'You...you had to deliberately butcher my family name. You're from Britain for Christ's sake! How the hell could you mess up Leetenbaum!? It's not like it takes on a whole new pronunciation when I'm speaking in Japanese!' Duncan inwardly raged, covering it up with a noisy blow of the nose. 'Stay calm, stay calm. I can just bribe some ants into marching into his home later.' As the American transfer student finished up wiping his eyes from the crying act, sniffing, a familiar smell caught his nose. Duncan may have been proud, and rightfully so, but that didn't mean he was an idiot who professed to be an expert at what he was not.
The scent, the stain, it could have been anything. He remained silent and sulked to himself much like the loners he knew back at the States would after being picked on.
[Episode Zero] School Daze
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
Miyuki quirked an eyebrow at Duncan's sudden nose-blowing Didin't he have a cough? she thought to herself, shaking it off as Percy sat down, smelling even better than she did. Miyuki's mind went a couple of places momentarily before she decided to shut it off and just ask him a question. "What kind of body spray is that you've got on, Caxton-san?"
"Body spray?" Percival arched a brow at Miyuki. The young man placed his sleeve against his nose and sniffed deep. Even so, he couldn't smell the sweetroot that had seemingly stained his uniform with it's scent. Though, the stain on his sleeve came to mind, and he shook the stained piece of cloth again. Sweetroot's bulbs were filled with a thick, green substance that stained like this, and also let out that same, sweet aroma. "Oh! I... Hrm... That's ah... Sweetroot, I think."
'Sweetroot? What the hell is sweetroot? Duncan thought to himself. "What's sweetroot?" The boy asked cautiously, still apparently unsettled by Percival's earlier butchery of his name. As much as the scent of some strange plant from some silly herbal remedy interested him, the truth was, Duncan was already bored. He'd went from messing around with someone, to...plant stains? He just let it sit there.
"Oh! It's a plant..." Percival stopped there. Sweetroot wasn't common amongst nonmags, he needed to use his budding lying skills to make it sound normal now. "It's sort of like a... onion? Except it's not layered, and it's gooey in the center." Good good, now it sounds exotic. Just don't mention the fact that the stuff explodes at high temperatures. "My mother's a bit of a... herbalist. She likes to use all natural things. She mixed up some sweetroot and used it as an ointment for this ah... back pain I've been having lately. The results are... explosive, to be honest."
Wait... Oh no! thought Percival as he looked at his sleeve. It suddenly occurred to him that the gooey sweetroot had stained into his shirt. There was just enough of the substance on there to knock his hand near clean off should that stain come anywhere near an open flame. He swallowed, suddenly looking a little nervous. Stay calm... I just need to avoid fire. Open fires aren't a usual thing in Japanese schools, are they?
"Is it a Welsh plant? I've never heard of it." Miyuki asked, puzzled. She noticed Percy looking at his sleeve and leaned over to investigate, herself. She sniffed at the green spot and, sure enough, it was the source of the sweet scent. "Perhaps you should wash it off? You don't want to stain your uniform on the first week. That would be embarrassing, Casxton-San." Miyuki sat up, and looked over the rest of Percy's uniform, trying to see if there were any more green spots on the normally bright white uniform.
The boy seemed to finally start coming out of his stupor, crumpling up the moist tissue before carefully tossing it away in the trashcan beside them. "So, your mom was cooking with this Sweetroot stuff?" he asked, curiously. 'Great. I'm bored and this role I'm playing is sucking again. Duncan thought to himself. His thoughts briefly lingered on the idea of making herbal medicines and how it was supposedly similar to potion making. Of course, there was no way Percival was a potion maker; he was too damned careless. The next closely related thing to the two however, drifted into his mind. "Hey, this reminds me, don't we have chemistry class today? I think the teacher said we'll be boiling water with Bunsen burners."
"Ah... Is that so...?" thought Percival looking a little white in the face for such a casual expression. He bit his lip and looked down at the stain. If only I could get my hands on some Blue Maple leaves... thought the Alchemist, rather shakily. A mixture with Blue Maple leaves would make the stain inert, and could even wash it out with enough elbow grease. "Kagami-san. You're my lab partner in chemistry, right? Think you could handle the Bunsen burners today?" It seemed he was no longer concerned with how well his uniform looked.
"Ah, I believe so, but isn't Leetenbaum-San in class 1-D? Class 1-C doesn't have chemistry today, we have it tomorrow." Miyuki responded, thinking. Since Duncan had registered late, the only class that had room for him was not the same class that Percy, Hana, Hisoka, and she were in.
"Just be sure your shirt is clean tomorrow, Caxton-san." She said, smiling at him. These two were amusing. Both seemed to worry a lot, and they also seemed to make one another worry more than either did by their own devices.
"Phew! I wasn't looking forward to blowing my hand off." sighed Percival absentmindedly, rubbing his forehead with his unstained sleeve.
"Ah, silly me." Duncan spoke, sounding relieved himself. 'The hell? No. Did he just? I think he did say that.' The American student tugged at Percival's sleeve. "What was that last part? You said something about some explosion or something." He asked casually. "I don't think we'll have explosions happen from boiling water, you know."
'Either he replies calmly, or he'll be flustered a bit. Still, this doesn't seem right. A proper potion maker like the ones I knew back at IoN would have never even left the labs after having a stain like this.' Duncan thought, briefly eyeballing the green stain. 'I need to look up this 'sweetroot' later. Just to be safe.
"Hrm?" went Percy, giving Duncan an odd look. He didn't recall using the word 'explosion', but when he thought back to what he said... Incriminating... he thought, recalling his exact words. His mind began to rush, despite the confused look on his face. The American seemed to have caught him. "I mean't, blowing my hand off. You know, in case my sleeve catches fire. Open flames make me a little nervous like that." Leave me alone, you nutter! thought Percival.
"Ah, I don't think High School chemistry is that bad. The most explosive things we'll probably get to use is Methane, and that's not too dangerous." Miyuki assauged, smiling somewhat nervously and scratching the back of her head for no apparent reason. Before she could say any more, Miyuki was interrupted by the rattle and hiss of the third school bus arriving, with a loud rush of students making their way into the school.
"Watanabe-Chan and Takahashi-Kun should be on the next bus." She informed, to no one in particular, trying to recall the intervals between the busses and realizing that they never arrived at the same time every day, and doing so would be futile.
