PREP Highschool

[Rebonack]

[A!A Field Trip]

Our heroes don't need to worry too much about breaking through the machine's mysterious alloy skeleton.

They just need to poke its organoplastic organs a while bunch until it stops working.

The machine gets knifed and then shoved, stepping back to try to regain its balance but steps on the marbles and down it goes! That metal skeleton is pretty heavy and probably means Mat is falling on top of it, which isn't a great place for her to be. Now in close quarters, the damaged frogoblin with try to headbutt the squirrel girl which will likely send her reeling.


[A New Year of Magic]

Yeah!

Half way through the school year!

Last year was a real wild ride with the whole Sapphira thing but everything worked out in the end! And some of the places Khannie checked out for Action! Archeology had been really cool! Right now, though, Khannie isn't learning about ancient tombs and how to plunder them without getting stabbed a whole bunch, she's over at the Arcanium getting out of her first illusion theory class of the year.

She's completely undisguised at the moment, just a purple unicorn in a PREP uniform. She's gotten WAY better at standing on her hind hooves, in no small part due to the fact she's actually built for it now. It's between magic classes, so that means she's going to do some practice and/or enjoy some snacks before heading to her NEXT class.

[[brackets lover]]

[Outside Class - Hunters]

Well, burning paper on touch wouldn't be much of a stretch for Asami. For this purpose, her skin probably has to take some time to heat up first, though, cause of science! Probably!

Regardless, the hampering plan doesn't go too smoothly, as with Agate gone Asami is able to fully focus on the imp. 「Baka」 she boldly speaks to the imp, switching to Japanese in the absence of any Nexizens, 「Your path has brought you to being yet another body at my feet」 Now, Asami's eyes are glowing white gold. The wind warped and earth rose around her, an aura of pure and unrestrained power surrounding her. Now is the part where the creature would release her and squeal.

Steadily, she gathers light in the palm of her hand, gradually raising its intensity until its too much to even indirectly look at. The light burned brighter than anything one would ever realistically experience, its sheer brightness shattering straight through the realm of even magical possibilities and existing in a league of its own. 「May your soul find peace in my purging light」 Gritting her teeth, Asami thrusts her hand forward and directs this light into a concentrated beam aimed towards the eye of the imp, hoping it would travel right through it and strike the brain of the creature.

[The Return]

Asami begins to get a bit teary-eyed as she hears the passing students snickering at her. This is all Micah's fault! Clearly, she needs to get him back.

Luckily enough, an opportunity appears right before her. She stands up and brushes off her clothes before turning around and taking a few steps towards Octavia, standing besides Micah. "His name is Micah Nolastname and he works directly for Satan," Asami states plainly, turning around and begining to walk away, "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go find someone to help me tie my shoes." With that being said, Asami begins heading over towards all the magic classes. Unless she's stopped.

[bc56]

The Return
"She's lying and he didn't do it," Mary says, trying to help Micah. "I know both of them." Asami much better than Micah, admittedly, but not by choice.

"And what do you mean by my 'state?' It makes my skin crawl whenever you say that."

[Ironsmith]

Ecbatana- Immonia?

The city is clearly neglected. There's weeds forcing their way through the cobbles, and here and there a building has collapsed; some have clearly been destroyed by war, with signs of burning or looting, whilst others don't and have just collapsed from disuse and poor maintenance. There's a clear route up to the centre of the city, the sulphurous lake and the temple built upon its shores. That is where Immonia can be found; squatting just inside the temple, a low, windowless building. The only harm is if Aikobaz falls into the lake; if she does, she'll experience a rather unpleasant death. The water is toxic, and very, very hot.

"What can I do for my faith to be returned? I moulder in this city. The ones who should know it have forgotten, the ones who took it don't know its meaning. Without my people, my city will die. I need their vibrancy to thrive." She's gotten herself stuck in a rut by accident, and can't see an easy way out without getting the teeth back.

[Immonia]

"If by 'faith' you mean 'teeth', a mutual defense pact will suffice." Aikobaz begins evenly. "Ecbatana will protect your people and you will protect ours. Though it's likely we'll start off with something closer to vassaldom; rebuilding your city will take time and resources, and I would be a poor ruler if I brought undue risk onto my people in order to help yours."

