Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: End's Beach
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Clear Skies

---And so, with the song over, Liana Skye allows that echo of the past to return to slumber.

Her time on the stage had certainly been fun, a thrilling reminder of how she had felt walking onto the stage in the past, whether it be to sing or dance her way into an Academy for the Arts in Italy, or simply for the fun of the act itself, to fulfill a dream that she had thought would be interesting as a child, but...

---Just like before, it is only something she is allowed to do for brief periods of time.

In that regard, it is certainly the manifestation of a dream...

Something she had certainly inherited to an extent, but one that she could also appreciate with her own will, or at least...

She thought she could...

At the very least, while she had enjoyed playing the role of the idol on stage once again (even if she could feel how rusty she was compared to her heyday), it was her exact appreciation for that sort of dream that kept her from pursuing it completely.

---She wasn't someone people should look up to after all, at least not in that way.

An idol should be someone far purer than her... It is a thought born from the curse of negativity that haunts her mind, the self-doubts, the recognition of her own past misdeeds, confusion about who she even is deep down; a curse that she fights off constantly, but that comes roaring back with a vengeance whenever she is left to think for herself for too long, a sickness she could recognize, but could only struggle against every day.

---The elation of her time on the stage is beginning to wear off, and with the loss of the rush comes the return of her pains, but...

They are, at the very least, a bit duller than normal...

Even so, for now, the idol 'Liana Skye' must disappear, because the situation is one that does not require her anymore...

---Her clothes return to normal as they go over their counterparts, her 'peasant clothes' as Cesarina would call them, rather than the extravagant clothes the girl had been more used to in their past, a sign of her time from a different life, when the world around her had been far more simple, and her doubts and worries had been far less...

Exposed.

Even so, it is what it is...

The song she had sang was not a lie -she was always a firm believer in hope- and she had learned quite a bit from it herself too, or rather...

It seemed to confirm some things she had suspected, cheerful as she appears to others, it is not like Liana Skye is ditzy.

Bizarre terminology, multiple claims of the existence of someone else in the room she had been using, multiple claims of a 'nightmare' happening on 'Sunday,' a song that discussed the nature of time, and well...

Troublesome.

This situation is truly troublesome.

She had known it would be from the moment a certain guy-she-needed-to-sue had handed her the assignment, but even so, she hadn't expected to get caught up in it so soon...

All the more reason to take her task seriously.

If she was already in it, then that means...

"..."

Well...

It means quite a few things.

When even her hair returns to normal, when the 'casual girl' appears to take the place of her 'star' counterpart, the young woman can only sigh to herself at the back of the crowds, although a hint of a smile returns at Mercedes song...

Even in times like these... She will always appreciate music...

But tomorrow... She will have to search more in earnest.

It will likely be impossible to get caught up in an all-day event like this again, much as she might like to do it, she simply does not have the time for it.

But for now...

For now it's fine.

She can use today just for this...

A few tasks remain.

She must return Vier's guitar to her, and deal with the test of courage...

Tomorrow...

It was back to balancing school life and superheroism, with a bit more of an emphasis on the superheroism, after all...

Whatever trauma had been plaguing the other two on stage...

Was a powerful one indeed...

[Verg Avesta]

---

---

Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Your Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast
[BGM]

Once again, you were woken up 6 AM sharp by a song that came through the PA system of the dormitory. This time it was a much more pleasant song, acoustic guitar and its melodious tunes reaching into your dream and waking you up with their siren song. Though the sky outside the window was grey and overcast, the music managed to lift spirits with its cheerful, if a little sad, message.

Then again, there weren't many who could hate the classics.

Outside your room, you could hear the sound of various people getting ready for the day. Conversation, bright greetings, grumbling murmurs... all were sounds of teenagers waking up to a new day that promised more lessons, more meetings and more getting used to the strange school that was the Pinefall High School for Troubled Youth. People were moving about and heading to do their own business, some brushing their teeth, some racing to the cafeteria to get first places in the line for food, some heading out to somewhere even though the day was anything but sunny and pleasant, hint of rain hanging in the air. But that was to be expected, with September slowly marching on.

Still, it was Thursday, so that meant your first weekend was just around the corner. Perhaps this was what caused that surge of energy within almost everyone, as a weekend spent in a completely new place (even one as small as Road's End) promised lots of new places and new people, adventures in getting to know your surroundings and the town you were supposed to spend a year in.

But first things first.

Namely, your own morning routine.

------ At least for most of you.

In few room, things were certainly... out of the ordinary, and routine was more or less impossible.

For example, in the room of Hisa Momoi, waking up was less than pleasant considering she found herself in the grapple of one Ubon Sĕeklêun. The girl had her arms and legs around the scarred girl, and was drooling heavily while munching on her host's hair - apparently seeing delicious dreams.

Meanwhile, in the room of Colt Davin, his morning started with a strange sound. The sound of the shower in his room running. And loud humming echoing from the shower room as someone stepped underneath the water. Opening his bleary eyes, the boy could see that somebody had indeed entered the room... and had left their bizarre clothes carelessly scattered around the room, as if they had just kicked them off before entering the bathroom.

Lastly, in the room of Elaine Winters, the morning was peaceful - to a point. The peaceful slumber was cut short by the rumbling of a tiny stomach that echoed loudly, followed by a shocked gasp of that stomach's owner. When the blonde opened her eyes, she saw a rather embarrassed face of someone who had shared her bed - the owner now fiddling their fingers and trying to look as if they weren't the source of the noise.

Then again, while this might have been a break in the norm, at the same time, this was Pinefall High...

... So, one could say, this was business as usual!

Known NPC Locations!

Pinefall High - Cafeteria

• Gabi Bahkauv
• Subaru Iburi
• Kean Loinnir
• Xylia Pheme

Pinefall High - Field

• Mercedes West

Pinefall High - Main Building

• Inacio Ilusão
• Caleb Montjoy

Pinefall High - Pool

• Travis Gagnon
• ???

