PREP Highschool

Locales found within the main city centers; primarily Inside, Riverside, and Skyside.
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bc56
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Sweet Dreams Ice Cream
Mary is still fuming. "What does it matter where I was raised? That doesn't make Aiko less of a jerk." She feels like Aigothurz is trying to discount her opinions because "she doesn't know what it's like." At least he seems to have wandered into a tangent about his own family history.
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Ironsmith
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

Keeper wrote: Apr 12, 2023 5:25 pm Parts Unknown

It's okay. Most people are considerably smaller than Kol given that he's the size of a rhinoceros.
"I'd have thought a great lord could have at least afforded a decent table." rumbles the Thamar, positioning himself by the door but not leaving just yet.
He looks down at the two fiendlings giggling after him. He sighs.
"Okay, sure, I'll bite. Lay it on me."
[Parts Unknown]

"Lay it on me", appropriately translated, apparently means something to the effect of "now is the time for hugs" in Maesdan. Or at least, that's how the girls seem to take it; the taller of the two wraps her arms around the thamar's neck, the shorter around his right arm, both of them squeezing their chosen member affectionately.

Braeg laughs. "Indeed!" He says, standing back away from the fire. "But there was no sense in setting it prematurely. Now that you're here, however, we can begin in earnest." The fiendling Lord stretches out his hand, light green smoke drifting from his palm and pooling at his feet. As he does so, the ground there cracks open, and a sprout shoves its way through, growing out into a tangle of branches that, collectively, form a large, flat surface, which smooths our to better imitate a table. Plates, bowls and pitchers appear on it, loaded with various foodstuffs; rolls, fruit, some roasted but otherwise unidentified animal, and more than a few pies.

Pouring himself a glass from the pitcher nearest him, Braeg takes a seat at the head of the table and smiles. "Bon appetit." He says, as the fiendlings that aren't currently wrapped around Kol take their places.
Keeper wrote: Apr 12, 2023 5:25 pm Crystal Dorms

These dorms seem rather nice. Carpeted and without even glitter and crumbs smashed into the floor from parties. A few students look questioningly at the pair but are chased away by Macan's subsequent glares.
Inside his dorm (room 325) Aikobaz might be surprised that despite Mac's appearance the place is remarkably well-kept. A large almost apartment-sized dorm that has been kept meticulously clean and decorated with colorful textile patterns from a desert country neither of them has ever actually been to.
Well, except the appliances over in the tiny little kitchenette, which are all cutesy and moogle-themed.
Mac offers Aikobaz the coat rack, upon which his hat and vest are deposited immediately. The now shirtless seeq plops down onto one of the nearby cushions.
"There's snacks in the fridge if you want. What are we doing first?"
[Crystal Dorms]

Aikobaz doesn't have anything to put on the coat rack; her seifuku doesn't have any parts that detach, not even a hat. Maybe she could take the circlet off her head and hang it there, but she'd rather slam a beehive against her intimates.

Which is... almost as intense an emotional response as when she sees Mac casually strip to the point of toplessness in front of her.

"Have you taken complete leave of your senses?!" Aikobaz demands, averting her gaze. "There's a lady present! Put something on!"

Assuming the issue is addressed promptly, Aikobaz takes a seat on the couch and sets her textbooks in front of her. "I do not intend to stay the night here." She says matter-of-factly. "So there will not be time for everything. Simply tell me what you can help with most readily; Divination, Comparative Geography, Diplomacy, or Introduction to Romance."

She decides not to bring up that the last one is a remedial course; after her disastrous attempt at getting a date back around Thanksmas, she was convinced she still hadn't learned everything she needed to, despite passing with a solid B.
Last edited by Ironsmith on Apr 13, 2023 4:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Parts Unknown

Kol just kind of sits there, having been ambushed by children.
"For the record if you're planning on making your arms incorporeal to grab at my organs Braeg already tried that." he says unhappily, but otherwise is willing to just sit there for a while.
After all, he just needs to kill time until someone finds them.
And probably fights off that massive demon.

