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04/04, 23:56

M.Arisu

hey... anybody who's awake to see this. hope you're not having too much trouble sleeping.
get rest when you can. work together when you can.
all we can do is keep trying, but i'm hopeful for this year.
feels weird to say... but it's all going to be gone soon, so...
anyways.
see you at school tomorrow.

Any replies on the forum go unresponded, and at the stroke of midnight, the past year's worth of messages are completely gone from the PDA forum, including any sent over spring break. Hope you have a good memory if you were in the middle of a conversation! Though you should really be in ...whatever you've managed to make your bed... because tomorrow is a big day.

04/05, 06:00

The silence continues until six in the morning with the toll of the clock tower bells, and anybody near the locker area will hear two women in mid-conversation as they phase through the front doors, heels clicking on the ground: "-—didn't even have the decency to finish the job! And now I have to— oh, stop crying, for goodness' sake! I swear—" It's a one sided conversation, mostly, and one that stops short the moment the women spot the students lingering around. While the younger woman, recognizable as the assistant principal, hurriedly scrubs at her face with her sleeves, the unfamiliar older woman with the oddly dissonant voice scowls intensely. "I don't need this on the first day of school! Students trespassing over break! I can't believe it! I don't have time for this—" she huffs, shaking her head and stomping down the hall towards the faculty office. "Miss Nene, I expected better of you! And you! Miss Ritsuka— the two of you shall report to the faculty office after the entrance ceremony. I expect a full report of everybody involved. Now behave yourselves and go to the auditorium."

Goodbye...

The assistant principal is left behind and looks confused and distraught. She sniffles and ducks her head a little, draws a shaking breath and stands a little taller. "I'm so sorry. I'll hear you all out after- after this is done. Alright?" She too heads towards the faculty office, trying her best to smile at those she passes by. While they may be followed, they seem to phase through the faculty office doors which remain closed and locked, and cannot be interacted with until after the ceremony.

Until then, other students start to filter through the front door, seeking out friends and chatting about their breaks, remembering about homework and asking if anybody actually did it so they can copy off them before classes start, laughing at any mention of being locked inside the school all break because what?? that's silly. A handful of students wear yellow armbands on the left sleeve of their uniform, marking them as members of the student council, and these student council members go around finally removing the gorinto from the window sills, tossing the rocks into a bag without any apparent ill effects, and collecting the snacks in a separate bag— though they'll offer the food to anybody they pass who looks hungry enough. Which is a lot of you. One or two might give a short lecture about the importance of eating breakfast to start the day off right. Other student council members busy themselves in the locker area, posting the new homeroom assignments and updating the school calendar to reflect exam dates and breaks for the coming year, or help setting chairs out in neat rows in the auditorium in preparation for the entrance ceremony.

04/05, 08:00

The opening ceremony starts at 8, with students and staff moving to the auditorium to sit with their homeroom class, calling characters out by name and dragging them over to their seat— physically if need be, and they're much stronger than they look. Unlike the graduation ceremony, characters are not forced to come to the entrance ceremony, but the moment they take a seat, they find that they can neither speak nor get up again until the ceremony is over.

The assistant principal stands behind the podium on stage, looking rather nervous as she glances down at the watch on her wrist for it to be time, and clears her throat before addressing the room. "Yogen High welcomes you, all our new students," she pauses, beaming at the row of first year classes before her gaze sweeps over the rest of the student body, "our transfer students, our returning students, our... repeat students..." Looking at you, Norton, Gawain, Abel... "I, um. You may have noticed that I am standing in for our principal today, who is currently... unavailable... and didn't exactly leave any notes to go off of..." She wilts a little, but trucks on nonetheless and continues the address, promising that the teachers will pass along any important announcements, expressing her belief in the potential of young minds, and wishing everybody a fulfilling school year. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.

School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school. Gossip is flying already with news of the transfer students caught breaking into the school over break and what punishments they might get, rumors of what happened to the principal ranging from a family emergency to hospitalization to death, complaints about the water pipes not getting fixed over break, and general excitement over upcoming events listed on the bulletin board by the lockers, in particular new club advertisements, fortune telling ads, and a Charity Auction to be hosted the Monday after Golden Week next month.