Dormitory - Rooms

• Hwan Bin
• Cesarina Feroce
• Pyry Leijonamieli
• Ramia Ramalsaqr
• Ubon Sĕeklêun
• Alex Terrot
• Sakura Tsukioka

???

• Aleen King
• Souma Nubatama

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Your Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

The dream turned nightmare finally came to a close. As dreams are wont to do, the specifics were already trying to slip away from him. Like grains of sand falling through loose fingers. But some of the memories were too large to fall through the cracks, clogging up the process and halting the loss.

Colt blinked away the last of his sleepiness. It was done and over. He didn’t want to linger on it, but he didn’t want to forget any of it either. It would be best kept in memory, not at the forefront of his thoughts.

He stretched and yawned. Sleeping on the floor had been less of a struggle than expected. Rubbing his eyes, he turned to a noisy lump of person in his bed. A sound that he suspected might be snoring, or at least the girl’s version of snoring, repeated endlessly.

But another sound caught his attention, and slowly, like a massive rusty gate that hadn’t budged in a hundred years that was now being forced aside by the efforts of one muscular, Colt turned. His eyes followed his ears to the sound of running water and humming. For a moment he stared toward the bathroom, then his eyes went down. To the floor. The floor which was littered with clothes. Discarded clothes of a certain girl.

His eyes went to the bathroom, then to the floor. To the bathroom, then to the floor. To Gradient in the bed, then the bathroom. To the floor, then to the bathroom.

His perverse eyes never once blinked. They refused to close for even that fraction of a second. What goes up must go down. What goes into the shower must come out.

And if all her clothes were in his room, scattered around the floor…

There was a loud swallowing sound as Colt nervously gulped down those thoughts.

[Kuroyuki]

Vier Wolff
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Your Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast
[BGM]


Once again, I woke up earlier than normal to head off to the Owl’s Nest. While I felt that I didn’t need to find that note again, I still felt that having that book might be useful… Especially after that encounter last night. Failing that, I wasn’t too keen on letting Nora Norumbega have a book that reeked of Turnside let alone something that had THAT page.


Once again, I decided to borrow one of the school bikes and head out to the Owl’s Nest hotel. Ready to redo at least this part nearly the same even if I knew most events would have changed. In fact, standing in front of the hotel, I was just waiting for the moment where Mr. Halloway appears behind me. Last time, I was caught off guard but this time! This time I won’t be surprised!

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory (Outside)
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994
Weather: Overcast

---Liana Skye was up with the sunrise.

Suppressing a yawn as she wanders out the front doors of the dormitory and into the world outside, the dark-haired student certainly shows signs of a recent shower... Hair damp with the last remnants of water, a new black t-shirt and jeans, and a particularly irritable kitten, glaring at it's master from the depths of her shoulder backpack, the look on it's face a decisive "how dare you leave me behind in the room last night."

Or at least, something to that effect...

To her glaring cat, a certain dark-haired skater can only smile and defend herself with a laugh:

"Don't be mad, Zee~"

In her hand, her skateboard is held in a loose grip.

"I'll bring you with me today, okay?"

He disappears into the pack with a meow at these words.

What does that mean?

She has no idea, after all...

Cats are strange creatures...

Still-!

"Okay...!"

Stepping out from the dormitories, the dark-haired young woman bids farewell to the idea of breakfast; running forward, lowering her board to the ground as she goes, the light sound of wheels aligning with the concrete is a familiar one... She steps forward, pushing off the ground once, twice, one more time, and then...

Off she goes.

Far away from the dorms.

The air roars in her ears, gentle winds a refreshing reminder of life even as the world itself is humid and gray; to some, the sight of these sorts of clouds might be a bit of a moodkiller, but she, well...

She's never hated the rain, clouds don't really bother her either...

Well, maybe that was a lie.

Rain sort of made skateboarding a bit of a pain, if you didn't dry em off properly after getting em wet the wood would warp, but...

Problems for another time.

For now, she has things to do.

A number of things had been discovered last night, her schedule had basically filled itself out inside of her head -along with the introduction of a time limit of all things- and right now...

Owl's Nest.

Time to hit the books.

[Thalraxal]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Elise's Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

Despite the gloomy skies outside it felt like a day full of promise and excitement. Elise hummed along to the song playing over the PA system as she prepared for the day, sparing an idle thought towards whoever chose the songs for their morning musical alarm, and what had influenced their musical selection. She suddenly froze as one of the lines in the final verse played. She stared at her trembling hands as the song reminded her of part of much less promising day from not too long ago.

"... tell by her blood-stained hands..."

Nope! You can't get me down, vaguely ominous lyrics! declared Elise as she cast off the sudden sense of dread it had reminded her of.

Elise hastily packed her backpack. She stopped, and glanced over at the distinctive green jacket hanging on her chair, and the vampire doll sitting on her desk that was watching over it. She still needed to return the coat to Inacio, who'd lent it to her the previous night, and she wasn't sure if she'd get the chance to stop by her room again before class. She grabbed the coat, carefully folding it and stashing it into her backpack.

She slung her backpack over her shoulder, and made her way out of her dorm room and out into the hallway, heading for the lobby where she'd agreed to meet Lucille the night before. She walked down the hall, excited at the prospect of finally having the chance to reclaim her copy of That Book that had been stolen by time, and, by what Lucille had said, potentially get a copy of a book that might be much more relevant to their current problems than the other one.

[Daneel Rush]

Location: Pinefall High Dormitory – John Dove’s Bedroom (Room 106)
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994
Weather: Overcast



Sleep did not come to John Dove. More precisely, there was no time in John Dove’s night for sleep. After verifying Alexstrasza’s safe return—as part of a rather large group, to boot—, he showered, brushed his teeth, changed to his school clothes, and settled on his desk to wait for sunlight and music to come.

