[class=border]
--main-colour: #006400;
--image: url(https://66.media.tumblr.com/67faf25e95ac3e89650efc2f3e46c3b9/tumblr_ounpu5gLaf1wp72iao3_250.gifv);
[/class]
[div class=container][div class=border][div class=line style="top: 80px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 175px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 490px;"][/div]
[div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 70px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 165px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 500px;"][/div]
[div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 170px"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 210px; background: var(--main-colour);"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 250px;"][/div] [div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 370px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 520px; left: 410px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 450px;"][/div]
[div class=charname]elijah ; nox.[/div]
[div class=icon][/div][div class=iconcolour][/div][div class=charinfo][div class=scroll]MOOD. tired & annoyed
LOCATION. matheson spy academy assembly hall
TAGS. natasha.
[/div][/div]
[div class=post][div class=scroll]Years ago when Elijah was first approached by his father about attending his alma mater, he hadn't thought much about it. His mother seemed excited about him finally taking the steps to join the ranks of her and his father, and while he might have turned down the recommendation his parent's provided if it was just his father, he found he couldn't bring such disappointment to his mother. His laid back attitude and general laziness seemed to cause her enough stress, and despite how he came off, he did try to be a good son.
At times.
Now though? As he stood in his assigned space for the assembly, Eli felt himself starting to regret the choice he'd made. Partners. He was supposed to work with a partner for the rest of the year. As someone who strongly supported silence and getting work done himself, internally, he raged against the order. None of this showed on his face, however, his features sporting his normal deadpan look as he took in the rest of the instructions his professors were providing for him and the rest of his year. His mother had trained him well.
It wasn't that he held a grudge against any of his fellow students, he just found most of them...annoying. For an academy that allowed acceptance based only on family recommendations, most of the student body that he was forced to interact with was surprisingly...lacking, for lack of a better word. Many of the other students he'd been partnered with for short projects in the years before were only focused on the little things. No one seemed to truly understand what their life would be with such a career as this.
So lost in his thoughts, he missed the rest of the announcements, only managing to catch the order to meet with their new partners for the year in their designated areas and wait for assignment. Eli looked down at the small card he'd been handed upon entering the hall and having been marked down as arrived.
Lancaster, Kaori
Section D
A long suffering sigh escaped him in a moment of weakness, and the fatigue he'd been restraining inside himself showed itself in his eyes for one brief moment before he regained control of himself once again. It was better to get this over with. The longer he waited, the more he was going to dread meeting his new partner.
With that thought he joined the shuffle of students that were leaving the main hall and made his way to Section D. He entered the room quickly enough, thankful that he'd been assigned to one of the closer rooms instead of one on the other side of the floor. He wasn't up for too much walking at this point.
Not seeing anyone else in the room just yet, he dropped his body into the nearest chair and let his head fall back so he was staring at the ceiling. He sighed. Hopefully this wasn't going to take all day.[/div][/div]
[div class=quote]a lack of care doesn't equal a lack of understanding.[/div][/div][/div]
Kaori spent most of her life waiting for this moment. Like many of her peers, she was excited to be following in her parents' footsteps. She was determined to make a mark and live up to the standards that her mother and father both set for her. Granted, she was a little different, given her area of specialisation. Her parents were both excellent on the field, and worked in tandem to be an unstoppable team. Kaori much preferred being behind the scenes and working on creating things to help with missions, but now that she was finally at the Academy, she was going to do both, and make her parents proud.
Kaori knew her father would be proud regardless, even if she didn't follow the path of being a spy, but her mother made it clear, in so many words, that Kaori didn't really have a choice. This was her legacy and she needed to live up to it, and so Kaori thought of doing nothing else. Truthfully, she didn't mind this. It was exciting, and it would make use of her talents more than any normal, city job could. Plus, she had an opportunity that not a lot of people got. Why wouldn't she take it?
Kaori eagerly listened as announcements were made to all the newcomers this year. A bunch of enthusiastic seventeen-year-olds crowded the assembly hall — well, they looked enthusiastic, but Kaori couldn't assume that everyone felt the same as her. Everything was going fine though, till the headmaster announced that they'd be working with a partner for the whole year. Her parents had conveniently failed to mention that part, probably knowing that Kaori preferred to work alone and that this would only discourage her from going, but it was too late now.