April

School is school... The first thing teachers ask at homeroom Tuesday morning is for students to hand in their spring break homework. Didn't do it? You're on their shit list now. Characters are not forced to attend class, but patrolling faculty and student council members will heckle any truant students into going and can be a pain to deal with. Classes aren't taught terribly, though. The second year math teacher has a knack for easily digestible explanations, even if she writes and erases the board a bit too quickly to copy. The third year literature teacher combines weekly analytical essays with film studies, and is showing Child's Play, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Silence of the Lambs, and Where the Red Fern Grows this month. The first year biology teacher brings eyeballs and frogs and rats for dissection during anatomy lessons, and if you have a special request for a specific eye color, give him a day or two and he can deliver. 2-A's homeroom teacher can be seen stealing chalk from each of the second year classroom she rotates through and is offering extra credit to any students who sneak her chalk without asking questions.

New students will quickly learn that merit points are awarded for a full day's attendance, turning in homework, participating in class and clubs, scoring 80% or higher on quizzes and exams, etc. Less predictably, the PDA may sometimes ping for a single merit point when hanging out with a friend or arguing with a classmate, with stronger emotions (positive or negative) when interacting with somebody else more likely to trigger a point, and if students are abusing this system, it's kept out of the faculty's eyes. As the month goes on, sometimes a student comes to class with a cut eyelid, or a busted lip, or bandages wrapped thick around a wrist, but they always deny anything more than clumsiness or an accident or having pets who very aggressively show their love. Sometimes it's harder to hide, when a bloody nose drips onto the ground or bleeding knuckles brush against the wall, and those near enough to see blood touch the building will find that everything sort of... shifts... Just for a second. The feeling of vertigo that stops almost as soon as it begins, the world tilting without slotting back into alignment. You feel a bit nauseous. Just a little.

You go to the bathroom to splash water on your face and the pink looks a little darker, a little more solid. On the fourth floor, the water has stopped running in the bathroom sinks altogether, and students are told to go downstairs to do their business so that they may wash up after. With more students milling around the bathrooms, it's much easier to notice that people's reflections in the mirrors are just a bit off, lagging that split second long enough to be impossible to ignore once aware.

Every day you have homework. A new essay for something or other is assigned each week. Nobody wants to do group projects with a slacker who can't promise to meet up after school to get it done. Like clockwork, the school empties out at 6 PM each school day, leaving those behind to their own devices. There is no school on Sundays. Golden Week marks the end of the month, and guess who's going to be stuck at school for an entire week with only vending machine junk food to live off of if they aren't able to make progress concerning their living situation? Yeah.

Charity Auction

At least students have the charity auction to look forward to and work towards. Information about the auction set on May 10 can be found on the bulletin board, and appears to be put together by the student council as an annual event and an incentive for students to start the year off strong in earning merit points. Both students and staff are encouraged to donate to the auction, with the items collected and put on display in the auditorium behind locked glass cases. On May 10, students will be able to bid on items using their merit points, those who donate will receive 10% of the winning bid towards their item, and the school will match donations 100 to 1 point with proceeds going towards the "Save A Brain Foundation."

Throughout the month, glass cases lining the walls of the auditorium start to fill up with donations. The most popular donations seem to be physical items: possessions such as jewelry or gaming consoles, or artistic creations such as hand sewn clothing or paintings. There are placeholders for things that can't be put on display all month, such as placards with a picture or description of homemade food that won't be prepared until the auction date, or the promise of fishing lessons with the guidance counselor or a dinner date with the school principal (pending availability). At the back of the room stands the largest case, with the skinny black cat often found lying on top of it as if guarding it, although it will run away when approached.

Inside the case is a body.

OOC

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✽ The plot will only move forward as things are discussed and acted upon, and clues distributed during app acceptances are meant to be shared and connected, so don't be afraid to ask questions and dig into things! I am here to enable.

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[WELL. okay. that's one way to make him take the damn fruit snacks, even if he's still making a face about it. Mostly he's just amazed at this guy's brazen personality...

