Vitam et Mortem IC - Altsoba School of Sorcery

Hazel blinked in surprise as Sophie grabbed at her wrist, stumbling over herself as they were drawn into the thick of the swaying mass of bodies, the music blaring loudly in her ears. Attempting to block out the noise of the other students, she turned to Sophie and Jera, a smile gracing her features. "This is awesome!" She said, shouting over the noise from the party as she tapped her foot along to the beat. She was so glad that she'd come with them- while her first dance didn't quite go as she thought it would, it was amazing, and it was nothing like she could have imagined. The atmosphere was nowhere near as panicked and crowded as she's worried about, and even though it seemed to be a rather cliche way to describe it, it was nothing short of perfect. Taking a quick glance around the room, Hazel joined in with the others and begun to dance, albeit hesitantly at first, but slowly getting into it. By the end of the next few songs, she was flushed after the amount of moving she'd done, but grinning like a madman, eyes bright with happiness. She grabbed the others and pulled them a little farther from the massive clump of students in the center so she could hear them, staring up at the decorated room before glancing back to her friends. "I'm so glad we came together," she said. "This is a ton of fun! What should we do next?"

Nito

While outside, Nito had undone a few of the buttons on his jacket, and taken his hair out of its spiral braid. Even he, a young man of noble blood, could only stand to peacock so much before wanting to returning to his more comfortable state. Still, he'd do his best to make sure all of his hair stayed flat against his back instead of poofing out in all of its feathery glory. Truth be told, he thought he looked better this way anyway, even if it was a far more casual look.

While following Eva inside, the cyromancer would roll his shoulders and brace himself for the coming heat. He dreaded it, truly, the crackling fires and smoky atmosphere the dance had begun to take on, but no one else seemed to notice. Maybe to them it felt 'nice'. Him, not so much.

With a nod, he'd signal that he understood and that he'd be near this spot when she returned, which remained mostly true. Feeling parched, he would move to the opposite corner to fetch a cup of punch...before looking at his suite. Frowning. Deciding that, perhaps, water would be the better idea. Between his own clothes and Eva's, he didn't want to risk a single thing potentially ruining this night, or his two thousand dollar satin-and-silk attire. No thank you. It would be there, at the refreshment tables, that he'd find himself approached by the vexing little spitfire Natalia.

"I..." Nito would begin to reply, before quirking an eyebrow. "Hmmm...I do not suppose there would be much harm in it. All assuming this is not some kind of trick, or an excuse to throw yourself at me." It was blunt, it was harsh, but it was a fair point, considering their history. "Because if you do wish for just a song's worth of my time, then I see no harm in it. As long as theirs no tricks or begging." Despite the words he'd chosen to use with her, his eyes were kind, understanding, almost gentle.

A laugh like bell chimes rang through the air as Jera swayed along with each song that passed them by. This was fun, she was having a blast with her room mates and her drink was completely gone. In fact, she couldn't quite remember where she'd put it. They danced through quite a few songs, Jera's hair starting to stick to her neck a little and her cheeks flushed with the effort. It was then that the sorceress was greatful to her mother for sending her a short dress. A floor length skirt would be hell by now. She let Hazel pull her from the crowd of dancing children, wide smile curling her lips as she gulped in big breaths of air.

"As am I, as am I." Jera agreed upon Hazel's exclamation of happiness, looking around to see what other activities there were for them to partake of. The flashing of lights caught her eye, these ones of the uncolored type. "Ohh!" She thrilled, blue eyes bright with excitement. "How about a picture to remember this night?" So saying, Jera pulled her wand from the front of her dress, waving with a touch of concentration so a small breeze swept past the girls. "Too cool the roses from our cheeks." She explained, smile wide and eyes closed in rapture as the cool air touched her heated skin. It wouldn't do for them to look like a patch of tomatoes in the picture!

Blake

He couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes at Julianna. As if not being allowed to eat lunch with a bunch of boring snobs was punishment? Except, he kind of knew what they meant to Kenlei and so it was for her that he didn't roll his eyes or scoff at the girl's shout (though he kind of hoped years from now she'd look back on that 'insult' and cringe).

The fact that Kenlei turned her back on her friends... meant a lot to him. Charlie and Kenlei had fast become important to him in the past month and to know that she, who cared about looks and appearances so much, would be willing to turn on her friends for them? He understood what that meant.

As a professor headed their way, he pulled out his wand and whispered a quick cleaning spell (his mama taught him right, okay?) and then he threw a protective arm over both girls, quickly ushering them to the back door. Was that his name being called behind him? The music is just too loud to tell. Once outside, the cool air would hit them along with a fresh sprinkling of snow. At the moment the cold felt amazing, but for the most part Blake was ready for warmer weather. "Well, it's been a night, ladies." He smiled at them each in turn, looking at them both to make sure they were alright.

Brandon

Brandon might be a bit of an awkward turtle, but he's not blind. He could sense her hesitation and the very clear way she held his hand and let him take her in for the dance. She was clearly not interested which... stung, a bit, but it was fair. They didn't talk much. He'd been pining after her for a little over a month now and she was always so focused on school. Regardless, though, he was grateful she'd at least been nice about it and not shut him down completely. One dance wouldn't hurt anyone and he wasn't going to waste his brief spin around the dance floor worrying about the fact that she didn't like him like that.

Despite the purely platonic actions of his dance partner, Brandon was clearly pleased by the result. His smile was bright and cheeks flushed just a bit. He'd managed to muster up the courage to ask The Girl to dance and she'd said yes. Maye not in the way he had hoped, but it certainly could have gone worse! Over Mia's shoulder he could see some girl getting some punch tossed on her.

It definitely could have gone worse.

Natalia

His words were... a little harsh and the careful smile faltered for just a flash. "I deserve that, I suppose." She admitted. Both hands were held up in an offensive gesture to show she had no tricks, one hand switched to hold up her index finger. "One song," and right on cue the song ended, morphing into something a little slower, something intended for a couple to dance to. "I'll keep a proper distance." She promised.

As they moved onto the dance floor, she'd look up at her partner, a sad smile on her face. "I feel I owe you an apology. My actions were... well, I am not proud of how I behaved." It turned out that Natalia was a fantastic waltzer. "I just want you to know that, while it is no excuse, it seems I have some... issues to work out that sometime cause me to act out. I'm getting regular appointments with the school therapist, beginning next week." Forward, forward, side, back. "And I wanted a chance to say that it's very clear to me your feelings for Eva and I will not try to interfere any further. I hope you can forgive me and we can continue to be friends," here she would smile looking hopeful rather than the embarrassed expression she'd been wearing a moment ago. "I don't think I can handle anyone else in Healing as a project partner." This little speech was delivered with complete sincerity and a true look of chagrin on her barely made up features. She appeared to be completely contrite.

