[SOLO] In a Dark Classroom
The sound of students laughing, talking and calling to each other was muffled from inside the school, a comforting background noise that did little to break the peace of the quiet classrooms. Orah might enjoy being with other people more than she did being alone, but there was something special about being in Meadowview after everyone else had left for home. She'd come to appreciate the quiet and the odd feeling of sleepiness when she got out of after school choir practice.
Happy with the work they'd done today, she tucked her books into her backpack and straightened up her locker, making sure she had everything she needed for homework tonight before she closed it up and clicked the lock closed. Maybe if she hurried, she could get her homework done before she went patrolling tonight with Aventine. It would be nice not to have to worry about how late she got back and how much time she'd need to leave herself to get the work done before she went to bed. It was hard, balancing the life of a super hero with the life of a highschool girl. But then, she hadn't really expected it to be easy. There was never a tv show or a movie that made the life of a magical girl look easy. There were always troubles, clashes between the two lives, and tough choices. She had been luck so far that her hardest decision was whether to stay up late to finish her work or to just turn it in the next day half done. She did well enough in school during the day that it could balance out a little bit of shoddy homework.
Humming to herself as she turned to leave, she stopped as she thought she heard something from the classroom down the hall. It was hard to be sure, though… anyone else would have probably shrugged it off, but after everything Orah had learned being a senshi there was just no way she could leave know without at least checking to see ifs he could find the source of the noise. Letting her backpack slide down her arm to the floor, she made her way down the hall with cautious steps, staying close to the wall in case something came rushing at her.
The quiet school suddenly felt creepy and dark as the setting sun shone through the windows. Every horror story she'd ever heard seemed to start this way and the teen could hear her heartbeat in her ears. Suddenly the sound came again and she flinched, hearing the beat double in time. Yes, she had definitely heard it that time… like something being dragged across the floor. Not a desk or a chair but… maybe a heavy bag? That thought, and the thought that came after it, made her shudder and press closer to the wall. She was a senshi, dang it! Not the damsel in a thriller… even if it was a serial killer, she was strong enough to get away from him. And if it were a monster, well… that possibility was more likely now than it had been just a month before, but now she was equipped to deal with it. It was even her duty to deal with it.
Coming up to the door, she pressed her back to the wall and gingerly peaked around it, ready for a scene of blood and carnage… what she saw wasn't far off, save there wasn't blood all over the floor and walls. Instead, a beast crouched over one of her classmates, a girl she knew from Choir practice. The twisted youma was crouched over her, obviously feeding from her energy. If she didn't do something quickly, it was going to drain her dry and tomorrow morning the school would find a corpse in one of its classrooms. Pulling back behind the wall, Orah scooted down a little and pulled out her henshin pen, clutching it to her chest as she closed her eyes. It was time, she needed to save her class mate…
"Ida Asteroid Power, Make Up!" She called out as she raised the pen up, gripping it tightly.
With her eyes closed she could only feel the warmth of the light as it washed over her, but she had transformed enough times now to know what it looked like, at least from her end. A swirl of glowing petals surrounded her, blocking out the world as they rushed over her skin. She felt the skirt and bows as they formed around her, the petals finally exploding outwards and disappearing to leave her standing in her fuku, a new power rushing through her body to make her stronger, faster… It had been startling the first time it had happened, back in that park where she had met Poseidon and been attacked by yet another youma. She hadn't understood everything that had been going on then, just acted on instinct and the instructions the talking cat had shouted at her. Now she recognized the feel of Ida's power, flowing into her. The asteroid, so far away between Mars and Jupiter, was answering her call, reaching out to her and feeding her the power she needed. Sometimes she wondered about it, about that place that was so intimately connected to her. She hoped to find out more, maybe find out why it was her of all people that had been chosen to receive this power.
Darting around and through the door way, she shouted, startling the youma from its feeding. Thankfully, her classmate was passed out, unaware of the struggling that was going on above her. Just as thankfully, the training she had been doing was paying off for Ida. The flurry of kicks and punches she unleashed on the monster pushed it back from the downed girl and gave Ida some breathing room, some space to maneuver.
"Beautiful Petal Darts!" She shouted as she flung her hand out in front of her, a trail of glowing petals appearing where her hand passed. They thinned and sharpened, shooting off in a spray of needing at the twisted youma as it cowered against the far wall. It hadn't expected a senshi to be nearby… it hadn't felt any energy signature, had thought it could safely, quietly feed and then slip away again. Now it screamed as the needles pierced it, slicing it to ribbons. Still crying it flung itself at Ida, but she was ready and waiting for it. Marveling at her own efficiency, she dispatched the monster with a well placed kick and watched it turn to dust and fall to the floor. Not so long ago, she could have flailed at it, possibly hurting herself and her classmate. She had come so far in such a short time… but that was probably what war did to soldiers too. This was a different kind of war, but it was still war.
Turning away from the pile of dust, Ida bent down to check on her classmate, happy to see the color returning to her face as the monster's stolen energy returned to her. She'd be okay, thankfully. Which meant that it was Ida's turn to disappear, before she woke up and saw her. A quick jog down the hall to pick up her backpack and a power down, and she was back kneeling beside the girl, gently shaking her and calling her name. It took a couple of minutes, but her eyes finally opened and she blearily asked what had happened.
"I don't know, I just saw you collapsed on the floor… Did you eat anything today? Drink enough water? Maybe you're anemic… if you think you can stand, I'll walk you home. You should maybe take a day off from school to make sure you get enough rest." Orah said as she helped the girl up, sliding her backpack onto her back and guiding her to the door. "Come one… lets go get your stuff. Its getting late and your parents are probably wondering where you are. I bet dinner is ready and waiting for you."
The classroom was once again silent when the pair had left, nothing to make the life or death struggle but a pile of dust on the floor, like someone had emptied out the vacuum and left it for the janitor to clean up.
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