Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Bloble]

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

"P-punch you? I'll do worse than that. I'll make you feel things no human should ever have to feel."

Like before, like with Lobo, my heart is beating like it'll break out of my chest.

Can I shout for help? Here, now? No, that won't work. It might escape before anyone gets here. Or someone mundane might arrive and get wrapped up in the mess. It's just me again. Just me and this mysterious intruder who laughs like a nightmare come to life and seems to delight in my fear.

What can be done? Here, now, in the space of a few seconds-?

“Hisa is...with Pyry. Why...are you here...again?”

Eh?

Why is... but... I don't get it. Answering the door, giving a straightforward answer, and then asking me why I'm here? Who is this person?

No, Prushka, don't get caught up in doubt now. Push forward.

"Ubon, then. Where's Ubon? And who are you? Why are you in Hisa's room? Don't deflect, or I swear I'll..."

I'll what? I have no idea what's going on. It's like a completely different person is... oh, wait a minute.

...

Oh you've got to be kidding me.

"...seriously, Hisa? What the hell are you thinking?"

I sigh and deflate. Has that girl learned nothing? Is she really doing this again?

"I thought you'd learned your lesson on impersonating people... what if someone else had been at the door, huh? You'd have had them running to call the teachers, or scared out of their minds... ah, whatever. Let me in already; someone might see that ridiculous getup and get the wrong idea."

[Cheetose]

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

“I knew it was you...I can...smell out egocentric brats…”

Finding this rather amusing, the being started laughing again.

Then, as the cacophony of strange noises died down, the person tilted its head slightly.

“Let you in...for what? I heard nothing about...little girls invading Hisa’s room...when she is not here…”

It looked down on Prushka’s foot again, then looked back up, almost as if finding this situation rather annoying.

“I am...not impersonating anyone...I am...exactly what she made me to be...nothing more...nothing less…”

Then, seeing that the foot would not go away, it finally opened the door. Much as it just wanted to slam the door on Prushka’s foot, it was probably something that it would have regret later.

“Ubon...already left...and Hisa is with Pyry...what do you want?”

[Bloble]

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

I step into the room and look about, making sure there really aren't any bodies on the floor.

It seems all clear, but even so...

“I am...not impersonating anyone...I am...exactly what she made me to be...nothing more...nothing less…”

“Ubon...already left...and Hisa is with Pyry...what do you want?”

"...I guess if that's the kinda taste Hisa has..."

I rub the bridge of my nose as I look over the strange figure once more.

"I'm making sure everything's in order, I guess..."

At this point, even I don't know why I'm in here. There's nobody: just me and a walking Halloween costume.

And it's a pretty impressive costume, actually. Did she really have this thing in her closet? The detail is amazing. Is Hisa a fan of dolls, or outfits? Are those the kind of hobbies she has? I almost wanna look through her closet to see if she has any other outfits in there... but common sense wins out. I'll ask her about it later.

"Seriously, though, animating an object with 'fear' like that... it's just asking for trouble. Those sorts of feelings are most likely to twist into curses and take on a life of their own, y'know."

The vengeful part of me wants to banish whatever force is animating this thing. Maybe it'll collapse into a pile of robes, or a life-sized doll. But no, it's probably here for a reason. Perhaps Hisa put it here as a guard. If so, that's the smartest thing she's done all week; it's not safe here, not at all.

"I won't ask what she's doing with Pyry... are you your own consciousness, then? Or can you communicate with her telepathically or something? Just what functions did she give you? There are things Hisa needs to know that I can't say around Ubon, but I'm not about to leave a message with the door guard if all it can do is laugh."

I fold my arms and lean against the door.

"After that, I guess I'll catch up to Ubon or something at the cafeteria... so you can tell me how much sugar Hisa wants in her coffee. And how she likes her toast."

[Spinach]

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

“Hey now Hisa, I get your point… and I agree…” Colt sighed. Why couldn’t anyone ever say it sympathetically? The poor sucker who got lost in the woods, had his hands burnt up, a gun pointed at him, and then slept on the floor was him. He was the one suffering here! “But you don’t gotta put it that way.”

The boy’s shoulders fell in defeat. Clearly there was no escaping this. Even if he repeated this week a thousand times, he’d likely suffer as he always has. To be alive, to be here. That is the real curse. So the cursed young man fell silent as Tris's interrogation began. He nodded weakly as she shared the details of the previous night. Up to and begrudgingly including that handsome blackguard.

But at the end Colt caught a detail he wasn't aware of, one that made his ears perk up.

“Wait. Tris, did you just say you’re living in a cardboard box?” Colt’s entire head jerked from its hanging pout to the knight. She had been awfully eager for a shower. She had been awfully eager for a bed. She had been awfully eager for a hot meal. “No way am I letting you sleep in a cardboard box.”

Colt put his foot down. Literally and figuratively. He took a step toward the girl.