"Oh, you said 'blown off'? I must still be sleepy then. Sorry." He replied to the Welsh student. 'Well, I half buy your excuse, and I half don't. Oh well. No point in pressing it further. I'll look even worse than L normally does if I do that.' Duncan rubbed his insomnia darkened eyes with a hand, as though to emphasize that point. "Hey, what chemestry class are Watanabe and Takahashi-san in? I can't remember if they're in mine or not."
"They're in 1-C with Kagami and myself." answered Percival, noting how full of questions this guy was. The young boy puffed out his cheeks, and looked up at the sky. The morning blue seemed a little more dim than usual. After a bit of silence, he tilted his head. "Does anyone else get the feeling that something bad is going to happen?" said the boy, scratching the back of his neck. "Something has been... off since this morning. For the past few days for that matter."
Percival sighed, and leaned back against the back of the bench, giving the sign across the street discerning stare.
"Or... maybe I haven't quite adjusted yet." said the boy, dismissing his bad feelings.
"It feels rather normal to me, so it may just be the new surroundings for you, Caxton-San." Miyuki answered, casually. She opened her mouth as if to say something, when a large, older black American car pulled up, its boxy exterior still managing to gleam with the polished painted and gleaming chrome.
"Ah, look, Rai-Hime has arrived." she muttered, as the Shrinemaiden's daughter stepped out of the back of the vehicle, followed by her two Cohorts, Kiki and Ginga. The Trio walked by, Raiko holding herself regally while her friends seemed to think they were acting like her bodyguards or something. "Good morning Kagami-Chan, Caxton-San, Leetenbaum-San" Raiko greeted, smiling at them as the procession passed by, and into the school.
Miyuki smiled and waved back, giving a polite response before the girl disappeared, and the car rumbled back to life then sauntered off, its chassis taking up nearly a whole lane as it headed back off to the mansion that Raiko lived in.
"H-hello." Duncan replied to the girl, shyly. After she left though, he leaned over to the two to bombard them with more questions. "So...who was that? She seems important." Again, his thoughts were somewhat different from what he was saying. 'Either she's the kind with a stick up her ass, or she's just the formal type. Money's on the former. Personally, he could care less, but Percival did bring up a good point; something bad always happened. Mainly because most people were idiots.
"My..." said Percival, cocking a brow at the formality and odd familiarity Raiko seemed to have with him. The boy's mouth flattened into a blank frown as he watched her go by. Percy came from a country where people liked to hang on the tradition of a useless, self-important person. Perhaps it was the same here in Japan. "She's awfully... Well... She sticks out." it was all Percy could seen to say, "Is there any reason why she tries to act so different?"
"She is Kokoro Raiko, the daughter of a Shrinekeeper, And so she's had a very formal upbringing. She seems to regard herself as the princess of the school and takes it as her duty to learn about the other students, and have at least some form of friendly contact with them." Miyuki explained, laughing as the two boys sitting next to her seemed to suddenly be on the same wavelength.
"She's a very kind person and likes to help others, so don't think she's stuck up, just a bit more, ah, well, traditional in a way," the girl tried to explain.
'So she's of the latter type? Funny. Who would have thought? he went on in his mind. Now that he'd been talking to these two for a bit, it was time to push a little. "Um, Percival, about earlier." Duncan started. "Were you...making fun of me by messing up my name on purpose?" The American student asked warily. "You're from Wales, so it's hard imagining you messing it up on accident."
"Oh? I'm sorry, I'm just really bad with names." said Percival, blinking a few times a Duncan brought up the little stink from earlier in the hour. "You see, if I don't say it once or twice, I don't quite remember it." The boy shrugged his shoulders, "It'd probably do you good not to worry about it. It's just a name, anyway. There are much worse things people can say to you, and say about you."
"Y-yeah...I've had the 'worse' part firsthand..." He quietly admitted.
"Well, I'll tell you what everyone told me back home when everyone picked on me." said Percival in a very encouraging tone. With a thumbs up and wink, he went on to say, "Suck it up, kid."
Miyuki giggled at Percy's Very motivational speech. which she stifled quickly by pulling out her bottle of Morning Rescue and taking a swig. "That's probably very good advice, though I'm sure Takahashi-Kun would have something to add to it were he here."
"... and quit acting so illogically!" said Percival, subbing in for Hisoka.
At that, Duncan burst out in a small fit of laughter. It wasn't just the two's antics that got him laughing though. It was the Morning Rescue too. 'If Miyuki turns out to be magical, maybe I'll tell her most energy drinks are low yield mana-potions in disguise.' He thought.
Miyuki almost snorted into her drink at Percy's impersonation of Hisoka. It was fairly accurate. Though, with womanly grace, she managed to hide the thing in another swig- which was a dangerous choice because if she had not held back the result would have been worse. Luckily, Miyuki's will and self-control prevailed, and her outfit remained unsoiled.
"Honestly, if Takahashi were any more serious, I think we'd have to go ahead and put him in college." the Caxton boy shook his head in a bit of disapproval. He leaned forward, and began to stare down the street, seeing if the next bus was coming or not, "Not even I focus so hard on my studies, and I manage top marks. It's like he's trying to prove something or other by acting twenty years older than he really is."
'Ah. Magical College. Been there, done that. Duncan thought. Still, he had to fill in his turn at speaking. "I wish I had to focus hard on my studies..." The American boy mumbled. Which was actually true. Where was the fun, the challenge when it could all be so easily swept aside by a single flick of one's finger? What happened to the tension of being chased by a troll through the dungeons without any idea of how to fight it off? 'Oh, that's right. I know how to make it go splat. That's what happened. He sighed wearily.
"Well, He seems to be doing fine, and he does find time to just hang out with Watanabe-Chan and I, so it can't be that bad. Still, I think he's trying to follow after my brother's footsteps, since we've been friends for so long, my genius older brother was always around." Miyuki shook her head, as if slightly annoyed. "Akihiko Is a good role model, don't get me wrong, but some people are just smarter than others. and Takahashi may be smarter than me, but My brother is another league."
'You got that right. Some people are smarter than others. Duncan thought.
