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Multiple Settings Anima Studies

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Frustration clouded Leander's mind as he continued the exercise, his attempts to lift the desk growing more agitated with each failure. After about twelve more tries, he finally sat down in a huff, refusing to glance around the room to see who had succeeded. But at the same time, he felt a begrudging respect for those who had managed it. They deserved praise for doing something he could not. He glanced up and looked around the room, noticing a few more successes before his attention was abruptly drawn to Isaac, whose desk was flung out the window, startling nearly everyone. Leo physically jolted at the suddenness and loud noise.

In the chaos, he noticed his anima had spread widely and quickly concealed it, retracting it in a way. He seemed genuinely confused as to why his anima was acting up, glancing around even more to make sure there were no lasting effects. It took him a moment to realize he had latched onto Jacquie's anima, as they were the only connection still active. Frightened by what was happening, Leo pulled it away, regaining control. His anima regained its normal shape rather quickly once he surrounded himself with it.

"Alright," Jacquie spoke moments later. "I think that's good for today. Everyone's dismissed. Be sure to practice and get used to amplification. Use it liberally on school grounds even if you break stuff, just don't use it on others. You want to get that extra practice in, as in three weeks you will all have to worry about the rank II ascension examination." An examination in three weeks? This was news to Leo. He quickly noted it down for his calendar later. He would have to master the exercise by then or risk facing unknown consequences. "If you have any further questions or whatever else, I'll be here for a while to answer anything."

Leo remained seated, watching as a few of his classmates left. His fingers fidgeted nervously before he decided to stand up and approach Jacquie. "H-hey, uhm... Mr. Jacquie?" Upon acknowledgement, Leo explained his concerns. "I sort of need a bit of guidance if possible. I know you already know how I did on that pop quiz we had... And I'm already aware I did... not well. I did nothing really... And now I feel my anima might've tried to do something in the middle of class? I'm very confused... about a lot..." He sighed, his fidgeting finally stopping. "I'm not sure if there's anything to do to make up for the quiz... But still, I'd like to get a general idea of what's going on with my anima... if that's alright?"

Mentions: Solirus Solirus
 
Experiment
Silent Child Silent Child ​

"Yeah?" Jaquie responded to Leo watching him approach, he displayed concern towards the quiz. Unsatisfied with his own perceived performance, he wished for any guidance and a way to make up for his results.

Jaquie's anima remained unreadable, a calm aura that refused to change, "Look, you don't have to worry about the quiz or trying to make it up. Now, in terms of your anima. Seems like some sort of supporting ability, more focused on enhancing others than yourself, that's what I can get from a glance. Experiment with it, see how it develops and if you have time, set up a tutoring session with yours truly, that way we can delve deeper into developing it."

"Oh and before I forget, these next days we'll be practicing on applying body amplification and getting used to it, so if you haven't gotten the hang of it today, perhaps the following days you might."
 
Marianne withdrew her hand as Mariana did, stepping back to cross her arms and give the innocent desk a harsh glare, as if it was the cause of all of her problems. Her eye twitched at Mariana's words, grey irises slowly moving to rest on the other girl who now draped over her desk in defeat. For some reason, the sight of it bothered her greatly, though she wasn't sure if it was the mirror of her own failure or her sense of debt towards the other girl.

As if it would help anything, Annamarie once again lifted the desk with ease, hoisting it above her head. She tilted her head at Marianne, red eyes blank and unblinking. Marianne sighed and shook her head, motioning for the doll to lower the desk. Once again, Annamarie complied and then reached out to hold onto Marianne's hand, waiting for something to happen.

Soon enough, the class was dismissed and Mariana admitted defeat. Marianne scowled at both.

"Drag me down?" She started curtly, flecked in frustration, "I daresay I need as much guidance from Jaquie as you do."

The sharpness in her voice dulled when she realized just how dejected Mariana looked. With Annamarie in tow, she stalked up to her classmate and stood directly in front of her, staring down at her downturned head. "Is something the matter, Mariana? Did you have trouble sleeping as well? You seem rather distracted as of late, and your anima is all out of sorts. If it is a matter of personal concerns I shall not press, though I must say it has me..."

Marianne blinked, wondering if it was really her place to say these things or if she really should. Her face reddened somewhat, which she tried to counter with a cough and a straightening of her posture. "Concerned for your wellbeing. That is all."
November Witch November Witch
 
Mariana MirrorMariana_Mirror_Crimson_LQ.png
Status: Nervous & Emotional
Location: Classroom
Interaction(s): Solirus Solirus Juju Juju

Mariana didn’t really understand what Marianne was saying. Was she just trying to be humble? Or did she just not realize? Mariana had never even known demons existed before coming here. But Marianne obviously knew much more. She was more knowledgeable and actually had practice in some things, or so it seemed. But Mariana had no experience or knowledge with anything. Of course she would need more help from Jaquie than anyone in the class. She turned her head to the side so she wasn’t speaking into the desk, but her head was still placed on her arms, down on the desk. She let out a sigh at Marianne’s next words. Was it really that obvious?

“No, I didn’t sleep well at all…”

She admitted, as her eyes flicked around the classroom. She didn’t want to get emotional or say anything that would make her seem weaker than she already is in front of the class. She’d definitely feel more comfortable once people started leaving, or perhaps in a different setting altogether. However, it was quite surprising when she heard Marianne outright say she was worried about Mariana. To hear someone say that to her made her breath catch in her throat. She hadn’t had anyone admit that to her since she left her aunt’s to come here. She bit the inside of her cheek in contemplation.

‘You know that’s a risk I don’t think you should take.’

“I-I don’t mind, uhm… Talking…”

Mariana admitted, avoiding eye contact with Marianne.

“Just not right now in front of everyone…”

The girl mumbled, burying her face in her arms once more.

‘Stupid…’
 
Sophia
Anima: Calm white aura
Solirus Solirus Silent Child Silent Child​
E-examination in three weeks!!! Sophia was definitely not a huge fan of those words. She didn't want to get dropped out of the academy because she couldn't prepare enough for it so she raised her hand and asked a question.

"Um, Professor. Can I know what would be included in the examination? Would it be written test? or something like a direct fight against a rank 2 demon?" She really wished it would be the latter. She would rather fight a demon than memorizing the detail of arcanist history or something similar to that, at least when it comes to fighting she would still have a chance.

Another student who asked a question was Leander. Sophia recalled the moment he was trying to use the amplification technique, his anima was reaching out to the people around him. Its the type of anima arts that would need someone else to work... just like tennis!

"If you want, I can help with the experimentation." She offered to Leander.​
 
COBALT ULAR
Location: Classroom​

Rumi.pngCobalt’s brows raised ever-so-slightly; they’d have the opportunity to rise to Rank II in three weeks? Would reaching that level even be possible in such a short timeframe? Dealing with Rank I demons already felt difficult enough...

Getting up from his seat, Cobalt walked over to the teacher’s desk. “I have a quick question for you, Mr. Jaquie.”, he spoke up. “Not really about the material but is there an armory here? I noticed you have your umbrella and Roderick has his armor. Are these pieces of equipment you brought here or are they taken from the school?”

“Ah, so it really was your doing.”, he commented, glancing at Leander. “I felt an increase in strength while I was lifting the desk. I... most likely was able to do it with one hand only because you were empowering me.”, he admitted with a sheepish smile. “If you can increase other people’s power, that actually would make you a very valuable teammate.” He gave a thumbs up in an attempt at alleviating Leander’s concerns.

Solirus Solirus Silent Child Silent Child
 
November Witch November Witch
Marianne watched carefully, and as if she thought that Mariana would somehow deny the sleepy allegations, had prepared herself for a swift scolding. Much to her surprise, the other girl surrendered and admitted to a lack of sleep. First Cobalt and now Mariana. Perhaps inquiring on the wellbeing of her classmates was easier than she previously thought?

She cleared her throat to cover up her mildly surprised expression and listened to Mariana’s concerns about being overheard.

“That is completely reasonable.” Marianne nodded, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear and straightening her posture. “Then let us retire to a more suitable location. In the southern courtyard, perhaps? It is secluded, and the garden there is meticulously maintained. I find it to be a pleasant spot for contemplation. Annamarie and I go there sometimes.”

Eager to leave, Marianne took a step towards the door. She turned back to look at Mariana. “Shall we be off, then? If you are too tired to move, I can assist you.”
 
Nikklaüs had been a passive observer for much of the class beyond his little stunt with Valerie. Seeing the much lower success rate of this amplification technique versus something like refined vision was interesting to him. It made him wonder what gave him the leg up here, especially stacked up against people who—even if not experienced in anima artes directly—were much more knowledgeable than him through until this point. Maybe there was some merit in Jaquie's remark on his progress. Seeing people like Marianne and Sophia struggle with the concept made the gears in his head start grinding. Only made worse by Jaquie's announcement of Rank II ascension in three weeks. It was one thing for him to be confident that Nikklaüs would be ready for it—he basically said so himself—but the whole class?

There was an uncharacteristic stoicism in him as he stewed to himself for a moment before standing from the desk and slinking away in what was a quiet exit. Nikklaüs had some work to do, and food to eat. I can't remember if I had breakfast or not.
 

"You'll be going up against some rank two demons." Jaquie swiftly responded to Sophia's question, "So you don't need to bring any writing materials. Although, do keep working on your amplification." Jaquie remarked at the end.

Cobalt would be the next to speak up, "Yeah, what's up?" Jaquie asked in return as Cobalt wondered if there was an armory in the school, noting Roderick's armor and the professor's own umbrella. "We don't have an armory in school grounds. This bad boy here" Jaquie's would pick up the umbrella twirling it and showing it off, "Comes from my personal collection and Roderick... creates his own stuff, so you'll likely see him wearing something new the next time you meet him." Jaquie put his umbrella away while pondering to himself, "Although, if you're interested in any sort of equipment, maybe I can get you something, but only if you do well in the upcoming exam. So don't be a slouch."
 

  • A Day’s End​

    Though the day was still young, Jaquie would simply rest on his seat, placing his two feet atop the desk and leaning back on it. Like a corpse, Jaquie would lie there, the umbrella slowly rising until it was right above Jaquie, peacefully floating.

    The day would continue mundanely for the students, only now, they had three weeks to prepare themselves for an exam to ascend to the next rank.
 
Mariana & Klaus
Computers & Cooking​
Location: Shared dorm space
Interactions: Collab with Yakov011001 Yakov011001

With a sigh of relief, she wiped the sweat from her brow. After installing her new graphics card, updating the drivers, and making sure it worked, she was finally done. It always stressed her out, upgrading her system. One little screw up and she wouldn’t be able to do her job or play the games she liked. Or there was always the possibility of some stupid software issue or a fault with the product. Thankfully, today, everything had gone as well as it could have been. Something that didn’t often happen for Mariana.

“Thanks for your help. It would have been a lot harder to do this alone.”

“It was a little tedious, but easy enough.”

Crimson replied. It was always a pain to remove, add, or just maneuver items within the PC tower. Thankfully, Crimson’s tendrils could be made small and were very helpful in removing the old GPU and putting a new one in much faster than Mariana could with her hands. She stood up, stretched, and grabbed the box and some packaging before leaving her room. Being in the shared common area at this point, she walked over to the large garbage and recycle bins before depositing the packaging and box in their respective bins.

That was when Nikklaüs made his entrance, quickly taking to the kitchen in the lounge. He was beaded with sweat, and wearing a lot less layers than normal. Almost undoubtedly having returned from some kind of training.

“Mariana, Crimson. Good to see the two of you.” He regarded them politely, making a point to do so with some degree of separation. From what he gathered, Crimson was a person who valued her individualism and so he didn’t think it wise to lump her up with anyone: not even her host body.

Um. Food? Nikklaüs reminded himself what he came to the lounge for, passing by where they were at the waste bins. That was until something caught his eye.

“What the fuck!?” He shouted on instinct, peering into the bins at the sharp green that passed over his peripheral for that fraction of a second. “Is that a 4090!?” Turning on a dime, Nikklaüs almost made for Mariana’s shoulders but restrained himself at the last second and simply shook his hands a bit between them a little bit until they finally landed at his temples to frame the flabbergasted look on his face. “You have a 4090?” He whispered to her, as if to apologize to her for yelling so loud.

“You too.”

Mariana gave a small wave as he entered. Crimson was silent, and the two were about to head back to their room, but only after a few steps, Mariana jumped at the sudden outburst from Nikklaus, and turned to see him almost grab her, but thankfully he didn’t.

“Wh-what??”

Mariana asked, her heart racing from the scare she’d just received. Crimson just stared at Klaus, staring daggers as a warning not to touch Mariana. She also had tendrils that had sprouted from her back, but were slowly shrinking back as Klaus returned his arms to himself. Not something that was lost on him: simply shooting Crimson a look that hopefully communicated that he didn’t give a fuck. He wasn’t going to entertain that shit like the others, if she wanted to treat him like that then he would offer the same energy.

“Oh, u-uhm yeah. I’ve been saving up to upgrade my computer and it arrived yesterday. I put it in today.”

She explained, still shook up from being scared so badly by Klaus.

“Do you have a computer too?”

“Wh—uh—” Nikklaüs snapped back to from his thoughts on Crimson, taking an extra second to reprocess the question. “Yeah, nothing this beefy though,” He pointed at the empty box with his emphasis. “I can’t even imagine what I would play that would need that much VRAM. What kind of crazy shit do you have in your library? ”

“Uh-uhm, well, nothing crazy really…”

Mariana replied shyly.

“I play VR games sometimes, and do video editing. Those two things probably will benefit more from it than anything else. I don’t need it to play anything specific. I just want things to be a little faster.”

The girl admitted. As for Crimson, her shoulders bounced up and down and her lips curled into a smile as if she was attempting to hold in her laughter at something.

There was a small click in Klaüs’ head of pieces being put together.

“Content creation?” He mused, there were only some rather specific reasons why anyone would need a video editor. Nah, not her MO, it’s not like her to seek the public eye. “Or maybe journalism. Actually, film!” He got a little caught up in the guessing game.

“Ehehe, something like that…”

Mariana replied nervously, scratching her right cheek with her index finger.

“I do play alot of games in my free time, but I also work from my desktop. This kinda helps both worlds, ya know?”

“I copy, I copy,” He started slowly stepping away and towards the kitchen. “Still, if you’re working a job here in this academy? You must be pretty well put together to pull that off. This shit feels like a nine-to-five sometimes” Klaüs opened the fridge to retrieve the eggs from inside, singling out six eggs.

“Well…”

Mariana started and stretched out the word as if mulling over whether to say something or not.

“I probably don’t have as much work as you guys do. I don’t know why, but I can’t use any anima or anima abilities.”

Mariana admitted, looking a little saddened.

“With the help of Crimson, I can use refined sight, but that’s about it. Jaquie is trying to figure out why, but I only see him once a week to see if anything has changed. But I technically have less classes than everyone because of it.”

“I suppose that’s why I don’t see you as often as the others. Well, I can’t help you there: I’m not sure I fully understand how to use my own Anima. Sometimes it just feels like it’s doing its own thing.” He cracked all the eggs into a bowl as he spoke, before using a fork to whisk it in one hand and his other setting the stove before rummaging around for a pan. “Jaquie told us that Anima is tied to our emotions, that only when we feel that emotion that truly makes us does our Anima manifest. Maybe you just haven’t felt that yet?” He flexed his hand for a half second, his Anima flaring up into that ultraviolet jetstream once more for a fraction of a second.

Nikklaüs was ashamed to say he knew that he was rage, wrath, violence, virulence, vitriol, Rancor.

“No, I mean, it’s different…”

Mariana replied, unsure of how to word it, or explain so he would understand.

“I can’t use it at all Klaus. It's not like it's taking me a long time to grasp it. I literally don't have the ability to use it.”

She would explain.

“Though Jaquie is going to have someone take a look at me soon, so maybe I'll have an answer as to why soon.”

“Maybe it’s not?” Klaüs whispered to himself, hoping she hadn’t heard him. It kind of annoyed him, the way she seemed determined to put herself down. No, not that. He put himself down all the time, much to basically everyone’s indignance. What was ticking him was Mariana making every effort possible to stay down.

Maybe that was unfair too, she did a lot to shape herself in what ways she could. Plopping the eggs into the pan, it sizzled wildly for a fraction of a second, Nikklaüs sneaking a peek at Mariana’s physique. It was hard to tell with the pajamas she wore, but even with the length of the sleeves they were getting tight enough to reflect how much work she’d been putting into what physical training she could accomplish without Anima. Still, the speed at which she dismissed her own abilities was pissing him off, only exacerbated by knowing that nothing he said would change that. Not when Crimson was so quick to dismiss genuine human kindness as some kind of facade, undoubtedly getting in the way of Mariana’s ability to receive any kind of praise or help.

Why don’t you just let her think for yourself you fucking—

Nikklaüs flinched at the snapping sound that cut off his train of thought, the pan he was cooking in having split open from the force he’d unknowingly been exerting on it. The eggs inside spilling out directly onto the heating element and burning with a nasty smoke.

“God fucking damnit!” He shouted, sending the half of the pan still in his hand into the floor. He quickly shut off the stove and began searching the pantry for paper towels. “First all this bullshit in the asylum, then the bar fight and I got discovered, Marianne hasn’t fuckin’ looked at me straight in like a week and a half, now this.” He grumbled the whole time.

Thankfully, it didn’t seem like Mariana heard, but Crimson narrowed her eyes at him after he questioned what Mariana had said about her anima. Would it really have to take the teacher saying it for him to believe it? But Crimson’s eyebrows would raise as Klaus broke the pan in his hands. What had distracted him so much to make such a mistake? Black tendrils emerged from her, and grabbed the pieces of the broken pan, and some others turned on the water and began to wet a rag.

“Seems like someone isn’t speaking their mind.”

Crimson said to Klaus rather cryptically. To the demon, what else would make someone do something so careless unless they were thinking of something else in that moment? Probably something worth talking about. But she was a demon, not a human. She didn’t understand them very well. Mariana, however, let out another yelp as the pan clattered to the floor, obviously surprising her. Not only that, but at how someone could just break one like that! It seemed so effortless! She was in awe, but it also made her more aware of her own lack of progress in anima.

“Are you okay?”

Mariana asked after she had gathered herself for a moment. She didn’t know if Klaus had hurt himself or something when this had happened. She took a step closer to him.

“W-Wait, a bar fight?”

She took a step away from him.

Yeah, he supposed that was fair, not that it hurt any less.

“I’m fine, I’m just—just not feeling like myself recently.” He could tell her that no one went to the hospital, or that he reimbursed the owner for the window he broke but he doubted that’d help any. “I appreciate the assist Crimson, but I would hope you let me be responsible for my own mess, y’know?” He held his hand out in hopes she’d pass him the rag she’d prepped. “Six eggs wasted.” He sighed. Not that there was any shortage of them: even with the food the school provided them, he felt bad constantly ripping a hole in their stock every time he started stress eating. He ended up getting a whole box of sixty eggs to make sure they weren’t constantly running out. Not that this instance specifically was stress eating, he didn’t think. Maybe.

“Suit yourself. But remember to practice what you preach.”

Crimson huffed, retracting her tentacles. It seemed anytime she tried to do something for the other humans around her, they ended up not exactly happy with her. Why was that? It seemed Klaus was also so insistent on getting Mariana to trust others to help. But here he was denying help from others. Just how much of a hypocrite was he?

“Oh, come on. Don't be like that,” Nikklaüs flashed Crimson a smile at her indignant huffing and puffing. “I appreciate it, Crimson, really I do,” He tried to reassure her, hand on his chest like it would help the gesture. “I promise I don’t want to spit in the face of your effort for my sake, but the little you did was plenty for me.” Even if she did some stupid shit to piss him off and even if he wanted to make sure she knew he wouldn’t fuck around if she gave him attitude, Nikklaüs wanted to make sure Crimson had the positive reinforcement she probably needed to trust a human. Especially one so untrustworthy as me. It was a thought that brought his eyes down to his left hand. He couldn’t trust himself not to shatter everything he touched even. Somehow it felt like things were getting worse.

“Yeah, uhm…”

She nervously approached and put a hand on his shoulder, forcing herself to try and better interact with others. Her recent interactions with Jaquie and Marianne had been pretty helpful to her. To realize she should try to not be as afraid or nervous to speak with others. People were more similar than most thought.

“I’ve felt the same way recently… Especially with this mystery curse. I don’t know if it's all in my head, or if something is really happening to me.”

Mariana admitted. Even if she did know exactly what the curse did, she had to sell the act that she was clueless to the demon watching her and Crimson through it. Besides, she wasn’t lying. She had been feeling out of sorts lately. As if going through some sort of big change in her life. Obviously leaving civilian life and learning of demons would change anyone’s life. But this was different. She was learning so much about being around people and overcoming problems and such that she could almost feel herself changing and becoming a more mature, wise person.

“It’s just eggs. Better the mistakes happen here than in a fight, right?”

Mariana said, trying to comfort him a bit.

“Y-yeah. Better here… Better now…” He whispered, his left hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose from the headache that suddenly threatened him. His other hand crossing over his chest to place itself over Mariana’s. “I just pray it stays that way,” Of course, that was just wishful thinking; after that little run-in with Sophia, he could tell he was only getting worse. He just didn’t know what would happen once things boil over. He shook that away, that wasn’t for them to deal with. “You’re pretty good at this,” Is what he gave instead. “Well, eggs are off the table. Guess I’ll have to make something else. How about y’all? Would you guys eat if I made something for all of us? Promise I won’t break anything this time.”

“E-Even if it doesn’t s-stay that way, w-we have each other and J-Jaquie, so don’t worry about it t-too much.”

She would tell him, her face suddenly entirely red and stuttering over her words a bit. It seemed that Klaus putting his hand atop hers had embarrassed the girl, who removed her hand from his shoulder at this point. She wasn’t exactly sure what he meant when saying she was good at this, but she was thankful for the compliment at the very least, even if she didn’t understand it.