“No way, nuh-uh, fat chance. You might act like it was nothing, but the fact is you saved my life.” The boy folded his arms. “If we can’t fit you and your partner into the dorm, I’ll put the both of you up at the hotel in town. And you aren’t allowed to refuse.”

[Cheetose]

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

“Animating...take a life of their own…”

The masked person chuckles again, then walks over to the bed and sits down on it. It’s quite easy to guess what it was doing until now, considering how there is an open book, some pieces of paper and a pen next to said bed. Still, it ended up being busy with Prushka for now.

“Don’t take...wild guesses about things you don’t know...I will...explain part of it...since you are...so annoyingly persistent...and nosy.”

The person crossed its legs and observed Prushka in silence for a few moments before it spoke up again.

“I am Hisa...a specific part of her...taken form. I am my own...but at the same time I am her. Nothing more...nothing less. She did not...give me ‘functions’...I am shaped by...and am one of the embodiments...of her emotions.”

Even as the being tried to explain what exactly it was, it was perhaps just a bit too difficult to give proper light to it through just a short summary. Rather, it was just barely enough to give light to anything at all - something that it probably realized as well.

“So to clear up some...misunderstandings...I am neither a door guard...nor just an object...so it would be appreciated...if you didn’t barge into our room...just to offend us...and boss us around.”

Another thing it realized that Prushka was quite annoying. Or rather, had to experience again...since, being part of Hisa, it was already something it was well aware of.

“After all...I am sure that you meant to say…’Can you tell me’...and not ‘you can tell me’...didn’t you. Anyways...do whatever you like...I know what Hisa knows, and how she feels...and vice versa...so if you keep being annoying...we’ll be angry with you just the same…”

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Main Building - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

"Thanks, I guess." I said to the vampire, "Same as I'd do for anyone else in trouble."

After all, it didn't matter one way or another in that situation.

Then I turned my attention to the rest of the group, waving lazily at Ramia, who, currently, the only thing I had in common with was our common sense of aesthetics.

I smiled a bit at Cesarina's praise, "Aw, that wasn't anything special, people just seemed like they needed a hand, so I pitched in and flailed around for a while, that's all."

I shuffled a bit to the side and ushered the girl forward a bit, still keeping close by.

"Oh, yeah, so this is, uh," I cleared my throat a bit, a bit self-conscious, I wasn't used to making introductions on behalf of other people, literally speaking for them, in a sense.

"My niece, apparently, her name's Stephanie," I put my hands in my jacket pockets out of lack of anything to do with them.

"'Parently she's in town looking for my brother, don't even ask me how she got here, she can hardly speak English, managed to get in touch with my old man from a phone booth in town and he confirmed it. So, now I gotta look after her til I find this deadbeat."

I looked down at her concernedly, "We found her out in the middle of nowhere last night, poor thing all alone in the woods by herself, must've gotten separated or," I grimaced, "Something, I guess."

[Bloble]

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

"Your own self, but also part of her, huh?"

I want to call that weird. It doesn't make much sense the way it's being explained. Then again, it's the Turnside we're talking about. Plenty of things don't make sense. And Hisa's definitely explaining it in the least sensible way possible just to keep me from figuring out what the deal is. For all I know, she put a bit of her soul into a familiar and this was the result. Or it could be a miniature android of some sort. Or perhaps, like my first guess, we're looking at a future haunted doll that's gonna ruin some poor family's weekend.

Well, either way, it's definitely her. No one else would be this deliberately cryptic.

“After all...I am sure that you meant to say…’Can you tell me’...and not ‘you can tell me’...didn’t you. Anyways...do whatever you like...I know what Hisa knows, and how she feels...and vice versa...so if you keep being annoying...we’ll be angry with you just the same…”

"Bah, you're always angry at me. But I'm sorry for calling you a thing, I guess."

Apologizing to her feels like setting a broken finger. But it's unavoidable. Even if it's just a part of a person, a person who happens to be a huge jerk, that part would still be offended at being treated like an object.

Still feels weird, though. Like, Hisa or not, I'm not too keen on a heart-to-heart with a plague mask that smells like fear and anxiety and laughs like it just saw someone die. Yeah, no, I can't do this. I need to look her in the eye, not eye-hole. Especially since we'll probably end up yelling at each other again.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to your notes. Unless there's something you'd like to say, or something you'd like to ask about, here and now, before we talk again later... something like who else remembers, or why we remember in the first place, or who's behind this whole mess... or why that stupid test of courage went the way it did... or really anything at all..."

I step forward, turn and grab the door handle.

"I'm getting food for us. And finding Ubon. Now... could you pretty please tell me how you want your breakfast?"

