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 Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:48 pm
Surprisingly the secretary had kept true to his word, as he tried to act subtle about confronting Xiu down the hallway. Which pretty much sounded like him struggling through the seas of students to poke Xiu and remind her that she had "group detention" in the old music room.
Thankfully, a little later, once the students figured out where the heck the old music room was, the secretary was also indeed still waiting there, resting on top of a worn out piano chair, his head reclining against the base of a rusted tuba, once again half-asleep. It was not only abandoned this late in the afternoon in the music wing, it was absolutely quiet. Unfortunately the equipment also made it rather cluttered.
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:10 pm
Vaith had opted out of walking with Xiu or Lacie, walking through the empty halls of the old music wing as he whispered the story to Mai. The company of the blue ghost was easy and enjoyable, now settled into his new clothes and knob-status (not that many people knew yet~) nicely. In fact, it felt a lot like being a snot. Year One wasn't that different from Year Two.
Not that much of a difference at all actually.
The wing was quiet, leaving them room to hear each other if their voices were loud enough, yet the requirement of being soft enough that no stray boogeyman would hear it. The halls weren't safe.. requiring Vaith to lean down. A lot. Note frequently ran up and down from his head to his shoulder, swishing it's tail against Vaith's cheek and occasionally Mai's cheek.
By the time they reached the music room, with slow halting steps, Vaith was pretty sure he had the story explained. Up from the hunters at the haunted out until the chasing of the heirs and it ended there, since the conclusion to that story was still unknown. He left out the part about hunters leaving all of the students to be burned alive and appearing in what he now knew, Cricket's office. It wasn't really .. a necessary detail. Not something every boil wanted to tell a ghoul. It wasn't really hallway conversation. Or dinner conversation. Perhaps, the only category it would fit in was private-room-very-deep-aura conversation.
Vaith wasn't quite sure. Of the naming.
His hand tussled his hair uncomfortably, glossing over that part, since Mai had never really asked how they had gotten back.
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:38 pm
Sparrow was not quite a knob yet, but he was close. The examination date for moving into the second year was coming nearer with each passing day, and the closer it got, the farther Sparrow felt from actually being capable. He had already been trampled on by Roch - both metaphorically speaking and realistically speaking - and now he was...
Well. What he was. Which was...not entirely normal.
For the past several days he had been hardly able to sleep, jittery and nervous over every little detail. He wasn't entirely certain when it would go back to the way it was - or if it even would. Sparrow had heard Xiu tell him what had happened during the last field trip, had listened to the stories from the other students. But it was one thing to hear about something like that.
To actually experience it was an entirely different story.
When he received the request to attend to the old music room, Sparrow had almost decided not to go. He did not want to go and see Xiu, let her see what he had become. The calm, collected side of him that he normally let be was somewhere locked inside, instead replaced by an overly paranoid, anxious young man.
Except he couldn't not go, so silently he made his way towards the room.
When he arrived, there were already a few people there - the secretary from the snow incident, as well as the boil that Sparrow had seen beside Xiu, and a pale skinned, beautiful ghost that he did not recognize at all.
The words hello, my name is Sparrow that had once been easy to say were hesitant, the reaper instead giving them all a quiet, silent nod, absently twisting a ring on his right hand.
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 2:43 pm
Xiu had been surprised when Arel stopped her in the halls to remind her of the "group detention". Surprised, but pleased--thank Jack for Arel. She wasn't sure if he would be able to answer all the questions they had, but it was still nice to finally be able to talk to someone about it, someone who knew a little more about what was going on than the student body.
Hopefully, anyways.
Her mind had been a whirlwind of thoughts for last few days. What did the events that took place mean for Halloween? Despite the fact she hadn't had (or rather, prevented herself from having) any nightmares, she still hadn't been getting that much rest as of late. Not with all these questions and concerns that were plaguing her.
