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 Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:10 am
She'd never been called to the office before. not like this, anyway. Lovina kept her nose clean and her chin up for the most part — it was the only way she could get a few privileges every now and then — so the call to the office shocked her. But what did she do? She didn't pick on her peers. She never put off a chore for long. Her grade in history wasn't great, but she was working on that.
The call pulled her out of the end of drama period. She liked the monologue segment, especially since she could play with her cell phone under the desk while the rest of the students showed off how much they memorized (or didn't memorize) of their chosen piece. She even volunteered early so she could get away with texting Izumi about shopping later. But before she managed her first message, the intercom sounded. And then the drama teacher sent her off with one of those old, wrinkly scowls. Gross.
The hallway finally wound around ot the door she was looking for, the room number matching what she wrote on a post-it. She didn't actually know this supervisor, but that didn't seem unusual; most of the time the disciplinary stuff got shuttled around between people that didn't necessarily know the student. Or that's what she heard, and she never really wanted to test that out herself. Until now, anyway. She really hoped someone mistook someone else for her when they were smoking in the bathroom or something. Then she could walk out, face the long walk back to that part of the campus, and forget about the whole thing. Instead, she pushed through the door and reminded herself to be chipper about it.
"Hi!" She greeted with a breathless smile. "Sorry it took me so long. Drama's like, on the other side of the campus." nuxaz should've gotten this up yesterday but i suck and my day went to s**t
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:58 am
Penelope was only at the school on a part-time basis while she worked on her master's and when she was on campus, she was often squirreled away in the library inputting new books and making sure that borrowed ones found their way back into their proper places. Whenever a student came into the library during a time she was there, they immediately made it into her mental book of interest. From there, she would make observations and keep quiet tabs to the best of her abilities.
At some point, and really Pen didn't know the exact when, one Lovina Lee had stumbled onto her radar.
After a few months of observation she had made her decision. The girl had all the qualities she thought would serve her and the Negaverse well, if with a little bit of heavy handed guidance mixed in. With that in mind, arranging a meeting where she she would get to talk and interact with the student.
In her hand was a manila folder, Lovina's name printed across the tab and she was flicking through the pages of her file when the door opened. Blue eyes flicked up over a pair of reading glasses, which the blonde then removed as she smiled without teeth at the girl.
"Ah, Lovina Lee? Please have a seat." She gestured with the hand still holding her glasses at the chair before her. "Do you know why you're here?"strickenized this is wonderful <3 lmk if i need to adjust anything~
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 3:52 pm
Her stomach dropped like a stone the moment she noticed the manila envelope. Was that her permanent record? Did she do something really bad that she never even knew about? Was she going to get expelled?
"I'm here for my amazing personality, right?" She forced her smile broader before she let the door shut behind her. Once it latched shut, she dropped into a more serious register. "Is this because of my history grade? Because I talked with Professor Cappello about that and I've been working on it. I even like, handed in some essays."
Lovina brushed her fingers over her pencil skirt, then pushed herself to step forward. Nervous fingers found her hair and twirled it incessantly, promoting their already-wavy tips. She picked the chair that sat at an angle to the woman's desk and made as many casual glances at the file as she could. Unfortunately, Lovi always sucked at reading upside-down. She couldn't make much out of it. "Or maybeeee… This is about cheer team? Because I still think we should totally have our own sports team, and it's not like mega super hard to get people motivated for a cheer team either. And it would get people into the sports like, all the time if we have some cute girls. Just saying."
Her small plug out of the way, she fell silent for — she glanced at the placard — Ms. Rey to explain.
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Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 3:02 pm
Penelope's smile was a practiced one, stretching across her lips without exposing her teeth like she preferred but this was serious matters and she had to present the appearance of not amused. Were circumstances different and this wasn't a recruitment meeting, she might have allowed herself to chuckle once for the attempted joke.
But this was business and Penelope Rey prided herself on her ability to mold herself into whatever she needed to suit the circumstances.
"It's not specifically about your history grade Miss Lee," she answered easily, shifting so that she could open the folder and let her gaze skim the contents. It was more for show than anything else, the contents already memorized, or close to, by the blonde. "It is about your overall performance in school. You seem to take direction well but all of your areas of study appear to be falling flat." Lips pursed and brows furrowed to give the appearance of concern.