[Cheetose]

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

“You are being...oddly specific, almost as if it’s you...who wants to talk about these...But then I guess...that would explain why you keep barging into...our room like this. Hisa might be a bit late...she had...way too many things to take care of...on top of dealing with you too. So there is...no need for meaningless favours yet...Anyways...if that’s all you wanted...then I guess this is a good bye…”

As if having finally lost interest, the person grabbed the book on the table and lied down on the bed to read, with its back turned to Prushka. It was perhaps a bit disheartening how it was so openly showing its annoyance with Prushka. Something that Hisa herself would have tried to hide better, but in the end, this was a more malicious part of Hisa. A part that would be a lot more more honest about such things. One that lacked the inhibitions, and the presence of certain other emotions to properly balance things out.

“Well, there is one thing…”

But perhaps it would have been better for Prushka if it just let her go. The way it said that one sentence, how it got up from the bed and was now already standing next to Prushka, it was all too obvious that it was not planning on saying anything nice.

“How long do you think...you can keep being a delusional...and egocentric brat? Learn from your mistakes...little kid...or yesterday is going to happen again...or did you already forget?”

Looming over Prushka like a living nightmare, she could hear the strange, frightening noises once more, but more importantly...she could hear, almost even see the events from last night, as Ubon punched her, stood over her body, and shouted at her like a madman. A memory best left to be forgotten, and yet now rekindled so soon.

“Do you like being hurt...and treated like dirt? Being talked down to...and instilled with despair and depression? Is that...why you do this? Are you...masochistic or something? Do you want to be...beaten into submission?”

It seemed that the mysterious being was finally in his element, and enjoyed itself more than it probably should have. Having forgotten about everything else, it cackled uncontrollably, filling the air with the sounds of despair once more.

“Little girl...you need to look...past that veil of degeneracy otherwise you will just...die the exact same way. Maybe even...end up dragging others into that...miserable end as well...but remember...if our friends end up getting hurt because of that...stubborn idiocy…we won’t forgive you...even if we want to cooperate for now…”

Apparently finished with what it wanted to say, the being turned its back to Prushka again, and walked back to the bed. Still, it did look back at Prushka one last time over its shoulder, at least for one last sentence.

“Well...weren’t you going to leave...little girl.”

[Verg Avesta]

Alexstrasza Lockhart & Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Main Building - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

"Capital performance that night, Elaine. I would hope you cleaned up after yourself, though? It isn't good to leave anything out to rot!"

"Thanks, I guess. Same as I'd do for anyone else in trouble."

Cesarina tilted her head in confusion.

"Hmm... I do not think we left any of the grill food out to rot? Most of them should be in the dormitory fridge, I think - in case anyone wanted to eat it later," she replied, before flashing a confident smile towards Elaine. "So fear not! It was not your duty to clean it all up, Miss Elaine, so even if you forgot, it's alright, wahahaha~!"

Well, from the looks of it, Cesarina had completely misunderstood what the point of that conversation was. Then again, it was not as if she could have known, so that was to be expected. So, her thought process was quite logical (even if misinformed). Though the revelation that the leftover food from the beach party had been stored at the fridge of the dormitory was a new one. It would certainly be a big help if one would be in need of food, yet had no access to the cafeteria itself...

"Oh, yeah, so this is, uh... My niece, apparently, her name's Stephanie. Parently she's in town looking for my brother, don't even ask me how she got here, she can hardly speak English, managed to get in touch with my old man from a phone booth in town and he confirmed it. So, now I gotta look after her til I find this deadbeat. We found her out in the middle of nowhere last night, poor thing all alone in the woods by herself, must've gotten separated or... Something, I guess."

Subaru let out a little gasp as she heard that.

"Oh dear, that certainly sounds like quite the problem! Well, worry not. If there is anything at all I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask," she said, before gently patting 17 on the head and causing the younger girl to blush. "If you came here all on your own, you are quite the capable young woman, Miss Stephanie. Even so, there is no shame in relying on your aunt or us others here at this school. I am sure that everyone would love to help you!"

Surprisingly enough, it looked like Subaru was somewhat used to dealing with young kids, as the tone of her words seemed to put "Stephanie" at ease even though she couldn't really understand those words. Perhaps this wasn't her first time meeting with lost kids, or maybe she had her own siblings that she had taken care of in the past. Whatever the case, the tiny shrine maiden was already becoming quick friends with the girl.

"Mm, indeed! We are all reliable big sisters here, so if you are ever in trouble, just come look for us!" Cesarina added with gusto, thumbing her own chest. "Of course, some of us are more reliable than others, wahahaha~!"

This earned a harsh look from Subaru.

"And what is that supposed to mean, pray telll?"

While the duo engaged in their usual contest of glaring daggers and bickering on their own, 17 (who had regained her smile after this warm welcome) had completely forgotten about the two. Instead her attention had been snatched away by Tonkori who (after excusing herself from Alexstrasza by touching her nose against hers) had walked up to the tiny girl and set down, tongue lolling out of her mouth and head tilted - just like a true master of cuteness. Letting out a wordless squee, 17 rushed to spoil the puppy absolutely rotten with petting and scritches, all the while cooing at her in her own strange language.

