[CG/DtB] The Day a New Sky Was Born

[AutumnLotus]

Ren

Ren frowned as she made her way to the designated area, the bus proving once more how much she despised field trips. Rarely were they productive, and the areas they visited in them were always drab, mind numbing affairs. This was Milly's trip though, so it was unlikely to be just that. If something remained ungroped or uncombusted she would be surprised.

Moving up beside the boy...Artmiss she thought, the girl nodded in agreement. "Yes, what exactly is so important do drag me away from such an iiiinteresting period?" she drawled, sarcasm dripping from her tongue as she winked at the girl. She truely liked Milly, a rare thing indeed given her noble standing and high ranking in the school. She was amusing, and always brightened up her day. If that brightness came from a roman candle set off in her class, all the same to Ren, she guessed.

[Shadon]

OOC: Sorry for slow update, I’ve been sick.

All
Milly looks over at Artemis with a smile, holding up a finger. “Ah, ah, wait until everyone’s here!” she giggles, glancing around at the gathering class. As the other girl walks up, their President returns the wink, beaming at Ren. “You’ll find out soon enough!” Turning around, she climbs up on the table and begins counting quietly under her breath, taking in the number of students as they arrive, the level of quiet chatter rising slowly as the congregation grows. After a few minutes, the girl stops, frowning, planting her hands on her hips. “Where are those boys,” she mutters, shaking her head.

Near the back of the group, Nina Einstein has quietly joined the group. Not long after, her friend Kallen Stadtfeld slips in beside her, whispering hurriedly, the sickly girl looking paler than normal. The two are having their exchange, tuning out the others around them.

Clearly impatient, Milly starts her count again, only to give a loud sigh of relief. “There they are, late as always.”

Jin feels something brush past him as two boys make their way through the crowd. A few near the front have parted, hearing their President’s exclamation, others moving to let them through when they recognize them. Stepping forward to join the two girls around Milly, Lelouch offers a sardonic grin. “Sorry we’re late Prez.” Rolo stays a step behind his brother, expression more apologetic of the two princes.

With an exaggerated sigh, Milly turns to address the class, opening her arms wide. “Hello! It would seem we’re all here now, so I can finally tell you the surprise! We’ll be going on a fieldtrip…to the grand opening of Clovisland Amusement Park!” Barely pausing to catch her breath, she holds up a finger. “This is a strictly academic field trip, to study the physics of rides and roller coasters!” With a self-satisfied grin, she stands with arms still open, waiting for the reactions of her classmates.

[Demented Dragon]

Artemis

Artemis grins and waves the flag a little, "Well that's good news!"

But that doesn't explain why she sounds so forced

"Think they'll let me bring the flag along? It shows a patriotic spirit or something, right?"

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

Jin watched placidly as the students gathered around to hear Milly's announcement. He remained near the back, eyes gazing distantly into nothingness. Lelouch and Rolo got a second glance, but that was all.

Milly's exuberance, and especially the announcement itself, did little to change his demeanor.

Clovisland? Really? What use had he for such a place?
He'd never actually ridden a roller coaster, or anything like that, but.. it was just a car, moving along a track, at high speeds. It seemed like a colossal waste of time, and probably one of the most unproductive things in existence. And people actually waited in lines for this..?

Ridiculous.


Jin's head began to slowly turn as he analyzed the crowd he would be stuck with, curious if the purple-haired Sophie happened to be amongst them.

[delta639]

(OOC: Sorry for delays, please don't rip both my arms off at least.)
Sanae

Sanae grimaces and moves discreetly away from Nina as she spots the girl, putting Artemis between herself and the other. Oh, it's her. Better not get too close now, lest the Britannian brat have a panic attack, and wouldn't that be just awful...

Her eyebrows raise at the princes' entrance. Hmm? The resident royals are coming along too?

...To visit their brother's new amusement park's opening, how sweet. She rolls her eyes at Milly's proclamation. I think I might actually prefer physics class, basic as it is...then again, it's not like I've ever been to an amusement park. I suppose it could be fun. She puts on a mostly-feigned smile at the student council president's announcement, nodding. "Sounds like fun, yeah."

