Monster Hearts IC: Making Friends

[Thanqol]

I suppose it is a good one.
2d6-1=4+4-1=7.

I'll just keep my cool. Let's go forward with this thing and get some gas into the ventilation ducts.

Then it is in motion. A bucket of noxious chemicals is brewing away by the air ducts. What now?

Cassidy briefly chuckled, shaking her head. "Yeah, no. Go back a little further. What'd I ask for? A throwdown with you and me. Not you, me, and two of your closest friends." She explained slowly, because apparently demons couldn't understand normal talk.

"So lose them, tap out, or else."

"And then you accepted the amendment to make it a game of team-based basketball, thus invalidating your earlier requirement," said the demon pedantically. "And obviously I can't help it if two of my friends take it on their own initiative to join in this team sport. No, my actions are well within the bounds of our contract and it is too late for you to make changes. If you don't like it then negotiate with the referee."

[Thanqol]

Even before she'd sized up Zoe's personality, Iris was already watching that prosthetic leg and the way it moved on the court. Did it stick? Did it slide? Could she jump off of it? Better than Iris? What kept it connected and how easy would it be to knock those out? What would happen if she swept it? She watched and she waited for an opportunity to knock Zoe off balance and step over her. And even if she guarded it perfectly, Iris was definitely going to spend the entire game attacking her on that side. Hard jukes, fakes forward and doubling back, pivots and quick passes that will force Zoe to make lots of hard, agile motions on a joint not built for that sort of thing. She wanted to abuse a weakness but she didn't want to out and out cheat: she especially didn't want to get caught cheating. The simple fact of the matter is that her reputation meant a lot more to her than the outcome of a game, and unlike people like Cassidy, Iris didn't think the two things went hand in hand.

"Hey, go easy on me," she smiled, "I've never actually played 5 on 5 before."

Iris' assessment of the prosthetic leg was that it was a sprinting design - a 'foot blade'. When pressure was put down on it and released it bounced like a spring. This meant that Zoe could get some shockingly good jumps or standing acceleration out of it. Its biggest weakness right now was that it slipped a little on the polished basketball court.

Zoe gave Iris a terse smile and then resumed her focus. Iris just didn't have her attention right now; if she was being looked at it was like an obstacle.

[Anarion]

Then it is in motion. A bucket of noxious chemicals is brewing away by the air ducts. What now?

No reason to wait around longer than necessary with a bucket of dangerous chemicals. Leon dumped the whole thing into the gym's air ducts right in front of the spinning fans and then made his way off the roof.

He took up a stance at a bench outside the school building, across from the gym's main doors so that he could enjoy the show. He grabbed the sandwich from his lunch too. There hadn't been a chance to eat today with all the unicorns and chemistry classes, so he figured he'd enjoy something while he waited. Pastrami on rye, lettuce, tomatoes, a few onions, a bunch of mayonnaise. Delicious.

[TheAmishPirate]

"And then you accepted the amendment to make it a game of team-based basketball, thus invalidating your earlier requirement," said the demon pedantically. "And obviously I can't help it if two of my friends take it on their own initiative to join in this team sport. No, my actions are well within the bounds of our contract and it is too late for you to make changes. If you don't like it then negotiate with the referee."

Cassidy growled. Her fists clenched. Her teeth bared. Her brow furrowed.

A thought came. Her fists unclenched. Her weight shifted. She smirked. "Just one problem with that, Luci-f*cker."

She sprang. She punted. She connected, square in the demon's crotch.

"I never said it was basketball." She snarled. "Game on."

[Rolling to Lash Out Violently: 6 + 2 + 3 = 11. 1 Harm, the demon must Hold Steady before retaliating, and I gain a String on it through Primal Dominance.]

[PhoeKun]

...Oh. Ok.

Iris buried her head in her hands. "Oh my god. This isn't happening..."

It was gone. Done and over. All the thoughts about Zoe and what she was about to do on the court, worthless. Good freaking job, psycho bitch. She straightened out and stood at tall as she could, waving her arm to get anyone's attention.

"Uh, yeah. Timeout? Timeout. Can I get a minute here?"

[Thanqol]

Cassidy growled. Her fists clenched. Her teeth bared. Her brow furrowed.

A thought came. Her fists unclenched. Her weight shifted. She smirked. "Just one problem with that, Luci-f*cker."

She sprang. She punted. She connected, square in the demon's crotch.

"I never said it was basketball." She snarled. "Game on."

