An Ordinary Oddball
Classroom Mischief
Trickster looked around cautiously. While Mr. Farrow's back was turned, she sneezed forcefully. It rocked her desk and gave her an excuse to tap her feet against the ground in a ritualistic pattern.
Because Mr. Farrow was scolding Charles, he did not see the pencil sharpener's compartment full of shavings open up behind him noiselessly. The shavings grew into full-on vines and attempted to whap Mr. Farrow's backside. As soon as he looked around, the vines would recede and he would again be faced with an innocent-looking pencil sharpener.
Covering her face in her hands, she gave Charlie, Francisco, and Rosie a discreet wink, as if to say Look what I've done!
Edited by JumpingFruit on Oct 13th 2018 at 11:03:38 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Class
Charles was at work on his recitation when he felt Rosie tap on his shoulder - and he saw the vines just about tumbling back into the pencil sharpener after thwacking Mr. Fallows' backside.
The teacher just about jumped out of his skin, and the students started laughing a little, nobody had seen it - but they all saw the effect. The teacher grumbled at the laughter.
Charles looked around and then saw the little "sick" girl giving the indication she did that.
He smiled a little and finished his recitation.
Standing up, he headed to the front of the class - Fallows gave him the go ahead and the blond boy began, "Robbie and his mother and father always had to move around, though it wasn't because of work - it was because they were hunted. By no choice of their own. They were hunted because of the conditions of their birth."
"Never would Robbie have lasting school friends, and even as he grew into a young man, all relationships he formed with women were doomed as well. If it was not the move, it was the hunters."
"Every day the family would look up at the stars and wonder if some day they might be able to set their roots down for good...only for the hunters to catch back up soon enough."
"Such is the life they led. They would have it another way, if only for the circumstances behind one's birth."
Rosie in particular seemed affected by this, contemplating something about herself. She reached for her upper arm and winced at the contact.
As Charles went back to his seat, the teacher droned out, "...good enough. Full points, Charles."
Fallows then went back to the lecture.
The receptionist slowly stood up, whispering frantic thanks - she did not even care if she died in the course of this madness. For what else could living in these circumstances be called but a sort of living death? Nobody could leave once they got in - and staying here was—-impossible.
AKA Nixer
Eyriestone High School – Reception
Good, lass. Now – brace!
Without any further warning, the secretary was engulfed in a swarm of snakes from head to toe – cocooning her in a squirming mass only for the layers upon layers of serpents to suddenly drop to the floor; any and all signs of the secretary's presence having vanished in a mere instant. The snakes left behind then immediately turned on themselves, gulping down each other whole until there was but one left – who proceeded to slither back under the desk and vanish.
It all occurred in less than ten seconds.
???
It was a dank cavern that the secretary would find herself next, lit only by natural light from the few cracks in the ceiling – moonlight, to be exact. Etches both in runes and in Latin text were scratched on some of the walls; poems written in Scottish Gaelic if the secretary had any knowledge of the tongue. A faint smell of rotting flesh and blood was in the air, though not overwhelming. The bodies must have been dragged further down the rocky catacombs.
After giving her a moment to gather herself, two searing green eyes appeared from the shadows in front of the secretary – at eye level this time, which was more than a little disconcerting. Yet when it spoke, it was with more volume – identifiable as the voice of a contralto female with an ambivalent Scottish lilt to her tone.
“We're alone now, lass. Ye're safe. The Serpent of the Highlands has given me your fate to command, yes – but don't fret. I'm not cruel. So I'll give ye both the Serpent's offer and one of my own. The one I offer is for ye to start anew. There is a village nearby which I can take ye to if you're so inclined. They'll help ye settle in, or direct you to more advanced civilisation if ye would want. I shall leave ye be – and my master does not hunt prey twice. The second is this,” she paused, making sure that the secretary recognized the severity of this next offer before continuing: “I inject ye with venom to knock ye out, and then devour ye. Completely painless, and ye will be reborn as one of the Serpent's army,” she proclaimed, finally stepping forward to reveal an eerily tall woman with long dark hair and the complexion of a corpse – slitted eyes still present and ever-staring. “Ye'll become like me, only half in power. Still enough to destroy the mundane ones, though – and more than enough to assist the Serpent in destroying that wretched parody of a man who used to own ye. Yet heed this – ye will be ever self-consuming, and require the regular sustenance of yer kin to live on.”