Following the unrelenting force of habit, he hit the books for a while. However, his mind was more involved in parsing through the events of the previous day.

The rewinding of time. The swirl of awareness from darkness and hopelessness to morning sunlight and peace.

Meeting Ubon on the track, then Pyry and Momoi. Should he have done anything differently? Should he have said something else?

Miss Bambi Doubleday. A being from the Turnside. Although he might not be the person who can best make use of her services.

Checking on the Coastrises. A minor piece of information, but it is always better to know than to not know.

Alex Terrot and her issues. Most certainly, he is not the one with the power to save her.

Water combat and everything it led to. Something stirs in his chest at the memory of Prushka and Miss Iburi.

The rigged test of courage and everything that led to. The opportunity to interact with Liana Skye was an overall plus. If she intends to chase that particular clue, he should stick along for the ride. Maybe check whether she learned something else in her late night exploration.

A glimpse of Ubon Sĕeklêun. Were he any less broken, he would think it rather refreshing, if a little boring.

The fundamental fallacy in Prushka’s righteousness. It must have been a learning experience—well, it only matters to him so far as it improves Prushka’s ability to cooperate with her classmates.

And then, a memory of Elise Marie Pelltier standing alone in the night, being not-quite-Elise-Marie-Pelltier-ish.

Another memory of the same young woman, bursting into the dorms in the middle of the night, dashing towards the second floor too quickly to notice his watchful eyes on her.

John looks down at the book on his desk. Of course, there are no answers in the Malleus Maleficarum. He will not find them in the The Grimoire of Pope Honorious, either, nor in his folio with printed pictures of the pages of the Codex Gigas.

With a meaningless sigh, he collects the tomes and puts them away with the rest of his small collection—not even he whole thing; there’s no way he was bringing the whole thing to Pinefall—, the kind of library anybody with an interest in occultism would envy. Sometimes he wonders why he even holds on to those things—it is not as if he has an authentic interest in occult lore. However, like so many other things in his life, this is something outside his control. Occultism is merely something that forced its way into his life, and John merely accepts it. It is not as if he seeks out most of these esoteric texts, after all.

There are a whole bunch of things he could do right now, but a prearranged meeting should be respected. Therefore, he takes off towards the common area to look for yet another person who keeps way too many secrets.

“Elise Marie Pelltier, huh…”

…it should be safe to meet her now.

Probably.

It could make for an interesting icebreaker, though.

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Lucille's Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

Lucille wonders why her normal routine feels so alien to her. Is it because it’s merely covering up something incredibly abnormal? Though she’s certain she went to bed at a decent time, her very body feels restless, as if she never rested at all. She’d think she could sleep better, knowing that everyone wasn’t, well, dead.

She tries washing her face again and see if that can clear her mind of any morbid thoughts. Her dreams have given her clearer direction. Now that she knows how to move forward, she merely needs to be strong enough to charge ahead. Satisfied with the expression on her face, which looks a bit less stressed, she leaves to grab her backpack. Her plan for this morning is to go shopping with Elise (and presumably John Dove), so she might as well be prepared.

With that, Lucille makes her way to the lobby, ready to get to the bottom of things.

[Frantic Author]

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Alexstrasza's Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

My eyes opened as if there was something going on elsewhere, and I wasn't entirely centered in my body yet. I sat up, dizzily, and rubbed my eyes twice before blinking rapidly. I was...

Tired.

Yes.

I was very, very tired. Not for reasons unknown, obviously; for very simple ones. It had been a dreadful night, with a bit of a nightmare besides. Standing up, I moved to the bathroom. Water poured out of the sink, and I splashed it onto my face, before yawning again. I dressed myself.

Then, I went to the obvious person; a simple visit to Cesarina Feroce.

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - My Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

The night has passed, and another morning came.

‘Last’ week, this was but a carefree morning when my greatest worries were what clothes I should put on or who I should hang out with.

But this time…

It was different.

It was only four days until complete annihilation.

Though, it was different for another reason as well. Namely…

“W-wha---”

Namely Ubon, who ended up sleeping together with me, and was now wrapped around me so tightly it was hard to move, not to mention the fact that she was drooling and munching on my hair.

T-that’s okay, I will just...have to wash it. I would have done it either way. Until then I’ll just have to endure…

Of course, I couldn’t possibly get up while she was clinging to me like that...But at the very least, I could free my hair and thus be able to move my head.

My head, that I moved closer to hers, close enough so that…

“Ubon,” I whispered into her ear, making sure that my hot breath would be tickling her earlobe, “Wake up.”

I pulled away, but only to close the distance again - planting a kiss on the middle of her forehead.

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Prushka's Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

I'm not sure when I wake.

One moment I'm speaking, drowning in fog, clutching a warm hand, holding on tight, and in the next...

I'm wrapped up in bed, heart beating in my throat, mouth and tongue painfully dry, eyes and nose crusted over with tears and snot, joints completely stiff, fingers clenched tightly around blankets and drawn around my chest.

Heartbeat, and breathing. Those are the only two noises I hear and feel.

Sleep is supposed to be for rest. But I don't feel well-rested at all. It's not even a matter of being tired from yesterday; I just couldn't get any sleep. I was tossing and turning all night, too scared of the dark to close my eyes.

But I must have closed them at some point. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to meet Muse again.

Wouldn't have been able to remember...

"..."

I force my fingers apart and peek out of the bundle of blankets. Faint light greets me, through the curtains, around the shelf blocking off the window. It's enough to see by. Enough to crawl out of bed by. Enough to grab the doorknob to the bathroom by. Enough light by which to see my reflection in the mirror.

God, you look awful.

Shower. Wash hair and body and soul. Brush teeth. Clothe. Cover the slap mark with makeup. Tune out the music from outside. Feel the nausea rise up from the stomach. Grasp the edges of the sink. Heave. Heave again. Confirm empty stomach. Wait until the shuddering stops. Brush teeth again. Wash face. Put on the makeup again, better this time. Put the swords in the bag. And the scooter. And the helmet. And the pills. Throw that stupid bandana under the bed where it belongs.

