sevenhorrors | [physical education 101]

Entry tags:

[physical education 101]

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.]

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[Ena's tense at the hold of her sleeve, but it doesn't seem to transfer her feelings this time, so she slowly relaxes. Okay. This is good. She can keep track of Mafuyu this way.

Though that question gets a baffled blink out of her.]

Huh? Before all of this?

I'd just gotten to school. I found you trying to help that older lady find her missing charm on the way there, remember?

...

Huh?

... Huh?

[Now they're just staring at each other.

Ena squints.]

What do you mean "huh"?

I don't remember anything like that! The last thing I remember- I... I tried talking to Mom, and-

( her heart is pounding and she falters for a moment- )

... It... felt like if I let her near me, something bad was going to happen... I was trying to get to Her house, and it had started raining- and then I was here, in that classroom...

[Oh, yeah. It's Ena's turn for her to just... stare.]

What... what are you talking about? That was ages ago.

[She should be more sensitive to the emotional state Mafuyu must be in right now, given what just happened--both before she got here, and now here. But she's just too gobsmacked.]

( she wants to- she doesn't know.

break something? that sounds nice. she won't but its soooo tempting.

instead she just- inhales, pinching at one of the cuts on her legs subtly- nope, still real. still real... )

I swear I'm telling the truth. I don't know what you're talking about.

[Ena might've missed that if not for the way she's watching Mafuyu so intently--as it is, her brow furrowed immediately.]

Hey! Stop that! Jeeze... I believe you, okay? Something weird's going on, but what else is new in a place like this?

Listen--it's fine. Okay, so the last thing you remember is telling your mom. You were gonna go to--to her house as a safe place. I remember all of that, so at least we've got that going for us.

[Time for Ena to lead the way out of the gym and into the spooky school hallway, anxious but oh-so-determined not to show it (with mixed results).]

Ah-

( caught and scolded... she does draw her hand away from her legs though.

speaking of legs, her ivy tattoo is covering her left leg completely.

in case you weren't aware of them now. )

... Right. I just... this feeling. I don't want it. I'm tired of it...

( cough cough into her hands- )

[She hasn't found her own tattoo yet, and will, in fact, blow a gasket when she does...

As it is, she's absolutely shooting that ivy glances, but doesn't seem to know what to make of it yet. More importantly, she has to keep looking at Mafuyu's lips, eyes squinted a little, to process what she's saying through the ringing in her ears.

Everything feels so... muffled.]

Yeah, I mean... of course you are. I can't believe the last thing you remember is that, and then you got tossed in this situation. How's that supposed to be fair?

[.......

Hang on.]

--Are you sick?

... I don't know. The book said something about- health failing in the presence of the supernatural.

But I also was just caught in a very big rainstorm.

... So, yes, actually, but the manner is confusing.

( though, she's not the only one observing- ena is not someone to avoid eye contact, she faces things head on. )

... Are you okay?

[That... that is confusing. Trust this place to confuse things even more...

Ena just sighs once again at that, a great, big "haaaa".]

No. Obviously. None of us are, right? But I'm dealing with it, so don't start worrying about that on top of everything else.

Once we find the medical supplies and you help that guy, you need to lay down so you don't get worse. Got it?

... Okay.

( that really does sound nice. though, they'll have to find where they're staying... )

Let's go, then...

Right.

[Okay. Off they go. Ena leads the way, frowning a little as she does. The hallway is disgustingly dusty and she wrinkles her nose at the spiderwebs, but otherwise...]

... It reminds me of that school we went to. The one Mi--Blossom brought us all to. Except I guess this one's way more haunted.

I like my ghost way better.

( she sounds both sincere and very, very bitter. )

... Everything here just- screams of danger. It's exhausting, at this point.

Right. I forgot. You saw a ghost there, too.

[She did not forget, she just tried really hard to pretend like Mafuyu was joking.]

