Titanomachy Rebirth (IC)

[RacingeR]

Xavier Augustus & Willow Durand
Location: Zeus High School – 5^th Floor (Music Club)
Time: Noon

Everyone looks fairly confused and disconcerted by the quake. For a moment, even Cynthia’s pout vanishes and everyone looks around, as if expecting a second wave.

However, Willow’s words return the room to normality…

And ratchet up the tension as she does the equivalent of attempting to disarm a social landmine with her face.

Adelyn cringed upon hearing the suggestion of Shelia working together with Cynthia in this particular project. Cynthia’s face reddened considerably, her expression becoming decidedly furious, and the black-haired musician traded a helpless glance with Xavier, and readied herself to play peacemaker.

It was unneeded. Xavier took upon himself to basically haul Cynthia aside before she could explode. As he sincerely exposed his points of view, the blonde singer’s fury diminished. It was, however, replaced by a stern and decided expression.

“No.” Cynthia said simply and harshly. Her stare was hard, her indignation was visible, but at least she had lowered her voice enough.

This was, perhaps, the biggest real difference that existed between Cynthia and Shelia. There was a hard core to the former, steel underneath the somewhat artificial innocent persona and the brattishness under that surface. Meanwhile, the pink-head was exactly as painfully innocent and soft as she looked.

In a way, Cynthia better resembled the American pop idol she actually was, if perhaps one who hadn’t gone through the more cynical and dirty stage of celebrity culture that oft awaited them when they grew up. Shelia, meanwhile, resembled more the model Japanese idol in comparison.

“I don’t mind getting help from others, I know I can’t mount a spectacle alone.” She continued, and then her eyes looked at Shelia. “But not her. It won’t mean anything if she has to help. No. I won’t accept it.”

It is a rather firm denial to your plea.


Eilian Aubrey
Location: Zeus High School – 5th Floor (Crafts Club)
Time: Noon

“Twenty-seven, huh? Well, it’ll have to do.” Astor nods, and starts helping to straighten up your work station. You pay him no mind as you busy yourself with the device in your hand.

The cover at first seems to resist your effort to open it. Yet you apply some more strength, and something clicks, the bronze-looking circle popping open and revealing the insides.

Whatever this device is keeping, time is not it.

The inside looks simple and functional, lacking in decorations, and mostly taken by a circular transparent acrylic panel under which six needles spin, moving at the rhythm of the seconds, by your accounting.

In the place where the hours should be at, there are eighteen symbols, distributed equidistantly across the border of the circle.

The symbols themselves aren’t something you can recognize, at least at first glance. They seem to be rather simple, mostly geometrical figures with a line crossing it through the center, the left, or the right.

What a strange device. It is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. A sensation of weirdness, almost of surrealism, overcomes you for a brief moment.

You can feel its mechanism pulse. It has an internal logic of some sort, and yet you can’t trace any distinct pattern between the movement of the six needles, at least not with such a brief window of observation. Instinctively, it feels alien, like the material of the device itself.

[Frantic Author]

Johnny Justice
Location: Zeus High School – 4th Floor (Crooklyn Hideout)
Time: Noon

Johnny grinned a lazy grin as he walked forward with a lazy grace in his steps, wrapping his arms behind his head.

"Howdy Prof!" he said as he hooked his foot into the backleg of a chair and pulled it back before sitting, never removing his arms from the back of his head as he began to rock the chair back and forth. "Welcome to the future home of the Gaming Club!"

His eyes danced, and he smiled like a shark.

"Obviously we'd never be doing anything against school rules, yeah?" he winked at the man, gently kicking the table and grabbing one of the chips out of the air. Johnny looked at it with vague interest, slowly rotating it across his knuckles. "And doing something illegal? Moi?"

He clasped a hand to his chest and made a fake expression of shock.

"I'm a bit hurt, Prof! Feels like there's a bit of a lack of mutual trust here! I've sworn off all criminal activities since I've come to this school!"

He sniffed. Obviously, street crimes weren't really criminal activities. That was just the price of doing business. Petty theft, a little bit of vandalism, a smidge of assault - really, that sort of thing is more expected then anything else.

"Course, we can't deal you in unless you're offering something, right?" Johnny worded it like an idle thought, cocking an eyebrow at the Professor. "But see, Prof, I just don't think I can match anything you put up. So how about favors?"

Favors were always worth more then money, anyways. Anyone can get rich. Not anyone can call in seven favors to crack down on people moving in on territory.

"You win, we'll owe you, we win, you owe us. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"

He smiled, throwing the chip up in the air and catching it.

"So waddaya say, Prof? You in or out?"

[Plue]

Eilian Aubrey
Location: Zeus High School – 5th Floor (Crafts Club)
Time: Noon

Eilian restrains herself from her first reaction as Astor starts... assisting her, in cleaning up her workstation. The intent is obviously good, even if... well. Distracting herself with the investigation of the not-timepiece.

"Tsk." Acrylic though, such a tacky choice. The impression of a high class work ruined by that alone, perhaps something more... mass produced?

Glove tips trace the symbols, contemplating the patterns for a moment longer before instead moving to see about disassembling it, starting with opening the case up.

[Sei]

Sakura Sumeragi
Location: Zeus High School- Floor 6 (Infirmary)
Time: Noon

At first, I wasn't sure exactly how to feel about the way the twins are treating me. I'm used to others feeling sorry for me. Just the same, I'm used to people taking pity on me as well. So, unfortunately, I've gotten used to people kind of coddling me once the sob story comes out. I imagine it's the same protective feeling someone gets when a bird injures its wing or a dog its paw. To many, I'm something of a small animal incapable of living properly on its own. But... While it may still be a bit too early to say for certain, it doesn't seem like the Medb and Maeve are like that.

"Believe it or not, we know how it feels like being treated differently because of what you are."

Maeve's words stand out in my head.

Since I've been isolated from people for most of my life, I haven't had very many people to talk to. Less so people who have tried to relate to me. Though my own social awkwardness might be more to blame regarding that last bit. Naturally, I've always known people capable of such empathy were out there. I'm not some kind of misanthrope or anything. I've just never had the pleasure of meeting such a person. Still... Just her say those words pierces me. My feeble defenses crumble before I even realize and I'm left stunned and shaken. And in this passing moment, I can't help but realize how warm and terrifying this is.

Before I can fully grasp her words... Before I can even mash my way out stun... The younger sibling slips past my guard and wraps her arms around me- preventing all escape. My mind finally catches up, but it's too late. With a skilled combo play, Maeve calls in her sister for the assist to finish me off.

“Cute…”

I'm dead!

I'm super dead!

My brain can't even begin to process all of this. Luckily, it doesn't have to if I just shut it off for- I dunno- two to three minutes. But just as I'm about to drift off into nothingness, I can feel my body jerk and tilt over.

The sudden, extremely loud onset of noise caused Maeve to suddenly seize up in overt panic, going completely rigid while still wrapped around Sakura. Her whole weight fell over the sickly girl, who wasn’t in a good position for that, and whose posture had been shaken by the quake.

It all happens so suddenly that I can't really tell what's happening. All I can make sense of is that I'm falling off the bed and Maeve is gripping me tightly.

Instinctively, I hug Maeve tightly. I quickly place a hand on top of her head and pull her face down towards my chest. As both of us go tumbling off of the bed, I shift my weight to the best of my ability to position myself beneath her. The entire sequence is clumsy, but probably the best I can manage given my own confusion. Regardless, at the end of it, both of us hit the floor. It just so happens that my head is the only one to tap the tiles and my classmate's weight presses into my arm and chest.

First comes the pain. Then comes the adrenaline. And, finally, a bit of clarity.

“Are you alright, Ms. Sumeragi?”

"Y-Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine."

