I'm sorry mister policeman, if I wanted to talk I would have called a friend.

[aibolition]

Who: "Nobody" and OTA.
When: After the Hunt.
Where: Class, Cafeteria, Lumiere 3 Commons, The library.
What: Zan reacts and doesn't react to the hunt aftermath.
Warnings: He's awful but probably not that awful.

a - Class Punk

Most of the classes are made up of humans. That was always an inevitable reality, school of magic or not. Even with the sunglasses back on, he still cuts a wide curve of people avoiding him. In classes, he notices the majority leaning to one side while the remaining notably odd, inhuman, or fanged sit with their heads down on the other trying desperately to pretend they haven't noticed. He sits with them, leaning back in the chair with his hands behind his head and his feet kicking up on the desk.

"This is nostalgic. Just like old times," He muses aloud. Anyone turning to look will be greeted with a flash of a grin. Particularly fearful humans get an additional, "Boo!" Followed by snickering.

B - Paid Parking

There's an advantage to this. It mostly involves skipping through lines. Who would have thought that the key to a quick cafeteria run was a school-wide murderous rampage and then loudly announcing one's self?

Like saying, "Do you want to be eaten? Move."

He manages to get away with a hefty tray of just about everything he can fit on it. He snags a fair table in the corner full of empty seats and gnaws on various pieces of his bounty as he reads through an old musty book on daemonology.

Without looking up he says, "Seat's not taken but there's a fee. Pay up one bit of food and the chair's yours."

c - Not Sulking

There are still marks in the wall from where he dragged his claws. His curiosity almost gets the best of him in having him check if that girl's door is still in pieces. He resists.

He collapses back on a couch in floor three's common room and removes the sunglasses at last. It's only evident then that he hasn't slept. He's not sleeping now, instead flicking through his school-gifted phone to turn on an old classic.

d - Hide Out

The library is a haunt of his. Sure it means running into people but they were all here under the mutual agreement to leave each other alone. And he could read as much as he liked.

Unfortunately, it doesn't mean he can simply not sense the fear off the nearby soul. They're hiding, tucked behind a bookcase and trying not to be heard. He doesn't have to guess why.

He growls to himself and speaks up, "You want to run for it, then run! Literally nothing's stopping you and I'm not interested in chasing."

The student peeks out, an interesting pink as embarassment-red wars with pale-faced-fear. They flinch when they catch his glance and quickly run off.

"Chh." He settles into a seat and pulls up a book, though it's questionable whether he's reading or just glaring at pages.

Comments

B

[alreadyhuman]

Vivi sorts through his food, wondering what the person sitting in front of him would like. Eventually he decides on a cookie, and sort of stacks it on top of everything Zangetsu's already got on the tray.

"Is this enough?" He waits, like the polite kid he is, for a response before he takes a seat.

[aibolition]

He looks up, first at the bit of food, then at the little shadow kid. He flashes a grin.

"Good taste. A classic. Seat's yours."

He gestures out to it. He gives a good glance over the rest of the cafeteria. And then he asks, "So what's brought you over here anyway?"

[alreadyhuman]

He claps his hands eagerly and plops himself into the seat without much fanfare, kicking his legs a little as he gets settled. He pulls his own tray closer, but he stops before actually putting anything in his mouth. Can't talk with your mouth full, but not answering a question would be rude.

"I liked seeing you in the dream, so I wanted to see you when I woke up too!" His response radiates earnest honesty.

[aibolition]

Shadow or not, the kid is very much a kid. Kicking his feet. Still, the comment disarms, leaving him with a blank look as he blinks. And then he snorts.

"Seriously?" He sounds amused. "Don't know how I managed to give you that kind of impression. I'm not usually considered pleasant company." And there are plenty of others around. "You even sacrificed a cookie for it."

B

[imitationsoul]

[ Miach hasn't been around for the Hunt. She comfortably got off her plane literally a day after it and now all she finds are whispers and physical remnants of destruction. She's honestly intrigued. Her world up until two weeks ago had been sickeningly peaceful.

