The Knights Next Door

[AonEne]

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Yay for not being dead  

“One,” Cassie said immediately, “you don’t need to worry about me. And two, sleep during the night. I hear schedules are good, and I know we don’t have the luxury of knowing whether or not we’ll be attacked, but better to be woken up by an assault and have some sleep than to have none and it doesn’t happen, right?” @Sorana She grinned slightly at Nym. “Join the club. Crazy things tend to happen around Radiants. They’ll get used to you.” @Ookla the very snazzy 

[+Sorana]

Shana smiled at her, reached out for her hand and gave it a friendly squeeze. "I worry about all of you. It's why I am here. To make sure you are save." She sighed. "And I know that I should sleep more. But I just lie in bed and am tense and listen to every single sound outside, worry that I might miss an attack."

Her fingers brushed over the crosses indicating cameras. "Wall or no wall, I really think we should get some cameras and movement sensors. At least it would make it harder to sneak up on us and if we had an alarm inside, we could reduce the risk of being taken unawares."

Looking up at Nym she found herself grinning as well. "Don't worry, none of us will judge you for talking strangely or going crazy at one point or the other. A few days ago I burnt a door down when I was angry, and nobody even looked strangely my way." Her grin vanished and she found her voice turning earnest.

"It's up to you. But these guys can be the best family in the world. Because we all face the same problems. Because we all - have our issues to deal with." She was looking down when she finished her sentence, not meeting the eyes of anybody around the table. Instead she picked up her pen again and pretended to be focussing on their ideas around the house.

@Ookla the Maybe-Existent

@AonEne

@Ookla the very snazzy

Edited January 6, 2020 by Sorana

[AonEne]

17 minutes ago, Sorana said:

"It's up to you. But these guys can be the best family in the world. Because we all face the same problems. Because we all - have our issues to deal with." She was looking down when she finished her sentence, not meeting the eyes of anybody around the table. Instead she picked up her pen again and pretended to be focussing on their ideas around the house. 

We all have our issues, Cassie echoed silently, and tried not to be bitter. Because they’re Radiants still, and they really do face the same problems. They didn’t skip their oaths like idiots...but I shouldn’t keep thinking along these lines. They’ll notice. She’d yell at herself more later, when the younger Knights Radiant weren’t around to study her face. She squeezed Shana back, and couldn’t make herself let go. 

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Unless you want her to let go, she has now stolen your hand for comfort. 

 

[I think I am here.]

Rob nodded at everyone talking. They all had their own issues. And every order was different, too, he thought. Which meant everyone had their own different ways of solving their issues. Shana, Nym, Cassie, Doc, and Rob himself. They all had different ways to deal with things. Rob’s... well, maybe Rob’s way was just to let it happen and wait for it to pass. But that hadn’t failed him so far.

He looked to Nym and tried providing his own way of comfort.

“I think most of the school thinks I’m ‘whack’ too, because I’m not too big on emotions.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter unless you let it matter. Like everyone else said, we don’t mind.”

He looked to Shana. “And we’ll help you with your test. I’m not bad at math. But yeah, sleep is important. Even if it’s hard sometimes.”

His mind drifted to nightmares of fire, sleepless nights dominated by the bald sphere. That had been new, Rob realised. The black sphere keeping him up. It’s enigmatic nature was alluring, and yet, unreadable. Rob still hadn’t told Doc or anyone but Shana about it. Somehow it felt... natural to want to keep it for himself. Hold it. Watch whatever was inside swirl. He felt oddly at peace when that happened.

“But we’ll get through it,” he concluded on a happy note. “We always do.”

[+Sorana]

Nodding at Rob's words Shana started to gently brush her thumb over Cassie's hand. "He is right." She looked at her. "We will get through it. No matter how dark the night looks." With a sigh she used her left hand to fiddle her test out of her bag. It took her a bit, but she didn't want to let go of Cassie's hand, and finally she placed the test on the table in front of them. Over and over the paper her teacher had written comments in red, and Shana only really looked at it for the first time. It was .... devastating. It hadn't even been close to passing.