He sighs, pausing to adjust his monocle. Alright, fine.]

I guess I should thank you anyway... but really, you should be saving those for someone who needs them. [Not him. He can manage. Probably.] I'm... not good with blood, is all it was. I'm perfectly fine now.

[he's sure not in any rush to get back before class finishes, though]

[ yeah, that's right, you take those fruit snacks and you like it bud, you better eat them too they're delicious, probably

Abel is fitting This Man with a stare. it's unimpressed, and skeptical, and... maybe still concerned despite his reassurances. ]

Blood...? [ blood, you say. ] Ah, well, that's... understandable. Um-- was someone injured, sir...? Squeamish, hm.

[ not that he's judging you for being squeamish?

but he's sure going to pretend like he is, because why not. ]

[He probably will eat them, if only because he'd feel weirder about giving priest-germs to Noah. Success?]

No, no one was injured. Aside from the frog, anyway. [the frog was pretty dead.] It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before, either, but when your body is... ah, never mind. [that would... take too long to explain, probably. he sighs.]

So what's your excuse for being out here? Just skipping class? [normally that would be in a scolding tone, but considering Abel is clearly not a high school student... yeah, no, he gets a pass. skip all the classes you want tbh.]

[ perfect!! eat them, and become energized...! hopefully. at least slightly less hungry, in any case.

oh, so the ‘injured’ party was the dissection frog... Abel briefly makes a wince in sympathy. poor frog. you lived, you died, and now you’re oogled by kids for science. what a rough lot, ]

Body...?

[ curiosity...?! at that trailing off, there, but Abel moves on if his friend here doesn’t want to elaborate...? ]

—Well, as thrilling as classes have proven to be the second time around, I can’t say I’m finding myself glued to my seat in intrigue... [ he has a feeling You Understand. ] Actually, I guess you could say I just needed to stretch my legs a bit. And... well. I’ve run into a few of us ‘transfers’ who are looking a bit under the weather... Have you noticed...? It’s a bit concerning, if things keep up like this.

[ not exactly rocket science to figure out why... being stuck in this run-down school with limited supplies, no beds and no showers, and nothing but blood-water to make due with?? not exactly a recipe for well-adjusted and happy faces. generally speaking. ]

[Body, yes... it's honestly not as sore of a point as you'd expect, but really, it is just too much of a mouthful to try and explain. As much as he'd like to express his joy in being able to vomit again, that is, perhaps, not the politest of topics to cover on a first meeting.]

Literature wasn't so bad. None of the books were ones I'd heard of before. History was also pretty interesting... but math is math no matter where you're from. [he can do math. he would hope Abel can also do math.] Mm. It's to be expected, under these living conditions... this certainly isn't a school meant to be lived in. Not even a proper dining hall! At least there's a kitchen, but how long are those supplies going to last over the next break?

[He's definitely worried. All the more reason to hoard points until golden week... if they managed to survive spring break, surely the next break will be behind them just as quickly? But that's not going to do much to improve morale, he's sure.]

[ ...well, that's alright - he's perfectly capable of accepting that some 'body' related topics might be taboo and personal, so he'll let it slide. (FOR NOW.) ]

Oh, believe me, ruminating over the distinct lack of a cafeteria is absolutely one of my pastimes since finding myself in this hovel! And no showers?? This is downright cruel and unusual punishment if you ask me...! Nevermind the indignance of grown men being shoved into uniforms and being paraded about as-- as degenerate repeat-years!! I'm not sure about you, but I certainly paid my school dues already, thank you very much!

[ hey so like, Abel can't do much to improve any of the above but at least he can distract from any lingering feelings of an uneasy stomach Clamor might possess with copious amounts of venting, ]

--Abel! Father Abel Nightroad, by the way. Ridiculous, it's really ridiculous.

[ this is the haughtiest introduction?? why does he sound mad about it, despite the polite offer of his hand for a shake? who knows, including him. ]

After fighting tooth-and-nail to get accepted into the Tower, it does sting a bit to get treated like an academic failure... [He's certainly distracting from something alright. Goodness, this man can talk...

