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Well that explained a bit. There were others like Savior out and about. Well if that didn't give Damien another reason to look over his shoulder. Rouge Marrowstripes that could rip him apart if given the chance. He would rather take his chances with the yellow eyed group than those that flitted about in the fog. It took a moment to remember how to move his feet, but he shuffled a little closer to them and tapped his foot against an object.

He looked down at the rolling item and saw his flashlight, a little dinged up, but still in one piece. He pressed the on button and watched it flicker on and off. "Well, isn't this lovely?" he bit out in frustration and shook the thing with reckless abandon as it emitted a steady beam. He went to go put away his flashlight and reached on his side and grasped air. He forgot that his bag was still missing, all its valuable clues scattered to the wind.

"You found it back Aurian, lucky." He told with mild astonishment. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of it, not to mention the stuff that I collected in it." He would have to admit that West's idea to group everyone together seemed alright, there was strength in numbers, but this missing papers issue weighed heavy on him. "How could we all lose our bags and its contents so easily, its so strange." He said as he got the wildest urge to poke the fox ear on Holly's pajamas.
So strange indeed.

Something had just run into him-- no, someone. Even when Elaphe whipped around and saw familiar pajamas, he very nearly lashed out to strike at the headlight-eyed creature his mind seemed convinced would attack him. Wary, perhaps feral, his eyes stayed pinned on her until she'd stepped away, and even then, he seemed keen on glancing over every few seconds to reassure himself she wouldn't get closer again. She could have been plotting something. It felt like she was plotting something, yes... her and the wretched ghost. Those two were bad news.

He never even noticed when his knapsack grew lighter, still weighed down just enough by the worn turtle (currently dozing) to avoid some massive alarm trigger. Perhaps his supplies had fallen out of it? Yet there was no hole to be found...

"... I don't know what it is, other then another trick." And then he heard those words, and oh, oh, the feeling that swelled in his rail-thin chest made him suddenly tempted to laugh. A trick, Seiji said. Elaphe would have agreed there. The ghost seemed like one to use low tactics for catching prey off guard.

Bleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaah...

The same bleat rang out distantly again. It sounded closer than before, he could just swear it, both ears straining to find a direction. Was that her? It sounded so much like it. Jack help him if she'd somehow followed his trail to the island; it seemed astronomically improbable, but he could not get the idea out of his head. Maybe she knew he was in danger and had come to save him, and if so...

His heart began to race again at the thought.

Tomoko's elbow swiftly turning from a safety blanket to a leash that needed breaking.

If she was still there, he needed to find her.

((Wheeeeee, finally rolling, why not~))

Gah! He was pulling her in! This was it! This was when the Seiji impostor would lure her in and--oh. Her eyes were yellow? How did he know about the yellow thing? Maybe it really was a trick. Junko frowned quietly and gave a tiny nod, tilting her face into the kiss on her cheek. He'd like that right? He'd believe she believed him? "I'm sorry." She murmured to the ghost, returning the hand squeeze. She jumped as Jove held her hand, looking down at him and smiling again. How cute~.

Junko followed along with Seiji and the rest of the group as he left them to Bul, nodding to him until she noticed the other figure. Who was tha...t...

Oh hell. Junko stopped dead in her tracks and just stared, eyes trained intensely on Mei-Xiu. Oh no. No...nooo..nonono. Not her. Definitely not her. Not now, not later, not ever. She backpeddled a bit away from Mei and moved behind Seiji a little, biting down nervously on her lip. Crap! She didn't want to be anywhere near that psycho!

Stay here in this spot and be easy prey, or go on the move or find a better area to defend themselves in? The answer seemed pretty clear to him, even in this shady area. "I'm all for moving ahead, better than waiting for anything to catch us out in the open like this." He replied back to West as the taller boil began to march off in a random direction. Hopefully his bat also served as a dowsing rod that can lead them in the right way. The concept of getting attacked by male Marrowstripes never left his brain, but it seemed as it it weighted more on Saviors shoulders. "Don't worry Savior, we can handle them as a group." he told her in a chipper voice, a smile on his face to hopefully put the ghoul at ease and trust in all of them. Even If he had his own doubts.