In her old life, no boy in the lunch line would be threatening her with cannibalism. It's a delight. ]

Could you?

[ She genuinely wants to know. ]

[aibolition]

[He stops still, utterly thrown. Not everyone was going to part out of the way for him and his declaration. He might have been prepared for someone to claim he's bluffing.

But excitement? That was not supposed to happe.]

Uh... yeah? I could.

[He lifts a brow, bewildered.]

Are you offering?

[imitationsoul]

Depends. In theory, I could eat you as well, after all. It'd just require a bit of dedication and preparation.

[ But that would be plain old cannibalism and thus... well, not boring? But a conventional and mundane grotesquery. ]

How does your people-eating work?

[aibolition]

[He snorts, brow still raised high.]

Fair point.

[He shrugs though, because honestly, he could, in theory, do that too.]

I'd probably start by cracking your head open on the floor. I'm not one of those brain-eaters but it's a quick death and I'm hungry now, not later. I'd make sure to get a grip on your soul before it slipped away. Then I'd tear out your heart and eat that. Some souls dissolve, some burst, some go down the same messy way as any corpse. A surprise every time.

[Not that he's ever done it personally but she doesn't need to know.]

B

[fireindreams]

"I can assure you I will not taste all that good." Comes Grimm's easy reply. "But I will pay the toll to sit down."

Although a vampire, Grimm can actually still eat and drink like normal so he has a full tray of stuff. Fishing out a sandwich, he holds it up.

"Perhaps an egg salad sandwich? I do have others if you desire it."

He was pretty hungry, after all.

[aibolition]

"You're assuming I'm picky," He points out before even lifting his head. There's no recognition, though there is curiosity.

And true to his word, his eyes fix on that sandwich. He holds out a hand.

"It'll do, pay up."

The moment it's in his hands he turns it toward himself, taking an inelegant chomp.

[fireindreams]

"Now, now. I'm fairly certain, picky or no, heartburn is not a pleasant experience."

And someone would take an exception to Grimm being eaten. But the Troupe Master sounds nothing but amused as he hands over the sandwich and takes a seat.

His own food tray is not as packed as Zan's, but it's pretty obvious someone likes spicy food. Which in turn probably doesn't explain the egg sandwich. Or the hot sauce.

(Grimm's taste buds when it comes to spicy food is...odd.)

"But in a way, not being picky is good. There are many things you can try."

[aibolition]

Heartburn. He barks a laugh.

He does indeed notice the amount of spicy food there. Not a problem. It just so happens he's quite a fan of spice. And chocolate.

Of course, that doesn't mean the hot sauce on the egg salad doesn't make him blink a little and peer between the bread slices. Who puts hot sauce on... well okay. He takes another bite and swallows it down. Then he brightens.

"Yes! Exactly! Even if something is horrendously bad, it's a new experience! You get it."

D

[heartofasamurai]

The library is one of the few places where he does not normally need to use suppression spells. It is full of power and magic as is everywhere else on campus, but most extreme emotions felt are stress students studying. Nothing intense enough that he would feel the need to shield himself.

Or so he would have believed, before that day when the very air inside was oppressive and thick. There was a strong aura present, someone who projected around them, whether intentionally or not.

"A fighter...a killer...wild...dangerous...a heavy soul..."

Seiji allowed himself to be pulled by the presence for a moment, stepping away from the shelf he had been searching toward the aura that did nothing to hide itself. It was almost enough to obscure the obvious fear of someone else close to them, but the closer he gets the most distinct the two become. What he finds is a student he has not yet met but may have seen in the halls the past week clearly telling off another student who flees in the opposite direction. He has not felt a soul like this in some time.

"I do not believe they meant the offense you have taken."

[aibolition]

He has the urge to keep his head down, simply ignore the new presence in his midst. But that feels far to juvenile in a place like this.

He lifts his head, fixing a dull glare on the guy before him. He looks him over. No obvious fear but maybe he's here to scold. He scoffs.

"Chh. Of course not. If they had I could have taken it outside and it might've been fun instead of pathetic."