"Well, at least I can't complain that it was close." She said with another sigh and turned it, so that the others could take a look. "But if anybody could explain to me what I was supposed to do, I would be grateful. I need to get this into my head sooner or later."

[Unodus]

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... A new challenger approaches!

 

Name: Jenna Chen

Age/gender: 22, Female

Appearance: With short black hair and piercing amber eyes, Jenna is a Japanese substitute art teacher. She wears a knitted rainbow-coloured anorak and smart trousers.
Personality: Jacki's personality is a mystery. Cool and collected, she rarely lets others see below the surface. Contrastly, she has an eerie talent for seeing right through other people.
Spren: Raxion is a Inkspren that takes the form of a crawling spider, suspended on black webbing, and named after a mythical warrior of legend.
Radiant Status: Third Ideal
History: Jenna is an undercover agent of a secretive Radiant organisation, scouting under the guise of a gifted teacher in search of exemplars who have discovered the Nahel Bond.

 

Edited January 6, 2020 by Unodus

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

Nym smiled at Rob's use of the word, "wack", not quite the definition she was going for but, it worked.  "Thanks, guys."  She had amended her statement about friends, it paid off to have a few.  She checked her schedule and her next period was art with a Ms.Chen.  Cool.  Lopen sped over, he decided he was going to be almost mute today.  She was grateful to him.  He was really there for her.  She checked the time and she realized that she had to go.  "I've got to go to my next class, bye, see you later."

[+Sorana]

17 hours ago, Unodus said:

Name: Jenna Chen

Age/gender: 22, Female

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Great character and again, welcome to the rp!

As Ene already took a look on the CS on discord, I think you can start if you want to We are pretty open and relaxed in that regard.

 

Edited January 7, 2020 by Sorana

[Unodus]

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If people are interested, I was going to throw down an introductory scene for Jenna for anyone who wants to get involved, and also progress the day a little.

Art-lesson Kinda Jam~ 

The dark-haired woman rolled her sleeves up as she threw an apron on, tying her hair back in a neat bun. As she left the teachers office, she pauses only to correct a "Chan" to "Chen" typo on the schedules whiteboard. Earlier that same day she had run her own fine arts class, printed out a list of student names to memorise, and turned the school projector off and on again- thus fixing a wide variety of tiny technical faults that may have ultimately lead to an apocalyptic disaster of universal proportions.

Raxion meanwhile, had been more quiet than ever as of late. Slinking from inkweb to inkweb, the spider swung unseen across the hall ceiling. Jenna's unseen eyes in the sky, poking through air vents and ceiling panels. The perfect surveillance operative, if only she wasn't so... Temperamental.

Jenna Chen smiled diplomatically as she opened the door to the workshop. Many had finished their morning lessons, had a quick lunch, and rushed excitedly (or perhaps dragging their feet) into the art block for their regular pottery club. Instead of Mr Andrews however, they found themselves greeted by her. The Woman in Technicolor.

"Settle down, everyone." Jenna instructs them all, recognising a wide range of year groups who happen to take an interest in pottery. She swiftly ticks through the register, 

"... As some of you may know already know, I'll be covering for Mr Andrews, who is not in today. My name is Miss Chen. But you may call me Jenna or Jenny if you prefer. I understand that you are continuing your ongoing pottery projects, I'll be around if you need any help with advanced tools. If you do not have an ongoing project, Mr Andrews has left me a task for you to do instead. And, Mr Andrews specifically instructed me to remind you all to remember to wear your aprons."
She raises an eyebrow,
"... I also understand that Mr Andrews assigned you some homework. A brief stylistic analysis of the differences between baroque and classical ornamentation in claymaking? I'll be very interested to see what everyone has come up with, so make sure to have your papers ready for when I come around to mark them."

