Welcome to Gaia! ::

ＡＬＴＡＧＲＡＣＩＡ ☯ ＳＡＲＭＩＥＮＴＯ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳ ＯＦ ＳＩＳＣＩＡ


One last hurrah before my time's up. Shall I take it as a parting gift from the divine? If only I could feel so fortunate.

Altagracia had closed herself off more than usual these past few days. Aside from her classes and her nightly escapades, she gave herself little time to do anything else outside of laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, and waiting for the clock to tick down to that dreadful day. In a way, she felt a bit of shame about how she was acting as of late. When she first arrived at Utopia, she was filled with such grand aspirations. She was going to prove her worth as an investigator. Do right by the Sarmiento name. Carve out her own future. But these days, it just felt like she'd only given herself distractions before she finally caught up to her predetermined fate. Every night, before she went to bed, it was as though she could hear the wedding bells that signaled her transition from human being to mouthpiece calling to her in the distance. And as she grew more comfortable with the various auras that permeated the walls of this school, that chime only louder.

And then she received a request.

The intelligence agent from Thah known as Akwasi Ananse practically begged for her help in unraveling the wicked web that had seized one of his "friends" among the local peasantry. At first, Altagracia had thought he was surely joking. There was no doubt that the wall-crawler had at least some idea of her current state of seclusion. What use would she be like this? Or maybe this was just some elaborate ploy. Smokescreens seemed to be his native tongue, after all; it wouldn't surprise her if all he really wanted was to see if she was definitively off the board or not. But while she couldn't trust his words, Grace felt as though she could still somewhat trust in her eyes. Even the most cunning trickster couldn't escape the truth of the soul, and Akwasi's told her that he meant what he said. Or most of it, anyway.

Altagracia gave him a non-committal response and sent him on his way. The defeated part of her argued that there was no point to involve herself in such affairs. Despite how desperately she wanted to be, she was no professional. She always had blind spots, but the reveal that it was her own parents that were behind her marriage to Ryo showed her just how gaping those holes were. If her mentors made sure they could give her the slip, then how much had they actually bothered to teach her?

But then there was the other part of her. The part that helped give lovebirds their happy ending. The part of her that had gone all-in when it came to uncovering secrets regarding the night of the explosion. Connecting the zombies that had littered the halls to Professor Ergorova was no easy task, as the traces of her aura left on that finger were interlaced surgically. It was akin to thin, fleeting strands of silk woven into a similarly-hued cloth; nearly indistinguishable. But not invisible. Her escapades since then might have been of a much smaller scale, and yet she could still feel some sense of satisfaction in how she handled them and the bonds she formed from them. While her intentions were still unclear, it was a strong enough lead that she could still follow it should she wish to.

So then was she a failure or a work-in-progress? Did it matter either way? These were the questions that gripped Altagracia the tightest. It also crossed her mind that this might be, in some way, similar to the inaction Zahra had felt. The contortion that had mangled Anika into some ill-conceived version of herself. It would be easy for her to let her voice drift away, either to complete silence or to let someone else's fill the void. Just as well, Grace was certain that her parents would've preferred her to have become their perfect little mouthpiece already. That'd fit their plans nicely.

But in the end, didn't they prove themselves to be more than their fated dispositions? From small acts to wild outbursts, they showed her that their truths could not be so easily silenced. Although it might've made things easier in Anika's case... Even if that were true, the princess of sound's facade was terrifying in its own way. And besides, was that what Altagracia wanted to do? Make things easy? For whom? Her parents? Certainly not herself. Certainly not for everyone else in her life. And that's when she realized the answers to those two questions that haunted her. Firstly, whether it mattered or not was her choice. No one else's. And as to whether she was a failure or not? That was yet to be determined. The game was still afoot. And after passing several times over, she decided she'd start playing her turn again.

Getting her things together, she left her room. First, the spirit detective went to Akwasi to confirm that her investigation into his missing cohort was officially underway. From there, she let her favorite cowboy know that she'd need to take a rain check tonight. With a kiss goodbye, she continued on her way. Finally, she made her rounds to invite her interns to join the investigation. And Hasan; as long as he could keep his eyes on enemies instead of his pump, he might be of some use. Just as well, from passing glances it seemed as though he'd become quite close to with Charlene and Pascha. Quite close indeed. He deserved a spot in her closing chapter too.