Crystal Dorms

Mac sighs.
"Aiko, my vest I was just wearing doesn't cover anything anyway. Seeq have an innate aetherial system that pumps aether throughout our bodies. That's how we move as fast as we do, but it's also makes us run hot. So this is the traditional outfit of my people. But if somehow covering my back will make you happier..." Given that Macan doesn't close his vest, it really doesn't do much besides covering his shoulder blades and armpits.
"Which of those do you need the most help with?" he suggests.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Earl of Purple »

Sweet Dreams Ice Creams

"Because you've fallen into the trap of thinking because you were homeless as a child and came out OK everybody else has no excuse for being jerks. You had nothing, so nobody tried to take anything from you. The people you interacted with were fundamentally honest in how they treated you. If they were kind people, they were nice. If they were cruel people, they were nasty. Aikobaz had everything, and everyone tried to take it. Nobody was honest in how they treated her. If people were kind, she couldn't be sure it was because they were nice or because they were nasty and wanted to take what she had. My grandfather should have been Aikobaz, but somebody nasty took it from him. His uncle, even. You can't even trust family in an imperial court, no matter how old that court is. That's something I've had to learn; I'm destined to rebuild and expand my great-grandfather's empire. I've been trained in politics and diplomacy since birth, because I'm important. Aikobaz wasn't, anyone kind to her wanted to impress her dad, anyone mean to her wanted to impress her dad's wife. She should not have got the power she did and didn't know how to cope with it. Do you get it?" Aikobaz glares, before sighing and leaning back.

"I asked you out- and I did plan on this being a date- because you're pretty, and you're royal so I thought you'd understand some of the pressure that comes with royal expectations. It seems I was wrong. Like Aiko, you've taken the wrong lessons from your upbringing." Fortunately, or perhaps not, the waitress returns to the table right now with a smile. "Are you guys ready to order, or do you need a minute longer?"
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

Keeper wrote: Apr 13, 2023 12:45 pm Parts Unknown

Kol just kind of sits there, having been ambushed by children.
"For the record if you're planning on making your arms incorporeal to grab at my organs Braeg already tried that." he says unhappily, but otherwise is willing to just sit there for a while.
After all, he just needs to kill time until someone finds them.
And probably fights off that massive demon.
[Parts Unknown]

"Cousin Kol's a silly one, isn't he?" The smaller of the two girls giggles, redoubling her grip around his arm/foreleg.

The larger of the two smiles up at him. "Don't worry. You're family. We'd never hurt family. It's, like, the one rule we have. Everything else is just a suggestion." She nods over her shoulder toward the table. "Won't you eat? We've been dying to meet you. Uncle Braeg has been hyping you up all night."
Keeper wrote: Apr 13, 2023 12:45 pm Crystal Dorms

Mac sighs.
"Aiko, my vest I was just wearing doesn't cover anything anyway. Seeq have an innate aetherial system that pumps aether throughout our bodies. That's how we move as fast as we do, but it's also makes us run hot. So this is the traditional outfit of my people. But if somehow covering my back will make you happier..." Given that Macan doesn't close his vest, it really doesn't do much besides covering his shoulder blades and armpits.
"Which of those do you need the most help with?" he suggests.
[Crystal Dorms]

The empress huffs at that. Mac... probably couldn't have picked a worse way to phrase it. "I don't need help with any of it. I'm allowing help because you seem dead set on spending time with me." She says prickily. "If this is your way of telling me that you are not inclined toward any particular option, then I pick Divination."

She flips open the appropriate textbook and produces a packet of playing cards from elsewhere in the stack, popping open the box and shuffling them as she talks. "You aren't in this class, correct?" She begins. "Actually, never mind, forget I asked. It is often said that the best way to learn is by teaching, so that is what I will do."

She clumps the deck down in front of her. "Our current unit is on Auguries." She explains. "Which are random occurrences that represent communication with the fates themselves. They have the primary advantage of requiring no preparation beyond knowing how to interpret the signs, so even someone who has no magic themselves can make use of them."

Like herself.

"The actual methods vary, depending on what sort of information you're looking for. For example, if all you want is a general trajectory of your life, cards are usually the optimal choice. If you need something specific, like a name, there's drawing lettered tiles out of a bag. If you need directions, throw a stick in the air. A yes-or-no question, throwing bones. And so on and so forth it goes." Aikobaz gives a little nod. "Any questions so far?"
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Parts Unknown

"Yeah, no. I'm not eating anything from someone who threatened to rip my heart out an hour ago. I'm good, thanks."
It wasn't even an hour, really. More like fifteen minutes. Either way he's not great at these schemes and his best way to stay alive is to keep his distance from basically anything involving Braeg.

