daybreakacademy | ~ open/closed prompts ~

Entry tags:

~ open/closed prompts ~

WHO: Toki, Adelaide, Valvatorez, Orihime, Jolyne, Jail + open
WHERE: various locations
WHEN: May
WHAT: Vampires! Apologies! Awkwardness! Mentoring! Dogs? Tea! Exploration!
WARNINGS: self-harm and gore mentions likely, potential RNG seizure visions, FEELS

CLOSED PROMPTS:

a; {Adelaide} - early May, edge of the woods on campus

[Toki hadn't been exactly avoiding Adelaide after the incident, but it seems that way. He had so many things going on the following weeks; worrying over Maverick's contract, confronting Wist about Kano's state of existence, continuing dreams and visions that were taking their toll on his mental state. Adelaide, and confronting what happened between them, had somehow been pushed to the back of it all. Now, he wonders if it's too late to have the discussion, too late to tell her he doesn't hate her, and never could.

He sent a text to Adelaide only this morning, a time and a place to meet. Toki's not sure if she'll show up at all. He doesn't know how she feels, and he should. He should have talked to her earlier. He sits on a fallen log near the edge of the woods. A quiet place that he doesn't particularly get comfort from, but he thinks Adelaide will. No one around to hear them. He'd chosen later in the evening; it's still light enough to see everything, but he doesn't know how the sunlight affects her; if it hurts to be outside during the day and she just doesn't show it.]

b; {Valvatorez} - early May, Val's office

[He's waited a while to apologize. It's not that he's afraid of Valvatorez per se, because Ekkehardt was probably right. It was all in the past, everything Toki saw. Yet, he's still apprehensive as he approaches the professor's office. He apologies a lot, but he's never been particularly good or dignified at it; usually devolving into tears early on, or not quite understanding why he's apologizing beyond making someone upset somehow. Right now, he does know. He knows what he did was wrong, and an overreaction, but in the moment he did it, it seemed the only option and very logical. Toki knocks on the door softly, or softly for him anyway.]

Professor Valvatorez?

c; {Orihime and/or Jolyne} - whenever in May, Aube 405

[Toki hasn't seen Orihime since the end of February. He hasn't contacted her at all, and she hasn't reached out to him either. Or, if she has, he doesn't know about it. He did go through four new phones in the last two months, and though he's still on the network with an updated number, Orihime could have assumed her unanswered messages were him ignoring her. He's on some kind of reconciliation streak at the moment, not formally or for any reason; things just happened that way. So, today, he's going to talk to her.

The last time he saw her was in the first floor common room in Aube. It was late at night, maybe early in the morning. He'd had a vision about her. One where she died, where she was a rotting corpse and her spirit had been claimed by a snake-man of sorts. A snake-man that, for some reason, Orihime thought represented her brother. Of course, Toki doesn't know what happened with that. He knows she's alive, but that's it really. Sometimes he feels like everything would be less awkward, less confusing, if people would clue him in a bit more on things. He understands why they don't; like Orihime hadn't. He's too easily disturbed and frightened and panicked and he'll just get in the way if he knows.

She probably doesn't want to see him, and that's okay. He's prepared for that outcome. He almost texted her, fingers hovering over her robot network icon, but what would he say? A simple "how are you?" after two months of silence? He couldn't do that, though maybe he should have. He was prepared and calm and everything when he knocked on the door of Aube 101, only to be met by some guy he'd talked to once when the kids were hanging around. Orihime had changed rooms. Now, he's here in front of 405. In this hallway where he'd been several times on his way to visit Adelaide and the fish. He had no idea Orihime was right there.

Toki hesitates before knocking. He wants to make this easy for her if she just doesn't want to speak to him again. Okay. He's ready. He knocks loudly and rapidly on the door, intent on appearing cheerful and happy no matter what happens.]

d; {Jail} - beginning late April, Jail's office
-continuation from here-

[Toki was taking a shower when the text arrived, and he never looked at it until someone else texted him several hours later. The ghost line sends him off on thought tangents regarding if there are any ghost students at Daybreak he doesn't know about, then onto whether or not he's already dead and a ghost himself, and it's another several hours before he remembers to write down the appointment time.

The next day, when he checks his scrawled down reminder, he reads it as 8PM. At 3:30, when he looks the map for where her office is, he sees the actual meeting time. It's almost 4:00 before he shows up to knock on the door.]

OPEN PROMPTS:

e; Network

i am seeking recommendations!
give me your choices for service animals that are NOT dogs!
small cute dogs are POSSIBLE or maybe a dalmatian,
BUT i have preference for non-dogs!

f; Cafe de la Lune

[Toki has a table by himself near the front door. His usual cafe companion Kuroko is nowhere in sight. He's also switched from coffee to tea. He examines the contents of the cup every time he take a hesitant sip. He has a notebook and a large old tome spread out on the table in front of him. The cafe is crowded today, and as someone approaches, he slides everything out of the way.]

