Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Kitchen
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

Lucille follows after Colt, measured steps belying worry. She tries not to look around. Snooping is rude, even if it was the intended course of action. However, she can’t look at what Colt is talking about without going deeper into the room, and she does so, guilt with every step.

She looks out the window and witnessed what remained of the landing. Supernatural? Probably. Colt was correct then, which meant she could leave. Which meant everyone could leave. Lucille tries to pretend Elaine isn’t messing with Prushka’s scooter. Or looking around. Maybe if there was something more urgent, Lucille’s feelings about snooping would change, but right now it felt very unpleasant.

“I’d think we’d get in trouble if we missed the first day of class going on a wild goose chase,” Lucille says to Elaine, trying to ignore the last statement about Prushka’s tastes, not that she had any idea what Elaine was talking about. Making a swift exit, Lucille straightens herself up, makes a sigh of relief, and prepares herself to deliver the news to Prushka as a responsible and (relatively) honest human being. Unfortunately, she does not know if there’s a way to—actually, she can just lie.

The door was ajar when they got there. Of course. And it’s still a valid apology if they apologize for looking into her room when the window was clearly open. Nobody has to say anything about opening the door. Of course not.

“I’m gonna go tell Prushka now,” Lucille says as she marches forward like a soldier, ready to enter the battlefield that was the cafeteria. It is not because she has also realized she can escape the make-up session this way. Not at all. It is purely off her own integrity and the right Prushka should know.

[Verg Avesta]

Hisa Momoi & John Dove
Location: Pinefall High Campus - The Big League
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

Bambi chuckled a bit smugly, folding her arms across her chest.

"Good eye! Indeed, I'm not just a normal Little Leaguer, running a black market out of a simple storage shed!" she announced, grinning widely. "In fact, I'm... err, how would I describe it? I'm like a... like a... well, a traveling merchant is not totally off, but... hrmm..."

She fidgeted with her hands and made vague gestures, trying to find the right words with which to explain what she was. Pyry, who had been watching this, heaved a bit of a tired sounding sigh and leaned against the wall while they waited. As he did, he tried to look for the source of the constant music, that old-timey song that echoed from within the room... but quickly realized that it seemed to come everywhere inside the room.

A fact that simply added to the weirdness of this all.

"Ah, well, I guess you could call me a Personification of sorts? I'm a bit of this and bit of that, the exciting feeling in the air when the boys head out to the diamond, that feeling when you're munching on peanuts in the stands, cheering for a homerun and coming up with creative chants to take potshots at the away team with? Does that make sense? Heh, guess not," Bambi said and shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm also Number 3, I'm the Sultan of Swat, I'm the worth of the Flying Dutchman's card, and I'm the shame of the Black Sox. Lots of things! And hence why I know all sorts of legends well."

That didn't... honestly answer a lot. There were few theories that those of the Turnside could come up from what she said, but at the same time, why she was here and what she was doing, well... they were mysteries that she either didn't or couldn't elaborate. At the same time, it didn't look like she was delibirately acting coy or mysterious.

If anything, she was like a kid at the candy store herself, swinging her legs back and forth on the makeshift seat, and grinning at the trio.

"And that's what I'm peddling, gals and pals! Well, that and my personal baseball stuff! In other words, legends and the real goods!" Bambi announced. "I'm not exactly locals and I don't know much what's going on, but I can certainly recount stuff that floats in the air if you have trouble finding it yourself."

With that, she spread her arms, as if presenting something.

"So come on! Lookit my wares!"

