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 Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:30 am
Finally! All her stuff was unpacked and her room was fully set up! This was a cause for celebration! The reaper rubbed her hands together as she surveyed her room, grinning. It was a victory indeed and she had an idea of how she wanted to reward herself. On her travels here to the Academy, she kept hearing about this cuisine called sushi, and it sounded really good, so why not try it? Of course, food always tasted better when one shared it, so a plan quickly formed to invite someone along.
Hel stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her as she glanced at Mot’s door. Hmm…probably not that friend. It was pulling teeth to get him to eat, so maybe inviting him to lunch would not be a wise option right now. Her dual gaze shifted to the door to the left of Mot’s as she rubbed her chin. Ah…yes! Mac lived there, or so Mot said, and she didn’t have a reason to doubt him. The ghoul was back to grinning as she crossed the hall to Mac’s supposed door, giving it a firm, loud knock. This would be a great chance to bond with a new friend!
When the knock came on the door he was wandering his room in nothing but a towel, hair still dripping and slicked back from his face. He didn't even think about not answering it; it was fine, the only people who came to his door was a pair of pink haired Demons. One might have blushed like a maniac, but the other wouldn't care. Really, neither did he. It wasn't his fault the wormsters attacked him with mud to try and stop him from planting belladonna!
The surprise came from who was at the door; more specifically, a stranger. Oh, wonderful. A stranger is at his door while he's standing there, fresh out of the shower, and in nothing but a towel. Wonderful. Well, gotta roll with the punches!
"Uhhh...Hi?" Yes, a greeting, that's a good place to start. He didn't recall the ghoul whatsoever; it was probably best to hold onto the towel...alright, with that done: "Can I help you?"
Hel stared at the door, waiting for it to reveal its secrets. Was this his room? Would Mac really be in there? Was he gone? The ghoul didn’t have to wait too long as the door soon opened, and even without his hat and his hair slicked back, the reaper recalled his face. “Hello there, Mac!” She greeted enthusiastically, “It’s good to see---“ The valkyrie suddenly paused as she took in the other reaper from head to toe. Maybe if she had any decency, she’d blush, but for now she just raised a brow curiously.
“Uh...did I come at a bad time, friend?”
Well, the ghoul knew him. So that was one less question he had. Now if only he could remember if he knew her as well, or if he ever did meet her. The Reaper had learned a long time ago to try not to let on to not knowing someone who obviously recognized him; a lot of times it came back to him in a bad, bad way. It was best to play along and get all the answers later, though sometimes his mood told him to be blunt and honest. Today was one of those "play along" days.
"Err, you too? ...Ah, well, you see~" He hummed, looking down at his mostly-naked self. "Surprisingly, no." The black eyed Reaper gave her a look over from head to toe, and after determining something in his own head, pushed the door open. "Come in, I guess." With that he stepped back into the room, avoiding the energetic fluffballs known as Scareon Pups as all four of them dashed at full speed to meet, greet and rub against the Valkyrie. He left them and the ghoul to their own business, grabbing a clean change of clothes before disappearing to the small bathroom in his room.
The door to the bathroom opened again seconds later, a brown haired head leaning out. "Ah...close the door behind you." He reminded her, the bathroom door closing with another click.
Mac’s efforts to play along were working very well for him! Hel was none the wiser, not at all suspecting that the reaper had forgotten who she was. She also couldn’t help but be pleased that the reaper didn’t turn her away. This was excellent, maybe he would be able to spend some time with her today then! When given the invitation to come in, she did just that, following in after the towel clad reaper. “Thank you!” She chirped, kneeling once she was in his room to pet the Scareon pups that came up to greet her, smiling.
When Mac disappeared into the bathroom and then popped back out, Hel’s head snapped back up. “Oh…! Yes.” She reached back and pulled on the knob, closing the door. She scratched the pups under the chin, before calling out, finishing her thought from earlier, “It’s good to see you again, friend! Did you enjoy the festival?”
The closed door muffled all of the pathetic howling of the little Pup that was unfortunate enough to have been trapped outside. The rest of it's siblings wiggled and yipped and licked at Hel's fingers and toes; one even tried to jump onto her lap! They loved visits from people, yes they did yes they did! So excited! Person! Yay! People! They didn't seem to notice that she was a stranger. YAY PERSON.
"...Minus the whole Feardos attack? Yeah, I did." Ah-hah, the festival! He met her at the festival! Hmmmmmm...Nope. As much as he tried to think about it, all he saw was Riley, Lizzy, Mot, and the scenery. No dual toned Valkyrie; he was pretty sure he'd remember something as odd as a dual toned ghoul. There were a lot of odd things in Halloween, but few people were split nearly perfectly down the middle. What was up with that, anyway? Was it normal, or did she only tan on one side? Weird.
"You?" He asked, his voice much clearer now as he exited the bathroom, this time dressed in jeans and a turtleneck. "What can I do ya for?" Mac said next, ruffling his hair with his towel. There had to be some reason for her to be here!
