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This wasn't the best of times to start Sharra Eldwaithe's reemergence into social life at school. It truly wasn't. He had staunchly avoided the Fright...what have you Fest that always seemed to be cropping up in these parts. In fact, he'd had more horrifying moments of sheer social awkward whenever confronted with a crowd. For a while he'd tried to be normal, fight through the mess that the island and the ensuing chaos had left him in. It should be easy enough shouldn't it? For a Halloweener, anyway. But not for this boil. His family had sensed his distress even in the most mild of exchanges, and his aunts had called him home.

Back at school, he wasn't aware of why he had stepped out, supposedly to help with the clean-up that the Fright Fest had left over. That's what came of allowing all these people to flood into Amityville, that's what.

So why was he out here? Vest-less, button-up shirt rumpled, hair untrimmed and looking not unlike he'd just stumbled out of bed....?

He knew why, when that familiar chill clutched at his head, the sensations, the voices, the cries in the murk that had risen up all around him, some of them dimly familiar, others just the sounds of panicked students. The Nergal boil could feel his heart rise up to his throat, to sit there pounding away in absolute terror. This...this felt like that place. The place he'd yet to recover from.

Curling the claws of his Nergal arm tight with a soft creak of flesh, a sliding of spines, Sharra growled softly, in defiance of the ominous sensation that clutched at all of them. "I've got one more chance with you..." He muttered.

Perhaps. Though it would be nice if he had the presence of mind to actually find someone he knew. Or even someone he didn't. To his mind, this was his battle, a struggle between an enemy he didn't even fully comprehend.

After all. That's what demons did.

For a moment, Shun shot the strange kitsune an odd look, but then shrugged it off. He stared at Thackery for a few moments, but then nodded slowly. If it were Mitsu and him.. she probably would do the same, even if he had told her before that if by some chance, anything like this happened to him and there were still no known fixes, he'd want to be finished off. Most likely, she wouldn't be able to follow through with that particular request..

"Understood," he said quietly as the cerberus began to cry, "Let's hope the worst case scenario doesn't happen here then."

Stepping back, he nodded to Demi.

"Herd whoever you can into the ranks, and try to move them away from here," he said. The keyword was try, seeing how people didn't seem completely willing to budge. Shaking his head, he glanced towards one of the two greed demons with them, "Keep your wits about. You may need them."

Considering this jacking fog...

Though, he paused at Roch's words. They? If it wasn't just the looming reaper that had the potential to do.. that then they were in far deeper s**t right about now. Just one alone was bad enough, let alone having a band of them.

"Don't get overzealous now," he murmured. But, he didn't move. The reaper glanced back in the direction of the dormitories. Whatever was coming, he couldn't let them reach the dorms. Xiu was here as well... and it didn't seem like she was moving out. Of course, there was the small chance that nothing would really happen here, but Shun wasn't too optimistic about that. Grimacing, he summoned his daggers, staring at the pyramid head in the fog that Thackery called to.

"Xiu, are you going to stay or go?"

It was a familiar song and dance, by now. He was veiled in grey, swaddled in it like a newborn child. He swayed, an unsteady giant that looked like he was about to be felled.

He saw a familiar shape in the distance-- oh, and how it was so far away-- of black and violet and caramel. It was warm, Ash knew. the emptiness inside of him, a void calling to home and nowhere else, was at war with his conscious mind. The sight of a kiss on what was his sent a shockwave of icy rage through his veins, but it was far from enough to change his desire to go home.

Nonetheless, the reaper moved. A hulking figure that inched slowly across the landscape. They met somewhere in the middle. Green-grey eyes fixed onto Thackery, but they blinked, unseeing.

"We," he breathed, fingers tightening around the hilt of his Great Knife. "are not merely Ashford."

With great effort, Ash lifted the blade upwards and thrust it into the ground, impaling the ground.

"We are waiting to go home."

Xiu squeezed her eyes shut. Stay or go? Thackery had told them to go on, and considering what had happened to the others who had been inflicted with the same illness as his "Ash" had...who could blame him? Though they were offering to help, even the baku wasn't sure what else they could do but fight if they were to be attacked. There had to be a way to clear someone of insanity...but for the time being, it didn't seem as if anyone knew how it was done.

In the end, what made her choice for her was when she glanced over to look at Amphi. She glanced down at the message on the phone, pink eyes growing round as her gaze flickered back up to the mermaid's face. What? Xiu's reaction was automatic--she frowned, and without a word, promptly pulled the other ghoul forward until they were standing by the group. "No, that's...too dangerous," And you've already been through a lot, she wanted to add, "And...well. If Thackery is certain..."

She let out a heavy sigh at Shun's question, biting down on her bottom lip as she looked up at him. Finally, she gave a little nod. "I'm coming. Sorry for the hold up."

Be safe, Thackery.

Pulling Amphi along so that they could reintegrate themselves with the group, the corners of Xiu's lips quirked upwards in a small smile at the question posed by Chryses. "Uhh, honestly? That sounds like the plan. There have been a lot of dangerous things encountered and fought in a fog like this in the past."

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Masshiro

Blade Kuroda

Kaiyumi

poke mattix

Bloodlust Dante

Ice Queen

Songstress Kitsune

Manda

Pepzilla

Grngriff

Despite the current circumstances, there was a tiny hint of amusement in the baku's eyes as she blinked up at the demon boil, brows raised. "Do you honestly think I'd say no?" Frankly, it made her feel more at ease knowing a group of her friends were gathered altogether here--at least she could keep an eye on them and see for herself that they were safe.

She certainly hoped that the others were alright too, though. She had spotted Alex in another group, and Riyo and Junko had been hanging around as well...

"Chryses," Xiu looked back to the demon again, lips turned downwards in a slight frown, "When we're in the clear again, do remind me or someone else to give you a rundown on what happened last time, will you?" The newer students definitely had a right to learn what had occurred during the last year or so, especially if it would help raise their chances of survival.

There was an abrupt sound of dirt grating against metal, and Thackery flinched, hoping that they wouldn't encourage him to attack.

It never got any easier. None of it did. Especially separating their actions from Ash's. He still looked like Ash. He still smelled like Ash. Sometimes he still sounded like Ash.

But Ash wouldn't have hit him, or forgotten him, or abandoned him. Though the doubts came in floods and torrential rain, Thackery did his best to remember these things.

He reached towards him with a frown, fingertips pressing against the reaper's chest. The muscular skin barely gave beneath his touch, but he hoped it might remind him that he was here. Whether or not any of this worked, he had to cling to every bit of hope he had left.

"Ash." He tried to keep a firm tone, but it came out impossible and shaky in spite of his efforts. "Home is here. With me." Words meant to be a reminder came more like a plea. He pressed a little harder, insistent. Wasn't it? Didn't he want this to be their home? Together?

Sometimes he barely kept his head above the water.

Diana had just finished cleaning up when the odd fog seemed to move in. The longing caused by the shapes and sounds around her and strange voices had her standing there feeling very odd for the few minutes that it happened. The yearning feeling after that moment of nothingness scared her and she wanted to get away from that feeling. She had an odd thought that this might not be the best place to be at the moment. She looked around and her wings shivered slightly as her tail wrapped tightly around her waist. Once the fog lifted slightly and the voices tapered off she was left feeling empty and for some reason she wished that she had her stuffed animals with her, but she had left them and her bag back in her dorm room. "I guess it's good that I picked up that Riley plush... I hope no one sees me.." she mutters to herself as she pulls it out of her purse and gives it a squeeze before slowly making her way back to the entrance. The last thing she wanted was to experience that again.