Archive World of Darkness: The Academy - Chapter 4: SSDD

[Jeremy]

Chester nodded and sat, consciously feeling insubstantial and a little anxious for even this small bit of interaction with others. "Chester, though I've been here for several months. My mom slipped me into the second semester of last year, and I haven't tried to meet people."

He paused, as he considered broached the subject in a subtle way. Or maybe not. "Refresh my memory. There's was a fight at the Social wasn't there?"

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

"There wasn't'a fight at the Social," Sean qualified, a hand tightening on his half empty bottle of Pepsi, the plastic crinkling, cola nearly overflowing. He shook his head, sure there hadn't been, just as sure that he had been in a fight, but couldn't quite recall the slightest of details. He shrugged, then chugged the rest of his Pepsi.

"There were a couple of assholes from town crashing the party though. I remember trading some words with Asshole Prime and they must've been enough, 'cause I don't recall doing anything more before the Fucktard's mother or sister or whatever came and sent him home or something."

Consuming the remains of his cupcake, Sean seemed unaware of an instinctual tenseness, his dress shirt straining across his deep chest and his broad shoulders, sleeves tight against his well-built biceps. Lightning flashed is his tempestuous eyes of grey-blue, then was gone as Sean gave another easy grin.

"Been here all of two weeks myself. Mom shipped me off to boarding school as soon as she could after Dad left me with her." Sean looked around the cafeteria, eyes brightening as they fell on the students of the feminine persuasion. His muscular, well-built physique and open, gorgeous good looks garnered a fair bit of attention from the girls, and he traded a few friendly smiles with them. "This place has more pretentious pricks than public school, but the scenery is sure nice."

[Jeremy]

"I'm not so sure." Chester demurred quietly. His own eyes reflected someone grappling with a major conundrum. "Thing is, I asked because I have, no boasting intended, a practically photographic memory. And yet, I've forgotten the greater part of these past two days. Impossible, illogical, and yet, nothing that can explain it."

"And," he shuddered with instinctual fear and pain. "Someone got hurt. Badly enough for an ambulance to come. I do remember that."

[Ryan Jackson]

"Yurf cwaahzi," Ryan rolled his eyes and held up a finger. He chewed a couple times took a swig of the unnaturally yellow-green beverage and swallowed hard. "Ahc ... nah, dude, you're crazy, no way there was a meat wagon here this weekend. Seriously, seems like everybody had some kind of super whammy flu or some shit. You're probably just remembering some crazy fever dream." Ryan shrugged and took a bite out of the sandwich in his hand.

[Jeremy]

Chester bit off a chunk of his bagel and scrunched up his face in nervous thought. Had it been sickness.... wait a minute. He suddenly stared at Ryan as if HE was crazy.

"And yet... you've just said that a multitude of people in the school have the same illness, practically simultaneously, lasting for same the rough duration. I'm a logical guy, but these things that happened lately to us, our memories, it simply doesn't have rational explanations. I'm capable of not denying anything simply because it makes no sense, Ryan."

[Ryan Jackson]

Ryan stared at the other kid for a minute and then said, "Dude I dare you to make less sense. Seriously, you find it easier to think that there's some vast conspiracy rather than an easy to believe case of school wide sickness or food poisoning?" He smirked, "Does wittle Chester still believe in the Toof Faiwy too?"

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

"Shit, look at the time," Sean said, glancing at his watch. He got to his feet and slung his bag over his shoulder, then began collecting his trash on his tray. "I gotta go and change for gym class. Seeya Chester-"

"Right! Phys Ed," Ryan agreed, following suit. At Sean's surprised glance, Ryan gave him a direct look and glanced at the door. Sean was confused for a second, then the light of understanding brightened in his eyes.

"Yeah, gym, that's next for us. Later Chester, Everett." Sean gave them a nod as he dumped his trash in the garbage can and headed outside. He smirked at Ryan, whose face was pale with the effort of hiding the discomfort he was in. "Some people..."