The reaper shifted so that her bottom hit the floor, allowing any of the Pups who wanted on her lap access. She tried to put them all as best as she could, enjoying the way they clambered for her attention and their excitement. Hel frowned briefly as she heard about a Feardos attack. What? She missed a battle! That was highly unacceptable! “What happened?” She questioned, very curious.
She looked up once Mac’s voice became clearer, still petting the pups. “I had a very good time! I was able to tour the school and meet many students!” She looked down at pups once more briefly before glancing back up, grinning. “Ah, yes! I was curious to know if I may borrow your time today, friend.” She started. “I’ve heard many things about sushi, so I wanted to try some. Would you happen to know of a place, and care to join me? It will be my treat.”
...!!! OH THEY LIKED THIS PERSON!
Hel's lap was no longer a lap, it was just a pile of fluffy pups, but by far the most active and in-her-face was the little pirate pup. Apparently the lap was so last minute, and the black runt was wiggling to try and scale the entire person.
It wasn't going very well.
"...The festival was attacked by a Feardos, everything was destroyed." Mac emphasized, surprised the ghoul didn't know that. Hell, he was barely active in the event and even he still knew that! ...Probably because he was bombarded with some of the debris, but, whatever. "Glad you enjoyed it though, that's the nicest school event I've ever been a part of." He admitted with an unhappy grimace. His mood picked up considerably at her offer, though.
"You know, I do know a place." She said it was her treat...there was no reason to bring that up to make sure, right? "There's a place called...Sushi Monster Rush? I think it's Under new management now, trying to coin 'Boonagi' as the title." Shrugging, he tossed the towel on a pile of literally dirty clothes to wash later, and brushed his hair by running his hands through it, which effectively slicked it right back.
"It's the only one I've seen, though." The Psychopomp walked past Hel to the door, opening it to finally bring the pathetic howling of the plain brown pup, who was sitting pathetically on it's haunches, head tilted back as far as it could go as it lamented it's loneliness. Mac leaned over, scooped up the pup, took a step backwards into the room and set said pup on Hel's head as if it happened all the time.
The pup was happy again, and yapping at the Pirate Runt, who was staring at Mac like a traitor.
"Whenever you're ready."
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:34 am
The ghoul laughed as her lap suddenly became a blanket of fur, a dark hand reaching out to pay some more attention to the out of place pirate pup. She looked back to Mac when he emphasized what happened, and the reaper looked incredibly dismayed and troubled. How in the name of Jack did she miss that!? Was it because…oh…”…I am saddened friend! I had to leave before the festival was over to catch my train…No wonder I missed it.” Aw well…she’d have to hear more about it from others as well!
She chuckled at his grimace, and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you go to prom, too?” She was just hearing all about it from different people! Hel perked up when Mac noted a place and she nodded her head energetically. “That sounds perfect to me!” How lucky she was to bring up the idea of a sushi place to Mac! It just seemed like an even better idea now! She watched as he opened the door and let the other pup in. Oops! Hel looked a bit sheepish at having kept the other pup out, blinking as it was suddenly deposited onto her head. She laughed once more, making no move to get up yet.
“Ah…but they all got comfortable!” She didn’t just want to suddenly dump all the Scareon pups off.
There she went again, calling him friend; this ghoul had a funny way of talking, didn't she? Weird ghoul was weird, but weird ghoul was buying him dinner.
"Ah, well, I'm sure there'll be another giant fish attack." Mac chuckled, clicking his tongue as though he was sympathetic to her plight, which he definitely was not. "Ah...Yeah, I went to Prom. It was okay. More trouble than it was worth, but I guess it worked out in the end." With all the stress he endured throughout the entire affair, he did end up with a ghoulfriend because of it. Which, actually...right, Lizzy. Would she mind if he went out to dinner with another ghoul, would she?
Hm.
Hmmmmm.
Well, easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
"I wouldn't let them get too comfortable, they'll fall asleep and then we'll never eat." He teased, but decided to help her by taking the brown pup off of her head (which was about the time the Pirate stopped giving him watery eyes of betrayal), plopping the first one on the bed before returning to take the green and the blue, methodically peeling the pups off of his guest/probable friend. Like he did with rescuing the pup from outside, he acted like this happened a lot.
Which is did, only they were usually on him.
“One can only hope.” Hel mused, before blinking in surprise at his take on prom. He was the first student she’d run into that said that prom was just okay. Very interesting! All the others had just been raving about it so far. Being a rather curious ghoul, she decided to question further, “What caused you trouble?” Hey, when you had eight older sisters, nothing was really off limits or private.
“Oh my.” She uttered, staring down at the pups thoughtfully. Aww…they were pretty cute…but Mac did have a point! Luckily she didn’t have to ponder it too much, as she felt a furry weight come off of her head. She raised her arms as the reaper peeled the pups off of her, amused as he seemed to have this procedure down pat. Hel somersaulted, rolling onto her feet as she then brushed off her apron. “Why thank you!” She spun on her heel, facing the reaper boil. “After you, friend!” She obviously didn’t know where they were going, thus Mac would be the guide.