The empress stiffens and raises her chin. "I expect rebuilding your faith will take even longer. You don't have a church anymore. Nor do you have any prophets. You and your people are strangers, and remedying that will take no small amount of effort."

[Gold]

[The Return]

Miicah blinks from the flash of light, then gulps when he sees Octavia looming over her. Somehow, he feels that she specifically is a girl that he doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of.

...Unfortunately, Micah's hesitation allows Asami to come in with some more misinformation. The hooded teen nearly gags, choking on his own words as he looks at the floor and stammers out a barely audible objection. "Gah! N-No, I..."

He's extremely thankful, then, when Mary chimes in to help set the facts straight. Calming down considerably, Micah breathes a sigh as he says, shakily, "M-Mary's right." Then, looking into Octavia's camera with a little more surety in his voice, he continues "My designation--uh, my name is Micah Cardcaptor. And I'm a gamer, not a fighter. What happened was...'" Micah glances at Asami. "I saw a perfectly good sniper rifle in the trash and wanted to get a closer look, but as I was inspecting it, it misfired and you got spitballed by accident. Sorry... I should've been more careful."

[quillpleasant]

The Return

Octavia narrows her lens suspiciously as Micah talks, then turns to peer at the departing Asami. Hm. Something is fishy here, but it does seem like the hooded boy is not at fault, especially since Mary is vouching for him. And she hadn't meant to scare him quite that much. The red glare dims as she steps back.

-be not afraid. i believe you, designated micah cardcaptor- A click, whir and another photo is being labeled. -my apologies for the confusion. perhaps you can explain to me what a 'gamer' is. i haven't heard the term before- It's her way of trying to put him at ease- plus, there's a lot of cultural things she still doesn't understand.

But first, she turns back to Mary, stepping lightly over to the demon girl. -your state of being a demon. my information is correct, yes? we are taught to have the greatest sympathy and respect for the demonic, and to offer as much help to your kind as we can- She clasps her hands behind her back. Clearly there's some miscommunication here, and the last thing she wants is to continue making Mary uncomfortable.

[[brackets lover]]

[The Return]

As she leaves, Asami gives a suppressed laugh as Micah introduces himself, feeling satisfied that she's gotten him back. This feeling of satisfaction, however, diminishes in the face of the numerous jeers and laughter in her direction. Asami's face goes pale as she awkwardly shuffles along, trying to go as fast as she can without tripping on her shoe laces again. While she could maybe handle being made fun of by one person, the sheer volume of witnesses to her gaffe was mortifying to Asami. She keeps her head held down and back hunched over as trudges along until-

[A New Year Of Magic]

Asami spots Khannie down the hall, waving and steadily approaching them. "Vallarm-Senpai! Help me tie my shoes?" requests Asami abruptly, though not unusual for her. She has rather taken to Khannie and would commonly ask of her things little kids typically have done for them, such as this.

[bc56]

The Return
"Seriously Micah? She's a card-carrying member of bully club and she just threw you under the bus," Mary looks irritated at Micah covering for Asami.
But not for long. The other part of the discussion worries her. "You mean cure me of being a succubus and make me into an angel? Like you?" There are so many reasons to say no to that. "Listen, I'm fine. I'm happy. I have a loving family. And I'm not a fallen angel anyway. It wouldn't work."

[Gold]

[The Return]

Micah doesn't object to having his photo taken, though he is mildly surprised. When asked to explain what a 'gamer' is, though, he perks up. "Oh! Well, a gamer is... I suppose it's someone who plays games often, and knows a lot about them." he explains. After a pause, he adds "...do you play any games?"

To Mary, Micah responds in a lowered tone, "Maybe I thought it might help her realise something." He glances back at Asami again to see her requesting help tying her shoes. "Or, maybe I just felt sorry for her," he shrugs.

[Ironsmith]

[A New Year of Magic]

Yeah!

Half way through the school year!

Last year was a real wild ride with the whole Sapphira thing but everything worked out in the end! And some of the places Khannie checked out for Action! Archeology had been really cool! Right now, though, Khannie isn't learning about ancient tombs and how to plunder them without getting stabbed a whole bunch, she's over at the Arcanium getting out of her first illusion theory class of the year.