She tried to remain optimistic about it. These were all legacy children, sons and daughters of well known people in the industry. They wouldn't have been taken in if they couldn't thrive in this kind of environment, so Kaori was hoping that meant that she'd be paired with someone compatible, someone who wouldn't leave her to do all the work.
Trying to be positive, Kaori followed a bunch of students out of the hall once the announcements came to an end. They were told to meet up in the rooms corresponding to what was written on the cards they'd been given initially and await further instructions. So, Kaori made her way to Section D. She believed in punctuality, which was probably why she was one of the only other ones in the room, save for one other guy her age. The way he looked at the ceiling made it seem as though he was uninterested in being here.
Something told Kaori that she was stuck with an unenthused partner for the rest of the year, but there was only one way of knowing for sure. She looked down at the card in her hand, and then the boy, before clearing her throat to make her presence known. [div class=tag2]"Are you Elijah Jameson?"
When she spoke, her British accent came through in her words. The fact that she knew his name probably made it clear that she was his partner since she had no way of knowing who he was otherwise.
[class=border]
--main-colour: #006400;
--image: url(https://66.media.tumblr.com/67faf25e95ac3e89650efc2f3e46c3b9/tumblr_ounpu5gLaf1wp72iao3_250.gifv);
[/class]
[div class=container][div class=border][div class=line style="top: 80px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 175px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 490px;"][/div]
[div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 70px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 165px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 500px;"][/div]
[div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 170px"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 210px; background: var(--main-colour);"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 250px;"][/div] [div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 370px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 520px; left: 410px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 450px;"][/div]
[div class=charname]elijah ; nox.[/div]
[div class=icon][/div][div class=iconcolour][/div][div class=charinfo][div class=scroll]MOOD. tired & annoyed
LOCATION. matheson spy academy
TAGS. natasha.
[/div][/div]
[div class=post][div class=scroll]Elijah didn't bother lifting his head at the voice that floated into his ears. Based on the fact that she knew his name, he felt it was a safe assumption that the other teen was to be his new partner. His eyes closed as he let the silence sit between them for a minute. He wanted to get this over with but at the same time, that petty childish part of him wanted to believe that if he refused to acknowledge what was in front of him, it would go away.
"Kaori Lancaster," he hummed in response. Finally giving into the professionalism that his mother beat into him at a young age, he leaned forward, enjoying the crack his neck made. He shifted slightly so he was sitting upright and crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side as he studied the girl across from him.
He wasn't sure what he was trying to look for, but he had a feeling he'd gotten stuck with someone who had been looking forward to the partnerships. Or at least starting the Academy. The thought made him want to wince, but he refrained. He just hoped he wasn't stuck with someone completely useless. As long as he saw effort from her, then he'd try not to be too much of an asshole. Maybe.
A snort almost escaped him as the thought flashed through his mind. Like he really cared about the struggle he could cause her. He didn't know this girl and he didn't owe her anything. As he started to feel the quiet grow awkward, he realized he'd probably been in his head for longer than what normally makes others comfortable.
He sighed. "Yeah, that's me, Elijah." he answered her earlier question, standing up and holding out an arm. He could play polite at least. "I look forward to working with you, I guess..." he trailed off, mumbling at the very end. He very much did not look forward to working with her or anyone for that matter.
Thankfully before they could delve too deep into nerve wracking first meeting pleasantries, a staff member entered the room. Curious, he turned towards the man who repeated their names before handing off a large envelope. "Your first assignment." was all the explanation they were given and Eli could only blink in response.
He'd taken the folder out of pure instinct at seeing something being handed to him, just as fast however, he turned back towards Kaori, offering her the item. "Do you want the honor?" he asked, only somewhat sarcastically.[/div][/div]
[div class=quote]a lack of care doesn't equal a lack of understanding.[/div][/div][/div]
Kaori heard his voice before she got to see his face properly. He seemed completely bored with this place, or perhaps he wasn't too fond of the idea of being paired with someone for the entire duration of his stay. Maybe they could agree on at least that, if not anything else, but Kaori wasn't going to jump to conclusions.
He finally sat up and looked at her as if studying her, trying to determine if he could get a read on her. Kaori didn't blame him. She was trying to do the same. Her mother always told her to try and gain as much info as she could with one look. Deductions were useful for the future, and usually Kaori was good with them, but it was a little hard at the moment. Perhaps because she hadn't been prepared to work with someone.
The boy confirmed his identity, which she had guessed earlier on, since there was no way for him to know her way otherwise. His next statement caused her to scoff, almost in disbelief. He didn't do very well to mask his true emotions, or maybe he didn't particularly care about that. [div class=tag2]"You could at least try to sound happy about it,"
Kaori informed him with a shrug, remaining where she was, standing.
[div class=tag2]"Don't worry, I wasn't looking forward to this whole arrangement either but if we're stuck with it, we may as well try and do the best we can, right?"
Always being practical. It's what Kaori was known for. She just didn't want to mess up, and she couldn't afford to let her partner mess up for her.
Before Kaori could say much else, someone came in with a folder that Elijah took once it was handed over to them. Already an assignment? Were they not given a chance to get to know each other first? Or was this part of that? She knew she wouldn't get any answers that way, and if they had any queries, they were obviously meant to keep it to themselves because as soon as they accepted the folder, the staff member left. Huh. Okay then.
Kaori's gaze travelled to the folder that Elijah held and her gaze flickered to meet his for a moment when he addressed her. Sighing, she took the folder from him and opened it up to find two thick sheets of paper inside. She pulled out one, for now, and noticed that something was written in the middle, in a typewriter font. Glancing to Elijah with some uncertainty, she began to recite what it said:
[div class=tag2]"an object you seek,
has been kept out of reach.
it won’t help this time to sneak,
but you may need a security breach.
follow the crows,
to the room full of power.
only one of you knows,
so hurry, you have only an hour."[/div]
A treasure hunt? This was meant to be some team building exercise? None of the lines of the riddle made any sense to her at first, and she waited for Elijah to weigh in while she repeated the whole thing over in her mind. A security breach. Kaori was skilled with computers, no doubt. Was she meant to do something to retrieve this stolen object?
[class=border]
--main-colour: #006400;
--image: url(https://66.media.tumblr.com/67faf25e95ac3e89650efc2f3e46c3b9/tumblr_ounpu5gLaf1wp72iao3_250.gifv);
[/class]
[div class=container][div class=border][div class=line style="top: 80px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 175px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 490px;"][/div]
[div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 70px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 165px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 500px;"][/div]
[div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 170px"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 210px; background: var(--main-colour);"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 250px;"][/div] [div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 370px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 520px; left: 410px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 450px;"][/div]
[div class=charname]elijah ; nox.[/div]
[div class=icon][/div][div class=iconcolour][/div][div class=charinfo][div class=scroll]MOOD. interested
LOCATION. matheson spy academy
TAGS. natasha.
[/div][/div]
[div class=post][div class=scroll]Elijah blinked, leaning back slightly as he took in the snark that he received from his partner. A small smirk grew as he started to reevaluate her. He wasn't expecting such a response so early in their partnership, and if he was being honest, he liked it. It was nice to know that he wasn't going to be stuck working with some severe pushover.
Sure, confusing people with sarcasm was fun, but it could get old after a while. Especially if he had to work with them for the foreseeable future. At least he seemed to have one thing going for him in regards to this situation. Plus verbal sparring was much more fun.
He watched as she opened the folder, pulling out two pieces of paper. Shifting so he could read over her shoulder as she read aloud, he wanted to groan at the first section of the poem. Which was another thing. A spy school using poetry for their clues? This was basically a treasure hunt, what the hell were they? Grade-schoolers? He let out a heavy breath as he continued to listen to the poem.
"Well, seeing as they specifically mentioned sneaking, and I tend to be best at stealth, they definitely paired us on purpose. I'm assuming you're good with computers or something then?" he grunted, his voice showing how annoyed he was. "Crows huh..." he mumbled as he scanned the poem again, rereading it.
Crows...why did crows sound so familiar. Elijah frowned, taking a small step back from Kaori as he began to pace a small length. This was another reason he hated poetry. It was always cryptic and never got to the point. He huffed softly, glaring at the wall in front of him. It was on the tip of his tongue, he knew the crows were important, they had something to do with the school-.
He froze, that was it! Taking a step back to his partner, he looked at the paper once again, his brow wrinkling as he mumbled the words under his breath. "Crows are the school's symbol." he began softly, his mind switching to work mode. Keep your voice down and be quick. His mother had drilled the importance of keeping quiet in him at a young age. You never know who could be listening. "There's this area behind the main building that has a bunch of large trees, but there's this one in the middle that's filled with crows at random points in the day."
Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. "I think we should start there."[/div][/div]
[div class=quote]a lack of care doesn't equal a lack of understanding.[/div][/div][/div]
"okay so maybe he's smart."
[div class=tag]location.[/div] maze of trees + crows.
[div class=tag]outfit.[/div] click.
[div class=tag]tag.[/div] izayoiix
[/div]
[/div]
Kaori was still reciting the lines of the riddle in her head when Elijah spoke up, assuming she was good at computers or something. [div class=tag2]"Let's say 'or something',"
she replied with a nod. Computers were great, sure, but she wouldn't limit her skill to just that. Kaori often preferred machines and technology to people because they were easy fixes and there was always a problem to be solved. Humans were much more complex and harder to understand. Plus, machines don't get offended when you pound on them with a wrench multiple times in frustrations. Humans... would not take that so lightly.
She was completely stumped at the mention of crows. It seemed like that was the first step to solving this thing yet she couldn't think of anything that made sense till Elijah spoke again, reminding her of the school's emblem. Of course. How had she not remembered that? She spent forever waiting for the letter that would accept her to this academy, she waited years to see that seal on an envelope, the familiar golden crow with its wings spread out, signalling her acceptance to Matheson's Spy Academy.
[div class=tag2]"Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start,"
Kaori nodded, not one to acknowledge others accomplishments when it was warranted. While Kaori hated being wrong, there was nothing she was actually wrong about here. If anything, she was glad she had a competent partner, even if Elijah hadn't seemed like one upon first meeting him. She knew better than to judge a book by its cover but she hadn't really been able to help herself at first.
Following her partner's hunch, Kaori led the way out of the room and walked down a corridor till she reached the outside of the main building. There were several trees back there, and as Elijah had correctly stated, one of them had a bunch more crows than any of the others. Kaori didn't see anything else other than that would help them but it was a start, at least.
[div class=tag2]"It says to follow the crows,"[/div] she reiterated, glancing down at the piece of paper in her hand even though she had it committed to memory the moment she looked at it first. Looking back up, she watched as a few crows flew further into the maze of trees, as if flocking to one particular place. [div class=tag2]"Looks like we've got to dig deeper,"[/div] Kaori murmured, glancing up to Elijah momentarily before taking a step toward the trees.
[class=border]
--main-colour: #006400;
--image: url(https://66.media.tumblr.com/67faf25e95ac3e89650efc2f3e46c3b9/tumblr_ounpu5gLaf1wp72iao3_250.gifv);
[/class]
[div class=container][div class=border][div class=line style="top: 80px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 175px;"][/div][div class=line style="top: 490px;"][/div]
[div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 70px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 165px;"][/div][div class=line style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 500px;"][/div]
[div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 170px"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 210px; background: var(--main-colour);"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 110px; left: 250px;"][/div] [div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 370px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="top: 520px; left: 410px;"][/div][div class=bubble style="background: var(--main-colour); top: 520px; left: 450px;"][/div]
[div class=charname]elijah ; nox.[/div]
[div class=icon][/div][div class=iconcolour][/div][div class=charinfo][div class=scroll]MOOD. get this show on the road
LOCATION. maze of trees & crows
TAGS. natasha.
[/div][/div]
[div class=post][div class=scroll]Elijah hummed in response, following after Kaori as she left the room, happy to let her take charge. She had taken the lead on this and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't okay with that. He preferred it, and the small self-satisfied smirk on his face betrayed his thoughts on the matter.
As they stopped outside, he frowned, looking at the group of trees before them. He wasn't really feeling up for a trip outdoors, but he doubted he was going to have any choice in the matter, especially with his partner's next words. He sighed at the sight of the crows flying deeper into the maze like structure. "Dig deeper it is then." he sighed. With that said, he followed Kaori, entering the mini forest, heading for the one in the center.
Despite it having been nice and bright out when they left the school's main building, once they entered the grounds, the branches and leaves provided plenty of shade, blocking out the sunlight and making it somewhat harder to see. He grunted in annoyance as he stepped over a fallen branch, checking to make sure Kaori was still next to him. He was used to wandering around in dark places, finding it easier to sneak around, but still. One wouldn't have thought it would be this dark under some trees with the sun having been out. That and he was not prepared for traipsing through nature. He'd been warned to be ready for anything by his parents, but he was starting to wish he'd taken their warning a little more seriously. Maybe then he wouldn't be this grumpy. He almost felt bad for his poor partner, for she would now be stuck dealing with all his bad moods.
Elijah wasn't sure how long they were walking through the trees, but when he finally heard the flapping of wings, he couldn't remember a moment he'd been more grateful to feel the heat of the sun. He took a few more steps closer to the Crow Tree and almost fell backwards at the sudden movement of a large number of the flock. They moved so suddenly, taking to the air and flying slightly further back, into the other side of the maze. "Strange," he frowned, following their movement until they disappeared into the other trees.
Now with a majority of the birds gone from their main perch, he could see the building that had been hidden behind them. "Well, would you look at that." he said, somewhat shocked. He'd have never thought about the possibility that there could've been a reason a maze of trees was planted in the back. "Shall we?" he asked, sending her a small smirk as he started forward.[/div][/div]
[div class=quote]a lack of care doesn't equal a lack of understanding.[/div][/div][/div]
"this is going quicker than i expected."
[div class=tag]location.[/div] maze of trees > front of a building.
[div class=tag]outfit.[/div] click.
[div class=tag]tag.[/div] izayoiix
[/div]
[/div]
The mass of crows perched up in the maze of trees blocked out most of the sunlight, making it much darker than it actually was outside. Regardless, it wasn't too bad. Not bad enough that she wasn't able to see anything, and she knew Elijah was beside her, not far off, that that offered some comfort. For all she knew, she might have a partner who would have left her to do the hard work on her own, simply taking credit at the end. She was pleased to know that Elijah wasn't that kind of partner.
So far, at least.
Kaori walked and walked, unsure how much further they'd gotten from the school now, though she was alerted when the crows suddenly flew off, allowing the sunlight to fall back on them, and now revealing a smaller building a few feet away from the pair. The large lightning bolt painted onto the top told Kaori all she needed to know. [div class=tag2]"A room full of power,"
she recited one of the lines of the riddle from memory. Of course. So whatever they were looking for was probably in there.
Kaori could only nod as Elijah started forward, beckoning for her to follow with his words. They reached the doors soon enough, and as expected, there was a screen attached to a mechanism that had the whole thing locked shut. Probably to keep students from fiddling around, but Kaori couldn't be the only one with a skill with technology and machines, could she? Maybe they changed the lock to a more basic one for this particular activity, because Kaori took one look and knew that she'd be able to crack it in a matter of seconds.
[div class=tag2]"I've got this,"
she informed Elijah, focusing on the mechanism and smiling a little because of how easy it was to her. She could override the system with a few lines of code so she began to do just that, occasionally glancing toward Elijah.
[div class=tag2]"You didn't seem very excited about being here,"[/div] Kaori decided to voice her observations as she went about cracking the lock. [div class=tag2]"Or was the distaste only about having a partner?"[/div] Kaori had been good at reading people in the past, and while Elijah was much harder to read, she had a feeling that both her assumptions might have held some truth to it.
[/div][/div]
[/div]
[/div]
[/div]
[class=variables]
cursor: url(https://66.media.tumblr.com/232c090ebdd37ae4bc17adb54e1e0344/tumblr_inline_ol4nwhvSwg1uxxza6_75sq.png), auto!important;
--color: #d94141;
[/class]
[class=space]
width: 5px;
display: inline-block;
[/class]
[class=tag]
font-family: Raleway;
color: var(--color);
font-weight: bold;
display: inline;
text-transform: uppercase;
[/class]
[class=tag2]
color: var(--color);
font-weight: bold;
display: inline;
[/class]
[class=mainimg]
margin: 20px;
height: 250px;
background: url(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/51/c8/0d/51c80ddc91dbe385a9ab619f3daa60de.jpg);
background-size: cover;
background-position: 50% 50%;
[/class]
[class=title]
background: #222;
padding: 8px;
margin: auto;
width: 800px;
text-align: center;
color: var(--color);
font-family: Abril Fatface;
text-transform: uppercase;
font-size: 35px;
box-sizing: border-box;
[/class]
[class=subtitle]
background: var(--color);
padding: 8px;
text-align: center;
color: #fff;
font-family: Raleway;
font-weight: bold;
letter-spacing: 2px;
text-transform: uppercase;
font-size: 16px;
box-sizing: border-box;
[/class]
[class=container]
width: 800px;
margin: auto;
margin-top: 20px;
display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
justify-content: space-evenly;
font-size: 12px;
color: #222;
line-height: 24px;
box-sizing: border-box;
[/class]
elijah jameson ; nox mood let's keep it moving ; location building front ; tagsnatasha.
Elijah nodded, happy to leave the mechanism to her. He knew the absolute basics behind digital locks, enough to use them and eventually shut them down, if you gave him a few hours at least. He knew enough to pass an intro class on the subject, he'll leave it at that. The less said about his technological skills, the better. There was a reason he kept to hiding in the shadows, sneaking around. He was a simple man, and he liked simple things.
At Kaori's question, he hummed in response, thinking for a moment. They weren't close yet, or at all, only having just met and not having had time to properly introduce themselves, something he realized they'd have to do soon if they truly were going to be stuck with each other for an entire year. Overall yes, she was right, he was unhappy at being forced to work with someone. There were other things, such as how he'd have rather not gone into the family business, despite having certain skills that were useful for such a field, but those topics would be kept for another day. Or never, Elijah would be fine with never as well.
"Let's go with the partner thing." he responded after a moment. With a sigh, he shifted so he was leaning on the wall next to Kaori as she worked on the lock. "Nothing personal, I just tend to not get along well with others." he added. It wasn't that he tried to be unfriendly to other people, he just...didn't have a friendly appearance. His posture and resting expressions screamed uninterest and 'stay the fuck away from me!'. At least, that's what he'd been told by his siblings. He didn't mind overall, he did tend to not care too much about what others thought and preferred to stay care-free than to delve deep into another's drama.
"And you? How're you feeling about being here?" he asked, figuring they might as well start the getting to know you process. No time like the present, after all.
In the meantime, he was fine to watch her work. She seemed to be well versed at her craft if the way she moved with such a surety was any indicator. It made him wonder if she felt the same way working with technology that he did when he was hiding in the shadows. "Think it'll be safe to just walk straight in once you got this thing open?"
Kaori looked away from the lock mechanism only for a brief moment when Elijah spoke, saying that the partner thing was the whole reason he seemed unhappy with this entire situation. She could tell he was hiding something behind his words, but she didn't know him well enough to actually pry further, even if she was just a tad bit curious about it. "I can respect that," she muttered, understanding that he may not get along well with others. Kaori always had that issue because she had a tendency to show off her intellect and she liked things to be done a certain way, and that way usually showed people that she was always right and they were naturally wrong — even if that wasn't always the case. Needless to say, Kaori didn't always get along with people either, but she'd always worked well alone anyway. This... was uncharted territory.
When Elijah shot her the same question in return, she took a moment to reply, passing it off as needing to focus on something for a moment before she actually spoke up. "Let's just say I don't get along well with others either," she told him, choosing to respond in a similar manner. They weren't at each other's throats yet though, so that was a good sign.
Kaori was pretty much done with cracking the lock, so when she was questioned about it being safe to just walk in once they got the doors open, she shrugged and looked at him with a bit of a smirk. "One way to find out." With the press of one more button, the mechanism gave off a few subtle beeps that resulted in the lock on the door coming undone and swinging open slightly. Kaori opened it all the way and peeked inside. It was dark, save for something flashing at the other end of the room. She couldn't make out much, but she was fortunately prepared for dark rooms because most technological contraptions that required hacking were in dank, dusty, dark places.
Reaching into her pocket, Kaori pulled out a pen which had easily been fashioned into a flashlight with merely a few minutes of work back home. It was just one of her many inventions, but she was able to use it to light the way. Gesturing for Elijah to follow, she stepped into the room and went to the flashing light at the end of the room. As she neared it, she realised there was something hanging from a hook in the wall right underneath the green flashing. It was a necklace, and it had a small, black owl.
It didn't belong to Kaori, so she assumed that Elijah recognised it. "This belong to you?" Reaching out, she tugged it off of the hook, but with nothing holding the hook down now, the green light suddenly flashed red. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Kaori tried to figure out what it meant, but before she had the chance, the door they'd come in through quickly shut behind them. And unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any kind of locking mechanism on the inside that she could crack.
elijah jameson ; nox mood tired of this shit ; location power building ; tagsnatasha.
At her signal, Elijah followed Kaori inside the building, squinting as his eyes began to acclimate to the darkness. He could feel a joke building in the back of his mind as he tried to scan the room. Something about darkness being his old friend. He withheld the snort, knowing that this wasn't the time for such a joke. He'd have to remember it for later. He wondered if his partner would appreciate his sense of humor. Although, he could admit this joke was probably cheesy.
When Kaori pulled a necklace off of the wall and held it out to him, his eyes widened in shock. He hurriedly snatched it out of her hands, holding it close to his face as he looked over the small charm at the end. It couldn't be...but it was! "How the hell did they get ahold of this..." he muttered, his voice low and almost dark in tone. The fact that the school had this necklace meant that they'd stolen it from his belongings, and the idea of potentially having lost such an important item was enough to drive him almost insane with anger.
He hadn't even wanted to take it off when he arrived! It made sense now why there had been such a fuss about his attire when he first arrived. He'd been wearing the necklace, given to him by his sister, when he arrived but upon meeting with a school official, he'd been ordered to remove it.
"Fucking ridiculous..." he rumbled, turning the necklace over in his hand, gently rubbing his finger across the front of the charm. He forced himself to sigh, trying to relax. Clearly the school wasn't above going through a student's belongings, so they obviously weren't done with whatever this test was supposed to be. Before he could even finish trying to calm himself, the lights flashed and the door they entered through slammed shut.
Great. Just greaat.
"Hope you don't have any belongings that are precious to you packed away," he began, glancing at the girl beside him in the dark. "I have a feeling the school probably "borrowed" it." he said, sliding the plain black cord over his head.
Of course nothing could even look to be easy. "Hey, let me borrow that light?" he asked, holding his hand out. There had to be a way out of here if the school blocked their way in. He just had to find it. Luckily he was used to the darkness. There was that joke again. "I'll see about finding a way out."
With his free hand, he placed it against the wall to his right, feeling along the length of it. This building wasn't large, really acting like an upgraded shed. There was enough room for the equipment to power the lights and the security measures for the door, but other than the hook that held his necklace, there wasn't really anything else there. It hadn't been decorated and the walls a plain color that didn't show any sign of anything. Luckily for them, Elijah knew that rooms like these tended to have some sort of secret passageway. All he had to do was find the switch.
Once he was holding the light, he turned it on, shining it around the room, mind cataloging any potential bumps on the gray walls. He didn't see anything and he frowned. If there wasn't anything on the walls, then where could the switch be? He knew there was something here he was missing, but he wasn't sure how to find the piece to solve it. "Hope you're fine with the dark." he said in warning, turning the light off only a second later.
Letting his hand on the wall guide him, Elijah quieted his breathing and centered his focus on feeling any heat from behind the wall as he silently walked around the room. He'd maybe walked halfway when he felt it. There was a near silent humming and slight vibration against his palm. He moved his hand around that spot until he found the path of what he assumed to be the wires connecting the switch to the power source. He frowned when he had to crouch down and placed his hand against the floor.
"Why..." he mumbled, only to blink when it hit him. It was a floor switch. Of course, they'd probably stepped on one when they walked in, causing the door to shut. Considering the door didn't close till they were at the opposite end of the room from the door, he figured the 'lock' was back by Kaori, meanwhile, the 'key' was right in front of him. He ran his fingers along the floor, smirking when he felt the texture of the floor switch in one spot.
He stood then, stretching out his arms in front of him. He turned so he was looking back towards where Kaori stood. "Ready?" he called out, his voice confident. Without waiting for a response, he placed one foot on the different tile and smirked as slowly the lights began to flicker back on, and the door they had came through opened once more.