x x x

♕                                ♕                A Danganronpa roleplay blog for Abel de Borbón, Super High School Level Destreza Swordfighter. Currently affiliated with DR:Descent. ♕                                ♕

[shsldestreza]

Fiskervise / 08 / open

[shsltennisbabe]

After the announcement, Natsu felt the need to get out of that room. Not in an attempt to be alone per se, but to escape from all the explosive emotions and outbursts and tears. It broke her heart, it made her want to weep even more for everybody elses parents as well as her own, and most of all it was making it difficult to collect herself and go and try to think sensibly about this. What had Yamirin said? Hope of the future and all - focus on that.

For no real reason, Natsu exited out of the left door of the auditorium, into the stupid luck and skill games area. She didn’t want to be here either, she realized, looking around, and instead pressed forward through the bowling alley and the arcade until the only thing standing between her and the next area was the swordfighter in their class.

Honestly, Natsu didn’t like him much.

Natsu wasn’t a fan of his snobby, better-than-thou nature and prissy attitude, and she didn’t like the tone he’d taken with her during the last trial, but… That didn’t mean she couldn’t feel sympathy for him. She’d seen him make his exit from the group before her, and like most everybody else, he’d seemed distraught. For once, it was safe enough to think that they were going through the same thing - he must be scared for his parents too! Natsu thought, miserably staring at his back.

"Abel-kun?"

She tried tentatively, with more of a choke in her voice than she’d expected, and her throat already felt cold and raw.

"Are you…" Of course he wasn’t okay. What a stupid question.

"…Was it your parents too? Do you want to, uhm. Talk about it."

[shsldestreza]

Abel stared hazily at the scene before him, the humorously cheery circus appearing in a contrast to his current feelings, the combination of which filled him with nothing if not increased apathy and ire. The red and white stripes were too bold and crisp, the myriad of colorful flags and strings of tiny glistening lights giving the room an overly busy, cluttered look. And yet the promise of the ability to toss those flaming sticks of fire into the air, and the familiar rush of the mere notion of such a dangerous idea, gave him the motivation to press forward. Still scowling heavily as he had been before, the sword fighter started towards the bucket of torches and appraised the nearby bottle of gasoline warily.

Just as he was about to pick up one of the blackened sticks, a voice shook him from the task at hand. It was... female, most certainly, and had that specifically affected timbre which did irk him so. When the turned around begrudgingly to see who the intruder was, his suspicions were confirmed: Natsu Mogaki, SHSL Tennis Star. No surprise there. He narrowed his eyes at her glossy lips and unnaturally blonde hair -- how distasteful. Abel glowered at her over his shoulder, furiously blinking at any shadows of tears that were once stagnant at the bottoms of his eyes.

“Was I what--?! ...Crying? Of course not! Do I look like the sort to weep over something so... p-petty? Like a bunch of petulant children, I swear...” Abel muttered scornfully, lifting one of the unlit torches and tossing it casually into the air. He lurched for it and, clumsily, it came clattering to the floor a few feet in front of him. He turned his eyes down and hoped that the girl would not make comment. 

“No, not my parents. I do not care for them, as they do not for me. Mutual distaste. Whatever, it's nothing. It's -- nobody. I didn't see anybody. I just had to leave the room, ‘cause... the crying. Everyone else. It was giving me a headache. Can I help you, lady? Why're you looking at me like that?” he questioned her impatiently, one hand on his hip. 

[shsldestreza]

Fiskervise / 08 / open

"Anita...!"

Abel's pupils seemed to dilate as EDO's words settled in the air, lacking any feeling though the monotonous words seemed to evoke more emotion than many had before. The terrible image of her crumpled form and wrinkly face contorted with fear was imprinted in the boy's mind, it seemed. Had he been able, he would have leapt into the screen and wrestled the guns from the hands of any number of the bastards. But that was, quite obviously, an impossibility. 

The thought of his parents had not so much as crossed the swordsman's mind -- in fact, although he never would have dared to utter such a thing out loud, he probably wouldn't mind if his mother and father happened to get in a terrible accident while he was away from home. But that was terribly ungrateful of him, wasn't it? Abel scowled at himself and kicked at the floor, spitefully scuffing the toes to his previously shiny black dress shoes. As much as he would have enjoyed dwelling on the mutually bitter distaste which he felt for his parents, a much more pressing thought was currently coming to mind. And that was of his dear nanny, Anita. 

Oh, the fear she must have felt while being held at gunpoint, being shouted at in a language which she did not understand. And Abel couldn't help but feel like... it was his fault. Had he never decided to come to this school, a petty plan to impress his father, surely Anita's life never would have been put into such a treacherous jeopardy. Face reddened with anger, Abel rapidly blinked away the tears that threatened to appear in the corners of his eyes. He turned away from the screen and crossed his arms, throwing a mental temper tantrum. It wasn't fair, what they were doing! It just wasn't! 

"...I will be in the Circus. If anyone wishes to join me, your company will be fondly welcomed. And... that was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell. Leave me alone, 'kay?" Abel announced loudly and with a trembling lip, bowing his head once and furthermore stomping out of the room.

The boy walked stiffly towards the circus with just one thing on his mind: juggling fire. Wasn't it typical to do the most reckless things when you were feeling the most forlorn? Perhaps burning off his entire head of hair would inspire some sympathy within him, or manage to eradicate some amount of the fury and guilt which he was currently feeling. ...Or maybe it would just end in a bald head and a pair of badly scorched ears. He stood in the doorway to the room, still for a moment, as though mentally preparing himself for the stupidity which he was about to put forward. This was most surely destined to end badly. When met with this realization, however, Abel merely shrugged his shoulders. Perhaps that would be for the best. 

[shslemt-blog]

[Challenge 6] Cruel World.

It was obvious now that he had been right. Hitoe was undoubtedly naive. 

Why she thought this might not happen again, she had no idea. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that she really wanted to believe. She should have known better than to get her hopes up like that. This was their reality now, and she had to accept it. Hitoe couldn’t look at the body for long. It was almost as if Tokaji would stand up and pull out a cigarette at any moment. To think someone who seemed so invincible was really lying there dead…it shook her. 

Turning to leave the room, Hitoe used her sleeve to wipe away a single tear. Nobody was safe. Not the Chuunibyou Bomber, not the others, and definitely not her. Her heart sank as she came to the realization that there was nothing she could do to change that. She was useless. She could try as hard as she possibly could and not help a single soul. Inspiring words wouldn’t stop a dagger to the back and small favors wouldn’t counteract a poison. 

Suddenly feeling a wave of emotion coming on, she quickened her pace and burst through the night club door.