"Unfortunately, I don't have much sway when it comes to new organizations including cheer or sports groups, but I would be willing to put in a positive word, provided the rest of this goes well." She didn't have that much sway, she was only an assistant librarian after all, but she was persuasive and used to getting what she wanted so it wasn't out of the question.
"Could you give me some insight as to why you're suffering academically?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:11 am
Lovi sat back against her chair, her dejection rolling off her in theatrics. Her head cocked, her shoulders slumped, she huffed out through pursed lips and sent a weft of hair floating in front of her for a minute. She hated these conversations. She hated how they always looked at her failures under a microscope and poured all their effort into telling her how bad they were. What was wrong with wanting to be a normal kid once in a while? Her parents didn't like it, and the school didn't like it either. What gives?
"All of them?" She knew about history for sure, and maybe math wasn't doing too great either, but all of them sounded a little harsh. "Um…" A hand raised to her lips and she started chewing thoughtlessly on her fingernails. When she caught herself, she sat on her hand defiantly. "I get it, it looks awful, and like I totally don't care about being here. But that's not true, okay? I do like being here, and I do like being able to learn things, just… Some stuff doesn't seem as useful as others. Like, when am I ever going to need linear algebra? Or trig? Or history even? That stuff's over and done with already. It's not really going to get me anywhere like psychology or drama would.
"It's just hard to focus in those classes. It's hard to see the point." It's also hard to stop staring at teachers she found attractive, or falling asleep at her desk when she didn't sleep worth a damn the night before. Which happened a lot more often than she wanted to admit.
"I promise I'll do better, okay? I don't want to get kicked out. That would go so totally awful so fast…" She sighed at the ceiling, which appeared indifferent in its speckly blankness. "Do I have to like, sign anything saying I've been talked to? Or take a progress report home?" Cuz that's also going to suck. A ton. Like, dad's gonna throw a fit. Ugh.
My life is over.
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:31 pm
While Penelope was amused by the girl's actions, her expression remained stern and impassive. As always, she was a picture of poise when she wanted to be and she tapped a pen against the folder in her hands, pretending to flip through the pages again with a low, "Hmmm."
As Lovina talked, Pen glanced up and watched her from beneath her lashes.
"It sounds like," she began once she was certain the girl was finished speaking, "you could use a firmer hand and some guidance." The manilla folder was snapped shut and placed on the desk behind her, along with her pen. Arms crossed over her chest and she took the time to give her a once over.
"I'm going to have to disagree with your opinion on history however, it's important to examine history with a critical eye. There's a saying of, if we don't learn from the past we're destined to repeat it. Perhaps this could be applied to your studies as well." Penelope was smiling in a practiced, educator-esque way.
"I'm not here to kick you out Lovina. I'm here to offer you some guidance."
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Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:40 pm
"Soooo… what's the guidance?" Lovi sat up in her chair, her hands grasping the arms. What extra guidance could she be talking about? Romano's was loaded with 'extra guidance'. They got 'extra guidance' every time she and Izumi had to clean off all the tables in the cafeteria room, thanks to Uncle Creepy the security guard. And then there was the extra guidance from the track and field instructor whenever she walked in late, which was every time because the campus was stupid huge, and then he went and gave her an extra lap for extra guidance. And she didn't even want to think about her math teacher and the extra guidance for not acing the homework.
It better not be extra homework. If she gives me extra homework, I'm gonna scream.
"I'll try my best, okay? With the whole 'history repeats itself' thing." Sounds fake but okay. "I'll make sure I don't mess up my grades anymore," she finished, as she inserted a weft of hair into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully while she waited for Penelope to continue.
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Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 2:03 pm
"A few things." The answer was simple but vague at the same time and for a few minutes it looked like Penelope was just going to stand there smiling at the girl. Perhaps she wanted to let the idea fester and sink in, to see how Lovina would respond to such an answer before she was adjusting her weight and depositing the folder onto the table.
"There's a unique program I would like to bring you into." Blue eyes took note of the way she chewed on her hair and the way she tilted her head, her expression shifting subtly into something with just the barest hints of disappointment. "You've got potential Ms. Lee and I would like to have a personal hand in ensuring you remain successful at Romano's and with this program we're going to induct you into."
Hands folded before her and she stood a little straighter when she stepped forward. "Like the school, it's military-esque but consequences for things like insubordination will have a high personal cost. I'm hoping that will help."