"Err...Kind of a long story, that." One that he probably wasn't sure if he should tell; if she knew him from the Festival, then she'd likely know Lizzy. This story involved a lot of Lizzy. It was probably easier to just...leave it at that. Once he was done peeling the pups off of her, he gave her an odd look at her somersault and then chuckled. "Stop that before you make me want to do cartwheels or something." He tsked, but he didn't mean a word of it.
Mac grabbed his hat and jacket before ushering the Valkyrie out the door, making sure the pile of pups on the bed actually stayed on the bed until the door was closed and locked. "It's a bit of a hike, I hope you don't mind walking." He warned her, his jacket draped over his left arm, his hat currently hanging from the left hand. Despite the warning though, he was already heading in the direction of Boonagi, not needing to look where he was going to know the paths to take.
"How ya likin' the school so far?"
The…”inquisitive” ghoul at least had enough tact to know when someone said “it was a long story” to leave it at that. “Ah, alright.” She mused. “I hope you will enjoy it at a different time, if they have another one.” Hel replied sincerely. She was still terribly hoping they would have another one! The reaper laughed as he talked about doing cart wheels. “By all means friend, go ahead.” She invited, despite the fact that he didn’t mean it.
She let herself get ushered out, waiting until Mac started to lead before falling into step beside him. Hel grinned over at him as he warned about the hike. “Not a problem.” She assured. “If you get weary, I will carry you.” One got the feeling that while she said this in a light and happy tone, she was also being serious about it. “Ah…! I love it!” Hel answered. “Despite the grounds being quiet due to the break, I am still enjoying my time. I have been setting up my room, learning locales, and meeting new friends. How long have you been here for, Mac?”
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:41 am
"Hopefully next time would be better." He nodded in agreement. When she gave him permission to do a cart wheel, he looked thoughtful. He kind of did want to...and he was seriously considering it now, and NOT because she had given her permission. Wow, it had been a very long time since he'd done one...Maybe he should, for old time's sake? HMMMMM.
Before they actually got too far off the campus grounds, Mac actually did do a cartwheel; it wasn't a bad one, but it wasn't the greatest, either. What? It'd been a while!
The Reaper clapped the dirt off of his hands nonchalantly before folding them behind his head, walking along as if nothing happened, ever. "As if you could carry me." He chuckled, eyeballing her shorter and smaller frame; judging the book by it's cover told him it was unlikely. "But what if I want to be carried without being weary?" Was his next question; what? It was valid! Ba ha ha.
"Sounds like you're having fun, that's good at least. Ahh...I've been here since Second October." So quite a few months! "A lot of things change very fast here, probably just a heads up."
Hel walked along with the reaper in a thoughtful silence regarding prom, but she was pulled out of her musings as Mac suddenly did do a cart wheel. Despite it not being the greatest, Hel was still impressed as she grinned widely and clapped for the boil. “Good job, friend!” She cheered, looking up at him before blinking. The ghoul stared up at him speculatively for a long moment before she suddenly lunged at him, bending down to take the reaper out at the knees. She grabbed a hold of his leg and bowled her shoulders into him before standing back up, carrying him like a firefighter would across her shoulders.
She adjusted the new weight on her shoulders briefly before resuming the walk down the path they were on without missing a beat or struggling. “You were saying, Mac?” She asked cheerfully. “Oh, yes! I will keep that in mind, and enjoy every moment.” Just like this moment they currently had.
"Thank you, Thank you." Mac said graciously, making a couple bows as though he was the conductor for some amazing orchestra.
"BLOODYJACKIN'MARY!" Needless to say, he was NOT prepared to be lunged at, knocked into and subsequently picked right up. He was too surprised to be impressed, and a little too embarrassed to admit that he had been wrong. This book was clearly given the wrong cover, stupid publishers! He held on to what he could just in case she toppled, but it didn't seem likely.
"Uhhhh...I was saying, Put me down now." He demanded with a rather childish wiggle to try and get down, finally getting over it long enough to laugh. "You win, you win. Down now."
All Hel could do was laugh loudly and a bit obnoxiously as Mac cursed out, obviously very delighted by his surprise. She knew she had just proved him wrong and that pleased her. Though she wasn’t in a hurry to do as he asked, and kept on walking for now. “Aw, but friend!” She mocked pleaded. “I will carry you the entire way there, and you won’t get weary!” Wasn’t she a very considerate, thoughtful, and helpful ghoul?
She titled her head to look at him, smiling widely, victoriously. Why yes, she did win. “I will if you say please.” Brat.
....She kept walking.
Why was she still walking.
Efforts to be put down were doubled and he almost succeeded, once, but that stopped when he heard her ultimatum. Sigh. Either keep struggling and potentially fall on his face, or submit to her demands and be polite. It was a remarkably tough call. So tough in fact, it took him about a block of mulling it over to decide which he preferred more.
"Please put me down, you jackin' crazy she-beast." He chuckled out. What? He said 'Please'!
Hel kept a tight hold on Mac even as he struggled, which was a testament to her strength, hold, and stubbornness as well. She kept walking without any trouble, and when Mac stilled to mull over his options, the reaper started to hum that block they walked. When he finally spoke up, the ghoul paused, grinning. “Oh, alright.” She relented easily, amused, kneeling now so that Mac’s feet touched the ground and he could right himself.
