| Title: Day two -- fire dance. Time: Friday, March 26, 2004 The Thespians: Lien Nguyen, Toby Darling, Sukaku Karasuno and Pascal Curio Location: Scattergood Grounds - The Forum |
| +---[ Scattergood Grounds - The Forum
]--------------------------------------+ | | | An enormous outdoor area for meetings and activities stretches out. Cut | | into the ground, the Forum is entirely covered by reddish flagstones, | | making up even the places for sitting. Rectangular, the area holds a large | | stage platform that drops four feet into the bottom layer. From there, the | | bottom stretches out to finally stop, enclosed by a thinner platform two | | feet higher, with stairs on three sides (none, of course, on the stage's | | area) leading up. This follows the same pattern, though it being only ten | | feet wide and made slimmer still by the large, flagstone benches set out | | for seats. Stairs from here lead up two final feet to the ground and stage | | level. Around this massive expanse is surrounded a five-foot tall and | | thick brick wall, dirt in its center supporting the growth of a few small | | trees, bushes, and flowers, and creating yet another spot for students to | | take seat. The wall is broken only for the cement paths that lead out to | | the other areas of the school, and more often than not its bricks are | | covered in chalk or enchanted sayings written by students attending. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| It would appear that persistent teasing has not dampened Lien Nguyen's enthusiasm for her game of Robin Hood--at least, she's still waving that stick around, and she's still quoting things in Old English, though in a place as public as this, the words are kept to a quiet but intense mutter. Let it be noted that a language full of "thou" and "thinkest" and "by Saint Dunston" sounds more than a little odd from the mouth of the short child. After a long and exciting (sic) duel with an invisible enemy, Lien stands on the topmost step of the seats and speaks to the empty forum. "There are twelve months in all the year, as I hear many say. But the merriest month in all the year is the merry month of May!" Not that it's... May or anything. |
| Day two, or day three, whichever. Pascal Curio can't even keep it straight and she's the one who needs to last it out for seven long and agonizing days. Again venturing out onto school grounds after another half hour mental preparation session in front of her mirror, the forum is her choice of wandering place. She quickly takes in Lien's form at the top steps of the seat, and clearly the first instinct is to say something to embarrass the girl. Pascal barely catches her tongue and her face twists into a slight frown because of this. She ducks her head to plaster a 'friendly' smile on her face, and slowly walks towards Lien. 'Just think of the costs, just think of the costs,' is the thought that's going through Pascal's mind as she pipes up cheerfully, "Hello Lien, what're you reading today?" |
| Heaven knows Lien's set herself up for enough embarrassing comments--just by existing, really, in a lot of ways. Pascal, too, is the last person she usually wants to have catch her wrapped up in her make-believe. (Some people would like her to think that she's too OLD to play pretend. Silly people.) So, the smile on the older girl's face both takes her by surprise and raises her suspicions. Gee, Pascal can't even BE nice--I wonder why. "Billy's borrowing Robin Hood, so I'm just reading books from the library," she replies hesitantly. |
| Chalk up another found distraction for Toby Darling as he strolls past the forum, limping just a bit more than his usual tiny one. He is, of course, on a search for something to distract him so that he doesn't have to study. And what does he find but Lien standing atop the Forum's seating bowl brandishing a make-believe sword? Sounds like a good distraction if there ever was one! Popping up behind the wall that separates the back row of the forum from the rest of the campus he tries to grab Lien's attention. "Hey, Lien! Whatcha doin' up there?" |
| "And how is Billy enjoying Robin Hood?" Pascal continues to ask with a rather light and cheerful voice, the smile still plastered on her face. She could really get used to this whole facade of being nice. It could make it all that much more satisfying when she turns around and stabs them all the back again. A loud meow comes a few minutes after Pascal's arrival, and sure enough, the cat Samson is out and about again. Seems like he enjoys being around whenever Lien is... strange. Toby's entrance is also noted as well, but Pascal manages to keep the smile on her face, if it doesn't flicker all that much. "Toby, how are you today? Your leg bothering you at all?" Of course, all this is spoken with a tone of /utmost/ caring. |