I can't imagine we'll be there for too short a time...maybe I can skip out early and head to work? Sanae thinks, looking around and inadvertently making eye contact with the Chinese boy from earlier. After a pause, she raises her hand in a small wave.

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

When Sanae makes eye contact, Jin only stares back. His blinks are uncomfortably few and far between, as his glazed dark orbs gaze emptily at the Japanese girl.

She waves.

Jin makes no motion. He doesn't even look away. He just gazes forward, as though looking right through her, into nothingness. Eventually she would turn away awkwardly and ignore him. They always did.

[Shadon]

Orion
It was all a bit of a freak accident, really. The break-down of the morning metro, getting lost in one of the older neighborhoods of the settlement, showing up to school in improper clothing and having to beg a uniform off of a classmate – it all contributed to the not only down, but late day Orion was having. She’d arrived after first period, been banned from second until she’d found a uniform, and now, well, there was a huge gathering of people on the green. Blocking the way to her third hour, at that. Trying to navigate around the barrier, it was with a start that she found herself recognizing some of the people from the multi-level Physics class she was in. And as such, through several ill-timed coincidences, it was that she found herself in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time. Or, rather, the correct place according to her schedule and apparently the field trip they were going on now, judging by the bus.

It would seem that their president hadn’t noticed her absence, having been calling out how “everyone was here” as Orion approached. No matter, the other students shuffled around, giving her room to stand, so that she could find her place in the crowd.

Jin
The crowd around Jin shuffles, letting people move, some pushing closer to hear Milly speaking, some pushing back to be left alone. As he looks around, he can’t spot Sophie in the crowd, but that’s no guarantee that she’s not there.

All
With an over-exaggerated sigh of apparent relief, Milly bounces back on her heels on the table, waving unnecessarily at an approaching figure, alerting him to her location. It is a man with dark hair and eyes, dressed in a valet’s sharp coat and tie with a stark white shirt, hat pulled low on his head. He gives a good-natured smile to the excited girl, nods to a few of the surrounding students, and then makes his way to the bus, taking the seat at the wheel.

“Well,” their president trills, grinning broadly, “our driver has arrived!” It’s only then that she acknowledges her friend’s question, hopping down off the table and facing Artemis. “Of course you can bring the flag! I’m not one to be down on patriotism. All right, then!” She claps her hands to draw attention, pointing dramatically to the bus. “You may now board!”

With a surprisingly controlled surge, the students readily make their way on to the bus, claiming seats and settling in for the ride. Nina, Kallen, and a few of the other more shy students take up residence near the back, the former two continuing a hushed conversation, interspersed with soft laughs. Lelouch and Rolo board early, other students moving from their path to let them on, and they take a mid-section seat, the elder lounging while the younger begins to discuss football with another student. Having claimed one of the first seats, Milly motions to Artemis to sit beside her, strained smile looking ever-more convincing as time goes by.

As the rest of the students settle and take their seats, vague shouting is heard from outside. Several heads crane, looking out the windows. Across the green, a few of the guards from the school are coming running. With a wild expression, their president stands once again, pointing forwards. “Driver! Book it!”

Nodding in assent, the bus leaps forward and the doors slam closed. The vehicle peels out of the loop and on to the main roads, finally slowing to a normal speed. The driver comes on over the speaker. “The ride will be a good twenty to thirty minutes if traffic cooperates, so sit back and enjoy the ride.” It crackles out.

The students are on their way.

[Demented Dragon]

Artemis

Artemis drops down beside Milly, "So... What was all that yelling outside? And when did you set this up?"

[delta639]

Sanae

Having already had it fixed upon her that morning, Sanae's not all that surprised by Jin's empty stare this time, though the unsettling feeling still remains to a lesser degree.

...So, what, are we having a staring contest now? That's mature. If it had been a Britannian staring at her, or any similar figure of authority who might not take well to being 'eyeballed', she would have looked away immediately lest consequences ensue. But something about this foreign youth piques Sanae's curiosity, and she returns his stare with one of her own, raising an eyebrow in challenge and crossing her arms.

