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 Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:18 pm
Despite her exhaustion, ultimately, Toby did decide to make a stop by the Demon Dorms before heading to her own room-- and oh, what a walk it proved to be. Bloody footed, ash-dusted, and shaken all over, at times it felt like Iris's tugging was the only thing to pull her along the path, yet still, she always managed to put one hoof in front of the other and keep pressing forward. Despite the standard "blindness" period having long since passed, her heat pits were still in a (secretly worrying) scramble, catching hazy, disorienting smears of things at best… but no matter. She'd deal with it. That's what her aid was there for in the first place, right?
The only thing she really found enjoyable about her journey was the smell of the air, and how quiet it was. Word of Red would no doubt be spreading like whispered wildfire through the rest of the campus soon, but for now, at least, there were distant early-morning crickets and frogs sounding in her ears. Peaceful? It probably would've been, on any other day, but it was as close as she'd be getting for a while.
As could only be expected, the walk was a long and fairly uncomfortable one, but eventually she made it all the same, guided along by Iris's thankfully acute sense of direction until he stopped her in the midst of what felt like a hallway, and gently tapped a paw against her leg. Reaching forward, perhaps a little too gingerly, the falsicorn felt a door's surface meet her fingertips, and then gave it a weak rap.
"... Tomoko?" Maybe she should've drank more before she left the gym, but she only realized how rough her throat was when she spoke again,
Please, please let the Kitsune be home.
... She may not have only needed to get Tiny back from all this.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 8:33 am
Tomoko had heard that the students had come back sooner than even she had expected, and thus woken up and been in a hurry to reestablish order to herself as quickly as she could. That left her in the middle of brushing her hair when a knock came on her door. Desades immediately leaped off of her bed to run over to the door, barking and pawing pathetically at it. Bark, bark, bark!!
Someone was here, mommy! Someone was here! Open the door so I can see who is here, mommy!!
Tomoko waffled for a moment, but gave up on the rush get-together to walk over to the door and open it, ears perking up when she saw who was on the other side of it. Gasp! Well, that saved her a trip to the gym. Though..to be honest, Toby didn't look too well. Tomoko's ears drooped a bit.
"Welcome home." she greeted, trying to not sound worried by the appearance of the Falsicorn, and yet..it was hard not to be. She really did look back. "Do you want some tea?" she offered, even if she'd have to make it, but still. Tea was excellent.. and she was sure Tiny would be excited to see mom.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:22 pm
Naturally, Tiny (who'd previously been rolling across the end of Tomoko's mattress) stopped his shenanigans the moment he heard a knocking sound, mere fractions of a second behind Desades when it came to rushing the door. Who was it? A person? His person? Oh, he hoped it was his person! Not that he had any complaints against the kitsune herd or their lovely master, b-- ... oh. Oh.
When he finally seemed to take in the sight of Toby standing there, however, his vibrant enthusiasm seemed to diminish and, rather than crawling all over her feet and mewling, the little wishing floresce merely retreated a step backward. Maybe it was the unnerving smell of ash and char that alarmed him-- or maybe he simply thought she looked unstable enough to fall over.
"... Oh, thank you," regardless, though, there Toby was. She did try to force a smile in Tomoko's general direction, though the 'forced' part was still painfully clear from how winded she looked. She did not, however, waste time in (gingerly) stepping inside, with a little gentle guidance from the equally gray and worn Iris. "That... would be nice, actually. I appreciate it-- ... and would you lock the door behind me, please?"
Now that was a strange statement if anything. Why had she asked? Sans the fact that she couldn't see well enough to do it herself, the falsicorn had her reasons.
Under normal circumstances she also would have asked before ambling towards the bed to sit, but her legs were just as tired as the rest of her, and since she could tell at least most of the dirt and blood was dry on her hooves (it wouldn't stain the floor, it anything), it seemed like a harmless indulgence.
Only when her rear was planted on the mattress proper did Tiny finally display more "normal" behavior and creep over towards her hand to receive a gentle stroke, though even her fingers seemed slightly discolored.