“W-Well, Crimson doesn’t eat and I wouldn’t want to trouble you to make an extra portion.”

“Well, I only know the recipe in the context of at least eight people,” He chuckled, noticing the effect he’d had on her just then. As much as Nikklaüs would love to continue to tease her, he was afraid Crimson would try to run him through for it. “So I’ll be making a lot either way, you have until I’m done to change your mind, and I’m sure you will,” He started taking inventory of the ingredients he’d need, shuffling between the fridge and pantry. “Not to brag, but my Zuppa Toscana is to die for.”

That sounded a little odd to Mariana. If he knew the recipe for eight people, just divide the amount of ingredients by eight, right? Isn’t that how that worked? Either way, she wasn’t a cook. But it was something else that quickly caught her attention.

“Z-Zuppa-huh? I’ve never heard of that before…”

“It’s a soup! A really good soup, too: italian sausage, potatoes, kale. Surely you can stick around for it, right? I can drag out some of the others too, unless that’s a little fast for you?” He asked, weary of her aversion to high speed social encounters. Nikklaüs pulled a large pot from the cabinet next to the stove as he spoke.

“Uh-uhm, that might be a little much…”

Mariana replied, looking towards the other doors in the room.

“B-but I guess I can stick around for it…”

She said nervously. Crimson looked bored sick of this interaction though and walked back into Mariana’s room.

“I’ll update the drivers for you. Don’t take too long.”

She said, sounding annoyed as she closed the door behind her.

“Hmm, I was hoping she’d stick around for a short bit. Maybe next time?” Nikklüs frowned a small bit at her expedited exit, disregarding it in what way he could: returning to a candidness with Mariana. “Did you want to help me out a little bit? I’ll show you.”

“Don’t take it personally. She doesn’t really do anything revolving around food. Cooking, eating, etc.”

Mariana told him.

“I don’t think I’ll ever cook anything like this myself, but I can watch for a bit.”

She would reply, watching as he gathered the ingredients to make the soup.

“Watching is fine, then. Either way at the end of it, you’ll get to have some good food.”

Yeah, that was enough. It was a good reminder to him: a reminder that despite all the bullshit he’d been hit with over the past week and a half or so, that he just needs to hit that shit. Get stuck in! Mariana is doing her best at every turn, even if she does get knocked down. Nikklaüs just needs to do the same. Starting with this soup!
 
Mariana & Jaquie
Cursed Corvids & Advantageous Advice​
Location: Homeroom - Classroom
Interactions: Collab with Solirus Solirus

Mariana had been told what had transpired by Crimson a few times now. While she couldn’t exactly feel anything, she had no idea what could be happening. She had it on her mind to talk to Jaquie, so later in the day after she had finished up her work requirement for the day, she would head to the classroom. Being later in the day, roughly 1700 hours, she wasn’t sure if he would even be in the classroom. In fact, she wasn’t exactly sure where he went when not there. Did he have a room on the school grounds too? Or was he allowed to go home every day? She wasn’t really sure where to look. Though she supposed she could email him if he turned out to not be in the classroom at the moment.

Upon entering the classroom, Jaquie was found lying atop his desk, the umbrella graciously floating above him, while the man himself remained immobile, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. It almost appeared as if he’d fallen asleep, or perhaps he was meditating, considering the overwhelming silence in the room, only interrupted by the gusts of wind striking at the windows.

Upon seeing this, Mariana used the knuckle of her index finger and tapped with it on the doorframe, as if knocking.

“Uhm… Mr. Jaquie?”

She asked quietly as if she was afraid, he really was asleep or that she was interrupting something.

There was a pause before there was a response, “...Oh, hey Mariana” Jaquie calmly responded, rolling off the table and taking a seat back onto his chair while his umbrella simply fell laying on the ground, “what’s up?”

Well, she was at least glad that he didn’t seem annoyed or upset. Perhaps she really hadn’t interrupted anything.

“Me and Crimson came to talk to you about the weird bird and the curse.”

She explained, walking up to his desk. It was clear Crimson had some control over Mariana’s body but the one red eye Mariana had, along with her normal purple one.

“Ah right” Jaquie’s anima was practically invisible as it usually was while his stained glasses concealed his eyes. It was unclear what he felt. “Tell me what happened, try to be as detailed as possible”

“Alright, your turn Crimson.”

Mariana said. And the next time she spoke, it was the slightly distorted voice of Crimson.

“After we killed a rank one demon, a bird suddenly appeared, talking to us. Or I guess me specifically. But this bird gave off no signs of anima whatsoever, which I’ve never seen before. It asked me why I wasn’t taking over Mariana fully. I told it off for not introducing itself first and answered its question. I said it was, so I didn’t die, then I asked about its intentions.”

Crimson seemed miffed as she recalled this all. As if just thinking about that bird was getting her annoyed and pissed off.

“It got mouthy with me because I told it off about manners and it said I wasn’t an equal. It kept making guesses as to why I wasn’t taking over Mariana and screamed at me when I tried to ask it a question. Oh, it wasn’t flying either. It was walking on the air, like it was going down a staircase. It called me a small fish in a pond. I told it I couldn’t escape Mariana’s body, and it suddenly got really interested, and even teleported in front of me. I said I wasn’t going to keep answering its questions if it didn’t give me anything in turn. It tried to threaten me, so I just tried to leave. But the bird started to lose feathers and break its bones. Then everything went dark. I couldn’t see the halls of the asylum or see or sense any anima at all. It’s like I was in a void. It said something about blasphemous amalgamations watching, but not seeing everything. It told me I should feel lucky that I wasn’t going to die because those blasphemous eyes were protecting me. But that they would be blind to the suffering born of hubris, or something like that. I don’t know what it was trying to prove by using those fancy words, but after that I was back. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t tell what.”

She finally finished with her explanation… Well, for a moment. But she soon chimed in again.

“Oh, and later when we were fighting the rank 2, I tried to absorb the ambient anima, but I couldn’t. Nothing happened, and I’ve never had that happen before.”

Jaquie remained quiet as Crimson divulged all that had occurred, particularly at the mention of a blasphemous amalgamation, Jaquie’s anima brighten a slight bit orange before returning normally.

“Right, let's look at what we know then. The bird must be a high-ranking demon based on the abilities it displayed, as for its exact rank I’m not sure. Its hidden anima can’t be a result of its skills as I myself didn’t sense any bird, which leaves me to believe it used a powerful artifact to conceal it, that is my best guess… As for the curse, well, I’m fairly certain it was applied when everything went dark and judging by its previous words, its hidden anima must become compromised when it attacks something. So that curse must’ve not been considered a direct attack… and we also have to consider motives…” Jaquie leaned further back into his chair and staring into the ceiling, thinking.

“Well, it got mad when I didn’t answer it’s question. It told me it didn’t want to repeat itself after I already said no. Plus, it became really interested when I said I was trapped in Mariana. It probably really wanted an answer, for some reason, and got pissy when I didn’t give it one, so it took its anger out on me with a curse.”

Crimson replied, not having much else in the way of leads.

“So, we’re still not sure why the demon was there… First things first however,” Jaquie raised his hand then pointed toward Crimson his gaze still fixed to the ceiling, “We’re going to have to remove that curse, and to do that, we’ll have to identify it, for which I can’t seem to do, but I know a group of people who can and who more importantly owe me a couple favors. Although I’ll need to set up a time for a meetup… do you mind if we use your tutoring lesson for this?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Mariana chimed in. She wasn’t big on meeting more people. But this was an obvious exception. Though, she would continue.

“That was going to be my question. How did it get inside, past all the arcanists? Or what if it was already inside, and simply hid there from the arcanists? Maybe it knew what was going to happen that day and was there specifically to curse a young, inexperienced arcanist?”

Mariana said worriedly.

“It must know what it is doing there, if it's smart enough to hide itself so well.”

“That’s quite the hypothesis…”

Crimson added.

“I’m not surprised the demon slipped past the other arcanists if I couldn’t detect it. However, I don’t like the implication that it knew when and where the quiz was taking place. More inclined to believe it coincidentally encountered it, especially if it has several eyes.” Jaquie commented, “Although one thing bothers me… the things it said, it gives me reason to believe this demon isn’t working alone, likely cooperating with other demons, which would warrant an investigation and the mobilization of a couple Rank V which is a bureaucratic nightmare. But we barely have any leads on this one.”

“Typical complicated convoluted human politics…”

Crimson mumbled under her breath.

“Yes, very obnoxious.” Jaquie quickly responded.

“That’s a scary thought… If they are working together, what are they trying to do?”

She asked more to herself than to anyone else. A rhetorical question.

“But if we are cursed, does that mean it can track us? Will it know where we are and if we leave this place?”

Mariana said, clearly a little perturbed by the idea.

“Not sure why they are working together, the most common reason is purely for survival, besides that it can vary. But if the curse can track you, then they might want something from you. So long as you’re inside of school grounds their tracking should fall short, however outside that… well let’s hope my buddy can identify it and get rid of it, that’d be best.”

Mariana nodded, looking to be in thought.

“So what do you want us to do about it? Do we just wait until I can be properly looked at?”

“Keep an eye out for any other potential effects and symptoms, the more we know, the better, besides that there isn’t much to be done yet.”

“Okay… I think that’s everything about the curse then… Uhm, is there anything else you want to talk about before I go?”

She asked nervously.

“What’s on your mind?” Jaquie asked vaguely.

Mariana wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that question, and it was so open-ended.

“Well, right now I’m mostly just thinking about the curse.”

She admitted. She didn’t want to be the cause for something happening to anyone else in the class or school because she had some mystery affliction. Apparently, it had already affected Crimson and made her less effective in combat. So, the two were already weaker because of it.

“And outside of that?” Jaquie continued, getting off his chair and walking towards the window, his umbrella slowly dragging behind him.

“Uhm… still trying to process what happened at the asylum.”

Mariana immediately felt stupid after saying that. Would someone so desensitized understand? How long had he been doing this for? How strong was he? Would he really understand how scary it was for her? The nightmares it was giving her? It was her first time seeing or experiencing anything like that, and she didn’t want to ever do it again. But surely it would come with time and experience, right? No matter how badly she didn’t want to do it, she’d have to keep going until she could withstand it.

“The asylum… I’ll tell you a little secret, the asylum isn’t a quiz or test or even an examination. It is meant to demonstrate what the average and vulnerable person would have to face. An arcanist’s job is to protect, and as you all grow stronger the battle will become more manageable, the gap between you and the average person will widen. This leads some to forget what danger people face and the consequences of not taking our duty seriously… that is also why only today you all learned about amplification.”

Mariana looked down at the desk in thought. It made sense. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to be in that situation without Crimson, or any of the other students. A normal person would be just as scared, if not, more so. Though it did little to quell the fear and anxiety that arose when she thought of the day before, or even doing something like that again. She wasn’t exactly worried about her performance. Well, she was, but it wasn’t the main thing making her feel this way. In the moment, she acted and moved on autopilot almost. But now, looking back on how close to death she had come and how scary it was, the emotions and feelings were all hitting her now. Surely, she was the only person in the class who was so afraid and feeling this way. It was just another aspect of how she felt so far behind them all…

“...I see…”

She mumbled.

Jaquie remained silent, glancing back towards Mariana, such a surge of anima wasn’t necessary to tell him how the girl felt at the present moment. “It’s ok.”

An annoyed sigh came from Mariana and her red eye vanished. Crimson returned fully into Mariana, clearly not wanting to be a part of this conversation anymore. Mariana, however, looked confused and looked over at Jaquie.

“Wh-What?”

“It’s ok to be scared, it’s ok to doubt yourself, to be anxious, to fail.” Jaquie turned fully to face Mariana, “It’s ok to cry, to mourn, to regret and suffer.”

“But no one else is doing it… They’ll all just ignore me or get annoyed with me like they did on the first day. Apparently, they don’t think so.”

Mariana mumbled, standing up from the desk.

“Don’t let the events of the first days determine how the future will play out, people change, opinions can change. But it’ll take time and patience.” Jaquie paused again, picking up his umbrella from the floor. “My advice can vary in effectiveness, but maybe you can try being a bit more transparent or simply ask them directly how they might be feeling, sometimes the simple and direct approach is the best one.”

“I know…”

Mariana replied to his first words. She knew it would take time and patience. But what about now? Would she just have to suffer until things do change? But asking others how they felt? Did Jaquie know who he was talking to? That was like asking Valerie to not talk to anyone for the whole day! It would require a herculean effort on Mariana’s behalf. Maybe she could ask Crimson to do it for her…

“I’ll think about it.”

“Take your time…”

“Thank you Mr. Jaquie.”

The timid girl said, turning and heading for the door.

“I’ll see you at our next training session.”

With that, the girl was gone.
 
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The Guest
Location: Training Room
Collab with: November Witch November Witch ​

It was yet another tutoring session in a familiar, yet uncomfortable place. She’d been here many times before for training, but the endless expanse always threw her off. It made her weary and gave her an eerie feeling. It’s safe to say she didn’t exactly like being there. But she knew it was safe, and that was the most important thing to her. So she’d set those uncomfortable feelings to the wayside and continue to go for as long as was needed. As they walked in, Crimson stepped out of Mariana’s body, separating the two minds into their own bodies. Well, for the most part. Crimson could still somewhat sense through Mariana’s senses even when they were separated like this.

“We’re here Mr. Jaquie.”

In the vast expanse, Jaquie was seen looking into the endless, his umbrella lying on the floor. Next to him was a chair one would find in therapy sessions for patients to lay on while releasing all their grievances.

“Ah hello” Jaquie responded, turning back to face the two, “Hm, our guest should be arriving shortly. Any further developments on the curse?”

“N-no, I don’t think anything has changed.”

Mariana replied, and looked to Crimson to confirm, and the demon simply affirmed Mariana’s words by shaking her head no. Nothing else had happened or been felt by either of the two. At least, nothing notable. Mariana would walk over and sit down on the chair, while Crimson stood behind her, arms crossed. Mariana would speak up.

“Who is our guest? Have I met them before?”

“Gosh, I hope not, or well…” Jaquie paused thinking about what he was going to say, “very likely you didn’t meet her. Anyway… seems like our guest has just arrived.”

Jaquie turned to face the entrance of the room, from which a woman in fancy yet simple clothes entered.

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The woman only took a moment to examine those present in the room, whilst she adjusted her glasses. “Mr. Lawphel.” She calmly spoke regarding Jaquie and bowing slightly.

“I’m glad you could arrive at such short notice.” Jaquie commented.

“It is the duty of the families to lend aid when requested, especially when such a request comes from a patriarch.”

“Right right.” Jaquie turned his head to face Mariana, “This is Dalia Kahter, she is part of one of the biggest families in arcanist society, and an expert when it comes to curses and arcanist history.”

“You must be, Mariana, a pleasure to meet you.” Dalia gave a slight bow towards Mariana.

Mariana turned her head towards the entrance, and saw a pretty girl approaching them. She seemed… what was the word? Regal, to Mariana. With how she spoke and politely bowed.

“Th-There’s no need to be so formal.”

Mariana said as the girl bowed to her as well.

“It’s good to meet you too Mrs. Kahter… Or Ms. Kahter?”

“She feels qualified enough at least.”

Crimson muttered, judging the anima of the other, and how they carried themselves. At least it didn’t seem to be some unqualified or inexperienced individual.

“You may call me Ms. Kahter.” Dalia responded, her eyes momentarily inspecting crimson before returning to Mariana, “Let's take a look here.” Adjusting her glasses, Dalia materialized a bag from which she took out two golden bracelets. “Put this one on” she offered one of the golden bracelets to Mariana. The girl would comply, placing the golden bracelet handed to her over her left wrist, before looking expectantly at Dalia, ready for whatever she would be asked to do next.

Dalia would quietly put on the other bracelet, Mariana could feel a certain shock as the bracelet was properly equipped. “This will take a bit.” Dalia commented, closing her eyes as the bracelets emanated a dim light.

“Alright, Crimson, while they do that, we’ll use this time to further your training.” Jaquie commented, preemptively stretching.

Mariana would let out a small yelp at the unexpected shock, then turn red.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t expect that…”

She was clearly embarrassed. Crimson also seemed miffed when she was taken away from Mariana by Jaquie to continue training. She followed him a little ways away.

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Hmmm” Dalia carefully observed the bracelets, paying no mind to the yelp nor the embarrassment Mariana displayed. “This… what gave you this curse…” Dalia hesitantly asked, while she maintained composure.

“I don’t know, Crimson was in control at the time.”

Mariana explained, becoming nervous as she heard the hesitation in the other’s voice.

“But she told me it was some sort of bird that talked to her and had no anima at all.”

“... I see” Dalia commented as her eyes seemingly began to inspect the curse. “This curse… is incredibly elaborate, it connects and intertwines with itself and your anima, and it is able to hide itself almost perfectly. I am sorry to say, but this curse is beyond me… regardless, I might be able to cleanse some of its effects… to alleviate the drawbacks” Dalia offered.

As Mariana heard these words, she felt her heart sink. If this person was really an expert and not even she could do anything… was there any hope for removing or getting rid of the curse at all?

“W-Well, go ahead, but I don't even know what it does, besides stopping Crimson from absorbing any anima besides mine.”

“The curse is composed of four main aspects. I will only be able to cleanse two before it becomes impossible to cleanse the rest. I shall describe each of these aspects and you will make the decision on which you wish to have removed.” Dalia explained, regaining her composure, “First aspect: the curse prevents the demon possessing this body from absorbing anima from any source besides the host, this you already know. Second aspect: the demon possessing the body of the host will be oblivious to their own reserves of anima, even should they be practically spent, they will not feel it. Third aspect: The demon will begin to wither slowly should they use up a certain amount of anima in a short time frame. Fourth and final aspect: The curse giver shall be able to see and hear through the curse bearer at any time, so long as they remain in the same plane of existence.” Dalia explained thoroughly, remaining silent to allow Mariana to take in the information.

“Uh-Uhm…”

Mariana couldn't speak for a few moments. All this was on her? How was she supposed to know what the right answer, or the best answer was. And the thing had been seeing and hearing everything since she was first cursed? Wasn't that very bad? Did they know the names and abilities of her and all her classmates then? She didn't feel qualified to make these decisions.

“Uhm, I think this is something I should talk to Mr. Jaquie and Crimson about…”

“Very well” Dalia would turn to face Jaquie and Crimson, “Mariana wishes to consult with the both of you.”

Jaquie would seemingly blink from his previous position all the way to Mariana, “yeah, what’s up?” he casually asked.

As if Crimson didn’t want to be outdone, she simply disappeared from where she was a moment before and stepped out of Mariana like before.

“Well, I-I’m not sure what I should do… What were the options again?”

Mariana looked to Dalia once more.

“The first aspect of the curse: prevents the demon possessing the host from absorbing any foreign anima besides that of the host. The second aspect of the curse: the demon possessing the host will be oblivious to the amount of anima they possess and have consumed. The third aspect: The demon possessing the host will wither slowly should they use up too much anima in a short time frame. The final aspect: the curse giver is capable of seeing and hearing from the curse bearer as long as they remain in the same plane of existence.” Dalia repeated in a simpler fashion than previously. “Of these aspects I shall only be able to cleanse two before it becomes impossible for me.”

“Those are some pretty nasty downsides.” Jaquie commented, “Demon shouldn’t be listening to us now, but that could be a dangerous one to keep around, alongside the obliviousness for a demon… but It’s both your calls I think.”

Mariana was even more nervous now. Not even Jaquie was giving her advice! She was entirely unsure of what she should choose. In the silence, Crimson spoke up.

“It can’t hear us now? Is this training room on a different plane? Or is the whole school?”

“Just this room, and the library too if you ever decide to visit it.” Jaquie responded.

“That works well then. Perhaps we can trick it. If we are careful with the things we say outside of this place or the library, perhaps we can make it think we’re clueless. Then we would have the element of surprise, whenever we are able to deal with it.”

Crimson said. It was clear she didn’t exactly know what or how they would confront this demon to remove the curse. But it was clear she was trying to think in a way to outsmart it.

“But if we remove parts of the curse, won’t it know that we know?”

“Then we don’t remove anything. We play dumb and whine about her not knowing anything once we leave. I can deal with some puny curse just fine.”

“Risky, but I like your thinking, It should also be unaware of Dalia’s involvement, we don’t want to put targets on others.” Jaquie turned to face Dalia, “I want you to keep quiet about this meeting you had.”

“What?” Dalia uttered surprised, “I’m… sorry, but I must report this back.”

“Do that and you’re placing yourself and my students at risk.” Jaquie dropped his cool demeanor, his posture straightened up and became far more serious. “As a member of the Kahter family, you shall not infringe on the safety of those under the special protection of the Lawphel family.” Jaquie seemed to be speaking from memory. “You shall keep silent about this meeting in any form.” Jaquie commanded, Mariana and crimson could see a faint chain wrap around Dalia’s before fading.

“... Very well.” Dalia hesitantly responded, collecting both bracelets and bowing before taking her leave.

This whole thing was not only confusing for Mariana, but Crimson as well. Mariana was still new to the whole arcanist world and didn’t really understand the structure or dynamic between those high up in the world. To Crimson, it seemed alien, as did most things humans did though.

“What’s so bad about her telling anyone else?”

“The more people know, the easier it’ll be for that info to spread, we’re not sure if anyone else will be cursed by the same demon or if it has any other powers that would allow it to collect information. Not to mention it’d be better for the demon to not know of the identity of the guest who came here.” Jaquie explained, his composure slowly shifting toward a more relaxed and positive one.

“So we’re not going to cleanse any of the effects? Are you really okay with that?”

Mariana asked Crimson.

“Of course I am, a little curse isn’t going to kill me. I’ll show that brat that this won’t do anything.”

