01<@Ardweden> [Day: Friday, August 27. Time: Right after the last school bell.] 01<@Ardweden> [It's a Friday! That's good, right? That means WEEKEND! YAY! At least, that's what most students must be thinking as they rush around school, getting to their lockers.] 01<@Ardweden> [Perhaps you guys are as well. Or... perhaps you have other things on your minds. Regardless, we open at the English hallway, where your lockers are located.] 01<@Ardweden> [Session Start!] 06* @Tyler smirks digging out water ballons and koolaid packets from his locker, knowing none of the goodies will be paying any attention to hi 06* Javy is already by his locker, digging through his stuff and feeling agitated. He glances back and forth, hoping Hank's going to show up soon. 06* Sydney walks down the hall, counting numbers until she gets to her locker. 06* Tiffany is digging through her locker as well, making her way through the sea of peeps. She sighs and she starts to enter her combination. Long day. 06* Sydney finds her locker! It is a miracle! She begins digging through it to get books. 06* Hank probably does show up! No wait, he deffinately does! He nods to Javy as he opens his locker. "Hey Javy, 'sup?" 06* Javy looks almost relieved when he gets there. "Hey. Uh, hey, Hank. Um. What happened at lunch?" Ah, just had somethin' to take care of, is all. Sorry. 06* Javy nods a couple of times. "Well, uh. Nate showed up after you left. You remember him, right, he ate with us yesterday. My friend?" He bites off the rambling there. 06* Hank exchanges books for books. "Ayup. How's he doin'?" 06* Sydney finishes getting what she needs, shuts her locker, then looks over and spots Javy and Hank. She starts walking in their direction. 06* Tiffany ends up closing her locker and putting her back to it. She's waiting for the sea to calm down before traversing it, looking about in different directions, keeping her eyes peeled for anything untoward. 06* Javy looks over at him, as he tries to tuck a book in his bag and misses. "He's really sleepy. Like, uh. He's not getting much rest, even though he's sleeping a lot. Uh... For him, anyway." 06* Hank pauses mid book exchange. 06* @Tyler glares down at Popular Tiffany and frowns looking back in his locker. 06* Javy looks back at his bag, and sticks the book in right the second time. You think he's... y'know, in danger? 06* Sydney arrives and waves. "Hi!" 06* Hank smiles. "Hey Sydney. 'Sup?" 06* Tiffany doesn't notice the evil glare from Tyler and makes her way down the hallway towards the door when she gets an opportunity. She may not be purposely avoiding the group but she's certainly not making an effort to go their way. Maybe. I don't think he knows what's going on. 06* Javy turns to Sydney, too. "Hey. Um. How's it going?" It's going pretty well. How's your friend Nate doing? Has he done any work on that webcomic? 06* @Tyler seeths sighing and pulls out moer books. 06* Javy blinks a couple of times. "We were just talking about him. Not about that. Just about him, and, um. His lack of sleep. So he hasn't finished too much more, with the comic." He did seem pretty tired yesterday. And that's not usual? Maybe we should check it out tonight. 06* Javy nods, and then shakes his head. "He does get tired sometimes. But, uh, he said stuff at lunch today. He's sleeping, but he's not resting. You know?" 01<@Ardweden> [As Tiffany leaves, she's knocked over from behind and falls forward, any loose objects she's carrying falling with her. She hears the two guys who did it laugh, and can see the backs of their legs as they turn the intersection.] Yeah. I think we should. Yeah, I was thinking about that yesterday, but then I thought I was probably being paranoid and jumping to conclusions and stuff. 06* @Tyler looks up at the sound of chaos! 06* Tiffany oofs and tumbles forward onto her knees, dropping the books cradled in her arms. She turns her head around to see if she can see the culprits but doesn't look too hard. She frowns and starts picking up her books after. 06* Hank glances that way, says, "Uh... Sorry, be right back," and heads over. 01<@Ardweden> [Tyler (and anyone else looking) can see Tiffany on the floor, picking up her books. Other students are stepping around her. Whoever did this didn't stick around, looks like.] 06* Javy nods, and looks that way, too. "Yeah. Uh, he is like that a lot. I didn't really think about it. Well, until today at lunch." 06* Javy tries to gauge whether Hank'll be enough help! 06* @Tyler tries to figure out who was picking on his target. 