"I... I suppose you're right." An almost terrifyingly unpracticed smile creeps its way onto Djalos' lips. "If my blindfold gets damp, I might kill us all."
"That was a joke."
"Uh, yeah, kind of a lot of things happened, and it wasn't so much a decision as an inevitable change kind of thing. I can give you all the details if you want. We were just headed for the waiting room to eat some dinner. They're not quite ready to discharge me I guess. And I'd love to hear about what happened to you....you were so far away! But I understand if you want to put that conversation off until later."
Mel stops for a moment, taking in the new look. she seems a bit confused at first then she gives a smile.
definitely nice to see you too. I see you finally decided to come out of your ahhh, shell, so-to-speak.
Mel looks Ginni over, Well, it suits you. and you'll learn to use the new feet, err, hooves? anyway, just like wearing heels? I don't know, I never had hooves, well not that I remember anyway.
when the question comes up about where Mel had been, Mel's mood takes a somber turn. Yeah, we need to talk, it, was, well, maybe later.
Aananda wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I need you to not tell the kids any of this yet. We want to wait and tell them when we have more information. Asch, Amada, Jim, and Enre were out on a rescue mission tonight. It went badly. They're all dead. They were barely more than children," she said, dissolving into tears again.
Ryleh hugged her and patted her back until she was able to calm down again. She didn't say anything. There weren't any words that would help with this.
Eventually Aananda pulled back, blew her nose, and mostly got control of herself. "I'm going to have to figure out what to do without Jim. I need to find someone to teach his classes."
"Aananda," Ryleh started to say, before Aananda interrupted her.
"Don't bother. I already know. I can't do it. I can't keep up with the security job. It's not good for the babies," she said dully. "I already know that. And without Jim Rivets to help with the extra work it's even more impossible. I'm not at my best and I can't protect the children the way I should. I'm failing at my job."
"You are not failing, Aananda'reavekki," Ryleh said sternly. "You are looking at the potential for failure as if it were a certainty. It is wise to recognize your limitations. I think you're right, and I came here expecting to have to convince you that you need to step down as security chief before you do yourself harm. I am pleased that you already see for yourself that you are not in fact a robot and need rest and help and not to be running around everywhere trying to solve every problem. It doesn't make you a failure. It's perfectly reasonable to need a change because of pregnancy. You know that the infirmary staff have already sent a petition to Ryo asking that you be put on leave, right? Now, I know that will never work. Even while sick, you can't have nothing to do. But I think that you should take over the mechanics classes, and pass the security job on to someone else."
"They're just frosted over. Extradimensional space doesn't come refridgerated, at least not as far I know. And I would've used magic to just pop it, but soda reacts badly with that. And I like this shirt."
He straightens his black v-neck and takes a swig from his root beer, still offering Andromeda one if she wants it.
"May be him." He nods. "Party might be a good place for you to meet some of the new folks around this year. We're both new, so people from our classes are likely to be new to you. Always fun meeting new people."
Andromeda accepts the root beer. "Yeah, new people, who won't (hopefully) confuse me with my sister," she said, with a smile and a shrug.
Shifting into bird form, Ardiente takes to the air. ::"I need another pair of eyes. We'll split up, and cover two different sides. Who wants to come with me?"::
Alev shifted into bird form and took off. ::Guess that'll be me since Etain is currently acting as the radio.::
"I... I suppose you're right." An almost terrifyingly unpracticed smile creeps its way onto Djalos' lips. "If my blindfold gets damp, I might kill us all."
"That was a joke."
Keme chuckled nervously. "Uh, thanks for clarifying. I've kinda had my quota of potential apocalypses for this week, thanks."
"They're just frosted over. Extradimensional space doesn't come refridgerated, at least not as far I know. And I would've used magic to just pop it, but soda reacts badly with that. And I like this shirt."
He straightens his black v-neck and takes a swig from his root beer, still offering Andromeda one if she wants it.