If you're trying to creep me out, kid, it's not going to work. She only breaks her stare when Milly's shout heralds the students around Sanae to start filing into the bus, and she quickly joins them to avoid being overrun. She takes an empty seat in the back of the bus, fully expecting it to stay that way rather than have students sit with an Eleven, and she pulls out her laptop again to resume her work project for the bus ride's duration, Knightmare schematics filling the screen.

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

Jin was taken aback when the Japanese girl defiantly held her gaze in line with his. He blinked. His stare wavered. He might have turned away entirely, if it hadn't been for the sudden call to board the bus, which seemed to grab everyone's attention at once.


Once on the bus, Jin moved autonomously with the other students, staring ahead, moving stiffly, like a robot, like always. He was headed for the back, and low and behold, there was the Japanese girl again, already seated, and furiously attacking the keyboard of her laptop. There was an empty seat next to her. Jin hesitated, then he took it.

He glanced once at her. Then he stared at the back of the seat in front of him. He didn't say a word, but soon, his gaze drifted to her computer screen. He frowned.

Text, calculations, diagrams.. much of it didn't make sense to him, but certain illustrations were all too clear. Who wouldn't recognize them?

Knightmares.

But why? Why would someone her age, position, and, err, race, be involved in any sort of Knightmare-related affairs? Unless, perhaps she was simply researching the machines out of personal interest.
But the look on her face.. the focus, the drive, the energy. Jin couldn't help but wonder...

[delta639]

Sanae

Sanae tenses briefly as the boy unexpectedly sits down beside her, but a quick glance reveals that he's acting as aloof as before, apparently deep in thought observing the seatback ahead. So, this shouldn't actually be too different from sitting by myself, then....Apart from the obvious.

For roughly a minute's time, Sanae calculates, checks, and readjusts the final details of her project's first stage begun that morning, eventually nodding in satisfaction and stabbing a thumb down on the "Enter" key. Waiting for her computation to finish loading, she releases a small sigh and leans back in her seat, pushing the laptop's screen into a more comfortable angle.

...and in doing so, she catches a glimpse of the Chinese boy's face, now frowning, reflected in the screen. Evidently either intrigued or concerned by her behavior, possibly a combination.

"Something about my work bothering you?" she asks without raising her gaze, fingers tapping out the begun-again process of shifting around a multitude of parts and systems' configurations on the computer. "...I'm Sanae, by the way. Sanae Watanabe."

[Jellyfish]

Orion is one of the last on the bus. Not like that's anything new. Seems like she's the last at everything today.
She sighs and drags herself down the middle of the bus, towing her many, many bags behind her. She hadn't had the chance to drop any of it off at the locker room, so she's currently hauling a violin case around. And a bag of ballet shoes, a leotard, and a prissy pink skirt. And her disgustingly frilly street clothes that she'd so fortunately shown up to school clothed in. And two bags infested with bland books that for the most part didn't have anything to do with the courses she was taking but her aunt and uncle still always insisted she carry around so she would appear intelligent and well-cultured.
She manages to drag her baggage all the way to the back of the bus without finding a single vacant seat. In fact, the only spot open appears to be beside an 11 who appears to be rather passionately absorbed in her computer screen.
This was not her day.
"Pardon me," she says with emotionless politeness, placing herself in the seat and trying her very hardest to ignore the incessant tapping in the direction of the 11. She sits there stiffly, staring straight ahead. She doesn't even look over when the girl speaks up- in a rather bold, demanding tone for an 11, she notices. She appears to be introducing herself to the odd-looking boy with the creepy eyes next to her. It starts becoming increasingly difficult to ignore her presence.
Indeed, this was certainly not her day.

OOC
Sorry I'm so late guys, heh heh. But anyways, I'm here now! Hi! Here's hoping I'm not making any gigantic mistakes and getting all my hastily-gained information on who everyone is and what's going on and stuff mixed up... *crosses fingers*

[Shadon]

Artemis
Milly looks around conspiratorially as her friend drops next to her on the seat, grinning widely and seeming more relaxed now that they've left the school. "Wellll," she draws out the word, shifting in to a more comfortable position. "The school wanted to send an armed guard with us on a field trip, but that wouldn't have been practical! They would have ruined the experience of going to an amusement park. So," her voice drops dramatically to a low whisper, "I made sure that they were occupied until we left." Her expression is triumphant. "I mean, I guess they came over as we were leaving, but that doesn't matter!"

