The Knights Next Door

[+Sorana she/her]

Shana opened her fingers, the snapped bloody tool falling to the ground. She ignored it, instead inhaled just a tiny bit to heal her hand, when her teacher had turned her back again, was walking away. She had seen the words, but she hadn't said anything had simply walked away. Of course. They weren't fance. They were nothing, but something unfinishined, something she had needed to see. Reaching out for the clay she kneaded it in her hands again, almost hastily got rid of the words, of the doom they promised, of the rest she couldn't understand, couldn't quite grasp.

She formed a new tile, took the new etching tool and tried to come with something, something worth etching it into this piece of clay.

Rob
Ben
Cassie
James
Nym
Doc
Jason
Edwin

Staring at the names she gingerly placed the etching tool aside and carefully picked the tile up. It probably wasn't what her teacher had aimed for, but she didn't care. Instead she added small flames around them, framed them, a wordless promise to try to keep them save. She would fight for them, because it was right. No condition, no exemption. She would fight for them, and if she failed, she would die.

She brought her tile to the front, placed it on a rack to signal that she was done and then returned to her seat. Picking up the bloody etching tool she threw it away. Her teacher had seen that she had destroyed it - if she made a note of it, or not wasn't up to her. Cleaning her desk she looked out of the window, silent, unmoving for once. It was rare that she sat down, that she did nothing for a moment but right here and now it felt good.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Sorana

[I think I am here. he/him]

19 hours ago, Unodus said:

I'm not sure I understand the question, Rob? If you were to intentionally try to create something without  thought or creativity, would that not in itself become it's own form of creation? And in attempting to not conform with traditional forms of creativity, wouldn't that only serve to make it stand out more, increasing it's inherent creative value?"

Her smile is like that of a chess player, waiting her opponents next move,
"But by all means, you are very welcome to try to be as uncreative as possible. I only ask that you also try not to waste lots of clay, as it is quite expensive."

“Sure thing,” Rob said, and when the teacher left he found himself feeling a bit awkward. Did she think he wanted to be unimaginative on purpose? That he chose to not be normal because he wanted to? The dark sphere in his pocket pulsed and he turned sharply and walked towards the materials before holding himself in check. Why this sudden anger? He hadn’t been that close to his emotions in a while.

This whole day had been filled with moments like those, he realised. Anger, at his debating partners, at the Voidbringers, at this teacher. But none of them deserved it, really. Maybe, except for the Voidbringers, but they were people too, it was wrong to compare them to bugs. He shook his head. His emotions had been weird all day and last night — since the Voidbringer house invasion, he realised.

Still, he took comfort when the teacher said that being uncreative was its own form of creativity — which Rob supposed was a paradox, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little better about his lack of artistic ability.

He went to work. Fortunately, handling the clay was easy and came natural, especially since it was supposed to be in the shape of a tile, a clear geometric shape with set dimensions. Rob had experience with the clay from practise with his stone sculpting surges, and like with all practical work he found himself looking at an almost perfect tile.

Picking up the etching tool, he now realised he had to do the hard part now. What to draw? What to write? He didn’t want to have a blank tile, but it was all his mind was giving to him. Even the theme ‘The Most Important Words a Person Can Say’ was proving challenging to think of a word or phrase to fit it.

Looking from his tool to the tile and then back to the tool again Rob pressed down and etched a couple words with what he hoped would be enough:

Boxes are fun.

And he etched a few squares before placing it on the rack next to Shana’s.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Ookla the Maybe-Existent

[old man moomba he/him]

Doc leaned against the kitchen counter, relaxing for a bit before getting on with his day. Suddenly he snapped his fingers as a thought hit him. “Okay, so think about this. Bondsmiths are the only Radiant order without a Shardblade. Now, you say that’s because you’re too cool to turn into a sword, but the focus of the order is unity. We bind things together, which is basically the opposite of what a Shardblade does.” he grinned, confident. 

Perhaps there is some correlation there, though I assure you it is coincidental. The Stormfather sounded bored.

“Maybe, but I’ve heard stories of Bondsmiths using something like a Shardblade, only not. No one I’ve asked about it was sure exactly what it was though. Could it be something you learn at the Fifth Ideal?” Doc asked, getting himself something to drink. 