Eva

The trip to the restroom was short lived. Eva would hurry to use the restroom and there in front of the mirror she'd adjust the few strands of hair that had grown loose from the dancing and the wind outside. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy.

When she returned back to the dance hall she was a little surprised to find that Nito wasn't where he said he would be and her eyes scanned the room, landing on him with the Russian soon after. Anyone else and Eva might have been okay, but... this girl had made it very clear what she wanted from the cyromancer and the stab of white hot jealousy did not sit well with the Italian. Objectively, the two looked good together and Natalia, admittedly, looked beautiful in her dress and somehow that hurt even more.

"It's just a dance." She breathed, quietly, to herself resigning herself to standing where she'd left Nito by the refreshments until he returned. She hated feeling jealous and she hated feeling insecure, particularly with the person who had made her feel the most secure in awhile.

Sophie

By the ime they had exited the throng of dancers, Sophie was feeling a little out of breath and her hair was starting to fall from it's delicate design. She didn't seem to mind, though, pulling out some of the pins as they moved along. She had a nice picture from when she entered the dance but a picture with loose hair, pink cheeks, and shining eyes would be the proof that the three of them had had a good time that evening. She kicked off her shoes and nodded. "Yeah, let's go take a picture." She'd follow whoever took the lead back to the front entrance, where the cameraman was still standing, waiting. He smiled at the trio of girls and indicated his camera. "Another picture, I take it?" They were not the first to request a mid-event picture, nor would they be the last. The three girls would cram together in front of the magically changing background that had been set up, and Sophie would be all smiles when the camera flashed.

Kenlei

The petite blonde dropped her arms after the group hug and allowed Blake to lead her from the cacophony of the dance and out into the cold night air. Lifting her face to the sky, she allowed the snow to plop down on the tip of her nose, her forehead, her cheeks, twine and melt upon her eye lashes. A soft sigh puffed a steamy breath out into the dark night.

Blake's words cut through the quiet, and she opened her eyes and adjusted her head to look at him. Perhaps it was but a trick of the light, but her eyes may have seemed a bit watery, and her smile may have wobbled at the corners of her lips. Despite her show of affection inside, the confrontation, the snubbing of who had been friends for many years, her work to become popular over the years were all taking their toll on her feelings.

"I think I need to go clean up," which was true, but she mainly needed some time to herself after this. "I'll see you two tomorrow at breakfast." She kissed Blake's cheek and hugged Charlie tightly before hurrying away on her heeled silver sandals.

Charlie absentmindedly licked some of the food on her arms as she watches Kenlei run off. What was all the fuss with a little mess? She would never understand Kenlei on this, she just knew it. It was times like this she wondered how they were friends, as she was under no illusions as to just how different the duo were.

Glancing at Blake just as Kenlei disappears from sight, Charlie sticks out her tongue into the cold, wincing a little at the feeling of the temperature as she waited. Eventually a snowflake landed on her tongue and she closed her mouth. "Blegh." She mutters, grimacing at the taste. Snow still sucked.

Then she registered what Kenlei had done almost a minute ago now. Sidling up next to Blake, the rambunctious redhead nudges his side with her elbow, a sly look on her face. "So... lucky you huh? Let me guess, all that was your doing as well?" She asks with a joking tone as the smaller girl looks up at her friend.

"Either way... what now?"

Heinrich

Feeling her fingers in between his surprised Heinrich, but it made him smile as he attempted to "Get" with the rhythm. The music seemed to dictate the speed in which everyone else danced around them, so he would try to follow suit. His movements were awkward at first, but having the help of Anna made it a bit easier; Even if she was stumbling a couple of times in those heels. It was nice dancing with her, it helped him forget the other people around them. He wasn't horrible to say the least, he seemed to pick up how his partner moved fairly fast. He was able to stay in sync with her for most of the night, only tripping up a couple of times with some of the more upbeat songs. His smile would only get larger as the night wore on, unable to conceal it from his date.


Dancing like that for awhile the music would go from fast to slow, Heinrich especially liked the slow ones; It let him dance slowly with her, to keep his movements pace with hers. It was an enjoyable experience but just as it passed by, the time would soon come for himself to get ready for the events later. Getting a little more serious he would glance at the clock, "The time is almost Midnight, do you still plan on finding out about that letter with me?" Trying to remind Anna of the envelope they had received. "Do you remember where we are to meet?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vivian

Sitting down into a chair next to Meghan, Vivian would look out into the dance floor; Scanning everything around her before ultimately returning her smile back to Meghan. "Oh, it is just such a lovely evening. I haven't had as much fun at a ball since I was young." Her smile continued as her gaze disappeared into the memory for a brief moment. The golden glow of her irises would flash back with the lights of the dance, "How about yourself dear? Hope I am not alone in the enjoyment." Vivian's smile was just as radiant as it had been in the beginning, and it shone only towards Meghan.

The night had been extremely enjoyable for Vivian, she would look back to that night for years to come. But, ignoring the thoughts of her mind for too long was a dangerous thing to do. Leaving lingering thoughts to grow louder as she tried to not hear them, eventually pounding at her eardrums louder than the music of the room. Vivian did her best to not think of work that needed to be done, ideas that need further research and testing. But as they sat there the music would slowly fade away from the noise of her head, becoming the new background noise behind their conversation. The only sound to ever stay louder than them was Meghan's voice, the only sound to cut through static noise constantly washing over her.

Vivian would try to begin planning the rest of the night after the dance; Perhaps they could order some food in and watch a movie, maybe they could just cuddle for the rest of the evening. The voices and thoughts would begin to interrupt her focus, slowly at first, then becoming more persistent. She wanted more than anything to have them to cease for a night, but she was not that fortunate. We could watch another Horror movie, perhaps a comedy of some sort this time.... ~tests on Marie still need to continue~... Uh, we could order in something to eat... ~Or we could find a new subject for Testing~ She tried to shake them from her mind, but they only persisted harder.