He stares at the hand, slightly wary—does he trust that this man wouldn't have something weird on his hands??—but ultimately decides to just accept the handshake. Sure, okay, this guy seems... reasonable enough. Perhaps a little obnoxious, but he does seem to have his heart in the right place. Probably.]

Clamor... err, Father, was it? [he might be giving Abel a bit of look, unsure if the correct response is "congratulations" or just "what". There are priests in Elrios, but not that kind of priest, so.]

[ 'tower?' some kind of scholarly institution from the sound of it. is his new friend here the well-read type? kind of fits his aesthetic tbh,

okay listen being suspicious of his hand is valid, clamor is valid, but it's actually clean and totally safe. (probably.) the priest's handshake is gentle and his smile friendly despite the melodrama of .5 seconds ago. ]

Ah! Mr. Clamor? [ interesting name to match an interesting fellow with an apparently interesting body, ] --Oh, um, yes! As in, clergy? I work for the Vatican, a touring priest~!

[ yes,

seriously, somehow, ]

Might I ask what the 'tower' is, by the way? I'm a bit curious! Somewhere you study? Are you a student...?

Oh, a priest? That's... surprisingly noble of you. [a priest who harasses teenagers for vending machine snacks... well, it's not like he's met many priests, let alone a foreign priest. on the other hand, "father" sounds like some kind of weird cult leader title so excuse him for being a little sketched out anyway. he is, at least, trying not to judge too much.] Is the Vatican the name of your sect? Can't say I've heard of it before, but I've never been much of a religious man.

Tower, as in Seven Tower. [... which would normally need no introduction, even in present-day Elrios, but alas. He looks a little sad about it, but only for a moment.] It's an institute for mages and gifted individuals, the finest in all of Elrios... or it was, anyway. It's something of a long story, but yes, I did study there.

[ haha 'noble,' yes he's so noble?? Abel puts on an expression of zen-like serenity in the face of this praise. yes, look at him, the most noble of creatures. ]

Ah? No, no - the Vatican is a... um, it's rather complicated, but for simplicity's sake I suppose you could call it the face of the church where I'm from. [ haha post-apocalyptic Vatican sure is a mood. what kind of mood is another matter, ] The Papal States are under its control and all that, but I'm often sent to outside territories for my duties. A touring priest~!

[ yes just so noble, this simple touring priest.

--anyway, ]

...I suppose the Seven Tower is along the same vein of notoriety, for you? [ aka these are things they shouldn't have to explain, but here they are doing it anyway because

vague gesture to multi-dimensional nexus high school??? ]

I'm afraid 'Elrios' is completely foreign to me, too. Is that a country...? G-goodness, this really is surreal, isn't it...

[a touring priest..... what would a priest even do on "tour". still sounds weird, but again, what the hell would he know about priests and their duties? Maybe Noah would be able to tell him if this guy is legit.]

It's more of a continent... well, it's two continents now. [that's....... also kind of a long story but look its fine] I wouldn't worry too much about it. Parallel dimensions have been theorized about for centuries, though I can't say I expected to end up in one like this. I've yet to meet anyone else from Elrios here aside from the person I arrived with. Whatever this school really is, it must be located somewhere between dimensions or in a place where the boundaries are at their weakest.

[ a continent, no two continents... --um, right, he's nodding along as if he's made sense of that (just Different World Things, got it) - before tilting his head slightly at this... parallel dimension talk. ]

Ah-- wait, so you mean to say there's someone else you're familiar with from home here with you?

[ what?? cheating tbh??? Clamor, not fair??????? ]

Hm? Oh, yes. We arrived together. [more like he's physically incapable of going anywhere without Noah so he blames that for why they both got stuck here... not that he's complaining.]

I take it you're here alone, then?

...Did you have to word it that way? I'm already developing a complex being here all by my lonesome, and now you're rubbing salt into the wound...?