Still, she was pretty happy that she got to carry him for over a block!
Mac righted himself pretty quickly after that, brushing himself off and looking around to see where they were, since he'd been a little too distracted to pay attention before. The map in his head played out in front of him, and with a flourishing twist on his heel, started walking the direction they came.
"Your little game made us pass the street we needed." He tsked, shaking his head as if it were such a travesty. The laugh that followed proved he didn't actually mean it, but he did cast a look down at the two toned ghoul at his side. "How in Jack's name did a little thing like you get that strong? Are you taking Steroids?" It was a valid question!
He still wasn't sure if he should be impressed or ashamed about it, though.
The reaper stood after Mac was safely on his own feet, smoothing out her apron and placing her hands on her hips as she watched him. When he tsked her about making them miss the street, she didn’t look at all ashamed as she fell back into step with him. “You should’ve been paying closer attention, friend.” She clucked her tongue, turning it back on him with amusement. “I was counting on you, and you led me astray.” Hel teased.
When asked how she got so strong, the ghoul replied good naturedly, “Eight sisters, and I don’t miss a meal. No steroids involved friend, this is all natural.”
"Sure, blame the victim." Mac let out a very fake, choking sob, covering his face with both his hands. Soon enough he was tired of that particular flavor of shenanigan, and went right back to wrapping his arms behind his head.
"Eight Sisters, huh? Is that what they're calling it now?" Kids these days and drug nicknames. Sigh! "Impressive, though. If you ever want a ninth sister, you can have mine. She's little, four years old. Likes teddyscares." This would make the third ghoul he had tried to pawn his little sister off on. Poor little Saide, "unloved" by her big brother.
“They are the easiest to blame.” Hel commented, giving a sagely nod of her head. To even play along with the shenanigan, she reached up to pat Mac’s shoulder ‘comfortingly’ before her hand fell back to the side. “Uh…yes?” Hel replied, a little lost on the drug reference tease Mac was dishing out at her. The ghoul did look thoughtful when he offered up his little sister though.
“What kind of reaper is she, friend?” The ghoul asked curiously, as if she was asking about the build of a new vehicle she was looking to buy.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:47 am
"Do you call everyone friend?" He couldn't help but ask, brow quirked while curious black eyes stared down at her. She had called him that quite a few times now; he wasn't sure if they were friends or not though, that was the tough part. Pity she wasn't a landscape, he'd never forget her then.
"Ah, but...she's showing signs of being a Psychopomp, like myself and our Mother." He shrugged; Daddy dearest was a Grim Reaper, a very proud one, but it seemed Mommy and the Little 'uns were little more than Guides, not death masters. "You, however, I am curious about; I'm leaning towards Valkyrie, but, I've never heard of a two-toned Valkyrie before." Mac slowed down in his walk long enough for Hel to move ahead of him just a little bit; once she did, he clapped both hands on her shoulders and physically turned her down the next street. Apparently, they had to go that way.
“Not everyone!” Hel piped up. “If you are not my friend, then you are my enemy.” The reaper explained simply, swinging her arms back and forth enthusiastically as they walked along, staring back up at him. Mac was very much her friend as far as the ghoul was concerned. She certainly wouldn’t be taking an enemy out to lunch, unless she had a bottle of arsenic in her apron pocket.
“Ah, I see.” The ghoul briefly entertained the thought of putting a young psychopomp through some training and wondering what kind of reaper she would turn out to be in the future. In a way psychopomps and valkyries were alike! Kind of like strange cousins! “You would be correct!” Hel replied proudly, before also elaborating, “I was born blessed. It is a sign that I will accomplish great tasks.” She uttered this very seriously, despite the fact that her ‘condition’ was a curse that resulted from her mother stealing a reaper from another valkyrie. The ghoul almost kept right on going when Mac slowed down, though she did pause and spin on her heel when he placed his hand on her shoulders and turned her.
Hel laughed, now starting to make her way down the street he directed her toward. “How easily can you find places, friend?” She asked curiously, tilting her head back to look up at him.
"So you'd call your Enemy, 'Enemy'?" That'd be...rather forward of her. Most people didn't tell their enemies that they were, you know, enemies. His arms were still folded behind his head while she sauntered around, very proud of herself for one reason or another. Sometimes, he really didn't understand ghouls.
"I see." Born blessed, hmm? "So this is what you look like under pressure?" He imagined anyone told they were going to accomplish great things might crumble or so bonkers over the pressure to do the whole self-fulfilling prophecy thing, and he had to admit that she did seem a little off in the head. Only a little, though.
"Easily." Mac said proudly, straightening in a puff of pride. "If I've been there or been in the area, anyway." This time when he needed to turn her, he jogged ahead a little bit and herded her to the side much like a sheepdog. Minus the barking.
"Almost there." He informed her, gesturing briefly to scaffolds in the distance. "So you've never had Sushi before?"