But those ears on the Pajama's ghoul, they looked so fuzzy, maybe he could get away with poking them just once. But he was brought out of his musings when the aforementioned ghoul was addressing him. Stop staring at the ears Demi! "Oh, guess you were a victim of the bag napping too eh?" He asked her, head tilting on its side in thought. "Sorry, guess in all the craziness I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Damien, call me Demi for short and after witnessing what a Marrowstripe can do firsthand, If she thinks that they are bad, I think I'll heed her warning." He told the ghoul with a serious tone as he rubbed his arms. His head was still throbbing after that heel drop of hers. She could fight, there was no doubt about that. "Hey, stay close Aurian, West is already on the move, we can't get left behind."

There were so many dilappidated buildings, it didn't seem very safe to look in any of them, and not a peep from one of them. A few homes had a splotch of color on them, it was chicken scratch at first but as they moved on, it got more colorful and vibrant and a letter could be read here and there. They were getting closer to something and in front of them lay the motherloade of writing.
It was also where one could learn the art of writing. A school.

(sneaky sneaks over to the school thread ninja )

Everyone got so quiet. Well besides the random mid-crazy introductions. Was that even his name? Holly just nodded and followed the group, making sure to keep an eye on Savior. Not out of distrust like the others but more of concern of what she seemed to hear.

A school? Seriously? Holly sighed and kept up with the group.

((To the school!))

"I know for a fact that we... we didn't leave them, there's no way..." Bul groaned and put his face to his hands for a minute in anguish. "Mei, I seriously thing our s**t is just... GONE. Gone, just like that.." he said and snapped his fingers after pulling his hands away. He could hear Seiji and his group approaching and tried to push himself up off the ground a little bit to appear a little less ******** up than he was. "Yea... Yea I know..." he grumbled, but greeted his friend by taking the offered hand and shakily standing.

He turned his gaze to Mei now as she spoke. "No.. no my eye's are always red. It's this crazy fog s**t.. I mean.. everyone else seems to have them." At this point Bul was going to trust that all the students around him were real. After all, if they weren't that meant he was too far gone for saving and if it meant exploring the answer to the island well.. he'd be able to rest peacefully.

It was then that Bul's thoughts were interrupted. A school? What was this about a school? Had the students found something. "Seiji.. Mei.. guys what is going on, what is everyone talking about? I didn't see a school when we looked around earlier..." It's probably something metaphorical.. he thought to himself.

Aurian nodded along as Saviour explained about marrowstripes. She was in the middle of thinking 'but Saviour doesn't seem so scary' when Saviour said that the females weren't dangerous - only the males. Eyes wide, Aurian glanced behind them to the thick mist that could be hiding anything. Okay, she was officially Very Worried.

"Hiding sounds good," she said, not wanting to get caught by a male Marrowstripe. Even in a group, that sounded like it was something best avoided.

She stuck close to the others as they quickly moved on. West slowed down, having discovered... a school?

"How... interesting," was the nicest word she could come up with. The graffiti was worrying. Even with all the warnings, it still sounded better than meeting a male of Saviour's species. Aurian wasted no time in following the others into the abandoned school.


[ To school thread. ]

As the pup turned to lead everyone off Seiji tightened his hold on Junko's hand, giving a shake of his head to Jove. He'd take the futakuchi-onna himself, still very concerned for her. Even after he'd tried to assure her that he was the real deal she hadn't looked convinced, and with the appearance of more students she'd retreated behind him. No, no he'd keep her with him.

Hoisting Bul to his feet as carefully as possible, the ghost lay a hand on his friend's should to keep him balanced until he could stand easily on his own. "I'm not really sure what's going on, but I'm beginning to get the impression that this fog is playing mind games. Sooner we get out of it the better." He pointed a claw at the building Jove and the others had headed towards. "That place looks pretty sturdy." Sturdy sounded good right about know.

Oddly, the niggling voices at the back of his head had faded almost completely. The glowing eyes still remained, but he wasn't half so paranoid as a result. Was the madness beginning to wear off? Jack, he hoped so. "Let's go man." He too began walking towards the school, but only after making sure Bul could walk himself. If he couldn't he'd gladly offer a shoulder to lean on.

Junko was given a reassuring smile once they'd started moving. Giving Jove a safe word to listen for had been a good idea, and it got him thinking. What was something he and Junko shared that no one else would know about? He knew just the thing. Bending as he walked, he rested his cheek against the side of her head, humming at first, the first few beats of a familiar song, before singing in a voice so soft only she would hear. "There's a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fevered pitch and it's bringing me out the dark.."

If that couldn't convince her it was him, he was out of ideas. Hopefully that would work. Please let it work..

((If your too school for cool... SCHOOL))