better dead than suffering

oh, hi? i'm veronica, one of the great doctor madaraki's creations. it's my job to protect the family, and make sure fran doesn't get in over her head. or at least, i'm there to get her out when she does. just don't try anything funny. i'll know. -inactive-

[novosonia]

{A Little Princess in a Big School} | Intro/Open

[novosonia]

Sonia happily sat down next to the girl, absolutely ecstatic that she had been permitted to eat with her! This was going to be wonderful! Just like a real, high school experience! The princess vowed to herself that she’d never forget it — or the young girl that accepted her proposal of friendship.

 “I’m Veronica Madaraki, it’s nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but… why me?”

“Ah! It’s nice to meet you as well, Veronica! Thank you very much for allowing me to eat with you!” Sonia replied. “Why you? Well, you seemed very approachable to me!”

She glanced over, noticing Veronica’s face. What a unique quirk she had! Were those real stitches? Sonia found herself fascinated!

“Your face! It’s quite lovely! I’ve never seen someone look like this!” she exclaimed, hoping it wasn’t rude of her to be talking about Veronica’s appearance so bluntly. “I think it’s very beautiful and artistic!”

[stitchedsister-blog]

Approachable? That was one word Veronica never thought she'd hear associated with herself; with her prominent scars and dark clothes, most people tended to give her plenty of space. But it was kind of nice, in a way, to know that there was someone who didn't mind them.

"It's fine. I mean, I can't really say no. That would be rude." And Fran was constantly reminding her younger sister to mind her manners, so be nice to people, to say please and thank you, and to not kill anyone without a good reason. All rather boring things.

“Your face! It’s quite lovely! I’ve never seen someone look like this!” 

Veronica gave a little jump, eyes widening. "E-excuse me?"

“I think it’s very beautiful and artistic!”

"C-cut it out," Veronica mumbled, bowing her head to hide her reddening face. "You're being awfully nice. So, uh... thank you."

There were painful memories for a moment, but Veronica pushed them aside, trying to think of something, anything to say in response. "I like your, uh, hair. It's very nice," she said with a small nod.

No, that was dumb, she shouldn't have said anything. Veronica tilted her head down again, stuffing her mouth with food to save her the embarrassment of speaking again.

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[thesixthcourier-deactivated2013]

“That sounds mighty familiar, Miss.” Six would know all about the ‘many enemies’ thing. In fact that was his schtick; he was known for causing trouble for everyone—but he somehow always made it out on top. Although he went out of his way to make those enemies, rather than the reputation of his family—not that he even had one—inspiring these fools to go after him. “Hm. Not a very science-y type m’self… but this school could always use another egghead!”

Many would’ve said that Six was being as slow as could be, for not recognizing the warning signals that Veronica Madaraki was not normal. To be fair, Six’s knowledge on Veronica’s entire existence was spotty to say the least. He didn’t know of her origins (thanks to his sub-par listening skills) all that well—and by virtue of being from an entirely different sphere of reality, Six hadn’t the foggiest clue as to the reputation of the Professor. He attributed Veronica’s glances to her being shy, which couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

When Six reached the comm room—the door was set beside a broom closet—he fiddled with the keyring for nearly a minute before finally managing to unlock the room. It was rather… dusty. Nobody had been here in a while, and it showed. This didn’t bother the man as he sat himself in one of the chairs, and turned the microphone on.

“Yo. This thing worki—yeah, it is.” For a moment, Six adjusted the connection. For a moment the speakers throughout the school screeched—with the intensity of nails on a chalkboard—as the Courier fiddled with the microphone, which had apparently turned off. It took him a while before he was able to fix the connection and send his message throughout the school’s PA system.

“Students, staff and random weirdos of Tancho Academy! This is your Head a’ Security, Mister Six!” The confident start faltered a little, as the man quickly lost steam. “Uh, can one…” Six struggled for the mad scientist’s unwieldy-sounding surname for a moment. “Can a Miss Fran Madaraki please report to the intercom booth? Your sister’s lookin’ for ya.” Leaning back in his chair, Six killed the feed. When he turned away from the microphone, he gave Veronica an odd look—equal parts curiosity… and concern. ”Hey… kid, you ever need anything, just look for me, alright?” Six grinned a little at Veronica, trying to look all responsible and crap. “I’ll be happy to help you—or your sister.”

[stitchedsister-blog]

"Isn't that the teacher's job, though?" Veronica gave a shrug. "I don't really care either way. I'm not very interested in classes and such. I already know everything I need to, I think. But Fran said I had to go, so..." The pair passed by a window, so the girl took the chance to steal a look outside at all the students below. They were so small from this floor, almost like the cockroaches back at the mansion. But with less superheroes.

She glanced up again when Six stopped moving, watching him deal with the difficult task of unlocking the door to the comm room. He seemed like a nice enough man, if a bit simple. But that wasn't a bad thing, so long as he didn't give the girl reason to kill him. But it was also possible that he was merely acting dumb, of course, so Veronica was on her guard. Then again, she was always on her guard. So if Six did something weird, she'd kill him, simple as that. Even if Fran got mad at her for it, it was better than having some weirdo causing trouble.

Soon, the door was open and Veronica watched Six fiddle with the electronics. She was mildly surprised to see that he didn't electrocute himself, though the screech that filled the school momentarily was probably bad enough, especially for someone with sensitive hearing like her.

She finally stopped wincing in time to hear Six's announcement, nodding in satisfaction. Despite a few pauses, it would probably do, even though Fran would likely get lost on the way here, if she came. Still, it was better than nothing.

