Seconds passed, then minutes, until finally she became aware of herself. She hid behind her fan as she made quick apologies and lead him to his partner. Peeta said nothing about it. Travelers who came to stay at the estate were very often taken with his appearance. It was a rarity, even in Luna, for someone to be born with traces of the cosmos laced into their features. Many young Lunarians possessed a light to them--silver hair that shimmered like moonlight was a common trait. Crystal pale skin was a characteristic he shared with much of the kingdom, but he was...cursed? Blessed? He wasn’t sure. His unusual eyes had garnered unwanted attention from his family and their fellow practitioners. He spent much of his early childhood trying to learn different ways to walk with his eyes closed before settling for a downcast gaze.

“Mister Hubble, this is Lady Sirah. Lady Sirah, this is Peeta Hubble. For the time being, he is going to be your dance partner. I have faith that you will both do well in today’s lesson. Carry on!”

He bowed to Sirah as she curtseyed, this time keeping one hand behind his back and the other folded across his chest. He didn’t know where she was from, certainly not Luna with her complexion. In a situation where touching a stranger could be insulting...well, he preferred to keep contact to a minimum with people anyway. He played it safe.

”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sirah.” The words were rehearsed though no less-lacking in charm. He came from a family of well-practiced pretenders. There were things he’d rather be doing than polishing his dancing. He didn’t even like dancing, if he was honest. However, as far as Sirah or any partner of his was concerned, there was, of course, no greater honor. ”May I have this dance?”

She took his outstretched hand, and responded with an answer that he suspected was as familiar as his own formalities. Then she stared, making three today who’d been distracted by the abnormalities in his face. Peeta forgave her more easily than he did Videre, as he was staring at Sirah’s unusual clothing in turn. Strange get up. Nothing like what the people wore at home. He wondered where she was from. The darker skin tone made him first think of Stilicidium. She wasn’t one of the students, though Videre had referred to her as Lady. Servant then, not that he minded that, but he was curious as to what the staff thought of their new headmaster and his idiotic pony show. Maybe--

She noticed he’d noticed her staring. “Forgive,” she said with a light laugh. A small reply, just as simple as her accepting his dance. Clearly there was no language barrier between them, and yet… Neo had mentioned once, that there were...peculiar places where the people were trained to speak a certain way. The more Peeta played with the memory, the more his dance partner took on a different shape in his mind. If he was right about her, she had certainly moved up in the world. Not everyone in that position was so lucky.

“Eyes.”

There again, another short description. Though the subject matter had him shaking his head. ”The apologies should be mine. Unfortunately they have a knack for being an unwanted distract--”

He was cut short when he felt her fingers under his chin, tilting his gaze skyward. “Beautiful,” she said, and Peeta shifted his gaze to the side, fighting back the color from his face.

The compliment he was used to. People he didn’t know taking his face, tilting it this way and that, in their hands and examining him, commenting on how well he would please Hecate when the time came. This though, it was different somehow. ”...Thank you.” He didn’t know how else to respond, and was glad that the class was interrupted before his loss of words became too evident.

And the subject of that conversation was far more intriguing than how beautiful his eyes were. He watched as all the teachers left the room, out of the corner of his eye as he danced with Sirah. When he’d afforded the girl enough attention they parted ways with more niceties. Now he could focus on the incident at hand without interruption, namely eavesdropping on the conversation that was meant to be kept private. In Luna anything said behind closed doors was almost always something meant to pull one over on you later. Abrupt teacher’s conference in the hall? After Utopia’s track record he didn’t trust that for a minute.

He walked to the other side of the room and leaned against an empty desk, providing cover for his summons as he watched the others dance with his arms crossed over his chest. His irises shifted, swirling through space to settle on the constellation Perseus. The very first hero of legend. Usually Peeta didn’t summon the human stars, but for reconnaissance… Well, he could trust Perseus was skilled enough to remain unseen. He’d been crafty in all his tales.

Perseus stood behind his back on the desktop, no more than an inch tall, silhouette like a spinning black hole dotted with stardust. ”Et scribae mittere in aula. Volo famam,” (The teachers in the hall. I want a report.) he whispered, and Perseus dropped to the floor without a word, sneaking through the legs of the chairs and desks and behind bookshelves until he slipped under the door to the classroom and disappeared from view.

Now the part he hated. Waiting. And what to do with his time? He scanned the classroom, eyes lingering on Mordecai. Networking. He wasn’t surprised, though he was dancing rather well for someone who burned to death in a fire not too long ago. To think he was mourning such a person not a month ago. He snorted and looked away, his opinion of Luna and its citizens remained unchanged.

Utopia, it would seem, offered a wealth of distractions, however, as a muscular woman nearing his height came up to him with a deep bow. Peeta leaned against the desk casually, arms folded across his chest, eyebrows raised. His gaze shifted from side to side, and he inclined his head slightly to see if anyone was behind him. No one. She was bowing to him then. Well now. Wasn’t that interesting.

”May I have this dance?” she asked.

Peeta wasn’t fond of dancing, especially when he didn’t have to, but this could be something worth pursuing, if not just to occupy his time while he waited for Perseus. ”So long as you don’t expect me to curtsey,” he said, falling into her attitude the way a chameleon falls into color. People were more accepting to those who acted like they did. Etiquette wasn’t always about perfect manners. Something Madame Videre was likely to not understand.

”Pffft, nah. Do you wanna take the lead, or shall I?”

Straightforward. To the point. Nothing flowery, probably competitive, and with her physique on top of it she was most undoubtedly Maritan. He challenged her immediately and forwent the bow altogether. ”We'll just have to see which one of us is better at it.”

She grinned, and he knew he’d hit all the right social marks with her. ”You’re on.”

Peeta offered a rare grin of his own in response and took her hand, letting her lead first. It was refreshingly simple to know exactly what was expected of him and be able to follow through, but they had barely taken their first few steps before she asked, ”So, you’re Peeta Hubble, right?” So much for simple. He paused. How did she know his name? How did some random girl from Mars of all places know who he was? He wasn’t a prince, and even as a duke he wasn’t well known in his own kingdom.

”Do we...know each other?” he asked. She laughed and told him his hair gave him away, which didn’t answer his question at all. He looked at her with a cynical eye, only managing a few more steps before the teachers came back into the classroom.

Fux’s second idiotic display of power was calling on another clearly Fukanzen student as victim. Peeta was noticing a pattern here, first Lavill, then all the Funkazen students assigned to sit away from the others. Now punishments for non-existent rules. His harsh treatment wasn't garnering him any favors. Even a Stillicidian was affronted, and he doubted the tan man blocking Fux’s way didn’t recognize the girl’s Funkanzen features.

The room had a heavy silence over it as Peeta studied the varied reactions to push down his own, some scared, some angry, some worried more about their future selves than the girl in question. Nearby the Lucifian heir looked particularly green around the gills. The royalty of Lucifia was renouned for being classically perfect. Alice being everything a princess should be by fairy tale standards. This must be particularly hard to stomach, a fact which was proven when Alice took a step forward as if to put her two cents in as well. Peeta’s reaction was immediate, a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her from interfering.

If it were Delilah or Neo in that girl’s position… There was no reason to make it two instead of one. ”Getting yourself locked up won't help free her,” he said quietly, and he moved forward instead, slipping his hands in his pockets as he approached Fux from behind with an easy slouch. ”If you’re making an example of someone for her imagined slights,” he began, walking around to stand near the Stilicidian at doorway. The bigger man was handling things on a surface level, and Peeta leaned against the wall by the door to go a little deeper into the matter. ”Then you can be certain it’s a display no one here will forget.”

Peeta stared him down, eyes hard. A room filled with royals. Did he think this girl had no friends? That her kingdom would not catch wind of their representative's treatment? What of the Musicians and their matriarchal society? Surely this was not the way they would see a woman of any social standing treated. For various reasons across the cultures, there were a select few who would tolerate Fux’s continued behavior. All eyes were on him, and it would be wise for him to watch his back.

He didn't intend to fight for the girl's freedom. Three days in a cell wouldn't kill her despite being unpleasant. The Stilicidian could help on that end. No this was more for the future. Should Fux chose to make things worse for them, they would most undoubtedly make things worse for him in turn. Peeta already knew a few of the man's dirty little secrets. One toe out of line and Gaia could find itself on the receiving end of thirteen united kingdoms.