She of course knew it was selfish of her to try and get them to involve themselves in her affairs once more, especially considering how dangerous things had gotten last time. Call it superstitious, but she couldn't shake the feeling that history might repeat itself. Even worse, she hadn't exactly been the best at keeping in touch with them. But mysteries were her native tongue; in this way, she could speak plainly. Providing them with a time and place, she made it clear that they were under no obligation to arrive; this was a door that they needn't open if they didn't wish to. After all, it was still unclear as to where it led.

Upon arriving at the specified study hall, Altagracia met with the guards she'd arranged to protect the entryway and informed them of her approved guest list. Anyone else was to be barred from entry. The room itself was something she'd been tinkering with when she first arrived, and incorporated various wards she had researched to make as private of a space as she could manage. And while she was unsure how truly foolproof it was, it was the best that she had. Placing her coat atop her chair, Grace began writing down the few bits of information she'd been given with her left hand. The spirit detective then placed them haphazardly across a cork board to be connected by pins and thread later.

As the time she gave them neared, Altagracia felt increasingly nervous. Would she be able to find Akwasi's disappeared conspirator? Was that even what she should be doing, given how little she knew of Thah's overall intentions here? After all, Professor Yezikhulumi's prior actions had done more than raise a brow for her. But there was an earnestness in that spider boy's request...and Altagracia would like to believe that she still recognized what that looked like.

Location: Private Chamber
Company: No One
Outfit: Outfit (With coat)
OOC:

[⚠️ Suspicious Content]

To normal eyes, it may have seemed that Pascha was rushing through the halls. He was certainly moving quickly relative to the other students meandering through. However, the truth was that Pascha was doing everything in his power to slow himself down. It was likely that every student at the academy had seen him speed run at least once when he forgot to rein it in, but on the off chance that his supposed secret was still a secret to someone he would try not to move from point A to point B at top speed every time. But he really, really wanted to this time. He wanted to be there already!

The reason he was so excited was simple: the boss had invited him to a new investigation! He did not get to talk to her much since the first one, she could be really reserved, so he wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away from him at all. Even though Pascha was making more and more friends since enrolling in this school, the boss was still among the first and she was very important to him. Grace, Charlene, and the Chocolate Man Hasan were the first three friends he had ever made and he wanted to hold onto them as closely as they could. Friends like Grace were hard to hold onto, but worth the effort. And the least he could do was show up when there was an actual job for her interns to do!

Would Hasan be there? Pascha did not doubt that fellow intern Charlene would be invited, but he had been unsure of the boss’ disposition toward the chocolate man. On the one hand, Pascha really, really hoped Hasan would be there. He always liked spending time with him and it would be great to get the original crew back together! And they would probably need someone really strong with them if this investigation became as dangerous as the other one. On the other hand… Hasan was distracting. It wasn’t his fault, he just was. It was going to be really hard for Pascha to focus with him around.

Well, at least the good news was that he almost never could focus on one, singular thing anyway. He would make do with half his attention and that would undoubtedly be more than enough, as it often was.

There were guards posted at the door to the study hall where the group was meant to meet and Pascha grinned broadly, excitement and curiosity whirring in his overclocked mind. He gave his name to a guard and was ushered into the room where the boss and Charlene were already waiting. ”Hey Boss! I made it! But Charlene beat me; I guess I could have run a little after all. Hi, Charlene!”

ＡＬＴＡＧＲＡＣＩＡ ☯ ＳＡＲＭＩＥＮＴＯ
ＤＵＣＨＥＳＳ ＯＦ ＳＩＳＣＩＡ



A ten-letter word for someone who won't blab? I would assume internship isn't meant to be correct here, but that would certainly make things easier...

Tapping the back of her pen on the bridge of her nose, Altagracia had decided to work on a crossword puzzle for a bit as she waited for the others to arrive. For a good while she had been wracking her head at the scraps of information she had been given thus far, but no new ideas were coming to mind. A short distraction was needed, and crosswords were always reliable. Sudoku could be fine as well, but she often found herself getting frustrated much easier in that maze of numbers. If Akwasi couldn't figure his little predicament out himself, she would need to be at her most analytical.

