PREP Highschool

Locales found within the main city centers; primarily Inside, Riverside, and Skyside.
Ironsmith
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Detention]

Aiko shakes her head yet again. Mary oversimplifies these things quite a bit, doesn't she? "'Hate' is a terribly strong word for the feeling cities seem to invoke in him. Clearly, he is more than capable of loving city folk." A light orange momentarily tints Aiko's cheeks before she continues. "But cities are understandably frustrating to him. They're a very different environment from how he was raised; physically, culturally, spiritually. They don't foster the same sense of kinship that marks the nomadic lifestyle, which for someone who holds kinship very close to his heart, may as well be poison."

"In summary... I believe you are being entirely too hard on him, Mary."

Aiko lets the statement stand for a moment before letting out a little sigh and looking away. "Not that it matters." She adds despondently. "The odds favor that the two of you will never speak again. There is little to take away from this conversation, other than how to approach the subject the next time an orc comes to you and..." The empress trails off, not entirely certain how to finish that sentence without sounding too keen on Aigo herself.
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Earl of Purple
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Earl of Purple »

Outside- The Whispering Sea

Aikobaz tries to dream the future. She's sat on the silver throne, a crowd of nobles and officers and loremasters before her, as two naked priests painted gold approach with the bushbaby on it. The bushbaby feels familiar; she's not encountered it before, but experiencing it like this... it feels somehow similar to the bird with wings of sky in the forgotten shrine she visited in Aigothurz' dream. The bushbaby isn't a bushbaby; it's a metrodeus, god of Ecbatana and all the people in it. It's got a lot of weight to it, and as it approaches it smiles at Aikobaz and...

Aikobaz falls into its eyes. She sees a small village on the edge of a great river, dominated by a large tree. The villagers are poor, the village crude; the homes are made of wattle and daub, with thatch roofs, they farm wheat and make bread, fish the river and all their tools are stone, or bone. Time speeds up, the village grows, people move, coracles cross the river and turn into ferries, the houses grow larger, wood is imported, an earth rampart is thrown up. Metal arrives, copper then bronze then steel, a stone wall is built on the rampart then the town spreads beyond it. The tree's cut down, and in its branches the villagers find a bushbaby with eyes of polished spinel. A shrine is built, expands into a temple; a wise woman brings her daughters, and the bushbaby selects one. In time, the chosen daughter presents her own daughters to the primate, and another is chosen. A large house is built for the hereditary wise-women, grows into a manor, expands into the temple which becomes an annex, then turns into a palace. What was a village, and then a town, is a metropolis. The stilt-legged pachyderms stride through the streets, gates are added, removed, a horde arrives and orcs plunder and burn, gates are rebuilt, and the city grows stronger. This is no longer Aikobaz' dream.
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Thursday Violist
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Thursday Violist »

Keeper wrote: May 18, 2023 7:22 pm Entryway

Luckily for Obsidian today is a visiting day so she won't get stopped at the door. Though the zombies are probably drawing some eyes.
In the immediate courtyard of the school is a rhinoceros-sized purple dragon with a thick horn on his nose. He is snoozing on a small pile of homework.
Well, Obsidian's mission is accomplished. She has found a dragon. But is she daring enough to wake him?

[Entryway -> Courtyard]

The zombies, of course, are following Obsidian because they're holding her things. One of them's even got a purse.

Obsidian, of course, heads directly towards the first dragon she sees.

He's huge! she thinks. She crouches down and stares up at him for a few moments, looking at his scales and horn and everything.

Obsidian then reaches out to poke the purple dragon. "Hey. Hey, you awake?" she asks.
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bc56
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Detention
Mary can already tell Aiko is keen on Aigo. Call it succubus' intuition or something like that... Even if she's not much of a succubus. "You're projecting," she replies, a smug smile on her face, "I'm not really into orcs. And he should've gotten to know me before asking me out. The argument would've been less of a shock. And he should've made it clear he was asking me out. Saying, 'I want to talk about Aiko, meet me at such and such place,' isn't a date."
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Keeper »

Parts Unknown

With them alone, Kol can't help but ask a pertinent question.
"So...are you sure there's no way out of here. It sounds like neither of us really want to get on Braeg's bad side tonight." he asks her quietly.

Crystal Dorms

"I had been assuming assassination, yeah. I have been told that's how royalty works." But Mac shuts up afterwards.
And being fair, most Seeq take fun seriously. Though their definition of fun can differ.
Mac finally settles on a colorful box full of mostly cards and little pawns.
His insidious plan of course, is that this is the kind of game that is almost entirely luck based, and so no matter how good at games Aiko is, they have an equal chance of winning.

