Quantum Tollbooth
'Worrying' was certainly a word. Coralie was worried indeed when the machinery didn't start up on time. That worry soon turned to panic the more she scrambled about the tiny space, rummaging through cables and panels. Her mind that so liked to flip through ideas was now flipping through the thoughts of the machine being broken, her life's work irreparably damaged, leaving her stranded forever in another world, away from her mother's cooking and a nice warm bed...
...then she found the source of the problem. The spot where a rare transistor should have been, and a gloating note left by some enterprising catburglar. In that moment, all her whirling thoughts were focused on a single scapegoat, and her growing terror transmuted into a terrible, burning fury.
"...revenge..."
In a sudden burst of motion, Coralie ripped apart the note, then rushed to her backpack and fished out two gun-like devices within. Of these, she took the one built from a hair blower, cranked the dial at one side to 'heat' and set the dial on the other side as high as it would go. Then, both guns in hand, she burst back out the shed door, nearly knocking it off its hinges. From the hairblower device, she fired a beam of red glowing light and strafed the ground. A semicircular wall of flame sprang up from the earth she'd fired upon.
"REEVEEEEEENGE!" roared Coralie in throat-straing guttural tones. Then she paced about her little burning enclosure, sniffing the air with a furious grimace, checking to see if the perpetrator was still near the scene of the crime.
Winner of Elim Game Round 78
Mindy
Mindy finally arrived at home after some time. She was thinking about the time she had with Gill and Coralie. She had fun with the two of them. Though the psychic kind of hampered things a bit. She locked up her bike in the garage before going into the living room where her mother was watching television. She looked towards her daughter and says "Mindy, you had a good time in the town?" "Yeah, mom, just met with some of my friends from school." "Noticed you're in your warm-weather clothes. Guess you went for a swim?" "Yeah. Went to the beach. Ain't like Coney Island, but it was okay, I guess. Then we all went to a pizza place. Wasn't bad, but not as good as Famous Dave's." "Yeah, I get it. It's different than Brooklyn. Look at me. It feels weird not havin' my business surrounded by tall buildings. But we have to make the most of it. You made some new friends so you got some good out of it, right?" "Yeah, I guess so." "Mindy, you look like you have somethin' on your mind." "It's... it's nothin'. I think I'm gonna go to bed." "All right, Mindy. We can talk about it later if you want.After the conversation, Mindy went into her room. She pulled out the old coin Gill gave her and looked at it. She looked at it and wondered if it was real gold. Part of her wanted to pawn it off to get some money, to help the family out. Clear off the debt her mother had from the loans she drew out to help pay for the house and to form her business here. But also, she liked how it was a token of appreciation for Gill, who's been nothing but good to her. She opened a drawer from her table near her bed and put the coin in there. Afterwards, she went for a shower, feeling a bit rough after that day in the beach. She got into her sleep clothes and laid down. She folded her arms behind her head and stared at the ceiling. She thought about what Coralie said, what Gill said. The former calling her out on her cynical nature, the latter holding firm to his unwavering optimism. Thinking about the both of them putting up with her, especially the latter. While she trusted the two, she was scared of other people. Scared of them trying to start something with her, to make fun of her, even fight her. She was prepared to do something about that before it even happens. But now she can't help but wonder if she was going about this the right way at all. She was in a new place. One that so far doesn't seem like it's as hostile as Brooklyn, with a few exceptions. She just laid there, questioning her worth for an hour before she eventually drifted off to sleep.
Layla
Layla arrived at her house. A small, two-story Victorian-style building. Layla walked in to see her parents. One being a middle-aged burnett woman wearing a white blouse and black skirt. The other is a man, red hair, beard, and gray suit. "Layla! You're back!" the mother said. "We have dinner saved for you in the kitchen." "Wonderful, I'm very hungry", Layla said, now sounding a bit more at ease being around her family. "Layla, you found out leads about your head?", her father asked. "No, father. I looked around, but haven't found anything. Plus I ran into some people who are new into the town as well. They're all going to Oddity High as well. One happens to have a split-personality disorder," she says, not really sure the best way to describe Jackie/Heidi."The others are quadruplets. Something about them is quite odd. Not really sure what it is. Plus who knows how the others will be. Not sure how I'll do here." "Layla, this is for the best. I know you're bound to run into some people with their own quirks. They might seem off to you, but this is a place you need. To be away from regular humans." "Your father is right, Layla. Maybe a school like this might help you gain a bit of confidence in yourself," the mother adds. "Your mother and I had to deal with all kinds of prejudice because we haven't had anywhere to turn to. We had to fend for ourselves. But you, you have an opportunity to meet some people who have to live with their own challenges, head or not. You'll just have to trust us." "I... I understand," Layla gets out. "I just wish I had my head so I can feel normal again." "I'm sure we'll come across it somewhere. Someone who wishes to keep a head for their own safe-keeping has to be mentally disturbed. And those people will be found soon enough," the mother says. "I... I hope so," Layla says, not really feeling any confidence she will ever be whole again. "It will work out, we'll make it work. Now why don't you go eat while your dinner is still warm?"
Layla took off the head covering to reveal her neck with black smoke fuming out of it. The smoke itself forms the vague shape of a human head. She felt a bit of relief that she didn't have to hide herself at home. But also looked forward to dinner as she hadn't ate anything since breakfast. She got herself a plate and put down a few boneless pork chops, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Sitting down at the dining room table, she stuck a fork into a pork chop and put it inside the smoke right over the tip of her neck. The piece of meat moistened and dissolved into a mushy state that she was able to swallow. She finished the rest of her meal before heading off to bed for the night, still feeling a bit iffy over her new circumstances.
Let's skip ahead a bit, shall we?
Monday Morning, 7:45, Oddity High
It was a quiet morning, like most mornings in Little Haven. Currently, no one was waiting in front of the school, but the air was sure to soon be filled with a mix of apprehensiveness from the new students and the standard hatred of Mondays from the rest.
Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir.
That there is a seal.
Loki walks up to the door to the school. Looking a little disoriented. Did he sleep through the whole weekend? He's unsure. All he knows is that it's now Monday. Great. Wonderful. That means it is once again time for school, so all he has to do is open this door and...
The door doesn't open. Oh, right, school hasn't started yet. He slumped down on the steps to the building, and began contemplating the day ahead. Let's see... he wasn't certain if he ever apologized to Val about the whole debacle at the pizza place... that kid was damn near impossible to keep track of, and Loki hadn't felt guilty about anything for more than a minute since... well, since he killed Balder, assuming that even happened, which it might not have. I mean, he didn't even remember it, really — he knew what happened as though he had read it in a book, and he had feelings about it as though it had really happened, but he didn't have concrete first-person memories of it. Point is, he wasn't used to protracted guilt, and he didn't like it. Aside from that, he'd probably just tool around the whole day. Get to know the new kids better, perhaps. Do some interesting and disruptive things with yarn, if he had the time. Turn into a fly, maybe.
Data is imaginary. This burrito is real.
THE SLORG!
Saturday, Little Haven, Alex's house - Alex Palencia the werewolf with a caring mom.
After getting back to the house and parking in the garage, Alex's mother Sandra led him inside. She let out a sigh of relief after shutting the door, though truthfully felt no less anxious as she stared at the hulking, fur-covered form of her son, currently sniffing the wall down near the floor. "So, uh... Alex, you will turn back to yourself, at some point?" she asked.
