|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:16 pm
Students who followed Arel would find themselves back in the locker room area underground. The secretary kept his promise, not saying a single word. A fire crackled in the center of the room, soft and warm, a cauldron bubbling with hot cocoa, out of all things. It hissed, the secretary batted at the cauldron hesitantly, and then reached in to pour a few cups of hot chocolate with an overly long and elaborate-looking ladle.
He handed cups to any students arriving. "It's...." Arel cut himself off. "I...." Another pause. A sigh. "I'm sorry." Before any students could respond to that, he held up his free mittened hand. "No, no, wait let me finish. I'm really sorry about this all. Everything, the Defenders, the Hunters, the horsemen, that you got dragged into all of this." He furrowed his eyebrows, as if speaking was so extremely difficult. "But, I think you knew more than I did. It is time for you, as student, no, as citizens of Halloween, to make your own choices. You carve your future from now on, and I know for a fact that ah, as a teacher or professor or anyone, that anything I say you'll probably rebel against anyway, being teenagers and all but-"
He sucked in a deep breath. "You can change your own future. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's right and wrong, but that can only be learned through experience. You don't need to blindly follow others. One day, perhaps even now, there will be those, students following you. They will look up to you and expect you to be role models, and you will feel something, with all your core, that all you want to do is protect them and make sure they are doing the right thing. You will feel hurt when they make choices you cannot control. And maybe you will also come to accept that regardless of who they are, you need to let them go, and allow them to make decisions for themselves. To trust them."
A cough. Arel turned around. "So, yeah. I'll be- I'll be in my office. Tidying it up. Doing - doing paperwork."
He didn't wait for anyone to say anything before he hurriedly rushed away, the cauldron of hot chocolate still bubbling in the center. OOC - All students who followed Arel can post/ speculate/ etc here after a long jouney
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:16 pm
Following the secretary back to Amityville, Mei let out a small sigh of relief upon seeing the school again. Before this, she had no idea how much she had grown attached to the school, and her time at the hunter base made her realize how much she did. Still in a slight daze, she didn't noticed the cup being placed in her hand until a moment later. Normally she didn't drink anything, but today she just shrugged it off and took a sip.
Listening quietly as Arel went on, Mei remained silent still. She didn't blame him in what happened--she didn't really blame any of the teachers. Sure, she would have loved some knowledge of what could have happened--what did happen. But she also understood the secrecy behind it. That, and she was too tired to argue.
When Arel scurried off to carry out his duties and clean his office, Mei nodded. "Thank you, Arel." Obviously he was gone before he could hear it, but she said it anyways.
Setting the empty cup down, Mei headed for the exit. She had questions--mostly about how to remove whatever it was the hunters put in her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 8:48 am
Whether Arel realized it or not, his words were deeply inspiring.
As Riyo walked through, she gladly took the mug of hot chocolate and held it in her hands as if it was the first true warmth she'd felt in a long time. Nevermind the fact that it was probably sweet and teeth-rotting. She would drink it.
Why he had apologized the ghoul wouldn't understand. It hadn't been his decision to send them all there. Each student made the decision by themselves. He may have been a figure in charge, but as he said: rebelling teenagers.
The ghoul didn't want to blindly follow anymore. She didn't want to be the pawn of someone else's game. Riyo wanted her own path. Whether it coincided with others was entirely up to them.
