PREP Highschool

[Halae]

[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.

[The Arena]

"Why don't we both start small and ramp up to what seems to be the limit each other can handle?" Skye offers. That way they can see who's stronger without a risk of injury, "You can come at me first."

Skye actually takes up a similar stance with her own staff, but the structure of her stance is clearly meant for thrusting - this is a spear art, not a staff art, that she's using.

[Keeper]

Zany Antics

”Um, Koko no, I’m shirtless because I was training after class and Asami kidnapped me.” He glances around.
”If it’s becoming a thing I’ll just solve the problem.”
Mac takes a prism out of his pocket and holds it up above his head dramatically. Then he spins around and with a flash of blue light he is dressed in a brilliant red vest, shorts, and mage’s hat.
Assuming Koko has Aikobaz’s memories she should be well familiar with Mac’s love of little sleeveless vests that can’t even close. Apparently his people have a word for them and everything. This outfit isn’t a school uniform but they’re after classes after all.
”there. Now everyone is fully clothed and there’s nothing to worry about.” Mac declares primly.

[[brackets lover]]

[Zany Antics]

Asami wasn't paying attention to Mac. Instead, his face went the brightest red as his hands fidget about. "[Incomprehensible japanese sounds]" he stutters, his corona quickly becoming blinding and scorching, prompting jeers from passingby students whose personal belongings are getting ignited. After a few seconds, Asami warps into the nearby trashcan, the light beaming out the top of it.

[The Arena]

"Small, huh? Ok, I'll try."

Asami approaches Skye, her form loose and flexible. She purposefully gets too close so that Skye can pull off a swift thrust to Asami's chest. Of course, if this happens, Asami will attempt to parry the blow by bringing her staff, held horizontally and with a wide blocking area, into the other staff and tilting it to add an impressive amount of force. This would put the momentum of Skye's staff out of her control and forced to the side by Asami. From here, Asami would move in and get within punching range of Skye.

If Skye doesn't strike in any way by the time Asami comes to parry, Asami will instead bring her left hand back on the staff and her right hand forward, driving one end swiftly towards Skye's shoulder.

[Ironsmith]

[Zany Antics]

Koko watched as Mac pulls out the prism, then gives a delighted little round of applause when she sees him change. "Wow, Macan-kun!" She cheers. "Great trick!"

And then Asami.

Koko watches with concern as Asami heats up, then full-on panic as various students and their possessions start catching fire (a situation that resolves itself quickly enough and leaves her mercifully untouched). But, once the danger has passed, she makes her way over to the trash can and timidly pokes her head over the side, trying to look in.

"...I think Asami-kun is broken." She mutters as an aside to Mac. "Asami-kun! Don't run! I'm coming in to help you!" She calls into the lid, before lifting it and hoisting a leg over inside.

[Keeper]

Zany Antics

Mac takes the opportunity of Asami’s attention being completely off of him and Koko following suit to finally beat a hasty retreat out of here. Asami invited Darko to the movie but made it sound like Darko wasn’t supposed to expect Mac to be there. That means Asami was expecting Mac to hide in a trash can or something and he is not putting up with that.

[[brackets lover]]

[Zany Antics]

On hearing from Koko, Asami pushes against the opposite edge of the trash can to give as much space as possible.

"Eh- Eh- It's, um, it's okay, Koko-senpai! This is just a thing that happens!" Asami calls back nervously, "There's, um, theres thing at a, uh, place that's like where you, like, go to and stuff."

Asami taps the tips of his fingers together, weakly muttering, "So, uh, you can go the place and do the thing. _{If you want to, that is...}"

[Ironsmith]

[Zany Antics]

Asami will find himself with a succubus sitting opposite him (inasmuch as is possible within the confines of the trash can). Koko stares at him for a moment, not seeming to know whether she should get any closer or not.

"...Are you okay, Asami-kun?" She asks, still watching him warily. "You look upset. I don't like it when my friends are upset."

