PREP Highschool

[Keeper]

Training Grounds

Mac is here, practicing against the various magic training dummies. Twirling his sword, he blasts one with fire, and another with lightning. The third is sliced with the proper edge of the sword. Who knows how they always get repaired?
Even though it's still fairly cold out, the seeq student doesn't seem bothered, wearing his gym shorts. He stops for a moment to wipe his sweaty brow with a rag.

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Student Approaches!]

The boy narrows his eyes at Octavia for a second before finally sheathing his sword, bringing a finger to his chin. "I was... Protecting the town from the Dread Lord's army."

He suddenly gasped, his teeth clenching feriously. "I've gotta get back, nothing for me here!" He begins sprinting down the hall in a random direction, being in fact the wrong direction if his aim is to leave the school premises as quickly as possible.

[Training Grounds]

Hiding around the corner stood Asami, who was stealthily eyeing Mac a sizable distance behind. The younger boy maintained a focus gaze on the sword, checking out how Mac is using it.

[Keeper]

Training Grounds

Mac's sword is a curved saber, so he primarily uses it for cuts. Like what Asami saw during the library encounter, Mac flips his sword around when he casts, letting the gem in its pommel act as a magic focus. Then he flips it back to deliver blows. His moves are flamboyant but still precise. He isn't the second star of the fencing team for nothing.

[[brackets lover]]

[Training Grounds]

Asami looks on impatiently, letting out an anxious sigh and pulling out his phone, waiting for Mac to finish or put his sword down for a break or something.

[Keeper]

Training Grounds

Of course Mac puts his sword down!
…into its scabbard, which he always wears on his hip.
Now he appears to be doing jumping jacks to work on his cardio. There he is, bouncing away.
…
This might be a while.

[[brackets lover]]

[Training Grounds]

Well, the pointy part is covered up, which is good enough for Asami! He suddenly swooshes in as a beam of light, striking Mac from behind and materializing back into a young boy, hugging Mac around his neck.

"Haiiiiii!" greets Asami.

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches!

-the dread lord?- echoes Octavia. That sounds pretty serious. But unfortunately going back isn't really an option.

Leaving her body behind, her halo flies after the boy, easily keeping pace with him.

-hey! slow down. you won't find your town outside, you're in another dimension. its easy to end up here, hard to leave- Although she came there intentionally, many people she's talked to haven't, so the honeypot nature of the Nexus is well known to her.

-if you just calm down, then maybe we can work out a way to magic you back home. were you the only one standing against this dread lord?-

[Keeper]

Training Grounds

Well, at least Asami isn't bothered by hugging a sweaty guy. Mac yelps and attempts to throw the unidentified assailant off his back. But he's a fencer, not a wrestler. So he's not particularly good at such things.

[[brackets lover]]

[Training Grounds]

"Pfft," Asami chuckles as his tight embrace is struggled helplessly against, smiling bemusingly at Mac, "Relax, its just me! You silly little guy."

[A New Student Approaches!]

The boy slows and sarcastically waves a hand back towards the halo. "If you speak truth, I will figure that out soon enough."

He shakes his head, musing. "The only one who can stand against him, more like. Don'tcha know? I'm the 'hero'."

[Keeper]

Training Grounds

Okay. Mac maybe recognizes that voice? Asami's doing something different with the voice, though.
"Asami? I'm quite sure I'm bigger than you."
He blinks, standing there.
"Can I...help you?"

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches!

Octavia blinks the many eyes across her halo. -i do speak truth. i'm not even sure if i'm capable of lying, that would just be... kind of gross?- There's nothing stopping her, but she'd probably obsess and feel guilty over it for weeks afterward.

She buzzes a little closer to the boy, curious. -the hero? is that your name? are you some sort of chosen one? we have a whole program here for chosen ones- And she hears it's very good too.