Curling up in a corner, the ghoul kept the mug close, sipping every once in awhile. Going back to her room wasn't as important as finishing this warm drink. She was home now. This whole place... Was home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 8:25 pm
The question Mitsu had asked set off a sort of dred in his heart, but he didn't answer right away. This wasn't looking good. It seemed fairly apparent, but he didn't quite want to believe it. Coming into Halloween, Shun let out a breath, just taking a moment to shift Mitsu within his arms. He was planning on heading straight to Cricket's office but paused as Arel apparently had some things to say. There was hot chocolate here too but.. his lycan couldn't drink that. And his own hands were a little full at the moment. Even so, he waited patiently to listen to their secretary. The ice demon really did look out for them didn't he? Or at least tried to. In the back of his mind he had to wonder if Arel had broken out of prison or if he was just released. That was irrelevant right now, however. Yes. There were always choices. Every situation had a choice. There was never such thing as to have no choice in a matter. At least this was what he believed. As for role models, he wasn't terribly concerned with that particular detail. Anyone who seriously looked up to him was looking in the wrong place. Even so, the secretary managed to give some food for thought. Shaking his head silently, he moved on to get Mitsu treated then go from there. "I'm going to take you to the nurse first.. see if she can help mend your body a bit.. But we'll be at your room soon, ok?" he whispered gently to her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:44 pm
Roch listened silently to the secretary, not asking anything, just holding Amphi tightly and looking both her and Danny over to make sure nothing had been chopped off or something. He always made his own decisions. Sure a lot of them were stupid, but he didn't like the idea of people making them for him--or him making them for someone else. "I think Shun's right," he said quietly. "Blue Eyes, I think we need to take you to Cricket. Maybe she can... fix things. Then I'm gonna go sleep. I'm jacking exhausted." It hadn't been a victory, or a grand war, or anything other than hard work and death. He wasn't going to make it out to be anything other than that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:49 pm
The first thing Amrita did upon stepping into halloween was to take a deep breath. The FEAR in the air was fresh and crisp, exactly what she had been missing; in that breath she felt like it had been much too long since she had experienced it, and for good measure she took another. This was home, this was right, and she was there with friends now. People who meant a lot to her.
The Secretary handed her a cup of cocoa, and she stared at it a moment before accepting; after all, accepting it meant she had to let go of both Christof and Calder. Yet the cocoa practically spoke to her, and her continued lack of fear over the last few days made her starved for it; this fear-made drink was just what she needed. She gulped it down hungrily, and then sank to the ground to just feel it under her. Of course the secretary was talking, and she was listening, but she was busy basking in the feeling of home, looking around, absorbing the FEAR, getting her memories back...she was doing all the things, and she couldn't do them fast enough.
She was home...she was finally home.
Arel left and Amrita stayed put and silent, her gaze moving to the ground as backward hands clung to the now empty cup. The reality of the situation was setting in again, the serene calm fading slowly in light of the truth. Her head slowly fell, burying her face into her arms, burrowing into the fabric of the large coat she was wearing; a gift from a now-gone friend. Her silence continued as memories formed and became clear, and after a few minutes of stillness her shoulders started to shake. Soon her sobs became obvious, even though the fabric and flesh.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:55 pm
Amphi barely heard the secretary as she continued her slight death grip on her boilfriend. She was tired too, upset and drained. She remembered most of what happened now, the parasite nestled somewhere inside her core.
She just wasn't sure how to push her friends and Roch away to keep them safe. Until then, she took the cup of hot chocolate and cradled it close to her chest, no sound came from her as Roch mentioned the nurse.
Truthfully, she didn't think Nurse Cricket would do any good. But that was the depression settling in her now. She was becoming a dark cloud of rain rather then her usual sunshine and bubble self.
It was too bad because she had two people who loved her very much that had gone through so much to save her. She flicked her glance at Danny and couldn't even manage a smile for the fire demon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 11:10 pm
As soon as they stepped through the portal Mitsu found them in someplace new. Or at least she treated it as new. Her hands came up to fiddle with her necklace, eyes darting around at the lockers before they finally settled on the secretary and his cauldron of hot chocolate. It smelled rather nice but she didn't take a cup, just content on taking long deep breaths of the air before her head started to sway from being light headed.
When Arel spoke she tried to focus though her eyes kept turning to her surroundings taking in every detail. It wasn't until the reaper holding her spoke that she really focused, regarding him nervously for a moment before she smiled. "You've been so kind to me. Thank you." Her voice seemed to be coming in a little clearer though it was obvious her mind was still foggy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 1:53 am
As soon as she entered, her form shifted back to being bipedal, and she nearly forgot how to walk on two legs since she had been on four for so long. But she was back in the lockers, and was handed a cup of hot chocolate which she accepted gratefully. The liquid was sweet and warm, and the fire felt comforting. It was quite a homely place at the moment.
As she sipped her mug, she listened to the secretary words. They tugged her core, and took real meaning from them. Her gaze fell on Shun with Mitsu in his arms, and she sighed. Arel did have a point. While she wanted to keep him safe, Shun was going to do whatever he thought was necessary.
Maybe she should try and trust him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 2:09 am
Danny helped Roch carry Amphi back to Amityville, though it was arguable that the mermaid did more to help Danny than the other way around. Poor Roch was definitely taking the bulk of the weight.