Crystal Dorms

"I understand so far. But here."
Mac stands up perfectly straight and the bows low to Aikobaz.
"By moon and stars, by my crest, my fathers' poms, and the blood of my birth parents, I do swear that everything that happens in this room shall not be discussed with anyone else." He gives a sincere nod and then plops back onto the cushion.
"You don't need to keep acting like I'm going to go and tattle to the whole school the second you admit you got help from someone else. And of course, I won't tell anyone if the cards tell us something embarrassing. You would do the same for me, I'm sure."
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Sweet Dreams Ice Cream
Mary meets the glare with one of her own, unintimidated. "I get it. You think because I didn't grow up in a palace, I'm not worth listening to? You think you royals have a monopoly on betrayal and scheming? You really think that life on the streets is blissfully ignorant of the struggles of power?" She strikes the table with a fist, hard, possibly damaging it with her outsized strength. "Have you ever been clubbed in the back of the head, by a friend, over a stale crust of bread? Don't dismiss me as some peasant girl who doesn't know true hardship. Oh how terrible it is to live with a golden spoon in your mouth." She rolls her eyes at the last couple statements. Finally she looks up at the waitress. "I won't be having anything, thanks."
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Earl of Purple »

Sweet Dreams Ice Creams

"Cities. They poison minds and hearts. Yours, Aikobaz'. I wasn't born in a palace. I was born in a yurt, like my father. His father was born under the open sky; a tradition of my great-grandmother's people. I've never been in a palace. Two years ago, I'd never been in any house that couldn't be taken down and moved in half an hour. I've gone thirsty when there's drought and the water was needed for the goats. I've gone hungry when the drought continued and forage was short. I've walked through snow up to my waist and killed over a muddy well that didn't have enough water for me to drink from, because the goats were more important. You think I had a golden spoon? No point, it's less practical than a tin one and heavier when I needed as little weight as possible to run from the kings that want me dead. I've had shit hard. You've had shit hard. I don't know how hard your shit's been, you don't know how hard my shit's been. Aikobaz? Her shit's been hard too, in a completely different way to my shit and your shit. It's just you, poisoned by your... your bricks, your pavements, your electric fucking lights can't see that. Neither can she, poisoned the exact same way." Aigothurz doesn't look away from Mary as he speaks, ignoring the dent in the table.

"Sorry, Abbi. I need to go for a walk, find somewhere with enough air to clear my head. You should get something here, though." Aigothurz gets up, ready to walk away, only just glancing at Abbi as he talks to the waitress.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

Keeper wrote: Apr 13, 2023 5:13 pm Parts Unknown

"Yeah, no. I'm not eating anything from someone who threatened to rip my heart out an hour ago. I'm good, thanks."
It wasn't even an hour, really. More like fifteen minutes. Either way he's not great at these schemes and his best way to stay alive is to keep his distance from basically anything involving Braeg.
[Parts Unknown]

"To prove a simple point." Braeg replies, cutting into the meat in front of him. "It is far better to be a part of the family than to not. We all know not to harm our kin, but outsiders are a whole other matter. If it were my intention to harm you, I could have done so easily. Instead, I have invited you to a feast among family, which... you have chosen not to partake in."

"Please, cousin Kol?" The smaller of the two girls whimpers. "At least try the pie."
Keeper wrote: Apr 13, 2023 5:13 pm Crystal Dorms

"I understand so far. But here."
Mac stands up perfectly straight and the bows low to Aikobaz.
"By moon and stars, by my crest, my fathers' poms, and the blood of my birth parents, I do swear that everything that happens in this room shall not be discussed with anyone else." He gives a sincere nod and then plops back onto the cushion.
"You don't need to keep acting like I'm going to go and tattle to the whole school the second you admit you got help from someone else. And of course, I won't tell anyone if the cards tell us something embarrassing. You would do the same for me, I'm sure."
[Crystal Dorms]

Aikobaz raises an eyebrow at this, a small smile touching her lips in spite of herself. Sure, Macan's gesture was completely pointless; she doesn't trust him any more now than she did before. But it's been a while since anybody's ever actually bowed to her. Granted, he wasn't doing so because she was the empress, but it still scratched an itch she's had to leave alone for a while.

She can at least do him the courtesy of setting the record straight.

"Macan..." Aikobaz lets out a little sigh as she closes the book. "...I don't know what it is with you and the other people at this school, thinking I'm trying to maintain an image, but you're mistaken. I don't cheat on tests. I don't cheat on my homework. I don't do things for popularity's sake, or so people will think I'm strong. The facade would be pointless; it would falter the moment it is challenged, and believe me when I tell you, there would be challengers."