The Big League: Inventory

Item	Description	Price
Black Betsy	A lightning fast baseball, as dark as its name. Can swing hard and fast, to the point that it might look like two bats at once. [Unique Light Weapon]	$200
War Club	A physical legend, with surprising amount of numen gathered into it. While made for striking, it also seems to offer protection to its wielder. [Unique Medium Weapon]	$300
Casey Bat	When you miss, you miss. But when you swing, and you don't whiff it, you hit your targets so hard they disappear from sight. [Unique Heavy Weapon]	$500
Yogi Claw	A baseball glove that can catch almost any strike, as long as the user knows how to wear this bear-like mitten. [Unique Medium Shield]	$150
Monroe Meteor	A dazzling baseball that can strike at surprising distances, and exceeds speeds that are almost astronomical. [Unique Thrown Weapon]	$150
Bambi Cap	An unique-style of a baseball cap, that is sure to catch eyes with the sporty types! Signed by Bambi Doubleday herself!	$10
Bambi Peanuts	Peanut-mix made by Bambi herself, that is sure to cure jittery nervousness or being stunned by the roaring crowds. Also heals Hit Points, but only works once per day.	$30
Bambi Jersey	W-wait, you want me to take off my jersey and give it to you? What sort of pervert are you?	$40
Legend of the Keeper and the Sailor	The legend of two star-crossed lovers and the lighthouse that connected them, as well as the monster that broke them apart. Includes conversation with Bambi!	$250
Legend of the Unknown Pioneer	Legend of the unknown man who wandered into these parts long time ago, and who saw the possibilities of the Ghostwood National Forest. Includes conversation with Bambi!	$250
Legend of the White Pine Mountain	Legend of the things that the old mountain has seen, and what has seen it under the light of the blue moon. Not for the faint of heart. Includes conversation with Bambi!	$250
Legend of the Poet and the Muse	Legend of a man who dreamed of words and put those words in order, and of the muse that inspired his words. Includes conversation with Bambi!	$250
Legend of the Masked Boulder	Legend of the mysterious masked wrestler who became a living legend on the west coast, until she mysteriously disappeared one day. Includes conversation with Bambi!	$100
Legend of the Girls' Locker Room	A legend of a certain night when some of the girls had the same idea to go for a swim. Includes conversation with Bambi!	$400
Legend of the Boys' Locker Room	A legend about a certain night when some of the boys decided to get rowdy at the pool building. Includes conversation and commentary by Bambi!	$400
Bambi Doubleday's Player Contract	If you feel the need for help, you can always hire me! Would be nice to get out and see the sights, too!	$???

[Verg Avesta]

Lucille Faraday, Elaine Winters & Colt Davin
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

“At this point, I dunno what else we can do. We should go report this. And apologize to the shrimp for barging into her room.”

"Well, in any case, seems like this is a dead end for now. Unless we want to go booking it out the window and chase them down. The only thing clear about this room is that our Prushka's a fan of Japanime."

Sakura pursed her lips, looking around the room and especially the open window.

"Hmm... indeed. I suppose there is nothing more we can do here... not when the classes are about to start," the brunette commented. "But come the end of classes, I think I will have some words with Prushka regarding age appropriate materials. And the legality of those 'subtitled' versions to begin with. I swear, the bootlegging industry grows bolder every year..."

What was the girl actually focused upon...?

Still, it was pretty clear that their chase had come to a dead end. The culprit, whoever it had been, had fled the scene. Why they had broken that one board was anyone's question. After all, if they had tried to break into the closed-off section, they should have known that they would be spotted by the kitchen group. And if they had wanted to draw the group here... why? To distract them from something else? To visit Prushka's room? To have Elaine play with her scooter?

There were many possibilities, but no real answers for now.

Which was why, after everything was done, Sakura shooed everyone out of the room and closed the window behind her. She also locked the door, just like it should have been locked until was opened by whoever their mystery man (or woman) was.

“I’m gonna go tell Prushka now.”

Sakura nodded.

"Alright. Though... exercise caution in how you want present it. Some information..." Sakura shot a dry glance at Elaine, clearly remembering the antics with the scooter. "... Might not be necessary. And do mention that her door was unlocked. That might be an important fact."

Then, as if in an after-thought, the brunette added.

"Guess we'll move the make-up session for after school, before the party," sh said with a hint of a smirk. "You promised, after all, right?"

Looks like there was no escape...

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Partly Cloudy

---As expected, it seems that she was truly serious about the ten cups of coffee.

Of course, Skye is not one to judge others for the amount of caffeine they consume; as one who has been submerged in the life of a traveling student for most of her teenage years, she is well aware of the addicting -and absolutely necessary- nature of coffee for those who embrace the reality of all-nighters, but...

Nine so far....

Nine cups was pretty impressive, so impressive in fact that she takes a few moments to ponder the nature of caffeine poisoning... More specifically, if it was actually alright for her to allow this girl to drink this much caffeine, but...

"A Formula One Car?!"

It was clear that Cesarina had been trying to impress her, to dig up some sort of recent development that she would find to be interesting, and in that regard-!

"You designed one? Cool! You got to drive it?! Cooler! How fast was it?!"

She had certainly succeeded...

Yes.

While her own ride of choice was a skateboard, that did not mean she didn't pursue that nebulous concept people call "speed," no, as someone who got a thrill out of going as fast as possible in a number of different vehicles, she was someone who was quite fond of races of almost all sorts. After all, the more you pursue speed the more you wish for speed, the faster one goes the more one is stopped by air pressure, and therein lies a contradiction where the faster one goes the more they are forced to slow down, thus, the pursuit of speed is really the pursuit of stubbornly trying to make the world bend to your will-!

Or something like that anyway, she might have been getting a bit too philosophical inside of her own head-!

"I'd definitely like to try it!"

Of course she would, anything that grants forward momentum is pretty cool-!

"I'll definitely drop by Italy again!"