"Thank you, Six-san," she said, giving a little bow. "I appreciate it. Sorry to bother you." She was about to turn to leave when he spoke again.

”Hey… kid, you ever need anything, just look for me, alright?”

It was a bit of an odd thing to say, but he was an employee here, wasn't he? So he was just doing his job. Veronica gave a little nod in response.

"Of course. I don't know if I'll need anything, but." She shrugged, returning Six's small smile with one of her own. "You'll be the first one I ask."

[takebaby]

Brand New Days [SoF Intro | Open]

[takebaby]

Yukari took her hand reluctantly as she watched the underclassman stand up from the ground. Whew, at least she was okay… Maybe it would’ve been best if the brunette had packed lighter. Her luggage weight had always been a crippling…weakness for her. But she didn’t really realize how much of a bother it was until she had arrived at Tancho. She would always have a guy carry her bags. During the Yakushima trip, it had been done my Kirijo Group staff and during Kyoto…Ryoji had offered.

What a pain…

“I’m fine. I appreciate your concern, though. You should be more careful in the future.”

“Guess I haven’t changed for the better completely yet… The new me still has her flaws… Sorry again.”

Yukari had said the second sentence under her breath, as if she had been aware of it all along. It’d be best if no one else was aware however… She wathced the freshman girl get up and leave, muttering to her audibly.

W-1…. wait…

Wasn’t that—

“A-Are we in the same dorm room?” She grabbed the girl’s shoulder gently as she faced her. How convenient! Maybe she would know where her room was? Possibly. But what a way to make an impression… Yukari let out a deep sigh and looked back at the girl.

“Mind showing me where it is? I’m Yukari, by the way. It’s nice to meet you, even if it was under…bad terms.”

[stitchedsister-blog]

There certainly were some interesting people at this school, thought Veronica. Even the seemingly ordinary people had something that made them unique, like that girl behind her and that mountain of luggage. Were they all filled with clothes? Or was she bringing along other things too, like books or toys or blankets or whatever else humans liked to own? And why?

She'd probably never get to know. Not that it was a big deal, though Fran might be interested to learn.

“A-Are we in the same dorm room?”

Veronica gave a little twitch as someone grabbed her shoulder, but managed to contain her weaponry. "Are we? W-1, right? That's where me and my sister are assigned, so if you're there too..." 

She wanted to apologize preemptively, but thought better of it. If this girl was going to be living with her, they'd better get along. They might even be friends, if she was lucky.

She gave a small smile at the thought of it, giving a small bow. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Veronica Madaraki. Don't worry about tripping me though, accidents happen. If you need help, I can show you to your- our room."

But the smile faded when she glanced over at the pile of luggage. "Uh, do you need help with that, too? I mean, I guess I can help, but it might take a few trips..."

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[stitchedsadist]

Part of the reason Gavrill had even bothered with another teaching position was because of the off-handed comment Dr. Amatsuka had made about Fran and Veronica attending the school. (Not that she wouldn’t have complied with his requests anyway, but still.) The two brats were annoying as hell, sure, but they were still the only two that could put up with her constant torture and still live.

The doctor had said no killing, but it wasn’t really killing if they could just put themselves back together again, right? A wicked grin crawled onto her face as she spotted them in the halls, just ahead of her. She hadn’t been looking for them, but she’d caught their scent ever since she’d arrived so…time to make herself known.

“Well if it isn’t my bitch-ass sisters. I’ve been smelling your stinkin’ festering cunts ever since I got to this school. Can’t you put a lid on it or something?”

Gavrill cackled as she approached them, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and digging her claws into them. Just a friendly little notion between siblings.

“Been a while since we saw each other last, huh? And don’t even think about hidin’ from me this time.”

[stitchedscientist-blog-blog]

Fran stopped. She shivered. She felt her adrenaline rush into abnormal heights, and of course she felt the claws of her elder sister dig into her shoulder. She swallowed as she attempted to converse. 

Her mouth opened, then closed. Fran felt the sweat trickle from the sides of her head, her bolts giving off a fine tune of vibrations. She was scared of her elder sister. 

Everything that Fran stood for, Gavrill absolutely did not. Though Fran had found many ways in the past to pacify her elder sibling, she had no idea what her intention was in this new school. Fran coughed into her fist, turning towards the smaller Madraki. 

“Now Veronica. I have class now and I absolutely have to get there in time, I wouldn’t want to be late on the first day of school, so play with our beloved elder sister please~” 

Fran laughed nervously as she began walking, faster, then to a run, to a sprint, and behind a corner. Fran clung to the corner peering to the side. 

“Be strong Veronica…” She muttered under her breath, apologetically looking at her doomed sister. 

[stitchedsister-blog]

The scent of rancid blood filled Veronica's nostrils, causing her eyes to widen. She recognized that scent, that stink.

"Gavrill!" she said, gritting her teeth. She felt the eldest sister's claws sink into her shoulder, prompting a low growl and angry glance. Whatever she was doing here at Tancho, it probably wasn't good; nothing involving Gavrill could ever be good. But before Veronica could launch a few vile accusations, Fran interrupted her, reminding them that they had class.

And then she was pushed. Right into Gavrill.

There was a moment of sheer panic that was quickly replaced with confusion and anger; who just pushed her? Was it Fran? She would've been angry at Fran if she wasn't so infuriated with Gavrill's mere presence.

Veronica quickly pushed herself away, glaring at her older sister. "You're lucky I have class or I'd gut you right now," she spat, either not knowing or not caring that she was horribly outmatched. She was ready to fight, not only to protect Fran, but her pride was on the line, dammit! There was also the little matter that Fran had made her swear not to kill anyone, but that was hardly important.