06* Sydney looks over. "Oh!" After Hank goes, she says to Javy, "Do you think we should help, or would more people just get in the way?" 06* Javy peers through the crowd. "We can go ask." 06* Hank gets there, and starts helping Tiffany pick up her books, if she hasn't finished by then. "Hey Tiffany. You ok?" It's better than just standing around, yeah! 06* Sydney heads over. 06* Tiffany looks Hankward for a moment, kind of surprised that someone stepped forward to help, then goes back to picking stuff up. She still looks a little out of it. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine." She mutters lower under her breath. "Happens all the time..." 06* Javy follows Sydney. It's not far, so it probably works. 06* Sydney reaches Tiffany and Hank. If there are still things to be gathered, she bends down and helps gather! 06* Javy just stands behind Sydney awkwardly. 06* Tiffany collects all of her things and stands up slowly, brushing a bang behind her ear. She doesn't seem to be smiling in thanks. Or looking directly at them. "Uh, thanks." She sounds pretty awkward saying it. You okay? Yup. I meant Tiffany, but I'm glad you're okay! Uh, I meant, 'You're welcome.' In response to Tiffany. Saying thanks. Oh, sorry! 06* Javy sticks a hand in one pocket, and relaxes a little. At least everyone else is kind of awkward, too. 06* Hank rubs the back of his neck, then looks to Javy meaningfully. 06* Tiffany looks off to the side. She sounds a bit more annoyed than grateful. "I'm fine." 06* Tiffany sighs and looks at everyone else. "The whole gang decided to come over, eh?" Well.... Yeah. 06* Javy looks back at Tiffany. "Uh. Yeah. Well. There's something to talk about, too. For, like. For us." 06* @Tyler glares more at the group, pissed off, slamming his locker shut and heading for food. It seemed kind of odd to just stand there, and then there's that as well. 06* Tiffany tilts her head to the side. "You mean the Nate thing from earlier?" 06* Javy nods a couple of times. "I think we should, uh, look into it. Tonight." 06* Tiffany sighs. "You think we should tell Tyler then?" Yeah. If we can get all of us, we should. 06* Hank glances off to the side with a frown on his face. "Y'all know him better'n me." He did sign the contract with us. 01<@Ardweden> [Tyler's walking away!] Yeah. I don't think "Tyler" and "responsible" belong in the same sentence. 06* Javy scans to see where he is now. "We should ask anyway." 01<@Ardweden> [Javy spots Tyler stomping off. Er, did I say stomping? I meant "walking purposefully and with haste".] 06* Javy looks at the group. "Um. Could you come with me, Syd?" Sure. 06* Javy starts heading off after Tyler, then. 06* Sydney follows! 06* @Tyler is ignoring the idiot fuckers that think Tiffany is popular and have been ignoring him for at least a week. 06* Tiffany sighs again and continues fingering her hair, not following along. "He's going to be a little child about this you realize." 06* Javy keeps following him, anyway. He doesn't want to yell after him, so he just tries to move quickly. 06* Hank nods. "Can't say I'm fond of the notion myself. But if we need 'im, we need 'im. I just hope he don't make things worse." 01<@Ardweden> [Javy catches up with Tyler! Sydney, following along, manages not to be lost to space and time.] 06* Javy pulls up alongside him. "Uh. Hey, Tyler." 06* @Tyler glances over. "Yeah? What? I didnt toss miss prim and propper down" 06* Javy shakes his head. "I didn't say you did. Just, uh. I wanted to talk with you about. Well, about tonight." We didn't come over to accuse you of anything, don't worry. <@Tyler> Oh. Your nerd friend? Yeah. 06* Javy pauses. "Wait, how'd you know about that?" <@Tyler> I threw the airplane. 06* Sydney just looks confused. 06* Javy shakes his head. "No, I mean. Well. I worked that out." He colors a little. "Just. We're going to go look into it tonight." <@Tyler> I'm not an idiot, when you're told you need to eat something and a box of bagels is in front of you it's not that hard to figure it out 06* Javy blinks, and colors more, feeling a bit confused. "Okay. So, you're going to come." Right? <@Tyler> Yeah, sure, whatever 06* Javy nods. "Okay. Good." After a beat, he adds, "Thanks." 06* Sydney sounds slightly uncertain. "Okay, so we'll see you tonight, then." 06* @Tyler nods. "Sure. Are we meeting up at the shop or will I just see you?" Oh. 06* Javy looks at Syd. "We didn't say before." I think we just put the thingies under our pillows and we'll show up at the proper place. We can check back with the others. 06* Javy nods, and looks back to Tyler. Like she said. 06* @Tyler nods. "okay sure. " He shrugs heading off deciding not to destory Tiffany's life today. 06* Hank poses by not posing! 01<@Ardweden> [Day: Friday/Saturday, August 27/28. Time: Midnight.] 