Tonkori, on the other hand, looked absolutely smug of this adoring reception.

"Still... your niece, huh? And your brother's disappeared? Somewhere in this town I take it, since lil' Stephie is here as well?" Ramia asked, folding her arms and looking at Elaine with some concern. "Need help? I'm doing some digging around the town on my own, searching for some stuff, and I wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for a deadbeat dad while I'm at it. Though I'd need a description or a picture for stuff like that."

It felt... odd.

Ramia's offer was completely genuine, and her words showed nothing but desire to help both Elaine and 17 out.

So completely different from how the blonde girl had seen her before.

"I don't like bragging, but I'm pretty good at finding stuff too, if necessary," Ramia added with a grin. "Plus, it's not like this town is that big to begin with!"

[Cheetose]

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

“Hisa Momoi. I have no such fancy titles, so I’m afraid you’ll have to do with that. Still, nice to meet you.”

Having introduced myself as well, my attention turned back to the more important matters for the time being.

“What way should I put it then?” I asked as I tilted my head slightly, still staring at Colt with an unblinking gaze, “You were quite selfless and reliable, but I was already aware of that since the last time we saved Gradient. Still, that does not mean you can have a girl you barely even know in your room, and have them be naked, and take showers, and have their underwear all over your room, and, and…”

The list would have continued, but this was probably already enough of a reason. It’s not too hard to acknowledge that, really.

“Well, you can do that with Sakura, but definitely not Gradient.”

With that matter decided on, there came the question of Tris, who was now rather enthusiastically telling us about having a *cardboard box* to live in…

Which was, just as Colt explained right after, quite outrageous, and certainly something that had to be fixed.

“Colt is right. A cardboard box is no place to live in,” I added as I shook my head in disapproval, “Colt’s suggestion works, though...I think the hotel is maybe a bit too far away from here. Staying here would probably work better, and even if not in my or someone else’s room...there’s always the abandoned part of the dorms and the second floor of the main building. I’ve been to both, and they could easily be turned into a comfortable place to stay.”

With...just a little bit of cleaning, and with some extra furniture or equipment. Either way, would beat a cardboard box any time of the day.

“And...your partner? Who exactly might that be?”

I tried recalling all the weird people that I’ve seen around here - needless to say, there were certainly quite a few. Still, if I just thought of the more recent ones…

“Do they happen to be some sort of a cat person? Like an actual cat, or maybe just someone who dressed up a bit like a tiger? Maybe this big squishy guy, something akin to a huge marshmallow man? A white haired woman with a foul attitude? Perhaps a mysterious old man with a cane?”

I was quite sure that I missed a few, but I could only hope that one of these would match the description of her ‘partner’.

“Any of those ring a bell? Still...regarding the other thing, I guess you don’t remember then,” I said, before my attention shifted to Gradient, “But you do…”

I stared deep into her eyes as I kept patting her head.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask. So many things I wanted to know about her...but without understanding enochian, or solving her...whatever thing it was that prevented her from communicating, it was going to be impossible. But for now...

“You disappeared last time. Did you run away?” I asked softly, “You made me really worried. I thought I would not see you again.”

[Verg Avesta]

Colt Davin & Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Colt's Room
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

“Wait. Tris, did you just say you’re living in a cardboard box?” No way am I letting you sleep in a cardboard box. No way, nuh-uh, fat chance. You might act like it was nothing, but the fact is you saved my life. If we can’t fit you and your partner into the dorm, I’ll put the both of you up at the hotel in town. And you aren’t allowed to refuse.”

“Colt is right. A cardboard box is no place to live in. Colt’s suggestion works, though...I think the hotel is maybe a bit too far away from here. Staying here would probably work better, and even if not in my or someone else’s room...there’s always the abandoned part of the dorms and the second floor of the main building. I’ve been to both, and they could easily be turned into a comfortable place to stay.”

Tris recoiled in shock, taken aback by the fact that both of Hisa and Colt had so vehemently denied her current living conditions, and immediately started pushing alternatives upon her. While she might have argued against a need for a change if it had been just one of them, having two people speak up about cardboard boxes being unacceptable... even someone as bullheaded as Tris realized she had no escaped. So, after fidgeting her fingers and mumbling about how comfortable cardboard boxes were and how they were the trusty companions of ultimate soldiers, even she finally relented.

"W-well, if thou truly doth thinketh so, I suppose I cannot refuse thy goodwill and charity. 'Tis unbecoming of a knight to complain overmuch, and truth to be told, this kindess thou art showcasing filleth me with joy!" Tris proclaimed, having regained her gusto. "Dorm, hotel, abandoned dorm... it art all good to me! Though, if thou art to help me so, I want to, nay, I demandeth that thou let me repay thy kindness! The chivalric code demandeth I respond in kind!"