The Stormfather rumbled, something like a shrug for him. Doc chuckled, sipping his drink, when his phone rang. It was one of his Radiant contacts. He picked it up, listening for a moment. “Really?” he asked, smiling a little in spite of himself. “Alright, thanks for letting me know.” Doc hung up the phone, shaking his head. So she really had managed to swear the oaths. Hopefully, she wouldn’t turn everything on its head. Again. Likely, he’d need to go talk to her.

[Bookish Ocelot she/her]

Quote

You guys have probably noticed that I haven't been super active on here in a while. I just started a new term at school and things are pretty crazy right now. I don't know if or when I'll be back, but it's been super fun RPing with you!

 

[Unodus he/him]

20 hours ago, Ookla the very snazzy said:

"Are you a Radiant?"  She looked the teacher in the eyes, trying to see the answer.

Jenna returns a steely calm, detached look despite her racing mind, humming softly. This was deviating quickly off plan, her directions were to be non-intrusive. impartial. Somehow she was now at an interlude where her answer could make or break the thin veil of trust that established essential communication. She would have to play by ear.

"I'm... A Teacher." The woman in technicolour emphasises gently, and in subtle reference of the student gallery around them adds, "... But perhaps we could continue this conversation after class, if you'd like. I will need an assistant to warm up the oven. Just give me one moment." @Ookla the very snazzy

"Raxeon, keep a close eye on this one."  She instructs without a spoken word, sensing the unseen watcher above stirring. The time was beginning to draw close to the end of the lesson, and she noticed many students were already starting to put their pieces away pieces. Her eyes glance to the pieces she had seen Rob and Shana place, making a mental note to ask them about in private as well. She begins to pace the class, addressing the class,

"It's time to wrap up and prepare for your next lesson, everyone. Anything you want to have saved for next week, put on the back table- wrapped up!- and anything ready for the oven, on the shelf. And before you go, make sure to wash your brushes..."

She continues her concluding of the lesson, and sighs internally as many students quickly lose interest and start to pack away. Before the other girl, Shana, can slip away, Jenna tactfully drifts by her table and picks up the broken wooden off the floor,  

"That's quite a strong grip you have, Shana." She observes as she crouches to brush up the splintered pieces of wood from the floor, and as she does so... Starts to frown. "Do you need to see a nurse?" She asks as she smears a drop of blood off the floor with her finger and to inspect curiously. @Sorana

 

 

Quote

don't forget to submit a piece, if you'd like to! 

@Eluvianii

 

[King Aragorn of Gondor she/her]

Nym nodded at the teacher, saying that she would.  She furrowed her brow, something was going on here that wasn't quite normal, Nym was almost completely sure that Ms. Chan was a Radiant.  @Unodus

[+Sorana she/her]

5 hours ago, Unodus said:

"That's quite a strong grip you have, Shana." She observes as she crouches to brush up the splintered pieces of wood from the floor, and as she does so... Starts to frown. "Do you need to see a nurse?" She asks as she smears a drop of blood off the floor with her finger and to inspect curiously.

"No, thank you." Shana shook her head and stood up. "I'm fine." It was a blatant lie, but she didn't really care about that anymore. She stood up, cast a last long glance out of the window and froze. A woman was standing there. She was looking up, directly into Shana's face and while Shana couldn't see her eyes - it felt as if she knew, that Shana was here. For a moment they locked their eyes, and Shana cringed a little, then slowed her breath, her body tense and ready. Her hand opened and closed as if to hold on to a weapon and then she ripped her gaze away from the woman.

"I've got to go." She said hastily, dumped her things into her bag and hurried towards, the door, touched Nym's, Rob's and Edwin's arm on her way out. It was a silent question wether they wanted to come along and she could feel tension build up inside, while she hastened along the hallway.

@Ookla the very snazzy

@Ookla the Maybe-Existent

@Eluvianii

Quote

I've got something in mind, and don't worry. We didn't vote for the spy thing, so there will be no spy (well there can be, since Uno voted yes as well, but I won't start that, until we've got a clearer poll result). Of course you don't need to come along, if you don't want to.