Her offers finished, the snake-mistress stepped back, looking down at the secretary with anticipation.
“So there we go. Start afresh and leave all this behind – or go back, exact revenge and live on as a proud abomination. What'll it be, lass?”
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 13th 2018 at 8:56:21 PM
bork
Surrounded by weirdoes
Francisco looked concerned for Rosie, but decided to not say anything, he didn't feel like he could handle it properly. Chuckling at the new girl's stunt, as he tried to complete his own work.
However, Charles' work killed his mood, his expression becoming distant and refusing to look at anyone for a moment.
This time, he'll make it right. No matter what, he will make his home.
Wake me up at your own risk.
An Ordinary Oddball
Trickster bowed her head in contemplation at Charlie's recitation. They had been hunted by other, more powerful Fae when they first came into this world, and yet they had survived to accumulate no small power of their own through ferocity and cunning.
Friendship...they weren't sure that they deserved such a thing after killing their lover. But it would be nice. Yes, it would be nice.
They idly scribbled notes on the leaves-turned-paper, wondering what the school served for lunch. Trickster felt peckish.
"H-hey," Trickster said as Trix, whispering to Charlie, Rosie, and Francisco. "W-want to sit together at lunch?"
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Class
Rosie nodded, hurriedly so, and seemed to take delight in knowing there was another person here who wanted to be her friend.
She looked at Charles and Francisco.
As the class finished, Charles got ready for his next class, when Rosie walked up to him in the hallway. He noted it looked like she had just dried her eyes on her sleeve. He'd told the Robbie story enough to know it did affect some people particularly intensely - it was very much a story told from the heart.
Rosie took a moment to gather her words, "You really know how to speak to deep feelings of loneliness. For the longest time I've felt alone here, like a target - like Robbie being hunted just for his birth..."
Charles put a hand on her shoulder, "Are people bullying you here, Rosie? You know you can tell me."
Rosie nodded, looking out and seeing students quietly going about their business - except for the football and wrestling teams, who swaggered about like they owned the place, "...Yeah. The Principal called it "youthful bravado" and "boys will be boys", but they get carte blanche to treat anyone here how they want. Girls who won't put out for the jocks get the worst of it. I get called Rolled Rosie, like, it's ridiculous really - I won't put out, and I'm a slut for it. The worst of them is Brett Aveneau, the star quarterback. Lunch period is when they really amp it up."
Charles then stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Guess me, you, and the other new kids are gonna be eating lunch together from now on." He knew he should be trying to keep a low profile, but just by Rosie's story he couldn't ignore all this.
The secretary seemed to chuckle, figuring that the stress, the horror, and the threats had finally broken her mind. She didn't mind though. She had nothing to live for by this point. Her family driven out, "certain information due to be released" if she refused certain things...
"...go ahead. Eat me. It doesn't matter at this point. They shattered my life on their knee, and then danced around on the pieces."
Edited by NickTheSwing on Oct 13th 2018 at 2:23:26 AM
AKA Nixer
???
Aileana hummed, looking the broken woman up and down for a moment. “Well, sounds like an Option 2 to me. I never did get yer name. But if ye have naught left in this life, it's not like it matters. Henceforth, you are 'Deirdre'. Now... hold still!”
With a vicious rattle and a hiss as forewarning, the serpentine woman's maw opened to a degree beyond what would be physically possible as she lunged at unnatural speed to the secretary, venomous fangs bared. As promised, it was painless – disregarding the initial sting, of course. Not that it mattered, since the poison acted quickly, and soon made the woman still.
Drawing herself up back up by no visible means with the secretary clutched in her grip, the snakelike once more dislocated her jaw and prepared to swallow her whole. A somewhat slow process, but effective – and the serpent woman's form seemed to elongate to allow the full presence of the secretary's body. Only temporarily; since as soon as she was entirely engulfed, she vanished with an accompanying crunch.
