DCW IRL Round 11: Walpurgisnacht

[Sakila 88]

"It beginsssss."

 

The others looked up at the face of the dead girl--waxy and eerily similar to the body from before.

 

"Remember, all of you."

 

A distorted smile, eyes rolling back into her head.

 

"Remember our power."

 

It wasn't her voice. It wasn't a voice. It was just a wind. A cold, hard wind, creating goosebumps and raising hairs.

 

"Remember our sssssstrength."

 

"Sakila...?"

 

Her head moved at breakneck speed and twisted around at an odd angle to face the speaker.

 

"Not anymore. Today, it's beginsssss. Beware! We have finally arrived!"

 

A high-pitched scream emanated from the girl's mouth before she suddenly clamped her mouth shut and slumped over, her face returning to an otherworldly grin.

 

[it was fun playing, y'all~ But I can't play anymore, so I'm dead xD Use my death wisely as an important plot point.]

[A L 217]

'She croaked.' Aster thought looking from far away, by the cafeteria door. Mana drainage without any cause. She had been pretty lively in the morning, but now she was gone. Not many people were lucky enough to die on the first day of school. As the crowd of people dispersed, the he caught sight of red hair.

 

Rouge was moving towards the dead body, his faced composed as ever. The students still looked scared out of their minds but had calmed down a bit. It's as if everyone thought Rouge would make everything okay. Rouge knelt down and felt her pulse. The smile that was always on his face faded as he talked to Misaki for sake of moral obligations. 

 

Rouge didn't know what to do. As he closed her eyes, he wondered what had happened. Chills probably knew what was going on. He had the answers, some at least. Some thoughtful seniors had brought in a stretcher and a white sheet. Rouge gently lifted Sakila's corpse and placed it on it before covering her with the sheet. 

 

"Thank you very much. Please take her to the hospital, if you may." Rouge said to his seniors. The two boys nodded. The red-clad teen took out his roll of tape before closing off yet another area. Two students dead in one day. 

 

"I request everyone, I mean everyone, to go to their dorms." Rouge said to remaining students, including Misaki and Garnet. 

 

"We have a meeting with Mr.Chills..." Misaki said. Rouge just smiled back. "We've no time then miss, follow me, I'll lead you to where he is. Who else is needed?" Garnet raised her hand half-way and Rouge understood. He was joined by Aster who had just been watching them quietly. 

 

"Go to the dorms Aster." Rouge said. "I also need to go. He was inviting us all when I came to." Aster said, ignoring the looks he got from the other girls. "Okay then. Anyone else I need to know about?" Devin Song sure took his time. Smiling as always, Rouge led the way to Kavin's office he liked to call chambers. 

[Misaki-chan 164]

Sakila gave her a small smile and whispered a quick "thank you" before shuffling over to the corner. Misaki, not wanting to invade on her conversation, stayed where she was standing but kept her eye on her. She watched as the girl turned towards the window and squinted. What is she looking at?

 

After a few minutes the girl made her way back to her, though her eyes were still focused on the window.

 

"Better?" she asked, worry creeping into her.

 

"Huh? Oh, yes." Sakila blushed a bit before saying, "Ah! Your phone, here. Thanks."  

 

She quickly passed the phone back before her eyes drifted back to the window.

 

She's fixated on that window. What is wrong?

 

Gently, she put her hand on her arm and started, "Something's still wrong, right? You can te—"

 

Uncharacteristically, Sakila cut her off."Misa-chan, what is that?"

 

Confused, she asked, "What's what? What do you mean?"

 

"That! In the window, what is that?"

 

The girl was getting more hysterical as she grabbed the arm of someone and said, "Hey! Do you see that?!"

 

"Wh-what? What are you talking abo—"

 

For the first time in a long time, she was scared. "Sakila, stop! What's wrong?!"

 

She heard others speak, though barely.

 

"Hey, Sakila?!"

 

"What's wrong with this girl?!"

 

Suddenly, Sakila screamed, "MISA-CHAN, MOVE!"

 

With all her might, she shoved her away. A surprised squeak came out as she fell into someone's arms followed by the sound of shattered glass. For a second, everything was silent. No one moved as tiny pieces of glass came down like crystalline snowflakes. Misaki tried to get to Sakila, but the person who caught her held her back.

 

"It beginsssss..." something croaked.

 

"It will end," the girl whispered back.

 

In an instant, shards of glass were in Sakila's body, her white coat staining a crimson. 

 

She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything. All she could do was watch as Sakila was sent reeling back, a blood trail following her. 

 

This snapped her out of her daze, screeching, "SAKILA!" as she ran over to her.

 

She was oblivious to what was happening around her as she cried out, "Sakila! Open your eyes! Sakila!!!"

 

"I dunno what's goin' on, but I've dealt with wounds before... Sorry if it hurts a bit, but I'm gonna try an' help..." 

 

Misaki looked up, seeing Garnet.

 

Garnet took a bobby pin and swept her orange bangs out of her eyes, pinning them back before removing the once-white coat from the girl. Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention on the glass shards sticking out of Sakila's skin. She coursed small amounts of fire through them, attempting to cauterize the larger wounds and prevent more blood loss. In the process, each piece of broken glass lifted from her and dropped away. The smaller ones that barely leaked any red were treated with her bandaids and antibiotic ointment. Working more delicately around the girl's face, she hurriedly picked shards out of her skin and focused mana on the areas.

 

Letting out a sigh, Garnet wiped away the blood with one of her spare cloths and felt the pulse on the side of Sakila's neck. After, she checked if the bleeding had stopped and took her tube of burn cream from the bag she always carried, shaking it. Working quickly and as delicately as possible, she applied the ointment to the cauterized gashes, totally silent and for once entirely focused. The girl gave her a thumbs up, though all she could do is blankly stare. Garnet checked Sakila's pulse once more before taking another spare cloth from her bag, wiping the red from Sakila's face and exposed skin before glaring somewhere.

 

Useless.

 

That's how she felt. She couldn't do anything to help at all. All she could do was watch Sakila die. 

 

Absolutely useless.

 

In all her self hatred, she almost missed what Garnet said. Almost. "Don't touch Sakila. Or the others... I'll find you. Then the fight begins." 

 

Garnet let out a sigh before mumbling to herself and brushing glass from Sakila skin. She shook her head, causing Misaki's heart to drop. The look she gave her only made it worse. "What do I...?" she started before freezing.

 

She was dead. Her heart stopped. She couldn't breathe.

 

"It beginsssss."

 

She turned to the voice. It was Sakila... At least, it looked like her.

 

"Remember, all of you."

 

A distorted smile, eyes rolling back into her head.

 

"Remember our power."

 

It wasn't her. She knew that. She really did. 

 

"Remember our sssssstrength."

 

"Sakila...?" she said, slowly reaching out towards her. She couldn't help but hope. Maybe she...

 

Her head moved at breakneck speed and twisted around at an odd angle, causing her to snatch her hand back, scared.

 

"Not anymore. Today, it's beginsssss. Beware! We have finally arrived!"

 

A high-pitched scream emanated from the girl's mouth before she suddenly clamped her mouth shut and slumped over, her face returning to an otherworldly grin.

 

Misaki shook as she stared at the body, not sure what to do. She noticed a man, with flaming red hair, very calmly kneel down next to Sakila to feel a pulse. The composed smile on his face faded as he turned to her. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said.