That's fine.

At the very least, there's no need to think about what to do. My decisions have been made for me already. All I need to do now is carry them out.

Open the door - oh.

Right. That.

Get in position against the opposite wall next to the door and push. Push again. Push harder. Keep pushing.

It's... not moving. Yell for help, maybe? No, that's silly.

Life up feet. Brace back against wall. Push.

It's moving, it's moving, it's moving-!

"Ow."

Fall abruptly. Curse. Curse again. Call that desk a dick.

That feels a little better.

Open the door, just a crack. Squeeze out. Wedge it open a little more to get the backpack out. Close and lock it.

Look both ways. Stare at the closed off dorms. Stare. Imagine. Imagine what's in there. Imagine how delicious it thinks children are-.

Go the other way. To the nearby room. Hisa's room.

Stare. Stare. Stare.

Raise hand.

Knock twice. Knock, knock.

Now... wait, and hope.

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Your Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

Awareness returned quickly, as I stirred in that distant half-light between sleeping and waking. Thankfully, for one reason or another, my dreams had been quiet this evening, sparing my new passenger from the unfortunate side-effects of my flailing terror and rage.

Well, 'quiet', at least, as I creaked open an eyelid to survey my darkened room, and indeed, apart from my new/old friend, once more thoroughly burrowed into my side, the room was the same as it ever was.

Dark, quiet, and relatively peaceful, Jagger crooning faintly over the elderly speakers as I slowly shambled my way to proper 'being awake' status.

Though, of course, the relative calm was prodded sharply out of the way by a loud, discontented grumble of a hungry stomach, and for once, it wasn't me.

I fixed a steady gaze of mild amusement upon the owner of the sound, who was currently quailing in embarrassment, small hands covering her face, utterly mortified.

Hmm.

"Well, should probably go get that taken care of, huh?"

My hand gingerly, almost hesitantly, reached out and ruffled the hair of the smaller girl, my lips curling into a fond smile.

Least I know what already fits her, so I can get by with that for right now.

Fits like a tent, but needs must, I guess.

Grunting, I levered my legs one at a time off the bed, stretching my arms out once I was finished.

"Alright then, let's get the day started..."

Gotta talk to Hwan about the business, gotta feed this glutton...

Plus, this is during the week, so gotta find a way to make sure she's looked after...

Hmm.

Well, can definitely at least grab him on the way out the door on the way, or at least check up on him, make sure some nonsense didn't happen.

I went about going through my normal, somewhat-abridged getting ready for the day routine, maybe make a trip into town and get her some toiletries? Not giving her my toothbrush, who knows what I've got crawling around in my system.

Aside from, of course, the obvious.

In any case, I went about the business of readying myself and my new friend for the day.
=====
I looked over my charge with a clinical eye, while the oversized sweater was perhaps not the most practical of garments, it did, however, look absolutely adorable.

The sleeves past the wrist were, I thought, particularly cute looking.

10/10.

I added onto it with a particularly flexible set of shorts, which took a bit of fiddling with, but ultimately fit well enough.

Still, it needs a little bit something extra.

Oh.

Right.

I gently eased my tailed hair out of my ever-present hat, and plopped the aforementioned garment down on her head, snatching up my back-up as I did so.

"There, now we match," I said, smiling down at her.

A growl from my own stomach echoed the smaller one I had heard earlier, and my smile twitched, turning into a bit of a grimace.

"Looks like I'm pretty hungry too, hm?"

Still, with both of us dressed adequately enough, I deemed us ready for the day.

Door open, and make our way down the hall like nothing's wrong, nope, nothing wrong here. Pay no attention to this small girl.

Clearly not important.

I quickly edged past the sleepy-looking girl outside of Hisa's doorway, effecting a strong nonchalance, "Hi Prushka, sorry I couldn't make it to the thing had stuff to take care of byeeeeee..."

Down the stairs, down the stairs, avoid awkward conversations-

No John I can't talk right now, not going to think about any of that, if you want to go and chat about that stuff you start it, not me, not right now-

C'mon, c'mon where's Hwan, I need to stop running into people who'll make this weird!

There's nothing weird about carting around someone who wasn't there yesterday!

Everyone should know this already!

Jeez!

[Verg Avesta]

Colt Davin
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Your Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

The wait was unbearable.

This morning, time itself seemed to have ground to a halt. Instead of looping, it had just stopped. The seconds ticking away at the clock on the wall had never been so slow. Even the ululating snoring of Gradient had disappeared somewhere in the background as Colt's tunnel vision focused onto the door of his bathroom. The happy sounds of some unknown melody resonated with the walls of that tiny, confined space... but that was not important. What was important was the sound of the flowing water and the noise of soap being applied and then washed off. The operation in there was going smoothly, which meant...

Which meant...!

--- That, eventually, the sound of flowing water stopped.

Suddenly, the room felt hot.

Colt's forehead felt hot.

His eyes felt bloodshot.

The humming and sound of bare feet slapping against the floor came closer to the door, and were eventually replaced by a slightly wondering noise. The person in there seemed to have a bit of trouble with something, which was perhaps understandable. This was an unknown bathroom to her. That was why, what happened next was inevitable. Yes, it was inevitable!

The door opened.

Oh God, the door opened.

"Hmm~?"

But...

Before the door swung open completely...

... The person from inside merely peeked their head outside, covering everything that was important!

That being...!

"Ah, thou art awake! Mayest I borroweth thy towel, Colt? I needeth to dryeth myself uppeth!"