She turned away from Gavrill, casting one last, venomous glance over her should before trotting after Fran. "Fran, wait! You still haven't told me your classes!"

[gratuitousengrish-blog]

☩ reverie | Veronica

[gratuitousengrish-blog]

Masamune had not expected company. Tension flowed from limb to limb. As he sat up, his shoulders stiffened. He stared at the girl standing before him, unable to disregard the stitches on her face. What sort of freak accident had she been involved in to earn scars like those? Masamune kept the question to himself but forgot to school his expression into something less suspicious.

He did not like being caught in a vulnerable state, and right now he was too emotional to be humoring others. He let out a sigh and fixed her with a skeptical gaze. “Yeah, do what you want. It’s not like I own the bleachers.” That had been a little cross. Masamune stared at the festival. “Is it too much? It sounds tiring from here. …did you get ditched by your pals?”

[stitchedsister-blog]

Whether the man was staring at the girl or just her scars didn't much matter to Veronica, she was more than used to odd looks, and anyone who insulted her was likely to meet a horrible fate. It just seemed to be an unfortunate side effect of knowing the Madaraki family.

Luckily, the man didn't seem to mind, so Veronica took a seat on one of the lower rows. "I just didn't want to bother you," she said, staring out at the festival.

“Is it too much? It sounds tiring from here. …did you get ditched by your pals?”

"There's a lot to do," she said with a nod. "And I'm not very good with crowds so I need a break. They make me antsy. You never know who might be plotting to attack you or something like that." Although her words were a little ridiculous, she said them very seriously.

"But I don't... have any pals." She trailed off a little, ending with a shrug. "It doesn't matter, though. I know a few people from class, but my friends don't seem to last very long. I don't know why."

She glanced over her shoulder at the man for a moment before looking back out at the festival. "What about you? Why are you all the way out here? Do you not like festivals?"

[gratuitousengrish-blog]

☩ reverie | open

Holidays did little for a man without a home to return to. Masamune sat upon the highest bleacher, overlooking the school field. He saw the stalls with their vibrant crisp autumn awnings, heard the cheer and laughter in everyone’s festive voices, smelled the spice of cider, tasted the sugar of an apple fritter from twenty minutes ago, but felt nothing that his peers knew of. He had nothing to look forward to.

Alone, with the wind at his back, licking at his neck, Masamune wondered what it was like to gather around a table and gorge himself on a Thanksgiving feast. He closed his eyes and immediately heard raucous laughter. But there was just one problem: He saw no faces and had no sense of where the voices came from. No matter how he tried to envision the picture-esque, he came up short with blanks in his mind.

He kicked his legs up onto the bleacher and laid down. The metal beneath his skin felt cool to the touch, reminding him of his own dreary thoughts. Masamune lifted a hand to the sky.

“I want to fly.” No, that wasn’t right. “I want to soar. I want to transcend the heavens and make you,” - Who? - “…proud.”

A tear streamed down his cheek. Masamune laughed at himself for being so goddamn sentimental.

“Hey, old man, is it like the Christians describe it? Is heaven that grand? Can you even hear me anymore? ‘cause I don’t remember your voice, save for you telling me to kill you like the rest of them.”

Masamune lowered his arm, wiping at the wetness upon his cheeks.

[stitchedsister-blog]

The festival was fun and exciting, but Veronica was soon exhausted from the constant activity and interaction. She wasn't very good with crowded spaces, and soon found herself wandering away from the festivities to someplace where she could be alone for a little while. But not too far away; she still wanted to keep an eye on the festivities. She made her way towards the bleachers on the field, far enough to rest, but close enough so as to not miss anything. But it seemed she wasn't alone.

There was a man in the seats already, lying down as her spoke something that Veronica couldn't quite hear. As she got closer, her sensitive ears began to pick up words; it sounded like he was talking to someone who wasn't there. And then he was crying.

Something wrenched in Veronica's chest as she recognized the scene; she'd been through something similar at her last school after the unfortunate end of one of the only people she'd ever called a friend. Loss. The kind that made your heart twist to the point where all you wanted to do was sit and stare at nothing. Would she be bothering him? Or would he appreciate a distraction?

"Excuse me," she called. "Are you okay? You don't mind if I sit here, do you? I need a break from the festival."

[novosonia]

{A Little Princess in a Big School} | Intro/Open

Sonia always had the tendency to be amazed by anything and everything. Entering such a grand school filled with hundreds of students was no exception. She kept trying to make her way down the hallways, but found herself delightfully distracted by someone or something. The princess was lucky she’d made it to her morning classes, even if she had seconds to spare.

Now she was headed toward the cafeteria. She’d finally have the chance to eat lunch in a room filled with kids of her age group (which was really exciting for her)! She didn’t have to worry about her guard watching over her every move (though, they were keeping tabs on their princess). Sonia finally felt freedom and she wanted to take advantage of every moment; but she was so caught up in such a happy reverie that she completely forgot to ask any of her classmates if they’d like to be friends with her or eat lunch with her.

Tray clenched tightly within her hands, Sonia’s eyes darted all across the cafeteria. Students were in groups of friends, some were alone, some were taking their lunch to eat elsewhere. She felt a pang of nervousness, something the normally self assured princess wasn’t quite used to. Being nervous wasn’t going to get her what she wanted, though, so Sonia took a deep breath and shook it off.