Entryway

A large eye slowly opens, staring up at Obsidian.
"Mmph." he mumbles. "I guess. Who are you?"
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

Earl of Purple wrote: May 19, 2023 11:12 am Outside- The Whispering Sea

Aikobaz tries to dream the future. She's sat on the silver throne, a crowd of nobles and officers and loremasters before her, as two naked priests painted gold approach with the bushbaby on it. The bushbaby feels familiar; she's not encountered it before, but experiencing it like this... it feels somehow similar to the bird with wings of sky in the forgotten shrine she visited in Aigothurz' dream. The bushbaby isn't a bushbaby; it's a metrodeus, god of Ecbatana and all the people in it. It's got a lot of weight to it, and as it approaches it smiles at Aikobaz and...

Aikobaz falls into its eyes. She sees a small village on the edge of a great river, dominated by a large tree. The villagers are poor, the village crude; the homes are made of wattle and daub, with thatch roofs, they farm wheat and make bread, fish the river and all their tools are stone, or bone. Time speeds up, the village grows, people move, coracles cross the river and turn into ferries, the houses grow larger, wood is imported, an earth rampart is thrown up. Metal arrives, copper then bronze then steel, a stone wall is built on the rampart then the town spreads beyond it. The tree's cut down, and in its branches the villagers find a bushbaby with eyes of polished spinel. A shrine is built, expands into a temple; a wise woman brings her daughters, and the bushbaby selects one. In time, the chosen daughter presents her own daughters to the primate, and another is chosen. A large house is built for the hereditary wise-women, grows into a manor, expands into the temple which becomes an annex, then turns into a palace. What was a village, and then a town, is a metropolis. The stilt-legged pachyderms stride through the streets, gates are added, removed, a horde arrives and orcs plunder and burn, gates are rebuilt, and the city grows stronger. This is no longer Aikobaz' dream.
[Outside - The Whispering Sea]

Oh.

Oooooh.

That... does very well explain what she's dealing with, yes.

Aiko looks at the metrodeus and gives it a little nod. "So that's your game, is it?" She asks. "You show prospective rulers the history up until now, and... I'm going to hazard a guess and say, 'see if they appreciate the scope of their duties'." She tilts her head quizically at the bushbaby. "Is that about right?"
bc56 wrote: May 20, 2023 2:21 am Detention
Mary can already tell Aiko is keen on Aigo. Call it succubus' intuition or something like that... Even if she's not much of a succubus. "You're projecting," she replies, a smug smile on her face, "I'm not really into orcs. And he should've gotten to know me before asking me out. The argument would've been less of a shock. And he should've made it clear he was asking me out. Saying, 'I want to talk about Aiko, meet me at such and such place,' isn't a date."
[Detention]

"How on earth am I projecting?" Aiko asks, her face contorted into a deep frown. "The man really is a sweetheart. While I may have more basis than you for recognizing as such, that doesn't make it less true." She gives Mary a sidelong glance. "...And as an aside, the entire purpose of a date is to get to know you. I know your Intro to Romance grade wasn't stellar, but you should know that much, at least."
Keeper wrote: May 21, 2023 3:57 am Parts Unknown

With them alone, Kol can't help but ask a pertinent question.
"So...are you sure there's no way out of here. It sounds like neither of us really want to get on Braeg's bad side tonight." he asks her quietly.

Crystal Dorms

"I had been assuming assassination, yeah. I have been told that's how royalty works." But Mac shuts up afterwards.
And being fair, most Seeq take fun seriously. Though their definition of fun can differ.
Mac finally settles on a colorful box full of mostly cards and little pawns.
His insidious plan of course, is that this is the kind of game that is almost entirely luck based, and so no matter how good at games Aiko is, they have an equal chance of winning.
[Parts Unknown]

"I, um..." The ex-fox closes her eyes, attempting to focus her thoughts. "...I... I don't know. I don't think..." She shakes her head, letting out a little grunt of frustration. "I don't remember what the normal way out of here would be. I... I know there is one, we got here somehow, but the entire trip from Lesser Wood to here is just..." She shakes her head. "...Sorry."

[Crystal Dorms]

"...As my mother would say." Aikobaz begins, a note of irritation in her voice. "Are you taking the piss?"

Aiko stares down at the game in Mac's hands, shaking her head. "You have no right to call that a game." She says flatly. "It's a colorful board full of pretty pictures, for entertaining children. Dim children. I don't see any of those here." She pauses, letting out an annoyed sigh. "...Well, I only see one here." She corrects, exasperated.
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Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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bc56
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Detention
"Really. If you want to go live in a yurt with your 'sweetheart' who's out to bloodily conquer a kingdom, be my guest," Mary taunts back. "And no, a date is to see if you want a relationship to go deeper. There was no relationship to deepen. I'd never talked to him before." Too bad Miss Juno is out, so she can't clear the disagreement up (probably by saying they're both right).
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Detention]

