darkSpyro

Mort crossed his legs and arms, his impassive demeanor unchanging. "Well, summer's over, and that sucks. But I'll get over it eventually," he replied dryly. With a pause, he glanced aside at some intangible thought before meeting her gaze again. "Just same old, same old, you know? Dealing with idiots, as always. I managed to shoot down a deer last November, though. And you?"

Syndral's presence occurred to him. "Oh right, this is Diane," Mort began, a more welcoming tone elevating his speech as he gestured to her. "We met at a different school. Diane, this is," he gestured back to Ardunayne and trailed off, allowing her an opportunity to introduce her alias.

Even in his apparent zombie-like state, Dax noticed Rachel at her locker. He paused to watch her rummage through her things, while debating on whether or not he should actually say hello. It didn't take him long to decide, as he soon strode over to her. He turned his back to the connecting lockers and leaned against them, folding his arms. "I don't suppose an apology would help any?" He asked casually.

Dax's apologies hardly seemed genuine whenever he gave them, since it hardly ever led to any corrected behavior from him, and it was usually littered with terribly ridiculous excuses that could never realistically happen. The apologies seemed to be nothing more than a way to clear his conscious and skip right past any frustration the other person may have felt toward him, usually Rachel.



Syndral had just been sitting there, with her arms folded, casually listening to the conversation. Although she wasn't focusing all her attention on it. She wasn't exactly part of the conversation yet, and it didn't seem all that important. The Zvarranik actually considered just getting up and heading to her next class. She didn't want to be late again, or risk being late again, and she knew she could see them both later anyway. Perhaps that would be better for Syndral, since then she could actually show this other agent who she was.

Before she could actually get up to leave, however, the name of her alias was mentioned. She glanced to the female and gave a subtle nod. "Greetings." She left it at that, unsure of what else to even add. Could this other agent even identify her in this setting?

Ardunayne couldn't help but smile at the very words come out of her ally's mouth. They were a mix of casual banter - simply to keep the other students from suspecting anything of the conversation as being suspicious - and legitimate conversation, but there was something about the dry way he presented his words that amused her. She waved her hand casually at him, responding, "Oh, I've been taking a gymnastics class as of late, thought it might do me some favours to keep active. After all, without your friends around, you have to find other things to do."

She noted the female shortly before indications were made to her. "Anahita, darling. Pleasure to meet you," she greeted with a rather cheery chirp in her voice, leading off of the end of Morph's sentence. It felt strange to use a clearly wrong name to introduce herself, but it was obviously necessary.

~~~

Cryktin was now making his way down the halls, heading towards his next class quickly. The sheer noise in the hallway was rather overwhelming to him. He was used to a more quiet community, where people tended to only make noise when their current actions required it. There were so many people chatting among one another, traipsing down the halls, and numerous other sounds that could vaguely translate to a number of actions. He was making no current effort to approach anyone, though he was occasionally taking in bits of peoples conversations. Most of what the kids in this school discussed sounded rather confusing to him. They seemed so casual, often bringing up topics that weren't important in a survival sense, but in a recreational sense. He would have been interested to ask, but was too shy to approach anyone.

Cryktin had stopped for a moment to listen to a distant conversation, casual as it might have been. He wasn't listening to his surroundings, though with such packed hallways it would have been difficult to fully figure out when someone was coming his way. He had been hoping people would watch out for him, go around him instead of possibly bumping into him. When someone did bump against him, he jumped away in fear.

~~~

Ferdinand was equally as satisfied to discover he wasn't inconveniencing Corbin just as much as the nurse was not inconveniencing him. "I'm sure as the year goes along my assistance will be more and more important. Children are a trifle volatile at times, after all - not that adults are perfect. Nonetheless, with all the bodies moving about here, there is bound to be at least one that will need some support or assistance for some problem, be it intentional misbehavior or simply twitchy personality." For a moment, he almost felt like he were insulting the students, but it was hard to put such a broad spectrum into terms that were both accurate and non-insulting, so instead he took it as vaguely as it was presented to him.

"I have the time to listen, so if you have something to propose, please do enlightenment me. I am interested to hear what you have to say," Ferdinand hummed in response, rolling a pencil closer to him as a means of distracting his hands.

OOC: I think I may just stick to Valdar currently as I am having trouble figuring out where to go with Telai.

After convincing the concerned students that I am alright, we return to playing badminton until the end of class. After saying goodbye to my current class, I welcome my new one. This group is going to be doing lacrosse for their class period. It will take a bit of time to learn the rules and the basics of playing but afterward, it will be one fun game. Perhaps after I am finished for the day, I'll do some training in my room, where I set up the tech for it. If anyone is wondering how it works, I will allow them to join me and therefore get to see for themselves just how it does.

OOC: You need to set up a schedule for Telai, that way you can figure out who he can interact with at what time. None of the characters will be able to interact with Valdar today, unfortunately, because there's no gym classes for them until tomorrow.


"'Anahita', huh? I'm surprised there's even is a name that sounds remotely like hers."

"Surely you'd have someone to talk to other than me. You'll have to tell me all about that." Mort took his backpack and stood up beside her. "But on the way. We gotta get going. Me and her have biology class, Ms. E... Espinoza. Is yours on the way?" he inquired, presuming that she didn't have their next class because he never saw her there originally. But he hadn't seen her at Normandy's either, so she must have just started coming today. Why the delay, he wondered? No matter, there would have plenty of time to catch up later.

Ardunayne looked forward to when she'd have a chance to speak with him more, though she was also curious to speak with the female agent. She was familiar with Morph, but unless she was mistaken, the female was a person she had never met before, which was already far too curious for her to ignore. "Oh trust me, darling, I look forward to telling you all about how I've been since we last spoke." Upon having her next class mentioned, Ardunayne sneaked a peak at her schedule, as she had not yet put the schedule to memory. "I have math class next," she hummed, giving the name a quick glance over. "Mr. White." At least that was easy to remember, much easier than the names she had heard thus far. "I'll stick with you as long as I can, at least."

At first, Rachel didn't even notice that someone was standing next to where she was crouched on the floor, sifting through books at the bottom of her locker. It was made very apparent, however, when Jax decided to speak up. At his words, she immediately sighed in frustration. "Not really," she said bluntly. Normally that sort of thing would've stayed in her head while she chose a more diplomatic approach to her response, but she was already in a bad mood, so she was far more prone to speaking her mind, regardless of how harsh it might be. She could've gone on, but part of her really didn't want to talk to him, and the small part of her that wasn't buried beneath the frustration she felt didn't want to start ranting about Jax's behavior. She might not be particularly happy with him at the moment, but she didn't want to bite his head off, either.

Feeling it best that she leave before she explodes in his face, she gathered up her books, muttering an, "I need to go," before scuttling off. She normally didn't just walk away from people like that, but she really didn't want to be around Jax right now, both for her sanity and his protection (except that Rachel was about as ferocious as a newborn kitten). Besides, she'd already been late to class once today and she wasn't going to let it happen again.


"I suspect you are quite correct in that, my good sir. It will only be a matter of time before both of our services are required. For now, however, we are quite idle, and so I propose this: Why don't we walk about the halls together? Poke our heads in a few rooms? I'm sure that your profession values observation as much as mine does, and it seems we have an opportunity to do just so. Perhaps we could get a better understanding of the students here, familiarize ourselves with them - and vice versa. We might discover something now that would prove beneficial to know in the future should a problem arise, or even prevent one from festering should we spot anything of concern."

Tilting his head, he finished simply by asking, "Does this proposal hold any merit to you?"


((OOC: It's a shame that no one has gym class today. Valdar won't have anyone to interact with. I suppose I didn't really realize this problem when I suggested that he be the gym teacher. Do any of you know of gym teachers who do something besides teach their gym class? If we can't get Valdar out of his gym class, then we could always have Ferdinand and Plagarius head over there to observe the students at the gym. They could interact with Valdar while the kids there play volleyball or something. Does that sound like a good idea? :3))

As she left, Dax just stood there and watched her for a moment. He sighed and shook his head gently. "Heh, yep, should've known she'd react that way." His tone was still casual, if not also a little amused. "Sorry, Rach, but it looks like we're headed the same way." With that, he trailed after her. He didn't follow directly behind her, or try to catch up to her, but he wasn't too far away either. As idiotic as the boy might have seemed, Dax actually wasn't quite as dumb as most people probably thought he was. He knew Rachel was upset with him and didn't want to talk to him right now, and while he was by no means afraid of her, it wasn't exactly his goal to make her as angry with him as possible. So while he could have chased after her, Dax decided not to.



Anahita. It definitely had to be her. Who else would have a name like that? Besides, Izvi was able to identify her. They surely had met before. However, it didn't seem that she had caught on yet. No, of course not. Silent stares and that one word would not be enough to identify anyone. Syndral knew she needed to think of a way to send the message to her, without being so obvious that it would appear suspicious to the humans.

While she was thinking, she hadn't really been following the conversation, until Morph standing up caught her attention. Oh, right, they had a class to get to, and Anahita was going to a different class. This would likely be her last chance to identify herself for a little while. So with that in mind, Syndral stood up and faced Anahita. "Uh, I think we have met before, actually." Her voice was a tad shaky at first. It had been so long, would she even remember her? "You might remember me more by my middle name, Sindhu" If that didn't work, then nothing short of taking off her mask would.

Cryktin sighed in relief when whoever nudged him seemed disinterested and continued on with nothing more than an subtle acknowledgement. Nobody important, likely. He took a moment to think, and was hoping he'd be able to find his next class with relative ease. He was already fairly nervous about how it would go - mostly what the teacher would be like, so the last thing he wanted was to be late alongside that. He kept near the wall as he scoured the building, making certain to be avidly aware of his exact location as he moved as not to lose his place.

~~~

"I would be more than interested in such a proposal. After all, I'll have no clue how the children are faring if I don't see them in the first place," Ferdinand hummed in response, satisfied in the notion that he could succeed at both monitoring the children and spending more time alongside Corbin at the same time. "This would achieve both my desire to be in your company and to do my job on the sidelines." He pushed the pencil away slightly, lining it back up with the couple other nearby pencils before drawing his hand away from it.

With a small chuckle, Ferdinand added, "I likely need to get up and move around anyways. I spend such a hefty amount of time sitting around." He nodded, "If you would like to take a walk, do count me in."

OOC: It looks like 09 ninja'd you just a few seconds ahead, Cipher.

Rachel didn't turn around or glance over her shoulder, so she had no way of knowing that Jax was still following her, though at a respectable distance. She had no idea that his next class was also English - as he had decided not to show up yesterday - so as far as she knew, she had some time away from the boy to cool down. She really didn't dislike him - which may have been quite a feat, considering their entirely different approaches at handling schoolwork and the like. It was very difficult not to like Jax, for he was so easy-going that pretty much anyone could get along with him. And he was the sort of person who could make you laugh - or at the very least, make a thoughtful effort to do so. He was just one of those people that everyone seemed to at the very least tolerate, if not like.

Rachel was no different. She could never bring herself to dislike him, even if his antics got on her nerves at times. It was just a matter of time before she settled herself down and everything would be normal between the two of them again.


"Excellent!" Corbin beamed with an enthusiastic grin. "This also gives us an opportunity to combine our efforts for the first time!" he mused. Rubbing his gloved hands together in anticipation, he continued, "Yes, I must say, I am also quite pleased that we can each perform our respective duties whilst still keeping each other company. What an effective use of our time!" Pacing a few steps across the room and then back, gesturing as he walked, he said, "Oh yes, I agree! The chance to get out and about sounds quite lovely! It wouldn't do for us to be cooped up all day, now would it?" He laughed softly at his use of the term "cooped", which fit the Corvonian in ways Ferdinand couldn't possibly know.

Turning back to the psychologist, he stepped closer so that he was in front of where he sat before offering his hand. "Shall we?"

((OOC: Damn ninjas! I always get outsmarted and/or beaten by them))

Ardunayne caught the middle name tossed to her casually and gave the agent a second glance over. It was naturally impossible to identify her by physical appearances, for obvious reasons, but simply looking did her her organize her thoughts. To her, the name sounded incredibly similar to a name she had known from her distant past. She smiled as the thought hit her, waving her hand in her female ally's direction now. "Ah, yes, now there's a name I'm far more familiar with," Ardunayne almost purred in response. "I barely recognized you." There was a subtle hum in the final words of the sentence, a little hint that she was fully aware of whom she was speaking with now. Once she met a friend, she could never forget them, even if it took some subtle word play to get her attention.

She was satisfied within, given this was now two familiar faces she had encountered, and in such a short time. It almost made her wonder if she would soon encounter any more, and just how many Order agents were lurking around this school anyways. It was likely Syndral and Morph already had a fairly clear indication of this. If she ever got time to speak with them away from prying human eyes and ears, she would have to inquire about it.