[[brackets lover]]

[Zany Antics]

"Uh..." Asami says uncertainly, "_{You can see me...?}"

It is a little strange how Koko hasn't gone permentantly blind from the immense light shining all around.

[Ironsmith]

[Zany Antics]

"Asami-kun I'm pretty sure they could see you from space." Koko points out. "And, um... I can't make out your face, but you do still seem upset. I don't think you set things on fire when you're happy."

[Earl of Purple]

[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 etiquette 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?

The servants and Aikobaz don't attract any attention, despite Aikobaz' rather unusual clothes. Most of the inhabitants are human, of varying ethnicities; but there's a significant population of orc-bloods and individuals with Loremaster heritage, blue-skinned and lanky. Many of the merchants are halflings, however, and they're rarely obviously citizens of Ecbatana. Most of the goods on display are well-made and valuable, but also early-industrial. Sometimes a clock, or a gun, or a loom or small steam engine, or some other mechanical contrivance. There's a fair few ornamental pieces of carved stone, including an agate sculpture carved to resemble a dragon hatching from an egg; if Aiko gets close to it, she'll start to glow.

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

Ooh, a magic statuette, huh? Isn't that interesting?

...It really is, but Aiko isn't actually here to shop. This is very much a social visit; she wants to know more about the buyers and sellers than what's being bought and sold.

But, the actual people here seem a bit... well, impenetrable. She's probably not going to learn much without offering coinage first, and even then she can't expect honesty from people actively trying to sell her things. Especially if she gives "rich girl" vibes, irrespective of her actual position in the city's sociopolitical hierarchy.

Fortunately, she's been attending PREP long enough to have some alternate icebreakers in her repertoire.

Aiko spins on her heel and promptly walks straight into the first passerby she sees, face-first.

Oof!

[[brackets lover]]

[Zany Antics]

Asami chuckles nervously. "Y-you're being silly. This is totally just random occurance, like sneezing or something! Don't worry about it! Really!"

He interlocks his fingers, twiddling his thumbs. "A-anyways, as I was saying, uh. There's a place I want to go to, but, um, I'm not sure if it'll be too cold today... Can you, um, go in my stead and tell me how it feels out?"

[Ironsmith]

[Zany Antics]

"Oh! Okay!" Koko chirps, smiling almost as brightly as Asami is glowing just now. "Glad to hear that! You had me worried for me a minute!"

She then starts to climb back out of the can, stumbling a little as her ankle catches the rim, and she lands face-first on the floor. "Oof!" She grunts, before picking herself up and shaking herself off.

"Okay! So!" Koko begins again, turning around and staring blankly at the glowing trash can. "Where did you want to go?"

[[brackets lover]]

[Zany Antics]

"Location..." he says, "Its this outdoor movie place. And its got a playground at all. It sounds fun, but... It won't be good if its too freezing to even enjoy." He sounds a little worried as he says this.

Regardless, with the name of the location and Asami's shining properly discussed, not much more is to be said of the rest of the day til the time for the date comes to play.

[Ironsmith]

[Zany Antics]

"Sure! I can go have a look. You know what, I'll even go right now!" Koko waves in the general direction of the trash can. "Okay I love you bye bye!"

And with that, she turns and darts off.

Right into a wall.

"...I'm okay! Bye though!"

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

Aikobaz succeeds in walking straight into a short, squat figure with large blue eyes set in a brown-orange face, a snub nose and a single small tusk sticking from their lower jaw. They wear an outfit of light blue wool, and a pair of grass sandals and a felt cap. A copper dagger at their waist hangs opposite a mummified left forearm, the shriveled hand folded into a fist; the latter grisly object is magical, if Aikobaz gets close enough to it. "Ah! Oh, oh dear. Are you alright, miss? Are you fine, are you dandy? Um, oh dear. How are you, are you alright, did you get injured? Did my Hand of Glory disquiet you, did it obfuscate your senses? Are you blind, miss, can you see? Oh dear, oh dear, my tutor will be most unimpressed if I have inadvertently cursed a noble, I'll be a grasshopper before you know it." They'll try to help Aikobaz up immediately after, as the servant escort rushes up and stops a short distance away, eyes wide.