She straightens and continues. "Imagine this for a moment. Imagine you were suddenly given power over the entirety of the Nexus. But say the word and it will be done. Calamity, tragedy, prosperity, it would all begin and end with you." She curls her hands together in front of her. "...Every tragedy, calamity, or instance of prosperity. For you always have the power to intervene, and when you choose not to, you condemn people- people you love, and have since you were a child- to misery and hardship you could have averted."

"That is what it means to be empress, Mac." Aikobaz concludes, resting her nose on her thumbs. "And to live with that much power... perfection is insufficient. Perfection means you've stopped trying. You- I have to be better than perfect." Her hands are shaking in front of her mouth, though her voice stays steady throughout. "So when I say I don't need your help, I mean it. I've read all of these books backward and forward. Committed them to memory. Annotated every passage in my mind, and analyzed it all in its entirety. When my exams come, I intend to score beyond perfection, with or without your assistance. And if I am incapable of that, whether you go and tell the other students that I did or not is irrelevant; I will still have failed."

The empress takes a deep breath and lowers her hands, folding them in her lap. "...Do you understand, Mac?" She asks quietly.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Parts Unknown

"Oh, yes, much better. Instead I just get kidnapped, brought here against my will with a massive demon outside to keep me from leaving while you continue to make barely concealed threats at me. I feel so incredibly welcome." Kol spits.
He does not get up to move towards the table.

Crystal Dorms

Mac sits quietly, looking at Aiko.
"But you do care about what people think." Because otherwise everyone wouldn't have seen her run into the bathroom crying when she got laughed out of the cafeteria. He doesn't bring that up.
"And you aren't Empress right now." he adds. "I'm in your classes. I've seen you in clubs. You push yourself to the brink every day. It's great that you care about people you love- but you gotta care about yourself a little or you're gonna snap some day."
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[Parts Unknown]

"See? You get it." Braeg smiles, with an accompanying gesture toward Kol. "Between that option and being dead, can you honestly say you would prefer the latter?"

"He probably would say as much, eh?" A male fiendling to Braeg's left chuckles, holding up a tankard of... something, it's hard to tell what from here, but presumably alcohol in some form. "Don't take it personally, lad. Veiled threats are just how we talk around here. Kinda like how a punch in the shoulder means 'I love you' to some people and yer little sister steals yer toys to get your attention."

"Really, Fiona? You couldn't just ask me to play with you?"

"Nobody's gonna hurt ya here, is the point." The fiendling finishes. "Maybe it doesn't look it, but yer among friends here." He throws back the tankard and takes a long drink, followed by a disquieting belch.


[Crystal Dorms]

Aiko sighs. "And again, you are mistaken." She says, eyes closed. "I am still Empress, even in exile. I have been for seven years; if I were going to break, I would be broken by now." She straightens. "Everything I do now still serves a higher purpose. I will return home one day, and when I do, it will be as well-armed as I can be." She opens the textbook again, flipping to the exact page where she left off. "Every book I can study, every weapon I can master, every philosophy I understand and every soldier I can muster will be brought to bear against any who have dared to harm my people in my absence. I may not sit on Zenith's throne tonight... but that is no excuse to be negligent in my duties."
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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Parts Unknown

"Cool. If I'm among friends I'm sure my stance that I am not hungry and would like the demon upstairs called off so I can go home and study for midterms will be totally honored."
Kol tilts his head around and blinks innocently at the fiendling. They don't seem to understand that he isn't interested in being family with a bunch of murderous psychos. Especially if they're not actually related and this is just a weird thing about worshipping his mom. Of course Braeg has already heavily implied that they are in fact related by blood and he very much knows who Kol's father is. But Kol is prepared for that 'reveal' to happen.

Crystal Dorms

"But you misunderstand me. Titles are forever, sure. But you aren't being the Empress right now. This is the only time of your life you are going to have that is for yourself. If you ever get back there it'll be your job all the time forever until you die. And like I said, one of these days you're going to snap. And of course you might have someone to share that with-"
He leans his head down a bit.
"And I know that being royalty gives you a lot of leeway when it comes to dating, but I'll give you a tip for your Romance class: most people don't like a date who's all work all the time."
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[Parts Unknown]

"Aye, there's the rub." The fiendling sighs. "We can't just 'call off' the demon. They come with the place; was born here, and'll probably die here, someday. They're not leaving for anything short of a-"

"FEASSSSSSSSSST!" The demon's voice echoes through the corridors.

"...so unless ye've got a convenient village to sate the creature's appetite while ye run as far and fast in the opposite direction as ye can, I'm sorry to say yer stuck, lad."