The question then becomes, can Liana Skye handle a Formula One race car?

The answer is a decisive: not sure, but will probably try anyway!

"Been meaning to construct an engine for my board myself, but haven't really had time to do it yet~"

Of course, this is nothing compared to Cesarina's feats, but it's probably the sort of topic she would enjoy -even if only to give her tips on it- so she cheerfully prepares to delve into the reality of custom skateboard engines generating far more throttle than they probably safely should, when-

"Alas, there has been some problems with launching our own satellites, as you can imagine," Cesarina continued with a slightly disheartened voice as she put the sixth cup of coffee on the tray. "Expanding a business venture to the space is not as easy as one would imagine..."

"Hmm? Satellites?"

Something just as interesting pops up casually...

"That does sound like it'd be rather hard to get clearance for," calming down a bit from her minor, nerdy freakout about the idea of being put behind the wheel of a race car, the more calm knightess returns, "Any particular plans for the satellites once you get them up there? Or is it mostly for rockets testing?"

Far as she could tell, there was never really a singular reason with this company...

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

“Yeah, Prushka should know someone busted into her room. Keyword: someone. Not us. We just… chanced upon it.” Back in the hall, Colt rubbed his chin. “I think as long as you’re forthright about it, she’d forgive us going in. Or at least I hope so.”

The thought of being run over by a pink electric scooter in retribution ran through Colt’s head.

His evil side felt tempted to entice that fate.

“Then I think I’ll tell someone, maybe… nah,” the boy sighed. “I don’t think the janitor, Jake, is too reliable. I’ll go tell one of the teachers instead.”

It wasn’t so long ago that he saw those three newcomers trample all over Jake. He meant nothing mean by it, but the man didn’t project the image of reliability. Or dependable. Or useful. Even if Tommy had told him to trust the guy. Colt could certainly trust his intentions, but not his abilities.

Not that Colt had much going in that field either.

“It’s gonna be a busy day. I suppose I’ll see y’all in the afternoon.” The boy turned to Sakura. “Where would you like to be picked up from?”

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - 2F Hallway
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Partly Cloudy

"Hey, hey, Sakura," I protested, "No need to go hassling the girl about her tastes, if she's wantin to get a translation and couldn't get it normal, it makes sense she'd want to find it another way, right?"

I kept quiet about my own possessions of questionable legality.

But I was going to be firm on this, and not just because I thought that scooter and the person who owned it were adorable beyond words!

"It's like we said earlier, people are here for all sorts of reasons, large and small, we can't go hassling poor Prushka about her personal possessions just because we think she shouldn't have them. It's like what old Oceandrop said, right? We're forming our own little society here."

I smiled at her, "So even though some illegal fan-subs might be a bit shady, Prushka seems like she's a good sort, so I think we can at least politely ignore them, we did sort of poke around in her room without asking, it seems a fair trade, no?"

"An' goose-chase or no, the sneak's something to keep in mind regardless, let alone how some one broke that board with such force, got into a room, opened the door and jumped down a couple stories to run off into the woods, all in the time it took for us to hear and come outside."

I shrugged, shuffling in my pockets, producing an interestingly packaged piece of gum.

Then I began chewing it.

"Just sayin', we got a mystery on our hands, gang."

[Ayakashi]

Vivienne Bianchi did not seem disturbed by the emergence of a cyan calamity at the horizon. She took finished drinking juice and finished her breakast plate clean, making sure to clean all the yolk that she could off her plate by soaking it up with her toast. There was no need to worry, was there? While she was clearly energetic, Ubon would never crash into the table like a meteorite, right? That was logical, only the most thoughtless of individuals would miscalculate their approach velocity to cause such a ruckus... oh... but then considering the very personality of that eccentric girl, as well as the clarity of her mind... it was quite possible that this was all an Armageddon in the making.

As a result there were some steps that Vivienne Bianchi had to take, just to be certain that evidence was preserved properly. Giving a glare filled with urgency to Alexstraza, she told the blonde girl in a low voice:

"That package... hold it well... we must stop... the weekend from repeating itself..."

Protect what? Vivienne meant the sinister VHS tape of course. If that wasn't evident enough, she reached for the package and quickly slipped it against Alexstraza's bossom, inviting her to wrap her arms around it in a protective way. Indeed, it would do no good for a random item, or worst, for a random person to come crashing into the table and breaking this morbid, yet vital piece of evidence, would it?

Alexstraza being in on the loop business now was almost a certainty, hence why Vivienne deduced that it was time to show her cards as well. Not all of them, but at least signal the blonde girl that she too, was playing this 'game'.