[Ryan Jackson]

As they walked away Ryan jammed the last of his sandwich into his mouth, his reply to Sean was little more than a muffled something and a nod. The two exited the cafe and Ryan consulted his class schedule. Surprised to find that he actually did have gym he decided to walk there with Sean and give the coach his note.

[Jeremy]

Chester let them go without comment. He wasn't fooled, they thought he was a weirdo. Yep, no man is an island, ha. He glanced at the other boy, Everett.

"I didn't go as far as that. All I said was that there was no rational explanation for this happening. That-- ugh, whatever." Chester felt simply more embarrassed and wished he could just disappear.

[Logic1]

"Don't let it bother you", Everett offered in between bites. He gave a dismissive wave to the comment and was done with it. Chester had clearly been embarrassed by by the comments hurled at him.

"I've been getting weird feelings all day. Don't know that it's some big conspiracy or anything though" he took another bite.

[Jeremy]

Chester smiled more calmly after Everett's reassurance. "Yeah. What exactly anyway?" he asked curiously. "If you describe it, maybe I can see if there is some explanation. If not... we'll call it Everett's Syndrome and receive scientific fame." he added as a quick joke to ease their tensions.

He took another nibble at his bagel.

[Dawn OOC]

Renata found the directory just inside the door. Grinning, she flipped through it, looking for anything that might hint at her dream. Nothing leapt out at her, and with a sigh, she closed the book.

Something whispered behind her, a ghostly noise.

She spun, goosebumps crawling up her arm. There was a woman there, one she’d never seen before. She was standing ramrod straight, and her graying blond hair was styled into a ‘power bob’. She was dressed like a teacher, but her bearing was far more imperious than that. She even out-sterned Ms. Dorne. “Can I help you with something, young lady?”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Gym class was the same old, but Sean loved it. The coach called for ice skating; you could either play hockey on one half of the indoor rink, or you could skate around. Sean opted for hockey. Putting on his uniform made him feel odd though. It was the sense that he wasn’t going to play hockey at all. Shaking it off, he got back out on the ice as the coach looked over Ryan’s note.

With a grunt, the coach dismissed Ryan with a wave. “Try not to get hurt,” he grumbled. “You can go scaling buildings but when you get hurt, it’s gym you miss. Go…. Get better.”

Turning to the gathered students, he bellowed, “Alright, sort yourselves out! Come on, ladies and gentlemen, hustle!”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A weird-looking kid with curly hair said down at Everrett and Chester's table. He wasn't that weird, but he definitely had 'goofy' down pat. He also vibrated 'nerd' like a kitten on a sugar high. “Hi, can I? Thanks. I’m Josh. Who’re you?”

[Jeremy]

"Chester." Chester was both happy with someone he could connect with to some degree, but this kid seemed a little off-kilter and excitable in a strange way. "I'm a junior. What grade are you in?" To be honest, he gave the impression of the 'weird guy' that Ryan and the other kid had thought him to be.

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Any feeling of oddness or doubts about yesterday faded once Sean was on the ice, lost in the sound of the blades. They started with a game of three-on-three, with a third party goalie to face them, but that was quickly set aside for a more pleasurable pursuit.

Sean was quick and was the first one to trade out his spot in the game to go offer his services to a pair of pretty girls, close friends, who wanted to learn to play hockey. Sean was all to willing to help Donata and Kristine learn the ins and outs of his national sport, and the girls were more than enthusiastic by the very handsome Canadian's attention.

The boys still playing the pick-up game glared with envy over at Sean. He was laughing with the girls, leaning over their backs and guiding their hands on the stick, showing them how to get power in their shots or showing them how to get by a defenceman, which seemed to involve a fair bit of touching. The girls didn't mind at all, cheeks red and eyes gleaming.

The end of gym class found Sean is a great mood. He was going to have dinner with his Dad - even if Candi and her sister were there - and made a date with Donata and Kristine - he wanted to be fair, after all - to take them to a movie on the weekend. He wasn't sure if that was going to be awesome or if he was going to regret it, but he planned on having fun finding out.