Alex stopped his sniffing and looked up at her with a, "rr?" He then lifted up his clawed hands, looking at his palms for a moment, then shook his body like a dog shaking off when wet. After that produced no result, he looked at his mother with his ears drooping, and shrugged.
Sandra glanced down with a worried frown as she tried to think. A few moments later, she remembered something and looked up. "Oh! Tonight is a full moon, isn't it?" she asked. Alex's ears perked up and he nodded. Sandra let out another sigh, actually relieved this time. "Then you're just stuck like this until tomorrow, that's all. Well... I don't want you running about outdoors on your own like this, so let's just stay in tonight," she told him, and started moving for the kitchen. He looked kind of disappointed, until she added, "come on, I'll make your favorite tostadas, and we'll watch a movie."
At that, Alex perked up and happily walked along behind her, wagging his tail. "Would Balto be too tasteless, Alex?" Sandra said jokingly, and let out a laugh as she entered the kitchen. "Or we could just do your favorite of Lilo and- hmm?" she stopped walking as she was passing the small dining room table, noticing a piece of paper on it.
Alex's ears snapped to an alert, upright position as the memory came to his werewolf brain. Just as Sandra was reaching a hand for the paper, Alex lunged an arm past her and slammed a hand on the paper, quickly swiping it off the table. "What is- AHH! Alex!" she exclaimed, going from shock and surprise to indignation at a pretty quick turn. "What is that?! Alex! Show it to me!" Sandra continued in a scolding tone as the werewolf backed away from her, keeping his hand behind his back and shaking his head. Fed up, she stomped her foot on the floor, and held out her hand. "ALEX! Give it here, young man!"
Alex's ears were down and his body was trembling as he looked at the stern glare his mother was giving him. He turned his head to glance back at the paper in his hand, still clearly hesitant. "Don't make me ask again, Alex! You want to be in even more trouble!?" Sandra said harshly, nearly yelling. Alex winced, then slowly, his arm badly shaking, he brought it forward and dropped the piece of paper into his mother's waiting hand. He then slowly turned around and crouched into a cowering position with his back to her, and started letting out whimpers. "Oh don't try making me feel sorry for you now, you..." Her voice trailed off as she started reading through the note.
Several moments of silence passed. Sandra's hand was trembling, and her eyes were tearing up. "Oh, A-Alex no, no no!" she finally said, in a mournful tone. Alex lurched slightly in surprise as she suddenly hugged him, sobbing onto his shoulder. "Alex, I'm so sorry my baby boy... Please don't... Don't you ever... You'd break my heart, Alex..."
Alex let out a sad whine, and shifted to move an arm around his mother in a hug. They stayed like that for a good while...
... When they'd finally both gotten it a bit out of their system, Sandra stood and took another look at the note. "... I had no idea you were so worried, Alex... I should have known, as your mother... I'm sorry," she muttered, slowly walking over to the trash can. She grabbed a pair of scissors from nearby, and started cutting the note up into little pieces, letting them fall into the bag of garbage. "I'm... I'm proud of the fact that you didn't want to hurt anyone else," she added, letting the last pieces of paper drift from her hand. She stared down at the trash can as she set the scissors aside. "But you'd hurt me, Alex... You're everything keeping me going." She turned and looked back at him, her mouth in a caring, but still sad smile, tears still fresh on her cheeks.
Alex let out a whine, and motioned his hand at the table, then moved it behind his back again. "I know, Alex, I know," Sanda replied, walking back over to him and raising a hand up to his cheek. "But some things you shouldn't keep secret from your mother." He lowered his head down and whined again. "It's okay, my baby boy, you're not in trouble."
Sandra sniffled, then stepped away from Alex while wiping her face off. She grabbed a napkin and blew her nose, then rubbed her eyes. "Alright, now, tostadas!" she announced with a forced smile. Alex let out a happy bark, and wagged his tail again.
...
After a pretty large helping of tostadas, the two went and watched a movie. Sandra sat on the couch while Alex was lying across it, his head in her lap. The credits were rolling, and Alex was sound asleep. Sandra ran her hand through his fur, wondering to herself... Many things. How was her son a werewolf? How long had he been a werewolf? How had she not found out before? Well, the first two questions, she actually had a decent idea on... And she didn't like the answer.
More important though, was the question of what this would mean going forward. Sandra leaned her head back into the couch and closed her eyes, trying to think...
"The moon looks so big tonight, mama!"
Sandra opened her eyes, looking up at the night sky. She lifted her head off the back of the lawn chair and glanced down at her son, no older than eight, sat on her lap. She then followed his gaze, looking over at the bright, full moon. "The moon's full tonight, Alex," she said in a happy tone.
"Full? Full of what?" Alex wondered, turning to look at her.
"Full of light, that it's reflecting from the sun," Sandra explained, giving the young boy a smile.
"Light from the sun? But the sun's gone at night," Alex pointed out, in a confused tone.
"The sun's never gone, Alex; we just can't see it at night because the earth's turned the other way. The moon is really far away, so it can still see the sun from past the earth," Sandra replied, still smiling and in a happy, supportive tone.
"And the moon reflects the sunlight?" Alex asked, to which Sandra nodded. "So it's like, a big mirror?"
Sandra let out a little giggle. "Not quite, it just reflects light in the same way rocks do," she replied. She saw Alex make an even more confused face. "You know when you hold a flashlight up real close to rocks, it looks like the rock glows brightly?" she then asked, mimicking holding a flashlight with her hand.
"Yeah!" Alex replied with an enthusiastic nod.
"Well, the sun is so bright, that it's like the same thing happening with the moon! That's why it looks like it's glowing when it's full," Sandra explained in a matching tone of enthusiasm.
"Wow..." Alex muttered, and turned his gaze back towards the moon. Satisfied that that little basic astronomy lesson was out of the way, Sandra started to lean her head back, but then Alex asked, "so what about the wolf?"
"Wolf?" Sandra replied, in an amused tone, lifting her head again.
"Yeah, the wolf standing on the moon," Alex said, pointing his finger up at the moon as if it were completely obvious what he was talking about.
"A wolf standing on the moon?" Sandra repeated in a faux amazed tone, figuring he was just having a little imaginative moment. "It would have to be a really big wolf for us to see it on the moon all the way from here," she pointed out, but still in a kind of playing along tone.
"It's looking at me," Alex stated in a casual tone.
"It can see us too? Sounds scary," Sandra said, holding her hands near her mouth and pretending to be frightened of this imaginary moon wolf.
"I'm not scared," Alex muttered, still rather casual in tone. "It isn't going to hurt me."
"Well, that's good," Sandra replied, smiling and leaning her head back to relax again.
...
Sandra opened her eyes and blinked a few times, looking at her living room ceiling. From the light coming in the window, it was morning now. She lowered her brow as she thought about the memory she'd had brought up in that dream.
A few minutes later, Sandra felt a shift of weight on her legs, and she glanced down. There her now human again son was coming to, lifting his head off her lap. "H-huh...? Mom?" Alex muttered in a quiet tone, turning himself and glancing up at her. His mouth was slightly open, his expression confused and lost.
"Alex," Sandra said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. Your werewolf is harmless," she explained, with a caring smile.
Alex blinked a few times, his expression unchanging as he replayed the memories of the previous day. His eyes turned down, blinking again and tearing up. "M-mom... Mom!" he cried, and wrapped his arms around her. He then started sobbing uncontrollably, far past his limit of holding it all back.