| Dark eyes narrow. Pascal has GOT to be up to something. Pascal-in-a-good-mood is one thing. Pascal-with-a-huge-fake-smile-plastered-over-her-face is another. "What's going on?" Lien inquires. Tsk, tsk, such a suspicious mind. Samson catches her eye, though, and provides a minor distraction; Lien crouches down and peers at him. Heeere, kitty... |
| This place definitely could use more trees. Sukaku Karasuno would prefer to be in one right now -- none of this ground stuff -- but as that doesn't seem to be an option, he makes do. Bare feet, the soles still a bit tender with new skin, pad into the forum area, the boy disregarding the strange and curious looks that he receives from green-garbed students. In black and with his strange eyes, this boy is difficult to miss. Sukaku is, however, enjoying himself . . . he must be, or he wouldn't still be around. Something about this place intrigues him. Hopefully he doesn't spot the cat. |
| "Oh, hello, Pascal." Although Toby is anxious to torment Pascal he really didn't expect to run into her out here. "Yes, the leg is bothering me today, Pascal. I had a small incident involving a broom." He smiles and shrugs innocently at Lien as he hops over onto and over the short wall behind the last row of seats. "Oh, nothing's going on, Lien. Everything is... normal. Yup. Normal." He hasn't yet noticed that Sukaku is approaching. |
| A slight laugh escapes from Pascal's lips, though her so-called good mood is definitely dampened by Toby's arrival, not to mention, oh... dammit. Sukaku's here as well. "Nothing's going on," she says pointedly to Lien, waving a finger at her. "You're paranoid, just like Elijah." She turns to Toby and then tsks. "We had a little talk about that broom stuff, didn't we?" She's fighting to keep her voice cheerful, and so her question is really just a very strained question. She'd like to bring up how she was imitating Lien or making fun of Toby and his fluff, but she can't. So instead she turns to look at Sukaku as the strangely dressed boy wanders through the forum. |
| Bird Boy II has entered the building. From where she's crouched between the benches, Lien raises her head to follow Pascal's gaze to Sukaku and a rapid-fire trail of thought flashes through her brain. Sukaku in a tree, screaming his head off at Matthias... Sukaku plus cat equals... immediately the girl abandons calling the cat and leaps to her feet. Shoo, kitty. Shoo. We don't need a scene. Let's get the boy's attention over here, m'kay? Lien raises a hand to wave to him and goes as far as calling, "Hey! Sukaku!" |
| Sukaku Karasuno turns to glance at the source of his name, tugging absently on one end of hair. You'd think he'd get used to it, but he never seems to . . . Smart, Lien, for shooing the cat. "Konnichiwa, Lien-san." Why is she raising her hand . . . ? Is she summoning something from the sky? Idly he pads over, nodding to Pascal and Toby in turn. "Your school is very big . . . I became lost twice." |
| Suk-what? Sukaku? Where? Toby turns and sees the approaching Sukaku. He, too, smiles and waves now that he's aware he's here. Of course, as he raises his hand to wave he 'accidentally' jabs his elbow toward Pascal's chin. "Oh, sorry Pascal." He whispers feigning an apologetic tone. |
| Pascal Curio doesn't have really a chance to move her head, but the hand /is/ quicker than the eye, so she reaches a hand up and kind of 'catches' his elbow in her palm, letting it go as she slightly blocks it. "Oops Toby, you better watch out. You're getting a little clumsy today." She keeps smiling oh-so-sweetly at him. "What's the matter? You didn't get enough sleep?" Another smile, and she turns to look at Sukaku. Samson, on the other hand, is thankfully out of the picture, and Sukaku has Lien to thank for that. The cat has decided to move on to look for something eat. "Hello, Sukaku, how are you?" Still smiling, but smile is fading, fast. |
| No cat! There's a relief. It means that Lien doesn't even notice the little incident between Toby and Pascal. "You get used to it," she says. Now that Samson isn't around to worry about, the girl drops down to sit on the bench, resting the end of her stick sword on the ground. Pascal and Toby are lucky too, that Sukaku has diverted her attention. "Are you... you know, supposed to be here and everything?" |
| "No." Is Sukaku ever supposed to be here? Of course not. Does that stop him? Absolutely not. In fact, it makes it all the more intriguing. " . . . Are you all summoning air demons with your hands up in the air like that? They're not exactly very pleasant." Another blink towards Toby and Pascal. "Interesting . . . I thought it was against your culture to express physical affection to people very much younger than you. Was I wrong?" |