[en-pointe off-balance]

ĻÖĊÄȚÏÖŅ: Visio's class
ŴÏȚȞ: Sera -> alone -> Alice
MÖÖĐ: tired, shocked, determined
ŴËÄŖÏŅĠ: x


"His punishments are a slight to our creators across all creeds, that I can rightly agree with. However his lack of...allies as you so accurately phrased, is by nothing but his own volition." He could hardly disagree, he had no evidence to the contrary. But that was the core of his argument, after all -- he had no evidence, only conjecture. Though, it wouldn't do to wait to catch a murderer in the act before arresting them... It was going to be an uncomfortable line to walk. A bitter part of him hoped Maren appreciated just how difficult it was to defend Lavill Incendi without personally being a childhood acquaintance of his.

"Well for now, for Maren's sake as well as my own, I will be open to considering various conclusions and the evidence which would seem to indicates one's higher probability over others." His own words were starting to sound jumbled and hollow to his own ears. The high tension of wanting to make a good impression on his future sister-in-law, of sorts, was sloughing away and leaving behind a certain weariness.

"If you wish to await further evidence then feel free, but do not allow yourself comfort over their interactions. Maren may be in danger and that possibility is enough. She might be trying to care for an old friend but sometimes the people we hold the closest are the most capable to hurt us. The addition of his joy in taking things he's been refused makes any remaining trust for the boy dwindle. Ultimately Cecil, I hope I can trust you to protect Maren now that you will be so present in her life, not to hinder her growth as a young woman but to walk with her," How long had it been since he and Miss Seraphine Alto had first met? ...They had been residing under the same roof for no more than a few hours, at best, and she was already lecturing him... The topic was serious, and of course Maren's safety was yet another barb in the already tangled, complicated mess of factors surrounding the entire Incendi situation, but he wasn't sure how he felt about Miss Alto spelling out the obvious like this to him... Did she think he didn't have the capacity to realize all of this independently? Or maybe she was just in the habit of explaining obvious things to people. Why was he getting so aggravated? He tried to clamp down on the feeling, but it was as if he was of two minds. One involved in the conversation, pensive about concerns for Maren and the delicate politics of such a heavy accusation as those levied against Incendi, and then a second part that was reclined, detached, and irrationally irritated. All the same, he kept silent to keep his words from coming out as sour as his mood. "Pardon me, I feel very strongly about the topic, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Now, I've bothered you enough with my questions. Do you have any questions you like to ask me regarding Maren?"

Oh, dear. He hadn't thought of any questions, in fact. He had dedicated most of his thought to adequately fielding Miss Alto's questions. He took a moment to think, trying to flip through memories of conversations with Maren as if skimming the pages of a book. Was there something he could ask Miss Seraphine, that she would be able to answer? Or.. Something he could ask her to do, that he could not accomplish on his own? "Hindsight has brought a regrettable fact into harsh light; when Maren came to visit my country, I did a rather abysmal job of making her feel at home," Seraphine looked surprised. Had Maren not already told her, about how dreadfully boring he was? "I will, of course, attempt to remedy that in the future...but I hope when the time comes, that you might accept an invitation to come and visit us? Being around family, I believe, will help ease the adjustment period."

Seraphine seemed pleased with his request, and furthermore, genuinely happy to comply. "It would be an honor to be invited into your future home to aid Maren in adjusting. Maren had a difficult welcome in my kingdom as well Cecil, so fear not, you are not the first to make that mistake. I wasn't aware at the time but I'm sure her lineage played a key role in her treatment; misconceptions can be very hurtful." Good. This, at least, was a task he couldn't just research and overcome through persistence. Most other matters, be they related to policy-making, diplomacy, or even his relationships, he preferred to handle on his own -- or with the help of trusted advisers or delegates -- but he couldn't suddenly become Funkazen or Musician, and he couldn't make Lucifia more like either of her homes.

They ended their dance and parted. For a moment, Cecil enjoyed a welcome reprieve while what would have been his next dance partner, the professor Evelyn Beckett, was yet in the hallway. He took the time to lean tiredly against a desk, and try to think of nothing at all just to give his brain a break.

This did not last for long.

"Two days in a cell? For what?"

In a moment like this, wasn't he supposed to hear her voice as if coming from very far away? Or as if his head was submerged in shallow water? Or have a moment of uncertainty before the sickening realization that, yes, that was his fiancée? Rather, he could hear her plain and clear. He could even see her, in the gaps between other dancers' bodies, close enough that he could close the distance in a couple of strides if the classroom weren't so crowded.

"Perhaps you just have bad hearing. Communicating your kingdom through the use of your native tongue, ignoring the headmaster, and now, continuing to defy me. Three days."

'Three days in a cell? That's terribly unfair.' He thought, and heard his own thoughts with flagrantly inappropriate levels of nonchalance, his inner monologue sounding as unconcerned as if he were commenting on poor weather when he'd already planned to spend all day inside. He dully recognized that he should have been panicking more. Or outraged more. Whatever, but his current reaction was, in a word, insufficient.

"Your speech didn't say anything about using other languages. Knowing more than one doesn't mean I'm revealing my kingdom of origin, and it's rather difficult to ignore you when you grabbed me out of nowhere!"

She brought up a good point. Cecil's body and emotions still felt strangely dampened, paralyzed, but his mind was catching up. There were only two realistic possibilities; first, that Gunter Fux was a genuine idiot of a frankly incredible degree, and had managed to fumble his way through surviving the war, ascending to some kind of position of respect and authority within the Council, and lucked into becoming the headmaster by some combination of luck, divine interference, and sheer ineptitude of everyone around him in terms of character judgment. Beyond being an idiot, he was a danger to himself and others, if for no other reason than absolute lack of tact.

"Good, then perhaps you'd be more inclined to listen on our way there."

The second option, of course, was that he was purposefully angering and terrifying a classroom full of dukes, duchesses, princes, and princesses. But why? To draw the ire of a few in particular, to make them slip up and commit some jail-able offense? Who specifically would be most likely to be enraged if Maren and Lavill Incendi were mistreated? The Funkazan princess? Although, hadn't Fux also spoken harshly to a brown-haired girl earlier, who Cecil had a vague suspicion was a Lucifian duchess? She was the right age and resembled a girl he remembered having seen before... So putting all this together... Well, it wasn't clear yet if Fux was trying to weaken him specifically, but if nothing else, the man wasn't picky about when and on whom he applied the rules stringently.

"Let go!"

So he couldn't give the headmaster the satisfaction of throwing Cecil in a cell as well. He felt his blood run cold, freeze with resolve, and sting like watching his own defeat unfold before him. No, he would protect himself and his -- and as soon as he could get Maren out, he would ensure that brutish b*****d never laid a hand on her again. He wouldn't give Fux the chance to get at her or --

"Be quiet."

-- Alice --

"You're hurting me."

Some recently-grown part of his mind, the space in his realm of concern for others that had been set aside for Maren, roared in defiance. But he turned away, sought out his golden-haired sister, and saw her distraught expression. The rumble of a deep, male voice sounded behind him as Cecil made his way to Alice, moving quickly and nimbly through the people that dotted the room. He glanced at the black-haired boy with a hand on her shoulder and bit back the impulse to demand that he let go of her. Alice must have been frightened, upset, and he didn't want to lose composure in front of her and worsen that.

Once he had arrived at Alice's side, he turned his gaze back towards the door, the man blocking it, the headmaster, and his own fiancée. His glare would have blazed and blinded the aggressor, if Cecil had any less self-control. As it was, Gunter Fux had quickly risen to the position of being one of the people Cecil detested most, aside from himself. The heroic thing to do in this moment would be to step forward, as the giant in the doorway had done, and demand that Fux release Maren and explain himself. Or simply grab her and get her as far away from this damnable school as possible. But beyond concerns of disrupting the tenuous international peace, he had to think of Alice, and he couldn't possibly abandon his younger sister.

So he took her hand in his and stared daggers into the back of Fux's neck. And it was all he could do to keep his low tone of voice somewhere between vengeful and reassuring. "This will be resolved peacefully. Maren will be released, apologies will be made, and there will be no need to write home and worry Mother." In other words, he would not have to turn this classroom scuffle into an armed conflict. Cecil even truly believed that, but his conscientious mind forbade him from ignoring the other possibilities.

"And if she has to spend even one hour inside a cell, I will see to it that she is treated kindly, provided with warm coverings, and kept comfortable. That is not negotiable. This is a school." By this point, even with Alice's calming influence, his whispers were becoming harsh and outraged. He squeezed his sister's hand, as if to comfort her, or draw comfort from her, and nodded. "And you will be safe, no matter what. I could not tolerate the alternative."