~~~

"Sounds wonderful indeed," hummed Ferdinand, many amused thoughts cycling through his head. "I fancy the company whenever possible." Naturally, the chuckle over the word "cooped" did not fully translate to Ferdinand, but he barely acknowledged it in the first place. He assumed there was an inside joke about the word and just as quickly decided it was not his place to speak up. "I do quite enjoy getting to see the scenery and speak to as many people as possible."

Ferdinand nodded, "Yes, we shall." He now rose from his seat, gently pushing the chair back in. For the first time since arriving in his room, Corbin would get a taste of Ferdinand's height, as unimpressive of a man as he might have been when it came to that department. Before moving, Ferdinand brushed out a wrinkle in his suit, only stepping away from his desk once he was satisfied with the way he was presenting himself.

When Diane revealed that she and Ardunayne might have had history, Mort turned to her in surprise. She gave her a hint, which prompted him to focus on Anahita to see any signs of recognition. Her response was positive.

"You two know each other?" he asked in disbelief. "But, how...?" The only answer in this case was chance, so it was moot to inquire "how". "Wow, small world. How did you meet?" He shook his head. "Never mind, we can talk about that later. We gotta get going." He turned around and started walking towards the door, clasping the straps of his book bag.

Syndral couldn't help but smile now. Not only was she successful in identifying herself, but Ardunayne actually remembered her. The Zvarranik wasn't sure if she would or not. After all, in her mind, she didn't exactly stand out as anyone special to remember. Especially with Ardunayne, who she had barely talked with. She mostly just politely listened to her, so she wasn't sure if she would be remembered at all. Syndral sure hadn't forgotten her, though. Ardunayne was one of very few agents who she actually tolerated, if not liked. It had been so long since they last met, it would be nice to work with her again.

"Well, I probably look like a completely different person from when you last saw me. It must be the hair." While it certainly held true, there was a certain hint of lightheartedness in her tone, almost as if Syndral was making her own attempt at playful banter.

She turned her attention to Morph when he spoke up. Syndral was about to question why it was such a big deal, how it was such a shock that they knew each other already, when he brought up a better point. They had classes to get to. "Oh, right, of course. We best not be late." She quickly followed after him, glancing back at Ardunayne briefly.

OOC: That sounds fine to me. I will put Telai's schedule down as well.

8:00 – School begins
8:00-8:15 – Attendance/Breakfast
8:15-9:00 – Subject 1 (Mathematics- Mr White)
9:00-9:45 – Subject 2 (History – Mrs. Moore)
9:45-10:30 – Subject 3 (Language Arts – Mr. Hooten)
10:30-11:15 – Gym/Art
11:15-11:45 – Lunch
11:45-12:30 – Subject 4(English – Mr. Normandy)
12:30-1:15 – Subject 5 (Science – Ms. Espinoza)
1:15-2:00 – Elective Class (Writing Music (Through listening for him))
2:00-2:45 – Study Hall
2:45-3:00 – Dismissal

To her satisfaction, Rachel wasn't late for English class like she had been for Math Class, and was actually one of the first ones in the room. Good, that was the way it was supposed to be. Settling down in the desk she had chosen yesterday, she organized her belongings out on her desk until she was satisfied with their organization. That finished, she simply waited for everyone else to arrive and for class to start.


"I feel quite similarly, my dear fellow," he replied with a smile. For once, this smile did not last long, however. When Ferdinand rose from his chair without taking his proffered hand, Corbin's face shifted into slight disappointment, then sudden realization. He'd done it again. He was acting more like a Corvonian, and subconsciously expecting this human to do the same. He mentally scolded himself. When would it finally sink in that he simply couldn't act the way he normally would and expect the same response he would get on his homeworld? How many years has he spent with others of different species, different cultures? And yet he continues to struggle with foreign social norms? When would he finally be able to keep his behavior in check? Retracting his extended hand, he folded both of his hands neatly behind his back, interlocking his fingers perhaps a bit more forcefully than necessary, trying to keep himself from doing anything else more Corvonian-like than human-like.

Plagarius hoped the psychologist was distracted with smoothing out his clothes, because if he wasn't, he might have caught the sad look in his eye. He squeezed his interlocked fingers together more tightly behind his back. Oh, this was so hard. Every little thing he wanted to do - every gesture, every movement - would most certainly seem strange at best and downright unacceptable at worst to the human in front of him. It was saddening that he couldn't really interact with his new friend the way he wanted to, both for the sake of the mission and for the sake of not scaring Ferdinand off. Still, he didn't want the man to catch the hint of sadness in his eyes. He didn't want the psychologist to feel that it was because of something he had done. No, this was the Corvonian's issue entirely, and he didn't want the other gentleman to believe he was in any way responsible for it.

So he reminded himself of their planned excursion out into the halls, working together as a team to ensure the physical and emotional safety of those who roamed them, and found his smile slowly returning at the thought of it. Turning and crossing the room, he opened the door and held it open, gesturing for the other man to exit first. "After you," he insisted politely.

"We'll have to discuss this in greater depth later, when we have more free time to do so," Ardunayne said once each active party had finished their train of thought. "I would love a chance to catch back up with both of you, and remember fondly why I enjoyed both of your companies." Part of her was saddened to think that she wouldn't have a chance to catch back up now, especially considering how long it had been since she last encountered Syndral. To her memory, they hadn't encountered each other nearly as often as she had spoken with Morph and it would be exciting to rekindle any relationship they might have had.

School was so inconvenient at times, but she knew this was a necessary facade. She wasn't aptly looking forward to classes - each one growing less interesting in hypothetical prospect than the less - but at least she had something to look forward to once the day ended.

~~~

Cryktin finally found his way around the school, and the avoidance of other students meant he had made fairly good timing to his next class. He was hopeful he had chosen the room correctly, though confident in his abilities to find the English classroom. The room seemed fairly silent, so he imagined that most of the other students were still roaming the halls, likely casually discussing their days with one another. He felt a little nervous, so he instinctively lifted his head when he heard movement near the front of the class room. The teacher, very likely. He moved across towards the movement, hand out in front of him until it landed comfortably on the teacher's desk.

"Uh, hello sir or ma'am," Cryktin began quietly, using both gender alignments since he was unaware of the gender of whom he was speaking to. He knew the English teacher was male, but that didn't mean he hadn't accidentally entered the wrong room. Hopefully not. "This is the English room, correct? I'm still learning my way around this building."

~~~

Ferdinand hadn't even considered that Corbin was hoping for him to take his hand. He had noted his hand being there in the first place, but hadn't made the correlation between the extended hand and a desire to take it. Luckily for Corbin, Ferdinand had been focused on keeping his clothes free of all wrinkles, so the saddened reaction Corbin had to Ferdinand's failure to take his hand had gone unnoticed as well. By the time Ferdinand looked back upon Corbin, the nurse's saddened expression had disappeared, and the emotional reaction more commonly seen was what Ferdinand first laid eyes upon. So his assumption was merely that everything was satisfactory, and he crossed the room alongside his new companion without ever knowing he had triggered a disappointed reaction in him.

When Corbin opened the door for him, Ferdinand paused and smiled, happy to see the nurse was being so polite to him. With a slight bow of the head, Ferdinand hummed, "Thank you," and made his way through the door. He turned slightly around upon exiting the room, confirming that his companion was still behind him - and that the door was closed behind it. It seemed like nitpicking, but it was a little quirk hiding in the background, the desire for the door to be closed.

The hall was very busy, as students hustled about to their next class, but it did nothing but bring a smile to Ferdinand's face, as he noted the good moods almost all whom passed seemed to be in. It made him feel warm inside to think so many children were having a great day, despite being at school.

Diane's small smile and light joke had immediately caught Mort's attention. It was a rare thing from her, to show such sociability to a person. Or at all, to be transparent. And the fact that the recipient was a close friend of his added to his merriment. It was such an unlikely occurrence, but there it was for him to behold.

He fell back to walk alongside the two once they entered the hallway. His back had straightened from its usual slouch, as he was feeling uncharacteristically giddy inside. "We definitely need to see each other sometime after school. I want to know how you two met. Oh, and we need to tell Diane all about what happened at our old school! She'll get a kick out of that, trust me!"


--


Mr. Normandy had been staring absently at his computer screen as the second period students filed in. His eyes lifted from the screen at Vester's inquiry. He rose an eyebrow at the use of both gendered adverbs, but after a moment of processing he remembered being informed that a blind student would be joining his class today. Or rather, two.

"You'd be correct. And it's Mr. Normandy," he replied, in a tone slightly more welcoming than his usual dull muttering.

Dax actually arrived to English class not only on time, but early. He dragged his feet into the room and quickly settled down in one of the desks in the back. He immediately laid his head down to take a nap. Normally, the boy was either late, or barely on time. It was a rare occurrence for him to actually show up early, but the need for a nap caused him to seek out a place to rest, and the hallway was no place for snoozing. Dax hardly seemed to notice that Rachel was already in the room, or at the very least, he didn't think much of it. Usually, he would have picked out a desk close to her, but he actually didn't this time. The boy made no attempt to interact with her right now. Either Dax remembered that she was upset with him, or he just really wanted a nap.



"You could come to my house after school." Syndral offered rather quickly. "I mean, if you would like to," she added, a bit more sheepishly. "I even have a car, if you would like a ride." While she usually wasn't so inviting of social interaction, this was an exception. She actually wanted to catch up with Ardunayne, and hear how she and Morph knew each other. Apparently something interesting had happened on their mission together, and she was already curious.