" Lady Grace?"

The vestiges of Charlene's aura coming into view from the corner of her eye alerted Altagracia to her presence prior to her near whisper. When the words finally did register, the spirit detective noted the lack of echo from her statement. In theory, the large room was well-insulated in regard to noise. That would serve them well. Altagracia's gaze left the book as she placed it and the pen down on the table before her, slightly narrowed aquamarine eyes turning their attention to the blonde before her. As Charlene chided herself for their lack of interactions with one another, Grace gently shook her head. "Think nothing of it, Charlene. What's important is that we're here together today," responded Altagracia with a fairly solid smile. There was a bittersweet aftertaste to it as her lips flattened, though. Trying again while Charlene asked if the rest of their little gang would be attending, a coy little smirk grew on her face as she gave a nod.

"Yes. I'm actually surprised you were the first to arrive given Pascha's speed. Do you think pants weigh him down too much?" Grace remarked, a hint of playfulness in her otherwise aloof tone. But just as the words left her mouth, as if drawn to the lighthearted jab by the divine, Pascha arrived at a barely-restrained pace. ”Hey Boss! I made it! But Charlene beat me; I guess I could have run a little after all. Hi, Charlene!”, exclaimed the hoodie boy gleefully. While she could still only look upon him for so long at one time, the ever-rapid state of his soul shifting far too rampantly for her to keep up with, a careful glance noted how gleeful each thought process was. Grace offered him a wistful grin, the same as with Charlene.

"That makes two, then. Welcome, welcome."

Unable to keep the cheery expression up for long this time either, her focus diverted to the leather portfolio to the side of her crossword. Opening the clasp, the spirit detective figured she'd put everything back in place as she waited for her temp to arrive. Not that it was a lot. Still, she was quite proud of the map of the school that she had worked on. Piecing together details was difficult, and she was always finding new parts of the campus to be explored, but she had a solid grip on the structure by now at least. Along with that were her personal files on Akwasi and the spy network he had been nurturing. Their interactions obscured their involvement with one another well, but the web of aura they wove together was not as easy to hide.

Not long after, Hasan entered. "Sorry, got a little lost. Good to see you all." Altagracia allowed her eyes to linger on him for a moment, finding some sense of amusement to how seriously he took his tardiness. Given how brief their interaction was previously, it seemed as though her interns had done good work in informing him of their chain of command. "Likewise. Do keep a better pace in the future, though. Almost docked your pay," responded Grace dryly, with only a droll lift of her brows hinting at her intent to tease. Hasan would go on to make a b-line straight for Pascha, with Altagracia paying close attention to the way his arm moved behind the blonde almost instinctively. With the way their auras seemed to intermingle so naturally, it seemed as though their bond had become particularly strong. Doing what, Altagracia had no idea. But considering they could both be immature boys at times, she was fine with leaving that case closed for the time being.

Hasan would go on to approach further still, asking about the guards and giving Altagracia reason to raise a brow for a moment. She then recalled the secrecy they had silently sworn to about their actions during the night of the explosion. Well played, interns. Altagracia stood to address her temp's concerns, hands remaining on the table. "Let me begin by dispelling any misconceptions about what may go on here today. I've asked you all to come today...because I'm a selfish person." Her head hung down for a moment as the spirit detective took a breath, only coming back up when she was prepared to continue. She felt uncomfortable with revealing her hand in full, but she nonetheless felt obligated to give them more than she had earlier.

"At the behest of Akwasi Ananse, I'm to conduct a missing persons investigation. One of his servants has vanished without a trace and I intend to find them.", she continued, her voice even and informative. There was pertinence to the way she spoke, wishing to convey the gravity of the situation. "What state they may be in, however, is undetermined." Moving the map forward, she turned it so it faced the three of them. "Marked here are locations for where the servants reside, eating locations, and hot spots of interactions prior to when they are needed for their various functions around the campus. Also noted is Akwasi's own quarters, which may also provide us information if he himself cannot." She had noted some pathways of which his people made their way to him, as well as the carefully placed webs that likely carried his other informants. If his powers really worked like that, anyway; he'd certainly claimed as such once, but Altagracia had some doubts. His words always left doubts. But those of the people before her? Far, far less. Altagracia closed her eyes and took in a deep inhale.