Honestly, I'm not even sure if that's true. The dull pain spreading through my head is the only thing I give notice. Instead, I focus my attention on seeing if everyone else is okay.

Maeve seems a bit shaken, but her sister rushed to her and is taking care of her. The nurse seems to have handled things the best, diligently examining the extent of my fall. Aside from them, I can make out two others. Another set of students who I think have been on the other side of the room until now.

"Everyone alright?"

I ask as I start to determine how my own body is managing.

[RacingeR]

Sakura Sumeragi & Ishmael Freeman
Location: Zeus High School – Floor 6 (Infirmary)
Time: Noon

Sakura:

The bonk to the head stuns you for a moment. You’re going to be feeling that one tomorrow, and your natural protection doesn’t stop your insides from getting a bit jarred. It is painful, but you recover rather quickly, and without much damage.

Mila ascertained your wellness quickly, then nodded to herself before going to attend the fallen boy at the other side of the infirmary, telling you to not move your head much, just in case. Of course, although you had a weak constitution, it was mostly illnesses that gave you grief. Hits you could take rather well, better than most, even, though open wounds and their risk of infection could give you a lot of trouble on their own annoying way.

“We’re…” “… fine!” The twins said, although there was some shakiness on Maeve’s voice there. Remembering the way she had seized up when the quake started, it was as if the sudden loud noise had triggered a strong sensation of panic in her. She had practically frozen up, which was what had caused the fall.

You couldn’t tell much more, because Medb had taken her off you very quickly indeed, whispering something to her ear. And yet now Maeve was winking and smiling her thanks to you. Had it been your imagination? Maybe, it all had happened so fast…

You took a look around. The other two students didn’t answer your question. The boy had taken a fall and presumably a bonk on his head, and the blue-haired girl seemed to be too distracted helping him, while Mila hurried over and started to examine him.

He looked unresponsible. Well… he was probably just having a dramatic flashback of some sort. It’ll be fine. He’ll be fine.

You heard Medb’s phone vibrate again as she approached you. The redhead paused, making such a strange non-expression of disgust that you would’ve found it funny in other circumstances. She took her phone out again, and angrily pushed on the screen to reject the call before kneeling near you. She couldn’t do that much to help you if you’d been told to not move over much, but she reached over and slipped a pillow below your head so you’d be more comfortable. Though, once the pain had alleviated somewhat, you felt just fine.

Her phone vibrated again, this time a message. She scowled as she read it, and sighed, sitting besides you for a moment as she manipulated the screen and started a call. Rather, tried to. You saw her wait for whoever was on the other end to pick up… which didn’t happen even after she tried to call again.

“How weird…” She said, looked a wee bit disconcerted.

“Hm? Are you calling that jackass?” Maeve asked.

“No, calling home.” Medb answered with rather pointed venom.

“You’re right, that is weird.” Maeve tilted her head, now also looking confused herself.


Ishmael:

You are having a dramatic flashback and you don’t like it at all.

You never like it when you remember about your grandfather.

To be fair, you also didn’t remember that much about his lectures as you’d have thought. They had a tendency to be repetitive and boring at times. In other times, especially when he ranted about metaphysics or some such, they did sound interesting, but they tended to be borderline incoherent.

Still, some stuff you remembered much more clearly than the rest.

Whenever he talked about his favorite topic, ‘The End of the World’, his eyes would acquire a feverish gleam, and words would flow from his month in an endless, sort of unhinged torrent. He would stand there, in that strange cobalt-blue suit he wore, and lecture you for hours on end.

It would start with a quake, is what he said. It was always a quake that signaled the beginning of the end. A tremor that would shake the sky and the earth. It would ‘shake the world around the people’.

… A quake couldn’t be that rare, right?

Sure, they weren’t that frequent in the Midwest. Did they happen over here in Kansas? Even so, it could also be just a freak occurrence, right?

“Remember, Ishmael. It won’t be no normal earthquake. No, the very world will shake around you.” The old man’s voice reached your ears. He had always seemed like a living antique to you, although you knew he had to have been younger than he looked like. His voice had always that distinct quality to it too, like aged oak…

You could only notice it because you’d thought about it. You were the only one who noticed that fact.

It hadn’t been just the ground that had shaken. It hadn’t been that you’d been whipped around in the air. No, the air had shaken around you along with the ground. The world had been shaken, not just the earth… but you couldn’t be sure. You couldn’t be sure, because it all had happened so fast, and been so short.

And it was so unrealistic.

Your ‘grandfather’ had just been a crazy old man, right? Nothing you’d seen out there seemed to fit with his rants and elucubrations…


You blinked just as Mila shone a light on your eyes, and came back to focus. Your flashback had only been a few moments, perhaps seconds, before you came to from your reverie.

“Ah, seems like he’s with us. Mr. Freeman, how do you feel?”

The answer was that you still felt a bit dizzy, a wee bit queasy, but otherwise, for someone who had taken two big hits to the head, you felt surprisingly well. At least better than before, but your upbringing had made you accustomed to hard hits and walking them off had always been part of it.

A quick look around revealed that everyone else seemed to be fine, too.

“Can we skip a few steps and just proceed to the burial? I still got stuff to do today.” Myrthe grumbled.

“Do you not think it is a bit too hasty?” Mila replied with a slight edge of amusement.

“Nah, I’ll just come by and leave, like, half a flower by his tomb or something.” Well, at least your ‘friend’ seemed to have noticed your quick recovery.

[Zagrin]

Aster Hunter
Location: Zeus High School – Courtyard (Tree Garden)
Time: Noon

“It seems you are somewhat capable after all,”

Aster wryly smiled as he watched Cecily’s outburst, clearly unconcerned of the possibility that her murderous rage could soon be directed at him once she had disposed of the rest of the rabble. No, it would in fact be safe to say that he would actually be quite satisfied with such an outcome were she to try and go for him next, however…

“I admit that I had wondered why you would concern yourself with someone as insignificant as that girl, but I see that she is capable of serving the role of bait quite admirably.” With that Aster’s gaze shifted from the scene of carnage wrought by Cecily to the now approaching newcomers.

There was five of them. Three he had never seen or heard of before and thus could be neatly packed with the tennis club members in terms of irrelevance. The other two on the other hand? Elora and Rika Griffin - he had heard of how these two girls often came into conflict with members of the gang. More often than not they seemed to come out on top in their little skirmishes. If he recalled correctly, there were even instances where they had gotten the better of Cecily, though whether she had displayed the same amount of fervor then as right now he couldn’t say.

And even then, stories were still just that, stories. He would need to see for himself whether there was any truth to them and fortunately it seemed that one of their number was volunteering.

As Rika began her approach, so too did Aster towards the student that he had previously thrown.

“‘Twould be a shame were your prey to be stolen from right under your nose, do you not agree?”

Having posed that simple question to his fuming compatriot, he proceeded to deliver a kick to the ailing upperclassman, the power behind it seemingly even greater than what he had shown before. However, he hadn't done this to finish his opponent off, that would just be a consequence of his actions. Rather he once again intended to have the poor guy serve the role of a projectile, having launched him straight at the member of the squad that had opted to stand out from the others, Rika Griffin.

[Airen]

Rika Griffin
Location: Zeus High School – Courtyard (Tree Garden)
Time: Noon

"...!"

She feels it more than she sees it.

A certain shift in the confines of her personal world, the swing of a kick into the stomach of a beaten man launching the poor bastard like a projectile; of course, it's only natural that the gang members hit people while they're down, being a part of a gang tends to mean you leave that honor nonsense at the door, so it's not too surprising, still-!

"...Really?"

Her response to the approach of a human missile sounds more mildly annoyed than anything else, the tone of voice someone might take when they've noticed there's a particularly demented wasp in the house, or that someone had almost hit them with a shopping cart in a store-!

Yes.