Mariana was at least glad to see Crimson so fired up and confident in herself.

“Then, what will we do in the meantime? Just play along until we know more?”

“I guess so, maybe keep an eye out for any similar looking birds?”

“O-Oh, okay.”

Mariana nodded in response.

“So is it impossible to remove? Do we have to kill the demon to break the curse? Or will it always be like this?”

She wished the girl hadn’t left so suddenly. Maybe she could have answered this question.

“Killing the demon would lead to the best solution, however if the demon remains extremely elusive, then the second best option would be trying to have one of the Kahter’s rank five take a shot at it, which would be difficult…” Jaquie mentioned, his expression hinting at annoyance.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to have to bother anyone else.”

Mariana replied, not really knowing who the people Jaquie was talking about were. She just didn’t want to trouble anyone else.

“At least it was us. If anyone can handle a curse, it’s you.”

Mariana told Crimson.

“Damn right.”

“You better be, cause I don’t think I’ll be able to get another Kahter to help us anytime soon”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have threatened her.”

“They’re a special arcanist family, right?”

Mariana pondered as she stood up from the seat. She was so confused about what just transpired.

“She was only going to help us for this occasion, I only made sure to keep this meeting between us secret so that it’d help with your subterfuge. Also yes, the Kahter family is one of the largest and most influential families in arcanist society.”

She was a part of one of the most influential families in arcanist society and he had forced her hand like that? For Mariana’s sake? She hated being something conflict was started over. Maybe she could have just had them talk it out? Now she felt even worse than before.

“O-Oh…”

Was all she could say at the moment, to which she then stood there awkwardly for a few moments.

Jaquie remained silent, calmly picking up his umbrella and heading for the exit, “I think that’ll be it for today… try to practice your acting a bit before leaving this room yeah?” Jaquie chuckled to himself before starting to exit the room.

“H-Huh?”

Mariana was confused as to what he meant by that. Acting? Why would she need to act? Her mind was so jumbled right now she couldn’t really focus on anything specific quite yet, so she decided to leave as well, hoping to do something to settle her mind from all that she’d learned this morning…
 
Collab with November Witch November Witch (takes place just before the timeskip)

“I think that’s fine with me.”

Mariana replied, though now she somewhat felt like she was encroaching on a spot that the two shared. As Marianne turned to leave, Mariana would stand up, and sling her satchel over her shoulder. At the offer to help, Mariana got a bit flustered.

“N-No, that’s fine! I’m okay!”

She waved both her hands in front of her as she replied. Crimson just snickered from within her head.

‘You should have accepted that offer. I would have loved to see what a spectacle that would have been.’

Mariana was soon following in step with Marianne, just a pace behind her and slightly to her left as they left the classroom.

Marianne led the way, Annamarie keeping back beside her. Her pace was brisk and measured, yet it was clear to see in the sluggishness of her poise that like Mariana, she was suffering from exhaustion.

Eventually they exited the school and found themselves in a sheltered courtyard. Just as Marianne had described, the low-hanging branches of trees and ivy covered walls offered a great deal of privacy and seclusion. Assorted flowerbeds lined the small pathway through the courtyard, leading to a small bench nestled within a cul-de-sac.

“This should do nicely.” Marianne announced, taking a seat on the bench and patting the vacant spot beside her for Mariana to do the same. “Have a seat then, you look exhausted.”

Annamarie sat on the opposite side of Marianne, her crimson eyes seeming transfixed by a stray leaf fluttering in the breeze.

Even as they traveled to, and arrived in, the garden she was unsure. Still battling herself, and Crimson, on whether she should even say anything. But as she sat down and felt the cool bench beneath her, the sunk cost fallacy set it. She had already come here and made it this far. She might as well continue through with it. Looking down at her lap, her hands clasped around one another, and her left thumb rubbed against her right hand nervously. A sigh then left her lips and her eyes moved to some nearby flowers which gently swayed in the warm breeze that blew through the garden.

“I just… uhm…”

She changed how her hands were holding one another, as if buying time. Then, a deep breath.

“I just don’t understand how everyone is fine with what happened… I almost died. You were badly hurt. I don’t even know what happened to the others, and I’m scared to ask.”

Mariana’s voice started to tremble.

“I had nightmares about it last night… It’s all I can think of. I-It was just so terrifying and scary, looking back.”

Her eyes would fill with tears, though none spilled over quite yet.

“But everyone is fine! I’m the only one having trouble with this! Do I really belong here if everyone else can handle fighting a monster, but I can’t? I-I just don’t understand why I’m here if I’m so weak…”

Marianne listened, a pensive look on her face as she considered everything that Mariana told her. Her face was thoughtful and distant, almost to the point that made one wonder if she was unaffected by anything the other said. Yet when she spoke her voice was soft, considerate.

“I see. It is completely understandable why you would be losing sleep, then.” She sighed then, her poise sagging with her shoulders. She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked back at the girl beside her, grey eyes tired. “Mariana? Can I tell you a secret?”

‘A secret?’

Crimson piped up from within Mariana’s mind. The latter did the equivalent of glaring at the other within her mindspace. Crimson wasn’t phased though, and her curiosity had been peaked. Mariana, however, seemed surprised. Both at the other seemingly so easily offering a secret, but also at the poise and stature of the other suddenly vanishing…

“Y-Yes, you can tell me anything Marianne.”

Mariana seemed curious, but a hint of worry crept its way into her already emotional voice. What was Marianne about to say, in such a serious, heavy conversation?

Marianne flinched inwardly, part of her reconsidering her choice just as Mariana accepted. She was well aware that a secret with Mariana meant a secret with Crimson, though there was hardly anything more intrusive than how the demon had been given access to her soul merely a day prior.

She took another breath to steady herself before speaking. “That test yesterday was the first time I had been exposed to demons. Well, hostile demons. Annamarie is an exception, of course.” A small glance was spared to the demonic doll before her sights turned back to Mariana. “Point is, I was terrified, just like you. Perhaps it’s not as obvious, but that doesn’t change the fact I lost a night of sleep too. Even now, my thoughts cannot help but turn back to those events.”

For a moment, she stared down at the hands on her lap, flexing them into fists that scrunched up her neatly laundered skirts. “It might seem as if you are the only one, but you might be surprised by how similarly you may feel to other students. Even your sentiments of being weak. In that regard we are much alike. Both of us have an anima art that relies upon a demon, and I too doubt the credibility of my enrollment here.”

Mariana stayed mostly silent, letting Marianne vent out her own feelings. It wasn’t a secret in the traditional sense. Mariana saw it more like two people being honest with one another. Something that would probably come out in due time as two people became closer. A secret was something to be kept. But feelings and emotions? Those would always be revealed at some point, right?

“I didn’t know…”

Mariana mumbled.

“You’re always so put together and collected. I guess I’m just not as good at holding things inside, huh?”

Mariana asked, and as if to punctuate her point, a single tear managed to escape from her right eye. She chuckled as she exhaled.

“I guess not… I don’t know much about how you feel about being here, but I don’t have much of a choice… If what Jaquie said is true, it’s either be here, or be executed for having a demon inside me.”

Her hands trembled once more, and more tears began to fall.

“I don’t have a choice, Marianne. I’m scared, and I just want to go home… But this is my only path now. I have to see it through to the end. Besides, if I can help people in a physical way too, maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe someone as shy and timid as me can actually do something good for the world…”

She looked up to the sky as a particularly strong gust of warm summer wind blew through. Partially to dry her tears, but also to take in the view of the blue sky.

Marianne looked away from Mariana again, watching the grass get tugged by the wind while the other gazed upon the sky. “Believe me when I say I understand. I’ve been under watch for 8 years now. When I was 10 my family nearly executed me under suspicions of possession.”

There was a surprising simplicity to how she said this. Her voice was cool and objective, as if stating an unquestionable fact rather than a near-death ordeal. Still, there was just enough wiggle room for a bitterness to seep out between her words. There was also a look of surprise on her face as she wondered just why she decided to share this information.

She narrowed her eyes, straightened her posture again and sighed sharply. The walls were quickly rebuilt. “What Jaquie said was indeed true. You are forever tied to Arcanist society and its laws now. It is harsh and unforgiving; you can either stand and fight or surrender and die, but I believe you already know this.”

An intensity returned to her voice, a zealous glint hardening in her eyes. “If you are weak, grow strong. If you are despised, thrive out of spite.” The anima in her chest flared, unfiltered and pure. “If you desire to do something good, then fight and bleed for it. Force this wretched world to change.”

Yet another thing Mariana had no idea about. Marianne had to face such a thing at an age as young as ten? It was obviously a different circumstance, but it felt like they were in the same boat together then, or very similar ones. If Annamarie was connected to Marianne the same way Crimson was to Mariana, it meant she would also face death if she left. Maybe their situation was much more similar than Mariana first thought… Either way, it was comforting to not be the only one opening up. As the girl went on, she simply nodded. She did, in fact, already know. She had to fight or die, as Marianne put it. She was surprised to hear Marianne’s voice fill with an intenseness. She would turn to face her as she finished speaking. Mariana couldn’t fight. Even her anima made someone else fight for her… What was she even good for?

“I wish I could…”

Though she didn’t know if that were true or not. Part of her was glad she wasn’t the one who had to fight in reality.

“Crimson is the one who will do all that… I’ll just… I don’t know… Cheer her on or something. Cheer you and everyone else doing the hard work on.”

She looked down at one of her hands and closed it into a fist. She didn’t know what else to do or say at the moment. Her face was crestfallen and her voice hopeless. A moment of silence passed and she looked to Annamarie, then back to Marianne.

“Are you… In the same situation as me?”

Mariana wondered aloud. If Marianne attempted to leave the arcanist life, would she be killed for associating with a demon like Mariana would? She still wasn’t quite sure of the connection between the two exactly.

The question made Marianne shift uncomfortably. Her eyes flicked over to Annamarie, still transfixed with the scattered leaves, and then looked back at Mariana. “If you mean to imply that Annamarie has possessed me as Crimson has to you, then unfortunately not. My family thoroughly examined and tested me for signs of possession and had I shown any, I would never have made it to adulthood.”

There was an absolute certainty to her voice, along with a long-held bitterness. She shook her head and breathed softly in and out. A look of pain flashed in her eyes, which she closed to snuff it out. “Perhaps it's difficult for you to understand, being raised outside of arcanist society, but you are incredibly lucky not to have been executed the moment you were discovered. Even if this fate isn’t exactly a mercy…”

Her eyes opened again, staring down at the ground. Hands tightened into fists, “You may have been spared an execution, though in reality it has only delayed it. Instead, you have no choice but to face these demons until you fall to one.”

She paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “Perhaps we are in the same situation after all…”

Mariana was quiet, letting Marianne speak her mind, and not interjecting. She said alot. More than Mariana expected her to, but it was all substantial. It helped the quiet, observant girl put together a better picture of Marianne. Mariana understood what the other meant when speaking about Mariana and Crimson. It would be like this… Well, forever basically. Unless she could figure out a way to turn off her power, so to speak. Her anima power was that of a black hole. A trap from which no demon could escape. At least, as far as she and anyone else knew. So how would she be able to turn it off?

Putting that aside, she felt bad for Marianne too. To be raised in such a careless way… It sounded almost as if her family cared more about their image than their daughter. After all, why would they have even considered such a horrible option… If Mariana’s own parents did such a thing… She’d resent them. She’d resent arcanist society as a whole. In fact, after thinking about it for a moment, Mariana found a seed that was already planted inside her. Mariana herself already harbored some resentment for them after learning that they would just kill anyone possessed or connected to a demon. There were other ways. She didn’t care what others would say or how they felt. There was always another way. But if she felt a little bit after knowing about it all for a month…

Was that how Marianne felt?

“You must resent them then, huh?”

She asked, looking towards Marianne, and talking about arcanists in general, not just her parents. Her eyes were a stark contrast to what had previously been shown by Mariana. They were steeled with determination to see things through. Mariana had no intentions of ever giving in or giving up. Though what was surprising was a hint of resentment in them as well. She was being forced to fight for an organization and people who she wanted nothing to do with. She hated the control they had over her. Die or do what they wanted. What a sick joke. But she grasped onto that idea desperately, that she could save others, and prevent something like this from happening to someone else. Her face looked back to the sky and she shook her head.

“Better some nameless, timid girl with no parents than a normal girl I guess. At least I can take solace in the fact I’m saving someone from suffering as much as I am. We both can.”

There was a certain intensity in Mariana’s voice. A certain confidence seldom heard from the girl. Almost as if Crimson was speaking, but it wasn’t her voice. It was still Mariana. As she thought, things turned. Things clicked. Her brain made decisions and a turning point was reached in Mariana.

“I never really thought about it, but I guess I do too…”

Marianne gave her an odd look, as if seeing her for the first time. There it was again, the shift in her anima, as she had seen in the asylum. The familiar flecks of rage were present in it, but there was something else, something stronger. An aforementioned resentment and determination.

“I do.” Marianne admitted, her eyes hardening. Beneath all the poise, dark clouds swirled, stirred up by the words of this girl so new to the martyr role she had been forced into. “I see you understand it then. What you are now, and the duty you must bear. Accepting it is the only way to maintain sanity.”

She straightened her shoulders, looking straight ahead. Her grey eyes focussed on little, and yet they were sharp and filled with that same burning intensity. “The crows can have their pound of flesh. Whether I am seen as an abomination changes little of the fact that I am an arcanist. I intend to slaughter the evil things that plague this world until my dying breath. Be it from demons or our people. I will have kept my word either way.”

Marianne stood up then, dusting off her dress and motioning for Annamarie to take her hand. The twins reunited, dark and light, demon and human standing side by side. Grey and red eyes both looked down at Mariana, one apathetic and the other full of cold zeal.

“All this pain and rage you feel in your anima, nurse it like a curse. Turn your suffering into a weapon. Never forget the reason why you fight, and they can never defeat you.”

With that said, the twins turned around and began to walk towards the exit of the garden.

While Marianne went on, she said some more things that confused Mariana, or that didn’t make sense. Mariana had only just considered accepting that fact. That this is all she would, or could, ever be. But she was still sane. Well, with her recent depression stemming from all this, maybe Marianne had a point? How long could one endure something like that? Mariana didn’t want to believe it. But in reality, she didn’t have a choice. What could she really, truly believe in right now besides herself or Crimson? Where could she put her trust and belief without becoming disappointed or let down? Marianne already had gone through what she had, or a similar enough situation. Could she trust her maybe? Believe wholeheartedly what she was being told? Would the same things and thoughts Marianne felt once upon a time eventually come to pass in Mariana?

As Marianne continued to speak, it continued to resonate with Mariana. They were arcanists, and they had one goal. At least, the kind of arcanists both of them were. They’d die in this occupation. They’d be given no quarter and no respite from those in charge. They would be here until they died. It would be the best course of action to become the best. Stronger, more powerful. That was the only sure way to live longer. To not lose a single fight to a demon. Becoming stronger would only put a target on their backs, but it was the only way.

It was then she noticed the two gazes trained on her.

“A weapon…”

She echoed in a whisper. She’d seen the trope and knew it had been done, in theory, in different mediums. Anime, games, books. But how did someone turn their emotions into a weapon?

‘In your case, just feeling emotion is enough, remember? I can feed off your emotions. You’ll make me stronger.’

Oh. That made sense. So Mariana could do it in quite a literal way compared to other people. Mariana balled her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palm. It hurt badly, but she needed to get used to it. Her life was going to be filled with nothing but fighting and pain after all. Mariana would continue to have no choice in anything. She would do this one thing for the rest of her life. Forget her online job, her games, her computer, anything she liked. There was nothing but trials and hardships ahead. This was a turning point. Her anima flared with nothing but negative emotions.

But a voice spoke up yet again.

‘Stop it already. You don’t have to make yourself miserable like her.’

‘What-’

‘Sure, you’re gonna have to fight for the rest of your life. But you won’t be fighting every moment of your life. Mariana, you’re an arcanist, but you’re not just an arcanist. Remember all the things you like doing and enjoy. Why would you just throw them away? If you do, you’ll end up like her. She’s already lost. Can’t you see that? Open your eyes already. See the mistakes she’s made? That she just admitted to you? Realize them, and don’t repeat them.’

Mariana blinked. Blinked in surprise, and to blink away the tears. Crimson was right. That one phrase hit her hard. Hard enough, she had to communicate it to the other before she left. Her gaze was soft. Full of regret for almost giving in. Full of sorrow for the girl before her who had seemingly fallen long ago. She had a new goal in mind. Help that girl. She stood up, looking at Marianne. Her anima was the most intense she’d seen before. It didn’t seem like the turbulent stormy sea it normally resembled. It was now a controlled chaos. Like that of an ocean one would see from the beach. Waves crashed. Tides moved in and out. But there was a rhythm to it. A controlled chaos.

“Marianne, you’re an arcanist, but you’re not just an arcanist. Please keep that in mind.”

Marianne paused for a moment, back facing Mariana and head turned slightly to the side. There was a silence between them, broken only by the sigh of wind stirring through the leaves. It stretched on for perhaps a moment too long.

“Good day, Mariana. I appreciated our chat.” The answer was curt and hollow. All the vulnerability she had expressed mere moments ago had been replaced by the familiar walls of steel.

Turning her sights forward, Marianne marched onward.

“Y-You too!”

Mariana replied, taking a step towards the other. Being late summer, a few leaves fluttered down and were carried between the two parties, gently ushered away by the wind as if they were interrupting the two’s final words.

“Let’s talk again soon, okay?”

Mariana watched them cross the threshold, entering the building. It was as if the doorway disappeared, replaced by the aforementioned wall of steel. Her desperate attempt to keep dialogues open so she could talk to her in the future. Mariana, having crossed the line for mere moments, understood the severity of the situation. She could only hope the other party would at least put up with further conversation, if nothing else.
 
Mariana & Valerie
Mariana's Music Mishap​
Location: Music room
Time: Late evening
Interaction(s): Collab with Verite Verite
Link: Mariana's voice claim & song being sung

It was late evening when Mariana left her room carrying her guitar case. Crimson held the other equipment that was needed for their event tonight. Mainly a laptop, a microphone, a physical mixer, and more. It was often the case that Mariana left her room late at night everytime a new project like this came up. She wasn’t exactly a fan of people watching her sing or play her instrument. Though Crimson had helped alleviate it some, she still wasn’t a fan of people watching her. Well, she didn’t like the idea of it really. She didn’t mind Crimson, so perhaps she wouldn’t mind others? But it was still embarrassing. Plus, depending on who found her, they might figure her out. Then she would have to hope they would be willing to keep her secret.

This was all so stressful…

Up until the door to the music room was shut, and she was safe.

She flipped the lights on and set down her case while Crimson set down the other items. The next few minutes were spent setting up the equipment, warming her voice up, then tuning her guitar, until everything was perfect.

“The chorus was what needed work, right?”

“Yeah, you said you felt like your voice was too scratchy the day you recorded it. We’re basically just re-recording everything you got last time.”

“Okay…”

A breath, then a few seconds of silence, followed by a bass guitar, then a voice.

“Are you falling in love? I have a feeling you are… Are you falling in love with a feeling?”

However, her voice carried further than usual, thanks to Crimson not closing the door to the music room all the way…

Not so far away, Valerie Vu idly explored the campus, leisurely strolling about with her hands folded behind her back.

Insomnia tended to hit her at random times. It was most common in the Summer, when the outside heat was most likely to seep into her room and make it too hot for her to sleep in. And it wasn’t like she could ever have a good night’s sleep if she didn’t have the weight of a nice thick blanket over her, so here she was, wandering through the empty halls with an uncommonly placid expression on her face, one that she by design didn’t let many others see.

And then she perked her head up as she could almost swear she could hear something off in the distance. Furrowing her brow curiously, the pink-haired girl ventured forward as the sound gradually got louder, eventually identified in her mind as singing accompanied by music. Was someone else up and about? Who could that be, and why at this time of night?

Curiously marching toward the music room, taking notice of the door that wasn’t closed all the way, Valerie gingerly poked her head through the small crack. She could vaguely see two presences inside, but was unable to make out who exactly they are. Standing there for an extra moment as she concentrated on the voice, Valerie’s eyes widened curiously as she managed to clock… was that Mariana?

Carefully, Val opened the door just a tad more and braved to step inside, her interest piqued as she found a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She made no noise as she stepped in, wanting to let the shy girl finish this song uninterrupted. That girl always looked so uneasy and anxious whenever they were out and about, but in the midst of singing, Valerie couldn’t help but notice she looked more… relaxed. She liked that look on Mariana’s face. It suited her well.

So she continued to listen along, standing in plain view for as long as she would go unnoticed by her or Crimson, taking in as much of the song as she would be allowed to.

Unfortunately, Valerie wouldn’t get to enjoy it for very long. Crimson had seen her as soon as Valerie peered through the crack, but she didn’t pay the girl any mind. She simply leaned against the wall and watched Mariana sing, her arms crossed and a bored look on her face. Mariana, however, had her eyes closed as she sung, and would continue through the first chorus.

“Yeah, woah… nah nah… Yeah woah…”

Before her eyes parted enough to see someone else in the room with her besides Crimson that she physically jumped, tripped over the cord that connected her guitar to the laptop, and fell backwards, right onto her rump.

“Ow owowow…”

She mumbled, one hand holding her guitar to keep it safe from the fall, and the other on her now bruised bottom as she sat there.

“Crimson! Why didn’t you say someone was here!?”

Mariana whined.

“Because you were doing so well. It would have been fine if you didn’t open your eyes.”

Mariana simply let out a whine to convey how disappointed with the current situation she was.

“Besides, I told you you wouldn’t be able to keep the secret forever. Someone would eventually stumble upon you.”

“H-How long were you there?”

Mariana asked Valerie shyly, not meeting her gaze.