Ardunayne smiled at the invitation to spend time with Syndral after school. Naturally, that was a welcoming invitation to her, a perfect chance to speak personally and not have to worry about playing subtlety for the public environment. "Oh, naturally, darling. I haven't a thing planned after school anyways, so I would quite love to catch up with you then." Glancing to Morph, she added, "You'll come to, of course. It would be exciting for us all to be there." It was less of an invite for him and more of a requirement that he joined. She wasn't really asking. She almost insisted his presence there.

~~~

Cryktin felt relief wash over him upon hearing his navigation skills had been on the nose. Having that feeling of a small victory within him boosted his confidence in himself a little further, reminded him that even in a human guise, he could still find his way around. "Thank you, Mr. Normandy," Cryktin said with a small nod of the head and an almost cheerful ring in his voice.

His boosted mood was clear as he moved to find a seat. He had heard the movement of Jax entering the room behind him, but hadn't bothered keeping track of it beyond noting it was moving into the room. As there were few students in the room at this moment, he wouldn't be able to sit based on where the other students were. He would simply have to pick a seat and hope he chose right later. He placed a hand upon each desk as he moved, seeking to find one near the edge of the group. He disliked the idea of being pressed in between a large group. After a short while of investigating the desks, he finally choose one to sit at on the edge of the row about halfway across the room.

Rachel sat idly in her chair as she waited for class to start, her cheek propped up by the heel of her hand with her elbow grounded on the surface of her desk, supporting the weight of her head. Normally she would doodle quick sketches or read a bit of whatever novel she happened to be carrying with her at the time, but she wasn't in the mood for it at the moment. She almost wanted to mimic Jax's earlier actions and lay her head on the desk, if only until class started. She didn't, however, most likely because she didn't want to pull a Jax and fall asleep during class. Now that would be something, wouldn't it? Arriving late and getting thusly scolded in math, then snoozing through English? Jax just might congratulate her if she pulled that off. The thought brought the faintest hint of a smile to the corner of her mouth.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a brief conversation at the front of the room. Lifting her gaze, she saw that it was the blind boy from earlier. She had noticed him in math class, but with everything that had gone in there, she hadn't really gotten a chance to do more than acknowledge his existence. As he started to move away from the teacher's desk, Rachel almost felt compelled to jump up and prevent him from bumping into anything. To her surprise, however, he navigated about the room very well, if a bit slowly. Settling back down from her half-risen position, she still kept a close eye on him, pondering all the while. How did he manage to navigate around the school building like that? And not get trampled by hoards of kids in the process? The latter was difficult even for her sometimes, and she had perfectly good use of her eyes.

As he settled down into a seat next to her desk, she wondered if she should ask if he was doing alright. Would it be an offensive question to ask? To assume that he was having difficulties because of his blindness? She wasn't sure. She didn't think it could hurt just asking how he was doing....

Leaning towards him slightly, she debated whether she should tap him on the shoulder or not, but eventually decided against it. That was too familiar a gesture, and they hadn't even spoken to each other yet. As far as the boy was concerned, she probably didn't even exist yet. So instead, she simply spoke to him, softly enough so as not to disrupt the teacher at his desk but clearly enough to be heard. "Hey, uh... How are you?"


At Ferdinand's slight bow of the head, Corbin responded in kind, dipping his head slightly with an elated smile. "You are quite welcome," he said warmly. Unbeknownst to the human psychologist, such a gesture was common among Corvonians, and while its meaning varied under different circumstances, it was generally used to convey respect. So naturally, having spotted body language similar to that on his home planet, Plagarius was more than happy to return it. Only when he had followed the other man and shut the door behind him did he realize that the gesture possibly held a different meaning here on Earth. When he had first spotted it, he had merely assumed its meaning, adhering more to the social cues on his own planet that here on Earth. Now though, he took a moment to determine its actual meaning.

Well, it certainly wasn't a negative gesture, if Ferdinand's smile was any indication. He had also done it whilst verbally thanking him, so perhaps on Earth, this gesture was one of appreciation? It made sense, though he'd have to keep an eye out for similar behavior to confirm it. This was another thing he was going to have trouble with, no doubt - immediately assuming what certain gestures meant instead of thinking them through. It was natural for anyone to assume that certain behaviors meant certain things - like a human assuming that a frown signaled displeasure, for example - but he couldn't allow himself to do that on this mission. Some of the gestures of humans here on Earth might actually have opposite meanings from what he was used to back home. It was similar to a cat assuming an excited, happy dog was preparing for attack based on its lashing tail. The same body language could mean drastically different things to members of different species, so he had to be careful. He didn't want to accidentally offend his new companion because of a cultural misunderstanding.

Bringing himself back out of his thoughts, he turned to Ferdinand, asking, "Was there anywhere in particular you think we should go?"

Cryktin hadn't even noticed he had seated himself next to Rachel, her presence going completely under his radar due to how silent she had kept herself during the duration of his time in the room. As she considered how to approach him, he was locked into his own thoughts, considering if and when he should approach anyone, as well as conversations he had heard among the students in the school. He was very interested in what the students were discussing, but was too nervous to approach anyone. His mind was so distracted, that he had barely even noted a quiet voice next to him.

He lifted his head a little upon hearing Rachel speak to him, alertness clear on his face. It didn't take him long to ascertain that the voice was coming from directly beside him. Quite a few thoughts raced through his head when she attempted to speak to him. The first was surprise. He hadn't expected anyone to approach him on any grounds, to even note he was in the area of concern themselves with a little fellow like himself. Up to this point, none had even acknowledged him, not even vaguely commented on his presence - at least, not that he was aware of. Now here was a person attempting to directly host a conversation with him. The other emotion which entered his body was interest - or maybe even excitement, for the very same reason. He was almost excited to think he was being approached by someone, as he would have had a poor attempt to approach another person.

Realizing how long his silence had gone on for, he shifted his head. As he was unable to see where she was, he could only try his best to turn his head in her direction, hoping his voice was projecting at the correct angle. "I-I'm fine. Thanks for asking," he responded to her, speaking slowly. It was clear from the tone and speed which he spoke that he was nervous about speaking to another person, but tried to be friendly nonetheless.

~~~

Ferdinand noted Corbin returning the nod to him, but thought nothing of suspicion of it. There was no reason to consider it strange. To him, it was acknowledgement if anything, awareness that his thanks had gone noted and were appreciated. All the internal conflicts going on within the nurse were completely invisible for Ferdinand, and he would never be aware that even gesture he made birthed these within Corbin, caused him to struggle with alien cultures and actions - ironic as the usage of that word would be.

Conveniently enough, Ferdinand had been very focused on the children hustling down the halls. So as the internal conflict battled through itself, the psychologist merely enjoyed watching the students going about their school days, chatting, rushing to their next classes, and occasionally even goofing around. He was quietly gauging the general emotional state of the ground, but it more often than not read positive. Of course, with such a loud, chaotic, and fast-paced crowd, it would be nearly impossible to read each and every person's emotional status, especially in depth. So many of them were moving at such a hastened speed, probably trying to get to class before the bell rang and declared them as late. This focus on the crowd did not mean Ferdinand was not listening. In fact, when Corbin began speaking to him, Ferdinand immediately focused his attention back on his companion instead, immediately drawn away from the crowd as though they did not exist.

"I hadn't anywhere specific I was aiming for. Long as we are actively moving about and getting to be among the people, I am satisfied," Ferdinand responded, lifting a hand to adjust his ascot as he often did. "I simply enjoy being around the students, seeing how their days are going. So many of them are having a great time, and it's satisfying to know that even in school - which I know many kids do not enjoy - they can still have a good time. Chatting among friends, making plans to see each other after the day is done, and just enjoying the fact that they get to be with one another." It was at this point Ferdinand chuckled, his sentiment catching up to him within and reminding him of what he was previously asked. "You lead, my good sir, and I will follow."

Syndral's uncharacteristic openness continued to catch Morph off guard. She was so... he dare thought... enthusiastic about the idea of meeting after school, upon reuniting with Ardunayne. Although, to be blunt, her tone hadn't changed much from her typical monotone. But the slight differences spoke measures.

"I did saw 'we', Anahita," Mort emphasized facetiously. "You know it gets skewed every time you tell it by yourself, so she has to hear it from both sides." What gets "skewed", rather, is what's told a little more honestly than Morph would have tolerated. "But yeah, definitely gonna be there. If..." he glanced at Diane, "you're okay with that."

Telai quietly sits at his desk. He places his cane against the wall nearby and reaches into his bookbag, pulling out a notebook and pencil. The pencil falls off the desk and onto the ground. Telai sighs and searches the ground for the fallen pencil, without much success.

Dax was already lost to the world of sleep, and thus completely unaware of his surroundings. He had no idea that a quiet conversation had started not too far away, not that it would have bothered him. He was completely unaware that Rachel had almost wanted to mimic him, for he surely would have said something if he was awake and had that information. The very idea would be amusing to the boy. The diligent Rachel acting like a slacker? Not in this lifetime! What's next, Dax is actually awake and wanting to work? That would surely be a freaky Friday. If it were Friday, and actually happening, that is.



Syndral smiled, pleased that Ardunayne agreed to visit her house after school. They would be able to safely talk at length then, without having to hide anything from any eavesdropping humans. She turned to Morph as she listened, even more curious about what could possibly be skewed in a telling of previous events. It sounded like it was quite the mission. Syndral nodded to Morph. "Of course. Otherwise, I would not have offered such an invitation in your presence."

Rachel saw that he lifted his head, but he stayed quiet for some time afterwards, to the point where she wondered if she hadn't spoken loudly enough. She was about to repeat herself - a tad bit louder this time - when the blind boy turned his head towards her general direction and spoke. She was glad to hear that he was fine, though she could tell by his slight stutter and slow delivery of his words that he was a bit nervous. The girl could definitely understand. If she was at a new school and having to navigate it literally blindly, she'd have her fair share of anxiety, too. For a moment she allowed herself to wonder if his nervousness was due to adjusting to an entirely new environment, or if it was just his usual personality. She didn't mind either way. Rachel was the sort to get along with just about everybody, and slight timidity was hardly a trait that would be bothersome to anyone, let alone her. If anything, it made her want to make sure he was doing alright here even more.

"That's good," she said in reply. "And you're welcome." Turning around in her chair and glancing at the clock, seeing they still had a few minutes before class actually started, she turned back to him. For a moment, she wasn't sure what else to say, until the obvious hit her. "Um... what's your name?" she asked. "I'm Rachel," she offered.


The nurse nodded his head in agreement, listening to the psychologist as he talked about the students flocking together in the hallways. "I find it comforting that our services are not as largely required as they could be," he thought aloud. "It is our duty to ensure the physical and mental health of those who attend here, but as you can see" - he gestured to the children, none of whom seemed particularly ailed in any way - "it is often not needed. I would much rather an injury not having happened at all than having to see to it myself. It is good to see that this is often the case." As a doctor, Plagarius did not mind his job at all - enjoyed it, even - but he would be the first to admit that he would rather his services not being required to begin with than having to see to an emergency. If his services were required, it meant that someone was likely already hurt, and he could only do what he could to ease the pain and see to the healing process. It was nice to take a step back and see that, for the most part, the students could normally manage themselves just fine without them.

