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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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( Shuffle shuffle shuffle... )

Is it just your future you'd like a reading ON, or are you seeking something speciFIC?

( ...he'll lay them out on the desk, gesturing. )

Pick three cards for the FIRST, or four cards for the seCOND. The last card on that one provides extra inSIGHT.

Edited (not ME forgetting words) 2021-04-06 13:39 (UTC)

My future.

[ He picks several cards at random - supposedly random, or as random as he can make it. Does this boy really do have magic even though coming here has robbed Ain of his? ]

( Maybe not the same kind of magic Ain's thinking, but -

his spread is a little mixed: Ten of Hearts, Two of Clubs, and Four of Clubs. Natsume tilts his head it, considering it, and neatly tucks the rest of the cards back into deck-shape. The three Ain's pulled stay out, put into the order he took them. )

Our present and future is always informed by our PAST, but what a worrisome "future" you have ahead of you if something positive created such circumSTANCES... ( Half-mumbled, but he places his fingers on the first card anyway and speaks up for his reading: ) Your first card is the ten of HEARTS. It's a very auspicious CARD, suggesting good luck and sucCESS. An important card that often suggests good fortune after terrible difficulTY, it's generally a welcome sight in reaDINGS. Were this in the present or future posiTION, I'd be happier for YOU.

I'd be happier for you as well if the cards that followed weren't riddled with STRIFE. The suit of clubs often denote action - making changes or having couRAGE, things like THAT, so I'd consider it a rather positive SUIT. HoweVER... There are cards within it that have less-than-wonderful meaNINGS. ( He moves his fingers to the next two cards as he reads them, gaze lowering. ) The two of clubs indicates there are obstacles to your success or malicious gosSIP, while the four of clubs warns you to beware of dishonesty and deCEIT. It's possible your success is some areas will lead to people badmouthing you or otherwise getting in your way at preSENT, and that taking advice or words at face-value will only exacerbate the isSUE.

In the same vein THOUGH, I don't believe it will do you any good to distrust every soul you meet - you simply have to use your best judgment and not simply blindly agree with what you HEAR. ( ...Natsume chuckles a little, leaning away; he sounds a little wry, as if stumbling upon the thought himself is sort of a hindsight situation. ) I suppose that goes for my fortunes as WELL. I don't know if this applies to anything in your life at home either - a smaller spread such as this is for a more immediate future than you might THINK, so I'd likely keep it in your thoughts going forward while we're trapped in this hell of a SCHOOL.

[ Listening to Natsume talk for an extended amount of time makes him feel strange. It's probably the youth's way of speaking, but he tries to be attentive nevertheless. ]

....... okay.

[ This seems very vague to him - then again, he's been dealing with vague instructions from his creator, so he supposes this is par for the course. He doubts he'll succeed at anything other than sleeping and dying, though. ]

How did you learn all of this?

My mommy taught ME. She's the most wonderful and skilled fortuneteller in the entire WORLD.

( He loves his mom...... he's a mommy's boy.... )

Every card has a meaning ascribed to IT, and it's merely up to those who are able to interpret them to do SO. Not everyone possesses the patience nor clarity of mind in order to accomplish such a thing and mean for it to be helpFUL, rather than just a way to earn moNEY.

[ So it's a familial art? He figures humans probably need fortune telling if they don't have the guidance of a god. ]

... you can't tell us a way to get out of here, can you?

[ It's a rhetorical question. Ain flops back down onto his desk. ]

UnfortunateLY, that path is obscured for the moMENT.

( ...Even Maya's words were more cryptic than helpful, but it's fine. He's still mulling over their conversation and probably will be for the next week and a half, the DEAD BODY HAPPENING DURING HIS FORTUNETELLING WEEKS NOTWITHSTANDING this is such bad business. )

It's only the first month of SCHOOL. Perhaps we'll learn more in TIME, and it's a matter of waiting for that moment to STRIKE. As torturous as it may SEEM... That might simply be the only course of action we can take for NOW.

[ Waiting... Ain's never been particularly good at that. ]

Alright.

[ There's just one thing about waiting. He tries to decide if he should tell Natsume, keeping silent for a few moments until: ]

You know... I'm telling you this, because you're not from here. I'll die soon.

[ Maybe he'll die here before he can get out. There's no telling what will be the end for an angel like him. ]

( ...hm. that gives him a small pause - heavier things have been dropped on him before, but none said so plainly. )

If you wanted to look at that end positiveLY, that would technically be a way of leaving this SCHOOL. ( morbid, but not really ideal. ) You're certain of your FATE?

Dying wouldn't return me home. And it's a coward's way of leaving here, even if it worked.

[ There's the slightest stress on 'me'. Maybe humans' souls will go back to their worlds, but Ain is sure that's not the case for him. ]

I'm certain. [ As if by way of implicit explanation, he places a hand over his chest, where the hole in his body had formed. ]

( Very interesting. Natsume follows his hand, thoughtful, but nods. )

Even the best medicines can only slow someone's inevitable demise - those with terminal illness will succumb to them in TIME. Whether or not that's the case with YOU, ( ain is admittedly a little weird looking so it probably isn't like, a normal person disease ) the sentiment is the same, I supPOSE.

( the former student council president has anime sickboy disease he's going to die eventually natsume just has to wait for that to happen and th )

I don't believe dying here would return any of us to our homes eiTHER, to be honest with YOU. A chat I had with Arisu-shi earlier this week implied leaving had to do with wakefulness - and not the same time as simply waking from a DREAM, but of realizaTION. We're here to learn someTHING, and whatever that may be will be the key to leaving this SCHOOL... Or so my theory GOES.

[ Natsume?????? ]

Oh?

[ Ain visibly looks more alert. ]

Like that graduation ceremony. One person saying 'wake up'?

PreciseLY. I assured her I was aWAKE, but she said I must still be asleep if I can't remember the events of last YEAR.

( Hmmm-mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. )

I believe that we're already awake to our own worlds and existenCES, hence why we're able to remember THOSE, but we might have to wake up to the truth of this WORLD, whatever that might BE. How ever that might BE.

[ There are plenty of theories he can make about the weirdness here, but none can be proven until they have actual concrete proof. ]

Hard to enact this process of waking up if we don't have clear instructions.

[ That's what he's struggling with. Angels need programming. ]

Isn't that the TRUTH?

( Natsume appreciates clear direction too, but he's detective'd once he will do it again- )

With LUCK, things will become clear in due TIME... As frustrating as it can BE, sometimes all you can do is WAIT. Patience is often rewarded THOUGH, so I don't mind biding my time that MUCH.

( What he minds is not having all of the information but that just can't be helped right now so whatever!! )

[ Waiting... it all comes back to waiting. Good thing that Ain in his current form is plenty fine with waiting. ]

So we just wait and act like how others do, to blend in.

[ That he can do. Though, his general appearance already sets him apart from the rest. ]

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April

Charity Auction

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