Breath of the Sun
Saint Academy, Outside
Mikael, finally returned to normal size, smiled as he examined himself. "Took you long enough." He muttered, quiet enough that Reinbach wouldn't hear.
Then someone - that empathic kid - suggested seeing a movie together, and Mikael considered this a moment. He shrugged. "Fuck it, I'm down."
He warped over to Ellie, wrapping his arms around her. "You wanna see a movie, babe?"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Outside Saint Academy
Ellie placed her hands on Mikael's shoulders while craning her deck towards his, reveling in the pleasure of being in his arms. "You know it, lover. Just one thing. What's a movie?"
Outside Bozo's Office
Outside Bozo's door, Sam heard a loud voice calling out behind it. It sounded like someone having a drunken bender. "Jimmy?! Ya hears thats Jimmy?! It's comin' for us! The Reaper of Sobriety is comin' for us! It's gonna kills us alls! Quicks, gets the Budweiser of Damnation! That outgha take care of 'im!" This bout of rabid insanity was followed by a very loud hiccup. In any case, the door was ever so slightly ajar. If Sam still wanted to enter the den of madness, that was his business.
Surrounded by weirdoes
Sam could only blink at that outburst, making him wonder if this was a good idea.
Ah, screw it He decided I wasn't planning living very long and I question my sanity, might as well try and protect my identity
Taking a deep breath, he walked in, bracing for chaos.
"Hello?" He said, feeling very out of place "I might need your help, Doc, and maybe a beer, but I am not getting my hopes up" He started babbling, not a good sign.
Wake me up at your own risk.
Bozo's Office
As soon as Sam stepped inside the office, a bottle of budlight was lobbed straight at his face. "Get the hells outs of here's, ya damn reaper! Where's Captain Morgan when's ya's needs hims?" Another hiccup.
Surrounded by weirdoes
Sam could barely deflect the bottle that came his way as he could only sigh in exasperation. He forgot rule number one while dealing with drunkards: wear a helmet. This is why he avoided wild parties, it got messy.
With a groan, he resisted the need to slap some sense into the teacher, and simply got to talk.
"Look, Doc" He started, feeling more anxious than he'd been in a while "I feel like I am going nuts, I got close to death in the Abyss, had a dream or where my grandfather sicced a giant monster on me and I feel like I am going mad because I keep getting flashbacks to his life! So, can you help?" He asked, feeling lost and without any idea of how to deal with Bozo? What do you do with someone who is drunk 24/7?
Wake me up at your own risk.
Bozo's Office
As Sam poured out his heart, a change gradually overcame Bozo. His posture began to straighten, his hands became more steady, and he gaze became more focused. He still looked horrible, but at the very least, he was no longer a hot mess.
"Assuming you haven't gone completely mad, and I am not ruling that out, that may not have been a dream. Whenever someone comes close to death, there is a chance that they may ever so briefly stand at the crossroads of our world and whatever lies beyond. During this time, their spirits may come into contact with the souls of those who were close to them And if that connection is strong enough, it may last even beyond that moment. If it does, then the living may continue to be plagued by memories of that soul, and they will only worsen as the months go on. Eventually, they may not be able to tell the difference between their memories and those of the deceased. The only way to sever the connection is to summon up the soul in question. From there, it all depends on that soul, as each means of severing it differs. Generally speaking, the best thing to do is simply speak to them and go from there. Does all of that make sense to you?"
Surrounded by weirdoes
"I get the point, at least" Sam admitted with a shrug "So, bringing a spirit back and see how it goes, right? Hopefully before I end up seeing things I won't be able to unsee"
Sure, it sounded dangerous, but he was willing to do most things.
Well, I am already this far, no other choice than going all the way, right?
Wake me up at your own risk.
Bozo's Office
Bozo rose up in his chair and hovered into the air, floating toward Sam. He held out his arms and placed his fingers on Sam's temple. "A word of warning. For this process, I am simply the conduit. I will provide the means to bring the spirit forth whoever they may be, but it is you who must call them here. If it is your grandfather, then picture him in your mind and call him forth. I will do the rest."
Not an evil Thievul
Outside the Academy
Do we need to do anything else before we go? (Mitch asks. He looks down at his shrink ray.) I'm guessing we'll at least need to put these in a safe place so nobody else gets shrunk or grown or anything...
(He somewhat wonders what movie they'll go to see.)
