[Event] The New Year's Beast from the Holy Mount

[Santaru Rin]

[spoilername="OOC"]This is the event topic for the High Speed, Low Drag team. You have 3 days from the start of each round, which are indicated by the mod, to post; if 5 days go without any posts, the topic will be declared inactive and no reward will be granted. Please do not wait on post order.

Without spoiling your goals in the event, allow me to explain the simple system we will use to determine success and failure. Each round that you attempt an action to meet your goal, the event moderator will roll a 6-sided dice.

For scores between 1 - 2, the result is failure (the situation worsens).
Between 3 - 4, the result is neutral (the situation does not change).
Between 5 - 6, the result is success (the situation improves).

Every player can earn a bonus of +1 for well-written, clear, and entertaining posts. On top of that, everyone can earn an additional +2 each round that the entire team posts during the round, for a total of +3! The deck is stacked towards teams who can keep everyone active and posting in the topic.

[/spoilername]

This eve was always a time for festivities meant to close out the dying year and bring luck and prosperity at the birth of the new. Unlike the winter solstice, now two weeks past, the day and night were not dedicated to fasting and mourning. Instead, grand soirees were held, one-day markets exploded in the streets, fireworks burst in the air all day, free shows were put on for the public, the rich gave to the poor, and all efforts were dedicated to enjoyment.

Even the Academy held its own celebrations, though they were often ill-attended by Academy students who had beloved families. Volunteers and Genin on punishment details manned booths and events meant to uplift and entertain. Parents with children came, in part to see the school on the rare occasion of it being open to the public, and in part out of the thought that they, too, might enroll these children. Jutsu-based prestidigitation, masks, toy weapons, and slight-of-hand made up the majority of entertainments here. Other commoners came as well, given this rare chance to indulge their curiosity about the mysterious ninja (that is, without being at one or another disastrous site of impromptu ninja battle).

Late at night, the school became the site of an all-night test of courage. With the preparations already completed in advance, it took a scant hour at dusk to transform the first two levels of the building into a hell house of terror. This event, in contrast to the day's, was always well-attended by ninja children and commoners alike. It was in the depths of the night that the screams of gleeful fear turned sharp with true horror...

For someone, or something, was stalking the halls, and one by one, those within the house of horror were disappearing. No one responded to radio hail, and the doors and windows had been locked and shuttered until morning. The noise of fireworks and concerts and drunks and the numerous fires which always had to be put out during public festivities meant that the students and guests locked within the building were alone to deal with the threat. Many of the chaperones had already disappeared, unbeknownst to their charges.

For this round, the main objective is for all teammates to post and link-up IC!

If you are reading this post, are a student or Genin, and didn't sign up to join the event, you can PM me to negotiate a late entry.

 

[Yukari]

Hikari facepalmed. Meet at the academy, she said. "The academy is a big place." She muttered to herself, "Message him." She said, "I can do that." She sent off a few short letters to each of the students she knew; Kahako, Keiji, Shisou... maybe Miyako. She thought about sending one to Zaku, but they hadn't spoken in days. She scratched him off the list

"Hey, my fellow academy students-
"It's all well and good if you want to spend the day with your family, but here's an official invitation from me to hang out and build some contacts in the Ninja world, friendships are important. We'll be meeting up near the food booths on school grounds. Look for me." She scribbled out a small stick figure drawing of herself and her big red mane of hair. "I'm usually pretty visible." -Hikari Tanaka

She nodded and sent them off to each recipient. "Well, that's done." She muttered, "Hmm..." She shrugged and let her hair fly loose, though she had a few ties for when she was playing games or eating. "Time to go... Hikari, you talk to yourself entirely too much." She muttered, as she rushed out toward the festivities. "Food food, where's the foo- Ah.' She said trotting over to where she said she'd be, she awaited her fellow students, so they could begin the merrymaking.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

The Higa household in Seki District… (Late afternoon)


“There are many things in this world that I would rather wear than…. than this.” Kahako said holding up the dark blue silk fabric in front of her. Although she wore many a kimono when she was younger, she never truly enjoyed it. She put up with them only to make her mother smile. The robe would restrain her legs while the obi would make it difficult to bend down. Not to mention every time she looked at geta, a certain blue-haired geta grubber would come to mind. After THAT encounter, she promised herself that she wouldn’t wear a kimono unless absolutely necessary. So when her aunt pulled out an old, forgotten box from the closet on the morning of New Year’s Eve, Kahako wasn’t all that pleased.