"That may be so, but Takahashi's got to realize that he's a still a teenager like us. I know two kinds people that result from that sort of life in this point of their lives. I had two instructors who lived just like him back home." declared Percy, looking at Miyuki now, finding a topic that could remind of him of his interesting teachers from Bangor. "One was a bitter, self-hating husk of a man, and the other was a jerk with an antagonistic sense of self-superiority. If there was anything I learned from my elders, it's that growing up ahead of where you are is bad for where you're going." The boy nodded at that, confirming he had recalled that correctly. He looked down at the faded circular mark on his unstained hand and then sat it back down, reclusively placing it next to his book-bag.
"You know." Duncan started slowly. "I knew some people that were just like those teachers you mentioned." The boy nervously twiddled his fingers. "Maybe...maybe one was bitter because he realized what he lost when he grew up to fast?" Duncan asked the other two cautiously. "I'm not sure about the second. He could be feeling the same as the first, but just covering it up." The American student offered up. What Percival described sounded all to familiar to Duncan.
"Hrrmmm...Well..." Miyuki began, thinking back on her friend. "I don't think he's pushing himself that hard, and if he is, he seems to be doing it well enough that it isn't hurting him. At least I don't think so. Just don't say anything like this with Watanabe-Chan around, I doubt she would appreciate it."
"Tch." went Percival, poking his lips out slightly. Eying the Leetenbaum boy on his right, "What they regret is not what they've become. Just because they miss their childhood doesn't mean they'll get it back, and even if they were young enough to enjoy it agian, I'd doubt they'd be able to enjoy it at all like they should. In fact, it'd just be worse for the kids around them, because they'd be judging them like an adult would, out of place, and with no belonging what-so-ever!" The young boy shook his head, realizing he was thinking too much on that, and turned to Miyuki.
"And as interesting as Watanabe-san's and Takahashi-san's love-comedy is, I don't like it. If something doesn't happen, I'm afraid Watanabe-san is going to end up very hurt, with Takahashi-san still appearing completely unaware of her true feelings." Percival sighed, placing his elbow on his knee, and his his chin in his hand. "I'd really like to help, but I already know that that would require doing something far beyond a line I'm willing to cross."
"M-maybe you're thinking about this too much Percival." Duncan cautioned. "We're all still kids, so there's hope yet...right?" He asked, worry in his voice.
"You can't de-age the brain, Leetenbaum-san." said Percy, shaking his hand. "Once you're an adult, you're an adult, and all the kids are just kids. Why do you think our parents are always shaking their heads at us? Because we're just kids with no real idea. You can't just take that out and be a kid again."
"I agree with Leetenbaum-San" Miyuki added, Sheepishly. "You seem too focused on not losing something, it almost sounds like you've already lost it," she continued, thoughtfully, finishing her drink and tossing it past the two boys into the bin. She then leaned forward to check the street- the fourth bus was just turning the corner a few blocks away, and it was just a minute or so from arriving.
Percival sighed, returning Miyuki's response with just a rather confirming expression. It almost looked like that comment had hurt some. Still, he tried to stride it off and sit back up, eying the bus that was arriving.
"There are some of us who grow up because we think it's necessary, and there are some who do it because they don't have a choice." said Percy, still staring at the bus. "Takahashi-san isn't the latter."
At this point, Duncan had gone silent, lost in thought. There wasn't anything for him to say.
"Well, I don't think it's fair to dictate someone else's life, even if they are hurting themselves. The most we can do is guide someone." Miyuki replied, thoughtfully. "But, I think this is something we should keep to ourselves for now." she muttered, as the bus finally arrived, and students began to pour out.
"Agreed." said Percy, looking at Miyuki briefly to smile, before looking back at the bus. He had never stuck around to see the two love-birds come in off the bus. In fact, he never even knew they had taken the bus in the first place. Which begged the question as to why Watanabe never even took advantage of that mild privacy with Hisoka. He sighed, Japanese.
"Body spray?" Percival arched a brow at Miyuki. The young man placed his sleeve against his nose and sniffed deep. Even so, he couldn't smell the sweetroot that had seemingly stained his uniform with it's scent. Though, the stain on his sleeve came to mind, and he shook the stained piece of cloth again. Sweetroot's bulbs were filled with a thick, green substance that stained like this, and also let out that same, sweet aroma. "Oh! I... Hrm... That's ah... Sweetroot, I think."
'Sweetroot? What the hell is sweetroot? Duncan thought to himself. "What's sweetroot?" The boy asked cautiously, still apparently unsettled by Percival's earlier butchery of his name. As much as the scent of some strange plant from some silly herbal remedy interested him, the truth was, Duncan was already bored. He'd went from messing around with someone, to...plant stains? He just let it sit there.
"Oh! It's a plant..." Percival stopped there. Sweetroot wasn't common amongst nonmags, he needed to use his budding lying skills to make it sound normal now. "It's sort of like a... onion? Except it's not layered, and it's gooey in the center." Good good, now it sounds exotic. Just don't mention the fact that the stuff explodes at high temperatures. "My mother's a bit of a... herbalist. She likes to use all natural things. She mixed up some sweetroot and used it as an ointment for this ah... back pain I've been having lately. The results are... explosive, to be honest."
Wait... Oh no! thought Percival as he looked at his sleeve. It suddenly occurred to him that the gooey sweetroot had stained into his shirt. There was just enough of the substance on there to knock his hand near clean off should that stain come anywhere near an open flame. He swallowed, suddenly looking a little nervous. Stay calm... I just need to avoid fire. Open fires aren't a usual thing in Japanese schools, are they?
"Is it a Welsh plant? I've never heard of it." Miyuki asked, puzzled. She noticed Percy looking at his sleeve and leaned over to investigate, herself. She sniffed at the green spot and, sure enough, it was the source of the sweet scent. "Perhaps you should wash it off? You don't want to stain your uniform on the first week. That would be embarrassing, Casxton-San." Miyuki sat up, and looked over the rest of Percy's uniform, trying to see if there were any more green spots on the normally bright white uniform.
The boy seemed to finally start coming out of his stupor, crumpling up the moist tissue before carefully tossing it away in the trashcan beside them. "So, your mom was cooking with this Sweetroot stuff?" he asked, curiously. 'Great. I'm bored and this role I'm playing is sucking again. Duncan thought to himself. His thoughts briefly lingered on the idea of making herbal medicines and how it was supposedly similar to potion making. Of course, there was no way Percival was a potion maker; he was too damned careless. The next closely related thing to the two however, drifted into his mind. "Hey, this reminds me, don't we have chemistry class today? I think the teacher said we'll be boiling water with Bunsen burners."