[Artemis]

[Hunting Class]

With the cat safe and the mouse hole located, Landon goes back over to his bag and starts to turn back into his usual half-human-half-drow self. Hopefully with the girls on the other side of building, he'd have a little privacy. Fortunately his uniform reforms with his humanoid self and wasn't destroyed. As a natural born werewolf he had the advantage of learning at an early age how to shift with his clothes.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"Of course, your highness. Follow me." Or possibly put shoes on; that might also be a good idea. It's quite a long walk, and down to the bottom of the palace. A small shrine near the throne room, where they'll stop and knock on a nearby door. The shrine is a low table with thick rugs in front of it, a mosaic of a bushbaby on the wall behind it and with three small bowls on its surface; a bronze bowl filled with water, a silver bowl filled with rice, and a gold bowl filled with ash, as a lump of sandalwood burns.

It doesn't take long before the door is opened, a priest on the other side. He's a fit young man, with pale skin and a dusting of freckles visible as he's not wearing any clothes, and has shaved his hair. "Greetings, your holiness. This is Aikobaz, she would like to meet the High Priest before the council and coronation." The young man nods and retreats, shutting the door behind him.

Hunting Class

Agate won't follow Landon as he departs to change back, instead stopping the cat if he tries to follow. "At a guess, I'd say it's to drop on your head like in one of those cartoons, The Itchy and Scratchy Show or something." Agate doesn't watch a lot of cartoons, she's got more important things to do. But she's seen bits.

[[brackets lover]]

[Hunting Class]

The cat scratches his head. "Oh. Well, if its supposed to fall on someowne, should we leave it, nya?"

[A New Student Approaches!]

The boy pauses and shoots a sidelong glance towards Octavia. "Ardi," he replies impatiently, "I can do without your distractions, please. Time is of the essence!"

Ardi finally gets to a door, walking out into the wider campus. He looks on in awe. "Wait... exactly how much of this is part of the school?"

[Training Grounds]

Asami's mood suddenly dampens, his light turning blue as he gently lets himself down. The change in hair and uniform accompanying his voice stood out, his appearence between genders being as night and day.

He looked to the side and pouted, not answering Mac.

[Ironsmith]

Ecbatana

"Of course, your highness. Follow me." Or possibly put shoes on; that might also be a good idea. It's quite a long walk, and down to the bottom of the palace. A small shrine near the throne room, where they'll stop and knock on a nearby door. The shrine is a low table with thick rugs in front of it, a mosaic of a bushbaby on the wall behind it and with three small bowls on its surface; a bronze bowl filled with water, a silver bowl filled with rice, and a gold bowl filled with ash, as a lump of sandalwood burns.

It doesn't take long before the door is opened, a priest on the other side. He's a fit young man, with pale skin and a dusting of freckles visible as he's not wearing any clothes, and has shaved his hair. "Greetings, your holiness. This is Aikobaz, she would like to meet the High Priest before the council and coronation." The young man nods and retreats, shutting the door behind him.

[Ecbatana]

At the sight of the priest, Aiko's cheeks flush to a light orange, giving her the approximate complexion of a half-ripened bell pepper. Her eyes quite visibly flick downward briefly before she becomes entirely too preoccupied with priest's face, stifling a nervous giggle.

"Oh, my. I didn't know they made acolytes that cute." The empress whispers as an aside to her escort. Her smile fades a little as it seems to occur to her that this comment would likely be considered inappropriate, for a number of reasons, and she hastily busies herself trying to weave her fingers together.

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches!

-designation: ardi- says Octavia, desperately wishing she had the time to stop and take a picture. It's so hard to remember people without them! But this kid seems insistent on scampering about without knowing where he's going.