[Rolling to Lash Out Violently: 6 + 2 + 3 = 11. 1 Harm, the demon must Hold Steady before retaliating, and I gain a String on it through Primal Dominance.]

And down he went, mouth agape, eyes popping.

Before Cassidy had the chance to follow up, Washington hit her in the back. He was fast, he was strong, he was knocking her to the ground and twisting her arm around behind her back and putting his knee into her back to knock the air out of her.

"What the hell, you psycho bitch?" Washington was yelling. "Stay down!" This was a problem because while she was dealing with Washington, the demon was recovering and slowly staggering to his feet.

Washington is spending a String to apply the condition "Psycho Bitch". Take one Harm and you have to roll to Hold Steady to get out of the lock.

...Oh. Ok.

Iris buried her head in her hands. "Oh my god. This isn't happening..."

It was gone. Done and over. All the thoughts about Zoe and what she was about to do on the court, worthless. Good freaking job, psycho bitch. She straightened out and stood at tall as she could, waving her arm to get anyone's attention.

"Uh, yeah. Timeout? Timeout. Can I get a minute here?"

"Uh, everyone, time. Break it up, break it up," said Peter Peaches, way less decisively or impressively than Washington, taking Iris' cue to try and start shooing people away from the fight.

[PhoeKun]

Iris' footsteps squeaked against the sleek surface of the court as she stalked closer to the melee. No, no, no, no, no, f--king no, this is not the way the story goes. Not today, and not when she's in charge. She glared imperiously down on the struggling psychopath and folded her arms across her chest.

"Did you think...?" she started, but no more words came out. Her voice was cold enough to leave a trail of frost. "Well no, duh. You're just an animal. I am not letting you mess this up for everyone else. When you get off your ass, get the f--k off the court. We'll play a man down, I don't care. I don't think a psychotic little freak has any business playing basketball in the first place. Right, James?"

[Thanqol]

Iris' footsteps squeaked against the sleek surface of the court as she stalked closer to the melee. No, no, no, no, no, f--king no, this is not the way the story goes. Not today, and not when she's in charge. She glared imperiously down on the struggling psychopath and folded her arms across her chest.

"Did you think...?" she started, but no more words came out. Her voice was cold enough to leave a trail of frost. "Well no, duh. You're just an animal. I am not letting you mess this up for everyone else. When you get off your ass, get the f--k off the court. We'll play a man down, I don't care. I don't think a psychotic little freak has any business playing basketball in the first place. Right, James?"

I reckon you should back that one up with a Shut Them Down roll.

[PhoeKun]

I reckon you should back that one up with a Shut Them Down roll.

I believe this counts of taking advantage of the Psycho Bitch condition.

2d6+4=15 Let's pile on with the Condition: Ostracized

[TheAmishPirate]

And down he went, mouth agape, eyes popping.

Before Cassidy had the chance to follow up, Washington hit her in the back. He was fast, he was strong, he was knocking her to the ground and twisting her arm around behind her back and putting his knee into her back to knock the air out of her.

"What the hell, you psycho bitch?" Washington was yelling. "Stay down!" This was a problem because while she was dealing with Washington, the demon was recovering and slowly staggering to his feet.

Washington is spending a String to apply the condition "Psycho Bitch". Take one Harm and you have to roll to Hold Steady to get out of the lock.

[Roll: 5 + 3 - 1 = 7 Cassidy will keep her cool.]

Washington may have been strong. He might have had the drop on her. He might know a dozen different chokeholds.

But when the chips were down, he was no wolf.

Cassidy yanked, and he had no hope of holding on. Her arm freed, she spun out from under him and shoved his off-balance a** to the ground. "Stay down yourself!" She snapped. "That's the bastard what nearly chopped her head off! What, were you too busy hiding today to notice?!"

[Rolling to Shut Washington Down, taking advantage of his Phony condition: 4 + 6 = 10. He gets the condition Coward.]

Iris' footsteps squeaked against the sleek surface of the court as she stalked closer to the melee. No, no, no, no, no, f--king no, this is not the way the story goes. Not today, and not when she's in charge. She glared imperiously down on the struggling psychopath and folded her arms across her chest.

"Did you think...?" she started, but no more words came out. Her voice was cold enough to leave a trail of frost. "Well no, duh. You're just an animal. I am not letting you mess this up for everyone else. When you get off your ass, get the f--k off the court. We'll play a man down, I don't care. I don't think a psychotic little freak has any business playing basketball in the first place. Right, James?"

