PREP Highschool

[[brackets lover]]

[The Arena]

Asami accepts the hand, getting up and tilting her head curiously. "Eheh~ Actually, I just came here to own some noobs. There's not much I can actually do to improve from where I'm at."

She puffs one of her cheeks out, looking to the side nervously.

[Training Grounds -> Zany Activities]

Uh oh, Asami's really being sent over the edge now. Curling a fist, he lashes out at Mac, "Hey, I know you don't believe me! So, i'm gonna show you. Come on, let's go."

With a skip and a hop, Asami swipes down on Mac's wrist, clamping his fingers around it and starting to dash away. Unfortunately for Mac, he's still shirtless. Maybe they'll miraculously run by his shirt, giving him the opportunity to clumsily pick it up mid-run? Seems like a cartoony solution for a cartoony scenario. Regardless, the hunt for Darko began.

[Halae]

[The Arena]

"That's a poor position to take. There's always more to learn - if you think you've reached the limit of your current combat style, why not adopt a new one, to cover the problems of your current style?" Skye asks. It's a reasonable position; she's even done the same herself.

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches

-you did say that- admits Octavia, -but i didn't know you were being honest- Rather, she had thought Ardi was simply ignoring her in favor of her own quest. But if he really doesn't know how to unfreeze her body, then...

Then she has not choice to wait and hope it wears off. No one had better go through her pockets or draw anything on her while her halo is gone!

Floating after Khannie, Octavia bobs and zips through the air, making the most of her current state. Admittedly she's a lot faster without having to walk around like a human. It's just interacting with stuff that's difficult.

-i'm also curious about this darkness. if your world is in danger, i understand the urgency of going back- she interjects, although she still has her doubts on how feasible that is.

And although Octavia has never seen a train, it's nothing too surprising- she understands most technology inherently, since her halo can mimic any object she sees with near perfect accuracy.

Of course, a train would be a little too big for her, but the principle applies.

---

Zany Activities

Darko won't be hard to find- he's by the Creepy Doll Tree! He's actually taken to hanging out there a lot, at least when he's not at the library. The strange uncomfortable nature of the place reminds him of the Theatre, so it's oddly comforting. He's sitting in the grass, his bag beside him as he shuffles a deck of cards.

It's one of his better skills. The cards dance between his hands as he expertly riffles them in the air, then brings one hand up as the cards cascade to the other in perfect harmony. Then a simple cut, before he does the same thing again in reverse.

This could go on for quite some time, but Darko's back is turned, and he's completely vulnerable to any sort of surprise attack.

[Ironsmith]

Ecbatana

"No, they are poor because they lost everything and were unable to retrieve their wealth or belongings when Immonia was angered and cast them out. They remain poor because they do not worship, and it is our responsibility to care for them whilst they remain in our city. They visit the shrines for their daily bread, but not their long-term salvation, and so remain a drain on the temple's- and the city's- funds." Which doesn't explain the third of Ecbatanan slum dwellers that are not of Immonian heritage, though perhaps there's another reason the high priest has for their misfortune.

[Ecbatana]

A distinction without a difference. Aikobaz internally notes, but keeps that smile plastered on her face. Oh, dear. She and this priest are going to end up butting heads after all.

"Okay, yeah that makes way more sense!" She chirps, spreading that smile far enough to squeeze her eyes shut. "So what have we been doing to fix that, other than hand out bread?" She pauses, bringing a finger up to her chin thoughtfully. "You are being literal when you day 'daily bread', right?"

[[brackets lover]]

[The Arena]

Asami further shies away, touching her index fingers together. "W-well... its not that I've reached my limit. I just can't find anyone who's an even match for me."

[A New Student Approaches]

Of course, as childish as he is, Ardi runs to the destination, though not supernally fast. Though, on the subject of darkness, Ardi clicks his tongue musingly. "I think its a metaphor for 'bad things happening'. ...The Dread Lord commands an army of monsters. Even trained knights are hard-pressed to fend off just a few, the average person stands no chance of survival. If I'm not there to stop him, he'll be able to take over the world in the blink of an eye."