She's completely undisguised at the moment, just a purple unicorn in a PREP uniform. She's gotten WAY better at standing on her hind hooves, in no small part due to the fact she's actually built for it now. It's between magic classes, so that means she's going to do some practice and/or enjoy some snacks before heading to her NEXT class.

[A New Year of Magic]

There are many things Khannie would probably expect to see in the Arcanium; other students practicing magic tends to lend itself to spectacle, after all.

But this probably wasn't on the list of common sights.

In the middle of her usual practice area, suspended from the ceiling, is a student Khannie will have never seen before; a girl, close to her age, dressed in a dirty silk shirt and britches, with a leather overcoat that dangles just above Khannie's head. There's a cloth wrap around her scalp, where she would normally be wearing a feathered hat, which is itself laying on the floor a short distance away. She doesn't see Khannie herself yet; it would be hard to, with a patch over each eye.

The girl has her arms crossed and is "staring" up at the floor, impatiently tapping her finger against her arm, apparently lost in thought.

[Rebonack]

[A New Year of Magic]

Okay.

So.

Two questions here.

First?

Are Asami's shoes actually untied and she's wandering around with the laces flopping about? If so then Khannie will give a good natured sight.

Second?

Is Asami doing this JUST because Khannie isn't wearing her human disguise right now? Sure she's trotting around on her hind hooves like a doof but that doesn't mean she has anything like fine dexterity.

Khannie raises one of her forhooves and wiggles her four 'fingers' for Asami to see. "I'm kinda not wearing my hands right now. Hooves aren't really great for shoelace tying. But fine, I'll put 'em on."

It's a simple application of her illusions. Okay, no, it isn't. Khannie's human disguise is actually an incredibly complex shadow magic construct. But she's used it so much the thing is basically second nature. Shadow washes over the unicorn, and when it fades to color there's a human girl standing there instead.

Easy!

Then she'll bend down to tie the shoe. "I know you can do this on your own what are you up-"

Oh.

Hmm.

It would appear as though someone is hanging from the ceiling in one of the practice rooms.

Weird.

"Uh... How come you're hanging upside down?" Khannie asks the new kid.

Seems like a reasonable question.

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Year of Magic]

The laces were, in fact, flopping around. As Khannie demonstrates her lack of hands, Asami looks a bit surprised, looking to the side nervously and puffing out her cheeks.

"_{Uh, uhm.}", says Asami, grateful for her shoes being tied, but embarrassed by the notion she could do it herself. She reckons that seeming like she's just up to something is better for her reputation than actually being unable to tie her shoes herself, so she doesn't say anything further on the matter, licking her lips and blushing.

But then! Asami looks up to notice who Khannie was speaking to, giggling slightly at the sight. Gently, Asami draws her staff and makes it visible, holding it up and softly but annoyingly poking the kid on the ceiling in the cheek.

[Ironsmith]

[A New Year of Magic]

"Well, it be no good to hang feet-down, now, do i-" The pirate girl stops as the stick starts poking her cheek, and she instinctively swats it away... before seeming to come to a belated realization.

"Stone me... be ye who I think ye be?" The girl's "gaze" turns in Khannie's direction, causing her to slowly pivot on the rope with a low creaking sound. "Be that Khannie Vallarm, the explorer?" She cracks a wide grin, offering both of her hands to shake. "Meetin' ye face-to-face like this be one o' the reasons I came to this lubbershack. The fates be smilin' on me today!"

Her grin widens as she glances over at the girl poking her cheek. "And ye must be Mary Brignole, aye? I hear tell you lot are nigh-impossible to separate. It be a pleasure to meet ye as well, yer highness." She gives what would probably be a reasonably polite bow if she were right-side-up and her hat was within flourishing distance.

[Rebonack]

[A New Year of Magic]

Khannie has absolutely tried to help Asami figure out how to do a buncha this stuff on her own. That was part of the whole point of her Thanksmas gift. It's a weird situation. Asami really likes Khannie helping her out but she's kinda embarrassed about it too. All that's gunna change that is working on helping her to figure things out.