-this is all the school- she responds, buzzing in a wide circle around him, -certain classes need a lot of space. like monster slaying, that's what i'm majoring in- Which seems like it might be up Ardi's alley. -but circling back, you're stuck here. anyone can confirm what i'm saying. unfortunately you'll have to slow down and accept that eventually-

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"His body is dedicated to the city, as are those of all the priests. As citizens, it's our duty to look, like it's our duty to look at statues in the parks. Try not to get too distracted." This might also make it clear exactly why the Earl Chamberlain finds the High Priest distracting, if he's wearing his 'formal attire'. Does mean the comment isn't inappropriate, or if it is, it isn't unexpectedly inappropriate.

There's five minutes before the door opens once more and another man appears. He's wearing clothing, at least- a pair of leather sandals. He's older, but takes the knowledge that his body is a temple seriously, and is in very good shape. "Your Highness. You wished to meet me?"

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Student Approaches!]

Ardi raises an eyebrow at Octavia. "How much can you even learn about that in a classroom?" He shakes his head, looking up. "I can't afford to slow down."

All of a sudden, Ardi raises a hand to the sky and luminescent magical energy pours out, his entire body flying straight up!

A second later, he falls back to his initial position, looking confidant for a second before suddenly jumping back in shock. "By lum! T-this isn't- L-lemme try again! This was a fluke, I'm sure..."

[Ironsmith]

Ecbatana

"His body is dedicated to the city, as are those of all the priests. As citizens, it's our duty to look, like it's our duty to look at statues in the parks. Try not to get too distracted." This might also make it clear exactly why the Earl Chamberlain finds the High Priest distracting, if he's wearing his 'formal attire'. Does mean the comment isn't inappropriate, or if it is, it isn't unexpectedly inappropriate.

There's five minutes before the door opens once more and another man appears. He's wearing clothing, at least- a pair of leather sandals. He's older, but takes the knowledge that his body is a temple seriously, and is in very good shape. "Your Highness. You wished to meet me?"

[Ecbatana]

Aiko smiles a little. "Well, that's one duty I'll have no trouble executing." She giggles, her hand over her mouth.

She hopes that's convincing. It's how she would expect Brignole to react if she were here. Which is a hard tone to imitate when she's trying to suppress how wrong these people look sans pants, but she'd like to think she can manage a poker face when she needs it.

When the high priest arrives, she stands up straight and pointedly fixes her gaze on the man's neck, not wanting to risk eye contact or looking any lower. "Hi!" She squeaks timidly, giving another curtsy a little too late. "I'm Aiko it's very nice to meet you sir!"

The very picture of dignity and grace, this one.

"Right! I, um... well, yeah, I did want to meet you, yeah. Since we're going to be working together a lot in the days coming up." She blushes, that seeming to have come out wrong. "You know, me getting ready to be princess and all, I'll be consulting with you often." She stiffens. "I mean consulting! Consulting you often. Like a good ruler does. Yeah."

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches

-surprisingly, a lot- answers Octavia quickly. It surprised her too, but the monster slaying class is extremely comprehensive and hands on. There's a reason the classroom is an arena.

She hovers in the area, watching as Ardi starts to rocket up- to no avail. All her eyes blink a couple times. Well, that was a little anticlimactic.

-ardi, what are you... what exactly are you trying to accomplish here?- Could it be extraplanar travel? That would make sense with his hurry to get home, although she's not sure why he didn't do it right away if that is the case.

-it can be really hard to leave the nexus once you're here- she provides helpfully.

[Earl of Purple]

Ecbatana

"Of course, your highness. And it's good for you to show interest in the city's faith and spiritual health, as well. Some of this city's residents are shockingly lax with their sacrifices, especially those of Immonian heritage. They are weakening this city at a time it cannot afford so. The nomads of the Sea still remember the Conqueror, and fondly for the death he wrought, and they speak of his return, sooner than Ecbatana's ready." That, of course, is Aikobaz' nominal grandfather. So perhaps she could comment on that. Or possibly his disdain towards the refugees who entered with nothing.