[Rorx]

Jason finished up his lunch after Sean and Ryan left, a little bemused by Chester's comments. Putting his rubbish in the bin and saying goodbye to Jessica on the counter, he headed out of the cafe and over to the quad to finish clearing up the mess that he assumed had been left by one of Deek's pranks over the weekend. Jason had already tried shifting it with water and detergent with no luck and so had put some bleach on it to soak while he went for lunch. coming back he saw that it had worked, and donning his gloves he quickly finished off clearing up the area and making sure the bleach had been neutralised.

Scanning his list of jobs he sighed and stretched, being careful of his tender stomach muscles, before grabbing his tool box and heading towards Mars house to check it over before winter sets in.

[SalmonMax]

For an embarrassing couple of seconds Renata found herself at a loss for words. She snuck right up on me... Then the momentary feeling of vulnerability snapped, and reality returned. The teacher, or whoever she was hadn't snuck up on her. She'd been busy already and just hadn't heard her. And Gray McBobhair here was about as threatening as a kitten falling asleep in a sock. God was on his throne, reading the crosswords, and all was well in the world.

"Yeah, maybe," was Renata's reply. She gestured at the attached building. "Was that always here? I thought I saw a picture of the place once that didn't show a building there."

[Logic1]

"Call me Everett", he extended a hand "I'm a junior too. First year here though, mom's idea."

Everett took the wrapper from his sandwich and shoved into his empty chip bag after wadding it up. He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms behind his head as he spoke.

"I don't know. I've been getting a weird feeling when I pass by doors. Can't imagine why though" he stopped apparently deep in thought "although I would like to have a disorder named after me. Gotta make a name somehow right?"

[Dawn OOC]

"I'm just soph," Josh said sadly, picking up his tray. "Do you guys want me to leave? The last juniors I tried to talk to made me leave the table." He perked up a bit and added, "But it'd be totally cool of you guys to not be douche bags."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The teacher relaxed. "Yes," the woman said, her voice oddly soft now. "It was a later addition to the science building. Are you interested in Science, Ms. Hodges?"

[Ryan Jackson]

Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC

With a grunt, the coach dismissed Ryan with a wave. “Try not to get hurt,” he grumbled. “You can go scaling buildings but when you get hurt, it’s gym you miss. Go…. Get better.”

Ryan gave the coach a level look. "Thanks Mr. Cobb. It if helps I think its safe to say that I won't fall behind your other professional athlete students." Ryan smirked at the coach's scowl, that he had a point was almost secondary. Ryan headed off and made a beeline to the library, he's had an odd dream the night before, or maybe it was Saturday, he wasn't he just remembered giant flying man-things.

At the library he did some online research before heading into the musty stacks to find an old tome on Greek Myth. Harpies are what he thought he was looking for. He plunked the book down and started leafing through it, looking for what his brain had dredged up from ... somewhere?

[Jeremy]

Chester smirked. "I'd say you're with the clan, at least with regard to me. And I think Everrett's not a douche, so sit down." The curiousity that did emerge in social situations struck again. "I drove off the other two that were here. Why'd they ostracize you?"

[SalmonMax]

Renata shrugged. "Sometimes," she said easily. "When it's not boring."

Of course, that was pretty seldom, but since science had made bombs and car engines and so on, she figured it had to be possible. And, truth was, the whole 'investigation' had been on a lark anyway. Other than some half-remembered snip of a freaky dream, she had no idea why she even cared.

"So...it looks good. Nice new...wing or whatever. When did they put it in?" she inquired as she glanced at the door. Segue...segue...maybe she could pretend she heard a bell and had to run?

[Rorx]

A couple of hours later Jason emerged from Mars house. Thankfully it hadn't been too bad in there, just a number of window seals to replace, one door seal and some pipe insulation to replace.

Next on his list was Lancaster with basically more of the same, although it looked like the boss wanted additional seals put on the interior doors of all the storage rooms as well. It made sense, they generally didn't bother to keep them heated like the occupied areas so you could get a draft from them. Jason decided to check if those interior walls were insulated properly as well, if he could do so without obviously ruining what decoration there might be in them.