Probably.

Anyway.

Hanging kid.

Who apparently knows who Khannie is?

Umm.

Khannie hasn't ever exactly thought of herself as famous. This is a little weird.

"Yeah, I'm Khannie. And that's Asami; Mary's taller."

Among other things.

"How do you know about me, anyway? Who're you?"

Aside from someone who talks like a pirate.

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Year of Magic]

Asami has been decidedly slow at learning these things, just barely enough to arouse concern. Though she's been trying to find some use out of that reading stone, as opposed to just going straight to Khannie with all her reading needs. She can't for the life of her figure out how "H" is pronounced though.

As the pirate-sounding kid introduces herself, Asami stares idly, accepting it as a difference they just have to live with. Though, she does seem confused at first as she's called Mary, only to become excited as she realizes the mistake.

Khannie will find herself being teasingly nudged by Asami by her elbow, the latter jocularly commenting, "Ha! You and your jokes."

Asami bows at the kid and greets them casually, "And please, you can just call me Mary."

[quillpleasant]

The Return

Octavia rocks back and forth on her heels as she considers Micah's question. -no, i don't suppose i've ever played a game before. it's not something the galgallin really... do- Her camera shifts into a retro looking game boy for a moment. -perhaps you can teach me to a play a game with you-

At Mary's declaration, Octavia's head morphs again, this time into a neon question mark that blinks with white light. -my apologies, i fear i have made a mistake- she says finally, -where i come from, angels who lose their hope and purpose become demons. they aren't capable of happiness, because if they were, they wouldn't be demons. i'm still getting used to this new world. perhaps you might enlighten me as to what being a demon means to you?-

Her head turns into a notebook and she plucks it out of the air, flipping to a random page and holding her sharpie ready to take notes.

[Ironsmith]

[A New Year Of Magic]

"Oh, o' course." The pirate girl grins. "Whereabouts be me manners? Captain Morgan Teach, at yer service." She puffs up a little at the "captain" part, evidently more than a little proud of the title. "I be hearin' about ye both around the tables. Mary be excitin' news for anyone what's got an interest in goings-on down below. And ye? Well, I'd say when ye do enough plunderin', people start ta learn yer name, whether they've got the right idea about it or not."

Morgan pats down her outfit, producing a small glass bottle full of a brown beverage, biting off the cork and spitting it away. "I's not normally one fer schoolin', but that got me attention." She continues, taking a sip from the bottle with surprising ease, given her position. "Ye know what they say. Glitterin' gold be a pirate's delight, but the real treasure be yer mateys, aye?"

Morgan turns her attention back to Asami, offering her the bottle. "Ye a cider fan, yer highness?" She asks, swishing it around a little. "I hear ye be a lady o' discernin' tastes." She pauses, before adding with another grin, "Arright, I don't be hearn' that. But ye seem like ye would be."

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Class- Hunters

The imp does indeed release Asami, squealing and trying to flee back into the ceiling void. It can't escape, however, and the beam of light impacts it solidly and it promptly explodes. The goo is thick and black, but it won't last long, rapidly decomposing as the imp's vital essence disperses and the hellborn matter returns to its birthplace. Some of its bulk remains, however; apparently between its escape and Asami killing it, it had eaten several things, integrating their matter into itself.

Ecbatana/Immonia

"I still have a church. I do not have priests. But they will remember me, and so long as they are here they shall serve. I remember the old practices and methods. I can teach my faith. I can bless priests once I have people to bless. I will put in the time, if... if you help me." So long as the church and the city remains, so will Immonia. Even if the city perishes, the linked metrodeus will live until the shrine erodes away to nothing or collapses.

[bc56]

The Return
"It's complicated. Even where I come from, I'm not a normal demon," Mary replies. Really she's covering for the fact that she has absolutely no clue how to answer that question. What does being a demon mean to her? She doesn't think she should give the stereotypical succubus answer of "being the hottest girl in the room," even if it's kinda true.

[Gold]

[The Return]

"Really? No offense, but if you've gone your whole life without playing a game than you've seriously missed out," Micah says, a hint of pity in his voice. These 'galgallin' she just mentioned can't have had very fun childhoods if they had no games to play. "So, I'd be happy to teach you how to play one!" he enthusiastically continues.

