[FIN] A Helping Hand { Tsetsiliya & Christof }

[alpha lyrae]

Today was Collection Day - at least that was what Tsetsiliya had decided.

The poludnica had a small basket gripped between her gnarled fingers and a purposeful look in her eyes. The morning had been spent putting her dorm room in order (the last of her family's scare packages had arrived, and she had to do something in order to keep herself from eating all of the eyebread her grandmother had sent along) but it was sorely lacking in the plant department. She missed her little ones at home, which their family maid had promised up and down she would remember to feed them the rats they so loved. The only plant that had accompanied her was Pawel, the drooping witch's hazel that now rested in the too-spacious planter on the windowsill. She decided that a few more bedfellows could probably perk him up. Perhaps some poison sumac, if she could find some.

Poor Pawel was probably at the mercy of Lucja at the moment, who had spent the entire morning hissing at the drooping thing (and, well, anything else that approached the window, really). She had to say she felt rather sorry for the poor nightshade.

Moving a little faster now with this in mind, Tsetsiliya wandered between the dorm buildings and picked through the cracks for anything that looked promising. Hopefully the campus would yield some new additions for her room, as she still felt a little too disoriented to be going about town (although Moonlight Hill was a place she would have to remember to try sometime - it had looked so promising when she passed it on her way in, but all things come with time).  

[Bilious]

The young, misshapen new student fumbled his way down the pathways to yet another building that obviously was not the Undead Dorm- far too many garish decorations that screamed "Demon", and nearly lost his bag while trying to escape one especially unfriendly new classmate that did not care for a "stinking undead smelling up the joint". With a leap he avoided his followers over a hedge and landed with a clatter of school books and socks and his heavy shovel that had previously been strapped to his back, now broken free as he sprawled in front of a pair of golden shoes and fur-lined robes. Wincing, he glanced up in terror to see if they, too, belonged to hostile enemies.  

[alpha lyrae]

Tsetsiliya's basket flew out of her hands as a figure stumbled over the hedge she had been picking through and fell at her feet. She had gasped as she, too, nearly fell over on her backside, but a quick stumble saved her from doing so. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the mismatched features and the undeniable scent.. this was an undead boy. She gave another start when he looked at her with terror in his eyes.

Tsetsiliya knew that look. She'd worn it a number of times during her days at Madam Morrigan's. The sounds of laughter from a short distance away, obscured by the hedge, pretty much confirmed her suspicions.

Her lips turned down nervously. What would Mama and Papa say if they knew she thought of helping an undead? Also he looked so much bigger, even sprawled on the ground - she was always intimidated by those who were taller or burlier than her. She squirmed. But the fact was that Mama and Papa weren't here, were they? Besides, her grandmother had all kinds of friends, demon pride be damned ( then again, her grandmother partied with most everybody ). And the look in his eyes told the same story hers had. Variety was the spice of afterlife, wasn't it?

"Are you.. are you alright?" Tsetsiliya asked timidly, her accent coming through a little more thickly than normal because of it. Slowly, she offered one of her long fingered hands to the scared patchwork, hoping she would be able to haul him to his feet should he need the assistance.  

[Bilious]

The young man glanced from the young woman to over the hedge and back again. After a few heart beats when it seemed his chasers had given up, he timidly took her hand in his smaller, more human looking one to gingerly pull himself up to his feet, gathering his things in embarrassment. By the look of the luggage, he was new here, and hadn't quite lived past the newbie-hazing period of school. Swallowing, he wobbled to his feet, straightening as much as he could with his curved spine and mismatched shoulders and clutched his belongings to his chest as though trying to calculate what he was to do next. That was when he saw the basket on the ground beside his shovel he quickly snatched it up to hold out to her, the flesh-colored parts of his partly-hidden face flushing with embarrassment, head bowed and shoulders hunched (further) in apology.  

[alpha lyrae]

"O-Oh--" The poludnica took the offered basket from the embarrassed young man. "Thank you." She looped the handle around her arm and tucked the basket into her side. His shovel was still lying near where the basket had previously been, so she bent over and picked it up, offering it back to him. "H-here, I believe you are missing this.. ?"

Tsetsiliya eyed the hodgepodge of items that he held protectively to his chest. He was quite obviously new, and from the looks of it, freshly arrived. This was perhaps her chance to engage him in a good conversation (although he didn't seem to speak much), show him what she knows about the school, being the senior arrival! Although... that would be quite a stretch, since she very likely only had a few days on him at best.