Corbin turned back to Ferdinand's, the latter's use of the phrase "my good sir" catching his attention. That recieved a chuckle from Plagarius, who used that phrase - among similar ones - quite often. He wasn't sure if he was already rubbing off on the human or if he had already spoken in a similar manner before their meeting. Based on the eloquent nature of his speech, the latter wasn't at all unlikely, but it was still an amusing thought.

Humming thoughtfully, he said, "I do believe I know where we could go. My brother" - how odd it was to call someone his brother when, in reality, he was an only child - "works here as the Gymnastics teacher. We could start by heading there. I confess, I would like to check in on him. He injured his hand recently, you see, and I would like to see how he's managing so far today." As he talked, he started walking in the direction of the gymnasium, slow enough so that Ferdinand could easily keep up and walk alongside him.


((OOC: Hey Wyrstel, what's the first name of Valdar's human alias? Since he and Plagarius are brothers, I figure Plagarius would address him by his given name instead of his surname. :3))

Ardunayne smiled, purring, "Then it's decided. The three of us can meet together after school, and I look greatly forward to it." It was the highly of the day thus far, and she was already thinking about what she might say to the others once they were in private and away from the general human public. Many ideas hit her, but she knew a lot of it would be based on how they reacted and what they said. Nonetheless, she knew she would have to toss a couple of teasing comments Morph's direction - pretty much a requirement - and get re-adapted with Syndral and her personality.

~~~

Cryktin was further interested when the girl - Rachel was her name apparently - sought further conversation with him. For the first time since he arrived here, someone wanted to have a friendly conversation with him, and thus far Rachel was a very nice girl indeed. She spoke to him in a rather gentle and passive tone, something which he could definitely appreciate. After listening to how loud some of the humans in this school interacted with one another, how intense their debates could get, he had started to consider that all people, all humans that is, might talk like that. Loud, aggressive, and assertive. Yet it quickly became clear that he was wrong, at least about every person altogether. It was a casual question she threw to him, but it was something easy to start with, a response he move certainly couldn't mess up.

"My name is Vester," he responded, quickly calling his alias to memory and repeating it. Her name was oddly simple, but something about it was nice nonetheless. "You have a nice name." There was a slight hesitation between the beginning of the compliment and the actual compliment itself. He was uncertain if complimenting a name would be considered odd or not.

~~~

"I understand that fully," Ferdinand almost hummed in response to Corbin's out-loud thinking. "Students will always have concerns in their lives, but I'm only needed when they struggle to handle them themselves. Not every student will need my assistance, as some can handle themselves, take care of their own habits, relationships, and actions without me guiding them." He smiled a little wider. "Nonetheless, it's nice to know that people like you and I can be around when they do need out help, to think that when they are ailed, either physically or mentally, that we are on standby to offer a helping the hand. The greatest thing is that we have the potential and willingness to help out. I know the children don't think about it much, about jobs like our. For the most part, we are people within the school they don't have the concern themselves with, and I understand that the children has bigger concerns. Yet when I do get to help one of them, their smile is all the thanks I need. They needn't say a thing, before or after."

Ferdinand was interested to hear Corbin had a brother. He had not mentioned that prospect once since they met - but that was fair, as Ferdinand didn't really mention his family either. Not only did he have a brother, but his brother too had sought out a job at a school, and the same school too. "You have a brother? How wonderful. It's nice that you and your sibling get to work at the same building, to be around to support one another."

The psychologist began following Corbin, noting the slow pace, but finding he was happy to keep his pacing slow. "I would most enjoy having a chance to meet your brother." Ferdinand didn't have siblings himself, but he treasured the idea of children getting to grow into adulthood along their sibling, to have someone they might be able to bond alongside. "How did he injure his hand, if you don't mind me asking?" He didn't want to intrude, but hearing that someone was injured, he was immediately curious about the events that lead up to it, as well as wondering if that person would suffer emotionally from their injuries. Some people would, some wouldn't.

"Oh, right, ha ha," Mort chuckled, feeling mildly foolish. Thankfully it was a short-lived feeling, since Ardunayne's purr distracted him. "I can't wait. School's gonna feel like it's taking forever, now," he joked.

They turned a corner, and Mort and Diane's destination came into view. "There's Ms. E's, just three doors down." He made an ugly grimace and shook his head. "Egh... crazy, psycho woman."

Syndral's smile quickly faded at the mention of the science teacher. "I wonder what she has planned for today." Her tone was very flat now. "Hopefully nothing too torturous."

While the Zvarranik didn't like Ms. Espinoza and wasn't looking forward to whatever insanity potentially awaited her today, she was still curious about the woman. She was an odd one for sure, and would probably be interesting to experiment on later. Syndral awaited the day she could bring this human to her lab to see what made her tick. How ironic, though, the thought of dissecting a science teacher. It was almost amusing.

Vester. It wasn't the common sort of name like her own was, but she thought little of it. It was a nice sounding name, one she'd have to be sure to remember if she and the blind boy would be spending more time together. While Rachel wasn't particularly the forgetful sort, she sometimes found herself taking a few moments to remember the name of someone she'd recently met. It was a bit strange; numbers were something she could remember with remarkable ease, yet names didn't seem to stick in her brain the same way. She could more easily recall her new locker combination than the name of a new acquaintance. She supposed the aforementioned new acquaintances had the right to be offended if they happened to learn this bit of information, that her locker was apparently more memorable than they were. She felt a twinge of guilt at how the information stored in her head was prioritized, but it wasn't as if she could control what her brain chose to easily remember.

She was brought out of her thoughts on numbers and names when Vester spoke up again. His next words were hesitantly delivered, but instead seeming awkward, Rachel found his timidity rather adorable. Smiling subtly, she responded a bit bashfully, "Thanks." Unable to accept a compliment without offering one of her own, she told him, "Yours is nice, too. It's unique."


Corbin smiled softly as he listened to Ferdinand speak at length about their roles and the children here. It seemed strange for Plagarius to be the quieter one in a conversation, as those who worked with him in the Brotherhood definitely knew just how chatty he could be. If Vuxta had found the two of them as they are now, she might have wondered if her companion was actually disguised as the psychologist instead of the nurse. As it was, Plagarius was indeed the nurse, though his behavior might have seemed strange to anyone who knew him personally. Away from his homeworld, the Corvonian was almost always the more talkative one in a conversation. He would talk, the other would listen, and while the conversations were never strictly one-sided, he was usually the one talking the most in a discussion. Right now, however, it seemed as though the roles had reversed, with Plagarius generally being the listener in this conversation. While it didn't happen often away from his homeworld, it wasn't unusual behavior for him. While Corvonians loved to talk, they also loved to listen. So having found someone who loves to talk at length as he does, it was a refreshing change for him to be able to sit back quietly and simply absorb Ferdinand's speech. When the psychologist was finished, all Corbin had to offer was a chuckle and a simple, warm reply. "You and I, my dear friend, seem to think startlingly alike, for I have little else to add that you haven't already addressed."

Only when Ferdinand brought up his brother did Plagarius's more talkative nature seem to rise back up to the surface. "Oh yes, I do indeed! I must concur, it is quite lovely for us to be able to work in the same place, even if we don't necessarily run into each other at every turn. This is the first time we've been able to work in the same area such as this" - which wasn't a lie, since it was indeed Valdar and Plagarius's first time working together - "but it will no doubt be a very pleasant change for the both of us! It is quite comforting knowing that family is nearby, I must say. To be able to go to them and make sure they are doing well is... well, that is something so very precious to me, I'm sure you understand."

Smiling at the psychologist, he told him, "And I am most excited to get to introduce the two of you! I am sure the two of you will get along marvelously!" At Ferdinand's next inquiry, Corbin paused for a moment - creating a believable lie - before saying, "Ah, my brother can be a bit too... overzealous when it comes to the sports he takes part in. I always tell him he should be more careful, but he's too bent on performing some grand athletic feat to really pay me any mind." He chuckled a bit at this, acting as though this was something that happened on a regular basis between the two of them - his brother getting himself hurt, Corbin thusly telling him to mind himself, and his brother ultimately shrugging off his injury with a grin, going off playing his games until the cycle repeated itself. The fabricated scenario reminded Plagarius of someone he once knew - he had been stubborn as a mule, too.

Ardunayne was saddened for a fleeting moment to split paths with them, but she knew she would encounter them later, so at least it wasn't entirely bad. "Good luck with the class. I'm sure you'll need it. I shall see you two later," Ardunayne hummed, waving to them and confirming her motion had been seen before continuing on about her day. Once that was accepted, Ardunayne begrudgingly left the duo behind, making her way to her next class. Thankfully this school was fairly simple to navigate, so it didn't take too much effort to find your classroom.

~~~

To Cryktin, Rachel was a unique name, though it was not quite so on Earth, and that would be challenging for him to figure out - which names were common and which names were unique. He was at least glad to see that his name had not raised any suspicion with Rachel, at least not any suspicions she made obvious and clear. She seemed merely satisfied to receive an answer, and responded to him with a friendly thanking for his compliment. He felt warm inside, thinking that he was making a good first impression. He assumed his timid nature might be an off-putting personality trait, but that was clearly not the case with her. If things worked out between them - and he was greatly hoping they would - her name would be something he would soon not forget. Until anything went wrong, and he was not aiming for it to, he would account her name to memory, repeat it inside his mind sometimes. Thinking of friendly faces made him feel good.

He noted the tone she spoke with upon responding to his compliment, and noted that she seemed a little sheepish too. Strangely enough, that made him feel comfortable and safe around her. His heart was at ease. "You're welcome," he answered, trying to reduce hesitation in his responses. "And I owe you a thanks as well for complimenting my name." There was a nervous chuckle near the end of his comment, but somehow being able to chuckle like that made him feel better.

~~~

Ferdinand was a naturally talkative person, though he never really considered that notion. Every second he spoke with Corbin just made him feel more eager to speak, knowing that everything he said was being strongly listened to and greatly appreciated. He loved to know that his words were being considered, and that someone - anyone - was genuinely interested in what he had to say, even if it was just casual small talk. Having a person like Corbin speaking with him was an encouragement to keep talking, though he doubted the nurse knew this encouragement was even happening. He didn't seem concerned about how much his companion was talking. No, if anything, it seemed Ferdinand had encountered someone who loved a good conversation just as much as he did, someone who appreciate small talk and casual banter, who just wanted to get to know a person. That alone was perfect. The children weren't always as receptive to such banter, didn't want to talk to you like a friend, didn't want to tell you everything that was on their minds - big or small. They wanted to keep to themselves, harbor their secrets, and definitely not let the school staff in on their thoughts. That was honestly understandable. He remembered when he was a kid and remembering that he would rather share with friends his age.

When Corbin began speaking again, Ferdinand fell silent, listening with interest as he started speaking of his brother. He found it sweet to see that they seemed like such bonded siblings, for many could not stake a claim to a sibling bond like that. He was eager to see if his brother held that same relationship, if he too felt equally as bonded. If Corbin's words were anything to go off of, they at least seemed to have a positive relationship. "I understand that notion fully, caring for your family and wishing to see them well. I often think about when my own children grow older that they will go to this school one day, and I can't wait to see them running through the halls, hopefully chatting with friends and having a great time. I do miss them when I'm at work."