"...You know what?" Aikobaz stands ups straight. "Yeah. I do want that. I've seen the yurt he grew up in; it's quite comfortable. And Aigothurz himself is a fine young man. Living with him so far has been a unilaterally pleasant experience and I would not object to attempting it in another venue." She puts her hands on her hips and gives a curt little nod. "If you insist on missing out because he happens to be related to me, by ties other than blood, even, then more's the pity for you."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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bc56
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Detention
That last statement has Mary rolling her eyes again. "I know you live in your own little self-centered world, but you really think I hate you that much? I gave you three reasons I'm not interested in him, none of which had to do with you, but obviously you weren't paying attention."
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Parts Unknown

"Hm. So we don't know if Braeg teleported us here or just...walked us here and erased our memory of it. I don't really like either one of those. I don't think I trust myself to try to get both of us out. I'd feel bad if I got the lot of us eaten." He's still carrying a couple spirit passengers, after all.
Hm. He's a bit at a loss of how to proceed. They could try to just kill time....

Crystal Dorms

"Come, Aiko. An empress should have more patience. Of course I am." Mac slides away the decoy board to reveal a colorful but significantly less juvenile board game-
which is, of course, just as luck based. But this one is much better at concealing it.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Thursday Violist »

Keeper wrote: May 21, 2023 3:57 am
Entryway

A large eye slowly opens, staring up at Obsidian.
"Mmph." he mumbles. "I guess. Who are you?"

[Entryway]

"I'm Obsidian," she says.

She doesn't introduce the zombies nearby.

Obsidian swishes her hair. Even though (she thinks) it's obvious, she adds, "I'm a dragon."

She looks right in his eye.
"So why were you sleeping here, anyway? There's better places to sleep than on pieces of paper." She gestures at the homework on the ground.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Earl of Purple »

Outside- The Whispering Sea

The vision changes, the bushbaby responding to Aikobaz' queries in ways other than verbal. The silver throne she's seen all the princesses sit on appears, and a woman is sat on it. She's old and weather-beaten, wearing a green silk sari with yellow tassels. The bushbaby is on her shoulder, stroking her grey hair. "My daughter will give you prosperity, Ecbatana. Select her as my successor, please." The woman changes, another old woman, similar but not the same as the first, eyes clouded with cataracts, stroking the bushbaby in her lap.
"My mother was wise to choose me as her follower. And I, in my turn, ask that you choose my daughter to follow; I have enhanced our walls and our market is spoken of from one side of the world to the other. I have taught my daughter all I can, and brought in tutors. She will make us proud, Ecbatana."
A third woman sits the throne; younger than the last two, at least in appearance, and holding a small bottle. The bushbaby sits on the arm of the throne, staring into her eyes. "War has come, and I am the wrong woman for this job. I have no sons, but my second daughter has learnt the arts of war and travelled far. She will know what to do, please let her sit this seat, and not my eldest. She can save this city." The woman then downs the contents of the bottle, and dies.
Another woman is on the throne, wearing a suit of copper lamellar and a pointed iron helmet, a sword across her lap. The bushbaby is on her shoulder. "I took no husband, nor a wife, and have no sons or daughters. My eldest sister's dead, and my younger one married the Dictator of Abaskun. My eldest sister's eldest daughter is mad, but her younger sister has trained with the magi. She will serve you and this city well when I am gone."
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

bc56 wrote: May 24, 2023 11:39 pm Detention
That last statement has Mary rolling her eyes again. "I know you live in your own little self-centered world, but you really think I hate you that much? I gave you three reasons I'm not interested in him, none of which had to do with you, but obviously you weren't paying attention."
[Detention]

"Yes."

Aikobaz sighs. "You certainly do seem to hate me that much." She clarifies. "And while I may have been off the mark in making the assertion that would be the sole reason to deny my c-... to deny Aigothurz's company, the sentiment remains. We have not exactly been the best of friends."
Keeper wrote: May 25, 2023 2:37 am Parts Unknown

"Hm. So we don't know if Braeg teleported us here or just...walked us here and erased our memory of it. I don't really like either one of those. I don't think I trust myself to try to get both of us out. I'd feel bad if I got the lot of us eaten." He's still carrying a couple spirit passengers, after all.
Hm. He's a bit at a loss of how to proceed. They could try to just kill time....

Crystal Dorms

"Come, Aiko. An empress should have more patience. Of course I am." Mac slides away the decoy board to reveal a colorful but significantly less juvenile board game-
which is, of course, just as luck based. But this one is much better at concealing it.
[Parts Unknown]

"...Hee..." The vixen-girl laughs in spite of herself. "You're still silly, cousin Kol."

Her ears perk up as the strained sound of a sustained note drifts in from the dining hall. "Ooh! Ooh, they're starting to finish!" She burbles, holding on to Kol's claws and taking a step back. "That's good! We can go home and forget all about it!"