"Are you new here also?" she asked. "You seem lost, uh.. a little, yes?"  

[Bilious]

He nodded shyly, eyes locked on her as though trying to read into every nuance of her expression. After an awkward moment, he shifted his things into his bag, trying to get it shut again before groping into his jacket pocket for a small white note card someone must have printed up for him before his arrival, holding it out to her to take in exchange for the shovel. It read:

He then shifted to put the shovel in it's place tied to his back again, still flushing before pulling the rumpled campus map from his pocket again, brows furrowed needfully before pointing to the dorms.  

[alpha lyrae]

Tsetsiliya took the extended card, reading it over. Well this certainly answered her question on if he could speak or not.

"Christof," she tested, with the corners of her lips twitching into a small, nervous "first meeting"-type smile. "It is nice to meet you. My name is Tsetsiliya." With the introductions out of the way, she tucked the card into her basket and looked back towards the buildings behind her, where the undead boy seemed to be pointing. "Ah, you are looking for your dorm.. ?" She turned around fully and scanned at the large, lavish exterior of the demon dormitories up and down. Just where was the undead building?

She battled with herself for a moment, wondering if she should go out of her way to help. Her parents' disapproval was the first thing in her mind, and she was always wary of those who did nice things without cause.. but Christof had been bullied, like her. She would have liked somebody to persist in being helpful if it had been her, even if she would have been wary at first! Would she let somebody down now that it was her turn?

"Let us go this way, then?" Tsetsiliya tried to bolster her own nervous smile into a more genuine one and she inclined her head towards the end of the demon building. She knew that the other dorms had to be nearby, didn't they?  

[Bilious]

Tsetsiliya. It was a pretty name, and he found himself immediately fond of this girl. He wasn't quite sure what she was, he had spent most of his life in his Master's Castle, but his gut said Demon- she was the nicest demon he had met on campus so far, that was for sure. His mouth was hidden behind the folds of his scarf, but his relieved smile reached his mismatched eyes. He nodded graciously before freezing in place, suddenly looking panicked. He looked this way and that over the hedge before patting his leg again, but when that wasn't enough he outright clapped his hands.

After a few moments he sagged again with relief as what looked a bit like a jack russel terrior and a hyena stitched together in a patchwork mess of yellow fur, gripping something white and tentacled and dead in it's teeth leaped out from the bushes with an excited yip, victoriously dropping the dead animal at it's master's feet.

Ah yes, now they could move forward.  

[alpha lyrae]

The demon was startled when Christof began to look panicked again, patting his leg then clapping. "I-Is something t--" Her question was answered when a strange sort of creature hopped out of the bushes, carrying another creature in its mouth. It set it proudly at the undead's feet, and Tsetsiliya got a better look at it.. perhaps it wasn't so strange. She had seen a few other students around campus with pets that looked similar to this one, but not quite the same.

With the prize left at Christof's feet, both master and pet looked ready to continue.

"Let us go around this way.. I think I have seen the other buildings." She pointed off towards the retreating wall of the demon dorms and set off that way, making sure to glance over her shoulder and know that both had seen where to go. While she wasn't exactly sure if she had seen them around here earlier or not, the best way to find out was to, well, find out. But it was probably best to let her companion know she was seeing this area as much for the first time as he was. Tsetsiliya had been too nervous her first few days here to venture very far from her room. "I-It should be an adventure for both of us, since I have not been to see the campus entirely."

As they passed the demon dorm, the next largest building appeared not too far away. Only glancing at the side, she wasn't sure which dorm it was yet, but something more immediate caught her eye.

"Ah-- !!" A few witch-hazel trees surrounded this dorm, some branches bearing fruit. Those seeds would be ideal!  

[Bilious]

Christof followed his new friend obediently, taking in the enormous campus as they went. So she was new as well? That gave him some confidence, at least he didn't look entirely the fool if he wasn't the only one unfamiliar with the place. And with a demonic comrade with him, perhaps he'd be less likely to be chased from the wrong building if his trial-and-error tactic failed again.