When you need to put out a fire, there's two reasons they tell you never - ever - to just say 'screw it' and throw a whole bucket of ice on it. First of all, it doesn't put the fire out. Not really. The ice explodes, and that maybe scatters the fuel some, but now you've got one violent, hissing, spitting fire on your hands. And that ties pretty neatly to reason number two; if you're close enough to throw a bucket of ice, you're standing too close.

Iris had just upended a glacier onto an inferno. And she was far, far too close.

Cassidy's eyes went hot with wrath and confusion. She didn't understand what the other girl was doing. Couldn't understand. She was in one world, and Iris another. It was only a chain of events too otherworldly to fathom that brought them crashing together. But for how long? How long would this wild, passionate animal stay within Iris' reach? How long before she was left cold and alone, never to feel her heart beat again?

And how long would Iris let her slip through her fingers?

[Rolling to Turn Iris On: 5 + 5 + 1 = 11. I get a String on her.]

"Yeah, well...f*ck you too!" Cassidy snarled. She very clearly wanted to punch the demon some more, but he was over there, and now there were two other people right here. Life is hard.

[I spend my previous String to give the demon the condition Murderer.]

[PhoeKun]

Yeah yeah, whatever. Fire, passion, hot chick, blah blah blah. Iris hasn't stopped fantasizing about handcuffing a naked Cassidy to the bed since the last time she pushed the raw animal charisma button, nobody cares anymore. What did it matter, if Cassidy was so intent on being all fire all the friggin' time? An animal that never lets anybody touch it is useless, no matter how beautiful it is. An animal that thinks its in charge is even worse than useless.

Iris was turned on, all right. But what that motivated her to do was to crush the beast in front of her so hard it would beg for a leash. When the rumors started flying (and oh how they would), they'd cut into Cassie like knives. Stupid psycho girl got herself kicked off the team. Thank god that new kid was there to stop her. What a lunatic. What a loser. And without athletic achievements to hide behind, ohoho, and then...

Iris' eyes briefly flickered. She placed herself between Cassie and the demon, and looked straight up into the other girl's eyes.

"Get. Out."

[Thanqol]

At this point greenish gas began to filter down throughout the entire gymnasium.

It was a big room and a relatively small bucket, thank Christ, so it wasn't dense enough to kill anyone. But it would absolutely f*ck the eyes, ears and nose of anyone inside.

Cassidy - poor girl, not having a good day already - got the worst of it. Her heightened senses caught the gas full blast and it was beyond painful. Beyond grit your teeth and power through, straight into 'screaming agony'.

Iris, on the other hand, was totally fine. Being a stiff came to her aid there - in fact, it might take her a little while to realise why everyone was screaming and freaking out.

Of note was Washington who reacted like an actual hero - he dropped everything to do with the staredown and started carrying people to safety. The gas was clearly affecting him but he seemed capable of powering through it.

What do you do?

[TheAmishPirate]

Cassidy dropped to floor, screaming and clawing at her face. She'd taken hits, she'd taken curses, but what could she do against this chemical poison? The same defenses that she'd relied on her whole life turned against her, and she never stood a chance.

Iris, you saw Cassidy tank magic and punches at the same time not a few hours ago. Either she's suddenly turned into a complete wimp, or she's actually helpless against this crap.

[Anarion]

Leon was sitting outside finishing his sandwich. He heard the screaming, of course, and saw people burst out of the gym. He was even a little impressed when Washington carried out a couple people and then went back in again. That was legit. He was disappointed though because he still hadn't seen Iris. That was the only person he was looking for.

[PhoeKun]

Iris had experienced a "gas threat" just the day before, and then as now she didn't feel a thing. For a moment she was convinced Cassidy was faking things to get out of trouble. She stood where she was without moving. But then the people in the bleachers started screaming. Then Washington spread into action and started carrying weaker students to safety, even though his face showed he was in obvious pain. It was beyond confusing. She looked around the stands in confusion. Finally, she caught a whiff of the air. Ah. Poor mortals...

And that was the moment when it struck her how beautiful Cassidy looked, rolling around on the ground in agony. How sweet and innocent and precious she was when all of that fire was put out. Iris felt her heart beat... well no, that's not quite right. More like it fluttered. She'd give anything to freeze a moment like this in time; to preserve the dynamic forever. She sighed and bent down, gently caressing the other girl's hair.