You can sit here! I'm taking up too much space!

g; The Citadel

[Generally followed by a guard or two, Toki has found ways of escaping them for a few hours at a time. He usually gets different people; no one can stand him two days in a row. That's mostly why they sometimes overlook it when he speeds off before they can catch him. As long as he doesn't leave the school grounds, they haven't seemed to care much.

After having been in the Citadel several times for Cassandra and mission control, Toki's fairly certain he can just walk in there at any time and no one's going to be suspicious. Which is exactly what he's doing. It's a day for exploration and knowledge gathering. The hangar has no interest for him, but he has to bypass it to get to where he wants to be; inspecting Ouroboros and more importantly, Cassandra.]

h; Wildcard
Anything, anywhere~!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Valvatorez had heard about Toki's little incursion into his office from Ekkehardt. And while, like anyone, he was a bit irritated to find out what happened, he took time to compose himself and think it over. The time and spacing gave him plenty of time to figure out how to handle it, and up to this point, he had not brought it up with Toki.

The vampire looked up from his work when the knock came to his door, and he immediately recognized the voice. Perhaps it would be reassuring to Toki that he answered in his normal tone.]

Yes? Come in, Mr. Rikugou. Have a seat, if you'd like.

[Contrary to Valvatorez's theory, the normal tone makes Toki more nervous. He knows Ekkehardt informed the professor of his exploits. The pretense that this is just another regular office visit only brings on thoughts of impending doom that will strike at any second.

Toki doesn't make eye contact, nor does he sit. He wants to get this over with.]

Professor Valvatorez! I apologize profusely for my unthinking actions! I should never have entered your office without permission, or picked the locks, which make it look worse really, but I thought I had legitimate concerns here!

[That didn't come out right, and it sounds like more excuses. Oh well.]

[Yeah, the lad's still strung out about it. He's not really surprised. He'll just have to take this nice and slow, really.]

...I see. I was hoping to talk to you about that incident at some point.

I will tell you up front that I was not happy to hear about it, and that you won't get off scott-free. However, you may relax. I assure you that I will not be flying off the handle with you.

In fact, if you still have your worries, I'm quite prepared to talk with you about what you saw. If it will help put your mind at ease, anyway. I know those matters are... not pleasant ones.

[They can talk about things. That's fine. Toki moves to stand behind the chair; the more objects between him and Valvatorez, the better.]

Y-you killed a lot of people. Or fish. Sometimes they were fish.

[He really wants to ask why he's seeing Valvatorez's past, but the vampire wouldn't know either.]

[Valvatorez is quiet for a moment, clearly looking deep in thought.]

Well... the fish is likely because of the sheer amount of sardines I consume now. But I doubt the fish are really what is troubling you.

[He gave a short sigh, and leaned back into his chair. He's had to give this talk time and time again, so... it's nothing all that strange anymore. And while not blase, he's clearly not disarmed or even, frankly, bothered to talk about it. He is simply calm, and matter-of-fact about it.]

Remember when I told you my age, Toki? I have lived for over two millenia. And more than just my age, remember that I am a vampire. By nature, humanity should be my prey. The very thing I am is a predator. And moreover, I am a daemon, and by nature, daemons are often enemies of humanity... as is taught by both human and daemon alike. Whether or not that is true... can vary on a case by case basis.

And the truth is that hundreds of years ago, I was indeed a scourge against humankind. I fed. I killed. And most of all, I spread terror across the land. And I enjoyed it, because I was a daemon, because I was strong, and because I was proud of that. I believed my duty as a daemon was becoming a true symbol of terror. I viewed my role in spreading fear and making humanity dread the night as something to be proud of. That mattered more to me than bloodshed, though I was not shy about using violence in situations that required it.

I once held the daemonic rank of "Tyrant." Among our kind, that title is bestowed only upon the most powerful, most fearsome, and most prestigious of all.

If you really were seeing my past, it is small wonder why it bothered you so. That sort of thing was precisely what I sought to do back then.

Edited 2019-05-01 18:16 (UTC)

[Holding on to the chair in front of him, Toki tries to listen calmly. He manages for the most part until "and I enjoyed it". At that, the images of Valvatorez laughing and seemingly reveling in the carnage come back to him. He bites his lip to keep from interrupting with a panicked string of nonsense. He waits until Valvatorez is finished confirming the things he'd seen and that it was all in the past.]