A calm smile appeared on the older woman’s face, her eyes falling to the preteen currently in her care. “It is the New Year, Kahako-chan. You can’t tell me you don’t want to dress up today. You won’t get a lot of chances to wear something like this once you graduate.” Kahako’s resentment showed through her usually blank face.

“That’s why I should get used to never having to wear them, Sei-obasan.” Kahako responded. Her aunt sighed. ‘When did this girl become so rebellious?’ she thought to herself.

“I’m sure your mother would like it if you wore it.” She tried to negotiate.

“She’s not here to see it, so there is no point.” Kahako countered with a glance to the side. This was her first festival without the woman, and she missed her mother greatly.

The air grew silent and awkward. Since it was the holidays, Sei didn’t need her niece’s help in a restaurant located in the Seki District, but she decided to stay open just in case. So Kahako would be alone to travel the streets and enjoy the festivities. ‘What’s the point of enjoying it on your own? It’s lonely.’ Kahako thought. She rarely voiced her opinion to the woman before her.

Sei noticed the girl’s quick change in emotion, though she had no idea what made the girl so glum. She grabbed a corner of the kimono and rubbed the silk through her fingers. She tried to lighten the mood. “You do know that this was your mother’s favorite kimono when she was about your age?” she said quietly. Kahako’s looked up to her as she continued. “I think I may actually have a picture of us where she wore it.” Sei turned to the small bookcase behind her a pulled out a photo book. It only took a few page flips before she found the picture she was looking for. She pulled it from its slip and gave the small picture to the girl.

“It was the year of the rabbit, and we made those hand puppets for….” Sei continued on. By now, however, Kahako began ignoring her aunt. She took in the picture with awe. They both had short hair, but where Kahako’s hair was frizzed and crazy, her mother’s was smooth and calm. Plus the girl in the photo seemed so… happy. Kahako couldn’t remember the last time her mother smiled like that. She made a mental sigh. Wearing this would make her mom happy. “I’ll wear it.” She said suddenly, stopping her aunt’s rambling. She quickly grabbed every piece of the outfit and walked to her room, leaving a startled and confused family member behind. She needed a pair of shorts and a thin long sleeve top to wear underneath. ‘I think I brought a pair of warm tabi…' She thought as she opened her door. What harm would there be in walking around in a kimono during a festival anyway?

(A little while later)

The streets were crowded as Kahako shuffled down them and through the crowds. The irritation was barely noticeable on her face. It had taken her longer than usual to reach the school because of the outfit that constricted her. She could move well enough, but there was something about a kimono that… demanded elegance from its wearer. She found the entire walk to her current location frustrating.

“Finally,” she said to herself as she turned the corner that lead to food vendors. Just before she left, she received a message from Hikari. The little stick figure made her laugh with its outrageous hair, but it was pretty smart. That would be the best way to find her fellow student in a crowded area such as this. Plus she did want to spend her New Year with someone. Immediately, she began looking for the tell-tale curly red hair, and the search didn’t take long at all. She walked as quickly as she could in her current attire. “Hikari-chan!” she said in a louder voice, but not quite loud enough to draw a lot of attention to her. A small smile was plastered to her face despite her frustrations with her outfit.

 

[Keiji]

"Broooo~" Jin was pulling his brother's cheek as he lay on his mattress in his room. "mhhrmm" Keiji didn't react except for random mumbles and a little movement from his arms. So Jin went into the kitchen, grabbed a towel, made it wet with water from the faucet. "This should wake him up right away" He said with a wicked smile that grew ever so slightly. He then went back into Keiji's room and held it above his head. The water dripped ever so slightly, drip, drip, drip, drip, SPLAT! Jin let go of the towel and hit Keiji right in the face. "WAaaaaaarrhh!" He awoke instantly and leaned up while pulling the wet towel off his face. Jin at the time began laughing loudly at his brother's reaction.