| Toby Darling giggles a bit after Pascal releases her grip on his elbow. "We're just waving hello, Sukaku." A smile as he pretends nothing happened with the elbow. "What brings you our way?" Toby has a difficult time forgetting what the Japanese kid said about his mother turning people into mushrooms, though. Naturally he speaks with a little bit of apprehension. |
| "Oh," Pascal's smile is absolutely turned into a thin line that stretches across her face in a pathetic attempt to become a smile. "No, /no/. Not physical affection." She seems rather adamant there, and fights to smile once more, it not reaching her eyes. "Toby and I," a pause, and she takes a very /deep/ breath. "We're good friends. Right Toby?" And she sticks out her own elbow to give him a hard jab in the ribs. She's not looking towards Lien, because the small girl is obviously going to deny that, and deny it LOUDLY. |
| Actually, Lien has decided that something is going on with Toby and Pascal and she doesn't even WANT to know... well, okay, that's a lie. Lien always wants to know. Always. What Lien doesn't want is to get involved. So, ignore, ignore, ignore--she keeps her eyes focused Sukaku and his questions, which are more interesting anyway. She leans in toward him and whispers--as though Toby and Pascal are deaf, or something--"They hate each other. Don't worry about them." Sitting back up, she smiles, as though THAT topic is done. "It's like a greeting." She demonstrates another wave. "Or it can be a good bye, too... wait... are there REALLY air demons?" Recognize that glint in her eyes? Careful now. |
| Sukaku Karasuno attempts to smile again at Lien's words -- that strange, faint upturning of the mouth. Give him time; he'll get it. "Sou desu ka? Is that so?" The white-handed girl is acting very strange . . . the white-handed girl is not supposed to be nice. Sukaku's brain is processing this rapidly as his eyes flicker between Pascal and the Lost Boy. "I can most certainly see the affection between them. Perhaps they do not realize the depth of their relationship, na?" A shrug. "I was exploring . . . and then I found you and decided to see if you had become more interesting." A pointed look at Pascal's elbow in Toby's ribs. "It seems that you are trying hard." Nodding toward Lien, he looks pleased at her interest. "Sometimes in Japan I have seen them. In Japan there are spirits for a great many types -- rivers, skies, trees . . . Here it is strange. I do not see them as much. But I have heard that if one stops believing in something, they tend to fade away . . ." |
| "Kinda like Santa Claus?" Toby hides his quick burst of uncomfortable ness from Pascal's elbow and silently and casually pulls his wand from his belt and holds it quietly in his hand. He continues, looking at Sukaku as he speaks. "I mean, er... when kids stop believing in Santa they don't see him any more?" Toby's wand is now pointed at Pascal's feet and he whispers "incendio" hoping that the effect will be the desired one. He continues as though nothing has happened. "What do the air demons do when you see them? Do they ever hurt anybody?" |
| Toby may be all casualness, but Pascal is alert and awake, and she sees the wand, and so she takes a slight step away from Toby, and more towards Sukaku and Lien, feigning interest in their little stories about demons or something. She wasn't really paying all that much attention, and she still won't be, not as long as Toby the Fluffy Menace has his wand and she can't use hers. She doesn't step far enough though, and the grass around her feet suddenly ignites. Cue the profanity. "What the bloody hell?!" And look, now part of her robe is also on fire. "TOBY?! Are you fucking CRAZY?!" This is the second robe this month! |
| "Toby!" As she jumps back from the Burning Pascal, Lien looks positively horrified with her friend. Is that the Glimmer of Death in her eyes? Maybe it's just the reflection of the flames. Um, um, um.... "Stop, drop and roll!" the child squeals, ever so helpfully. Wand? What's that? Can you tell who has spent the past six years in a Muggle elementary school? How many of the children who hear those words actually find APPLICATION for them? |