"It's okay, Alex... It's okay," Sandra muttered, hugging him back and starting to cry again herself.
Saturday, Little Haven, heading home - Lynn the quadruplets who have had a day.
Once the quadruplets finally had their food from the skating rink, they just left and headed home, not in the mood to stick around. The walk was quiet, as they didn't say a word to each other. When they did get home and walk through the door, Lindon called out, "Mom! Dad! We're home!"
"Welcome home!" their mother called from the kitchen, and their father soon walked in from another room.
"How'd it go? I see you got pizza," Lenard said, glancing at the food the quadruplets were carrying. "Your mother and I already ate, so don't worry about us," he added.
Linton let out a sigh. "Not great. Though we did meet a couple other kids going to Oddity- well, three sort of," he said.
"A couple of other psychics?" Lenard wondered, very curious.
Both the girls shook their heads in unison. "They both said they weren't psychic. Not sure what was up with one girl, but she had a veil over her head the whole time," Linton explained as the quadruplets found places in the kitchen to set down their food from the skating rink. "The other one, slash two, was a couple girls who were like, sharing the same body, but swapping back and forth."
"Split personality?" their mother Emily asked.
"No, she like actually transformed when she switched," Linton replied with a little shake of his head. "One of the two was kinda shy, but nice. The other was smug and really rude."
"Oh, like a Jekyll and Hyde thing," Lenard remarked, like he understood it all perfectly right away.
There was a brief pause, as all four quadruplets had their eyes widen, then look very frustrated. "Wha- that's- ugh!" Carolyn stammered, as both of the boys threw their hands up in exasperation.
"What? What's wrong?" Emily wondered, looking back and forth between the quadruplets.
"They said their names were Jackie and Heidi! It might've been a prank on us the whole time!"
Lenard laughed out loud, leaning his head back a moment and slapping his knee. "Well, if I could change how my body looked, I'd probably be pulling stunts like that too," he remarked, shaking his head, before he noticed the truly irritated look on his kids' faces. "Oh, don't be too mad; it's probably normal for supernatural kids to prank newcomers, just like regular kids."
"And if nobody got hurt, then it's all in good fun," Emily added, trying to be supportive.
"Well, nobody got hurt, but Linton's pants got soaked in soda," Lindon remarked, a frown on his face like it was himself that it happened to.
"Well, go change then, and we'll get it in the next laundry load," Lenard said towards the green-wearing quadruplet, then added to them all, "then you kids go ahead and relax. We've already got the cable hooked up!"
With that, their day wound down with little fanfare, as did the rest of their weekend.
The following Monday, Little Haven, Alex's house - Alex Palencia the werewolf who is (not) really doing better.
Alex was sitting on his bed, his mostly packed backpack in hand, which he was staring at with a sad expression. There was a little knock at his door, then his mother slowly opened it and looked inside. "Morning Alex," she said quietly, stepping over and placing her hand on his back. "How are you feeling?" she asked, slowly rubbing her hand in circles.
"... Okay," Alex muttered after a moment, still staring at his backpack.
Sandra looked at the backpack for a moment, then patted her fingers on Alex's back. "You don't have to go to school today," she then offered.
"I know, I know-" Alex replied reflexively in a slightly exasperated tone, then blinked with a surprised, "what?" He turned his head to look up at his mother with a shocked look. "Did you say, I don't have to go to school?"
Sandra gave him a smile, and started rubbing her hand on his back again. "I did. I know how hard this weekend was for you. So I'll call and tell them you can't come today, if that's what you'd like," she explained.
Alex said nothing for a few moments, slowly lowering his head. Then he leaned over, resting his head against his mother's side and wrapping one arm around her for a half hug. "Thanks mom," he said quietly, turning his eyes to his backpack, still held in his other hand and resting on his knee. "But... I should go... I ought to let Blake know I'm okay, and thank him," the young werewolf decided.
"Alright, I'll drive you then," Sandra said, patting Alex's back again.
Alex turned his head back up towards her with a raised eyebrow. "To make sure I really go?" he asked, in a somewhat skeptical tone.
"To make sure you really are okay," Sandra answered, moving her hand up and ruffling it through his hair. "I already got work off today, so I can keep you taken care of," she added.
Alex's skepticism was then replaced with some concern. "Can we afford that?" he wondered quietly.
"I'll pick up more hours later this week. We'll be alright," Sandra replied, sitting next to Alex on the bed and looking him in the eyes. "I don't want you to feel like you're all alone again," she said in a more serious and caring tone.
Things were quiet for several seconds, as Alex felt like he understood... At least a little better now. Then he lowered his head, and muttered in a very sincere tone, "thanks, mom."
Sandra leaned forward and gave Alex a little kiss on the forehead, then patted his back before standing up. "Let me know when you're ready, but no rush," she told him, then left the room, closing the door behind her.
Monday, Little Haven, outside Oddity High - Alex Palencia the werewolf being driven to school.
Also starring Lynn the quadruplets who were not driven to school.
"So, I'm guessing there's no other werewolves in this school?" Sandra said as she drove the car along.
"Huh? I mean, yeah that's right, but how would you know?" Alex responded, glancing over in confusion.
"Because if there were, you would've been asking them for help," Sandra pointed out simply, then asked, "so are there any other supernatural kids there at all?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, they are all supernatural, except Blake, or so he says. They're all different though; none of 'em really seem the same as each other," he explained.
"Any vampires?"
"Nope."
"Really?" Sandra glanced over with mild disbelief at her son.
"I know, it surprised me too," Alex replied with a shrug. "None of them were like any classic movie monsters... Well, there was a girl who did some freaky body morphing that I think might've actually been like a blob, but I haven't seen her since the first day." He then shuddered as he remembered that, relieved that he had no further interactions with that particular student. "Well, I guess there's Val, who's sort of like the invisible man, and Gill, who claims to be a merman. He's got legs, but he also clearly hasn't been around humans much, so either he's telling the truth or he's actually like, a space alien in disguise."
About then, they were pulling up to the curb, and Sandra motioned at the boy sitting on the steps. "What about him?"
Alex glanced over, then rolled his eyes. "Oh, him? He says he's 'Loki', but I think he's just watched too much Marvel," Alex griped, folding his arms. "Whatever he is, he can shapeshift into other people, and animals too."
Sandra then motioned at a group of approaching teenagers on the sidewalk, and asked with a raised eyebrow. "And the little troupe there?"
Alex looked where his mother had motioned, seeing two pairs of identical twins who also looked similar to the other pair, all blonde with blue eyes. They walked with perfectly synchronized steps, the two boys in front. "... Uh, I don't know, I haven't seen them before," Alex remarked.
As for the quadruplets themselves, the two boys both moved forward, approaching Loki. "Still locked?" Lindon half asked, half guessed.
Edited by FirockFinion on Apr 22nd 2023 at 1:58:15 AM
You are reading this.
For the Horde!
Gill couldn't get out of the water fast enough. He stepped up from the waves, throwing his head back at the pleasurable feel of the morning wind on his face. He stepped towards his hidden cache, slipping on his shoes and pulling his shirt on soon after. He grinned, running up towards the stairs that led to the sidewalk. He had been anticipating Monday for the longest time. With a spring in his step, he made his way towards the school.
Gill charged up the sidewalk to make his way to school. He was surprised to see Loki sitting out there waiting for school as well— normally, Gill was the first one at school by a long while. A couple of people he didn't recognize were there as well. They seemed to be about his age, and they were headed for the school! They must've been fellow students!