Suzaku Jin - dNPC​

"It's time to get up bro!" Jin sat himself next to Keiji as he wiped the water off his forhead. "You'll be late for the festival, it's already late afternoon! What were you doing yesterday?" Jin asked curiously. Keiji frowned and looked at his little brother with a tired glance. "I was training, and helping out at the bar.. The bar had some kind of special "before Lunar Festival" event kind of ordeal.." Keiji paused to yawn, and then continued- "-so I had to stay over and help out all night!" Keiji got up from the bed, and walked out only wearing his underwear into the shower.

After the shower, taking on his clothes, fixing his dreadlocks into a ponytail, putting his earpiece in his ear, and a little bit of packing for his shoulder bag. Still a lot of room for stuff.. Might need it.. He scanned over the room with his little brother standing silently staring at him and smiling. "Excited?" He asked with a hearty and slightly mocking tone. "Excited?" Keiji blushed slightly as he scratched his cheek. "Why would I be excited?" Jin looked to the side as he grinned, holding his arms tightly behind his back as if he was hiding something. "Ooohh~ I dunno, maybe cus' of some guuurl?" Jin grinned and looked at his older brother more mockingly than before. "A GIR-?! How do you-?" Keiji paused as Jin handed him a small envelope. He picked it up, opened it, and skimmed the reading. His eyes then looked up from the letter and said towards his little brother standing in front of him. "You read this.. Didn't you?.." Jin just smiled a little wider, and nodded to his brother's inquiry. "Well there's that, and there's that you've never went to the festival before.. So I assumed you were probably excited about going." He smiled and pointed at himself with his thumb. "I'm that great at reading you after all bro!"

Keiji turned towards the main entrance, exited the house and then continued going his way towards the academy grounds from the house. "Bro?" Keiji stopped as he was about to turn after exiting the house, and turned his head to look back at his brother standing in the doorway. "You've gotten a lot more open lately.. More smiling than usual.. So.." He paused and looked at his brother with a saddened yet serious face "Get back safe okay?.." Keiji smiled and nodded "Of course! I'm Keiji! Keiji Suzaku, I'm always awesome!" he then turned his head again and went on his way.

Suzaku Jin dNPC
LEFT TOPIC

...​

At the Academy grounds Keiji had a plan in his mind. Find a tree, the first primary task. "Get a birds eye view of the festival. Establish visual confirmation of targets. then intercept!" he said to himself loudly, which resulted in him getting weird eyes from the nearby festival goer, just civilians. As they stared Keiji reacted with taking a few steps back while staring back at them, and then turn around and begin running. As he ran he scanned for a good tree to climb, the amount of festival goers were plenty, it would be way to difficult to just begin walking through the festival and randomly stumbling into them.
Red.. Hair? Keiji paused and stopped up as he noticed the bright red curls in the midst of the crowd. Damnit.. Must think of a way to introduce myself in an awesome fashion..

“Hikari-chan!”

The voice came from almost right behind him. Thankfully he wasn't noticed at first from either sides. Shit-shit-shit-shit! Keiji wanted to plan this out a bit better. He decided to lean a bit forward making him seem shorter and being able to hide a bit better amidst the crowd, hopefully he wouldn't be noticed right away, although his white regular day to day clothes wasn't the usual apparel of anyone at the festival. But he's allowed to hope not to get noticed.

 

[Yukari]

Hikari was twiddling her thumbs, browsing the stalls, while she waited for the others, when she heard her name. She turned around quickly, her hair whipped around, and she looked about brightly. Girl's voice. Sounded like Kahako... She scanned the crowd for a full moment before she spotted the girl. You are supposed to be a kunoichi, Hikari. Can't find one girl in a crowd-That is a kimono...

"Kahako-chan!" She waved, and went over to her. "You're the first to arrive." She grinned, "You look nice." She said, gesturing at the pretty garment, "My mom always tries to get me to wear those, but I don't especially care for them. To restrictive." She shrugged. "But this is a party, not training, so who cares?!" She said happily.

She scanned the crowd again, catching sight of someone for a moment, she thought might be Keiji, but then he disappeared. She frowned. "So! The haunted house sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?" She asked Kahako. "Can't wait to go. After everybody gets here, we should head over there!" She'd heard it was going to be really scary.

Hikari asked "You eaten anything yet? We're supposed to be locked inside the house all night. Who knows if they'll have any food." She spotted something white in the crowd. She leaned over as she spotted it, but then she lost it again. "Strange." Maybe it was a dog? Most people wouldn't wear white or black to a festival... death colors. She shrugged again. "I ate a bit already, but all the food smells so good."