[Keeper]

Training Grounds

Mac stands there, wiping the sweat off himself. Let's see...he's met Asami twice. Asami has always come across as clueless and a little mean but possibly not realizing it.
He has...no idea what the deal is today.
"Well, nice seeing you I guess?" he says with a shrug as Asami continues to be silent, turning to leave.

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Student Approaches!]

"A simple spell for getting around," Ardi explains with a handwave, "No harm in trying. Or trying again, for that matter!"

Without any warning, Ardi repeats the spell and ascends to the heavens before arriving in the same spot once more. "Son of a slime... Again!" And again, he warps up and down to the same result. "Again!" He keeps repeating the spell, a wary look on his face. "Ok... Just you watch, it'll work one of these times!" And he keeps going again, and again, and again. Somewhere around the 50th time, he has a clear dizzy look on his face, stumbling around for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground.

[Training Grounds]

Asami's light briefly intensifies in surprise, placing his right hand on his left upper arm and bending forward in distress. "_Urk... O-okay," he weakly mutters.

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches!

Octavia watches as Ardi repeatedly attempts his... teleportation? She's guessing? Spell. Wow, he's really determined. She can respect that, even if it is ultimately pointless. When he collapses she floats over to look down at him.

-hey, look, listen! you need to slow down- she says, speaking in what she hopes is a slow, calm manner. It's hard for her to figure out tone of voice though, every time she speaks it sounds largely the same. -clearly your thing isn't working. if you want me to teleport you somewhere in this world, you just need to unlock my body and i can do so. but getting off world is going to need a specialist. you need to actually listen and understand where you are if you want to leave-

Which is true, but she doesn't expect to get through to him. This kid sure is stubborn.

[[brackets lover]]

[A New Student Approaches!]

Ardi sighs in defeat, weakly getting up. "Unlock? Um, I don't really know how to do that," he admits shamelessly, "But, I see your point here. Can you tell me where to find this specialist?"

[Keeper]

Training Grounds

Mac blinks again.
"You sure you didn't want something?"
People don't just tackle people for no reason! There's clearly something. But Asami doesn't want to talk about it now?

[Artemis]

[Hunting Class]

Landon changes back in peace and picks up his gear, returning to the others on the other side of the building.

"I think it was supposed to land on you, Mr. Cat. We should probably disable it, so it doesn't hurt anyone. Cartoon physics are one thing, but not everyone would survive that. I might not've if I set it off, fast healing or no."

[Earl of Purple]

Hunting Class

"I... probably would, but it wouldn't have been pretty. And not everyone's as resilient as the Doomed Hero track." Agate makes sure nobody's around. "I can shoot it down. Maybe alert the mouse who made it, get them to come out and try taunting you." There's a much more subdued flash as Agate transforms into her Magical Girl outfit again, holding her harmonica pistol ready.

[[brackets lover]]

[Hunting Class]

The cat crosses their arms, thinking musingly. "How do nyou guys tell the difference between genyuine danger and the school just opawrating as normal? I mean, the classes are one thing, but the clubs that are allowed here are just insane... Ironically, insane club the least of all."

They shake their head, looking to Agate curiously. "Nya~? But if you shoot it from here, won't the anvil just fall further back on the roof?"

[Training Grounds]

Asami gets excited for a moment, briefly brightening up. "Yeah, I wanna chat! B-but, if you have somewhere to be, that's okay..." She appeared to be somewhat sullen.

[quillpleasant]

A New Student Approaches

Octavia blinks at Ardi. -you paralyzed my body, which is why i left it behind. are you telling me you don't know how to undo your own magic?- Maybe it'll just... wear off eventually. Hopefully sooner rather than later, because she's not a fan of zipping around in halo form. It leaves her quite defenseless.

-and i... didn't have a specialist in mind, but i'm sure they exist- she admits after a moment. -my friend khannie has done a lot of extradimensional stuff, she might know. but if not her, then someone at prep will. people come here from everywhere- It's really a little scary just how many resources the school has.