"Ah... Is that so...?" thought Percival looking a little white in the face for such a casual expression. He bit his lip and looked down at the stain. If only I could get my hands on some Blue Maple leaves... thought the Alchemist, rather shakily. A mixture with Blue Maple leaves would make the stain inert, and could even wash it out with enough elbow grease. "Kagami-san. You're my lab partner in chemistry, right? Think you could handle the Bunsen burners today?" It seemed he was no longer concerned with how well his uniform looked.
"Ah, I believe so, but isn't Leetenbaum-San in class 1-D? Class 1-C doesn't have chemistry today, we have it tomorrow." Miyuki responded, thinking. Since Duncan had registered late, the only class that had room for him was not the same class that Percy, Hana, Hisoka, and she were in.
"Just be sure your shirt is clean tomorrow, Caxton-san." She said, smiling at him. These two were amusing. Both seemed to worry a lot, and they also seemed to make one another worry more than either did by their own devices.
"Phew! I wasn't looking forward to blowing my hand off." sighed Percival absentmindedly, rubbing his forehead with his unstained sleeve.
"Ah, silly me." Duncan spoke, sounding relieved himself. 'The hell? No. Did he just? I think he did say that.' The American student tugged at Percival's sleeve. "What was that last part? You said something about some explosion or something." He asked casually. "I don't think we'll have explosions happen from boiling water, you know."
'Either he replies calmly, or he'll be flustered a bit. Still, this doesn't seem right. A proper potion maker like the ones I knew back at IoN would have never even left the labs after having a stain like this.' Duncan thought, briefly eyeballing the green stain. 'I need to look up this 'sweetroot' later. Just to be safe.
"Hrm?" went Percy, giving Duncan an odd look. He didn't recall using the word 'explosion', but when he thought back to what he said... Incriminating... he thought, recalling his exact words. His mind began to rush, despite the confused look on his face. The American seemed to have caught him. "I mean't, blowing my hand off. You know, in case my sleeve catches fire. Open flames make me a little nervous like that." Leave me alone, you nutter! thought Percival.
"Ah, I don't think High School chemistry is that bad. The most explosive things we'll probably get to use is Methane, and that's not too dangerous." Miyuki assauged, smiling somewhat nervously and scratching the back of her head for no apparent reason. Before she could say any more, Miyuki was interrupted by the rattle and hiss of the third school bus arriving, with a loud rush of students making their way into the school.
"Watanabe-Chan and Takahashi-Kun should be on the next bus." She informed, to no one in particular, trying to recall the intervals between the busses and realizing that they never arrived at the same time every day, and doing so would be futile.
"Oh, you said 'blown off'? I must still be sleepy then. Sorry." He replied to the Welsh student. 'Well, I half buy your excuse, and I half don't. Oh well. No point in pressing it further. I'll look even worse than L normally does if I do that.' Duncan rubbed his insomnia darkened eyes with a hand, as though to emphasize that point. "Hey, what chemestry class are Watanabe and Takahashi-san in? I can't remember if they're in mine or not."
"They're in 1-C with Kagami and myself." answered Percival, noting how full of questions this guy was. The young boy puffed out his cheeks, and looked up at the sky. The morning blue seemed a little more dim than usual. After a bit of silence, he tilted his head. "Does anyone else get the feeling that something bad is going to happen?" said the boy, scratching the back of his neck. "Something has been... off since this morning. For the past few days for that matter."
Percival sighed, and leaned back against the back of the bench, giving the sign across the street discerning stare.
"Or... maybe I haven't quite adjusted yet." said the boy, dismissing his bad feelings.
"It feels rather normal to me, so it may just be the new surroundings for you, Caxton-San." Miyuki answered, casually. She opened her mouth as if to say something, when a large, older black American car pulled up, its boxy exterior still managing to gleam with the polished painted and gleaming chrome.
"Ah, look, Rai-Hime has arrived." she muttered, as the Shrinemaiden's daughter stepped out of the back of the vehicle, followed by her two Cohorts, Kiki and Ginga. The Trio walked by, Raiko holding herself regally while her friends seemed to think they were acting like her bodyguards or something. "Good morning Kagami-Chan, Caxton-San, Leetenbaum-San" Raiko greeted, smiling at them as the procession passed by, and into the school.
Miyuki smiled and waved back, giving a polite response before the girl disappeared, and the car rumbled back to life then sauntered off, its chassis taking up nearly a whole lane as it headed back off to the mansion that Raiko lived in.
"H-hello." Duncan replied to the girl, shyly. After she left though, he leaned over to the two to bombard them with more questions. "So...who was that? She seems important." Again, his thoughts were somewhat different from what he was saying. 'Either she's the kind with a stick up her ass, or she's just the formal type. Money's on the former. Personally, he could care less, but Percival did bring up a good point; something bad always happened. Mainly because most people were idiots.
"My..." said Percival, cocking a brow at the formality and odd familiarity Raiko seemed to have with him. The boy's mouth flattened into a blank frown as he watched her go by. Percy came from a country where people liked to hang on the tradition of a useless, self-important person. Perhaps it was the same here in Japan. "She's awfully... Well... She sticks out." it was all Percy could seen to say, "Is there any reason why she tries to act so different?"
"She is Kokoro Raiko, the daughter of a Shrinekeeper, And so she's had a very formal upbringing. She seems to regard herself as the princess of the school and takes it as her duty to learn about the other students, and have at least some form of friendly contact with them." Miyuki explained, laughing as the two boys sitting next to her seemed to suddenly be on the same wavelength.
"She's a very kind person and likes to help others, so don't think she's stuck up, just a bit more, ah, well, traditional in a way," the girl tried to explain.
'So she's of the latter type? Funny. Who would have thought? he went on in his mind. Now that he'd been talking to these two for a bit, it was time to push a little. "Um, Percival, about earlier." Duncan started. "Were you...making fun of me by messing up my name on purpose?" The American student asked warily. "You're from Wales, so it's hard imagining you messing it up on accident."
"Oh? I'm sorry, I'm just really bad with names." said Percival, blinking a few times a Duncan brought up the little stink from earlier in the hour. "You see, if I don't say it once or twice, I don't quite remember it." The boy shrugged his shoulders, "It'd probably do you good not to worry about it. It's just a name, anyway. There are much worse things people can say to you, and say about you."