[ his shoulders deflate and he prods at his glasses with a sullen look. WOW?? not all of us came with CUTE companions from home, okay!?!?! ]

So, then... were you two together, before finding yourself here? I suppose maybe you were taken at the same time, hm? [ smh if only Abel had stayed close to Esther. her and her shotgun, he misses them, suddenly. ]

Ehh, I think you'll live. [you're a grown-ass man abel he's allowed to be mean to you, dwi lol]

You could say we're quite inseparable... anyway, that's probably all it is. We were together at the time, so I got dragged along, as usual. Why do you ask? Were you with someone else as well before you woke up here?

[ haha jokes on u he may be grown on the outside but he is 5 forever haha gottem

...inseparable? oh?? is Clamor soft for whoever he came here with? suddenly the Nosy Machine has been activated at 5000% output, ]

--Ah? Really? Family, then? [ WHO WAS IT he's abruptly intensely interested... ] Oh -- yes, I was with... ah, coworkers, but neither of them ended up here with me. Both of them were younger, too, so I'm not quite sure why I had the pleasure of being taken in their stead, considering the whole...

[ school?? thing????? Clamor why are they here. ]

Well, not exactly family... [with a slightly awkward smile, because he does think of Noah as family... but considering the kid's whole dead brother problem, it feels a little disrespectful to assume he'd be okay with that ~~aka yes they're family but neither of them knows how to admit it yet help~~] We share a similar goal, so we've been travelling companions for the past year. Not that I'd just leave the kid to fend for himself if that weren't the case—he's a got a good head on his shoulders, but a kid his age really shouldn't be wandering around on his own. The least I can do is make sure he's taking care of himself.

[... and now it feels weird to be talking about him without saying who he is so. fine. the nosy machine wins]

Noah, in class 3-D. Shy kid, blue eyes, wears too many dark colours... don't tell him I told you this, but would you keep an eye out for him? He's at that rebellious age, so he doesn't always ask for help when he needs it.

[ Clamor...?? CLAMOR?? please tell this priest he will make it his single-minded mission to bring these two cuties together in familial cuteness... wow,

oh, so it's a child they're discussing... someone Clamor has forged a tight bond with. 'inseparable,' hm? and the way he's speaking of the boy has a little softness touching Abel's expression. ]

Mr. Noah? --Ah, I'm in 3-C, so I think we've crossed paths a few times, though I don't think we've had the pleasure of talking! I can certainly keep an eye out. [ convenient Abel is right next door huh? wow okay, not like he'd say it aloud, but his respect for this man just went up a good 500 pts... looking out for a kiddo, a well-meaning protector; Abel is particularly weak for this kind of thing, ] Don't worry; I'll be very discreet. Our little secret.

[ he's pat-patting Clamor's shoulder.

...if he is worried about the 'discreet' part, that is valid. ]

So, how did the two of you end up traveling together? You're both after the same thing, you said? --Ah, hey, by the way... do you like tea, Mr. Clamor? Maybe you can tell me a bit about it over a cup, if you'd like; it might settle your stomach...?

[yeah............. yeah expecting Abel to be discreet might be asking for too much. It's not like Clamor is very discreet about it either, though, so. Noah will probably figure it out and be embarrassed after five whole seconds.

but that's fine, since he just wants to make sure Noah is being looked after. Give your fruitsnacks to someone who needs them.]

Ahaha, well, it's... a bit of a long story. [god is it a long story. a long and confusing story full of time travel and retcons and a bunch of plot holes that still haven't been addressed yet but were probably because cultists...] I'm afraid I can't say it's a happy one, either. I wouldn't want to kill the mood of a perfectly good tea party, but thank you for the offer.

[abel seems like a nice, relatively normal guy, he probably wouldn't wanna hear about someone else's tragic backstory]

[ haha yeah just a normal guy, just a regular ass priest here,

oh. that answer has his smile faltering, just a bit. ]

Not a happy story... [ ah; he sees. ] Well, if you change your mind - the offer stands, alright? Priests are notoriously good listeners...! It's part of the job to hear the troubles of one's soul and all that. [ confessional..... repentance... so on and so forth, you get the gist Clamor you're a smart bean. ]

Um-- well, in any case, considering our circumstances... just remember I'll be around, if you change your mind. --I'll do my best to keep an eye on Mr. Noah, in the interim, okay?

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