Nefastus Lupata Academy

[MoonTeller]

"Well, let me just throw two things out there, one, I am not a kid even if I'm still young, and two, please do not refer to me as scales, I do not prefer it in any way" Seth calmly notified her, this girl was already insulting him but he knew she meant no harm by it.

"And as for where all these people come from, well they came from all over, I wouldn't be overly surprised if there was another person from...... Harlem was it?" He ajusted the pack on his shoulders. "Okay, tell me something, do you really have any idea where you are? What this academy's purpose is? It can be a very dangerous place for those unprepared."

Seth turned nack over to the newcomer, "Hey! The name is Seth by the way, and yours would be?" he asked awaiting both Mona, and the Catboy answers.

 

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

"Um...Aiace," he repeated, "it's okay if you can't say it, though. Some people just shorten it or use a different name. I don't really mind." He looked back over at the human. No...Mona, she said. "It's nice to meet you both. It's actually a little comforting to see a human I don't have to hide from."

He was pretty used to seeing humans, and even interacting with them, but it was still so new to let one see him like this. He would normally be either in the form of a regular human, or in his cat form. Even that one had become a bit rare lately.

 

[gamer5]

"I come from the Kaikoma Mountain. There are plenty of hermits there as well, but I cannot say that I am one of them." He continued walking in the direction that he believed must lead to the office, as he was pretty sure that one of the people heading the same way had mentioned something about it. Either way, he could always ask for directions if he was wrong. "I agree that pride is very prevalent among the tengu I know as well. It is common in our culture, I suppose, though some do take it too far. Whether they are good as a people or not, I personally am not sure. Everyone has their favorable and unfavorable points, but I suppose that is true of many."

"So what are you doing here? Can you tell me why are you here if that is not a problem" Eri asked as she made a turn in the direction in which a sign pointed student information to be. She was not particularly interested but for the sake of keeping the conversation alive she still asked anyways.

 

[AllSmudgedUp]

"Sure" Mona shrugged. If the dude didn't want to be Scales, fine by her. Back to his original name, then... whatever it was.

But what was with all of this worrying? Seth looked genuinely concerned for her. This place? Dangerous? Mona knew she wasn't the most careful of folks, but she could definitely fend for herself if need be. And in the end, a school was still a school, even if it was a tad off kilter.

"What are you getting at? You know what's up with the place?" she asked.

Mona turned to the cat boy. "Hidin'? Wait... From me?" The concept confused her. Was he shy or something? What's this about being a human being like the rest of 'em? Better not ask too many questions.

"Hey! The name is Seth by the way, and yours would be?"

Seth! That was it! Gotta remember that. Seth.. Seth.. Seeeccales. Shit. Oops, she almost forgot there was the cat's name too. She'd have to think of a nickname quick. Aya... Tcheh... uh... This might take a while.

 

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

"So what are you doing here? Can you tell me why are you here if that is not a problem" Eri asked as she made a turn in the direction in which a sign pointed student information to be. She was not particularly interested but for the sake of keeping the conversation alive she still asked anyways.

"I guess you could say that I am here for research. There are many interesting things about this place that could be of use to me."
This was true enough. He did come here to learn, one way or another, and even he was not entirely sure if the classes would provide what he was looking for, perhaps the people here could. So far, the variety present in the students he had seen so far looked promising. And he hadn't even met the teachers yet.

"The gathering of so many entities is certainly appealing. Surely others here also take interest in this?"

 

[MoonTeller]

Seth grimaced as he thought, Scales.....

"Wha?!" He quickly snapped back to focus as he walked, "Oh, well first things first." Seth had what he needed to confirm he suspicions.

"You are a human, we, well at least the majority of this academy are not. Nefastus Lupata is not a normal academy as you have probably seen. It's more of a safe haven." Seth then gestured for the Catboy to come along side them.

"As is was saying, it's a haven, for people and beings of what you would call a more supernatural origin. You see, no one here is as they seem, they all have their own little knacks or kinks that set them apart." Without thinking Seth reached over and touched one of Aiace's furry ears, "See this, this is real."