"Y-yeah...I've had the 'worse' part firsthand..." He quietly admitted.
"Well, I'll tell you what everyone told me back home when everyone picked on me." said Percival in a very encouraging tone. With a thumbs up and wink, he went on to say, "Suck it up, kid."
Miyuki giggled at Percy's Very motivational speech. which she stifled quickly by pulling out her bottle of Morning Rescue and taking a swig. "That's probably very good advice, though I'm sure Takahashi-Kun would have something to add to it were he here."
"... and quit acting so illogically!" said Percival, subbing in for Hisoka.
At that, Duncan burst out in a small fit of laughter. It wasn't just the two's antics that got him laughing though. It was the Morning Rescue too. 'If Miyuki turns out to be magical, maybe I'll tell her most energy drinks are low yield mana-potions in disguise.' He thought.
Miyuki almost snorted into her drink at Percy's impersonation of Hisoka. It was fairly accurate. Though, with womanly grace, she managed to hide the thing in another swig- which was a dangerous choice because if she had not held back the result would have been worse. Luckily, Miyuki's will and self-control prevailed, and her outfit remained unsoiled.
"Honestly, if Takahashi were any more serious, I think we'd have to go ahead and put him in college." the Caxton boy shook his head in a bit of disapproval. He leaned forward, and began to stare down the street, seeing if the next bus was coming or not, "Not even I focus so hard on my studies, and I manage top marks. It's like he's trying to prove something or other by acting twenty years older than he really is."
'Ah. Magical College. Been there, done that. Duncan thought. Still, he had to fill in his turn at speaking. "I wish I had to focus hard on my studies..." The American boy mumbled. Which was actually true. Where was the fun, the challenge when it could all be so easily swept aside by a single flick of one's finger? What happened to the tension of being chased by a troll through the dungeons without any idea of how to fight it off? 'Oh, that's right. I know how to make it go splat. That's what happened. He sighed wearily.
"Well, He seems to be doing fine, and he does find time to just hang out with Watanabe-Chan and I, so it can't be that bad. Still, I think he's trying to follow after my brother's footsteps, since we've been friends for so long, my genius older brother was always around." Miyuki shook her head, as if slightly annoyed. "Akihiko Is a good role model, don't get me wrong, but some people are just smarter than others. and Takahashi may be smarter than me, but My brother is another league."
'You got that right. Some people are smarter than others. Duncan thought.
"That may be so, but Takahashi's got to realize that he's a still a teenager like us. I know two kinds people that result from that sort of life in this point of their lives. I had two instructors who lived just like him back home." declared Percy, looking at Miyuki now, finding a topic that could remind of him of his interesting teachers from Bangor. "One was a bitter, self-hating husk of a man, and the other was a jerk with an antagonistic sense of self-superiority. If there was anything I learned from my elders, it's that growing up ahead of where you are is bad for where you're going." The boy nodded at that, confirming he had recalled that correctly. He looked down at the faded circular mark on his unstained hand and then sat it back down, reclusively placing it next to his book-bag.
"You know." Duncan started slowly. "I knew some people that were just like those teachers you mentioned." The boy nervously twiddled his fingers. "Maybe...maybe one was bitter because he realized what he lost when he grew up to fast?" Duncan asked the other two cautiously. "I'm not sure about the second. He could be feeling the same as the first, but just covering it up." The American student offered up. What Percival described sounded all to familiar to Duncan.
"Hrrmmm...Well..." Miyuki began, thinking back on her friend. "I don't think he's pushing himself that hard, and if he is, he seems to be doing it well enough that it isn't hurting him. At least I don't think so. Just don't say anything like this with Watanabe-Chan around, I doubt she would appreciate it."
"Tch." went Percival, poking his lips out slightly. Eying the Leetenbaum boy on his right, "What they regret is not what they've become. Just because they miss their childhood doesn't mean they'll get it back, and even if they were young enough to enjoy it agian, I'd doubt they'd be able to enjoy it at all like they should. In fact, it'd just be worse for the kids around them, because they'd be judging them like an adult would, out of place, and with no belonging what-so-ever!" The young boy shook his head, realizing he was thinking too much on that, and turned to Miyuki.
"And as interesting as Watanabe-san's and Takahashi-san's love-comedy is, I don't like it. If something doesn't happen, I'm afraid Watanabe-san is going to end up very hurt, with Takahashi-san still appearing completely unaware of her true feelings." Percival sighed, placing his elbow on his knee, and his his chin in his hand. "I'd really like to help, but I already know that that would require doing something far beyond a line I'm willing to cross."
"M-maybe you're thinking about this too much Percival." Duncan cautioned. "We're all still kids, so there's hope yet...right?" He asked, worry in his voice.
"You can't de-age the brain, Leetenbaum-san." said Percy, shaking his hand. "Once you're an adult, you're an adult, and all the kids are just kids. Why do you think our parents are always shaking their heads at us? Because we're just kids with no real idea. You can't just take that out and be a kid again."
"I agree with Leetenbaum-San" Miyuki added, Sheepishly. "You seem too focused on not losing something, it almost sounds like you've already lost it," she continued, thoughtfully, finishing her drink and tossing it past the two boys into the bin. She then leaned forward to check the street- the fourth bus was just turning the corner a few blocks away, and it was just a minute or so from arriving.
Percival sighed, returning Miyuki's response with just a rather confirming expression. It almost looked like that comment had hurt some. Still, he tried to stride it off and sit back up, eying the bus that was arriving.
"There are some of us who grow up because we think it's necessary, and there are some who do it because they don't have a choice." said Percy, still staring at the bus. "Takahashi-san isn't the latter."
At this point, Duncan had gone silent, lost in thought. There wasn't anything for him to say.
"Well, I don't think it's fair to dictate someone else's life, even if they are hurting themselves. The most we can do is guide someone." Miyuki replied, thoughtfully. "But, I think this is something we should keep to ourselves for now." she muttered, as the bus finally arrived, and students began to pour out.
"Agreed." said Percy, looking at Miyuki briefly to smile, before looking back at the bus. He had never stuck around to see the two love-birds come in off the bus. In fact, he never even knew they had taken the bus in the first place. Which begged the question as to why Watanabe never even took advantage of that mild privacy with Hisoka. He sighed, Japanese.