[Crystal Dorms]

Aikobaz shakes her head and lets out a disgusted sigh. "...I can see you won't be dissuaded." She mutters, taking a seat at the table. "But take notice; unlike the board, I will not apologize for any of the actions that follow."

Earl of Purple wrote: May 25, 2023 11:06 am Outside- The Whispering Sea

The vision changes, the bushbaby responding to Aikobaz' queries in ways other than verbal. The silver throne she's seen all the princesses sit on appears, and a woman is sat on it. She's old and weather-beaten, wearing a green silk sari with yellow tassels. The bushbaby is on her shoulder, stroking her grey hair. "My daughter will give you prosperity, Ecbatana. Select her as my successor, please." The woman changes, another old woman, similar but not the same as the first, eyes clouded with cataracts, stroking the bushbaby in her lap.
"My mother was wise to choose me as her follower. And I, in my turn, ask that you choose my daughter to follow; I have enhanced our walls and our market is spoken of from one side of the world to the other. I have taught my daughter all I can, and brought in tutors. She will make us proud, Ecbatana."
A third woman sits the throne; younger than the last two, at least in appearance, and holding a small bottle. The bushbaby sits on the arm of the throne, staring into her eyes. "War has come, and I am the wrong woman for this job. I have no sons, but my second daughter has learnt the arts of war and travelled far. She will know what to do, please let her sit this seat, and not my eldest. She can save this city." The woman then downs the contents of the bottle, and dies.
Another woman is on the throne, wearing a suit of copper lamellar and a pointed iron helmet, a sword across her lap. The bushbaby is on her shoulder. "I took no husband, nor a wife, and have no sons or daughters. My eldest sister's dead, and my younger one married the Dictator of Abaskun. My eldest sister's eldest daughter is mad, but her younger sister has trained with the magi. She will serve you and this city well when I am gone."
[Outside - The Whispering Sea]

"...That doesn't follow." Aiko frowns, rubbing her chin. "If I'm following the line of succession correctly, that would be..."

One of the aforementioned failures, she realizes before she finishes speaking.

"...So now you're working through the other possible heirs." AIko says to herself, repeating the obvious as though it helps her situation. "That would lead you to Hope. And then to me, if you're following familial, rather than blood ties. Tell me, Ecbatana, would I be correct in assuming that you would prefer Hope to sit on the throne, and that the Loremasters brought me back in error?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Detention
Mary rolls her eyes. "There's a huge range between 'friends' and 'hatred.' It's not worth the time and effort for me to hate you. You're a nuisance, nothing more." Mary expects Aiko to deny that and maybe throw a fit. She seems like the type to want to be significant to Mary, whether or not it's a positive significance. But Mary isn't lying. She's through with her rivalry with Aiko, she's concerned about other things now.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Detention]

"Indeed." Aiko affirms, rubbing her fingers together. "...In a way, I suppose that comes as a relief. I, too, have other concerns than whether one student has a particular like of me or not. Though I maintain there is much to gain from a closer relationship, as Miss Juno would say, one cannot force these things."

The empress extends her hand to Mary. "So shall we be candid about it, then? Mutual neutrality?"
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Here's to us!
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Earl of Purple »

Whispering Sea

The bushbaby tilts its head to one side, and shows a different image. The elderly Loremaster and his two younger assistants or apprentices are inside a vast geode, balancing precariously on a narrow path amongst the amethyst crystals. lit by a lamp held by one of the younger assistants. The Loremaster is carrying a male pheasant. There's a steel door which has been shut behind them. There's water at the bottom of the geode, and when they reach the edge of the pool, the pheasant is thrown into the water and the lamp is shuttered, plunging the geode into darkness- but not for long, as the Loremaster begins moving his hands, leaving trails of light behind them and muttering in an arcane tongue. It's not translated, and the crystals begin to glow, light collecting at their points before an image appears in the pool.

In the image, Mrs. Bloodplunder is riding a three-horned wargoat, followed by three other goats and a stilt-legged elephant. The other riders are a Loremaster wearing a smoking hat and plain red robes, mounted upon the elephant, and six half-orcs. Mrs. Bloodplunder's older than in the earlier vision, though not the elderly lady that Aikobaz is familiar with. The oldest half-orc is a muscular lad about thirteen, riding a goat with three other, younger half-orcs, a three-year-old in front of him and a ten-year-old behind, a baby held tight by the latter. Nana has her flail out, the end spattered with blood, and one of the goats has an arrow lodged in its face. The only girl is a ten-year-old, scared-looking and wearing silk and satin rather than the leather of the others, riding with a grim-faced boy a year or so older. The vision of a vision is silent, and ends with the group slowing before the Loremaster talks to Nana, riding the elephant forward and opening a portal before one of the children seems to scream and point. Another two arrows appear, one taking the Loremaster in the leg; he winces and gestures to the portal desperately as Nana directs the children through it. The Loremaster in the geode gestures, and the angle of the pool-image changes, looking through the portal at a field, with the city of Inside visible in the distance. More arrows are falling, some passing through the portal, which shuts after the Loremaster falls from his elephant, which soon starts to lope off. Orcs arrive, mostly on foot but one is riding a war-goat, and one of the orcs is carrying a matchlock musket, the barrel still smoking.