When she arrived at the old music room, she was surprised to find that others had already shown up as well. "Arel...thank you for agreeing to meet with us. We...we really appreciate it." She bobbed her head politely at the secretary, and turned to regard the students who had already shown up.
They were all so quiet...but who was to blame them? Xiu didn't feel much like talking either--unless it was asking questions, which would have to wait until the others got here--but it just felt...awkward to remain in silence. "Vaith, Sparrow, hello." She reached out to give each of their hands a small squeeze, and then turned to the pretty ghost ghoul standing beside the noise reaper. Her tail gave a shy little wag as she held her hand to shake.
"I...I'm Xiu! And you must be Mai, right?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:57 pm
Lacie, after finishing with her classes, had left her new friends to guide the way. The little puffballs bounded left and right until they miraculously led the little reaper to a room she would have never otherwise found without their help.
"Ah.." She peered around the door to see several boils and a ghoul she was not yet acquainted with. "H-Hello." She said timidly to the rest of the strangers in the room. Unfortunately, one of her fluffballs jumped up and back and forth causing Lacie to look around confusedly at the cluttered music room. And it was just as well that a misstep sent her crashing into a pile of old chairs, creating some large noise in the process.
"Owch." Lacie said from beneath the mountain of chairs. She still wasn't yet recovered by the past events, particularly the field trip and their last encounter with the hunters. "Xiu. Vaith." Her already soft voice must have sounded like a whisper from beneath the chairs. When she had finally crawled out from the mountain, she turned her gaze towards the new boil and ghoul. "Sparrow? M-Mai?" She looked to the new strangers that she had addressed, hearing Xiu address them by their names, looking hesitant as if to ask 'Is this okay?'
"And he is..?" She tilted her head towards the sleeping secretary. Unfortunately, she did not know much of the staff members, with the exception of Red, either. She also wondered if that was a comfortable place to sleep..? He certainly looked like he was enjoying it.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:10 am
Mai walked quietly along with Vaith as the two of them made their way to 'group detention'. Several of her wisps drifted behind them, casting soft blue light against their backs. The ghost wasn't entirely sure that she was happy about going, but she got the impression that it would probably be a good idea to tag along anyway. Vaith had promised to tell her what he knew about the stuff that was happening at Amityville on the way there, and Mai knew she could use the information. If she was going to be completely honest with herself, she had to admit she was hopelessly behind on current events. It was easy to be oblivious to everything going on at the school when most of her days were spent snoozing in this place or that. It was only very recently that she became aware that there were things happening. Things that she should probably be paying attention to.
Really, Mai just wasn't the type to become personally invested in stuff most of the time. After that fiasco during her first ever training mission, however, she was starting to feel uneasy. That was definitely something of significance for the normally carefree ghoul. As much as she wanted to just forget it all and crawl into the nearest warm bed, Mai just couldn't shake the tension that seemed to knot in her stomach. Hell, for all she knew, the bad stuff could already be over with. She was probably fretting over nothing. That was probably right... Right? Probably?
Mai refocused and tried to listen attentively as Vaith did his best to catch her up. As the two approached their destination, she felt she at least had a better overall idea of what had happened thus far. Well, kind of. There was a lot to process.
Someone was already resting in the music room when they arrived. Mai wasn't sure who it was, but she didn't want to be the one to disturb them so she kept her distance. Thankfully, it didn't take long for other students to show up. The first boil she noticed seemed very nervous, and she started to move toward him to give him a friendly hug and introduce herself. She stopped short though, remembering that most people seemed uncomfortable with the hugging if they hadn't properly met yet. Mai turned to see what Vaith would do, and yep, they were definitely not hugging. Sadness. She offered the other student a sleepy smile instead. Ah, but when Xiu arrived and offered her hand to Mai in greeting, she took it as an open invitation for physical contact.
"Hello Xiu," the ghost said warmly, stepping past the hand entirely and wrapping her arms around the other ghoul affectionately. She gave a familiar squeeze and held the embrace for what was probably longer than strictly necessary before stepping back. "Yes, I'm Mai. It's nice to meet you."