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako smiled in understanding, “Thanks! It was my mother’s once.” She looked at the pattern on the sleeve. “I agree though... kimono don’t allow for a lot of room.” She tried to raise her arms in the air, barely getting them above her shoulder. “Curse this kimono,” she said, frustrated. It was then that Kahako noticed Hikari was scanning the crowd behind her. Lowering her arms, she glanced behind her to see if anything was amiss. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then again, she didn’t know who or what Hikari was looking for. Regardless, she shrugged off the girl’s distraction.

Turning back, Kahako looked at the stalls that were beginning to close down. This made her uneasy. “I don’t think we have time to grab some food or wait,” She pointed to a vendor packing away his supplies for the night. “I heard that the haunted house locks down when the vending stalls close. Besides, most students know the inside of the academy is where most of us are going to go anyway, right? I’m sure they’ll think to look for us there.” She gave a weak smile. “Plus, I don’t want to be out on the streets at night when there are not a lot of people. Bad experiences.” Kahako grabbed Hikari by the hand and lead her to the front doors of the Academy, leaving no room for argument. For Kahako, a locked down haunted house was the lesser of two evils when compared to standing in the streets at night.

They went through the entrance and down the hall towards the grand auditorium. Kahako led them a little farther before she had to come to a stop. The scenery around her freaked her out and she did NOT want to play leader anymore. “So, the people we’re waiting for…” Kahako trailed off while turning to the red-head behind her. She was trying to put up a good front for her peer; not wanting to seem like a terrified child even though she was all for being in this place a moment ago. She had a carefully placed smile on her face, but her movements were ridged. She knew looking around would only cause a tail spin of panic, so she kept her gaze strictly on Hikari waiting for a response.

 

[Shimatsu Shigeru]

Shisou was late. Of course Shisou was late; Shisou was always late. Whether it was rain, snow, more snow, or sleet, Shisou would without a doubt be made late by his father. His father had a knack for those things really. Making Shisou late was a large pastime of Kenji, and he took that job very seriously. However, the details of this little exchange are highly unimportant to the overall scheme of Shisou’s life, because many things like this had happened before. At least at the end, Shisou had no broken bones. Though, in the end, he was laying in his room with several fresh bruises and many shallow cuts to go pair with the deeper ones. The thought was almost giddying to Shisou. In fact, the boy laughed for a good minute before even stirring. He had not broken a bone… finally!

Sitting up from the hard floor of his room, Shisou grabbed the pair of gloves his father had left at the threshold of his room. In a weird way, Kenji had just wanted to give his son a present for this special day, but in the end, all things between the pair gets jumbled up. He slipped on the gloves, the leather was heavier than Shisou gave it credit for, it must have been weighted. They felt comfortable over the palm, not too hard but definitely not soft. It just felt right. Shisou smiled at the worn leather on his hand, and made his way exodus from the house.

He was garbed in the normal shinobi attire, with his proper toolbelt with its proper weapons. No one said that he needed them, but certainly no one said that he couldn’t bring them. No one knew what the time in the academy would bring, so Shisou just wanted to be prepared for the unexpected. On the way, Shisou closed his mind to the outside world, and went through the process of opening up his chakra channels. The newfound energy went to dulling the slight pains he had incurred with fighting with his father, and before he knew it, Shisou was standing on the steps of the Academy.

“I’m glad I didn’t miss the party.” Shisou had noticed some familiar figures darting inside the academy, and Shisou rushed to join them. When safely inside, Shisou called out to them, “Hey guys, I finally decided to show up!” Shisou wore his smile proudly. Today was going to be a good day. Hopefully.

 

[Keiji]

Damn it! Lost them! Keiji suddenly he couldn't see them. Although when Hikari were talking with Kahako he didn't confront them or showed himself. He couldn't explain it himself why not. He started running around the booths, looking for the previously noticed red bright hair of Hikari. There! He saw them run past a corner, he followed swiftly, Damnit! Lost them again! They were suddenly gone again until he noticed her hair by another corner. The frustrations grew. Arrr! He ran as fast as he could, unfortunately bumping into a few people on the way, resulting in a bit of commotion. "Hey! Look ahead!" one of the people shouted at Keiji. He kept running as he shouted back. "Sorry sir, I'm in a hurry." He spurted off to try and catch up to Hikari. As he got to the corner and looked to the side they went, he noticed the door leading into the Academy building I.e. The Haunted House for the festival. He looked up at the large red sign above the door. "Haunted House of Horrors" He sighed as he read it. He walked in, opened the door only seconds after he saw Hikari went in.