Valerie couldn’t help but give a sheepish smile, mildly embarrassed for being found out as if she wasn’t the one who just tripped and fell on her butt. Scratching her head idly, she waved toward Crimson in acknowledgement before walking over to Mariana, leaning down and offering her a hand up.

“O-Oh, not long! Like, just a few seconds,” she said, maintaining her signature smile. “I just didn’t wanna interrupt or anything, you just looked like you were having a good time!”

Of course, now that she was deeper in the room, it only just occurred to her how truly curious it was that she’d find someone like Mariana in a place like this.

“Um, speaking of, what is all this anyway? Looks like stuff I’d see at a concert or something,” Valerie went on, keeping a light and friendly tone as she spoke. “I didn’t know you liked to sing. That’s really cool! Are you like, recording all this for something?” She asked.

Come to think of it, Valerie subtly realized that she didn’t really know much about Mariana. Val had wanted to befriend everyone here as best as she could, and it happened more organically and easily with some of the others, but with someone as withdrawn as Mariana, she knew that she’d have to lock in just for her. Now was her chance!

“Oh, th-thank you…”

Mariana said, taking her hand and standing up with the help of the other. But her face was beet red, totally embarrassed. Not only about her fall, but about being found singing her heart out and Valerie questioning the other stuff in the room.

“U-Uhm, I-I was…”

She admitted, looking down at her hands, which her index fingers bounced off one another. Her guitar hung there on her shoulder sling.

“R-Recording??”

She looked around at her recording stuff but still made the choice to deny it.

“W-What? N-No, not at all! I’m uhm…”

Mariana frantically searched for an excuse.

“Uh, C-Crimson made me do it! Yeah!”

“...Really..? That’s the best you could come up with?”

Mariana sighed.

“Y-Yeah, I’m recording it…”

Valerie maintained her friendly smile even as Mariana floundered for some way to deny this whole situation, waiting for her to inevitably accept that she couldn’t worm her way out of this. Her eyes beamed with delight once she admitted to it, as if she had finally managed to unlock a new secret she’d never known about Mariana until now.

“Oh, that’s so cool! Do you like, upload it to the Internet or something? You’re definitely more than good enough to show off!” She said, shaking her fists enthusiastically, stars almost seeming to shine in her eyes on the other girl’s behalf.

“I always wanted to get really good at an instrument. My dad tried to get me to learn something like piano or violin when I was little, but I couldn’t stick to it so he just gave up after a while,” she idly said with a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her head as her words seemed to escape her train of thought.

“I mean, I really like singing though! Gosh, how long has it been since I’d been to karaoke? Way too long!” Val went on, before focusing her attention back on Mariana.

“Maybe we should arrange a karaoke night sometime, as a class. I think you’d be able to give me a run for my money at least,” she continued, flashing a toothy grin, before her expression abruptly became more serious and concerned.

“Why do you do all this in the dead of night though? You were so good! I bet everyone else would love to hear your music too! … Or like, did everyone else already know? I’m not the last one to know again, am I?! Like with Crimson!” Valerie exclaimed, drolly remembering her formal introduction to the familiar.

“Uhm… W-well kinda…”

Mariana admitted sheepishly to Valerie’s first question. Her cheeks burned a deeper shade of red as Valerie went on. But seeing how excited the other seemed and how she complimented Mariana made her feel better. No one ever complimented her like this. No one was ever this excited for her or on her behalf. It was actually really nice… She listened as Valerie talked about her own experience with an instrument. She could see why Valerie couldn’t stick to it. She seemed too energetic, the pink haired girl probably got bored of sitting still learning something so time consuming. The thought made her suppress a laugh. But then it came around full circle again, back to her and her reason for all of this.

“N-No, no, nothing like that. You’re the first this time…”

Mariana started to fidget with her hands, looking down at them nervously.

“I-It’s part of my job, but no one is supposed to know who I am. I have to keep my online persona separate from who I am in real life.”

Mariana explained.

“S-So I need you to keep it a secret, and promise to keep it a secret!”

She grabbed Valerie’s arms and basically pleaded with her.

“Oh, really? Well, I’m honored to be your first!” Valerie exclaimed with a wide grin, the double entendre in her words not lost on her, genuinely happy to be the first to find out about this whole affair, even if it was all unintentional.

Still, for all her energy and bluster, Valerie blinked with mild surprise as Mariana grabbed her arms urgently. She didn’t wholly get it, why it had to be a secret and what the consequences would be if word got out, but she respected Mariana’s desires without missing a beat, giving an affirmative nod with a wide smile.

“Well, okay then! If that’s what you want, your wish is my command!” She said, before a lightly mischievous smile curled upon her lips.

“Of course, my silence does come with a price…”

With those ominous words, she pulled her arms back, before just as quickly clasping Mariana’s hands in her own. “I wanna be able to hang out with you more often! Set up something like a girls’ day out! Maybe grab lunch, do some window shopping, help you come out of your shell. I really wanna get to know you better, Mariana! I think I’ve taken way too long to get around to you, and that’s totally on me! What do you say?”

Maintaining her smile with equal energy, she nodded toward Crimson as well, looking toward her. “Crimson’s invited too, of course! I really need to get a better picture of what exactly your deal is!” She exclaimed good-naturedly.

Mariana’s whole face turned red when Valerie said she was honored to be Mariana’s first. Did she have to word it that way?! She shook her head, trying to clear it and reset herself mentally somewhat. She was so frazzled and discombobulated with how high energy Valerie was! She was relieved when the girl at least promised to keep it a secret though. She let out a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed a bit. It was unlikely Valerie even knew who she was. She didn’t seem like the kind to be online all the time. She would have to piece together who Mariana was online for the secret to even be threatened. But it’s not like it would be super difficult. Voices were very recognizable after all.

“A-A price?”

She echoed in a small, squeaky voice. Was this going to turn out like those TV shows or anime? Was Valerie going to blackmail her?! Already, the worst was running through her mind and she shut her eyes tightly as if everything would just go away if she did so. But she felt Valerie’s hands grab her own, making her face go red once again, and she opened up her eyes. She didn’t like how Valerie always seemed to encroach on her personal space. Though once Valerie explained, Mariana was once again relieved.

“Y-You scared me Val… I-If it’s just hanging out, I guess that’s fine…”

Mariana replied with a nod. Though it was more for herself, to convince herself it would be fine.

“I mean, I don’t have a choice.”

Crimson spoke up. She was tied to Mariana, so it’s not like she couldn’t partake in whatever activities the two would get up to.

“Besides, she should have more than just me getting her out of her shell.”

“W-What? You too? I thought you were on my side?”

“I am on your side.”

Crimson said, annoyed.

“I’m glad my terms are acceptable then. It’s a date!” Valerie said, once again giving a wide grin as Mariana agreed to her so-called price.

She chose to take Mariana’s reluctance in stride; Valerie didn’t want to drag people around and make them do things they didn’t want to, but if she was allowed to be an armchair psychologist about this sort of thing, she figured Mariana was the kind of introvert who didn’t wholly like being one, but just needed a push in the right direction to help them get out of their shell.

Finally letting go of Mariana’s hands, Val folded her arms behind her back, her gaze turning a bit more bashful just as she spoke again.

“Now then! While I’m here, I figure I may as well ask… if it’s okay if I can stay a little while longer. I really wanna hear the rest of that song you were singing! But, you know, only if it’s okay with you! Whaddya say?”

“D-d-d-date??”

Mariana asked, shocked and worried all over again. Her face turned red once more and she looked like her brain had crashed.

“You should take anything she says with a grain of salt, you know. She’s teasing you.”

Mariana let out a sigh of relief once more. All this emotional whiplash she was getting was really draining her. She wasn’t sure how she would make it through a day hanging out with Valerie, let alone the rest of their current interaction!

“Uhm, I-I don’t know if I’ll be as good with someone listening and expecting me to do good. I can try, j-just don’t expect it to be as good as last time, okay?”

Mariana said, grabbing the guitar in her hands, and standing up straight.

Valerie had been holding herself back all this time, but seeing Mariana’s latest reaction to her playful words was the final straw as the pink-haired girl let out a good-natured laugh, erupting into giggles for a good few seconds before calming down just as quickly, letting Crimson explain what was really going on here.

To the girl’s latter words, Valerie shook her head, maintaining her cheerful demeanor. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Just pretend I’m not even here if that helps!” She said, taking a few steps back now to give Mariana some space as she prepared to play again.

“I’m sure you’ll be dazzling,” she said, snapping her fingers as she said that last word, using her anima to light a spark that shone through the air, before eventually fizzling out.

“After all, you’re like a rising star. And who else but a good audience to bear witness to its splendor?” Valerie grinned.

“I-It doesn’t work like that for me. I can’t just pretend something like that.”

Mariana replied. If that wouldn’t work, what else could she do? Had anyone in her past given her any advice? When she was young, her parents told her to envision everyone in their underwear, but… Well, that would be weird any way she looked at it now. She couldn’t think of anything really, so she would have to just try and push through. She raised her hands and slapped herself gently on the cheeks. It wouldn’t be hard. Just sing like normal. The compliments Valerie was throwing her way helped her feel better, but also further embarrassed her.

“I-I’m nothing like that… I have some attention and subscribers, but only like 200…”

She trailed off, mumbling so Valerie couldn’t hear her very well.

“Hmm? What was that?” Val blinked as she indeed struggled to hear what Mariana had just said, maintaining a thin yet bright smile, needing to take an extra moment to register what Mariana had said through her mumbling.

“Oh, you have fans online? That makes sense! I’d be so stoked if a whole two hundred people thought I was good enough at something that they’d wanna subscribe and hear more!” She exclaimed, but for once, reeled herself back, not wanting to ramble on aimlessly like she tended to.

“Um, I dunno, what do people say in a time like this…?” Valerie murmured to herself, massaging her temples with her index fingers, before looking up at Mariana again.

“Just play for whoever you want! You could play for yourself, like you’re the only person in the world, because you’re the only person who matters here and now!” She exclaimed, trying to pick out words of encouragement like she was plucking them straight out of a manga, but she still meant it with her heart.

“Or if it’s like a completely different process that way, imagine a whole audience that you’re playing for. All two hundred of your fans who came out wanting to cheer you on! How about that?” Valerie asked, before giving a wink.

“Well, two hundred and one now. And still counting.”

“Uh, n-no, not two hundred…”

She mumbled still but spoke up a little bit more.

“T-Two hundred thousand… B-But enough about that. Thanks for your words of encouragement Val, I can do this.”

It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than Valerie.

“T-Two hundred thousand?!”

Valerie yelped out as Mariana clarified the number. Well, of course, that was much bigger than she expected. Had she been going to magic school with a bona fide celebrity the entire time and never knew it?!

Still, it seemed that whatever she’d said earlier was enough to calm Mariana down, so Val easily got over her initial shock and gave an encouraging thumbs up, excited to get along with her own little private show. Well, now that she knew that many people were fans of hers, she couldn’t help but feel even more now like this was a privilege that others would kill for!

“Any time! Just do your best and sing your heart out!”

“R-Right…”

Mariana replied. She knew that she could stand here and put it off all night by talking to Valerie. Which is exactly why she was trying to just get it done and over with, even if she really didn’t want to right now. The room was silent now. Her guitar pick was held tightly between her fingers, and it hung suspended just above the strings. Mariana was silent for a moment, then took a breath in.
 
Stance Change
(Collab with Yakov011001 Yakov011001 )​

“Alright, bruv. You an’ me, time to get to work.”

It was pretty late at night, and it kinda had to be for them to use the sparring room in the way they wanted. Nikklaüs couldn’t say he was surprised to have been asked for advice on hand-to-hand, especially not surprised that Cobalt was the one to ask him for help. He understood Cobalt’s sentiments about his performance at the asylum, and so he’d made it his job to make sure Cobalt got to wherever he thought he needed to be: physically at least. But the whole ‘no sparring without supervision’ was rather unnecessarily restrictive for him, so they just snuck in. They hadn’t been stopped in the three or so minutes they’d been there, so maybe it was safe?

“I want t’know where you’re at right now, so I want you to come at me. No Anima Artes for either of us, but amplification if you can manage it.”

“Right.”, came Cobalt’s reply. He stood a few meters away from Nikklaüs, getting mentally ready for the impromptu sparring session. “I’d rather not use physical amplification; Mr. Jaquie made it pretty clear that we shouldn’t use this on others right away. And I think we already broke enough rules by coming here this late and unsupervised.”, he added with a slight chuckle. Sneaking in the sparring room wasn’t something he thought he’d actually do but a part of him couldn’t help but think that this was the best time.

At that, Nikklaüs dipped down a small bit from his legs spreading into a steadier stance. He held a rather linear line pointed towards Cobalt as his arms settled into a particular stance. It was a stance he didn’t hold very often despite being the default stance for his default arts: right arm settled parallel to his hip palm-up, his left arm coming up to point elbow first at Cobalt and coiled back almost poking his own neck with his thumb. Nikklaüs wasn’t normally so strict in holding this fairly rigid and tight stance, but he was supposed to be setting an example.

“I suppose you’re right. On you.”

Nodding, Cobalt raised his arms, adopting an amateur-ish fighting stance, nowhere near as distinct as Nikklaüs’; his body was slightly angled sideways, arms raised for defense, his right arm closer to his body than his left, knees bent and legs spread out. From a glance, one would be able to tell that Cobalt at least had some minor experience in martial arts.

He took a brief moment to analyze Nikklaüs’ stance, though figured that now wasn’t a good time to stay idle and think. “Alright, let’s begin.” Steadying his stance, Cobalt lunged forward, using his right foot like a spring, and aimed for a jab at Nikklaüs’ left side, which seemed the most unguarded at first glance.

See, that was the funny thing about taking the offensive on Nikklaüs. You kind of couldn’t, not unless you were a fucking maniac of a powerhouse like Jaquie was. Nikklaüs had built his entire career as a fighter on his unbreakable defense, so getting opened up by a jab seemed out of the question. He was just able to detect Cobalt’s intentions and backstep just out of the jab’s range before mounting an attack of his own to take advantage of the recovery. He didn’t expect to get a clean hit on Cobalt, the jab being such a non-committal option that it was difficult to whiff punish. Instead Nikklaüs aimed to use this first strike as a way to open up his guard. Pivoting on his forwarded left foot, he brought right fist forward in a straight that threatened to absolutely annihilate Cobalt’s solar-plexus if he didn’t answer this properly.

Of course, Cobalt didn’t expect a paltry jab to have any kind of meaningful effect on an obviously experienced fighter like Nikklaüs. He wanted to test the waters, see exactly what he was up against.

While Cobalt went for a safe play with his jab, Nikklaüs went immediately for game, forcing Cobalt to raise his arms to defend his front. Fist made contact with his forearms, and Cobalt winced at the raw power behind Nikklaüs’ straight. “We did say no amplification, right?” He feared the answer, yet felt the need to confirm.

That said, he didn’t want to give his opponent the opportunity to press the offensive, so Cobalt quickly opened up his guard and went with a front kick with his right leg. He wasn’t quite flexible enough yet to reach higher than Nikklaüs’ belt so he instead aimed for the right thigh, above the knee.

A leg kick? That was solid targeting and threat assessment from Cobalt, to try and limit Nikklaüs’ mobility. However, it was a maneuver he didn’t seem confident in, and it didn’t help that he was sacrificing his guard to do it. Nikklaüs tightened his stance for a fraction of a second, lifting his left leg with the motion. With a stomp, he pushed his leg back out in a motion that parried Cobalt’s kick. If he had gone for anything more than a front kick, that shit would’ve hurt Cobalt a lot more. It gave Nikklaüs an interesting thought. Before that though, it was time to punish him for the opening he gave him.

Nikklaüs was already perfectly set up for it, his left leg positioned just behind Cobalt’s right heel on the inside of his stance from the kick he’d parried just before. Pivoting counter-clockwise on his right foot, he pulled his left leg back and took Cobalt’s right leg with him in a motion that destabilized his stance before taking his right hand and simply pushing Cobalt’s chest in a motion that sent him to the floor.

Then he was just there, standing over Cobalt with an intense look. A thinking look.

“Alright, alright.” He made a time out motion with his hands. “Break. Hold on.” Nikklaüs took a step back, his hand coming up to his chin in contemplation before—”Oh, right. Sorry about that, Cobalt.” He leaned down and offered him a hand up.

It had taken Cobalt a few moments to process Nikklaüs’ counterattack. The cold floor tickled his back and neck -ah, he was on the ground. “Whoa. Nothing to worry about.”, he spoke up, taking his opponent’s hand and getting up. “Those were great moves. I know I’m not exactly the most experienced combatant but I didn’t expect to meet the floor that quickly.” He crossed his arms after dusting himself off, noticing the look in Nikklaüs’ eyes. “What are you thinking about?”

After helping Cobalt off the floor, Nikklaüs brought his right hand up to rub his scrunched up forehead as he spoke.

“Your strikes,” He started but paused between each phrase as if in an attempt to figure out what comes after. “Are too direct.”

Cobalt had only been on the offensive twice, only two strikes. Both of them in a straight line that connected the two of them. It was not very much different to his own fighting style, but Bajiquan was designed for high single target damage: that was Nikklaüs’ MO. Not something Cobalt was built for.

“This isn’t like the combat sports I’m so familiar with. I could just teach you my style, but that’s not what we’re here for. We need something that supplements your primary weapon: your Anima. Of course, I’m nothing if not eclectic, so I’ve got something to show you.”

“Hmm, I think I understand...”, the blue-haired boy pondered with a hum. “I suppose I’m already used to direct attacks having an effect.” To accentuate his point, he activated his Anima Art, cloaking his body in a layer of gentle, yet dangerous flames. “With this power, it should in theory be optimal for me to take the most direct route -simple contact with my opponent, whether I’m the one attacking or defending, is enough to deal damage. But then again...” The flames dissipated with a sigh from Cobalt. “I don’t want to use this as an excuse to be overconfident. We both know what happened last time.”

That said, Cobalt had a curious gaze aimed at Nikklaüs, silently urging him to continue with what he wanted to show.

“Therein lies the issue. Come stand next to me, follow my movements.” Nikklaüs directed him with a finger before quietly settling into a stance. Well, stance maybe wasn’t the right word for it. “Being direct isn’t meant for you, not like it is me,” Nikklaüs started swaying back and forth, his words taking the rhythm of that sway. “You’re our dedicated crowd control specialist, and you can’t control a crowd if you’re just attacking one target in a straight line. Lightning Bolt and Fireball are the same spell, but there’s a reason why Fireball is much more famous.” He added, hoping his D&D reference would land. In his sway, Nikklaüs alternated which foot his weight was on, throwing the other leg behind him before switching off. His arms swinging back and forth with the motion. “You need to spread those flames as much as you can. I’m sure you’ve heard of Capoeira?”

“Heh, I didn’t take you for a D&D nerd.” Cobalt huffed in amusement as he walked next to Nikklaüs to repeat his movements, swaying his body and switching his weight between his two feet. “I know of capoeira, yes. Although I believe many think of it as more of a dance than a martial art.” His brows furrowed in realization after a few moments. “... With amplification, I think we could make a much better use of the style’s movements.”, he pondered out loud. “I think I know where you’re going with this.”

“Right,” Nikklaüs demonstrated some basic movements in the form: some deep spinning back kicks, a shallow cartwheel for repositioning, a low sweep. “Get your artes up, I want to see how far out you can get your flames. Think about your balance, where your center of gravity is as you strike,” He demonstrated the spinning back kicks again. “Watch how far back I lean to make sure I’m not spilling out onto the floor from my own momentum.” Keeping to the form, he used in-style movement to back away from Cobalt: allowing him the freedom of going ablaze without cooking Klaüs’ soul.

Following Nikklaüs’ movements, Cobalt tried his best to mimic them, spinning his body to deliver a few clumsy kicks (almost losing his balance in the process). “I should’ve expected the level of dexterity needed to do those moves to be high...”, he mumbled to himself.

Regaining his equilibrium, he focused his anima within his body and conjured his flaming cloak, which surrounded his body like a fiery blanket. He didn’t launch any projectiles, as he wanted to get a feel of the movements while concentrating on his active Art. Instead, he performed a few cartwheels and half-hazarded kicks -Nikklaüs would notice the flames slightly stretching with Cobalt’s momentum during his movements. Of course, he was still uncoordinated in his spins and strikes, almost falling on a few occasions so this was far from being classified as useful in combat.

Stopping for a moment, Cobalt looked at his hand, closing his fist and experimenting with a quick jab forward. He hummed as he watched the flame briefly stretch out of his normal reach before resuming its regular shape, coating his body. “Hm, not the progress I was expecting, but still progress.”

“We’ve only a few weeks until the evaluation, but you have your whole career as an Arcanist to make this work. Have confidence in what you can do now, and you’ll be able to get through this no problem. Especially since you’ve got me in your corner to back you up!”

“I already feel a lot better, knowing that there’s ample room to grow before the Rank II test.”, Cobalt said as his flaming cloak dissipated. “How about you? Feeling confident?”

Cobalt always did ask the best questions. Probably not, right? It took three of them to gank a single Rank I, and they were still getting dunked on pretty hard. Worst part was, it took almost full loss of Nikklaüs’ control to find the strength he needed to pull ahead.

“That’s not my decision,” Is what he settled on. “I have to be confident! If I’m not, who’s going to be?” He pumped his fist, slapping his bicep the same way he did that day at the Asylum to get Cobalt pumped up then. “You’ve seen it. Mariana, Marianne, Leander, you. These recent days you’ve been struggling, and we can’t be having that. Not without me to wrangle you up and get you guys to see what’s important. Sometimes all it takes is a stance change, don’t you think?”

“Mhhh, what happened to spite being the ultimate motivator?”, Cobalt pondered, scratching his chin whilst giving Nikklaüs a knowing look. “Well, I prefer that.”, he shrugged, lips curling into a small smile.