"Lucian, don’t be afraid, we’ll make it through this."
Surrounded by weirdoes
Well, that leaves one thing to worry. How does Sam picture the old man? As a soldier? As a hero? As the red headed kid he was (interesting fact, by the way)? As the old man pictured alongside Noel? Well, he was all of that and more, so all that together should do it.
"Well, I think I got it" He said. "Gabriel Brandon Everett, time to appear!" He called, hoping something will happen.
Wake me up at your own risk.
Bozo's Office
Bozo's eyes began to light up and his hair started to flow as a bright glow slowly began to appear in the middle of the room. Sam couldn't make it out at first, but he didn't need to. Somehow, he already knew who it was. And as the glow began to come into focus, he was even more certain of it. Without a shadow of his doubt, it was his grandfather. Or at least his spirit.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Outside the Academy
"Of course you should get dressed, freshen up, head to the front entrance, and be sure to save room to eat your heart out." The daeva skips toward the dorms before vanishing with a giggle.
Saint Academy-Front Entrance
Mahvash reappeared in decidedly not formal wear. The spiked bracelets and choker may have been typical Spikes of Doom. But they came with faded jeans and an all but illegible lyric written on her generously cropped shirt.
Her heavy metal look only showed a short moment though before she wrapped most of this up in a fancy, floral robe. And suddenly her fancy lunar earings and the rings studded on her halo looked less out of place. Either way, the daeva smelled like olive oil. She'd made triple sure of that.
It'll remind us of the day we first arrived. Mahvash opened a parasol under the not-at-all intense sunlight. And I suppose we can take the trolley. Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Surrounded by weirdoes
Sam thought things would be smoother from this point on, but once the man himself appeared, he felt oddly shy, but he didn't want to seem scared, so he could only laugh at it.
"Nice meeting you again, Captain Geezer" He said, laughing.
"You still can't respect, can't you brat" Gabriel said, a smile on the older man's face.
"Next time, don't toss me into a fight with a zombie dog"
"How are you Chris' son, again?"
"How are you his dad?" Silence came between the two, before they started laughing.
"We have a lot to talk about, kid"
Wake me up at your own risk.
Breath of the Sun
Saint Academy - Front Entrance
Mikael appeared in a swirl of black, before nodding at Mahvash. He'd left his coat behind, leaving him au naturel as was common with demons, though his furry legs as always preserved his modesty.
"So, where is this movie theater? We gonna drive, or just 'port there?"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Not an evil Thievul
Outside Academy
(Mitch quietly walks up. He’s now wearing a green jacket over the graphic tee he has been wearing and has left his shrink ray in a safe place. He’s briefly taken aback when he sees Mikael wearing nothing, but says nothing about it, figuring it’s probably just normal for the guy.)
Hey... (He says to those present here quietly.) Where’s everyone else?
Edited by kablammin45 on Oct 22nd 2018 at 6:34:02 AM
"Lucian, don’t be afraid, we’ll make it through this."
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Saint Academy - Front Entrance
"Here in 40 seconds or walking," the daeva nodded toward 'her' minivan, twirling her parasol. "Just means you get first pick of seats. Although Ellie will follow Mikael like an afterimage. Watch closely though and you can tell them apart."
"That reminds me..." Mahvash pointed at Mikael, "Now's as good a time as any isn't to devolve, but if you're taking after your lover, don't you embarrass me. And don't forget the cafe."
"We're driving of course!" The daeva had been waiting by the door for someone to open it, before sighing. Barbarians. "More chance to get your faces out there, and I need two of you, at least, to pop out of the sunroof and 'woo!' to the world." The minivan was riddled with bullet holes and the occasional burn for some reason, but the engine ran quietly and most of the cloth seats inside were intact. Really only the last one would be doomed to an already chopped 'seat'.
"And then we're going to drive this off a cliff after you see your movie, and I go to ...have some fun off-campus. So, let's be off!"
Super City Megaplix
The minivan drove all right. After everyone entered, Mahvash drove it vertically up the campus wall before it sailed into the air and traveled along the local woodland canopy to the city.
She had to stop at the first traffic light, even with the van standing on the side of a high-rise, 11 stories above the intersection. And beginning to peel off the side before the light changed. To save time, as she explained, she skidded along the sides of buildings instead of roof-hopping. Besides, roof-hopping made more noise. Could bother people too much. She secured a parking space in front of another vehicle by an impressive spin from an office building parallel to it, landing perfectly.