| . . . Apparently the Lost Boy is lost more than in the directional sense. Apparently his entire brain is headed due south. If you're going to do mischief, 1) Don't do it with someone in strangling range, 2) Don't get caught doing it, and 3) If you do get caught, either make sure you can run away fast or be imposing enough to prevent them getting back at you. Toby has violated all of these rules at once. Now that's talent. Besides, Sukaku considers it *his* job to create chaos around here. "Don't kill the grass," he remarks shortly. The dirt around the grasses kicks up abruptly, burying the fire before it can unduly spread. As for Pascal . . . eh. This is interesting. He only need try to do something if it gets out of hand, and currently it's not out of control yet. |
| "Oh my God! Pascal, what are you doing!" Toby is all but denying that he had anything to do with the sudden flare up. Of course, anybody who was paying any sort of attention to him would have heard him whisper. "Yeah, do what Lien says. Stop, drop and roll. um... roll around on the ground until the fire goes out. But cover your eyes to they don't burn!." He makes rolling motions with is hand, forgetting that he's holding his wand. Heh, let's hide that. He shoves it up the sleeve of his robe. "I swear, Pascal, you're so /clumsy/ today!" One day you'll understand why Toby's acting all weird, Lien. Just, hopefully, it won't be in the form of a letter addressed to you on the wall of the Dining Hall. |
| Gee, thanks Sukaku. Now that the initial shock of being on fire is over, Pascal quickly whips her wand out by giving her left sleeve a shake, and she mumbles under her breath. A sharp jet of water shoots out of her wand and the flames quickly die away underneath the liquid. Her robe, however, is now sufficiently singed, and as she turns, she positively glares at Toby, her wand arm shaking as she fights to keep from hexing the crap out of the boy. Sukaku and Lien are forgotten, and very wisely the older girl shows enough self control to put her wand away. It may seem strange to the observers as she puts it away, but she starts to roll up her sleeves, and then takes a very large few strides towards Toby, murder in her green eyes. So much for physical affection. |
| Lien has half a mind to let Toby get beaten into a bloody pulp, after that little stunt. He deserves it, the little idiot. Unfortunately, she really can't do that, just for the principle of it. At least, she can't let him to get beat into a bloody pulp without some sort of protest. "Oh, don't," the girl says, with a half-hearted sigh, reaching out to catch Pascal's arm. "I can go get a professor or something." |
| If a professor comes in . . . Sukaku will have to leave. He doesn't particularly want to run the risk that they're all like that squirrel who was not a squirrel. "That was interesting," he remarks of Toby. "But very stupid, I think." What *is* going on here, anyway? |
| Ever seen how a deer looks when you're speeding toward it in your car with your bright lights on? That's similar to the expression that Toby has on his face as Pascal strides toward him. Had he actually planned ahead he would have some sort of escape plan or something- or at least some plan to minimize injury. Unfortunately, unless Lien's grip on Pascal's arm is uber-strong and can stop the angry Austrian freight train that is Pascal, Toby is going to feel what it is like to be one of those girls in the old silent movies that gets tied to the rail road tracks by the villain with the funny mustache. |
| The little voice in Pascal's head is screaming BE CALM BE CALM think of the consequences! So, as Lien reaches out and touches Pascal's arm, she actually slows down in her walking, but she still lightly brushes by the small girl, and is still walking towards Toby. She's still angry, yes, but what Lien said also did register in her mind. So as she stops with her face right in front of Toby's, eyes glaring and everything, she says with a rather light voice to Lien, "Will you really? Will you call a professor and get them to examine Toby's head?" Otherwise Pascal may be forced to examine it herself. But, if Lien were to tattle, that would make it so much better. So she says to Sukaku, "Do you know what's wrong with Toby? Maybe you can figure out why he's being so... weird." Let the others do the dirty work. |
| Toby is an idiot. Plain and simple. Lien even says so. "Toby, you're an idiot." She is under no obligation to be nice. "Yes," she tells Pascal, "I'll go and get Professor Potthast." Her voice, and the glance she shoots Toby, are both remarkably devoid of apology. Though she has, at least, not left yet. That means SOMETHING, doesn't it? |
| "Shiranai." Sukaku's features are blank, placid in response to Pascal's question. "I don't know . . . but it seems to have something to do with you. This is getting interesting, however." Just a wild guess, of course. Though an educated one. His eyes dart to Lien. She isn't *really* going, is she? |