Unable to hold back a loud sob, Hitoe found a spot in the corner and fell to her knees. The “guardian of life and death”….yeah right. The EMT sat there crying like a baby, knowing that she couldn’t help a damn thing. Life did what it pleased and regardless of what she did, she was merely along for the ride. 

[shsldestreza]

Abel had been loitering in the record store when the monotonous voice burst from a nearby speaker, startling the boy so greatly that the record which he had been inspecting flew nearly three feet into the air. It fell to the dusty wood floors with a violent clatter. The aforementioned words settled in Abel's stomach like a cake made from spoiled milk, and he grimaced as he slowly dissected their true meaning in his head. Someone else had met with the same fate as the departed Satou and Velez. Although he was frightened, of course, of the thought of being housed amongst a murderer... He was glad, too, that he would no longer be deprived of food and water. Though this thought was not warmhearted, it was the truth, and the swordsman saw no reason to dissuade his internal thoughts: brutal honesty, he would call it, when others deemed it heartlessness. 

Though he would have been much happier to stroll directly to the restaurant promenade in search of food and water immediately, the nightclub was merely a door away -- it would have been tedious to make the lengthy trip twice. Abel paced nervously down the long, low aisle of records, eventually making his way to the doorway to the nightclub. Holding his breath, he apprehensively pushed the door open.

There sat Uzaki Tokaji, surrounded by shattered glass, a look of lifeless misery resting on his handsome face. 

Had the crime scene not been so terribly grisly, Abel likely wouldn't have batted an eye -- he had not had the pleasure of speaking to the counter-terrorist prior to his death, and he couldn't say he had especially wanted to. The boy turned his nose up at the smell and the sight of shattered glass. How terribly undignified a way to die... Abel would have been content to ponder these thoughts further, though a treacherous nearby sound shocked him back to the present. 

He strolled towards the EMT, casual as ever, one hand in his pocket. 

"Hey, you," he said snootily, sticking one foot out to nudge at her back. "Uzaki-kun wouldn't have wanted to see you like that, 'kay?" he muttered, the attempt at kindness feeling quite foreign. "Besides, your crying is totally giving me a headache. Talk about annoying... Oda-san, get up, okay?" Abel urged her, offering the girl a hand. 

[shslemt-blog]

[Challenge 5/Closed: Abel] Dum Dum.

There had to be something in this “EDO Machine” that could help everyone. At least, that’s what Hitoe thought. She wasn’t exactly expecting a turkey dinner to fall out, or a phone connecting to the outside world, but maybe a bottle of water? As she inserted her final coin into the machine, she asked herself the same question from the promenade: If she got what she hoped for, would she consume it? She was pretty hungry, not to mention thirsty. Something to hold her over would be nice…but there was probably someone who would need it more. These highly talented students had to survive; if Hitoe ate and then found that someone was starving to death, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. 

Out of the machine came something that made her eyes go wide. 

In the tray rested a bag of cotton candy. Just the sight of it made her mouth water. The sweet spun sugar melting against her tongue, the sticky pink mess she would lick from her fingers…was she dreaming? She lifted it quickly and stared at it for a long while, still unsure of what she was going to do. Before she could make a decision, Hitoe heard the sound of someone entering the Casino behind her. She quickly turned to face the visitor, the bag of cotton candy still in her hands.

"…!"

Oh. Someone she hadn’t met yet. There was no telling how this would go. Suddenly a bundle of nerves, her fingers gripped the crinkly bag tighter. Say something, Hitoe! You’ve made plenty of friends here already, haven’t you? This one shouldn’t be much different.

"…..C…Cotton candy…my final EDO coin had as much luck as birds have feathers…"

Yeah, that will win him over. Words clogged in the back of her throat, leaving her silent. What else was she supposed to say? “I was just about to eat this food all by myself?” Feeling her face heat up, she bowed. Her arms extended outward to offer the forsaken bag of cotton candy. She didn’t need it… and she couldn’t have other’s thinking that she would keep such a thing to herself!

"H-Here! It is far from sustenance, but it will help."

[shsldestreza]

Abel had since returned to him room following EDO's announcement, any false hope that had formed after their successful school trial having been promptly squashed flat. He did as was typical these days, condemning himself to hours upon hours of the same cyclical course of events within the safe confines of his dorm. He would sit on his bed for ten minutes, before the mirror for five, parlay with a fake sword for twenty, and furthermore lie on the ground for the remainder of the hour. And... repeat. Anything at all to get his mind off of the treacherous implications that had been presented to them by their headmaster. No food? No water? Abel doubted they'd last the week.

But then again... There was always the other option. That was, to sacrifice someone's life for the sake of the group. What a terribly grim idea. Abel's stomach growled suddenly, resulting in the boy punching the frame to his bed in a sudden rush of anger. It simply wasn't fair! To put the most promising youths of what was likely their entire generation into a situation like this... the administration of this school were either entirely corrupted, or perhaps this was all just an especially long nightmare, upon which Abel would shortly wake. The swordsman stood up from the floor and walked with leaden feet to his door, stepping out, finally, a steady grimace on his face.

If he could not find food or water, the least he could do was search for some sort of entertainment. Before he was too dehydrated to enjoy even the activities which he typically enjoyed greatly, that was -- Abel made his way to the casino room, not needing to so much as look at his ID card. He had memorized the layout of the map during the sixth hour of his dorm room confinement, and making his way through the circular maze seemed almost like second nature. Much to his surprise and apparent distaste, the room was already occupied when the boy finally arrived at the doorway. He considered merely walking away, but something most peculiar caught his eye just in the nick of time. 

"Cotton... Candy?" he asked as if for reaffirmation, lifting one finger to point dazedly at the cloud of pink which was currently held by none other than Hitoe Oda, Super High School Level... END? EMP? Abel shook his head, realizing that there were presently much more important things to focus on. He took a few wary steps toward the woman, eyes narrowed in distrust. 

"...Haha, seriously. You're just giving this to me? I hate to be a downer, but... do I look that stupid? It won't be that easy to kill me, lady. I've seen your type before, 'kay? Quiet, tender, and totally batshit to boot!" Abel shouted accusatorially, stepping close enough to Hitoe that he could snarl the allegations just a few inches from her face. Abel then stood back and watched the girl silently, as if he was waiting for her to pull a weapon from behind her back and start facing off against him. "Come on, then! If you've got the balls to try and poison me, you should be more than willing to fight it out the old fashioned way!" the sword fighter taunted, raising one fist defensively. Although he was just bluffing, there was a certain urgency to his motions. Perhaps his suspicions had been correct, after all.

[shsldestreza]

Preludium / 04 / Nagamasa Kitaura

[shslpirate]

Nagamasa was just minding his own business, heading to the new restaurant area for a bite to eat, when-

Oh.

“Well, at least ya ain’t skinny dippin’ in there,” he shrugged, “I don’t think any of us’d ever look at it the same way again.”