The pool goes dark, and so does the geode; the amethyst going dark before the lantern is unshuttered and light returns. The pheasant is not visible anywhere. "So she lived. There is another heir to the queen's bloodline. Search for that city, it looked distinctive, and that was not this world. The Cartographers should know more; Blammig was of their order. Find a girl that goes by Bloodplunder, and you shall have her, or her daughter. The barbarian woman we saw birthed sons, and her sons will sire sons. She's going to have sons until the heir of her husband is born." Which would explain why every Bloodplunder Aikobaz has met has been male, unless they married in. The exception is Aigothurz' half-sister, and Aikobaz only met her in a dream.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Detention
Mary looks at the offered hand thoughtfully. "Yeah. Peace." She shakes it.
Aiko better not make her regret it, say, by continuing to try to boss her around and belittle her intelligence.

Did Miss Juno plan this? Doesn't seem likely but she's a strange person and nobody's quite sure what her goals and abilities are. She's not the usual teacher for detention, is she?
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Keeper »

Ironsmith wrote: Jun 04, 2023 8:32 am [Parts Unknown]

"...Hee..." The vixen-girl laughs in spite of herself. "You're still silly, cousin Kol."

Her ears perk up as the strained sound of a sustained note drifts in from the dining hall. "Ooh! Ooh, they're starting to finish!" She burbles, holding on to Kol's claws and taking a step back. "That's good! We can go home and forget all about it!"
Parts Unknown

Kol has to hold himself back from saying "already?" because he won't look a good turn in the mouth. Or- you know what he meant.
"Oh, okay. Well, that went by faster than I thought it would." the dragon lopes back to the central hall with his 'cousin' in tow.
Ironsmith wrote: Jun 04, 2023 8:32 am [Crystal Dorms]

Aikobaz shakes her head and lets out a disgusted sigh. "...I can see you won't be dissuaded." She mutters, taking a seat at the table. "But take notice; unlike the board, I will not apologize for any of the actions that follow."
Crystal Dorms

"That's perfectly fine, Aiko. I assure you that I am not a sore loser and I will be more than willing to roll over and admit it when you inevitably thrash my tail all the way back to Ivalice." Mac assures Aikobaz theatrically as he sets up the board.
"You can even go first."
Thursday Violist wrote: May 25, 2023 2:58 am [Entryway]

"I'm Obsidian," she says.

She doesn't introduce the zombies nearby.

Obsidian swishes her hair. Even though (she thinks) it's obvious, she adds, "I'm a dragon."

She looks right in his eye.
"So why were you sleeping here, anyway? There's better places to sleep than on pieces of paper." She gestures at the homework on the ground.
Entryway

"Hm. Maybe." Kol refuses to admit that he just fell asleep while doing boring math homework. People find out that you're a dragon and they just expect you to be great at math.
"But consider: I was tired. And when you're a dragon you can sleep where you want." he says confidently.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Thursday Violist »

Keeper wrote: Jun 08, 2023 2:50 am Entryway

"Hm. Maybe." Kol refuses to admit that he just fell asleep while doing boring math homework. People find out that you're a dragon and they just expect you to be great at math.
"But consider: I was tired. And when you're a dragon you can sleep where you want." he says confidently.

[Entryway]

Obsidian, as it happens, is a dragon. And is bad at math. And if someone told her dragons are supposed to be good at math, she'd stare at them, confused, as she wonders what being amazing and awesome and the best has to do with math.

"I guess so," she replies. "But maybe a tree would be better. Or on top of a building. Paper isn't very comfortable."

She looks down at her basket of various eggs. Bird egg, snake egg, plastic egg. "By the way, do you want one?" There's even a chocolate egg! Obsidian holds out her basket so Kol can see in it better.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Earl of Purple wrote: Jun 06, 2023 1:35 pm Whispering Sea

The bushbaby tilts its head to one side, and shows a different image. The elderly Loremaster and his two younger assistants or apprentices are inside a vast geode, balancing precariously on a narrow path amongst the amethyst crystals. lit by a lamp held by one of the younger assistants. The Loremaster is carrying a male pheasant. There's a steel door which has been shut behind them. There's water at the bottom of the geode, and when they reach the edge of the pool, the pheasant is thrown into the water and the lamp is shuttered, plunging the geode into darkness- but not for long, as the Loremaster begins moving his hands, leaving trails of light behind them and muttering in an arcane tongue. It's not translated, and the crystals begin to glow, light collecting at their points before an image appears in the pool.

