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wake up

You open your eyes. And then immediately squeeze them shut as a cloud of chalk dust gets clapped in your face, the student next to you looking surprised— but the sort of surprised as if they're faking it, barely suppressing a laugh. "What're you dozing off for, transfer student?" they ask, going back to wiping clean the chalkboard you two are standing in front of. "The sooner we get everything cleaned up, the sooner we can go home!" Another classmate tosses a wet rag at the side of your face, laughing as if a joke— if it weren't strangely warm to the touch, with dark red stains smelling strongly of iron.

All characters open their eyes and wake up in one of the classrooms around school. Whatever they remember last, it's lost in a thick, sleepy fog, the drowsiness still wearing off and making it difficult to reconcile the fact that they've never seen this classroom or these people in their lives, but somehow, it feels like they've been here forever. The other students all act familiar towards you, calling you by name and encouraging you to help clean the classrooms as part of observing the Vernal Equinox. Buckets of soapy water are set on the desks around the classrooms, light pink suds spilling over the sides, and both students and faculty can be seen hard of work scrubbing dark, stubborn stains out of the walls and floors. "It must be absolutely spotless," they murmur under their breaths. "All evidence must be erased."

You don't have to stay and clean. You could throw the rag back into a bucket and flip these strangers the bird and exit the classroom. But those who don't help clean even a little will find that they leave sticky red footprints wherever they walk, creating more work for everybody else and becoming very easy to track down and """accidentally""" knock over the backside of the head with a mop handle. Besides, it's not like you can walk out of the school and get back to whatever you were doing before. Your feet may bring you to the front door on autopilot, but the doors do not open for you, and neither do any of the windows no matter how hard you try to pry them open or kick them in.

Careful, though. On some windowsills, particularly on the third and fourth floors, rests a stack of five flat stones one on top of another: a gorinto to those who recognize such a thing, a pile of rocks to those who do not. The stones are all damp with water, topped with a scattering of wisteria flowers, and flanked by cheap packaged snacks. Whether on accident or on purpose, the moment you touch any of it—-

wake up

You open your eyes. The last thing you remember is touching a wet stone or trying to swipe the rice cracker beside it, and in the next moment, you're somewhere else inside the school. Characters who touch the gorinto or its offerings will find themselves pulled into a memory of high school life, one that feels like theirs, although they recognize that that's impossible. There's the feeling of being classmates with the other characters- perhaps two characters are seat partners, or best friends, or rivals, or club members- but despite the familiarity, do not know each other's names or recall ever seeing their faces before. Essentially, live your pre-established cr high school au dreams.

The memories fade in and out of different scenarios, but they all start off the same: You open your eyes.

You open your eyes and the inside of your left wrist is stinging; you stop scratching, pulling your other hand away before the angry red lines on your skin splits and bleeds. Somebody calls your name, just as you see a pan slide off the stovetop out of the corner of your eye, and the stinging on your wrist flares to a searing burn, hot oil splattering you and the person next to you.

You open your eyes. You're flat on your back in a room that smells of paint thinner, your chest is heavy, and it's so hard to breathe. Something is crushing your throat- a fluffy white cat with golden eyes, purring and kneading away, but then somebody calls your name and its fluff puffs twice its size in surprise, claws sinking into your throat, hooking and tearing as the cat scampers away.

You open your eyes. A kendo shinai comes down hard on your head, the one in your hand failing to come up quick enough to guard, your classmates groaning in sympathy all around you. Your head is spinning, you feel sick.

You open your eyes. You and a friend are seated side by side in the clock tower, back to the walls and feeling the resounding toll of the bell fill your entire being as the count reaches ten, eleven, twelve. The world turns to silence. Your friend opens their mouth to speak, but you cannot hear them. You cannot hear anything.

(tw: implied suicide) You open your eyes. Your classmate sits on the other side of your desk, a spread of sandwiches and juice boxes between you and the window to your side providing a clear view of the upper branches of the wisteria tree in full bloom. And the strangled look on an upperclassman's face as they fall headfirst from the sky on the other side of the glass, hurtling towards the pavement of the courtyard below.