Braeg looks over his chalice at Kol, barely hiding a wicked grin. He knows exactly what question is coming next, and he's relishing it.


[Crystal Dorms]

"And again, I'm afraid I must insist it's you who has misunderstood." Aikobaz straightens. "I am being the Empress right now. This is not a time for myself. There is no time for myself. I gave that up when I knelt before the throne, made my oaths, and took the crown upon my head." She knits her fingers together. "Every waking moment, and then some, I spend preparing for my return. Sometimes in the form of finding a way back, sometimes in the form of enabling myself to drive out any threats that may be there, but always with the Empire's best interests at heart."

"...And yes, I am... perfectly aware of the limitations that come with that." She says solemnly. "But fortunately, there is a significant difference between 'most people' and 'all people'. If all I gain from my time in this class is that I learn how to court the three people in existence who could understand the cost of the crown, and in doing so secure the future of the bloodline, it will have been time well spent." She nods, seemingly as much to herself as to Mac. "...I do not expect you to understand. I will not ask you to understand. But I will ask that you do not press the matter any farther."
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 »

Sweet Dreams Ice cream
Mary gets up too. "Then why are you here? If cities are poison to you, you should leave." She's not going to stay, but she's not leaving with Aigothurz. She'll let him go, and then wait a minute or so before leaving on her own, unless something stops her.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Parts Unknown

"Oh, so all of you magic'd your way here? That makes sense. Well, that's fine. In a few hours the people looking for me will show up." It's a good thing he did mention that the guy who kidnapped him was a dangerous magic psycho or they definitely wouldn't send anyone who could have a chance against that thing.
"I haven't a clue if they can handle that thing but I imagine you'll need to find a new meeting spot next year."
Frankly, Kol doesn't think that an Intersection rescue team CAN handle that thing. They'll get slaughtered. His best bet is to give Braeg a reason to just give up and let him go. Or at least find a quiet corner to sneak another call to warn them. For now he'll just keep it vague as to how he already called for help.
And if all else fails he can try to earth-bend his way out. It worked alright for a first go.

Crystal Dorms

"But you misunderstood me misunderstanding you misunderstanding-" Mac snorts out a chuckle before his face becomes serious again.
"Alright, Aiko. Just remember: you're in a different world. If you ever get home, time and reality might not be how you remember it. You might get back the same day you left or a century later when someone else has been handling things. I'm not saying that to change what you're doing that. I'm warning you because it happened to me. Just be prepared."

Then he goes back to his casual self, leaning back and drumming his fingers on his belly. "So! You were talking about divination?"
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Re: PREP Highschool

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[Parts Unknown]

"...What? No. No, we can't have." The girl around Kol's leg objects. "Uncle Braeg brought us down here... right?"

"Must have." The girl around Kol's neck agrees. "I know I didn't magic myself down here, I have no idea how."

"Of course." Braeg smiles. "I brought you here for a little family get-together, and when we're done, I intend to bring you back to where you came from." He gives a dismissive wave. "You're welcome to bring anyone else you like, master Kol. The more the merrier, as they say!" He chuckles, before turning his attention to the last, unaddressed trio of fiendlings sitting to his right. "...You three have been awfully quiet. Don't you have anything to say to our guest?"

The trio lift their heads simultaneously, giving Kol the same dead-eyed, glazed-over look, before returning to their meals, morosely picking at their plates.

"...Charming." Braeg notes, rolling his shoulders and taking a seat again. "Well, if you aren't going to eat, at least play with your cousins. They've been dying to meet you and I'm sure they'd like a better impression of you than 'that grumpy lizard uncle Braeg brought to our last Genidydd'."

The pair of fiendling girls look up at Kol expectantly. "Yeah! Come on, cousin Kol! We can play hide and go seek!"

"Or tag! We can play tag!"

"Ooh! Or the name game, that's always fun!"

"Cath fili! We can do cath fili!"

"Please?" The girls beg simultaneously, looking up at Kol with a quartet of big, brown, doe-like eyes.


[Crystal Dorms]

Aiko politely holds her hand over her mouth to stifle a little giggle at Mac's joke. What a card this seeq is!

But, as quickly as Mac's voice drops, so does Aiko's hand, and she's all business all over again. "I have considered that possibility, yes." She agrees. "In which case it is entirely possible I am wasting my time. But it is far better to assume I am still empress and carry myself accordingly than to assume I am not and become lax in my duties. We shall see."