Hel actually had to pause to think about this question. She never really had an actual enemy yet, so she wasn’t sure what she’d call them yet! “Well…” The ghoul started, “If that is what they are, it’s a fitting name, yes?” She didn’t see the point in trying to sugar coat what you would address someone as. “Under pressure?” Hel echoed. This may have been a mixed statement for her. Yes, there was something she did want to live up to, but at the same time, being the youngest of nine meant that a lot of the expectations fell on other sisters. “I don’t feel any pressure, friend.” The reaper answered after a moment, though deep down she wondered if she truly did or not.
Her lips pulled into a smile as Mac talked about his skill proudly. “That is very handy.” She murmured thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. The ghoul seemed caught up in a day dream as Mac jogged a bit head of her and then herded her like a sheep dog. Coincidentally, Hel was somewhat use to this treatment, so she smoothly went in the direction the psychopomp directed her in.
“Nope!” She replied when questioned. “I heard about it on the train, and I thought it would be something to try!”
"Why don't you just call people by their names?" It would be an interesting twist for her, wouldn't it? "S'good you don't feel pressure, though." However that didn't give an answer as to why she was like she was, but he supposed she wasn't so bad. He'd seen worse. (Charlie).
"It is, very helpful." He agreed quickly, like he was either ready to get onto a different topic, or he was being modest. It was unlikely to be the latter. "Ah, so you know it's mostly fish, yeah? Floresce sushi is their special, I think. Unless they're guiding more towards Boonagi..." That was the title of the company now, after all! Soon enough they were inside; it was quaint, nothing too special, and after a two-worded conversation with the hostess, they were seated at a booth and given menus.
"Just so you know, most of this stuff is raw."
“What if I don’t know someone’s name?” The reaper piped back curiously. Little did she know that that was the case with Mac in regards to her name. “I think pressure is good at times, though.” Hel answered. “It pushes one to try their hardest.” Hopefully it wouldn’t push someone to crumble and fail miserably though.
“Yes, I know.” Hel smiled with a nod of her head as she followed in after the reaper, looking every which way until they were seated and then presented with menus. The valkyrie almost looked like she was just presented with a birthday gift as she sat there looking over the menu. “Psshaw, Mac.” She scoffed. “Really, does it look like raw food bothers me?”
"But you know my name, and you still call me friend." Mac answered her question, and then he shrugged. Frankly, he agreed with her about the pressure bit, but too much always made one buckle. He learned that on the island more than he ever did back home, but he kept his mouth shut. With the way the school went, she'd learn all the joys of pressure and field trips soon enough.
"...That's not exactly something you can decide by looks alone..." He said skeptically, looking at the menu and making a mental list of what he wanted. Soon enough the waitress came around and he gave his order, waited for Hel to give hers, and eventually they were alone, left to their own devices once more. Black eyes stared at her from under the brim of his hat, and he chuckled. "But if you wanted, I could tell you the kind of person you 'look like'." He suggested with a grin.
“But at least I know your name, yes?” Hel questioned as she looked over the menu. Still, the ghoul did not bother to question if he knew her name or not. When the reaper gave her a skeptical tone, she grinned at him over her menu. “I said so because I don’t exactly put off the princess vibe, friend. One of my favorite snacks if beef jerky.” She commented idly until the waitress came and took their orders. She put in her requests after Mac, handing over her menu before returning her dual toned gaze back to the boil.
She narrowed her eyes a bit, an amused smile quirking her lips as she folded her hands on the table and stared at him. “I’m listening.” She replied, rather curious to see what he would say.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:52 am
"But that also means you could just call me 'Mac'." He chuckled, the conversation having gone in full circle with this point of his. "I'm glad you don't pull off a Princess vibe, if you did, your Parents should have abandoned you in the human world." He teased with a sneer. "There's a reason one of Hellma's favourite punishments is the Princess Corner." While he had never been subjected to it, he had heard about it; the idea made him shudder. Frilly, Princess Sparkle Guts with a handful of craft herpes thrown in the mix. Terrifying.
"HMMMM okay, lets see..." The Reaper leaned back in his seat, stroking his chin like a psychiatrist about to pass down a rather harsh report. "You're looking for your own path in life, you feel overshadowed by your sisters, but even so you still manage to get along just fine." Bullshitbullshitbullshit. "You don't mind raw foods, and you like long walks on the beach under the moonlight on a beautiful day, peas are your most hated food and you can converse with the little creatures in the forest. Plus you have a hoard of Shachihoko poms, the baby poof version, hidden under your bed beside the poster of the famous "Just In Beaver"." Bullshitbullshitbullshitbullshit, Mac was having a seriously hard time not laughing while he enlightened the ghoul.
“How about I just call you both, or a combination of the two? Mac-friend.” She commented. “Just like how you can call me friend, or Hel, or Hel-friend.” The ghoul gave a nod of her head in affirmation to this slightly silly topic. “This is true!” She agreed about being abandoned if she did put off the princess vibe, and then looked very interested in what the head mistress’ favorite form of punishment was. “What makes the Princess Corner so terrifying?” She asked. New to the school, she hadn’t heard anything about it, yet.