You open your eyes—-

You're standing in front of a window, cold fingers wrapped around your wrist and pulling it away from the pile of stones. Perhaps another character has come to your rescue, or else one student in particular who shakes his head, whispers "don't," and walks away.

wake up

You open your eyes and wipe a bit of drool off the corner of your mouth. There's really no shame, when half the students sitting around you in the auditorium are half asleep as well. As if coming out of a dream, the characters don't remember getting here, just that they are now- sitting in uncomfortably hard plastic chairs in the back rows in the auditorium, the school principal's flat, droning voice reverberating oddly off the walls of the large room. No matter how hard you try, you cannot get up out of your seat.

"...and now, let us congratulate the graduating class," the principal says, stepping back from the podium. A single student rises to her feet and meets the principal at the center of the stage, her long dark hair falling across her face as she bows and receives her diploma. "Congratulations, graduate. May your life be full and prosperous. Please, if you would say a few words..."

The girl straightens and pushes her hair out of her face with one hand— she has no other hand, the entire sleeve of her right rolled all the way up to the shoulder and pinned flat. She forgoes the podium and the microphone, but somehow, her voice rings out clearly and reaches all the way to the back of the room: "Keep your eyes open."

With that parting message, she steps off the stage, disappearing into the mass of students who stand and fill the room with applause, drawing the graduation ceremony to a close. Characters find that they can now get up and move, which is a good thing because the other students are all pushing and shoving to get out of the auditorium and out the front doors, phasing right through the closed doors. Like a sieve, the school empties out, leaving behind the dregs.

wake up

Your eyes are open and the school is quiet. None of the students or faculty remain in the school, and all the staff— the principal, faculty, nurse, and counselor's— offices are locked. A skinny black cat flicks its tail from where it sits on top one of the lockers, where characters can find a copy of the school calendar showing the next two weeks to be spring vacation, with the school being closed for the holiday.

At least, with school vacated, it's clear from those left who's in the same boat and allows the chance for exploration away from prying eyes of the other students and staff. Introductions are probably in order, a discussion of what the fuck is going on, maybe also a plan of attack— or a plan for survival, at the very least, because there is no way out of this school. What ingredients are left in the home economics kitchen is going to have to last everybody the next two weeks. The student store is already empty. The water runs pink. The vending machines don't respond to jostling or being kicked over and brought to the ground, only the last dozen "merit points" on your PDA that you can't earn any more of, with class out of session. The snack you've been hiding in your locker should probably be saved as a last resort. The cats are starting to look tasty.

Hang in there. School will be starting again real soon.

OOC

✽ Characters experience the recurring feeling of drifting in (school life) and out (canon life) of sleep up until the graduation ceremony, after which they will have full awareness and come to their senses. Pre-established cr is possible to some extent, as a varying degree of familiarity may remain, but all characters will be strangers to one another unless they know each other in canon. All npcs will know the characters' names, but characters will not know each other's names until introduced.

✽ The second prompt occurs upon a character touching a gorinto or any of the offerings surrounding it. While touching it, characters fall into a trance and experience different scenes of high school life, with examples given in the prompt but players are free to play out any aspect of normal school life taking place at any time during the school year.

✽ stopit is an npc and will be available for threading in his toplevel during the vernal equinox and graduation day, but not during spring break. After the game opens, he will be available as a student for threading on the npc contact page. The graduating student will not be available for threading in this TDM.

✽ During spring break, all npc students and faculty will be absent from the school, with exception of one white cat and one black cat. For this TDM, in addition to the areas greyed out and inaccessible on the locations page, the faculty office and nurse's office are locked and unavailable, as there is no staff. The library and club rooms remain open, but supplies will not replenish themselves.

✽ As a reminder, all doors and windows leading outside are locked and cannot be broken. From midnight until 6AM, all sound disappears from the world. Characters are free to use their PDA as a network, but it is text (and shitty touchpad art) only and all threads are public.

✽ TDM threads may be used for bonus activity after April AC is submitted.

Comments

[carpevinum]

[He'd had his time at the gorinto not too long ago, and though he hasn't been keeping tabs on the strange object... when passing it by, he notices the child whose hand seems to be glued to the stones, and as much as this absolutely isn't his business...

He breathes a sigh. The less people they have affected by this school's odd magic, the better, and so Lucifer briskly steps over and almost swats her hand away.]

Don't touch that.

[What sorts of awful things had she seen, he wonders?]