I understand that it was a long time ago and you're a daemon and that's what it was like then, and I know things changed. You changed. But at the time I thought it was- I didn't realize I could see past things and not just the future. And it's different to hear about it and to see it happening. I thought you were going to- And then when Ekkehardt said it was the past, I couldn't think anything but that you'd do it again; history repeating itself! I just- I panicked, and everything fit, like the woman with the pink hair and you had on your calendar just someone referred to as "her", so it was secretive and I know I never should have looked at the calendar in the first place, but-

[He cuts himself off because he's going all over the place with things. His fingers dig into the material of the back of the chair.]

I'm sorry!

[Valvatorez looked over to him, looking him squarely in the eye, his voice unflinchingly calm.]

Toki. It's okay. I thank you for the apology, and I am not upset about what you did. Visions often cannot be helped, and they can be disorienting, confusing, and distressing. I understand they've proven especially difficult on you. And that's okay. And while what you did was incredibly reckless, as an individual, I commend your ability to take initiative, if nothing else.

As a member of faculty, however, I'm obliged to tell you what you did was a very, very serious offense. Had I not been made to understand your motives, you would be facing some rather harsh punishment under ethics guidelines per the institution's bylaws. As I said, I cannot let you go without facing some sort of reprimand for what you did, and it cannot be a simple slap on the wrist of telling you not to do it again. However, I'm not here to bust your skull about it either.

So once I settle on an appropriate punishment and you have fulfilled it, the matter will be over and dealt with, and I am fully prepared to put it behind us.

[After that moment, the vampire gave a quiet sigh, and then rested his arms on his desk in front of him.]

If it helps further put your mind at ease, I've not fed on a drop of human blood in over four hundred years now. And, as you've said, I did change. Much has changed over that time. And I doubt very much the Seers at this academy would allow me to teach here if they saw that history would truly repeat.

[He pauses, a heavy, if short affair as he bends his elbow and rests a cheek on his fist.]

...So you saw her, did you? The woman with the pink hair. ...Yes, that was who I was going to visit in my calendar. But it is nothing clandestine. Something I merely do every now and then if time allows.

[Toki doesn't care at all what the punishment is; he deserves it. He was more worried about how the accusations and invasion of privacy made Valvatorez feel. It was disrespectful and he cares far more about his future interactions with the vampire than whatever official penalty comes out of the whole thing. Toki merely nods in agreement at this point; if he speaks, it will just be more apologies.

He also won't comment on Valvatorez's reassurances of the Seers choices in faculty. He doesn't trust them; those in charge of everything. He does respond to the last topic; one that almost has Valvatorez appearing some degree of melancholy or wistful. He's not good at reading subtleties in emotions.]

In the visions, she was calling you "Mr. Vampire". And you looked at her like she was... everything. I thought that maybe you loved her, but if you don't see her that often maybe I'm reading things wrong.

[He probably shouldn't have said any of that.]

[Valvatorez is quiet for a more... uncomfortable length of time at that statement, but he doesn't appear upset. Maybe a little embarrassed, though.]

She has proven to be a very... [How does he want to put it...?] influential part of my life. I'll say no more on it here than that.

[That much is his business. However...]

...But I suppose if you're curious to know more about her, you can join me when I go visit. I don't see the harm in doing that much... though I should warn you to keep your expectations in check. And to keep quiet about it when we return. Just because it isn't clandestine doesn't mean it's not private.

...I might invite Ekkehardt along if his time allows, as well.

Edited 2019-05-01 19:59 (UTC)

[Oh no. That expression, a hint of embarrassment. There is some level of romance there. Maybe she's an old girlfriend, or an ex-wife. Maybe there's little Valvatorezes running around. Can vampires have children? His thoughts have drifted way too far from the topic at hand now.]

You want me to go?

[That's unexpected, not that he knows who this woman really is, or her relationship with Valvatorez. Maybe it's business-related after all. Or a one-sided unrequited love thing. He's definitely going.]

Okay~! I'll go!

[Toki immediately regrets that impulsive decision after hearing the rest, for two reasons. He knows he can't keep his mouth shut about anything unless it's literally a life or death situation, and Ekkehardt might be coming along. It's a disaster in the making.

I wouldn't mind. You already saw her anyway. It's not like it'll hurt anything at this juncture.

[It was what it was, and it couldn't be helped.]

Very well. It'll only be a day trip, so need to pack a bag. Just something to keep you entertained on the short flight over. The Academy's got it taken care of. Should only be gone a few hours. And you saw the date, so just make sure you don't forget.

[A flight? Hopefully Michael didn't mention his theatrics on the flight to New York. Toki's pretty sure he didn't.]

I won't forget~!

[He already has, but he did take a picture of the calendar for future reference.]

Good. And don't be late. We'll be leaving in the morning, at 9am sharp. If you're late, I won't be waiting up.

[Punctuality is important, you see.]