In the image, Mrs. Bloodplunder is riding a three-horned wargoat, followed by three other goats and a stilt-legged elephant. The other riders are a Loremaster wearing a smoking hat and plain red robes, mounted upon the elephant, and six half-orcs. Mrs. Bloodplunder's older than in the earlier vision, though not the elderly lady that Aikobaz is familiar with. The oldest half-orc is a muscular lad about thirteen, riding a goat with three other, younger half-orcs, a three-year-old in front of him and a ten-year-old behind, a baby held tight by the latter. Nana has her flail out, the end spattered with blood, and one of the goats has an arrow lodged in its face. The only girl is a ten-year-old, scared-looking and wearing silk and satin rather than the leather of the others, riding with a grim-faced boy a year or so older. The vision of a vision is silent, and ends with the group slowing before the Loremaster talks to Nana, riding the elephant forward and opening a portal before one of the children seems to scream and point. Another two arrows appear, one taking the Loremaster in the leg; he winces and gestures to the portal desperately as Nana directs the children through it. The Loremaster in the geode gestures, and the angle of the pool-image changes, looking through the portal at a field, with the city of Inside visible in the distance. More arrows are falling, some passing through the portal, which shuts after the Loremaster falls from his elephant, which soon starts to lope off. Orcs arrive, mostly on foot but one is riding a war-goat, and one of the orcs is carrying a matchlock musket, the barrel still smoking.

The pool goes dark, and so does the geode; the amethyst going dark before the lantern is unshuttered and light returns. The pheasant is not visible anywhere. "So she lived. There is another heir to the queen's bloodline. Search for that city, it looked distinctive, and that was not this world. The Cartographers should know more; Blammig was of their order. Find a girl that goes by Bloodplunder, and you shall have her, or her daughter. The barbarian woman we saw birthed sons, and her sons will sire sons. She's going to have sons until the heir of her husband is born." Which would explain why every Bloodplunder Aikobaz has met has been male, unless they married in. The exception is Aigothurz' half-sister, and Aikobaz only met her in a dream.
[Whispering Sea]

"...So they really do just think I'm Hope. Figures." Aiko turns her vision back on the bushbaby. "And is that going to matter to you? Are you that bound to bloodlines and ancestry?"

She's expecting a "yes", of course. But since Ecbanta's here to answer questions so readily, she isn't going to leave that an assumption if she can.
bc56 wrote: Jun 07, 2023 12:43 am Detention
Mary looks at the offered hand thoughtfully. "Yeah. Peace." She shakes it.
Aiko better not make her regret it, say, by continuing to try to boss her around and belittle her intelligence.

Did Miss Juno plan this? Doesn't seem likely but she's a strange person and nobody's quite sure what her goals and abilities are. She's not the usual teacher for detention, is she?
[Detention]

Maybe she did. Maybe she was. Unfortunately, Miss Juno has proven rather difficult to get a read on, in the mundane, psychic and empathic sense.

But regardless. The truce is made. Which leaves little to do now but try to sit in relative silence so as not to endanger the uneasy peace between them.

Aiko, unfortunately, can't sit silent.

Tap, tap, tap, tap patap, tap patap...

Keeper wrote: Jun 08, 2023 2:50 am
Parts Unknown

Kol has to hold himself back from saying "already?" because he won't look a good turn in the mouth. Or- you know what he meant.
"Oh, okay. Well, that went by faster than I thought it would." the dragon lopes back to the central hall with his 'cousin' in tow.

Crystal Dorms

"That's perfectly fine, Aiko. I assure you that I am not a sore loser and I will be more than willing to roll over and admit it when you inevitably thrash my tail all the way back to Ivalice." Mac assures Aikobaz theatrically as he sets up the board.
"You can even go first."
[Parts Unknown]

Time flies when you're having fun. Or when there's a fox around.

The little fiendling grins and takes off after Kol, shifting back into a vixen and hopping up onto his back. She seems to be counting on the idea that he wouldn't much mind having a small canid on him... or at least, not as much as he would mind having a human(ish) girl.

As promised, when Kol arrives back in the main hall, things are indeed winding down... if by "winding down", one means "the meal is over and Braeg seems to be giving a speech".

Or at least he was, right up until Kol stepped into the room. At which point he'll be greeted with applause from those assembled; even the dead-eyed trio joins in on this one. Bat-girl is in on it, as well, and contributes a shrill whistle to the proceedings. Braeg himself simply gives a slow clap and smiles at Kol knowingly, as though he had timed things this way on purpose and just had to make sure the dragon knew it.

"Master Kol." Braeg greets, putting a hand over his shoulder. "Would you care to start us off?"