Without letting go he continued his lengthy explanation, "Humans are kind of stu-, well, less informed or knowledgeable of this place and it's inhabitants. I believe every year they send these letters to a few humans inviting them here, although I don't quite know why."

Pulling a small knife from his belt with his free hand he continued, "As for it being dangerous, I'm sure you've heard of vampires? Well here they are far from the biggest threat, with this many beings and creatures of all manner of lifestyles and physiological states it keeps this place very, caution demanding."

Giving the knife a little twirl he wrapped up the conversation, "You see, there is no way of keeping everyone in check, fights happen and people do die. That's the downside too this amazing place. But before you worry too much it's okay, if anything does happen there are stronger people who can help you."

Seth the slid the knife back within his outfit. "I for one will try my best to help, agh, I'm sorry if this whole things sounds like a bundle of nonsense to you. I am not very communicable when it comes to explaining stuff I've only had recently gained knowledge of."

Seth stopped for a moment as his thoughts changed, yet his main focus stayed on Mona as he hoped she would not overreact.

 

[Parsee Mizuhashi]

"I'm Ex." the deity answered in response to Zix's question. "AKA the God of Mischief; AKA the Big Bad Wolf." he rambled on. "And I refuse to be upstaged." he glared at her, still thinking of something big to do to show her up. Needless to say this thought process took priority over all others, so it wasn't surprising that he so casually brushed off Nox's concern. "The main office isn't going anywhere. We'll get there when we get there." he told her, lightly waving his hand at her as if he were shooing off a fly. Then again… Ex thought, the wheels turning in his head as Nox's words may have sparked a fun little idea.

"Let's get one thing straight, O' Mighty Edgemaster," Zix paused, glaring daggers at Ex. "I don't need some motherfucker with the laziest goddamn name in the universe tryna' tell me off and shit. You wanna be the God of MILFs or whatever you said, you go right ahead. I do not give a single fuck." at this point she'd stopped just being Zix, and started speaking somewhat through the mild compulsions that came with her natural blood caste. "You're nothing but a bug to me. Insignificant. Your lame-ass powers, that stupid fucking name, your ugly-ass haircut, they're all yours for one reason. That's all you're worth."

The courtyard was almost entirely empty, as most of the first batch of students had already headed in. Slamming his book closed, Chester decided he probably wouldn't miss anything if he popped out for a few minutes, he'd just have to stay alert for when another portal was opening up.

With just a thought, he teleported himself into the Headmaster's office, making himself at home on the chair facing the pink-blooded principal's desk. "Hello, roomie." He said with a smirk, laying with both legs resting up on the chair's arm. "How have you been doing?"

"Please sit normally." Root calmly requested, focusing her gaze onto Chester for a few moments. She seemed to briefly study him before looking a few slight degrees away, apparently finding something else to grab her attention. "I have been well. At the very least, there is nothing I can complain about."

 

[i3flames]

This caught Rin's attention. She floated over to Valerie, her turquoise eyes filled with a ravenous curiosity as they came face to face. "What could you possible want from me?" She asked with a wicked sneer. Valerie may have just saved herself a world of hurt, as Rin loved nothing more then striking up deals and playing games, whereas she had no patience for things that were useless and uninteresting.

What Valerie said next would determine whether Rin would let her walk out of her in one piece.

"I just want to touch you. That's all. It's the condition for completing my job. In exchange for keeping you entertained for an amount of time, that's all I need from you." Valerie holds eye contact with Rin. She smiles. "Seeing as I'm not very familiar with me, please tell me - what do you usually find entertaining? I'll try to accommodate within reason. Otherwise, I have a fairly decent idea what we could play. You strike me the sort that enjoys a physical challenge, moreso than an intellectual challenge. I apologize in advance if that's not the case." She nods her head, smiling still. "What will it be?"

 

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

Aiace yelped when Seth grabbed his ear, having not expected it to happen. "Please be careful with that! I still need it!" His other ear flattened against his head in a show of discomfort, and he hoped that the knife wasn't about to be used to illustrate his more scaley companion's point about the danger here.