She listened very selectively to Arel's speech, sort of zoning in and out and nodding off on Amphi's head. When Roch spoke, Danny shook her head, and then nodded. Getting Amphi to Cricket was definitely a good first step.
Luckily, she could trust Roch to do it by himself. "Yeah, sounds good." She smiled, an expression far more Danny-like than anything she'd worn in the past week. It was good to have friends home.
Still, Danny was tired. She'd taken out quite a few hunters and needed a nap time. The fire in the middle of the locker rooms really wasn't helping the lethargic look in her eyes. "I'm gonna head to the reaper dorms ..." Danny said, not really including details since there was technically still a teacher around and sleeping in other dorms technically wasn't okay. Watching Amphi and Roch though ... she missed her own boilfriend too.
Danny gave Amphi one last squeeze and then left her to Roch, wandering off to go cuddle up next to a reaper.
[exit]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 3:59 am
Mitzi was so relieved to step back into the locker room that they had all left, both so long and so short a time ago. She stumbled over to the cauldron, gratefully taking a cup of hot chocolate, and blowing on it until it cooled enough to drink safely. The warm liquid helped to thaw a little of what still felt frozen inside her, crystalized by the terror and chaos that had been the last few hours. She glanced around and was glad to see Roch here, to know that at least one person she trusted had not followed after the Hunters. He seemed busy, though, so she looked around for anyone else she might know. She still hadn't seen Imryn, but the ghost did seem to disappear and reappear sometimes. She felt a stab of worry, that the one person she had personally dragged into this mess might not have made it out okay. Other than that, it was just Alex, Yin, and Mei... and they had gone through the other portal. The gnawing concern led her to stay put for the moment, to make sure the ghost ghoul made it safely through back to Amityville. Imryn trusted the Horsemen even less than Mitzi did, so she doubted the other ghoul would follow them. So yes, she would wait, at least for the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:30 am
Malodore stepped back into the locker room the picture of exhaustion - the plague doctor's wings were dragging, feathers scraping shrilly against the floor. It accepted the cup of cocoa automatically, then looked surprised at its presence... and at Arel's words. Surprisingly profound, considering... It sighed as it looked around. There weren't as many students here as it had hoped. How many of them had gone with Medea? It didn't - it couldn't trust her. Individual Horsemen, perhaps, but not her. It stood for a moment with its cocoa cup, lost... until it heard the sobs. "Amrita," it said, quietly, walking over to her - she was here, she was okay, and Christof and Calder were watching over her, looking relatively safe. Thank Jack. It recognized several others of the students who had been captured. "Do you need medical aid? Any of you?" it asked, softly - because it didn't know what else to say. The coat she was wearing seemed familiar but it couldn't place the garment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 10:45 am
Christof didn't feel the weariness until they were home, safe, and hunkered down. He stared at Amrita, willing her to eat her cocoa with a stern, if sleepy expression. At the sudden sound of Malodore's voice, the hunchback jumped, hands up defensively before it registered who, exactly, was speaking. His brain still felt numb. His stitched lips squirmed anxiously as he raised a hand in greeting, motioning for the plague doctor to join them before signing slowly and uneasily, as htough he was having trouble remembering the gestures, "Calder-many-wounds. Fought-bravely. No-idea-what-they-have-done-to-Amrita." His expression pained anxiously, eyes glassy before he lowered his hands and hovered close to the vitala.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 11:22 am
Once she had finished her hot chocolate, Roch picked Amphi up, looking at the others to make sure that everyone was okay, then he turned and headed off, intent on seeing what he could do to help her.
Any thoughts of power of FEAR were forgotten as easily as that.
[Exiting with Amphi]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 11:29 am
Calder had followed his party on automatic pilot, moving over to the group and plopping on the other side of Amrita. The cocoa that was passed was only sipped, as he had a stronger pull just to find Barth, crawl into his bed, and pass out for the next decade.
When Malodore showed up, Calder only flashed a tired smile, before glancing as his ears picked up on the sobbing ghoul. Setting his cup aside, he scooted closer and stroked her hair. Then, pausing for just a moment, he signed to Christof. She-needs-you. Hold-her. Hug-her. Stroke-her-hair-gently. Calder was a friend, but sometimes you needed your boilfriend for moments like this. Christof had to be more practiced in being there for Amrita. If he wasn't, Calder was going to scoop her up and hug her until she couldn't breathe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