The ghoul leaned forward a bit, resting her weight on her elbows as she waited for Mac’s grim diagnosis. At his first sentence, the reaper actually felt a bit of…panic. It was nearly spot on. How did he know!? She carefully schooled her face though as to not give this worry away, and continued to listen to him prattle on to sillier things. Oh, okay. Maybe it was just a lucky guess? Still, too close for comfort. After the reaper boil was finished, Hel started at him with a wide eyed expression that spoke that she was torn between amusement and being confused. “Mac…” She started, “What is…a ‘Just In Beaver’?”
...Ah HAH. So her name was Hel! Well that was easy. He didn't have to pretend he knew who she was anymore. Considering the length of time they had been conversing in, it was very likely that he would remember her the next time they met. That was how it worked, really. Buy him something, piss him off or hang out with him for an extended period of time and he remembered you. She had by now done two of the three, but he hoped she would not accomplish all three. The last person to accomplish all three was now his ghoulfriend, which seemed a little backwards.
But oh, Mac did not miss the way she shifted ever so slightly in panic. Sure she schooled herself, but she had also partially given herself away. Still, he imagined he could still be wrong. Perhaps she didn't think he'd go THAT FAR into a (probably fake) analysis.
"Wow, you have his poster and don't know who he is?" Mac feigned complete, scandalized shock. "Aren't you a little sheep~" He teased now with a waggle of this fingers. "He's some musician that Saide adores, apparently his music brings blood out of your ears, and not in the good way."
Mac had made it into the clear, as the ghoul never caught on that he had forgotten who she was.
The reaper reclined back in her seat, letting out a deep breath as the conversation steered back towards teasing and apparently ear bleeding musicians. “Saide is your little sister?” The ghoul questioned, just to clarify. “A bad musician, huh?” Hel mused. “You think a better tune would be the sound of a blade singing through the air as it beheads him?” The ghoul sat up a bit straight in her seat as if this reminded her of something, and her eyes gleamed with excitement and curiosity. “Speaking of which, Mac.” Hel emphasized since their conversation about friends and names, “What is your weapon?”
"Yup, the one and only." He confirmed with a nod; Oh Saide, oh exciteable Saide. Silly little ghoul. "And yes, I would love to hear that tune, it would be fantastic!" Ooooh that would be wonderful! "Unlikely though, that boil has so many crazed fanghouls he doesn't even need security guards or boogeymen." The Reaper let out an unhappy groan, slumping back in his seat a little; he stayed that way, even as the drinks were dropped off.
"...Well, Hel," Two could play at that game! "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." He teased with a wide grin, chuckling as he righted himself to sit straight in the seat. "Mine's a staff, a birch one. Yours?"
Hel made a face of disbelief as Mac described the musician’s hoard of fanghouls. She paused, looking thoughtful for a long moment before exclaiming, “Imagine this, friend! A symphony of blades singing, the beats of multiple heads bouncing off the ground, and then finally…beautiful silence. Until we cry out in victory.” The ghoul gave a firm nod of her head, grinning excitedly at this mental image. “If he’s as bad as you say he is, friend, I think the security guards and boogeymen will thank us, maybe even gives us medals for our heroic bravery.” She thanked the waitress as their drinks were dropped off and immediately took hers into her hand to sip.
The ghoul smirked at him with the straw still at her mouth before letting go of it. “Gladly. After lunch?” She questioned, but paused once she heard what Mac’s weapon was. You had to pardon the ghoul for looking a bit disappointed. A birch staff? Really? She was skeptical as to how threatening this staff would look, but maybe it made sense, since Mac was a psychopomp? “A spear that’s taller than you, friend.” She answered proudly.
"Now that would be music to my ears." Mac said as dreamily as he could, rather enjoying the way she described the musician's death at their hands. "AND get a nice shiny medal out of it? Jackin'-A yes!" He cheered.
Her look of disappointment made him laugh, and he shook his head. "It's not meant to be threatening, I'm a guide, not a front-liner." Mac reminded her, looking mighty thoughtful at the idea of a spear that tall on a ghoul that short. "Sure you can wield it? I dunno, seems like something that'd knock you right over." He teased with a grin, leaning back in his chair as the food was then served.
"Ahhh, looks delicious. To good FEAR?" A fine toast to health, his glass lifting.
Hel joined Mac with a dreamy sigh of her own, her hands suddenly itching for some action, like the feel of her spear in her hands as it cut something down…Another day dream for now, it seemed! She laughed as Mac cheered. “And a nice shiny medal.” She reaffirmed with another wishful sigh.
“Ah…well, I suppose that makes sense then.” Hel conceded when Mac pointed out that he was a guide. “Is it an interesting looking birch staff?” She questioned, hopeful, leaning forward a bit on her seat. Come on, Jack, please say it looked cool! She couldn’t handle the disappointment of a totally lame reaper weapon! At his jest, the ghoul snorted. “Can I wield it?” She echoed in a haughty tone. “Of course I can wield it, and the only thing that would be getting knocked over is you.” She taunted back, pausing when the food was served.