---

Vier Wolff & Liana Skye
Location: Owl's Nest Hotel
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

Whether by bike or by skateboard, ride through through the town of Road's End had been exhausting but also sort of refreshing. Seeing the town wrapped up in morning mist of the day, with heavy overcast sky hanging overhead, it was like a picture from a fairy tale book. Somewhere out there in the sea, a distant sound of a fog horn could be heard, being the only noise that didn't come from the nature around the two girls who were headed to the same place, unbeknownst to each other. Other than that, it was just the typical life of the forest, birds and squirrels and other small critters, that went about their daily businesses. Both Vier and Liana, the latter few minutes behind the other, even managed to see an owl, sleeping on a branch of a tall pine tree, looking like a fluffy ball of feathers and morning dew.

There weren't even any cars around. Just them, their vehicles of choice, and the occasional local they rode past. Most of them greeted the two girls with a small waves, some didn't. It was easy to see that those who did greet the students were often younger residents, while the elderly... well, they only shot them suspicious looks and continued on their way.

There might have been a small divide in the opinions of the local populace when it came to Pinefall High.

The road to the hotel took the two girls past the train tracks and down the snaking path up the foothills of the local mountains, into the areas near the Ghostwood National Forest. It was there that their destination awaited. A grand-looking old hotel of timber and lumber, looking like a resting giant sleeping in the shadows of the local mountains. It was an old building, perhaps meant for much larger gatherings than it got these days. Tens and tens of windows staring out into the distant lakes and large parking lot that housed only a few cars this morning.

But, even so, movement could be seen past the windows as one got closer. At least there seemed to be some visitors.

After Vier parked her bike on the edge of the parking lot, it didn't take too long for Liana to arrive on the scene, which made for a bit of an awkward meeting. Two students of Pinefall had had the exact same thought process, and now they were both there at the hotel, ready to enter. Morning greetings were exchanged, but since the weather was a bit chilly, it was deemed best to continue them inside the hotel.

The girls made their way inside, past the grand entrance held aloft by two timber beams carved to resemble totem poles of local statues, and with a big wooden statue of an owl greeting them The doors swung open under Liana's hand and the duo was immediately greeted by the smell of breakfast, timber and dust. Carpeted floor, old elevator, reception desk full of clutter... either the place hadn't been cleaned up in a while, or this was surprisingly busy day for the hotel despite all appearances.

But as the duo looked around for members of the staff, they suddenly felt a shadow fall upon them and a presence behind them. Vier could have expected this, and indeed, she had. This had happened once before, after all. On the other hand for Liana, this sudden appearance took her completely by surprise. It was a presence that she had sensed only after it had appeared like a thief from the night. Quite the feat, considering the owner of this shadow. As the two whirled around, they came face-to-face with a tall, sturdily built old man with a bushy beard and piercing eyes.

"... And you are, young ladies?" the man asked with a raspy voice of a long-time smoker. "Are you sure you are in the right place?"

No doubt about it.

This had to be the owner of the hotel, James Halloway.

---

Elise Pelltier, John Dove & Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

In the hustle and bustle of the typical morning at Pinefall Dorm's, the trio who had promised to head into the town this morning finally managed to find each other in the lobby. Although the weather wasn't the greatest, at least it wouldn't start to rain for quite a while yet, so it would be easy enough to hurry to the store and then back to the school before the first period. Then again, it was always a possibility to just skip the first period and enjoy a leisurely day, but that would have certainly gotten some teachers on their case.

Still, as the trio exchanged greetings and prepared to leave, they noticed something strange.

There, outside the dormitory, hanging about the fountain at the middle of the campus area (and thus near the dorms) was... someone.

A young man not that much older than they were, dressed in a red hoodie and with a strikingly red hair himself - almost like a bushel of flames.

And for some reason, he kept glaring at the dorms...

---

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Cesarina's Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

As Alexstrasza approached her friend's door, she could immediately sense that she wasn't the only one paying a visit to the Italian heiress this morning.

Or rather, instead of sense, she could practically hear it.

The sound of two girls talking in somewhat excited voices inside Cesarina's room, with one of them being the aforementioned green-haired girl. The other one though was a bit harder to pin-point - especially the husky tone of the voice that sounded almost masculine. Still, in for a penny, in for a pound, and after knocking on the door, the blonde student could hear the two voices go quiet for a second, before...

"--- Ah, yes, just a second!"

The pitter-patter of Cesarina's feet against the floor approached the door, and soon enough it swung open, revealing the absolute mess that (as usual) lay behind it. While there had been an attempt at cleaning, it hadn't really helped too much, and even now the room was in danger of becoming yet another landfill-esque scene of horror. Still, in the midst of that controlled chaos was the smiling form of Cesarina, whose face practically lit up after seeing her friend behind the door.

"Zaza! Good morning! Come in!" Cesarina said, grinning from ear to ear. "Were you about to get breakfast? If you wait just a moment, I can come with you! We just need to finish up here!"

The other person, who was currently sitting on the bed, made a vague gesture with her hand.

"Eh, it's alright, Cesarina. You already helped out a ton," Ramia Ramalsaqr answered. "I think I should be able to get it working with this. Dunno where to start, but that's my problem - not yours."

Then, the dusky-skinned mercenary turned towards Alexstrasza and nodded with a hint of a smile.

"G'morning, Lockhart," she greeted her jovially, before a slight hint of mischief crept on her face. "Managed to get any sleep?"

Well, they all had been out long last night...

---

Hisa Momoi & Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - My Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

“Ubon. Wake up.”

"Munya, munya... no eggies on the pizza... that's just wrong..."

The reaction from the cyanhead was... less than hoped for. She didn't seem to have an immediate reaction to the hot breath upon her ear, nor did she jump up in fluster and embarrassment thanks to the kiss on the forehead... though, at the same time, there was a reaction. A reaction that was a bit unexpected. A blissful smile spread onto Ubon's face and she nuzzled both Hisa and the blanket next to her languidly, almost looking like a kid that was dreaming of joyful memories relating to home. It was a rather innocent side, even to Ubon, to the point of being being childish. Perhaps, thanks to Hisa's actions, something in her dreams had changed for the better - a memory of happiness from her home.

Or so it felt.