[Halae]

[The Arena]

"Well, you haven't tried sparring with me, now have you?" Skye says, "I'd be up for trying my luck against an ace like yourself."

Admittedly, Skye is puffing Asami up a bit, but it's all in the name of good fun.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"Yes, bread and soup are handed out daily, at dusk and dawn. There's also priests trying to spread the word, though with little success. Your predecessor was not interested in their spiritual health, nor in her own. She knowingly associated with witches and worse." The amusing thing here is, by Earl categorisations, the high priest is himself a witch. But actually he means the exiled King of Immonia, with his borderline-necromancy scarecrows.

[Rebonack]

[A New Student Approaches]

But could Octavia turn into a tiny train?

That would be pretty cool, right?

"Okay so it's not, like, weird spooky actual darkness or whatever. It's just some jerk with a buncha monster minions being a tyrant," Khannie says with a slow nod. That sounds a little more reasonable than, like, primordial chaos rising up and just gooping everything. "I was just wondering 'cuz my magic is kinda darkness-y. Not like evil or bad stuff or anything like that. My whole mantle as a unicorn is reducing how much corruption's in the world and, like, increasing purity and innocence. Not icky darkness, like a the shade of a tree on a hot day. A good sorta darkness."

People often don't think in terms of good sorts of darkness, so sometimes it can be difficult to get the idea across.

And hey look at that!

Here comes the train!

Riftline pulls to a stop at the station and the doors slide open. Khannie trots right inside. "This should get us over to VIGIL pretty quick. I'll give Geneva a call and let her know we're coming."

[Keeper]

Training Activities/Zany Activities

Mac cannot grab his shirt, and in fact he digs in his trotters quite literally.
"Asami, it's not that I don't believe you, it's that this was a joke! It was just a joke. If I pissed you off, I'm sorry. But you realize this is really hypocritical right? Asami? Asami!"
As it turns out being heavyset only slows down people from being able to move you when they don't have superstrength.

[[brackets lover]]

[The Arena]

Asami gulps at Skye's suggestion, shooting a nervous smile. "I, uh, guess that works. Want me to go easy on you?" she asks, getting into position away from Skye and extending one foot forward, holding her staff mostly horizontally, a slight tilt to it. Asami clearly knows to utilize fluid movements.

[Zany Activities]

Asami isn't quite listening to Mac anymore, thinking anything being said is just to get out of this.

It was only a matter of time before they found Darko, Asami eyeing him from afar and keeping out of sight. "(Here, hide behind this conspicously-placed vending machine,)" he whispers to Mac. Indeed, the vending machine was just on the ground, not connected to anything. Instead of being filled with snacks, it had some uniform shirts, socks and whatnot. Yep, definitely not a ditto.

With that out of the way, Asami goes to giving a proper greeting. Sneaking up, he tackles Darko to the ground from behind mid-riffle. From here, Asami painfully jerks Darko's arm behind his back. "Hiiiiii!"

[quillpleasant]

Zany Activities

The cards flip in the air, darting from one hand to another like a school of fish. Darko's really feeling good about this. All his practice is finally paying off. The cards-

Go flying through the air in all directions as Asami tackles him to the ground. He yelps, flailing, but the smaller boy is so much stronger than him that he doesn't stand a chance. The pin is easily achieved.

"Ahhhhhhey Asami," he manages, forcing a grin. This is pretty much par for the course now that they're roommates, so he can handle it just fine. "And hi Mac. Where's your shirt?" He waves up at the seeq boy with his unpinned arm.

[Ironsmith]

Ecbatana

"Yes, bread and soup are handed out daily, at dusk and dawn. There's also priests trying to spread the word, though with little success. Your predecessor was not interested in their spiritual health, nor in her own. She knowingly associated with witches and worse." The amusing thing here is, by Earl categorisations, the high priest is himself a witch. But actually he means the exiled King of Immonia, with his borderline-necromancy scarecrows.

[Ecbatana]

"Oh, yeah, don't worry, I'm not going to do that." The witch-queen of Zenith shrugs nonchalantly. Perish the thought!