Her head turned as the next student entered. Before she knew it, the new arrival had somehow managed to launch herself into some nearby chairs. Perplexed, Mai could only stare as the ghoul extracted herself from the tangle of furniture. Oh. Oh! She should probably have helped her get up. Well, she could still be helpful. The ghost stepped over to Lacie and began dusting the other girl off. "Are you.. alright?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:31 am
Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was doing here, walking down the empty corridor, towards the place where she was supposed to have "group detention". She had been curious and concerned enough about the state of things to take up Xiu's offer, but part of her was nervous; she knew that there were some other students around - students she did not know. The only exception was Vaith, not that they were close; she pretty much knew only by name, having met him only a few times since their first meeting at the prom committee meeting.
However, the chance to speak to a staff member was simply too good a chance to pass up, especially since the students' conversation with Nurse Cricket in the nurse's office.
The old music room took her a while to find, and she hurried down the corridor, speeding into the room when she heard a loud noise that sounded like chairs crashing down coming from within, walking in just in time to see a ghoul helping herself up from the ground. She had to admit that it was the perfect place to hold the discussion - or Q&A session - since it was both abandoned and deserted... She could only hope that it stays that way; ever since the official "memorial" for Professor Red's sudden "retirement", she couldn't help but feel paranoid that there might be Boogeymen listening and watching the school... It was all rather unsettling.
Approaching the group, she offered both Xiu and Vaith a smile before turning to the rest of the students, regarding all of them with that same smile, feeling rather shy all of a sudden; Lacie might also had received a look that said 'Are you alright?' Dipping her head in greeting, she gestured at herself, "I'm Lizzy... Uh, it's nice to meet all of you." Although she wished that it was under better circumstances.
She then turned to Arel, giving him a nod of greeting; he couldn't have slept through that ruckus... Right?
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:35 am
Xiu's arrival comforted Sparrow, for some reason, perhaps because she was the only one he really knew out of the rest that were slowly beginning to trickle into the music room. Besides Arel, of course, but then again, the school secretary was known by nearly everyone, and he was staff. Xiu was a student, and a good friend, and he took her hand gently, squeezing her fingers back.
"Morning," he said quietly, with a slightly relieved look on his face. "It's good to see you."
Another ghoul had entered with a bang - literally. Automatic instincts made Sparrow step over to her quickly, extending a hand down to help pull her to her feet, but it seemed he was not the only one. The blue ghost ghoul had also moved over, and was now proceeding to dust off the first.
Sparrow stood a little awkwardly beside them, trying to figure out how best to speak in this sort of situation.
"I'm...Sparrow," he said softly, twisting his hands together. He felt faintly embarrassed at this sort of pathetic, uncharacteristic introduction, since normally he would have swept in and given them all a kiss on the back of the ghouls' hands (or Xiu's cheek, since he was more familiar with her), shaken the boil's. Instead he stood there idiotically, feeling more and more...stupid.
"I'm sorry," he said to the both of them. "I'm afraid I didn't...quite catch your names."
And then there was a third ghoul as well that had arrived - another unfamiliar one, this one with pink hair that fell down her back and shoulders in waves. Sparrow offered her an uncertain smile, though he said nothing, instead biting his lower lip.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 10:47 am
As Lacie unceremoniously knocked over quite an assortment of chairs, Arel suddenly stood up with a start - or would have stood up, if the piano bench had not tipped over at the sudden motion. And suddenly, there was no secretary but instead, a rumpled scarf poking out from a toppled bench and tuba.
An audible sigh later - magnified by the tuba's brass amplifier - and sounds of obvious struggling one secretary finally emerged victorious from the pile. Victorious, and looking as ruffled as a churrpup (common) who had gone through the blender. He eyed all the students who assembled, looking as put-out and generally frumpy as usual. "You're all... here." It sounded like Arel had expected them to take longer, most likely in favour of his nap. He grabbed the end of his scarf for a second, pulled on it to yank it out of the pile, and wrapped it a couple times more around his neck until only his eyes were peering out from the mess.