Gill excitedly followed them up to the front steps.
"Hi! Hi! Are you new here? Students here too? My name's Gill! It's so nice to meet all of you!" he cheerfully greeted the quadruplets.
Meanwhile, shortly behind the Palencia car, an old beat up blue Honda Civic pulled up to the school. Mrs. Stevenson sat in the driver's seat, wearing a dark green business suit. She shot a glare at the girl in the seat next to her— Heidi, who slumped against the window and looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Now I want you on your absolute best behavior," Mrs. Stevenson said, ice in her voice. "If I hear a word about any shenanigans, then by all that's holy..."
"I'm not going in that school. You can't make me," Heidi spat. "I'm sitting right here."
"Heidi Louise Stevenson, you get out of this car and march into that school right now, or so help me—" her mom replied sharply, raising a hand threateningly.
"Mom! Mom... It's me... I'm going..."
Where Heidi was once sitting, Jackie was now sitting, already beginning to unbuckle her seat belt. Mrs. Stevenson lowered her hand. She hated when Heidi did that. It made her almost impossible to discipline. Saturday night, when she and her husband had started shouting at Heidi, she had transformed into Jackie right as they had started doling out punishment.
Jackie opened the car door and started walking to the school.
>>"Whatever, the first chance we get, we're ditching and getting a smoothie,"<< Heidi's voice said in Jackie's head.
>>"We can't do that!"<< Jackie mentally replied.
>>"Who cares? You're the one who wants to learn, Miss Goody Two Shoes Perfect Daughter. I never asked for this. No one cares what I think. And I think Mom is a royal pain in the— oh! Who's that gorgeous hunk right there~?"<< Heidi replied, her voice immediately taking on a completely different quality as soon as she noticed something.
Jackie immediately took notice of the cheery older teenager talking to the four quadruplets she had met over the weekend. Jackie's cheeks burned a little bit, and she stopped herself from looking Gill over further.
Jackie looked back towards her mom's car, which was sitting parked behind the Palencia car. Her mom stared out from the driver's seat, impatiently waiting for Jackie to enter. Jackie didn't want to approach the four quadruplets after the incident on Saturday, nor did she particularly want to approach the cute older boy— what if she made a bad first impression to him?
She walked past them, trying to stay calm, before reaching for the door and trying to open it. Locked. She sighed, slumping against the door.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
Winner of Elim Game Round 78
Monday Morning
After that fun Saturday that ended with her having conflicting feelings over her self-worth, Mindy spent her Sunday doing chores around the house while still thinking about everything Gill and Coral talked to her about. Here she was, trapped in her own castle with all these walls built up around her. And she would only let in a few people if she trusted them enough. It was the way she is ever since 2nd grade. And no one had really called her out on it until this point. She still preferred to keep her circle small, but now she was still wondering whether or not she should keep going this way.Monday finally arrived. She dressed up in her usual t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, had her breakfast, and biked to school. As she locked up her bike at the parking lot, she looked at the Palencia car and gave Alex a brief scowl before walking towards the school itself. She notices Gill talking to what appeared to be a set of quadruplets who looked eerily alike except for their color scheme. While she felt a bit creeped out by their appearances, she told herself not to scare them away. Do it for Gill, she told herself before walking to the group. "Hey, Gill, how ya doin'", she says in a flat, but friendly manner before playfully nudging him in the arm. She turns her head to the quadruplets. "Hey, how ya doin'?" she says to them without the hint of enthusiasm she talked to Gill with, but in a more uneasy tone. Not just because she found them unsettling, but also because of her uneasiness with strangers. She briefly looks around and notices Loki on the school steps new girl leaning against the school door. She was kind of surprised to see these new people come here. Then as Mindy turned her head in another direction, she notices a tall girl with a green dress and head-covering coming out of the parking lot, slowly approaching the school. How many new people are gonna come here? she tells herself.
A black Mercedes-Benz pulled into the parking lot. Mr. Gardner was the driver while Layla was in the passenger seat. Layla had spent her Sunday looking around town for her missing head, to no avail. Beyond that, she was dreading going to the new school. "Layla, everything will be fine. I know you don't believe it, but this is truly the best place for you. I just wish a school like this was around when your mother and I were younger. Maybe being around other people with their own quirks might make you feel a bit more better about yourself." "All right, father. I'll try to make the best of it." "Good. I'm sure you'll find it's not as bad as you thought. I'll see you later. I love you, Layla." "I love you, father," Layla says as she gives him a hug before grabbing her purse and backpack and stepping out of the car.
She just waved at her father as he drove off to work. After watching him leave, Layla looked at the others. She felt a little bit at ease seeing some familiar faces in the quadruplets, who seemed nice, if a bit creepy. She observes them talking to a red-haired boy who looked quite cheerful. She also sees the girl standing right next to him, who looked a bit ill of ease.
Layla looked at the school building itself with another boy standing on the steps and then she sees Jackie, leaning against the door. Layla had worried about her after what had happened in the skating rink. She just hoped she was okay... and there wouldn't be any more Heidi incidents. She tightened her head covering before she slowly approached Jackie . "Hey, Jackie, I was worried about you ever since the other day. Are you okay?", Layla asks her after walking over to the steps.
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, outside Oddity High - Lynn the quadruplets getting in some introductions.
Also starring Alex Palencia the werewolf saying mom, meet the crime waiting to happen.
Lindon and Linton both looked at Gill when he walked up, then Lindon turned his attention back towards Loki. "Yes, we're new here, hello," Linton said with a nod to Gill and Mindy when she got there too. "I'm Linton, this is Lindon, and those are our sisters, Carolyn and Marilyn," the green dressed quadruplet explained, motioning first to his brother and then back at his sisters. The sisters were looking elsewhere, being on the lookout for other approaching students, but did both on cue raise and wave a hand, without turning their heads towards Gill or Mindy.
As Jackie got out of her car, Carolyn kept her gaze on the body-shifter until Jackie was up at the door, when Lindon took over staring at her with a mild suspicion. "Morning Jackie," he said in a simple, mostly neutral acknowledgement. He kept watching to see how the interaction between Jackie and Layla might go, but the quadruplets were not presently interested in getting involved again.
...
Sandra's brow lowered as she saw Mindy cast her glare at the car. "What's that girl's problem?" Sandra wondered, looking at Alex.
Alex had shrunk down a little in his seat after seeing Mindy, now seeming more like he didn't want to be there. "... Remember what I said after my first day here?" he replied quietly after a pause. He turned his head, seeing his mother just looking at him a little confused, so he added, "that another student hates me and might try to kill me? Yeah, that's her, Mindy."
Sandra's eyebrows went up and she glanced at Mindy for a moment again, then looked back at Alex. "What?! And what is she?!" Sandra asked in an alarmed and protective tone.
"Mindy sets her hands on fire," Alex answered in a rather dry tone.
"Well, the teachers will do something about it, right?" Sandra went on, still alarmed.
Alex let out a short moment of a humorless laugh. "Remember the other thing I told you? The principal is incompetent, and crazy. She and all the teachers are just regular people; two of them didn't even believe that us students were actually supernatural until some of us proved it, and scared the crap out of them. I don't know what they're going to do, but I don't have high expectations."
Sandra was just outright bewildered for a few moments, before finally saying, "then why are you even still coming here?"