 

It sounded impersonal, but she nodded in thanks, unable to find her words. Some upperclassmen had brought in a stretcher. Misaki reached out to put Sakila's body on the stretcher, but the red haired man beat her and gently laid her corpse down before covering it with a white sheet.

 

"Thank you very much. Please take her to the hospital, if you may." he said to the students. The two boys nodded. The red-clad teen took out his roll of tape before closing off the area. "I request everyone, I mean everyone, to go to their dorms," he ordered everyone who remained. 

 

She didn't want to go back to her room. Not yet. "We have a meeting with Mr.Chills..." Misaki said, desperate to stay out as long as possible. She wanted to keep busy. She didn't want to think about it. About her. Not now. Not yet.

 

He just smiled back. "We've no time then miss, follow me, I'll lead you to where he is. Who else is needed?"

 

Garnet raised her hand half-way while the boy Sakila had been chasing walked over. 

 

"Go to the dorms Aster," the redhead said. So Aster is his name.

 

"I also need to go. He was inviting us all when I came to." Aster said. A look of displeasure came over her features even though normally she would school her face to be polite.

 

"Okay then. Anyone else I need to know about?" 

 

D&G Boy joined them as well. Keeping up the composed smile, the redhead led the way to Mr. Chill's chambers.

 

Misaki kept to the back of the group, trailing behind everyone else by several feet. She may not want to be alone, but that didn't mean she didn't want space. She could feel a tear try and snake its way out, so she quickly turned the eye that was trying to cry away from the others and wiped it away. There will be time for crying. Now isn't it.

[Sakila 88]

[A L 217]

 

[Well, would you like hints of RougeXSakila? xD]

[Ren-kun 50]

Devin was already on his way Kavin Chills's chambers when he caught sight of the other three students and one other unfamiliar face, eventually approaching them. He let out a dejected sigh and whipped out his stopwatch to check the time. He had retreated to his room after Garnet treated his hands, without even uttering thanks or at least showing some form of gratitude. He was too taken in by the cream Garnet lathered over his hands. It was the true magic to him. The plan to meet up after supper was thrown out the window. Apparently, matters have become too urgent for them to just laze around and wait.

 

Obnoxious, Pathetic, Insol-Garnet. Hm. The boy took note of the attendance, fulfilling his role of self-proclaimed leader. As far as he was concerned, he was doing them a favor. He  was the only one who can tame the unruly group and rid them of their horseplay. The other boy and the mousy looking girl contributing to that the most. Devin's eyebrows furrowed as he realized that one of them was missing. The girl he pegged as 'Crazed' was nowhere to be seen. He was blissfully unaware of what had befell the poor girl. Devin started to open his mouth to inquire the others but something stopped him. He was sensing an odd vibe about the stranger that were leading them and for some reason, he didn't want to say anything that might cause him to interact with redhead. The atmosphere was quite somber at best. It just didn't feel right. But then again ever since he got back to his room, his general sense of security has been somewhat unhinged. It was almost as if someone was watching him... something sinister. The hairs at the back of his neck stood on end as they trudged forward. He clenched his fist and tried to force down the paranoia. He'd never hear then end of it if his companions knew that he was shaking like a leaf inside.

 

Instead, he turned his attention to the other girl that was a few steps behind them. She looked terrible, for lack of a better word. Her features were poised into a stiff front, making it apparent that she was holding something unpleasant of her own down. He slowed down to match the pace of the girl.

 

"Do you intend on appearing before Mister Chills with such an obviously pained look about you?" He asked, without any shred of malicious intent. 

[A L 217]

[Just me, or did you miss the fact that they were all being led by Rouge? ]

[Ren-kun 50]

[Missed the last part of your post. ^^' Sorry! Edited.]

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

    Garnet was able to look away from Sakila and the scene and raise her hand at Rouge's question. Wordlessly she stood and followed as he led the way to Chills' office. She avoided looking at Misaki, hoping the girl could forgive her for failing to save Sakila. They'd appeared to be good friends, and losing one could be devastating. Staring at the ground, she yanked the bobby pin out of her bangs and stowed it in her pocket, wiping her bloodstained hands on her black t-shirt.  While Rouge and Aster led the way, Garnet listened as a fifth pair of footsteps slowed. 

 

    "Do you intend on appearing before Mister Chills with such an obviously pained look about you?" Devin's voice. It sounded as though he was talking to Misaki.

 

       Not wanting to look back, Garnet tugged her green scarf up over her mouth, breathing in the scent of fabric softener. Mother's going to have a field day if any news of this reaches her... Your first day couldn't have been this poor if you'd tried.  Sighing, she watched Aster and Rouge's backs, tired with her thoughts. She was almost 18. If her mother wanted her out of Gretchen, it would be none of her business soon. Garnet could move in with her dad after graduating, maybe even get a job where she could use her magic, or go to a mana-friendly college... Did those exist? If they did, how much did they cost? That didn't matter, she'd get a job and- What the hell am I thinking about? I'm still technically a first year after my expulsions... Let's just focus on not getting ousted by Chills...

    

    The girl sighed again, glad her thoughts were private. She didn't want to seem like a chaotic mess. 

[Misaki-chan 164]

Misaki's eyes drifted towards the window, though all she could see was the group's reflection. What did Sakila see?

 

Whatever it was, she was going to destroy it, no matter what. You don't even know where to start.

 

The feeling of uselessness crept back in. You idiot. You think you can take on that without knowing a thing? You couldn't even help Sakila. You're weak. Unnecessary.

 

She dug her fingernails into her palms till she could feel the sting of pain. Stop it. This won't help.

 

"Do you intend on appearing before Mister Chills with such an obviously pained look about you?" D&G boy asked, suddenly next to her. 

 

It struck a nerve. She retorted harshly, "Do you intend on appearing before Mister Chills with such an obviously stupid look about you?"

 

Wanting to get away from him, Misaki sped up till she was next to Garnet. "Will you teach me how to use magic for healing?" she asked quietly. I can prevent such things from happening in the future if I'm prepared. I can help people.

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

   Stifling a chuckle at Misaki's response to Devin, Garnet smirked. She froze though as the girl popped up beside her and asked, "Will you teach me how to use magic for healing?" She blinked, then stared at Misaki. She wants to learn... from me? But, I wasn't even- Giving a lopsided grin, the girl scratched her head. "Well... Most o' what I tried to do there was theory. I never really studied magic before, it's all just things I've used in the past. See, when I'd get in fights with my- er, the cauterization thing's, uh, kinda useful, but ya risk infection. Other than that, all I can really do to help is a trick I learned to transfer mana from one place or person to another. For some reason it works well on people who can't use magic. Water's real useful, but I'm bad with it, so I tend not to mess with it..." C'mon, shut up, you're rambling. Just tell 'er you don't know anything.

   

   "I'll teach ya what I know, but you'll need a much better instructor for anything great. Maybe if Chills hasn't locked us down by tomorrow we can head to the practice halls an' try some basics. I'm a pretty good healing dummy." With a chuckle, she shrugged, smiling at the younger girl. She felt a little less bothered now by her thoughts, and risked glancing back at the likely fuming Devin, who she'd been avoiding eye contact with. Sure enough, he looked either miffed or like he was trying to think of a comeback for Misaki's jab at his intelligence. I wonder, was he trying to be kind to her...? Nah, prob'ly not... Frowning as Devin noticed her judgemental staring, Garnet twisted around to face forward, sighing, "I hope this meeting's better than the past hour has been..." 