"...Though with that much being said, I'm still... very much new around here." She gives a small, polite smile. "And as such I can't claim to know the first thing about spirituality in this city. I'm sure you're a very busy man and would not have the time to educate me on the matter personally, but perhaps you could send one of these lovely acolytes to my room..."

She pauses, her cheeks turning light orange as she holds her hand over her mouth. "...Okay, wow, I just realized how that sounded and it was so not what I meant. My, um... intentions are strictly honorable. I just feel a little weird asking to send one of them to my study or something, considering I don't even know where that is yet... actually, we'll circle back to that, I think. Just, um, bear in mind I'll want a tutor on the matter and let me know if any names stand out."

[Keeper]

Zany Activities

Mac wouldn't have bothered hiding even if Darko hadn't seen him immediately.
"It's at the training grounds. Asami kidnapped me because he was making fun of your ability to flirt and I said you didn't strike me as the romantic type, so he's here to prove to me you are." Mac replies with absolute honesty.

[[brackets lover]]

Zany Activities

Mac wouldn't have bothered hiding even if Darko hadn't seen him immediately.
"It's at the training grounds. Asami kidnapped me because he was making fun of your abi-"

"ABILITY TO READ!" Asami interrupts quite loudly, instantly zooming over to Mac to shush him with one finger, "Yeah, you're such a huge nerd, always reading all the time. You gotta do something cooler, like watching movies! They're doing an outdoor showing of The Princess Bride at Location later, you interested?" He pauses before muttering to himself, "_{That reminds me, I never started that book Cheasadh got me. I hope she doesn't ask me about it...}"

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches

Octavia could definitely turn into a tiny train. Would she ever think to do so? Probably not.

Especially not when she's being distracted by tales of evil monsters. She buzzes around Ardi's head excitedly. Imagine a mosquito, if it was the size of a football and glowed like a lightbulb.

-monsters, huh? i love slaying monsters. maybe i could come join this fight.- Her light dims a little. -or at least, i could if i got my body back-

As the train pulls up, Octavia darts inside, chatting to Khannie as she goes. -i'll admit it took me a little while to understand the concept of good darkness, but you're right, it's not malevolent by default. after all, the default of space is darkness, and light wouldn't exist without it-

---

Zany Activities

Darko gets to his feet upon being released, rubbing his arm. He glances between the two boys suspiciously. What had Mac been saying? Oh well, it's probably nothing important.

"I like reading," he says, a little defensively. But then he perks up a little. "But I have been wanting to see more movies. I've heard some of them are even in color?" He's not sure if he believes that, but it sure sounds cool.

"So wait, are you two already going? Is this like, a group activity?" Mac did say something about being kidnapped. Maybe he doesn't want to come at all.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"Of course, I have several ideas immediately. Either Ankothriz or Matrio." The first is quite clearly an orcish name; probably another refugee or ancestor thereof that settled in Ecbatana after the defeat and destruction of the Bloodplunder horde. Matrio is a harder name to place, however. "If I may take your leave, your highness, I will arrange the matters." He nods and backs into the shrine, shutting the door behind him.

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

Aiko lets out a little sigh as she turns to keave the shrine, though she lags back a little bit and lets her accompanying maid lead the way.

"That went well, all things considered." Aiko manages to make it almost not sound snarky. "How do you guys stand having that as your spiritual leadership?"

[Keeper]

Zany Antics

Mac seems unimpressed.
”Asami, don’t call him a nerd. That’s mean. And I can’t go to a movie covered in sweat.” Seeq fashion senses dictate that him being shirtless isn’t really an issue but he does feel like he’d really rather shower and get into comfier pants. Maybe fetch his hat.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"...Mostly by getting distracted when he's talking." The servant blushes as she makes the admission. "Generally, though? There's little shrines throughout the city where you can pray and leave donations or sacrifices. Most people don't need to interact with the priesthood to be faithful citizens. And... Well, as princess of the city, you are just as much a religious leader as he is, just... also a political one." So in a conflict between the high priest and the princess, most tend to follow the princess. He's elected by the priests chosen by Ecbatana to serve him and the city as a whole; the princess' family has been chosen directly by Ecbatana to lead the city and theoretically Aikobaz is the latest. Although without getting crowned things might interfere... And we should really get that, so the scene can approach an ending. Earl is bad at plots.