"I wondered the same thing," Alex said, then sighed. "But, where else can I go where I can actually tell people I'm a werewolf? Back to normal school? Plus... I did actually get help here, just not from the teachers," the young werewolf continued.
Sandra considered that for a few moments, looking back out through the windshield and regarding Mindy with a judgemental, 'don't mess with my boy' face. "... Well, if you want to change your mind and skip school today, I'll still let you," she decided after a few moments, looking over at Alex with a soft and caring expression.
"... Maybe," Alex replied after a moment. "I should at least wait and see if Blake shows up first," he added, turning his attention away from the front of the school, trying to see any other walking students or cars on approach.
Edited by FirockFinion on Apr 23rd 2023 at 2:13:14 AM
You are reading this.
Fwomph
Home Again, Home Again
Blake was happy to be home after how big and stressful everything had been today. He was tired as he slumped back through the living room, stopping only once he spots mom on the phone.
"No sir, I'll check the s—"
"I'm back mom!"
"—show out after... Dinner! Sorry. My son's back, can we talk about this later?"]]
"What show?"
Blake's mom puts her hand over the receiver.
"I don't think you'd be interested dear. How about you go get cleaned up and we'll have dinner."
"Oh... Okay."
And with that, he does head upstairs to his room, leaving his mom to finish her call.
"Sir if I am being entirely frank this could have been a text."
Talk It Out Over Dinner
Blake took another bite of meatloaf and continued his rambling.
"Amd it's juht liff... Uhvryune's goh ol vis—"
"Blake, dear, not with your mouth full."
"Sorree!"
He took a moment, finished chewing his food and cleared his mouth with a little cough.
"All my classmates have drama... Like Mindy is cool but she gets scary angry and Alex... He thought he'd hurt people but we solved that and Gill is still living by himself in a boat!"
"Well I suppose being an orphan isn't a problem that solves itself."
"Yeah... Maybe he can stay with us..?"
There is a pause for thought (and Blake getting through another few bites of meatloaf).
"I'll put some calls in, see how feasible that is."
Blake gives a thumbs-up with his mouth full and decides to finish dinner rather than continue the conversation.
Oddity High, Monday Morning
Sunday had been very quiet for Blake. Most of the day he simply spent at home watching some of his favorite shows and movies while mom took a lot of business calls throughout the day. But now it was Monday and that meant getting to meet up with the friends again! Unfortunately, it also meant having to deal with the stupid teachers again! But hey, you take the good with the bad Blake reasoned (because you can't just temporally split the bad away in this scenario) as the car pulled up to the building and he got ready to step out.
"Blake? Can you fetch Gill?"
Blake froze up as he tried to process the request.
"Sure. Is this about theeeeeee?"
"Kinda. Just need to make sure he's available after school for some questions."
"Huh, okay!"
And with that Blake steps out of the car and almost gawks at how many new people were turning up to school today.
"Whoa. Hey, Gill!"
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
For the Horde!
Gill's grin got even wider when Mindy and Blake showed up one after the other. He laughed when Mindy nudged his arm, and he threw an arm around her shoulder enthusiastically.
"Mindy!! So glad to see you! I really enjoyed our weekend!" Gill exclaimed. He turned the two of them towards the quadruplets. "This is my best friend Mindy!" he introduced to them. "She's great. A little rough with people she doesn't trust but she's nice once you get to know her." He let go of Mindy and excitedly turned towards Blake. "And Blake! It's so amazing to see you!" He dug into his pants pockets and reached for something.
Meanwhile, Jackie glanced up at the quadruplets, looking a bit crestfallen, but glanced over at Layla, sighing.
"I don't know, my mom and dad are so mad at her..." Jackie sighed. "But they can't do anything about it. She just dumps it all onto me when she gets in trouble. Like always."
>>"Like I'd put up with that kinda bullshit,"<< Heidi chimed in, inside Jackie's head.
>>"Now's not the time, Heidi..."<< Jackie mentally replied. Meanwhile, Gill pulled something out of his pocket and reached over to hand it to Blake.
"I have something here I've been meaning to give you," Gill told the boy from Queens, handing him one of his gold coins, which sparkled in the morning sun. Jackie noticed the glint from the corner of her eye and her eyes widened.
"Whoa..." she gasped, mouth agape and looking at Gill.
>>"Holy shit, is that gold? Jesus... not only is he hot, he's totally fucking loaded! You gotta talk to him!"<< Heidi excitedly said in Jackie's head.
>>"I dunno..."<< Heidi's thoughts replied. >>"I don't wanna be one of those kind of girls..."<<
>>"Oh, who gives a fuck? Just go talk to him! We can't let this total hottie get away!"<<
>>"And it looks like he's real close with that other girl..."<<
>>"He called her his best friend. I don't think they're dating. And if they're not, better snatch him up before she does!"<<
Jackie tried to put Heidi's insistences out of her mind and she just slumped back, looking back at her feet.
>>"Coward,"<< Heidi bluntly said in Jackie's head.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
Sunday Evening
Coralie's sniffing around had availed her nought. Even if her nose was that of a bloodhound or at least a truffle pig, the mysterious 'Two' had clearly moved on. All she could smell now was the burning ring of fire lighting up the muddy field, and slowly starting to spread. Coralie quickly switched her gun to freeze, and the flames were put out with a rush of steam. After that, all she could do was go back inside, and figure out what the hell to do next.
"C'mon, pickuppickuppickup..." Coralie grasped the parallelegram tightly in her hands as the softly glowing scream blinked a custom image of a phone. "Don't be slow of all nights, goddamnit pick UP-"
The screen suddenly shifted to an image of her mother's face. "Coralie! There you are, I was getting worried for a moment. Did you have a nice time with your...Coralie? Coralina, what's wrong?"
"I'm...I can't...I'm stuck, Mom. I can't get back home."
"...Coralie, what do you mean? Why can't you get home, what are you say-"
"They stole it, mamán! Someone- they broke in, and- it could've-"
"Slow down, Coralie. Take a breath. Tell me what happened."
Coralie took a slow, shuddering breath. "...Someone broke into my shed. They stole a transistor from the central computer. Without that, I can't turn on the door. If I can't turn it on...I'm stuck on this side. I can't get home."
"A-Are you sure it's stolen? Couldn't you have misplaced it or something?"
"It was IN my computer, mamán! Now it's gone, and some asshole even left a note just to mock me. TAUNT me about the fact that I talked about this thing in public! Oooogh I had to be soooo clever! Make everyone like me and go on and on about my amazing invention! Now it's just got me robbed, an-and now I can't even go home and I'm stuck here an' it's all my dumb...stupid...fuck-up, screw-up-"
"Shshshshsh...min petiña écurilla, it's alright. We'll figure this out together, okay?"
Coralie sniffed and nodded, nudging up her goggles to brush the tears from her eyes.
"Now, listen, you're not stupid. You know this. You're a very smart girl, and smart girls always have backup plans, right? There must be some way that we can open this door thing to get you back home."
Coralie perked up. "Of course! The control room! I made the portal from there, so maybe...maybe you can start it up again, make the doorway from your end!"
"There we go! See, there's a smile on your face already!" There was the distant murmur of male voices, and before long, Coralie's brothers and father were roped into the emergency, and the rescue effort that followed.
Unfortunately, it was one thing to suppose that Coralie's family could free her from the other side. It was quite another to try and coordinate them, let alone explain all the complicated machinery. It took nearly two and a half hours of an increasingly fraught conversation before everything was in place, and Coralie stood with crossed fingers and toes, in front of a door opened to a wall, hoping that she could actually get home.