Quickly, she walked over to the first person she saw and shifted her tray to one hand. Tapping them lightly on the shoulder, the princess offered a wide and charming smile. Confidence is key, after all!

“Hello!” she greeted. “My name is Princess Sonia Nevermind! I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to eat lunch with me! We could bond and develop a beautiful friendship! Doesn’t that sound wonderful?!”

[stitchedsister-blog]

Lunch time was hardly ceremonious for Veronica, only a necessary meal so she could keep functioning during school. She ate alone, even though she knew a few people from her classes, and they liked to wave and say hello from a distance. Perhaps they were intimidated by her appearance, or just being polite to someone they were acquainted with, but it didn't matter. The end result was the same; Veronica tended to eat alone.

Not that she minded. The only other option was to eat with her sister Fran, but the older girl was always busy with some experiment or other, and hated to be bothered. So Veronica ate alone, finished quickly, and then returned to her regular schedule. It almost wasn't worth the trouble.

A tap on her shoulder made her glance backwards, wondering who it could be. Fran? A classmate? But what reason would they have to talk to her?

“My name is Princess Sonia Nevermind! I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to eat lunch with me! We could bond and develop a beautiful friendship! Doesn’t that sound wonderful?!”

Veronica sat in silence for a few moments, eyes wide, not really knowing how to answer. Her mind flashed back to the last time someone had been so nice to her; it didn't end well. Neither had the time before that. Or before that one. But she couldn't just say no, could she?

"Um, sure. Princess. If you want to, I don't mind," said Veronica. She scooted over to the side to make room for her new friend, not that she needed to. "I'm Veronica Madaraki, it's nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind me asking, but... why me?"

[candyflossdrills-blog]

[Sneak Attack!]

[candyflossdrills-blog]

Misha considered Veronica’s complaints carefully as she dragged her along- or at least, as carefully as she could. Truth be told, she was something of an airhead, and putting her in a position of peer authority was likely going to end badly for everyone some day. 

“I mean you should be more careful. I try not to hurt people who don’t deserve it, and it was just an honest mistake. Nothing to get worked up about,”

Misha furrowed and unfurrowed her brow, deliberating a response. “Well, you know… They say justice is blind! And so, that means it doesn’t matter who you hurt, because you’re still hurting someone~! Right~?” 

She seemed especially proud of this response, her smile gleaming with pride. Though, Veronica probably couldn’t see it, considering she was being pulled behind her, her little joyousness was reflected in her already-bouncy walk. It was like she’d passed a test or something.

“Anyways, uh, hopefully there’s someone still in the club room~! Because, uh, I don’t know how to write out a demerit, I just file the paperwork~!”

This was not something to be proud of but… She seemed to still think it was. 

[stitchedsister-blog]

The girl began to skip along, forcing Veronica to follow at a halting jog. Was she really in the disciplinary committee? She seemed awfully cheerful about the whole thing, and evidently forgot how close she'd come to an accidental death only moments before.

Well, maybe Fran could've fixed her. Hopefully without adding many 'extras.'

"But I didn't hurt you, did I? I mean, I almost did, but you're okay, so..." She gently tried to pull away, only to find that the pink-haired girl's grip was a lot stronger than she expected. Time for a different approach.

"What if it's someone who does deserve it? If you take away my weapons, I won't be able to defend myself, and I'm just a little girl, so it could be dangerous... You never know what kind of weirdos might be lurking around, right? Better safe than sorry." She nodded, agreeing with herself and pleased with her argument.

"And if you don't know how to write a demerit, then that means it's a lot of work for you too. But if we just forgot this whole thing ever happened..."

An unusually eloquent argument from the stitched girl. She really didn't want her sister to know she'd gotten in trouble.

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[omnipotentschoolgirl-deactivate]

There was potential for a joke here. Soooo much potential. But at the risk of setting her off he decided against it. Yeah, ghosts weren’t usually the most common thing a person saw in their daily lives. So much so that they either laugh off their supposed existence or spend the rest of their lives in utter fear of them. People fear the unknown. But honestly, most ghosts weren’t that bad. Just spirits with lingering regrets trying to pass on. Good luck telling her that. Mic had tilted it’s head in confusion as the girl took up a defensive stance, but kept in mind that Chocolove didn’t want to engage her.

“Yo yo yo, you’ve gotta calm down, lady! He’s not going to hurt y- Are you even listening to m- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!”

Did she just extend a mechanical looking blade thing from under her clothes? Where did she even hide that? HER CROTCH? METAL CROTCH? Hey, better write that one down.. NO NOW’S NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES! Chocolove waved his hands frantically and tried his best to calm this chick down before she did something they’d both regret. But no matter what words of comfort he thought of, the words that left his mouth would be the same.

“DID YOU JUST PULL THAT OUT OF YOUR SNATCH?!”

[stitchedsister-blog]

But one thing led to another, and soon both students were in a panic, screaming about weapons and ghosts. None of the other students seemed to pay much attention; screaming matches and other odd happenings were more or less par for the course at Tancho.

But while Veronica was so busy glaring at the ghost and preparing to strike it down if it got close- regardless of whether or not it was possible, she wasn't so removed from reality so as to be deaf.

“DID YOU JUST PULL THAT OUT OF YOUR SNATCH?!”

"Out of my... WHAT, NO! YOU IDIOT!"

"It came from my shoulder! Are you blind or something?!" The girl took another step back, shaking her head. All she wanted was a little help to find her sister, but then there were ghosts and accusations of hiding weapons in places she certainly didn't have any.