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
Day Four, End
Day five passes by, almost normal, but a sense of dread and eeriness pervading the city. Bones for Bread Occurs. The weekend passes, the group contemplating just what happened.
SCHOOL DAY SIX, BEGIN!
It was lunchtime again. The morning had been awkward for those involved with Friday's battle. Hana and Hisoka had been a bit confused all day, having no idea anything that happened, But the way that Miyuki and Percy seemed to regard each other was not what they had become used to the previous week. And then there was Miyuki's reactions to Duncan. The boy seemed to be trying to apologize or explain something every time they passed in the hallway, but she would only glare at him and treat him like the scum of the earth. Hana and Hisoka were worried by this point. Had something happened? Why hadn't Miyuki told them? Why was Percy so silent about it? The uneasiness of this second Monday of class was just as bad as the troubles of the first.
Miyuki sat at the Lunch table, quietly eating her lunch, eying Percy as if he were something fragile that she was afraid was going to break, or something.
Day five passes by, almost normal, but a sense of dread and eeriness pervading the city. Bones for Bread Occurs. The weekend passes, the group contemplating just what happened.
SCHOOL DAY SIX, BEGIN!
It was lunchtime again. The morning had been awkward for those involved with Friday's battle. Hana and Hisoka had been a bit confused all day, having no idea anything that happened, But the way that Miyuki and Percy seemed to regard each other was not what they had become used to the previous week. And then there was Miyuki's reactions to Duncan. The boy seemed to be trying to apologize or explain something every time they passed in the hallway, but she would only glare at him and treat him like the scum of the earth. Hana and Hisoka were worried by this point. Had something happened? Why hadn't Miyuki told them? Why was Percy so silent about it? The uneasiness of this second Monday of class was just as bad as the troubles of the first.
Miyuki sat at the Lunch table, quietly eating her lunch, eying Percy as if he were something fragile that she was afraid was going to break, or something.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
- Posts: 722
- Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 1:48 pm
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
Just as everyone was getting settled back into normal life, one twelve-year old arrived to ruin it all- mostly for Percy, but if any others recognized her face it wouldn't be hard to guess they would be equally confused or stunned.
Emilia Venezia strode through the courtyard calmly and with conviction as though it were a normal thing. She was in the school's standard attire and had a messenger bag slung over her right shoulder. Her trip was short, coming to an end when she took a seat right beside Percival Caxton. "Hello!" she said cheerily, as though it were perfectly normal for Death's daughter to mosey onto a school campus and sit down for a friendly chat. In fact, by the tone of her voice, one could have sworn they were good friends. She had a delighted smile too, as though she were glad to be in his company after some length of time apart. Mostly, though, she just seemed bubbly. Her hands were planted on her knees which flexed and relaxed as her legs swung to and fro to a silent beat.
Emilia Venezia strode through the courtyard calmly and with conviction as though it were a normal thing. She was in the school's standard attire and had a messenger bag slung over her right shoulder. Her trip was short, coming to an end when she took a seat right beside Percival Caxton. "Hello!" she said cheerily, as though it were perfectly normal for Death's daughter to mosey onto a school campus and sit down for a friendly chat. In fact, by the tone of her voice, one could have sworn they were good friends. She had a delighted smile too, as though she were glad to be in his company after some length of time apart. Mostly, though, she just seemed bubbly. Her hands were planted on her knees which flexed and relaxed as her legs swung to and fro to a silent beat.
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
"Kagami-san." said Percival curtly, catching her worried stares once again. He had been shaken for most of the weekend, but he had made himself step up and step past it. "Stop looking at me like that." was his light-hearted imperative at her as he gave her a smile that resembled a measure of comfort and control, it was all he could do to keep people from thinking he was just going to die in the next second. Besides, it wasn't like Death would just waltz into the school, sit-down, and say "Hello! How's your soul today?"
"Percival!" snapped Zulan, trying to break Percival from his gaunt trance. It worked, jolting him slightly.
"Z-Zulan... She's right there... She's right there and I can't even say anything!" responded Percy so weakly.
"Percy, think through this one at a time, and lose your fear. Rationalize it. If she was here for your soul, wouldn't she have collected already?" reasoned Zulan.
She was right. This person, who looked and sounded exactly like Death couldn't be Death at all! The boy began to relax visibly as he seemed to assume a veil of blissful ignorance. There was no way this new girl could be Death, no way at all. I mean, c'mon. Death going to the same High-School as him? It almost made him laugh! In fact, he did laugh, even if it were a minor chuckle. The smile had finally returned to his face as he reasoned the shit out of his fear.
"Hi!" said Percy to Emilia warmly, giving the same gentle smile to her as he did Miyuki, "What can we do for you?"
Percival tensed stiffly, not even looking at Emilia at first, his eyes remained on Miyuki. The stare was that of a lost boy, somehow losing his mind in the few seconds it took for him to collect himself. It was obvious that Emilia had greatly unsettled Percival, almost to the point of tears. Which was understandable, Death's voice meant just that, Death. So why was she there, sitting next to Percival, next to him!? Miyuki was much more friendly looking than he was! So was Hana! Even Hisoka! Percival looked like someone who people would just leave alone, right!? So why would Death sit nexttohimforanyotherreasonthantocollecthisimmortalso--...... she took a seat right beside Percival Caxton. "Hello!" she said cheerily, as though it were perfectly normal for Death's daughter to mosey into a cafeteria and sit down for a friendly chat.
"Percival!" snapped Zulan, trying to break Percival from his gaunt trance. It worked, jolting him slightly.
"Z-Zulan... She's right there... She's right there and I can't even say anything!" responded Percy so weakly.
"Percy, think through this one at a time, and lose your fear. Rationalize it. If she was here for your soul, wouldn't she have collected already?" reasoned Zulan.
She was right. This person, who looked and sounded exactly like Death couldn't be Death at all! The boy began to relax visibly as he seemed to assume a veil of blissful ignorance. There was no way this new girl could be Death, no way at all. I mean, c'mon. Death going to the same High-School as him? It almost made him laugh! In fact, he did laugh, even if it were a minor chuckle. The smile had finally returned to his face as he reasoned the shit out of his fear.
"Hi!" said Percy to Emilia warmly, giving the same gentle smile to her as he did Miyuki, "What can we do for you?"