... Well, it's definitely dangerous, but that's all the more reason for us to get out of here ASAP. Then we can go home.

Yes. ... I think, since we're not... in the same class, we'll be separated. But, the people I was with are good people. I'm sure they won't mind if you and Blossom visit.

And if they do I don't care.

[... Oh?

This isn't the first time Ena's seen this sort of Mafuyu, but it's always a pleasure, honestly. This sort of Mafuyu, certain about what she wants, even a little fierce about it...]

Yeah? Well, good.

[She's smiling, though, the first smile since arriving here.]

I wasn't gonna give them a choice either way, but I'm glad you're with good people. The people I was stuck with are good people too.

Oh, good. ... Mostly for their sakes. I know you don't tolerate anything less.

( ena would put them in their place, for certain. and she'd be right. mafuyu looks around slowly as they walk. )

... Blossom might like Hoshimi. She's very confident and- I want to say, dazzling, in a way? But she has a Blossom-like energy.

What's that supposed to mean?

[She says it as if it's a token protest, though, because... yeah... Mafuyu is right... and it didn't even really sound like an insult for once.

The floorboards creak ominously beneath her foot, and Ena grimaces and carefully shuffles around that spot.]

"Dazzling", huh... [Sounds like the right word for someone with Mizuki-like energy, not that she'd ever say it out loud.] What about the others? What are they like?

You're very straightforward and unwilling to tolerate whatever you think is wrong, regardless of how much trouble it may get you in. ( mafuyu you were doing so good. ) ... Ren is... quiet. And I think he's used to danger, because nothing seemed to phase him.

Azure is... earnest? And very noble. But he has this clumsiness to him, too. It's... not unpleasant, though. He sort of reminds me of her.

( kanade. earnest and warm. )

The other two, we haven't found names for... but one is a woman a bit older than us. She was gentle but strong, but I think she's afraid of ghosts... and the other is an older man who looks to be in his twenties, too. He's... hard to describe. ( she thinks for a moment, picking her words carefully, trying to remember the things she overheard in that small classroom. ) He's goofy, but... self-sacrificing. And the goofiness is supposed to draw your eyes away from that part of himself.

[Ah. Yes. There's Mafuyu's Classic Bluntness. Ena's eyebrows draw together, but thankfully for the both of them, Mafuyu continues before Ena can protest Mafuyu's entirely accurate observations.

But her expression eases a bit as she continues to talk. Ah... good people indeed.

That's a relief. Mafuyu needs people like that around her. People who won't steamroll her.]

Alright... they sound pretty decent, yeah.

Are you... you know. [Handwaving gestures.] ... putting on your good girl act around them? Or just being yourself?

[She's gotta Set Expectations for herself accordingly.]

I-

( that's a good question. )

... Partially. It- its instinct. But things have... slipped out.

And... to be honest, I'm tired. I don't... want to. But I feel like I have to.

[She frowns, of course; this is tired old ground between them, and Mafuyu knows how she feels about it.

But.

They both almost got cursed or murdered or something from a big spooky ghost, and so getting too irritable at Mafuyu just doesn't feel right. She's too relieved that she's okay.]

... Hm. Well, don't overdo it. You're already run ragged and we've still got to find a way out of here. If that means sacrificing some of the act, then I don't think that's a bad thing.

[She pauses to squint at the classroom signs, and shakes her head. No nurse's office here... Onward.]

... Wouldn't that just make things worse? The way I really am.

( she's cold and distant and selfish, unpleasant in so many ways. that the others love her somehow is... beyond her.

she can't imagine not playing the part and it going well. )

... That was stupid, actually. Nevermind.

[Ah, a wise amendment. Ena's expression was growing quite dark--tired or not, she really can't abide by Mafuyu acting like her actual personality is a bad thing.

... But then she just drags in a deep breath and slowly lets it out.]

That's right. It was stupid. If they're good people like you said they are, I don't think they're gonna care that you're not Miss Perfect.

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