As soon as he stepped in he saw Hikari being pulled by Kahako through the corridor, he closed the door slowly behind him to avoid making any loud sounds and then sneaked up behind the girls, he kept behind them for a little while as they made their way further into the building. Suddenly they stopped up, and Kahako released Hikari. He then put on his biggest smile, and walked up closer to the girls, and poked Hikari on her shoulder. He expected her to react wildly, or even violently, so his reflexes were prepared if she were to attempt to punch or to smack him.

 

[Kaoru]

Kaoru scrambled through her apartment getting ready for the festival. I'm late, I'm late she kept telling herself. Kaoru rummaged through a chest that belonged to her guardians, she remebered once ,when the old couple were still alive, they told her that when she was older that Kaoru was allowed to open the chest. She rubbed her hand over the wood grain, took a deep breath, and opened it. Inside she saw a beautiful kimono it was sky blue with violet blossoms. Kaoru couldn't believe her eyes, she rubbed the fabric as a ball formed in her throat with her lonliness. She quickly got dressed ,the kimono was a perfect fit as she saw herself in the mirrior, the girl in the reflection did not seem to resemble the Kaoru she knew. She gatherded a few belongings, which included weapons, this has become a habit for Kaoru to bring her gear even though she knows it is not necissary, and was out the door. She couldn't wait to see the other students at the festival. The streets were crowded, but Kaoru could tell where the bulk of them were going. She followed the crowd until she got to the academy, she had heard of the haunted house earlier in the week, after much deliberation she decided to go inside despite her fears. Kaoru was relived however to see some of her classmates throughout the crowd she named them off in her head Hikari san, Keiji san, Kagatsuchi san, and Higa san She smiled at the thought of her classmates being at the festival to. Oh how she wished to join them.

After much struggle through the crowd, Kaoru finally arrived at the door of the haunted house, it had an ominous atmosphere. Koaru shuddered as a chill went down her spine, and walked in.

 

[Santaru Rin]

One by one, the hawkers and stands around the Eruditio extinguished their lights and folded their goods away for another day. The call had gone out: the house of terrors was open! Come one and all, you students and children, and know fear...

The visitors would be locked within all night. For many, this sufficed as a coming of age rite in a world where such passages had become increasingly abstract. The academy students still had their Genin exams to look forward to, but the civilian children were unlikely to ever know such an experience. Even for the students, saying that you had made it through the hell night at the end of the year was something to brag about. Every year, someone fainted or spent the entire time sobbing and gibbering in a chaperone's arms.

The guests were all brought together into the main school foyer, which at other times served as a locker area and the general hub of daily school life. Now, however, those responsible for planning the event had transformed the place. It was draped in black cloth, and where lockers had been, now dilapidated sarcophagi were stacked. A lone paper lantern cast a watery glow over the gathered crowd.

"Welcome to HELL!" Deep laughter boomed from all around. "Tonight, we will feast on your bones to the song of your screams!" A tall figure decked out in shinigami gear burst forth from the wall opposite the entrance. "Metaphorically, of course," he reassured them in bass tones. "Now, before you go on your night of fright... Remember: no canoodling, no fighting, and stay with a friend. If anyone gets hurt, there's a chaperone at the center of each floor. Once everyone's in, you'll be locked in tight for the rest of the night... And with that, my delicious little friends, farewell! Perhaps I'll see you at the gates of hell..." He cackled and disappeared in a purple explosion of smoke.

Okay, everyone should make sure they're inside the school and that you all have more or less linked up.

 

[Kaoru]

Kaoru walked slowly into the foyer. There was black clothe everywhere she looked, she wandered around for a few moments hoping to see her classmates, but her search was disrupted when she heard a booming voice. She turned around and saw a tall man dressed as a shinigami, his small speech made her want to find the other students even more. Kaoru knew that she sould join up with them before the night went on any later. Soon she saw them, the other students seemed to have just met themselves, Kaoru took a deep breath and began walking over to her peers, she gripped her kimono and pushed her light brown bangs away from her face. When she finally reached them Kaoru said "Excuse me, may I join you tonight, my name is Kaoru, I'm also a student." She did a slight bow her face had a light blush on her face as she awaited the reply of her fellow students.