Iris, his leading duty done for the moment, merely laid by her feet, set his chin on his forepaws, and shut his eyes.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:32 pm
Tomoko didn't really mind Toby inviting herself to a seat, nor the...wait, why did she smell so ashy? The kitsune seemed lightly concerned, but she took a minute to get a small bowl of water which she offered to Iris, and then pushed a piece of jerky into the falsicorn's hand to offer to the scareon as well before she went about going to get her kettle and the small single-burner her mother had sent her.
Oh hahaue, you really did know just what your little ghoul needed most.
With the water set to boil, Tomoko sat down in her desk chair nearby the kettle to wait on it, sifting through her tea tins and sniffing each individually. "Do you have a flavor preference? I have mint and strawberry." she chimed up after a moment. Personally, Tomoko was inclined towards the fruitier one, but still she would have rather gotten what Toby liked in this case.
Because Toby didn't look all that great.
The kitsune got up again to wander to her bathroom, taking a washcloth and soaking it in cold water before she brought it back to offer to the other ghoul, sitting down next to her with a small sigh.
"Are you okay?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:46 pm
Tiny seemed torn between the uncertainty of how Toby's hands smelt and the desperate desire to be petted by them, ultimately giving in to the latter, though he still paused every once in a while to sniff at her fingers or singed bits of flesh. What had happened to her? She was clearly trying to act normal, but clearly, it was anything but. Even as a tiny fish-kitten thing, he found this very bothersome!
The only reason Iris displayed no such behavior was because he already knew. He knew everything, and he was tired. The bowl of water was at least a welcome surprise though, which he lapped at in tired, but thankful resignation on front of him.
"... Either is fine." And his Master seemed equally thankful yet resigned for the opportunity to drink... well, anything, really. Tea wasn't something Toby often drank, but now, just because Tomoko had offered, it sounded like the absolute best thing in the world ever. Tea was supposed to be comforting, right? And oh-- ... it seemed she'd been offered something that she could barely make out, though the wash rag's identity became clear when she accepted it (with a soft mumble of "thank you") and found the thing pleasantly cool and damp. No complaints about something to wipe her face off with-- ... and maybe her hooves, if there was still clean space afterwards.
"Are you okay?"
And then, that. Oh, that. Where to even begin? Did it have a proper beginning at all? With the boogeymen covering it up, propriety dictated t-- ... no, propriety could be Jackdamned for once. ******** that.
"... I-- ... I'd be lying if I said yes. Not many of us are," she finally settled on saying, her cheeks wiped as clean as she could get them, followed by her hands-- which still persisted in their gray discoloration at the fingertips. "... There were humans there, Tomoko; they called themselves "Hunters", and a huge mass conflict broke out..."
She had to stop for a moment. She didn't know if she should've finished. She didn't know if she could.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:55 pm
'Hunters'.
For a brief moment, Tomoko wondered if that's what those things on the island had been. The island that now no longer gave her the nightmares it had then..even if everybody had been cut up and.. and..okay, maybe she was still slightly scarred by it all. But still, hadn't they just been going on a little training escapade? Why were there...?
Oh, of course. The field trips never were that great, were they? At least, it had sounded to be a theme that was going on. She hadn't really liked the one she'd been on, so it had made sense she hadn't attended the next one to form. Tomoko shook her head a bit, though it probably went unnoticed by Toby as she wiped her face off..and was blind, but the kitsune didn't know that in that moment.
Either way, the kitsune rose to her feet, getting up to reach out and hug the other ghoul gently, stroking her hair a bit before she went back to the tea, taking up the strawberry tin and prepping two of her cups with a sort of tea strainer inside of them. Better than any bagged tea ever, frankly.
"That doesn't sound like a very good trip, Toby. What do you mean 'hardly anybody' is okay? Did something happen?"
Should she have been running off to check on Seiji and Junko and Jove? Were they hurt? Ouuu, maybe she should have gone, because then she'd well.. know the answer to that at the very least. Hmm.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:08 pm
... A hug. Physical touch. Contact that wasn't intended to hurt or incinerate her.