He felt a wave of fatigue go through him -predictable, considering this spontaneous late-night training session. “Hey, Nikklaüs?”, Cobalt spoke up again, raising his fist toward the other boy as an invitation for a fist bump. “Thanks a lot for the help. I really appreciate it. Let’s all pass this test.”

“You don’t gotta tell me, bruv. Let’s hit this shit!” Nikklaüs reciprocated the fist bump with fervor. “And by the end of it, I don’t doubt you’ll be right there with me: we’ll be the ultimate motivators!”
 
When Introverts Talk
(Collab with November Witch November Witch )​

Mariana and Crimson were in the training room. Though it was later in the evening. Usually when the others were eating dinner or getting ready for bed is when Mariana and Crimson would venture out. Mariana wanted to avoid groups of people being here. She didn’t mind if there were one or two people. But when there were groups, or people were competing or sparring, she found it too chaotic and stuffy for her, even if the room was technically endless. With a bluetooth speaker on the ground, Mariana started with some stretches to get her muscles ready before moving into her cardio, and running large circles. With no place of reference besides the door to the room and the speaker, she would jog back and forth between them.

Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a sports bra with a black crop top shirt over it with purple yoga pants and a purple sweatband around her forehead as she jogged from the door to her speaker and back. It was somewhere around 100ft, and she was on her 5th trip between the two before she started to show signs of slowing down a bit. She wasn’t the fastest, but she did have a good amount of stamina.

Crimson was farther away so she didn’t accidentally hit or hurt Mariana, and was practicing the things most other students would be. Refined sight, amplification, and the other anima basics most of the students had been working on, along with her normal demonic abilities. Like throwing a multi-ton anchor as far as she could, and working on controlling as many tendrils as she could as precisely as she could.

Cobalt had quickly eaten this day -while he was normally one to take his time, he’s been acting more hastily for some time now. Ever since the Rank II advancement exam was announced, he put in a lot of effort into training and getting stronger. His motivation was such that he spent a lot more time in the training room. He had struggled a little with physical amplification and he wanted to remedy that. Ironically enough, he still had a lot of trouble suppressing his anima, but while it was embarrassing to still have this problem, he figured that it would be more worthwhile to train both his body and Anima Art instead in preparation for the examination.

Having planned this little training session in advance, Cobalt had ditched his usual jacket, leaving him only in his tee-shirt and a pair of black gym shorts. He adjusted the small ponytail behind his head and went to open the door, momentarily stopping as he heard something on the other side. “... Vocaloid...?”, he mumbled, blinking as he didn’t expect to hear that kind of music.

Still, that didn’t stop him from stepping inside, now curious to see who else was training.

“Oh, Mariana and Crimson.” Not who he would expect, with that music. “Uh, hello, you two. Looks like we had the same idea to come and train, huh?”, he said, managing a small smile. He walked inside the training area, though he kept his distance, not wanting to burst into their personal space. It felt a little awkward as he hadn’t really interacted with either of them before. Mariana seemed sweet but Crimson was intimidating.

“Oh, Cobalt, h-hi.”

Mariana said, near the door as he entered. She ran in place and gave him a little wave. Crimson was far away, and whether she didn’t hear or didn’t care was unclear. But she spared no glances in their direction.

“Do you need us to move? Or should I turn my music down?”

“Oh, no, no, don’t worry.”, Cobalt waved his hands in front of him. “You were here before me and, well, we have plenty of room to spare anyway.”, he added with a small chuckle, gesturing to the infinite expanse all around them.

“No need to turn down the music. Makes me think of some old playlists of mine.”

“I-I guess you’re right.”

She chuckled awkwardly as he pointed out that fact.

“J-Just let me know then. I know not alot of people like this kind of music.”

She admitted. While she enjoyed all kinds of music, vocaloid held a special place in her heart. It was one of the first genres of music she really started to like. It actually shaped alot of her future likes and, in a way, guided her into who she is today. Being introduced to anime, computers, programming, VTubers, games. It decided alot of her hobbies and what she spent her time doing today actually.

“It is a bit of a peculiar genre, to be fair.”, the boy pondered as he stroked his chin. “Hmm, can’t say I remember many song titles... World is Mine and Just be Friends come to mind.” He shrugged. “But play whatever you want, I really am a fan of anything, music-wise.”

Remembering why he was here in the first place, he started doing some stretches, only stopping momentarily after a few short moments. “... Maybe except things like death metal.”, he added with an amused smile. “Too loud and too much screaming.”

“Yeah, those are classics.”

Mariana said with a smile, still running in place. Having been doing cardio for a fair amount of time before Cobalt showed up, her breathing was pretty heavy. But she seemed to be keeping up decently with the conversation.

“Don’t worry about that, death metal definitely isn’t something I’m fond of. Nothing like that should come up.”

“We’ll get along just fine, then.” He blinked, doing a double take. “-Well, not that we wouldn’t if you liked it.”

... Yeah, that was awkward. Good job, Cobalt.

Swiftly changing the subject, he glanced at Crimson, humming at the sight of the demon training with her tendrils and other material they’ve learned in class. “Out of curiosity, are you only doing physical training?”, he asked Mariana, turning back to face her.

“I-It’s okay, I know what you mean…”

Mariana chuckled awkwardly.

“Uhm, y-yeah…”

Her gaze seemed to falter for a moment, showing some sadness, but Mariana quickly blinked it away.

“For some reason I can’t use any anima. Only Crimson can. I-I’m pretty much just a normal powerless girl like this.”

“Ah, I see... I believe the term is Null?”, Cobalt pondered, trying to remember his study sessions with Marianne. “That actually explains a lot. I feel a little stupid for not realizing sooner...” He stopped his stretches for a moment, adjusting his ponytail.

“I know Crimson was the one piloting during the quiz but I thought it was only a lack of confidence blocking you. Err, sorry for assuming.”

“N-No, it’s fine. I’m not quite null, because I have an anima art. It’s what trapped Crimson within me. So I should be able to use anima, but I can’t. It’s Crimson who can.”

Mariana explained. She didn’t seem upset or anything by what Cobalt said. It was the truth. She would have asked Crimson to take over if she hadn’t initially done so. But there was also the fact that the test was held on the weekend, so Mariana hadn’t been expecting it. Meaning she had slept for barely 4 hours before being awakened to participate in it. Crimson had simply been in control to let Mariana rest. Well, up until she realized the test would revolve around combat and fighting.

“I’m not quite sure why, but that’s how it is. So physical training is kinda the only training I can do.”

“Hmm, that’s curious... Maybe your Art also transfers your capabilities to Crimson...? No, that doesn’t make sense...” The boy stroked his chin in thought. If it were something so simple, he was pretty sure Jaquie or even Crimson herself would’ve said something about it.

“I mean, physical training is great.” Mr. Jaquie did say that amplification multiplied the user’s physical capabilities, after all. “Demon or not, Crimson would need to use your body.”

“I... didn’t do as great as I’d have wanted during the first amplification class so I figured I’d need to shape up my body. Setting myself on fire all the time to deal with the opposition doesn’t always work, apparently.” He let out a quiet laugh at his last comment, remembering his battle against the Rank I back at the asylum.

“I’m really not sure how it works myself. But Jaquie helps train Crimson. So I’m sure he has things under control.”

Mariana would reply.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I could charge into enemies even if I could set myself on fire. I’d be too frightened. I admire you, and everyone else’s bravery… I could never do things like that…”

She said, looking a little saddened as she said this, her jogging in place slowed even more. It looked like she was getting to the end of what she could handle, cardio-wise.

“I appreciate the compliment, but I can’t say I was particularly brave.”, Cobalt with a barely-audible sigh. “Going in with both Nikklaüs and Valerie helped get rid of the insecurities I had, but that ‘bravery’ was mostly overconfidence, if I’m being honest.”

Focusing for a small moment, he lit his body aflame, wine-colored fire smoothly covering his body like gentle waves. “I’d been able to kill the Rank I demons -those we fought on our very first day, just by cloaking myself like that and letting them touch me. I assumed the asylum quiz would’ve been as easy. I didn’t even think for one moment that some Rank I’s would be more powerful than others.”

“W-We already dealt with those on the first day p-pretty easily. It wouldn’t be much of a t-test if we just fought them again..”

Mariana pointed out, finally stopping her in place jog and leaning over with her hands on her knees. It made sense to her that things would be immensely different between their first day of class and their first test.

“B-But things are probably gonna be alot different for me and Crimson…”

She paused to continue catching her breath.

“W-With that curse we had put on us… W-We need to be real careful now.”

Cobalt gave a small, sheepish nod at Mariana’s comment about the rising difficulty between tests. Of course things would become increasingly challenging, yet he had let himself become blinded by the concept of ranks without assuming variations in strength within a single rank.

“I’m not too sure what the details are about this curse but I’m sure it’ll work out if we all help each other out. O-Oh, I’m distracting you from your training, aren’t I...?”, he awkwardly added, glancing away and scratching his temple. “Sorry, I realized we’ve never really talked before and it would be very awkward if I just ignored you.”

“I mean, you guys will be fine. At least, I think so. Me and Crimson were the target.”

She said, starting to catch her breath again. She waved a hand as Cobalt continued.

“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t mind. I should probably be taking a break anyways.”

She stood up straight again, stretching her arms upwards.

“I meant with, err, our studies in general.”, Cobalt corrected himself. “I’m sure many of us would be willing to help out with this curse if we could.” He pondered for a few moments, scratching the back of his head, before continuing as he felt this was a more sensitive matter. “I think you’ve had it a bit rougher than most of us -at the beginning, at least. We were all still pretty confused about the whole anima thing, as well as you being possessed.”

He paused, trying to find his words, his expression neutral. “Err, this is a bit awkward since we don’t know each other that much but what I’m trying to say is; no need to distance yourself if you have problems. Crimson looks like she’s helping you a ton but I doubt she can solve everything for you. Uh, I think.”, he added, glancing at the aforementioned demon as she kept on training some distance away from the duo. Talking this much felt strange as he was usually the one ‘uh-huh’ing when Valerie talked to him about this and that. And with Mariana being much more passive, he couldn’t really do that.

Mariana patiently listened as Cobalt went on, but sort of annoyed her, what he said near the end. He wasn’t the only one to say something like that. That she could stop distancing herself from others. That she could get help from the others and come to them. It’s not like she tried distancing herself. She was just an introvert, and that was all there was to it. As for going to others for help, she was still hurt from the first day. No one had done anything to try and help her. So why would she go out of her way to get help from them? Jaquie and Crimson were good at helping her. She was just still being cautious. It would take time to mend that rift, and build that trust again. It kinda made her want to tune out from the rest of the conversation.

“Right…”

“... Err...” Cobalt blankly stared forward at the simple answer directed toward him. What could he even reply to that? Did he say something wrong? Maybe he really was distracting her and she didn’t want to tell him?

“Um, okay. I’ll, uh, leave you to your training, then. I have to remember I also came here for that.” In a very awkward manner, Cobalt slowly turned heels to walk a bit further away. His stretches were already done, and now he only needed to get on with his program; a run, many sets of push-ups, crunches and all that of those classic exercises. No better way to get in shape and maximize the use of physical amplification!

Still, he couldn’t help but stop a few times to ponder on his earlier interaction. Talking really was difficult, sometimes…

Mariana went back to her own exercises, a little more motivated now. Everyone thought she should lean on them and rely on them more? No, she wasn’t weak. She’d get stronger! She’d just have to get strong enough to show it…
 
Training Day - Cobalt and Valerie
Collab with Tiguidi Tiguidi ​

“Phew…”

Valerie let out a soft exhale as she sat on the hard floor of the gymnasium, doing some brief stretches to get warmed up while she waited for Cobalt to arrive, her leg extended all the way out while her hand stretched out as far as it could to touch her upright foot. The young woman was dressed in a sporty outfit, a light pink crop top and shorts that matched her hair in color. It wasn’t an outfit that she had on hand, but rather bought recently, because she may as well take any chance she could get to indulge herself and get some shopping in.

It wasn’t that Valerie was particularly lazy. Rather, she was just a bit scatterbrained, to put it delicately. She had never been good at focusing on anything even in the best of times, and even when something like anima training was a matter of life and death, she needed a partner in crime to keep her on track so she didn’t just give up after a few days. So, when Cobalt had approached her the other day asking if she’d be up to train together, she leapt at the chance, probably more than he was expecting in all honesty. Everything was more fun with friends, after all!

And so, Valerie showed up a few minutes early from the promised time. As flaky as some might have believed her to be, Valerie was actually rather good with punctuality, as her father had instilled in her since childhood the famous maxim; early is on time, on time is late. Or maybe she was just really, really eager to get the show on the road.

With that, she continued to perform her stretches while waiting for Cobalt, idly wondering how exactly they’d go about training and honing their abilities.

Now it didn’t seem in-character of Cobalt to be the one approaching Valerie, but when he heard that she hadn’t really spent any time training, instead lounging in her dorm in-between classes, he knew he had to do something. After seeing what she could do back during the asylum quiz, he didn’t want to risk her failing. After all, Roderick came back from an examination covered in blood and missing entire limbs -he hoped the Rank II test wouldn’t be as brutal but he wouldn’t take any chances.

“Sorry I’m a bit late!”, he let out as he came into view a few minutes later, seeming a little out of breath. The young man was wearing a simple light tee-shirt and plain black gym shorts, although what would be most notable is the large backpack that hung behind him. From the subtle clicking sounds coming from inside, it seemed that it was filled with many solid and heavy objects. ... Rocks...?

“I hope you’re ready. I thought of something fun that could benefit the both of us.”, he said, letting out a sigh of relief as he let the inflated backpack fall on the floor behind him. He tilted his head to the side, stretching his neck relieving himself of the tension the heavy bag had imposed on him. “Uh, well, first thing first; good morning.” Cobalt was usually a bit aloof in mannerism and somewhat bland in expression but he seemed strangely motivated and in high spirits today.

As she spotted Cobalt arriving onto the scene, Valerie smiled and regarded him warmly, standing up and hopping over to him, folding her arms behind her back.

“Morning! I’m excited to get this show on the road!” She announced, looking curiously at the backpack that he set down onto the floor with a heavy thud.

“Fun, huh? What’s all that you got in the bag? You didn’t put, like, dumbbells in there or anything, did you? I guess I could do with building some upper body strength, but I’ve always thought of my legs as my better features!” She exclaimed with a wry grin, slapping her toned legs playfully. A lot of window shopping walking did that for her.

Cobalt let out a soft laugh, crouching to open up the backpack. “While the image of you with a buff upper body is very amusing, your legs can keep the spotlight. Though maybe I’ll leave the dumbbells for next time.” That said, though, thanks to amplification, they’d probably need a lot of dumbbells to make things difficult. Thoughts for another time.

Digging into the bag, Cobalt fished out a pair of palm-sized rocks -two out of the many that filled the bag. “Our fun time is rocks.”, he stated with a faux-deadpan tone. “Uh, I didn’t find anything more convenient so I went with these.”, he quickly added with a more sheepish expression.

Oh, right. Valerie kept forgetting that amplification organically happened as their anima became stronger. Honestly, it almost felt like such a cheat code, to become so much stronger in every way without even having to work out for it. But then again, it wasn’t like they didn’t have to train at all. Just in a different way.

“Rocks?” Valerie asked, tilting her head with wide-eyed curiosity as Cobalt presented two of them to her. She stared blankly at them for a solid second, before eventually putting together the pieces.

“Oh, like accuracy training? I say “pull” and you throw ‘em in the air for me to blast, right?” She guessed, in reference to how people apparently practiced their shooting out in the open.

“Both accuracy and power, in your case.”, Cobalt corrected, throwing the rocks in the air a few times to test their weight. “For all I know, rocks will be too soft for your fireworks but that’s what I’d like to check.”

Of course, he knew Valerie’s Anima Art had more applications than just fireworks, but he’d rather proceed one step at a time.

“I’d personally prefer to have you blast moving targets than try and figure out how long it’d take you to blind a person, aka, me.”, he added with soft chortle.

“Ehe, fair enough. I guess it wouldn’t do me that much good if you just set a soda can stationary on a rock for me to try to snipe,” she chuckled, mentally preparing herself for when Cobalt would start tossing the rocks.

“What about you? It’s only fair if I try to help you hone your fire too, not that I really know how to go about that. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that again either,” Val went on, though the latter sentence slipped out of her lips without her really meaning to.

A wave of awkwardness washed over her the moment she said that. Honestly, that wasn’t something she’d really wanted to bring up again, even if they never had a chance before to talk about it. Not that there was much to talk about. It was just an accident. One that really hurt, but these things couldn’t be helped, right?

“Uh, ahem. Anyway, ready when you are!”

Cobalt’s grip on the small stones unconsciously got tighter when Valerie mentioned the burning incident. Even though he knew it was an accident, it was obvious he still held a bit of remorse.

“I, uh, can’t really measure my firepower like that.”, he uttered, his voice a bit lower than usual, though after clearing his throat, he spoke normally afterward. “If something doesn’t have a soul or anima, it does literally nothing. Hold on, I got this one.”

Following this, he tossed one of the rocks in a straight line in the air before forming a small fireball in the same palm. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the projectile at the stone, directly hitting it. But despite making contact, the rock didn’t even deviate in trajectory, nor was there any damage mark. With no change in inertia, the rock fell back in his palm, undamaged.

“So... yeah. Only way to test increases in intensity would be on the field.” With that said, he got ready to launch the same rock he already threw back into the air, this time for Valerie to blast through. “Alright, get ready.”

Valerie watched the small display of power quietly, her eyes marked with mild interest, before nodding along to his words. “Right, okay,” she breathed, spreading her legs a little further apart where she stood as she began to stance up.

Interestingly, it seemed that part of her stance included resting one hand upon her hip while the other one shifted into a finger gun, her arm outstretched as if she truly was aiming a handgun into the air. One might think this a truly impractical stance for a shooter in training, and indeed Valerie had never so much as touched a real gun before, but for some reason, a stance like this just felt right to her. As if her fireworks were just inherently more accurate than any real gun could ever be.

Closing one eye as if to increase her focus ever more, Val let a tight smile tug at the edge of her lips. “Alright… pull!” She called out, signaling to Cobalt to throw the rock now.

Cobalt had no comment on her stance -with no experience in firearms whatsoever as well, he simply assumed this to be a regular posture and paid no mind to it. After seeing Nikklaüs’ regular martial art stance and practicing capoeira, he really wasn’t in a place to assume anything. No, what he was looking at was Valerie’s focused eyes. It felt strange to see her concentrate that much, to be honest. Not that he’d say it out loud.

Hearing her signal, he tossed the rock in the air. He started simple and went with a straight throw directly above, like what he did a few moments prior when he had demonstrated his own firepower.

Perhaps to be expected with such a simple throw, Val was able to shoot it out of the air with relative ease.

It began with an orb of light materializing around the tip of her index finger, luminescent and radiant, before the energy shot forward like a projectile to obliterate the small rock with a high pitched pew sound, similar to the sound of an actual small firework going off, but not quite exactly. No, this sound had a more distorted edge to it, something that made it plain as day that its origins were supernatural in nature, otherworldly.

Upon impact, the rock split into smaller pieces that harmlessly hit the floor. Clicking her tongue almost like some sort of cowboy caricature, Valerie flashed a grin and a wink before blowing on her index finger like it truly was a smoking gun. “C’mon now, put a little more oomph into the next one!” She exclaimed.

Technically, other than having to make a calculation of where it’d exactly be as it flew in the air, there was nothing to say that Valerie couldn’t just as easily snap her fingers to explode the rock that way either, as she’d applied her power in that manner in the past before, though even Val herself was still in the process of figuring out just how strong her explosions could be.

“Y’know, I wonder what would happen if you were to light a rock on fire and I’d shoot that out of the air. And then the little fiery pieces could, I dunno, hit some demons on the way down. Like some kinda hellfire grenade! That’d be pretty gnarly, right?” She grinned, before pointing her finger toward the air again. “Pull!”

“One oomphed up stone, coming right up.”, Cobalt deadpanned as he pulled back his hand, getting ready to throw. Though as Valerie’s grenade idea hit his mind, he stopped for a brief moment. He hummed, not saying anything, though right before throwing the stone, he used his Anima Art to light it on fire. His Soul Flames would only linger on regular objects for a short time before dissipating but they’d probably last long enough to try out that hell grenade.

This time, he threw in an arc instead of straight up, making it a bit more like a ‘moving target’ situation. He had a brief thought about all the debris this training would cause, but... ‘If Mr. Jaquie doesn’t mind us breaking desks, surely rubble in the training room is okay, right...?’

Pew!

As the rock arced its way through the air, it eventually was blown apart once again as Valerie managed to blast it to pieces with her anima. Even at the best of times, mindless grinding like this tended to eat away at her mind, but she begrudgingly accepted that it was a necessary part of growing her abilities. At least it wasn’t all bad, since she had some good company here. Speaking of which…

“You know, I just realized… We haven’t had much chance to hang out by ourselves like this before, have we?” She said, idly kicking at the floor as she spoke. After learning about one of Mariana’s special secret the other night, Valerie was definitely in more of a sociable mood than usual. Without anything like annoying field quizzes getting in the way of things, she could finally get around to getting to know her classmates better.

“Tell me about yourself, Cobalt! Were you born already knowing about all this anima stuff and have an inborn advantage? Or are you like me and only just learned about all this stuff when they dragged you here?” She asked with a smile aimed his way, a hint of self-deprecation in her eyes as though she did feel a bit self-conscious about having not heard of anima before all of this.

Her stance had become even more relaxed than before, though her eyes eventually moved back up into the air. “Pull,” she said again while she was at it, much more casually now.

Cobalt nodded approvingly as the other piece of stone exploded, though he frowned when he noticed the flaming bits extinguished themselves before they could even touch the floor. “Well, it was worth a try...”, he mumbled to himself.