 

[Yukari]

Hikari's stomach mumbled a bit in protest as Kahako lead her away from the festivities, and into the haunted house, saying something about bad experiences The house... was creepy. Yes, quite creepy. She grinned, "This is gonna be great! C'mon, Kahako-chan! She said, leading her friend further in, she looked around, noting the flimsy lantern and the sarcophagi, gleaming and rotten; stacked about and seemingly forgotten. She grinned, "You're probably right, Kahako-chan. They know where we're going." She looked at her friend, who seemed to be terribly nervous. "Hey, don't worry, we're kunoichi. And it's just a haunted hou-" She felt something touch her back, and her pulse skyrocketed. she turned and in one move swung an open hand, at the face of a momentarily unrecognized boy. She stopped herself as she noticed the dreadlocks. "Keiji-" She groaned, "Why would you do that?" She rubbed her face roughly. "And where were you?" She tapped his shoulder roughly, "We waited, but then Kahako- er, do you two know eachother? Kahako, meet Keiji. Keiji, meet Kahako. I met you both in different classes." Hikari stepped back, nodded, and grinned. "Yep." A thought occurred to her then, I have kunai, and shurukien, why did I go to slap him? Then, It's a good thing you just tried to slap. If you'd tried to cut, you probably would have gotten into trouble.

She spotted Shisou walking in, so she pointed over to him, "Come with me, guys. "Hey Shisou-kun.!" She said, hoping the friendly addition was OK. If not, she'd apologize. "Glad you made it!" She said after he announced that he finally decided to show up. "Good to see you're in a fun mood." She said with a smile of her own, "This is Keij, and that's Kahako." She paused, then chuckled, "You probably already know Keiji, sorry." She noticed someone else come in, a slim pretty girl with brown hair. Hikari waved as the girl introduced herself. "Hey, Kaoru! I didn't know you'd be here. Good to see you again."

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Thankful to Hikari for taking the lead, Kahako was able to notice a boy in dreadlocks come up behind her. Because of her friend’s calm demeanor she wasn’t expecting Hikari to move so quickly in surprise when he reached to tap her shoulder, but at least Hikari was able to stop herself. The last time someone came up on Kahako like that, she just tossed Zaku around like he was a sack of potatoes. And that was in the middle of the day… with no one else in the street. But it seemed like Hikari knew the boy in dreadlocks, so Kahako dropped her slightly surprised face, smiled, and did a quick, but appropriate bow in greeting.

“It is nice to meet you, Keiji-san,” she said. Upon rising, Kahako smiled and did a quick look between the two in front of her. Keiji appeared nice enough, and Hikari was looking away as if she saw someone in the crowd. Kahako was proven correct as she heard Shisou’s name fall from Hikari’s lips. Kahako followed the bouncing red hair as fast as she could, which wasn’t very fast. Turtle-like even. She was a very elegant turtle, though.

Kahako arrived just as Hikari was introducing her and Keiji. She definitely remembered Shisou. Aside from Zaku, he had been the boy to contest against their teacher when classes first started. “It is good to meet you again, Shisou-san.” She said with a calm smile. Pretty soon the little girl from their classed, (Kaoru, Kahako believed) joined them in their growing party. She smiled gratefully, though more to herself than to Kaoru. This was going well for Kahako. More people meant fewer things to jump out and grab her, drag her down to the depths of Academy hell, and have force her into horrible situations.

Kahako shook her head, she was letting her fears of this place get the best of her. Looking around, she noticed a lot of people starting to pair up and walk in separate directions, going deeper into the academy. Fighting? She could handle. Blood, drunken demons, and life and death situations? Yup. Handle and handled. Things that went bump in the night? Nooope. Unless a certain person was around, she would never get used to that kind of fear. She grabbed her arms and rubbed them up and down. ‘Why did I agree to this again?’ she thought desperately. The faster the night ended, the faster she would be out of there. But she didn't want to leave the lobby just yet. Who know what was behind those corridors.