With that, Tris suddenly dropped on one knee and put her hand over her heart, bowing her head with closed eyes towards both Colt and Hisa.

"If thoust serious of offering me a placeth to live, I art forever in thy debt," she said with great gravitas. "Henceforth, I shalt pledge my sword to thee, in order to protect thy honors and thy bodies from all harm that may come! Whether a vile blackguard, a monstrous beast or an erroneous knight errant, I shalt make sureth to shield thee to the best of my abilities!"

Well... for once, Tris certainly acted like an actual knight.

Even Pyry was slightly impressed by how serious she had gotten, and Gradient tilted her head while letting out a confused "Fooo?" at the whole ordeal.

Though, just after all that grandiose speech, Tris jumped back to her feet, and:

"P-plus, if I protecteth thee, mayest I depend on thou both for foodstuff?"

Flashed a V-sign with her fingers, causing the whole atmosphere to deflate.

“And...your partner? Who exactly might that be? Do they happen to be some sort of a cat person? Like an actual cat, or maybe just someone who dressed up a bit like a tiger? Maybe this big squishy guy, something akin to a huge marshmallow man? A white haired woman with a foul attitude? Perhaps a mysterious old man with a cane? Any of those ring a bell? Still...regarding the other thing, I guess you don’t remember then. But you do… You disappeared last time. Did you run away? You made me really worried. I thought I would not see you again.”

Gradient shook her head strongly and separated herself from Hisa. After a bit of pondering on how to respond, she took a hold of Colt's bedsheet and threw it over her head, covering herself and making herself look like a rather shabby ghost. Then, Gradient ran over to the clock on the wall, set herself under it, folded and mimicked laughing in that odd, ululating, high-pitched sound she was making. In other words, she was trying to mime something, but the question was, what...

After she had done that, she threw the bedsheet away, and mimed something that looked awfully lot like casting a line by using a fishing rod, before acting like she was getting yanked to the other side of the room with great force. Once that was done, she turned back towards Hisa, expectant look in her eyes.

Had that made any sense? A robed person underneath a clock apparently yanked her somewhere, or something to that effect.

Though, before any of them could answer---

"Ooh! Didst thou sayeth a 'marshmallow person'!?" Tris suddenly exclaimed, jumping right at Hisa's face with excited expression plasted all over her own. "Y-yes! That art it! That art my partner! Hast thou seen U-Salem somewhere! Oh the joyous day! And here I thoughteth he hath been captured by the locals and roasted over an open bonfire for a that fancy treath thou calleth smores!"

That caused Pyry to adopt a slightly horrified expression and he lifted his index finger, as if for a question.

"Wait a minute... marshmallow? As in, a guy in a chubby marshmallow suit, wandering about while making weird faces and noises?" He asked. "Sneaks about in the dead of night while looking like the creepiest goddamn thing ever?"

Tris grinned widely and nodded.

"The very same!"

For some reason, the blonde boy went pale.

"Oh god so it's that thing---!!!"

[Bloble]

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

"...cooperate? You call this 'trying to cooperate'?"

The memory haunts me. The memory of that slap, and the screaming that devolves into meaningless noise. The memory of everyone's eyes on me. The memory of disdain and disgust.

Each memory feels like a punch to the stomach. And that only infuriates me more.

Who does she think she is, throwing these punches?

"No, I get it. To you, cooperating is yelling at me and calling me delusional. Right, that's much more important..."

This girl really is all the awfulness of humanity.

"You're the delusional one, you idiot. Spouting all that nonsense about caring for your friends. If you'd really given half a shit about others, you wouldn't have dragged them to a haunted saw mill in the middle of the night to nearly die. You wouldn't have sent them out, clueless, in pairs, like living bullets for Russian Roulette just so you could scheme to explore the school at night. You would've asked me, right now, what I knew, what I could do to help, instead of building yourself up as the hero in some story where I'm the degenerate scum of the earth and you're a perfect angel who can do no wrong."

I grab the edge of the door...

"I still haven't forgiven you, Hisa Momoi."

And slam it shut as I storm out of her room.

[Thalraxal]

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

Elise returned Zane's wave as he left for the dormitory. She glanced over to Lucille and flashed her a mischievous smile.

She was happy to put some distance between herself and the fountain as they made their way off campus and into town. She glanced about, ensuring that the coast was clear, before she began.

"So, uh, John, this is my friend, Lucille. Lucille, this my friend John. I'm-I'm pretty sure you've already met," began Elise nervously.

Elise took a deep breath, and continued.

"Right. So. I know we all remember last week, and I think we can all agree that this trip to the store is mostly just an excuse to talk about what's going on here and compare notes. I mean, I do need to go to the store, and I do want to talk to Ms. Popplewell about something, but that's not the point."