"As for my bringing the three of you into this, I...I require your services and I miss your company. Nonetheless, I must make it absolutely clear that I cannot guarantee your safety. Akwasi's network peers into the darkest corners of this school; I have no idea where this web leads." Her expression faltered as she spoke, brows knotting with self-doubt as her arms slid further together. Altagracia paused again, looking down at the map and letting out a soft sigh as she chided herself once more for her actions. Still, there was one positive point she wanted to make clear to them. Altagracia lifted her head back up with a softened countenance.

"But I believe that, through our combined efforts, we'll find the truth. I cannot make such issues important to you, nor do I expect you to take any action that would go against your individual posts. But should it be worth it to you...please stay and help. I'd...I'd really like that."

Gods, she felt so stupid saying that. Altagracia immediately shot her eyes back down to the map, sitting down. She did, however, feel some relief in letting that out. It still didn't feel right of her to say what she said, but nothing felt right in her life anymore. That being said, she would not pursue any of them further if they wished to opt out. Her offer was on the table; it would be up to them whether they wished to take it or not.

Location: Private Chamber
Company: Charlene, Hasan, Pascha
Wearing: Outfit (With coat)
OOC:

”Good to see you, too!” Not as much as they thought? Pascha was curious, but there wasn’t really much to go on. The comment was theoretically about him, considering it seemed to be a response to his arrival, but beyond that? Well, it didn’t really matter. He hadn’t been invited to uncover the mystery of an inside joke, after all! And if they were laughing at him a little bit, he guessed that was okay since they were his friends.

The boss actually grinned at him and that just made Pascha grin even wider. Grace wasn’t given to a lot of big expressions like that, so she must have been really happy that they showed up! At least that was how Pascha was going to take it. Not everybody said most of what they were thinking almost as quickly as they could think it like he did sometimes, and some people like the boss said even less than most people, so he had to pay attention to what they didn’t say! He wasn’t always good at it, though. His maybe but maybe not friendship with Ellis was definitely proof of that.

But Ellis wasn’t here today and he was at least pretty sure that the boss actually liked him a little. Even when her expression fell back into neutrality, Pascha wasn’t bothered at all. It was comfortable this way; Grace was just being herself and he wouldn’t want her to be anyone else!

Pascha distracted himself briefly with the cork board and had taken a couple of steps toward it when a very familiar voice reached his ears. He couldn’t help himself; he turned to beam up at Hasan radiantly. He hadn’t been sure the chocolate man was coming, but he had really, really hoped so! It felt like it had been forever since they had last seen each other. Of course it wasn’t really forever, but it still felt like a long time and that was just really sad but now Hasan was here! That meant he wasn’t really avoiding him, right? Right?

A large, warm hand landed on his back and Pascha was over the moon. It didn’t even matter that it was just a pat on the back; he hadn’t really been expecting more than that, anyway. He wouldn’t have minded, but that kind of stuff did come with questions and explanations that they were better off avoiding. But what mattered was Hasan hadn’t ignored him; he had been a little afraid that might happen. ”You made it! I’m glad you’re here.”

Pascha wasn’t great at reading people, but he was attentive and nearly always alert. He noticed many things that never even consciously became important to him. What he was noticing now was that they were being noticed. Neither the boss nor Charlene reacted much, but they had reacted. He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that yet and just tucked the thought away. Did they know everything just from a brief interaction like this? Maybe, maybe not. It was enough that neither of them seemed disgusted or even bothered. Charlene maybe even looked a little happy. There wasn’t any need to dig further than that.

It was time to listen anyway as the boss began explaining why she had brought them together today. Pascha’s head tilted curiously when she said it was due to her own selfishness. In what way? It definitely didn’t mesh with her going on to say that they were investigating the disappearance of someone else’s servant. This was a proper case with a proper client. Pascha stepped closer to examine the routes Grace had marked out for the client’s missing servants.