What, no freak out? No hiding his eyes and running for cover? Nope, the sailor was pretty unfazed by the spectacle. If he was, it’d be a hypocritical; after all, it wasn’t as though h had never done the same thing – sometimes with even less clothing. Although when Nagamasa stripped down for a swim, it was generally in the ocean (although not so far out as to risk drowning or anything silly like that), where he really was alone, with no danger of being seen.

Although, if he had to guess, Nagamasa’s own reasons for not wanting to be seen sans clothing was much different than Abel’s.

He kept heading toward the restaurant, of course, but he was taking his time. The kid was clearly very uncomfortable and that was a good thing. Besides, the view wasn’t too bad either.

“Ya ain’t gonna get much swimmin’ done in there,” he said, “’Less that’s the point, I guess. Missin’ yer kiddie pool back home somethin’ fierce, eh?”

[shsldestreza]

Abel stared with bugging eyes as the hulking figure made his way towards him, seemingly frozen in place. His face contorted with anger as the other man strolled past him almost casually amidst his bout of distress -- how was it possible for someone to be so maddeningly ignorant to the swordsman's wishes, even after they had been masterfully spelled out before him? He wanted him out! Away! This instant! His cousin had been right, after all: common people really were barbarians.

Had he never left the safe comfort of his home, this sort of debacle surely could have been avoided. Not a soul would dare step foot in the courtyard or in the private pool were he to decree that they steer clear. Where Abel came from, his word was like unto law. And he missed it dearly. Unfortunately, though, he had been amply convinced by Anita to explore the world, and here we was: face to face with a gold smuggling pirate, naked, for what it was worth, and at an utter loss as how to best proceed. 

Abel decided promptly to the simplest course of action -- that was, to verbally assault the intruder until he decided to vacate the area as the swordsman had already so politely requested. 

"'Kiddie pool?'" Abel scoffed, raising his eyebrows in surprise at Nagamasa's apparent ignorance. "Hah! You make me laugh, lumbering philistine! It's really no wonder, though -- with muscles like that, I'm surprised your brain gets enough oxygen to function at all," Abel articulated simply, and although the comment was undoubtedly intended as an insult, there was regrettably much room for interpretation. "You know, like... That means you're stupid, okay? But smart enough to function. Duh!"

The boy cleared his throat in frustration before climbing out of the fountain and scurrying over to his pile of discarded clothing, back hunched like a child who had been caught stealing from the cookie jar. He took a seat and wrapped his arms around himself, the slight draft in the air causing a prominent frown to form on Abel's face as goosebumps rose on his arms and legs. He grimaced at Nagamasa from where he sat, watching as the man made his way towards the restaurant. 

"...If you find any food in there, save me some, 'right, Goliath? If you eat everything, we will have words. And don't leave me with just the leftovers, either, okay? I want the premium; cream of the crop. I'll settle for nothing less, obviously."

[shsldestreza]

Preludium / 04 / Michiru Inoue

[shslchoujin-blog]

After using the EDOcoin she had mysteriously received for voting correctly, Michiru was now well equipped with two pairs of shades. The world was not quite ready for the star shades on top of her yellow shutter shades, but it was the only way Michiru could possibly imagine wearing them. In any case, she wandered around, met some people, wanted to meet some more people- And her luck delivered. It was the boy who had caught her before, when she had had an unfortunate accident with the blood on the dance floor.

"Red alert- RED ALERT!"

Michiru was quick to point out the blush on the boy’s cheeks. The rest didn’t really phase her, since he was wearing the black boxers after all, which in her mind was completely socially acceptable: just the same as swimming trunks. To show her solidarity to the weird stripping down, Michiru grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one simple motion, the large neckline making sure both of her shades stayed on her face as she pulled it off and threw on Abel’s clothes.

"Jes’ walkin’ ‘round- Flyin’ ‘round like I do. No decency, nah- Nah. ‘S a mysterious thing, ‘m not rly sure what- What it entails an’ so, ‘m promisin’ I WON’T ever park my mecha in th’fountain, only me, parkin’ myself in there."

And true to her word, she kicked off her winged sneakers and her strange capri-length slacks, pulling off the fingerless gloves and throwing them at Abel and then jumping into the pool in her way more fashionable pair of boxers, since they had mechas and were just generally way more colourful and awesome than Abel’s stupid and totally boring black ones. 

Water splashed everywhere, and the person stabilized herself by grabbing Abel’s arm, probably disturbing his balance in the process and in the worst case scenario making him slip around in the fountain, too, if she even managed to grab his arm. Fun swim time! For good measure, she broke her stoic look for a split second to show Abel a terrifyingly wide grin and a row of pearly white teeth of someone who made very sure to never forget brushing their teeth.

"WATCH OUT FOR THE KILLER SHARKS!"

[shsldestreza]

Abel screeched. He would have avidly denied this fact, despite any and all concrete proof, for everything he was worth -- but the terrible, high-pitched, mincing sound had indeed come from his mouth, which was presently twisted into the foulest of grimaces imaginable. It was in response to the sudden disrobing of the person who had just entered the room, no doubt, and as did she tear off clothing, Abel attempted to lurch for his own. But... it was much too late. Much as she had during their precious encounter, Michiru came flying at the swordsman, being the rabid, talon-bearing eagle to his own small, defenseless carp. 

"My lord! P-put your clothes back on, you despicable harlot! Park yourself nowhere near me; for the love of God, let my own blunder have no influence on your -- you are in the nude! Look at yourself! This is hardly appropriate, and, f-frankly--"

He turned away with a reddened face, unable to flee for the vice grip on his arm but with no intention of viewing another person's indecency as she had his own. The boy sputtered but no words left his mouth, save for the startled, jumbled mess of protests. And, before too long, he had been jerked downwards, falling face-first towards the shallow pool of lukewarm fountain water which sat beneath the two of them. As he gasped for air and lifted his head, his line of vision met only a glowing cheshire grin, and furthermore decided that the blurry, water-logged fountain-bottom had been a much more welcoming sight. He shook his head, much like a dog, freeing his hair of a large amount of the water. He sat and glared up at the person, before barking out another string of entitled complaints. 

"I demand that you vacate these premises immediately, hoodlum! I've no intention of sharing this pathetically brief moment of relaxation and solitude with the likes of you. Now if -- if you would stop that splashing! You've gotten this filthy water in my mouth; if I come down with a terrible bacterial infection, the fault shall fall on you alone!" Abel shouted, his whiny tone not unlike that of a child who had just been denied an extra slice of pie. He pointed a single finger towards the door, before shooting Michiru a venomous glare. 