"May be him." He nods. "Party might be a good place for you to meet some of the new folks around this year. We're both new, so people from our classes are likely to be new to you. Always fun meeting new people."
Andromeda accepts the root beer. "Yeah, new people, who won't (hopefully) confuse me with my sister," she said, with a smile and a shrug.
"and who I (hopefully) won't accidentally mind control"
"Outside of space and time? Yeah, that's definitely far away," Ginni said, shaking her head.
"And hooves are nothing like heels! Way less stable. I guess I'll figure it out eventually though. Anyways, I kinda need to sit down now, so we're heading to the waiting room. You can join us or we can catch up later....there's some things we're definitely going to need to talk about," she added, suddenly more serious. "But I don't think it's anything that can't wait until after we've both had some rest."
"and who I (hopefully) won't accidentally mind control""They're just frosted over. Extradimensional space doesn't come refridgerated, at least not as far I know. And I would've used magic to just pop it, but soda reacts badly with that. And I like this shirt."
He straightens his black v-neck and takes a swig from his root beer, still offering Andromeda one if she wants it.
"May be him." He nods. "Party might be a good place for you to meet some of the new folks around this year. We're both new, so people from our classes are likely to be new to you. Always fun meeting new people."
Andromeda accepts the root beer. "Yeah, new people, who won't (hopefully) confuse me with my sister," she said, with a smile and a shrug.
"I'm sure that won't happen again. I mean, there are probably blocks and stuff in your mind to make certain of that, right? So you've got nothing to worry about!" she said cheerfully, trying to be reassuring.
"yeah, me and Ms Jones went into my mindscape and I dropped a mountain on the bit that represented my psionic power, I have a homuclous on my arm that dispenses a calming potion if my emotions go out of control, and I have a mandatory meditation class and a weekly visit with Mis Jones for a checkup.... I forget when that's supposed to be...."
|
"Outside of space and time? Yeah, that's definitely far away," Ginni said, shaking her head.
"And hooves are nothing like heels! Way less stable. I guess I'll figure it out eventually though. Anyways, I kinda need to sit down now, so we're heading to the waiting room. You can join us or we can catch up later....there's some things we're definitely going to need to talk about," she added, suddenly more serious. "But I don't think it's anything that can't wait until after we've both had some rest."
"less stable? I've seen goats climb things I've never seen someone in unenchanted high heals climb"
Ghalen is able to dodge the laser, but that causes him to step into the middle of a group of machine bugs who all try to electrocute him.
10d6
Looks around, as the lights brighten...
"Is that normal?" he asks.
"less stable? I've seen goats climb things I've never seen someone in unenchanted high heals climb""Outside of space and time? Yeah, that's definitely far away," Ginni said, shaking her head.
"And hooves are nothing like heels! Way less stable. I guess I'll figure it out eventually though. Anyways, I kinda need to sit down now, so we're heading to the waiting room. You can join us or we can catch up later....there's some things we're definitely going to need to talk about," she added, suddenly more serious. "But I don't think it's anything that can't wait until after we've both had some rest."
She snorted. "Last time I checked, goats have four legs. Trust me, it makes a difference."
"yeah, me and Ms Jones went into my mindscape and I dropped a mountain on the bit that represented my psionic power, I have a homuclous on my arm that dispenses a calming potion if my emotions go out of control, and I have a mandatory meditation class and a weekly visit with Mis Jones for a checkup.... I forget when that's supposed to be...."
Andromeda pulled a datapad out of a pocket that from the outside looked too small to hold it. "If you have one of these, you can just check your calendar and it will remind you of when your appointment is. A lot of people still haven't figured out how to use all the functions on these things, so they don't necessarily know that the datapads are good for more than sending messages."
"Wait these things can message people?"
Ghalen is able to dodge the laser, but that causes him to step into the middle of a group of machine bugs who all try to electrocute him.