[tengaku squared 291]

"Isn't that quite interesting. I'm pretty sure I called an additional person here, one Sasaki Saki? Ah, I heard. I hear it's rather difficult to keep appointments...when you're dead." Chills made an unusual grin, as if he was smiling at his own remark. His cool composure soon returned, and he turned to Rouge. He made a dismissive gesture, and said, "Thank you, Rouge, you are dismissed."

 

After Rouge left, he turned back to the group. He put his hands together, and frost began gathering in the room. "I happen to have very important business. Verily, I have little time to deal in the affairs of rowdy students who seem to find it amusing to cause trouble on their first day."

 

He paused, then continued. "Alas, I must mete out some form of punishment to set an example. Oh, the plights of my occupation." He snapped his fingers. "I believe you know Ms. Seeker? She's a teacher at Gretchen. All of you will be serving as her assistants until I tell you that your tenures have passed. I feel that this is an appropriate punishment, even if it is a bit light for me."

 

Chills stood up, then walked to the wall, hands held behind his back. "Also, your Saki. I believe Ms. Seeker will have some form of knowledge regarding her death. Even if she is some sort of crazed conspiratist." He turned back to face the group. "Do I make myself clear? Do you understand what to do?"

 

After Chills received the affirmations, he held out his hand, as if he was about to dismiss the group. Then, he gave a chilly smirk, and said, "I do think I'm being rather soft today. There is one more punishment you will be receiving." He rubbed his hands together, and a blue spark formed between them. "I never leave any student that enters my office without some degree of frostbite."

 

They say the screams coming from Chill's office could be heard across the entire campus.

[A L 217]

[*ROUGE. As in red. :V]

 

'Exactly why I hate that son of a gun.' Rouge sighed, not bothering to cover his ears. He was standing at a distance from the dark wooden door, cold air emanating from the spaces around it. It was sort of his duty to lead the other students, but due to current circumstances he would just have to get rid of Kavin's gift. 

 

The door opened and four shivering people with chattering teeth walked out, the prissy boy bowing slightly before closing the door. 

 

"Hold still please." Rouge said, making everyone sit on the floor (he had to trip the prissy boy). Warming up his hands, he heated up their clothing so that if felt like they had worn it after it had been freshly ironed. Garnet seemed surprised at his use of magic; generating heat without a flame.

 

It was child's play for him now, considering the amount of time he had to visit Chills before he burned his office down and was nearly expelled. Now they just talked to each other normally and didn't butt in each others' affairs, like Rouge sneaking off-campus to go to the market for the students after lights out or providing other kinds of help and Kavin getting away with scaring newcomers without his files mysteriously turning to ash. 

 

"So, how bad was it?" He asked Misaki. "He told us to go see Ms.Seeker and act as her assistants till he wants. And Ms.Seeker might know something....something about-" "It's okay. Ms.Seeker is a delightful person, a bit batty perhaps. She'll be glad to have four new helpers." Rouge smiled. He needed to get her mind off Saki. 

 

"I was afraid the teachers had gone home, but I forgot to check the labs for a certain someone. Maybe Ms.Seeker is still there." Rouge said.

[tengaku squared 291]

[*ROUGE. As in red. :V]

(*ahem* Fixing...

 

Anyway, NOW FOR SOMETHING NEW:

 

Nara-chan has been picked from a draw. She will be the FINAL entry, which means all signups are now closed! Again, I leave it up to you to decide how to incorporate her.)

[Misaki-chan 164]

Giving a lopsided grin, Garnet scratched her head. "Well... Most o' what I tried to do there was theory. I never really studied magic before, it's all just things I've used in the past. See, when I'd get in fights with my- er, the cauterization thing's, uh, kinda useful, but ya risk infection. Other than that, all I can really do to help is a trick I learned to transfer mana from one place or person to another. For some reason it works well on people who can't use magic. Water's real useful, but I'm bad with it, so I tend not to mess with it..."

 

Misaki nodded, filing away all this knowledge. I can look into healing with water on my own then. 

 

"I'll teach ya what I know, but you'll need a much better instructor for anything great. Maybe if Chills hasn't locked us down by tomorrow we can head to the practice halls an' try some basics. I'm a pretty good healing dummy." With a chuckle, she shrugged, smiling at the younger girl.

 

She tried to smile back, but it just felt forced. The other girl sighed, "I hope this meeting's better than the past hour has been..." 

 

 

Finally they made it to Mr. Chills's chambers. With a deep breath, she followed the others inside. The man sat behind his wooden desk, looking rather comfortable in his leather seat.

 

"Isn't that quite interesting. I'm pretty sure I called an additional person here, one Sasaki Saki?"

 

Someone opened their mouth, but he continued, "Ah, I heard. I hear it's rather difficult to keep appointments...when you're dead." Chills made an unusual grin, as if he was smiling at his own remark. Misaki slipped her hand into her pocket, angry that he would even joke about Sakila's death. She still had the lighter that she had (albeit accidentally) taken earlier in the day and even if she couldn't control fire as well as she liked, she could still use it. I wouldn't mind seeing this place burn.

 

His cool composure soon returned, and he turned to Rouge. He made a dismissive gesture, and said, "Thank you, Rouge, you are dismissed."

 

The redhead did as he was told. As soon as he was gone, Mr. Chills turned back to the group. He put his hands together, and frost began gathering in the room. "I happen to have very important business. Verily, I have little time to deal in the affairs of rowdy students who seem to find it amusing to cause trouble on their first day."

 

He paused, then continued. "Alas, I must mete out some form of punishment to set an example. Oh, the plights of my occupation." He snapped his fingers. "I believe you know Ms. Seeker? She's a teacher at Gretchen. All of you will be serving as her assistants until I tell you that your tenures have passed. I feel that this is an appropriate punishment, even if it is a bit light for me."

 

Chills stood up, then walked to the wall, hands held behind his back. "Also, your Saki. I believe Ms. Seeker will have some form of knowledge regarding her death. Even if she is some sort of crazed conspiratist." He turned back to face the group. "Do I make myself clear? Do you understand what to do?"

 

Misaki held back her glare and just nodded. Once everyone had nodded, heheld out his hand, as if he was about to dismiss the group. Then, he gave a chilly smirk, and said, "I do think I'm being rather soft today. There is one more punishment you will be receiving." He rubbed his hands together, and a blue spark formed between them. "I never leave any student that enters my office without some degree of frostbite."

 

Misaki's eyes widened, but before she could react her fingers began to burn. She screamed, partially because of the pain, but mostly because she was just so goddamn angry. Angry at Mr. Chills, at whoever killed Sakila, at herself. It felt good. Really good.

 

The group soon scurried out, cold to the bone and at the same time feeling like they had been burnt.

 

"Hold still please." Rouge said, making everyone sit on the floor. Rubbing his hands together, he heated up their clothing, which helped with the cold. However, this didn't help with the frostbite. Thinking back to when she spent time reading a book on winter survival meant for non-magical people, she got a water bottle out of her bag and used her teeth to open it up as best she could. Though somewhat clumsily, she managed to engulf the affected areas of everyone with water. She looked over to Rouge. "Do you think you could warm the water up? It'll help the frostbite."

The redhead gave a nod and did as he was asked. After about 20 minutes later, she brought the water back into her water bottle. A little bit didn't make it in, but she didn't care. It was only a little water. Stretching her fingers, it felt good to not feel the burning sensation.