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by Sorana

[I think I am here. he/him]

3 hours ago, Sorana said:

“I've got to go." She said hastily, dumped her things into her bag and hurried towards, the door, touched Nym's, Rob's and Edwin's arm on her way out. It was a silent question wether they wanted to come along and she could feel tension build up inside, while she hastened along the hallway.

Rob looked at Shana as she left, wondered whether to follow or not. Were they even allowed to leave class? Idly Rob looked to the substitute teacher. He had no real work to do, and whatever task he’d been given he completed.

Picking up his bag he glanced once more back at his tile before following Shana into the hallway.

“What happened?” He asked.

[King Aragorn of Gondor she/her]

Nym, however, stayed.  She wanted to find out what was going on.  She watched the teacher silently, sending a message for Lopen to stay close.  "What is this about?" @Unodus

[Eluvianii he/him]

There was a substitute teacher in art class, she seemed quite confident, though there was something more behind it Edwin couldn't identify, like if she was testing something. She asked them to write "The most important words a person can say". Edwin's mind jumped to Ideals immediately, even scarily, but he only knew one Ideal, and it probably wouldn't make sense. It hadn't made sense to him until someone had explained it but, what if he tweaked it just a little?

It's not the goal what matters, but how you achieve it. There, that wasn't so confusing. Now if his handwriting was only a little bit better. He put it with the others and went back to his seat until class was over. By that time Edwin felt something on his arm, he saw Shana going out of the classroom and Rob looking at her as well. Had something happened? He decided to follow.

[+Sorana she/her]

Shana slowed her steps for her friends to catch up, nervously holding on to her bag.

"There was this woman." She explain. "She was standing in front of the school and she was looking at me. As if she knew where I was, who I was." Shaking her head she continued to walk down the stairs. "We were in a building, somewhere behind the windows, I have on idea how she was even able to make eye contact - and thinking about it, I have no idea why I knew that she made eye contact."

"Rob and I discussed earlier, that maybe there is a spy in or around the school, they targeted only us at the prom. What if she belongs to them, and we simply never noticed." Even she could hear the slight paranoia seeping into her words. "I just want to take a look, see if she's still there. And then we might be able to ask her some questions, who she is, why she is here."

She stopped, turned around and looked at them. "We should do that, shouldn't we?" She asked, her voice quavering a little when she suddenly felt stupid. Run out of class to talk to a stranger on the street? The woman could simply have looked up and met her eyes by accident.

@Eluvianii @Ookla the Maybe-Existent

 

[Unodus he/him]

19 hours ago, Ookla the very snazzy said:

Nym, however, stayed.  She wanted to find out what was going on.  She watched the teacher silently, sending a message for Lopen to stay close.  "What is this about?"

"Did you know behind many great heroes of our world, there is also their muse?"

Jenna hums, closing the door behind them as the two enter the oven room. She begins the process of loading the oven with the students things from the shelf.

"Socrates had his spirit-guardian... Joan of Arc, her angel..." She says, looking to Nym with upmost seriousness, "What I am... And, what I suspect you are too, modern occultists might refer to as a form of... "Enlightenment". That is where the term "Radiant" comes from, no? After all, Tulpa's and Thoughtform... Concepts that we would call Spren, stem from the texts of Tibetan Buddists as early as the 8th century. And these... Concepts, these reoccurring ideas, are littered throughout history- just beneath the surface."

Jenna holds out her hand, and a glimmer of mist pools around her open palm, coalescing into ink-black, intricately patterned form in her hand. Smaller than a dagger, with a spear-like shaft seemingly formed of out of some kind of obsidian-like crystyal, and a needle-like point that glitters like cut glass. She holds it up for Nym to examine.

A Shard-quill.

"I am a Teacher, perhaps unlike any that you have ever seen before. But in order for me to help you learn about.. What we are, you need to talk to me about what's been happening to you."

@Ookla the very snazzy

[I think I am here. he/him]

6 hours ago, Sorana said:

She stopped, turned around and looked at them. "We should do that, shouldn't we?" She asked, her voice quavering a little when she suddenly felt stupid. Run out of class to talk to a stranger on the street? The woman could simply have looked up and met her eyes by accident.