[old man moomba]

Jamie jumped back, dancing away from her armored opponent with a pewter enhanced gait. She was faster, but just barely. Shardplate lent an advantage to speed as well as strength. She’d made the mistake of assuming the armor would make her opponent slower, and it had cost her. She landed in a crouch, rolling so she was behind her opponent and began to summon her Blade, holding a hand out. He spun to face her, his emotions unreadable underneath the helmet. Jamie grinned, already swinging her empty hand at him as the Blade formed from mist in her hand. As soon it had formed fully however, he slapped it out of her hand almost casually, though his discomfort was almost visible as he did so. She stumbled, caught off balance for a split second. That was when he struck, sweeping her legs out from under her with supernatural quickness. 

Jamie fell to the ground with a grunt, nodding up at her opponent. “Nice job, again.” She got to her feet as Doc dismissed his helm in a puff of Stormlight, revealing his sweaty face.

“Thanks.” he said with a grin, “The Plate is feeling more natural now. By the way, what time is it?”

Jamie glanced at her watch, a little surprised that so much time had passed. “A little after noon. Why? You want to finish up for now?” she asked, rolling her neck and stretching. 

“Probably a good idea.” he responded, dismissing the rest of his Plate and wiping his face with a towel. “Thanks again, by the way.” he called, already leaving the training room. She nodded back, deciding to stay for a little longer and practice her Shardblade forms a little. 

She summoned her Blade, beginning to dance through the forms with the aid of pewter. They came more naturally to her now, her body shifting from movement to movement almost instinctively. Suddenly, she started to move faster, the massive Blade dancing in her hands. She slammed it into the ground, feeling it sink in. She stood before it, a little embarrassed. She hadn’t needed to do that, really. Hopefully no one would be mad.

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

Nym walked into art, the bell having rung a few seconds ago, she cringed, being late meant *shudder* social interaction.  She walked up to the teacher, Lopen breaking his vow of silence and saying,  "Well, at least she looks nice."  "Nym looked at him for a long time and finally saying, "Shut up."  She walked up to the teacher, saying "Sorry I'm late, I took a moment too long in the library."  The teacher seemed friendly, which put her at ease.  @Unodus

[+Sorana]

Shana watched Nym leave and checked her schedule, realized that Nym was right. It was growing late. She packed her test and their notes away again, but left her hand with Cassie's. "Where do you have to go now?" She asked them and looked at Cassie clinging to her hand. Maybe she could skip the next one and instead continue to talk to them, try to help Cassie. Her eyes moved to Rob in a silent question and then moved back to Cassie.

@Ookla the Maybe-Existent @AonEne

 

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We discussed on discord, to have them all end up in the art class as well, so that we can rp a little with Uno's character. It's just an option of course, but I think it might be a nice? It's up to the two of you though, I don't want someone to end up without someone to rp with.

 

[I think I am here.]

On 07/01/2020 at 4:39 AM, Unodus said:

she has an eerie talent for seeing right through other people.

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Ooh, this will be interesting with Rob 

And I support that idea, Sorana, for them to have art to RP more together and with Uno.

As the bell ring through the halls and into the library, Rob mentally recalled what day and time it was, trying to match it up with his schedule in his head. He looked towards Cassie and Shana as he spoke.

“Arts and crafts,” he said. “With Mr. Andrews.”

He spoke clearly, tried not to betray any of the odd mix of feeling he felt at the subject. On one hand, the art defied him, any form of imaginative thinking, writing, painting or any other creative work seemed to be so hard for Rob to attempt without lapsing into drawing basic geometric shapes. But, on the other hand, the physical ‘crafts’ part of arts and crafts was where his passion lay, where he could physically sculpt, just like he did with surges. Pottery, woodcraft and metalworks came natural to him.