[He set four alarms on his phone for this, planning to show up at Valvatorez's office at 8:30 at the very latest. Good intentions, yet he ended up ignoring all of said alarms, getting distracted several times by various shiny things and intrusive thoughts, and realizing it was 9:00 already before he'd even left Lumiere. At that point, he runs directly to the office, yet it's 9:01.]

[True to his word, Valvatorez's office door is closed and locked at that point. Seems he already left, but he's only one minute late... surely, Toki can catch sight of the professor heading down the hall toward the exit.

Or if not, start heading toward one of the hangars, based on the fact that he said they were taking a flight to get there.]

[One minute? That's ridiculous. Toki starts to head back to the dorms, but out of the corner of his eye, something moves. He turns to see Valvatorez's cape trailing behind him as he exits the building. Easily catching up and outside before the exit door closes behind Valvatorez, Toki is there with an excuse.]

Professor Valvatorez~! I was so surprised to find your office locked at 8:59! I think maybe your watch is fast~! You should get that looked at! It's very important to keep accurate time~!

Edited 2019-05-04 16:47 (UTC)

Nice of you to join me, Mr. Rikugou. You're late.

[The professor simply smiles, rather smugly, when Toki actually catches up with him. There is an underwritten tone of mild annoyance, as he does not like it when people are late. But he had a feeling this might happen, and it often does with students.]

Unlikely. My watch is automatically synced with International Atomic Time, giving it perfect synchronization with Coordinated Universal Time. Its accuracy is only matched by the finest atomic clocks developed by science.

So unless you mean to tell me that atomic particles were somehow slacking off on the job, you are late. ...However, since you're here, it would be a waste to simply leave you behind now. Come then, Ekkehardt will meet us at the hangar momentarily and we will be on our way.

[Toki stares blankly while Valvatorez talks about weird time zones or atomic watches or uncoordinated particles or whatever. It's not important.]

Maybe I set my watch wrong, then! A simple mistake! Thank you for allowing me to accompany you anyway~! This will be a delightful experience~!

[Even if Ekkehardt's going.]

I did warn you to keep your expectations in check. "Delightful" might be... generous. Still, you are welcome.

[It's cryptic, but he doesn't bother talking about why beyond that. He hastened his pace toward the hangar, in a hurry to get liftoff and be on their way.

Off to the hangar, and off to meet up with Ekkehardt.]

[ Ekkehardt is already there, waiting. He'd been surprised to be asked along for this little excursion, but he's certainly not going to hold anything up if Valvatorez is asking him along.

He just gives the both of them a slight nod in greeting. ]

Ready to depart?

[Toki unfortunately will hold things up, for a minute at least. He waves at Ekkehardt, but doesn't get to verbally greet him, and visions have absolutely horrible timing this month. Toki drops half on one of the seats and half on the floor and start convulsing...

He walks down the path diverging from the road to Soleil. He's holding someone's hand, but he can't look back at them. Their footsteps make no noise. In the clearing, as the trees part, the sky is red. Black stars. Now he can see her; the woman whose hand he's holding. She's a kitsune. Taller than him, long bright purple hair with many combs. A red and pink kimono with flames at the bottom. She smiles and lets go of his hand, walking to the center of the clearing. Eight enormous fluffy fox tails fan out behind her. She dances in the field, green smoke trailing from the long pipe she holds. The sky flickers like flames and the stars fall. Foxes emerge from the woods surrounding the clearing. They look up at her and scream.

... He screams with the foxes for a second before he realizes where he is.]

E-ekkhardt. Hello.

Naturally. Thank you for making time for this, I know how busy your schedule is.

[Val responded, before Toki half-collapsed with a vision. Remaining calm and cool, Valvatorez only watched to make sure the boy's convulsing didn't hurt him. He wouldn't call any other attention to the vision than that, knowing by now it was just something the lad couldn't help.

Once Toki pulled himself back together, he took a seat, ready for the vehicle to take off.]

The good thing is this is something of a puddle-jump. Easier to do it this way than flying commercially.

[And with that, the pilot of the rune-wing boarded, and headed for the cockpit. It wouldn't be long before liftoff.]

I can make time. It's not a problem.

[ Ekkehardt mentally notes that Toki probably needs to get a helmet. Maybe he should suggest one. If the boy doesn't forget.

He just helps Toki up and makes sure he gets into a seat properly before settling down himself. ]

Mm. It would be more inconvenient to do it the long way, especially for something personal like this.

[ He's traveled enough commercially, sometimes alongside Valvatorez, to make his clear disdain for modern airline security markedly clear. What hasn't been made clear is exactly why. He has his reasons, though. ]

[Toki has luckily come to the same conclusion as Ekkehardt and will obtain said helmet in the near future. He tries to follow the conversation, but he has a question.]

What's a puddle-jump!?

[And it's "personal". It's definitely a romance situation.]

So, you know who she is, Ekkehardt~!?

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