Rob stopped, looked at Shana. He heard the slight quaver in her voice and new it wasn’t a good thing, but he still wasn’t sure what emotion it meant. But honesty was the best, Rob had decided long ago. And she’d asked him a question.

“She could be anyone, couldn’t she?” Rob asked. “Did she have red eyes?”

[King Aragorn of Gondor she/her]

5 hours ago, Unodus said:

 

"I am a Teacher, perhaps unlike any that you have ever seen before. But in order for me to help you learn about.. What we are, you need to talk to me about what's been happening to you."

@Ookla the very snazzy

"I am a Windrunner.  Third Ideal."  Nym said, judging if she could trust whoever this was with more information.  "My radientship started two years ago.  At a duel."  She went on to explain her missing hand, her travels, and everything in between, except what happened to her family.  She wasn't going to disclose that.  "And here I am."  Nym looked up, and said, "Now it's your turn." @Unodus

[Wyndlerunner he/him]

The bell rang, and James walked out of the creative writing classroom, only stopping to wipe off his ink-stained left hand, clutching his notebook close to his body. Down the hall, he spotted Edwin, Shana, and Rob; the trio seemed to be talking in hushed tones, outside of the art classroom. James frowned, concern growing in his mind- what possibly could have been happening in that art class to cause so much of a fuss? 

James walked over to them, and said in a hushed voice "What's going on?"

@Sorana @Eluvianii 

[Unodus he/him]

2 hours ago, Ookla the very snazzy said:

She went on to explain her missing hand, her travels, and everything in between, except what happened to her family.

Quote

Um... Can I ask for a little more detail on what specifically Jenna is being told? I get that there's a lot for me to catch up on, but like... this information gathering is as essential for me as a player, as it is for Jenna. I don't have time to read 200+ pages on a whim! 

Personally, I'd prefer if this dialogue wasn't glossed over at all. Leaving it ambiguous makes it much harder for me to know how to respond!

 

 

[King Aragorn of Gondor she/her]

"I am a Windrunner.  Third Ideal."  Nym said, judging if she could trust whoever this was with more information.  "My radientship started two years ago.  At a duel."  She went on to say, "The duel had gotten bloody, we were dueling with real blades, and the person I was dueling had gone insane, I didn't know it at the time, but he cut off my hand.  Then, bleeding on the floor, I swore the first Ideal.  A week later, we had intruders break into our house, and the alarm went off, our whole family got up and ran up the stairs, I wasn't there in time."  She was crying now.  "The intruders murdered my family, and I wasn't  there."  Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Since I had no known relatives to speak of, my father was disowned and my mother an orphan, I struck out by myself.  Took a week and I saw some people getting beat-up by a local gang, I jumped in the fray, and swore the second Ideal.  I met a man, I think he might have been a radiant, and he told me to come to Seattle, I came, found a Radiant household, got attacked by Voidbringers, swore the third Ideal, and here I am."  She looked up, it felt good to get all these things off her chest, it had been so long.  She was still crying and said, with a note of defiance in her tone, "Now it's your turn." @Unodus

[+Sorana she/her]

"I don't know if she had red eyes." Shana replied. "She was down on the street, how was I supposed to see." She noticed her tone turning slightly desperate. "But something was off. Maybe it was the way she was standing there, maybe it was the way she looked, I don't know, I only know that something is wrong and I would like to see what it is, instead of ignoring it."

"James." She greeted her friend and smiled at him, before explaining the situation.

"I saw someone in front of the school and something felt off. Please, just let us take a look and if she's gone or everything is fine, then maybe I am wrong, but my gut tells me, that I am not. And if I'm not and we ignore her, then she might lead even more to our house and then it will never end at all. All these attacks they were so specific, they know where we live, they know what we do and I, I just want to make sure that we don't get ambushed on our way home."

@Eluvianii @Ookla the Maybe-Existent @Wyndlerunner

[Eluvianii he/him]

Edwin took a hand to his temple. Could they spend a single day without running into a new problem? Voidbringers attacked them at school, at the house, the police knew about them -some things anyway-, and now there might be a spy? This life was like walking in a dark room. You don't see the exit, but you run into every obstacle in-between.