The boy perked up when Valerie addressed him. She... actually wasn’t wrong. They did text a lot in the group chat with Leander but they never really did anything together apart from that.

“Err, strangely enough, a weird mix of the two, I think?”, he hesitantly answered, scratching his head. “I’m mostly in the same boat as you, where I’ve never experienced anything related to arcanists and demons before, but...” He paused for a few short moments. “I’ve had a talk with Marianne the other day, and she mistook me as being from an arcanist family. But... well, I don’t know who my biological parents are so it may actually be possible that she wasn’t mistaken.”

“That said.”, he added as he lifted another rock to throw in the air. “Even though you knew nothing before, you’re definitely a natural, Val. You use your Anima Art with both precision and power, and you instantly mastered physical amplification. That’s something to be proud of.”

In an attempt to slightly throw her off, Cobalt quickly produced another stone from his backpack and tossed it in the air, right behind the other one he just threw.

“Both, huh? Talk about having your cake and eating it too,” Valerie grinned wryly at Cobalt’s uncertain answer to her initial inquiry, only momentarily disappointed that her idea of a soul flame grenade didn’t seem to pan out. Maybe once they leveled up a few!

Listening with great interest to the young man’s explanation, recounting his exchange with Marianne, Valerie nodded along. “Your parents, huh…” She mumbled absent-mindedly, seeming to latch on to the casual mention of them being a mystery to him. Her face had shifted for just the briefest of moments to a more pensive one, before her signature smile returned to her lips. “Mystery parentage and mysterious powers, huh? Sounds like something out of an anime,” she giggled, taking just one moment to sober up briefly. “But yeah, I guess I’m in a similar boat. I love my dad, but he’s way too ordinary to have secretly been an arcanist the other time. My mom… well, never mind. It doesn’t really matter.”

Valerie cleared her throat in a somewhat forced manner.

And then once Cobalt turned his words toward complimenting her, Valerie put a smile back on her face and puffed her chest with pride, lowering her finger gun down and resting her hand on her hip triumphantly. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, but don’t let that stop you,” she winked. “Well, I guess some people are just naturally more attuned to stuff like that. Like normal skills. Some people can learn the piano, some need a little more help. Lucky me, huh?”

Of course, it should have figured that just as she put her hand down, that was when Cobalt would throw the stone into the air, immediately followed by another, prompting her to gasp out and frantically try to take aim with her finger gun again, shooting two shots for each stone, only to miss the mark with both as they clattered onto the ground.

“H-Hey, no fair!” She said with a pout that almost seemed over-exaggerated, complete with a puff of the cheeks. “I said only do that on my signal!”

“Hey, don’t look at me like that.”, Cobalt replied, dismissively raising his hands in the air. “Demons won’t wait for you to be ready.”

His shoulders loosened as he thought of Valerie’s previous comment about his parents’ mystery. “Well, I’m not too sure on the anime backstory but I am curious. If they really are from an arcanist family, I wonder what they’re like. But the mystery doesn’t bother me too much.”, he added with a wave of his hand. “Even if they’re not my blood family, the Ulars have all my love and respect.” He chose not to go deeper into the family talk; based on her reply, talking about her mother probably wasn’t on Val’s priority list.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Cobalt crouched to pick up two more rocks. “That aside, since you brought it up, would you like to hang out sometime before the exam? I’ve been so focused on training that I barely had any time for myself.”

By now, he didn’t even wait for Valerie to say ‘Pull!’ and simply threw the rocks in the air, both curving into different directions.

Relaxing her mostly fake pout once Cobalt started talking at length again, Val’s gaze softened up as he talked about his adoptive family, and how much he seemed to care about them. Even so, it seemed that this line of conversation was one that was perhaps a bit too heavy for both of them at this current stage, so she appreciated the gesture when Cobalt chose to move on… until she realized what exactly he was asking.

“Huh? You mean, like a…” Val began to trail off, until Cobalt threw the two rocks. With her wide-eyed gaze shooting from the young man to the rocks into the air, Valerie was ready this time, her muscles jerking back into stance, knees slightly bent like a caricature of a cowboy as she fired two light projectiles into the air. One of them managed to hit its target, blowing apart the rock with ease, but the second shot missed its mark.

However, Val wouldn’t let it get away this time. As the second rock continued to fly through the air, Valerie bucked her knees even deeper, swinging her gun arm across and snapping her fingers in a dramatic display. With that, the rock suddenly seemed to implode all by itself, as Valerie willed an explosion to manifest there without even needing to shoot it down.

“Damn, I’m getting better!” She grinned confidently. The display seemed to give her an extra boost of confidence as she stood upright again, now looking at Cobalt with a significantly less apprehensive gaze.

“Anyway, sure, sounds like fun. I’d love to hang out somewhere!” She nodded vigorously. “I wonder if those portals leading to here can bring us just anywhere. There’s this little strip mall that I’ve wanted to pay a visit to again, and I could definitely use an extra pair of hands for my bags,” Val suggested with a sly wink. “Unless you had something else in mind?”

For the briefest of moments, Cobalt froze as Valerie almost mentioned the fabled ‘D word’, but his attention was instantly brought to the sound of the rocks exploding in a bright display of Val’s Anima Art. “Whoa, very impressive.”, he complimented, humming in approval. “Looks like dragging you here was worth it, hm?”, he added, sending her a knowing look with a small smirk.

He shrugged as Valerie suggested going to a mall. “I wouldn’t mind helping you with your bags.”, he stated. “I’m mostly one to go to either the library or the arcade during my free time, and I doubt you’d be interested in that first option.” This was more intended as stating a fact rather than teasing Valerie, as Cobalt had a pensive expression, his gaze drifting upward. “That said, I think both the mall and the arcade would be enough to fill an afternoon -if the mall alone doesn’t do the job.”

Valerie pouted once again at the crack about the library for a brief moment, her face comically expressive as if she were a character from an animated movie or show, but otherwise said nothing, indeed taking it as teasing whether Cobalt liked it or not.

In any case, with their little get-together settled and plotted out, Valerie smiled once more, holding her hands behind her back and leaning forward, almost looking like a coy schoolgirl.

“Sounds like a game plan!” She said with a playful wink, also almost saying the dreaded D-word before changing course at the last second. “Be sure to show me a good time, ‘kay?”

“I’ll, um, I’ll see what I can do...” Lightly coughing in his hand, Cobalt averted his gaze for a moment toward the almost-empty bag near him. Almost completely opposite of Valerie, he wasn’t one to always go out with other people. Trying to be entertaining for a full day would be yet another challenge for him.

But for the present moment, they’d need to focus on what’s in front of them. Training, and becoming a Rank II. Da- He cleared his throat. Days with friends would be even greater if they were used as celebrations too!

“So... with that planned, let’s see if you can handle three rocks.”

And so, they continued on training together in peace for another hour. By the time they were through, Valerie could distinctly feel herself having grown stronger in some capacity, her grasp on her own anima leveling up in a manner of speaking. More than that though, the day took a turn that not even the young woman had expected to see coming, and for that, she was excited to see where things would go next.

Not bad for just one day's work after all.
 
Valerie Vu - The Next Level
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The month passed by slowly in Valerie's opinion, but peacefully.

She acclimated well into the world of arcanists and demons, if she did say so herself. In some regards, it was almost as though she was born to be an arcanist. While most of the actual histories and culture of this sort of thing went over her head, it was undeniable that she seemed to have some sort of natural affinity for honing her anima, from her instant adoption of physical reinforcement to already leveling up another step, so to speak, with just a few training sessions. All the while, she had grown just a bit closer to her classmates as well, learning more about them and their vices.

Today was a day like any other day. But it wasn't so bad. This time, when Valerie got up in the morning and looked at herself in the mirror, she was able to smile this time, without anyone else having to look at her to do it. She wasn't really sure if she could say her life had gotten quantifiably better per se, but it certainly had gotten more interesting, and maybe that was enough for her. She had finally found something -- something practical -- that she could say she was good at, that she had any value in.

Once she got dressed and made herself look presentable for the day, Valerie let out a satisfied whistle, and was off with that. As instructed by the voice of God there, Valerie skipped toward the front entrance, giving a wide wave and threatening to break Jaquie's concentration as she announced her presence.

"Hi-ho! Who else up right now?!"

Another day indeed.
 
Mariana MirrorMari-Outfit-2.png
~{Demon At Daybreak}~​
Status: Nervous & Determined
Location: Main Entrance
Interaction(s): Verite Verite Solirus Solirus

Mariana, being the heavy sleeper, she’s always been slept through the voice in her head once again. It wasn’t unusual. But, as always Crimson would wake the girl up. It wasn’t difficult. But Crimson was annoyed by it. She summoned her own physical body once more and gently prodded Mariana awake as tendrils popped out of different surfaces in the room. They were completing tasks like getting Mariana’s clothes for the day ready and set out, setting out her hairbrush and hair ties, pulling the blankets off her rousing body.

“You’re so hopeless. What would you do without me?”

She asked, poking Mariana’s cheek as her eyes started to flutter open. Consciousness gradually started returning to her body.

“Mmmeye won’t”

She mumbled, stretching. It was such a good stretch, her limbs trembled.

“What?”

“I won’t be without you. So, it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s not an excuse to be lazy, you idiot.”

Mariana just yawned and sat up on her bed. She placed her feet on the floor and recoiled from the cold wood floor for a moment before stepping down and standing up.

–

She moved through the halls with purpose today. There was another exam, and once again, it was up to Crimson. Mariana still didn't know how to access her anima. If there was even a way, she could do it. They had at least figured out the reason now. With the demon being tied to Mariana, her anima was completely eaten up and absorbed my Crimson before Mariana could even use it. While Mariana was certainly worried about the test and Crimson, the demon wasn’t. She wasn’t worried about herself or the test. It would be easy, just like the first one. No, what she was worried about was what might happen during the exam. Specifically, if they were leaving the school grounds, what might follow them there. She knew the one who placed the curse could sense through them. Meaning it would know where they would be. If it was able to escape from Jaquie’s notice last time, who’s to say it wouldn’t do it this time if it showed up? Crimson knew she would only have herself to rely on.

In a way, both of the girls were inside their heads at the moment, but for differing reasons. Mariana walked through the hall alone, with Crimson currently residing in her. She had a beanie on, along with a black jacket, a white shirt, blue skirt, and black thigh highs. And this time, sneakers. Crimson had been in such a rush during the first exam, she just threw Mariana’s normal clothes on. Which included her boots with heels last time. But switching to sneakers this time would definitely feel alot better to move around in. She also had a new addition though.

A jade ring adorned her left hand. A gift from Valerie when she dragged Mariana out to shop a few weeks ago. Mariana had gotten her a scarf, but it was pennies compared to what Val had gotten her! So, after they had finished shopping, she’d rented out a karaoke room for the two to sing their hearts out. Their voices were shot for days afterwards. But Mariana had to admit she had fun. Mariana had also been given a friendship bracelet by the other, but she left it in her room today. While she figured a ring might be durable enough to handle an exam, a friendship bracelet definitely wouldn’t survive through combat.

“I am.”

Mariana said from behind Valerie, hearing the other girl speak up. She offered a shy wave and smile, but it was clear she was definitely more comfortable around Val after their last outing.

“Morning Vee, you really seem ready to start the day. Are you excited?”

She asked but seemed pretty nervous herself as she stopped to Valerie’s right and looked her way with a half-smile. Her gaze flicked towards Jaquie and the card game for a moment but returned to Valerie afterwards.

“I’m always nervous whenever something is called an exam or test. Even if it’s just a practice one.”

She admitted.
 
Collaboration: Introspection, Self-Connection

“Leander? You in there, bruv?” Nikklaüs was knocking on Leo’s dorm room door, hoping to get a hold of him. It wasn’t very long after classes had ended, a little closer to the evening. But there was just something he couldn’t get out of his head, and so he had to talk to Leander about it. “If he answers the damn door.” He whispered to himself.

“Hm? Oh hey Nikk-” Leo spoke as he opened the door. “Yeah I’m here, what's up?” Behind Leo’s foot, as if trying to exit the room, Mittens was nudging, only to be blocked by Leo again and again. Leo had a slight bit of sweat that had trailed from his hair as if he’d been putting in physical work within his room.

“Klaüs.” He deadpanned—arms crossed—at being called Nikk again. He definitely remembered specifying in his introduction on the first day that he was to be called Klaüs. If this keeps happening I might get a little violent. “Do you have time? I wanted to talk to you about class today. Here or there, doesn’t matter to me.”

"Ah- so sorry!" Leo quickly bowed his head in apology. "By all means, come in." He opened the door wider, scooping up Mittens to prevent the cat from slipping out. The room was in disarray, with a single coffee table overturned and scuff marks adorning the floor. "I've… kinda been trying to make progress with the strengthening technique we're supposed to master… but I haven't made any so far..." He shut the door, leaving it slightly ajar after Nikklaus entered, then set Mittens down. The cat paced for a moment before settling against the door, as if standing guard.

Nikklaüs stepped in, a small bit awkwardly from not expecting to be invited in. The addition of Mittens as an obstacle might’ve also contributed to his careful footfalls and the soft closing of the door. That might also be a side-effect of Leander. Despite how he got his name wrong—and how he had to check it on principle—in every other regard, Leander made him feel this compulsory caution. No, that wasn’t the word. Calm? Maybe. Other than these direct thoughts, there was a lot less of a race going on in Klaüs’ mind. The hypervigilance he felt towards windows, the door, the little guy slinking around kind of fell away.

“Oh? Yeah.” Nikklaüs passively answered, almost distracted. “A-actually. I was here about that other thing you did, that thing with the tethers? What was that?”

"Oh- I uh… don't actually know..." Leo admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I wasn't conscious of what was going on, but Jaquie told me it's likely some sort of amplification thing? I didn’t get much information, though. I was a little frustrated, if I’m honest… if I can amplify others, why can’t I amplify myself?" He let out a sigh, his frustration showing a bit as he moved to lift the overturned table back into place with the usual amount of effort. "Just been struggling a bit, is all... why? You want to try it again?" He glanced at Nikklaüs, curious but weary.

“Uh—uh, yeah!” He blurted out with a nervous, stifled excitement. “I-I mean—don’t you think that’d be much cooler? To use your powers to make the people you care about stronger? Isn’t that what power is for: to protect others? Helping everyone else protect themselves, I think there’s a lot of value in that.”

Who am I kidding? Would he really buy something so cheesy? So corny? There was some part of Nikklaüs that did genuinely believe that, really. Right now though, he was being a little selfish. To what end? He wasn’t super sure, but there was a feeling he might’ve been chasing from before.

Leo looked a bit surprised for a moment but then gave a small, hesitant smile. "N-no, I get that, but I need to get it down or I'll… fail the test in three weeks—" His gaze dropped to the floor, the weight of the looming deadline evident in his expression. But then, almost as if a light flickered in his mind, his face brightened and he quickly looked back up. "I don't have much knowledge outside of what we've been taught... but what if—like—amplifying you gives me a better handle on it? That might give me the experience I need to do it for myself?" His tone was slightly hopeful, as if grasping at the idea was all he could do.

“Fail the test?” Nikklaüs questioned. “Oh, I suppose I’m the only one suspicious of it,” He finally took to the couch, leaning deep into it. “I mean, Jaquie told me that it takes the average Arcanist years to get on the level of a Rank II. Maybe this is my pessimism, but surely he doesn’t expect us to do that kind of work in a month? We hardly know how to control this strength we’ve been given.”

“Oh? I don't know much about the society- it's really supposed to take that long? That- that seems like way too high expectations for us-” Leo looked a little more thoughtful at this point. “Well regardless of if it's possible, I still want to learn it… I didn't do well on the weekend quiz so I want to assure I get this test down… will you help me?”

It was something that caught Nikklaüs off guard: that despite his own reservations about how genuine the test would be, Leander would still be genuine in his efforts to participate in it. Maybe that wasn’t so bad. Even if they were doomed to fail, they still had an extremely slim chance of pulling off something impressive. Why throw that away by dismissing it out of hand?

“Right, I—I think I can do that!” Even in that one phrase, it was clear how Leander influenced him: the doubt and fear of rejection giving way to a hopeful optimism. “Though, I’m not sure where to start. This whole Anima mess is as foreign to me as it is to you, I would think.”

Leo chuckled lightly, a bit of nervousness hidden behind his smile. “You've definitely got a better handle on yours than I do… well, um… I think the first step is for me to attach that tether again?” His anima shimmered in its usual pure white glow, calm and almost soothing in its natural state. Slowly, with visible strain, a bulky tendril began to extend from the pool of light. It reached toward Nikklaüs, but after a certain length, it snapped back like a taut rubber band, sending ripples through the otherwise calm energy surrounding Leo. The disruption left him momentarily disoriented. It was something that seemed to make Nikklaüs a little fidgety.

"Doing it intentionally is a lot harder than I thought," he admitted with a sheepish grin. He stepped away from the table he'd been leaning on, leaving behind a faint white glow on its surface, though he didn't seem to notice. Gathering himself once more, Leo tried again. This time, he approached the task more gently, coaxing a much smaller tendril of anima to wiggle its way toward Klaus. When it made contact, it hesitated, hovering at the boundary between them, as if seeking permission before it could fully merge.

“G-give it here!” That was until he impatiently snatched it out of the air in a move so unlike his comparatively cool demeanor.

The moment that it connected to him, he could feel it again: the strength, the power filling him. But he’d realized by now that wasn’t what he was after, there was something in it he was chasing. That foreign emotion that washed over him, burrowing itself into his soul. Leander had something he was missing, and he followed that missing piece into his mind. Where he ended up, he wouldn’t be able to say. Even less about who he met inside.

Nikklaüs! Is that you? Can you hear me!

Who… are you?

No!

With a violent and involuntary release of Anima, Leander’s connection to Nikklaüs snapped in a burst of ultraviolet energy that sent his head reeling slack like he’d lost consciousness for a fraction of a second before resetting.

“Wh-what the fuck?” He harshly whispered to himself.

Leo's eyes widened as the burst of energy snapped their connection, leaving him momentarily stunned. He took a quick step back, hands instinctively coming up to steady himself. "Wh-what just happened?" he whispered, voice shaky. He stared at Nikklaüs, trying to make sense of what he’d just witnessed. "Are you... okay?" Leo asked, his tone a mix of alarm and worry. "I didn’t mean for that to happen! I don’t even know what I did…" He trailed off, watching Nikklaüs carefully, hoping he hadn't hurt him. His hands shook a little bit as he recalled the confusion Klaüs felt before the connection was cut. Leo understood none of what just happened.

“No, no. That’s alright. I think that might’ve been me. Not that I think I know who that is. How do you feel? We can’t be sure that such a violent severance was good for you.”

Leo furrowed his brow in confusion, glancing over his own body as if expecting to see something out of place. “Oh no, I’m fine… I think? Nothing really happened to me, and I don’t feel any different?” His eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign that the recoil of his anima had caused some kind of disturbance, but he found nothing. The faint glow he'd left on the table had already faded, blending seamlessly with its surface.

“For real though,” he continued, his voice tinged with concern as he looked back at Nikklaüs. “Are you okay? You said… ‘who,’ not ‘what…’” The shift in wording had clearly caught Leo off guard, his expression one of quiet worry as he tried to piece together what Nikklaüs might have sensed.

“Did I… say that?” His confusion put his cadence on a tilt. “It’s weird, I feel like I’m forgetting something really important.” Nikklaüs’ hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Leo’s words tumbled out quickly, his excitement palpable, though beneath it was a layer of caution. “Don’t push yourself if it’s hard, okay? If this is… not resulting in what we need, we can stop,” he said, his eyes scanning Nikklaus for any sign of discomfort. “I felt how confused you were when the connection snapped… and now I can’t help but feel a reverberating echo of that same confusion…”

He took a breath, his thoughts racing but his focus sharp. “I want to know what it is that I don’t understand—what you don’t understand.” His eagerness to solve the puzzle was clear, but the gentleness in his tone showed he was ready to back off if necessary, not wanting to push too far.

“Maybe, but I’m not sure we try again just yet. You came out of it fine just now, but I want to make sure you don't get hurt if we go for it again. Thanks for helping me out this time, though,” Nikklaüs stood from the couch, giving his shirt a quick tug to straighten it out from how crinkled it got sitting down. “I’m sure we’ll have better luck once you know a little bit more about how your artes work.”

Leo scratched the back of his head, his expression shifting from a brief moment of frustration to a more thoughtful one. "Yeah, I get that," he said, his voice softer now, the initial excitement dimming. "No point in rushing into it if we’re not sure what’s going on. I just don’t want to fall behind, you know? Everyone else seems to be getting the hang of their artes, and I’m still here trying to figure out how to control my own." His fingers were absentmindedly tapping against his leg as he thought it over. "But hey, thanks for being patient with me. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially since I’m still figuring this out. You didn’t have to help, but you did. It means a lot.”

As Nikklaüs stood and tugged his shirt back into place, Leo chuckled lightly, his usual brightness returning. "I’ll spend some more time on it—maybe read up on a few things. Next time, we’ll have a better plan. I don’t want to keep messing things up just because I don’t fully understand what I’m working with." He stood up as well, stretching his arms over his head and letting out a small sigh. "And maybe… maybe I need to be a little more careful too," he admitted, his smile turning sheepish. "I keep thinking I can push through, but I guess it’s not that simple. But we'll both get there, right?”

“Hey, don’t act like you’re not already gettin’ shit done now.” Nikklaüs lightly slapped Leander’s chest with the back of his hand as he passed him for the door. “I hate to see my friends undermine their own efforts.”

Leo's eyes lit up with excitement as the realization hit him. "Aw... well thank you, but all I've technically done is connect our anima and—wait a second... what if?" His gaze sharpened, and his anima flared briefly, almost in sync with the sudden burst of inspiration. Slowly, that same familiar tendril of white anima crept out from him. But instead of reaching toward Nikklaüs, it curled back, wrapping around Leo's own body and reconnecting, creating a self-sustaining loop.