He couldn't help but shake his head at his own sentiment, and a small smile aimed at himself gave away that very sentiment. When Ferdinand heard the explanation of how Corbin's brother hurt himself, he wasn't surprised. Sports related injuries were common after all and it was something that could easily come of partaking in such events. "Ah, sports. Yeah, I can understand that. Sports are a dangerous affair and I've seen one too many good people bring harm to themselves partaking, especially when they're into the game. As much fun as sports can be, they are dangerous too." He took a moment to consider his own family and their involvement in sports. He had seen injuries on his own family from sports. "Nonetheless, it's at least good that your brother has something he can enjoy so greatly."

"Oh, believe us when I say we will," Mort huffed. He returned the wave. "Bye, it was a surprise seeing you again. Oh, hey, we need to swap schedules next time we meet!"

Once Anahita had turned round the corner, he brought his focus on their classroom. "Ugh, let's get this over with," he said before entering. Inside, the seats were filling up with other attendants, and the teacher was at her desk, chatting away at some group in the front row. Their presence alerted her attention, her head turning to spy on them like an owl stalking a pair of mice. Mort braced himself and stared back with a hardened gaze.

"Oh, hello! You're..." she drew out the word and pointed with a long-nailed finger, "Mordecai, right?"
"Mort."
"Right, and...." she tilted her head, "Diana?"

Since everyone seemed to be waving to each other, Syndral joined in as well, with a more slow, subtle, almost halfhearted wave. "Farewell," was all she said, her tone unchanged.

She focused back on the class as Morph did. She sighed at his words and walked in behind him. Syndral's gaze quickly settled on the science teacher, watching her carefully. Her blank expression remained unchanged, though her gaze was very clearly locked on the teacher. "Mari," she corrected flatly. It was fairly close, not that she really minded. At least she didn't insult her.

Mr. White stood near his desk, awaiting the arrival of his next class. A few odd students had arrived early, but the rest still had yet to show up. So he'd simply have to wait for a minute or two, and if certain students didn't want admonished, they wouldn't take longer than a minute or two to get here. Taking the water bottle that sat on his desk, he took a sip from it before returning it to its place. He'd come prepared today, after having had to endure without an adequate supply of water yesterday. It had been a mistake neglecting to bring his own source of water on the first day of school, but it was a mistake he didn't intend to make again. This time he wouldn't have to worry about keeping himself hydrated.

That still only solved half of his problems, though. There was still the threat sodium chloride posed to him, though this wasn't something that could solved as easily as his initial problem. Though a mathematics class was hardly the place for such a substance to be lying about, that didn't erase the danger. There were still places within the school where salt could be found, the cafeteria being the most obvious and the science classroom remaining a possibility. But salt by itself in its pure form wasn't the only issue. Substances that contained the compound were also an issue, and these were more common. Even the very skin of human beings contained enough salt to singe him under the very best of circumstances. Needless to say, Elim still had to keep his guard up at all times.


At Vester's words of thanks, Rachel smiled a bit, saying, "Don't mention it." Her smile faded, however, when it occurred to her that he couldn't actually see it. So much was conveyed through facial expressions and the boy couldn't see any of it. She wanted him to know that she appreciated his compliment and his words of thanks, and so she smiled to help show him that, only to forget that he couldn't see it. It saddened her to think that he was missing out on half of her appreciation, for just as much was conveyed through her smile as her words. She could only hope that her voice was giving him the equivalent of a smile.

So lost in this train of thought she had been that she hadn't noticed how long she'd been silent. Not wanting Vester to be unnerved by this awkward silence, she fumbled for something to say. "Uh, um, is this your first day here? I didn't see you yesterday." She sincerely hoped that this was his first day and that she hadn't simply overlooked him yesterday.


They had been walking along at a casual pace, but when Ferdinand mentioned his children, Corbin practically ground to a halt. Catching the psychologist's arm, he began excitedly, "You have children? Oh, good sir, you didn't mention it before now! Tell me, what are their names? How old are they? Are they doing well? Ah, they're probably out and about and having all sorts of adventures! They must be quite a handful, surely, all running about and making messes of everything they can get into!" Corbin laughed, forgetting himself entirely. Which is how he ended up taking hold of Ferdinand's arms in his hands and holding him at arm's length, telling him in an exhilarated manner, "You simply must tell me all about them!" Any sense of discretion or anything keeping his normal behavior in check was obviously and blatantly thrown out the window. Corvonians tended to act like this when children were mentioned, especially when the aforementioned children were those of a friend's. While Ferdinand was a new friend, he was still a friend, all the same, and so Plagarius was elated to hear about his kids and wanted to know everything there was to know about them. He was so excited that he didn't even realize he was being far too enthusiastic and breaking all sorts of personal barriers. The subject of children simply overrode the Corvonian's other senses.

Ardunayne hadn't even considered the notion of swapping schedules, but that was definitely alright with that notion. She made a mental note to make a copy for her companion whenever she had the chance to do so - now which was not the time. As she passed through the halls, quietly watching the other students, she realized how much of the odd one out she was within the crowd. As unfavourable as humans were, she was still interested in speaking with them, getting to know them and their darkest secrets. She knew she was capable of extracting these secrets, and it would be a curious game to see what made these humans tick, what bothered them, what frightened them, things like that.

After a short while, Ardunayne finally found the correct room. She took a moment to pause outside the door, allowing students to pass by her as she did. She glanced once more at her schedule. Mathematics, was it? In her mind, that didn't sound too bad. After taking a moment to recount herself with the subject she would be partaking in, she made her way into the classroom, nestling the schedule into a safe and out of the way spot when she did so.

~~~

Cryktin nodded clearly. Despite the fact that he couldn't see her facial and nonverbal reactions to him, he knew she could see what he was doing. He had often gotten in the habit - not just on this mission, but other ones as well - of making small gesture to people, a way to make them feel less uncomfortable around him. He knew that to them, the glossy way he stared into space must've been a little unnerving. "Yes, this is my first day. I just moved to this town. We had a lot of unpacking to do." With a small chuckle, he finished, "We still aren't done."

That was the story he planned to use if anyone inquired why he wasn't available yesterday. His family just moved to town yesterday, didn't finish moving in until then. It was a partially true story, too, although slightly altered to make sense in a human's mind. He had further details in his mind too, like a random location to say he lived in before arriving here, but he didn't want to bring up details if they weren't inquired upon.

~~~

Ferdinand had not expected such an excited reaction to his mention of children. It was initially startling, his arm being suddenly grabbed out of nowhere. Often when he mentioned his children, people were disinterested, or merely commented that this was interesting or that they were happy for him. He knew there were people who adored children, but the sudden change from relaxed and at ease to clear excitement was so drastic. He was used to his personal space being invaded by children, but not often by adults, especially one had had just met. After a short while, though, Ferdinand relaxed a little. Part of him was still surprised that his arms were being held, but the other half was happy to see someone was interested in his children. They were very important to him and he greatly appreciated a chance to speak of them, especially to an interested party.

With a small laugh, Ferdinand responded, "Yes, I have children." He cleared his throat now, saying in a polite, but clear tone, "If you would not mind releasing my arms, I would be most grateful." It wasn't particularly bothersome to him more as it was startling. He showed no signs of annoyance in either body language or verbal request, hoping it would translate correctly as surprise and not bothered.

"Right, got it now!" she turned and placed a hand on her hip, eyeing their mirrored demeanor with a facetious grin. "Well, aren't you two gloomy. You look liked you just stepped out of a morgue!"
"I feel like I just stepped in one."
A few of the students giggled quietly, while she elicited a single harsh laugh. "HA! You've got a quick wit, Mordecai!"
"Mort."
"I've got a feeling you'll bring some life into this place, once you come out of your shell!"
"Whatever, let's sit down, Diane," he groaned, ducking his head and making haste to his seat, her gaze still locked on them. He quickly set himself to work by taking out his supplies and laying them out on his desk to avoid having to respond to any further remarks from the teacher.

In searching for his pencil, Telai bumps into some desks. Apologizing for disturbing any others, he returns to searching for the pencil. After searching for several minutes he sighs and heads back to his desk, but not without tripping and slamming hard into it. Wincing but not crying out due to the pain of the impact, Telai pulls out his pencil bag and places it on the desk. Forgetting to have zipped it shut, creates a whole nother disaster. Pens and pencils fall out as he lifts it out of the bookbag. Some fall into the bookbag while others, join the pencil from before on the floor, till a single pencil remains in the bag. Taking the one pencil out and setting it beside the notebook, he waits patiently for class to start.

Meanwhile outside the current class of mine and myself are enjoying an exciting and intense game of lacrosse. Both teams are doing very well in getting and keeping the ball, so well in fact, that the scores are tied. Currently my team has the ball, its time to show these kids just who they are playing against. With precision and skill, I intercept the thrown ball and nimbly
dodgeing the enemy team, as my team works together to reach the goal, I score the point for the team. Loud cheers erupt from my team and from those on the sidelines.

Syndral listened to the brief exchange between the science teacher and her fellow agent. She didn't add anything, as she really wasn't sure what to add, or if she even wanted to exchange words with this crazy woman. The Zvarranik was also mildly confused as to what morgues had to do with anything. No one was dead, to her knowledge at least. They clearly hadn't stepped out of a morgue, or into one, since they were still in the school. She was just lost on the context. Syndral sighed, knowing she still had a lot to learn about social interactions on this planet.

She followed Morph to the desks and sat in the one beside his. Once seated, she quickly turned her gaze back to the teacher, not wanting to take her eyes off her for too long. Syndral just didn't trust this psycho teacher. She didn't want to respond to her either, but she more so didn't want to be caught off guard by anything.

Seeing movement in his peripheral vision, Mr. White flicked his eyes over to the door where more students were entering his classroom. He watched them for a moment, and was nearly about to direct his attention elsewhere when one of the students caught his eye. She was easy to spot, being significantly taller than the other female students - and many of the male students as well - but this isn't what caught his attention. What made him stop to look at her more closely was the fact that he didn't remember seeing her yesterday. While the Targibbon's memory wasn't anything particularly spectacular and it would be quite easy to forget a single student among the hundreds he had seen for the first time yesterday, he thought that this particular student would have stood out because of her impressive height. She looked as if she was just as tall as he was. While it wasn't terribly important, Elim did understand that a height difference made for a more imposing presence. He didn't need to rely on his mere height to intimidate these students, but every little bit helped, and he couldn't physically look down on this new student the way he could with the others.

Watching her enter the room, he addressed her sternly, "Is there a reason you neglected to show up yesterday?" Her answer wasn't as important to him as how she answered. He wanted to see just what he was dealing with here, and to get a sense of her personality, he asked her a question that he didn't really need an answer to. How would she reply? Was she the bold sort, or meek? That is what he intended to find out.