And with that, Vivienne turned her attention to Prushka and Elise, the two who were now replicating the scene of some presidential assassination attempt. Weren't Prushka's lines wrong? It went like.... something alongside the lines of... 'get down, mister president!'

---

Vivienne Bianchi
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Kitchen
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

Lucille’s steps suddenly slow in pace as soon as she hears what Sakura says, but it couldn’t be helped. In the end, this make-up session was inevitable, and Lucille was not very skilled at weaseling out of things—only sticking her nose into them.

“I promised,” she says with a dejected tone, before nodding at both Colt and Sakura’s words. She was planning on doing exactly as they said, to be honest. But, well, it was nice they were giving her tips. It was the thought that counted, right?

“See you in class.” Lucille waves goodbye to the rest of the quartet, and with the notions of duty and justice and righteousness in her heart, makes her way to the cafeteria, none the wiser.

[Verg Avesta]

Liana Skye, Elise Pelltier, Vivienne Bianchi, Prushka, Alexstrasza Lockhart & Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

"That does sound like it'd be rather hard to get clearance for. Any particular plans for the satellites once you get them up there? Or is it mostly for rockets testing?"

Cesarina let out a complicated sigh as the two of them headed back towards the table where everyone was sitting.

"Mm, rocket testing, information satellites, and I have been trying to talk my parents to invest into this 'internet' thing that has been catching on... it is this thing from ARPA, their information sharing method that... ah, it would take a long time to explain! And my hunger grows!" Cesarina said, letting out anothe bout of loud laughter. "I will explain it to you after we have eaten! As well as my experience with the Formula One car! It was quite interesting, because the thing--- Err, what?"

There was a good reason as to why Cesarina stopped talking.

It was because, at that moment, something that looked like it was going at hypersonic speeds and yelling someone's name cheerfully as it did entered the airspace of cafeteria. The blur of cyan and green practically warped through the doorway thanks to its ridiculous Mach-like velocity, making a beeline towards the brunette school girl also known as Elise Pelltier. At the same time, a giggling noise so loud that Tonkori looked offended followed behind this teenage-girl-shaped ballistic missile followed in its wake.

Time seemed to slow to a halt.

For a moment, everything hung in balance.

The table around which everyone had gathered was in utter shock.

Prushka had thrown herself to shield Elise, determined to take brunt of the collision with her helmet.

Elise had, almost teary-eyed, shielded herself behind the kid-sized saviour.

Cesarina stared at this all with eyes wide as plates, unable to quite comprehend what was happening.

And as for the girl that had just entered the cafeteria...


"EEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

Ubon Sĕeklêun could not be stopped.

Indeed, not just because she was being so happy thanks to the joy of running and meeting new people face to face, but because it was physically impossible for her to stop at this point. She could have thrown herself against the floor and she would have still kept going, and trying to brake with her sneakers was just asking to slide all the way to the back wall (and through it). Therefore, the tanned girl seemed to have arrived to a simple conclusion. She wouldn't stop. Since stopping was impossible, she would just go at it until something appeared to stop her.

And her plan had been to have Elise be her "cushion" so to speak, because even now, in the few fractions of a second before collision, she had her arms spread into the world's biggest and fastest hug that was about to end very violently.

But then, she saw it.

She saw the tiny girl, her helmet on, standing in her way.

The time that had come to a halt, stopped completely. Froze up.

Ubon's eyes went wide. Wide as plates, and he rmouth turned into a joyous grin of absolute wonder and amazement.

Like someone who had found the treasure they had been looking for all their life.

--- Which was followed by something frankly impossible.

First, Ubon's outreaching hands fell downwads, and grabbed Prushka by the helmet. Second, Ubon's legs coiled and released like a spring, launching her into a somersaulting jump. Third, she kept her grip tightly, yanking Prushka with her to this airflight. Fourth, both Ubon and Prushka cleared the obstacle named Elise high above her head, but so close that she could feel the wind buffet her hair. Fifth, while in the air, Ubon pulled Prushka closer and caught a better grip around her waist. Sixth, the duo of these two girls rotated about 1440 degrees at maximum velocity while they vaulted over Elise. Seventh, all this while, Ubon's jubilant giggle radiated from her in waves. Eight, Prushka's world was spinning around so fast that all she could see was the smiling face of the girl holding onto her. Ninth, Cesarina Feroce and Subaru Iburi acccidentally both cursed out loud at this whole sight. And Tenth...

Ubon's feet hit the floor.

She slammed against the cafeteria's floor, coming to a complete halt just a meter and two behind Elise Pelltier.

In her hands, she was holding Prushka, eyes glimmering and with an expression of absolute adoration on her face.

The silence was almost impossible to break.

Until...

"OOOOoooohmygosh. You, are, the most adorable thing, I have ever seen, for realsies~!" Ubon cooed at Prushka, practically unable to contain herself. "A-are you... are you even real???"