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

"Oh, it's okay, don't worry about it." Aiko smiles, accepting the hand up and dusting herself off. "I don't feel cursed, and if I were I still wouldn't blame you. Not like you ran into me on purpose or anything!"

Quite the opposite.

"I could ask you most of the same things, really. I'm told I have a hard head and I ran it right into you." She quips. "You okay? Nothing bleeding or anything?"

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"Are you sure you aren't cursed? Positive, guaranteed? It would be horrible if you woke up tomorrow and found your teeth and fingers had swapped places. And yes, yes, I am fine. No, no, not bleeding me, no blood to bleed. I'll get over it. Ah! Yes, allow myself to be introduced! My mother calls me Weaselflicker, and my father calls me Irrgoth, and my tutor calls me Ivan the Inept. Are... you sure you are not cursed? This is the longest conversation I have had with an Unenlightened in thirteen months and twelve days. It is liable to end in cursing." The orcling wrings their wrists and looks Aikobaz anxiously up and down, to make sure she's not horribly mutating before their eyes. The servants are keeping their distance.

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Aiko replies, quietly taking inventory of herself anyway. If she were cursed, she'd be feeling feverish and her blood would be glowing. So far, no sign of those symptoms. "Anyway, if we're exchanging names... hi! I'm Aikobaz." She extends her hand toward the orcling again. "My friends just call me Aiko. And so does everyone who isn't my friend. Apparently nobody cares about being a wizard if you can't drop a meteor on them, which is quite rude but I'll get over it."

That is, after all, what the -Baz suffix means in her culture. But she's not going to be one of those people who insists on being called "Doctor" outside her field.

"...So, ah, Irrgoth... why are you so certain you're going to end up cursing me?" She grimaces, apparently finding the subject both amusing and aggravating.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"Oh, you might not be the one getting cursed. It may be me, with the shouting and the insults. And the name-calling and the stone-throwing and the mob and the shouting." Irrgoth nods quite enthusiastically, as though the possibility of being called names and getting stoned by a mob is perfectly normal.

They glance at the hand, considering what to do with it, before taking it and spreading Aiko's fingers in order to count her fingers. "You are a wizard? How fascinating, how interesting, how marvelous. I am not yet truly Enlightened, with but a toehold upon the mountains of knowledge awaiting me. My tutor says I shall be a wizard, at my current rate of learning, in about thirty five years, two months, a week, two days, thirteen hours, forty-three minutes and twelve seconds. Eleven seconds. Ten seconds. Nine- oh, you get the idea, I hope, I trust, I think. Currently I have mastered the thirteen thousand and thirty one uses of a corpse, three of the nine names of fire, and the lower mysteries of blasphemy. How about you, Miss Aikobaz?" Irrgoth looks up excitedly, interested in finding out where and how Aikobaz sits upon the peaks of mystic knowledge.

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

"Oh. Well." Aiko plants her hands on her hips. "That's not happening on my watch." She says that last bit a little louder for the crowd's benefit, giving them the nudge to move along, there's nothing to see here. Nobody's getting stoned today.

"Ah, well..." She continues, after the orc lists off some impressive credentials. "I'm familiar with all seven extant modes of transfiguration, know the true names of thirty-four earthbound stars, studied all the works of Balboz the Magnificent, read The Fundamental Rules of Wishing in both Astran and its original Maaric, and personally wrote eight of the laws governing reality within the domain of Zenith." She shrugs. "Plus or minus a few hundred arcanisms that have floated in and out of viability. But, all of that's in another world. I'm starting over fresh here. But but..." She grins. "The mentality never really leaves you, now, does it? Learn to learn and you'll never be poor in knowledge."

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"And who are you, Miss Aikobaz, to stop them?" Irrgoth tilts their head and smiles, unaware of Aikobaz' candidacy for sovereignty- and equally unaware she's trying to go undercover right now.