And then so did the snakelike one, though not with a small stagger from the absorbed information entering her mind. The light of the tunnel seemed to flicker out as she displaced herself from existence – her last thought being of pity for the one she had rightfully entitled 'brokenhearted'.
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 13th 2018 at 10:44:22 AM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
Mr. Farrow's Class
"T-thanks," Trix said, smiling. "S-strength in numbers and all that."
They hummed a song, appearently in a better mood, and continued taking notes. As the bell rung, they hurriedly packed up her things and fluidly glided out of the classroom.
Passing Period
Trickster stuck mostly to the walls while going to her next class, seeing as their shadow decided to be less cooperative than usual. While it had not regressed to their true form just yet, the antlers on their head had darkened, and the three light gray imprints of her tail swishing about were just beginning to show.
They glared at it, and the antlers disappeared, but then the tails remained. Supposing that it was good enough, Trickster went on their way.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Skip to Lunch
The rest of the school day was mostly uneventful, with the Footballers seeming to reserve their jeering.
There was a singular Lunch Period, and the most popular place to eat due to the amenities involved was the cafeteria. The food was decent, but the presence of an AC was mostly why people preferred eating in there.
The place was large and walled in, with two large doors at the entrance. The Footballers reserved almost six large tables pushed together for themselves, and anyone who didn't let them get their pick of the food was a target the rest of the day.
Charles quickly scoped out the whole place for Rosie, and sat by her quickly on a table by the edge of the cafeteria - a dismal lonely place away from most of the other students.
Memories
All at once Nathrach / Aileana / Daileass would see and feel the memories of the receptionist - her name was Jane Connors - and her experiences that rendered her this way.
He would see her taking the job at the school, the principal leering and smirking, flanked by Mr. Fallows at the sole door.
He would see a hurried, horrid scene - the receptionist barely conscious and something smashing into her. Multiple teenage boys laughing and cracking jokes.
An older voice telling her, "You'd better not tell anyone, Jane. This is all your fault for being so easy." It was a voice dripping with malice - unrecognizable due to a voice changer mask. She would look up at the source of the voice - barely awake - and see a snarling pig mask looking down at her. In her state she saw it snarling as if alive, eyes staring through her.
Next he would see her hurriedly trying to gather her belongings and quit...only to get home and see an empty home except for her belongings. Nathrach would feel her pain and horror at this as she went to a small room.
She would find a video tape next to the TV downstairs, freshly ejected. On it was a doctored version of what had happened. She never saw her husband or daughter again - they changed numbers so as to avoid the scandal of her.
She could not quit - not when she checked the downstairs phone and heard threats to her, her family, and even her parents.
Then it flashed to a curious, red tinted memory. The Principal, dragging her along to a meeting with the Mayor. Something about "...Mayor Renard appreciates your support of his campaign, Mr. Brasston, and would like to share—-"
A meeting that saw the men chatting amiably about sacrifices. How the Mayor needed someone to "see The Red"—-she tried to run, only for the doors to slam shut. She turned with horror and was struck unconscious.
And then she was at a cultish ceremony, and what she saw emerge from a blood red circle ripped through her will to live in one clawing stroke.
She was barely conscious. The Principal was laughing like a madman. The mayor was complimenting him and saying "...she was everything we needed her to be..."
Then Nathrach would see her running home, desperately trying to flee town—-only for her to see her last companion, her dog, was brutally, horrifically killed - and its skull placed on her bed.
Now she merely drifted by.
Edited by NickTheSwing on Oct 13th 2018 at 4:02:25 AM
An Ordinary Oddball
Trickster flitted quietly into the cafeteria, peering around. The footballers were all at one table...she shuffled her feet like she was nervous as she walked to the table Charlie and Rosie had taken.
"H-here's to an uneventful school year, however unl-likely..." she raised her juicebox for a toast.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Surrounded by weirdoes
Francisco walked in relaxed into the cafeteria, taking his time. Picking up his food, he went to seat with the other new people.
"Well, to make hell a more welcoming place" He joked. Turning to the jocks, he decided to have some fun of his own. Waiting for the moment one of them took a drink, he decided to take advantage of his gift with water to make a chunk of it go up his nose.
Wake me up at your own risk.