~we need to..~

~w̙̹̣e̻̻̫̟̦ ͎͇͚h̳̭̖͉̳͙a̺͎͍v̜͈̦͈̙̮e͓̲̞̟ ͚̮͙to͇̪̳̖͔..̤͍͕̞̜̲̦.̣̫̱̭̻̖ͅ~


~͕̘͕͖͈͔͞ẁ͏̱̳͙̙h̰̦͔̩̖̳a̢̖̥̠̝͖̬͖̥̕t̝̰͔̱ ̴̷̬̜̩i̹̖͈̪͖͟f̛̝̩̘̯ ̶̙̖̝̤̞ͅw̸̷̹̭̻̗͞e̘̤̱ ̴҉̰̣͎͇̩̟͖d̢̜̘́͟o̶̲͇̥̙̺̜͖͠.҉̩͕̩̥̘͓͞.͏̵̳͉̝͚͘.̨̪̫̪̕~̸͉̝̰͎̤̣̥ͅ


~̸̵̨̖̠̳͍w̜͙̞͘h͏̴҉̬̖a̡̤̟̩̮̙̹t̝͇̪̤̼͎͢͟͝ ̶̣͜͢ͅi̛͙̳͍̭͞f̶̙͓̱̻̤̞͞ͅ ̝̻͍͍͖̺̖̗̻͟w͏̘̤̙̭̜͕̣̭e̦̖͇͖̯ ̶̡̥͎̣̼̗̱͖̲ţ͎̮̼̠͍͙̙̼̜́ŗ̥͍̤̩̖̳͖̕y̵̛͎̞͍̙͝ ҉̼͇̫̻͓s͏̼̹́o̸̤̦̟͝m̷̗̞̲̪̱̜͎͜e̦̞͓̻̕o̧͈̙̳̖̥͢n̪͉̩̤̦̜̹e̡͍͇̱͔͎̥̕͜ ̶͍̳̝̝̳̝̰͙͝d̷̺͉͙̱͞i̤̼͈̲̼̗f̨̢̼͇̫̺̳̝̭͇͘ͅf̡̗̘̥̠͞e̟̱̙͈ŗ̻̣̫̼̦̪̭͓͘e̙̜͡n̷͡҉͍͇t̢̟͉͖̮͎͇͜͠~̳͍́͞͡


~̮̭͔̙͟͝W̷̶̨̨̗̩̘̫̦̯͇̭̬͘ḩ̵̸̭̗͎̺͇̺͙̟̱͙͍͜͢a̡̙̙̦̲͓͔̦̯̼̲̤̹̻͜t̵͍̤͉͕͙̼͎̫͓̟̬̫̤̜̗́ ͢͜͏̯̺̖͚͙͓̜̱ͅi҉͚̯̗̖͍͔͔͙̻̼̫̪̠̖f̘̤͙̝̗̲̖͚̼͍̦̀͘͝͝ ̡͕̪̼͈͕̙͈̟͇̝̥̗̖͎̤̜͟͜͞͞w̴̛̜̳̭̗̤̫͟ę̹͙̺͙͚̞̝͔͙̹͖̯͔̥̣͠͡ͅ ̵̡̡̯̟̲̭͕̣̣͉̺͇̰̼̤͙̭͇̱͙̕u̕͝͏̸̻͙͙̹̜̠͜ş̠̘̬̲͓̝͉͇͔̞͎̻̲͟͞ͅè͘͏̵̪̭̣͔̻̰ḏ̨̭̦̮̪̦̝̕͜͞ ́̕͘͞͏̬͕̗̭̰̙̭̰̰͎͙̝̞̣͔a̡̯̳͚̭̮̻̭̗͈̤̝̥̘͔͠ņ̛̠̲͖̫̪͙̭̘̘̖̘̯̠͟͜ǫ̳̪̻̝͓͚̼̩́͠͞t̸̲͖͉̬̙̝̲͙͎͈͟͞h̴̷̸̯̜͔̮͉̫͢ȩ̶̣̰̱̫̤̣̗̖͔̻̜͡r҉̷͍̺̝͈̭̯̞̤͡ ̵̶̴̞̠̺͉̪̯̤̰̮̝͖͇͡ͅͅS̸̫͙̩̗̼̫̱̣̳͔̺̭͎͚͢t̶̢̩̣̘̬̪͍̥̹̺̯̜̦͇͚͖̫͕̲̀ͅu̢̲̝͇̥͍̦̘̘̱͟͢͝ḑ͓͚͎̖͎̳͙̪͚̦̗̗̪̺̼̮̙̱̕͝ͅe͏̵̡̡̣͚̫͉͓͉͔̪̲͖̲̩͚̜͜n͝͏͔̻͍̟̤̫̜͖̮̞̱̕t̢̺̙̫̣̬̖̼̤͓͈͖̥̱̣͔͘͘~̵̟̻͔̳̮͓̠̬͙̫͕̘̞̤͈͔̦̣̰͞͞





~͌̋ͪ̅ͣ̎ͪ̓ͤ̍̆̚̚҉W̐̈̓̔ͤ̍͏̷̨͢͟h̶̨̑͗̀͆ͧ̿̐̈ͨ̄̂̋̄̇͢a̡̛ͨͦͫ̂̇͐ͥ̈́̀̀T̷̴̵̡̈́ͤ̒̑ͫ̓̍̾ ̸̢͒ͭ̏ͥ͌̉ͤ̍͗ͤ͒ͣ͞Ỉ̃͑ͤͤ̄ͥͣ̓͂͑ͨ́F̢ͨͧ͊ͥ̍̑̈́̆̃̾̅̔͊͐̀̚͜ ̵ͪ̌̀͑ͩ͗͛̓ͨ̍̆ͬ͛̕͢҉W̒̏̉ͬͧͦ̕͠͝e̴͂̽ͨͬ̉ͭͮ͌̔ͬ̀́̇ͥ̆̍ͫ̏͗͜͞͝ ̆̈́͋̆̄̊ͮ̍͛ͫͪ͌̃͑ͨ̈͋͆͘҉̧U̷̡ͦ̀ͪ̓́̃ͥͣ̊͌ͣ͛͑̊ͦ͂̚̚̕͞͞s̶̡̢̔̌͌ͦ̄̌̃͌̌̈́͘҉E̊̓̀͊̓͞҉d̐̈́̆̅͐̂́ͧ̓ͯ̄̇̔͏͘҉̷ ̷̏͂͒̓̀̍̄̈́͒ͪͨͪ̐ͩͭ̃̄ h̵̐͛͋̓̍ͨ̐̿͊̍̋̀̿͒̍ͭ̂̑͟͟͢͡E̶͒̑̂ͥ̔̀R~̷̵̵ͩͭ̒͌̇̀̇ͤ̈́͆͂̿̄́͠

One after another they insisted as Vivian continued her conversation with Meghan; Trying her best to keep her smile and happy eyes, not wanting to spoil the evening.

Meghan

"I'm having a great time." The clairvoyant would sigh happily and glance over at Vivian. Everything about that evening had been... amazing, but now she could sense that Vivian was getting distracted, that her mind was elsewhere. Like Meghan, the other girl was fairly anti-social (and by choice, unlike Meghan); she was probably growing a little tired of the socializing, the company, and the constant surrounding of people.