Aiko picks up the deck and starts shuffling it again, but even as she goes to resume her lecture, Mac might notice a change to her posture. Her shoulders, formerly so tense that she appeared as though her arms might snap off if he brushed against her the wrong way, are now relaxed, or at least as relaxed as he's ever seen them. Some of the hardness in her features seems to have disolved away, as well, and her hands don't seem quite so stiff, moving fluidly over the deck as she shuffles.

Maybe Mac didn't have any answers for her, but it seems as though the mere act of talking to him about her problems has loosened Aiko up considerably. If his goal was to make a friend out of her, he seems to have made significant headway.

"The real challenge with Auguries," Aikobaz resumes, "is picking out nonsense answers from genuine divination. While sometimes, the fates deem it necessary to answer your questions and provide you with insight, many times, they do not, but something still has to happen when you go to ask. It is just not something that provides an answer."

She sets the deck in front of her. "For example, if I ask how I am to return to my home, and then draw cards like so-" she deftly flicks out three cards from the top of the deck- "I might get a genuine response, or I might just get a series of cards that mean absolutely nothing. A wise diviner can tell the difference."

She stares a moment at the cards drawn: a Queen of Clubs, a Ten of Diamonds, and a King of Hearts. The empress shakes her head. "This one is nonsensical. It talks of a friendly woman, a lover, and joy. That does not sound like a path back to Zenith at all. It seems as though the fates have nothing to say to me today."
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 Earl of Purple »

bc56 wrote: Apr 15, 2023 9:51 pm Sweet Dreams Ice cream
Mary gets up too. "Then why are you here? If cities are poison to you, you should leave." She's not going to stay, but she's not leaving with Aigothurz. She'll let him go, and then wait a minute or so before leaving on her own, unless something stops her.
"I'm in Inside to go to PREP. I go to PREP to learn, politics and diplomacy and history, tactics and strategy and finances. Things I can't learn amongst my people, which will nevertheless be of use when I follow in the footsteps of my great-grandfather. Stuff he didn't have the opportunity to learn. You've got an opportunity to learn. I suggest you take it." With that, Aigothurz leaves pulling his hatchet out and holding it at arm's length, moving it until it twitches like a dowsing rod.
"Are you sure you don't want anything miss? Ice cream makes everyone feel better." Abi smiles, a little nervously but really hoping somebody's going to buy ice cream.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Parts Unknown

Kol tilts his head at the trio.
"Did you fry their brains or something? Weird choice to bring in family that are going to act like zombies." Or are they just minions for later INSIDIOUS PLANS?
"Fiiiiiine." he groans to the girls. As he stands up, it will be apparent that there's a solid bed of plant life growing out of the cracks between stones where he was sitting (and feeling very strong emotions).

Crystal Dorms

Mac's smile grows wider. His teeth are surprisingly clean and white.
"Are you sure? What if the Fates are telling you that you're working on fairy tale rules? And that the way home is to have a lovely, joy-filled romance after becoming a friendly person?"
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Parts Unknown]

"Yaaay!" The fiendling children chorus as Kol relents.

"You count to ten, I'll go and hide!" The smaller one chirps, already running off.

"What? I thought we were playing tag!" The larger of the two pauses, before bapping Kol playfully on the snoot. "You're it!" She giggles, before running off after her sister.

Braeg smirks and rolls his eyes. "Children." He chuckles fondly.


[Crystal Dorms]

"Heh. Really, now, Mac, don't be ri-"

Aikobaz's smile drops suddenly as a thought occurs to her; Macan might be absolutely right. This is the Nexus, after all. Stranger things than "to return home, you must become extremely eligible" happen every day.

And if it really is as simple as that...

Aiko leans in, seizes hold of Mac's face by the cheeks, and plants a long kiss directly onto his snout, which she maintains for a solid thirty seconds before unceremoniously releasing him.

"No, that doesn't seem to be it." She sighs, settling back into her chair.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Sweet Dreams Ice Cream
Mary rolls her eyes at that remark. What does he think she does at PREP, not learn? She just has different coursework.

"Sorry. That conversation ruined my appetite." The demon princess gives the waitress an apologetic smile.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Parts Unknown

Kol shrugs his wings and follows after the girls. The results are the same whichever game they're playing: he just has to catch them,
This will also take them into the hallways which are occupied by a demon but they'll probably be fine.