Though Toby had not really been expecting such a thing, she certainly wasn't going to complain about it, and perhaps a little guiltily, the falsicorn seemed to cling a few short moments before Tomoko inevitably had to break away and go muddle with her tea. She'd needed that. Hell... she wanted more of it, but would not indulge further unprovoked.
And besides, she had other more concerning things to focus on again, since elaboration was inevitable and... oh, Jack, she wished she didn't have to say this. Just thinking about it hurt, and her features-- usually so composed-- twisted visibly as she bit her lip, and frowned.
Deep breath in, deep breath out. She had to be strong for this.
"... It did." At first, she was almost too quiet to hear and there was a very noticeable waver to her tone. Did that EVER happen? But Toby still made herself keep talking even though she had to force it. "Actually, a lot of things happened. Dozens of students were injured, as far as I could tell, but... R-Red, she--" Now it felt like there was a knot in her throat that threatened to choke her, or at least make he feel like she might vomit.
"She died-- ... during the fight. The Boogeymen are covering it up but--" Another moment when her voice cracked worse than ever. Seriously, that never, ever happened. "She isn't retiring. They killed her, Tomoko. Those humans killed Professor Red."
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:14 pm
Red? The gym teacher? What abo- oh. Oh
Tomoko had been fussing with her kettle, pouring water into each of the cups, when Toby finished her story. At first, Tomoko had made rather sympathetic faces at the story. Yes, students were injured, that sounded somewhat typical but.... Red died? Coverups? What? When had their school turned into a giant conspiracy theory?
Apparently not too long ago, to be frank.
The little kitsune pursed her lips ever so slightly as she sat in her desk chair again, thinking about it. Wow, that...that was really a big shock to hear. And yet, it wasn't a blow to Tomoko like it was to some (pricolici) individuals. Tomoko hadn't been familiar with Red. Red hadn't been a hero, or an idol, or even someone she had seen all that often so the news of the staff death was more..shocking than it was saddening.
Though she also lacked the mental images that would accompany it. Certainly Tomoko would mourn, it was sad when anybody died, but unlike some...she would recover much more easily. Some like..Toby.
Tomoko took up both of the cups of tea, swirling the strainer through them quickly, before she walked over with them to her bed, offering one of them to the Falsicorn, leaning against the ghoul's side for a moment.
"That's..... I'm not sure how well they're going to get away with covering it up if everybody is going to know.."
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:26 pm
She hated having to be the messenger for such terrible things like this, but at the same time... Toby was glad that Tomoko hadn't witnessed what she'd seen firsthand. It was bad enough to be thrown out into the middle of a war zone, lost, desperate and terrified... but to witness a figurehead literally broken apart, smashed to bits in front of her? That was too much-- and she still hadn't been particularly close to the professor, either. Jack help the poor souls that were, if losing someone "distant" hurt this terribly.
Needless to say, the arrival of tea at last was a welcome thing as she gently nudged Tiny aside to accept the cup... and then Tomoko herself, it seemed, as the ghoul leaned into her side.
She'd never complain about that, but merely leaned back, willing herself not to shake beneath her ash-dusted jacket.
... She seriously needed to just take her clothes off and burn them-- ... or maybe burial was more appropriate, now.
"I don't know..." she confessed quietly, blowing on the contents before attempting a sip. It was hot, and it even burned her tongue a little, but she no longer cared. "It... probably has something to do with politics, or damage control-- ... I imagine they don't want new like this spreading to the community, or there'd be panic..." She could remember vaguely her mother-- a retired Boogeyman herself-- explaining something of that effect to her, that things were sometimes buried for the "good of all" and so-forth. Toby couldn't say she agreed with it, but in a sick way, she sort of understood.
That just didn't help it feel any less underhanded or disrespectful to the dead.
"They probably expect that the student body will know... but are counting on it staying within our walls."