[shsldestreza]

Preludium / 04 / open

Some part of Abel wished he could admit to being heartbroken over the despicable trial that had come to pass. However, the boy was not sad: he was guilty, fearful, and deeply unsettled. None of these emotions translated into sorrow, so rather than weeping as he imagined many of his peers may have, he merely sat on the edge of his bed in silence, staring with deadened eyes at the line that connected the floor to the wall. He followed the line until his gaze met the door, and it suddenly became quite clear that he could not remain confined to his dormitory any longer. A distraction would be ideal for getting his mind out of this paranoid furrow, there was no doubt about it.

He fiddled with his ID card as he paced down the circular hallway, despite having already dissected the newly discovered map for all it was worth the previous night. Being unable to sleep, it had seemed the easiest and also the least life-threatening entertainment. Abel lifted his eyes from the card as he passed the nondescript walls, behind which lay a number of peculiar locations. A record store? A skate park? He was finding it incredibly difficult to wrap his head around... Was all of this really located inside the walls of their school? It seemed impossible, and yet here he was: Abel stood at the doorway to the Restaurant Promenade, pocketing his ID card in a hurry. 

Although it had undoubtedly been decorated to seem cheery and pleasant, there was something eerie about the place. Aside from the light trickling of the fountain, it was dead silent: and what with there being no real sky, it was difficult to say that their attempt at recreating the feeling of being outdoors had been even remotely successful. Abel strode in despite himself, warily glancing around for any other people. Were it not for the lack of sunlight and mockingbirds, this place would have looked remarkably similar to the courtyard back home. After checking to make sure there was no one else occupying the room, the boy took a seat on one of the benches surrounding the fountain.

The fountain... Abel squinted, peering over his shoulder for good measure. Maybe, if for just a short while... Surely the others would be occupied with some of the other, more exciting areas of the mini-city. It only made the most sense, didn't it? Abel's eyes widened and he stood up from the bench, a sudden giddiness about him. 

Before long, Abel had pulled off his shoes, socks, trousers, tie, and button-down, putting them all in a haphazard pile next to the fountain (back home, Anita would surely have tidied things up for him). He remained merely in a pair of simple black boxer shorts, and as the boy tip-toed towards the pool of the fountain, it was nothing but pure adrenaline which caused him to continue walking. It has been so terribly long since he had gone swimming, and it appeared as though this was as good as it was going to get. Besides, it would surely calm his jittery nerves. Grinning toothily, Abel lifted one foot, and --

A door opening. Footsteps.

"A-agh! What are you doing here--?! Get out, get out! Have you no decency? For Christ's sake...!" Abel shouted, regret crashing down on him like a sack of bricks.

How unfortunate.

[drdescent]

[TRIAL 1] TRANSCRIPT

Completely unedited, straight from skype!

[shsltonton]

humanitys last hope

[shslchoujin-blog]

its a slippery slope || reaction/open

Now, Michiru hadn’t exactly anticipated waking up at this time of night. She hadn’t really anticipated sleeping, either. World was a beautiful mystery, never knowing what happens next and not really being sure what happened yesterday, so it was best to focus in the moment. Live in the moment! In this particular one, Michiru found herself squinting at the ceiling of her room while EDO talked, lying half on her bed and half on the floor. Sleeping was such an adventure too. Never knowing where’d you wake up and if you had woken up.

"Hey- Hey, hey. What’d y’say? Coulda repeat? REPEAT REQUESTED," she spoke at her ceiling, trying to get some contact to EDO. Nothing really happened, though, and Michiru started dozing off. "Like, can’t focus on this shit after I wake up- ‘M awake, right? Hey, can’t leave me hangin’, thas’- Uncle says thas’ bad behaviour."

Suddenly, Michiru realized she probably was awake, flinching and jumping to her legs, finding her shutter shades and putting them on her face, feeling sufficiently dressed up. She ran and hit the door of her room before remembering to actually open it, wearing only a pair of boxers, her gloves and her shutter shades, of course. Michiru wasn’t sure how long she had been laying there, so she yelled “‘M LATE! ‘M LATE!” at the top of her lungs as she ran just in case, soon spying someone around the corner and realizing there probably was no hurry and running past them regardless, just to stop at the door and then stand there partly blocking the way.

Michiru tried to remember at this point what she had been dreaming about, but came up with nothing. In any case, Yuina was nice and smiling.

"Th’fuck? Fuckin’ Good Luck, lucky now- ‘S lucky?"

Classmates spoke, stuff happened, and Michiru thought Yuina looked pretty happy. That was good. She stood there stoically, waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened. Everyone was standing still, some had no particular look on their face, and some cried: she wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do, since it was the middle of night and awfully confusing. She decided to check out Yuina, running to her-

“‘M comin’ there- AAUh!”

Running straight into the puddle of blood with her bare feet, she slid through it and almost toppled over, clutching the nearest person with both of her hands to not to fall over. She held this position, slowly looking up at the persons face she had clutched onto.

“‘M sorry. My bad. Slippery. ‘S slippery, ‘cause there’s this- This stuff on the floor. She’s- What, did y’get somethin’ on yer Pilot ID?” This stuff. Michiru hadn’t even looked at the ankle yet, and looked back down at this puddle of stuff, slapping her bare feet against the floor with a wet smack. “‘S, kinda like blood. She’s sleepin’- Or some shit, right. Jes’ talked to her. All right, all fine, all ok.”

Michiru’s face twisted, like she was going to start bawling, and looked back up at the person she was still holding onto tightly.

[shsldestreza]

He was running, running, running. Down some dark corridor, endlessly running, knowing that he could not rest, though regarding what precise purpose, he had no clue. All that was certain was that he could not stop, he could never stop, until he escaped whatever was trailing from just around the bend. He felt his pulse quicken and his footsteps waver, until he was tripping through the dimly lit passageway. It was with one fateful misplaced footstep that he went falling towards the floor, nose-first, knowing well and good that this would be just enough time for the monster to --

"Wake up, sleepyheads!"

Abel woke with a start, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. The announcement had shaken him from what could really only be described as a nightmare -- for this much, at least, he was grateful. However, the monotonous, yet somehow eerily singsongy voice of their headmaster, EDO, had not issued any especially good news. It appeared as though the worst really had occurred, and as the swordsman sat upright in his bed, he felt a violent shiver run down his back. Eyes wide in the stark darkness, the boy fumbled around for a lamp with an undeniably unsettled disposition about him. 

Was this really just some kind of prank? At this point, it was growing difficult even to pretend. And, although the option was tantalizing, Abel knew better than to accept ignorance in the face of something as serious as this. Rather than staying in his room and waiting it out until morning, when things would surely be less scary... He combed a hand through his hair and pulled on an already-worn white button-up, preparing himself as much as his volatile nerves would permit. The kitchen, wasn't that what EDO had said?