10d6
The laser suddenly tilted over, its blade cutting off abruptly as Elektra sliced through it with a lightning blade, revealing a large group of bugs that had been hiding behind it.
"Ummm......I think this might be a good time for a tactical retreat," she said nervously.
"Wait these things can message people?"
Andromeda looks at him in disbelief. "How did you not know that? Yeah, they can message other people who have one of these. It only works as far as Kuros, and the signal is spotty that far from the school, but on school grounds it works just fine."
Djalos's datapad beeps as a message arrives.
Djalos inhales slightly, as Keme can detect a slight buzzing from one of Djalos' cufflinks. "Good. That's... that's purpose. It will take my mind off of things. Yes." He gets up and straightens his uniform, before sliding his fingers across the cufflink.
I will be there. I have met a kitsune who seems to be fairly intelligent. Should I bring him?
"I thought it just stored documents"
Ace looks up where he was playing with Squeaky and her bone "I was once. A goat, that is" He says completely serious.
The cafeteria suddenly feels uncomfortably and unnaturally bright.
Yelping in pain, the shadowbird instinctively surrounds herself with a globe of shadows, hoping to block out the bight light.
::"Alev, you cover the left hand side, I'll take the right. Try to be as quick as possible, so we can rejoin the rest of the group."::
Looks around, as the lights brighten...
"Is that normal?" he asks.
The laser suddenly tilted over, its blade cutting off abruptly as Elektra sliced through it with a lightning blade, revealing a large group of bugs that had been hiding behind it.
"Ummm......I think this might be a good time for a tactical retreat," she said nervously.
He nods
"Might be best..." as he unshoulders his rifle and prepares to cover his retreat, backing away.
Ace, still reeling from the events of the past couple of days, was sitting in his room. He needed some quite, alone time. Well, mostly alone as Squeaky, the puppy who he had saved on the side of the road, and who had survived the slaughter that also included Kitty's murder, was happily chewing on a stuffed toy Ace had picked up from some place or another.
Sitting there, watching the barely two month old dog, the young man was deeply troubled. So much innocent life had been lost, and they had no idea why. Or who for that matter, which was even worse. At least if they knew who, Ace could vent his frustrations via a good old fashion ass kicking.
Squeaky, sensing her 'human' was distraught, hoped into his lap, and began to playfully lick his face. Of course, Ace couldn't help but laugh, as the puppy's tongue definitely tickled. He grabbed her up in a big hug, when suddenly, an idea popped into his head. A way to make things at least a little better. He would need a lot of help, but fortunately for the charismatic young man, he was friends with all the right people.
Late that night, after everybody else had more or less gone to bed, including most of the staff, a meeting was held in Ace's room. Thankfully, due to him having a single, and the school willing to increase the size temporarily, everybody was comfortable and had plenty of room.
As Ace laid out his plan, each of those present smiled in varying degrees. After all, the one they were going to help meant a lot several of them, and even those who weren't close saw the value of helping a student who had lost so much.
Early the next morning, as the sun was just starting to creep up over the horizon, three messages were sent to family members who could help. Then, as the day officially dawned yet with hours before classes would begin, a group exited the school, and roamed the grounds. It wasn't easy, and it took time, but with each success, their hope that this would actually work grew. It helped that most had some affinity for this sort of thing, but even those who didn't made up for it in sheer determination.
Soon, it was time for breakfast and then classes. Yet, even though many had other things to take up their down time, each found a least an hour or two each day to head back outside, and continue their plan.
Throughout the week, deliveries were made, and while normally little escapes those who attend Avalon, none knew about them save who were supposed to. Of course, it helped when you had the Headmaster himself on your side.
By afternoon on Friday, everything was almost ready, though there was still one more delivery to be made. It would be here soon, however, so Ace wasn't worried. His datapad would alert him once it arrived, and then the surprise could be revealed.
"We could maybe do name tags for the party. We're still pretty early in the school year and there's always new people showing up, so not everyone will know each other."