[Logic1]

Nodding casually to the "soph" Everett gestured to an open seat "won't have to worry about that here Josh pop a squat."

The junior leaned forward in his seat his arms folded on the table. He was starting to come out of his funk it seemed. Less groggy, have to wait and see about the creepy feelings though.

[Rorx]

Jason had barely reached the doors of Lancaster house wehn he heard someone calling his name. Turning he saw his boss rushing, as well as he's overweight carcus could, towards him, "Jason...I..I'll take Lan...Lancaster. You... you go and ... do Juno."

What the hell! That's the first time I've seen the man try to move that fast when there wasn't food involved

"Sure, no problem. Here is the list. I'll see you later then."

Fitting actiosn to words Jason tore off the appropriate page and handed it to the man before heading across the Quad to Juno house and another list of similar jobs.

What could be so important for him to do it rather than me? Maybe I should take a look later, after he has gone home...

[Zack]

Zack ate in silence and attended class in a haze. Oh he didn't show it to the professors, but he didn't raise his hands with answers. He couldn't shake the feeling that things were off.

Lunch was a welcome distraction, as he noticed others he felt an odd connection to sitting in the lunchroom.

He nodded and sat alone near a window, where he could still see the door.

[Jeremy]

Chester nodded, but his face remained nervous and slightly concerned. "I don't think anyone develops an Ianuasensus Syndrome out of nowhere." At the other two's confused looks, he added "I made that up. Ianua, door. Sensus, feeling. I know Latin inside and out. But there's some explanation, I'm not sure what it is though. I'm not going to guess unless something out of the blue gives up a clue to this oddity."

[Dawn OOC]

"Are you serious?" Josh looked incredulous. "Everett has a funny feeling, and suddenly there's a fucking conspiracy of door sensing?" He shook his head. "No wonder those guys bailed on you, when you talk like that." Something about the way Josh said it made them both realize that this was going to get passed around the school.

Click to reveal..

Jeremy, if you keep pushing at this more like a madcap PC rather than a more 'normal' high school student, you're going to jack this up for everyone else. I'm not telling you how to play your character, but instead am pointing out that this is both irritating for other PCs and hotdogging the plot (pushing at what you know to be true regardless of what is actually presented to your PC). There are IC repercussions for this. You have been warned.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"It as added in 1974," the woman said, smiling down at Renata. "Do you have a keen interest in Dalton's history, or are you distracting me from something wrong that you've done?" She gave Renata a smile that was somewhere between bemused and contemptuous.

[SalmonMax]

Anger heated to a dull, sullen red in Renata's head at the look in the old woman's eye, and the casusalness with which she'd worked that accusation into the conversation.

"Lady," she replied with sudden coldness, "when I do something wrong, you'll be the first to know."

With that she wheeled around and shoved the door open with more force than was strictly necessary so she could barge on out and break into a jog across the campus towards the cafeteria.

[Jeremy]

Chester flushed and then ground out "Food poisoning messed me up, I guess." It was pretty clear that the oddments of this case shouldn't be discussed around others. And frankly his string of self-embarrassment had gotten to him. Time to get away, and maybe this wasn't so odd after all.

Whatever, he was just going to forget about this whole matter. Dumping his milk and bagel, he told the other two "Definitely need a rest I think. See ya guys."

It wasn't running, but quite a fast walk that Chester made to get out of the lunch room and toward his room in Jupiter.

[Logic1]

Lifting his head just in time to Chester take off Everett threw out, "Alright, see ya."

Everett looked to Josh and shrugged one eyebrow raised, "Wonder what that was about."

[Dawn OOC]

"I don't know either. But he's a freak," Josh said, shaking his head. "Anyway... do you have Mrs. Cutter in English? What a brass-balled bitch..."

Josh turned his attention to his food and idle chatter about the teachers and the schoolwork. It was all so normal - how could something be wrong?

Click to reveal..

3 xp