diatuooc | Test Drive #4

Test Drive #4

The Scary Door

The classroom door looks different today, bearing a few small but noticeable scratches on its upper corner -- and also it happens to tremble, as if with excitement, the moment anyone reaches for the knob. That gives it away. This isn't the classroom door at all!

And it isn't the bathroom door. And it isn't the door to the staircase. And it isn't the door to the hallway. But wherever you go, there's this door that really, really, really wants you to open it, and it doesn't seem to take 'no' for an answer...

Acting in Concert

One thing anyone sharing a campus with Valhudor students must accept is that every once in a while a performance just appears out of nowhere, much in the way of a tornado and with the same ability to suck in anything nearby as collateral damage. Today what looked to be an innocuous group of musicians heading back from class turned into a flash concert without warning. Not a bad thing for a music-lover, actually, and listening to their pleasant tunes only got better as more students saw the opportunity and joined in.

Right up until the drama students showed up and promptly hijacked everyone nearby into a play.

So here you are, in Fantasticked finery, trapped in a bit part in front of a growing crowd. The two ringleaders of this disaster appear to be putting on an entirely improvised performance about two warring houses, because apparently they love stage-dueling (and have had three different scenes of it so far, each of them so sexually charged the allegory is barely allegorical), while the orchestra merrily matches music to action. As for your role? 'Improvise!' they said brightly.

And like that you're up, across from a partner who clearly did not enter this voluntarily either. Better think fast... the one thing uglier than a crowd who have a performance ruined is Valhudor students who have had their mating-dance-slash-play ruined.

Definitely Not Worrying

The spring day is perfect. Bright blue sky without a cloud in sight, sunlight that pushes the perfect temperature just onto the side of 'pleasantly warm', a gentle breeze that drifts over the grass and cools what the sun warms... it's bliss, if not outright soporific, and almost everybody is outside lounging in the grass and enjoying just how wonderful it is.

Then Headmaster Birony comes tearing around the corner of a building like the hounds of hells are at her heels. "Hello, students!" Despite her bright smile, she doesn't break her stride for a second as she zooms past. "Run like hell! Chaos bees!"

And that's when the swarm of chaos bees races around the corner after her, wings filling the air with a deafening buzz.

Now the thing about chaos bees is that they resist magic of all forms, and they have their own particular magic that makes the results of their stings... highly unpredictable at best. You might have your hair turn white, or your skin turn blue. You might blow up like a gum-chewing girl in need of juicing, or feel the uncontrollable urge to form a gang, snap your fingers, and have a dance-fight to drive the Jets out of town. Whatever happens, the effect is never permanent, but maybe Headmaster Birony has the right idea.

Late Night Party

Without a curfew (and with good sound-protection spells on the Towers), students don't always go to bed like responsible adults. This party is still going strong at 3 in the morning, lit by balls of color that float in the air and full of music and dancing and just-for-fun mage dueling that is just a little more dangerous than it should be thanks to it being far easier to talk someone into a late-night mage duel when they're tipsy. As spells crack against each other and feet slide over the grass in time with the beat, everyone's having fun! Even party-poopers can find another wallflower to talk classwork with while enjoying the snacks and the drinks. What a great place to meet fellow students and socialize!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm saying this is a kidnapping! Even a stuck-up noble's heard of that, right? You come with me, we keep ya nice and safe, and so long as your family coughs up the money we don't have to send any parts back to 'em."

The audience booed and hissed, as was appropriate for such a shameless villain, as Jecht took a step forward and reached out to seize her with a hand.

It took a monumental amount of restraint not to throw him, something that's become a bit instinctive due to her aikido training, but she managed when she finally realized what he was doing.

Instead, she let him grab her wrist, though did pretend to struggle a bit.

...and in any case, they were acting, right? Might as well give it a shot.

"How dare you!" she retorted, trying her best to sound like what she imagined snooty royalty to sound like. "I will have your head for this!"

Honestly it would have been pretty cool had she thrown him, but finally playing along works too! Jecht threw his head back to laugh real dramatic-like.

"Ha ha ha! Better look after yourself first! I can be a good captor or a mean one -- which I am is up to you."

She still might. They were improvising, after all.

"You'll never get away with this!"

Well, now might be her chance. Since she's getting into this and playing along, Jecht let himself get more into the role too -- by snaking an arm around her to scoop her up and fling her over his shoulder. "I already have!"

She'll definitely take that opportunity, not giving him the chance to pick her up before she grabbed his arm to throw him.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Whoop! Over he went, crashing hard to the ground, though Jecht was as tough as he looked and just took the hit on his shoulders with a grunt.

Groaning, he got to his feet, pushing himself up with one hand as he scowled at her, though his eyes gleamed with general enjoyment. "Oh, so even a pampered housecat has come claws, huh?"

Test Drive #4

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