"Shh, shh. It's ok, kitten. Shhh..."

Iris gingerly picked up the larger girl and carried her outside one gentle, deliberate step at a time. She laid her down outside, and as she looked up, saw Leon just... sitting there. Waiting. She met his eyes, then tilted her head. There's no way... was there? But right at that moment she didn't have time to waste on following up on that. There were only so many people stuck in there, and she couldn't afford to look less heroic than Washington.

She turned her back on her curiosity and on her perfect moment, and walked back inside.

[Thanqol]

Cassidy had been calling Washington a poser for some time - or a coward. Someone who didn't deserve what he had.

The problem with that slander is that it fundamentally missed what James Washington was about. Deep down, and in a way that probably surprised even him, he was a hero. An actual brave, self-sacrificing, noble person who was willing to lay his life down to protect those weaker than him. Maybe in part he was motivated by Cassidy's insults? Maybe he was afraid of seeming like a coward, living up to the reputation that Cassidy was trying to build for him? It certainly factored in somewhere and perhaps made him go further than he needed to.

Arrogant, conceited, secretly a reptoid - all true things - but when there was an actual crisis he did what had to be done and no one could deny that. [Washington loses the conditions Poser and Coward]

He f*cked himself up in the process. When the ambulances alived he was taken in in total unconsciousness, mouth frothing. The police were on the scene soon after and started investigating. Of course the blame came down on me - I'm the groundskeeper, by the way. Name's Henry Seaboard. They did a search, found a tiny amount of drugs in my shed, and with the lovely vice-principal's condemnation pinned the whole gas thing on me. And off I went to jail.

Everyone's taking a trip to hospital after that. For most folks it's just gonna be a check up and a bunch of drugs but Cassidy is getting kept for longer. Washington is walking away from that whole hero thing to rat on her to the vice-principal and people are going to start discussing things like suspension, therapy, lithium and a very serious talk with her parents.

This is the big end to a very big day so let's all take a moment to reflect on who we are, what we've done, and what's going to happen over the month before Cassidy returns to school. Washington is returning on the same day, he spent much of that time in hospital too and things might well have moved on without him.

[Thanqol]

~ One Month Later ~

It's always sunny in Philadelphia.

It's early morning on Athens Street. It's a quiet suburban street adorned with houses trying to passive-aggressively one up each other. It's the kind of street where no one has ever actually met any of their neighbours but base an inordinately large number of their decisions around what those people hypothetically think. If Athens Street was a person she'd have her hair up in a style that was expensive, modern, and made them look exactly like an old lady.

Somewhere along Athens street there is a bus stop, and at this bus stop are three monsters, momentarily outside the social system of their school. It is arguably the only opportunity they'll have all day to be real people. I don't have to ask if they're going to take it, though.

But before we get into that, roll it back a bit and tell me about your morning routines. From the moment the alarm clock rings and you get out of bed, where are you going and what are you doing?

[Anarion]

Leon's been dressing his most dashing since he joined up with Iris' circle, even on the outermost circle. He's up before the alarm even goes off, he's got himself adjusted to that rhythm. Turns the alarm off and gets up for a shower. Long, hot, luxurious, he starts off the day with some decadence. Then casual (yet expensive) jeans and a collared shirt. White today with a very faint blue stripe pattern. Understated.

He makes his way downstairs and grabs a bowl of cereal, a coupe eggs and munches an apple. Not a word to his parents, certainly no thanks to the mother who has breakfast ready for him each morning. Dad's usually finishing up his paper and Leon thinks that hearing his parents discuss the daily news is so boring. except the murders. He listens to that part. In fact, in the past month he's become a downright amateur sleuth, been doing nothing but reading mysteries in his free time, accounts of true crime and how they got caught and brought to justice.

But he's not reading right now. He's walking to the bus stop, backpack over one shoulder.

[TheAmishPirate]

Cassidy's not been enjoying her mornings.

From the minute her alarm goes off, she's got two minutes to get downstairs. Three if her dad's not had his coffee. If she's not present and accounted for at the appointed hour, her parents bust down her door and scream at her. If she's still not present and accounted for, then authorities get called. Sure, for a decade and a change they've all but forgotten she's existed, but a few stern calls and now suddenly they care?

Please. It made Cassidy sick.