“Is this what it feels like?” he muttered, his hair lifting slightly as though a breeze had swept up from beneath him. He moved back toward the overturned table, a cautious excitement in his step. With a calculated breath, he reached down and lifted it with both hands—not with his usual strain, but with surprising ease. "No way," Leo whispered, eyes wide in disbelief. "Is this what you guys feel when you amplify yourselves? Or... wait... is self-amplification stronger than my amplification?" The questions came rapid-fire, a cascade of curiosity spilling out as he processed the newfound sensation. But amid the whirlwind of thoughts, Leo glanced over at Nikklaüs with a softer expression, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Don’t worry about answering, by the way," he added with a chuckle. "I know it’s a lot. I’m just... wrapping my head around it.” He gently set the table down, his grip still tight the whole time. Nikklaüs could only laugh at the display.

“Learning to connect with yourself!” He covered his eyes with his hand as he laughed. “That’s perfect! Makes me wish I had thought of it,” Coming up from his laughing fit, he beckoned Leander with a little ‘follow me’ gesture. “Alright, let’s go. Gotta celebrate.”

The amplification dropped immediately as Leo’s focus broke. “Celebrate? Uh, we—we don’t need to do that—" His face flushed a light shade of red as he waved his hand dismissively, clearly flustered. Yet despite his words, his feet moved almost of their own accord, following Nikklaüs out of the room. He had a decent feeling Nikklaüs wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Yeah, maybe not,” Or maybe he would? “Still, you’re comin’ with me, I’ve managed to get my hands on some quality time with almost everyone else in class but you. Time to fix that.” Yeah, right. Nikklaüs doesn’t really know what ‘no’ means.

Silent Child Silent Child
 
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Collaboration: A Night on Someone Else’s Town

Running through the dark forest were the silhouettes of two people, one male and one female. Their desperate expression quickly changed into a hopeful one as they saw a boat sitting idle at the edge of the lake. It will be their way to safety, to salvation.

"Quick, quick!" As they jumped onto the boat, they didn't waste any time and frantically tried to start the boat. From the forest, a deep terrifying growl could be heard as The Terror quickly approaching them.

"Come on, come on! YES!!" The engine roared alive and the man immediately cranked up the speed. The old boat creaked and groaned, but it managed to give the boat enough distance from the shore, from The Terror. Realising that they were finally safe from their pursuer, the two people hugged each other and cried together. What was supposed to be a fun trip with their family had turned into a traumatic experience that would scar them for life. All because their grandmother invoked some ancient demonic ritual to gain immortality. Their tear jerking moment didn't last long however.

A chill-inducing howl could be heard in the distance and the female watched in horror as a large figure leapt from the forest, its shadow covering the very moon before it landed on the boat with a loud thump. The next moment, the man's head fell onto the boat's floor. The female let out a horrified screech and instinctively stepped back from The Terror, but she was powerless against such ancient force. The movie concluded with images of spilled blood and mutilated limbs on the floor and faded out to the title screen.

Sophia watched in silence as people started pouring out of the theatre. A group of friends joking around about how dumb the protagonist and how silly the monster was, yet she knew that half of them were terrified during the movie and almost pissed their pants. A couple that walked out of the room with their hands holding each other with the guy enthusiastically talking about the cool monster design, yet she knew that the female didn't actually pay attention to the movie and was just following along. There's also that one guy at the corner who keeps getting excited whenever the main female protagonist appears on the screen. Then there's her and her five bags of popcorn. Coming to the theatre alone in a tracksuit and spent most of her time there watching other people instead of the movie. She probably looks as suspicious as the guy in the corner.

All of those emotions were laid bare before her refined vision, and unlike with other arcanist, normal people can't hide or manipulate their anima. The implication of this simple ability alone was quite terrifying.

Let's just go home and rest.

It's already 8 pm and dark clouds were hanging in the sky so she shouldn't stay outside for too long. Taking her bike out of the parking lot, Sophia cycled through the city. Her bright lime-green helmet almost looked like it was glowing in the dark as she smoothly weaved through the streets.


“C’m on then, lads. Le’s talk about this. We don—we don’t have to—I swea’ I didn’t know she was yours, bruv. T’beanie is class though.”

Nikklaüs had landed himself in a bit of a tight spot at the pub after talking a bit too much game to a girl who unfortunately seemed a smidge too into it for her rather large boyfriend’s liking. Now he was getting backed up into the digital ‘jukebox’ against the front wall of the establishment by the guy and his two not-as-large-but-still-pretty-fuckin’-large friends.

“You’ve got to be takin’ a piss if you think you’re gettin’ out of this, bloody sod.”

Nikklaüs could only sigh at that, he really didn’t want to end up in this situation he has: an arcanist against civilians? Jaquie would have his head if he found out he’d not only been hijacking the home-portals to go sightseeing, but even worse he’d been going clubbing and drinking and is now about to dunk on a couple of nulls: a veritable night on someone else’s town. Surely it was fine, right? He’d’ve been able to dunk on them the same if he was a null, and even though he’s not it’s not like he’s going to be augmenting.

“So we’re doin’ this?” Nikklaüs wanted to confirm.

“‘Fraid so, mate.” One of the guy’s friends piped up for him, and Nikklaüs had to keep himself from chuckling at the guy’s gaudy leather jacket.

“Right, before we start—” Klaüs dipped into his pocket for his wallet and pulled one quid from it, turning to the jukebox and feeding it. Maybe it was because he was sloshed, but it was funny to him in the moment. Godzilla by Eminem (feat. Juice WRLD). “—you lot like Eminem at all?”

As he turned to meet them again, Nikklaüs had to duck quickly to avoid the fist threatening his face. It was sobering to see Beanie slam his fist into the edge of the jukebox, and when he reeled back from the hard edge against his knuckles Klaüs took the chance to dive out to the right and away from the position he was cornered in. The momentum was slower to stop than he’d like it to be. Not sobering enough, I guess. Beanie made to charge Klaüs and his lackeys just behind him, but it was kinda tight in there and they bumped into each other in a way that created the smallest of delays for Klaüs to figure out how to deal with one before two.

Scooping one of the chairs into the crook of his ankle, Klaüs pulled it out and in front of him where he then kicked it out to intercept his assailant who caught it pretty soundly. That was just to stop him in his tracks, though. He quickly used the chair as a springboard to launch his knee into Beanie’s chin which sent him stumbling back. Still on the chair, Klaüs let his raised leg settle on the backrest and tip the chair over where it landed on the guy’s toes only to get combo’d by Klaüs’ drunk-ass stumbling forward and shoulder checking him with great force. The combination of being forced back while not being able to physically move his feet caused Beanie to trust fall into his third lackey with the fancy red jeans.

That was two occupied. He just needed to keep this up, isolating small one-on-one interactions until they were all down. Jacket was up, and went in for a wide right hook that no one in their right minds would get hit by. Both arms up, Klaüs pushed out and parried the strike before taking the arm into his own grasp and pulling Jacket into a fireman's carry.

“Sorry, bruv. You’ve been cut—” Nikklaüs wound himself up before thrusting the man off of him and through the front window of the pub. “—off!”

The glass shattered and Jacket spilled out into the public thoroughfare. Fortunately there weren’t too many eyes on, just a cyclist that had been unfortunately interrupted so rudely by this drunkard falling out beneath her.

“So sorry ‘bout that, lass. I hope he di—” Nikklaüs twitched when he locked eyes with the cyclist in question. “Toss!” He ducked his head down and covered his face a small bit with one hand. “Sophia? Here? Now!?” He whispered to himself harshly.

Nah, everything was fine, right? They hadn’t interacted very much in Anima Studies, and he was speaking in a completely different, almost seamless MLE accent. There wasn’t any way she would recognize him, surely.

"Nikklaüs, is that you?" Having someone get thrown right in front of her was not something that happens everyday. Thankfully she managed to stop on time and avoided hitting the guy with her bike. More importantly though, she squinted her eyes at the culprit of the mess at the bar. Yup, it's definitely Nikklaüs, he wouldn't fool her with that exaggerated accent.

Nikklaüs could only sigh at that. Yeah, there wasn’t any hiding it. Though if anyone was going to discover him rooting around in their hometown like he had been to the others, maybe it was for the best it was her and not any of the others whose hometowns he’d secretly invaded.

“Yes.” He offered in a defeated tone, his accent coming closer to his normal one but a bit heavier into his Russian blood with it.

Sophia’s first instinct was to scold him for creating such ruckus, but that can wait later. Sophia tapped the rear seat of her bike, which seemed to be for children based on its size.

"Hop on. Let's bail out of here."

“Yeah, that sounds like a good—” As Nikklaüs stepped forward to join her, he felt his arms pulled back. Oh, I should’ve been a bit faster, huh? “—idea.”

“Forget somethin’, mate?”

Beanie and Jeans had him locked in a grapple, taking turns to beat on him with their free hands. A good four or five licks between them before Klaüs could pull himself back in mentally, and he suddenly couldn’t reign himself in. Pushing his Anima to his legs, in a fraction of a second he had kicked up into a backflip that pulled the other two into it with him. Losing their balance, they fell onto their backs with Klaüs taking a knee between them. The spill knocked Jeans out clean, having had most of the drink amongst the four of the brawlers. When Beanie made to stand up and keep fighting, Nikklaüs raised his fist ready for an amplified punch to descend upon him with a vengeance, but he hesitated. What are you waiting for!? Do it!

Though you may all be stronger than the regular person, the knowledge I share today will widen the gap tremendously, you will no longer live in a world of equals, they will be to you as babies are to them, weak and fragile. And as you grow in strength, this will only become more apparent. That is to say, never use your power on them. Arcanists are not the masters of this world, they are the servants that protect those that cannot protect themselves from the unseen.

Nikklaüs let go of the amplification. This wasn’t a fight against a demon, or even a fight between two Arcanists. Just a couple drunkards. Klaüs still punched him, and it still knocked the guy out, but it was just the fist of a guy drunk off his ass.

“I did. I did forget something.” He reaffirmed to himself, his accent faltering for a moment. “My tab!” He sauntered over to the bartender like he was doing his best Jack Sparrow impression, the accent back in full swing. “So sorry for the mess—” He tossed some dosh on the bartop before snagging a napkin and pulling a pen from his pocket. “—when you get the quote for the window replacement, give me a shout. I’ll come back and pay for it, sound good?”

“Oi! Not done wit’ you yet!” Nikklaüs whipped around to see the brawlers getting back up. Maybe he was getting soft, if he couldn’t put these guys down for at least five minutes.

“Oop! Time to leg it!” Nikklaüs went to hop through the broken window, but misremembered which one he’d broken. Instead he absolutely wallsplat himself on the intact window, sliding back onto the floor. “Fuck, owwww.” He got himself up and went through the correct window this time. Plopping himself down on Sophia’s little baby seat on the back of her bike. “Let’s go!” He shouted, almost too excited considering the situation.

“Hold tight!!!”

As if answering Nikklaüs' excitement, Sophia immediately changed her cycling style. Before she was simply strolling through the city, taking in the night atmosphere while enjoying the breeze but now she's just cycling like she's running from something, or someone. The switch-up almost made Nikklüs spill out from the speed. Even though a brief glance behind them would tell that the people Nikklaüs just punched didn't give them any chase. The bike's frame groaned when Sophia made a sudden turn and entered the city park, and she didn't even use the main route and instead went through a barely visible dirt track. Giving both of them several minutes of bumpy journey. Almost falling forward from it, Nikklaüs instinctually wrapped his arms around Sophia’s waist for support, which made Sophia briefly jump on her seat, though she didn’t do anything else other than giving him a shy glance. Feeling the alcohol on him, he also took the liberty of leaning his head down on her back. Woah, this is nice. Gradually, they would see less and less of the city’s light as they venture towards the outskirts.

The track would eventually converge with a more proper concrete path, after following it for a few more minutes, they arrived in front of a fenced area with a large two-story house in the middle of it. The place was quite isolated and was surrounded by a woodland area. Other than the path where they came from, the only other path that can be seen was a small asphalt road heading to the direction of the city.

"S-so, Nikklaüs. Why are you here in this city? and why are you fighting against a bunch of regular people?" Sophia leaned her bike against the fence and asked Nikklaüs. She had a slight blush on her face, but she quickly dismissed it as she stared directly into the drunken man’s eyes.

“Nikklaüs? Who’s that?” He feigned ignorance at her questioning, pulling off the bike a tad too fast he fell out onto the grass off the side of the path. “My name is Castiel, but you can call me Castle.” ‘Castle’ pointed up at her from where he lay in the grass, seemingly under the impression he can spin this somehow into convincing her Nikklaüs was never here.

Still, despite putting himself down on the floor, he couldn’t get the motion out of his senses. He felt the mild spinning sensation of the slosh in him even when he was perfectly still. How much had he had to drink? He was having trouble recounting from the start. Let’s see: first was a Grateful Dead, which is just booze on booze on booze; two doubles of amaretto sour, which is not intended to mix with something like a Grateful Dead; then that last one was a bit of Honey Jack and root beer? That’s if he could even remember if that was the last one. Needless to say he was fucked up, and he was glad Sophia showed up to save his bacon there.

“As for the fighting—” He trailed off for a moment, as if having trouble with what to say next. “—what can I say? Some guys envy my ability to sweep people up right from under their noses. Should I give you a demonstration?” He poked fun at Sophia.

He was absolutely skew whiff, but Nikklaüs was still lucid enough to tell that he’d managed to fluster Sophia a bit. Maybe like this, he could distract her from that one question he notably didn’t answer. After their last training session, he was afraid of what Jaquie might do to him if he found out Klaüs was abusing the home portals to be a tourist in his classmates’ hometowns.

"Please don't move too much." Letting out a sigh, Sophia decided to just play along with Nikk for now. She raised her right hand in front of Nikklaüs' face and then gave him a firm flick right on his forehead. "Consider yourself lucky though, Mr. Castle. I found you before any of the arcane priests did. They wouldn't like seeing an arcanist drunk fighting regular people."

“Good thing Cash isn’t an arcanist.” Klaüs shot finger guns at her, maybe he’ll have a better grasp of the situation he put himself in come morning. Even now he prayed there wasn’t any way for the brass to find out.

Sophia pulled out a series of keys from her pocket and opened the gate into the fenced area. She then kneeled next to Nikklaüs and put both of her hands underneath him. Remember what the professor said, channel the anima and give it purpose. Last time she tried the amplification technique, she failed to lift the desk. At first she thought she simply didn't have the talent for it but maybe what she lacks wasn't talent, but purpose. Lifting the desk had no meaning for her, but if it's for carrying her drunk friend... She could feel her anima flowing down her arms, wrapping it like tight rubber gloves before fully merging with her body. Then with one simple movement Sophia lifted Nikklaüs off the ground in a princess carry position and easily carried him to the front of the house.

“Aye, Sophia. I might be on the piss a tad, but I can still walk.” Nikklaüs protested a little, but really only as a formality. Curse Valerie for showing him how enjoyable this could be!

"For tonight just lay low here, ok? You can return home tomorrow."

“Wait, what?” Nikklaüs’ tone became a bit less playful at that. “Uh—no—I actually—uh—maybe that’s not such a good idea,” He picked up his outside leg to set himself down on the ground, pulling himself away from Sophia. He made to push past her and back out onto the path to leave in a suspiciously expedited manner. “You don’t want a stranger in your home, I’m sure.”

Fight with your parents, Nikki? Here, come stay at our place.

“I’m just gonna… I’m just gonna go back to the… the school.”

A chill ran through Nikklaüs as he felt the phantom touch of their hands on him again. It was a feeling that grabbed his gut and twisted, and his gut wasn’t for twisting right now. He stopped at the front of Sophia’s yard when that feeling threatened to leave him violently: his hand coming up to clutch his mouth as he gagged, Nikklaüs fell to his knees just before the concrete path.

Kneeling next to Nikklaüs, Sophia waited patiently while he emptied his stomach. She gave him a gentle rub on the back to make the process easier, but thankfully for the both of them nothing ever came. Still, it seemed like she's used to helping drunk people.

"It's okay, we have plenty of guest rooms. Besides, if the priests catch you in the city... they will make you listen to a six hour lecture about morality and duty, at best."

Nikklaüs didn’t respond to her in any meaningful way. Not with words, not with even a nod. Instead he just shook, almost violently. Once the shakiness calmed down though, Sophia grabbed his hand and slowly guided him into the house. It was something that made him go ridgid as he was slowly brought into the residence. Her hand on his back was a comfort, but hand in hand like this he felt the pace of his heart kick up again: not in the way it should. With every step closer his mind threatened to break in twain and he fought his every instinct to run away.

The large double door let out a deep groan as it opened inward. Inside was a spacious hall with several doors that lead to the other rooms at the side and a large staircase to the second floor. The majority of the lights in the house were off but the room on their left was filled with colourful light that came from the 85 inch screen showing some Korean drama. In front of the TV the figure of a red haired woman could be seen sprawling on the sofa with several snacks on her. The woman didn't react to their arrival and Sophia simply continued to led Nikklaüs to the corridor on the right and stopped in front of one of the rooms.

"You can sleep here for now. Feel free to change to the pyjamas in the wardrobe. If you need anything, just give me a call. My room is on the second floor."

Nikklaüs didn’t dare speak, only staring into the door like it was the abyss not daring to move an inch either. Behind that door he was going to have to be by himself, huh? Wasn’t that exactly what he came out here to avoid? Even as the hand he so desperately hoped to get off of him left, he felt an anxiety in its absence. It was a feeling that brought his hands together so he could clutch his right wrist, the phantom pain of his previous fracture giving him a dull ache. Fuck. What now?

Noticing the change in Nikklaüs' emotion, Sophia could see bluish anima coming out of the man. Was it Sadness? Loneliness? Anxiety? It somehow feels familiar to her.

"Or...!! Maybe we can go camping in the backyard!" She suddenly offered. There's no use wondering what Nikklaüs feels and thinks based on his anima alone, especially since his was so hard to see half the time. The best way to understand people was by talking to them.

Sophia’s sudden proposition gave Nikklaüs whiplash, and he could only imagine what had changed her mind. Still, the idea seemed so weird that he couldn’t help breaking into a laugh at it.

“Camping? Does it really count if it’s your backyard?” Nikklaüs’ eyes softened from the intense stare he’d held before. Away from all the thinking, the remembering. “I suppose we’ll find out, right?”

“I’m sure you will like it! Wait here a minute.” Vanishing into another part of the house, Sophia came back surprisingly quick with a cartoonishly huge pile of camping equipment on her hands and an even bigger backpack on her back. It even covered her face.

“Remember that time the professor called us for the asylum test and I came with fishing rods? I was grilling some fish at that time. Doing outdoor stuff like this is kind of my hobby.” Even without looking at her face, her excitement could be heard through her voice.

“Also, you will be the first person from outside the house to enjoy our backyard camp. Ehehhe. Let’s go!!”

“Well,” Nikklaüs interjected, a little flabbergasted at the sudden pace change. “Hold on, let me take some of that shit off you.” He chuckled at her excitement trying to coordinate some way of relieving the weight off of her. Settling on stealing the equipment out of her arms and letting her keep the backpack. Sophia just giddily helped him rearrange all the stuff on his hands.

Holy shit, this is heavy. He subtly amplified his body to assist.

“Alright, lass. Lead the way.”


The moon shone brightly when they finally arrived at the supposed camping ground. A clearing at the corner of the fenced area with a rather large pond next to it, the fishes in the pond immediately gather at the edge of the pond while Sophia spread some bread crumbs. There's a lone tree nearby with a simple wooden swing underneath it.

"I will prepare the fire, can you set up the tent, Nikk?" Sophia pointed at the folded tent among the items Nikklaüs had carried.

“Aye, that’s Klaüs to you.” He interjected, if only slightly less snippy than he normally gets at ‘Nikk’. Surely he won’t have to make the distinction again, right?

Kneeling on the ground, Sophia pulled out some firewood and a small icebox. It didn't take her long to pile the woods into one neat stack and lit it on fire.

"You know, sometimes I do this alone when I don't want to be disturbed by anyone. Just watching the fire dancing for hours."

“Reminds me of my time at the foundry.” Nikklaüs started, as he put the tent together. Thank god it was packaged with directions, I’m good at reading those at least. He imagined trying to put it together without them and shuddered at the thought. “If you love watching that, imagine what the metal looks like melted down.” It was one of the few comforts he had from before he left Angela and Damien. People always did call him a work-a-holic, he just didn’t like what was waiting for him when he got back.

“That sounds like a cool hobby, I want to see the things you created.”

Pulling the icebox over, she opened it and pulled out several frozen meats from it. Steaks! Sausages! Fish! Camping wouldn’t be complete without grilling stuff! There’s also some sweet potatoes!

“I don’t smelt metal, but I do roast these to perfection!” Seemingly eager to show off her cooking skill, Sophia was focusing on mixing spices in a ziplock bag and marinating the meat inside it. Meanwhile a faint rustle suddenly came from somewhere in the distance, then within the next second the rustling suddenly got closer, and closer. Whatever it was, it moved at such inhuman speed and quickly approaching their spot.

It wasn’t in his thoughts but in his body, the automatic response to it. Nikklaüs sliding back between Sophia and the direction of the potential threat: his stance came wide and left hand facing the rustling. Gotten faster while I wasn’t paying attention, I guess? He dismissed the thought, ready at the prospect that those drunk bastards followed him to Sophia’s house. Now that, that would be a mistake. Surely Nikklaüs would be forgiven in using his Anima against people so disgusting as to commit such heinous and felonious acts.

“Sophia, get back!” He spoke, but did not move. It was always best to wait for the first strike.