Micah reaches into his cloak and rootles around until he pulls out a white trading card depicting an alien-looking angelic figure titled 'Herald of the Arc Light'. "I'm guessing you've never heard of a 'Duel Monster' before, am I right?"

[quillpleasant]

A!A Field Trip

The marbles worked! Darko allows himself a brief feeling of triumph as the frogoblin goes down. But it's still dangerous, and tussling with Mat. This monster seems dangerous in a grapple, but Darko knows he wouldn't be any help with that- he's nowhere near strong enough. Instead, he rummages in his bag again- surely there's something here that can help...

Oh yeah! Perfect!

Darko lifts the brick high in the air, and then with a yell brings it down at the frogoblins head as hard as he can. Admittedly that's not as hard as some people, but the momentum helps, and a brick is going to do some damage even wielded by a weakling.

---

The Return

Octavia pauses, pen hovering over her notebook. Then she snaps it shut decisively.

-i have been exceptionally rude, first through making assumptions, and then through interrogating you. perhaps you'll permit me the favor of starting over, and accept an offer of friendship instead?- The book changes back into a camera as she places it above her shoulders again. -you seem like a very interesting person who i would like to know better-

Well, at least she's trying.

Micah's desire to teach her a game seems to please her, and she claps her hands together with a faint ringing sound. -thank you, micah cardcaptor! and no offense taken. me and the other members of the choir had no time for anything but our duties. i cannot complain, but i am excited to experience stuff like... fun- she says, her head transforming into a white balloon.

That form doesn't last long, as it shifts again into a telescope as the card is brought out, extending to peer closely at it. -i have not! but this image is not unlike a fully fledged galgal- she exclaims excitedly, -is it part of the game?-

[[brackets lover]]

Outside Class- Hunters

The imp does indeed release Asami, squealing and trying to flee back into the ceiling void. It can't escape, however, and the beam of light impacts it solidly and it promptly explodes. The goo is thick and black, but it won't last long, rapidly decomposing as the imp's vital essence disperses and the hellborn matter returns to its birthplace. Some of its bulk remains, however; apparently between its escape and Asami killing it, it had eaten several things, integrating their matter into itself.

[Outside Class - Hunter's]

Asami's face remains stern as she lowers her hand, confirming the death of the imp. Distraught, she says a prayer over its soul.

Finished here, she turns back towards the door and goes through it, energetically looking for Agate. "I finished off the imp," she says flatly to no one in particular while going through the doorway.

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Class- Hunters

The imp doesn't exactly have a soul- being a fiend, its body and essence were intertwined to the point of inseparability. Which also means Asami's destroyed both.

Agate's standing outside the classroom, back in her school uniform. Her pistol's disappeared as well, as it's part of her magical girl guise. "Right. We gonna get the extra credit and cookies, then?" Not that Agate was overly invested in either.

[Rebonack]

[A New Year of Magic]

Khannie gives Asami quite the look but-

You know what, whatever.

If that causes trouble for Asami then she's just gunna have to live with it. That's how life goes after all.

Anywho! Khannie's nose wrinkles at the sharp scent of the cider, Nah, I think I'm good.

She's pretty sure there isn't supposed to be any alcohol on school premises but then again this IS a protagonist school so who knows.

"I mean, I'm not exactly a treasure hunter. I'm going to places to learn their history and stuff. If there's cool treasure then that's a bonus."

Action Archeologists aren't just tomb robbers! They find stuff that belongs in museums. It might help that museum patrons pay money to GET things into museums.

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Year of Magic]

Asami happily accepts the cider, smiling at Morgan. "Never had it, but i'm willing to give it a shot!" Asami definitely doesn't feel bad about accepting something meant for Mary. Demon princess, struggling kinda-orphan. Its clear who deserves it more.

For the sake of keeping the guise up, Asami would try not to say much so as to not let anything contradictory slip. She takes a sip as she listens between the two, pausing to add, "Nerdy stuff like that's pretty cool too, you know. I mean, you get to travel all sorts of cool places! Certainly beats having to give speeches and perform other such royal duties." Asami shrugs, feigning a disinterest in responsibility.