Her body twists to avoid it, the sheer size and weight of the 'projectile' making it rather simple to actually dodge it, figure gracefully sliding around the youth to let him pass harmlessly by and crash somewhere else, and continuing on towards Jane afterwards as if...

Nothing at all had happened?

No...

Turning her gaze towards the one who had targeted her, even if only for a moment...

The young woman rolls her eyes.

"Seriously? You guys really can't help yourselves, can you?"

Yes.

No real shock at the action...

It doesn't deter her path towards Jane in the slightest, after all...

That girl was the entire reason she had come here-!

"Always so quick to pick fights. Gonna get yourselves hurt real bad one day."

That day might be today of course, could even be the next couple of seconds if they keep this shit up, but she's not so insecure that she feels the need to say that out-loud, hell...

Giving bullies the bare minimum of apparent attention was one of her favorite hobbies.

Really hits their ego when it looks like you don't see them as anything particularly important-!

[RacingeR]

Intermission

Red Scourge

The tall, red-haired woman looked up as the loudspeakers transmitted their load of insults with a neutral expression.

For Liu Zhongli it wasn’t anywhere near the first time she had hear similar appellations. No, in fact, she had heard way worse, and way too many times. She had to admit that the delivery in rap form was new, and that the way they had gone about it was quite ballsy. In fact, given the amount of grief they would get from this over time, she almost admired it.

The words woke faint memories up, shame and pain and darkness, but for her it felt disconnected, distant. She wasn’t that person anymore, hadn’t been for years. A cynical smile arose on her face. There was certain irony to some of the words spoken so anonymously, one that their sender was (probably) blissfully unaware of, aside from the whole committing acts of delinquency to blast a delinquent for being a delinquent.

Sure, she would have to eventually send these two (or was it three?) to the hospital to make up for the disrespect, but she was otherwise unaffected. In fact, she hoped they could make it out in one piece before her own people caught up to them, but ultimately, she didn’t care-

No, that’d be a lie.

Her smile morphed into a predatory grin. She recognize an invitation to a fight when she heard it, and she really wanted to take it up. That was what made this so interesting to her. She didn’t care about the insults or the provocation, or whatever weird crack the first speaker had been on. All she cared about was the fighting intent behind it.

Even within a pseudo-gang established with violence as it biggest connecting point, few within it understood what Zhong desired the most. Stacy knew her well enough to know it. Aster and a few more of the people there worth a damn got it. Most of everyone else didn’t.

A fight. That was what she desired. Fist against fist, strength and speed, hunting and being hunted, and that sense of domination as she finally crushed a worthy opponent down.

Would these two would be worthy? An excellent question, but it seemed unlikely. Still, she would commit these voices to memory. They’d at least won that ‘honor’.

“You know the point of this is a distraction, right?” The girl with the masklike face at her side said.

“Yeah, kinda obvious.” Zhong shrugged, giving Stacy Tirrel a side-glance. It was impossible even for her, who had known her friend for many years, to tell if she was furious or not.

Stacy’s complete control over her micro-expressions would challenge even professionals in the field, even more so her leader. She could only guess at Stacy’s feelings based on her knowledge of her, but she didn’t bother. If she had something that needed to be said, she’d say it.

“Ah well, I had hoped to get lucky today and nail Rhodes, but the other idiots are all going to run to the staff office now.” Zhong’s grin and elation faded quite a bit. That wasn’t something she could smugly shrug off. The funny guy duo over the PA had gotten her good with that one.

It was somewhat depressing, after she had gotten so happy earlier today. She had gotten her noose around that two-faced bitch’s neck, and she’d hoped to go for a two-fer. So much for that.

“I can live with that.” She decided. She looked around the hallway, and people automatically gave them a wide berth, many of them looking afraid, expecting her to lash out. Many of them probably laughing privately at her. She didn’t give a rat’s ass. “I can’t believe that bitch’s getting scot-free again, but we’ve got time. Wanna see if we can get a whiff on the funny duo over at the office? Bet the teachers will stop our people from giving them a lesson on the spot, but we can at least take a look.”

“Probably not a good idea. Camila and Ashley might’ve heard.” Stacy tilted her head slightly, and pointed out.

“Oh. Damn, you’re right. I think PA doesn’t reach over that gambling hole, but if they weren’t there… shit, I didn’t wanna play ‘tard wrangler today.” Zhong rubbed her chin, sighed, and gave up. Not going to get any more stimulation today other than stopping those two idiots, if that was even necessary.

She turned around, looking towards the stairs, suppressing a pang of irritation as she already saw many red dye-jobs already racing down the stairwell, and then it happened.

It came out of nowhere, with only the previous small quake as indicator of what was coming.

The ground trembled. At first, she thought it was another earthquake. But then, the air around her started trembling as well, like the aerial version of the quaking below. Dizziness and nausea invaded her, and she grabbed Stacy with a steel claw.

She tried to say something, to ask something, but then she noticed she couldn’t move anymore. The pressure about her increased tenfold, and started to crush her to the point it was all she could do to keep standing, feeling as if she was suddenly inside a jet going at full power with no safeties whatsoever.

The sky, no, the world around her darkened. She could hear the building creak… no, she could hear the world itself scream in tortured agony.

Then came the light, white and then teal, and then-

Intermission End

[RacingeR]

Lorelei Weber
Location: Zeus High School – 5th Floor (Student Council Room)
Time: Noon

“… should’ve properly stored your material, Ms. Ackerman.” You heard Ms. Harland finish saying as you approached.

“I don’t care! The damages to our clubroom are entirely the school’s responsibility! The very least you could do is send someone to go clean the mess!” Tammara shrilled back.

Sally sighed, rubbing her forehead as if to combat a headache. “Ms. Ackerman, the staff currently has other priorities. I will try and see that a janitor comes there when one is available.”

That was when you came in, before the blond student could whine some more, and said your piece.

“You’re… Ms. Weber, right. Mr. Cornell is missing? Then-“ The teacher started saying, already focused and you and turning around, perhaps to expedite out of the scene and help you in your search, when Tammara got in-between.

“Wait a minute there. Who the hell are you, huh?” The blond said aggressively. “I was here first, and I am talking about important things. Go over there and wait for your turn.” She said, waving you off.

“More important than a missing student?” Sally asked coldly, arching an eyebrow.

“Oh, please!” Tammara scoffed, and then looked around. She spotted Jozefa not far away, looking anxiously at the on-going conversation but waiting faithfully in place as per your orders, and she rolled her eyes. “Missing my ass. Henry’s just slacking around somewhere and forcing Rose’s cronies to go search for his ass again. Hardly something urgent. Now, get outta my way-“

It was now her time to be rudely interrupted, as the PA system suddenly crackled to life. You’d expected it to deliver important news, perhaps a message to calm down the students after the quake, but instead, it unleashed a torrent of aimed invective.

And then rap, also charged with invective, all aimed towards the bully queen of the school. Well, not this bully queen in front of you. The other, extremely violent one.

The PA then fell silent, and the three of you just stared at each other numbly for a moment, perhaps to make sure you all had heard the same thing and it wasn’t a product of your imagination.

“Pfft.” Finally, Tammara broke the sudden silence, bending over and starting to laugh her head off at what she had just heard. “Damn, that was pretty good. Dunno who that J-man is, voice’s a bit familiar, but man, I’d give him a million just for that. Maybe I can look it up later and pay their hospital bills or something.” She added generously as she patted her chest, a giggle or two still escaping her once in a while.

Sally, however, didn’t seem to find this all that funny. She had looked astonished, and now, now she just looked like she had a real migraine. “I need to go help take care of this.” She sighed.

“What, but-“ Tammara’s laughter stopped, and she started objecting, however the teacher paid her no mind.