"Forget it! You're no help at all. I'll just find Fran without your help," she said, retracting her blade. She began to walk away, but not before yelling "AND KEEP YOUR LEOPARD THING UNDER CONTROL!" over her shoulder.

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[thesixthcourier-deactivated2013]

“Huh. Interesting.” Only half-listening, Six got a slightly skewed idea of Veronica and her older sister. Conveniently—or not so—the mercenary had not heard that bit where the Madaraki girl had freely alluded to her not-so-human origins. The Courier wasn’t the best at multitasking—or at least when his life wasn’t on the line.

Six was the exact opposite, when it came to attention—he loved the limelight, especially when he could use it to his advantage. He was firm believer of the idea that no publicity was bad publicity, at all. Even now was a prime example—if he shouted enough, people would either get curious and look for Fran themselves, or they’d get so annoyed (or fearful) that they’d look for her anyways so Six’d shut up.

Most people would’ve been alarmed at Veronica’s—the fact that the girl moved schools a lot (for research purposes, no less) and that humans were referred to as something else, something different—but Courier Six was not most people. His usual company consisted of scavengers and whores, mercenaries and slavers, madmen and kings.

He had even been around Fran’s type—albeit they were a collection of disembodied brains (including, terrifyingly enough, his own) rather than a girl with bolts in her noggin.

“It’s just up these stairs and at the end of the hall. Not too far.” He paused in mid-word to consider Veronica’s answer. It raised more questions than answers—and further piqued Six’s interest in the sisters. He’d seen his share of strange people here—including a beardless dwarf with a lot of chest hair—but these two took the cake. And he’d only met one of them! “So, your sister’s a researcher? A scientist? Huh.” Maybe Tancho accommodated those brainy types. Who knew. All Six did was make sure that nobody died. Or got the clap, now that he taught Sexual Education.

“Well, Veronica, a little socializing never killed anyone.” Six joked, knowing fully well that quite a few people had died thanks to socializing. In his experience, talking was also a great opportunity to jam a knife into someone’s ribs, or send a bullet into their skull. “As I said before, it’s nice to see family that looks out for one another. Not enough of that these days…”

[stitchedsister-blog]

"I guess. I don't really care about it. I just have to make sure she stays safe while she does her work. Which isn't easy, considering the work she does. We've got a lot of enemies."

Veronica continued to glance around, both keeping an eye out for her sister, as well as any students who might've been acting suspicious. The Madaraki family, or at least, the Professor, was fairly well-known in Japan, so it was a safe bet to say that at least a few students had heard of them. She just hoped they'd heard good things, nothing about creating monsters or anything of the like, even if it was true.

Veronica glanced down the hall, curious to see exactly where the comm room was. Not too far, thankfully, and hopefully she'd be able to find Fran before someone bad happened.

To someone else.

"Yes, Fran's a scientist. Specializes in biology, I think, so she's a good doctor and surgeon too. One of the best, though her techniques are... controversial to some. Very effective, though." Veronica frowned, recalling some of the procedures Fran had put her through in the name of 'science.' Things like ripping her apart and leaving her like that, stringing her up form the ceiling  implanting an electroshock device in her skull...

Yeah, effective.

“Well, Veronica, a little socializing never killed anyone.”

 It definitely did, from her experience; she'd killed some of those people herself, as a matter of fact. Of course, they'd all deserved it, one way or another, but that wasn't really important. "Maybe no one you know," Veronica muttered.

Mention of family left a sour taste in the girl's mouth; Fran was fine, she liked Fran, but then there was Gavrill. Certainly not the sort of familial love that Six was talking about. The only looking out Gavrill did was for new ways to kill her sisters, but Veronica felt the same way. The sooner that bitch died, the better off everyone would be. 

Veronica came up from her musings to find she and Six were in front of the intercom room. She was still iffy on the whole plan, but the man had good intentions. What could possibly go wrong?

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[omnipotentschoolgirl-deactivate]

Messing with me?

“Blessing with tea!”

That one made no sense whatsoever, nor did it have any place in the situation currently at hand. The girl seemed to be taking the issue of finding her sister very seriously. So much so that Chocolove could easily feel a small tinge of violent intent emanating from her body. That and the eerie sounds coming from beneath her clothing were clearly meant to make him uneasy to some extent. The young boy kept his calm, however. He’d faced dangerous things so many things that danger seemed all but normal to him at this point.

”..!! Yo, Mic. Chill out. She’s not a bad person.”

Chocolove glanced behind the girl after taking note of Mic’s presence. Mic, of course, being his longtime comrade and best friend. A friend who was rather overprotective of Chocolove and often impulsive. Oh and he was also an ethereal jaguar ghost.

Yeah, that was an actual thing. The Jaguar growled lightly before lying down onto the floor. But it kept a vigilant eye on the girl should anything go amiss.

“Don’t worry, I’m not messing with you. I really did see her just now. If you want I could help you look. Mic’s got a pretty good sense of smell so he should be able to track her down in no time.”

[stitchedsister-blog]

"Blessing with... tea?"

Once again, Veronica was caught off guard by the boy's strange speech patterns, enough so that she forgot she was in the middle of threatening him. She still had no idea what he was getting on about; this was certainly no time to be doing any tea blessings, not when Fran was nowhere to be found.

She shook away the distraction, shooting another menacing glare at the boy. "Are you just trying to distract me? That means you probably do know something, so you better-"

”..!! Yo, Mic. Chill out. She’s not a bad person.”