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:30 pm
Tomoko frowned, sipping at her cup of tea while Toby tried to explain something that it sounded plainly like the falsicorn did not approve of. Her lips pursed in disapproval, but she didn't speak up. It was quite a bit to take in and after a moment, Tomoko set her cup of tea own for the bakekitsunes to flock to. Strange how much they liked tea.
They must have been like their 'mother' in that way.
"It won't do any good when we grow up to become part of the community just to distrust the boogiemen though. We're a generation of people. I imagine it won't be too bad because other schools will still have students who aspire to that, but..." Tomoko bit her lower lip. "Why become one if all they do is lie?
How do you trust liars?"
Tomoko had never..quite..had that problem, having been fortunate enough to meet generally truthful adults - albeit secretive, but secretive and full of lies were different beasts, thus she treated them differently in their own rights. Hmm. It really did make absolutely no sense to her, now did it?
"I don't know how they could silence all of us... I mean..... what will they do to keep us from talking?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:41 pm
"I don't know... I really... I don't know..." She felt so horrible for just repeating herself like that, but just as she'd said it, Toby knew nothing better. She had no answers. She felt lost, and miserable, and tired and stressed and so many other things piled up in a big migraine-riddled aching ball of dismay. Even worse, speaking of all this twisted a pang of guilt in her insides, like she was somehow badmouthing her own mother despite the woman's complete lack of involvement.
... Not that she would ever disclose the latter feeling or so much as mention it again.
"Just-- ... please, don't spread it openly, Tomoko. For your sake." It was not a threat of course, by any means; rather, it was Toby pleading with the kitsune desperately, and even a glance at her frowning face would reaffirm that. "... We'll all have to pretend, even though it's-- ... Jack, it's not fair. It's not right. None of this is right at all..."
Her voice got weaker again there, and less stable. It was all she could do to force another sip of her hot tea and not hunch over completely, but oh, if there had even been a moment she was genuinely verging on tears in front of another being... this was probably it. She'd seen too much. She was too damn tired. She couldn't get the whispers and the skull and the smell of ash away from her.
Iris, still laying by her feet, could only rest his head against her ankle and nothing more.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:24 am
Tomoko leaned over and rested her head on the Falsicorn's shoulder, rubbing her hand on the ghoul's back to try and soothe her nerves a bit. Not that she really felt like she was helping. She could only imagine how it had been to actually be there, and yet..
...
.....
It really didn't feel as though there was very much she could do anymore. Besides let Toby sip her tea and rest for a while. The kitsune really didn't mind. Could Toby sleep? It was quite possible she wouldn't be able to, and yet... she just didn't know, man. Tomoko just didn't know what else she could do besides sit there, make a thrumming noise and pat the falsicorn's back.
Besides possibly make more tea, but somehow that didn't seem like it would be entirely helpful.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:04 pm
Oh, that felt nice. It didn't make everything better, but it felt nice. Toby would be the last person to ever complain about something like comfort, mumbling her thank yous in soft breaths and sipping gingerly at the edge of her tea glass until it was finally whittled down to emptiness. As for resting... well, when the time came to leave or stay a while, ultimately, she chose the latter-- for several reasons. Part of it was just the sheer physical exhaustion keeping her where she'd been seated, but just as much had to do with the companionship, in all its selfish, gentle, soul-soothing ways.
... Eventually, she did curl up on the mattress-- naturally still at Tomoko's side, as close as she was allowed. The touch made her feel a little less hurt inside. Maybe if she stayed like this, and laid her head in the maiden's lap, she could sleep without the fear of ill dreaming?
It was wishful thinking, but that was all she felt she had going for her now.
As his master finally succumbed, so too did Iris follow suit, crawling up on the end of the bed to lie near her splintered back hooves. Tiny-- though he still seemed troublingly unaware of the reasons behind any woe-- even sought to join him and curl up right between the scareon's forepaws, nestled like a fishy-looking kitten between its mother's paws.
Surely, things would be better tomorrow...
They were always better tomorrow, right?
~Fin
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