Something I should have asked Ms. Popplewell about last week if I hadn't chickened out and then dragged my feet about it, groused Elise to herself, Also I want my book back.

"I'm not sure where to start... Sunday? Last night? Did either of you have a dream in a dark, silent, mist-shrouded forest where a cloaked figure warned you about an oncoming storm on your first night here? What-what happened to you after you left the campus with Elaine, John? Did you two ever make it to the Sheriff's office?" asked Elise, "I also wouldn't mind knowing about what I missed at the Test of Courage last night. It felt like a bomb had gone off when Inacio and I caught up with the rest of you."

"For that matter, Inacio and I stumbled on plenty of weird stuff in the Pool Building. We found a strange marshmallow man lurking by the pool. Inacio wasn't having any of that, but I think I managed to sell him on the idea that it was just some local performer in a costume? Anyway, it turned out that it'd dropped its wallet in the pool and it was trying to pull it up with a fishing rod. I dove in to retrieve the wallet for it, but while I was down there, something came and snatched our doll from Inacio and scared the bejeebers out of him and the marshmallow man. The two of them were huddled together when I came back up. Anyway, the marshmallow man seemed elated to have its wallet back, and gave me twenty bucks for retrieving it, and left Inacio and I with the fishing gear as I got it to clear out in case someone else stumbled on it during the second round of the Test of Courage... which, obviously never happened. Once Inacio managed to recover, and- uhm, well he loaned me his coat because I was still soaked from being in the pool. Anyway, we decided to go after the doll thief, but just found the doll floating at the end of the corridor. At that point I was running out of excuses to justify all that weirdness and figured it was a good time to call it quits before Inacio saw more than he could handle, so I sent him out, and went after the doll thief myself. So I guess there's an invisible construct lurking around the school. Wears a plague doctor's mask. Seemed friendly enough though. It just wanted to join in the game and have fun, but it seemed to have gone a little bit too far in the whole trying to scare people thing. I have no idea what its whole deal was though, but it seemed aware of what was going on outside at the time."

"Oh!" exclaimed Elise as she snapped her finger remembered something else she wanted to ask about.

She turned and shot a dangerous look in John's direction.

"You wouldn't happen to why Hisa had Ubon try to shake me down for my keys yesterday morning, would you, John?"

[Spinach]

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

There was a mix of emotions on Colt’s face when the blonde lowered her head and made a pledge on one knee. It was obvious that he was equally surprised, flattered and sad. When the knight returned back to her feet the boy scratched the back of his head.

“This is just gonna keep going, isn’t it?” Just as soon as Colt felt like he’d made a single step of progress in repaying the knight, she spun him around and pulled him back. “You’re not in any debt to me, Tris.”

Then, he chuckled.

“And of course. Pinefall is pretty generous to us. It’s no trouble. Honestly, since my hands are taken care of maybe I should go start something in the kitchen for you…” He glanced at his hands, then grimaced. “Well, they might not be quite there yet. But soon!”

“And...your partner? Who exactly might that be? Do they happen to be some sort of a cat person? Like an actual cat, or maybe just someone who dressed up a bit like a tiger? Maybe this big squishy guy, something akin to a huge marshmallow man? A white haired woman with a foul attitude? Perhaps a mysterious old man with a cane? Any of those ring a bell?”

Then the interrogation resumed. A handful of very specific characters were described, causing Colt to raise an eyebrow at Hisa. Just how many weirdos had she run into last time? Though, even if Road’s End is a small town, it wasn’t likely that she’d just coincidentally happened upon…

"Ooh! Didst thou sayeth a 'marshmallow person'!? Y-yes! That art it! That art my partner! Hast thou seen U-Salem somewhere! Oh the joyous day! And here I thoughteth he hath been captured by the locals and roasted over an open bonfire for a that fancy treath thou calleth smores!"

Colt’s other eyebrow rose up and his stare shot between the two.

"Wait a minute... marshmallow? As in, a guy in a chubby marshmallow suit, wandering about while making weird faces and noises? Sneaks about in the dead of night while looking like the creepiest goddamn thing ever?"

Then he added Pyry to the rotation. What? Was this real? Surely Tris’ partner wasn’t a weird chubby marshmallow thing like what the taller boy described!

"The very same!"

Colt’s eyes finally landed on Tris and stayed there. Disbelief transformed to concern in three seconds flat.

"Oh god so it's that thing---!!!"

“Lord…” From what he’d heard, the second thoughts Colt was having were clear as day on his face. The boy forced himself not to visibly grimace, awkwardly pushing out an uncomfortable chuckle. “H-haha, sure sound like an... interesting guy, any idea where that marshmallow guy… U-Salem? Where to find them?”