Veronica frowned, glancing down to see-

"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

Everyone knew ghosts weren't real, it just didn't make any scientific sense. But the glowing, slightly see-through, suddenly-appearing jaguar made a strong argument otherwise. Veronica took a springing step backwards, barely managing to choke back a scream.

"THEY LET THAT SORT OF THING ON THE CAMPUS!?" she howled, either ignoring or not hearing how helpful it might be to her. In an instant, a metal limb extended from beneath Veronica's cloak, tipped with a wicked-looking blade. She pointing a finger at the jaguar, weapon at the ready.

"Don't let that thing get near me! I don't care how good its sense of smell is, I don't want it anywhere near me! ...Or Fran!"

[takebaby]

Brand New Days [SoF Intro | Open]

“So this is it… It’s larger than I imagined.”

It was a new beginning for the brunette. So much had happened to her before her arrival at Tancho Academy. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for her to blend in. IT didn’t even take her long to get here. Well…as long as everyone else. Gekkoukan was fairly close to the school, just an hour drive. Maybe 2. Ahh, she wouldn’t know. She fell asleep. Too much had been on the girl’s mind. After Tartarus….the Dark Hour and the Fall…she just wanted to get away from it all. Her friends understood her temporary transfer, but Yukari know she’d be staying for a while.

Tugging her (rather packed) luggage bags, she made her way to the girls’ dorm. Unfortunately, Yukari had anticipated the trip a little too much and packed more than necessary. It felt like Junpei was tagging a ride on her bags. Come to think of it… she had signed up for the transfer so early. She wondered if anyone else from SEES had done the same. Well, it wasn’t anything to dwell upon—

Then the brunette turned and watched in horror as she ran over and tripped some pool soul with her giant luggage (seriously it’s like holy shit american diva giant ok) and covered her mouth as they faceplanted on the ground. She knelt in front of the victim and shook them gently.

“H-Hey! Are you alright?! Shoot, I should’ve been more careful!”

[stitchedsister-blog]

It seemed there'd been a bit of confusion regarding Veronica's dorm; each time she got herself settled into a room, she was suddenly assigned to a new one on the other side of the building. Lucky for her, she didn't have much in way of belongings, just some extra clothes, school supplies, and a bag filled with all sorts of deadly instruments used for the shadier side of her life as an assassin/bodyguard. Not that anyone else in the school really need to know.

"This is the third time," she muttered under her breath, glancing this way and that for her new dorm. Three times she'd been moved to a new room, three times she'd gotten her things situated just in time for the school to tell her it was time to move. Maybe she wouldn't bother unpacking this time.

So preoccupied with her dilemma was Veronica, that she didn't see the literal train of luggage another student was trailing. She soon found herself on the ground, hands too full to prevent her from falling.

“H-Hey! Are you alright?! Shoot, I should’ve been more careful!”

"There's no need to shake me," said Veronica, brushing the girl's hand away and getting to her feet. "I'm fine. I appreciate your concern, though. You should be more careful in the future."

With that, she turned and began to walk off, muttering "W-1..."  to herself. She still had to find her dorm, she certainly didn't want to get involved with the sheer volume of this girl's luggage.

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[thesixthcourier-deactivated2013]

“Well, we’re just wasting time here, aren’t we?” Six inclined his head—wondering what the whole bowing thing was about. Probably just a Japanese (apparently, this wasn’t China) thing. “Let’s go find Fran.” With that, he forced his way into the crowd, searching for Veronica’s sister.

“So, you protect her…?” The notion was somewhat novel to Six—not a lot of people had more than one child back home, and if they did, selfishness tended to win out, more often than not. “That’s real sweet of ya, Veronica—most folks these days don’t have time for their family. Good on you.” Suddenly, Six stopped in the midst of the crowd, cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled.

“OI, YOU LOT! ANYONE HERE SEE A.. A FRAN MADARAKI?! SHE’S TALL, BLONDE AND SHE’S GOT BOLTS IN EITHER SIDE OF HER HEAD?!” Six didn’t care a bit when he was given quite a few confused looks. Despite his brash efforts, he didn’t get results—the closest was one nervous-looking freshman who shook her head then hightailed it out of there.

“Hrm. No. Don’t see her. She’s not here.” Then, an idea struck the Courier. Turning to Veronica, he poked one index finger into the air. “We should go to the intercom room. I can call her from there. It’s a sight better than running around aimlessly, hollerin’ ‘Fran, Fran, wherefore art thou, Fran?!’“ Without so much as a second to wait for Veronica’s input, off Six went, only looking backwards once to make sure that his new-found companion was on the same page as he.

“So, Veronica, if you don’t mind me asking… I’m guessing you just arrived. What brings you t’Tancho?” Six only gave the girl a passing glance as he posed his question. His curiosity—the description of Fran as well as Veronica’s appearance already was curious enough—got the better of him, but even he knew better than to poke questions at possibly. “Oh, and before I forget… you can drop the sirs. Just call me Six. Formalities’re stifling.”

[stitchedsister-blog]

At least the faculty here at Tancho was helpful, thought Veronica. Most of the other teachers at the schools she'd seen too didn't care much for her or her sister, probably because of the Madaraki family's reputation. Or maybe teachers were all apathetic like that. At any rate, this man was different, and she was grateful for that.

The girl fell into step behind the man as he walked away, nodding in response to his question. "Yes, I was made to protect the Madaraki estate, and at this point, it mostly includes Fran and our home. But she gets into trouble a lot, so if it weren't for me, she'd probably-"

“OI, YOU LOT! ANYONE HERE SEE A.. A FRAN MADARAKI?! SHE’S TALL, BLONDE AND SHE’S GOT BOLTS IN EITHER SIDE OF HER HEAD?!”