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Student Approaches!]

"Yes it would?" Ardi argues, "Its totally possible for there to just be light everywhere. Its probably not something people can do, but say if we covered every ilm of the world in lamps, there would be no darkness!" It seems he was just trying to pass the time while waiting for the train by saying anything that comes to his mind.

Meanwhile

► SHOW SPOILER

"Man, I can't believe the lunch lady is making me haul all this trash to the dumpster. My life is so unfair..." complains Asami as she carries several large trash bags behind her, randomly stumbling upon Octavia's body. "Ahh!" Taken aback by surprise, Asami almost falls backwards before catching herself. Noticing a lack of movement, she prods Octavia's body for a moment before smirking menacingly.

[Zany Activities]

Asami shakes his head. "I just brought him with me for protection. You know what its like going through the campus all alone. _{...Its scary}"

He tilts his head at Darko. "I wasn't thinking of making it a group activity. Not a fan of groups, myself," he admits, turning to Mac, "As I said, its gonna be later. Plenty of time for a transition sequence! We're actually learning about those in my narrative class. You can do a lot of stuff in them, like regrowing lost limbs!"

Finally, Asami clears his throat, addressing Darko, "Soooooo... whatcha think?"

[Rebonack]

[A New Student Approaches]

"It's the other way around," Khannie says as she finds a nice seat aboard the train and sits down on it.

Seeing a horse-shaped creature sitting like a human is absolutely hilarious.

"So, like, regular old darkness isn't exactly my thing? I do shadows. My magic actually gobbles up darkness and lights up the room, cuz if you've got complete darkness then shadows can't exist. The brighter light is, the sharper the shadows are."

See?

Good darkness. Shadows! A nice shadow on a hot day is great.

Anywho!

Off pulls the train on its way toward VIGIL.

[quillpleasant]

The Body

Octavia's robotic body is heavier than her size would suggest, but someone like Asami will have no trouble moving it. It's also not reacting to any external stimuli, since it is just an inert machine.

It also has pockets full of photos and painstaking notes from Octavia's observations of school life and the other students. An unscrupulous person might be tempted to page through what's essentially a very haphazard but detailed diary.

---

"I mean, I am a nerd. He's not wrong," points out Darko. Mac's just being nice of course, but there's nothing wrong with being a nerd.

He raises an eyebrow at Asami's explanation that she needed protection. Not only is PREP generally quite safe, but Asami is extremely powerful. Not a lot of situations exist that she'd need Mac to handle. But Darko chooses not to argue the point.

"So like, just us two? Sure, why not? Seems fun," he says brightly. But he's still suspicious that there's some ulterior motive here, even if he has no idea what it is. "What time is it at?"

[Keeper]

Zany Antics

"Well, is three people a group? Because that sounds like a group." Mac still isn't sure if he's supposed to be there or not. But then again, being confused when Asami starts talking seems to be par for the course.

[[brackets lover]]

[Zany Activities]

Asami smiles at Darko, telling him the time the movie starts.

In response to Mac, Asami hammily rubs his neck and sticks one hand in his pockets, feigning awkwardness. "Ya know, when you put it like that, I'm starting to get group-xiety. C'mon, Macan-senpai, lets go not be a group!" announces Asami, once again pulling Mac away.

This time, he roams the campus aimlessly. "Alright, now we just gotta find a girl."

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

"...Hmph." Aikobaz huffs, the sound of her trying very hard not to judge them for that but disapproving strongly anyway. "...All right, then. Take me to one of those littler shrines. And if you can, try to make it look organic. Like we were on our way to the market or something and decided to visit while we were out and about. Actually, let's just go ahead and do that. Go to the market and stop at a shrine on the way, I mean." She holds up a hand to stall any objections. "I know it's probably not safe, but I'm still new enough here that a plot against me isn't likely, so it shouldn't be any less safe for me than it is for any teenaged orc-kin girls living in our walls. And I want to see our people up close. If I'm going to lead them, I need to know them, right?"


[Zany Antics]

"Kon'nichiwa!"