With a self-satisfied smile, she turns and glances out the window at the passing buildings before answering the second question. "Oh, I planned this over the weekend! Why?" The smile strains, barely noticeable, but it's there.

Sanae, Jin, Orion
The seat, while made to hold three, is still rather cramped with them all fitted in to it now. Jin, trapped in the middle, can feel the other two pressed against his sides, especially on the turns. The chatter from the front of the bus rolls back to their seat, as the students around them mostly appear to be excitedly chatting and thinking up magical adventures to be had at the amusement park. However, underneath the loud talking, a few low tones from the conversation taking place behind them.

"...attack on the tower...omb, likely terroris..."

"Do you....ere's a body count?"

"..ven't heard."

"Which group...it?"

"No...only th...ft at scene...calling card...et this, crystal rose..."

The conversation goes in and out.

(If inclined to listen more, roll notice.)

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

Jin responded to Sanae with his signature stare. He let silence hang in the air for a good long moment.

"No." He finally said. "Nothing is bothering me."

Another girl was sitting down, but Jin made no effort to even acknowledge her presence. His gaze lingered on Sanae another moment as he said, "I'm Jin," and then he fixated upon her computer once more.

He blinked, brow knitting just slightly. "I'm just.. confused. What would.. a student.. be doing with designs like these? Isn't it.. a Knightmare?"


His gaze flickered suddenly as his ears picked up on the bits of intriguing, hushed conversation going on nearby. He strained to listen closer.

[Notice: Skill(8)+Roll(6) = 14]

[delta639]

Sanae

Being engrossed in her schematics and models, Sanae is able to mostly disregard Jin's silent stare that ensues after her comment. She does look up at his eventual response, though. In doing so, she notices the distinctly uncomfortable-looking Britannian girl that has joined them in the far side of the seat. who appears to have more luggage in tow than Sanae's entire family owns.

I guess the other seats were full, if she'd sit with me and...Jin, huh. Sanae leaves her computer be for a moment, blinking over her glasses at her two seatmates, before giving a minute shrug and returning to work.

"Yes, these are the designs for a Knightmare," she responds simply and quietly. As opposed to all those other types of humanoid machinery in production, she thinks but doesn't say, not the least because of the nearby presence of the Brit girl with likely preconceived notions of other races. "And I have access to them because of my job, working with Knightmare development in the Britannian military." Probably best to establish that before someone gets the wrong idea and starts panicking about the Eleven girl having 'stolen' data from the army.

"I suppose it would make for a rather unusual scene, but-" Sanae trails off, frowning as a few notable words from the seat behind catch her attention, and leans back while pricking up her ears. Notice: (1d20+13)[31]

OOC: Glad to finally have you with us, Jellyfish, and your posting looks fine so far.

[Jellyfish]

Orion
Orion's ears catch small bits and pieces of suspicious-sounding conversation around her, and for a second her brow furrows. She clutches her violin case in her lap, staring straight ahead with the most blank expression she can manage, and specifically doesn't take notice of the words. Words like "bomb" and "terrorist". Certainly nothing that concerns her. Nothing she can do about it anyway, so why bother listening? Even if she could pick out more than just a few shattered fragments of sentences, she doesn't care about the matter being discussed anyway. It's none of her concern. She has much more important things to focus on, like repeating math equations in her head over and over again until they make her soul suffocate. And reviewing every lesson her aunt ever gave her on how to hold a teacup. And everything but listening to the increasingly-difficult-to-block-out whispers about bombs and terrorists and dead bodies.
She gives up not being interested. [Notice: 2+3=5]

[Demented Dragon]

Artemis

Artemis fakes a shocked look "So you deprived those poor guards of an opportunity to relax and visit an amusement park? Shame on you!"