Still, the movement of Hisa did eventually break Ubon from her slumber, and finally her Koala-like arms and legs untangled themselves from the scarred girl. What came next was a gigantic yawn, one that happened at the same time as the girl herself fell backwards, ending up on her back on the bed. From there, her eyes fluttered open, and when they saw the black-haired girl, that smile she wore broke into an actual grin.

"Good mornin', Hizzie..." Ubon said, scratching her unbelievable bed-hair that looked almost like after an explosion. "G-guess I dozed off pretty quick, huh? What time izzit?"

Perhaps the cyanhead was about to say more, but at that moment, a sound caught the duo by surprise.

A sound of a tiny, yet forceful knock on Hisa's door.

And Ubon, looking like she was still half-asleep, lifted her head with a dopey-smile on her face like it was an instinct, and---

"Coming~!"

Hollered that out while rising to her knees, taking a step forward and promptly crashing (with a loud yelp) to the floor face first thanks to getting tangled up in the bed-sheets.

While it wasn't a painful-looking fall, it did end up with Ubon lying there, face in the carpet and butt up in the air, looking all sorts of messed up.

In the quiet that followed, only one sound could be heard in the room.

"Owwie..." Ubon whined, uselessly flapping her arms as if she was about to take off in a flight.

---

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Your Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

Eventually, Elaine found Hwan where one could have expected to find the boy.

--- Namely, his room.

While 17 had been mostly hiding behind Elaine during the trip across the dorms (with the only exception being Prushka who got a shy wave, thanks to perhaps a mistake due to the girl's height), she was slowly starting to feel more comfortable from the looks of it. Hiding behind the blonde girl had eventually changed into walking besides her while holding her hand, as if the little patient was some sort of chick that had imprinted on her thanks to last night's rescue mission.

Still, after a bit of searching, the two of them had eventually located Hwan.

Hwan who was now standing in his doorway, wearing only a bland T-shirt and boxers, and with quite magnificent bags under his eyes. The room behind him seemed to be a nerd's dream, with all sorts of Sci-Fi movie and videogame posters plastered on the wall, a small TV with a Super Nintendo connected to it on the table, a fancy-looking Lego set (half-built) set next to the console, and computer still in its box pushed to the corner. The only thing that marred it was the fact that the inside reeked of cigarette smoke, telling what the boy had been doing before the girls had interrupted him.

Even 17 scrunched her nose a bit.

"Huh...? Ponytail? What's up?" Hwan asked, stiffling a yawn. "See you got the brat all dressed up. What's she supposed to be now? The daughter you and Kean bumped out last night? Just dye her hair blonde, and that should do the trick."

He chuckled a bit before lifting an eyebrow.

"... Though, really, what's up? Something wrong?"

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Boy's Floor
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

I blinked for a moment, frowned, then grimaced a bit before chuckling to myself.

"Nah, nah, nothin' wrong, not yet, 'least I hope not. Just me being impatient and wantin' to see where you were at with the thing."

I shuffled about, hands in my pockets, feeling a bit embarassed, "Plus I kinda wanted to check in on you, see if you were alright after the business last night. I figured you were, but y'know, yeah...

The truth of the matter was that Elaine Winters was relentless in worrying about other people.

I coughed a bit, bringing a hand up and waving it in front of my face, averting it, "Sheesh, figure you're blowing enough smoke in there, Smaug? You know you're not supposed to blow through the whole pack in a day, ya human ashtray, crack a window or somethin' maybe you'd sleep better."

I harumphed, tugging my collar up over my nose indignantly.

"An' I figured I should round up the gang and see what we're going to do for Little Miss here," I continued, "Maybe grab ol' T-Bone an' wherever he's roamed off to, kick Anna awake maybe if she's not already on her way down, then go grab a bite or something, talk about crimes and such."

"I got a good idea Drummer Boy's already off trying to make up for me dragging him into our shenanigans last night. And believe you me, if I had some hair dye on me, I'd think about slamming in there and putting on a big show about a lovechild or some sort of nonsense, make a big soap out of it, could probably make it pretty believable too."

[Frantic Author]

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Cesarina's Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

"A good morning to the both of you," I said, tilting my head to the side and tapping my lips with a small smile. "While I slept, it was as if I was in a far-off dream of a place that I held very dear. It was so ethereal it was like it could slip through my fingers, as if it were grains of sand."

I clapped my hands together, eyes glittering with excitement.

"Truly, a delightful occurrence, yes? But may I ask whatever it is you were doing over here? Cesarina is, of course, a master of the mechanical sorcery that exists inside of our world. I'd offer my help, but I'm a bit hopeless at that sort of thing."

Peering around Cesarina's room, which I vaguely remembered cleaning last week; well, or perhaps it is as Muse told me. It was not last week, but 'a week aside'. Or perhaps even a 'possible week to come'. Perhaps it was not yesterday that I aided Cesarina in organization, but next month. Time here runs through like a river, endlessly restless and evermoving seawards.

"I would be delighted to dine with you, Cesarina," I said with a lazy wave of my hand. "Would you, Miss Ramalsaqr, care to join us?"

[Daneel Rush]

Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994
Weather: Overcast



Elaine Winters walks past him like he is not even there, busy as she is dragging around a small girl whose name John has yet to catch. There is no need for further proof that Elaine remembers; she is moving faster this time around.

She has things she wants, and the will and the power to reach out and claim those things. Elaine Winters is the living proof of how insignificant and pathetic you are, “John Dove”.

The boy’s outward expression remains stoic and still like stone. He knows he is powerless, so he can only move and do things at his own, powerless pace.

The day seems to already be in full swing in the dorms, the sounds of activity reaching him from every direction. The late night activities seem to have had no detrimental effect on his classmates’ enthusiasm. He probably should feel admiration towards them for that.

Finding Elise Marie Pelltier is not difficult, for she too is already prepared for the new day, along with one Lucille Faraday.