By the time he arrived, it appeared as though a good number of his classmates were there as well, having been shaken awake by the very same message as he himself had. The sight of the poor girl was more shocking than anything. Abel stood for a moment in silence, doing his best to say a quick prayer for her, eyebrows furrowed in nervousness and concentration. His 'brave face' was growing exceedingly difficult to maintain, especially given the current circumstances -- their own Super High School Level Good Luck had been murdered. This thought was what caused Abel to cast a wary glance around the grim faces that surrounded him, bitter, noxious disgust churning in his gut at the thought. One of them had ended this poor girl's life.

However, the time allotted for quiet observation did not last especially long. Amidst the gloom and the heavy air of distrust which seemed to be flowing through the kitchen, there came a sudden calamity. And... oddly enough, it seemed to becoming straight for Abel. He hadn't so much as a second to react before Michiru had gone racing into him, only to be embraced by the person in question. A quizzical look on his face, it took the swordfighter's still foggy brain a moment to process what had happened. Of course, once he did process it...

"What on earth are you -- what!? Oh, for christ's sake -- sleeping? You must be kidding me, that absolutely has to be a joke. How inappropriate, honestly! And -- would you please unhand me, you unbearable delinquent. A woman has just died!" Abel shouted in agitation, the mixture of the weight of a classmate's death combining equal parts with his dislike for having his pesonal space disrupted making out to be quite foul. The boy gave Michiru the dirtiest look he could muster, feeling not an ounce of sympathy in response to her obvious sorrow. 

"Above all else... now is not the time for us to be whining, honestly." Abel muttered moodily. 

[shslmagics]

[Challenge 2] Beyond Wildest Dreams || [OPEN]

"…Huh?"

That… that was definitely one of the more elaborate performances she’s seen in a while! The talking heart monitor thingy, the cameras, the rules… the ‘kill a classmate in cold blood in order to escape’ thing. Very elaborate! Very flashy! Very, very, very very very fake! 

Right…? It had to be! Definitely! Any minute now some upperclassmen will come up from a trapdoor, or perhaps a slyly-hidden entrance behind one of the panels, or burst in through the door they came in through… or something! There are so many possible gimmicks for this that the idea that it’s not one is totally unfeasible! 

…Time passes. No big reveal. Well. okay. She’ll look for herself! What did the thing say about a map…? A quick check of the pockets (hidden and otherwise) on her person later and she’s retrieved the ID, struggled to turn it on, and pulled up the maps.

"…A-alright! Never fear, everyone! I’ll personally find us all a way out of here, just you wait!" 

—————————————————————————————————

A run out of the auditorium and some ineffectual rattling against the elevator’s scissor gate later, and Emi’s yet to personally find them all a way out of there. Well, there goes plan A! 

The only other plan she has is ‘wander around and hope to find an exit’ — and wander she does, slinking quietly back into the auditorium and off to the exit on her right. She passes a few classrooms, nothing special, and then…

"…A stage?! Oh, no way, this is perfect!"

Any stage worth its salt will have at least one secret passage or hidden door! It’s probably a law, or something. She bounds up the steps two at a time, jumping the last one with both feet, and turns to face the audience — and, indeed, she has an audience, if the person that just walked in is anything to go by! She grins at them widely, any trace of worry vanished from her features.

"Oh, hi, hi! You wanna be my assistant in getting us all out of this creepy place? I’ll make sure to mention you when I tell everyone about how heroic it was and stuff!"

[shsldestreza]

The monotonous and droning voice of their supposed headmaster -- a television screen, or EDO, as it had so eloquently dubbed itself -- had left the student body in a state of utter mayhem. Not in an entirely physical sense, of course, as to show an excessive amount of panic so soon would not be especially smart. But Abel could deduce based merely on the hastened footsteps and subtly quaking hands and teeth that his classmates, each and every one of them in their own unique ways (were they not too foolish to be wary), was experiencing at least an intermediate level of stress, discomfort, or more likely than any, paranoia.

He was certainly feeling the aforementioned mixture of foul feelings himself! However, unlike his peers, his nerves would not be so easily exposed to the light of day. Abel had undergone years of training in manners of social sciences, and had finely trained and disciplined his facial muscles as not to be detected as effortlessly. At least, that was what he told himself. It was with the arrogant thought that the swordsman remained blissfully ignorant of his violently twitching brow and of the fear-driven cold sweat that had formed on the back of his neck. 

He exited the auditorium, eyes jumping nervously from doorway to doorway as he made his way through the snaking hallways and various extending rooms. At any moment, someone might leap at him with a knife in hand, wanting nothing more than to slice him limb from limb. But... he was being foolish, wasn't he? His classmates had all looked quite scared themselves, an he really doubted that any of them would be so bold as to act within the first hour, let alone the first day. Still... there was always a possibility, wasn't there? The boy pondered these thoughts as he glanced sidelong into one of the music rooms with an unsteady heartbeat and goosebumps to match. 

Thankfully, another distraction had soon stolen Abel's jumpy attentions, in the form of a bubbly brunette with rather peculiar attire (though by no means the strangest he had seen here). She had the face of an idol, and an effervescent personality to boot. It was... exhausting, the boy decided after just a moment of contemplation. Snap judgments were never something he had especially tried to avoid making; what harm could really come of them? This woman was loud, pompous, and most definitely not Abel's cup of tea -- of these three things, he was already quite certain. He recognized her vaguely, though from what, the boy failed to pinpoint.

"Your assistant? Is that supposed to be some sort of joke? Well, what a pity; your humor's been lost on me. Besides -- as if someone like you would really be capable of getting us out of here. Did you not hear the TV screen? State of the art security systems! Don't be foolish, you'll only end up getting the rest of us in trouble," Abel sneered, taking a few steps into the room so that he could get a better view of the person he was chiding. He placed one hand on his hip, rather a foul look on his face as he watched the strange girl, already gauging her response. 

[shslkneebrace]

end of the beginning | OPEN

[♬♬♬]

The room wasn’t… half bad. Wakako had been expecting to be placed in a some uncomfortable blank room, like an empty canvas without an inch of personality to it. What she hadn’t been anticipating was a room tailored to her interests, that appeared to have shit in it that she’d actually like. Was it her belongings? W… Was that a Blaqk Audio poster? You know what, maybe this really was just a misunderstanding or misremembering on her part. This dorm really did feel like it was hers. It had that comfort to it. Some makeup was even sitting messily on the shelves, perfect.

Shutting the door behind her with bits of hesitation still, Wakako directed her eyes to the corner of the room with a soft smile. Recognizing an important item sitting just where she’d put it, there was a bit of security that settled in her chest. All of this had to be some game or maybe they were on a reality television show. There was no need for her to be so apprehensive. At the very least she could probably enjoy herself knowing that there were cameras about watching their every move. She’d be a star!