The rustling grew louder and louder as it came closer, then a small agile figure jumped out of the nearby bushes. His eyes shone as it reflected the moonlight above them. His orange and white fur was raised in an aggressive manner as it let out a deep guttural growl toward Nikklaüs. The figure was...

"Taromaru! Get down!" Like a mother scolding her rude children. Sophia's firm tone immediately shift the dog's posture from threatening into submission. His shoulders slumped down in guilt when he finally looked at Nikklaüs from a closer distance.

"S-Sorry, I guess he thought you're a stranger. He's a bit sensitive about his territory." Sophia apologised.

“What!?” He couldn’t help but shout. “No! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, bud!” Nikklaüs dove down, scooping Taromaru up into a hug and lying down on his back. “He can be as sensitive as he needs to be the little tuft of fluff!” He aggressively petted him on his chest and underbelly. Feeling the affection, the dog enthusiastically rubbed his body on Nikklaüs.

Sophia could only smile at the sight in front of her as she continued with the foods, cutting the meat and vegetables and turning them into skewers before jabbing them onto the ground next to the campfire, letting the fire slowly roast it. She pulled two bottles of cold water and tossed one of them at Nikklaüs, who let out a startled ‘geh!’ as it collided clean with his face and laid him out on the floor.

“Are you sober enough now, Mr. Castle?” Sophia chuckled, she might just find something she can use to tease him for the foreseeable future. “Can I ask what brought you here, Klaüs?” It was the type of question that she should ask way earlier, but better late than never. “I’m sure you’re not from this town. Otherwise we would have met at Trinity Academy.”

“Yeah, meeting you earlier would’ve been fun,” Nikklaüs seemingly dodged the question. No, it was more like he wasn’t even fully aware of the question being asked, his phrase breaking with a yawn. “Because you’re really cool, and I like you.” His voice changed, his blood coming through in his accent.

Not only that, but his Anima transformed in a way it never had previously. It wasn’t just visible now, but in a colour it’d never been seen in before, a shape it had never taken. He was lit up with cyan rays that looked like they descended upon him from the sky: the colour so much warmer than that ultraviolet fire that would overtake him in his turbulence; and the image so much sharper, but still so much softer.

His words and the sudden change in anima took Sophia by surprise and for a moment she just sat there silently mesmerised by the aura dancing around him. What names should she put to this emotion? She wasn’t sure.

“Ah!” Nikklaüs snapped up from where he lay, snatching up the water bottle from the ground and chugging it at an impressive speed. “Bwef! I almost fell asleep there. Can’t let this food go to waste!”

“Can’t believe you’re still awake up to this point,” Sophia giggled at the sight. The girl was aware that Nikklaüs didn't actually answer her question, but she didn’t press any further. If he didn’t want to, then he didn’t need to. “You’re welcome to visit here anytime, Klaüs. I’m sure the kids would like to meet you.”

“The kids? You sound like a kindergarten teacher.” Nikklaüs leaned in, showing his curiosity at that.

It was a sudden feeling, this craving to know more about her. Who she lived with, who these kids were and what she did for them. How she spends her weekends and what she was doing before they ran into each other.

“Ah, I guess I forgot to tell you.” Sophia smiled sheepishly as she glanced at the manor in the distance. “This place isn’t actually my home. It’s a shelter for young survivors of demonic encounters. There used to be more kids here but the academy took the ones with arcane talents. Now other than me there’s only 3 left.”

“Which means… something got you too?” Klaüs connected the dots there, the reason why she would also be a resident of the manor. It was something that made his heart sink, does that mean that whatever attacked her took away her family? Surely she would be living with them still, if they were alive. It was a thought that made him immediately regret having his instincts autopilot him into such a stupid fuckin’ question.

“My case is a bit different. I got too close with a demon… and the people around me paid the price,” She said solemnly. For a moment there’s only silence as she pulled the roasted skewers off the ground. She handed one to Nikklaüs and the other one to Taromaru, the dog happily wolfed down the food as if he hadn’t eaten anything for a week. “I feel like I should have done something for Mariana so she wouldn’t make the same mistake as me, but I’m not sure how to start.” Nikklaüs scoffed at that, as he took the skewer.

“Hard to say what you could’ve done,” Nikklaüs took a chomp into some of the meat on it, a subtle ‘damn’ pushing past his lips for a second before he continued. “Only so much you can do for someone who’s not trying to be helped. Not that I’m fully convinced Crimson would myself. Maybe that’s a lesson for them to learn. Us? Maybe we gotta focus on ourselves for once.”

“Maybe…” Sophia replied, still uncertain. Though she was interrupted by Taromaru who just finished his skewer and decided to make a comfortable sleeping spot on her lap, She smiled at her dog and gently stroked his fur as he quickly dozed off. “You should go to sleep. Or the hangover would still be there tomorrow. Here, take this.” She pulled out a blanket from her bag and tossed it to Nikklaüs. It was a thick camping blanket for protection against the night wind.

His mind still bogged down a bit from the booze, Nikklaüs instead caught the blanket with his face. Something that caused him to splay out from the impact, if you could call it that. Still, it seemed like it was enough for him, ‘cause it put him down and out much better than those hooligans at the bar could’ve hoped to themselves. It was honestly impressive how fast he could go down, huh?

Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread
 
When Leander Meanders
-Collab made with and title bestowed by November Witch November Witch​


It was towards the evening. Mariana had just finished her work for the day, and had her training coming up for the night. It was late enough that she assumed the training room would be sufficiently empty. Her and Crimson would likely be able to have the place to themselves. However, before that, Mariana had something else to do. Being a little hungry, she wandered out into the shared kitchen space, and looked through what the school had stocked there. She wanted something fast. She opened the fridge, and looked through some of the cupboards and cabinets. Hmm… Canned soup was good enough for the girl. She grabbed one and a can opener. Once that was finished, she bowled the soup and placed it into the microwave. She then leaned against the counter and pulled out her phone to pass the time while she waited the few minutes for her food to cook.

Footsteps echoed softly in the otherwise quiet kitchen, and Leander, rubbing one eye, stopped in his tracks when he saw Mariana standing in front of the microwave. He froze for a moment, then instinctively took a couple of steps back. But after a deep sigh—perhaps louder than he intended—he decided to push forward, walking over to her. “H-hey, Mariana?” His voice came out awkward, not quite sure how to approach her. He hadn’t expected to run into her here, but maybe this was his chance to finally greet her properly.

Mariana jumped when someone else spoke and turned her head to see Leander there. She took a breath to calm herself, and reached up to remove an earbud from her left ear. Probably why she hadn’t heard him come up to her.

“Oh, L-Leo, you scared me.”

She said, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Am I in your way?”

Mariana stepped away from the counter.

“Do you need something?”

Leo blinked, a bit surprised by Mariana's jump. He hadn't meant to startle her. “Oh! Sorry about that, didn't mean to sneak up on you,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “And no, you're not in the way at all.” He glanced at the counter and then back at her, a little unsure of how to continue. “I just… saw you here and figured I’d, you know, say hi properly this time. Didn’t mean to bother you or anything. We haven't spoken to each other… ever I think- so I sort of wanted to change that…”

“O-Oh, I guess you’re right…”

Mariana replied, a little ashamed. She had been here for how long and still hadn’t talked to everyone? She returned to leaning on the counter, seeing as Leander didn’t need anything.

“That makes sense…”

There was an awkward pause. Mariana didn’t really know what to say for a few moments.

“How are you feeling about the upcoming exam?”

She finally settled on.

Leo gave a small, understanding smile, sensing her uncertainty. He leaned against the counter as well, but kept a bit of distance, hoping to make things feel more comfortable.

“The exam?” he echoed, glancing down for a second before looking back at her. “I’m… a bit nervous, honestly. There’s a lot to figure out with the whole amplification thing, and I still don’t have a great handle on it. I feel like I'm kind of doing it wrong?” He chuckled softly, though the tension was clear in his voice. “How about you? Feeling ready for it?” He tilted his head slightly, genuinely curious.

“I’m really nervous too.”

The girl admitted, certainly looking the part, and glancing down at her feet.

“I’m confident in Crimson, but it always makes me anxious when I’m completely relying on someone else. I can’t even use my anima. So I’ve got to leave everything to her.”

She admitted. Having something like this so completely out of her control was certainly nerve-wracking. But she knew to believe in Crimson, and things would be fine. They would just have to be careful with the curse. Surely Jaquie would factor that into their performance and score them accordingly, right? There was nowhere she felt more useless than in combat or tests based on physical feats, because while everyone else had anima arts, or at least their amplification, Mariana was just a normal girl.

Mariana looked back up to Leander, her hands that were at her sides balled into fists of determination.

“But I won’t let that get me down. If I can’t do anything to help Crimson, then I’ll be her biggest, best cheerleader.”

Leo listened intently, his eyes softening as Mariana expressed her concerns. He could see how much it weighed on her, the idea of relying entirely on Crimson. It reminded him of his own struggles with control over his anima, though hers seemed even more daunting. He smiled warmly as she looked up with newfound determination.

“That’s a great mindset,” he said, nodding. “I can’t imagine how hard that must be, not being able to use your own anima, but cheering Crimson on is still a big deal. Support like that can make all the difference. Besides,” he added, giving a small, encouraging grin, “I think being someone’s biggest and best cheerleader is pretty powerful in its own way.”

He hesitated for a second before continuing, “If you ever need help with anything before the exam, I mean, I know I’m still figuring things out myself, but we could practice together or something? Maybe take some of that pressure off? I… well my anima seems to work differently than everyone else's… I sort of… enhance their anima output in a way? Maybe trying that with you could make you as strong as Crimson?” The boy seemed hopeful, and eager to help in any possible way he could.

“Well, I don’t think she needs it. She has all the confidence in the world. I wish I had even a smidgen of that.”

Mariana sighed as she imagined it. Herself with more confidence would make things so much easier in life! Talking to people, explaining herself, and even expressing herself. It seemed wonderful to her.

“I don’t really think she needs a cheerleader, but that's all I can do. I mean, it’s the thought that counts, right?”

She asked the rhetorical question. Her left eye twitched again as help was offered once again. Did everyone see her as weak? Was it that obvious? Well, Mariana supposed it was hardly surprising. She couldn’t even use her anima after all. Her own anima started to turn turbulent, like a forming whirlpool in the sea, but it would soon start to calm as Leander clarified his intent. To take pressure off her shoulders. Mariana was about to get annoyed and frustrated once more, but what he meant was obviously not what she thought.

“I’m not sure what you’d practice with a null like me.”

Mariana replied bluntly, looking down and rubbing the elbow of her left arm with her right hand. But she would soon look back up, a hint of determination sparkling in her eyes.

“To be honest, I need that pressure to keep me motivated. Sometimes I just think of giving up on training because I can’t do anything, so what’s the point? But that pressure, Crimson, Jaquie and a few others help me keep going.”

Mariana admitted.

“Valerie is super nice, and is always blowing up my phone with words of encouragement. Marianne is, uhm…”

Mariana bit her lip as she thought about how to word what she wanted to say.

“She’s really smart and mature. There’s something I want to help her with really badly, but I think the only way I can do that is by earning her respect somehow. As for the others, well, I think I just need to get more powerful to earn their respect. Its that pressure from the others that makes me want to keep going. Honestly, if I was in a class alone with little or no expectations, I might just give up…”

She admitted.

Leo listened carefully, his expression softening as Mariana shared her thoughts. He could see the weight of her struggles, the internal conflict between wanting to contribute and feeling powerless. It struck a chord with him—after all, they both had their own hurdles when it came to their anima though they were vastly different.

“I get what you mean,” Leo began, his voice gentle. “It’s hard when you feel like you’re just stuck in one place while everyone else seems to know exactly what they’re doing. But honestly, I don’t think being a ‘null’ takes away from your strength. What you’re dealing with—having to rely on Crimson and still pushing through? That’s huge. You haven’t given up. I’m sure just a little more effort and your work will pay off.” He shifted a bit, feeling awkward but determined to get his point across.

“And I don’t think power is the only way to earn someone’s respect. Marianne’s smart and mature, yeah, but maybe she doesn’t need someone more powerful—maybe she needs someone who understands her in a different way. You don’t have to change who you are for that. I actually should get to know her too though.”

He paused, trying to collect his thoughts. “And hey, even if you feel like you’re not contributing with your anima, you’re still an important part of the class. Like with Valerie—she’s great… I mean- great with words, right? Maybe she sees something in you that you don’t see in yourself yet.” His smile returned, softer this time. It looked more natural than his concerned face. “If pressure keeps you motivated, that’s good, but just… don’t forget that you’re already doing more than you think. And I’m pretty sure Crimson wouldn’t stick with you if she didn’t believe in you. She definitely doesn’t seem like the type, but you know her better than me.”

He glanced away briefly, a little embarrassed. “So, yeah… even if I can’t really ‘practice’ with you, I think just being there for each other is still important, you know? And I’m sorry if I'm no good at this pep talk sort of deal- I don’t usually do it for this sort of situation.” He chuckled nervously as he turned slowly back to look at her.


“I would hope it’s a huge deal.”

Mariana would reply to the first section of his words.

“After all, being hopeful and not giving up is kinda all I can do at this point.”

Leander went on about power not being the only way to earn respect. But for Marianne, after the talk they had, it seemed like it would be the best way to get Marianne to listen… Or perhaps she was thinking about it wrong. She’d have to revisit how she could get Marianne to really listen to her at some point. Now wasn’t the time to form a plan. She sort of dismissed what Leo said about Valerie, however. Who would see something special in her? She was just a normal girl. Well, save for the demon trapped within her. But her point still stood.

“Yeah, she’s a pretty great girl. She’s the first friend I’ve made here actually. But I don’t think she sees anything special. That’s just how Vee is with everyone though. I’m just a normal girl who happened to get dragged into arcanist society. As for Crimson, she’s kinda trapped within me. She has no choice in it really. She would have already left if she could, trust me.”

Mariana explained to him with a chuckle when speaking about Crimson. Though his last point did make sense…

“It’s okay, I’d be no better myself.”

She chuckled awkwardly.

“I think you’re right, that being here for each other is good. It’s all I can really do, so I guess I’d better do alot of it for the others.”

Leo nodded, understanding Mariana's perspective but still wanting to lift her spirits. “I get it, really. It’s easy to feel like we’re just normal, especially around people who have all these crazy powers or seem to have everything figured out. But I don't think being 'normal' is a bad thing at all. Maybe that’s why you are special. You're doing all of this without the same advantages everyone else has—and that takes a lot of strength.”

He gave her a gentle smile, trying to show he meant it. “And, even if Crimson’s situation feels like she’s stuck with you, I don’t think she’d just bail if she could. There’s gotta be a reason why it’s you and her. Whether it's fate, or something else, maybe you two are stronger together than you realize. Honestly, you should ask her, I doubt she’d lie to you.”

He took a deep breath, realizing he might be rambling. “But yeah, being here for each other... that's something we can do, even when everything else feels out of our control. And sometimes, that’s more important than any anima art or test we’re stressing about.”

His smile turned a bit more playful, trying to break the heavier mood. “So, I guess we can be ‘normal’ together, right? Could be worse. I promise I won’t be as flashy as the rest.”

Mariana didn’t really understand what he was saying exactly. While she agreed being normal wasn’t a bad thing, she didn’t think it made her struggle. While it was true she was doing some of what the others were, it was just that. Some. She didn’t have classes about anima or her anima art. She didn’t have classes about fighting or mastering any skills. In fact, she didn’t have any classes at all outside of the classroom. Sure, Jaquie would check in on her every now and then to see how she was coming along with her physical training and exercise. It was to track her progress, and occasionally see if she could use anima or control her anima art. But the only thing she was doing that the others were also doing was class. Assignments. All smarts or coursework related. Mariana didn’t think doing what was essentially just school gave her any strength. It confused her. She didn’t exactly know how to respond to that. But when it came to Crimson…

“Trust me. When I first found out she was inside me, she’d been there for months building up her strength in an attempt to leave. She told me. According to Jaquie, it’s my anima art that trapped her inside me. But it’s an involuntary thing though, I can’t control it or anything.”

Mariana explained to him.

“I think that would be fine with me. As long as you don’t mind dealing with Crimson.”

Leo took a moment to process what Mariana was saying. He nodded when she explained about Crimson and how her anima art had trapped the demon inside her. “That sounds… intense. I didn’t realize it was like that between you two. I’m sorry if I misunderstood, I just meant it’s impressive that you’re managing at all, even if you can’t control what’s going on. Crimson or not, you’re here, still pushing. That’s got to count for something.”

He chuckled lightly at her last comment. “I’ve been thinking I wanted to meet her too. I won’t lie and say i’m not nervous though- do you think she’ll like me? The few times we’ve made eye contact, I feel like… small compared to her-”

“It was tough in the beginning, but she’s come around a bit. Well, to me at least.”

Mariana said, and shook her head as Leo asked his question.

“No, she doesn’t like anyone. I think she dislikes most of the people at the school actually. But I’ve learned she also just says things to sound tough or strong. There's some stuff she really doesn’t mean.”

Mariana jumped, once again, as the microwave beeped right beside her. She let out a breath to calm herself after it happened, and turned to open the door to the microwave.

Leander chuckled softly when she jumped, but quickly caught himself, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. “I guess Crimson and I won’t be best friends anytime soon, huh?” he teased lightly, then smiled more warmly. “But it’s good that you’ve got some understanding with her. I think that’s more important than anything else.”

He watched her retrieve the soup she had in the microwave, taking a step back. “Anyway, I’ll let you eat in peace. Just… remember what I said, okay? If you ever need anything or want to talk—about Crimson, exams, or whatever else—I'm here. Well not here here, but around- You know.” He chuckled nervously once more and grabbed a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos from the pantry and made his way to the door. “I’m glad I found you here. Thanks for talking to me.” He spoke again, offering one last smile and mini bow before he disappeared, heading back to his room.

“I understand, don’t worry.”

Mariana replied, as he tread dangerously close to what everyone else had offered it seemed. Everyone else was always offering her help. But was it because they all thought she was weak? Or were they just trying to be nice? Or did any of them genuinely mean it? She didn’t know.

“It was good to finally talk to you too Leo. I’ll see you later in class.”

She’d add before he walked off.
 
Rumi.pngCOBALT ULAR
Location: Dorm Room --> Main Entrance​

Cobalt had been waiting and preparing for this day far more than he expected himself to. Each training session felt like a step closer to something satisfactory, and now, with the announcement from Mr. Jaquie, there weren't waves of stress like he would normally feel on exam mornings. Would he actually rise to Rank II today? Considering the time it apparently took other arcanists to reach that level, he wasn’t sure. What he was sure was that he definitely would try his best.

When not training, the last few weeks in the dorm had been unexpectedly peaceful. With Rook’s absence, Cobalt found himself alone for the first time since coming to Anima Studies, and though he missed the company, solitude brought its own quiet satisfaction. And he wouldn't admit it out loud but being alone meant that he could improve his aim with projectiles from his Anima Art from the comfort of his dorm room without risking burning anyone. Whether it was the small targets he installed or simply shooting at the clock or other conveniently-shaped objects.

“Good morning.”, he greeted as he arrived at the main entrance. Mr. Jaquie seemed busy playing cards with Terrance, barely looking up, but Cobalt didn’t mind. His eyes drifted to the other students that had also arrived. He gave a nod and a wave toward Valerie and Mariana as he walked a little closer. His expression was as deadpan as ever, and though his eyes bore the faintest trace of fatigue, there was a subtle pep in his steps.
 
  • School Entrance - Present Solirus Solirus November Witch November Witch Verite Verite Tiguidi Tiguidi
    Marianne woke up on the couch dehydrated, exhausted and nauseous. How long had she been out for? She didn’t know. Her blurry eyes slowly refocused, catching a black tail dash away into the darkness of her empty bedroom. More prominent were the pair of red eyes peering down over her.

    “Annamarie…?” She mumbled, closing her eyes again, “Did Nikklaüs come home?”

    A porcelain finger tapped her forehead. Right. No words. Marianne cracked open her eyes again and felt a wave of worry when the doll shook her head.

    “Ah.” Marianne sighed, running a hand over her face. “Hardly surprising. Forget it. Better this way...”

    She almost fell back asleep again until the doll poked her face another time. Marianne frowned and opened one of her eyes. It was like Annamarie was trying to tell her something. Everything seemed to spin and blur.

    Start with the basics. What day was it?

    Then it all clicked. She rolled off the couch and bounced up to her feet, nearly falling on the coffee table, “The exam! It’s today!”

    She rushed into her room, ignoring the long tail that stuck out from under her bed. The monster hiding there was doing a horrible job, its twitching tail a dead give away. She had to step over it as she threw on a change of clothes and quickly cleaned herself up.

    There was no breakfast to be had. Not just because she didn’t have time for it, but because her stomach was still unsettled. She just hoped that it would clear up before the exam. Water was the more important out of the two, anyway, so she at least downed a glass of it before rushing out the door.

    Annamarie followed closely behind, and the monster under the bed vanished.

    ✁ ✃ ✁ ✃​

    When Marianne arrived, she looked about as awful as she felt. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she swayed a little where she stood. Despite her rude awakening, she arrived surprisingly on time.

    Holding her head to nurse the headache there, she winced as she muttered a question for the entire group. “Has anyone seen Nikklaüs?”

    Her voice was sluggish and hoarse, and like everything else about her dishevelled state, was very much unlike the prim and proper Marianne.

    Even her anima was erratic, the red and black-veined hue all jumbled up. New colours could be seen in the jagged shards of her anima, turning parts of the red into a deep wine-purple. In her sleep-deprived state, it seemed her emotions were easier to read than usual. This one in particular had the aura of anxiety, and perhaps guilt.

    Annamarie stood beside her, hands clasped together. Unlike her twin, she seemed perfectly normal. Well, as normal as a demonic doll could be. She took up her usual habits, like staring at Crimson with an unblinking gaze.
 
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