Appearing more serious she goes on more quietly, "And what's wrong Milly? Something is very obviously wrong and if you're doing this bad a job of covering it, I imagine it's got to be very wrong"

[Shadon]

Sanae, Jin

Spoiler

Show

Straining to hear once the conversation catches their attention, both Jin and Sanae are able to tune out much of the noise around them and focus on what had previously been scraps of words. The tidbits turn to sentences and are much clearer now. However, the two girls’ voices are still very hard to distinguish between.

“Nothing else was left at the scene?”

“No, well, debris and all. But no calling card, no pictures taken or prints left. None of the rebel groups are owning up to it so far, either.”

“Were there any sightings?”

“Not reliable ones…most agreed on a man, in a hat. That’s about it.”

“A..a single man? Doing what, shooting fire from his hands and tearing down buildings?”

“More or less, I suppose.”

Orion
Despite giving up not being interested, Orion can’t manage to pick up on anything else in the conversation that is clear enough to sound like actual words. Violin case and other luggage in hand, the bus roughly runs over a pothole in the road, almost causing her load to go flying. Only the cramped capacity of the bus itself keeps Orion and her luggage in place, though the students around her shoot some unpleasant looks her way, most of them disgruntled but mollifying very quickly.

Artemis
Milly can’t wipe the silly grin off her face as she laughs at Artemis’ statement, shaking her head quickly. However, hearing the following question, she lowers her tone. Still with a rather amiable expression throughout their whispered conversation, she is more openly stressed than she has shown throughout the day. It even takes her as a surprise as the bus begins slowing down, wheels rolling to a stop.

All
“Clovisland Amusement Park, m’am,” the bus driver calls out with a slight slur on the last word, reaching up and tilting his hat before pulling the lever to open the doors. Pulled up out front of the gates, the students pile off in a more orderly fashion than when they boarded, hopping from the last step and on to the curb. Milly runs ahead and waves a card at the entrance, which then opens to let the students through. Once inside, all pause and stare in wonder at the new park.

Known for his aesthetic eye, Prince Clovis has never built anything less than beautiful. The park sparkles, dazzling viewers in the light bouncing off of many metallic rides and reflected brightly from a domed structure near the far left wall – it’s constructed from what appears to be entirely class, many large panels fitted together to create a roof. Roller coasters and other thrill rides dot the paths which are laid in a subtle red brick, surrounded by lush plants and flowers. Smaller walkways, dirt, wind their way between the bigger attractions, leading into the shade and offering an up-close look at wildlife and scenery. While it cannot be seen directly from the entrance, a large map and accompanying sign declares the way to the pool pavilion, distinguished with yellow markings inlaid along with the bricks.

While the cluster of students are taking in the view, Milly makes her way to the front of the gathering and takes a stance facing them all. Waving a hand in the air, she catches everyone’s attention. Cupping a hand to her mouth, she projects her voice pretty clearly to all gathered, including some passerby who clamp their hands over their ears.

“Ashford students! Listen up! In two and a half hours, meet at the Pool Pavilion! We will be attending the opening ceremonies there! Until then, feel free to wander!”

With a sweep of her arm, she gestures off to the rest of the park. “Enjoooooooy your stay!”

[Demented Dragon]

Artemis

Artemis cheers and waves her flag, "This is gonna be great, Milly. I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to find the fastest ride around here" At that she dashes off looking for the biggest ride, assuming it will likely be the fastest.

[Jellyfish]

Orion
Orion started off enjoying her stay by waiting in a half-hour line at the customer service counter trying to find somewhere she could deposit her plethora of bags. Then, after a lengthy exchange at the desk with a rather air-headed employee, she discovered that there was no such place because the lockers were already completely packed. Lovely.

So now she's standing in another line just to escape the mass of people pushing every which way, pressing up against her on all sides, jostling her many bags. It's a good long while before she finally gets to a point where she can duck her way out to a quieter path.

She backs away from the crowd, relieved that she seems to have regained her ability to breathe, but the grainy lump of dirt in her shoe quickly tells her she's on one of those smaller, nature-infested walkways she saw earlier.

"Well," she says emotionlessly, dropping onto a bench, her bags still weighing down her shoulders. "At least it's better than the day I caught gastroenteritis. And woke up by falling out of bed. And cracking my head on the side table. Twice."