So from the moment she got up, she was watched like a hawk. Every door slammed, every pair of underwear hurled across the room they noticed. And if they felt like being good parents today, they'd yell at her some more for losing her temper. Sometimes she'd do it just to yank at their chain. Sometimes she'd do it just to show they couldn't stop her. Today was more of the latter.

It was only when she was showered, dressed, backpack and lunch on her back, and past the busted-up gate out front that they would stop pretending to care. She was out of their hair and firmly in the realm of plausible deniability. And through a sullen haze she trudged to the bus stop; an angry girl ignoring everything but the road before her.

[PhoeKun]

What a month, man. Iris was dead, but despite that she was living two lives. She took to school like a bird to an updraft, effortlessly soaring in the loftiest heights. Nobody would dare to say anything about it, but the quality and variety of her wardrobe had noticeably improved with her rise in station. She spent most nights out as late as possible, at a party or sponsoring some sort of probably illegal drag race or making out with a certain pretty somebody. You know, whatever was coolest that night. The whole thing put a spring in her step, a smile on her face, and a dark glitter in what had been unnervingly dead eyes. But for the fact that she still didn't have a beating heart, Iris could swear she was alive again.

Until she came home. At school, her swagger was infectious. Drake Rosenberg found it insufferable. Bad enough when the little bitch mouthed off to him, but to see her strutting around all happy like while he got stuck slaving away and ruining his life to keep the electricity on for the pair of them... oh sister, that just wouldn't do. Every time he looked in her eyes, he saw the university he should have been attending, the money he was supposed to come into, the girls he should be sleeping with who wouldn't even look at him now that he'd worn himself down to the bone. It filled his throat with bile, and his eyes with blood. So he cracked down. Hard. He'd cut off the water while Iris was in the shower. He'd "forget" to buy enough food to cover her meals. The other week he even tried changing the locks on the door, although his good-for-nothing conscience got the better of him and he wound up calling her to ask her to come home at 2 in the morning. That was the moment when they most felt like a family again.

See, Drake isn't a bad person in the way you see Bad People on tv. He cared, maybe too much. That's why he stuck around. It's why he bothered with all this crap instead of ditching the little bitch and sticking her with foster parents or whatever, and it's why it hurt so god damn much when she never seemed to care. All the hard work, the tender big brother moments, even the abuse seemed to wash off of her like so much water. Then there was that freaky thing she did where she popped back up good as new even with a snapped neck. Sometimes it got to be too much for him. And those times, he'd take to drinking. And when he drank, he hit her. And when he hit her, he didn't stop. And when he didn't stop, she'd wind up bloodied and on the floor. But it was ok to do it, because she wasn't human like him. Right? Oh god. Oh god, he needed to get away so badly. If only he could. If only there was even somebody he could talk to about it...

But Iris' brother wasn't around to mess with her this morning. He'd left a note; super early class at the community college across town, there were eggs in the fridge, please for the love of god don't leave a mess. So on this morning, Iris had a very quiet ritual. She took a long shower, meticulously applied her makeup (blue eyeshadow, black lipstick, a touch of blush to bring out her cheeks), even braided her hair. Short skirt, long jacket, thigh high stockings and platform boots to give her that little extra height that was the difference between petite and diminutive. She gave her reflection a predatory smile. Oh yes, she looked good today. This was going to be a good day. She sauntered out of the empty house, locked the door behind her, and headed down to the bus stop in no particular hurry, slender hips swaying with every step.

[Thanqol]

Iris' phone buzzed. She was popular now and texts came in regularly.

Claire: Morning beautiful <3
Cho: OMG! Washington grew a moustache!!
Cho: It looks like Tina's pet rat
Tina: WASHINGTON ATE BEAKY
Tina: I am sad
Tina: Beaky is dead and Washington isn't hot any more
Tina: FML
Kelly: I assume by this point you have heard about the ratstache.
Kelly: The girls are contemplating forcing him to shave it.
Kelly: If this is the course you decide upon you have my support.

Leon only had one text.
Mom: Have a lovely day at school! Love, mom.

And Cassidy, surprisingly, had one as well.
Sonia: Hey.

They were all at the bus stop together, but if they had anything to say to each other was an open question.

[TheAmishPirate]

They were all at the bus stop together, but if they had anything to say to each other was an open question.

Yeah, no. She had nothing to say to either of these clowns on a good day. And today was already not one of those.

And Cassidy, surprisingly, had one as well.
Sonia: Hey.