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
Ruarc sat away in a corner by himself at a table. Looking at him one would think he was deep in thought, and for the most part they would be right as the Irishman was in the middle of having an argument with a bird that only Ruarc could hear. Occasionally the Druid would glance towards Miyuki and Percy, but then he would look away again with a frustrated look on his face.
â€Ruarc! Just talk to them,†Laoise said to Ruarc once more as the dove started to get annoyed with the fickle Irishman.
â€About what? I have nothing to say or speak with them about,†Ruarc replied stubbornly to his familiar.
â€Argh! We talked about this already! They are magic, maybe they can help you with your job. At the very least it couldn’t hurt to get on some level of familiarity in case another incident like the skeleton happens again,†the dove explained.
As much as Ruarc would like to deny it, Laoise was right. However, he remained obstinate and just quieted down as he mulled over his options. Several times wondering to himself why he had decided going to a Japanese school for a third of the day was a better idea that using the time to do his mission.
â€Fine, it couldn’t hurt to get on some basis of familiarity, that much we can agree on. But even if I were to go talk to them what would I say? “Hey! So how about that skeleton, huh? Would ya mind helping track down somebody who has been pissing off geese?â€â€ Ruarc said in a mocking tone.
â€You are a big boy, you don’t need me to hold your hand just because you suck at making friends,†Laoise said in an equally mocking tone that effectively shut Ruarc up.
Reaching up and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Ruarc gave a sigh as a sign of defeat. He stood up from his seat and hesitantly made his way towards Miyuki and Percy.
â€Crap there are other people there, maybe I should wait for a better time,†Ruarc said to himself as he drew closer to the other table.
â€Ruarc, I swear to God, if you turn around I will peck you in the eye,†berated the dove.
Once he got closer he began thinking of how to introduce himself; all the while wishing more and more to be outside fighting a swarm of deranged squirrels.
“Hello there,†Ruarc said to the table as he drew close, forcing a smile onto his face that looked like it really didn’t belong there. “Ah was jus’ sittin’ across the way, and thought Ah should say hello. So…hello.†He added a slight animated wave to go along with his greeting.
â€God you really do suck at this,†Laoise said as she did the bird equivalent of a facepalm.
â€Ruarc! Just talk to them,†Laoise said to Ruarc once more as the dove started to get annoyed with the fickle Irishman.
â€About what? I have nothing to say or speak with them about,†Ruarc replied stubbornly to his familiar.
â€Argh! We talked about this already! They are magic, maybe they can help you with your job. At the very least it couldn’t hurt to get on some level of familiarity in case another incident like the skeleton happens again,†the dove explained.
As much as Ruarc would like to deny it, Laoise was right. However, he remained obstinate and just quieted down as he mulled over his options. Several times wondering to himself why he had decided going to a Japanese school for a third of the day was a better idea that using the time to do his mission.
â€Fine, it couldn’t hurt to get on some basis of familiarity, that much we can agree on. But even if I were to go talk to them what would I say? “Hey! So how about that skeleton, huh? Would ya mind helping track down somebody who has been pissing off geese?â€â€ Ruarc said in a mocking tone.
â€You are a big boy, you don’t need me to hold your hand just because you suck at making friends,†Laoise said in an equally mocking tone that effectively shut Ruarc up.
Reaching up and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Ruarc gave a sigh as a sign of defeat. He stood up from his seat and hesitantly made his way towards Miyuki and Percy.
â€Crap there are other people there, maybe I should wait for a better time,†Ruarc said to himself as he drew closer to the other table.
â€Ruarc, I swear to God, if you turn around I will peck you in the eye,†berated the dove.
Once he got closer he began thinking of how to introduce himself; all the while wishing more and more to be outside fighting a swarm of deranged squirrels.
“Hello there,†Ruarc said to the table as he drew close, forcing a smile onto his face that looked like it really didn’t belong there. “Ah was jus’ sittin’ across the way, and thought Ah should say hello. So…hello.†He added a slight animated wave to go along with his greeting.
â€God you really do suck at this,†Laoise said as she did the bird equivalent of a facepalm.
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
Mr. Miller had been troubled and spent his weekend grading assignments to keep his mind off what'd happened on Friday night. However, no matter how much he tried to keep his mind off of it, it still clawed at his mind, chipping his resolve away little by little until he had to go searching for an answer. But, if Duncan's irritating rants were to be believed, there was some sort of elaborate masquerade keeping everyone else who didn't know about magic in check, which kind of made searching for answers redundant. Then again, Duncan did seem more than a bit full of himself for a 15 year old kid.
"You seem a bit off your game today," Said one of the other teachers doing the lunchtime rounds with him, her voice laden with concern, "You look tired, and you haven't eaten anything yet, not even a snack at the desk. Is everything alright at home?"
Miller took a moment to gather a response, "Uh," He had to lie in a pinch, "Got some troubling news from home, Granny Miller has fallen sick."
The other teacher tilted her head at him, "Oh, I hope she gets well soon then," They walked past the cafeteria, "Let's get something to eat."
The food on offer was standard Japanese cafeteria fare. Fried rice, sushi, flavoured milk, sausage rolls, pies, and a modest smattering of sweets of candy, jelly and ice cream. Miller bought himself a sausage roll with some sauce and started munching down on it. Some of his niggling doubts were replaced by the taste of the processed meat and pastry product, setting his mind at a couple more degrees of ease.
He watched the yard, and noticed that Miyuki and Percival were at the same table with a girl he didn't recognise whilst Ruarc was by himself, eventually moving towards the bigger group. By the looks of it, everything appeared to be alright to the teacher, and he took another bite on his sausage roll.
Maybe its all just stress, The teacher rationalised as the food chased his doubts away.
"You seem a bit off your game today," Said one of the other teachers doing the lunchtime rounds with him, her voice laden with concern, "You look tired, and you haven't eaten anything yet, not even a snack at the desk. Is everything alright at home?"
Miller took a moment to gather a response, "Uh," He had to lie in a pinch, "Got some troubling news from home, Granny Miller has fallen sick."
The other teacher tilted her head at him, "Oh, I hope she gets well soon then," They walked past the cafeteria, "Let's get something to eat."
The food on offer was standard Japanese cafeteria fare. Fried rice, sushi, flavoured milk, sausage rolls, pies, and a modest smattering of sweets of candy, jelly and ice cream. Miller bought himself a sausage roll with some sauce and started munching down on it. Some of his niggling doubts were replaced by the taste of the processed meat and pastry product, setting his mind at a couple more degrees of ease.