[that DAFT p u n k e t t e]

XXXXLocation: Visio's Class
XXXXAccompanied By: Cecil
XXXXOOC: Forgive the terrible spelling please and thank you, spell check is out and my spelling is terrible.
XXXXOutfit: Regal; open backed and defiant
XXXXFeeling Like:: heartsigh


“Sera..?” Seraphine felt her body flush as he called her name. It was comfortable and familiar, but the deep tone in his voice was new. It would take some getting used to, his adult voice. Last time they had spoke his voice had barely begun to crack as his manhood approached. “Are we free dancing now?” his words were unsure, a little distressed even. He couldn't tell what was happening due to his eyes... and she knew that his hearing wasn't as sharp as the common musician. She kept herself from frowning and simply smiled at him instead, "We are indeed, and I'd like for you to be my partner." His bow was elegant, just how she had taught him so long ago, with one arm sweeping the space before him and the other tucking behind his back. A bright smile spread over her red lips, she rose her hand to cover it as her cheeks began to turn pink. She was proud of him for remembering.

“May I have this dance?” He offered her his hand, she extended her own, gently grasping his hand before he kissed her knuckles gingerly.
Seraphine felt her face explode with red as the sensation of his lips on her knuckles. Had she taught him that as well? She couldn't remember. Seraphine released a pleased sound, something musical and excited. She was ready to begin this dance. They took a moment to arrange themselves into the proper position, his hands had to move about her figure to align themselves to their new sizes. She kept herself from giggling slightly as his light touches graced her side; he had gotten taller so his memory of her frame had to adjust accordingly. Seraphine hadn't grown much taller but her figure had widened slightly and even so she was still a small women. She was well aware.

The feeling of his fingers dancing over her scars made her shiver, another light noise dancing from her throat. “I remember you being taller,” he joked before his hands found their proper place on her body. She narrowed her eyes slightly, lightly tapping his arm,"I reached womanhood far before you entered manhood Kaden, that is to say since then... I've unfortunately grown out more than I have grown taller. You on the other hand! You've grown so wonderfully Kaden!" Seraphine couldn't say she was particularly happy about the rounding out of her figure. It was the mark of a woman but as a performer it was the mark of a woman going out of prime. Her mother had been very clear about her disdain for Seraphine's weight gain. “It has been a while since we’ve done this, hasn’t it?

❄❄❄❄❄❄

Kaden couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at the small noises Seraphine made when he touched her or kissed her hand. She was glowing red with blush, and her pink hair only made it that more apparent. All the times he teased her as children was coming back to him. The uptight and perfect little princess could be so easily thrown off her game with a simple comment, one she would often respond to with fiery sass of her own. They could continue on and on like that. It was a game that he quite enjoyed.

She tapped his arm, commenting on how nicely he had grown. It felt strange coming from her lips, as if confirming that he really had changed so much. “Why thank you Seraphine, but I must stay you haven’t changed a bit.” He tapped where his hand rested on her side. “Still little Sera.”

❄❄❄❄❄❄

They moved slowly at first. Their bodies adjusting to the changes in stature, and Kaden trying his best to compensate for his sight. "It seems like an eternity....," she sighed her hand comfortably resting on his arm, still she huffed, "Your memory is impeccable Kaden but you're too tense. Relax into the dance, try to enjoy yourself." She tucked a strand of his hair away from his face so that she could see his face. The gesture was much more natural and fluid than when she had moved Jirou's hair. As lovely as Kadens fair locks were, they hung in his face, obscuring her vision. They had been apart for so long she felt like she needed to see him, really observe his features until they were burned into her memory. His skin was still fair if not a little battle worn, small scars stuck out to her here and there, his nose was still straight and pronounced, complementing his strong jaw nicely. She smiled as she saw his eyes; just as beautiful as they had always been, sitting beneath a strong brow.

She began to hum the song they had waltzed to as children, it was a fun tune, and she let her fingers raise to graze his jaw and run along his nose with a slight giggle, the sound like wind chimes. Seraphine had always been overly touchy with those she felt close with, it was her way of showing affection. When they were younger Kaden initially had quite the aversion to all of her antics. She could only hope that he hadn't closed himself off again to her affections. "You've grown to be quite handsome Kaden, even your ears fit you now!" she teased, giving one of his lobes a light tug, another laugh following before she resumed her humming to give them something better to dance to. Her voice was light; even warming to the ears in it's happiness as she hummed.

❄❄❄❄❄❄

Kaden tried his best to relax as Seraphine had suggested. “It’s a lot harder as lead you know. I can’t tell how far I’m stepping, and I don’t want to run us into another group.” He searched the area around them as they turned, just barely managing to spot a few people shaped figures some distance away. This is why he chose a place as far away from the others as possible, but it was still difficult for him to determine just how much space there really was between him and the other groups.

❄❄❄❄❄❄

"Oh Kaden, you're moving just fine and don't worry about stepping on me, I'll adjust to your movements just fine," she said as they moved. It was true they had gotten off to a bit of an awkward start. Perhaps her enthusiasm wasn't the best response to Kaden's cautious movements but she was just so excited. He could step on her feet all throughout the dance and she'd likely be happy all the same. It wasn't as though he hadn't done it often as children.

❄❄❄❄❄❄

Something sweeping across his face made him pause and he shut his eyes as the hair in front of his face was drawn away. He looked back to the small pink flower and the two ruby orbs that blinked up at him. The red of her lips turned upwards into what he could only guess was a smile. His eyes narrowed slightly, wishing he could see Sera’s features more clearly. He wanted to see how she had matured after all these years. He wanted to see her face again. Kaden’s expression fell back into the stoic the one he usually wore.

Seraphine began to hum a familiar tune and her hand once again found his face, grazing his jaw and then running along his nose. Kaden shut his eyes once more as her hand explored near them, and she gave a light giggle. In the darkness behind his lids, her childlike laughter echoed again in a memory. His body tensed. It was the real Sera in front of him wasn’t it? Not a ghost? He opened his eyes and she was still there, barely. She tugged on one of his ears, making him turn his head to free himself. Agh! She was so touchy today. “Are you saying I had big ears as a kid?” He asked, his hand moving to run delicately along her jaw just as she had done, then her cheek, her nose, her lips. His movements held a greater purpose than Seraphine’s previous playfulness however. His face was only inches from hers, attempting to take in as much info as possible. The shapes began to form in his mind and with this he could... almost see her.

❄❄❄❄❄❄

"Are you trying to pretend you didn't?!" she questioned with a laugh, but it didn't last long as his hand began to run along her jaw. She quieted and closed her eyes, allowing him to map out her face with his fingers. His touch was delicate but his hands held calloused from wielding a weapon. When his fingers grazed over her lips she sighed, raising her hand to clasp his, and gently rest her cheek against the palm of his hand. She opened her eyes to find him inches from her face. He pulled back and she peered at him curiously.

❄❄❄❄❄❄

His arms wrapped around Seraphine, halting their dance to pull her tightly against his chest. He needed this, just for a second. He needed to be sure she was real. That he wasn’t dreaming. That it was really Sera, his best friend. He lifted her off the ground and spun her in his arms, laughing happily as he did so. “I’ve been wanting to do this for so long!”

❄❄❄❄❄❄

When his arms snaked around her form she gasped, confused at first. Such a tight hug, or just a hug rather, wasn't something she had expected from Kaden; especially in such a public place. Still his smell was welcoming and his arms felt strong around her so she leaned into his figure her arms moving around him to hug him in return. He was engulfing her with his body and she couldn't have been happier. Seraphine could almost feel tears collecting in her eyes. All she wanted to do was cry with joy at being reunited with the young boy who she had once, and could now again, call her best friend

How cute. the voice hissed and Sera fought the urge to growl. Leave me be, you will not ruin this movement for me her thoughts pushed the voices away until they were nothing but a quiet buzz in her mind. They were further tuned out as she felt her feet lift off the ground. A small squeak escaped at the sudden loss of control, however the surprise developed into laughter at the situation, Kadens own laughter infecting her as well. This was a situation she would spare appearances. Now she was astoundingly happy and she deserved to experience it for the first time in what seemed like ages.