"Oh. Yeah, I'm sure when you move to a new place it takes a while to settle in," she commented. Rachel was glad that this was his first day here and that she hadn't overlooked him the first day. Maybe she was worrying too much, but she would have felt bad if she hadn't noticed him yesterday. It wasn't as though she would have somehow deemed him insignificant by simply not noticing him amongst the throng of students in the hallways, but she was the sort to overthink things. Not only that, but she wanted to make sure he was managing alright and not getting trampled, and she couldn't do that if she didn't notice him in the first place. Speaking of which, how was Vester managing as well as he was? How was he navigating the halls the way he was? She looked on the ground beside his desk. There wasn't a guide dog or anything. Would they even let one in the building? How does that work? She hadn't seen anyone escort him in, either, though she could have missed it. Was it okay to just ask him? Would it offend him? Classic Rachel: worrying too much.

Chewing her lip in thought, she asked conversationally, "So... are you finding everything okay?" It wasn't a blunt inquiry of "how the heck are you getting around and not bashing into everything," but was instead more subtle, so hopefully it had less of a chance of offending.


Corbin was no doubt going to hound the poor man with a barrage of excited questions when he confirmed that, yes, he did indeed have children, but he stopped when Ferdinand made his polite request. It was as if a switch had been flipped. The once ecstatic features and bright look in his eyes shifted into what almost seemed like terror in a blink of an eye. His already pale skin seemed to have turned a shade paler, and his eyes were like a deer caught in headlights. He was deathly still as well, almost as if he thought if he moved an inch the entire world would shatter in front of him. He blinked once, looking at his hands which still clasped the psychologist's arms. "I..." For once, the Corvonian was rendered speechless. He quickly regained control of his ability to move, however, for he retracted his hands almost as if they had been burnt and took a quick half-step back. He brought a hand to cover his mouth, seeming terribly appalled by what he'd done, before clasping both of his hands behind his back, where he dug his nails so hard into his palms that, had he not been wearing his protective gloves, his talons would surely have dug cruel, bloody holes into his skin.

He averted his gaze to look anywhere but at the psychologist. He'd done it again. Had he no sense?! When would it finally get through his thick skull?! He was thoughtless, terrible, incorrigible; a child who just couldn't keep his hand out of the cookie jar, no matter how many times he was scolded and admonished. When would he learn?!

Daring to look up at Ferdinand again, he tried speaking again. "I'm - ...sorry," was all he could manage. Looking around frantically for a distraction of some sort, he said shakily, quietly, "Ah, here we are." He gestured towards the gym before starting towards it, not bothering to look to see if the other man was following him.

Ardunayne drew to an abrupt halt, surprised to see the teacher directly addressing her as soon as she entered the room. It was a very abrupt notion, and she was surprised to see it was such a simple question. The teacher was asking why she hadn't been in class yesterday. That already struck her add a strange encounter, for that had not happened in the previous class. In fact, when she was in English class the teacher hadn't even noticed she was absent the first day until she clearly requested a book she did not have, and even when she had requested the book, the teacher hadn't made much of a fuss about it. The teacher gave her the book and moved on. So it seemed almost fussy for Mr. White to approach her immediately and ask that of her. For a fleeting moment, she was almost reminded of a past comrade. She sort of liked the boldness, though, as meaningless of a question as it might have been to her. Ardunayne hadn't really formulated a story for where she had been as she figured none would care. Part of her wanted to ask him how he so quickly knew she wasn't around, but she was a fairly interesting looking person, even disguised as a human. Her height alone would likely give her away.

"Well, you see darling, I simply had things to attend to yesterday, appointments that couldn't be canceled," Ardunayne declared loudly, waving her hand playfully as she spoke. It was almost too loud, as if she wanted the entire class - those who were present anyways - to hear the conversation themselves.

~~~

His story seemed to settle very well with Rachel, which gave him something to feel comfort in. If she accepted his story, that meant he had weaved together a believable tale, something he could tell the other students or teacher if they asked that would not make them curious. He was considering this when she spoke up once more, asking a rather casual, but interesting question. Was he finding everything alright? He took a fleeting moment to consider the question and what it meant in this context. Was she asking because he was a new student or because he was blind? If it were the latter, he sort of understood the concern. To someone who had vision, it would seem concerning to be unable to see your environment, but to him, he could just hear the world around him and translate what he was hearing into a map.

He decided not to take any offense to her query and responded with, "Thankfully this school isn't too maze-like, so I've been getting around. I've only been here for two classes, but I haven't gotten lost yet." He wondered if she would come out and ask about his condition. Part of him was hoping she wouldn't, though it would be a lie to say he wasn't suspecting it.

~~~

The reaction Corbin had was very clear. In some ways, it was even more startling than the initial action Ferdinand had requested him not to do. He seemed almost afraid, which was not at all the reaction Ferdinand had been expecting of his request. He paused for a very lengthy amount of time, attempting to consider what might have triggered such a reaction. There were so many variables, but a lot of them were impossible to settle down on without knowing more about Corbin and his past interactions on a more personal note, something that, given Corbin was not one of his patients, he didn't feel comfortable asking. After the initial shock had worn off some, Corbin had looked away. That was a fairly obvious reaction. Embarrassment. What for, though? Ferdinand considered if he had overstepped his own bounds with his request at several points in his thoughts, but that seemed unlikely. He hadn't faltered in his speech patterns and he hadn't used a harsh tone. Perhaps it was a more personal reaction, one that Ferdinand would never be able to translate without speaking more personally to him.

Ferdinand tried to keep his expression friendly and welcoming when Corbin looked back, uncertain if he had offended in any way or if the reaction was personal. Either way, he didn't want the nurse to translate him wrongly as angry, which was a high possibility given his abrupt reaction. Yet he said little and quickly turned away.

When Corbin moved towards the gym, Ferdinand did not immediately follow. Instead he considered his next course of action. It was possible Corbin thought he had done wrong - this was usually more realistic to consider of a younger audience, but not unrealistic to consider on an adult. Finally, Ferdinand decided he needed to step up, as the sudden change in personality was clear and he didn't want his friend to believe himself in the wrong or continue to worry around it. As such, Ferdinand moved forward quickly, catching Corbin with a light hand on the shoulder before he was able to enter the gym itself. "Corbin," Ferdinand began, waiting until the nurse's eyes were upon him. "I don't have any ill feelings towards you after what just happened." His voice was strong, and it was clear he wanted to be taken seriously. "I don't know if you feel like you've wronged me, but if you do, I want to let you know you have not. Don't let this ruin your day, our time together. This should not be an unhappy encounter, for either of us."

Luckily for the two agents, Ms. Espinoza seemed to have lost interest and returned to her former conversation, only occasionally glancing in their direction for some reason Morph couldn't specify. To him it was a bad sign. It seemed that an specific interest in them-- or him specifically-- had formulated. She had already shown signs of being unhinged towards him, and he dreaded that she was one of those kinds of teachers: the teachers who abuse their authority to manipulate and humiliate their subjects by exploiting their insecurities. To them it was all fun and games, to distract them from the agonizing bore that teaching can be. But Morph refused to be a part of her little games. Whatever vulnerability Ms. E saw in him, he'd never let come to light. Not to her, or anyone in that class.

The memory of her outburst from yesterday replayed in his mind, rousing his anger once again. He still couldn't believe that she'd infiltrate his personal space in such a way, in front of everybody, including Syndral, of all people-- not that he cared, anyway. He wasn't embarrassed about it, or anything. Why should he care about what a bunch of stupid, young ingrates thought about him? And Syndral wouldn't think anything more of what she had witnessed than that it was disrespectful. As far as he knew, and based on prior knowledge about her, she was probably unaware of the meaning behind Ms. E's previous actions. He hoped.

Morph focused his attention back on Diane, who was monitoring the teacher acutely. He relaxed, knowing that he wouldn't have to face this nuisance alone. He wasn't going to let Ms. E's antics ruin his good mood. He got to reunite with an old friend, who also happened to be Syndral's old friend. Instead of dwelling on the previous memory, he decided to remember said reunion. He thought about how Syndral had been so uncharacteristically happy, and the rare smile she expressed. It made him smile himself, which he promptly concealed by propping his head on top of his hands. Not that he cared if anyone saw it, or anything. He just didn't want to break character.

Syndral might have considered thinking of happier thoughts, but her instincts told her to keep her focus on the potential threat in the room. Granted the science teacher might not be so much of a physical, life-threatening presence, but there were surely other ways she could prove to be a danger. If nothing else, her presence was at least unsettling, and Syndral didn't feel comfortable letting her guard down around her. The moment she relaxed would no doubt also be the moment the science teacher would pounce. Syndral wanted to be ready for whenever that moment came, so she kept her focus locked on Ms. Espinoza.

Although this need to always be wary of the enemy didn't just come from the years she spent as an Order agent. This was a natural instinct of the Zvarranik, a trait especially strong due to the dangerous environment of her home planet. With so many aggressive, or at the very least territorial and defensive, fauna on Surqorax, letting your guard down for even a moment could be fatal. Granted the cities were safe enough due to high tech defenses at their disposal that kept the creatures at bay, but outside the city limits, the world was not a friendly place. The reptilian creatures of this planet could rival that of Earth's dinosaurs in size, and possibly beat them with ease in other aspects. It was for this reason that leaving the cities' limits was not recommended unless one was sure they were properly prepared to face what awaited them.

Whatever Mr. White had been expecting from this new student, he had not been expecting this. His mind seemed to freeze over for a few moments, though he did not allow for any expression or movement that would suggest that he had been thrown off balance. That voice. The way she spoke. The way she moved and gestured. That playfulness in her tone. The casual use of the term "darling". It was just like...

Oh, Eluemadea.

He averted his gaze - an uncharacteristic display of weakness - for a moment, his thoughts racing. Could it really be her? This student in front of him sounded, even acted, just like her. Granted, he'd only met her but a moment before, but the one he was thinking of had left such an... impression on him that he could identify her in an instant. Still, he couldn't be 100% certain, and he wasn't about to spend the entirety of this class pondering it.

Lifting his eyes to stare back at her again, he said simply, though a tad bit more harshly than his usual monotone, "Just take your seat." He started to turn back to his desk then, but he paused mid-turn, a thought occurring to him. Looking over his shoulder to give her what almost seemed like a glare, he said, "And don't call me darling." It was the usual response he would have given her, too.


Rachel nodded at his explanation. She was silent for a few moments afterwards, until she realized who she was talking to, and responded verbally, "Uh, yeah. That's good." She still didn't really understand how he was getting around, though. If she were blind, she'd probably crash into everything in a perfectly empty room, even if someone were giving her instructions on where to go. She supposed that if he had been born blind, he'd probably be used to it and was more experienced in getting around without his sight, but it still amazed her. There were days when she'd bang her shins and elbows on pretty much everything that had a sharp edge, and she actually had use of her eyes. And yet here Vester was, navigating the school like he was a bat using echolocation.

Thinking for a few moments, she asked, "So, did someone give you a layout of the school beforehand? Like, a map of some sort?"