01<@Ardweden> [You awaken in the Haven, still stylized as an ornate, red and gold throne room with white marble.] 06* @Imp looks around as he materializes and looks for the others. 06* Hien stretches her arms, then her tail. "Huh. That still throws me a bit," she growls. 06* Susano-o comes into the room, and looks around. He remembers this place! "Yes, it's very strange." 06* Joan emerges from behind a pillar, all bright and shiny. <@Imp> I'm here. 06* Kali steps out as well in all of her four-armed glory. She looks down at them for a moment and sighs, two of them crossing her midsection. "Definitely takes some getting used to." 06* Susano-o nods to the Imp, then Kali. "So we've all made it. I suggest we try finding Nate as soon as we can." Lead on. 06* @Imp nods. "Sure. It's not like I suggested it yesterday." 06* Kali rolls her eyes. "God, get over yourself." She walks towards the exit. 06* Susano-o nods to the Imp. "At the least, we can do it now." He makes for the door, as well. 06* Joan goes forth for great justice. 06* Hien shrugs. "I must've missed something yesterday." She heads for the door, since there are people to follow! 06* @Imp follows, grumping a bit. 01<@Ardweden> [Someone, we can assume, opens the door! And steps into the gray mist?] 06* Joan will do it! 06* Kali lets Joan do it! 06* Susano-o lets Joan do it, as well! 06* Hien certainly isn't going to do it! 06* Susano-o then will follow Joan through the door! 06* @Imp heads out. 06* Hien follows. Exciting following action! 01<@Ardweden> [You step outside to see the same dreamscape you saw before, though shifted just enough to be disconcerting. Additionally, the street before you has turned into a shimmering, shallow stream, complete with brightly colored fish swimming in it. To your left is a plumed hat, about the right size for a certain cat (or walrus?) you know.] 01<@Ardweden> [Ahead, perched on the broken tip of a clock tower, is a large, black raven with red eyes.] 06* Joan notices it. "Look! Zee Walruscathat." 06* @Imp is staring down at the raven. "Okay tell us something not at all helpful like last time." 06* Susano-o notices the raven first, and keeps his eyes fixed on it. "And the bird, as well." Yep! And... crap. The raven. 01<@Ardweden> [The Raven cocks its head, opens its mouth... and lets out a loud screech. It spreads its wings, flying down to look evenly at Susano-O.] 06* Kali looks up curiously at the raven. She doesn't seem quite as viceral at its presence like the rest do. 01<@Ardweden> [And there it hovers, flapping its wings, maybe a foot from his face.] 06* Hien snorts some smoke. 06* Susano-o stares back at it. "What would you have me do?" 01<@Ardweden> [The Raven laughs, or maybe screeches, it's hard to tell. Regardless, it flies up and circles the lot of you before flying to the edge of the square, opposite where the forest borders (bordered?) and perches atop a building that was probably the bakery before looking back at the lot of you.] 06* Joan looks to Javy. 06* @Imp starts to follow it. "Come on you idiots waiting for a formal invite?" Should we follow it? 06* Joan doesn't find Javy, how disappoiting. So she looks to Susano-o instead. 06* Susano-o watches it, resting a hand on his sword. "Let's go, yes. We should check that building." 06* Kali frowns at Imp. His attitude stinks as much as he does. She goes to the building though at Susano-o's response. 06* Joan nods. "Oui." 01<@Ardweden> [The Raven flaps his wings again once you start moving and takes off, flying farther into the distance.] 06* Joan also goes that way, because... well because. 06* Hien follows, growling slightly. 06* Susano-o keeps on following, while he can still see the trail. Perhaps the building wasn't what was being signified. 06* @Imp just keeps following. 01<@Ardweden> [As you follow, the sidewalk ahead is also swallowed by the road- turned-waterway which seems to snake ahead of you, dotted by street lights and bent houses. The Raven continues to fly ahead, not looking back.] 06* Susano-o glances around them as he goes, trying to remember the path as best he can, but doesn't take his eyes ever that far off the bird. 06* @Imp sighs adn just keeps going. 06* Kali doesn't either, but looks warily at the stream, trying to determine how deep it is and how far it goes 01<@Ardweden> [The stream seems to wind on forever... as to how deep, it looks shallow.] 06* Hien is paying close attention to Susano-O and the raven. She is most definitely not the one you can count on to pay attention to surroundings. 06* Susano-o keeps following, and is also careful not to step in the water while he's walking. 01<@Ardweden> [A yellow and black striped shark, with a sail attached to it (yes, like a sailboat) swims through the opposite way, gobbling fish as they try to escape.] 