It was short lived as her ears locked in on a familiar name. Her body became rigid. That was Fux's voice, why was he saying that name. "Miss Eithne, a word," as Kaden spun her around her head snapped to the scene. Watching in total disgust as Gunter grabbed Maren. The audacity of him thinking he can even touch her with his blasphemous hands, her hands began frantically tapping Kaden's back. "Kaden please put me down," Seraphine voice was humorless and cold, ebbing with anger and disgust, but the feeling of regret was evident in her voice, "The new headmaster's overstepping his bounds by putting his hands on my sister." The headmaster had piled up his second and third strike all in one go. First with the nullification, next by having ever touched Maren, and third by ending her reunion with Kaden prematurely. He must have wanted enemies terribly to be acting as he was.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

He just couldn’t contain himself. This was the happiest he had been in a long time. He allowed his walls to drop as the emotion overcame him. For once, he didn’t feel so numb. He wanted to stay like this forever, just spinning with Seraphine who was laughing along with him. The moment didn’t last however. When she began frantically tapping his back she had to let her go and begrudgingly set her down on her heels. Her voice was no longer happy but sounded angry, and it stirred up the emotion in him as well. “Sister? Since when did you have a sister?” He asked with confusion. Metaphorical sister?

The headmaster was too far away for him to see clearly, but there was no mistaking the angry voices that were lashing out all at once. He heaved a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. This couldn’t have been taken care of more quietly? He got in the way of his dance with Sera. And what was this about languages? He and Eirwen had been conversing casually in their native tongues for most of their dance, but only now he decides to make a rule against it? “Ég hélt að þetta væri skóli fyrir friði,” (I thought this was a school for peace.) He stated in spite. If he wasn’t locked up for breaking the rules then clearly the headmaster must have other motives, and right now it seemed it was to make an enemy out of all the kingdoms. What kind of peace school has a dungeon anyway?

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

When he asked about having a sister she smiled at him briefly, her anger simmering for just a moment as she stood close to him. Their bodies still touched and she let her hands slide from his figure, "No, you're right she's not my actual sister but she's a woman I've come to know as one, forgive me for confusing you." She glanced between Kaden and the scene unfolding before her. Seraphine knew she needed to approach the group that was growing around Maren and Gunter. It was a powerful thing to see so many stand up to the tyrant the headmaster was making himself out to be. However, the prospect of being thrown in a cell or losing her powers was petrifying.

Further more to so blatantly work against authority was not the way of her people. Musicians preferred a more civilized route to most situations, but she couldn't stand idly by as Maren was being hurt. When Kaden spoke in his mother tongue Seraphine looked at him in awe for a moment, the disregard for the ludicrous rule apparent, before slipping her hand into his. Only then did she notice the shaking of her own hand but she gripped his tightly. Etiquette be damned in this situation. They stood so intimately that whispering was an easy method of communication. "Þessi skóli kynnir annað en frið,"(This school presents anything but peace) the words slid from her mouth like a hiss in her abhorrence, the foreign tongue sounding quite familiar.

As a child Kaden had gone to great lengths to appease her in learning his language. She had been able to speak it quite fluently by their last year together thanks to the gift of tongues; Hyouden's written word had taken longer to master. The symbols were much different from her kingdom's own text and her mind had difficulty breaking from what it had become accustomed to. "Viltu koma með mér Kaden? Ég er...hræddur, en hún þarf mig,"(Would you come with me Kaden? I am...afraid, but she needs me.) her question was quiet, pleading even as the tremor in her hand continued. She couldn't lie to him in this, not now, but she understood if he refused. He was a man now. He was no longer the little boy who would sing silly little songs to her to cheer her up.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Kaden was surprised when he felt a small hand slip into his own, shaking but hanging on tightly. He looked down at Sera and squeezed her hand as she whispered in his native language. The school was not what they expected it to be, and Sera was not a person he had known to be fearful of anything. Despite it, she was taking a risk by speaking in another language just as he had done. Would the headmaster even care anyway? He doubted with all the protests that he would even take notice.

He rose his head to look in the direction where he had heard the headmaster’s voice. There was a great white abyss spread before him. Its path littered with unseen obstacles and dark shifting figures. Secretly he wondered just how many of them were people and just how many were ghosts. It was a full moon tonight, and this angry and energetic atmosphere was just the kind of thing they thrived in. He preferred not to get involved in something so trivial, but.. if it was for someone Sera cared so deeply about that she was willing to call her a sister… He had no choice. It was the least he could do in return for all she had helped him with.

“Alright,” Kaden replied and placed a comforting hand on her head. “But whatever you intend on doing, keep your wits about you and don’t get too upset. Also be prepared for whatever consequences you may have to face.” He gave a small nod in the direction of the group. “Lead me there.”

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Seraphine flinched slightly when his hand have her a light pat on the head, and she quickly moved to fix her hair with her free hand once it had moved away. He had agreed. It was comforting to know that he would help her and she felt herself gain courage. "Thank you," she breathed with relief. Seraphine looked at the scene before her and took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. She quietly led Kaden with her to stand a comfortable distance behind the headmaster and Maren. It was then she noticed that Cecil was missing amongst the people who were standing against Gunter.

She turned her head to seek him out and found him holding onto his sister. He cared about his sister dearly. However, it was clear that he didn't have the same mind for the woman who was to be his wife. Seraphine didn't hide her anger from him as she peered at him, burning holes in him with her fiery eyes. He didn't deserve Maren. Her head turned back sharply to meet Maren's eyes, her hand stopped shaking and she reluctantly let got of Kadens hand. She remained close to him, the feeling of his person next to her gave her the right mind to speak, "With all due respect headmaster, this is quite the curious punishment for a rule that was never stated to the student body."

"Even more so that a school for peace would have staff that would sit idly by while our new headmaster harms one of the students," her voice was calm but demanding of attention. She stood tall, her chin raised, and her body poised as she glanced down her nose at the staff who stood in horror on the sidelines. They had lost her respect this day. "If you wished to punish a student it would stand to reason that you would consult someone other than yourself. This is a school, the war is over Headmaster Fux, and we are your students not you prisoners," she made eye contact with Maren once more, "Unless....of course, The Council has sanctioned this? In which case I would have to say it seems that our kingdoms have been blatantly lied too and tricked into signing this peace treaty." Seraphine turned her attention upward, studying Gunters face. Everything about him was imposing and practically frightening with the way he had been acting; but she didn't budge. She stood her ground and waited for his response. It was like waiting to be sentenced for a crime she didn't commit, undoubtedly it was kin to how Maren must have felt.

[Culex Xeluc]

WEARING:
WITH: Katherine
OOC:


”He is very much like a puppy who believes himself to be a wolf.” Ooh, they even call each other dogs too! How wonderful! Once she asked to know about his situation, he fought back the instinct to give a full blown smirk, revealing only a small smirk. Now was certainly not the time to divulge his personal manners. Not that anybody in this school really cared about his business, but he wasn’t about to just reveal his assassination status. Not even most of his country was fully knowledgable of the events that truly happened. ”Hmm. That could possibly be arranged...” Oh? Had the princess bitten into his bait? ”But with a price of course.” Oh, she wants to play too. This phoenix princess was turning out to be more fun than he expected. What a pleasant surprise. “A price, you say? And what-” He stopped half way through as he noticed Gunther slowly approaching Maren and Taylor. Hopefully the brute was not hoping to go against his little play, was he? Oh but he was! And quite harshly too!

The excuse for speaking in tongues was definitely an odd choice. After all, Katherine had also spoken in her mother tongue, as well as Lavill, and possibly others. To single out Maren…why? What was there to gain? She was powerless by herself, but she was also the soon-to-be wife of the prince of Lucifia, making her not a good target for such abuse. Even ignoring political power, did the man really think such an obvious assault on a student would go without question? There was something seriously fishy. He turned to look at Katherine, and to his surprise she was staring at back at him. She wasn’t truly expecting him to do something, was she?

”Isn’t she a friend of yours?”

It seemed she was. Luckily, his political career had prepared him for such questions, so he spoke without missing a beat. “Certainly.” Then he looked back at the scene, ideas of rolling in his head. “Isn’t she also one of your citizens, Princess Valdonia?” It was every royal family’s duty to protect their citizens. If she was to force his hand because of his friendship with Maren, then she would force hers as the Funkanzan princess. “Nevetheless, I think involvement from our part would be in poor taste. ” After all, Gunther’s little act asserted one of two conclusions: Either the man was seeking to get a rise out of them for some unknown reason, or he was simply brute. Neither conclusion made it a wise choice to intervene. However, rather than divulge his own personal assessment of the situation, he chose to pursue a more entertaining alternative. “There’s such a wonderful little play underway. It would be so rude for us to interrupt. Perhaps I should recap for you, so that you can appreciate the unfolding events.” He looked as Gunther grabbed Maren off Taylor, and walked towards the door.