Veronica gave a little start as the man began to yell, suddenly embarrassed. Anyone who turned to look would definitely see the pair was looking for someone like the young girl, and there was something distressing about the fact.

Not to mention there was something to be said for subtle investigation.

She was about to speak up again, maybe to console the man and excuse herself, but he was suddenly off on a new train of thought, dashing away with a new scheme to find Fran. Veronica began to jog after him, trying to think up a new way to continue on her own.

"Doesn't that seem a bit excessive?" she called, keeping pace beside him. "I mean, maybe we could-"

“So, Veronica, if you don’t mind me asking… I’m guessing you just arrived. What brings you t’Tancho?”

If she was lucky, maybe she'd be able to get one thought in.

"Me and Fran just got here the other day," she said with a nod. "But the whole  thing was her idea. She likes to come to school to study 'behavioral patterns of humans in groups,' or something like that. It's part of her research, I don't know. She wants me to be more... social, so I had to come too. But I've been to a few schools before, they're not really my thing, sir- Mr. Six."

There was something odd about calling him 'Mr. Six,' but she couldn't just call him Six right now, not when they'd just met. Veronica began to glance around, noting how much attention she and the loud man were attracting. It was a bit frustrating; she hated being the center of attention.

"If you don't mind me asking, where is the intercom room, Mr. Six?" she called over his shoulder.

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[omnipotentschoolgirl-deactivate]

Big bolts…?

“Small colts!”

Perfect set up and flawless execution! At least, he felt as though his execution was flawless. Chocolove stood there with a confident smirk on his face, as if to say that he’d accomplished making an absolutely amazing joke. Poor kid had his head in the clouds, so try not to crush his confidence too badly. In any case, now wasn’t really the time to gloat or wait for a reaction from the other. She’d described someone who he’d just recently encountered. Quite the commotion that woman caused. Then again, if you looked like that you were bound to attract attention.

“Yeah, your sister’s around here somewhere. She’s probably familiarizing herself with the school grounds. You’re bound to run into her at some point.”

It’s a beautiful thing. Family. She was probably eager to find her sister and share the new school experience together (Or try to keep her from horribly dismembering some poor shmuck in the infirmary while posing as a nurse, but hey). He hadn’t really paid much attention to where she walked off though, so he couldn’t offer any more information than that. He could, however, tell another joke! May god have mercy on this poor girl’s soul.

[stitchedsister-blog]

"Small... colts?"

What was he talking about? Little horses? She'd seen a horse around campus earlier, but it certainly wasn't a little one. And Veronica hadn't even asked about horses in the first place, so what was this boy talking about?

"...Are you okay? Did you hit your head or something?"

He might've been a lost cause, in any case. Veronica was about to turn and leave when he spoke again, and something she could actually use this time.

"You saw her? Really?" She began to glance around, not that it did much good with her height, or lack thereof, rather. If Fran was in the area, Veronica didn't see her, much to the younger sister's annoyance. She took a step toward the boy before her, furrowing her brow slightly.

"Are you sure you saw her? You're not just messing with me are you? Because if you are..." The was a grinding sound beneath her cloak, like metal grinding against metal. Hopefully that would speak for her.

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[thesixthcourier-deactivated2013]

“Doo de dum… dum dum de doop…” Six carried the box of CCTV cameras, quietly humming along to the instrumental track emanating from his Pip-Boy. When his tenure as a security administrator began, the Courier didn’t waste time in one of his pet projects: setting up a comprehensive and effective surveillance system. He hadn’t the budget before, but now was different. Primarily, his intentions were pure—it would make it easier to track troublemakers, keep the school running safely. All that stuff.

But of course, Six had ulterior motives—primarily to win several long-standing bets. And it was always fun to watch people when they thought no one was acting. It was a good way to spend the evening, watching the elderly Physics teacher pick her nose and wipe it on her student’s desk. Things like that.

“Excuse me? Have you seen my sister around here? I was just with her, and then… Well, I need to find her.”

“Huh?” Six turned around, to face Veronica. AS she spoke, he tried not to stare at the precise, almost mechanical-looking stitches on Veronica’s face. He was uncomfortably reminded of the Lobotomites—not to mention the rest of the Big Mountain’s menagerie of freaks. The description of her sister only compounded that feeling.

“Uh, I don’t think I’ve seen your sister, Miss.” Six shrugged helplessly. After a moment’s deliberation, he spoke again, but not before setting down the crate of cameras in a quiet corner. ”Do you need any help?” Cameras forgotten for the moment, Six dusted himself off. This girl was quite the character—finally, someone really interesting in this dump. “I can help you find her, if you’d like.”

And there was a sense of Six’s misplaced ‘chivalry’, if it could even be called that. He had literally no idea of Veronica’s impressive—some would say monstrous—skillset. All he saw was a young woman, and he decided to help. Maybe he’d woken up on the right side of the bed that morning, for it wasn’t all that often that Six leapt to the aid of the innocent—although in many ways, Veronica Madaraki was anything but.

“What year is she in? Where did you last see her?”

[stitchedsister-blog]

Hopefully the man wasn't too busy with his stack of boxes to help Veronica out; she only a simple question to ask, so it wouldn't inconvenience him that much, would it? Part of her wondered what might be in the boxes, but if the man was part of the faculty, it wasn't really her business, was it? She tilted her head to peer around the boxes, waiting for the man to answer.

“Uh, I don’t think I’ve seen your sister, Miss.” 