When she paused, he stopped, scruff trotting along ahead not caring what the silly humanoids were up to and more concerned with the population of smaller animals rushing about the trees and bushes deliciously. Christof's eyes traveled up to where she looked, brows raising curiously as he tapped her shoulder and pointed up at the tree in confusion. Was she a forest demon of some sort? Concerned about the initials carved into the tree's trunk? Did she see the animal that had Scruff attempting to climb it feebly?  

[alpha lyrae]

When Christof tapped her shoulder and pointed up to the tree, Tsetsiliya's eyebrows knit together in confusion for a moment. The boy's pet was trying to climb up to the creatures who wandered through the witch-hazel's branches and watched them curiously. Her gaze fell on the trunk that the scareon was trying to climb - surprisingly the tree's bark didn't look like she could get a good grip on it, and the thing looked too thin to support her fully. Instead she looked up towards the branches, following the path of Christof's point and saw the ripe fruit growing directly above her head.

"The fruit.." she said, patting her basket. "It would be nice to grow a witch-hazel." Then, with a sudden tenacity, she hopped up and made a swipe at the fruit with her fingers. The nails barely grazed the surface and she landed back on her feet. With another determined bound, she went a little higher this time, but still didn't manage to grasp it. Curse this short form!

"We used --" Hop. "-- to have --" Hop. "-- witch-hazel at home." Hop. This time, she managed to scrape the edge of the fruit, getting some of the skin underneath her nail. Absently Tsetsiliya put the finger to her mouth and tasted the running juices from the fruit, before making a face. It tasted awful. She shook her head briefly. "I should have cut a branch from home, but we were eager to arrive timely... oh!" That's right, they were finding the undead dorms! Her pale cheeks flushed a bright shade of red in her embarrassment. How easily she got distracted when it came to plants - there would be time to try again when she doubled back.

"I-I'm sorry. Please, let us continue!"  

[Bilious]

Ah! A botanist! Well, the tree wasn't SO high... He wove a hand to stop her before pulling his shovel off of his back, limping under the tree to a good spot before raising it up to hook a branch. He was a stocky, sturdy young man and it didn't take much to pull the branch down low enough for her to reach. Only here fifteen minutes and already he was being useful!

It made him wonder what other sorts of students were around campus.... perhaps more young scientists and inventors he could assist! The thought made his knees weak with excitement, but at the same time he felt ashamed. Already betraying his Master- but his Master wasn't here, was he? He had abandoned him here, and what did he expect him to do with himself all on his own?  

[alpha lyrae]

The poludnica turned as Christof motioned to her and pulled down the branch for her to reach. "Oh -- thank you!" She blushed, even further reminded of her small stature and plucked a few of the ripened fruit from the branch. She dropped them into the basket, and nodded brightly. "Let us go, yes?" Making sure that the scareon was near them as well (wouldn't want him to get separated from them), she squinted into the distance. When she looked directly ahead one building loomed closer at hand, with the much larger registration office across the way from it. To her right side was another building. There was no path, but the slope was not as bad.

"Here, this way?" Tsetsiliya nodded towards the right then grabbed the hem of her skirt and began the descent. The grass was slick under her boots and she felt herself slide moreso than climb down the slope.  

[Bilious]

Christof shifted his bag on his shoulder, smiling behind his scarf as he slipped down the hill beside her, happy to have a friend to explore with. It certainly was a large campus, and he was already feeling dwarfed. He kept close to her side before pointing to the witch-hazel in her basket curiously while they walked, his way of striking up conversation.  

[alpha lyrae]

As they reached the bottom of the slope and continued to the building rising out of the mists, Tsetsiliya noticed Christof motioning to her basket. "Do you mean the witch-hazel?" She held up one of the small fruits. "I want to see if some saplings will grow in my room." She turned the fruit this way and that in her grasp, feeling the stickiness of its juices where her nails had grazed it. "My poor Pawel is being lonely without companions in his box." Not that the witch-hazel would be grown in the small planter with Pawel. They'd definitely eat him alive. "So you like to garden too?" She indicated the shovel he held, wondering if they were kindred spirits in more than just bullying troubles.

By now she could make out the details of the building, and it certainly looked very stately indeed. The architecture was old, and Tsetsiliya scanned the wall for a sign of what faction resided here. She turned to Christof with an apologetic glance. The wrought-iron gates were certainly handsome, and to be honest, she wasn't sure this building quite fitted the undead, but one never knew until they asked.

"We shall ask inside, yes?" She posed it more as a question and less as a suggestion, feeling rather uncertain.