From the looks of it, Ubon had completely forgotten what she even came here for at the sight of Prushka.

Oh, and.

Eleventh...

Lucille Faraday bore witness to this all, having just arrived to the corridor leading to the cafeteria when Ubon zoomed past her.

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High - Sports Field
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Partly Cloudy

I raise my eyebrows - partly because, with my absolute lack of knowledge about baseball, I have very little idea of all the names she is mentioning, and partly because of her apparently rather shady nature.

Makes some sense, at least. Hopes, dreams and legends taken form...Though, that still does not explain why exactly she is here of all places, and what her purpose is.

“Mm...well, I get what you mean. Roughly.” I nod, even if not entirely convinced.

More importantly...as much as I was not interested in baseball or anything related, there was one item.

One that kept drawing my attention.

One that I had to get a closer look at.

“Ehm, well, don’t mind if I take a look then…”

After excusing myself, I quickly stepped towards one of the shelves to look at, and touch the fluffy bear paw mittens. Touch and stare at them a lot with my eyes widened in excitement as I lean over them. Before I realize what I was doing, and put down the mittens back on the shelves as I blush from the embarrassment.

I need those mittens.

“W-what silly looking gloves these are. Who would even want something like this?”

But to spend all my money on them…

I shouldn’t do that, should I.

Bidding a sad farewell to the bear paws - for now, at least - I turn my attention to the rest of her stuff.

But the prices just make me even more sad.

“250$ for a ‘legend’? How do I even know if the information is reliable? Is it even worth that much? Is it that hard making a living as a supernatural merchant?”

Well, if she is doing her business like this, then it’s understandable.

“I could ask the local folklorist and she could probably tell me something about these for free!”

Of course, I had no idea what Carie knew, and if she knew anything about these. But then I didn’t know what this shady merchant knew either.

“And while I’d be interested, I’m not made out of money. Though if you just want to talk and have someone show you around...I wouldn’t mind helping with that. However it even works.”

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

It arrives.

I see it, nearly in slow motion, coming towards me, and as soon as I can comprehend that my life will come to an end once more, it has arrived.

There is no time to close my eyes. It's too fast. It shifts, swirls, envelops me, drags me back, and...

Flying. I must be flying, because the world is spinning and there is nothing under my feet. And yet, I must be sinking, because this pressure around me is holding me so tightly that I can't move.

It spins. It spins. It spins.

Am I dreaming again? Dreaming on the edge of death?

It spins. It spins.

Certainly, this can't be possible. No person could do something like this.

It spins.

And yet, somehow, there is ground beneath me once more. And a pair of arms are holding me up, as if I were an overstuffed doll picked off the shelf.

"OOOOoooohmygosh. You, are, the most adorable thing, I have ever seen, for realsies~! A-are you... are you even real???"

"A...h... uh..."

There is ground beneath my feet, but something is still spinning. Maybe it's my brain.

"Um... real...?"

I reach out. My arms reach out for something, patting at the air, looking for something to hold onto.

I find a grip on it. Something a little pointy and squishy in the middle of that blurry thing that might be a face floating in front of me.

"Hehe. Honk. Got your nose."

Hehe. Hehehehe.

"You're the real one, Ubon. Hehe."

Hehehehehehehehe...

"Hehehehehe... oh... my tummy feels weird..."

Focus, focus. Stop the spinning. Keep your breakfast down. You need focus.

...

Focus? Where was that, again? Maybe Ubon knows. Or maybe she doesn't. Maybe we're all mad here.

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Partly Cloudy

"..."

Silence.

The turn back towards the tables had been one that had invited a number of sights and sounds into her worldview, the screeching of some sort of high-speed entity sprinting -if so weak a word applied here- into the depths of a world that she had thought had made sense when she had left the table, yes...

She had expected to see a number of mundane things when the trip to the food line was over, of fellow classmates chatting away with each other cheerfully, having overcome the darkness brought about by a strange video tape, or perhaps a table that had been overcome by that same darkness, which would have left her attempting to cleave a path through it herself for the sake of 'unity-!' but...

But...

"Language milady."

This was something unexpected, an event that has her defaulting to a stunned calm as she registers an impossible series of events along with a chaotic storm of sounds that had accompanied them, but...

She does not move from where she had stopped along with Cesarina, body having frozen in place to ensure that the trays -more specifically the tray dedicated entirely to coffee- did not slip from her also stunned grasp...

Yes.

Like a safety lock-down on her body, she had stopped in place to watch the events unfold, almost like how one tends to freeze when a car crash is in motion, but where a horrific impact would have had her sprinting automatically towards the fallen, the victims, those mortally wounded by fate's random and cruel hand, this simple, harmless ending...