“Good morning,” he greets in his usual flat tone. “I hope you had an adequate sleep.”

Focus, John Dove.

His mind scolds him for letting his gaze linger on the dark-haired girl a second too long.

“We should get going,” he declares a little too quickly. “We don’t really have the time to—”

A young man he recognizes stands alone by the fountain in the middle of the campus. John’s words end up stuck in his throat, for his traitorous mind changes the early morning into the darkness of night, and the young man with an unhinged-looking Elise Marie Pelltier—

Focus, John Dove.

“That…would be Zane Mitchell, a local resident,” points out John perhaps unnecessarily. Thumb and index finger reach to massage his temples, all the while telling himself that he is thinking too much about pointless things. Instead, he brings to mind an encounter in the foggy streets of Road’s End.

“I suspect he is looking for Vandemeel. Please allow me a minute to knock on her door; you may try to engage him in conversation if you so wish.”

Zane Mitchell would probably feel far more comfortable with two pretty girls than an inexpressive weirdo. Whatever the case, John leaves no room for discussion as he hurries to do exactly as he said. Less than half a minute later, he is standing by the room of the girl from the Baltic.

“Vandemeel, are you there by any chance?” he calls while knocking on the door to her bedroom. “You have a visitor, one Zane Mitchell.”

He will wait only long enough to ascertain that Anna Vandemeel is either not in her bedroom or unwilling to come out.

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: Owl's Nest Hotel
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

---The town doesn't look nearly as sinister in the daytime.

Of course that's not too surprising, she had spent her first evening in Road's End simply skating from place to place after all, trying to relax after the bus ride and get a feel of the land at the same time... She had thought similar thoughts back then, that it was a relatively inoffensive town out in the sticks, so far removed from the modern world that it was like it didn't exist at all, of course...

Those sorts of conditions can also be dangerous ones.

---Yes, this place certainly could be said to resemble something out of a fairy tale...

But whether that was a good thing or not...

---Probably not.

Even so, she rides freely.

The winds aren't strong enough to use the sail, so her journey to the Hotel falls within the realms of human power; the constant, rhythmic kicking of her right foot against the ground, the ollie across the railroad tracks, the feel of the chilly morning air on her face, kicking her body back into gear like a splash of cold water, and...

---A momentary stop to stare at a sleeping owl, a bundle of fluffy feathers and morning dew that has her hands itching to find a camera to take a picture of the -somewhat amazingly cute- moment, only for no camera to be found on her person, yes...

It was a decent trip.

For skateboarders, the fun of the art was in the journey itself, flying down hills in the daylight, laughing to herself with the bursts of adrenaline as she smiles and waves back at those who wave at her...

It's exciting, even if it's a path through the heart of a town she can't trust, the adrenaline-fueled journey is one that she ultimately thinks of as positive, a time spent mostly with herself, where she could think about things with a more quiet expression...

Yes.

Some solitude was nice, but this journey hadn't been a bad one.

---Even if some of the people she had seen here on the way, weren't quite as welcoming of her presence.

Well, not that that was too surprising.

Pinefall could certainly be called a Mental Asylum from a certain point of view, although 'bed of the supernatural' might be a more appropriate moniker?

---Well, it was what it was.

Still...

If there was one thing that did surprise her, it was that she had run into Vier all the way out here-!

Her own sacrifice of breakfast had been a painful one, the idea that someone else would drag themselves out into the world at the literal crack of dawn, was well...

Well...

"..."

Maybe it shouldn't be that surprising?

"Morning V!"

Pleasantries are pleasantries...

"You like these sorts of early morning trips too?"

She hasn't thought of a true!-super-cute-nickname for Vier yet, and so -lamentably- she must use the one that she is somewhat less proud of as they stride inside, of course, while the appearance of her classmate had pulled her from a quiet contemplative mood into her usual entertaining one, but-

"... And you are, young ladies?" the man asked with a raspy voice of a long-time smoker. "Are you sure you are in the right place?"

-the sudden appearance of someone she had been unable to sense puts a stop to her energetic ramblings.

---Interesting.

She can tell before she even turns around, it's the voice of an older gentleman... Considering the demographics of those who had smiled at her and those who had shot her suspicious looks, this person was likely to fall into the latter category... Smokers voice, surprising ability to move quietly... Looking at him, solidly built, probably stronger than age would suggest...

---Interesting.

He caught her off guard, and to that she does make a bit of a surprised jerk, body swinging around to face a potential assailant, but...

She suppresses any further surprised reactions, replacing them instead with a gentle smile, and a somewhat nervous chuckle as she raises a hand to unconsciously brush her hair behind her ear, moving her gaze to meet the older gentleman's as she does so.

Eye contact was important to the more traditional types.

If you look around too much, you start to seem shifty, and this was probably the Hotel Owner?

First impressions were important.

Thankfully, she was naturally polite.

"Yes, this is the Owl's Nest, correct?"

Simple statements, straight to the point.

"My name is Liana Skye, and this is Vier Wolff. We're Pinefall Students, from Mr. Oceandrops Program?"

A slight curtsy.

It's in her nature to take point in a conversation, so...

Hopefully Vier doesn't mind too much that she just gave her name away...

"I'm not sure why Vier is here, since we just ran into each other outside, but I came here to make two requests of you, if that's alright."

---One was, naturally, to use the Library.

The second... Was to see if she could find a job...

Talking to Hawthorne had made it clear that her money problem was an actual problem after all, and looking around here, even at a glance...

---She could make some guesses.

It's not that the hotel was busy, that's not why it'd be this dusty...

Considering the lack of cars outside, it was probably a lack of employees.

It's a weak theory, but she can bet on that one.

Never hurts to ask, as they say-!

"First, I heard that there was some sort of Library here? If so, I was wondering if it was open to the public? I'd like to browse it a bit if that's okay."

She pauses for a moment after this, purposefully so, before...

