Welcome to Gaia! ::

Samantha watched quietly as the beast turned, and headed for the living room. She was about to follow when she was met with a facefull of tail, temporarily impairing her vision and overwhelming her with the unexpectedly soft fur of the creature.

"....... Fluffy...."

Once Heidi was through the door, Samantha made an attempt to follow again, this time unhindered by any sort of fluff of any softness. She entered the living room just as Heidi was laying her head down, looking as harmless as ever. It was certainly hard to believe that this massive beast was once barreling down on her, ready to draw blood... Samantha smiled and patted Heidi's head as she walked by, whispering a small "Goodnight." as she passed.

---

"There have been a series of attacks around the school, and eyewitnesses place you in close proximity to each attack, if not the direct perpetrator of the attack. You have repeatedly put the lives of students in danger, and we know why - it is the cards, isn't it? What is your goal, Tabitha?"

Yuuka "accidentally" let one of her hands slip from her grip on Nora, allowing one of the student's arms to be free. "Again, I suggest you provide some proof as to your innocence, because as it stands, my evidence of your guilt far outweighs yours."

Yuuka had released her grip on Nora, knowing the student wouldn't go to far in her presence. As she grappled with her fellow student, Yuuka went to retrieve the knife for safe keeping. "If you're simply trying to survive, then why plan out attacks with that trained beast of your own? And what exactly is it you're trying to survive from?"

She tapped the blunt side of the knife into the palm of her opposing hand thoughtfully. "There must be a directng force behind all the current events taking place. And if you aren't at the center, then perhaps you could tell me who or what it is?" She took a few steps closer to the grappling students, leaning down to become eye to eye with Tabitha. "Help me, and we might forget some of the things we know you've had a hand in - like carrying a knife to school!"

"Nora, that's enough!" Yuuka grabbed at the student's arm and held it firmly. Now she really was worried for Tabitha's health, despite all things considered. Yuuka was a teacher after all, and her student's well being came first.

"Do not make this any harder on yourself than it has to be, Tabitha. I am warning you now - you will meet your comeuppance in the end."

---

Samantha was busying herself with homework nearby on the couch, nursing her own wounds and trying to catch up. The beast caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, so she set her book down and turned on the couch, half crawling across it to peek over the armrest. It could just be her imagination... but Heidi looked kinda smaller now. Samantha watched tentatively, peeking just behind the armrest at the not-so-hulking beast.

"What do you--?!" Yuuka flinched when the student revealed the black spectacles. She recognized them instantly to belong to Nora, and were the object they had been searching for all morning. Instinctively her own muscles tensed as well, and her grip on Nora strengthened in turn. She knew she would have to, for if Nora's own strength got the better of her, there would be little that Yuuka could do to stop her.

Yuuka cringed with each snap and pop the glasses made, as both glass and plastic gave way under the student's shoe. "Nora... Nora, calm down. We can get you another pair, it's fine..." She held firmly onto Nora, glaring at Tabitha. "You. I suggest you run, quickly, if you value your hide..."

---

Samantha watched with increased interest as Heidi's frame and mass slowly shrank, she felt like a child watching a magic trick for the first time. But this was no trick, and a different sort of magic was involved, and soon, the body of the girl she once knew was laying there before her. It only came as an after thought that her fellow student was completely naked, and Samantha immediately averted her gaze out of courtesy. She had, however, viewed her long enough to realize that Heidi was gifted with rather ample curves, most of which were usually hidden underneath the school uniform she always wore. She was, in the very least, much curvier than Samantha's own thin, if somewhat scrawny frame.

Those thoughts aside, Samantha had also noticed the young woman shivering, no doubt because she was on the floor and very much in the nude. Samantha turned and pulled a worn but warm blanket from the back of the couch and stood up, tentatively approaching her slumbering friend. She knelt and slowly drew the blanket over Heidi, starting at the feet, until it covered her up to the shoulders. She tucked the edges under her, then simply sat there on her knees, looking over Heidi. She wasn't sure why, but she was very glad to see her again.