[Verg Avesta]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Field
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (THU)
Weather: Overcast

In the end, Prushka's search through the school for Ubon led her here - to the sportsfield of the Pinefall High School. The grey clouds hung like a heavy ashen carpet overhead, and compared to the sunlight of the yesterday, the atmosphere was feeling much more mellow and, in some cases, even slightly foreboding. The tiny girl arrived at such a scene while carrying three trays of food - one for herself, one for Hisa, and one for the mysterious "cat" she had met last night. The wobbling amount of dishes and what they held was a tower that was almost beginning to topple, before she was finally able to set them all down to the stone steps that led down to the field itself. With her task finished, the she surveyed the surroundings to see if she could catch a glimpse of the girl with the aqua hair... and after a moment of searching, she did.

There.

Right at the center of the field.

Ubon, the girl of the hour, was standing there with her own tray of breakfast laying forgotten at the bottom of the same stone steps that Prushka was currently using. Instead, the cyanhead had waltzed over to the greenery for some reason, and was now holding an almost uncharacteristically serious expression. And who could have blamed her? There was another person with her, and that person was the type who could put a damper even to Ubon's mood.

--- Mercedes West.

The Hollywood starlet had her arms folded, and she was staring - almost glaring - at Ubon with an expression that was both annoyed and disinterested, yet she still remained where she stood, not budging an inch. Watching the two of them, with one folding her arms offensively while the other had her hands in her pockets in an almost lazy way, made it clear just how like night and day the two of them were. If Ubon was the sunny day, then Mercedes was the shadowy night, and when pitted against each other they certainly made that vast difference even clearer.

Though... what was even going on? Why were the two of them staring at each other like that, without saying a word?

And why was the atmosphere suddenly feeling slightly dangerous?

It was the type of situation where a normal personw would have found it hard to intrude, but...

"... This is, like, a total farce."

And in response.



".............."

Ubon kept her stance, and her expression, steady.

[Cheetose]

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

“I’m not too sure where he is now, but...he was here in the pool building last night. Maybe he is still around, I’m not sure.”

Of course, I should have expected that weirdos flock together. In that sense, they certainly seem to make a good pair. Either way, I couldn’t really join in on getting upset about the existence of such a creature, as there were other, more important things to pay attention to.

As such, I continued my apparent game of charades with Gradient.

“You got...thrown back in time by that cloaked person, and that’s how you disappeared?”

That didn’t that unlikely, considering the things that person was capable of. Even if it was questionable why he’d do it in the first place...Since it could have been any of us. And yet, he picked Gradient, which can’t have been just a coincidence.

“Did he send you back here then? Or...did you get back here some other way?”

I certainly would be happier with the latter, especially if the was the same as us. If she was just here because the cloaked person sent her back, then...that would mean that he could probably take her back too anytime. And that would also mean that the next time this happens again, she likely wouldn’t even remember…

“Either way...I suppose you are hungry as well, aren’t you? Maybe we should save the rest for after I got you something to eat. Though…”

Only now I realized how weird the clothing on her was. It was, in some way, rather fancy, but at the same time, not the kind of fancy that one would ever see on an ordinary human. It was more like...a futuristic armor of sorts. But then...Why is it that all she had last time was a worn out shirt?

“Before that I should probably give you some clothes that are...perhaps more comfortable and don’t stand out as much,” I said as I smiled at the girl, “Is that okay with you?”

Then, I glanced back at the others, observing the small group for a moment. It was weird how different things were already from last time. Back then, I couldn’t have imagined to be able to trust, or be able to call anyone a friend...and now, there were all these people...Would I even be here, and talk to them like this, if it wasn’t for the events of these few days?

“Well, since I already demanded that they move out of your room...I guess it would be evil of me to also deny the opportunity for you to cook something for your knight, right?” I asked Colt as I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, “So show me your hands, and then you can go make some food for her in the meantime.”

[Spinach]

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

“Uh, you can do that?” Colt looked over at Hisa. The limits and the rules of the Turnside were as alien to him as whatever life might be out in the galaxy. “I thought you were just getting onto Pyry for the heck of it.”

That last part wasn’t meant to leave his head, yet it did.

Though he wasn’t sure if it mattered, when it came to Hisa.

So instead of thinking too much about it Colt lifted his hands and opened his palms.

“Like this?”

[Daneel Rush]

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

“So, uh, John, this is my friend, Lucille. Lucille, this my friend John. I'm-I'm pretty sure you've already met.”

After glancing at Elise Marie with a wordless “seriously?” painted on his face, John turns to the fair-haired young woman, and offers the curtest nod.

“Nice to meet you, Lucille, Friend of Elise Marie. My name is John Dove. Apparently we share a common friend.”

Elise moved the discussion to its actual purpose quickly enough, with a detailed description of her portion of the so-called Test of Courage.

“Oh! You wouldn't happen to why Hisa had Ubon try to shake me down for my keys yesterday morning, would you, John?”