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 11:25 am
Lovina didn't have any saintly patience to her. She didn't really care for waiting. Most of the time, waiting felt like an awful chore or a grounding sentence — some punishment for something she never really deserved. So when Penelope fell silent, she got even more frustrated. How was she supposed to deal with this? Ms. Rey told her nothing.
And finally, after about a minute, Lovi tried to prompt her. "Okay, soooo?" She drew out the syllable, hoping Penelope would pick up the thread.
But she didn't. Well, not really.
She segued into talking about some other program, and how it's just as miltary but with more consequences. When did Lovi say she wanted more consequences? She said it like it was some sort of super secret super smart academic program for remedial kids. But Lovi wasn't a remedial kid — she was actually pretty good at academia when she put her mind to it — and she hesitated a little after hearing Penelope explain her intentions. Lovi sat up a little straighter, maybe to make some distance between her and Ms. Rey's not-exactly-forthcoming self.
Lovi licked her lips, put on her best smle. "If you think it'll help, I'll do it. I don't want to lose my place in school — I worked really hard to get here. So I guess that means I need a little extra help." Who cares how I get there as long as everything's gucc in the end?
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Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:20 pm
Penelope felt rusty as she continued to present herself in a calm and collected, perhaps even calculating manner to the girl. Daphne had been so eager and easy to seduce into the darkness. Paris was on the cusp, ready to be drawn over the edge but Lovina? Lovina was an eager (enough) student who seemed skeptical to be suspicious of the things she was being offered.
She needed to tread carefully with this one, especially when she considered the persona she had presented.
"I think it will." At least that was the truth. There was some relief that eased the tension that had built between her shoulder blades and Penelope gestured for Lovina to rise. "Follow me," she instructed, choosing to lead the girl into another room that provided a little more privacy for her upcoming reveal. The school was owned and operated by the Negaverse, all of the teachers and staff were agents and most of the students were admitted because they were to be molded into recruits.
She wasn't worried about being exposed, but she was cautious none the less.
"Now I'm going to show you something very unique about the program before I call for some assistance. It is very important that you understand that the activities of this program are to remain between attendees, understood?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2017 7:25 pm
Lovi stood when bidden, almost anxious to free herself from the confines of the plastic chair. She followed the taller, more shapely Ms. Rey toward another door that led further into a network of offices. She bet to herself that it must've sucked to have offices in the way far back of the school, because it looked like such a rat's nest to navigate. What if someone had to get from their tiny cubicle office clear out to the other end of the campus? They'd need a lot more than ten minutes to manage that.
As Lovi followed, she let her focus drift a little. Nothing about this particular office stood out as being any different from the last one they were in. Sure, it was quieter, so Lovi figured the change of scenery was just to negate some of the hallway noise. Or maybe she kept all the paperwork for this extra program in here. A little weird, but okay. Lovi heard weirder.
When Ms. Rey mentioned something unique about this super secret program, Lovi just shrugged her shoulders in consent. "Okay." She was already pretty checked out from Ms. Rey keeping the whole thing one big mystery. She already didn't know much about it at all, so the hole 'unique' aspect didn't mean much. She could count on one hand the number of unique things she'd seen at the school, and most of those weren't even directly related to the campus. She saw more unique stuff with the weird videos she kept finding online on her phone. Romano's didn't exactly come with amazing surprises.
"I promise I won't tell anybody," Lovi confirmed as her hands found her hips. Who would I have to tell, anyways? The girls here are so stuck-up.
She managed her best cheerleader-esque smile and tone. "Ready when you are, Ms. Rey."
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Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:56 pm
Penelope appreciated the obedience that Lovina Lee had been displaying throughout all of their conversation. There were instances where her age shined too brightly and there was some hints of an attitude, but over all the woman thought she had chosen wisely.
"Perfect," she purred, the smile on her face bright as she let the strength and glamour of her other identity wrap over her. Gone was her pencil skirt and heels, replaced by black pants and boots. Her simple blouse was replaced by a mint colored one and she folded gloved hands in front of her while she waited to gauge her pupil's reaction.
"You see Lovina, this program comes with a special gift and very unique abilities." She wasn't sure what to compare it to, yet, but she thought the girl might provide her insight into the best kinds of references for her to use in the future. "I'm here to induct you into the Negaverse. I'll need a hand, because I'm not quite able to do it myself yet, but we'll call one of the general-sovereigns in shortly."