The more they chatted, the more distracted Vivian seemed to get more and more distracted. Finally, effecting a very convincing yawn, she'd stand and offer her hand to her roommate, nodding her head toward the door. "Maybe we should call it a night, though." I don't think I can dance another step."

The pair would go up to their room and spend the rest of the evening on the couch where Meghan would eventually crash.

Blake

He gave Kenlei a quick hug and then turned to Charlie as their other friend left. She seemed to be living in her own little world, as she often was, and he laughed at her waiting, impatiently, to catch a snow flake on her tongue. He looked down at Charlie as she moved to his side, confused as to what she was trying to say but he opted to ignore it and instead, shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know, seems a pretty good way to end the night? Unless you wanted to do some dancing?"

Blake would leave it up to Charlie as to what she wanted to do, but by the end of the dance he was back in his dorm room, passed out face down in his bed. All in all, it had been a fairly wonderful evening.

Natalia

The redhead was grateful that Nito had accepted her apology. Spotting Eva entering from where she'd previously exited, the Russian would sigh. This was the hard part about her plan, staying true to her plan. Regardless of the fact that her song was only halfway over, she'd stop mid-step, she'd release Nito and gesture to that witch. "I believe your date has returned, so... I won't keep you from her. Thank you for the dance. With that, she'd turn to go, walking out of the dance. She had to get changed for later that evening, anyway.

-----

Andalyn

Wednesday, the morning after the dance, at 10:33a the door to the Grade 12 Earth specialization classroom opened of it's own accord. Fluttering inside, a small post-it note would swoop in to Professor Benson. He'd take it, skim over it, and then look up at his students until his eyes settled on Gregori. "Mr. Caruss," the Professor would bark. A few students would look up, curious, from their essays and textbooks. "Professor Hunt would like to see you in her office. You can turn in your essay now and we will arrange time to finish it later."

Biting her lip anxiously, Andy would look up at her boyfriend from her seat. Had she somehow figured out about them sneaking off campus? She was sincerely hoping that she hadn't managed to get him into some kind of trouble, and she was slightly worried for him but if he looked her way she'd offer him an encouraging smile. It would be alright.

Professor Hunt

When Gregori arrives to the headmistresses office, she'll be waiting there with two men, each wearing a cheap three piece suit. "Mr. Caruss," Headmistress Hunt would greet, a little stiffly as she studied him. She knew very little about Gregori; his grades were average as was his attendance, though the latter seemed to be slipping as of late. He wasn't often in trouble so she didn't see much of him like some other students, but he wasn't a stand out student either. The only other thing she can say about him, without glancing at his file, is that he's related to the Benedictous kid. "This is Detective Harmes and this is Detective Abeliene." She gestured to each man respectively and then stepped aside to allow them to do their work.

Detective Harmes is just under Gregori's height, his brown hair in a short buzz cut. He consults his notes and then looks back at Gregori. "We've been investigating the disappearance of one of your classmates, Anthony Zarzuela." He paused, watching the kid's reaction. "It's come to light that, though sick, Anthony did leave his dorm that day but he never went into Banff with the other students as previously believed. Anthony was spotted heading into the forest that morning. It's been said that you were there that morning as well and that you frequent the forest. If you wouldn't mind, we'd like to talk to you for a minute about what you might have seen or heard that day?"

Professor Bell

Early in the morning, the Hunter specialist would be waiting at the front of the school for Mia to join them. He was thrilled to be meeting a hunter, despite the circumstances. A part of him, too, was worried about his best student. He knew that having her roommate disappear had taken a toll on the girl and he had wondered if this was the best idea. But, she had a thirst for knowledge and he knew that a part of her was more than a little thrilled at getting a chance to meet a Hunter as well, even if it is an underage one.

When she arrived, he would transport them both to the precinct in record time where Molly was waiting. Her hair was pulled back and her eyes were shining with excitement. Professor Bell cleared his throat and adjusted his jacket before approaching her. "Ready?" She asked both him and Mia, stepping inside the precinct without waiting for an answer. He'd gesture for Mia to follow her inside and then he'd follow behind.

After introducing themselves to the front desk Sergent, they were introduced to the detective in charge of the case, Detective Smith, an old student of Professor Bell's. He led them to the police side of the interrogation room where their teenage Hunter sat. Magic cuffs around his ankles and wrists, keeping him to the table. "He hasn't tried resisting, so we aren't entirely sure if the cuffs work." He explained. In the interrogation room, Eric sat listless, occasionally glancing around. He'd look at all the walls wondering where the two way mirror was, but other than the occasional flicker of his eyes, he hardly moved. "We've done very little, unsure about what his magic tolerance is. We try talking to him, but he refuses to say anything. Our Captain is ready to try a few things to persuade him to talk, but further up wanted you two to have a look at him since he's the first known Hunter to be found."

Gregori

At first, the off-branch giant wasn't quite sure what to make of being summoned to the Headmistress' office this early in the day, especially considering that other than some not-so-permitted leaving of the grounds, he hadn't done anything. On his way out of the Specialization classroom, he'd do his best to give Andy a sloppy, goofy grin, but it probably came out more anxious than her boyfriend had meant. Still, he wasn't worried, not enough to warrant a freakout anyway.

That is, until he saw the law enforcement officers that were awaiting him.

It took every ounce of of self discipline to not turn and run. He had to keep his face...well, not impassive. If he looked too calm, that would be just as suspicious as trying to flee. Besides, what kid wouldn't look scared if a couple of cops showed up looked for them, even if they hadn't done anything wrong? This was, thankfully, something that his mother and uncles had drilled him in. Lying. Getting away with the horrible things he'd no doubt have to do for the family one day.

"Uh...sure? I mean, yeah, I was in the woods that day, but I sorta roam all over. Mushroom hunting is s-sorta a hobby of mine I guess and every now and again I even walk far enough to um..." A glance to the Headmistress, "...completely leave the school grounds. It makes me miss class sometimes. A-and then theres my girlfriend, she likes to come along too every now and again, you know, nature hike a-and all that." He'd pause then, running a hand through his hair. "Man, Anthony, that was...months ago. I'm trying to remember, like, really hard, but uh...Nothing is coming to mind? I went out into the woods, taking the path by the lake like I always do, just a little bit after sunrise, and I didn't come back until almost sunset. I didn't see anyone out there, and its so quiet and peaceful, I'm sure I would've remembered hearing something..."

He'd take a moment to think it over, rubbing the back of his head in faux contemplation.