Yuuka held onto her student tightly, feeling the tension rising from her body. She eyed Tabitha coldly as she passed, the only other thought in her mind was one to question what this "appointment" she mentioned was about. Well, with Nora about to go off like a cannon, this was no place to inquire further.

After Tabitha had gone, Yuuka finally released her grasp on Nora. Her own hands were a bit raw from the amount of force she had to use to keep Nora's strong body from moving. She didn't mind though, and instead joined Nora by what remained of her glasses.

"Nora... I'm sorry. We'll get you some new glasses..." She reached to pat Nora's shoulder soundly, trying to reassure her. "I'm sorry for holding you, but I couldn't let you attack a student out of rage." Yuuka looked in the direction Tabitha had walked in. "I wonder who it is she is so eager to meet with...?"

---

Heidi looked almost... cute, laying there on the floor. She looked happy too. This made Samantha smile warmly, for it made her happy to help a friend. She reached a hand out to brush away some stray hair from Heidi's face, in the most motherly way she could. Heidi's parents likely knew nothing of her curse, so Samantha's affections might be the best she receives...

Samantha leaned a little closer to Heidi and whispered, "It's alright. You're safe, okay? Please just sleep and rest. I'll be here." She slowly ran her fingers through Heidi's platinum blonde hair, gently tugging it into place.

"Hm?" Yuuka looked up from a book she had been reading for her own leisure. She recognized this woman from a few teacher associations, but had never had the pleasure of working with her before. She was rumored to be nearly as capable as Kazuko, though that remained to be seen.

"Ah, hello Ms..." Yuuka thought for a moment. If she had a nephew here, no doubt he'd have a similar head of vibrant red hair. She searched her own memory of the school roster, and - "Kaninus, was it? Yes, I remember seeing your nephew around the school a few times. A handsome young man, if I may admit." Yuuka mused, chuckling to herself. "Oh, yes, the schedule..."

Yuuka opened a drawer at her desk and reached inside, fumbling about this or that paper, until she finally withdrew one and handed to it the woman. "Here you go. Don't worry, you can go ahead and keep that, as I've made copies for myself." Yuuka smiled, closing the drawer. "So... you are to fill in for Seijin Kazuko, is that right? Has there been any word on her condition?" Naturally, Yuuka was already up to date with the teacher's health, having her cell phone number. She just wanted to see what this woman knew!


---


"Heidi?" Samantha called out, having just unlocked the aforementioned student's door and pushing it open. "Hey, I came to visit again. I brought some stuff, too!" She turned and shut the door behind her and locked it, and also made note of the claws marks on the inside of it. Shrugging it off, Samantha carried a large brown paper bag of groceries further into the dorm, and set them on the kitchen counter. There was still no sign of Heidi.

"Anyway, I brought some snacks and stuff to do!" She began to unpack the contents of the large paper bag onto the counter. "Popcorn, chips, uhh... I brought some DVDs and some of my books... And... uh. A tennis ball..." She set that on the counter, too. "Do you like that stuff? Hm. Oh, and I bought lots of ham too--" Indeed, the bottom half of the paper bag was filled with individually packaged cooked slabs of ham, ready to pop open and eat at a moment's notice! Very handy for an insatiable appetite. "Try not to go through them too fast, okay?"

Yuuka smiled. "Think nothing of it, friend." She listened to Anei as she retold what Seijin had a day before. She tried to keep contact with her fellow teacher to a minimum, so as to allow her the rest she needed.

"Yes, Seijin is known for pushing herself above and beyond for her students... I think that's how she came to be in the position she's in now. Her students love her, as do her fellow teachers. I suppose it's easy to forget oneself when you focus so much on your peers."

---

"Huh? Oh, it's alright, I guess." Samantha was still packing away the perishable items into the fridge, and the rest of the food in the cupboards. Finished, she then finally turned to see Heidi. She looked a little... sick? It made Samantha worried, as she'd watched the girl's health appear to diminish as each day went by.

"Hey, do you need something to eat right now? I can make you something if you're hungry, like actual real food. I can cook a little, at least. You look... bad."