"Alright, we should check it out, but if she is still there we probably shouldn't question her right away. If she is a spy and she escapes. I don't think they'll be so careless next time. Best-case scenario, we ambush them."

@Sorana @Ookla the Maybe-Existent @Wyndlerunner

[Unodus he/him]

13 hours ago, Ookla the very snazzy said:

"Now it's your turn."

Jenna listens intently, letting the Shardpen fall out of her hand. It shimmers back into fine mist as it falls and disappears. The teacher in technicolor stops what she's doing and holds Nym's freehand comfortingly when she notices the younger girl is crying.

Voidbringers here, already?

She crouches beside the girl, eye level with her, her expression a mask of intense focus.

"Listen closely. Every action, has an equal and opposite reaction. Wherever evil rears it's head, the incorruptible are drawn to oppose it." She tells Nym. 
"... I work for an organisation which has an invested interest in your continued survival. We also have intelligence that suggests an imminent threat of cataclysmic proportions is about to be let loose in this region. I've been sent here to prevent that from happening, or failing that, send you and any other Radiants to safety."

One of those statements was a lie. When had she gotten so good at that?

"... If there are any more Radiants in this area, it is absolutely vital that I establish contact with them as quickly as possible. Can you give me an address,  email, phone number.. Anything like that at all?"

@Ookla the very snazzy

[King Aragorn of Gondor she/her]

"I can only give you a name, Doc."  Nym said.  She wasn't going to just give information about where she lived to someone she barely met.  @Unodus

[Wyndlerunner he/him]

James listened intently to Shana's concerns. He cocked his head in thought as he considered the pros and cons of the situation; a minute or so later he sighed in resignation. "All right" He said, firmly "You can investigate- but don't act until you're certain." he said, gaze set, "We don't want to drag a random citizen into this." Anymore than we already have James thought, recalling Ashlyn, and the incident at prom.

@Sorana @Ookla the Maybe-Existent @Eluvianii

[+Sorana she/her]

Shana nodded at Edwin's words. "I agree. Best case we have the upper hand for once."

She turned around and continued to head down the stairs towards the main exit. "And yes James, of course. I don't want any random citizen dragged into this as well. If she's gone, she's gone. If she's still here, then maybe there is a reason. We could always ask politely if she is a tourist needing some directions."

Falling silent she walked until she was standing in front of the doors, only then did she turn around again. "Thank you." She said to the three of them. "For not discarding me as completely paranoid and crazy." It was a little paranoid and crazy to check on some random person. But she had looked up, Shana was sure of that. She had looked up. It could be a coincidence, but there was no reason for it. Not after everything that had happened.

@Wyndlerunner @Eluvianii

[Unodus he/him]

12 hours ago, Ookla the very snazzy said:

"I can only give you a name, Doc." 

Jenna smiles and nods her head appreciatively, as if her suspicions had been confirmed.

"That's alright, just discovering the existence of a new Radiant community has been a huge help." Jenna tells her, taking off her apron and setting an hour timer on the clay oven. She opens the door for Nym,
"It's getting late, so you better head off to your next lesson. I'll be here if you ever need to talk again though, ok?" She tells the studious windrunner,
"I know we've been going over some pretty heavy stuff... And I know there must be a lot that I'm saying that you're still having to process, so I'll understand if you want to talk again. In the fullness of time, I'm sure my organisation will be very eager to actively support you."

The woman in technicolour reaches into her pocket and takes out an an antique-looking nokia... flip-phone? 

"And this, is my mobile number." She says, copying it down on to a post-it note and handing it to Nym, "... In case there's an emergency, call me."

 

She smiles to Nym as she leaves the classroom, and as she closes the door behind her, opens her phone again and begins writing a text to a different number,

It simply reads:

"Get me our file on James Deoven."

She presses send.

[Wyndlerunner he/him]

Quote

There's some part of me that really hopes Jenna is Doc's Ex, or something of the like

James smiled in response to Shana's gratitude, and simply says "Believe me Shana, I don't want anyone else getting hurt- and if this woman holds the answers, then that's a risk we have to be willing to take."

@Sorana

Edited January 14, 2020 by Wyndlerunner