Her eyes widened in delight at the different dishes, and her stomach grumbled. She picked up her glass and lightly knocked it against his. “To good FEAR, and a good school year.” She murmured, taking a sip before going back to staring at the dishes. Okay…how was she suppose to eat this? There weren’t any forks…only…sticks. Hel’s brows furrowed as she stared at the chopsticks. Oh Jack…how did one eat with those?
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:55 am
"You bet it's interesting." Mac chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Got an interesting shape to it." He shrugged, not really caring what she thought of his weapon when it came right down to it. The toast was given, a drink was had, and as he set the cup down, he watched her with her chopsticks. "Ah, I forgot...you wouldn't know how to use these." He picked up his own, holding them easily. Wthin a couple moments he was rounding the table to sit beside her.
"Here, like this." He told her, showing her how to properly hold them.
Hel seemed to perk up at the promise that Mac had a weapon that was an interesting shape. Okay, she was a bit more excited to see it!
She wasn’t trying to be obvious about her knowledge (or lack there of) with chopsticks, but then again, the psychopomp seemed pretty astute at catching certain things. Should she be wary of that fact? Possibly. The ghoul puffed out her cheeks for a moment in a childish display, but let them deflate when Mac moved around the table and then sat next to her. She blinked curiously, shifting over a bit to allow him more room before peering down at his hand as he held the chopsticks. Okay…Hel mimicked him, fumbling with the sticks before holding them steady. It helped that he wasn’t making fun of her, so she asked him a question. “How…do you eat with them now?”
"Very carefully." He teased good-naturedly, reaching across the table to pull his food over to his new side of the table. Again he was careful to show her how he was holding them, making it clear how he was doing it, and took a piece of food off of his plate, a larger one since they were easy to grasp. The piece was set right back down, and he went to do it again, this time slower. "See, you just move your fingers like this--" He demonstrated, making the chop sticks 'talk' as it were. Still being slow, he went to pick up the same piece again. "--And then just pick it up. Kinda like using tongs I guess, only they're not connected." He shrugged, popping the now-twice lifted food into his mouth to chew.
"Got it?" He asked, a little muffled. If she didn't, he'd just have to try helping another way.
Hel watched intently as Mac showed her the magic of chopsticks. Her brow was furrowed in the utmost concentration as he maneuvered the sticks on his hand and then picked up a piece of sushi. “I see…” She murmured, her fingers idly moving a bit on her own chopsticks, waiting until he had finished his entire demonstration before even attempting it on her own. “…Got it.” Hel replied, though whether she really meant it or not was left to debate. She passed it off like she did, though! The ghoul reached out towards her own plate, trying to work the sticks the way Mac did, though ended up just fumbling them together or knocking over pieces of Sushi.
Someone, please hand her a fork! Once again, not that she’d say that out loud, but she was quickly growing impatient with these chopsticks. Eventually, after fumbling with this a few more times, Hel just grasped the sticks tightly in her fist and stabbed a piece of sushi with a bit of excessive force. The ghoul grinned widely as she speared a piece, and then popped it into her mouth.
“…Oooh!” She uttered, muffled as well. “This is really good!”
The way she ended up eating her sushi made him laugh. Not the simple laugh of someone who was just amused, but the laugh of someone who was very likely making fun in the most wordless way possible. "It's delicious, especially if you can eat it right!" He was snickering, pausing long enough to eat another piece of his own meal. As he chewed he put his chopsticks down and leaned over, taking her hand in his and fitting the chopsticks in hers.
"Here, like this." He showed her again, using his hand to guide hers so she could pick up the piece properly. Completely overlooking the fact it was essentially feeding her, should she play along. Oh well.
Wait a second…was he mocking her? Hel paused, and slowly turned her head to narrow her eyes at him speculatively. She stared at him for a moment longer, swallowing what she had taken a bite of, and then laughed. “I don’t think how the food gets from point A to point B is going to affect how good it is, friend.” The reaper retorted, blinking when he put his chopsticks down and then took her hand in his. The valkyrie fell silent, and fell back into focus mood as he showed her how to handle the chopsticks properly once more.
Geeze, with Mac helping, it was an effortless feat now! She picked up a piece of sushi with no problem and played along indeed. Soon she popped that piece into her mouth as well, and chewed thoughtfully, before replying. “Nope, still tastes the same! But it’s still delicious.”
Mac just tsked at her point A to point B comment, focusing on making her eat it properly. "It's more like, 'When in Romaween', you know." He released her hand when the food had successfully gotten into her mouth, and leaned back in the booth to wait for her response. When she gave it he laughed again, taking up his chopsticks and eating more to avoid answering right away.
"You're just a brute, that's all." Mac teased, nudging her with his elbow. "But it's good, yeah? You can try mine, if you want." If she did that would give him a free pass to steal hers, but that was pretty much left unsaid.