Oh, he remembered Akwasi! That was the one that had climbed on Hasan's back. Pascha had seen him a few times since then as well; the man was really friendly and a great listener! Sometimes he was too good of a listener and Pascha had to be extra careful about how much he actually said! But he still liked talking to Akwasi sometimes; it was nice talking to someone who would let him ramble a bit without looking too bored. Pascha would have helped with the boss’ investigation either way, but having a client he would also want to help was extra motivation.

When Grace finally came to the supposedly selfish part of her request, Pascha wanted to smile even wider. He couldn’t though; his smile was already too big! If that was selfish, then he was definitely okay with that kind of selfishness. But he would take her words seriously; this could be dangerous. Not everyone at this school was a friend. And if someone was willing to remove one of Akwasi’s servants from the board, there was no telling what else that person might be willing to do. What had the servant stumbled upon to lead to this situation? What had Akwasi sent them to do? Would he tell, even if Grace asked?

When Charlene mentioned their hands-on history lesson, Pascha’s shoulders tensed and his bright green eyes took on a hint of gray. But it was only a momentary change and he forced himself to relax and nod in agreement. He wasn’t sure if he felt braver, but he definitely felt different. Like if he could do something about it then he should! He wouldn’t be left behind tinkering with his projects and waiting for the bad news; not this time.

”I guess this means I’m selfish, too. You are all my friends; you are the first three friends I ever made. Ever. You are really important to me, so I was never going to say no. I’m really happy to spend time together again, even if it’s dangerous. Maybe even especially if it’s dangerous. That time Charlene mentioned… I don’t know if I could have done it if there wasn’t someone I care about with me. And I don’t want to sit this out and… and have something happen… just like before. Something I could have maybe fixed if I had just… been there.”

Pascha’s hands clenched into fists at his sides and he continued to stare blankly at the corkboard. He didn’t like to talk about that, or him. He hated how it made him feel. But it was impossible not to think of Aksell when he was given the choice between following his friends into danger or minding his own business and just hoping they would be alright. ”We should all be armed, just in case. Something small and concealable. I’ll have to consider some options after this. Oh, and boss…”

Pascha smiled once more, though it wasn’t as bright as before, as he turned to look at Grace. ”You don’t have to say it if you’re not comfortable, okay? I think we all know. We wouldn’t be in this room if you didn’t want us around, useful or not.” The boss was a very stoic person usually and Pascha had never minded it. He didn’t think Charlene did, either. If Hasan minded, he wasn’t sure the chocolate man would have come. So if no one minded, why should she be stressed trying to put their friendship into words? They were friends, and that was that. ”Besides, I talk enough for both of us and I don’t mind saying it at all. We’re friends and we’re all happy to see each other again! I’m glad you asked us here today.”

ωith: Grace, Hasan, and Pascha︱ ωhere: Private Quarters︱ мood: Curious︱ σutfit: ✖

Hasan was giving him a worried look and Pascha couldn’t deny that it was justified. He wasn’t a fighter and never had been. The two people he had “killed” in history class were a fluke; one was by accident and the other was only out of panic and anger at his companion being injured. If something terrible happened, if there was danger, he really wasn’t sure what he would do. But he wasn’t completely helpless. He wasn’t great at his martial lessons, but he knew enough to put the pointy end in the other guy. It would have to be enough; he wasn’t willing to sit this one out.

But he could agree to Hasan’s very reasonable terms. Admittedly a little tension left Pascha’s shoulders when Hasan not only agreed to come along, but insisted they rely on him for protection. He nodded and gave Hasan a sheepish smile. ”I’m sorry. I know if I was stronger then I wouldn’t have to hide behind you.” He would do better. He would get stronger, somehow. But until then, he would lean on Hasan again and be grateful for it.