Dancing out of the driver's seat and spinning before raising her arm, Mahvash announced to the class and the square. "And we are here." She unfolded her parasol, awaiting an escort. "This is the best theatre with a cafe too. They have a hard time mixing quality food and the screen." Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
AKA Nixer
Super City Megaplix
Lucy stumbled out, looking a little green in the face. She had initially entered into the bus in her usual manner—that is, by using her liquid form—but this was proving to be a rather foolish action as she only ended up giving herself a splitting headache for a good portion of the ride. And Matten's driving certainly didn't help with that.
Nonetheless, she kept any complaints to herself. She knew after much trial and error that any squabble with the daeva would be ultimately fruitless. Plus, this time it was most definitely her own fault over anything else. Apparently a complete conversion to the atomic level requiring absolute levels of mental control to even keep consciousness existent was surprisingly more detrimental than she thought. She could only hope that she could remain attentive enough to concentrate on the screen when it came to it.
Ebony landed after a short while with a muted 'boom'—taking care not to crack the concrete below her by surrounding its immediate area with an equal amount of opposite force. One look at the bus had issued a flat, resounding 'nope' from the older girl, one with a genuine look of fear upon her face. Though it didn't seem to be the bus's battered state as much as the bus in general.
It is to be said, though, that after witnessing Matten's methods of commandeering from a safe height, she was exceptionally glad she wasn't stuffed in the thing anyway.
“As much as I'll most likely regret asking this; where did you get that bus?” she quietly asked, crossing her arms. Her overall demeanour exuded that of an unimpressed parent. Lucy, meanwhile—evidently unable to watch how this would play out—seemed to melt into her hood even further than usual.
bork
Not an evil Thievul
Megaplix
(Mitch staggers out of the vehicle, pretty much unable to believe the sort of ride he was just on. He's been on roller coasters more gentle than this. He wonders if he should have taken his own different form for the ride like Lucy did. Would it have been any gentler? ...nah, he decides. It would have been just as bad if he were his normal self, especially since he'd be smaller, lighter, and easier to bounce around. Plus he still doesn't want to take said form in front of his new classmates.)
I don't feel very good... (He mumbles, holding his stomach. He's just glad that he didn't just eat before taking that ride.)
"Lucian, don’t be afraid, we’ll make it through this."
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Super City Megaplix
Mahvash tilted her head, watching Mitch for a moment before wrapping him in her arms. "Oh, its all right. Its all right, darling." She patted his back, for a moment expecting a burp. "Shall I carry you in?"
Over Mitch's shoulder she looked up to the sky, pretending to ponder Ebony's question. "I traded for it with an auto dealer, the way you get automobiles. Well, I could build one, but it would look—be better." Mahvash stared at Ebony a moment, entire unwilling to hide looking like a mother watching an unimpressive child. Is she really in my class? "And in the local parlance, this particular automobile is referred to as a minivan. We'll work on that."
She made a show of adjusting the rings in her halo and twirling her parasol before about facing. "Remember yourselves." She said before strutting forward and bursting through the front doors.
Breath of the Sun
Megaplix
"Woo, now that was a ride." Mikael grinned as he stepped off the minivan, Ellie in tow - she'd sat on his lap on the way there, even though there had been enough seats - and rolled his shoulders. "Love the sunroof, too. You should sell tickets for that thing, Mahvash."
Indeed, partway through the trip Mikael had taken Matten's advice and poked his head out of the top of the car, screaming and whooping into the wind. And spewing a bit of fire, in the process. For effect, if nothing else.
"So, we ever decide what movie we were gonna see?"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Not an evil Thievul
Megaplix
(Mitch feels a bit uncomfortable suddenly being hugged by Mahvash.) ...N-No thank you, I think I can make it by myself...
(As he heads inside, he thinks for a bit.) I don't think we did.
Edited by kablammin45 on Oct 23rd 2018 at 3:38:39 PM
"Lucian, don’t be afraid, we’ll make it through this."
Megaplix
As Matten and the others headed into the Megaplix, they were greeted with the customary greeting one would expect from a movie theater. That being an incredibly long line. At the end of the line was an old worn out cashier whose only desire was to get the hell home. Sadly, it wasn't to be.