"Well?" The secretary crossed his arms, looking as petulant as a young scareling, clearly expecting Xiu to pick up the conversation.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:07 pm
The baku let out a surprised squeak as Mai pulled her into a hug, her eyes widening as she uncertainly gave the ghost ghoul a light squeeze back. Xiu was always for hugs, but she definitely hadn't been expecting one from someone that she didn't really know. Still, it wasn't unwelcome--considering her somewhat serious and depressing mindset over the past few days, the hug was quite nice. When Mai drew away, Xiu grinned up at the ghoul with embarrassment. "T-thank you. It's nice to meet you too!"
Her attention was drawn away when Lacie entered with a loud crash. She took a step towards her friend in concern, but fortunately Mai had the same idea and went to give her a hand. Shortly after, Lizzy--who earned a smile in return--arrived, and then...
That was everyone, wasn't it? She did a quick skim of the room's occupants: Mai, Lacie, Vaith, Sparrow, Lizzy, and Arel (who was currently in the midst of recovering from his own tumble). From the looks of things--and from the look the secretary was giving her--she assumed that they could begin now. Turning to Arel, she took a deep breath.
"T-thank you for meeting with us today," She started, her voice uncertain, "We wanted to...to discuss what happened, and we also had a few questions." Xiu paused to glance over her shoulder at her friends, as if looking to them for encouragement. She was more of a follower than a leader, so attempting to take the lead was awkward for her. Where should she even start?
Perhaps it was best to start with the most pressing question right now: "Do you have any idea...what's going to happen to the horsemen?" And what was going to happen to them now that the horsemen were gone?
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 8:30 pm
Lacie looked at Mai gratefully, and looked a bit .. gray? SHe tried to dust off her sleeve but looked unsuccessful in doing so. She was significantly grayer than when she had first arrived, coated in a thick layer of dust. So much that she even sneezed, "Aa-choo!" That wouldn't be too surprising considering how long this music room had stayed .. undisturbed. It would take some considerable effort to dust off the young reaper, feeling like she needed a bath. But that wasn't possible at all.
Noticing a worried look from the girl that had just entered, Lizzy, Lacie tried to manage a reassuring smile. But all she managed to produce was a worried one. "It.." She meant to return the sentiment, it being certainly enjoyable to meet other halloween students, but it seemed as if the same thought of their 'circumstances' had occurred to her. She looked towards the ghoul and then away as if she couldn't quite meet her stare. But rather than it being Lizzy's fault, Lacie was just remembering the point of the meeting. Shame, guilt, and regret rose inside of her in an unfamiliar mixture when she remembered that this was at the expense of the horsemen.
When a boil approached both ghouls, this time, Lacie managed a more friendly expression. "Sparrow.. My name is Lacie." The quiet way that she spoke in belied the same nervousness that Sparrow was feeling. Extending out a hand.. and realizing that she only had one hand extended -- she extended both hands, one to Mai, one to Sparrow. That greeting would have to do- especially in light of the next crash. Lacie looked around confusedly, wondering if it was her again. But alas, it was not! It was (surprisingly.. or not so surprisingly) the secretary, Arel. But she also winced at the sight of the tuba. That must have hurt..? Even as he struggled to get out, it looked like Lacie was cringing.
But as Xiu spoke, Lacie agreed with her first question. These questions needed to be answered.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:07 pm
Vaith lifted a hand in what one might call a pathetic wave (which he termed casual) to Sparrow, Lizzy and Lacie. But it was interrupted by the effect of his yawning mouth, evidently, having woken up too early for this meeting.
Arel's fall made him turn his head slightly, peeking behind the tuba.
Ouch.
But it wasn't too bad evidently, since Arel stood up. Xiu was taking charge for the first time, her nervous voice forcing the reaper to look her way and back to Arel for answers. Weren't they all looking for answers?