 

"So, how bad was it?" Rouge asked Misaki.

 

She started, "He told us to go see Ms.Seeker and act as her assistants till he wants. And Ms.Seeker might know something....something about-"

 

"It's okay. Ms.Seeker is a delightful person, a bit batty perhaps. She'll be glad to have four new helpers." Rouge smiled. "I was afraid the teachers had gone home, but I forgot to check the labs for a certain someone. Maybe Ms.Seeker is still there." 

 

He gestured them to get up and continued, "Let's go and see."

 

Rouge started to walk, leaving the others on the ground. They scrambled to get up and catch up. While they followed him, Misaki asked, "Garnet, may I please have some bandages for my fingers? I remember reading that it's a good idea."

Nodding, the girl took some out and handed it over to her. "Do ya want some help?" she asked.

 

"I'll be fine," she replied quietly as she started to clumsily wrap her fingers. 

[Nara-chan 38]

Bio:

Name: Syra Komari

Age:16

Appearance: Short brown hair that stops just below her shoulder. Is quite tall for her age.

Description: Since she entered Gretchen High at age 15, she is younger than most 2nd year students and even some 1st year students. Thus, she tends to act childish and immature.She always gets into trouble because she destroys whole classrooms when angry, so she has the frequent trip to Ms. Seeker's room. She is also very bipolar, happy, then suddenly, cold, but she is one of the best students in Gretchen High.

Abilities: Syra is very bookish and since her parents have also researsched on the book Revelations, she gets along well with Ms. Seeker. Her strong points are fire and water, symbolizing her yin-yang personality.

Syra walked along the hallways of Gretchen High. She passed a classroom. "Huh, that one was the first one set ablaze by me. Stupid kid, calling me a nerd.", she muttered.

She passed several more, muttering why she almost drowned the teacher there, or set a kid's pants on fire there, but suddenly she stopped.

A broken window. Where a girl's life ended.

Ms. Seeker had been rambling about the two murders in Gretchen High. One was a third year student that she had seen often when strolling in the hallways, and the second was a freshman named Sasaki Saki. They both had the mana sucked out of them.

"It's a dream come true! Ein's words are becoming reality!", she had exclaimed.

"I wouldn't say two murders are a dream come true, but Ein's words are becoming reality," she had replied.

Everyone who was using magic was in danger.

She turned a corner, the last one to Ms. Seeker's room. Because of her frequent visits there, Ms. Seeker had always considered Syra her apprentice, and would want her to come back immediately. She broke in to a run.

She reached the room, and caught her breath.

"Syra, that you?", asked a voice.

"Yeah.."

She turned around. The lab was buzzing. "Ms. Seeker, what've you been doing?"

"Nothing much. Poring over Revelations.", she replied.

"For the 467th time?"

"Why Syra dear, you count?"

She giggled.

"Excuse me, is Ms. Seeker there?", asked a voice.

She turned around and saw a red head she recognized, and four other unfamiliar faces.

"Rouge. Get out of here! What's your business?", snapped Syra.

"Woah there Syra! Don't drown us here! Mr. Chills just ordered me to take these freshmen to Ms. Seeker to be assistants."

He indicated the four freshmen. Syra noticed the clumsily wrapped bandages on one of their hands.

"Leave them here, Rouge. Get back to your oh-so-important Vice President duties!", she said.

"Syra, just because you are one of the top students here does not mean you get to boss the Vice President around. Now, I'll take my leave."

He walked out of the lab.

"Um...", muttered the one with orange hair.

"My! I know you four! You were friends with that Sasaki Saki that died today! Come here, and tell me what happened!", blurted out Ms. Seeker.

One of them dug her nails into her palms.

"Uh, miss? I think they don't want to talk about that right now. I'm Syra Komari, a 2nd year student. Now don't you worry that I'm going to set this whole place on fire. Have a cup of tea."

The foursome blinked, like they were wondering about the transition of crabby to sunny attitude.

"Now, I'll fix your bandages there, cute girl.It's normal for you to get frostbitten during a trip to Mr. Chills' office. Now the tea's getting cold, and we'll talk about your duties as Ms. Seeker's assistants over cups of tea, is that all right?", she said.

The foursome nodded, and sat down for a cup of tea.

[A L 217]

"Calm yourself. They need to see Ms. Seeker. Welcome her new assistants, courtesy of Chavin Kills." Rouge said evenly. Syra held back a giggle. "Did I say Chavin? I meant Kavin."

 

 

"Leave them here, Rouge. Get back to your oh-so-important Vice President duties!", she said. 

 

"I do agree being voted by 499 students-" the knowing look in his eyes directed at the 500th voter. "-to help them is important. I'll take my leave, let me have a word with Aster." Rouge smiled nicely at the girl before walking to the boy with neatly brushed black hair. 

 

"Remember to drink coffee. And do you know about Walpurgis night?" He spoke in an extremely hushed whisper. Aster nodded much to his surprise. That made things easier. Normally he would think twice before trusting anyone, but Aster was different. The raven haired teen didn't even need to study at school. The reason Rouge liked him was that the boy was good at following directions without asking.

 

"A warning about something world destruction. And why the coffee?" Aster whispered back.

 

"We have to keep watch at night, I cant allow any more deaths. You've been in a magical environment for more years than everyone has studied here." Rouge whispered. He was about to walk out the door before he noticed a certain book on Ms. Seeker's shelf. 

 

Vitamagic. Vita, Latin for life; it was a book about the practical application of magic for the benefit of mankind on the principles of medical sciences. Ms. Seeker watched from the corner of her eye as the Vice President took it out and handed it the book to the smallest girl that had followed him. 

 

"Here, it's useful." Rouge smiled at Misaki before walking out the door. Sure, it was a book not meant for students, but who is to stop a person when they want to learn? if there is a will there is a way. Rouge closed the door and went to make preparations.

 

Aster turned to Ms. Seeker, who wasn't anything like he had expected. The genius he knew dealt with people more kindly. Syra sat them down for tea, but Aster didn't exactly like her either. She was rude to Rouge but kind to them, and that made no sense. Were all city people like this? he could only wonder. 

 

"Now, I've heard about what happened, care to tell me in detail? from start to finish?" Ms. Seeker asked again, Syra busy with making tea. Aster took one look at Misaki and wanted to deck the older woman. He would have had he still been high on Rouge's experimental candy, but he opted for a better choice.

 

"It was mana drainage, her body mass began depleting rapidly. There would have been a fair chance of saving the victim, but-"

 

"Boy, drop the but. There is no way to stop them. Had anyone interfered in the pathway of mana, they would have been added to the body count." Ruth Seeker revealed.

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

   After Chills' tasteless joke, sentencing, and punishment, Garnet let herself be pulled along with the others, half dazed and still hungry. She hated the cold, and the frozen burning of frostbite wasn't agreeing with her. Dammit, this is weird. It stings way different from cuts an' burns... With some help from a surprisingly flameless Rouge and a water-manipulating Misaki, the group was soon through with the cold. Once she'd offered Misaki a few bandages and some aid, she cracked her fingers and stuffed her hands back in her pockets, following the others silently to Miss Seeker's room. 

 

     The young girl who offered to make tea as they arrived was a bit odd. She didn't seem to know exactly what she wanted to do or be, and Garnet decided to stay clear of the brown-haired girl. Except for a couple of "Um"s, she remained silent, watching the exchanges between Rouge, Aster and Seeker. The woman didn't seem to like Rouge, but she was cold and logical when speaking to the other student. 