“Hnn.” He needs a moment to remember what she is talking about. “…I guess I do, but there is a proper order to this. All those questions you asked are very valid, Elise Marie, but neither is the first matter that needs to be addressed here.”

John’s steps come to a halt.

His voice has not changed. Neither has his posture or body language. However, this very simple act of creating a distance between himself and the two women changes the atmosphere of this encounter. His flat stare gains an undercurrent of seriousness; his unblinking eyes spell a wordless challenge.

“I do not know how well you two know each other, but I am willing to put myself at a disadvantage here for the sake of the greater issues at stake. However, the very fact that you did not open this discussion in the only suitable manner gives me enough cause for worry.”

After a brief glance at Faraday, John settles his flat but unmistakably firm stare on the other girl.

“With all due respect, I am done running circles around the people in this school, Elise Marie. Miss Faraday.”

Perhaps he is damning himself by doing this, but he sincerely believes they cannot get anywhere without taking this first step.

“The Turnside. What does that term mean to you?”

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Main Building - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 08.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Overcast

I smiled a bit as the gaggle of girls swarmed over the now-dubbed Stephanie, giving her a warm welcome, it certainly beat the cold suspicion and seething anger I'd experienced when last I spoke with them.

I liked this better, if I was honest.

Maybe this was a week where I could try again, see about avoiding any toes I might step on.

Likely impossible, but this friendliness was certainly good for my heart, even if a part of me growled at the very sight of the disguised Lamia.

But, I had to remind myself, even if it infuriated me and stung at my pride, she was going to reach out and treat my injured body, even after tormenting and so grievously wounding me.

That previous night, were we so different?

I shut my eyes for a moment, and sighed, rubbing at the bridge of my nose.

"Mm, yeah, sure," I fished around in my pockets, "He's apparently been around here for a bit, a good chunk of the town probably knows his face, was going to go poke around somewhere he'd skulked around last night, but, well."

I waved a hand in the direction of the girl overwhelmed by a small dog.

"Can't leave someone out there in the cold like that, alone and hungry."

Finally, I fished out my wallet and, thumbing through it for a moment, offered the picture.

"Here. Honestly, my horndog brother being the way he is, I'd be surprised if he knew little Steph was his in the first place," I grimaced, "Already know at least one chick he's graced with his presence."

I shook my head in dismay, "Wouldn't even be surprised if he decided to comfort the widow, too..."

A sigh.

"Appreciate the help, I already got a couple of doofuses helpin' me out already," I said, waving a hand back at two of the aforementioned doofuses, "But it's nice to have another tracker sniffing around."

[Cheetose]

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

“W-why would I just tease Pyry about it without any basis? I might not be a gigantic muscle guy with all sorts of heroic deeds, but I can still do a thing or two, especially when it comes to something like this…”

Not putting any more thought to whatever it was supposed to mean, I gently grabbed one of his hands, then ran a finger along the wound, before repeating it with his other hand as well.

With how much the injury healed already, I didn’t have to put all that much effort into it, and it really wasn’t more than just a finishing touch. But because of that exactly, the effect was that much more noticeable. It was akin to how a wound would normally heal, except that it was much faster, and was accompanied by a strange, cool sensation that Colt could feel in his hands. Within just a couple of seconds, the skin on his palms was completely healed, to the point that one would not have been able to tell that he had any burn wounds in the first place.

“Well, I guess that’s that,” I said as I let go of his hand, “Suppose we’re all ready to go now.”

---

Ability Revealed!

Artificial Fingers
Rank : A (Future Tech + Partly Fake)
Element : Soul

A state-of-art piece of implant, a side product of various android related researches meant to properly imitate and replicate the human body. It is meant to make up for the 3 fingers on Hisa's left hand that were damaged during her childhood accident and became more or less useless. The implant is partly made up of a light and flexible steel that is meant to serve as the bone, while the rest of the structure is meant to replicate a proper finger in looks and functionality through an artificial cell growth technology. Further than that, the piece is modified slightly to complement Hisa's abilities by making the fingertips more sensitive and letting her to apply different functions via them through touch. The tool is a birthday gift that she received from Angelica sometime after they met and is something that - quite literally - became a part of her being. As she does not know that they are originally called and has an awful naming sense, if she has to, she just tends to refer them as [REDACTED].

Its first function is something akin to sensory amplification. When touching something, she can create and amplify a certain type of sensation, be that the feeling of cold or warmth, pleasure or pain, or anything along those lines. When used, create a certain sensation in the touched area. If the target is unwilling, they can be forced into a WIL protection contest against a score of 6.

Its third function allows Hisa to cleanse certain types of status effects through applying an appropriate response mechanism. It also allows her to initiate a small scale regeneration effect around the touched part, speeding up its healing process immensely. The target can be Hisa herself as well, as long as she manages to touch the intended part of her body with her fingers. When used, cleanse one (appropriate) status effect of rank C or lower from the target, and heal them for a certain amount.