“I saw Henry in the third floor.” She told you with a smile. “Try the unused classrooms on the back, if he’s indeed slacking, he probably went there. Good luck finding him, Ms. Weber, Ms. Czajka.” Sally nodded at Jozefa as well, before she turned around and went down the stairs in a brisk pace, presumably going to the staff office on the first floor, where the PA system could be accessed at.

And leaving you alone with a fuming Tammara.

[arkturus]

Olivia Reeds
Location: Zeus High School – 4th Floor (Class 406)
Time: Noon

"After you, Pigtails." Olivia smiled pleasantly and showed the retreating youth the door. She ignored the urge to trip him on the way out but it seemed pointless now that the conflict was successfully disengaged. Besides, she wasn't sure if it would have succeeded in doing anything but putting her on the radar. While the tone of his voice and subtle body language betrayed the fact that he knew it was an empty threat, without knowing more about the inner workings of Zhong's gang it was unknown how much pull he had. Perhaps it was time she started probing for potential moles, enforcers or officers who were not adverse to the idea of shaking up the current hierarchy. With an organization that large, it would only be a matter of time before she found a hole or two.

But first what to do with these two?

Olivia turned to the two girls that she had "rescued". While she did interrupt the boy, it was ultimately the one being protected that put an end to the confrontation. And perhaps the small earthquake. Seriously, what was that? Even if it was small, this part of the country rarely experienced seismic activity, if at all.

"My goodness, I hope you aren't hurt." She made a show of patting down Ida's body for injuries--checking her physique for bruising, bleeding, or broken bones--and brushing off any debris that fell from the ceiling. She didn't see anything serious but it never hurt to check.

"I don't believe we’ve formally met since I only transferred in not too long ago. Name’s Olivia, Olivia Reed.” She extended her hand for a handshake.

“Not to pry but I had to ask, what's the deal with that punk? Has this been a recurring issue?” Her eyes flick from one girl’s face to the other, gauging their reaction to the question.

[RacingeR]

Olivia Reeds
Location: Zeus High School – 4th Floor (Class 406)
Time: Noon

Jason sneered at you as he left, but said nothing else. Ultimately, he seemed to have regarded you as more of an accessory to the mess than anything else. He was unlikely to forget the bruises you had given him, but… he didn’t quite seem to you the type that would go running to his friends for help, either.

You’d been around enough to observe Zhong’s gang. Most of their members were a disappointment. Perhaps the best way to describe a lot of them would be just a bunch of ‘posers’ that were borrowing their leaders’ fame as a sort of intimidation tactic. Compared to some of the stuff you’d seen, they were merely playing delinquent.

But the ones you’d identified at the gang’s top members were a lot more different. The gang seemed to absorb the fighting-inclined talents that didn’t seem to be able to fit in the more sport-oriented clubs, and a paranoid corner of your mind wondered if the school’s authorities let the gang exist for that specific purpose.

No matter. Now that the fight was averted, you placed your attention on Ida. The girl shook her head mutely at your inquiry, but stood still obediently as you checked her for wounds. She was indeed unharmed, and you ended up merely brushing aside some dust that had fallen on her during the small quake.

You noticed out of the corner of your eyes the reaction Krystine had to your actions. A slight but noticeable, to you, pang of jealousy and possessiveness, if one that was quickly throttled back. That, at least, seemed to confirm their relationship being a romantic one, something you’d suspected before when seeing those two interact. There’d been a certain tension to their body language that suggested more than an intimate friendship.

When you finished your exam of Ida, Krystine approached you. She shook your hand, and smiled at you. “Krystine Winfield. You can call me Krys. My friend here is called Ida Lockwood. Thank you for helping us deal with that punk.”

Ida also shook your hand, nodding gratefully at you, since your actions had contributed to put a stop to the situation before it degenerated further. Then, she stepped back and sort of hovered by Krystine’s side, content to let her carry most of the conversation.

When you ask your question, however, Ida just looks away. Krystine’s reaction is also somewhat interesting. Both girls are actresses, that much you know, so they’re fairly decent at putting on a normal face, but you can detect the extreme emotional turmoil behind Krystine’s neutral expression. Not enough data to discern much, but she seems restless, disturbed. Even outright scared, and you don’t think she’s scared of that punk, precisely.

“Oh, he’s been giving us some trouble, but it is nothing too big. Some harassment, but today he’s been worse than usual, is all. We don’t know why he likes to pick on us.” She sighed. “He’s just a punk with a bad attitude, nothing we can’t handle. Still, thank you again for your help. I’d rather things not escalate too much if possible, and this could’ve gotten rather ugly.”

Well, the attempt to diver your ‘prying’ was rather obvious, and so was the lie. There was definitely a lot more going on and Krystine knew it, but she didn’t want to talk about it. She also definitely knew why Jason was picking a fight with them, and she wouldn’t say it either.

Seemed like you had run into quite the complex thing here, but you didn’t have many obvious clues to put together a picture of the situation.

[RacingeR]

Alexandra Gray
Location: Zeus High School – 5th Floor (Martial Arts Team Training Room)
Time: Noon

The spar starts, the roles already set from the start. You go on the offense, while Hiyori goes on the defense.

You rush at her. You are faster, and intend to use your speed to your advantage.

Her initial attack comes. A karate straight punch, long range, quite a lot of strength to it, but obvious and expected. You dodge it, but you don’t attempt to use the extended arm to your advantage. Too obvious a bait, even if you don’t know what she intends to do with it.

You circle around and launch a sweeping strike with your arm, more of a probe than anything else. She parries it aside, but you didn’t put that much weight on it and continue your approach.

She checks you with a kick to your leg, stopping your advance. Her leg retreats, and then her body rotates and she issues a powerful savate kick towards your body. You block it with your arms, but it rattles you back.

Both of you are slim, not possessing what could be considered very muscular physiques. With your builds, to a certain extent perhaps it would be counterproductive, and as teens you haven’t reached your physical peaks quite yet.

However, in comparison with Hiyori, you work out a lot more. She doesn’t train her body all that much, and she ultimately looks like the average schoolgirl. In terms of strength, you have a definite advantage.

And yet, as your exchanges continue, you’re not the one who takes the advantage. You try to get to in-fighting distance again and again, and you are rebuffed. She might not be so strong, but her attacks are incredibly precise, striking techniques aimed consistently at the weak points of the body. They’re dangerous enough to force you to block and dodge, and her kicks are surprisingly heavy and hard to take.

Meanwhile, she’s surprisingly sturdy and unsurprisingly good at shifting aside the power of the attacks that hit her. You manage to strike her a few times, but she takes your hits, gritting her teeth while taking the chance to strike back at you.

She’s good. Better than you’d expected. The difference between theory and practice rears its ugly head. You may have strong theory and understanding, backed up as you are by your talent, and have put together your own style, but the gulf in experience between the two of you is vast.

You’ve taken a few licks, already. If this wasn’t a spar, if the both of you weren’t holding back a bit with your strikes to account for this, you’d be in real dire straits from these strikes. But you persevere.

You keep circling around her, looking for an opening, and exchanging a few strikes once again. Hiyori, however, falls back slightly. You’re starting to see past the aggressive veneer, the more cautious or perhaps cowardly side of her. No big strikes are coming, and she attempts no big techniques. She’s wary of eating a bad counter, and right now she’s the one in control of the match.

But not for long if it continues this way. No actual knockout strikes are coming, as long as you keep your guard up against her kicks, and you start adapting as you probe about her defenses.

You try a tackle, but she launches a dangerous chop and you roll away from that attempt. Your head’s too exposed with a tackle, and it might give Hiyori the chance for a knockout blow without exposing herself that much.

However, having already learnt her rhythm, you can already start pressuring her much better. You get a lot more success parrying her punches and employing your mobility advantage. Your kicks also start giving her trouble, especially your sweeps, but she’s very stable. And she’s still cautious of giving you openings for a grab or takedown.