Crystal Dorms

Macan is perhaps more bemused than anything else. He waggles a finger at Aikobaz, shaking his head.
"Now, now, Aiko. Was that love? Did it spark joy? I'm not even sure that was particularly friendly. You didn't satisfy the requirements at all. You can't just sprint to the end result without going through the rest of the steps.
You have got to give, 'cause taking is too easy; that's the way it is~"

He blinks quickly, tilting his head and grinning again.
"But if you enjoyed it that's okay."
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Parts Unknown]

As Kol gives chase, the girls are both enveloped in earthy green smoke, which soon clears to see him chasing... two things that are very clearly not little girls.

The first is a large bat, which has already taken off and is heading for the cieling overhead, well over thirty feet into the air. "Whee! Can't catch me!" The fiendling's voice taunts.

The other is a small fox, which bolts straight ahead at top speed, diving into the first crack in the stonework she can find. After a moment, the vixen pokes her head back out to check if Kol pursued her, panting quietly to herself.


[Crystal Dorms]

"I know. I'll have you know I ended last semester in Narrative Conventions with a 128." Aiko replies, brushing back her hair. "I didn't expect that kiss to do anything. It was far too impersonal. But if kisses here carried any inherent magic, such that one that qualifies as 'true love' might bestow some sort of boon on the participants, I would have felt something." She leans back in her chair. "You see, those of us in the Astral Empire's royal line are born with an ability to detect magic. It is, quite literally, in the blood; we get all hot and flushed when there is magic about; if you ever see my veins start to glow, that is what's happening. But here?" She points to her cheeks. "Nothing. Not so much as a spark. So I doubt there is a hidden mechanism just waiting for the right circumstances to be set off by a kiss. It was a good thought, though."

Aikobaz continues to stare at the cards for a moment, before her expression falls and she belatedly gives Mac a smack in the arm. "Really? Spice Girls?" She mumbles irritably.
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 Keeper »

Parts Unknown

The vixen should know better than to hide in earth from the son of Adea. Kol prances his way over to her, and the crack widens considerably. Not much, mind you. Just enough that it would be easier for say, a large paw to reach in and grab her...

Crystal Dorms

"So you're saying I could get you hot and bothered if I were to cast any spells right now?" Mac teases, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Sorry, Aiko. My vocation requires that I be able to appreciate a little bit of everything. And have an approximate knowledge of many things." He is a font of useless information at all times.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Parts Unknown]

"Hee-hee! Can't catch me!" The vixen squeaks as several facefuls of dirt shoot out of the crack in the general direction of Kol's face. Evidently, the fiendish fox has her own, far more rudimentary form of earth manipulation, which takes advantage of her current shape.


[Crystal Dorms]

"Perhaps. Though I would rather you not refer to my birthright as empress in such vulgar terms again." Aiko stiffens. "...Truth be told, even sitting this near to you is... having an effect." She holds up her hand, tilting it in his direction so he can see the glowing orange veins running through it, which intensify as she holds it nearer his face. "I suspect that has something to do with the... what did you call it, aether?... running through your own body." She frowns and touches her fingers to her lips, evidently still feeling some lingering effects from her ill-advised kiss. "...I will admit, that makes it a bit harder to tell whether there was a third form of magic involved. But I have had a lifetime to refine my senses. I still very much doubt it."
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 Keeper »

Parts Unknown

Kol shields his face with his wing!
Useful, wings. Even when you can't fly they can be used for things.
The dragon is getting closer!
What will the fox do?!

Crystal Dorms

"Well. I mean. You've had like, a quarter of a lifetime to refine your senses. Unless you're way too old to be at this school, which you don't see to be." Mac corrects.
"But still, I trust your expertise." he winks. "Mostly."
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Parts Unknown]

The same thing any burrowing animal would do if she had a dirt wall in front of her and an animal that can dig faster than her behind her.

Get caught.

"Aw!" The vixen whines. "You got me! I suppose that means it's your turn to hide now, right?"

[Crystal Dorms]

"...Hmph." Aiko scoops the cards back up and shuffles them into the deck. "Moving on. As with any skill, if I am to improve, I will need to practice. While I could simply read my own fortune, it would be far more effective for me to read someone else's. So." She sets the deck back on the table. "Ask a question. I will attempt to divine a satisfactory answer. Be clear in what you are asking; the fates know already, and have the answer waiting, but I do not."
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 Keeper »

Parts Unknown

Kol stares at the fox flatly for several seconds.
"I am very large. Hiding would be difficult." he says bluntly, as if he is doing an impression that the fox is unlikely to get.