 

    "Now, I've heard about what happened, care to tell me in detail? from start to finish?" Ms. Seeker asked. The odd girl, Syra, was making tea. It wasn't exactly a tea and cake occasion, but Garnet supposed it was a courtesy, and couldn't harm anything. Aster answered the teacher quickly. "It was mana drainage, her body mass began depleting rapidly. There would have been a fair chance of saving the victim, but-"

 

    "Boy, drop the but. There is no way to stop them. Had anyone interfered in the pathway of mana, they would have been added to the body count." Wait, the pathway of mana? Drainage? Is that why when I transferred mana to Sakila, I could no longer feel it? Even the traces of my flame, which I can usually sense from a mile... What was interfering that could do that to Saki? Silently, she again resolved to end whatever it was that had killed her classmate. The other boy... was it the same entity that attacked him? Whatever it is, it can't be allowed to do as it pleases. Two lives have already been taken...

     

    Breaking from her unnaturally long silence, Garnet fixed her yellow eyes on Ruth Seeker. "You understand the mana path, an' what would happen... Does that mean ya know what coulda done this?" Her grin was long gone, and her hands were still in the pockets of her jeans. The short-haired student looked increasingly serious about the situation.

 

[ I put up a doodle of all the characters present up until Chills' office, even a ghost-chibi Sakila~ It's in my (Sparrow) Art Thread.]

[Nara-chan 38]

Syra started boiling the tea. Ugh, she HATED that guy. Sure, they were both masters of fire, his being flameless and hers being...well...destructive. But that election had changed that.

She was back in Grumpy Syra mode, although she was not lashing it out at anybody.

"Vitamagic..Why would he give that to a student?", she thought.

"Now, I've heard about what happened, care to tell me in detail? From start to finish?", she heard Ms. Seeker say.

"It was mana drainage, her body began depleting rapidly. There would have been a fair chance of saving the victim, but..", said Aster.

"Boy, drop the but. There is no way to stop them. Had anyone inyerferes in the pathway of mana, they would have been added to the body count.", said Ms. Seeker.

Garnet stepped up and said, "You understand the mana path, an' what would happen... Does that mean ya know what coulda done this?"

Of course. Anyone who had read Revelations would know.

The Spirits. The object of interest of Ms. Seeker and her parents, Julius and Marcia Komari. Her parents were leading contributors in The Oracles, the collection of theories about the fated Doomsday by Ein, who she considered her personal hero.

One day, she had read one of their files;

"It is not necessary that Walpurgis Night happens when everyone is snug in bed. Rather, we propose that it happens in the day. The sky will be as dark as night, as the Spirits continue their rampage, headed by their Ringmaster.

We propose the following:

1. Ein was a prophet. He could see in to the future. In this case, there is really no way to stop them.

2..,"

When she read the second, she was so mad that she could have caused the biggest arson case in the community. "How could that be true?"' she asked her parents. "It is just a proposal," they said.

Number 2 still gave her nightmares.

"The Spirits," she muttered.

Garnet turned around. "What? Ya know?!"

"Have you read Revelations?", she said with a whisper.

Surprisingly, Misaki, the girl with the bandages, heard her. "Umm, if sneaking a look at it at Headmaster Tonate's room counts, yes. It says something about a Walpurgis Night,right?", she asked.

"But that's just nonsense," said Aster.

"No, it's not! If Ein says it's true, then it's true! The murders that happened today... they had their mana sucked out of their bodies. According to many theories, The Spirits in Revelations are beings made of mana. They feed on mana. Mana Vampires,maybe," She noticed that the kettle was whistling and turned it off.

"Yes, Syra's correct, or maybe just correct according to my theories. Only The Spirits could have done this. And the proof: the words that appeared in the two murders. For Dei Dara, it was 'Beware', for Sasaki Saki, it was 'It begins'. Walpurgis Night has already started, if you ask me.", said Ms. Seeker.

Everyone was quiet.

Calm Syra returned, "Would you like some tea?", she asked. 6 cups of tea were on a tray, waiting to be drank.

"Now let's brief you on what you're going to do as Ms. Seeker's assistants!", she said as she plopped down on the chair, pushing the second proposal of her parents to the back of her mind.

(Since Syra is bipolar, Grumpy Syra refers to when she can reduce a whole room to ashes, and Calm Syra when she offers you tea, kay?"

[Ren-kun 50]

[Everything from my original post got deleted because of my own stupidity so have a rushed, unevenly written one in its stead.]

 

Devin let the scathing retort Misaki flung at him slide. Sure, he thought she had an absurd lack of originality but they were about to enter Kavin Chills's chambers. Their little 'discussion' could wait for later. Devin bowed and greeted the professor in such an uncharacteristically polite manner, he was almost a hundred percent certain Garnet was rolling her eyes out of their sockets as he did so. The boy took note of the sparsely decorated office. It didn't look lacking, it just gave off the vibe that the intention behind it was to urge the saying, 'what you see is what you get'. It's as sheer as ice. Fitting. The first comment made by Kavin was taken in by Devin as somewhat distorted. The 'crazed' girl was dead? How was that possible? She was very much alive when he left, and with a bit too much energy to spare too. It was a tough pill to swallow for Devin. He had read about death a lot in the past but he never experienced it to this degree. Now he understood why Misaki was riddled with pain in her face. He thought of apologizing, but that's the one thing he would never do. I'm supposed to comfort her, right? He pondered over and over, missing most of what Chills was announcing to them. He did catch one thing though and he was gonna say something about it. He had to differentiate himself from the simple-minded buffoons.

 

As per a show of self-justification, Devin started to talk about how he was just unwillingly thrown into the mix and how he didn't want to have anything to do with any one of them in the first place. His insensitive ramble was cut short however, by the nearly intolerable pain that was shooting up from his hands. His nerves, which were already frayed enough by the news of Saki's death, were barely managing to hold off the pain and send signals to his brain accordingly. Strangely enough, he did feel a surge of pride. He was getting a legit punishment from someone respectable after all. There's gotta be something positive he could take away from that. Eliciting the most high-pitched scream ever aside, he bowed respectfully and gingerly as they exited out the office. His mind was still wandering when he overheard Misaki's wiles about the frostbite. Fishing out the burn cream garnet gave him out of his coat jacket, he tried to offer it to the girl. Apparently he viewed the cream as a magical cure for everything external. He didn't get the chance to as he was overtaken by garnet and her bandages and being interrupted by Rogue and his peppiness about seeing Ms. Seeker. 

 

Devin, while he tried to appear nonchalant as usual, was listening intently to the exchanges between the people around him. He attempted to be sympathetic with the other students worries but he was more curious than anything else. His natural aptitude for unlocking mysteries was starting to be revived, as if dust was blowing itself away from the unused 'engine'. He found himself leaning forward more and more as the conversation ensued, only stopping when he saw Rouge handing a restricted book to Misaki. For someone who's supposed to enforce strict adherence to rules and regulations, the redhead was operating on questionable behavior.  Devin snatched the book from the girl's hands and returned it to its former place in the shelf, avoiding eye contact with Misaki. Another girl was present, seemingly offering tea to anyone who'd give her the time of the day. She was acting bizarre, well as far as the word bizarre could go regarding the description of someone in a magic school. Devin waved her away when she approached him for the tea. "Unless that's Earl Gray with a single sprig of cinnamon and authentic oil of bergamot, then I'm not touching it. Not that I'd trust you with making my drink even if it was." He mused, his eyes still trained on Ms. Seeker. 