"As for the second... I'd like to know if you have any job openings here? I can clean, and I'm a pretty good cook, if that's something you're interested in in an employee?"

No need to hide her intentions.

People like this tend to appreciate the honesty, and well...

She wasn't trying to waste his time.

[Thalraxal]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

As was ordained in the dark of night, Elise met up with John and Lucille in the dormitory lobby, ready to venture forth, and go shopping at the End's Store and Post.

“Good morning. I hope you had an adequate sleep.”

"Good morning!" cheered Elise to the two of them, "Eh, I didn't get much sleep, I was up pretty late, but I think it'll be enough to carry me through the day. Although I'm not entirely sure if I'm not just going to be able to make it through class today... It's a struggle sitting through material you've already seen before, even without being up most of the night before.."

Wait. Am I even going to class today? Didn't Hisa suggest trying to sneak into the second floor during class? We never did confirm that. Do-do I dare to cut class? Is it really that important with the spectre of death looming over us?

Elise wondered what the consequences for being caught skipping class to break in and trespass on school property would be as they exited the dormitory. She spared a quick glance towards the fountain that she was now all too familiar with after last night, and spotted an unfamiliar looking red-haired man in a red hoodie standing by it.

“That…would be Zane Mitchell, a local resident. I suspect he is looking for Vandemeel. Please allow me a minute to knock on her door; you may try to engage him in conversation if you so wish.”

Elise briefly wondered if this might somehow be a repeat of the Coastrise situation, but was relived to discard the theory of there being more lost Pinefall students roaming around Road's End when John helped to jog a memory of her's from a rainy Friday Evening that hadn't happened yet.

"Oh! I remember seeing him around town earlier!" said Elise with a snap of her fingers as she recalled seeing the bushel of flames leave the End's Store and Post, "Don't worry, John! We'll wait up for you!"

Huh, now that I think about it, when we saw Zane, he was with a woman in fishing gear, wasn't he? Was that the local fisher, Suzy Marlin, who Jake mentioned last night?

"Hm. I wonder what that's about..." muttered Elise, wondering about Anna's connection to Zane as John rushed back into the dormitory and off to find her.

Elise glanced over to Lucille with a nervous look. She fidgeted nervously as she waited a moment, to ensure that John was safely out of earshot.

Right. Right. Now's a good chance to ask Lucille. The sooner we deal with that the better.

"I-I don't want to be a bother, but, I, uhm, I could really use your help dealing with something later, Lucille. Maybe-maybe this morning if there's time after we get back from the store, or-or tonight? It won't take long, like, three minutes, tops! I just- I just expect it'll be a little bit troublesome. I just need you to watch something for me, but-but it might be messy."

She glanced back towards the fountain, and the young man identified as Zane Mitchell standing near it.

"A-anyway! Should we go and say hello to our school's visitor?" suggested Elise, desperate to move to a different subject entirely.

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

"I-I don't want to be a bother, but, I, uhm, I could really use your help dealing with something later, Lucille. Maybe-maybe this morning if there's time after we get back from the store, or-or tonight? It won't take long, like, three minutes, tops! I just- I just expect it'll be a little bit troublesome. I just need you to watch something for me, but-but it might be messy."

Lucille raises an eyebrow. Of course, she can spare three minutes of her time, but… What in the world does Elise want her to watch over? She has her own suspicions, but the way things sounded, it was as if she was about to be complicit in some sort of crime. However, she did promise to help Elise through her terrible predicament, so she supposes she is along for whatever wild ride the girl had in store.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help,” Lucille says, trying her best to sound reassuring. She prays that she does not betray the nervousness in her own voice. “Tonight, I might finally drag Sakura along with me… there’s a lot I need to explain.”

"A-anyway! Should we go and say hello to our school's visitor?" suggested Elise, desperate to move to a different subject entirely.

“Of course.”

Lucille walks over to Zane Mitchell with a friendly wave, hoping that he was friendly enough. Even if Elise hadn’t suggested it, she’d naturally come over here anyway. From their perspective, if John hadn’t cleared anything up… Wouldn’t he look awfully suspicious?

“Hey,” she says, all smiles, “You’re waiting for Anna, right? John—the guy who just ran off—went to go get her.”

Explanation first. Then you can unceremoniously get to the point.

“If we didn’t know that, though… I’m sorry to say, but standing around here like that might give people the wrong impression.”

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Your Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

In Colt’s world of infinite darkness there came a ray of light. No, not the sunlight coming through the window. That one didn’t count, because it wasn’t an inspirational light that banished the darkness called patience. The light that cast away the dark was the light of the bathroom, coming in through a door swung wide open.

He prepared for it. Every thought in that frozen time was spent on it. When the clock would move forward and he would finally see it. Finally… see…

A head peeking out.

A fraction of a second before that head appeared, he cast his eyes, along with the rest of his skull, to look another direction in the most obvious, forced way possible. The only thing that could have completed his attempt at passing for innocent would have been a nonchalant whistle.

"Ah, thou art awake! Mayest I borroweth thy towel, Colt? I needeth to dryeth myself uppeth!"
“T-towel! Yeah, haha, the towels. They’re right…” Now that the gig was up, the show was cancelled, he switched gears. His arms took a moment to get the memo, flailing around rapidly as they tried to catch up with his brain, which was torn between towels and naked girl. After a struggle, a drawer was opened, and Colt took out a folded towel. “Right here! Yeap. That’s where I keep the towels.”

He took a glance back at the open door. The bathroom was so close, yet so far.

And she likely wouldn’t be coming out to get it. It would be rude to just toss it over to her too.

He took the first step. One small step for mankind, one giant leap for Colt Davin.

Followed by a sudden and swift series of giant leaps as he shuffled over to the bathroom door.

“So now you know where to look.” Words came out without thinking. Much like the hand that shot out as far as it could go to offer the towel from a polite distance. A distance he wished to close, but that the gentleman in him would not allow. “Just in case you ever need to use one again.”