[dokkans]

[ Her eyes opened yet again, and this time she felt a small bit of nausea, stumbling back away from the stones. Bonnie grimaced, hands at her own neck as she tried to feel for cuts or bruises there, or on her face, or on her arms. ]

What the hell was that? [ It seems like she's stable. Physically at the moment, anyway. ]

[carpevinum]

It's a pretty basic form of magic.

["Basic" to Lucifer anyway, who has far too much experience with such things.]

It appears to be a mix of mind magics in particular — one part compulsion, and the other a simple spell to tamper with your memories. I'm not sure what you saw, but it was likely not real.

[He talks like he's the expert on such things, in a way that sounds just a bit like bragging. It's subtle, but easy to notice if one looks out for it.]

[dokkans]

No kidding. Weird that my throat really wasn't torn to shreds.

[ The way it was presented to her was frustrating. Did she let her guard down that badly to be effected by magic like that? Ridiculous.

She sucks her teeth, soon staring right at Lucifer. ]

You're familiar with magic? Do you know who did this?

[ They have a date with whatever she can find to kill them with. ]

[carpevinum]

Unfortunately not. If I knew who or what was responsible for, [he flips his wrist,] this, I'd have already dealt with the problem.

[Lucifer typically is immune to minor mind-altering magics such as this, though that's not information he chooses to disclose. Other people getting dragged into this madness is one thing; him being forced into such a situation is an entirely different story.]

Whoever — or whatever — we're dealing with is extremely powerful. There's no telling what other magics are running rampant around here. [A contemplative pause, and then,] How much do you know of magic yourself?

[dokkans]

Mostly that it's a pain to deal with. I can't use it myself, but I've seen it from time to time.

[ At least, she's sure it's magic. What else could anything these damn Darkstalkers perform be? Not that it's really any of his business, but hearing that something powerful's lurking around? Suddenly, her interest is piqued. ]

It must be. I didn't even notice that I was under any kind of spell! For that to happen so many times, it'd have to be strong. I'm not so easily influenced, you know!

[carpevinum]

[That's debatable in Lucifer's opinion. The girl looks human on first glance, but it would be a little odd for him to ask if she is to confirm or not. In any case, humans in his experience tend to be the least bit susceptible to magic, even the most powerful ones out there.]

The same is true for me, [he says with a nod, not outwardly doubting her claims,] which implies that whatever has dragged us here is likely not something that can be dealt with easily.

[Lucifer is typically quite proficient at undoing virulent magics, including curses and charms, but for some reason he can't quite get a grip on his own magic. It's as if it abandoned him entirely. He's frustrated, but there's no use in dwelling on it, not when there's no feasible way to regain what he's lost. That all being said...]

My primary hypothesis on the matter is that this is something being caused by a powerful sorcerer. That, or somehow everyone within this school somehow stepped into an alternate dimension... [Which doesn't hold as much water as the first theory, in his mind, but certainly is possible.] Do you have any thoughts on the matter?

[dokkans]

[ There wasn't much of a need to hide who she was here, it seemed like. She needed to know a bit more about this school and everybody else, and whether or not there was an extermination that needed to be done. Still, she's as human as humans can be, even if she's... irritated at the idea of being effected by magic in the first place. ]

Mm, well... I don't know about it being a sorcerer! I think they'd have shown themselves by now if they were that strong. After all, wouldn't you want to gloat if you were strong enough to cause this mess?

[ Bonnie knows she is, for sure. But she'll leave that for now. ]

I'd bet it's an alternate dimension of some kind! I've been whisked away like this before, but at least then I knew where I was. Still, why would they place us in a school? That part makes no sense.

[carpevinum]

I certainly would gloat. [She's got him there. Pride Demon and all that.] However, to avoid being put out of my misery too early, I think I'd be smart enough to hide away. There are a number of people trapped within the confines of this school, some of which are likely angrier than you or I.

[That may be an overstatement, as Lucifer doubts anyone could reach his level of wrath at the situation unless it were his younger brother, who is mysteriously absent from this place. Most of the students he's seen wandering around over spring break have looked very unimposing, very normal, and Lucifer reasons he's one of the few here with an actual will to kill off whoever or whatever has them stuck in this situation.]

Although... I find myself in agreement with you that a school is a little odd. If I were to seal someone away in another dimension, I would pick something ostensibly more horrible, such as the ninth layer of hell or a boundless abyss...