Lunch
One of the linebackers promptly started coughing and hacking as the water went up his nose - somehow! - and one among them outright castigated him, "You really do know how to fuck up, Wes. Can't even drink water right."
"S-Shut up, Brett!"
This was the first time any of them had seen Brett - he had thick, dark brown hair, a handsome face wedged between effete and macho, the kind one might see perusing a night club. His eyes were hazel colored, and remarkably cold.
All his clothes were remarkably clean, pressed and fitted - from his button up shirt to his jeans. A rolex rested on one wrist, and his shoes looked remarkably expensive and extensively tailored.
Rosie visibly withdrew as Brett and a few other Footballers walked over to the "losers' table".
He chuckled, looking over the group of new kids, "Wow, Rosie you sure know how to pick em. Teaming up with other losers, as if that makes a single damn difference. You won't belong ANYWHERE - not after you didn't give me what's mine."
Rosie tried to speak up, "Y-You don't control m-me..."
Brett outright spat on the food she had in front of her, "My dad is a good friend of the principal, and a rich man besides. So I think I very well could. Remember any given day, I could just take what I want from you."
Then Brett found himself staring at Charles, glaring at him - and honestly, Charlie found himself struggling not to let his game face show. But he made it more than obvious continuing now would provoke a fight.
"Easy easy, blondy. Don't be having a hissy fit on me." Brett backed up, but then as he headed back to the footballer desk, he shot off one last remark, "Run with Rolled Rosie at your own risk."
Surrounded by weirdoes
While Francisco wanted to keep a low profile, there were some things he wasn't willing to tolerate, and a jerk who tried to terrorize everyone and thought he could get away with it was among them.
"Good thing you shut up" He told Brett, making sure everyone was listening "It's like the IQ of the whole room starts lowering when you open your mouth"
He tried to be reassuring for Rosie, but he was surely going to get in trouble for this.
Wake me up at your own risk.
An Ordinary Oddball
"Y-you tell him, Francisco!" Trickster cheered, clearing her throat afterwards. They pumped their small fist in their air.
"H-here, here..." They pushed Rosie's food away and gave her their tray. "I'm not really hungry."
Picking a piece of lettuce out of Rosie's salad, Trickster hid it in their hands and blew on it. When they opened their hands again, the lettuce leaf had become a flower. Trickster presented it to Rosie, with a statement of "D-don't listen to them. We'll stand up for each other, r-right?"
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Henry noticing a confrontation walks over to intervene.
Henry: to the foot ball player "young man didnt yer' daddy ever teach ya' how ta' treat a lady."
Henry picks the foot ball player up setting him down in a chair away others.
Henry: to the others "You two kids let me know if they come harrassin' ya again, the same ta you too spirit. I'm right over there."
Henry gestures over to his little table then walks over to it.
Brett for his part did not handle being put back in his seat by the golem well. He outright shouted at the golem, "T-Touch me again, and my dad'll see you ripped to pieces, you fuckin' freak! Fucker!" And with that, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and got up, flanked as he walked out of the cafeteria by three particularly close friends of his.
Rosie noted who those friends were and stated, "He always runs with those three..."
She referenced a tall, dark haired, handsome boy with a somewhat lazy smile and weird, Lennon-esque specs on his face, "That one with the black hair and the glasses is Von Ruiz. I've heard he's a nasty guy. Got caught once trying to embalm his neighbor's cat while it was alive, supposedly he's also pretty gross otherwise. Never just one thing."
Next she referred to a stockier, shaved bald linebacker to the left, "Bryan Kilmeade is the muscle of his gang. He's dumb, he's big, and he's got an 11 year old's sense of humor."
The last one was a red haired, freckled Irish boy who seemed ill tempered, "Cedric Barnes has a nasty temper...yes, nastier than Brett's. He's apparently quite a racist, but I've heard there's a hypocritical edge to it..."
Charles caught the black haired one, Ruiz, crudely checking Freshman students out on his way out with Brett. The blond boy clenched a fist.
An Ordinary Oddball
Trickster shivered a little when they heard about what the bullies did.
"T-that's just t-terrible," they whispered.
Then they looked at Henry, remarking, "T-that's a brave man right there, to show his real self a-all the time."