Nito

He was exhausted in every sense of the word. Between the dance. The meeting. The half-argument he'd had with Eva considering his dance with Natalia. Sleeping in his desk chair instead of sharing his bed with the woman he loved. All of it was compounding into a headache beyond headaches, and the normally stoic Nito seemed perpetually angry and annoyed throughout the morning. It was (almost) literally killing him to be awake, and in class, and the cyromancer loathed every second of it, shooting anyone who approached him with a baleful glare and a halfway upturned lip that was getting close to a snarl.

No doubt this would spark some asinine rumor. No doubt it would give more credence to the myth that he was some sociopath, psychopath, whatever the nitwits and gossipmongers were spreading around as of late. What of it? He was in no mood to even entertain such thoughts.

So, in order to find some semblance of solace, he'd do what he had always done in all his years prior at the school; bury himself in his studies and pray to God that no one would bother him...

Anna

There were obviously going to be long-time benefits to the...organisation, or club, or...cult, maybe, if you wanted to stretch it. College, connections and some other adult words that would help her out once she fully understood what they were. But what Anna cared more about was the girl that had helped her home.

At the very start of the first meeting, Anna had 'met' Natalia. Well, more like they acknowledged each other so that they could have some sort of comfort in the school basement, where they could have been stabbed or robbed or killed. Natalia was a girl Anna only knew by her face before, but at the end of the hazing, when Anna was so exhausted she could barely think of how to get back to her dorm, Natalia brought her to the eleventh grader's floor and helped her to her room after that. At Anna's very enthusiastic and grateful invitation, the two of them drank decaf tea and coffee and confided in one another for a long while. Anna told the truth about her life, about her sisters and her worries with her grades, but she guessed she didn't have any way to tell if Natalia did the same. She didn't seem like the kinda girl that would lie about something like that, though. Then, there was a gap in her memory, and Anna woke up in her bed when her alarm clock went off.

She swore and rubbed her face with her hands. Had she seriously fallen asleep? While she had a guest over? She let out a mix of a sigh and a groan and got out of bed. Natalia must have had to put her to bed.

When she came into the area of their dorm with the sinks, she saw the two mugs they'd been using the previous night, sitting clean and shiny. Anna picked one up and peered inside to see that there wasn't even a sud sitting at the bottom. She didn't do that. Her roommates didn't either, considering that they had been sleeping when Anna and Natalia arrived and they still weren't awake. So, it must have been Natalia.

Jeez, Anna really owed her one.

The Icelandic girl got ready for her school day, keeping the redhead at the back of her mind. As she walked between classes, she always kept the thought of finding Natalia and telling her thanks warm.



Mia

Dancing with Brandon hadn't been as awkward as Mia had anticipated. At the end, it had really hurt her to turn him down. He was a sweet enough guy, but she just had to explain to him that she already had a boyfriend. He seemed just fine with the idea of them being just friends. And the more she talked to him throughout the course of the night the more she liked to. Maybe that was just the alcohol, though. She did end up drinking a lot.

At the end, there was no need to go to an afterparty. The three girls had a good enough time at the actual dance that they just went straight back to their rooms afterward. Not before smuggling out a final drink. And when that final drink was drunk, it was time to pass out in the living area.

Mia woke up with her phone alarm going off in her clutch. The headache hit right after, this big, oppressive thing that made her want to roll over and get back to sleep. But, the whole point of alarms was to wake you up for something important, and Mia knew what the important thing was. So, Mia begrudgingly swung her legs over the side of the couch and stood up, using the arm to push herself to her feet.

She was still in her clothes from the previous night. The long dress had a big stain down the front that smelt suspiciously like puke. The shoes were scattered on the floor next to the wall, like they'd been kicked off full force. Dragging her feet, the earth sorceress made her way to her bathroom and left her roommates to wake up in their own time. If they even did.

While the shower was heating up, Mia threw up. God, why did people even drink?

Despite her suffering, she got ready, filled up a big one litre bottle full of icy cold water, got dressed in her comfiest clothes and rushed down to the front of the school. She found the pain easier to ignore as the anxiety and excitement overrode them. She was going to meet a hunter. Her suspicions about it being Eric had pretty much faded. She didn't really know why. The first thing she did when she came to where Bell was waiting was apologise for her lateness, and then also for her appearance. Professor Bell wasn't an idiot, and Mia had never concealed a hangover before, so she was sure he'd figure it out. If he did, he didn't mention it.

The pain of the headache and the swirly nauseous sat in an evenly-sided battle with the nervous eagerness. Mia sipped incessantly on the bottle of water as they walked into the precinct, green eyes taking mental pictures of everything. Drinking it all in. She was always mindful to walk behind the Professor, Miss Sanchez, and the detective. She was just there to watch. Unless she had any revolutionary thoughts, she would be keeping herself quiet.

They walked into the interrogation room. Mia's emotions swelled so much she thought she was going to explode.

Then it came crashing down.

She clutched her water bottle to try and anchor herself. She leant against the wall behind her, faking a chill and cool outlook on the situation. Was she going to throw up? She was going to throw up, if she didn't calm down. She took steady breaths, a sip of her water. She wanted someone to tell her it was okay, but it was definitely not. It was a lot of things, and okay was really, really not one of them.

Eric. Maxine's...'one and only', she used to say.

Mia pushed herself up to the wall and walked to the glass. What did they think his involvement was? Were they one hundred percent sure he was a hunter? Well, he would have to be, otherwise he probably would have freaked out at mention of magic, huh...

She drank from her water bottle and flicked her eyes to the professor and Miss Sanchez. Trying to signal to them that she had an idea.

She didn't want to talk with him. It would make it too real. But maybe he would speak to her.

Jake

Skipping class was a regular thing for Jake, especially if it was an elective because let's face it, he wasn't going to do anything productive with his life anyway, so why not just enjoy his time here before graduation? His grades were good enough in the classes that mattered, so graduation was happening whether he wanted it to or not.

Since he wasn't going to this morning's class, he spent the class period in the library being productively unproductive by flipping all the books in the Mystery section so the pages were shown out instead of the titled book spines. He thought that was extremely clever and mentally patted himself on the back as we walked out of the library (it wouldn't do to be caught right after such a feat). He was not finished with his pranking, however, and he walked across the building to where most of the lower classmen's classes were and entered the boy's bathroom.

It was the middle of class, so there it was pretty abandoned except for one kid in the stall. Jake went into one of the others and just waited until the kid left minutes later. Then he shook the bottle of bright red spray paint he'd asked his brother to send with the last shipment of weed, and finally spray painted across the mirrors, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened! Underclassmen, BeWaRe!" Chuckling to himself at this idiocy, Jake tucked the red spray paint back into his backpack and hurried out of the bathroom on his wait to dispose of the evidence as far away as possible from the crime.