“We have our protagonist, ” gesturing with his hand towards Taylor, “Finally overcoming his shyness, or cowardice, or whatever was impeding him from acting before, and finally danced with his star-crossed lover, despite her being stolen away by his newly-found rival, romantic interest number 2 who has also gained the status of fiancé.” He gestured with his head towards Cecil. “But of course! As with any decent play, an antagonist shows up, separating the two lovers once more! Who will stand up to defend her? Will it be the protagonist, or will his rival stand up and finally vanquish both our protagonist and the antagonist?” He examined Cecil’s facial expression, smirking as he did. The little Lucifian prince’s anger was visible on his face, but Mordecai knew enough of the Arom family to know that the little prince wouldn’t do anything. Pathetic, really. Even as a prince of a nation, he stands powerless and even worse, didn’t choose to protect his soon-to-be-wife, making Mordecai's game far easier. He presumed given the irrationality of most royals here, his actions would probably be frowned upon by any royal who knew of both parties engagement. Still, his little play would be not-so-fair if he only toyed with Taylor. Given Fux had his back against him, Mordecai felt pretty safe in his shenanigans. Mordecai began to intensify Cecil’s doubts, channeling into his doubts, with plenty of voices identical to his own swirling around his head, shouting:

“You let her be taken a monster!”

“You haven’t even lifted a finger in her defense!”

“What will your sister think of your failure to defend your beloved?”


As he did, he began to speak to Kat again. “It’s clear that they are both out matched…but wait!” And as he spoke, Deniz came to block the entrance, began to speak to Gunther. “The cavalry has arrived in the nick of time, giving our protagonist his fair chance to save the day! But will he take it? ” At the instance, Mordecai focused his powers, making voices appear in Taylor’s head again.

“Save her, you idiot!”

"Save her, Taylor!"

“If you don’t chase her, she’ll simply leave you, Mr. MacLaurin.”

The voices would circle in Taylor’s endlessly. Mordecai could feel the little duke crackling. Once Mordecai noticed the headmaster was distracted by Deniz and Peeta, he made a single voice stand out and say a single statement:

Taylor!

To his enjoyment, it seemed Taylor’s will was already encouraging Taylor act without much encouragement. In that instant, Taylor dashed forward and yanked Maren off of Fux. Despite looking like a reckless action, Taylor acted considerably careful, so much that yanking Maren in such a way didn’t end up hurting her. As he pulled her closer, he wrapped his arms around her, as if his arms could serve as a fortress to protect her. “Leave her, Fux.” Upon succeeding, it seemed his mind caught up with his current choice of actions, leading to a small blush to his cheeks rising, despite retaining his serious face. Mordecai once again did his best to prevent his smile, surprisingly succeeding this. Once again, he decided to toy with Cecil.

“So many came to her defense, and you weren’t one. What will she think of you now?”

“You let this event evolve, involving more people and more countries, when using your power as prince could have defused it!”

“Why is he wrapping his arms around her? Those should be your arms!”



“And he did! Choosing to risk his nights in a cell, our protagonist goes to face the antagonist, stands his ground for his beloved. It’s still too early for our play to be over, so let us see how Fux responds…” He was most curious to see if the students would actually overcome headmaster, or if Fux's war experience would actually allow him to defeat them. Both outcomes seemed highly amusing.

[andipouf]

xxxx♦♦ ▬▬▬▬LOCATION: Classroom
xxxx♦♦ ▬▬▬▬WITH: people and then Cecil
xxxx♦♦ ▬▬▬▬OOC:
xxxx♦♦ ▬▬▬▬ WEARING: Tadaa!



Her new dance partner was silent, as Alice feared but it wasn’t all that unpleasant. Though they could not communicate to each other, the man did seem to want very much to say something to her. She could see it in his eyes, the way you could see any charming man formulate the perfect compliment for you alone. However, not a sweet word was spared even in his native tongue. It was a shame since he had such a lovely voice, even if she couldn’t understand a word he was saying. When the appropriate amount of time had passed, their dance finished without a single word spoken between them, so very different compared to her previous dance with the ever talkative Mordecai. As he left, she saw that the other teachers were also called away out into the hall for a reason that Alice had not been paying attention too. The summons took away the ever pleasant Madame Videre and Alice’s chance at having a small chat with someone before the next pairings were posted.

She briefly turned about the classroom so as to look occupied in herself and her thoughts while trying to think of what she should do while waiting. Now that teachers were gone, the other students switched partners or returned to their seats. Others decided to continue chatting instead of dancing. Alice’s blue eyes happened upon Maren and a partner that was not Mordecai. Alice couldn’t quite remember the boy’s name but the pair seemed to know each other fairly well. She could only guess that he was a previous friend from Funkazan or Musique. The latter being the more likely based off of the boy’s coloring.

When the teachers re-entered the room, looking more than a little grave, Alice’s eyes went straight to Visio. A troubled expression hung on her teacher’s polite brow where normally a lighthearted look would be fashioned safely to the spot. Alice’s dress followed her with soft fabric sounds as she made her way to the teacher to find out what was the matter. A loud voice stopped her in her tracks. Her blonde head swiveled to the noise where she saw Gunter Fux treating Maren Ethine roughly and not at all politely. He spoke of a nonexistent clause to a rule that could have been interpreted in a thousand ways. If speaking your home language is all it takes to reveal yourself, than wearing clothes from home should also be forbidden! she retorted silently to the ridiculous display. Alice was in no means hotheaded, and when she started to go for Maren, it was no different. She had planned to pacify the prideful giant and have him release Maren as soon as he could. However, she was stopped in her path by a single hand that was attached to another classmate.

”Getting yourself locked up won't help free her,”

He spoke quietly and firmly, and Alice had half a mind to listen to him. He was soon on his own way to the headmaster to add to the confrontation. When she saw the boy go up to where maren is, she realized that there was another body blocking the exit from the jailer and the innocent convict. She was so distracted with how Maren was being treated that she didn’t even notice the stars that surrounded the boy who had stopped her.

Cecil was at her side the moment it was free. He held her hand as they were likely to do for each other in such situations. Was there really a need for this kind of brutality? Alice’s eyes began to tear up at Maren’s exclamation of pain.

"This will be resolved peacefully. Maren will be released, apologies will be made, and there will be no need to write home and worry Mother."

Her brother told her what he thought was the truth, but Alice did not think it would end with all the hope her brother had. He spoke of keeping Maren comfortable if she was put in a cell, which could be done and would be done if that was how everything resolved itself. At this point, just one person in a cell would be a miracle. She felt her brother squeeze her hand and for the first time she looked at him. He was holding back so much, everything that would consume him if he let it go.

"And you will be safe, no matter what. I could not tolerate the alternative."

Alice gave him a small smile for the words and sentiment behind them. To the outside world, it would seem to them as if he was just a brother who loved his sister very much. Perhaps, given enough time for ample explanation, it could be shown to others that her brother’s extreme guilt for his imagined slight on her life meant that forever more, Alice was his first priority in all things no matter who else was involved. Alice touched her brother’s face for a moment as if to tell him to believe in his own words and take heart.

Another voice added it’s displeasure to the scene caused by their headmaster. Alice recognized it as the Miss Alto who she had briefly met. The words she spoke to the Headmaster were unkind, but not untrue. Her brother kept her grounded as the air became thick with tension. Everyone waiting to see who would speak up next or if the headmaster would finally have enough of this. Yet another man came to Maren’s defense, this one actually taking his arms and wrapping them protectively around Maren.

Alice’s worry was inconsolable at how defensive everyone was reacting to the situation. She had seen similar situations in councils and idle chatter that turned sour. Someone would suggest an item, plain in its essence, but a strong force of darkness would overtake another person to ridicule such an item. The person ridiculed would then turn to a more defensive and angry stance. Revenge for their hurt pride. In a different situation with a different headmaster, perhaps the increasing number of students willing to help a foreign stranger would be enough to end the situation. Perhaps with a different headmaster, the attack on his station, the council and the overall peace between the countries might have been shrugged off. But Headmaster Gunter Fux was prideful, his light choked by the thick blackness of it. This would not defuse with pointed words, no matter how deserving they were.