Corbin wasn't sure if Ferdinand was actually following him, and to be honest, he was too scared to look back and check. He was too scared to see if the psychologist had beat a hasty retreat, distancing himself from the nurse's altogether too weird and unacceptable behavior. It wouldn't have been the first time that the Corvonian had scared someone away in his excitement to get to know them, and why should it be any different now? But now there was a whole 'nother aspect of this already unforgivable slip in conduct, aside from his largely diminished chance at ever being able to mend his and Ferdinand's friendship. He had the mission to consider as well. Had he screwed things up already? What would this mean for not only him, but the others as well? Was his slip up suspicious? Was it unheard of for a human to act in such a way? Had he blown his cover already? Dread began to overtake him, and he wrapped his arms around himself as if trying to warm himself from a chill. He'd ruined things, surely. He'd -

He was brought out of his self-accusation by a sudden hand on his shoulder. He gasped slightly - which, had he not been disguised, would most certainly have been a chirp of surprise. Normally Plagarius wasn't startled by such touches - in fact, he quite enjoyed them - but he had not been expecting this one at all, for he thought for sure that Ferdinand had left, and who else would be approaching him like this? Turning back to see who it was, he found that it was indeed the psychologist, though he was a bit conflicted on how to feel about it. Had he come to demand what the meaning of his earlier physical contact had been? Was he here to express his anger with him, to request that he never bother him again?

As it turned out, none of these were the case. Corbin watched the psychologist with wide eyes as the latter spoke to him. For a few moments, he was rendered silent, unmoving, though as quickly as his sense of horror and guilt had come, it was replaced once again by his bright and cheery happiness. He smiled widely, relief clearly evident in his eyes. It might have almost seemed as if the dear doctor was bipolar, going from manic to depressive to manic again so quickly and with such ease. If the psychologist noticed, hopefully he didn't think that the man needed medical help of some sort.

"Oh, I am so happy that you are not upset with me!" Depressive to manic, indeed. "I do apologize, sir, for my overreaction, and my... earlier breach of your personal space. I so often forget to mind how close I get with others. It is something I... struggle with. I promise I will try to do better in the future, if you are so inclined to be patient with me." Taking the final few steps to the doors to the gymnasium, he held one open before gesturing inside. "For now, however, I do believe we had arranged to observe the students at play?" His demeanor had completely transformed back to his normal self, as if he had never been upset at all.

Ardunayne was even more curious when he took a hostile stance to her use of the word 'darling' towards him. The most important action in her eyes, though, was that momentary look away, that hesitant action. She had only been subtly joking inside her mind when she said this teacher had vaguely reminded her of a past comrade, but now she considered that maybe it really was him. Thus far, the personality, dull as it might have been, was on key with the man she knew. When the teacher attempted to chase her verbally back to her seat with a single command, she knew she couldn't just accept that command. She was so sure - almost certain - it had to be him, had to be Elim. He was a difficult sort to forget, and if Morph and Syndral were here, why not Elim too?

When the teacher began making his way back to the desk, Ardunayne instead followed him. Class wasn't quite ready to begin yet, and she wanted to test the waters. If it really was Elim, it wouldn't be too difficult to confirm it. He was an interesting character, and there's no way she could fully forget him. As he made his way back to his desk, Ardunayne approached too, leaning against his desk and smiling at him. "Oh, that's a little harsh, don't you think?" she purred softly in his direction. "I just want you to know how much you mean to me, as a teacher that is. After all, your relationship with a teacher is very important, isn't it, sunshine?"

Ardunayne had called Elim 'sunshine' a long time ago, but it was a nickname she was particularly fond of tossing his way. It would be casual enough if a human heard, or if this somehow wasn't him.

~~~

Cryktin hadn't even considered that his navigational skills might have been a bit too expert for a human. He hadn't fully looked into human blindness - though he knew it existed - and how humans coped with it. He knew they had it and he knew it wasn't all that strange of an occurrence, but he'd never researched how humans specifically dealt with blindness. He just assumed he would blend in. That might have been an error. He tried to keep it quiet that he was temporarily unnerved by the question, show no reaction. After all, Rachel had basically given him the answer he was looking for, and if she came up with it, she would surely be satisfied to hear him using it.

"Yes," Cryktin began, "they did. The staff gave me a good idea of where all my classes are and the best and shortest way to navigate them. It isn't too hard, long as I can keep the image in my mind of where I'm going." That wasn't entirely a lie. He was in fact building a map of the school in his mind, slowly adding to it until it was complete.

~~~

Another drastic change in emotion suddenly made itself present, but this time it was a much more desirable reaction, as happiness seemed to race into the nurse's mind almost instantly. With a suddenness, his mood changed once again, but Ferdinand found himself smiling internally as Corbin shifted these moods. Ferdinand was a sort that quickly grew concerned for the well being of others, and he had already grown fond of the nurse for the short time he knew him. As such, he was taken the monitoring his emotions, his current mood, and being happy when they were positive, concerned when they were negative. So to observe a shift from negative emotions to positive simply warmed him up inside. His words had mattered and they had made a good man feel better about himself. Ferdinand might have been curious at some point about what caused such a reaction about a small encounter, but that would hardly be worth discussing at this very moment. Corbin was feeling better, and at this moment, that was all that was important. He could ask personal questions later.

Or maybe never. After all, it wasn't his place to be asking such questions. He could read Corbin until the sun dipped underneath the hills, but reading someone's emotions and questioning them were two different encounters. Bothering him was hardly appropriate.

He couldn't help but be momentarily interested in the notion that Corbin struggled with personal space boundaries, but it wasn't all that strange. Ferdinand had worked with children who invaded the personal boundaries of their peers, and it was almost interesting to observe it in an older person. "I am a more than patient person. It will take far more than a small invasion of my boundaries to scare me off," Ferdinand hummed, finding he couldn't help but laugh at the end of that sentence, now that the air surrounding the two was calm and at ease once again. Patience was a skill Ferdinand excelled in. He had to. He was willing to hold the strongest of patience with people, especially those who proved they were willing of such patience. Ferdinand bowed his head at Corbin as he held the door open. "Thank you. I would most enjoy that." He then made his way inside the gymnasium.

OOC: Hey 09, I think Telai is in Mrs. Moore's class right now. You could have Vuxta interact with him.
also i ship


Ms. Espinoza continued to ramble on about something in her loud, nasally voice, and still occasionally made split-second eye contact with Diane. It was almost as if the teacher was challenging her herself, aware that her withdrawn, pale-skinned student was watching her every move. She even gave her a fleeting wink at the fifth glance.

A few desks away, a couple of students took note of this silent showdown, and whispered among themselves regarding it.
"Psst, hey. Look at her."
"Who?"
"That emo chick with the black hair. Look."

Morph instantly removed himself from his thoughts. It was difficult to hear from that distance, especially with Ms. E squawking away, but he could barely make out what they were saying. He innocuously turned his ear in their direction, staring away from where they sat, but with a hardened expression.

"Yeah, what about her?"
"Look, she's been glaring at the teacher ever since she came in."
"You mean Ms. E?"
"Yeah, what other teacher, dumbass?"
"No, I mean that's her name. You don't have to refer to her as 'the teacher', you know."
"What are you even talking about?"
"Yeah, we're changing the subject here."
"I was just trying to help you remember, geez."
"Whatever. Anyway, look at her. Why is she staring at her like that?"
"I don't know, because she's weird."
"No-- Yeah, but I mean, why? She didn't do anything to her, did she?"
"Not that I know of. You mean from yesterday? It was the fat kid next to her that Ms. E attacked, not the goth one."
One of them laughed. "Oh my god, that was so funny. 'Chipmunk cheeks'--"

"Dammit!!" Mort immediately felt abnormally hot and wanted to bury his face in his hands, but resisted. He didn't want to make his eavesdropping obvious to them. Instead he clenched his fists and squeezed his arms together.

"-- And then he hissed like some sort of animal! What a weirdo!"
"Yeah, yeah, but why would the goth chick be--"
"Maybe they're friends, and she's watching out for him, or something? I mean, they're both freaks, to it'd make sense."
"Hey, didn't that kid also send someone to the hospital in gym?"
"Oh yeah, I heard about that! A bunch of people were put in detention this morning. Was that him?"
"Yeah! I heard he bit some guy's leg and made him bleed."
"What?? That's priceless! He really is a freak!"

"Oh my god, shut UP!!" Now he wanted to bury his face in his desk.

"I think that chick was in detention too. I think they were in that new math teacher's classroom?"
"New math teacher?"
"Yeah, the creepy guy. He's always so hard-ass and everyone's scared of him, I heard."
"Geez, I'm glad I don't have him for math this year. A year with Mr. Gil was enough for me, no thanks."
"I hear that Mr. White's worse. And it's only been one day."
"Well, I'll know to avoid that name at all costs."
"So yeah, they were in his class. And I saw them leaving together."
"Dude, every time I see those two, they're always together."
"So they are friends, then?"
"I guess."
"Maybe she's his girlfriend or something."
"Haha! As if!"

"FOR ****'S SAKE!!!" Now he wanted to carve an indentation identical of his face (which was burning like fire) in his desk, fill it with superglue, and hide in it, never to be seen from the outside world again.

Vuxta was sitting at her desk, hard at work on her computer, when a symphony of noise distracted her. Sounds of thudding and clattering rang out across the room, causing her to turn towards it out of curiosity. Scanning the room, her eyes finally settled on a student in the back. She hadn't seen any of the events that took place, but she could make a guess at what happened based on the scene. Vuxta noticed how pencils were scattered on the floor, and there was a cane propped up against the wall beside the student. Ah, now this must be one of the blind students she was told about. He appeared to be having a little bit of trouble with his pencils.

Deciding to provide assistance, Vuxta rose from her seat and made her way over to the student. "Let me get those for you," she said gently. She knelt down and quickly gathered up all the pencils. Holding the bundle in one hand, she picks up the pencil bag off of the desk. She puts the pencils back where they belong and zips up the bag. "There we go." Vuxta places the bag back on the desk. "Now those rowdy pencils are back in their place. They might be number two, but they're last in obedience." She gave a slight giggle at that. She sighed, "Anyway, welcome to history class, I'm Mrs. Moore. If you ever need anything, you just let me know, alright?" She smiled sweetly.



Syndral blinked when she received that wink from Ms. Espinoza. Now what could that mean? Why did she do that? The science teacher was clearly aware that she was being watched, but what message was she trying to send? She couldn't be sure. This crazy woman was hard to read. Apparently, the Zvarranik's usual subtlety was slipping from her grasp. Maybe blatantly staring at the teacher wasn't the best approach. She would have to try to be more discreet in the future. For now, though, Syndral sighed as she glanced to the side at really nothing in particular. She was really only trying to pry her eyes away from the teacher. She would have to ignore her instincts in order to try to seem more normal. It probably wasn't that necessary in the first place.

As strange as Ms. Espinoza was, she wasn't too much of a threat, at least not at the moment. This nervousness was likely irrational, and while being wary was never really a bad thing, being so blatantly cautious might not have been the smartest move. Syndral folded her arms and leaned back in her chair as she continued to stare at nothing. She gave one last glance to the science teacher before closing her eyes with a sigh. Maybe if she just tried not to focus on her so much, she wouldn't be so unnerved by her. She needed a distraction, something else to think about. For a moment, Syndral considered reading her book or getting out her phone, but she didn't want to relax to the point where she would be caught off guard if the teacher did decide to direct her full attention to her. It was an unsettling thought, not being prepared for a potential threat. So she decided to not distract herself too much.