Kenlei

The day after the dance found Kenlei in a very unusual depressed state not that she would dare show such a thing to anyone in public. She debated for an hour in bed about whether or not to ask her roommate to tell her teachers she was sick, but that just seemed like too much effort. Wasn't it best just to face the music and be done with it? She'd have to deal with the fallout with her former friends and the gossip that went along with it for a few days until something else came along to ruin someone else's day. It was the nature of schoolyard gossip: something was juicy until it became boring and old news.

She did skip breakfast, though, and instead ate a granola bar her mom had sent in the latest care package, then got ready. Armored in sassy apparel full of style (aka a pair of dark wash jeans with strategically slashed holes, a white tee shirt, and a red and black plaid long-sleeved shirt tied about her slender waist, and tall brown boots up to her knees), Kenlei felt like a million bucks (in "grunge" version). Her blonde hair was braided on both sides with black ribbons tied at the ends in bows, and her makeup was perfection.

She entered her first class, scanned the desks and their occupants. Several of her former friends sneered at her, and when one of them waved, the poor girl was immediately reprimanded by the others. Lifting her chin high, she pasted on a smile, and sashayed over to Blake and Charlie and took a seat near them. "Morning," she smiled.

Headmistress's Office

While Gregori blathered on, Detective Abeliene would take notes while Detective Harmes studied Gregori. He was... disappointed. Had they had this information sooner, the kid's memory might have been a little better, but a month later... well, teenagers move on so quickly.

"So, you went out early that morning stayed all day mushroom hunting?" He clarified. "It was just you? Your girlfriend didn't go with you that morning?" Perhaps if the girl had gone, she might remember something that Gregori didn't.

"Find any good mushrooms?" The other detective finally piped up in a deep voice.

Andalyn

She'd offer an encouraging smile back at Gregori before he walked out of the room, anxiety filling the pit of her stomach. It would be okay, though. Certainly.

She tried to get back to her essay, but she'd find she would be unable to focus.

Professor Bell

He was mildly concerned about his pupil who seemed a tad ill, but the distraction of a live Hunter, even a teenager one, easily distracted the professor. "He looks like he's got a bit of natural strength," Molly observed. "Imagine those muscles coupled with enhanced strength and agility." Eager to study him, Molly leaned closer to the window.

Eric continued to sit, idle and disinterested despite the fact that he'd been more or less kidnapped. What did that matter when Maxine was gone? In some ways he was relieved.

It was Professor Bell who caught Mia's eye and he looked toward the teenager curiously. She was a bright pupil who had been studying with them for some time now. The fact that she had managed to figure out what so many adults had not even bothered to put together showed her intelligence. He was not going to so quickly dismiss her, despite her age. "Miss Al-Hashim?" Teacher prompted student.

Eva

Eva hated that she and Nito had fought, if you could really call it a fight. It was enough, though, that she'd slept in her own dorm that night instead of sneaking into Nito's room like she'd been doing for so many weeks. When morning came, she was confident they would be able to patch things up but he seemed in such a foul mood, furiously flipping through the pages of his textbook when she arrived to class that she opted to sit alone, a few seats behind him.

She could hear the whispers behind her at the change in seating. Everyone reading too much into a slight change. It didn't mean anything, so she focused on shutting her mind out from the noise and working on her assignment, instead.

Maybe after class, Nito would be in a mood to make up so the dark haired girl would wait until then to approach her boyfriend. She could still call him that, right?

Blake

Blake was half asleep in class, seated beside Charlie and doing his best to keep both eyes open at the same time. When Kenlei entered the room, the whispers (particularly at the back of the class) increased and his right eye (the one he was forcing to stay open to give his other eye a rest) flickered over to the classroom door.

Spotting their other friend, he nudged the redhead beside him. Honestly, Blake kind of expected Kenlei to charm her way back into the good graces of her popular friends, even if it meant isolating herself from himself and Charlie so he was surprised when, after her very public rejection by her former friends, she ignored it and came to sit with them. Yeah, so... just act normal. "Morning," He yawned, plopping his face back into his hand.

Natalia

The redhead should be paying attention to the professor, but she had read ahead and there were other things of more importance to be done than listening to a lesson she already understood. Pretending to take notes, Natalia instead was penning a letter.

Grescha Loveday,


P.S. My parents are both certified and I have recently begun my initiation with the society as well. If you are unwilling to take the case of a young girl, then do it for a member.

Natalia read over the letter again and nodded with satisfaction. Sure, she might have embellished some things here and there, but if she wanted the doctor's help, then she needed it to seem like there was already a relationship in place. With the letter written and a new friend found in Anna, the redhead was beginning to feel like things were finally turning around for her.

She wouldn't see the other girl until around lunch, but when lunchtime came around she'd find a seat beside the small girl, smiling bright. It was the first time in several weeks that she had not taken her lunch near the lake and she vaguely wondered if Nito would notice. "How're you feeling?" Chirped the Russian.

Anna

Anna hadn't been able to find Natalia until lunch, but she was able to stay focused enough on the thought that she didn't forget it. She saw the red hair coming, and flicked her head around to catch the Russian just sitting down beside her. She beamed from ear to ear. "A lot better!" She chirruped. She took a bite out of her sandwich, and said with her mouth half-full, "I still can't believe how stressful it was!" Even without going into detail, it was obvious what 'it' was. To her, the society was kind of like Voldemort. It scared her, and she didn't want to say it's name.

She finished what was in her mouth, and cleared her throat. "Thanks a lot for everything last night. Putting me to bed and everything." She smiled softly, a noticeable blush on her face. "You didn't have to do that. You really didn't have to clean the mugs, either!" She giggled. She felt the need to repay her new friend, but she didn't really know how. "Are you needing any potions, or anything? I've got a friend who's really good at making them, and she gives me a discount too! I could buy to a few? Just as...what's the word...payback?" Payback was not the word she was looking for, but was she was meaning was clear.



Mia

When she wasn't trying to catch someone's eye, Mia was looking in at Eric. She'd never seen him in a high-stakes situation, where anything could happen at any second. As well as that, if the restraints were working, then he was totally defenceless. Of all the ways she would think he would react, sitting, perfectly composed, wasn't one of them. She didn't know what she'd do, if she was picked up by hunters and held captive in one of their buildings. She didn't think she'd just...sit there.

It was great to be finally noticed. Trust Professor Bell to catch her glances; Molly was fully fascinated and the officers were unlikely to look at a student. The sorceress took a sip of water before she spoke, now feeling the need to prove herself. "I-I've known Eric for as long as Maxine did. Obviously we weren't as close, but," she glanced around the adults in the room, not sure if they would take her proposal on board or if it would fall on deaf ears, "he may be willing to talk to me. A-as a friend."