"Seven extant modes of transfiguration? I have heard only of five. I'm not familiar with Balboz the Magnificent, or the book and languages you have mentioned. Wait, wait, wait! Another world, you say? Another realm, another place? You know the way between worlds? How, how, how? Please, my tutor would be most invigorated, indeed enthused with vigour, about this possibility. Do the Loremasters know? Oh, dear, please tell me no! My tutor despises, hates, loathes, the Loremasters." Irrgoth goes from intrigued to excited to panicked very quickly, and dances nervously from one foot to the other.

[Ironsmith]

[Ecbatana]

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is where I am, which is between you and them." She nods toward the crowd. "They're not hurting you without hurting me. And if they were planning on hurting you for hurting me, they're not going to accomplish much."

And if they try to hurt her, she doesn't intend to just sit back and let them.

"And... yeah, I'm kinda not really from around here." She continues with a shrug. "At least not directly. My grandparents used to live here, but they moved out to another world, and I only recently came back. And... yeah, it's a way the Loremasters know about, I'm pretty sure, considering I ended up hitching a ride with then."

All true, or at least as "true" as the officials know it to be, but hopefully not giving away the game just yet.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"How interesting, how fascinating, how marvellous! I must make my apologies, my amends, and beg for your forgiveness. This is more important, more vital, more urgent than my tutor's lack of tea. Or perhaps it isn't, but he still must know, must discover, must learn. I should tell him immediately. After I've bought the tea, so he's in a good mood. Farewell, goodbye, so long, Miss Aikobaz." With that, and a nod of their head, the orcling turns and trots off, walking swiftly. And occasionally, when nobody can see him, he travels faster still, reappearing further away than he should be.

"Are... you OK, miss? They have not harmed you at all? The Students of Enlightenment are... a strange and dangerous lot, miss. Grave robbers, cannibals, and worse. Did you not see their... trinket?" The servant means, of course, the Hand of Glory.

[Ironsmith]

Ecbatana

"How interesting, how fascinating, how marvellous! I must make my apologies, my amends, and beg for your forgiveness. This is more important, more vital, more urgent than my tutor's lack of tea. Or perhaps it isn't, but he still must know, must discover, must learn. I should tell him immediately. After I've bought the tea, so he's in a good mood. Farewell, goodbye, so long, Miss Aikobaz." With that, and a nod of their head, the orcling turns and trots off, walking swiftly. And occasionally, when nobody can see him, he travels faster still, reappearing further away than he should be.

"Are... you OK, miss? They have not harmed you at all? The Students of Enlightenment are... a strange and dangerous lot, miss. Grave robbers, cannibals, and worse. Did you not see their... trinket?" The servant means, of course, the Hand of Glory.

[Ecbatana]

Well that's an interesting choice of charges to allege.

"So I gathered." Aikobaz replies, thumbing her chin. Strange and dangerous? She'd believe that. But the presence of verifiable wizards in this city also provides her with lots of potentially useful resources, which she may be able to access without disturbing them.

By far, this was the most fortuitous encounter she's had today.

"...Never mind that. I believe we were on our way to a shrine?"

[[brackets lover]]

[Dorm]

Asami, weary and hungry from the constant tedium of classes, was nearly always eager to return to her dorm once her last class of the day got out. She quickly tries to get changed into his casual clothes before Darko arrives, jeans and a Sonic t-shirt. He didn't wear his jacket around the dorm, as he could simply bundle up in some blankets if he got cold.

Parched from the long hours of sitting still, Asami grabs some milk out of the mini-fridge and pours herself some cereal to eat on the nearby desk. If Darko were to come in right now, he'd find little response from Asami til he finishes his bowl of cereal, a contented smile on his face as drops of milk drip down their chin. He wipes his face and hurriedly reaching for the milk to put back, accidentally tipping it over in his haste.