Syndral didn't catch any of the rumors that were being spread. The voices were too quiet, and Ms. Espinoza was too loud. Plus, the Zvarranik's hearing was nothing to write home about. At best, their hearing is like that of an average human's, which is more rare, and it only goes downhill from there. While their hearing normally isn't too bad, it isn't anything great either. It isn't uncommon for Zvarraniks to struggle with higher pitched sounds, whereas lower pitched sounds are easier for them to hear. Regardless of the pitch, though, the whispers were too quiet for Syndral to pick up on.

What she did notice, however, was a rise in temperature beside her. Syndral immediately opened her eyes and glanced over to see what the source was. Morph? Again? Now what was the problem? Did he just get hot easily or something? It didn't feel hot at all to her, although she quickly dismissed that thought for obvious reasons. Maybe Morph, or his kind in general, couldn't handle warmer temperatures very well. Syndral was about to leave it at that, when she noticed his clenched fists and how tightly his arms were squeezed together. If he were hot, why would he do something like that? Clearly something else was going on.

Out of concern, She decided to ask. "Are you alright?" She whispered.

Mort jolted at Syndral's voice, glancing at her and seeing that her eyes were now on him. With a gasp, he swung his face away from Diane's line of sight out of instinct, bringing up a hand to hide himself for good measure. He paused, however, and reminded himself that his disguise concealed him and prevented her from seeing his... particular palette. Not that hiding his face would have made a difference anyway, had he not been disguised, since the rest of his skin was probably just as bright-- "Stop thinking about it--"

He took a breath to calm his nerves and restored eye contact. "Um, I... I'm fine. It's just..." It occurred to him that she must not have heard the students whispering. His hearing was superior to Syndral's, he knew. And not only that, she seemed hard of hearing herself, based on what he learned of her beforehand. "Uh..." He considered lying, but remembering what all they were saying, he became angry. They weren't just gossiping about him. Plus, this was part of the job. They had to take note of everything the humans said and did, especially when it involved them, the agents. "Those kids," he whispered very quietly, glancing around her discreetly, "on the other side of the room. They're talking about us. Nothing to be concerned about, though. They just think we're weird, like some kids," he added, broadly specifying that it wasn't a red flag regarding their secret. "But they were saying nasty stuff about us. M-- ... Mostly about me. But some stuff about you. It... just made me a bit angry, is all. But it's no big deal, they're just little snots." He paused again, processing a thought. He added in an even quieter whisper, "Don't stare at the teacher so much. They think it's weird."

Telai also laughs as Vuxta does. His silver eyes glisten as he speaks. Unknowingly as he grabs his pencil bag, he touches her hand. Blushing he withdraws his hand, apologizing prefusely as he does. "Thank you," he replies with a smile.

Back outside of the gymn, the sound of laughter and many voices can be heard. The games are preparing to resume once again. The students have gathered together and are waiting to be chosen by one of the team captians, either myself or a young lady with long chesnut hair. A large sign with an arrow points toward the open double doors, to the outside fields of grass.

At first, Mr. White didn't notice that this new student wasn't obeying his order. There was no reason why she shouldn't, so he didn't bother to keep her in his line of sight to ensure she went to her desk as instructed. When he arrived at his desk however, it became obvious that she had followed him there. His eyes narrowed. She was deliberately defying him. He was about to speak up, to say something that would get her back to her seat and make her stay there, but her words stopped him cold. It wasn't the way she was casually leaning on his desk - though it was no doubt the same stance she would have taken. It wasn't the term "sunshine" - though she had called him that oh so many times before. No, what really made him freeze in his spot was the way she spoke of a teacher. That... that was a conversation they'd had a long time ago. He'd told her the significance of a leynayr - a teacher - in his culture. He'd told her just how strong the bond was between a leynayr and a serrah - a student. He'd told her how so very precious such a relationship was....

This had to be her. Her mannerisms, the way she could make him freeze up like this....

He cleared his throat. Looking at her with an unreadable look in his eye, he said slowly, "Yes... it is." His stare hardening and coldness seeping back into his tone where there had once been almost wariness, Mr. White told her, "Which is why it is so imperative that you respect such a relationship. We both have our duties here - I am here to teach, you are here to learn. I intend to uphold my duties. Are you going to focus on your responsibilities?" Though to anyone else the conversation might have seemed strictly schoolwork related, in truth, it was a conversation very much like one Elim and Ardunayne had had before. He wanted to make certain she was clear on what their orders were. Hopefully she would take the mission of studying the humans seriously enough that she would keep the hell away from him and dedicate herself to her work instead of...

His stare hardening into a glare once again, he finished, "If you are, then take your seat and keep from delaying us any longer." As if the sheer power of Elim's will had made it so, the bell rang in the hallway, officially signaling the beginning of class. If this truly was Ms. Undefinedo, he doubted that she'd listen to anything he'd say. There was a chance she might actually listen to the bell, though. Maybe.


Rachel nodded, obviously believing Vester's explanation. She was still amazed by his ability to get around, though, as well as how he claimed that it had been rather easy thus far. Engrossed in her thoughts, she startled slightly at the sound of the bell, but relaxed not a split second later when she realized what it was. The ring of the bell brought her attention to the front of the classroom, where the teacher would no doubt be giving them their assignments any minute now. Realizing she hadn't answered Vester, she said quickly to him, "That's good."

After that, she quieted down, not wanting to disturb the class that had officially begun. As expected, Mr. Normandy did have an assignment for them today, but as usual, he felt the need to talk about nothing at all first in a slow, monotonous voice. When he finally reached the subject of the actual assignment, all he had to say on that matter was for them to read a certain number of chapters in the book they had received yesterday, "E.T."


Corbin smiled warmly at Ferdinand's words, saying softly, "I am awfully glad to hear that." Plagarius was so incredibly thankful for the psychologist's patience with him. He had feared that he had scared away the very first human he had ever truly interacted with, and a very nice human at that. The man had been so friendly and such an excellent partner for conversation. It would have been devastating to have lost such a friend. But he hadn't. No, Ferdinand was still here at his side, seemingly undeterred by his earlier slip up. He was still here, and there was such potential for their friendship to grow and expand. The school psychologist was most certainly someone the nurse was going to be spending a lot of time with, and the Corvonian anticipated the time they would have together to cultivate their friendship. And all the while, he could watch not only Ferdinand, but the students that attended school here to learn more about humans' customs and behaviors. It was a perfect scenario for him to learn, he thought.

As Ferdinand passed through the door, bowing his head to him as he did so, Corbin mimicked the gesture as he had done before, his smile growing happier all the while. "You are most welcome," he replied before following the man inside. When he entered, he noted that the gym itself was quite empty, which momentarily confused him, but seeing where the arrow pointed and hearing children's laughter outside, he figured it out soon enough. His smile widened. Of course, the children would be out and about outside while it was still warm. They were no doubt enjoying the late summer/early fall weather. Gesturing for Ferdinand to follow him - even though he knew it was hardly necessary - the doctor crossed the gym to reach the doors that led outside. Once there, he saw that it was indeed a fine day out to be playing a game of some sort. He quickly spotted the students grouped together in the grassy field. As he walked towards them, his eyes quickly glanced through the crowd, looking for his "brother".

When he spotted him, and when he was finally close enough to where he could be heard without shouting, he called out to him to get his attention. "Markus!"

((OOC: Just to save time, I'm going to assume Cryktin already got special copies of the books for class. Ardunayne just wanted the attention. Ha!))

Ardunayne couldn't help but smile at his initial reaction of being followed. He clearly hadn't initially noted she was even trailing him, but he certainly showed a reaction, even if subtle, when it became clear. His retort to her comment was incredibly delayed, the hesitation in both the time it took him to device his initial response and the delivery of the response itself. That warmed her inside, and she was certain of it. With every word he spoke, every subtle reaction to her speaking, she was more and more certain this was him. She didn't want to slip away from him so quickly, now, wanted to continue speaking to him for quite an extended period of time. She enjoyed getting to metaphorically prod at him, to work around with these limits very subtly.

"Well, dear, I find that I prefer the front row seat to any class you're running. It's a better way to stay close to you, to enjoy the time I have around you." Ardunayne couldn't entirely help herself, though she kept her voice low - at least low enough - when she spoke. "I can hear you best from here." Long as the room remained silent and long as class was not started, she could continue to speak to him and she was glad for every moment the bell did not ring.

Which is why it was a real downer when the bell blared loudly in her ear.

Much as she wanted to continue speaking with him, continue playing around with his reactions to her words, she knew it would be painfully suspicious to the rest of the students if she continued to hover near his desk, now that class had started. It was regular of her to ignore requests such as those, since her speaking with him rarely imposed upon the mission. Luckily for Elim, it would impose strongly, at least at this moment. "I'll speak to you later, hun," she purred at him, finally turning away from his desk with a flick of the hips. It was a promise, too. She didn't intend to simply walk away and let him slide. She would simply wait patiently for class to be over. She took a seat, a desk close to the front of the classroom, directly in front of his desk. She waved at him playfully as she sat down, a fond reminder that she was sitting very near to him.

~~~

Cryktin was going to attempt to form more conversation with Rachel, but the school bell went off before he could think of anything to say. His initial reaction was to jump a little. He immediately slapped himself metaphorically for doing so. He knew he looked silly being startled by a simple noise, but he just hadn't fully adjusted to a bell ringing yet. He quickly settled himself, knowing it was but a noise to announce the beginning of class and nothing more.

Cryktin had been prepared a head of time for a reading assignment such as this. He was able to quickly procure a copy of the book more suited to his abilities. He placed the book flat on his desk, gently running his hand over the surface. Reading was comforting, in many ways, and it always felt soothing to feel his fingers gently running over the small bumps of braille writing. It was only two letters that formed the title of the book, and it didn't make any more sense to him here than when the teacher said it. E.T. Who or what was an E.T.?

~~~

Ferdinand observed the empty gymnasium as they entered it. This was not all too baffling to him, as when the weather was nice, kids often enjoyed getting a chance to go outside and play in the fresh air. The sun was shining, the air was warm. It was only realistic to assume that gym class would take place outside instead. Fall had not yet even started, and it would be a while until it was too brisk to enjoy the outdoors. In some ways, Ferdinand was happier at the idea of getting to go outside. So rarely did he leave the building when he was on his job, that the gentle breeze blowing in the open doors was welcoming. Ferdinand had already been looking at the open doors when Corbin gestured for him to follow, and his reaction was almost instantaneous in joining the nurse outside.

The weather was as welcoming outside as it had felt peeking through the doors to the indoor world. He couldn't help but sigh - quite content - and smile as he felt the gentle breeze and warm sun on his skin. He glanced quickly at the sounded of students speaking and spotted the small group not too far away playing a game. His smile widened. They seemed to be in good spirits, the kids, and enjoying themselves well. He was a trifle distracted, but picked up his pace to trail behind Corbin when he once again moved, this time towards the group of children. Ferdinand came up beside Corbin right as he was calling out to his brother.