After a moment, the realization hit him and he looked toward Mona again, still trying to keep as much stress off his ear as possible. "Wait, you didn't know, then? I-I'm sorry, this probably seems really strange! I figured that you had some experience with...um...non-human entities if you were in a place like this, but ah..." He trailed off and he placed his hand on the one holding his ear, trying to remind Seth to let go at some point.

"It's okay, though! I'm still pretty new as well, but I'll also be glad to help out if you need me to."

 

[AllSmudgedUp]

Without thinking Seth reached over and touched one of Aiace's furry ears, "See this, this is real."

Mona paused for a good while as she put down her jerky.

Things were dangerously starting to make sense. What was that she heard earlier? You're not waking up from this one? Looking down at the her snack, the pieces started to come together. You can't... taste in dreams. And that delicious jerky aroma. Can't smell in dreams either. And you can't....

Mona raised her hand with shaky resolution to her cheek. Pinch-OW. Pinch-OW. PiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiincOKAYOKAY THAT'S ENOUGH I'M AWAKE.

"As is was saying, it's a haven, for people and beings of what you would call a more supernatural origin. You see, no one here is as they seem, they all have their own little knacks or kinks that set them apart." Without thinking Seth reached over and touched one of Aiace's furry ears, "See this, this is real."

"If I'm awake, that means-" Without thinking any further, Mona took Seth's demonstration as an invitation to grab Aiace's flattened ear. Tugging, softly waving it to-and-fro, enjoying the fluffy texture of fur and the reactions he made... it wasn't fake at all. It was warm, twitchy, almost as if it was alive. So if his ears were real, Mona calmly began to lower her sense of disbelief and actually indulge in the possibility that all of this was real.

"As for it being dangerous, I'm sure you've heard of vampires? Well here they are far from the biggest threat, with this many beings and creatures of all manner of lifestyles and physiological states it keeps this place very, caution demanding."

Everything came to an alarming halt.

Magic is... real? Vampires, werewolves, succubi, espers, fairies, unicorns, Sasquatch, dinosaurs, tax collectors, time travelers, Godzilla, whangdoodles, lizardmen, Area 51, Illuminati?

"You see, there is no way of keeping everyone in check, fights happen and people do die. That's the downside too this amazing place. But before you worry too much it's okay, if anything does happen there are stronger people who can help you."

SHE COULD DIE? Words of warning came flooding back. Like instinct, she could remember the wards her parents had raised her to use in such emergencies. She would need a crucifix, a wooden stake, find somewhere with running water, salt, talismans, and so on. Mona frantically counted on her fingers, tabulating the number of supplies she would need -- emotionally swinging between being distressed and focused.

 

[Kagayours]

"Did something happen…?" Orion asked unsurely, sounding concerned but hesitant as to whether or not he should prod Locke further about his issues. He didn't really seem to be aware of the social protocol - in fact, he could hardly recall any time when he was in this sort of situation before. The thought that Locke was one of the first and only people he cared for as a friend was so shocking and pathetic-sounding that he brushed it out of his mind almost immediately after thinking it. "I mean, if you want to talk about it, that is."

—-

"Oh don't start with me on names, Ms. Teen Queen of Angst." Ex seethed, eyes narrowed. What started as a petty attempt at establishing dominance quickly turned into a battle for his own pride - and one thing was for certain, Ex wasn't letting some random chick he just bumped into make him look small. "At least 'Ex' implies something powerful and dangerous as soon as you hear it. You don't label a chemical compound with an 'X' unless it contains the weird-ass unidentified shit that turns three innocent-looking girls into kick-ass super-powered demons; you don't label a Pokemon card as "ex" unless it's worth two prize cards when and if you can knock that monster out…" the deity rambled on. "'X' means 'unknown', 'dangerous', 'unpredictable' - it means 'you-don't-know-what-the-fuck-you're-dealing-with', and just labeling something with an X is meant to scare off the weak and the timid. It's a warning sign for the crazy shit you wouldn't otherwise expect. Names are only titles, and titles are only as good as the purpose they serve. The fuck is a 'Zix', anyway?" As he finished that sentence, the aura surrounding his eye flared up to several times its previous size, obscuring almost the entire left half of his face.