For a moment, she considered mentioning that she was his girlfriend of Eric's best friend, but that felt like a bad move. Then they would want to talk to Chris. Should she be worried about him? Was there a chance that he was a hunter as well? She started at Eric through the glass. There was no way for her to ask. If the answer was no, the police would still want to talk with him. If the answer was yes - and she dreaded to think that it could be - then he would end up in the exact same situation as Eric was. Maybe she'd get a chance to call him...

Charlie's head rocketed up from where it had been lying against the desk snoring softly (normal procedure that), hair splaying wildly as she blinked wearily. Looking at blake, she yawns and streatches her arms, leaning back. It was at this moment she saw Kenlei and her eyes shot up into unkempt hair.

Patting the seat beside her, Charlie swung an arm around Kenlei's shoulders and blearily offered her an apple she had been keeping god knows where. "Saw you didn't have any breakfast. Something something most important meal. Eat." She mutters as her brain slowly rebooted, holding the apple up just beneath her best friend's nose, grinning at the sight.

Whislt this was happening arm that was around Kenlei's shoulders gave the bird in the general direction of the popular kids. Charlie wasn't exactly sure what it meant, but she was pretty sure she was telling them to shove off, which they really needed to do as the whispering slowly grated on her nerves.

Jera half skipped half stumbled her way to their table alongside a sleepy looking Sophie and a quiet Hazel, each of them ready to sit down and rest their brains after last nights fun and that morning's classes. Blue eyes drifted to her two companions, smile curving her lips as her tired mind conjured the picture they'd taken together last night. It had been a blast, something she was definitely up to doing again sometime, despite the fact that the school most likely wouldn't be having that many dances.

"Awake yet?" She asked, turning towards Sophie with an arched brow and tired smile. All of them had had a rough morning, the drink Jera had partaken of giving her plesant grumpiness while both Sophie and Hazel were simply worn out from the late night and early rising. The young sorceress had enjoyed the buzz, but regretting the hangover. Even if it was a small one.

"I think I missed most of first lesson, but I seem to be coming back to myself now. Did you manage to take notes?" She asked, rubbing the small headache away that was forming behind her eyes. She'd barely been aware of anything during Intro to Magic, the pounding in her temple acting as a sufficient distraction from the lesson. She hadn't even been able to put quill to parchment.

Kenlei

The fashionable, brown-eyed blonde leaned into Charlie as her new friend slung an arm over her shoulder in a much friendlier fashion than any of her past "friends" had done. She leaned into the warmth of Charlie's acceptance, basking in the way her friend was taking care of her by accepting the offered apple. There was no way she was going to take a bite of that thing considering only God knew where Charlie had been keeping it (possibly her hair or maybe armpit?). "Thanks, Charlie," she said and tucked the apple into her bag. "I had a granola bar, but I'll keep this in case I get hungry."

Leaning over, she tweaked Blake's cheek with her fingers. "Wake up, lazy bones, you're not fooling anyone with that one-eye open thing you have going on." She was attempting a positive outlook like nothing was wrong, though the back of her neck was feeling too warm from all the stares and whispered gossip going on behind her.

Professor Bell

He considered Mia, a little embarrassed that he had forgotten that this boy had likely killed her roommate. "I'm... willing to allow it," he started, hesitant as he glanced at the officer and Molly. It was hard to say if the cuffs worked and so it could be dangerous putting her in there, but it could also be the only way to get some answers from the boy.

"We could have a few officers on guard, if it turns out the cuffs don't work," the detective mused, glancing at Mia and assessing her.

"I could be in and out in a second to grab her," Molly piped up, looking away from Eric and to Professor Bell. " But I don't know if we can risk sending in a student to talk to a Hunter."

The professor looked between Mia and the window where the boy sat. Molly had a point, but Mia made a valid point that the kid might be willing to talk to her. "I'll leave it to you, Mia, but don't feel like you have to."

Sophie

The ninth grader yawned wide, but she was smiling. "Just barely. I don't understand at all why they've decided that having a dance on a school night was such a great idea. Thankfully, I feel, that most of this mornings classes they were going easy on us."

Her shoulders slumped at the idea of attending afternoon classes and she wondered why she hadn't considered just sleeping in herself. Half of their class hadn't even shown up. Of course, their first class had given the few who had arrived extra credit for being present. Sophie dug into her backpack, pulling out her notebook. "I took some notes, but I can't guarantee that they will make any sense." The blue of her spiral's cover could hardly be seen as over the course of the semester, Sophie had been adding random doodles all over it in black sharpie so now the blue only bled through the images. Regardless, the notebook was passed over to Jera and then a similarly decorated red notebook was handed over. "You can hang onto them and copy them when you have time tonight. I won't need them back for this afternoon, anyway."

Natalia

Tilting her head curiously at Anna, Natalia will chuckle and shake her head, and begin picking at her lunch. Even if Anna had wanted to say the name, she'd find that she would be unable to, the wine mixed with potion they had drank the night before bound them from saying anything in the presence of anyone who had not committed to being initiated which meant that as long as they were not completely alone, they'd only be able to, at most, talk around the subject.

"There's no need to even the score with me. I was only helping a friend." She beamed, "Beside, I see many nights like that in our future and we've got to stick together if we want to make it together." She knew very well that not everyone who had agreed to remain would be joining at the end of the initiation period. Her only concern was ensuring that Anna and herself were among the ones who made it through initiation. She was not worried that Nito would fail so she didn't concern herself, but everyone else? She'd cut any of them down if she had to, to ensure her spot. "I imagine we'll be needing a friend in the room these next weeks and since you are the friendliest to me..." Her smile faltered, hesitant, the loneliness showing for just a blink of the eye, and then it was gone. "I don't really know anyone else. I know Nito, but Eva always gives me these dirty looks so I don't think she likes me very much. I can't think of why." Her eyes cast downward and she pushed around the peas on her plate, clearly very hurt and the unwarranted animosity from the Italian. "Anwyay. No repayment being necessary, and in no way should you feel obligated to be my friend, but I am here if you need me." She even stood to go, so as not to burden Anna any longer!

Blake

He was distracted from everything for a moment as he tried to figure out exactly where Charlie had been keeping that apple. Still, this was a school of magic and anything was possible. He blinked, taken aback at the pinch of his cheek and he frowned, rubbing it. "Ow. That felt like my Aunt Marge when she visits for the holidays." He grumbled a little, but straightened up. "I'm awake, I'm awake."

Then he lowered his voice. "You doing okay? You want me to get someone to put itching powder in their clothes drawer? I know a gal," He blinked over at Charlie, positive she'd be willing to act on the plan.