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

Jin took note of the words he picked up from the hushed conversation. But that was all. It intrigued him only minorly, but it had no affect on him, or his surroundings..it was a distant event. It could even be a fabrication for all he knew.


As the students poured out of the bus, Jin glanced once at Sanae, before silently following the crowd. He listened, blank-faced against Milly's exuberance, and the stunning visuals before him, and then he remained stoically still as the kids around him rushed, milled, and meandered towards the park.

He simply stared apathetically, like a statue, absolutely no interest in this.. so-called 'amusement' park.. and no motivation to enter its grounds. But as the last people dwindled by him.. he was forced to begin to drag his feet and follow along at the back.

[Shadon]

OOC: Alrighty, quick message! I’ve been trying to wait for most people to update and such, but from this point on I’ll be updating as I see fit. If you disappear for a bit, s’alright with me, just post up a reply and I’ll update for you again. Now, onwards!

Artemis
Making her way through the crowds, Artemis has no trouble maneuvering as most people jump out of her way once seeing the overly-large flag. Winding towards the middle of the park, she comes across a large, gleaming metallic structure, painted in garish reds and yellows, detailed with black and obviously meant to be menacing. A large line snakes its way from the entrance, over which a sign hangs, in bold letters proclaiming the name of the coaster to be “The Inferno”. In the queue, people are chattering excitedly or nervously, shifting in anticipation, and generally making a ruckus.

As she slips into the line, the talking is more easily distinguishable. The couple in front of her, arms linked, are happily chatting away, making doe-eyes at each other and giggling like mad. Quickly, the spot behind her is filled, and she catches a snippet.

“…they said that it was a total surprise, no one in Okinawa-“

“HEY!”

A loud shout quiets much of the line and several people turn to stare. Clearly annoyed, a young man is marching over towards the line, arms gesturing wildly. His outfit appears to be an artistic interpretation of a military uniform with added colors and flourishes, topped with a matching hat and what appears to be a fake sword peace-tied to his belt.

“What do you think you’re doing, lazing around in the lines?! Did you think that changing clothes would make it so I didn’t recognize the bloody huge flag?! Come on, we’re going to be late!”

The man makes his way right up to Artemis, grabbing her arm and yanking her from the line, starting off away from the ride.

Orion
“I wouldn’t think a theme park could even be compared to gastroenteritis,” comes a quiet voice, sounding interested but lacking other obvious emotion. “Though I might be wrong.” The scuffle of woodchips on the path moving sounds more loudly than it has a right to on the quiet garden path. Sitting perched on a bench on one side of the path is a mousey-haired boy, lanky and thin with gangling limbs. He watches Orion with large, purple eyes, a small smile playing across his lips but not reaching his eyes. She recognizes him from school – Rolo, the younger of the Britannian princes, uncharacteristically quiet for a jock but the school’s star footballer.

Lacing his hands together, he tilts his head to the side in a curious gesture. “Want to sit down? I’d imagine those bags can’t be too light.”

Jin
“Heeee-eeeeey!”

A singsong voice screeches its way through Jin’s hearing, stubbornly refusing not to be acknowledged. Suddenly blocking his path is none other than the school president herself, hands perched on her hips and expression friendly in an almost menacing manner. Standing slightly behind her is Shirley, slightly flustered at the loud outburst from her friend.

“Why are you standing there all alone, huh? Come with us! We’re heading off to go on some rides!” The president trills, absent-mindedly tossing her head to punctuate “rides”. Before any objections can be made, she trots forward and goes behind Jin, placing her arms firmly against his shoulder blades and pushing him forwards, steering him to the nearest ride – a blue-and-silver rollercoaster contraption called “Whirlwind”. Shirley follows behind quickly, giving an audible sigh.

“Mill-y! It’s not polite to kidnap!”

“It’s a friendly kidnapping!”

[Demented Dragon]

Artemis

Artemis struggles at first, "But..." then stops.

Well I can always come back to ride it a different day...

"Oh fine, I just wanted to try it out really quick, but since I'm out of the line anyway now..." She stops struggling and walks along, waving the flag morosely to keep up appearances.