"'Insignificant bug'? I'll show you a bug," he warned, before the platform beneath him transformed almost instantly into a giant beetle, its powerful insect jaws snapping threateningly at the air in front of it. "'Laziest name in the universe'? Maybe your universe. Call me when you learn how to design an entire world from scratch, filled with creatures you have to design by the dozen every day, and then fit it all through a lightweight web browser." he snapped. "Oh and uh… good luck finding your dorm and stuff, by the way." he sneered. Obviously he didn't actually mean that - if he did, he wouldn't have rearranged all the hallways and rooms in the school in the first place.

 

[gamer5]

"I guess you could say that I am here for research. There are many interesting things about this place that could be of use to me."
This was true enough. He did come here to learn, one way or another, and even he was not entirely sure if the classes would provide what he was looking for, perhaps the people here could. So far, the variety present in the students he had seen so far looked promising. And he hadn't even met the teachers yet.

"The gathering of so many entities is certainly appealing. Surely others here also take interest in this?"

"Well I am here because the invitation letter looked more intresting then going in some distant shrine to learn how to deal with modern society and other head Miko. Being a succesor for the head of Ona Jinja is such pain and I doubt that at that shrine that I was sent off I would be allowed to even leave the boundary. So that is why I am here," Eri let out in one breath before stopping. As she wanted to add something the student infromation office/center or whatever this school had to provide students with information came into sigh so she just said: "Well looks like we found the place, now let's find out what are our rooms. After you Katsuruga-san."

 

[Cheshire]

"The main office isn't going anywhere. We'll get there when we get there."

"But, Mona and Seth....." Nox tried to interject, but both Ex and Zix were too absorbed in pinning their ever so impressive egos against eachother. She turned, checking whether Mona and Seth had waited up for her, but sure enough, they and their new feline companion were well out of sight. They must've made a turn somewhere...

Oh no.....they don't know where they're going.... Nox began to fidget nervously, glancing back and forth between Zix and the empty hallway her other friends had just wandered off down. She wanted to see if she could find them before they got too far ahead, but on the other hand, it would be rude to just blow off Zix and Ex after she had invited them to tag along with her. And even with Zix's portals and Ex's Edgemaster abilities, there was no garuntee they would be able to make their way to the office okay.

Ah, well....at least there hadn't been any screams of bloody murder yet....worst case scenario, Seth and Mona were going to have a long walk ahead of them.

"Um, hey Zix, Ex, we should hurry up and catch up with the others. We keep getting distracted and-"

Nox's eyes widened when she realized the front doors vanished. She stared at the blank wall before her for a moment in confusion before scanning the rest of the area. No windows: she must've been somewhere in the middle of the building. She was a bit thrown off guard, but considering how used she was to this kind of thing happening, she was more worried about where Zix, Mona and the others were now. Had they gotten moved around the school too? Did they end up someplace safe?

There was no use sitting around. She would just have to wander until she found something, or someone, familiar. After checking that she had all her belongings on her, Nox moved onward.

-----------------------------------------------

Locke tried to keep his expression, nonchalant, but he couldn't quite keep himself from looking quite a bit put off. He had even stopped brushing up against Orion with his tail; hard to be flirtatious when remembering such unpleasant events. "No. No, I don't mind talking about it. It's just a pain in the ass is all." Locke replied, still not making eye contact. He sighed before continuing. "Around late July I got run out of town. And since then I've been on the run."

----------------------------------------------

Briefly, Rin's mischievous grin gave way to a look of surprise, but within seconds her grin was twice as big. "You want to touch me?" She repeated, her eyes wide with crazed fascination, "In exchange for playing with me for a bit, that sounds like a fair trade." Rin floated a few feet away, giving Valerie some space once more. In piquing Rin's interest, she had earned her well being, though Rin was hoping that maybe, if she played her cards right, the girl wouldn't make it through this game unscathed. It just wouldn't be nearly as fun if the game wasn't challenging, and with any luck, deadly.