"Although I do have to admit... That flip was pretty sick!"

She nods and accepts it.

It is the easiest way.

So long as no one got hurt, she could just accept things as they are and move forward, thus-

"I suggest we do eat before the bell rings though..."

A gentle push towards normality...

Yes.

It is important to remember what the 'normal world' is...

[Daneel Rush]

John Dove
Location: Pinefall High Campus – The Big League
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Partly Cloudy



John realizes he needs to reassess his impression of Hisa Momoi. What are the right words to use? Is she blunt, or merely impatient? She believes not in careful control of the exchange, and goes straight for the jugular. She will have to excuse John’s slowness, then—the Turnside is cruel and hypocritical to him. It dragged him into its murky depths against his will, yet it will not hesitate to punish him if he brings it up as…straightforwardly as Momoi just did.

As to this…Miss Doubleday, nothing comes to mind. Or perhaps he just does not care enough. At least she does not seem an immediate threat, but Pyry would likely be a better judge of that.

Her wares are, as the girl herself said, mostly baseball paraphernalia and “legends”. John is certainly curious, and never unwelcoming to an interesting story, but those prices are a little…

However, John Dove does not need to haggle, because Hisa Momoi is on the case—and he suspects her dismissal of the “Yogi Claws” is insincere, but that is none of his business.

“It is as she says,” he comments. “I do not see the need for an exchange of money if it is just about having a chat or ‘seeing the sights’.”

Then again, what the hell does he know about what women want?

“We do not know how long Ubon will take to come back, or whether she will return alone,” he points out to Hisa through their mental link. “Let us be mindful of that.”

Though, Ubon is the kind of person who will find another interesting thing on the way and forget what she was doing in the first place, so perhaps they should not worry that much.

[Thalraxal]

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Partly Cloudy

"EEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII EEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

Elise's life flashed before her eyes as the oncoming cyan blur rushed towards her and her protector. She sought to find what chain of events led to this seemingly inevitable moment, but could find nothing. Whatever forces had set this moment into motion were far beyond her ken. It may have simply been random, capricious chance that this was happening, but somehow Elise felt that Ubon hurtling through the air towards her was just her fate.

The moment of impact arrived, and, in an instant, Prushka was gone. Snatched up by the unstoppable force that was Ubon Sĕeklêun as she vaulted over her. Elise blinked, her hair blowing in the wind that was left in the wake of Ubon, as her brain struggled to reconcile what just happened with reality as she understood it. She lived. She had survived, but at what terrible cost?

She spun on her heels, desperate to know the fates of her savior and the living missile that could've been her doom.

"OOOOoooohmygosh. You, are, the most adorable thing, I have ever seen, for realsies~! A-are you... are you even real???"

"You're the real one, Ubon. Hehe."

Elise breathed a sigh of relief that both of them were alive and upright. Ubon, for her part, was apparently utterly entranced by Prushka's small size.

"Prushka!? Are you okay?" asked Elise frantically, "And- uhm, good morning, Ubon! How're you doing?"

She paused, and considered the vault and spin Ubon had just performed over her head.

"Also, that was incredible!" exclaimed Elise.

There were certainly worse fates than Ubon Sĕeklêun.

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

Perhaps it’s the sheer awe at Ubon’s athletic feat, but Lucille’s response is a little bit too slow. She rushes to the center of the commotion, disregarding everyone else. As soon as she’s arrived, Elise has already asked the mildly redundant question, “Are you okay?” Not that she can blame Elise, really, it’s merely courteous. Still, judging by how green Prushka’s face was, she was definitely not okay, and definitely not cognizant enough to understand anything she could tell the much shorter girl.

“Ah, Ubon, can you let go of Prushka? I have something really important to tell her,” Lucille asks, addressing the main issue first and foremost. She has to pry Prushka out of this situation before anything can be resolved. One step at a time.

Lucille moves a bit closer in case Prushka loses balance so she can stop the girl from falling, but she hopes the worst doesn’t happen.

“Anything I can do for you?” she asks softly, though she doesn’t really expect a solid reply for a while. Lucille figures the best she can do is offer passive support and only intervene when necessary. She just needed to wait until Prushka stopped being dizzy to deliver the news.

Taking this brief moment to observe the surroundings, Lucille scans the cafeteria for familiar faces. There’s Elise, of course, who she needs to talk to very much—and that is Subaru, she thinks, but the difference is so stark she really has no clue—and everyone else… But what catches Lucille’s attention the most is that there’s a face she can’t recognize.

Like the siblings, maybe? Or another Elizaveta or Xylia thing…

Conjecture is rather useless, Lucille realizes, so instead she just focuses on seeing if Prushka is alright.