I wonder if I get to be part of a parade

[Jellyfish]

Orion
Orion stares at the young man for a good while longer than would be generally considered polite. "Prince Rolo," she says intelligently -- meaning, of course, in a manner reminiscent of a blundering tactless neanderthal. She gathers her wits quickly. "Um, yes, thank you your highness," she says, rising elegantly to her feet and wondering if he'd noticed she already had been sitting down. She strides across the path with all the grace she can manage, then proceeds to gracefully fall flat on her face. Or would have, if the prince hadn't been there to break her fall.

She catches her balance quickly, running her rather flustered gloved fingers though her slightly disheveled hair as the prince pulls himself out of the bushes behind the bench. She swallows dryly. "Oh my, my goodness um... my apologies, your highness!" She grimaces inwardly. What would Aunt Clarisse say if she could see her right now? Face-to-face with a prince and squandering the opportunity by making a complete clumsy fool of herself.

She drops onto the bench next to him, eyes trained on the ground and her cheeks the color of pale pink dahlias. She rapidly scans her memory bank for any piece of information or training that might come to use in this situation. She does recall a time when she was told she was a helpless lost cause and that her only redeeming quality in a conversation was her good looks, she supposes that could be played to her advantage. She lets her bags slide off her shoulder --wincing at the remarkably loud thud the books make-- and she crosses her legs rather clumsily, tossing her thick chestnut locks over her shoulder like she's seen girls in her class do when trying lure in members of the opposite gender to their deathtrap of feminine charms and shallow flirtatious deceit. She tilts her head downward at an awkward angle so she can gaze up at him through her luxuriously thick lashes, then she realizes she's not smiling. How could she forget to smile? How many endless hours had she spent being lectured on the vitality of a smile and the significant lack of one on her face 98% of her life? She corrects her mistake quickly, arranging her features in what she hopes is a pleasant expression.

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

Jin's eyes stretched open wide, though retaining their blank look, like a frightened animal. He stumbled forward limply as Milly shoved him from behind, catching himself and quickly matching his speed to hers, darting away from her intrusive hands.

He slipped back to walk by her side, slowing until she was ahead of him, and he could follow from just behind her shoulder, like an obedient, tethered servant.
His gaze lowered to the ground and he mindlessly followed after her, his mouth remaining stone-stiff, as it had the whole time. No smile, no frown, just Jin.

[Shadon]

Artemis
With Artemis in tow, the young man pulls her forward despite the lack of struggle, never loosing his grip on her arm. A few passerby stare at the waving flag, but most others let them pass without obstruction as they weave through the crowd. Soon, the amount of people thins and they move back behind one of the snack buildings set up, the man moving a panel of the fencing and leading her with him, closing it behind him.

Behind the fence is the backstage area where a flurry of activity is happening. People are running back and forth, some in costume and some not, carrying props or hurrying to their posts. A long line of parade floats are seen in the distance, with maintenance workers putting on last-minute touches to ensure correct workings.

“Come on,” the man calls, heading off towards a set of buildings. He leads her in through a few halls and then stops off in a costume room where different outfits hang on hooks with names over them. Most of them have been taken, with a few remaining. He leans against the door, eyes cast off down the hall in a show of privacy, yet not moving.

“So, where have you been? Janks wouldn’t say why you’d called in the past few days.”

Orion
The prince doesn’t seem to notice – or possibly care – that she was already seated, reclining on the bench until she falls against him. With a sputtering noise, he pushes up out of the bushes and brushes off, his expression going blank for a split second before returning to a small smile. With a kind of grace that someone with as gangly of limbs as the boy shouldn’t possess, he seats himself on the bench again, kindly ignoring the loud noise from all of her luggage dropping. “It’s fine,” he murmurs, reaching a hand up and righting his own mussed hair before turning to look at her.

Rolo arches a brow seeing her expression and peering up at him, lowering his arm and letting it hang over the back of the bench. “Isn’t it sort of unusual to bring that much baggage to a park? It looks cumbersome to me,” he chuckles, eyeing the pile of bags.

Off in the distance, a loudspeaker crackles but the words are obscured. The prince perks up, glancing over in the direction of the main park. “Parade time, maybe?” His violet eyes shift over to her. “Interested in it at all?”