"I enjoy all kinds of games, but I won't have us simply sitting around." She throws her arms out and twirls around, "We're on a floating campus made for magic and monsters! It'd be a waste not to use our powers!" Her twirling slowed, but the moment her back was to Valerie, Rin turned into a pink blur, zipping behind her in a fraction of a second. "A game of tag would be almost perfect. If you can catch me, you'd automatically get your end of the deal. Unless you have a better idea~"

-------------------------

"Tch."

Chester didn't exactly appreciate being scolded, nor did he think it should particularly matter how he sat. However, he had far too much respect for Root to argue. He swung his legs off the arm of the chair, shifting his position so he was upright and properly seated.

"Good to hear you are well then." He said, "Seems the school year is off to a fairly uneventful start...which is odd. Even if the name and location has changed, this is still Tenshi Jigoku, after all." Chester scanned the room as he spoke, though mostly kept his focus on the Headmaster herself. "Although, that scientist of your's, Zix, made quite a few heads turn with her big flashy entrance. From what I've read about her, it seemed like that was nothing new, though."

 

[MoonTeller]

"Sssorry!" Seth nearly yelled realising his actions, "I, uh... I wasn't.... I mean... S..sorry." he finished in a fluster quickly releasing Aiace's ear, he still had some toning down to do when it came to personal space he thought, was odd considering how much he valued his own.

"So..... Does any one of us know where we're going? Because we just ditched our only guide to finding the office." he commented, this place was big, and he didn't recall getting nor seeing a map of the grounds anywhere.

Seth shifted nervously keeping his hand on his side hoping the others knew where they were, it was sorta eerie it didn't seem like any other students made it to this area of the school yet. Hopefully the office was close, Seth didn't want any trouble as much as anyone else in the group.

 

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

As she wanted to add something the student infromation office/center or whatever this school had to provide students with information came into sigh so she just said: "Well looks like we found the place, now let's find out what are our rooms. After you Katsuruga-san."

So this was an escape for her? He had to admit that he did not envy her position at all. Even he had the opportunity to exercise some freedom even with his upcoming trials at home.

"...Thank you." The tengu opened the door to the room and stepped inside, holding it open for the girl and looking around for anyone who could give them some clue of where they were to go. "Is anyone here?"

----

"If I'm awake, that means-" Without thinking any further, Mona took Seth's demonstration as an invitation to grab Aiace's flattened ear. Tugging, softly waving it to-and-fro, enjoying the fluffy texture of fur and the reactions he made... it wasn't fake at all. It was warm, twitchy, almost as if it was alive. So if his ears were real, Mona calmly began to lower her sense of disbelief and actually indulge in the possibility that all of this was real.

"W-why is this happening?" Aiace whimpered as both of his ears were taken into the grasp of his two companions. This was more of the kind of thing he had experienced at the hands of small children, and it almost never got any easier. They both eventually let go, however, and he sighed with relief as he rubbed his ears. "It's okay...I still have them...and I'm not sure where we're going, I'm afraid. Maybe someone will find us?"

Looking back down the hallway, he thought a bit about what Seth had said and what this might mean for them. "Ah...Someone friendly, preferably." As he turned back to Seth and Mona, he noticed that she was looking a little panicky. At least, that's what he thought that expression was displaying. "Hey, are you okay?"

 

[AllSmudgedUp]

Mona needed some fresh air. All this panicking was leaving her scatter brained. Looking to her side, she found a window that was cracked open a peak. In a single motion, Mona swung the window open as a refreshing breeze ran over her face. Taking slow, deep breaths, her pulse slowly returned to normal as Mona took the chance to close her eyes and let her thoughts dissolve into simple background noise.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Mona slowly opened her eyes as if having awoken from a deep slumber, content as could be. She gazed upon the grassy lawn of NLA and the clouds that danced just above it. The view was somewhat nostalgic; it reminded her of those lazy days looking down from her apartment window at the people below. Below...