Her brother held her hand tightly, holding on to her for comfort and to hold himself back from joining the group. She could feel his want to intercede but he was not the character to speak his mind loudly and cause a fuss. He would do everything in his power to make whatever punishment befell Maren nothing like a punishment just like he said he would. That was what he could do. That was his position as the crown prince. But her place in life allowed her to do the things he could not. Alice tightened her hold on her brother’s hand before slipping out of his grasp like her fingers were made of the smoothest glass. She found her place near Maren and in front of the larger man who blocked the door with his massive body. Alice would have to wholeheartedly thank him later for stalling the headmaster while she thought of the appropriate words to say.

“With the highest respect for your position and station that has been appointed to you within this school, the highest authority given to you by the council who assures us that the peace between all countries can last,” she had to backtrack a little over what Miss Alto had said before, bordering on calling him incompetent or power hungry, which would both be accurate and well placed if not for Gunter’s hold on Maren. He could do twice the damage to any slight they did to him just by squeezing a little harder, “I believe your point has been made, Headmaster Fux. Revealing any part of our culture, in all the ways this could possibly be shown, is not allowed at this school and will be punished.” She spoke aloud the vague rule that he was trying to put into place while enforcing it on an unsuspecting victim, “The rule is for our own safety, after all, since there was just a war only a short year ago over such nationalities and the unfortunate placement of one’s birth.” The war was already brought up so there was no skirting the issue of another war starting at any moment. One of the many risks of putting a full horde of powerful people into one building.

“However, since this is Miss Ethine’s first offense, I must ask for leniency on her behalf. She has cause no harm to any of us, and though it is possible that she revealed herself through speech, I do not believe anyone thinks or sees less of her for it in this instance.” She was careful with her words, half admitting that Gunter was right and Maren was wrong while also keeping the base of her feelings which might anger the headmaster, pointed at herself. It was a little difficult to remind him that he was also surrounded by other students that believed, at least similarly, what Alice also thought. If not, why would they answer the call of heroism to help a girl in need? Miss Alto felt some sort of sisterly bond with Maren and there was a boy that seemed to really know her, but other than the three of them, there were mostly strangers there. “If you could be so kind as to extend such mercy upon her as my fellow classmates have, it would mean a great deal to me and all that consider this girl very important.” Politeness always soothed the fires of pride.

[en-pointe off-balance]

ĻÖĊÄȚÏÖŅ: Visio's class
ŴÏȚȞ: Alice -> alone -> Alice, Maren, Taylor, Sera, Fux, etc
MÖÖĐ: agonizing, hating himself, surrendering
ŴËÄŖÏŅĠ: x


With one eye, Cecil saw with unnerving crispness the vision of Seraphine and a white-haired companion joining the crowd surrounding Gunter Fux and Maren. With the other, he saw the light-soaked blurry memory of his power moving forward as if to consume his sister and all of her good-hearted spirit whole, and Alice crumpling to the ground.

Was this going to be etched into his memory eternally as his second great mistake? Or would his failure to act, here and now, be the catalyst that brought about his fall from grace, the loss of his moral compass? Thoughts swirled in his head, fears and frustrations regarding anything and everything from images of Maren and Alice being lead to an execution, to the tension in every silence of a long, bitter lifetime with Maren, where every time she so much as frowned he had to wonder if she hated him, still, for not being the first to step forward.

He had let her be taken by a monster, and thought of himself, his sister, and something as nebulous as 'international peace' before the safety of his fiancée.

He hadn't lifted so much as a finger in her defense, for all the pretty words and promises he made to Alice about Maren's assured comfort.

What would Alice think about his failure to save yet another person he supposedly cared for? What would Maren think? The grooves in his mind that turned towards painful things were well-worn by routine, and he could feel his thoughts descending into that pit of self loathing.

The man in the doorway had been abrupt, almost rude, given the headmaster's position and authority. He could easily be thrown in a cell for sheer insubordination, if, of course, he went peacefully. His massive, muscular frame made things a little harder to predict under the assumption that he resisted imprisonment.

The man who had stopped Alice, who was now leaning by the door, had been snide -- or at least, a man drunk with power could perceive his comments as such -- and likewise, could very well see this day end from the floor of a dungeon. Or if he were ignored, perhaps he was not so invested that he would persist on challenging Fux once Maren and the others were being marched out the door to their punishment.

Seraphine Alto tread a fine line between rational -- which, along with her glare, made Cecil flinch, because he had failed, as he always failed to consider all possible avenues of conflict resolution -- and defiant to a jailable degree. She, too, may end up being lead to a cell. Her white-haired companion had not spoken up, but may be considered complicit in the little revolution that was playing out.

Was this Fux's true goal, his real power? By provoking such a widespread and emotional reaction, and clearly stating the outrageous condition for Maren's punishment, he had allowed the reactive nobles to line up like ducks in a row and await their sentence. Putting them all in the dungeon, now, would not be fair... But it also would not be out of sync with Gunter Fux's other actions. And that was what held Cecil back. When one steps off a cliff, or goes up and stands in an open field during a furious storm, one does not fight back or protest against the force of nature that drags their body down the edge or strikes them with lightning.

Irrational forces cannot be reasoned with, dissuaded, or shamed. They simply operate as they will. And Fux, by Cecil's measure, was thus far proving himself to be an irrational force as strong as any thunder cloud.

Taylor MacLaurin appeared in Cecil's line of sight, and for the third time that day, Cecil had to watch that blond Musician duke wrap his arms around his fiancée. Only this time, Taylor was defending her, demanding that Fux leave her be, and risking his own imprisonment. He was doing what Cecil should have done from the start. If he were any more reckless, or any less prone to overthinking threatening situations, or any more heroic, perhaps, that was what he would have done. His gaze was drawn to Maren's face.

So many came to her defense, and Cecil wasn't one of them. What will she think of him now? He could explain until he was blue in the face about how people were very bad as risk perception, and how it was quite common to attribute more negative moral value to a harmful action than a harmful inaction, and all of his concerns about Fux's intentions to trap them all in a net of ludicrous, unspoken rules. But none of that would triumph over the sensation of another man's arms around her, protecting her, while he stood across the room at his sister's side like a child.

He let this event evolve, involving more people and more countries, when using his power as prince could have defused it. What kind of pathetic b*****d didn't stand up for his own fiancée, anyway? "Damn the consequences!", that was what he should have thought, not, "But what if this is a trap..."

And why is he wrapping his arms around her? 'Those should be my arms!' Although that thought carried its own caravan of baggage behind it... After all, didn't she hate him? Or, at least, now.. Now she would hate him.. And Alice could finally hate him, as he deserved, because no one should love a coward...

He felt Alice's grip tighten on his hand, and then she was gone. The last line of defense keeping him from despair. His fragile little sister, so much braver than him, so much better, more moral, even she was a better ally to Maren than Cecil, anyone would be.

Her soft, clear voice reached his ears like a far away birdsong.

“With the highest respect for your position and station that has been appointed to you within this school, the highest authority given to you by the council who assures us that the peace between all countries can last, I believe your point has been made, Headmaster Fux." Alice... Please, Father Sun... He didn't know he could be so proud and yet so full of apprehension at the same time. Her words were as graceful as her every movement. As she made her appeal, Cecil's feet carried him over to the group. It was as if he had been resisting the current of a river, and all the fight in him, all the drive to keep his head above water and swim to safety, had bled out of him. Maren would end up in a cell, but she would have plenty of company.

Cecil arrived, once more, at Alice's side. His eyes went from Seraphine, to Taylor MacLaurin, to Gunter Fux, and finally, to Maren. He didn't know whether to plead for her forgiveness or concede to the fact that he didn't deserve it. To Fux, there was nothing more to say that had not already been covered by the rest of the mob. You did not stand outside in the rain and ask the sky for an explanation. You either went inside, or you let it soak you.

When he finally spoke, it was in Lucifian.

"Skrel amin e' i' atya' k'lar vee' amin verne'. He` quenat naa yibin a' i' ringwe. Amin orn kyorl phor he`. " Put me in the same place as my wife. Her body is weak to the cold. I will watch over her.

[Fenoex]

With: Rose, Studentsxxxxx
Where: Etiquette Class xxxxx
OOC: God it feels good to write again.

Lavill stood there with a smirk on his face, he had gotten exactly what he had wanted, attention, though the person he was really after didn't even seem to bat an eyelash at the whole ordeal, the damned purple haired devil had now embedded herself in his mind and it pissed him off, he'd have to make sure she paid the price for it later. Maren came over to the two of them and asked him to stop in her polite way, making mention of their dance that he had actually forgotten about even though it hadn't even been that long since she asked him.