Jin
Milly’s eyes narrow suspiciously as Jin falls back behind her, but seeing that he’s keeping up she smiles broadly. Shirley walks along with them at a clipped pace, chattering about the sights and the sounds, all of it flying above Jin’s focus as the three hop into line for the rollercoaster. It moves fairly quickly, and soon they are at the front of it.

“C’mon, step forward,” the usher says, waving them on. Shirley and Jin end up in the same row with Milly behind them, seated with a stranger. Shirley looks over her shoulder at Jin, happy expression tinted with worry.

“Everything will be fine, these rides are great!” She reassures him, or more herself. The gates for the line slide open and she darts forward, pulling him in with her and then taking her seat.

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

"I'm not afraid--" He was cut off rather abruptly as Shirley snagged his hand and dragged him into his seat beside her.
He blinked, sitting perfectly still, arms hanging awkwardly in the air like a puppet. His ears twitched, picking up the strange sounds of creaking metal, hissing hydraulics, electronic pops and other uncomfortable metallic sounds. He'd never actually been on one of these things before...

..maybe it was.. a little.. scary.

Jin flinched suddenly as the safety bar came over him and locked him in his placed. His eyes widened, unbeknownst to him, and his hands gripped the bar against him with white knuckles.

He stared, pale faced, staring straight ahead, silent.

[Shadon]

Jin
Settling into her seat, Shirley starts laughing nervously, shifting around and glancing over the edge down to the tracks. Suddenly, the car lurches forward, throwing all of the passengers back with a squeal of the wheels. Creaking sounds come from the track as it begins slowly moving forwards, moving around the first corner and gaining speed steadily. Nervously shaking her head, Shirley looks over at Jin with a titter, hands clenching and unclenching on the bar. “It’s not so bad, right?”

“NOT SO BAD? These are great!” Comes their president’s voice from the row behind. Shirley makes to turn and reply, but the car tilts upwards and the girl sinks back into her seat, obviously nervous. With the clicking of metal on metal, the chains grab hold of the car and hoist it upwards. A few rows in front of them, people are throwing their hands up in the air and whooping, getting ready for the drop.

“Well, here we-“ Jin’s classmate cuts off, too early for it to be because of the ride. Now deathly pale, she’s staring down at her hand where a screw sits. Her expression says it’s just come out of nowhere, which, it appears to have done.

“W-where did this come frOOOOAAAAAAAAAAH!” The car crests the hill and then plummets into a drop!

[Jellyfish]

Orion
Orion stares at him, a little taken aback at being asked her opinion. She doesn't remember that being in the books. How is she supposed to respond to that? Is this a test to see how well she can handle spontaneity? Yes, that must be it. And she must rise to the challenge, show him she can think quickly and react to any situation, no matter how cunningly unpredictable they may be.

She sits up a bit straighter and considers the question, uncomfortably aware of how long the silence was becoming. Interested? Good grief, of course she isn't. But she somehow gets the sense that saying so would lead to several days of 14th century old English style torture beginning the moment her feet crossed the threshold of her house, and though it takes a few moments of careful consideration, she eventually decides watching a parade would be preferable. Slightly.

She renews her twisted strange attempt at a smile. "A parade?" she says, trying to sound exuberant. "Well that sounds quite..." -she struggles to mask a wince- "thrilling. I'd be ecstatic to watch it." Her face freezes for a second. "Um... that is, if you would." She twists her hair around her finger and attempts to appear sweet.

[Valik Sparks]

Jin Wu

Jin was statue still as the ride commenced, barely noticing Shirley's encouragement, and even the president's squealing in the back.

But he did register the sudden strike of silence. He looked warily towards Shirley, gazing freezing on the loose screw in front of her. He blinked once.
A screw? It wasn't there before. Had it fallen? But from where? It had to be the ride.. but wasn't that.. bad? One loose screw could mean more loose screws, and even one, who knows what it could affect, when the coaster was moving so fast and so abruptly.

Jin's gaze swept quickly about for anything loose, rattling, shaking, any suspect for the missing screw. But in another moment, his head was whipped back against his seat as the ride took off, and his breath left his lungs and shock petrified his body.