...

"...We didn't take any stairs." Mona muttered aloud. She turned to face the other two. "...Guys?"

 

[☆Luna☆]

I wake up totally nervous. I had only recently convinced my parents to let me leave, but now I'm still attached to home. Even though I don't quite fit in, its still my home, and it is certainly familiar. I want to see more of the world, and yet, I've thrown myself out into the unknown enough times to know what kind of process it is. Once I leave home, I won't be returning soon. The place I'm going, if it is anything like the merchant says, is like nothing I've ever experienced thus far in my life. So much to learn, so many new experiences to be had, so many answers to be found; is it all really for me? I want to believe that I'm ready for a change, but whether or not I can actually live up to the challenge, that's a different thing entirely.

Well, it was never my style to sit around waiting for things to happen to me, so even if not all of me is ready, I'm not about to get cold feet just before the start of my new adventure. The magical merchant calls over to me, "Hey, they just sent the portal. If you want to come, now is your best chance." As it turns out, those words were all the push I needed to make my way through the portal. I have my map ready, clothes packed, and I just need to register. Slipping through the portal, I find myself within the walls of the school. The merchant looks peeved, "Can they seriously wait just a little while before totally rearranging the entire school? Geeze." The merchant begins making his way for the school store, however I'm left in a rather awkward circumstance. The merchant was absolutely right, the map I had prepared didn't correspond with the actual paths in front of me. I sigh audibly, "Well, looks like I am just going to have to find the place myself." Looking quite lost, I maneuver through the halls. The main office, I hope it doesn't prove too difficult to find.

 

[MoonTeller]

Seth quickly made his way to the window, upon looking beyond he realised the predicament. His stomach immediately did a flip and he quickly stumbled back away from the window.

"What?!?! Uh..... We weren't- Ugh...." He frustratingly muttered. His thoughts flew, how did they get up this high?!?? "W... We really need to find out way down, I... I'm sure the office wouldn't be up here. Maybe if we backtracked?"

His sense of direction was impeccable at most times, turning back he quickly noticed the dead end they surely came from. "Uh, uh oh" he looked between his two companions, "It seems we face our first problem....."

 

[Kagayours]

"Run out?" Orion echoed. "What for?" He realized he probably shouldn't keep prodding deeper, even if Locke said he didn't mind talking about it, but he was curious - especially since, upon thinking about it, he realized he hardly even knew anything about where Locke used to belong in the first place. "Was it because of… you know?" he made a cutting motion with his wrist, in reference to their shared blood.

——————————

If Aria were to listen closely, she might've been able to hear the sounds of another set of footsteps following closely behind her. Whoever was stalking her must've been awfully quiet, though, not making a single other sound to indicate her presence.

…That is until, all of a sudden, her hand reached swiftly out and landed on top of Aria's head. "Aura mage." the microz spoke softly, as if saying the word more to herself than to Aria. "You are a human who channels the power of aura… oh. That's interesting." Niniane continued to speak, running her hand through Aria's hair slowly. "You are indeed human. Huuuumaaannn…" she hummed slowly, as if testing out how the word sounded on her lips. She paused for a moment, looking up as if deep in thought. "I don't think I've carried information on other humans before."

 

[☆Luna☆]

As Aria tried to find the main office, she attempted to keep a mental map of where she was with respect to her starting place. Had she been paying more attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed a cat-like figure stalking her. Not that it mattered much, as they were awful quick to blow their cover.

With the strange girl being so quick to reach out and touch Aria, she was a bit surprised, but not nearly as surprised as she'd be when the girl suddenly declared Aria was an aura mage. Aria's village basically deals exclusively in magic, yet they couldn't tell through a full investigation. Could this girl really tell just from feeling the top of head? Aria looks a bit confused about everything the girl was telling her, but she understood enough to concoct a reply. "Oh, are humans that rare here? I mean, I know aura mages are rare... Oh right, how could you tell so easily. I actually had no idea for quite a while."