With the past ten minutes it was amazing Lavill could remember where the hell he even was, between that very fun tussle with Kat and Rose invading his mind he was ready to burn some s**t down and laugh as it burned, he looked down to his hand and flicked his fingers but got no fire from the action. That's when he sighed heavily "Right, that d**k nulled my powers." He growled under his breath as he glared at Fux, Lavill had caught his attention with the interaction with Kat, this quickly put the smirk back on his face, the man didn't act so there was something going on here, perhaps he didn't want to risk a fight, which is exactly what would happen if the man came near Lavill again.

Lavill cracked his neck slowly and then headed for the door without a word to anyone, pushing the door open and slamming it shut behind him, he headed down the hall towards the one room he might actually get some peace, his own. As he walked he thought about how he could deal with Fux and his power nullification, there had to be a way to make it seem like his powers were gone but still actually have them, and then there was Rose, he had to figure out why or how she was in his mind and how to get rid of her. "Perhaps it's one of her powers." He rubbed his neck as he spoke. Looking up Lavill took a second to look around him "What?" He asked confused as he stood not outside his own room, but outside of Rose's.

A very low and angry growl escaped his mouth as he pulled a hand up and sent it flying into her door, leaving a very clear indent in the wood of the door before his hand slid down the door and twisted the handle, pushing the door open and sliding in, slamming it with more force then was needed. As he stood at the door inside of Rose's room he looked around growing more angry by the fact that his feet had subconsciously led him here "There has to be something she is using to do this to me." He said as he moved towards the closet of her room and swung open the door quickly delving into her stuff.

Lavill pulled clothes out and threw them behind him leaving them laying on the floor, next he found some hidden blades and other weapons stashed inside compartments of her bags, it wasn't that surprising to him to have found them, but at the same time he realized he would have to be much more wary around Rose, who knows where else she has weapons stashed at. He continued to dig through the closet only to find more hidden weapons and other things that at this moment meant nothing to him. "Where!" He growled out as he stepped away from the closet and looked at the pile of stuff that now lay on the floor, his eyes slowly went from the pile to the trunk that sit in the middle of the room.

Quickly making his way over to the trunk Lavill bent down and started to rifle through the things that were still in there, that was when he felt something near the bottom of the box, he got his hand around it and pulled it out from under everything else, he stared at it in his hand as his eyes narrowed "This has to be something." He convinced himself as he tried to open the box with force only to have the box best him, he quickly grew angry as he tried to pry the box open in different ways "If I had my powers I could just burn the god damn thing and be done with it." He said as he whipped the box at the wall and watched it bounce across the bed, he stood up and walked over to the bed, picking the box up and staring at it "What are you hiding Rose." He asked the box slightly expecting an answer.

Growling Lavill slid the box into his pocket and turned back to the room, it was destroyed from when he had entered, but he honestly didn't care to hide the fact that he had been here, or had gone through her stuff, so instead of cleaning anything up he headed for the door and left the room in the state it was in. "I guess I'll go back to class, see if I can have anymore fun."

Lavill made his way back into the classroom after the trip back from Rose's room, walking in he saw Rose dancing with that short kid that was ever so protective of Maren, he rolled his eyes at the scene and made his way through the room back to his desk that had been righted after Kat threw him into it and the others around his. He sat down and stared out the window, his hand resting on his pocket that held the mystery box from Rose's room, he would have to figure out how to get it open and see it's contents, preferably without Rose knowing he had it, she likely wouldn't take kindly to him having gone through her stuff.

Lost in thought Lavill hadn't heard the commotion that started around him, he hadn't heard anything until a very familiar voice echoed through his ears "Let go!" "You're hurting me." Lavills head whipped around and saw Fux and Maren and his vision instantly went blurry as rage built up and flowed through his entire body, his muscles tensed up, his fists clenched tight as his knuckles turned white, he quickly stood up a very low growl emanated from his chest as he took a step towards the commotion only to feel a hand on his shoulder and a harsh whisper in his ear "I'm all in favor of letting you ******** up your chances for redemption, but this is just plain stupidity."

Lavill's body relaxed and his vision returned as he turned to look at Rose, at that moment he felt a sensation across his body and a smile crossed his face and he looked back over to Gunter "I do stupid the best." He said in his normal cocky tone as he started to laugh, his fists and body returned to their previous state this time however Lavill's eyes held his fire, and he was going to let it loose, he was going to burn Gunter until he was a smear of ash on the floor. That was when he released his fire, his body ignited and before the flame took it's true form he was out, the only thing the room would feel was a sudden heat wave and Lavill sitting at his desk, his head slumped down as if he was asleep.

[Marcello Alto]

"Hm..." she paused, thinking of her next move. "You know, I've found it rather interesting while there are questions, there are a lot of answers from the mere asking itself." she stated, leading the horse to water, in a sense.

Rose had paused with a light hum. He took a moment to gather the happenings around the room. Nothing too interesting, other than Seraphine prying into Maren’s fiance.

…

Maren’s fiance, ugh, what a fowl sound! As much as he held nothing against the man (not yet at least). The proposal in itself didn’t seem right, Maren’s behavior didn’t quite ease the situation either. Marcello adjusted the level of noise in the room for himself, eavesdropping on his sister and...him.

“You know, I’ve found it rather interesting while there are questions, there are a lot of answers from the mere asking itself.”

Marcello blinked,“It seems as Miss Rose knows much more about dancing than I thought.” In turn, he too rose a brow.

"I'm referring to answers the one being asked could find from the sender. While in a classroom, more often than not it's as simple as searching to extinguish ignorance...but in the case of earlier…"

A slight harsh voice tugged at his ear, trying to grab his attention. He was surprised to note that it was the headmaster dancing. Just what was Madame trying to do to the poor women here?

More people entering the room. In all his time being here, there had yet to be such a scramble of staff and students coming in and out of a lesson. Something didn’t feel right. Given any normal situation, naturally, people would be moving in and out, but here...here there is something almost brewing.

“Madame, I’ve found your missing princess.” Marcello dropped the line of Seraphine’s conversation and tended to the one leading out in the halls. His partner, about ready to speak. Nothing he couldn’t handle, though he only wished he could have an excuse to just pass her on to his next dance partner. Too bad he wasn’t in Musique.

Her tone of voice shifted, much more serious than usual. It slightly aggravated him, her poor timing to pry. A part of him hoped that she could have been as boring as his last partner, or at least easier to manipulate and weave around. She turned out to be nothing from what he expected.

"You asked some very good questions...but also a few strange ones from the wording...you weren't looking for answers, you already had some...you were looking for consistency…"

“I’m glad to hear someone took interest into what I was saying. But I believe many others needed some clarification.”

His steps moved swiftly, still keeping the physical lead. But internally, he could feel the tugging in which his steps were now meant to be much more cautious on his current stance with this one.

Other noises were leaking into his ears, trying to break his focus. But the sound of other conversations almost enticing him to hone in. Had he not been in the company of Rose, he just might have been able too.

He spun her once more, switching his position, one that favored the position of channeling a more clear wave feed for his ear.

♩~~~~~♩

A noise tickled his ear.

“WHAT IS IT NOW?!”

Instantly he knew it was Seraphine. It was hard to fight the urge to look directly at his sister. But he managed to shift his gaze slightly when he assumed his partner was busy looking off as he conveniently spun her. She was with Cecil, her placement in front of the doors that led to the desired interest. With one free hand from spinning Rose, he lifted his frames. An easy signal to let her know that he was way ahead of her.

When Rose fell back into the dancing routine, she came back a little more forward than he anticipated.
"As subtle as you are, it isn't something I can't see…"

“You must think I am being rude, now. Forgive me, I should know better than to hide my concerns. My sister is right behind you. And her behavior has been strange, as of late---”

Her body pressed closer to his, closing the respectable gap in the formal dance. A turn of events raised his previous suspicions on his dancing partner. He had almost forgotten his thoughts on Rose earlier. “Just, who are you exactly”

Marcello didn’t cease her actions, no, he invited her by drawing her closer. Keeping the secrecy for them both. For an outsider to keep her voice at such a low distinct level…
“Let's do each other a favor and stop pretending we aren't looking for something, hm? We're both aware that the other is keeping secrets...so, what do you really know?"

Perhaps the thought of dismissing Rose so easily was wrong. It was one thing to act as if she knew nothing, but another to be investigating.

“Secrets? Do you honestly think there is such a thing? And even so, will you truly confide in what I am going to tell you?”

“Nevertheless, all you had to was ask.”