[Crystal Dorms]

Aiko sighs and shakes her head. She's not an idiot. She knows there's not going to be much "gameplay" to this and the odds are just as high that Mac will soundly beat her at it. Clearly, his goal wasn't to have an actual game between them... but it isn't clear what he does want.

She can probably deny him that by staying stoically silent as the pieces are moved around, though.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[New Staff]

One day, a green-haired woman will appear at the school, wearing a janitor's uniform. She gets to work sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms just like anyone. After all, a school this size requires a sizeable staff to maintain. The color of her hair and the tattoos visible when she takes off her jacket or rolls up her sleeves don't score very high on the Nexus scale of oddness, either.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Detention
Mary goes back to her homework. Except...
That tapping.
That infernal tapping.
She squirms in her seat at first. She doesn't want to start a fight so soon after they called truce.
But she can't concentrate. She steels herself.
"Could you please stop with the..." she drums her own claws on her desk to indicate what she means.
Avatar by me! No more outsourcing!
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Ironsmith wrote: Jun 23, 2023 10:03 am
[Parts Unknown]

Time flies when you're having fun. Or when there's a fox around.

The little fiendling grins and takes off after Kol, shifting back into a vixen and hopping up onto his back. She seems to be counting on the idea that he wouldn't much mind having a small canid on him... or at least, not as much as he would mind having a human(ish) girl.

As promised, when Kol arrives back in the main hall, things are indeed winding down... if by "winding down", one means "the meal is over and Braeg seems to be giving a speech".

Or at least he was, right up until Kol stepped into the room. At which point he'll be greeted with applause from those assembled; even the dead-eyed trio joins in on this one. Bat-girl is in on it, as well, and contributes a shrill whistle to the proceedings. Braeg himself simply gives a slow clap and smiles at Kol knowingly, as though he had timed things this way on purpose and just had to make sure the dragon knew it.

"Master Kol." Braeg greets, putting a hand over his shoulder. "Would you care to start us off?"


[Crystal Dorms]

Aiko sighs and shakes her head. She's not an idiot. She knows there's not going to be much "gameplay" to this and the odds are just as high that Mac will soundly beat her at it. Clearly, his goal wasn't to have an actual game between them... but it isn't clear what he does want.

She can probably deny him that by staying stoically silent as the pieces are moved around, though.
Parts Unknown

Kol can barely tell that she's there to be honest. He has very strong shoulders.
He glances at the assembled fiendlings. If the meal is wrapping up he may want to play nice long enough to get out of here. As long as he keeps Braeg at arms' length.
"Gathered fiendlings of Leastwood." he says after clearing his throat.
"I know you half again as much as I'd like, and I dislike you half as much as you deserve. Happy whatever this holiday is."
His coughs, sending a spray of seawater in Braeg's general direction.
"Thank you."

Crystal Dorms

Contrary to her opinions, Mac seems to be having plenty of fun simply with the game itself. She'll have to put up with his chatter, his offering of snacks every twenty minutes, and his general refusal of propriety on every sixth thing he says.
"So, is you dorm nice? Maybe we could alternate our little parties some time. But if that's private you're welcome to come back here. It's no problem. I like playing host."
Thursday Violist wrote: Jun 14, 2023 9:47 pm [Entryway]

Obsidian, as it happens, is a dragon. And is bad at math. And if someone told her dragons are supposed to be good at math, she'd stare at them, confused, as she wonders what being amazing and awesome and the best has to do with math.

"I guess so," she replies. "But maybe a tree would be better. Or on top of a building. Paper isn't very comfortable."

She looks down at her basket of various eggs. Bird egg, snake egg, plastic egg. "By the way, do you want one?" There's even a chocolate egg! Obsidian holds out her basket so Kol can see in it better.
Entryway

"But I wouldn't fit in a tree. And concrete would be even worse." Kol insists.
He squints at the basket.
"Uh sure. My paws aren't super delicate for tiny fragile things though. So um." He opens his mouth for Obsidian to deposit an egg therein.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[New Staff]

Well, not cleaning the bathrooms like ANYONE.

Like any janitor, maybe.

There are a few rumors and legends circulating among the student body about the various janitors. That they're actually agents of some kind of secret and unknown ORG. That they might be crazy eldritch monsters like the barmaid at Trog's Tavern. That at least one of them is enlightened to the true nature of reality and is able to warp causality to their whims.

No one ever considers the possibility that any of the janitors might just be regular folk who live Inside and want to hold down a reliable and well paying job.

What kind of regular person would want a job at a school like THIS!?

So.

The Green Haired Janitor.

How long has she been working before running into this particular scenario? There's no telling, really. Does it even matter? Probably not.