“When in Romaween, you conquer all that stands before you! Through any means possible!” Hel replied enthusiastically after swallowing the piece of sushi. She clacked her chopsticks together lightly on her own, trying to memorize the feel for how she was suppose to handle them and grinned when he nudged her and called her a brute. “Yes, it’s very good, friend! I’m very pleased we came here today!” When given the offer to try one off of his plate well, yeah, she took him up on that. In a bratty way. The ghoul’s grin widened as she shifted her chopsticks back into her fist, and she reached out and speared a piece of sushi from Mac’s plate and brought it to her mouth. “Oooh, that’s good too!” Hel exclaimed in a muffled tone.
Then it was time to get back at him more. If he tried to sneak a piece off of her plate, Mac would find the chopsticks correctly back in Hel’s hand, and the sound of a clack as she locked her sticks with his, fending him away from her plate.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:59 am
...Why that litte---
"Eat properly!" He chided, still laughing; frankly he didn't care how she ate, but now it was the principle of it all. Meaning he was trying to teach her properly, so she should eat properly. "It really is." When he went to take some of her food, he found himself thoroughly blocked by the techniques he was trying to make her use from the start.
"...You little--" Mac grumbled, pulling the chopsticks out of hers and attacking from another angle in one swift strike.
“Make me.” Hel retorted rather maturely, laughing as well. Now though, as they were engaged in a chopstick battle, the reaper grinned. Ah, the thrill of battle! Even if it was just chopsticks. The fact that she was now fighting to stop Mac from getting a piece of sushi from her plate was fun. When he pulled his chopsticks away, Hel clacked hers together tauntingly, watching with a keen warrior’s eye as he tried attacking from a different angle.
Once again, her chopsticks shot out, locking with his at a second successful stop at getting at her plate. Hel cackled.
"Why you---!" Mac sneered, burying his elbow into her arm in an attempt to get her to stop that, taking another dive with his chopsticks, this time from an obviously different angle. He was going to get her food, yes he was! If she should block him again, he would flick his chopsticks apart, still held in his hands, attempting to knock hers out of balance.
The reaper was just grinning with delight, cackling more when he buried his elbow into her arm, and pushed back against it.
She admired the psychopomp’s determination, and round three of food blocking was on as he tried getting at her plate from a different angle. She shot in with her chop sticks closed once more to try and stop him, but the boil pulled a rather cunning maneuver, flicking his chopsticks apart! Hel blinked as his chopsticks knocked hers, and the thin pieces of wood fell from her hand and clattered onto the table. Oh no! Her plate was now defenseless. Sadness.
Hel was thrown off guard. VICTORY! Mac wasted no time in snatching a piece off of her plate, popping it into his mouth. "I win." He managed to get out through his food, taking his plate and shuffling slightly away from her, putting much needed space between them.
"All this food is awesome. You really can't go wrong! Their Brain Sashimi is pretty good, too. If you ever get the chance to try it." Business as usual, definitely not bringing attention to the theft of her dinner. What? She started it!
She scrambled to pick up her chop sticks and align them properly, but they fumbled, and by the time she had them correct, it was too late. Her eyes narrowed briefly as Mac proclaimed his victory, having snatched a piece from her plate, and then scooted away from her. Hel snorted, clacking her chopsticks now as she pulled her plate closer to her. “That’s right, Mac. You flee like a little ghoul.” The valkyrie retorted, having to get her honor back after that little mishap of losing her chopsticks.
Hel fumbled with her chopsticks once more, but actually managed to pick up a piece of sushi from her plate properly and chewed on it, looking over at the boil. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time!” Hel replied, reaching and successfully getting another piece of sushi from her plate and munching on that as well. “Any other recommendations, friend?”
"WHAT I DID NOT." Mac huffed at the injustice, pounding his fist half heartedly on the table before resuming his meal. By then he was almost finished, and getting quite full to boot. "Well, see, that depends because if you're talking about Sushi, then---" Mac was more than happy to give his recommendations on food to the ghoul, including a couple other not-sushi places he thought she might like.
The server came around to collect their empty plates and to give the tab, which was all Hel's responsibility as that was her bribe for his help, and when it was time to leave, the Reaper stood to play gentleman and walked her back to her own dorm.
Which was so far out of his way.
"Well, Hel, that was fun." He said, being the good boil and standing out front of her room with her. "Next time, I'll consider going easy on you." With the chopstick battle of course, WHAT ELSE?
Hel just cackled, and spent the rest of her time listening to his recommendations, taking notes on where to go and what to try next. Like a good ghoul, she finished everything on her plate, and by the time the server came around, she had the seeds all ready to go to pay. Now ready to go, it wasn’t like the valkyrie needed a ‘gentleman’ to walk her back, but the company of a new friend was nice anyways! The ghoul now stood outside of her door, with her hands on her hips, as she stared at Mac with a raised brow.
“Psshaw.” She haughtily dismissed. “I let you win because I felt sorry for you.” Hel retorted, making a note to hone her chopsticks skills for the next time she encountered Mac on the chopstick battle field. She let that statement hang in the air for a few moments before grinning. “It was a pleasure, friend! Thank you for your company today! I shall see you around, yes?” Hel waved to her fellow reaper. “Have a good day!” Here she slipped back into her room now, intent on preparing a nice batch of stew in her newly set up kitchen.
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