[Outside Class - Hunter's]

"Um..." Asami replies nervously, "I thought they were donuts? But, uh, sure."

Asami is a bit disturbed how Agate is so easily able to return to that schoolgirl personality so soon after being involved in a deadly battle, but then notices she's done the same and begins to feel self-conscious. She begins to weakly reach for Agate's hand, now lacking her former forcefulness and instead allowing Agate the chance to return or refuse the gesture herself. If Agate does hold Asami's hand, however, Asami would look to the side and have a faint blush, her heart beating faster.

[bc56]

The Return
"Sure, I guess?" Friendship with an angel? Weirder things have happened to Mary. In the last month even.
Mary looks at the card too. She's never really understood the collectible card games that other students are into, so the card text is meaningless to her, but the picture is neat. "You have angel cards, does your card game have any demons in it?" she asks

[Gold]

[The Return]

"The choir? That makes sense - you have a beautiful voice," Micah comments without missing a beat, though his body language immediately after implies saying that out loud was completely unintentional.

"So, um, uh... it's a card, yeah," Micah says, trying to quickly change the subject back to games. "This is a Monster Card, and you use them in conjunction with Spell Cards and Trap Cards to overpower and outsmart your opponent," he elaborates more confidently.

"Sure it has demons," Micah responds affirmatively to Mary, at the same time pulling out a few more cards from his cloak. One, labeled "Lilith, Lady of Lament", depicts a female demon with wings, horns and tail. The others are "Heraldic Beast Unicorn", an armoured unicorn with purple hair, and "Helios - The Primordial Sun", a feminine form with bandages covering a transparent body and a small star for a head. "Duel Monsters has all different kinds of beings," he says, a hint of pride in his voice.

[quillpleasant]

The Return

If Octavia could breathe, she would have let out a sigh of relief that her cultural differences haven't totally burnt bridges with Mary yet. She's still quite curious about how the demonic work in this world, but she manages to file it away for later.

Meaning, of course, that she writes 'find out more about demons' on the back of Mary's photograph before putting it back in her pocket.

Micah's unintentional compliment makes her telescope head retract, turning into a microphone. -oh, thank you!- she says, completely ignoring his backpedaling, -i was never very good at singing compared to the other ophanim, so i sort of... stopped- Head turning back into a camera, she puts her hands sheepishly in her pockets, all too happy to focus on the cards.

-that one looks like me, she has a halo!- she says, pointing at the Helios card. Her head transforms into a glowing ball of light, similar to the image on the card save for its white color. -so this dual monsters is a contest of battle prowess? i'm very good at fighting, so i would likely also be good at this game-

Because physical combat and trading card games use the same skillset. Of course.

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Class- Hunters

"There's a difference?" Agate frowns, slightly confused. She's had a slightly deprived childhood, and whilst the last few years have helped her catch up to standard experiences, there's a few she's still missing. And it's not because Earl forgot he said doughnuts earlier.

Agate doesn't stop Asami taking her hand, and head towards their classroom and hopefully the teacher with the doughnuts.

[[brackets lover]]

[Outside Class - Hunters]

"I... don't know?" Asami tilts her head, equally confused, "You know what? Doesn't matter."

As they walk, Asami holds her free hand over her chest, starting to feel a shortness of breath. She scratches the back of her head, still looking away as she continues, "Uhm... what are you doing after school today, by the way?"

[Library] (open-ish scene)

The stress of school has been getting to Asami recently. Unfinished homework abounded, the winter uniforms could scarely keep her warm, and her numerous gaffes commonly made her the target of mockery. To make matters worse, her powers were mysteriously dampened during this time, leaving her entirely unequipped to deal with uncomfortable situations.

Mercifully, the library seemed unoccupied by any other students at the moment, allowing Asami some peace and quiet. She used this time to sit at a table and pull out her notebook and crayons. She sat with one arm on the table with her head tilted sideways and resting on the arm. With her other hand, she limply tossed open the notebook and began to absent-mindedly doodle in it, her head firmly in the clouds as she starts joyously humming.