A certain familiar succubus greets the onrushing crowd of students with a friendly wave.

"Kon'nichiwa! Kon'nichiwa! Kon'nichiwa, your hair looks amazing today!" "Thank you! You, too!" "Kon'nichiwa! Kon-"

Koko's eyes light up as she sees a familiar face among the students in the hall. "Asami-kun!" She calls, waving her arms and running eagerly up to the star. "Hi, Asami-kun!"

And then, the by-now at least somewhat familiar sensation of being tackle-hugged by a relatively bony succubus. Followed by a playful giggle should any shenanigans ensue as a result of that.

And then finally, she looks up and realizes there isn't one familiar face here, but two. "And Macan-kun! I must be having a lucky day!" She giggles, going from Asami to pounce him with the same friendly ferocity. "Hi, Macan-kun! You're looking very huggable today!"

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"We can do that, yes. Not even the first time I've escorted the princess amongst the people. Your predecessor usually dressed as a servant when she did, though... I'm not sure that's as needed in your case. Very few people know who you are yet." They'll use a lift to get to the ground floor, the servant hauling a rope that controls the mechanism, and then exit the palace via a side door guarded by a pair of bored-looking guards in the same getup as Aikobaz' initial escorts into the city.

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

"Bye! See you guys later!" Aiko waves at the guards as they pass through. They must lead pretty uneventful lives, right up until they don't. They could probably use the extra pep!

Aiko looks down at herself at the mention of being dressed like a aervant and considers this for a moment. Her outfit isn't that excessively opulent; apart from being clean and silk rather than cotton, she could easily see it on any of the staff she's interacted with so far. The really fancy stuff was reserved more for royal functions, anyway, if this place had court ettiquette at all like her own homeland... impressive or not, a twelve-layered dress just isn't practical for day-to-day wear, and really only comes out of the wardrobe when she needs to impress somebody with her status. Which is... not at all what she's trying to do here, anyway.

Nobody should bat an eye at seeing her. And if they do... well, would it really be so bad if the common folk got to see their princess up close?

[Keeper]

Zany Antics

"Asami, I really don't care about Darko's love life. Do I really need to be here?" Mac continues to complain the entire time.
At least Koko's presence distracts him again. As stated before, he is shirtless (not that his usual uniform vest covers much) and he's definitely not used to people being peppy about that. Especially not people who look like Aiko. He is however as solid when it comes to tackling as you'd expect.
"Well, I think I look huggable every day even if people don't always think so." he insists, not sure what else to say at the moment.

[[brackets lover]]

[Zany Antics]

Asami is given nary a moment to respond when Koko comes barreling towards him, barely even able to get into position for his own tackle-hug before he's caught off-guard, trying his besy to retain balance but unfortunately tumbling back. "Kya!" he squeals as he lands, "Ehehe~ hi, Aiko-senpai." There's instant redness on Asami's face. He doesn't even get up for a while, remaining dazed on the ground. When he does get up, he looks away from anyone and quietly hyperventilates. "So-so-so, um... The weather is, uh, getting warmer lately," he mutters weakly, interlocking his fingers, twiddling his thumbs, and just generally exhibiting squirmy behavior.

[Ironsmith]

[Zany Antics]

"Asami-kun..." Koko chides with a little giggle. "My name is Koko. Ko-ko. It's easy to remember, because it's also my favorite food!" She smiles and holds her hands behind her back. "Aiko is when we're all three in the same body, Aiai, Babaz and me. We're not as much fun when we're like that."

Koko tugs at her collar, seeming to just now notice a thin layer of sweat popping up around her neck. "...Say, it is getting a little warm in here." She notes. "Too bad I can't take any of this off. Last time I did, the teacher yelled at me and told me I was being very rude. I don't know why they got all fussy about it, but I guess if it makes people uncomfortable, I'll just have to be okay with being too hot."

The succubus shrugs, but then seems to notice something. "...Hang on." She looks up at Mac. "...Why don't you have to wear a shirt? Oh!" She grins. "Is it just an in-class thing? Can I take it off out here?" She's already untucking her shirt from her skirt, and if Mac or Asami don't stop her this is probably going to get a little awkward.