…Actually, that really didn’t sound fun, but it was funny to think about.

"Heh, I wonder if Izumi can see this…" she murmured to herself as she plopped onto her bed, wanting to get a bit of rest before exploring the map that had been given to them.

Unlike the others, Wakako was more eager to gain some comfort before immediately running out to explore and meet other people. It was bound to be a bit later in the day when she left her room once again and it was only due to the rumbling that her stomach was doing. Good lord, she needed to get her hands on some deliciousness or this girl wasn’t gonna be running anywhere.

At the same time though she didn’t want to go by herself. It was time to make some friends. Trotting down the circular hallway of the dorms, Wakako picked a random door to bang her fist up against. The strength behind her arms was a bit alarming for someone of her size and it might take the person on the receiving end a few moments to realize that she wasn’t trying to bust their door down. As soon as they came to the door though, Wakako was ready to snatch them by the arm.

"Sup, come get food with me."

Straight to the point always worked.

[shsldestreza]

Abel didn't waste time in distancing himself from his peers, the announcement having unsettled him to a larger degree than he was entirely comfortable with addressing. Fleeing the scene was clearly the best course of action to take, and so he did. It was far easier to mull over difficult things in solitude (that would be his clever excuse, anyway), and so he exited the room as quickly as he could, hoping his heavy-footed pacing would distract any passers-by of his otherwise panicked disposition. It was hardly becoming of someone of his status to be so cowardly in the face of a couple of empty threats... No one could see him like this, his reputation would be ruined!

No, no, no -- he wasn't panicking. He was simply surprised! A bit taken off guard! The swordsman anxiously bit on his thumbnail as he walked around the circular corridor that surrounded the dormitories, counting the doors as he passed them, becoming almost hypnotized by the repetition. At the briefest, smallest of sounds he would flinch, reaching for a sword which was not there, and finally chiding himself for becoming so paranoid about what was likely nothing at all. Finally, he arrived at his assigned dorm, and he slid the card into the lock with shaky fingers. 

He had only been inside for a minute or two when his brief time of leisure was very rudely interrupted, in the form of a startlingly loud knocking just on the other side of his door. Abel felt his heart sink, and his eyes widened as he leapt to place his hands on the doorknob, pulling it inwards, just in case the lock chose to malfunction. It was better safe than sorry. 

"N-nobody's inside! I'm -- busy! Occupied!" he shouted amidst the alarm, before very shortly realizing the foolishness in the frenzied claims. Abel practically sprinted to grab a tabletop lamp from a nearby dresser, unplugging it urgently and holding it with his thumb at 12 o'clock, much like he might a sword. With a heavy heart, he unlocked the door and turned the knob, ready to swing with the lamp at any moment.

The person who greeted him was none other than Wakako Ohno. This girl again? Really? The swordsman stared at her with bugging eyes, slowly lowering the lamp, embarrassment filling him to the brim. How dare she try to scare him like that...?! It was more than obvious that it had been the track runner's intention to trick him. Abel replace the lamp slowly, a heavy scowl on his face as he returned to the doorway, only to be greeted by an even more audacious statement. 

"Sup, come get food with me."

His fear was quickly replaced by annoyance. Abel thought that he had managed to escape her after the opening remarks by their headmaster, but it appeared as though she was a bit more relentless than he had initially gathered. He exited his dorm and glowered at the shorter girl, quite upset that she -- let alone anyone -- had seen him in such a state. He would exact revenge on her someday, there was no doubt about it. But for now... he had some honor to defend. 

"Is that supposed to be an order, lady? Kh. Have you the slightest clue of my ranking on a socioeconomic level? You're got no right to speak to me like that. To even suggest such a thing..."

Abel was cut off by a loud growl from his stomach. 

"...I suppose getting a bite to eat would not hurt," he muttered quietly. Today was not his day. 

[shsldestreza]

Scherzo / 02 / Cyril Schnabel

Although Abel would have been charmed to lend this stranger more of his time, he had promptly been interrupted by a talking television screen. The person's talent was peculiar, no doubt, and the swordsman didn't mind admitting that it may have even classified as interesting -- however, there was little opportunity to dwell on these thoughts, as a much more alarming one had quickly been shoved into his mind. Killing...? Abel's eyebrows drew down in a mixture of worry and frustration, and he clenched both hands into fists at his side. How he wished he still had his dutiful rapier, whose razor-sharp blade would surely be able to slice the bitterly annoying 'headmaster' into pieces. Perhaps there would be a more ideal time for that, though. A cautious glance at his fellow students assured Abel that many of them had actually believed the faceless voice. How worrisome.

After the lingering moment of silence passed through the group, Abel took a deep breath, turning back to the person whose introduction had been ever so rudely interrupted. Either their dialect was especially strange, or they were a fellow foreigner; closer inspection assured the boy that the latter was indeed true. 

"What did you just call me?" Abel asked lightly, in reference to the unfamiliar language that had just been directed at him. The nature of his own response was almost humorous, although the expression of dismay which dressed his features would likely deter from this fact. He had taken more language classes than he could count, primarily at the direction of his mother, though German was not a language he had never been especially fond of. Abel raised a single brow at the stranger's next remark, tilting his chin back momentarily.

"Cyril Schnabel, was it? A pleasure, of course. I'm quite certain I've never heard of you before, your title certainly is a unique one," the boy sneered, taking note of the other person's strange, wandering sort of timbre and focus. It was as though their words were doing some kind of peculiar dance, and it served to befuddle Abel to a dreadful extent. He would overlook it, for now. 

"Odd indeed. Does... does it look as though I've got the slightest clue where we are? Honestly. I know as much as you do, alright? Just because I'm calm and collected doesn't mean I'm liable for anything!" Abel replied almost defensively, as if he was being accused of some treacherous crime. He lifted a hand up to loosen the collar of his shirt a bit, the weight of their situation suddenly hitting him in the face like a load of bricks. What if this person already suspected him of foul play...? More of a nervous habit than anything, the boy shoved a hand into one of the front pockets of his trousers -- was there something inside?

"Ah, our ID cards," he said simply, messing around on the thing for a moment until he located the map screen. Abel turned back to look at the plague expert. "What say we take a look around the school together? Don't get the wrong idea, I'd just... Like to keep an eye on you -- ah -- on things. I'd like to keep an eye on things. That's... that's what I meant," Abel muttered coldly, the sudden paranoia still very present in his mind. This person was surely too cheery to trust...!

[shslduelist]

Ah — a challenger. Or simply a straggler?