| "No. No, you don't have to do that Lien." No, Toby is perfectly happy to get the crap beat out of him, actually. He knew it was coming and he took the risk. But if he's going to win the bet he's going to have to risk life and limb more than he already has. "Yeah, Pascal and I can settle this ourselves. No need to get any teachers involved. Their time is too valuable, you know." Who is this kid and what has he done with the normally mild-mannered Toby? |
| "No, no, Toby. I think Lien is right. We ought to be getting a professor out here," Pascal's voice has taken on a very quiet and very mellow tone to it, and her green eyes never leave Toby's face. It would be so much easier for her anyway, she wouldn't have to get her hands dirty while rubbing Toby's face in the mud or something. Her fingers are really itching for their wand though, as can be seen by the twitching in her hands as she lets them hang by her sides. Sukaku is really too good, to the point where it's slowly starting to grate on Pascal's nerves. Actually, everything is grating on her nerves at this point. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sukaku," Pascal says through clenched teeth, her voice shaking as she forces it to be light. |
| "Neither do I," says Lien. "Have you two got something you wanna share?" She glances back and forth between them, finally settling on Toby, one thin eyebrow arching. Yes, Toby--detention, or giving Lien your secrets? This is clearly what she's implying. Her eyes don't leave Toby as she says, "I think you'd like her, Sukaku. She's the Herbology professor." |
| All right, so it wasn't such a wild guess. But Sukaku isn't psychic -- merely observant. The pokings, the jabbings, the setting of clothing and grass on fire . . . most people don't do these things unless provoked, because most humans are not like tengu. They don't cause danger (usually) out of mischief, and from what he has observed of the Lost Boy, Toby seems to be too awkward and too young to plan mischief of this sort without purpose. "Don't you, Pascal-san?" The boy's head cocks inquisitively. As for Lien, "Honto? Potthast-san? Aniki spoke very well of her . . ." |
| "Well, yes, Lien, I do have something I want to share. Actually, several things. But some of it I can't. I promise, though that you'll understand soon, okay? Just believe me when I say I'm not crazy and that everything I'm doing will make sense soon enough and that you will appreciate it. I promise, okay? I swear it's for your own good. So, please, leave Professor Potthast out of this?" Toby is nearly begging. He'd get down on his knees and beg, but that might just freak Lien out. "I promise it'll make sense eventually. And I promise I'll stop being stupid eventually." Eventually stop being stupid? And when was Toby /not/ stupid in Lien's eyes other than in the first five minutes after they met? Wait, no, not even then because he asked Lien the question she made very clear she didn't like 'are you alright?' |
| It's rather interesting to see Toby grovel before Lien like he's doing now. Pascal's actually smiling and it's not forced as she watches the boy practically beg for his freedom away from a professor. As Toby speaks, Pascal darts a look at Sukaku, and just smiles at the boy rather frankly. She might as well be truthful, somewhat with him, for her smile, to the observant, speaks, 'I know something you don't know,' but she quickly lets that smile fade. As far as she's concerned, she's still winning right now. "Well," she claps briefly after Toby's little speech to Lien. "I think that's good enough punishment Toby, don't you?" She really doesn't want to have a professor involved so early yet. |
| "It's not nice to set people on fire." No, really. Lien looks very matter of fact about this. "It's against the rules." Which is a very good reason why it should be viewed as abominable. Sigh... "But, you're the one he did it to... so, if that's what you want..." Shrug. "Just don't beat him up, okay? I have studying to do." Lien will leave these two to their own devices. They're both idiots. She turns to go. "Maybe I'll see you later, Sukaku." |
| Sukaku Karasuno smiles his faint smile back to Pascal in the attitude of 'Please don't trouble yourself; I'll figure it out.' Aloud, he remarks, "Onegai, please do not destroy one another unless I'm here to watch. Ne? It's not much fun otherwise." Blinking, he actually trails after Lien, perhaps hoping to tag along. "Ara . . . so air spirits, you were asking . . ." We can assume that the conversation takes a more intellectual turn from there. |
| "Whoa, chica... Harshness..." |
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