 

[Keiji]

Keiji wasn't surprised by Hikari's reaction, he expected it even and had already raised his hand to stop hers from hitting him in the face. Although luckily she stopped herself, he imagined his bright blue pupils were unique enough for anyone to recognize him from miles away. "Good to see you too Hikari, I just wanted to say hi, but I didn't get my chance until now," He paused for a second for a breather. "You seem to be doing alright" He smiled calmly at her. She then introduced her companion, Kahako.. Pretty name.. Keiji bowed in a friendly and smiling manner as she did towards him. Although something weird was curling around inside which resulted in him blurting out his thoughts out loud, he didn't even manage to properly introduce himself, or to greet properly. "You hav- pretty-y hair!" Stupid, stupid, stupid! he thought to himself after he had said it out loud. He began blushing slightly after he had blurted out the words, he reached the back of his head and scratched as he whispered "Sorry.." not sure if anyone heard him or not.

Another brown haired girl appeared, he had seen her on numerous occasions before, in class specifically. "Oh hi again Kaoru!" Keiji proclaimed the sentence pretty wildly, it was more of a statement than an actual greeting. He had never had a chance to talk properly with her before, and admittedly Keiji didn't see the need to by any degree. "Welcome aboard!" He said with a happy smile.

Shisou was the next person to be greeted by Hikari, Keiji didn't notice him at first admittedly, so he turned around with a big grin on his lips. "Hey! Shisou!, ma' main man!" He walked up to him with a warm smile and extended his fist for a friendly fist bump. "Great to see ya again!"

He turned his face towards Kahako as she seemed to either feel uncomfortable or she was merely freezing, Keiji took a quick step to the side so he would stand stand behind to the right side of her, he then leaned forward so his face were not too close, but next to her. He then asked mildly with a concerned voice "You alright Kahako?"

 

[Shimatsu Shigeru]

OoC: Tired, been really busy. My car broke down and I have been dealing with the repercussions of that while still having to work. My next post will be better!

The meeting was quick and efficient, and Shisou felt his entire body warm at the feeling of these people gathering around him, actually knowing his name and caring that he was here. It was the feeling of having friends, something Shisou wasn’t used to yet. Kahako, Keiji, Hikari, and even Kaoru, they were all people that Shisou had just recently met, and even though he did not know them all very well, Shisou was looking forward to getting to know them all better. Considering Shisou doesn’t pick up the mood of places, he broke out into a wide grin as he bumped Keiji’s fist like a true bro. He gave the girls each the obligatory cool-guy-nod.

“Hello Keiji, Kaoru, Kahako, Hikari. Clearly Raiden has blessed us all with another meeting, may it be late in the day or not. I’m glad to see you all!” Shisou was truly happy to see them all. It was a good day. That was… until that booming evil voice resounded and shocked Shisou out of his slight reverie. Even though it was all for fun, Shisou was genuinely sobered by the imposing figure. There was something odd about the Academy, more than just beyond the creepy feeling given by a haunted house. However, Shisou did not know much about those kinds of things very much, so he just brushed the feeling off as nerves and prepared himself for some fun. “Alright, now that the creepy guy is gone let us have some fun. Just remember, no canoodling.” Shisou made very sure to wink in the general direction of the girls. He was a teenage boy after all.

 

[Santaru Rin]

Thanks for your patience with the break in service over the holiday! I hope everyone is having a good time.

The crowd of students had broken away in clumps of twos and threes, and sometimes even foursomes. Our heroes, however, had found each other, and in the frenzied dance of adolescence they traced the pecking order of influence and credibility. Behind them came the sound of the main doors being barricaded. Heavy metal shutters closed off points of entry in order to keep the students safe. Was this in line with the fire ordinances? Probably not, but then again, there were no fire ordinances. The fire marshal, in fact, was busy dancing in the town square.

Before much longer, the cluster of five were alone in the lobby. Many of the students had gone to the left, as the west wing of the school was quite sprawling and included the old dojo. A few had gone right, taking them to some flexible use rooms as well as a few low-level offices. Screams of gleeful terror could be heard from that direction. Ahead was a staircase that led to the second floor and more scares...

 

[Keiji]

Keiji looked over to both sides as the random groups of students went each of their separate ways, he didn't know the Academy inside out, but he had remembered the maps placed around the Academy earlier on, he sort of guessed at which rooms were in what direction.
He pointed to the front at the stairs and proclaimed "No one went that way, curiously enough." His voice didn't tremble, he wasn't scared one bit, frankly he was getting slightly bored. fake screams, fake effects, fake, fake, fake..
His mind was pretty obsessed with it all.