Cassidy whipped out her phone - she'd recently found the funds for an upgrade, see - and the barest hint of a smirk graced her face. See, this was nice. This was how you were suppposed to wake somebody up. Short, sweet, to the point, minimum of caps locks, and maximum of respect. Good work, Shields.

She punched out a quick reply.

Cassidy: sup

[Anarion]

Leon put the phone away without answering. Normally, he'd start chatting with Iris the one time they were alone. He'd figured out that she was reasonably tolerant as long as nobody else was around and he enjoyed taking about whatever was on their minds in the rare chances they had at the bus stop. But now Cassidy was back. And despite a month of recovery, she still smelled like a wet dog. Leon wrinkled his nose almost unconsciously.

"Uh, hey Cass, feeling better?" He ventures to ask.

[PhoeKun]

Claire: hey, cutie <3 <3
Cho: wtf
Cho: He can't

Iris wasn't really a huge fan of texting so much as she enjoyed getting texts. Lots of people wanted to say very stupid things that could trap her in boring conversations all day if she wasn't careful, but the constant buzzing of her phone was a quiet symbol of her status. She didn't even look up from her phone as she arrived at the bus stop, stopping by sheer muscle memory. A tiny little smile flashed across her face as she continued to slide her finger across the screen.

Tina: Don't worry
Tina: We'll fix this
Tina: Or kill him
Kelly: Haven't seen it yet
Kelly: But so few hot guys in school already
Kelly: Gonna see riots if Washington drops out too.
Kelly: It can't stay

Finally, she looked up and noticed that Cassidy had actually rejoined society. She smiled brightly, but looked at Leon when she said, "Wow, I don't believe it!"

[Anarion]

Finally, she looked up and noticed that Cassidy had actually rejoined society. She smiled brightly, but looked at Leon when she said, "Wow, I don't believe it!"

Leon looked practically radiant that morning when Iris turned to look at him. Ever since she had thrown him even the tiniest of bones, he had picked up a casual confidence about him. He was looking at her too, not at Cassie, and it would be so easy to get lost in those deep blue eyes and the warm, almost cherubic smile that he reserved only for Iris.
[Turn on roll. (2d6+4)[12]

All he said out loud was "I know, right? It's like seeing a ghost, only with more bulk and wet hair."

[TheAmishPirate]

Leon put the phone away without answering. Normally, he'd start chatting with Iris the one time they were alone. He'd figured out that she was reasonably tolerant as long as nobody else was around and he enjoyed taking about whatever was on their minds in the rare chances they had at the bus stop. But now Cassidy was back. And despite a month of recovery, she still smelled like a wet dog. Leon wrinkled his nose almost unconsciously.

"Uh, hey Cass, feeling better?" He ventures to ask.

Cassidy didn't even look up from her phone. A low, guttural growl rumbled up from her chest, threatening and warning the hapless fool. She wasn't looking at him, but Leon could still see the death in her eyes.

Shut up. Don't talk to me. Or else.

[Rolling to Shut Leon Down: (2d6-1)[6] Spending a String to add 1. We each give each other conditions. Leon gets Fool.]

She acted like Iris didn't even exist. The smidgen of bared teeth said otherwise.

[PhoeKun]

All he said out loud was "I know, right? It's like seeing a ghost, only with more bulk and wet hair."

"What? No, not that! Washington is back! And apparently he's spent his month off growing a rat on his face. Can you even imagine?" Her eyes drilled into Leon and maybe even through him, glittering with some dark fantasy. She wondered if he knew what sorts of thoughts she had about him, all alone in the dark. She wondered if he knew what he wanted out of him. In any case, it was very obvious she expected him to laugh just now. Her eyes flickered over to Cassidy. Her smirk told him she expected more, besides.

Oh, Cassidy. You poor, wretched creature. However unkind the weeks had been to her, they had been as nice or even nicer to Iris. The immortal queen of school could see the other girl clutching at her phone, trying to suck herself into that world. Still trying to play the tough girl. But the raised hackles and the bared fangs said something else. "I am an animal. I remember you, but I forgot your lesson." Could a wretched mongrel like that really ignore something so beautiful and pretend it wasn't even there?