And beyond it all, Mr. Andrews was a pretty cool teacher, Rob thought. He was one of the only teachers who seemed to understand Rob and not hide behind false politeness.

“We should probably go,” he said. “Being late wouldn’t be good.”

[+Sorana]

1 minute ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“We should probably go,” he said. “Being late wouldn’t be good.”

Shana nodded. "It's Arts time again?" She asked and stood up. Homework. Had they been supposed to do homework? "You've got that class, too, don't you Cassie?" She tried to pull her friend to her feet as well. "And if you don't, you should come along. Mr. Andrews is a good teacher."

And he hopefully wouldn't lecture her about being an orphan and that going somewhere might help with maths. Not having to worry about an attack at night would help with maths. The rest was just idle talking. She wasn't really good at creating something, but Mr. Andrews hadn't cared so far. Instead he had been more interested in what she had wanted to express with it, and Shana usually came up with something that more or less went along just well.

"We're already late, although he usually lets these things slide." She added more to herself. It didn't change the fact that they should get moving, or the little late turned into after second bell and that would be bad.

@AonEne

[Wyndlerunner]

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I don't think James is taking a drawing/art class, cause that's not the most in-character thing for him. So I'll probably write a scene of him in a creative writing class instead, once I have time after work

 

[AonEne]

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Cassie doesn't go to school, she graduated  

I'll write in some way for her to follow in a bit when I can. 

 

[Eluvianii]

Edwin looked around for the others, the cafeteria, the courtyard, nothing. On his way to the library the bell rang. Maybe he should have started there, he could think of at least a couple people likely to be there.

What to do. Edwin thought. He could meet them in the next class but he couldn't discuss the backpack topic with teachers listening. For now, it was time for art class. At least that would be relaxing and with enough luck, he would be able to tell them if Mr. Andrews got distracted or something. With that in mind, after slipping a couple hot dogs he had gotten from the cafeteria into the backpack, he started walking to the classroom.

11 hours ago, Wyndlerunner said:

So I'll probably write a scene of him in a creative writing class instead, once I have time after work

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Ooh, can I follow into that?

 

Also, guys, I'm really sorry for simply ceasing to exist, in the occasion of vacation I just spent about three weeks in the same house as my sister and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her so I kinda disconnected from everything else, RPing included (technically siblings our age should live in the same house but you know, family can get complicated).

 

[Unodus]

 

On 08/01/2020 at 1:12 AM, Ookla the very snazzy said:

 "Sorry I'm late, I took a moment too long in the library."  The teacher seemed friendly, which put her at ease.

 

21 hours ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“We should probably go,” he said. “Being late wouldn’t be good.”

21 hours ago, Sorana said:

 

"We're already late, although he usually lets these things slide." She added more to herself. It didn't change the fact that they should get moving, or the little late turned into after second bell and that would be bad.

 

7 hours ago, Eluvianii said:

On his way to the library the bell rang. With that in mind, after slipping a couple hot dogs he had gotten from the cafeteria into the backpack, he started walking to the classroom.

 

 

As Jenna waited for more of her class to arrive, she surveys the classroom. The sink, she notices, were still filled with clay cutting blades and brushes from lasts weeks lesson. The clay, now brittle and dried out.

"Sloppy." The teacher muses to herself as she walks over, turns on the sink and starts to clean up, laying the cutting blades and brushes to the side.
From her new angle, she could see on the shelf, the wet clay of a childs work had started to grow mould after weeks of neglect. She let out a pent up sigh of frustration. Perhaps after the lesson was over, she could soulcast the grimy bits back into clay...

It was at that moment that the rest of the class made their appearance. A majority of students had chosen to arrive late, she noticed.

As she finishes cleaning, she dries her hands as she walks over to the small gathering.
"Nym, Shana, Rob, and Edwin, I presume?" She asks as she starts handing out aprons to each student. Having access to the Teachers Network not only made putting names to faces almost trivial, but had the additional bonus of making one appear to possess psychic powers.