So much for that. Veronica frowned, tilting her head for a moment to cover her eyes as she thought about her next course of action. "That's okay. Thanks for your help, anyways."

She was about to turn and leave when the man put the boxes down, offering to help in her search. "Uh, no, that's fine, really," she said, shaking her head. "You look like you're busy, I don't really want to bother you too much or anything. I mean, it would be nice, but if you're in the middle of something..."

It was awfully nice of him to offer, at least. And to insist, too; she couldn't really say no now, could she?

"Ah, thank you, sir," said Veronica, giving a short bow. "We were walking across the campus, but we got separated, so I don't know where she could be. Probably not far, but it's my job to protect her, so I need to find her. She's a senior, I don't know if that helps. And her name is Fran Madaraki. I'm her sister, Veronica." Another short bow of the head before she continued speaking.

"I need to find her as soon as I can, she's a little... accident prone, in a way." The girl nodded, agreeing with herself as she tapped at her chin with gloved fingers.

Of course, the accidents would happen to other people, but that wasn't especially important right now.

[canyoufaceyourfears-blog]

Lost in the school ►OPEN/INTRO◄

Hanako had been wandering the deserted halls of Tancho Academy restlessly, in search of the library. She knew the exact location of the library at her old school, but here, everything was completely new. Completely foreign. A wave of anxiety washed over the girl as she quickened her pace, footsteps echoing through the silence. She had spent the entire period searching for the library and, if she didn’t hurry up and find it, the empty halls would be filled with people scurrying about to their next class. Laughter and loud voices would cut through the thick silence and, once Hanako would be spotted, the teasing would more than likely begin. Either that, or the never-ending questions about her appearance. The girl’s breath came out in short, ragged gasps at the thought and, to her despair, the bell suddenly rang loudly, shaking her from her thoughts. As if on que, the doors in the corridor were all thrown open and students began pouring out one by one. 

Oh no! What could she do?! She wasn’t ready to be seen by anyone, not yet! Without giving it a second thought, Hanako darted down the hall, taking a sharp left only to find herself face-to-face with the door to the Janitor’s closet. A shaky hand grasped the knob and to her relief, the door swung open. It wasn’t locked, after all! A shaky sigh escaped her lips and just as she was about to step in, she glanced around to make sure she was safe when her eyes met with a complete stranger’s. What if they would tell on her…?! Reaching forward, the girl gently grasped the person’s hand and pulled them into the closet with her, immediately shutting the door and reclusing herself from the outside world. Turning around sharply, Hanako covered her scarred face with her hand and choked out nervously, “P-Please… Please don’t t-tell anyone I’m i-in here…!” 

“I-I’m sorry I had to d-drag you into this m-mess…!”

[stitchedsister-blog]

From one class to the next, a drudging stream of menial mental work, designed for the sons and daughters of the common man. Veronica was anything but common, but she did as she was told, dutifully listening to lectures and doing the assignments that were doled out to her. And when the bell rang, she was out of one class and off to the other. Luckily, she knew a few shortcuts.

A few quick turns brought her to a mostly-abandoned hallway, before any other students had gotten there, even. She allowed herself a small smirk before coming to a sudden stop, finding her path blocked by another student, a black-haired girl who seemed very surprised to see her. Veronica opened her mouth to say something, perhaps request that the other girl move aside, but she suddenly found herself pulled into the darkened utility closet. Her limbs twitched in anticipation, ready to strike at a moment's notice. However, a single girl hardly seemed like a real threat.

“P-Please… Please don’t t-tell anyone I’m i-in here…!” 

"...Okay. I wasn't really planning on it, whatever you're doing in the closet is your business. I mean, you're not hiding any bodies or anything in here, are you? ...No, you don't look the type. I don't know why you're here, but it doesn't matter to me. Don't worry about it."

But even in the dark, Veronica's highly-sensitive eyes could make out the tiniest details, even the dark-haired girl's burn scars. She girl frowned, cocking her head. "Hey, are you okay? Those are a lot of scars, you're not hurt or anything, are you?"

[stitchedsister-blog]

Stitched Student [Open]

[stitchedscientist-blog-blog]

Fran tapped her foot with mild impatience. Her arms crossed and head tilted. Of course she wasn’t actually bothered by her sister. She was actually quite proud that Veronica was asking for help, maybe observing her sister interact with humans was a far better study than watching humans interact with humans…

She knew that human stimuli often gave off fear when presented with a strange phenomenon, strange like say, a girl with painful looking scars. Fran was half tempted to not reveal her presence for the sake of science… however she noticed the other participant bowed their head and left.

‘Such a waste…’

“Veronica.” She said as she made her way towards her sister,  “You weren’t listening to me at all weren’t you?”

[stitchedsister-blog]

The person she'd approached was no help at all, leaving Veronica with nothing but an apology and a touch of annoyance. "Thanks anyways," she said to their back as they walked away. They were no help at all, but the only thing she could do now was ask around a little more; someone was sure to have noticed Fran, she was impossible to ignore.

“Veronica. You weren’t listening to me at all weren’t you?”

The girl gave a little start, spinning around to face her sister's sudden reappearance. "Fran! I thought- Well, we got separated, so I- Forget it..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "No, I didn't hear you, sorry."

And there might be some form of punishment because of that. Veronica kept an eye on Fran's hands, already tensing her body should her older sister reach for the electric switch.

Veronica quickly stepped forward, hoping to change the subject and avoid any unpleasantries. "Um, say, what's your first class, Fran? I mean, you made my schedule for me, but I should know yours too, so I can protect you better."