Trickster threw her cardboard lunch tray into a trash bin.
"I-if you all need a safe place to run to...w-well, you know that old well that's down one of t-the side paths that l-leads to the f-forest? Go past it, d-don't mind the carvings on the trees or the s-shiver you feel. I p-put that there to keep people away. T-this counts as an invitation, b-by the way. I-if you want to read the carvings to see my name, that's fine."
"D-don't eat or drink anything you find u-unless I give it to you. J-just don't. It's a polite thing to d-do, okay? O-oh, and don't fall asleep inside the boundary marked by the scratched up t-trees. D-don't stay after dark unless there's something really bad after you."
"I t-think w-we all know that w-we're all weirdos a-at this point, s-so I feel comfortable telling you this. But f-for your own sake listen to my w-warnings!"
The last bit was spoken in a rushed whisper. And then Trickster returned to sitting in silence, somewhat abashed that they had invited people to their territory within mere moments of meeting them. But that was probably for the best, as this town obviously had suspicious things happening in it.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Surrounded by weirdoes
"Hijos de perra" Francisco growled, his eyes glowing dangerously, there was something primal in them, as if a beast was on a leash, waiting to be let loose. "They better not try anything I might learn of if they value their health"
Smiling at the others, he tried to make stupid faces to work on the mood, even if he felt it was a losing battle.
"Thanks for the data, by the way" He told Trix "Could come in handy to find a good hideout"
Edited by Blueace on Oct 16th 2018 at 9:50:31 AM
Wake me up at your own risk.
The Tiny Ember
Outside
"Ah, thanks for the clothes," spoke Fiona as she got into the set of clothes. They were a bit stuffy, but it was still better than being in the nude. "Mr. Brasston?" she replied as she adjusted the clothes... too stuffy.
"Hm, can't say I care about the guy," she said as she looked at her fingernails. "If I wanted to, I could probably have him for a snack... you know, being a wolf and everything."
Taking cigarette from the pack given to her, Fiona nodded her head in thanks before lighting one up and taking a drag from the cigarette. The nicotine was useless to her, but it was the smoking she enjoyed. It dulled out her senses and prevented her from overreacting in this new century of sound and technology. Oh how much she hated all the damn noise.
"So, what can I do for ya now that I owe you one?" spoke Fiona as she winked at the snake-man.
"Believe in the me that believes in you!"
AKA Nixer
Eyriestone Indiana
“Heh. You and me both, lass. You and me–” Nathrach chuckled, before cutting off as the gathered memories transmitted from Aileana finally struck through him. For once, the trance-inducer was in a trance of his own, and he only seemed to break out of his catatonic state at Fiona's last query – a suddenly severe and daresay even frightened expression upon his face.
One could say he looked quite rattled.
“Aye... do me a favour lass...” he whispered, an audibly frantic hissing emanating from his form as his hidden snakes writhed in panic. “Don't be afraid of the principal as much as his backers...”
The serpentine individual seemed to look from side to side, but did not take a deep breath. It wasn't as if he was trying to be social in the first place – but such was an indicator of his now unnerved state.
“An old thing is here, lass. Older than you and I combined, and summoned by the bleakest means. Be on yer guard. And for both our sakes, let's keep each other informed regarding... strange goings-on. I've just seen something that changes things considerably.”
He approached her – somehow without the use of his legs – and looked down as an amber-eyed serpent of pale complexion appeared from nowhere and loosely coiled around her neck, hissing curiously upon sight of her.
“Take Deirde, so I may be summoned. She'll be discreet as I am, don't ye worry. And for pity's sake – get a consistent outfit, lass. Store it down her gullet if ye have to. Selective existence is a useful trait to have, hm?” he stated with more of a half-hearted grin than his usual, before briskly turning for the edge of the roof.
“Now if ye'll excuse me, I have a job to be done. Suddenly playing sub-teacher became more than a simple joyride in the past five minutes. But do visit, lass. Your company is appreciated,” he kindly complimented – before nonchalantly dropping off the roof.
Eyriestone High School
Daileass was in his assigned classroom. Of course he was. He had walked in on time, as substitutes should have. He was mildly anxious for some reason, as some subs were expected to be. And he never blinked.