The plan almost worked. A light did form, and expand into a wavering pool, and eventually, a person-sized hole filled with many coloured lights and wavering lines and dots, like the televisual interference of creation. But that was when it all went wrong. When the light turned blinding, the rush of heat forced Coralie back, and bolts of plasma arced against the ceiling and floor.
By the time the Romeros shut it down again, Coralie was on the ground, and her machinery was far worse for wear. Scorch marks covered the layers of already-haphazard tech, and exposed wiring had been seared right through. If the machine wasn't functional before, then it sure as shitterling wouldn't be for some time to come. On any other day, Coralie would have wondered why that happened, what had gone awry, and if that sort of thing happened every time she'd punched through to another world. But those thoughts were far from her mind now. All that mattered to her, right here in this moment, is that she was stuck in a shed, in the middle of nowhere, with a communicator near the end of its battery life...and perhaps no way of getting home.
All she could do right now was say goodnight to her family, promise her mother that she'd stay put for now, and then turn off her parallelegram. After that, there was nothing left to do but cry.
Sunday in Summation
Coralie didn't sleep well that night, not least because the floor of her shed was a very uncomfortable surface. She must have woken up three times over before it was bright enough outside to justify swinging her aching body upright. She'd never noticed before how much it stunk to be in a field, in every sense of the word. And what should've been a bright and lovely day instead seemed to be mocking Coralie with its brightness and cheeriness.
She spent a bit of time that morning trying to figure out what to do next. Breakfast was going to be a challenge. She did have that emergency stash of emergency cash in local money, but it only came up to about 24 dollars and 47 cents right now. Hardly enough to last her for however long she'd be stuck in this world. Would she have to get a job? Would the greatest mind of a generation be forced to work in retail or behind the counter of a coffee shop?
She tried to devise more plans; to do what she did best, and contrive great world-shattering schematics. But one way or another her thoughts rewound to trying to figure out why she'd been so upset last night. It's not like she missed her homeworld, really. That theocratic hellscape, that dingy neighbourhood, those mouthbreathing pricks from her old school could all sit and spin for all she cared.
Her family, then? Well, her brothers were great to have around, and her mother was kind and caring, but she only really pretended to understand her. And Dad? Pffft. He still thought of her as a boy, that much was obvious. An errant degenerate son, who did nothing but cause trouble and embarrass the family. She could still hear him winging, whining and grousing last night about how none of this mess would have happened if she'd just gone to a normal school like a normal child. Child, was a word he kept using. Girl as well, never her new name, or hardly ever. It was like he was biting his tongue, holding back the floodgates that at any moment would break and let her deadname out.
Coralie's father made her angry. But there was one person right now, who made her far angrier. This 'Two' character. This smug, insufferable prick, who'd had the gall to tamper with her machinery, her life's work, HER magnum opus that did what no man, corporation or church had ever done before. Who'd sent them? Government? Religious group? Or were they just some enterprising creep who got high from thievery- who thought themselves as Prometheus stealing fire from the gods? Well, the truth is, this terrible Two was no titan. Just some gutless, witless little vermin that got lucky, and it was going to be a dark day when Coralie tracked down the one who stole her key to the multiverse.
The multiverse! That's what she missed! Oh yes, all the sights and sounds and amazing worlds she'd toured, she'd miss all of that more than anything. Nothing worse than being chained down to a flimsy little rock having known what wonders were out there. With this, Coralie was satisfied. One mystery was solved, another to unravel.
The first half of the day was mostly spent riding around town, buying, begging, borrowing and bartering what food she could get to last through the day. The rest of Sunday was taken up by Coralie returning to her roots- dumpster diving and stealing bits of machinery! From scrap metal to power tools, she took everything she could get her hands on to help her recharge her communicator, fix her computers, and maybe even make some weapons for revenge. It was about the time when some overweight middle-aged man started chasing her down for a soldering iron that she decided to get out of town for a spell.
The emergency power back at the base of the shed seemed to be working well enough for work to get underway. Even after the soldering iron was plugged in, it still had enough space and power to fuel her Incarnate Beam, which she used to summon forth any other tools she'd not had the time to take back with her. After a few hours, the interior was looking better already, and she'd even been able to set up a hidden camera or two, set to record onto a VHS tape 24/7, in case Two ever returned.
With a purloined set of batteries, contact was re-established with home, and Coralie was able to assure her family that she was alive and well-fed. She also kept her family updated on the workload and told them she was already devising a number of possible ways to re-open the doorway safely. She might have been down, but she was never out. She was Coralina Romero, goddess of science, and she would always persevere!
"That's wonderful, Coralina!" her mother had replied. "We're all so very proud of you!"
"Damn straight!" her brother Howerd had replied, promptly earning himself a scolding.
"You got this, Coral-Cove!" her other brother, Hugo, had said with a smile and a big thumbs up.
"Awww, thank you guys," said Coralie. "And don't worry, I'm not stopping for love nor money! I'll work on this all week if I have to."
"Around your schooling, of course," her father chimed in.
Coralie's grin faded. "...Dad, are you serious? How can I think about getting an education at a time like this?!"
"Education, always important," said her father. "You're stuck in that world now, so especially now, you have no excuse!"
"And besides, Coralie," Her mother sidled in just in front of her father, "You're keeping us in the loop, but your friends will be worried if you don't go back to school."
"Yes, and your teachers, too!" her father continued, finger raised in emphasis. "Important touchstone is school. People around you always know where you are if you go."
Coralie sighed, "I guess..." She hated having to concede a point to her pèdre, but it would be cruel not to keep Gill and Mindy in the loop. "Alright. When you're right, you're right. For my friend's sake, I'll be seeing them tomorrow."
"There you go, Coralie!" her mother went. "Now, you make sure you get yourself a good healthy dinner tonight."
"And no stealing food again!"
"Yessir!" Coralie lied.
It was simple enough to distract the owner of the burger stand. Turning a seagull into a scaly mutant for thirty seconds would keep anyone gawking long enough to swipe some street food. After that, Coralie decided she'd have that swim in the sea. After all, she'd gotten sweaty and oily from machine repair all day long, not to mention grubby from rummaging through dumpsters, and she still had her swimsuit on underneath yesterday, so it would be a shame to waste it. So swim she did, doing backstroke by the rockpool. Yet try as she might, she couldn't relax and enjoy the moment. Her mind was still racing with thoughts of Two, of getting back home...and of how much more fun it would be to swim with her friends right now.
Once that was done, she realised that taking a bath in the sea would only make her all dry and salty, not to mention she didn't exactly have soap suds, never mind a rubber ducky. The best she could do after that was to use the public shower by the beach to rinse off. Judging by the grumbles and averted gazes by passerbies, you weren't supposed to use said shower while naked in this world either. Regardless, with this done and her beach towel put to drying use, she wended her way back to the shed and bedded down for another uncomfortable night's rest.
Monday
Monday, school day, came by once again. The usual suspects had gathered before the door, along with a few less familiar faces. Last to arrive out of all of these was a young teenage girl, in her usual lab coat and goggles, drifting down the street on her hovering scooter. Though this morning, she seemed less speedy, and less excited than in her usual entrances. Her head was hung, to hide her tired expression, and her backpack, overweighted as usual, seemed to pull on her shoulders that much more today. This was to say nothing of her greasy, tangled hair, or her grubbier clothes that, to anyone unfortunate enough to get too close, still sported a pungent aroma blending sweat, sea salt, the contents of dumpsters, and trace amounts of manure.