As the screams came from the right corridor, he locked his heel into the floorboards beneath him, his leg muscles tightened, he almost jumped in an instant as he began to run towards the location where the screams came from. Keiji wasn't normally the heroic type, but he was getting bored and he felt like he needed the excitement. At least in his own mind. He ran as fast as he could. according to where the sound came from it must've been this room! He opened the first door in the corridor leading to one of the flexible use rooms.

 

[Yukari]

As Keiji replied to her, she grinned, "No worries, man. Yeah, I'm doing well."

Hikari felt the air in the room still as the main doors were barred. She wondered for a moment if it was safe- then she remembered that this was "Hell night". No such thing as safe. Shisou winked at the girls as he repeated the mandate for 'no canoodling'. She rolled her eyes, "Canoodling. What a silly word." She was covering for the fact that she only just barely knew what it meant. "Yeah."

She noticed that Kahako was acting strangely, but wrote it off, cause really, how well did she know the girl? They'd only met a few days ago through Zaku- she felt a surge of irritation and anger. Stupid boy. Carefully, she grinned, at the girls, rolling her eyes, "No canoodling."

Just then a scream from the right hallway made the hallway echo, and Keiji took off towards it. "Hey!" She called after him, "We should stick together, Keiji, don't run off!" She looked at the others, her legs itching to follow, "We should stick with him." She said, grabbing Kahako's arm, and dragging her along behind her. She didn't look back, just assumed by the clattering of footsteps in the hall that the others were following her- she could have been mistaken though. "Keiji!" She grumbled, "Wait for us before-" He opened the door. Hikari winced. If something bad was going to happen- not that she was scared it would, she just wanted to be safe- she wanted to be close enough to help. She rushed up behind him with Kahako in tow, then as they reached the door, she huffed, and elbowed him, saying, "Don't leave us behind next time. We should... Stick together." Then she turned toward the open doorway, and peeked inside...

 

[Kaoru]

The hallway was growing dark, Kaoru felt nervous in the lobby. She was happy to have her classmates there with her. Kagatsuchi san gave a slight wink to her and the other girls, which made her blush slightly. All of a sudden a blood curdling scream came from one of the rooms. "What in the world" she muttered. Kaoru then saw Keiji san, Hikari san, and Kahako san running in the direction of the terrifying noise. What should I do? The question repeated multiple ties in her head. Without even thinking she began to run with her classmates, surprisingly the kimono was not difficult to run in. She grabbed the pouch on her waist, preparing her shuriken in case of an attack.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako turned to Keiji who quickly picked up on her discomfort. Remembering the compliment he gave her earlier, she blushed lightly from their close proximity. Taking a step back, a small distressed smile fell on her face. “Yeah, I’ll be fine Keiji. Just a little worried about tonight is all.” She then turned to Shisou catching his wink and Hikari’s response. Momentarily forgetting where she was her smile turned into a playful grin. “No canoodling indeed,” she said simply before she was cut off by a scream.

Much to her confusion, Keiji bolted off from beside her and into the right corridor. Hikari’s, “Keiji, don’t run off!” was all the warning she had before Hikari grabbed her arm and started dragging her down the hallway. In a split moment of panic, Kahako grabbed the nearest warm body object and started dragging it with her. ‘Ooooh, no. I know what happens to people in the back of the line. I’m NOT going in the back of the line,’ she thought to herself. She was creating a train of academy students, but words could not express how much she hated surprises. Especially those of the ghoul variety.

Looking back to see just who she grabbed ahold of, Kahako saw that she grabbed Shisou’s hand. Well… at least she was in the middle now. Though, their pace was almost too fast for her and her kimono. She almost had to hop in order to keep up. “Hikari-stop! Hikari- too fast!” Fortunately, she didn’t trip as they finally caught up to Keiji.

Letting go of Shisou, momentum carried her a little past the both of them as she stumbled through the doorway and into the room. Arms flailing, she hopped a few times before finally coming to a stop. First in the room was not on the top of her list for things to do, but first in the room and on the floor was worse. She looked up to see if there were other ‘inhabitants.’ The screams she heard were gleeful, right? ‘Right?!?!’