[Verg Avesta]

Hisa Momoi & John Dove
Location: Pinefall High Campus - The Big League
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

“250$ for a ‘legend’? How do I even know if the information is reliable? Is it even worth that much? Is it that hard making a living as a supernatural merchant? I could ask the local folklorist and she could probably tell me something about these for free!”

"Eh, it's not me who really decides the prices. It's you. As in, you lot," Bambi said and spread her arms wide. "The more desirable something to you, the more important it seems in your eyes... hence why you're seeing these prices. guess it just means it's stuff important to you guys!"

Bambi chuckled at that, swaying on her makeshift chair with a grin on her face.

"Oh, and I mean, sure! You can do that - find a folklorist or the like. Sometimes it's even better to find the original source," she replied cheerfully. "All I do is pluck the legend right out of the air and relay it, visuals or not. And then I can talk with you lot about what I think it means or what I think it might refer to. So in all honesty, gals and pals, it's just me recounting something and then adding my own commentary to it. Not that neat, but also not that mundane!"

That sounded... surreal to say the least. And what was that about visuals? Honestly, this whole deal with legends was starting to sound stranger and stranger the further it went, and the way this rambunctious kid(?) was acting, it was hard to tell what was joking and what was said in all seriousness.

“And while I’d be interested, I’m not made out of money. Though if you just want to talk and have someone show you around...I wouldn’t mind helping with that. However it even works.”

“It is as she says. I do not see the need for an exchange of money if it is just about having a chat or ‘seeing the sights’.”

A somewhat troubled smile spread to the girl's face.

"Ah, well... as much a I'd like to go out there and enjoy cracker jacks and stretch my legs on the diamond, I'm a bit... eh, well, stuck, I suppose?" Bambi admitted. "So unless I get drafted, I'm gonna be here, I suppose. This is where I awoke after all. Who knows why? The world really works mysteriously sometimes, right?"

She rubbed her nose and chuckled again, as if she had told some sort of joke.

"Anyways, you guys were students, right? Can you tell me which school?" she asked, sounding honestly curious. "Are there lotta you? How're the teachers? Are you guys having fun?"

It was a somewhat surprising to see the genuine curiosity that sparkled in those eyes.

[Frantic Author]

--- Alexstrasza Lockhart Date: 07.09.1994. Location: Road's End Phase: Morning Phase Weather: Partly Cloudy ---

"That package... hold it well... we must stop... the weekend from repeating itself..."

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

It's an endless cycle, a cycle. I watch people move without feeling. We are repeating, repeating events without meaning. Without purpose. How many times have I sat here already? Twice? That is only that I remember, yes? It could be countless more.

How many are involved?

How many people here know about the witch that weaves a spell through time?

Is one of them my executioner? Would they be so arrogant, so devious and above others, that they would come here, knowing of my presence, and stay? that they would make a pretense of a pretense, and act as if they hadn't ever killed?

Ahhh... but I don't dislike that sort of arrogance.

I smile, and watch. I don't say a word. I don't move the fork on my plate. I sit. I think. I understand.

Nobody at this school is trustworthy for me. I do not know who killed me. I do not know who saw me performing magic without reason. I do not know whose knife went through my back. I scarcely even know what other people know. This place is simply a prison, and I am my own jailer. I cannot speak to them. Do they know magic exists? Possibly. However, 'knowing' and 'understanding' are two different things - for every ordinary person dragged deep like Souma and John, there is a person who does not understand even a single thing around them, like Prushka or Mercedes.

There are too many outliers here to give them any more information. To allow them to understand the supernatural is to invite them in. I have no interest in being a teacher for the weak. I don't desire to open my arms and invite those worried about the future to lean on me. I never had anything like that as a child or as a girl on the cusp of adolescence. Why should others gain such an advantage?

I drum my fingers on the table to a beat, a beat, a beat that only I can hear. There's no need to speak, no need to tell others any information. I will play a game with my cards facing downwards; for I have already memorized them.

[Ayakashi]

"..."

Vivienne was very quiet, perhaps pondering on the extremely cartoon-like nature of everything that had happened. A series of events that could have been featured straight from the Looney Tunes... did that make Ubon Bugs Bunny and Prushka Elmer? No, perhaps Prushka was Porky instead... associating everyone with a disney character now wasn't the priority now, since it appeared that Prushka was about to return to the world everything she had just eaten. Understandable, considering what she had just gone through.

Vivienne took her handkerchief and offered it to Prushka, also taking note of where the stack of wipes on the table. It would be bad now if she spilled everything onto someone else or the table... thus precautions had to be taken in case the worst was going to happen.