When asked if he had any weapons, Pascha nodded slowly, a little uncertainly. ”I have been working on a little something… but I haven’t really put it through its paces yet.” Pascha raised his right arm and squeezed the forearm with his left hand. A soft click could be heard as a switchblade shot into his right hand which he flicked open and closed with ease. He had been a bit inspired by Gwenivere’s deadly jewelry and had made pieces more like hers as well, but just couldn’t really justify wearing such a beautiful piece as a casual, everyday accessory. ”I need to perfect the triggering mechanism. I want ease of use without too much risk of accidentally setting it off. I’m also weighing the pros and cons of a retraction mechanism… Oh. Um… sorry. I’m getting off topic. The point is, I plan to be as ready as I can be.”

Pascha tucked the knife away again as Altagracia stood, smiling and thanking them before beckoning them closer. It was time to begin in earnest. Or at least that had been the plan before a ruckus started up outside of the room. Pascha’s shoulders tensed. Had they been discovered already? Was someone trying to push through the guards to get to them? Pascha was ready to deploy his weapon again, but when the door opened it was just a girl.

Not that girls couldn’t be dangerous. He was sure that Gwenivere would have set him straight on that if he was ever foolish enough to doubt it. But if this girl was dangerous, she wasn’t flaunting it just yet. She was smiling and speaking cheerfully as she made a gift of wine to Altagracia. Did the boss even drink wine? Pascha tucked the question away for later. The bigger, more important question was: What wedding? And maybe also what did she mean about the boss keeping them a secret. He didn't think their friendship was really secret. And why shouldn’t she spend time with her friends before a wedding oh wait this was a sex thing, wasn’t it?

Pascha’s cheeks were dusted with pink and he opened his mouth to clear up the misconception, but hesitated. As much as he definitely did not want to ruin Altagracia’s reputation, he also could not offer an alternative story for their being gathered in secret. He couldn’t just blurt out the truth. Fortunately, the boss was quicker than him this time and more clever. They were wedding planners now. That wasn’t something Pascha thought he would be even remotely good at, but he would follow the boss’ lead.

Pascha resisted the urge to look over at Hasan, but a part of him wanted to know if the man was smiling. Did he enjoy the attention he was receiving from a really pretty girl in stylish clothes? He had to be, right? She really was very pretty, even if Pascha didn’t feel any interest. Realistically, he knew he would have been fawning over someone like her saying he was cute when he had first arrived at the academy. It was strange, feeling so differently about it now. In fact, he didn’t feel anything about being called cute; instead his attention zeroed in on how her eyes lingered on Hasan’s thickly muscled body. And what he felt about that was an ugly emotion he had never really experienced before, but he sure recognized it quickly and he did not like it.

Pascha was jealous. He wanted the pretty girl to leave. He didn’t care if Hasan found her again later; he didn’t have any right to care about that. But he didn’t want to see it. When he was with Hasan, he wanted to pretend that no one else had him. It was stupid and selfish and childish, but he didn’t want to have to face head on the fact that Hasan was not and could not ever really be his. He was being irrational; better to shove those thoughts down hard. He turned gray eyes away from the beautiful interloper to listen to the rest of the boss’ plan, spun into a story of a missing wedding collaborator.

”I’m on it.” Pascha answered readily when given a description of the servant and a place to begin his search. He both wanted to get out of this room quickly and didn’t want to have to leave Hasan behind. It really was true what everyone said; he couldn’t eat his cake and have it, too. ”Good luck, everyone!” Pascha smiled, feigning his usual cheer as they parted ways and he took off at a jog.

In a way it felt good to get the investigation underway and distract himself from the ugliness that had brewed up inside him. Unfortunately, that good feeling did not translate into useful results. Most of the people Pascha spoke to in the staff housing had no idea who he was even describing, like they had never seen him before at all. Was that really possible? Pascha didn’t think they were lying, though… Maybe it was just really easy to forget faces with so many people around. Just like how he didn’t always recognize all of his classmates despite spending months with them by now. Understandable, but not helpful. The whopping two people who thought they might have recognized the description couldn’t tell him anything about the man, where he could usually be found, where they had last seen him, nothing! Not even where he usually slept, though he supposed trying to search someone’s room would be going way outside of his orders. It was disappointing to return empty-handed, but he had asked everyone he could find and it was closing in on time to meet back up with the others. Pascha wouldn’t be late, that word was almost profanity to him, so he turned to head back and report his lack of results.