[PRP] A Ghoul and Her Bush (Barth & Bea)

[Scyerline]

After taking her very first class taught by an Academy professor, Bea was very disappointed in herself. Yes, she was able to pass the class for now... However, she passed in the incorrect way. She wanted to be perfect, and do it perfectly the correct way. The use of FEAR. Bea realized that the only way to do this is by taking the opportunity to get tutored. When the ghost ghoul signed up to be a mentee, she was unsure who she'd be paired up with. Not that it mattered too much to her, she just wanted to learn more.

When the letter arrived, it just so happened that Professor Malcom had Bea pair up with Barth. The sloth demon was going to be her mentor? Bea shrieked with happiness. Someone familiar! Later on, the two students agreed to meet in the Mad Science room.

"Hellooooo~!" Bea sang as she walked into the empty classroom. "Barth? Are you in here?" She was carrying the little red bush which she took home from class. It was still for a moment until the thing began to run off on her, going further into the Mad Science room. "Ugh!" Bea moaned, annoyed at the minipet. "Come back here!" Chasing the thing into the classroom.  

[Toshihiko Two]

The Mad Science room was turning out to be a very handy space. Barth had equipment in his room, but space was limited, and it wasn't anything like a real laboratory. With the teacher...deposed, he and Christof had all the time they wanted to tinker. Which is what he was currently doing.

Barth's shrubbery was sitting on his schematics.

"Er, In here, yes."

He fumbled with his spectacles, removing them and putting them safely in his front pocket. He had been examining a very...unsafe series of blades of varying sizes. Blades from scapels, buzz saws, and letter openers. They had absolutely nothing to do with Bea, or Malcolm's class.

"Good to see you again. Sorry to hear about the Public Relations position."  

[Scyerline]

"Oh," Bea was caught by surprise, "ah, it's my pleasure!" she blushed a bit and decided to let the red bush settle down on it's own before trying to pick it up again. She walked closer to the boil, "Yeah, I wasn't really expecting to win, anyway." she smiled at Barth for a moment. "You know... I signed up because I thought it would make a great opportunity to meet other students, so I found it to be quite a success!"

"Um... Sorry about the... president position, by the way..." Bea was about to put her hand around his back to give it a pat of sympathy, though mid way, she stopped and yanked her arm behind her own.

"Let's um... Get started shall we?"  

[Toshihiko Two]

"That's alright. Less work for me. In err...some ways. And right, intimidation and so forth."

He tried to subtly move the...project pieces he was examining under a nearby desk. The shrub got in the way.

"What do you know about Fear?"  

[Scyerline]

"Ummm. I know that everything is comprised of Fear. Or works because of Fear? I just assume it's like an energy source or something, right?" She sat down in a desk and thought for a moment. "Professor Malcom mentioned something about projecting Fear in class... I guess I haven't learned too much about it." She shook her head and felt a bit embarrassed that she didn't know.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Made of Fear, that's right. ...Err, everything here in Halloween, in any case. You, me, the desk, the floor, the minis. Like the Professor said, though, not all creatures are made equally. You and I have rather more Fear. So it's...just a matter of letting minis know that."

Barth tried to move his shrubbery with a claw, and it yowled at him but stayed put.

"Which means concentrating your Fear."  

[Scyerline]

Bea watched him poke the bush with his claw. She hadn't realized just how much Fear there was. "I-I think I understand." It really wasn't about making faces like she did in class. It was really about projecting that Fear to show who has the authority... She peered around for her own bush and it was sitting quietly under one of the desks. Bea took a few steps towards it, trying to not make a sound.

"So... concentrating my Fear to let the minipet know..." she mumbled to herself as she came to a stop in front of the red bush. The bush stayed still for a moment... Bea took a breath and yelled, "Okay!" with determination. She quickly picked it up with both her hands.

The thing flailed like crazy as she tried holding it out, full arms length, making sure it wasn't going to scratch the crap of her face.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Try to be still. Calm. Focus. It's err, it's a bit different for everybody. But it should...feel right. Wait until it does, be patient. Don't try before then."

Barth watched Bea and her shrubbery with interest.  

[Scyerline]

Bea looked at Barth as if she awaited for instructions. She took another deep breath and tried to calm herself but still holding onto the bush as far from her face as possible. She seemed far too concerned about getting a few scratches from the bush. There seemed to be no progress...

The more that pet flailed, the more Bea got frustrated at it. With a stern look on her face, she took a strong stance. She tried as best she could to focus her Fear towards the creature. Her hair began to float behind her as glared at the bush.

"I've had enough!" she quietly demanded.

She could feel something inside welling up, but she was unsure if that was her Fear taking command.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Almost," Barth said. "Think of it in watery terms. Like a very large dam, equipped with a lot of floodgates. To direct flow, you choose to open the necessary amount of floodgates."

Barth didn't see any reason to overexert yourself in anything, and Fear was no exception.  

[Scyerline]

"Direct." Bea said to herself with determination.

"Control." She focused to manage her Fear.

Bea's Fear wasn't overwhelming, but it also wasn't weak. Bea felt a rush to her hands connecting the red bush.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Good," Barth said, with surprise. "Very good."

She had maybe undershot a smidge, but that was preferable to overshooting by a lot.

"Success will always only be subjective. Accuracy is measurable. With err, with more sophisticated uses of Fear being able to use the right amount is crucial. ...Alright. Focus. You only need a little more."

(( TIME FOR FEAR BLACKJACK.

Your current total is: 59
Roll a 4, 6, 8, or 10-sided dice (you choose!).
If your total is not at or over 65, roll again.
Repeat.
Try to hit 65 without going over. ))

 

[Scyerline]

Trying not to break her concentration, Bea listened carefully to Barth's instructions once again.

The Fear got a tiny, itty bit stronger, but not enough to make it firm.  

[Scyerline]

Bea was feeling more confident about using her Fear... maybe a bit too confident.

The bush yelped in reaction to Bea’s Fear.

"Oh, my Jack!" she exclaimed as she dropped the bush onto the desk, unsure if thet was the result she meant to have, she quickly turned to the boil with wide eyes. "Barth, I-I messed up!"  

[Toshihiko Two]

Total: 66

"Certainly not," Barth said. "You were perfect. Or nearly. So there you are. Job done, thing intimidated without overextending yourself."

He paused.

"There will be times, unfortunately, where the energy required will be...all of it. The very limits. It is never an ideal situation. But if you learn precision, it's...much less dangerous than that same scenario would be if you didn't. If you feel unsure, or something feels off, don't be afraid to wait. Take things slowly. Proceed when you can see and feel right about the outcome. Even when the situation seems dire. And," he held up one claw, "Don't be over-hasty in categorizing a result as a mistake. Every decision has...unseen possibilities that can work for you in the long run."

There, that about covered it, he thought.

"Any questions?"