yogen | (open) strength be granted.

who: Helena and open!
what: Awakening and adjusting to the school.
when: 7/21 and onwards
warnings: None yet.

one.

[it's not obvious, what changes, until it has. no recollection, no understanding, and she goes as still as something inanimate might be. the where, the why, the what - there is nothing, and for the first time in her life, Helena longs for the same feeling of the manor's walls wrapped around her.

it's the benefit of living so long needing to remain hidden at points, to control one's self - she can feel the ghost of hands on her shoulders saying calm your actions, and her hand wraps around the wood of her cane. comforting, familiar. the minute the strange class is dismissed, she waits for everyone else to leave, and then exits, finding a place to stand and be unobtrusive until they scatter back into class.

with the halls empty, she can start listening - really listening, the soft tapping of her cane giving her information. nothing sounds the same, smells the same - this isn't anywhere she knows, even her clothes feel different.

truancy might be against the rules, but Helena needs to know where she is. but if she hears other footsteps, she's immediately ducking into the nearest closet, empty classroom, or anywhere else she can crouch and hide. knowing nothing, everything is alarming, and everyone may be the hunter. and her head being filled with strange memories that aren't hers? she needs time to find the truth.]

two.

[later, there is enough to settle with. later she's been able to grasp a small bit of what's happening, and while the clock tower might intimidate some, it is a place of peace to her. perhaps things are easier due to the cat that's settled on her lap, purring up a storm, soft and warm. where it came from, Helena doesn't know, but its presence does much to make things calmer. stroking its back, a smile comes to her lips, and while there's much still to fear, to question, cat shaped comforts that demand no more than attention ease things.

still, one can't assume they're alone, and the moment there's the sound of something coming up, both Helena and cat are on the alert. her arms wrap around it protectively, head tilted to listen best as whoever or whatever it is draws nearer.

however, the giveaway that this isn't an empty sanctuary is in one mrah that comes from the being in her arms. clearly, Lily May wants to inquire what someone's business actually is before they even finish getting up.]

three.

[classes are...interesting to get through. having been homeschooled for her life, there's something of a novelty for being in these sessions, making one's way to each individual session and meeting so many different teachers. it was what she had hoped would happen when she finally went off to higher education, and getting to try it out now? well, that's not so terrible.

when the extra students have scattered, though, now she's able to explore far more leisurely. opening unlocked doors to walk into rooms, to tap her cane and gain a sense of what this is, what that is. this one is a classroom, so is this one, but this one smells of paint and paper and must be used for art. the sunlight is leaving, is almost gone, and her exploration is undimmed.

still, if she opens a door and hears movement, she's not so quick to simply charge on in. instead, she calls out in a softer voice:]

Is someone there?

wildcard.

[have a different idea for a thread? throw it at me, let's make it happen.

a note: Helena is currently unable to use her PDA.]

Threaded | Flat

[Josh was honestly probably keeping an eye on Helena while he could that day. seeing as how he appeared here not too long ago himself, he kind of wonders if there's a similar experience to what he had. she seemed to just come in and try to blend in seamlessly, even if to someone like him any change was enough to investigate.

the cat catches him first when he goes to seeing what she's doing at the clock tower, and he notices that she defensively draws it closer.]

Now, now, I'm not here to do anything bad. I was just investigating our new face, is all.

[he's an ass, but he has no reason to be one right now.]

[ Next to the room that smells of paint and paper is one that almost echoes with its relative emptiness, nothing inside but a single piano and a boy that sits in front of it, not playing, but she can hear the faint sound of a foot lightly tapping the floor to some internal beat, the piano bench squeaking just slightly as he turns around to face the door. ]

Yes? Hello...

[ It's a soft voice that answers hers, weighed by hesitation, like he's only lowering his voice because she's lowering her voice but he doesn't understand why. ]

[Knowing that there's a food supply that isn't just through merits has left Shin feeling secure enough to test the limits of attendance. He's been exploring where he can, and probably incidentally garnering a reputation among his teachers. He doesn't see Helena duck and hide in a closet so much as the sudden movement in the corner of his vision, startling him himself.]

H-hello?

[Who was that? Wait no, the rest of his brain catches up with him with context like a newsboy waving the latest news. The unbelievable headline; someone seems to be hiding from him. His footsteps come closer, stopping just outside the door. He fiddles with his scarf, staring down into the grain of the wood. Shin Tsukimi hovers closer to the surface of his skin these past days, but that doesn't mean he's any better with people than Sou is. Just a little more willing to try.]

I... It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. Although, aha, I guess that isn't the most reassuring of statements, considering... Sorry, forget I said anything. [A small pause, as he wracks his brain.] Are you alright?

( his fingers press idly against the buttons, contemplating what it is he wants out of the machine that he could eat. he's not a fan of sweets, but he also doesn't want to eat much, so what it boils down do is maybe bread with a bit of salt dusted on top. it'll be enough to stave off his hunger to keep him going, it's just lately, he hasn't been able to keep anything down. the button he clicks doesn't work, nor does the second, and when everyone says third time is the charm... it is not, nothing on this damn thing works.

despite komaeda's bad luck, there's a small smile on his face as he keeps trying, not too beat up over his circumstances, until the last button he hits... finally drops something. he glances at the bottom of the machine, slipping his hand inside to pull out his treat... and it's a treat alright.

some sweet pastry that he doesn't want — and it's right on cue that someone walks out of the auditorium, the sing of the doors first, and then the tap of their cane first. he turns his head, looking behind him to see who it is — )

There you are.

( he doesn't know who she is, but anyone works at the moment. ) This must be for you.

two

three

one!

wildcard