Wetting her lips she tilted her head thoughtfully.
"What do you think?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 3:44 pm
At first, Lovi thought nothing happened. Ms. Rey just started talking again about special gifts and unqiue ablities. Lovi nodded along, though a little dumbly. She felt dstracted. Why did she feel like she was missing something?
Wait. Her entire outfit like… Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open in a petite 'o'. "Whoa, wait, how'd you do that? That's like something straight out of a TV show!" Lovi stared in awe over the teal, the pants, the dusky military flair. She outfit swapped awfully fast for it to not be some kind of trick… But she didn't see any obvious strings around. She'd heard of magic tricks being this intense, but this seemed even more real than the ones she'd seen on YouTube.
Maybe this special program was a lot more gifted than she thought.
"That just happened, right? Like I'm not getting punked?" A brief turn of her head toward the door whipped her ponytail about her head. She didn't see anyone. It didn't look like any cameras sat on the unused filing cabinets either. "Will I be able to do something like that? 'Cuz… Oh wait, nevermind. Nobody's supposed to know." A light huff, and she straightened up.
"You look, um…" She bit her lower lip as she searched for the word. "Different. Like you've got this whole new outft, but if I didn't just see it happen, I wouldn't think it was you? Like I wouldn't think, 'oh, that's Ms. Rey', I'd be like 'oh, who's that'.
"But being in the Negaverse is gonna help me bring my grades up? Will I get extra credit through it?" She was eager to know, back ramrod straight, gaze doe-eyed and attentive.
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Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 11:46 am
The reveal was always the best part about inductions, as far as Penelope - or Stellerite as she would be called once she explained that - was concerned. While she made an effort, a poor one at that, to contain her pleased grin, it still crept it's way across her painted lips.
"Consider it a magic trick," she offered, now gloved hands folding together in front of her. "Oh, Lovina, it certainly happened." She took a moment to circle the girl, hand grazing her shoulder as she did so. When she came back around she looked as she did before, plain old Mr. Rey. "The feeling you're describing is a side effect of a thing called glamour. It allows me to operate in a manner akin to a superhero. An alter-ego without a physical mask if you would." Her hand waved about as she described things.
"Which means...?" She gestured for Lovina to fill in the blanks. Of course, the girl's question surprised her and her pale brows lifted to indicate such. "I can't guarantee it at this moment, but I'm sure we could work something out with your teachers." It helped knowing most of the staff were inducted members of the organization she served.
"You and I are going to work closely together Lovi," Penelope announced, opting to shorten the girls name to foster a feeling of closeness. "So, I would say. Yes." Penelope aimed to succeed and expected anyone under her influence and guided by her hand would too.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:21 am
Lovi blinked wide-eyed at Penelope while she strolled around her chair, but by the time the student snapped her head from one side to the other, Penelope looked like her normal self again. She felt completely bamboozled — one minute she looked like someone out of a fashion military, the next she looked like the usual faculty drone. What even happened?
Several second passed while Lovina tried to work out the mental acrobatcs. Who even imagined something like this? Ms. Rey flat-out admitted that she could look like a completely different person in the blink of an eye, and basically do whatever she wanted without being thought of as Penelope Rey. "Oh my god," she admitted breathlessly. The touch across her shoulder caused a chill. Her hands flew up to cup her face. "Oh my god," she repeated. "I get to be a superhero? Like seriously? That's totally insane!" Lovi quickly tampted down her excitement to an ecstatic whisper. "That is way unreal. This doesn't seem like a punishment at all." It felt like quite the opposite — like she was getting rewarded for sorta slacking off on her grades.
There was probably a catch, but honestly who cared? She was looking at an opportunity to turn into someone else in an instant. How cool was that? Bothering to be skeptical about it sounded so bookish and boring. Maybe some of the nerds in her classes would think it was worth questioning, but Lovi wasn't going to…
What was the phrase? Look a gift horse in the mouth? Not that it made much sense, anyway.
"Lit! So like, how do I do that?" Lovi moved to the edge of her seat, where her hands balled into fists at the ends of the chair arms. She marveled at the opportunity Ms. Rey presented her, even if she wasn't totally sure what it meant. But whatever, she was looking at the best opportunity she'd get past college. "Is it like… you just imagine it, and it happens?"nuxaz feel free to quote the mule when you think it's a good time!
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