Or breathed.
But that was normal.
He was fine.
Everything was fine.
bork
Lunch
Charles replied to Trix, "Well it does sound like a pretty good place to get away from...all of this school drama."
Rosie smiled at the offer made by Trickster, but then she seemed to realize something, and shook her head, "I am sorry but I probably can't manage to make it to that kind of a place. I'm...not supposed to be out in those kinds of places at all."
Charles looked at her for a moment, wondering what that meant. Her parents...? He then looked over at Francisco - he'd seen some of the ways his eyes had looked, and now he wanted to know what was going on with him.
But he also found himself...concerned with Rosie. He knew it was probably not right to put himself in closer to whatever was going on with her, but he couldn't help it.
Edited by NickTheSwing on Oct 20th 2018 at 1:34:14 AM
An Ordinary Oddball
Trickster raised an eyebrow.
"W-why not? I-is something wrong?"
She fidgeted for a bit, and added, "E-even though I'm a bit weak, I want to help."
"So w-what's wrong?"
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Surrounded by weirdoes
"Don't worry" Francisco said "Hopefully I'll find a hideout or two later on" He contemplated.
Well, whatever else lives here, time to scout the setting
Wake me up at your own risk.
Trouble Brewing
Rosie looked down, and said, "I-I'm sorry everyone...shouldn't have gotten so excited about this. My dad..." She felt her arm, where she had covered up earlier, "...he doesn't like me going out with strangers."
Charles sighed, and tried to reassure her, "Don't worry...and uh, if you need to talk about this...I'm up for it." He said this of course while clenching a fist tight, he read this situation enough to know something was not right with Rosie's dad.
You sleazy fuck, Charlie, are you gonna feed on a victim of abuse? He tried to tell himself he wouldn't, or that he could find some other virgin, but inwardly, he was fixated and he knew it. Either for her, or for what she stood to give.
I'm a total bastard.
Outside Eyriestone High School
The serpent sage gave an odd little smirk.
“‘Fen–’ and then ye cut yerself off. Brother is a snake. Ah, I love process of elimination. Do say hi to ol' Jörmungandr for me if ye can. I have his whole concept to thank for my existence, after all...”
At her request for a smoke, he stared at her blankly – only for a cottonmouth to appear from her nape and coil around her neck; a box of cigarettes placed on its tongue.
“Strangely, that's not the most unorthodox request I've received. Thankfully there are still a fair amount of smokers left in the world. I'm sure I'd have gotten cancer of my own if I could even get ill...” he mused to himself, calling the cottonmouth back over and letting it twist around his leg and vanish. “No matter. And if ye aren't scared of me, all the better. We can have a conversation as equals. As for my name, ye weren't actually that far off with that guess of yours,” he chuckled. “I am ‘Nathrach’ – for I belong to, yet possess, and yet am the Serpent. A pleasure, ‘Fiona’. A pleasure indeed...”
He turned slightly, a small green rattlesnake poking its head out from his shoulder as he whispered into its distinct lack of ears. “Give that poor secretary an offer, won't ye lass?”
With that, the little snake slithered off of Nathrach's form entirely and slid its way over to a crack in the surface of the rooftop; disappearing down it to who-knows-where.
“I believe that's the fundamentals out of the way, lass. Now... what is yer opinion of Mr. Brasston?”
Approximately one and a half seconds after he asked this question, however, there was a weight of cloth over the werewolf's back – shortly followed by the distinct sound of retreating hissing. It seemed Nathrach had donated something from the cloakroom after all.
Eyriestone High School – Reception
True to Nathrach's word, a certain rattlesnake discreetly poked its little head out from beneath the secretary's desk – slitted green eyes boring into hers and causing a similar trancelike effect as to that of its master. Though it wasn't until a distant, lilting voice that seemed to emanate in a manner somehow inaudibly from the snake did the trance effect fully manifest.
He has ye trapped. But not for much longer. Stand up. And don't worry about getting caught. I'll take ye someplace safe. And I can offer ye a way to pay back that grotesque thing everything he deserves, aye?
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 13th 2018 at 11:47:11 AM
bork