"Let's get a move-along, people. We don't have all day." she waves them closer as she moves to the main table, and begins distributing fresh clay to the students,

"If anyone is finished or looking for work to do, Mr Andrews has left you a task. You are to continue practising your etching and sticking by making a design for a tile." 
She says, holding up an example piece- about the size of a bathroom tile,

"The theme for today is... The Most Important Words a person can say. You can use words, or symbols if you like. If you're happy with your design, we can then have it fired so you can paint it and take it home next week."

The task was of course, completely a ruse of her own concoction. The Most Important Words a person could say was a deeply rooted historical precept of Radiant theology, and it was very plausible that those who had the potential for the Nahels bond would have the type of mindset that found it almost irresistible to atleast attempt.

She began tending to her class in earnest.

[I think I am here.]

37 minutes ago, Unodus said:

The task was of course, completely a ruse of her own concoction. The Most Important Words a person could say was a deeply rooted historical precept of Radiant theology, and it was very plausible that those who had the potential for the Nahels bond would have the type of mindset that found it almost irresistible to atleast attempt.

The most important words a person could say. An interesting theme. Rob looked to the substitute they had today, keeping a pang of disappointment behind a ever-neutral expression. As always, his emotions were in full lockdown, his father’s words deep in his head: Showing emotions is weak. Are you weak?

Rob shook his head slightly and waved to the teacher.

“Hi, Miss,” he said. “Sorry we’re late.”

At hearing the task she set Rob immediately walked over to the supplies for the tile etchings (he had already completed the pottery task a few lessons ago) and stopped by to ask the teacher something.

“Hey, Miss...” he looked to the badge. “Miss Chen.”

“With our tile etchings, do they have to be creative?” He asked it with a neutral tone, as he often did.

“Or can we just write what we think ‘the most important words’ are and be done?”

[+Sorana]

1 hour ago, Unodus said:

The task was of course, completely a ruse of her own concoction. The Most Important Words a person could say was a deeply rooted historical precept of Radiant theology, and it was very plausible that those who had the potential for the Nahels bond would have the type of mindset that found it almost irresistible to atleast attempt.

"Sorry." Shana echoed Rob's words and walked over to her table. They had obviously missed the new teacher's introduction, but as the woman didn't introduce herself again, she figured it could wait until later. She tied the apron around her back and then walked over to one of the few free seats left. She set down her bag and walked over to the etching tools. She wasn't entirely satisfied with her pottery, but she knew that it wouldn't get any better soon, and she didn't feel like frustrating herself even more than neccessary.

Rob asked about creative designs and she skipped that, instead sat down at her table after waving in Edwin's direction in greeting. The most important words someone could say. Her first instinct was about writing something down like Live your life, Love your friends, something a normal teenager might write down, maybe even I love Ben, or best friends forever.

Slowly she formed the clay to the shape of a tile and then picked up an etching tool. Idly she started to draw some vague shapes around her tile, figured she could start with a border of some sorts while she thought about the words. Suddenly they came to her naturally, as if she had known what to etch all along and she found herself exchaging the etching tool for another one, with a sharp ending.

I will fight for what is right,

she etched into the soft clay, her words crude, and blunt without any flourishes. They were like blows with a weapon, like a fist hitting you square in your face. There was something missing, and she could see Mahad walk closer curiously, when he looked at them. Shana lifted her head, looked around the room, felt that the missing part was close, so close that she could nearly pinpoint it. Instead a shivver ran over her back again when she watched her friends and classmates, cold seeped into her heart. Something would go wrong, she knew it, something would go incredibly wrong and the words, the words had something to do with it. Unable to complete them she stared at them in silent horror, her hand tightening around the tool until it snapped with a high, eerie noise, scratching open her hand. She didn't feel the pain, insteand she continued to stare, tried to grasp the rest of this, tried to understand the horror, the desperation attached to these seven words. They were harmless, there were what she wa already doing, she was fighting. But she was fighting for others, this, this set her fighting in a different context, into a larger one, not for a person, but for a thing, for what was right.