 

"It would make perfect sense if the said Walpurgis Night would originate here. The entire school is abound with magic and mana. Spirits would be naturally drawn to here... that is if it's really spirits that are the real culprits. This might be too far-fetched but we can't discount the fact that it might be an inside job." Devin said, offering his contribution.

 

"Now let's brief you on what you're going to do as Ms. Seeker's assistants!" Just great. Putting you down as 'Crazed 2.0'

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

       Garnet frowned after Syra's answer. It was about Walpurgisnacht. She'd never read Revelations, aside from the quick glance earlier that morning. Despite Ms.Seeker's insistence that interference would have been deadly, Garn wanted to believe she could have saved Sakila. The wounds had closed, and from the outside the girl had seemed to be doing better... but some thing, some 'Mana Vampire' as Syra called it, had drained her dry of the very power of life. She was disgusted; first, that something could do that to a person. There could be no conscience. If it was like a vampire, did it eat the mana? Why would it go after a living being when there was so much trace magic floating around and pooling together? Could they not process it out of the source? Garnet wondered if animals had enough mana for a Spirit to be interested in draining them. She hoped not.

 

       Now her thoughts were once again occupied by Sakila's death. Her classmates seemed to have moved on from thinking of her, but she couldn't stop wondering how she could have helped. What if there was a way to protect people from this? But that thought died quickly. She'd need to know much more about Walpurgisnacht first. The other disgust was for herself. How could Misaki have just ignored her failure? She even asked for help learning to heal, even though her methods did absolutely nothing to save her friend. Were there people that forgiving in the world? Misaki had to be hurting, especially after the explanation of how her friend had died. But Garnet didn't know what to say to her when Sakila's blood was literally on her hands. Some had come off when they fixed the frostbite, but there was still smeared red on her fingers, shirt, and cheek. Which was actually really gross, come to think of it. She'd had other people's blood get on her before, and her own, but as soon as the fight/healing/argument with mom was over, she took a hot as hell shower and scrubbed. Now her brain was off on a tangent about how gross it was that she hadn't scoured it away yet. 

     

          The girl had planned to ask to go wash up when Syra returned with the tea, but she was interrupted by Devin's shooing the tray and carrier away. "Unless that's Earl Gray with a single sprig of cinnamon and authentic oil of bergamot, then I'm not touching it. Not that I'd trust you with making my drink even if it was." He wasn't even looking at the girl. And what the hell was authentic oil of bergamot? When Syra approached her, Garnet stuck her tongue out at Devin and took a cup. She really didn't drink tea, but she wasn't about to let the tray go back full and waste the work. She sniffed the liquid in the cup, wondering what kind of tea it was, but she'd only ever had green and chai, so there wasn't much way to identify it. Taking a sip and immediately frowning, she listened to Devin talk on, this time to the teacher, and decided to just take a long shower when they were excused.

 

        "It would make perfect sense if the said Walpurgis Night would originate here. The entire school is abound with magic and mana. Spirits would be naturally drawn to here... that is if it's really spirits that are the real culprits. This might be too far-fetched but we can't discount the fact that it might be an inside job." Devin said. Garnet frowned. That could explain a lot... But why would spirits feel the need to leave the messages? Why would they want the school to know that this event, this Walpurgisnacht, that had been foretold and named by Ein, was beginning? Would they even know that Revelations existed? It didn't make sense for the creatures so impossible to capture or even see to call attention to themselves with blood-written notes. "He has a point," she mumbled, still drinking the tea that she didn't much care for. 

 

      "Now let's brief you on what you're going to do as Ms. Seeker's assistants!" Oh, joy... Garnet hoped they'd each have individual duties. As much as she wanted to try to comfort Misaki, who'd been pretty quiet the whole time, she didn't want to have a team assignment where she needed to work well with the others. It really wasn't her thing unless it was a three-on-three fight, which she could mastermind well. Paperwork or cleaning, on the other hand, weren't things she could collaborate on. Not well, at least. She always said something honest but unnecessarily harsh, making the entire project uncomfortable. On rare occasions, her seal on her mana would slip and she'd set something on fire. That would start the downward spiral into her expulsion and... well, this was a school for magic, so she didn't need to worry about hiding her ability. And she supposed everyone was uncomfortable enough being pulled into assisting here without knowing each other. Garnet gave up caring about what she'd be assigned, simply hoping she could leave soon. 

[Nara-chan 38]

"Okay...Just noticed you haven't given me your names yet...Then Ms. Seeker will tell you what to do tomorrow, since it's almost dinnertime."

Syra was now listing down the names of the four, and handing them to Ms. Seeker.

"Ah, yes.. Misaki Mimori and Garnet Wisteria, you can both work on books. They seriously need rearranging. Please arrange them alphabetically. Devin and Aster, you can work on that mess over there." She pointed to a pile of papers, clips and some parts of automatons. "The parts you can keep in that storage room. The papers in the organizers. But whatever's in there is none of your business! Now, that's for tomorrow, after your regular classes. Now off for dinner!"

She made a shooing motion with her hands, and the students took their cue.

The laboratory doors closed, and the five students walked in the hallway.

"Uh, where is the cafeteria?", asked Garnet as she stopped in her tracks.

"Continue straight down this hall until you see the room with the water symbol on it. Turn right. Straight ahead is the cafeteria," Syra replied.

They continued walking until they saw the room with the water symbol. They whipped right, then soon found themselves in a large cafeteria brimming with teenagers. "Oh goody, another year where Headmaster will not make the opening speech, and now that two murders have happened, I can't expect a happy speech.", she muttered.

"FRESHMEN! Sit over here! You are the special people here! Over here, at the front!"

"Go'" she said to the four.

She went over to her table, where she was the only one. Less chance of the cafeteria being turned to a hellish place.

Her thoughts bounced back and forth. The lesson about making fissures in the Earth. Her studies of Possibility and things not real. Proposal Number Two...

 

2. As unreal this might be, Walpurgis Night might happen because of a member of Ein's family in the future. Ein could have written the books as a warning, for he was also becoming a Spirit, probably the Ringmaster.

 

"Why? Is there any proof?"

"It is just a proposal, Syra, but studies of some mana-murders point to this."

"It's impossible for a human to become a Spirit!"
"Studies. Facts. It's unreal, but anything is really possible once the facts point to that."

 

(Just a note: Syra is pronounced si-rah, not say-ra.)

(Is it okay to do that?? You might object.. *is scared*)
 

[A L 217]

'An inside job?' Aster thought. He briefly glanced at Ms. Seeker while separating and unfolding papers that had gotten mixed together due to Ms. Seeker's carelessness. Where could have that key scrap of paper she had used gone when she hadn't the time to get a new file? the bottom of her bin, Aster bet. And so there he was, sitting cross-legged on the floor and unfolding papers.

 

Ms. Seeker's office was quite spacious with shiny off-white tiles, with a 6-level book rack and three sofas surrounding a wooden rectangular table. Another desk opposite to the door of the room had many important papers place beneath a glass sheet covering the entire table. Ms. Seeker read and re-read a modern copy of Ein's revelations, spinning a bit in her comfortable brown leather chair. There were several copies of revelations and different thesis regarding it stacked on top of the table in front of her. On closer inspection there were also newspaper articles beneath the glass.