“I can tell you that there is quite a concern going on behind those closed doors. Something I know that should be addressed to all of us. Especially, the criminal.”

For the time being, Marcello continued to be vague. Giving too much information to someone he could barely trust himself? Let alone, he barely saw any real value in her, other than keeping Lavill at a distance.


“Let’s be clear. I hold “secrets”. Until I find a good reason to shed some light by unveiling the truth, then I will do so.”

“Do you have anything to offer?”

Asking felt useless, until he could find out just what Rose can actually do for him. He skimmed through his memory, the way she had spoken with the headmaster as if they knew each other. Aside from that, there was some sort of leverage. Digging deeper he looked into her previous engagement with the head of security. But still, there was nothing he can truly gain. In a moment like this, a gamble would have to be made. One with small hope that a piece of information, will bait her into a future alliance with the woman. One that could possibly come in handy.

He looked to Rose one last time. Voice equally low, warning her of something else brewing in the air. Regardless, the students need to know what is going on. They needed the upper hand against the headmaster.

“Someone is out to kill Lavill. If I were you, well, I don’t need to remind you to do your job. Hopefully, this time it will fair better than it did with the ball.”. Marcello pulled himself away, bowing and ending his dance. Leaving her in her thoughts.

Marcello turned to look to the board, their last dance partner was open for whomever they decided, however, he had no interest in it. There was another instructor speaking his thoughts outside the walls of the classroom. She was questioning the imprisonment of Princess Ashia, and not of Lavill. All which made clear sense, yet Mr. Fux, was still stubborn to push away logic, threatening their jobs here in Utopia.

This wasn’t right, nothing was right. He had to speak to someone in detail about all this, someone he would much rather trust. Instincts led his eyes to his sister. Just as he was about to send a message to her, “...and I’d like you to be my partner.”

USELESS!
USELESS!

Marcello huffed in the other direction. What was the point in reminding him to listen, if she wasn’t making herself available to exchange information?! FEH!

No matters, there was always Will---

She had been caught up dancing with someone else as well at seem. A bit more forgivable than his sister, but her being caught up with others and having no time for him was slowly beginning to aggravate him.

No worries, he could just find Maren and---

Damn, him. Damn him to hell. Mordecai, passing Maren to Taylor. TCH! He wasn’t sure what was worse anymore. Maren’s engagement, or the fact that Taylor was suddenly smitten over Maren. Come to think of it, Taylor’s involvement outside of the classroom made a little more sense now that he put some thought into it. Marcello was only glad he did what he did in front of him.

Fingers circled around the temples of his forehead. There was no one else coming in mind. His glance fell to the whereabouts of Eirwen. He couldn’t quite put everything on her, not with all that she had been dealing with. And the very thought of her getting her involved...Marcello knew her too well. He smiled lightly, but it didn’t last.

"I am removing a student from your classroom on the grounds of breaking our rules. Don't get in the way this time."

Footsteps were coming back into the room. Who was the headmaster after now? No one, from the top of his head, was deserving of being taken away.

Boom. Boom.
There was a sudden pull of sound and a bass movement filling in the silence of the metronome before it ticked. Of course, no one would really come to notice unless you were a musician of some sort, or directly involved in the same footsteps as Taylor's.
“THAT IMBECILE!”

Why did Taylor feel the need to use his powers with the headmaster prowling in the room? That could put Maren in danger! He could careless if Taylor was alone giving it away that it was him, but having Maren along, who’s to say Mr. Fux would not affiliate her as well!

Everything was spiraling down quickly. He would have never have guessed that the headmaster was targeting Maren all along, without the help Taylor.

But why? The logic he was spewing out about speaking in their tongue of origin. He looked around the room, there was another who was also clearly speaking her own native tongue along with Maren. The silver haired one...his eyes squinted at her displeased. Maren really thought she could trust in them to “stick together”, yet she didn’t move to defend her. Then again, she didn’t quite show any interest in it to begin with.
Still, why did he not go for her as well?

The first to jump in, the man sharing the dance with Willow. People were drawing in close, and Maren’s plea to be released tugged onto Marcello. Her, in a cell? She couldn’t…

“Do not be so hasty...”
“He has other motives. It’s a lure, what a cheap tactic to use.”

He locked eyes with the headmaster, moving through everyone that was starting to gather. Seraphine spoke up, but talking would do no good with him. Ever since the headmaster had made his presence known to them, he has been avoiding and dodging all logic thrown at him. He made it more apparent with his discussion outside the hall. Everyone was much too late now, there time should have been when he first marched in with Lavill. But with Maren in his grasp.

“Does he want force? What is it that he is hoping to accomplish with this?”

More voices invaded, prying into the actions. Soon enough no one was letting Gunter walk away without question. Finally, Taylor took some sort of action and recovered Maren in his arms. There was no time to dwell on that one. Maren was momentarily safe.

Maren’s fiance, came in right after Alice. Marcello kept a close eye on him. For the same reason, Marcello had yet to have spoken anything, he too contained himself, without a doubt trying to balance the motives, and at first and foremost, keeping Alice away from harm. Marcello could relate. However, Seraphine has been well trained, and he didn’t worry for her as much as Cecil probably did for Alice. Simply because he knew what his sister could handle. Cecil was new to the school, and Alice always seemed a bit more frail, he could see why he would go for her first when so many were already jumping in for Maren. After all, Maren would find enough people to come to her aid with or without him. “It’s not like we really need him anyways.”

The man decided to speak anyways. In the mean time, Marcello moved his way over near Maren, Taylor, and Seraphine. He turned his gaze to all three of them. “Funkazan, huh? Tch. If only he knew, what you really are, Maren.”



Heat lit up and filled the room, only for awhile. Head spun over towards Lavill. He should have probably guessed this as well!

The obvious, Maren was bait all along.

Could it be that the headmaster was after Lavill the whole time?
All he needed, was one reason...

Marcello had one last say before Gunter could speak he whispered harshly,“MacLaurin, don’t you dare let her go again.”

There was no silence in his thoughts. The cells.

If Lavill gets taken there, will he come to face with the one who was driven to kill him?

What does any of this mean?




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✦Harmonizing with: Rose ✦ Stage : Currently in classroom✦ Inside, I'm singing: ✦ Out of Conductor:
Marcello's outfit.

[Kurisumasu]

Rajin (Jean) Leonard

Where: Leaving Classroom
With: Artemis
OOC: Sorry for the lousy post!

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“I guess if I run into any trouble, I’ll come find you,” Artemis said playfully in reply to his warning. The corner of his mouth turned upward slightly into a small crooked smile, just barely hinting at his annoyance. I was being serious...

“Besides, it’s just a school rig-”

No sooner had she spoken did a scuffle break out over his shoulder. Of course… he held back a low growl and turned to the source. Before him was the headmaster pulling a girl by her arm, talking about breaking rules and locking her in a cell. He watched simply stunned at the sight, the disgust painted on his features was unmistakable. How dare he grab a woman like that! And to disrupt the lesson with such a display, unbelievable! He felt his hands tighten into fists. So this was the famous Utopia Academy, a school built for royalty and a place to encourage peace between the kingdoms.

The floor began to crack and split beneath his feet, growing, spreading, spiraling all around him in long tendrils unnaturally. He failed to notice as his anger grew in intensity, the voices of the protesting students all at once encouraging it.

Did the king know about the happenings in the this school? Was this why he was sent here? To place him in an environment that would so severely test his patience and will. Surely, he wanted him to slip up and fail. His eyes surveyed the startled staff and royalty watching the scene. There were too many people here.

Artemis turned back to him with a look of horror, and he flinched. The cracks stopped their movement.

“What was that? A cell? She’s a girl, not an animal…”

He bit his bottom lip and recoiled at the sight beneath his feet. It happened again. The swirling pattern of the cracks in the tile. Nothing breaks like that…

He looked up at Artemis who had turned back at the scene. She hadn’t noticed yet. “Like I said, be careful here.” He took a moment and heaved a sigh, closing his eyes as he did so. “If you find yourself in trouble, don’t turn to me, find someone more useful.” As much as he would like to like complain along with everyone else about how wrong and vile the headmaster’s actions were, as much as he didn’t want to abandon Artemis... he couldn’t risk losing his cover. Doing so meant losing everything, and he couldn’t allow his powers to take control again.

He bowed, “It was truly a pleasure dancing with you Miss Crest, I thoroughly enjoyed your company, but now I must take my leave.” His face held a look of regret as he turned to exit the room, a thousand thoughts swimming around in his head. “I have to be more careful from now on.”


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