[physical education 101]

[sevenhorrorsmods]

Who: transfer students
When: July 1̷̝̤̳̙̫̭̻̝͓̄̇̾̀̕͝9̸̙̱̹͍̮̈́́̀̅͛̐̔̋ 20
Where: the. . . gymnasium?
What: an ice breaker
Warnings: moderate physical injury (not debilitating), psychological horror (absolutely debilitating)

[The school is empty. The school is quiet. The only sound that cuts through the silence is the soft ticking of the hallway clocks that mark the passing of each second.]

[. . .]

[At least. . . until a stiff breeze whips through the classrooms, scattering dirty papers and jerking the curtains aside. The clock strikes 6:00 a.m.]

[The school bell chimes.]

[ Team rooms | Endgame | Rewards ]

Comments

[ordimame]

[. . .]

No, actually. You wear your poker face pretty well.

[gamboler]

Haha, fair enough. I have a lot of practice in that regard.

[ And this stranger spotted that pretty quick. Sharply observed! ]

[ordimame]

[haha! dwbi!!]

I hate to say it, but that might be a good thing in a place like this. . .

[hunches his shoulders and shivers a bit, gaze flickering to the side and back again]

[gamboler]

You think so? It hasn't stopped these spooks from getting in my head, in any case.

[ He very determinedly doesn't let his gaze shift towards where there's a spider descending from the ceiling. ]

[ordimame]

[aha. . .]

. . . if I had any advice on how to get them out, I'd be offering it to you.

[maybe what they need is. . .]

Hey. Take a look around the school with me.

[does he need a chaperone while he explores??]

[gamboler]

[ Does he???

...No, but this might be a good opportunity to explore and learn more about one of the other teams. It's an offer he won't pass up, no matter if he should maybe be resting instead. ]

As you wish. By the way, I don't believe I've caught your name, friend. You call me Garnet, at your service.

[ordimame]

[it's also a good distraction!!]

[turning on his heel, gesturing for the guy in yellow to follow. he is limping a little thanks to his ankle injury, but otherwise seems to be moving okay!]

For now, I've chosen. . . uh. Puck. So you can call me that.

[a beat]

. . . it feels a little weird, doesn't it?

[gamboler]

[ Puck, huh...is this a Shakespeare thing. Is Kia listening...

Sliding the hand of his uninjured arm into his pocket, Aventurine follows after his new companion. ]

What does? Going by a new name?

[ It's not that strange for him. ]

[ordimame]

[Kia will never thread with me again]

[but!! making his way out of the gym, pausing at the doors to peer into the area beyond, as though looking for more danger. his shoulders stiffen for a moment, before he breathes out a slow exhale, forces them to relax, and steps into the dilapidated hallway]

Yeah. [even during his most involved roles, he had always used his real name] But isn't it strange that we don't know what'll happen if we do use our real names?

[gamboler]

[ Eyes narrowing, Aventurine is likewise scanning for any sign of movement or danger, but aside from some of the other captives milling about outside the doors...there's nothing. It really is a run-down school, huh... ]

What would happen, if we did? We'd wager whether the risk of using them is worth it.

[ It's probably better they don't know. ]

[ordimame]

[a horrifically neglected school on its way to being reclaimed by nature. . .]

. . . after everything we've been through, I don't think the risk is worth it.

[carefully picking his way over worn floorboards, trying not to trip over the splintered wood]

But it's still bugging me. "Don't give them your names," and a. . . creature. . . who got really pissed off when we didn't.

What makes them so valuable?

[so. . . worth protecting?]

[gamboler]

I've been wondering that myself.

[ He says thoughtfully, before deadass just tripping over a floorboard. He recovers quickly enough, but how did he miss that? Sheesh. ]

Names can certainly hold a sort of influence...knowing someone's name can be a privilege of knowledge in its own right. But I do wonder if there isn't more to it than that.

[ Something supernatural, more than being able to identify where someone might have come from, or what organization they belong to, as his own names would signify. ]

[ordimame]

[. . . SIR???]

[Puck is about to reach out to grab Garnet to steady him back on his feet, but. . . he recovers quickly enough that intervention isn't required. his hand drifts back to his side]

Beats me. . . I'm still wrapping my head around all of this, so. . .

[he doesn't really have any theories of his own. just curiosity!]

[gamboler]

[ Consider: theorizing about what they're doing here is a great way to avoid wrapping your head around it! Just don't deal with it instead, easy. ]

Oh? Is this your first time being spirited away to an abandoned and seemingly haunted school, then? [ A light chuckle, to suggest he's joking. ] I'd say we're all at about that point. Anyone taking this well should be studied.

[ordimame]

[TOUCHE. CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT ONE]

[his response is just as light]

Is it that obvious? [har har] I missed the coming-of-age version back in real high school.

[gamboler]

You at least have one advantage there over me, my friend! I never went to school.

[ This being his first experience is. Not great! ]

[ordimame]

[oh?? his shoulders slump]

Does it help when I say that real schools are nothing like this?

[gamboler]

If they were, I'd have to wonder why anyone would attend.

[ The "horrors" of school should be late homework and surprise exams! Not whatever...this is. ]

[ordimame]

[a sharp laugh]

I'd have been a dropout as soon as I was able. [stopping in front of an empty classroom. leans over to peer inside]

[then immediately jerks away and continues walking, body stiff. WHAT DID HE SEE. . .]

Guess it's a good thing school was palatable enough for me to finish.

[he says so casually even tho something clearly spooked him]

[gamboler]

[ Yeah hold up, forget about idle chatter about school— ]

What? What was in there?

[ He's going to peek for himself now, even as the feeling of spider legs scuttling along his neck makes him freeze stock-still. ]

[ordimame]

[quickly]

. . . nothing! Definitely not another creepy doll!! Or seven!

[if Aventurine can see what Edamura saw, then he will be treated to a line of seven cracked dolls seated against the classroom window. staring at him with beady, glass eyes. unmoving but deeply unnerving]

[gamboler]

[ He's treated to the same sight, but he swears he can also see the dolls' faces cracking and crumbling further, reminding him of the spiders that had swarmed his hand--

Nope!! That's enough of that. Pale-faced, he hurries away from the room. ]

L-let's just keep moving, shall we.

[ordimame]

[let's also just NOT TALK ABOUT THAT, SHALL WE?]

[they pass by a few more classrooms, with Edamura peering cautiously into each one. thankfully, there are no more dolls. . . but after the fifth one or so, he frowns]

. . . we have to run into something other than an abandoned classroom eventually, right?

[gamboler]

[ Looking into another classroom that's also empty, before he turns back to Puck: ]

You'd think so...we woke up in what was labeled the "gymnasium" by the door. What other rooms would you say are staples of a school?

[ordimame]

[a thoughtful noise before he answers]

A cafeteria, some club rooms. . . maybe a music room? Or an art room? then there are the faculty offices, the student council room. . .

[trailing off, knowing that he could continue]