You need to find the moment to get in, she’s still controlling the distance too well despite the increased pressure.

And finally, after around six painful exchanges, the moment comes at last.

You attempt to approach her once again, you issue a powerful sweep to her legs, now using your full strength. You switch your timing just the slightest, and Hiyori is caught off-guard. She stumbles back and you jump in-!

You’re not sure of how she managed to strike you. One moment you have the advantage, the other you’re the one stumbling back from a hit to the side of your belly. You try to recover your stability, but Hiyori kicks you from her unstable posture, and you are unable to block it.

“Gotcha!” She shouts in triumph as you fall, air driven off your lungs as your ribs creak from the impact. You fall down the floor…

And hit the floor with a palm, extending your arm to suddenly stabilize your body and then leap at her while she still hasn’t recovered from her kick, a glaring weak point suddenly opened in her steely defense.

She’s unable to stop you. You push aside with ease her panicked counter, and push in, drilling your fist into her stomach. It is now Hiyori’s turn to be out of air, and she falls back, still managing to put her arms up in a guard once again.

But finally, you’re in. This is the infight you were looking for. Now, if you can go for the clincher…

[Mormarth]

Alexandra Gray
Location: Zeus High School – 5th Floor (Martial Arts Team Training Room)
Time: Noon

A wheezing hiss of air slides from between my lips as time seems to slow to a crawl.

This is it, the moment of truth.

I'd slid past her barricade of kicks, even if it cost me something in the trade, I'd gained more than enough to guide me toward victory.

Obviously, as I had ascertained, she had the advantage in skill, for as much as I had a good deal of raw talent, in comparison to individuals gathered here, I was maybe a couple of steps above a rank novice.

Which, in the end, did matter, between my body, my talents, and the scraps of genuine skill I'd managed to slap together, it was enough to get me this far.

I was strong, and fast, but I was weak on defense and we both knew it, my saving grace is my ability to adapt and move with the changing situation, no matter what it was.

And so here I was, close enough that the Hiyorian Leg-Wall could not be fully deployed, karate and savate were what she would rely on now.

She's desperate, feeling pressured.

Stay hungry, but don't get ahead of yourself, keep her from resetting the distance, keep the pressure.

I shifted my stance to a firmer stance, Jiu-Jitsu, I hissed out my breath further as I sunk deep into the circles that enclosed us.

The circle I would not let her escape.

I keep my shoulders and upper arms firm, loosening towards the ends, my hands become the ends of whips or chains.

I was taller than her, and now, close in, more vectors of movement had become open to me.

My legs stay loose, hooks and ropes.

My mind has been working feverishly, a lock of my hair drifts into my vision.

Goodness.

I must look frightful.

I shunted inward, towards her, almost hopping from one foot to another.

Keep an eye for an uppercut, if she's backed to boxing, watch for hooks and straights, an underhook or an axillary hold would be wonderful.

I can't dismiss the legs, either, knee strikes aren't commonly taught, or approved of, but I wouldn't put it past for a desperate move.

She's lost her greatest advantage, but don't discount the rest of her.

You've learned as much as you can, now go in for the kill.

[Katie]

Eleanor Lansing
Location: Zeus High School – 4th Floor (Hallways)
Time: Noon

Eleanor sighs, looking exhausted already. She is hardly partial to people like Chamellia, but in this scenario, wasn’t it about the principle of the matter? Allowing a witch hunt to progress in this fashion was acceding to barbarism. And, quite frankly, she could beat both parties up. If everyone involved was guilty, meting out punishment indiscriminately was the most righteous option.

“Guess we’ll help her out. Singling her out to get pummeled is wrong, but that doesn’t mean she’s free of sins, either.” She doesn’t care if Kaitlin agrees or not. She’ll follow her own path, consequences be damned. If that girl wants to stop her, then Eleanor will show her true conviction.

Besides, she’s morbidly curious to see if Chamellia has any dirt on her. Not that bringing it up would mean anything. She has only ever done what she believes is right.

[SnowSpartan]

Willow Durand
Location: Zeus High School – 5^th Floor (Music Club)
Time: Noon

Oh, dear.

After Willow asked her question, the room got quiet. Willow starts to fidget as it dawns on her that she may have said something wrong. Cynthia’s angry reaction in particular makes it very apparent, she messed up.

That brings back memories.

What should she do? Her attempt to help backfired on her immediately. Willow’s concern for the rivalry overcame her caution, and she messed up. She got ahead of herself. Just like back then, her attempts at helping are failing, maybe even making things worse.

It's just, she doesn’t want to see this kind of situation happen again. She can’t simply ignore the rivalry. Still, Willow angered Cynthia, she should at least try to help make the trouble she caused better. But how? Maybe she should rescind the offer, and try to stop the situation from getting worse?

Xavier’s look snaps Willow out of her thoughts. She turns to him, before softly nodding. Xavier is probably better at this, and he knows Cynthia better, so it’s best to let him handle Willow’s mistake. She can trust him, though she feels a little guilty about it.

In that case, she won’t rescind the offer yet. At least not until those two finish talking. Though, it’s a little late to rescind the offer, anyway.

Hmm, in the meantime, maybe Willow shouldn’t just sit here silently with Shelia and Adelyn. It would make things a little awkward, particularly for Cynthia and Xavier if everyone’s just quietly waiting for them. Maybe she should talk to Adelyn and Shelia? She could make small talk, and ask how they're doing or something. Actually, starting a conversation like that could make her seem callous. It might look like she’s trying to ignore Cynthia’s reaction if Willow tries to move the conversation on before Cynthia gets to respond.

Now she really wishes she had her dad’s charisma.

Willow’s not sure if she should speak or what to say even if she did. So, instead, she waits for Cynthia and Xavier. This time, she’ll be cautious. The silence isn’t so awkward that she must do something about it. Willow will do what she's comfortable with, smiling. She smiles at Adelyn and Shelia, though a little awkwardly. Those two know Willow well enough to know this habit of hers. Staying positive and hoping to improve the mood of the room with her smile. There is nothing else to do but hope for the best.

[Alliceron]

Xavier Augustus
Location: Zeus High School – 5th Floor (Music Club)
Time: Noon

“No. I don’t mind getting help from others, I know I can’t mount a spectacle alone. But not her. It won’t mean anything if she has to help. No. I won’t accept it.”

Cynthia’s response was like a door slamming shut in his face. Yet it wasn’t that bad at all. Even as she was fuming at him, he could tell it wasn’t out of a sense of malice. Instead, her unyielding answer showed that this was something she truly believed.

Before he knew it, Xavier found himself smiling softly. Of course, his words couldn’t convince her. She had already decided on her goal. It was moments like this, where she showed her willpower, that reminded him why he loved music. Performers were willing to fight for their artistic vision. They would always strive to make something that was uniquely personal to them. Then sometimes people would stop to listen and get swept up by them.

“So be it. I’ll fulfill my end of the bargain and make Shelia leave. You really aren’t making my job easy.” He said with a teasing tone, attempting to get her back to her usual mood. “And once that’s done… let’s make this performance mean something.” For a moment Xavier appeared wistful. Soon the odd emotion passed, as he turned away from Cynthia and headed toward Shelia.

Putting on a very apologetic face, he spoke to the pink-haired idol: “Hey Shelia, thanks for your offer to help, but I think we’ll be alright. Cynthia thinks that we have enough hands on deck to manage everything.” Then he leaned a little closer to whisper in her ear with a conspiratorial grin, “Personally, I think she’s got a different motive. She’s put a lot of effort into this. Cynthia wrote all the music herself and planned out some choreography. I didn’t even know she could do that until today,” he said with a small chuckle. “I think she wants to surprise you with the results. She doesn’t want you to help so that you can experience it for the first time once it’s ready.” Pulling back, he continued with as much confidence as he could muster, “I’d just look forward to being amazed by the final product.”