What does matter is that the Green Haired Janitor stepped into one of the girl's bathroom to clean it the bathroom is full of toads with the legs of men wearing golden crowns. Or, at least, that's probably the most sane way to describe them. They look like tiny circus tents, in a way, with mouths gaping open and full of clashing lights. They jitter and shift as though they were cardboard cutouts from a Bosch painting come to life in spite of the fact that they're arguably three dimensional. Every single one of them is a different, a riot of chaotic motion and incomprehensible antics.

There's also a white fox pokemon in a PREP uniform in here snatching up one of the things and pinning it to the wall before decking it, her paw wreathed in purple flames. The toad-thing disintegrates on impact. The student perks up as soon as the Green Haired Janitor enters, ears swiveling toward her followed by her gaze.

"HEY! Can you see this things?" the zoroark asks as she ducks under one of the creatures leaping at her awkwardly.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[New Staff]

The janitor backhands a creature that leaps at her, with a casual motion that nonetheless sends it right into two others, all of them collapsing to the floor in a pile.

"I can see them. Shouldn't I?" she asks casually while she grabs another critter and flings it at the same pile. It knocks them all down just as they were starting to get up.

Wait, a janitor probably shouldn't be doing this. Maybe she needs to slow down a little for appearances' sake...
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[New Staff]

Well to be fair, she IS a janitor and she IS cleaning up this trash. So nothing unusual here.

The creatures seem almost comical in their bumbling ineptitude, but they definitely have the feel of a malicious spirit of some kind. Ghosts hungering for life. There's definitely a wrongness to them and their very presence subtly maligns the stability of reality. Another create pounces at the fox-girl, who catches it deftly and then rips it in half with her teeth.

Rawr.

"Sometimes people can't. Sometimes they can. They don't make a lotta sense," the student admits. Then she claps her paws together, igniting both with cold fire and lighting up the heap of spirits the janitor just produced. "They're really only dangerous to people that can't see 'em. You can probably break one with a mop."

Oh good.

It sounds like the student isn't that concerned about the janitor swatting them around. Anyone can do that so long as they can see the evil spirits scurrying around.

And just like that it appears to be done. The few remaining spirits scuttle away, squeezing through a ventilation grate on the wall, turning sideways and slipping through the seams like two dimensional objects. It's pretty jarring to observe.

The fox girl gives a little growl as the spirits depart, followed by an irritated snort, her mess of tails lashing behind her. Then she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and pulls the shadows of the room to herself. She's wrapped in darkness, darkness that quickly resolves into brown haired human teen. The illusion is, as it happens, pretty impressive.

"There's probably a bit one somewhere spitting out all the little ones,"
the girl says, kneeling down by the vent to peer into it. "But it's probably down in basement or something. Hey, you're that new janitor right? Could you open some doors for me?"
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[New Staff]

The janitor regards Khannie for a moment, trying to remember if the briefing had anything to say about her. But it's probably no use. There are so many kids here who have a destiny, it's impossible to keep track of them all. She has a specific order to make sure Mary's destiny comes to pass properly. Sekhmet's daughter. Something tells her Sekhmet would not be thrilled about her involvement. Khannie's ability to layer such an illusion on herself would warrant watching... but, again, in this place it's really not unusual.

"Sure. Let's go down there and take a look."
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Keeper wrote: Jun 23, 2023 9:37 pm Entryway

"But I wouldn't fit in a tree. And concrete would be even worse." Kol insists.
He squints at the basket.
"Uh sure. My paws aren't super delicate for tiny fragile things though. So um." He opens his mouth for Obsidian to deposit an egg therein.


[Entryway]

"Hmmmm...."
Obsidian looks at the eggs and tries to decide which one to give. She could give this one or that one, but...to be honest, she still doesn't know what the eggs want. So giving one of those before she figures it out might be bad.

"Chocolate one's okay?" she asks.
She grabs the chocolate one, and puts it into his mouth.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[New Staff]

The (disguised) zoroark gives the grate one last glare before she turns and heads for the door.

Thankfully the bathroom isn't THAT bad and it can probably be left alone for a little while at least until some evil spirits get whomped.

"I"m Khannie, by the way. Khannie Vallarm," the teen says as she heads out of the bathroom, around the corner, and stops at a basement access.

The door seems to almost...

Loom.

Like one's senses of distance and proportion are being skewed somehow.

"Ugh. Definitely a Witch in there. Haven't really run into any Magical Girls in here so I guess I'll have to take care of this on my own," Khannie says before glancing over at the janitor. "Um, I dunno how good you are at dealing with weird stuff but the inside of a Witch's Labyrinth is really weird. They're like a scrap-book getting barfed up by a kaleidoscope."
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[New Staff]

Khannie Vallarm? That means she is important. The higher-ups said she has a key role to play in Mary's destiny and needs to be observed as well. She has to start writing this all down. Normally she just forgets stuff like a cool person.

"I've been doing odd jobs around the Nexus for a while." Technically true. "It's pretty hard to surprise me by now. Let's go."
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