Asami stands shocked as a puddle of spilt milk gathers at his feet. Sniff. Immediately, his eyes get cloudly with gathering tears and his nose gets stuffy, a prelude to an onpour of snot trickling towards his upper lip as the sides of his face dampen. "Waaaah waaaaah!" he cries at a courteous volume level, not wanting to disturb their neighbors.

[quillpleasant]

Dorm

Darko usually stays out later than Asami, either to get in some extra studying in the library or to go to one of his hideaways and write in his diary. It's not that he doesn't like being in the dorm, it's just that there's always so much to do that it's hard to finally stop at the end of the day.

When Darko does get back he waves a greeting to Asami and then tosses his armful of books onto the cluttered nest of his bed. It hasn't been made since he moved in, as he prefers to sleep surrounded by various objects rather than under nicely made sheets. Just feels more right somehow.

Rummaging through the pile until he finds a comb, he's about to start detangling his hair (the belltower can get pretty windy) when Asami's cry of anguish makes his head snap around. At first Darko thinks she's hurt herself somehow before realizing what's going on.

Oh dear. Asami is... crying over spilt milk. He's pretty sure that's the poster child of things you shouldn't worry about.

"Hey, don't worry. We all make mistakes, it's no big deal," he says, stepping swiftly over to right the bottle of milk. Let's see, towel... he should probably get a towel sometime. Instead he grabs one of his tshirts to mop up the spill, pushing it around with his foot.

"See? Good as new!" he beams, staring down at the sopping wet tshirt covering about half the milk on the ground. Great job.

[[brackets lover]]

[Dorm]

Asami rubs his eyes, looking to Darko. Seeing as Darko's cleaning the mess right now, Asami takes a step back to let him work. "B-but... that poor cow. All his hard work... wasted." Asami sniffles, allowing a passive stream of tears as he slumps into his bed, similarily unmade with a controller and his rabbit plush off to the side just in front of the pillow. His face started to grow red with shame, he buries his face in his pillow and cries into it.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

Sure, Aiko. 'Interesting choice of charges' to accuse Irrgoth/Ivan the Inept/Weaselflicker of grave robbing and cannibalism. The King of Immonia only knows one thing to do with a corpse, Irrgoth has mastered 13,030 more uses than Amadius Molimorte.

"Ah, yes miss, of course. This way." Turns out they weren't so far away, and they're soon at the shrine. It's in the middle of a small square, a large baobab tree with a variety of small trinkets hanging from its branches. There's brightly coloured ribbons, lengths of chain, and drab bits of string used to suspend tiny shoes, hand-carved dolls, bells, bags of pebbles, and similar things left to Ecbatana for luck. Despite the High Priest's words, there's signs of Immonian efforts, as well; interspersed with the other trinkets and sacrifices are a number of teeth, mixed with pebbles or set into macabre grinning dolls.

There's a naked priest also in the square, working on taking down a small pavilion. They're out of bread for the poor, and several obviously struggling individuals are still wandering around. A one-armed child in a ragged shift; an older woman wearing heavy make-up and a revealing dress, and a one-eyed man leaning on a cane.

[quillpleasant]

Dorm

Bending down to sop up the rest of the milk, Darko stares in distaste at his soiled tshirt, then shrugs and tosses it into the trash. Easy come, easy go. He can just steal more clothes from the local MagMart again.

Turning back to Asami, Darko stands helpless for a moment. How do you comfort someone who's crying over something that literally doesn't matter? But after a moment's thought he decides- it's not the topic that's important. If his friend is sad, it doesn't matter why.

"Hey, you know what I think?" He sits on the end of Asami's bed, giving him space while still remaining a nearby presence. "I think you're a very kind person for thinking of the cow at all. And I'm sure if she knew, she'd think you were sweet too, but tell you not to sweat it. Everyone makes mistakes, and at least no one got hurt, right?"

In a dizzying moment, Darko suddenly reminded of a morning long ago where he was eating breakfast, and people did get hurt. But he pushes the memory violently aside, keeping focus on the present.