[heartofasamurai]

Seiji himself remembers getting responses like that as a child. He remembers when other children would cry or hide or refuse to look him in the eye. It was never with malice, he could sense that, but it still affected him. And the aura surrounding this young man was more than enough to fuel that fear, no matter his own intent. That aura is...

"I apologize," he says instead. "I should not have assumed or intruded. You needed no assistance in managing the situation."

[aibolition]

An apology. That's weird. He lifts a brow over it.

"Really?" He says, eyes narrowing. Is there a catch here? He can't think what the hell it is. What would even make this a trick? Or more pointedly, a trick that mattered?

"Not going to take the easy route and tell me I'm the one who crossed a line?"

B

[ofexperience]

Will this do?

[V seems almost amused as he holds out one of the various meat dishes he'd picked up. It's not like he doesn't have enough food on his tray anyway...]

[aibolition]

[The amused tone brings him to lift his head with a more critical look. But V's in luck. A grin lights up.]

Finally, an offer with actual substance!

[Nothing appeases the hunger. Not even the thing he truly hungers for. Still, certain things got closer than others. Down in his bones, he's carnivorous.]

The payment is acceptable. Set it down and seat yourself.

D

[hattersgonnahat]

Puella was merely outside, when she heard the voice and then the student dart out, nearly bumping into her had she not quickly moved out of the way.

What was that all about..?

Soon as the coast was clear, she ventured inside. Not really any damage inside, so there doesn't seem to be a fight. Easy to find a seat, and finish up reading...

Unless there was objections about that.

[aibolition]

A library is meant for sharing. Any idiot knows that. It just also, usually, comes with the stipulation of being left alone. She sits at the table where he sits and he can't help raising a brow.

"Wow," He muses aloud, tone dry as he speaks more to himself. "Some tiny little kid has more nerve than a grown teenager training in a battle against Nightfall. That really is sad."

[hattersgonnahat]

"Huh?" she looks up from here book. "...Me?"

There was something nerving about him, but she tries to put it aside. More confusion than fear right now anyway.

[aibolition]

"Well you're not a teenager, are you?" He asks out dryly. She doesn't look it. Then again, he's been fooled before. Who knows. This place was crazy.

Though he notices she's less comfortable being acknowledged than sitting by him.

C

[taiyounoyou]

A week ago, Masaki might have attempted a more stealthy approach, but for now, her sneaking days are behind her. She's trying this new thing called being open and straight forward with things that scare her. Like Hollows. And strange Hollow boys.

So while she's a little awkward, she's not actively trying to hide herself as she heads up to the third floor of Lumière. She knows which room is his, but she doesn't get that far before realizing that the source of her curiosity is currently parked in the common room, listening to music. He also looks like shit from what she can tell.

Maybe this was a bad idea... but she's already here, and there's no turning back, so she might as well make a good... third impression? A new impression. She's starting fresh, and this is going to be a sturdy foundation on which to build healthy communication about whatever the hell is going on here!

She makes her way over to the couches, plopping herself into a seat--one that's not adjacent to him, but nearby enough to be in easy speaking distance. "Hi," she greets him, smiling. "Nice beat."

Nailed it.

[aibolition]

It's not that he simply missed the nearing of that particular soul. It's not that he stopped sensing it (hungering). But maybe, just maybe, he's a little more worn down than he'd like to admit.

That, and he really wasn't expecting her to stop here, of all places. He looks up. And then he stares at her. He feels exposed, no mask, no glasses, and he'd probably feel more so if he knew how very shitty he looked. But he's too bewildered at the moment.

"It's a classic," He says dumbly as his brows start to hike. He waits. She doesn't move.

"...You know Aube is the other dorm, right? This is Lumiere. My dorm."

[taiyounoyou]

"I know. That's why I'm here." It's not like she stumbled into the wrong dorm without knowing. Not to mention that she doesn't even live on the third floor--she lives on the first. The difference would have been noticeable immediately.

But he looks confused, so it's only right that she explain. "I wanted to see how you were doing. And... I thought we could talk?"