He watched the yard, and noticed that Miyuki and Percival were at the same table with a girl he didn't recognise whilst Ruarc was by himself, eventually moving towards the bigger group. By the looks of it, everything appeared to be alright to the teacher, and he took another bite on his sausage roll.
Maybe its all just stress, The teacher rationalised as the food chased his doubts away.
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
Duncan was far from being an idiot; he knew things were simply never going to be the same again at the Academy following that night. For the entire weekend, the American boy was kept busy as preparations were made for Monday. First on the to do list was his cover; it was broken, and needed mending. No problem. He just contacted a friend who was into roleplaying, told him the story so far, and waited for the well fabricated lie to be emailed over. Done and done. It was actually rather entertaining to Duncan. Next on the list though, was to toss away the hodgepodge of low level curses and make something much more fleshed out. An actual curse of utmost sophistication. Not only did it have to be incredibly difficult to remove due to its complexity, it had to be stealthy. The curse had to be nearly undetectable through magic means, and impossible to lift unless Duncan desired it.
Yes. It was a very busy weekend for Duncan; this would be his new masterpiece, even more complex than what went into the Gundam. And it had to be made within the span of two days, ready for school.
*****
Believe it or not, he was having fun. Yes, Miyuki was treating him like he deserved, but that meant he had a challenge at last. He had to convince her of everything that was concocted after calling her and everyone else a set of idiots that night. Even though they were technically idiots. As Duncan thought of how he'd start with the Mahou Shoujo and others, the mind wandered off onto another topic because it was something he couldn't address. Japan's magical authority; IoN knew there was something there, but had not established contact. That was the nature of the Magical World. Not even those in the know were in the know. Going off into another country with no preparation had this kind of risk. It wasn't unexpected. What was unexpected however, was that a fully developed country such as Japan being either without Magical Authority of it's own, or having one that was running dark.
And then, there was 'her'. One of two squirts who had popped up that night and was now bugging Miyuki's group; IoN had just told him she was something on a need to know basis. In other words, they told Duncan to F*ck off, and that she was someone important. As for Ruarc? Nobody particularly important, really. Just another Druid out to do some spiritual crap by the looks of it. "H-hey, do you all mind if I sit here?" Duncan asked shyly. Inwardly, he sighed. 'Great. Just because we all met on Friday doesn't mean we should all gather up when the Normals are around.' Whatever plans he had were put on pause as the two made their appearance, forcing Duncan to do the very same thin they were doing. Clumping together like...well, they were clumping. The curse was doing its job, and he felt too tired to finish the thought.
"How have you all been doing?" Duncan asked, weary as 'always'.
Yes. It was a very busy weekend for Duncan; this would be his new masterpiece, even more complex than what went into the Gundam. And it had to be made within the span of two days, ready for school.
*****
Believe it or not, he was having fun. Yes, Miyuki was treating him like he deserved, but that meant he had a challenge at last. He had to convince her of everything that was concocted after calling her and everyone else a set of idiots that night. Even though they were technically idiots. As Duncan thought of how he'd start with the Mahou Shoujo and others, the mind wandered off onto another topic because it was something he couldn't address. Japan's magical authority; IoN knew there was something there, but had not established contact. That was the nature of the Magical World. Not even those in the know were in the know. Going off into another country with no preparation had this kind of risk. It wasn't unexpected. What was unexpected however, was that a fully developed country such as Japan being either without Magical Authority of it's own, or having one that was running dark.
And then, there was 'her'. One of two squirts who had popped up that night and was now bugging Miyuki's group; IoN had just told him she was something on a need to know basis. In other words, they told Duncan to F*ck off, and that she was someone important. As for Ruarc? Nobody particularly important, really. Just another Druid out to do some spiritual crap by the looks of it. "H-hey, do you all mind if I sit here?" Duncan asked shyly. Inwardly, he sighed. 'Great. Just because we all met on Friday doesn't mean we should all gather up when the Normals are around.' Whatever plans he had were put on pause as the two made their appearance, forcing Duncan to do the very same thin they were doing. Clumping together like...well, they were clumping. The curse was doing its job, and he felt too tired to finish the thought.
"How have you all been doing?" Duncan asked, weary as 'always'.
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
Miyuki's face was getting a workout today. Despite Percival's words to the contrary, Miyuki continued to 'look at him like that', before moving into a bit of a surprised expression when Emilia showed up. That small girl had said some very cryptic things the other night. Miyuki was about to say something, and the Ruarc showed up. The Japanese girl was slightly confused at what he was trying to do, when suddenly Duncan arrived, and the confused expression turned into a glare. Finally, tired of it all, Miyuki simply gave up and went back to her food.
Hana got herself caught up in trying to greet everyone, but the amount of people showing up so suddenly made her flustered, and so she gave up, eventually recoiling and trying to hide behind Miyuki. Hisoka fared much better, but that was mostly because he wasn't paying attention, and just grunted and nodded short greetings to all those whom showed up, without really looking. After all, he was trying to finish the homework assigned to him the previous period.
Hana got herself caught up in trying to greet everyone, but the amount of people showing up so suddenly made her flustered, and so she gave up, eventually recoiling and trying to hide behind Miyuki. Hisoka fared much better, but that was mostly because he wasn't paying attention, and just grunted and nodded short greetings to all those whom showed up, without really looking. After all, he was trying to finish the homework assigned to him the previous period.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
- Posts: 722
- Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 1:48 pm
Re: [Episode Zero] School Daze
She smiled shyly and stroked her auburn hair against her shoulder. It made her look a bit anxious, which wasn't far from the truth. Emilia didn't ever do this sort of thing. Thinking about his question, her eyes dropped and stopped on her hair. It shone beautifully, something she had never noticed because she'd never seen it in such a bright light. It sent a small thrill through the girl, who looked up with a giddy countenance.
"Look! My hair!" She stroked it again. "I've never seen it do that." His question seemed forgotten in the sudden find, and Ruarc's arrival didn't seem to break her trance. Far more interesting than her strange fascination with herself, however, was that everyone heard her words in their own native language.
"Look! My hair!" She stroked it again. "I've never seen it do that." His question seemed forgotten in the sudden find, and Ruarc's arrival didn't seem to break her trance. Far more interesting than her strange fascination with herself, however, was that everyone heard her words in their own native language.