SPRING BREAK - MARSEILLE

[thewatchers]

SPRING BREAK - MARSEILLE
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With the end of finals and the (hopeful) release of all the related stressors, the university offers all students a chance for a little R&R. In this case, with the end of Winter Quarter and the beginning of Spring Break, all students are all given fully paid leave to return to their hometowns if desired and visit their families. In addition, students will have the opportunity to take an all-expenses-paid trip to a fun locale to spend their break.

This year, Spring Break is in Provence. Students will stay in the city of Marseille for the duration, and will be able to explore the city and take part in a number of events around the city. Students will be staying at the Intercontinental Marseille - Hotel Dieu, with all meals provided and a number of tickets for entertainment available. While it is a bit on the cooler side to enjoy the legendary beaches of Provence, the arts scene, food and drink should more than make up for it.

This log is completely open for students and any accompanying faculty to navigate as they please. The hotel is a five-star operation that the school has rented out which means the amenities are lavish and the food is top-notch. Any events in and around the city students are able to attend, their admittance covered entirely by the school.

This log can also be used to cover any personal spring break activities, regardless of whether they're in Marseille or not.

Comments

OTA

[unpocoloco]

He knew this was coming. Even with everything that had gone on this past semester, he couldn't have missed the muttered plans and hopes for going elsewhere or going home, if he'd wanted to. And boy, he'd wanted to. So he'd done the reasonable thing. Bracing for it, he filled his schedule up to the brim until he was so busy there was no room for any thought at all.

Squeaky door? Why, he'd fix that for you. Need time to mark all two hundred and fifty of those exams? Well, hey, slide them right over! Sure he could tutor you and six of your friends! And in lieu of that, you could catch him working on finally "fixing" that broken guitar with the sort of half-focus and manic pace that suggests he might jump if anyone were to say something.

But now the day (the evening rather) is here and the dorms are slowly emptying and it's so quiet. He almost wants to run off into town to find someone there but he's still not quite at a level of feeling comfortable downtown alone again. He's got no idea how he'll distract himself for a week but in the moment, there's at least still a few stragglers, so, despite being a man with a cane, he's quick to offer help with any luggage that needs carrying along with a (probably) overly cheery, "Need a hand there? Looks like you could use it!"

Of course, if it's particularly late, one might just catch him instead sprawled in a chair with a book over his face. But it's fine. He's fine.

[spelleton]

Héctor is such a whirlwind of activity with a manic edge of keeping-himself-extremely-busy that Ekkehardt can barely catch him before he hares off somewhere else again.

But he finds him at last, at rest, and gently nudges the book off his face, peering down at him.

"Busy day?"

[unpocoloco]

Ekkehardt is also one of the few people in this school he can't just bold-faced lie to and claim he's "tired". He's not. Not that kind of tired anyway. His physical (magical?) energy isn't even that bad today.

Which means when Ekkehardt lifts the book on his face, he's not greeted with a tired expression but instead the sort of deep drown of someone with a particularly difficult puzzle. Or a child who's been told they're grounded.

He quickly forces a smile. "Me? Ahah, nooo, no, no, not at all." A pause. "Why? Do you have something I could do?"

[spelleton]

"Well, if you're not busy fixing everything that needs fixing," Ekkehardt says, the look in his eyes clearly communicating he's not particularly fooled by the sudden forced smile, "and you have nothing better to do, I do have a proposition for you.

I'm going back home, to the Outlands. Since you're so interested in my family, I thought I'd offer to take you along."

[hattersgonnahat]

It had been an unusual day. The hallways had been gradually getting more and more quiet throughout the day as students and faculty made their ways elsewhere for break. Ironically, the earlier part of the day had been maybe the busiest Puella has ever seen it. But now...now it felt kind of eerie.

She simply walked into the common room to see if there was anyone still left, not expecting to find Héctor of all people. But he did have a book on his face. ...Was he asleep? Despite sometimes meeting out here every night, she's pretty sure she's actually never seen him sleep before.

"..."

Just going to inch over reeeaaally close. If he was awake then she'll probably see some movement. But if not, don't want to be too loud about it.

[unpocoloco]

He gives a little nervous laugh as Ekkehardt calls him out, but remains silent otherwise, listening. For a moment, he perks up. In fact he sits straight up.

"You want me to meet your family?" He starts, and he does sound interested. But then he pales. "In... the Outlands..." His jaw works, voice muted temporarily. His hands wind together, fidgeting.

"Uh... are you sure that's a good idea? For me?" His fear is pretty obvious now. Even when he laughs again. "I mean, who wants to introduce me to their family? I'm sure there's somebody here who's way cooler than I am."

[unpocoloco]

He is, of course, awake. He can't sleep if he wants to. Maybe he would if that were an option. That might waste some time.

But right now, there's a little girl tip-toeing oh so quiet. So he says from under the book, "Puella."

He proceeds to sit up properly, lifting the thing off his face so he can give her a look. And then frown. She's kind of young to be staying here over the break... "Are you not going home?"

[hattersgonnahat]

--Oh. So he was still awake under there.

How did he know it was her...

"Not until tomorrow."

[unpocoloco]

He knew it was her because there's only one little girl in Aube who tip-toes around him like that.

"Oh." Okay, good. So she did have a family. "... I guess that means it's just you, me, and the stragglers for now then. Did you need any help with anything or...?"