He felt a slight pang of regret that he had to lie to her, but it was significantly better than the alternative. Maybe, Xavier thought, I can redirect her desire to help into something else?

A moment later, he had made his decision. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak hesitantly: “If you still want to help out with something music-related, then how about listening to the songs I’m working on and giving me your thoughts? We could meet up tomorrow if that works for you?”

He didn’t usually like to workshop in front of anyone. Out of the whole school, Cynthia and Adelyn were the only people he felt comfortable with. It never went well. No matter how prepared they thought they were, it was always a roll of the dice on how they’d react. But despite that, Xavier had the feeling that Shelia could give him advice that the other two simply couldn’t. It was a risk, but… nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[RacingeR]

Kaguya & Neru Sune
Location: Zeus High School – Rooftop
Time: Noon

“Huh, so you’re one of the medical cases, then.” Ludmilla nodded. “Well, that must be some rough shit to deal with.”

There’s some pity on her voice, but not that much, and definitely no scorn. It is more of a worldly ‘so that’s how it is’ acceptance. Very straightforward.

“But hey, if it is getting better, that’s something at least. I don’t wanna even imagine how it’d be if I couldn’t get my beauty sleep every night.” She said, bringing her finger to her chin in thought. It was fairly distracting, but then again, so was her every gesture.

Currently, you were going down the stairs to the sixth floor, with Neru going ahead and the two girls behind, which was just as well for the boy. Both of the girls were almost supernaturally charming by themselves. The two together was a deadly combination, and as the high wore just a bit off, it was becoming actually more difficult to keep his attention from that fact.

“But you know, it’s not quite night terrors, but…” Ludmilla finally said after being lost in thought for a bit. “It’s been around two years and then some that I’ve been in this school, and it doesn’t happen all that frequently, but I’ve been having some very weird dreams ever since I came here. Can’t recall them with too much detail, but they were… very esoteric anyway, a lot of the times. Well also a bunch of simpler nightmares, but you get me.”

That comment gives Kaguya some pause. She had been in Zeus High for a lot less time than her friend, but now that it had been said, she suddenly thought to her own sleep and dreams. It was a bit of a strange realization, one that couldn’t have come to be if the conversation hadn’t been pointed there, a fact that was completely forgotten in the depths of the unconscious until it was mentioned. For she too, had been having strange dreams ever since she came to the school.

She only remembered vague things. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen enough things to fuel a life or two of nightmares, but these had been… different. Kaguya tried to remember, and as some images were becoming clearer…

Two things happened that derailed her train of thought and any chance to remember the weird dreams.

First, the PA system crackled to life, unleashing very colorful and interesting descriptions of a certain local gang leader, before emitting an even more colorful rap dedicated exclusively to her.

Second, Neru, who’d been distracted by the conversation and the sudden rapping, ran into someone who’d been scurrying her way to the rooftop.

“Kya!” Said someone released a very girlish scream as she lost her footing and had to grab the railing to not fall down the stairs. The girl managed to recover her equilibrium, but her glasses slipped away. Luckily, she managed to snatch them in mid-air, and bring them back to her face.

“My, if it isn’t Ludmilla and Kaguya! Our two famous school idols! What were you girls doing in the rooftop? Was it a yuri date? I bet’cha it was! Wow, think of all the heartbreak you’re going to inflict on all the guys in the school! And a lot of the girls, too! No, wait a moment…” She chattered on excitedly, until she suddenly noticed Neru’s presence. “Don’t tell me… a threesome?!? S-so scandalous… no, what kind of superman managed to bag both of the top beauties at the same time? Is your surname Hanma per chance? Are you a Saiyan?”

It was the second time today that Neru ran into someone famous, though this one was a less pleasant existence. The name of this living wall of noise was Kusanagi Chihiro, and she was the president of the Anime Club, along with at least a dozen other minor clubs that you all were fairly sure weren’t approved by the faculty, such as the Mystery Research club.

If one talked about students taking over the PA system to deliver a message, regardless of the teacher’s opinions about it, there was indeed someone who had done that before, and it had been Chihiro. ‘Eccentric’ was a nice way to put it. ‘Kooky’ and ‘wacky’ would’ve been a more accurate description. This chatterbox was completely off-kilter and did whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, and to hell with the consequences.

Her ‘pranks’ were thus the stuff of the legends, what noodle incidents were made off. Every famous student in Zeus had quite a few incidents with her, including Ludmilla and Kaguya. Like that time with the paint and the costume. Or the chicken and the Dragon Square Z groupwatch. Or the incident with the striped panties.

It was best to not remember that time with the striped panties.

“Actually, his surname is not Hanma, whatever dumb reference you’re making.” Ludmilla interrupted matter-of-factly. “His surname is Tuna.”

“Tuna?” Chihiro tilted her head, then took a close look at Neru. “He does seem a little fishy, yes.”


Jordan J. Jones & Aaron Arturio
Location: Zeus High School – 1^st Floor (Staff Office)
Time: Noon

Lavrenti hadn’t quite paled. He was too courageous for that. But, saying he didn’t feel any trepidation would be a lie.

But not for nothing was he the captain of the top American Football team in the high school level. He was quick to make decisions, and quick to execute and implement them. As soon as Jordan was done with his rap, he turned around and started taking away the heavy stuff you had all piled on the door to stall for time if it became necessary.

“We need to go. Now.” He said in a tone that brooked no discussion. He heaved the locker that was against the door aside with a grunt of effort, then stretched his hand towards the handle of the door, when it happened.

The quaking was intense and came out of nowhere, with no gradual increase at all. Things were normal one moment, and the other, the ground was practically screaming under you, causing a hellish noise that made all communication impossible in this one long moment of surprise and terror.

And then you noticed that what had generated this horrible noise was not the floor below you, but the air around you, that trembled as if to equal the torment of the earth. No, the world around was trembling and howling. A demented howling like the screams of a legion of tortured souls.

The world darkened around you as you noticed you couldn’t move, grasped as you were by a pressure so intense it felt as if you were about to be crushed, ground into paste. It was all you could do to remain standing as your surroundings creaked and cracked and distorted and warped.

And then a flash of light, white at first, followed by eye-searing teal.

And then darkness once again, as you fainted at last.

[Vorbis]

Lorelei Weber
Location: Zeus High School – 5th Floor (Stairwell)
Time: Noon

Lorelei watched between Sally and Tammara for a bit after she spoke, noting how incensed Tammara was with her clubroom apparently getting disheveled by the quake. Not the most impossible thing in the world. But Lorelei figured she would have some sort of hired help for cleaning that up. She threw around a lot of money elsewhere, why was she so concerned with a freebie here?

When Tammara interposes herself between Sally and Lorelei, the German looks down at the shorter girl with a neutral, if apathetic look. "It takes just a moment to answer. After I'm done you can get back to your request." Lorelei coolly responded to Tammara, showing very little worry about the barking of the rich girl. When she's dubbed a 'Cronie of Rose', there is no change in expression, merely a customer service-esque answer, "I am not doing this for Rose; a student is missing. I'm not part of the Student Council, as I'm sure you're aware."

Lorelei looked back at Jozefa as it seemed Tammara was going to continue, and she opened her mouth to speak - when, suddenly, she heard the familiar voice of Jordan J. Jones over the PA system.

Jordan was someone else that Lorelei knew somewhat in Zeus Academy; he'd sat with her a number of times at lunch, generally trying to bring up her immutably placid mood to at least get her to crack a smile. It hadn't worked so far, but she didn't knock him for the attempt. Futile as it was.

Hearing him belting out an entire rap about some girl having no ass did not succeed in doing so, but it gave Lorelei a hearty short exhale of breath, humorlessly wondering what would happen to him now that he'd essentially stolen the school's public announcement system to roast someone.