[He trails off, shaking his head.]

If this is an alternate dimension, whoever casted the spell to put us here is likely outside of the dimension itself, meaning we would have to escape from it. Unfortunately, my magic was locked down the moment I woke up here, although aside from magical escape tactics, these sorts of dimensions usually have alternate methods of leaving. Ascertaining whether or not the spellcaster is here and whether or not escape is possible without force would be a logical first step. Perhaps portals open that drop others off in this location, and slipping through them is possible.

[dokkans]

[ When B.B. thinks about it, it makes sense. Sure, if you're strong enough to take out anyone then establishing that dominance would probably feel good. But at the same time, it might put someone like her in a position to kill them right away!

Which is why she's hoping they're not that smart. If there are that many other captives though, chances are they're just biding their time. ]

Oh, I've been to some place like that! Not the ninth layer, but something kinda like Hell. That's where I thought we were when I first woke up, but there wouldn't be so many human faces around here!

[ Why would monsters of any kind disguise themselves when they're in their own realm? Bonnie smiles a bit, starting to feel a bit better about her chances. Sounds like this guy has a good head on his shoulders! Or at least, is someone who's dangerous enough to have as an ally as opposed to an enemy. For now. ]

Then, is it okay to ask for your help? It would be bad if I'm stuck here for so long, my poor puppy would be so upset.

[carpevinum]

[Ha, yeah, why would monsters disguise themselves in their own realm? Couldn't be Lucifer. Totally not relatable at all or anything. (He doesn't walk around back home wings-out all the time, sheesh, he'd probably accidentally slap over some vases or something.)

The fact that this... she has to be a kid, right? She looks like a kid. The fact that this kid has been to a place akin to Hell itself is surprising to Lucifer, and he finds himself actually impressed that she's still alive. How interesting. She might be a good ally to have here if she truly can hold her own so well.]

I wouldn't be opposed to teaming up with someone who can survive something akin to Hell. [A smile, however slight, creeps onto his features.] Although, I believe I forgot to ask your name, so I apologise. My name is Lucifer.

[He, too, has a dog who would be absolutely pissed if he didn't come home in one piece, but that dog is... uh... literally Cerberus, so it's probably a bit of a different situation.]

[dokkans]

[ It's almost as silly as pretending you're a sweet and innocent girl that's just lost and terrified when confronted. But, given how this conversation has gone, B.B. immediately realizes that there's no need for that. She can be herself!

The 'herself' that's in a good mood at the moment. Even moreso when her talent's being acknowledged! As opposed to his slight smile, Bonnie continues beaming, giving him a giggle. ]

Lucifer... what a nice name! It feels kinda familiar.

[ Of course, she can't judge a book by its cover. She's sure he feels the same. ]

Baby Bonnie Hood, Special S-Class Hunter! Oh, but I guess right now, I'm just a student aren't I?

[carpevinum]

[A hunter, is she? Indeed, she's someone to keep on his good side, but strategy aside... two heads are often better than one, and Lucifer admittedly has very few human friends.]

For the time being, it would seem. [He manages the softest inkling of a laugh.] I'm going to assume that "S-Class" is either the highest rank, or one of the highest ranks? In which case, I must ask out of curiosity — how does one as young as yourself reach such a rank? It's impressive, and certainly seems like no easy feat.

[dokkans]

Kinda. You see, S-Class is the typical highest rank. I'm a level above that.

[ Her voice levels out a bit, from the cutesy tone to something a bit more neutral. Lower, for sure. ]

Why, I just have to be really, really good at killing Darkstalkers. I don't let demons or monsters get past me without me bringing their head back. It's just that simple, especially when they think I'm just a weak little girl. ♪

[carpevinum]

[Ah, how pleasant.

Despite her words, Lucifer feels little need to actually hide his true nature from her, and something about that look in her eyes tells him that she may have already figured him out. If not? She seems intelligent enough to parse it eventually. Yet another reason to keep Bonnie on his good side, he supposes, and...

...honestly, anyone who can possibly kill him is deserving of praise anyway. So many people have tried and failed in the past that it's almost impressive. It's not like Lucifer really wants to die or anything, but still.]

My, how impressive. I suppose whatever or whoever has trapped us in this dimension is in for a beating, whenever we find them.