But what was right, what was right, and which condition could turn fighting for what was right into something terrifying. Mahad looked at her, perched on her table the little dragon started at her as she sat there, her hand slowly crushing the tool in its tight grip. Something was missing, this was too early, unless she understood them completely it was too early. It wasn't the right time, it was - incomplete. The true weight behind these words, was still missing completely.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Sorana

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

Nym smiled, she could do this.  After all, words were her entire life, she just couldn't decide which ones to choose, I will protect those who can't protect themselves, important, but not the most important words, Finally she decided the most important words are the ones you say when the pain and the brokenness has gotten to you, when you feel your whole world is crumbling, when you decide that you will not fall too, but rise again, and no matter how many times you are pushed down, you will rise again, each time better for those words.   "Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination."  She muttered, while writing them on her tablet.  Lopen nodded approvingly, seeing what she was doing.  She had finished with the tablet, on the back she carved, I will keep these oaths through pain, suffering, and death.  @Sorana @Unodus @Ookla the Maybe-Existent @Eluvianii

Edited January 9, 2020 by Ookla the very snazzy

[Unodus]

53 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“With our tile etchings, do they have to be creative?” He asked it with a neutral tone, as he often did.

“Or can we just write what we think ‘the most important words’ are and be done?”

"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."

 

She continues to wander around the room, nodding approvingly as she sees people getting on with their work. Her eyes fix on Shana as she hears the snap, making a mental note but not interrupting her for now. Jenna simply passes by her table and supplies a fresh etching tool. Her eyes glance over the words before she resumes roaming the room and tending to the needs of the children as they come up.

 

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

Nym walked up to the teacher, the clay she had etched in her hand.  She looked at the teacher and said, "I'm done, these are the most important words."  Something was off about her, she was looking at every person's words, looking like she didn't really care about how fancy the words were.  @Unodus

[Unodus]

36 minutes ago, Ookla the very snazzy said:

Nym walked up to the teacher, the clay she had etched in her hand.  She looked at the teacher and said, "I'm done, these are the most important words."  Something was off about her, she was looking at every person's words, looking like she didn't really care about how fancy the words were.  

"Nym, was it? Well, let me have a look."

Jenna turns and smiles appreciatively as she accepts the clay, turning it in her hands as she appraises both sides,

9 hours ago, Ookla the very snazzy said:

"Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination." 

On the back she carved, "I will keep these oaths through pain, suffering, and death."

She read the front twice just to be certain, but there was no mistaking the Immortal Words. The mantra lay the foundation to practically every Radiant Order, and it was not the kind of thing easily stumbled upon by mistake. As she read, Jenna felt a pang of both nostalgia... And melancholy. The words not only brought up memories of her own ascension... They confirmed her worst fears. The signs were returning.

And they were becoming increasingly frequent.

Ever composed, Jenna returns the student her piece and smiles approvingly, leaning forward against the main table and propping herself up by her elbows so that she can be eye-level with Nym, "You know, I think I read something like that in a book, once. Though, hm... The pain, suffering and death, isn't that stuff a little... Morbid?"
She smiles, studying Nym more closely now, noticing her missing hand. She decides not to draw attention to it. 
"If you're ready to have this piece fired, just put it on the shelf when you're ready and I'll make sure it gets put into the oven at the end of the lesson, ok?" 

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

Nym stared at the teacher when she said these things were morbid, and said, "It's the truth, life isn't all sunshine and rainbows."  Nym looked at her art once more, she frowned at the teacher, she looked like she knew the words, she looked around to see who was listening.  When she decided that no one was, she looked at the teacher and dropped her voice, "Are you a Radiant?"  She looked the teacher in the eyes, trying to see the answer.  @Unodus