[hattersgonnahat]

"Not really." Most of the packing she had to do was pretty light.

And with that, she had to know just how many people were actually left on campus. It has been pretty lonely.

"Is..everyone gonna be leaving?"

[unpocoloco]

"Oh, haha, no," He laughs softly. He manages, this time, to keep his smile from looking too strained. "There's at least one or two who want to take advantage of the quiet or catch up on school work. I'm not likely to be going anywhere either."

He shrugs his shoulders. No big deal. Nothing wrong at all.

[hattersgonnahat]

Ew, work is boring though. "...But it's vacation time. You should get to do something fun!"

[spelleton]

"I'm more dangerous than anything we'll encounter traveling there." He states it like it's just another fact he might have produced, or a diagnosis. Utterly calm, utterly patient. "You'll be safe.

Besides, the children I take care of will enjoy seeing a new face. They're used to skeletons."

And also Héctor would mope and skulk and haunt the academy for as long as Spring Break lasted, probably, if he didn't take him along. But Ekkehardt's hardly going to say that to his face.

"So, what do you say? Will you grant me the pleasure of your company?"

[unpocoloco]

This time his laugh is a little more genuine. He waves a hand. "Ah, I have fun all the time! You should see the antics I get up to. When I'm not doing important work of course."

[hattersgonnahat]

Antics? Did he say antics??

"Whaaaaat? You never told me that!!" ...They should go cause some mischief together. Someday. See, this is way working too much sucks. "--Okay but still, there's other places to go besides here."

[unpocoloco]

He throws back his head and laughs harder. "Oh yes, all kinds." There's a reason he doesn't tell the kids that. He's got to set a good example sometimes.

"But, ah, well, I still get sick sometimes. I have to stay here, where I can still see a doctor if I need to. Unless I get a bunch of special help, it's easier I stay here for now." The lie comes easily.

[hattersgonnahat]

"...Oh. Right," Puella does seem to keep forgetting that he gets sick a lot. Kind of feels like a miracle that she actually went out on a mission with him at all. Usually, the subject of Héctor's health was enough to get her to shut up for a bit. It's not really a thing she wanted to think about too much.

"Isn't it a whole week though? I would think I would get bored being alone for that long."

[unpocoloco]

The fake smile slips away as Ekkehardt assures him he'll be safe. He's not always the best liar, he knows, but it's still jarring to be seen through.

It really would be nice to see Ekkehardt's family. Any family. Other dead people for that matter who he didn't have to hide around, and living ones too apparently. (And it's not as if Ekkehardt's wrong. Staying here is miserable right now and he's only been in this emptied school for a few hours. He knows, given enough time, he'll either find the tequila or something worse. That's not the way he likes to drink.)

He looks from Ekkehardt's face, down, back and down again. He swallows hard, then slowly rises up from the seat, tossing the book lightly aside to the nearest table.

"...Last time I wandered into the Outlands it was years before I got out again," He says, voice quiet. "Is there..." His eyes close and he takes a breath. "You're sure we'll be able to get back out again?" If Ekkehardt can come and go, he must be, but he wants to hear it.

[unpocoloco]

He gives her a bit of a sorry smile. Any kid would think that something of a bummer. He doesn't blame her for putting it out of mind.

"Well, I'm not entirely alone," He says, though it's hard to believe his own words. "Like I said, there's still one or two people here. And maybe by that time I'll have fixed my old guitar. You can't be bored with música."

[spelleton]

Ekkehardt is just much better at lying, really. Just a skill he's honed in the pursuit of doing his job as well as he can, like most of the things that compose him. At these vulnerable times, Héctor is easy to read.

"I've been doing it for years, with no trouble. The spell is safe. I give you my word."

[hattersgonnahat]

"I guess so," Puella would still agree it would get boring though. Most kids probably would. But then she was not very musically inclined or understand why something like that could be therapeutic.

"...I can sorta get it. There's stuff I would like to finish too, but it's gonna have to wait after I come back."

[unpocoloco]

"...Alright. I trust you." Probably more than most, actually. He steels himself and pulls on a smile, one a little less forced.

"In that case, I'm honored you consider my company a pleasure enough to inflict me upon your family." He says it with a laugh, but it's got some truth to it.

"Do you need to pack? I'm pretty much good as I am." Out of uniform and already in his old (but repaired!) clothing, phone tucked in an inner pocket.

[unpocoloco]

"No, no, of course! Everyone should have the chance to go see their family! Ay, if I could, I'd be doing the same thing." Without a question. The trouble would be bringing him back here. There's no way anyone could get him to. Even over his literal dead boy.

"Do you have any plans with your family, when you see them?"

[hattersgonnahat]

"I don't know if we're doing anything... I'm just gonna see them for awhile." There was something weird about saying it that way. Puella was not use to being away from home for this long and treating it as a secondary place yet. Although, it did make her feel a bit more adult - even if she did miss it quite a lot.

"I can't wait to talk to them about all this magic stuff though. Now that they can't hide it anymore!"

[unpocoloco]

He laughs. "I don't doubt!" He'd been blown away by Imelda as a teenager with what little she showed him-- and probably wasn't allowed to. A kid would only be twice as thrilled.

"Does that mean your parents are Candles too?" He asks. "Or mages?" Or both? He supposes that could be possible.