Nevertheless, she drifted to the corner of the building, parked her scooter, and set down her backpack. Then, after a sigh and a moment to recover, she spun around with open arms and an attempt at her usual broad smile. "Heya guys! How's it going? Oh hey, Loki, 's that you there? Been too long, buddy, been too long! Gill, Mindy, you guys are always a sight for sore but totally not really tired eyes!"
Edited by LizardOfAus on Apr 24th 2023 at 9:04:09 AM
That there is a seal.
"Yup, door's closed," remarks Loki cheerfully to Lindon. "I'm Loki, by the way. I shapeshift. What's your thing?"
Then Coralie shows up. "Oh, hey! What's up?" he says to her. "There's more kids now." He points in the direction of the quadruplets, then turns back to address Lindon. "That's Coralie. She's like an interdimensional scientist something, and I promise she doesn't normally smell like shit. Probably."
Data is imaginary. This burrito is real.
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, outside Oddity High - Lynn Polyhymnia the quadruplets saying I'm totally normal, and so is me, me, and me.
Also starring Alex Palencia the werewolf not wanting to enter the scene just yet.
Given what happened with them Saturday, the quadruplets hearing that someone could shapeshift didn't really come as a surprise; if anything, the sight of a possibly real gold coin was more surprising. However, as Linton stared at the coin, Lindon turned his attention back to Loki, then just kind of shrugged and shook his head. "That's just it, we don't do anything special. We're just quadruplets, but mom and dad keep insisting we're psychic, so they're making us come here," the blue dressed quadruplet answered the maybe-Norse-deity. Lindon and Linton then both casually took a step to one side to let Coralie through, without either of them looking at her, because Carolyn was doing the looking for them from still a little away from the chat.
Meanwhile, back over in the car, Alex was explaining the students he knew to his mother. "That boy Mindy went up to is Gill, the one saying he's a merman. There's Blake the normal one. That girl on the hovering thing, I don't remember her name, but she's apparently a mad scientist from another dimension. I don't know that one with their head covered up."
Sandra was quiet for a moment, then kind of nudged Alex's side. "Well? Didn't you want to talk to Blake?" she pointed out.
"I do! Just... I don't know if I want to walk up there while Mindy's right there," Alex replied, looking away from the gathered teens and folding his arms.
"... Do you want me to come with you?" Sandra asked after a brief silence.
"And be known as the kid who had to have his mom stick around so he wouldn't get bullied? I'd rather not be the mockery of the school," Alex said, shaking his head. "More than I already am, anyway," he then added under his breath.
Sandra was once again briefly silent, as she contemplated that. "... Well, if you wait too long you might miss your chance to thank him," she then said, giving him a half smile.
"I know," Alex muttered, taking in and letting out a deep breath, then trying to psych himself up to actually get out of the car.
Edited by FirockFinion on Apr 24th 2023 at 2:19:54 AM
You are reading this.
Winner of Elim Game Round 78
Oddity High
The uneasy feeling Mindy was having when she came around the school seem to lessen when Gill wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She even let out a slight light-hearted cackle out of her blushing face. For some reason, she didn't really feel all that embarrassed by Gill's introductions like she usually was. "Yo, Queens, how ya doin'?" she said to Blake soon as Gill turned his attention to him. As Gill gave Blake the gold coin, Mindy looked down to Gill's free hand. She briefly and gently wrapped her hand around his. A brief feeling of contentment she had right before she quickly let go when Coralie dropped in. Looking at her rough appearance, Mindy asked "Yo, Coral, you doin' all right? You look a little beat up."Layla listened to Jackie express her frustrations and noticed her looking a bit stressed. She can't help but wonder if another Heidi incident is about to happen real soon. "I hope this school works out for us," she says, even sounding unsure herself. Looking around at everyone, she says "Everyone here looks pretty interesting so far. Wonder if the boy with the gold coin is rich? He seems pretty generous with his money though. Pretty good-looking too. Though is that his girlfriend?" she asks, looking at Mindy.
Oddity High Steps
It turned out that there had been a highly specific no one waiting in front of the school.
"...hey, guys...I'm here...too..." They made their presence known right near Coralie and the quadruplets (Marilyn was the closest one), likely startling them. "...hi, Loki...hi, new people, I'm Val..."
They then turned to Coralie, apparently getting a good look at her for the first time. "...hi...uh...are you okay?...is something wrong?..."
Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir.
School Front
"Me? Pfff, 'course I'm fine, Mindy, you know me! I'm right as rain, I'm fresh as a daisy! and I'm not the one who's gonna get beat up OH, HEY, new people! Haven't seen you guys yet, how are you all? WHO are you all? Heh, gettin' a little mixed up there."
"WRONG?" squawked Coralie as she span around to face Val, hands on her hips and grin stretching to a rictus. "Ha! Val, you're such a kidder. Nothing's wrong, I'm Coralina Romero! I manufacture miracles and spin worlds like plates on sticks- nothing ever gets me down! Now, c'mon, let's get the focus offa me a sec and shine it oooooon these guys!" She gestured to all the new arrivals. "New kids, and on the block, too! Been a camel's age since we got some fresh blood in the school, right? Come on now, what're your names, where're ya from, what's your gimmick an' all, huh?"
That there is a seal.
"If that's what 'nothing wrong' looks like, I'm a North Atlantic salmon. Although... I can be a North Atlantic salmon, so..." Loki shrugs. If Coralie wanted to pretend she was fine, fine. Although later, he figures he's going to figure out the source of the problem, whatever it is, and annoy it until it stops bothering his friend.
Then, paying no further attention to the rest of the students, he says to Val, "Look, about last week, at the pizza parlor. I was trying to cheer you up, but... I guess I miscalculated. I mean... I can't believe I'm saying this, but that was not the time for mayhem. I'm sorry. I mean, very sorry. Really, truly, extremely... you get the idea. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know, okay?"
Edited by aPod-ofSeals on Apr 25th 2023 at 6:04:24 AM
Data is imaginary. This burrito is real.
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, outside Oddity High - Lynn Polyhymnia the quadruplets who were expecting weird.
Also starring Alex Palencia the werewolf with a sensitive nose.
Val gave the quadruplets only a mild startle at best; after already encountering a shapeshifter, they knew full well that the school was likely going to have more supernatural kids in it. "Hello Val. You turn invisible?" Marilyn replied to them, trying their hand at being more casual about the whole thing.
Carolyn just gave Coralie a shrug before answering. "We're just quadruplets, that's all. I'm Carolyn, that's Marilyn, and that's Lindon in blue, and Linton in green."
Meanwhile, Alex finally got himself ready, and stepped out of the car. "Bye mom," he said with a little wave, and shut the car door.
Sandra watched her son walk away from the car for a moment, then she turned the engine back on and started to pull away. Instead of going home though, she starting looking for a hardware store...
Alex adjusted his backpack as he got closer to the group, and started with a simple and quiet, "hey guys-" His eyes then widened and he took a step back, pinching at his nose. "Jeez, did you..." The young werewolf trailed off as he looked at Coralie, seeming to realize something, then coughed into his hand.