06* Joan eyes it. 06* @Imp watches the raven. 01<@Ardweden> [It doesn't eye Joan back. Too busy eating!] 06* Susano-o makes sure he's not in the water while that's going by. 06* Hien moves away from the water. 01<@Ardweden> [After some time - it's difficult to tell how much - you abruptly face a sheer, shining black wall that looks about twenty, maybe even thirty feet high. The stream continues underneath it, and the Raven flew over.] 06* Susano-o faces the wall, and looks around. "Does anyone see a door?" 06* Joan looks allllllllll the way up. 06* Kali looks at the black wall curiously and frowns a bit. She then looks up towards the top of the wall. Does it look stand-onable? 01<@Ardweden> [It's hard to tell, since Kali can't see the top.] 06* @Imp looks at the group, back at the wall, and then back at the group. We could fly up there. I could carry people. I think. I...might be able to get up there. <@Imp> I can teleport. Yeah. Like that. 06* Susano-o looks at Hien. "It seems safer than the water, to fly." 01<@Ardweden> [Everyone hears a piercing shriek from atop the wall, and those looking up see a body fall the good twenty feet to slam into the stream below, splashing fish and water all over the lot of you. Kali and Joan, standing closest, even get a splattering of blood. Wait, blood?] <@Imp> FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK What the *hell*? 06* Joan gets splattered with blood. She looks towards the body. 06* Susano-o jumps aside, and puts a hand to his weapon, staring at the water. 06* Kali gets splattered with the blood and looks it over. She just seems to be staring at it for a while before her nose wrinkles up. She seems kind of frozen in place. 01<@Ardweden> [It's a girl, though hardly recognizable, with long black hair, a sleeveless shirt, a skirt, and fishnet stockings. Her head is cracked open due to landing headfirst in the shallow stream, and her eyes are lifeless. Both arms and neck are sliced open multiple times, and one hand is (or was?) reaching out towards Kali.] 06* Hien makes whatever sound a dragon makes when it's trying very hard not to be sick. 06* Kali seems too transfixed to notice the arm coming at her and kind of falls over on the ground next to the stream. She's staring at the blood in a bit of dazed horror. 06* @Imp shudders and can't help himself going towards the body to see if he can recognize who it is. 06* Susano-o forces himself to look away from the body, and up the wall. "We have to get away from here, and beyond the wall. For safety. That... she came too close to us." What we 'ave to do ees find ze one responzible. Whatever did this to her might be waiting up there. 06* @Imp stares at the body. "Umm......................" Should I go look? I think I can stay out of range. 06* Joan looks up at the wall again. "How to get up zere?" 06* @Imp looks at Kali. "Hey, what's the meanest thing I've done to you?" 01<@Ardweden> [The hand finally clamps down on Kali's leg and she feels a sudden tug. Fortunately, it's very weak and Kali manages to shake it off without being dragged into the river, though she does end up looking at the corpse in the process.] 06* Susano-o looks up at the wall. "We could still fly up. If Hien looks, then we can be prepared to..." And he looks at the movement from the corpse, suddenly cutting himself off. 06* @Imp will grab at Kali when he sees the body grab her, trying to drag her back. He looks FRANTIC. 06* Joan eyes.... the body, and Kali, and Tyler and... stuff. 06* Kali finally notices the body and then freezes up. At least she's snapped out of her *other* revalry and tries to kick it away. Her mouth seems too frozen up to even scream. 06* @Imp is shuddering, not saying anything. 06* Kali finally snaps out of it. "Wh-what the fuck was *that*?" 01<@Ardweden> [The corpse's eyes come alive very briefly to look at Kali and Imp, and then it screams when kicked away, flailing as it's devoured by dozens of beautiful, brightly-colored fish.] <@Imp> A dream. Just a dream. Oh god. 06* Kali screams even louder at that, clutching her head and curling up. Okay, that's *it*. 06* Hien unfurls her wings. 06* Kali absent mindedly grabs a sword and skewers. Not the fish. The corpse. I'm going up there. 06* Susano-o watches it for a couple of beats, and then nods to Hien. "I agree. We need to move on." 06* Joan almost makes a move to dive right after, but stops. Yay! She glances at the others. "Oui, I agree." She starts walking along the wall, NOT going into the stream of deathfish, tyvm. 06* Hien flaps a few times, kicking up a wind, then heads upward to face the unknown. 01<@Ardweden> [Session End.]