Well, it could try. But Cassidy had never seen Iris really put so much effort into her appearance before. It was like she'd transformed. The way her outfit clung to her body and emphasized her slender curves. The way the dark fabrics stood out against her pale skin. The way her dark, red tongue slid scandalously across those black painted lips. The sheen of her hair and the delicate braid that sat over one shoulder. Did Cassidy forget all her rage and vengeance and hate for just half a second to imagine what it would be like to have those perfect fingers running through her own hair, making her look pretty, too? No no, I'm sure she didn't. She's a much stronger beast than that, after all. But even so, it must have been hard, looking at this beautiful dead girl and feeling something sneak its way under her walls and mix itself in with the concoction of ugly thoughts and feelings running inside of her.

Hormones just suck, don't they?

((Turning Cassie On: 2d6+2 = 11))

[Thanqol]

The texts kept coming in, oblivious.

Sonia: You coming in to school today?

And for Iris,

Kelly: Well, at least we got Adrian back
Kelly: He's pretty good
Tina: Adrian is scary now
Tina: He didn't comb his hair
Tina: It's scary
Claire: What are you thinking about?

[Anarion]

[Rolling to Shut Leon Down: [roll0] Spending a String to add 1. We each give each other conditions. Leon gets Fool.]

She acted like Iris didn't even exist. The smidgen of bared teeth said otherwise.

Leon backed off well enough. No need to push it. With an attitude like that, though, it was obvious that Cassidy wasn't going to be rebuilding her friendships anytime soon. In fact, it was doubtful whether anyone would even want to talk to her at all [Giving Cassidy the condition Pariah]

"What? No, not that! Washington is back! And apparently he's spent his month off growing a rat on his face. Can you even imagine?" Her eyes drilled into Leon and maybe even through him, glittering with some dark fantasy. She wondered if he knew what sorts of thoughts she had about him, all alone in the dark. She wondered if he knew what he wanted out of him. In any case, it was very obvious she expected him to laugh just now. Her eyes flickered over to Cassidy. Her smirk told him she expected more, besides.

Leon was no longer paying attention to Cassidy, and when Iris got through talking, he'd have done a spit take had he been drinking and then chuckled. "So, you planning to strap him down with a razor?"

[TheAmishPirate]

"What? No, not that! Washington is back! And apparently he's spent his month off growing a rat on his face. Can you even imagine?" Her eyes drilled into Leon and maybe even through him, glittering with some dark fantasy. She wondered if he knew what sorts of thoughts she had about him, all alone in the dark. She wondered if he knew what he wanted out of him. In any case, it was very obvious she expected him to laugh just now. Her eyes flickered over to Cassidy. Her smirk told him she expected more, besides.

Oh, Cassidy. You poor, wretched creature. However unkind the weeks had been to her, they had been as nice or even nicer to Iris. The immortal queen of school could see the other girl clutching at her phone, trying to suck herself into that world. Still trying to play the tough girl. But the raised hackles and the bared fangs said something else. "I am an animal. I remember you, but I forgot your lesson." Could a wretched mongrel like that really ignore something so beautiful and pretend it wasn't even there?

Well, it could try. But Cassidy had never seen Iris really put so much effort into her appearance before. It was like she'd transformed. The way her outfit clung to her body and emphasized her slender curves. The way the dark fabrics stood out against her pale skin. The way her dark, red tongue slid scandalously across those black painted lips. The sheen of her hair and the delicate braid that sat over one shoulder. Did Cassidy forget all her rage and vengeance and hate for just half a second to imagine what it would be like to have those perfect fingers running through her own hair, making her look pretty, too? No no, I'm sure she didn't. She's a much stronger beast than that, after all. But even so, it must have been hard, looking at this beautiful dead girl and feeling something sneak its way under her walls and mix itself in with the concoction of ugly thoughts and feelings running inside of her.

Hormones just suck, don't they?

((Turning Cassie On: 2d6+2 = 11))

Oh my gosh is this what people talked about?! Really? Maybe she'd just been hoping it was all some fever dream brought on by the sweet, sweet drugs they pumped her full of, but hearing the levels of petty bullsh*t they stooped to made her want to barf. Who the hell even cared what some snotty punk did with his terrible face? Answer; these losers. Them and all their kind. This was such a f*cking interesting topic that they'd spend the whole day blabbering about it, take a break to grind their heels in some rube's face for not getting the joke, and then go home and paint each other's nails and pound the dried-up corpse of a subject into the ground and for f*ck's sake STOP STARING AT HER FACE IDIOT

Cassidy furiously turned her attention back to her phone.

The texts kept coming in, oblivious.

Sonia: You coming in to school today?

Sonia: yeah

Suddenly she wasn't feeling so talkative anymore. Sonia would pick up the slack. She was cool like that.