That was what Americans called it right? Roasting?

"Thank you Ms. Harland," Lorelei nods in response to the information. Third floor, back classrooms. She turned to the now irate and alone Tammara, wondering if it would assuage the girl's temper if she was told something she seemed to want to know.

"That 'J-Man' is Jordan J. Jones, if you want to find him later. Nice guy." The informational transaction finished, she motions for Jozefa to join her, and takes her hand to make sure she didn't get waylaid by Tammara's... Tammara-ness. Really they had things to do, and she didn't want to get caught up in any more of this. She urgently brought the Pole with her up the stairs, intent on no further distractions.

Why had Lorelei even agreed to help with the Student Council?... right, it was because Jozefa had come to her asking for help. Why didn't she just say no?... because Jozefa would inevitably go and ask someone else, who would probably ask for her to do something, and one thing would lead to another and she'd end up in the nurse's office, fifty miles from the school, or some other nonsense.

Hopefully there would be no further delays. As soon as they found Henry, she would likely leave the student council to their fate and head to her dorm room. Maybe some tea. English Breakfast, though it wasn't breakfast, would be a fine choice. After all she wasn't going to sleep for another 30 hours or so, what did she care about caffeine?

Barring any more earthquakes, today was still business as usual for Lorelei. Really, this chaos was nothing to her; it would take a lot more to get her to do so much as raise an eyebrow.

...

"Jozefa," she spoke as they started down the steps to the third floor, "After we find Henry and the student council business is resolved, you and I need to take some time to work on your subjects. You should have four wakeful hours left after this is done; plenty of time for study. I will help you."

Something very out of the norm for Lorelei to offer. Though it was worded as an absolute, it was very clearly something Lorelei wanted to do for the girl. It would be bad for someone like Jozefa to have to suffer for others' sakes. At least in that aspect Lorelei could help the girl.

[RacingeR]

Myo
Location: Zeus High School – Beginning of the End
Time: Noon

You burst into the Dorm’s hallway, to discover that, as expected, Shirai had taken care of the first obstacle for you.

You could smell the sleeping gas, but it had no effect on you. Both you and your partner had been immunized against it, but most people had to defenses against it, and the floor of the hallway was full of sleeping bodies, that you stepped over as you dashed and went towards one of the windows.

Of course, there’d been no moral compunctions that had led to the usage of the sleeping gas. Simply speaking, it took a lot less time to disable them this way than to slice your way through them. Neither of you had any concern for the number of victims, but you went about your task as quickly and efficiently as possible, reducing the number of distractions and time-wasting activities.

Besides, that particular sleeping gas could have some nasty side-effects in the less physically able persons. Many of them would have a very unpleasant awakening.

You crashed through the window and jumped into a tree followed closely by Shirai. By the time students below reacted to the noise and looked up, the two of you were gone and out of sight.

Shirai played guide, indicating you the route she had already pre-planned and prepared, and you followed along. Infiltration and stealth operations were her specialties, while you were the sword that would be wielded to eliminate the targets. It was not surprising that she had turned out to be so prepared, even having probably predicted your reaction.

Her route was somewhat circuitous compared to the direct, straight approach you’d have preferred, as it weaved around the bushes and trees and greenery, avoiding the places where the bigger quantities of students would concentrate.

Once again, neither of you cared about the number of people you would murder as you went through. You’d just lose too much time slicing through them, and besides, you’d been in Zeus enough to know that a few of the students and teachers could be one hell of a headache to deal with, even if you caught them unarmed and by surprise. Shirai’s route simplified the issue even more, and had less risks of delays.

As you went through the bushes, your pace increased. Although Shirai was inhumanly fast herself, she wasn’t quite as speedy as you were, and she started to drop behind ever so slightly, even as she communicated with you and managed the route.

A sense of urgency, or perhaps even dread grew within you as you moved. The pace increased, and you started to run into the first obstacles.

You had scoped the campus yourself, of course. You’d had plenty time to scout in the months you had spent in the school. You knew there was no perfect route to approach your target, especially during the lunch break.

A few students were in your path, here and there, but Shirai took care of them for you. Bringing a silver blowgun to her lips, she accurately spat darts towards her targets, and they fell instantly, either unconscious or dead, probably the former. A few gang members had been searching the bushes for some reason, some of them bitching about a ‘fruitcake that had gotten away’, and they were mostly the unlucky targets that got your partner’s treatment.

However, the distance between you and her had increased even more. And now you had to deal with the real obstacle.

One thing that made your job much easier was that campus security was mostly situated around the school, mostly to stop unauthorized people such as reporters from intruding into the grounds. However, they did patrol the grounds as well, particularly during the break times.

Shirai had chosen the path of least resistance, but you knew an encounter with a patrol, with this timing, would be unavoidable.

You saw the trio of security guards first, as well as a student couple nearby. Shirai brought the blowgun to her lips, but you shook her head and broke into an even faster dash.

The first guard only saw a blur, and before his eyes could see you, and before his brain could even process the sudden change of situation, his head flew away from his body with a sprout of blood.

The second guard opened his mouth, perhaps to scream in shock, but you were already bouncing from the dead guard towards him, and a quick slice of your smaller sword opened him from belly to collarbone, causing his insides to spill out all over the place.

The third guard screamed something as he backed down, trying desperately to take something out of a sheath, some sort of weapon. You didn’t even bother listening to him or identifying his weapons.

Your swords blurred, and the man was torn into three pieces before he could do anything.

You took a brief look back. Shirai had caught up at this point and slit the throat of the unfortunate students before they could cause too much noise. You nodded at her, and continued after a brief pause. Your uniform was stained with blood now, but you were too near your target to worry much about the attention it may attract.

However, as you finally saw the detached building were Shirai’s information had located the principal, the sense of urgency had developed into a sense of overwhelming, ominous danger. And yet-

The moment you were about to reach the entrance of the building, you saw two familiar shapes come out of it. A sixth sense made you stop in your track. A sense of recognition caused you to grab Shirai and dive into the nearby bushes.

“Can you believe it?! Fucking rats in the basement! And I had to go deal with that because some asshole fucking kid thought throwing a buncha rats would be funny! Me! Dealing with a goddamn kid’s prank! Can you believe this shit?” The first figure said as he stepped into the light, chewing on a big cigar as he cursed.

The vice-principal, Roy Lakes, was not exactly an unknown figure to you, though you hadn’t cared to research much about the man. He hated kids with a passion, and seemed to resent his position in a school he evidently didn’t care much about. When it came to unpopular figures within the school, he was up there, perhaps the most or the second most unpopular member of the faculty.

But he wasn’t the one that had given you pause.

“Hah, that must be rough.” The aged black man walking at his side laughed, evidently finding his companion’s irritation rather amusing. “I can hardly imagine someone like you having to deal with all that. But now…”

“Yeah, now it is over. We’re fully committed. It’ll happen soon.” Roy said, taking a drag from his cigar.

You looked at the unknown black man, and it took a moment to remember where you’d seen a photo of him, and a chill went down your spine.

Your organization had a list that was posted in every headquarters it owned. It was a list of extremely dangerous persons, that no agent should approach under any circumstances. If a clash with them was inevitable, it would only result in a useless waste of personnel and materiel.

The heads of the organization cared little for the lives of their agents, but they cared about efficiency well enough.

Kayin Adebayo, the African Demon. His name had been at the very top of the list, the most dangerous human acknowledged by your organization.

“You think Darion alone will be enough to carry on the ritual? That first quake wasn’t in the plan, wasn’t it?” Kayin asked, staring at his companion pointedly.

Roy shrugged. “These are Father’s instructions. I think he has things well in control, otherwise he’d already have called for help. He’s got enough back-up in there, in any case.”

The other man nodded. As they spoke, you thought on how to best deal with the situation.