Ellie whistled in astonishment. "Wowza. Last time I saw a line that long was when everyone was getting lined up for a mass execution. Wasn't pretty. Anyway, yeah, I don't think anyone ever said what movie we're gonna see. Though I still wanna know what a movie is."
Bozo's Office
Bozo simply waited beside Sam, waiting for him and his ghostly grandfather to sort things out. All that would happen next depended on them.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Megaplix
Mahvash tilted her head. Really, the most notable part of Ellie's comment was that demons could queue up and consistently. Then again, it was Ellie, not the most reliable intelligence source. "Mikael didn't explain it? Couldn't muster up the blood flow to the brain?" Her eyes glinted. "Why not let yourself be surprised?"
"But they aren't being led to their deaths." The daeva put a finger to her lips, eyes wandering. "Usually. The types who go to theatres can get absorbed into the show and if you time your action just right and your father has taken you to the damned movie 6 times then you can get one-shot that guy in the third row right when the sound effects turn up." After a beat she waves this off. "Yet, that's so rare."
"This line can be nice though," Mahvash shifted to the scene at hand, already looking for edible eye candy. "We can check out the crowd, while we order the tickets online from a nice table and while Mikael and Ellie, with how wondrously strong they are, brave the concession line and bring their famished classmates food." She put her hand over her mouth, as if telling a secret to the others. "If you get too hungry, we'll just covertly make gunfire sounds to disperse the people here."
Edited by CenturyEye on Oct 24th 2018 at 6:24:36 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Surrounded by weirdoes
"So, our last meeting left some baggage" Sam commented "Before I start thinking I'm you, we need to solve this"
"Sounds like a really tight spot you got yourself into" Gabriel could be said to nod "Let's see what can be done" The catboy started thinking, what could be said.
"By the way, in one of your old memories, you called out a name, Chris, who was he?" He asked, trying to be as tactful as possible, even if that's gonna end up badly. Gabriel's mood darkened notably.
"That's one sad story" He said, looking at all the room, as Sam considered using his powers to make the booze in Bozo's office to keep himself in a place. "He and I were friends for years, Christopher Ishmael, we spent years doing whatever foolish thing we could. It was a rough time, so we could only take care of ourselves and our family, and we even joined the army together, I could always count on him when things got way too complicated" His gaze turned wistful, before his eyes darkened. "He died saving my life, pushing me away when everything burned"
Sam didn't know what to say, but he just felt... empty, as if the memory hit him just as hard. Another man's grief. Reaching to him, he tried to be strong for him.
"But I made it out, helped win a war, saw the new world created by Saint" Gabriel said, wistfully, before turning serious "Crystal is somehow managing after all the headaches she caused me, Chris did his thing before the lungs and the leg gave out, Noel is making for a good adult, now it's your turn, so I want you to live, no more considering your early death, no more trying not to feel, no more pushing away, try to enjoy things, and to live a long, full life, can you promise that?" He said, firmly to Sam, putting ghostly hands on him, and forcing him to look into the eyes. A blue that hid god knew how many stories.
"I-I'll try" Was all he could say.
"That's all I ask, can't have one of my blood giving up on life" He said, starting to fade away. "Try to visit me at some point, and Ish too, pummel some nazis in my name and remember, your life is worth living"
With that, Gabriel was ready to go, as Sam started running through his mind.
Edited by Blueace on Oct 24th 2018 at 7:18:52 AM
Wake me up at your own risk.
"That ended nicely" Sam commented "A movie or something sound goo-" His gaze went unfocused as his voice trailed off.
This time, he could genuinely hear what's going on, and it was a tragic sight as Gabriel tried to carry a severely wounded man. As he tried to keep the enemy fire away from them with several walls.
"Come on" He called out. "Try to stay alive"
The man just let out a rather weak laugh "You were never good at this, were you, Gabe?" But the ice man wasn't smiling.
"Maybe not, but I mean it when I say you will live"
The other man was losing blood fast, and there's nothing else to do but to bring him with the others.
A big explosion and a distant yell of "Chris!" was the last thing he saw.
In the real world, Sam ended on his knees, breathing hard.
"Guys, just go ahead, I'll catch up" He told the others "Got to check something"
Walking to Bozo's office, he knocked the door.
"Hello?"
Hopefully, he can help, and if not, he hoped Bozo would at least share some booze.
Wake me up at your own risk.