Crystal Dorms

"Well, let's see. I know you're not supposed to ask if you should have papaya for breakfast. What's the stereotypical thing to ask for? Will I be lucky with loooove~?" he purrs.
Really he just couldn't think to ask for anything. It's not like cards are going to tell him the answers to his math homework.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Parts Unknown]

"You silly!" The vixen giggles, bapping her paw against his snout. "I bet you're really good at hiding! Grandma's supposed to be really good at it, too! And she's way bigger than you!"


[Crystal Dorms]

"That should be easy enough. I may not even need the cards." Aikobaz half-smirks, shuffling the deck between her hands and drawing the top three cards. She flips the first one over and sighs. "Ten of clubs. That means money, in some way... maybe you'll come into a fortune, or maybe the fates are saying your date will be someone with expensive tastes. Maybe you're not bound for love at all, but if it's any consolation, you will at least be rich."

Aikobaz flips over the second card. "Three of spades. Obstacles. Difficulty. You're in for a challenge of some sort. A difficult courtship, perhaps. Maybe your future lover will be someone who demands much from you."

And finally, she flips over the third. "Ten of diamonds. Happiness. Whatever happens, you will be happy with the outcome. That might not mean you meet someone... that could mean you will find yourself happily single, or you will find the love of your life." She gives a little shrug. "In a way, I suppose that means the answer to your question is 'yes', you will be lucky in love, in that you'll get something you'll be happy with."

Aikobaz looks over the cards for a short while longer. "Money... strife... and happiness. And in that order, that suggests quite the narrative. One can't help but wonder..." She puts her finger on the deck and draws again. "The usual procedure is to draw thrice, but perhaps... our Divination teacher says that, if our intuition demands it, it is acceptable to draw more than that."

She flips the next couple of cards over. "Three of clubs. A sign of perseverance. Strange that this would come after happiness... what could drive you to continue your efforts after you've already found joy?" Her gaze flicks over to the fifth card. "Queen of diamonds. Ah, that makes sense. There's a young woman involved. Someone to stir you from complacency." Her hand moves across the deck, drawing a sixth card. "Four of clubs; poverty, chaos. From wealth to here, it seems you're going to experience a significant loss."

Aiko pauses, her finger resting on the deck as she mentally debates whether to draw again or not. "...I believe seven is the most magically perfect number, correct? This should tell us how your story ends."

The last card flicks out, spinning across the table.

"Five of hearts. A sign of a small token of affection. A fleeting glimpse, an unexpected phone call, a letter or a card or a gift. And, presumably... it goes no farther than this."

Part of her is tempted to draw yet again. But seven cards seems almost excessive as it is.

"So, from the top... wealth, strife, joy, perseverance, a young woman, loss, and at last, a small bit of affection." She smiles. "A fair mix of ups and downs. I would say you are in for a windfall, which you use to work on yourself. It's a struggle, but over time, you find happiness in yourself. And as you grow and challenge yourself, you eventually come to meet a young woman. Through your association with her, you lose... quite a bit. But she's grateful, it seems, if only enough to give you a little attention."

Aikobaz leaves the cards on the table and leans back. "...I suppose we'll have some idea whether this is true if you come into money."
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 Keeper »

Parts Unknown

Kol is booped on the nose. Yaaaay!
"Uh, which grandma is that? One of my half-siblings, or...?"
All he knows is that the lineage of everyone from his parents' world is absolutely nuts.

Crystal Dorms

"Well. I mean I've already had a few of those. My dads have money. And I've um. Had some strife. And joy. But that's not what it looks at, is it?"
Is a card reading retroactive? He wouldn't have thought so.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Parts Unknown]

"Pft! No." The vixen giggles, understandably amused by Kol's apparent inability to track his own family. "You know. Grandma? Our big ol' Grandma up in the sky? Oh!" She rubs her paws over her face in embarrassment. "That's right, I forgot! She's my Grandma, but she's your Mum! Silly me!"


[Crystal Dorms]

"...That would be a positive indication, yes." Aiko says, pondering the implications. "The cards are mum on what is in the past and what is in the future. All it will tell is the order. And if you have already seen wealth, strife, and joy, then seeing them before perseverance and the maiden only serves to confirm your identity... or tell you that these incidents in your past inform your choices in the present and future."

The empress pales as she examines the cards. What comes after joy for Mac is persistence and the maiden. And even that may be in the past... he was, after all, trying very hard to get on Aiko's good side.

Aiko, who it bears mention, is young and unwed, and could accurately be described as a "maiden".

The empress scoops the cards back up and shuffles them into the deck. "Of course, it's all subject to interpretation." She says quickly. "Such is the nature of Auguries. They are always rather vague on the details."
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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