He takes a swig of his drink as Dave expresses his issues. It had been a problem, but he felt it was well, if not a little excessively, dealt with.
Still, he realizes it was going to take a while for Dave to trust himself again. Not only that, but the catfolk realized he wasn't exactly making it any easier his friend by letting his feelings get in the way. He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts away. Someone had to stay positive.
"Oh, I didn't know everyone could do that, either. I thought it was just me and... I think his name is Fei."
The cat focuses on Andromeda's data pad for a moment and his eyes look odd for a moment as he sort of stares into space for a moment. Then her data pad registers a new message consisting of a looping animation of a tuxedo patterned cat saying "Hi" in a text bubble and a new contact for Tybalt Baneko like any other datapad.
Djalos inhales slightly, as Keme can detect a slight buzzing from one of Djalos' cufflinks. "Good. That's... that's purpose. It will take my mind off of things. Yes." He gets up and straightens his uniform, before sliding his fingers across the cufflink.
** spoiler omitted **
"We could maybe do name tags for the party. We're still pretty early in the school year and there's always new people showing up, so not everyone will know each other."
He takes a swig of his drink as Dave expresses his issues. It had been a problem, but he felt it was well, if not a little excessively, dealt with.
Still, he realizes it was going to take a while for Dave to trust himself again. Not only that, but the catfolk realized he wasn't exactly making it any easier his friend by letting his feelings get in the way. He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts away. Someone had to stay positive."Oh, I didn't know everyone could do that, either. I thought it was just me and... I think his name is Fei."
The cat focuses on Andromeda's data pad for a moment and his eyes look odd for a moment as he sort of stares into space for a moment. Then her data pad registers a new message consisting of a looping animation of a tuxedo patterned cat saying "Hi" in a text bubble and a new contact for Tybalt Baneko like any other datapad.
"I wasn't aware of Fei having any particular technical expertise," she said, looking confused.
She smiled when she saw the message. "Nice. But how did you do that? Talk to the network without any kind of device?" she asked, curious.
adon looks around, and takes out his own pad. Before he turns it on, he pauses, and sings, seeing his reflection on the blank screen. He sorta waves a finger in front of the screen as he looks at it. He just shakes his head and puts it away again, shuddering.
Startled by the voice, Serrin looks around for the speaker. Not seeing anybody near her, she tentatively replies "Uh. W-who are you? And S-sure?" "Oh gods, I hope this isn't some creepy stalker trying to lure me outside or something" She thinks, rather nervously.
"It's a machine he has in his head, Fei has one too, though I think his foes other stuff too"
According to the school census, there are only two full teenage kitsune. One is off doing something redacted. I can only assume that this is Keme.
Djalos leaves without a word.
"We could maybe do name tags for the party. We're still pretty early in the school year and there's always new people showing up, so not everyone will know each other"
"who'd show up to a party they knew no one at though"
"One of my friends gave me this thing before he... left. It keeps people from messing with my head and I can think-talk to some kinds of machines. I got it when I got hurt kinda bad and he helped fix me with this machine and put the machine thing in my head. And a think a week ago, Fei kinda blew up and when he helped put him back together, he gave him a machine thing too. I've had mine for longer, but I think his is more complicated. Or he just uses it more. Either way, it works kinds like the tablet things you guys have. I can get messages from those and send them. It's pretty helpful, but sometimes I can't help but feel... weird about having it. I dunno. And a have no idea like how it works, just like what I can do with it."
He does his best to explain, but he doesn't fully get most of the whole story and it's not like it's simple to start with.
"Come to think of it, Shiny, if we ask Mels, she could probably use that pen he gave you to boost the power in your data pad."
"Why does my tablet need more power?"
** spoiler omitted **
Djalos leaves without a word.
"Ooookay. Find someone with worse social skills than me. Check," Keme muttered, shaking his head. "And here I was expecting it to actually be a challenge."