 

Apprentice to Sir Malfoy since he grew up, Aster knew more about mana than he knew about Ein. Rouge also seemed to know about Walpurgis night. There was something about Rouge that made you want to trust him. At first he had thought Rouge was like Malfoy, always testing and brewing stuff, and he readily volunteered to taste his "candy". 

 

Then was Garnet. He supposed she wasn't a threat to him either, but she always rushed and had poor control over her mana. But she was nice and Aster liked her.

 

Then was Davin, who was helping him. He didn't know what he had done to him, but he felt unnaturally guilty from the glare he received. Davin had also taken the book Rouge had given to Misaki. Ms. Seeker hadn't minded the redhead but Davin did. A by-the-rules person with a holier-than-thou attitude. 

 

And Misaki. The one upset over Sakila's death. Truthfully, he had seen enough death to not be fazed by it. Somehow, he hated himself for growing apathetic. Aster hadn't even bothered trying to help. He felt like he owed something to Misaki and he would make up for it. Thinking of Sakila... !!

 

'Searching. They are searching for something!' Aster thought. Eyes rolling to the back of the head. How had he missed it! 'They drain mana to reduce the life force and when the person is brought to the brink of death, the point at which the memories begin to unfold, they would be be able to see everything. Definitely something intelligent.'  He had to tell Rouge. 

 

"Ms. Seeker?" Aster asked hesitatingly. "Yes?" "I'm done with my work, can I leave for today? I have something important to do."

"Important?" she flipped a crispy white page. "Go ahead." Ruth Seeker was surprised at the neat stack of papers Aster presented, her bin empty. Little did everyone know, Aster had once smoothed out tossed newspapers and resold them to acquire money for his black sneakers. 

 

Quarter of an hour later everyone was allowed to leave but Aster was nowhere to be found.

 

=====

 

Almost six PM. The sun had begun to go down. Watching the dawn and dusk from the watchtower was one of Rouge's favorite pastimes. But the place had strategic importance as well. Taller than all the school buildings, the watchtower was made of reddish brown bricks. One gained full view of the Gretchen High campus. 

 

It happened fast. All students were safely in their dorms. The clock struck six silently, and Rouge leaped from where he stood above the . There was a huge impact where he stood, bricks and debris flying everywhere. 

 

There. Using cushions of air, Rouge jumped from leg to leg in the air toward the new presence. About six feet tall, a orange-red creature seemingly made out light. There was a mouth but no lips and intimidating eyes but no lids.

 

The spirit flew at him but Rouge shot himself straight down towards the ground just to evade it. The sky had darkened. Conjuring water, Rouge used his increased momentum to slide against the earth to escape yet another attack from the Spirit. Spinning around, he stood up and faced it. 

 

The spirit stopped to look at him now and the red-clad teen almost took a step back. It had a powerful aura. The trouble was how to stop it. It had already taken two lives.

 

Walpurgis night. Rouge knew. Knowledge that would equal to death if the headmaster knew Rouge had it.

 

Spirits, one for each element. The spirits were emotions of the planet, headed under a single entity known as the Gaia. The Gaia was the ringmaster of the spirits. Fire was anger, Water was sorrow, Wind was happiness, Earth was calmness and Lightning was supposed to be Karma. There had existed four elements for 2000 years in the beginning. 

 

Heading towards the forest of huge trees, Rouge colleeted his mind furiously, dodging assault after assault. He drew on his enormous reservoir of physical energy as he headed for that one place, the underground Colosseum. Only a few teachers knew of it.

 

A spirit was a being of pure mana, without any physical shape or form. The only thing that linked the mana and the human body was the soul. That would mean either he would have to deplete all of it's power or seal it. The one behind Rouge was the spirit of fire, Infernos, if he recalled correctly. 

 

He soon reached his destination and jumped down the stone door which automatically slid open on the ground. It was pitch black, but then the spirit followed and the area glowed, revealing a tattered battlefield littered with stones, debris and shingles. The walls around them were made of earth but magically defective to prevent being used for magic or falling in.

 

"Now then," A snap of his fingers, the steam emanating from Rouge's body set the whole place on fire, wild orange flames surrounding him and the spirit in a huge circle. The tips of fire grew hotter with each second, but Rouge's body remained blissfully cool. Growing dark red, the edges of blazes began to turn liquid and drip on the ground, plunging into the earth by several meters.

 

Magma. A genetic ability that belonged to Rouge, the last of the Scarlets. 

 

"I hadn't expected this time to come so soon." Rouge said to the spirit. He was sure it was being of intelligence. Spirit or human, it was a murderer. A seven point seal, Rouge could manage. But a sealing and fighting a spirit, he couldn't. 

 

"Hurry up with the coffee." Rouge remarked, a smile decorating his face.

 

======

 

Above the forest floor, Aster noticed a trail of footsteps burned to the ground. He turned around, facing someone. 

 

"You're also here? well, the more the merrier. Rouge needs all the help he can get." Aster said to the new arrival.

 

======

 

(Okay, I probably need another one of you for the battle scene with the spirit, I was hoping an NPC from you guys, which is why I wrote the last scene~ also, I find the idea of humans turning into spirits sort of boring. 

 

Also, regarding the time, Everyone came in the morning like 12 because I don't know wuho would miss the chance of skipping classes upon new admission. Then classes were cancelled due to a murder in the school. Only the people who stay in dorms are at the school and on Rouge's orders they are staying in dorms, not roaming around areas. By the time they finish Ms. Seeker's tasks it is dusk. Aster leaves earlier, then the others follow. Reason will be revealed soon, I think. Depends.)

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

(I'm always up for a fight :V I don't really have any npc ideas, but Garnet's the restless type to wander off and look for a fight anywho~ Maybe I'll insert an oc of mine.)

 

   "FRESHMEN! Sit over here! You are the special people here! Over here, at the front!" Great, separation by year. This was going to be a pain. Garnet flopped onto a bench-style seat, looking around. She'd lost Misaki, Devin, and Aster, but then again, maybe she hadn't been walking with them at all... Taking a tray offered by a third year about her own age, the girl grinned. Finally, somethin' ta eat! She scarfed the egg tart without tasting it, leaving a green salad untouched as she listened to student speakers drone on about school safety rules. Bored out of her mind, she began tapping her foot and playing music in her mind, singing under her breath. "One short day, in the Emerald City..." 

 

    After about fifteen minutes she tired of the cafeteria and stood as though intending to head to the restroom. Instead, she slipped out of the bustling cafeteria and wandered into a more interesting area. She hadn't noticed the forest before, but now it was all but calling. Tightening the straps of her backpack, she ambled about the area until the red of sunset glowed over the trees. With a sigh, she admitted that she should probably head back, but the school grounds weren't exactly in sight anymore. Summoning a strong flame that surrounded her as she felt an odd presence, Garnet narrowed her eyes at the shrubs and trees nearby, cursing her curiosity. If she got into something out here, there wasn't much chance of being found or helped. She could fight, but when it was over she'd still have to find a way back in the darkness. 

 

   Apologizing silently for the mess her footsteps made of the singed undergrowth, Garnet jogged in what she hoped weren't circles, searching for a good tree to climb to get a view of the school. Halting quickly, she stared at Aster, who she'd nearly collided with in her haste. "You're also here? well, the more the merrier. Rouge needs all the help he can get," the boy said, earning a frown and raised eyebrow. "Rouge? What kind o' trouble did that guy get inta that 'e needs help?" 