"Uh, sorry I was thinking about something else. So, school's not open yet?" Alex asked in a forced casual tone. Then he looked at Coralie again. "Say, goggles, I spotted some sci fi looking doohickey around the corner. It yours?" he lied, making a little motion with his head towards the side of the building.
You are reading this.
School Front
"Doohickey? I didn't leave a doohickey anywhere...Did I?" Coralie went from confused to concerned, and from there began to ratchet her way up the scale of panic, her cadence getting faster and faster all the while. "Maybe I did leave something there. But what? I dunno. Getting clumsy, forgetful, sloppy! Could've left something anywhere. Put machines unattended! Easy targets. Easy prey! They could have got it, swiped it, stole it like they stole my everything! NO! Not this time! I won't allow it! You won't get one over me, you bastard! YOU WON'T!"
Riled up into a frenzy of panic and fury, Coralie practically scampered at full tilt around the corner of the building. Once there, she started frantically searching through her surroundings, rummaging through bushes and knocking over bins to find something she didn't know about, and was never there to begin with.
Fwomph
Oddity High, Monday Morning
"Hey Gill, Mindy, Cora! Oh right Gill! My—"
Blake's eyes practically sparkle holding this new and incredibly old gold coin in his hands. He glanced up at Gill, smiling with a warmth that might rival Mindy's hands.
"Maaaaaaan, where'd you get— oh right shipwreck home! Oh man this is so cool! Wonder where this thing was minted... And when..."
Blake trailed off noticing the hand hold between Gill and Mindy and he is silent for a moment before he just shrugs and continued smiling.
"Huh, you two a thing now? Aaaaaaanyways my mom wants to talk with you Gill. It's probably about the whole no-parents thing."
Edited by Pentigan on May 1st 2023 at 9:05:37 PM
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
THE SLORG!
Monday, Little Haven, outside Oddity High - Alex Palencia the werewolf sensing that the problem is bigger than is immediately apparent.
Also starring Lynn Polyhymnia the quadruplets who are also there.
Alex waited to see if his ploy would work, while watching the way Coralie was responding. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he could tell that she was not having a good time lately, and didn't seem to want everybody else to be aware of that. Granted, she was doing a terrible job of pretending to be okay, but her intent seemed clear, from what he could tell.
When she did finally go running around the corner, Alex had to suppress the urge to sigh with relief. Instead, he pretended to look thoughtful for a moment. "... Oh, crap I was probably mistaken. Uh, I'll go get her and apologize," he said aloud to nobody in particular, already starting to slowly walk backwards. Once he was done talking, he quickly turned and hurried after Coralie.
Carolyn watched the whole thing with a raised eyebrow. "What was that about?" Linton wondered out loud.
...
Once safely around the corner, Alex quickly took off his backpack and rifled through the contents. "I lied, Coralie; there isn't anything over here. I just didn't want to embarrass you in front of the others," he said plainly, his hand emerging holding an old perfume bottle. It was originally his mothers, and he retrieved it from the trash when she was done with it, and since filled it with something distinctly different from regular perfume. "I haven't had to use this since I stopped smoking," Alex quietly thought out loud, then reluctantly approached Coralie. "Here, your hands," he stated, and aimed to get a couple of quick sprays on the backs of Coralie's wrists
The contents of the bottle, as it turned out, was mainly vinegar, with some lavender oil mixed in. He had it as a means to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke, and figured it might help with Coralie's current situation... Or at least, wouldn't be worse than how she already smelled.
Edited by FirockFinion on May 1st 2023 at 7:33:52 AM
You are reading this.
For the Horde!
Gill felt Mindy's hand wrap around his and he smiled, squeezing her hand gently, before she let go and noticed Coralie approaching.
"Hi there Coral!!" he greeted. He took a whiff, noticing she had the distinct smell of both seawater (which was good) and something else (that was very much not good). He winced a little bit, then took a closer look at her. She certainly seemed like she was in a tizzy, and when Alex told her she had dropped something, she started having a straight-up fit.
Gill's smile frowned and he reached an arm towards her, but she ducked around the school before he could say anything.
Meanwhile, Jackie buried her head in her arms shyly as Coralie asked them what their 'gimmick' was. She really didn't want to answer, but luckily another boy told her about something. She raised an eyebrow at Coralie as the young scientist ran off around the school.
>>"Well, she's nuts,"<< Heidi mentally muttered. Jackie's thoughts were brought back to the outside world by Layla's statement.
"I, uh... I hope she isn't... that is, I mean to say... I just..." Jackie stammered, feeling color enter her cheeks. "I... I wanted to..."
Now that Coralie was gone, she turned her attention back to Gill and this other boy, who seemed to be his friend. Jackie's eyes widened when Blake mentioned a "shipwreck home". Was his house that ugly? Or was it really a shipwreck? Was that his oddity? Did he live in the sea?
>>"Go on and talk to him!! You know you want tooo~"<< Heidi urged. Trembling, Jackie stood, face flushed, and the girl started to step up to try and talk to Gill. Before she could work up the courage to talk, Gill responded to Blake.
"Your mom wants to talk to me? Okay! Lead the way!" Gill exclaimed, following Blake. Jackie made a tiny "eep" before standing stock still, then going back to sitting down on the steps.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
Winner of Elim Game Round 78
Outside School
Mindy's eyes shot out of her head upon Blake asking if her and Gill were together. She tried to avoid Coralie seeing her wrapping around Gill's hand like that. It was brief, but she felt like she was among the clouds with light warming up her body. Especially after Gill squeezed her hand back. But it abruptly disappeared hearing Blake's question.
"W... what are you talkin' about?" Mindy said in an affront manner as her voice briefly deepened. "W... we're just friends. Best friends...." Mindy looked away from Blake and Gill, as she wanted to run to a deep hole to conceal herself in. But she watched as Gill went with Blake to see the latter's mother. And she stared at Coralie and Alex, wondering what was going on with the two of them. After several seconds, Mindy shook her head and turned her attention away from them. She slid her hands into her jean pockets, looking all around the school before just watching Gill with Blake.
Layla watched how weird Mindy acted with Jackie, who seemed like she was going to talk to Gill herself before giving up after he walked away with Blake. Layla watched as Jackie slumped back down onto the steps. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get another chance. Though I wonder what's the deal with that one girl he's with?"
Outside Oddity High
As Vivian approached the other students that were hanging around just outside, her appearance was rather striking. She was unusually tall, and was wearing a black dress in the gothic lolita style. She had one red eye, one brown eye, and the whites of both eyes were curiously pitch black. On the surface, this was nothing that couldn’t be explained with contacts, but given what kind of school this was, this was likely just how she looked.
She looks around to get a glimpse of the other students, and decides to address whatever group is nearest and willing to listen.
“Hey guys! I’m Vivian - new to the school, and pretty new to America in general, actually. What’s up?”
She had a really thick Transylvanian accent that reinforced this fact, and her sharp fangs gave a relatively clear indication as to the likely reason why she was attending this particular school.
The Quantum Tollbooth
The supercomputers fired up and gave off those sparks that Coralie came to know and love as she waited for the booth to fill up with that etherial light.
...ahem that etherial light.
...I said THAT ETHERIAL LIGHT.
...Uh-oh.
Were Coralie to look more closely at her beloved mass of supercomputers, she'd notice two things which were very worrying.
The first was a hole, where it looked like someone had stuck a knife into a component of the device that was A. vital and B. extremely hard to replace.
The second was an index card, taped onto the computers just below the hole, that said:
- Two
Very worrying indeed.
Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir.