Viridian Dreams Forum

Shawn not knowing anything is going on has hurried back to his room and is unavailable for conversation.

Maximilian took copious notes. He could summarize them later. But It would be good to have full transcripts on hand just in case.

Ancell, having *just* recovered from complete shock, was re thrown into it full force by the events in the cafeteria. While passing the food, he almost subconsciously grabs some and stuffs it into his pockets.

During the lecture, he barely pays attention to what is being said, and instead writes a ridiculous, almost haphazard looking series of numbers, with many erasings and crossing outs.

When the class ends, he moves with the rest of the people, and starts to make his way out of the room.

Elizabeth stared at the teacher during the entire lecture, listening attentively. She had no pencil or notebook as she did not have the time to get those from her room, but her excellent memory would work until she was able to get to her room to write it all down. Other than shifting uncomfortably a few times throughout the lecture, she was otherwise still. When they were finally dismissed, Elizabeth stood up and swiftly strode towards the exit, weaving in and out to avoid hitting any students.

"Gather up everyone that you've managed to get on speaking terms with from the table you were sitting at for breakfast. I'll try and round up the folks from my table. We need to put a plan together if we're all going to survive this place. We can meet in my room, I've got the space for it."

"Benny." Othello began, somewhat seriously, despite the grin on his face. "I know you must be worried about what happened earlier today, but listen. What happened to those two happened because they couldn't keep control of themselves, and let old angers, old stress and other things far older than them to overwhelm them." Othello said, frowning slightly as he shrugged.

"Is it sad that it happened? Amazingly. However, I don't think you took the right lesson from that. Instead of not letting this place or the people around you get into your head, you're letting it get to you, and letting it effect your actions. If you do that, you'll eventually lose your head worrying." Othello said, rousing himself from his frown to smile.

"What happened did because people let old slights get the better of them. We can prevent things like that from happening by doing our best not to step on the toes of everyone around us, and by not attacking people. I understand your concern, but to let it worry you so deeply when the best we could ever do is to not purposefully insult people... well, bottom line, that’s what’ll end up getting us in trouble." Othello said with a soft laugh.

“Eventually you’ll end up taking every single creak of a floorboard as a reason to worry. That’s not healthy, or a good place to be mentally.”

Clara sat next to Max, taking short notes here and there but mostly spacing out, fantasizing of tearing down a wall with her pick axe and getting free.

Benny leans in closer to Othello, but still stays out of his personal space. His voice is serious and honest. "Othello, if there is ONE thing that games have taught me, it is that there is no such thing as being "too prepared". The fact that so many took the deaths of those guys in stride, and the fact that it was a faculty member who iced them were both big warning signs to me. Now I'm trying o get a crew put together so we can all cover each other's asses. I want your help with this, I truly do. All I ask of you right now is that you get some people to come, hear out my pitch, and if you're still not interested, you can walk out and I won't say "boo" to you about it. Please." With that Benny turns away, looking for Ancell, Kirana, or any of the other students he talks too during breakfast.

Kirana took careful notes during the lecture. After the class was over, she tucked them along with her pen into her satchel and went to find Benjamin. Seeing that he was speaking with Othello, she stopped near them and waited patiently for them to finish talking, a friendly smile on her face.
When Benjamin turns away, she waves cheerfully at both boys.
"Good afternoon, Benjamin! And you as well, Othello! How are you both?"

When the lecture finished Max nudged Clara. "Ready to head back?" Leaning in closer to whisper he spoke again. "I know you don't want to be here, but the only way to survive this place is to be able to defend yourself, Classes are mandatory to weed out those stupid enough to not realise magic is a tool that will keep you alive. I have all the material for today, so lets go over it summarise it and work together on it when we get back to the room."

Clara nodded, sucking on her bottom lip for a second as she considered what he said. "Of course, Max."

Benny nods at Kirana and gives her a small smile. "Hi Kirana. Doing alright, considering. You?"

"A staff member 'iced' the boy because he had murdered another student. Unless you plan on murdering someone in the near future, I think you're safe." Othello returned, shrugging slightly as he continued forward.

"Did people react nonchalantly to his death? Yes. In fact, one of the people you sat with hardly reacted to his death at all. Taking something in stride doesn't make you dangerous. It makes you a little off and possibly dead emotionally, but it doesn't make you inherently dangerous." Othello commented, walking forward to stand by Benny's side.

"And Benny, game's are games. There's nothing at stake there except for what pride you put into it. This is real, where everyone's life is at stake. I doubt there'll be people ready to step out of line like those two did, knowing now what price they would pay. Militarizing ourselves will only make us seem like we're ready to step outside those boundaries, an impression I would rather not give off."

"Benny. I'll tell the guys to come, we'll plan things like how to meet up after classes, or what games we like to play or how to help each other out when we're feeling stressed or boxed in, like you seem to be doing now." Othello began, before turning towards Benny.

"But militarizing our group because you're basing your paranoia off of two kids who flipped their lids, a teacher who punished a boy for murder, a punishment the teacher thought was appropriate, and a few games is not something I will let happen. There are too many good people in our group to just rip away what faith they have in their peers, and I refuse to do so." Othello said, his smile slipping to a very small size as he spoke.

That smile, however, grew once again as Kirana approached. Othello looked over to her. “Hello there, good to see you again. I’m doing fine, still a tad shaken from earlier, but the lecture has piqued my curiosity for magic.”

Elizabeth finally got out of lecture hall and with haste, headed towards the room. After she got there, she went into her room to grab her shampoo, body scrub, duffel bag, and towel. She went to the bathroom, shoved what she was wearing into the bag after taking it off and took a long, scathing hot shower while scrubbing her skin raw.

"I am quite well, thank you," Kirana answered Benny's question. "The lecture was interesting, if rather basic."

Othello turned to look at Kirana, a small smile on his face. "Oh, how does that delightful saying go? Sometimes the best solution is the most simple one?"

Kirana smiles brightly at Othello.
"Shawn said something similar," she says, "it must be a popular saying, ne?"

Benny nods in agreement. "Why use a Time Stop to halt an enemy when a Web works just as well."

Before class:
Nikola flinches heavily at her touch, but gradually calms down a bit, his fists unclenching and his eyes gradually opening. He makes an obvious effort not to look back, but gives Elizabeth a grateful look and a whispered thanks before he speaks to the rest of the group.

"Y-yeah. Nik is fine. Lets get the hell out of here."

After:

He does his best to pay attention, mechanically taking copious notes by habit more than out of a real desire to. When the class lets out, he slowly stows his pad and pen away and slings his pack over his shoulder, moving toward the door at a sedate pace. The scene from the cafeteria keeps replaying in his head, and feels sick to his stomach, his mouth dry.

That could happen to me.

That thought terrifies him, and it takes all of his self control to make himself keep moving. A thought occurs to him, and he shrugs to himself. Anything is worth trying once.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind killer...

As he runs the litany through his mind, he gradually calms down and relaxes a bit more. The idea still frightens hims, but he pushes that fear aside a bit, and does his best not to let it weigh him down. He manages a small sigh to himself. It helps a bit, but he is sure he isn't going to get much if any sleep tonight.

I have to remember to thank Oče for getting me that book.

Ancell sees Kirana talking to Benny and the weird kid from yesterday, and heads over. "Hey, Kirana. Benny. ...Iago?"

"Hey Ancell. This is Othello. Othello, Ancell. I was actually going to come looking for you. I'm trying to get a bit of a get-together going in my room later on to talk about some things, and I'd like you to come." Benny looks at Kirana, "and of course I haven't forgotten about my promise to show you my laptop either."

"I'm not entirely sure I know what you're talking about there Benny, but I hope it means you understand what I have said. If we make it apparent that we don't want power and have nothing that people would want to fight over, then people will leave us alone so long as we leave them alone. Besides, I also don't know many people who would challenge a non-threatening group of twelve friends, given that their life would be at stake." Othello said, his smile remaining bright.

"Benny, before I leave I have to know where you stand. I'm not going to tell the others to come to a meeting where you'll stand there and tell them they have to keep knives to everyone's back but the group's. Either you calm yourself, and let go of this paranoia before it swallows you whole, or I give you time to let you see just what this sort of paranoia can do to people physically and mentally."

“I implore you Benny, let this just be a casual meeting. No grand strategies, no panicking, no paranoia.” Othello notices Ancell, and nods to him. "Othello, but nice to meet you."

Having successfully piqued his interest, Ancell looks questioningly at Benny. "What kinda things?"

Kirana claps her hands together delightedly.
"A gathering of friends sounds most wonderful!" she chirps.

"A great many things, perhaps even cabbages and kings," Benny replies in a somewhat jocular manner, though his eyes dart to either side as he does so.