There was something about the mien of the boy who now approached that indicated nobility, but Yamirou found hirself hard-pressed to care. All things considered, sie had attended quite enough dinners with people ranked arbitrarily below or above hirself in the lists of Japan’s richest. Perhaps this boy occupied a different national listing, but it was all really the same sort of inanity, wasn’t it? Unless Abel had something useful to say about their now distinctly off situation, all he had to offer was the same useless noise that had been steadily permeating the auditorium well enough without his help.

And alas; all he had wanted to do was introduce himself. Yamirou’s eyes flickered down to the proffered handshake, and after a suitably uncomfortable moment or two, sie decided it was in hir best interests not to humour him. It was only very slightly personal. The armour that clung to hir right arm housed a number of compartments for cards, and on the rare occasion that sie was both offered a handshake and accepted it, sie would be leaving hirself wide open for theft. Better to be safe than sorry when hir only access to hir whole livelihood was contained beneath those thin metal plates. This Abel de Borbón would get over it, sie was sure.

"Hm," Yamirou muttered, doing nothing whatsoever to ease the tension that had risen. As though sie was doing Abel a favour by even replying, sie fixed hir gaze imperiously on the boy and went on. "Well, I’m sure you know who I am. And you’ll excuse me if I don’t particularly care to hear about some schoolboy’s party tricks at a time like this.”

It seemed for a moment like Yamirou might say something more definite about their situation, but instead sie fell silent. Just as sie had little use for whatever braggadocio anyone introducing themselves at a time like this had in store, they didn’t need to know about Yamirou’s legitimate preoccupation with their circumstances. Just that whatever pastime they prided themselves upon would be little match for Oh-Gi-Yu World Champion — but, like the rest, Abel no doubt knew this already.

[shsldestreza]

It took Abel a moment to decide if this person was socially inept, extraordinarily rude, or perhaps a combination of the two -- after a moment of scrutinizing, he came to the conclusion that the latter made the most sense from all the options that had been presented. Whether to feel pity or anger towards this troubled youth was beyond him, and the sword-fighter had to remind himself that they had surely been raised differently, it was simply unfair to hold others to the same standards of etiquette that he did himself. But... Even a common plebeian ought to have been taught better than to behave like that.  

The boy retracted his hand with a quiet snarl of distaste, intending to make it quite clear to the stranger what he though of hir blatant disrespect. If the Abel done that back home, there was no doubt that he would have received a prompt yet gentle smack from his nanny; enough to get the point across, though not enough to really hurt in any sense. Abel considered it, raising his left hand just an inch -- and reconsidered. Perhaps a verbal assault would wound this ingrate more deeply than a palm to the face. 

"Party tricks? Kh... I suppose you would know a thing or two about those, wouldn't you? This ridiculous getup of yours... You look like a circus performer," Abel snorted, taking a small step backwards to gesture at Yamirou's clothing. "Or... Perhaps it's your intention to look like a court jester? Can you do a trick or two for me, pretty please?" Abel asked, using his courtly voice, the one his etiquette instructor had trained him to use in the company of Generals and Ministers.

To call that a stretch would be an understatement, almost laughably so, but it got the job done. He only hoped his sarcasm had made it across the language barrier. The boy snapped out of the joking attitude at a moment's notice, his eyes narrowing. He looked back upon the person who stood before him, feeling his eye twitch at the cavalier expression which the two of them were surely sharing. 

"In all serious, I haven't the slightest clue who you are. And based on your manners and apparent upbringing, I'm not entirely sure I'd like to know."

[shsldestreza]

Allegretto Agitato / 01 / Open

[namigaeshi-deactivated20140831]

A boy, approximately an inch shorted than herself, approached Ginchiyo with the intent to converse. Of course, she had absolutely no problem with that, as she too was about to seek out someone to speak with. However, as soon as the boy spoke, her eyes widened in surprise.

Ginchiyo clasped her hands together in delight at the revelation that this was another foreigner. There was certainly a good variety of them amongst them, and it was both exciting and intimidating! Despite him not being native to Japan, his Japanese was immaculate! Truly, he must have worked hard to study it. There was no way she would ever travel outside of Japan to meet someone from… wherever he was from, so what better opportunity to speak to the foreigner now! Perhaps they may even become good friends.

She did her best to greet him warmly, without seeming too enthusiastic. It was very unbecoming of someone who was trying to keep up a formal appearance.

"Oh! Good day to you, erm… Bo…Bouban-kun. It’s a pleasure to meet you, also. My name is Nobunaga; Ginchiyo Nobunaga. As for what I do…"

She quietly ran her hand up the strap of her iaitō, and nudged her head towards the sheathed sword on her back.

"I am an iaidoka. Specifically, an iaido instructor at my parents’ dojo— ah, school. I teach beginners the basics of swordsmanship, as well as other defensive techniques."

It then came to her attention that he only introduced himself by name… and then demanded both a name and a title! Well, if that was the case, then it was only fair that he exchanged his own.

"If you do not mind me asking, what is it you do, Barbuan-kun?"

No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t pronounce his name right. Ah well… She would get better in time, right?

It seemed Ginchiyo was so caught up in the thought of making friends with people that she disregarded the thought of what exactly was happening in this situation. But it would come back to her eventually.

[shsldestreza]

What a relief. It appeared as though the woman who had chosen to approach him was one of the more respectable out of the bunch, and Abel silently thanked the Gods that he'd managed to avoid any of the real oddballs for the time being. This would be like a warmup -- a necessary practice round, before it came to conversing with any of the other remarkable misfits in his company. Despite the fact that the stranger looked remarkably dignified, the combination of her clothing of choice and her natural physique was... a bit distracting.

Abel averted his eyes quite forcibly, uttering a small, dismissive cough. No doubt, his ears had surely turned an embarrassing shade of red by this point. How embarrassing. He would need to overcome the lapse in his own carriage if he wished to upkeep any semblance of a reputation around here, especially when speaking to someone who held herself with such pride. Abel cleared his throat and turned back towards Ginchiyo, this time with more care to keep his eyes directly on the woman's, merely to avoid any... unnecessary misunderstandings. Upon closer inspection, though, something of great interest to the boy caught his attention. Was that a sword on her back, or were his eyes playing tricks on him...?!

"--An Iaidoka? What a coincidence, Nobunaga-san. I, too, entertain the profession of sword-fighting. Although our schools of teaching are quite different, I do not hesitate to imagine that we will be able to learn a great deal from one another throughout the course of the year...!" Abel said, the happy words tumbling from his mouth without pause. It was highly irregular for him to be speaking with such zeal, especially to a complete stranger, but to have found someone who shared the same passion as he... It was simply very exciting!

Abel was so charmed to have met a fellow sword-fighter that he he barely noticed when she badly butchered his name. In an attempt to retain some dignity of his own, he quieted the enthusiastic grin which threatened to fall onto his own face, instead forcing an expression of only mild interest. Clearing his throat, he nodded once, as if in approval.