What if Arel didn't have all the answers?
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:27 pm
Arel had never been very good at masking his expressions. So when Xiu mentioned "Horsemen", his customary 'I hate my job' frown turned to something else: confusion, a deep furrowing of his brows, and then oddly enough, a fleeting glimpse of trepidation.
He sat back down, right on top of the tuba and piano bench ensemble, the pile surprisingly not shifting under the weight. "I... don't know." The secretary began, having a hard time piecing out his words. I don't know why they took the the four, except that perhaps, it might lead to other problems. If there's one reason for taking them, it was probably because they knew.... stuff." Arel was clearly avoiding the word for the cause of all this destruction.
A sigh. "I appreciate you all coming here." Another sigh as he reached to a pile of old violin cases beside him and pulled out several piles of slightly-rumpled papers. "I'm actually here to talk about withdrawing you from Amityville. The school is simply.... not as it once was, and it is better if you were not involved. In school problems." The last part was tacked hastily on the end, the secretary, for some reason, staring at each corner of the room in paranoia, as if expecting something else to be standing there.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 1:59 pm
Withdr--"No!"
The exclamation left Xiu's lips before she could stop it. Color rose in her cheeks, but that look--the look that was a mixture of determination, frustration, and quite possibly fear--did not fade. She took a deep breath, lowering her voice to a softer volume before continuing.
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to..." She suddenly shook her head, cutting her own apology off. This wasn't the time. Standing up a little straighter, she stared firmly in Arel's direction. "I...I can't speak for the others, but speaking for myself, withdrawing from Amityville is not even an option." She didn't think Arel had finished talking about the option of withdrawing, but that was because--for the baku, at least--there was nothing to talk about.
"The school's problems involve everyone who is presently in the school, including the students. And...and if the Hunters..." Her voice faltered a little when she brought up the Hunters, but she cleared her throat, "If they come back, then I want to be able to protect the school and my friends."
Xiu wasn't too worried about her parents possibly pulling her out of school--they would never believe anything about the Hunters. As she eyed the pile of paper that Arel pulled out--forms to withdraw from the Amityville?--she folded her arms behind her back in a stubborn gesture.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 4:40 pm
"A pleasure, Lacie," murmured Sparrow quietly, reaching out to lightly grasp the ghoul's hand in his own. It felt very small in his own fingers, the other clearly just as anxious as Sparrow himself was. Strangely enough, that made him feel just the tiniest bit better, considering that it meant he was not alone in this.
The one called Vaith had lifted his hand in greeting, which was more of a lazy flop of his hand, but Sparrow did not really care either way. He gave the other boil a nod, eyes flickering at the yawn (the sleepiness reminded him another boil...), but he turned back towards the short secretary, who had finally started to speak.
And Xiu, considering she was the one who had "taken the reigns," so to speak, for this whole meeting. Sparrow remained silent as the baku struggled through her uncertainty, her questions for Arel straightforward.
"..."I'm actually here to talk about withdrawing you from Amityville - "
"No!"
Sparrow's own quick, hastily blurted out reply was simultaneous with Xiu's. Then he promptly flushed red.
I didn't mean to shout that out.
He did not want to be removed from the school - he did not want to be withdrawn, especially not when there were people here, people like Wren, who were still here. And leaving would just be admitting that there was nothing they could do.
Is there nothing we can do, though? Isn't that what he's telling us? That we're just students, it's not safe for us here.
I don't want to be weak.
"I...agree with Xiu," Sparrow said softly, but firmly, taking a step forward to stand beside his friend. "I don't want to be sent home on the premise that I can't do anything. The school might not be what it once was, certainly. But that doesn't mean we aren't capable of standing strong."
He swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very out of place.
"Arel, I - "
There was a slight pause, Sparrow casting a quick, nervous glance at Xiu and the rest of the students in the room.
" - we want to stay. Right?" he added, biting his lower lip hesitantly.
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