 

    Hidden from view by a conveniently placed row of trees and bushes, a tall figure smiled. These newbies could prove pretty interesting. Crossing his arms, the boy watched silently as Aster and Garnet conversed, wondering how he should introduce himself. A dramatic entrance was always fun, especially if he was saving their asses in a fight, but then again, these two didn't look like they'd be easily impressed. He'd seen both of them earlier when that second kid was attacked, and though it was odd to see newbies unfazed by something so out of place for an elite school, he was amused. Maybe I'll just wait for you to notice my tricks... But which one should I mess with...? 

 

Profile: Johannes "Loki" Weiss

Age: 18

 Gender: Male

Hair: Long, silver hair loosely braided and left over his right shoulder. Long bangs that hide his eyes when he lowers his head.

 Eyes: Narrow, red. They have a devilish shine to them when he's thinking.

  Appearance: His skin is pale and clear, and his hair's long, but his thick silver eyebrows give away his gender. He wears a white and red Chinese- style shirt and baggy black trousers. He has one earring, a gold helix cuff, and paints his nails black. (He's weird and I'm making him up as I go xPP) He only takes his hair out of the braid to sleep. Anyone who messes with it gets pummeled.

   Personality: Jovial, cruel, and calculating, Johannes has been a top trickster at Gretchen High for 3 years. He's referred to as Loki, after the trickster God of Norse myth, by most people who tolerate him, and has a bad rep among teachers despite his B-grade schoolwork. He's the president of the school's Anime Club, but other than that stays out of extracurriculars. He's also a bit of a flirt, known to play pranks especially on girls he finds cute, which always results in his failure to get on her good side. (Perhaps he'll annoy Misaki, or mistake effeminate Devin for a girl xD)

    Powers/Etc: Despite his fooling, Johannes has a firm grasp of all Elements except fire. His specialty is Earth, which he can control almost effortlessly and without motion. He takes advantage of this when playing tricks on others, enjoying the surprised faces of classmates as a tree root grabs their foot, or a lifeless object follows them around. He doesn't enjoy fighting or practicing, but will do what he has to in order to get a break to goof off in. 

Currently he's interested in the activities of the "Newbies" he's seen getting in trouble all day, and followed speech-skipping Garnet through the forest.

[Misaki-chan 164]

"Excuse me, is Ms. Seeker there?" asked Rouge as he led the group into the classroom.

 

"Rouge. Get out of here! What's your business?" snapped a brown haired girl.

 

"Calm yourself. They need to see Ms. Seeker. Welcome her new assistants, courtesy of Chavin Kills." Rouge said evenly. "Did I say Chavin? I meant Kavin."

 

"Leave them here, Rouge. Get back to your oh-so-important Vice President duties!" she said. 

 

"I do agree being voted by 499 students to help them is important. I'll take my leave, let me have a word with Aster." 

 

"My! I know you four! You were friends with that Sasaki Saki that died today! Come here, and tell me what happened!" blurted out Ms. Seeker. Misaki clenched her fists, the utter fascination in the woman's voice really pissing her off. She was a person, not a funny story!

 

"Um..." muttered Garnet, looking as if she didn't know how to respond.

 

Whatever was said next was lost on Misaki when she turned her attention to Rouge, who handed her a book. "Here, it's useful." he smiled at her before walking out the door.

 

She looked at the cover. Vitamagic... Am I allowed to read this? Is he allowed to give it to me?

 

Before she could open up the book and flip through it, Devin snatched it from her hands and put it back where it belonged.

 

"Uh, miss?" the brown haired girl said. "I think they don't want to talk about that right now. I'm Syra Komari, a 2nd year student. Now don't you worry that I'm going to set this whole place on fire. Have a cup of tea."
 

The attitude change took her by surprise, but didn't question it as she sat down. 

 

"Unless that's Earl Gray with a single sprig of cinnamon and authentic oil of bergamot, then I'm not touching it. Not that I'd trust you with making my drink even if it was," Devin said, his eyes trained on Ms. Seeker. 

 

"Now, I've heard about what happened, care to tell me in detail? from start to finish?" Ms. Seeker asked.

 

Aster answered the teacher quickly. "It was mana drainage, her body mass began depleting rapidly. There would have been a fair chance of saving the victim, but-"

 

"Boy, drop the but. There is no way to stop them. Had anyone interfered in the pathway of mana, they would have been added to the body count." 

     

Garnet looked at Ms. Seeker. "You understand the mana path, an' what would happen... Does that mean ya know what coulda done this?" Her grin was long gone, and her hands were still in the pockets of her jeans. The short-haired student looked increasingly serious about the situation.

 

The cups were set in front of them, though she didn't drink. Her mind was still on the book. I really want to read it... It could help me learn how to heal with my water magic... Well, perhaps if I-

 

"Now, I'll fix your bandages there, cute girl," Syra said, interrupting her thoughts. "It's normal for you to get frostbitten during a trip to Mr. Chills' office. Now the tea's getting cold, and we'll talk about your duties as Ms. Seeker's assistants over cups of tea, is that all right?"

 

She blankly nodded as she held out her hands to be rewrapped. The girl did it quickly and efficiently, and once she was done Misaki said, "Thank you."

 

Meanwhile, it seems the others were talking about Walpurgis Night. "It would make perfect sense if the said Walpurgis Night would originate here. The entire school is abound with magic and mana. Spirits would be naturally drawn to here... that is if it's really spirits that are the real culprits. This might be too far-fetched but we can't discount the fact that it might be an inside job." Devin said, offering his contribution.

 

The others nodded, agreeing with him. Syra suddenly said, "Now let's brief you on what you're going to do as Ms. Seeker's assistants! Okay...Just noticed you haven't given me your names yet...Then Ms. Seeker will tell you what to do tomorrow, since it's almost dinnertime."

 

Ms. Seeker continued, "Ah, yes.. Misaki Mimori and Garnet Wisteria, you can both work on books. They seriously need rearranging. Please arrange them alphabetically. Devin and Aster, you can work on that mess over there."

 

She pointed to a pile of papers, clips and some parts of automatons. "The parts you can keep in that storage room. The papers in the organizers. But whatever's in there is none of your business! Now, that's for tomorrow, after your regular classes. Now off for dinner!"

 

She made a shooing motion with her hands, and the students took their cue. Well, everyone but Misaki. She asked, "Do you think I could start my job now? I'm not very hungry, whatwith what happened and I just need to get my mind off of her..."

 

Her voice trailed off as she looked to the ground. Ms. Seeker paused for a second before asking, "Were you two close?"

 

She nodded. After another pause, the woman replied, "Well I don't see the harm. Get to work then!"

 

With another nod, she turned towards the bookshelf and got to work. About an hour into her sorting, she was about to pick out another book to put in the right place when she noticed it was the book Rouge had tried to give to her earlier. She paused. Well, the Vice President was the one who tried to give it to me in the first place so it must be ok...

 

With a quick glance over to Ms. Seeker, who's back was turned to her and was also engrossed in something, Misaki sneakily took the book off of the shelf and placed it in her bag. She stayed for another ten minutes before announcing, "I'm off. I'll do more of it tomorrow, ok?"

 

Ms. Seeker lifted a hand to wave goodbye but didn't look up. Without saying another word, Misaki scurried off, running to her room and quickly closing the door. The minute she made contact with her bed, the book was open. Time to learn.