"...Ah. Pardon my outburst," Abel muttered, having all but returned to his formerly cross disposition. "I specialize in the school La Verdadera Destreza, a Spanish system of teaching, myself. I'll be unsurprised if you've never heard of it before, Nobunaga-san -- It is rather an arcane study," the boy explained arrogantly, tilting his chin up just slightly as though to compensate for their difference in height. 

[shslkneebrace]

DIRT ROOM | open

The pain spreading throughout Wakako’s leg was one that she’d felt before. It was an agonizingly familiar hurt that woke her from her slumber atop the desk. Lord only knows how she ended up here in the first place.

First things first though, she checked to see if anyone else had been occupying the same space as her before her hands fled beneath the desk. Finding that she’d been left alone in what appeared to be a classroom, she could vaguely remember what she was likely doing here in the first place. Hopes Peak Academy… This must be it!

Massaging her knee under the impossibly warm legwarmer, the track star dug a few teeth into her lower lip as she tried desperately to recall the time she’d spent in this room as she tried to dull the aching in her muscles. Quickly realizing that she was drawing blanks as to how she’d ended up here in the first place the only thing left to do was to find someone who could explain the situation.

It hadn’t even occurred to her that some foul play was involved here, thinking that maybe she’d passed out or merely was having a momentary lapse of memory. Rising to her feet with discomfort, Wakako adjusted her shorts and took inventory of her pockets. Against what she’d thought, her phone was nowhere to be found and her keys seemed to have vanished along with them. It was only then that she felt a bit of panic, but not too much. Just a little.

Truth be told, she didn’t really get spooked out by shit too often so when she noticed the eerie piece of parchment declaring that she was to, ‘begin her journey towards despair,’ her eyes did a roll and she found herself chuckling to herself with ill amusement. Her voice though was tinted with frustration.

"Haha, okay.”

It’s even inscribed in shitty writing like a creepy 4th grader. Opening it yields instructions that Wakako decides she’ll follow if only because she isn’t really granted another choice in the matter presently. Navigating the halls once she’d left the room wasn’t that hard given the sign at the end of a corridor that read “Auditorium.” After taking a left and pushing open the finely polished wooden door, there they all were.

Quite a motley crew to say the least.

Immediately recognizing all of no one in her current mood, the only thing that was on her mind was who stole her phone. Without even so much as an introduction the track star held her hand out and gave her palm a few good, loud smacks in spite of the lacy fingerless gloves she donned.

"Cough it up. This shit ain’t funny."

[shsldestreza]

Of course -- the first person Abel had selected to converse with just had to be the one with orange and black serpents for hair. The fates seemed to have it out for him today... First the rude prank pulled by the welcoming counsel, and now this. Abel stood before the woman and looked her up and down, a rather critical look falling upon his otherwise diplomatic face. Black lipstick, black eyeliner, black clothing, and those appallingly bizarre ropes of color that fell from her head like the hair of a rag doll. What were this girl's motivations for dressing like a ghastly gothic alien?

Despite the skepticism which he undeniably felt, Abel would be lying if he said he wasn't curious. However, he had also expressed curiosity in the plague and the second World War, and he was quite certain that had no desire to experience either one of those. Indeed, observing this woman from a safe distance may have been a much more desirable option. But... it was too late to back down now. Abel had a reputation to build for himself, regardless of what types of people he'd be forced to interact with -- awkwardly backing away from one of his new classmates would hardly be behavior befitting of someone sharing a bloodline with the Queen of Spain herself. 

But that didn't mean he had to be polite. Abel swallowed his pride, forcing the scowl off of his face in favor of a slightly more impassive expression. ...And that was about the full extent of the effort he was willing to exert. 

"Quiet down, would you?" Abel asked, just barely resisting rolling his eyes at the dramatic hand clapping.

"Honestly, there's no need for that kind of outburst. Do you really have that little faith in the board of directors? This is just some kind of stupid prank, obviously. You'd have to be stupid not to realize that, wouldn't you?" the boy pondered irritably, making it quite clear that her antics were not appreciated.

[shsldestreza]

Allegretto Agitato / 01 / Open

The first thought that entered the young swordsman's mind had been of food. Even as the wave of sudden awareness washed over him, sending an unhappy shiver down his spine, the even more audible complaint was of an empty stomach. Abel de Borbón stretched his arms high over his head, a loud scoff of discomfort exiting a pair of scowling lips as he felt his spine crack. An empty classroom...? What was the meaning of this--!?

He remembered quite distinctly having entered the school building, though most everything beyond that point was incredibly hazy in his memory. Abel did have a remarkably good memory, if he did say so himself: the only explanation had to be that someone had knocked him out, and promptly brought him here. It wasn't quite the warm welcome he had been expecting… The school board would be receiving a strongly worded letter from his father, there was no doubt about it. For now, though, he needed to track down the cafeteria -- Abel couldn't begin to think logically on an empty stomach. 

The boy followed procedure just as he had been instructed by the childish brochure, despite his reluctance to obey anything presented to him in such a juvenile manner. Down the dingy corridor, and a bit to the left. A moody swing to his step, he entered the "auditorium" alongside the rest of his would-be peers. Was this place really the best the school could do…? It was clean enough, he supposed, but so ridiculously bare! 

"I would have figured a school like Hope's Peak would have a heftier budget then this. Wood paneling? Really?" Abel muttered under his breath, his thickly accented voice communicating his ill-feelings nonetheless. 

The sword-fighter did not care to approach any of his classmates presently, deciding that he was much too hungry, and in addition, much too turned off by the looks of the most of them. Standing a bit away from the group, Abel was able to see almost all of them at once, and it quickly became clear the type of people he would be spending the next few years with. What a disappointment. From ill-fitted suits, to shutter shades, to -- were those snakes on her head--?! The boy felt a bit of color leave his face. How in God's name had he found himself here, amongst this group of ragamuffins? 

Despite the revulsion he felt at the prospect of speaking to any number of them, he was growing more ravenous by the second. Perhaps one of them would know of where he could get a bite to eat. It was worth a shot, anyway, so Abel bit the bullet. Although the boy would have loved nothing more than to jump straight to the point, requesting immediately that someone usher him to the cafeteria, he had been raised better than to behave with that sort of negligence on a first meeting. There was no doubt, introductions were in order, first and foremost.

Approaching someone at random, he nodded his head and presented his hand, wasting no time.

"I suppose now's as good a time as ever to get acquainted, is it not? My given name is Abel de Borbón, it's... a pleasure to meet you. Please state your name and title, and we can both get on with our day," Abel stated frankly, seeing no point in being excessively chivalrous at a time like this. He would have later opportunities to show off his princely charms -- for now, all he wanted was something to eat.