[. . . july showers bring august ghosts]

[sevenhorrorsmods]

Who: EVERYONE
When: August 3, wobbly hands
Where: Around the school!
What: some things happened. the school is suddenly a lot more crowded
Warnings: references to blood and bite injuries, but otherwise, non! unless you bring something to the party yourself

[August 3 stars off. . . weird.]

[The morning bell chimes at 6 a.m., as it usually does! But there appears to be a very thin layer of fog settled against the ground outside. Some of it seeps into the school's hallways, before dissipating in a few wisps of haze. Weird??]

[As the day goes on, you feel like you can hear strange whispers echoing in the air-- a voice, hissing the word miiiiiiiine over and over again. Also weird!]

[And by the time the afternoon hits, you may find yourself running into some very unwanted guests. You've been here two weeks, and this is the first time you're seeing these guys?? Where have they been??]

[By the way, the nurse's office is unlocked!]

Comments

[velluminous]

[ it's only four or five or six books?! that's hardly anything—

though right now it feels like all the books in the known world, for how keenly every instinct is screaming in Severine's mind to get back to the safety of Kin'un and formulate a plan. when Tifa runs up, she flinches instinctively, seeing only a dark-haired womanly figure rushing for her.

but it's only for that first second. ]

Yes—I know—

[ but her arm throbs, and it's clumsy as she feels out the pain; a few of her books fall but she's already moving. trusting either for Tifa to pick them up for her, since she was stooping to help, or else abandoning them for sense. ]

[suplexer]

[ There's something wrong with the woman's arm, she thinks, or maybe it's just the fear that's making her whole body quake and quiver. It could be either, but Tifa isn't going to clarify right now. They need to move, and so she does her best to scoop up the dropped books into her arms. If a few are left behind, that will just have to be the price paid for their safety.

She isn't going to wait any longer, tucking the books in the crook of one arm as she uses her opposite hand to grab the stranger's (blue!) wrist and drag her toward the library's exit.

The ghost — who looks like dark-haired, translucent woman in a kimono — lets out an eerie moaning sound as she tries to move after them. Tifa has no interest in trying to figure out what she wants. ]

[velluminous]

[ as a would-be lover of the strange and macabre: TIME TO GET OUT OF HERE

her hand—clawed—tightens around Tifa's wrist in turn, as though somehow the both of them holding onto one another will better protect them against the woman in the kimono. an aborted jolt back half a step, because her books—! and then she forces herself to override, leave them, and flee.

they clatter through the doors and into long, dilapidated, poorly-lit halls.

it's... spooky. ]

To our quarters!

[suplexer]

[ Tifa feels that light scrape of claws, and it's enough to draw her attention, but while this woman may have a strange appearance, she's no ghost. Given that Tifa's spent the last while traveling with a robot cat-moogle duo and a "lab rat dog," she reminds herself that this really isn't so odd.

But yes, TIME TO GET OUT OF HERE.

Tifa's fast, almost so fast that she might outstrip the woman she's trying to help, but she does manage to remember herself and manage her pace so she isn't leaving her in the dust. Especially since she's still gripping her wrist for dear life. ]

Right!

[ All the dorms are in the same direction, though she notices the pink of the woman's uniform. So... that's Kin'un, right?

Another book falls from her unsteady grip as they run. She chances a look over her shoulder. ]

It doesn't look like she's following us. [ Of course, with a ghost, it's impossible to know. ]

[velluminous]

[ an idealistic hope, but one which prompts Severine to glance back, too, and yes—no ghost. but as she's stumbling along behind this woman, the floor flying beneath their feet, she's dropping books. the entire point of her trip to the library, the reason she's pursued and haunted to begin with.

she resists for a moment. just an instant. ]

Do not drop them—!

[suplexer]

We can always get them later!

[ Why is this woman so focused on the books? Surely getting to safety is more important?

That moment of resistance does force Tifa to stop briefly and look back at the stranger. She gives a tug, forceful but hopefully not painful, as a stronger reminder. ]

Come on, we can't—

[ Afford this, she might have said, but as she looks forward again, it's to find herself suddenly face-to-face with that same ghost.

Tifa can't stop herself. The jumpscare is too much, and she lets out a loud yelp, stumbling back and into the other woman in the process. ]

[velluminous]

[ they're IMPORTANT books!!!

Tifa's cry startles her worse than the ghost. Severine flinches, full-body, and makes a not-very-dignified sound. then they're both tangled together, and she braces against the taller woman, then turns her hand and pulls her to double back the way they came. ]

Do not look at it!

[ SHE HATES IT HERE AAAAAA ]

[suplexer]

[ SHE ALSO HATES IT HERE

But there isn't much of a chance to dwell on that now, because they have to keep running. Tifa hasn't missed the fact that she's pretty sure the woman's arm is injured too, but it isn't keeping her from booking it, at least.

And speaking of books, they're now running back toward the ones that were dropped. Tifa manages to crouch down as they run and scoop one up, then takes a hard left. ]

If we circle around, we can still get to the dorms. Just don't stop, okay?!

[velluminous]

[ later, it will strike her how this woman did not leave her, not even in the clutches of primal fear. she stayed, and she saved her books for her. Severine, halfway ducking, too, to grab the tome, gasps and stumbles into a flat-out run. takes the corner wide; only Tifa's arm looped in her own keeps her on-trajectory. ]

Not stopping!

[suplexer]

[ Tifa feels the way that the woman takes the corner a little too wide, and actually yanks against her (hopefully uninjured) arm to drag her close against her side so that she doesn't bank too hard and hit the wall. It might hurt a little, but it's better than slamming against the wall and slowing down. The stranger probably isn't used to running like this, but Tifa is... to some degree.

Not usually from ghosts. Why do they have to be stuck in a haunted school?

They make it around the corner, and now they just need to make it to the end of the hall to be home free. ]

Kin-un, right?! [ Just making sure! ]

[velluminous]

[ it prompts a gasp, for sure, although she was already gasping and grunting in her exertion. she might not even normally feel such a strong pull towards trepidation, but the woman's clear discomfort is—it's affecting. she's affected by it. ]

D—Da! [ comes out more like: d-d-d-d-a-a-h ] Any is fine!

[suplexer]

[ Da?! Well, either way, they're now at the block where all the dorms are, and there's no sign of the ghost having followed them. Tifa knows better to let her guard down, though. She drags the other woman to the Kin-un door and then releases her so that she can open up, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of that ghoul. ]

Quick!

[velluminous]

[ oh, she just fully slams the door open, bodily, literally bodily. she secures her hand once more around the other woman's wrist and pulls her in behind her. immediately past the threshold, the sense of safety ensconces them. ]

[suplexer]

[ Tifa makes sure to slam the door behind them and then she leans back against it, taking a moment to catch her breath. She doesn't hear or feel any sign of something following them, and much like her own dorm, this place feels like some kind of safe haven.

It's also her first time in a dorm other than Kenkou's or Shiawase's. She blinks, taking a quick look around (it all looks pretty much the same) before focusing again on the blue woman.

Belatedly, she draws her hand back. ] We made it...