Thin lips curled in a wry smile, Jera nodding her agreement with the confusion on when the dance was scheduled and why.

"Perhaps it was purely to test our endurance. May only the strong remain?" She joked, delicate brow raised and humor dancing in her eyes. The notebook was accepted with gratitude, the dark haired girl only wincing slightly at her headache as she pulled the journal close, hand lifting once more to her throbbing temple.

"I assure you, anything is helping at this point." She stated, head spinning when she looked down at the doodle infested swirl of a cover. Blue eyes flitted away, landing on something stationary as the room spun slightly. Jera reached blindly for the second notebook, stacking it on top of the other as she swallowed forcefully, gathering her water glass up and drinking from it desperately.

"I thank you for the extension, I might need it." She spoke, gingerly looking away from the pillar she'd trained in on to peak at Sophie with a weak smile. "It might take me that long before I can look at the words, let alone copy them in some legible fashion. Thank you Sophie, I'll return them to you as soon as I'm done." She nodded, a small bob of her head that forced her eyes once more to the pillar and her hand to her temple.

"Remind me, what's on the agenda for today? I can't quite force myself to think of what day it is." Jera admitted, a rosy color lighting otherwise pale cheeks.

Anna

The short sorceress listened to her friend, even going as far as to stop eating to give Natalia her full attention (full attention on one thing; new concept for Anna). Her brain got caught up on Natalia's Eva thought, and before Anna noticed it Natalia was standing up to leave. Without thinking, she reached over the table and grabbed onto the edge of the Russian's tray as it was lifted into the air. Half-leaning over the table lead to Anna nudging into her drink carton, splashing lukewarm milk onto the long sleeves of her cloak. "Are you going? Already? You can't be finished, you just sat down a couple seconds ago!" Gentle as a (small, but very feisty) bear, she pulled Natalia's tray back to the table.

While she was dabbing at the milk on her sleeves with a napkin, her muddled brain went back to what Natalia had said. "Is Eva really not that nice to you?" She asked, voice soft as the wind. She wasn't obnoxious enough to loudly ask someone about a topic that was a bit more sensitive. "She's nice to me. Really nice, really. She doesn't really...she doesn't really seem like the kind of person to be mean to anyone..." she trailed off, realising that she sounded like a total douchebag. Just because Eva was nice to her didn't mean that she was nice to everyone. "Never mind, that was stupid," she mumbled as she started back on her breakfast. After a beat of silence where she allowed herself to eat a little, she offered, "I could talk to her, if you wanted? Maybe she just gets some sort of vibe off you? That happens with me sometimes, it's super weird... Not that you've like, got an evil feeling about you, or anything!" She was digging a hole to China. "Anyway, I think I could talk to her about it. She's super nice once you know her, I promise!"


Mia

She ran a hand over her forehead, trying to push the pain back in. She doubted that Eric would hurt her. But was that what Maxine thought? Was the hangover making her braver, or was it just making her stupider?

She took a deep breath, a swig from her water bottle. She couldn't take the offer back now that she'd said it. Even if the adults were starting to make it seem a lot more dangerous than she had thought. She didn't want to entertain the thought that Eric was actually dangerous. In her head, she was still the fourteen year old saxophonist that carried Maxine into the pool so her hair didn't get wet.

She looked around at the detective, her professor and Molly. "I'll go in," she said. Feeling a little bit of confidence coming into her, she asked the detective, "could I please get a list of the questions you want answered?"

Eva

At lunch the tired Italian made her way through the crowds, looking for a friendly face. She had her bag of potions to sell on her and she thought she'd go and sit with Anna, but as she approached her friend, she spotted a familiar head of red hair. Although Natalia had been very polite when she had pulled her aside the night before after the VeM meeting, but Eva still wasn't fond of her. She caught Anna's eyes as she was grabbing Natalia's wrist and Eva sighed, turning to go find somewhere else to sit. As she sat down, papers began flying from the ceilings. Hundreds of them, landing in the laps of all the students gathered, and sliding onto the floor. Curious Eva picked one up, reading the title out loud, confused. All the Altsoba Rumors. She read through the first page quickly, a little appalled. Then flipped it over to read the second page, shocked to see her name on it as well. When she looked up, a few people were looking her way and she blushed, furiously. This paper didn't even have all the facts. Things weren't that bad...

Natalia

Natalia ducked her head, "Well, I didn't dare intrude." She hesitated but as Anna insisted that she sit, she followed her tray until she landed back in her previously occupied seat. At Anna's words a wide smile spread across her visage. "Oh, would you? I did try talking to her last night before escorting you back to your room. More or less I told her that I wasn't sure why she didn't like me but that I'd do my best to stay out of her way and I was truly sorry for any trouble I may have caused." She didn't say much. The redhead looked downcast. "I mean... well, okay I did dance with Nito last night, but it was one dance. I hardly cut her off for it, either. She went to the restroom and he and I are, were, friends you know? And I don't have many friends, I think I put a lot of people off with how seriously I take my studies." She sighed, longingly at the thought of friends. "Anyway, he was kind enough to dance with me so I wouldn't have spent the entire night alone, but from her point of view I could see how that might seem. I'd really like to be her friend, though." She reached out and grabbed Anna's hand, earnestly. "If you were willing to talk to her, well I'm sure she'd listen to you."

Natalia seemed in much better spirits after that. Though, only seconds later hundreds of pages of paper began to fall, seemingly from nowhere. Confused, Natalia picked one up, skimming the words. "Oh, dear." She muttered when she got to the back. "Perhaps it won't be so easy to have a conversation with her after all."

Sophie

The young student giggled a little at her friend's misfortune. "I'm... sorry, I don't mean to laugh. You just look so miserable and..." She giggled again. "I do hope you're beginning to feel a little better and don't even worry about it, I'll make sure to get you as much as possible for this afternoon."

Sophie dug through the back once more pulling out a wrinkled and worn piece of paper. Sure, she should have had her schedule memorized by this point, but she often consulted the slip with her class schedule on it, even when she was positive of what came next. "Beginning gifts and then sorcery history." She yawned and thought about her comfy bed, piled high with blankets and considered the promise she'd just made to Jera, "Then again... who cares about history, though?"

No, she shouldn't skip anymore classes this semester. She'd have to save the rest of her absents for if she got sick before winter break. The thought was definitely a downer and she sighed and shook her head. No, she'd be there. "Well, the day is almost over, at least! She announced, brightly. Her attention was caught, though, a second later as white pages began falling into their lunch. "What the...?" She muttered, snatching one up off the ground. That was unexpected, but it certainly had the effect of waking up some of the tired and hung over party goers.

Professor Bell