"Prushie... doesn't feel well..." Vivienne said, trying to get Ubon's attention. Others, including the newly arrived Lucille Faraday, were also telling the cyan head to relent her stream of affection and energy, lest it turn this morning sour.

Anyways, Prushka was needed? What could it be for... was this also some sort of secret information pass-along in regards to the loop, or could it be that for once, the little one's attention was required due to some mundane business? It was the first time that Vivienne saw Lucille and Prushka interact, at any rate. Where was Lucille Faraday on Sunday, Vivienne had to wonder.

---

Vivienne Bianchi
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Campus - The Big League
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Partly Cloudy

“Pinefall High,” I answered nonchalantly after a few moments of silence, “Give or take 30 of us, I suppose.”

Maybe more, maybe less. Who knew anymore, with all the mysterious people appearing and disappearing?

“Can’t say much about the teachers since they felt to be missing more than they were present. Not sure about fun either...especially not today.”

Indeed...where the hell were our teachers on sunday?

In general...I didn’t remember having a proper conversation with any of the faculty members.

Felt more like that they were just observers...or that somehow it just eluded anyone to care too much about them.

“As you’ve said, the world works in mysterious ways, and your appearance is likely the least mysterious thing right now.”

Still, I’d lie if I said that she wasn’t mysterious. And shady. And stingy. But she was still weird, and the information she had could prove to be valuable. Just like the mittens. They are definitely valuable.

Very much so.

“But well, much as I would like to tell you about these mysteries we’ve ran into, they are important, you see. They are rather desirable so it would be weird for me to just share them for free. How would that make sense, people sharing information with each other just for the sake of helping?”

Now with a smug expression, I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I continued, eyes locked straight onto the girl.

“Too bad, really. It also means that I can’t just tell anyone about your shop, right? Only we’ll know about you, unless by some miracle someone ends up finding this rather unimportant storage room in the corner of the field. You’ll be all alone here for a long time still once we inevitably have to leave soon.”

I shook my head slightly, as if pretending to be disappointed.

“I would have liked to help, but without knowing what this ‘drafting’ is, and with how it’s all about the money and secrecy, my hands are kind of tied.”

I wasn’t expecting to achieve much, but it made for a good tease either way. Venting all the pent up frustration, little by little, was certainly due after all this time.

[Verg Avesta]

Liana Skye, Elise Pelltier, Vivienne Bianchi, Prushka, Alexstrasza Lockhart & Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High - Cafeteria
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 07.09.1994 (WED)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

"Hehehehehe... oh... my tummy feels weird..."

Ubon grimaced a little.

"Err... whoopsie," she replied, pulling a bit back from the green Prushka. "You... you ate lotsa breakfast, didn'cha, lil' one? This might've been, umm... might've been a wrong move."

That was a bit of an understatement. From the looks of it, while the cyanhead had suffered none of the after-effects of such a wild spin over Elise. However, the same could not apparently be said for Prushka, who was currently muttering weird things, laughing, and pinching Ubon's nose. The cyanhead might have laughed and let out a loud "Boop!" when the tiny girl (still held aloft) did it, but now her cheer had turned into a slight concern that was growing by the second.

"Prushka!? Are you okay? And- uhm, good morning, Ubon! How're you doing? Also, that was incredible!"

Ubon's ears perked up at that.

"Oh! G'morning, Essie! A-and thanks, that was kinda improvised, so I'm just glad it worked out well!" Ubon replied, before glancing at Prushka who was still in her arms. "A-as for this tiny cute little thing, err... w-well, as long as the rotation in her stomach continues, it might be good, but when it starts to slow down to a stop..."

Something about the way she phrased it sounded dangerous.

"Prushie... doesn't feel well..."

“Ah, Ubon, can you let go of Prushka? I have something really important to tell her.”

Ubon pursed her lips for a moment.

"Mm, I totes wanna chat with this cutie too... but, argh, no time! Here, Lucie! Take good care of her!" Ubon said, handing Prushka over to Lucille like she had been a large teddy bear. "Also, you might wanna start running to toilets now. With her, that is. She might have a reaction in... erm... soon. Like, real soon."

Ubon took a few steps away from Lucille, who was now holding Prushka in her arms.

"Anyways, Essie!" The cyanhead suddenly exclaimed, pointing her finger at the brunette next to her. "I'm gonna need your keys! Hand 'em over!"

Wait, what even was this?

And meanwhile...

"I suggest we do eat before the bell rings though..."

Cesarina, who had been watching this all unfolding, nodded wordlessly, grabbing hold of two of the cups on the tray and immediately began to sip on them. However, almost immediately the heiress yelped and retracted her head, sticking our her tongue out momentarily like she had hurt it some way.

"O-ow-ow-ow... needs more sugar... lot more sugar..." Cesarina whimpered.