It wasn’t like the direct approach wasn’t possible, but you didn’t know how a fight against Kayin would go. Just by looking at him, you could tell that he was a true monster. Perhaps you’d be able to defeat him, perhaps not, but the prospect of a fight against him was unfavorable. Even if you won, you’d have made enough noise to attract a lot of attention, and it’d have delayed you considerably. This without counting the vice-principal there, who was an unknown that you were inclined to dismiss, but whose strength you couldn’t discern.

“What about security? Have you kept an eye on all threats?” The African asked.

“Yes. We have eliminated all enemies in Zeus’ approach. We’ve completely repelled the Sixteen as well, so I doubt those fanatics will give us much trouble. All external observers are either dead or have been forced to flee.” Roy replied, his eyes narrowing in thought. “We’ve kept an eye on those four. The white-haired girls won’t be an issue. The other two, Father has said to leave them be.” The man shrugged. “The other possible security risks have been accounted for as well.”

“What about a Kindred Shade? Have you considered that?” Kayin said, crossing his arms and peering at the distance through his glasses.

His counterpart grimaced, and took another long drag from his cigar. “We’ve analyzed all students from Asia and Africa. We don’t have that many from the latter, but the first ones are a bit troublesome. You know how many connections they have with Yakuza and Triads. We know the father of the Komiya twins had some dealings with them, but we doubt they’re compromised. The blood father of the Masaki siblings also had something to do with them, but they’ve been cut off from him entirely since long ago.”

The vice-principal paused, as if weighing something. “We do have some suspicions on one student, but it doesn’t seem like the Kindred intend to do anything, or we’d have noticed by now. They probably don’t know we’re kicking off today.”

You let the chatter wash over yourself as you considered your options. The stealth approach would be the most effective, and it would take some time, but you could reach the windows in the second floor, although not the third’s. But breaking in without the monster at the gate noticing would be-

“When I was told about this, I thought you mad. Even now I have a hard time believing this is real.” Kayin said, shaking his head with a bemused air. “Ah well. Let’s be about it, Roy. I’ll take my position at the gate.”

“Got it. I’ll keep an eye on the main building, then. In any case…” Their voices fade away as both men walked off the entrance and towards the school grounds, leaving the most direct approach free for you to take it, if you decided to.

Your target was, according to Shirai, in his office in the third floor of the detached staff building. There was a window there, but you lacked any anchor points to use, or the equipment to climb the building, other than your bare hands, and you doubted you could parkour your way there, even using your swords. Too much time.

Your assignment is nearly to an end. How will you approach this situation?

[RacingeR]

Aster Hunter & Rika Griffin
Location: Zeus High School – Courtyard (Tree Garden)
Time: Noon

Cecily didn’t answer to Aster’s words, breathing roughly as she tried to stabilize her rampaging emotions. She looked like a beast about to rampage and was mad enough to chew iron and spit nails.

Jane seemed to have recovered her mobility now, and scurried her way towards Rika after she had evaded the impromptu projectile. The poor girl looked quite terrified, obviously unaccustomed at the scene of violence she had just witnessed. And looking at the savaged members of the Tennis Team and how roughed up Cecily looked, it had been quite the carnage. Some people would definitely end up in the hospital.

Elora, who had come along with Rika, trailing her, pressed her lips together. She said nothing, but she eyed Aster as if she was ready to charge at him. Having Rika attacked in front of her, even if ineffectively, had triggered enough protective big sister buttons to make her quite mad.

However, she remained silent and vigilant against Aster, not losing sight of the current priority: Jane’s safety.

Meanwhile, Lara brought a hand to her head as if to fend off a headache. She looked at her sister, and sighed. Too late to send Marie back now. “Keep an eye on her, Bryanna.” She said as she too started walking, positioning herself a bit ahead from the girls’ starting position, also facing the two gang members.

“Now, now, there’s no need to get so rough, is there?” A somewhat sarcastic voice cut through the escalating tension like a knife.

All of you had paid no mind to the unfortunate bastard that had been thrown by Aster, assuming he had just crashed somewhere, and put him out of your mind. But it seemed someone had caught him, and was now advancing towards the battleground.

Two boys showed up. The first one, blond, with an easy-going grin on his mouth, deposited the young man he had caught on the ground, and surveyed the situation.

The other boy, with black hair and intense orange eyes, remained a bit behind and aside, surveying the situation with an overt lack of interest.

“Everything alright, Kaz?” The latter asked.

“Yeah, yeah. Told ya there were some troublemakers in my team, right?” The blondie answered lightly. “Just gimme a bit to deal with this, Nico.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Nico shrugged and leaned against a tree, arms crossed in an attitude of patience, but his eyes seemed to say ‘don’t make me wait too long’.

The blond boy looked around, taking note of his wounded teammates on the ground, and then of those who remained standing. Rika had the feeling he had checked the girls here out, if discreetly and almost politely.

“Kaz!” The boy who had initiated the Tennis Team’s involvement in the whole mess managed to stand up and half-drag himself away from Aster and Cecily and towards the blond boy. “T-they attacked us outta nowhere! We were trying to protect that girl, and they went nuts on us!” He whined while pointing at Cecily and Aster.

“Oh? Is that so, bro?” The blondie asked. It was obvious seeing them that they were siblings, although the one Cecily had beaten up had black hair, instead.

Meanwhile, Bryanna approached the other three girls, though still remaining at a short distance from Marie, who seemed rather intimidated by the whole spectacle. “Kazimierz Kozlowski. He’s the captain of the male Tennis Team. I don’t know the other guy.” She supplied, seeing that neither Rika, Elora or Jane recognized this ‘Kaz’ person.

A look at Lara’s face showed that she did know him, and wasn’t precisely happy to see him. Nor did she look like she wanted anything to do with him either.

“Hah, protecting, that’s funny.” Cecily spat, a cynical smile on her face. She had a look like she wanted to see the world burn. “You see, your shithead of a little brother went and made a bet with your boys about fucking Jane. What was it, something about flexible girls being kinky? So he went and played the hero saving the damsel to try and get into her panties.”

“And look, he got burned by the dragon, so he had to go crying to his big bro. Ain’t that hella funny?” She said, somewhat angrily. She looked frustrated. Hurt as she was, she’d have no chance whatsoever against anyone here. It was surprising she could still remain standing; she had covered her vitals well enough, but probably wouldn’t even be able to take on Lara at this point. So she had just decided to muddle things further with wild abandon.

“Is that so?” Kazimierz narrowed his eyes, looking at his brother, who blushed slightly and lowered his eyes. He looked off-handedly towards Jane, and the girls around her had the bad feeling that this guy had noted Jane as the source of all the trouble and the responsible of the wounds his little gang had received. “Well, what’d happen if I decided to go slay the dragon in his stead, then?”

Cecily’s only answer was to flip him the bird, which seemed to amuse the boy greatly, as he grinned lightly once again.

Meanwhile, Aster had noted that the situation was evolving poorly. Elora and Rika were noted threats, although he knew the first was a fencer rather, so she couldn’t be that good when it came to fisticuffs. Lara wasn’t that strong, fighting was far from being her specialty, but she was definitely experienced in scraps. Bryanna and Marie were complete weaklings and negligible. The guy standing at the back and watching was an unknown, but he didn’t even seem interested in touching this situation.

But this Kazimierz was definitely trouble as well. Whatever sport he was said to practice, this guy was definitely a brawler too, and quite strong.

That left him in quite the massive numerical inferiority, with a wounded ally. Although he had now a better idea of Cecily’s potential and suspected he could at least take on one enemy for a while. But it was physically impossible for her to endure for long… if she even decided to help you instead of happily watching you get beaten up.

Of course, that is if even all these together could fight you. Or if they all would fight together.

Either way, the tension and hostility in the clearing kept escalating with no end in sight.