[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

[selfportraiture]

Don't freak out.

[That's all the warning she gives before she reaches out to take his hand in hers. And the emotion share isn't too intense this time--maybe because she's exhausted--but nonetheless he'll immediately feel it: her latent anger at the situation, her confusion, her frustration, those faint twinges of hysteria she's mostly managed to beat back.

Then she lets go.]

1/3

[ordimame]

D--

[. . . he doesn't even have time to ask about it, because she grabs his hand before he can make confused noises in her direction. his entire body stiffens when he feels that rush of confusion, frustration, and hysteria, the waterfall of foreign emotions nearly drowning out his own bemusement. those feelings mirror his own, and yet. . . they aren't his at all, are they. . .? not in the way they feel so distinctly other]

[his eyes widen, mouth falling open]

[ordimame]

[WHAT THE FUUUUUUUCK]

[ordimame]

[okay. no. he doesn't freak out. just as asked!]

[but he draws back a little too quickly when she lets go]

I.

No.

. . . no, nothing like that happened for us at all??

[and of course. . . she may notice she felt nothing from him in return]

[selfportraiture]

Figures.

[She just scoffs at that, arms crossed as she rolls her eyes, every inch the "LIFE'S NOT FAAAAIR" teenager.]

[ordimame]

[TO BE FAIR TO HER THIS IS A PRETTY AWFUL THING!! LIFE ISN'T FAIR!!!]

Does this happen every time you touch someone? And is it everyone in your. . . class?

[selfportraiture]

Not every time, but more or less. It's pretty often, anyway, not that I've been testing it.

[She's been trying to avoid touching people, and she gets why everyone else would, though she has to admit that Mizuki avoiding touching her stings a little.]

I don't know if it's all of us, but... at least some of us in my class have it happening.

[ordimame]

[NOOOO MY CUTE LESBIANS]

That's-- [hackles raising a bit] Pretty messed up! Why is it even happening in the first place?

[he is not actually expecting her to know; someone has yet to key in on the classroom curses]

[selfportraiture]

I don't know.

[She gets it was a rhetorical question but she's not about to miss the chance to bitch about it.]

It just started happening on top of everything else! As if today hasn't been bad enough!

[ordimame]

[SHE IS WELCOME TO BITCH ABOUT IT, HE IS GIVING HER THE OUTLET!!]

Yeah! It's adding insult to injury! There's only so much weird stuff someone can handle before it becomes unfair!!

[selfportraiture]

Yeah, I hit my limit about when the creepy dolls happened. Just like a normal person would.

[ordimame]

. . . I think my threshold is a lot lower than yours, because I hit it when one of the people in my group said he was a hyena.

[he is already pretty fond of Mocha, but still. beastmen. not a thing where he comes from!]

[selfportraiture]

... I mean, we didn't... have any hyenas...?

[ordimame]

[TOUCHE]

Is there anyone in your class that claims to be not. . . human?

[selfportraiture]

[A slow blink.]

Yep.

[She does not elaborate.]

But everyone looks pretty human, so I guess that made it easier to sort of... deal with.

[ordimame]

[HE DOES NOT ASK FOR ELABORATION. . . but his shoulders do slump]

As long as you don't think about it, you can trick your brain. . . right?

[this is what he does with their resident Grim Reaper]

[selfportraiture]

Something like that... at least, it doesn't make my brain totally want to implode or anything.

[She's able to like, keep chugging onward. For now.]

I guess I'll... get used to it? Maybe? Or we'll get out of here and I won't have to think about it again.

[ordimame]

That'd be preferable!

[he says with a humorless laugh]

Do you think we'll be that lucky?

[selfportraiture]

Lucky? No, obviously we're all very unlucky just to be here.

But I'm not sticking around if there's a way out.

[ordimame]

[relaxing a bit]

. . . nor should you.

[he might normally make a quip about doubling back for the rest of them, but. no. that's not her responsibility. she should get out as soon as possible]

[selfportraiture]

Yeah, so.

[A sigh.]

Of course I'm getting out of here. We all are. Just--one thing at a time.

[ordimame]

[a firm nod!]

It's nice to see someone so determined. [honestly, it almost feels like she is holding up way better than he is] I'm glad that-- thing-- didn't take it away from you.

[selfportraiture]

[She's just spiteful.]

Why would it have? Nobody can take things away from me unless I let them, right? That's still true of ghosts.

[ordimame]

[he approves of this!!]

That's right! Ghosts are only as t-- terrifying as you let them be!

[did he stutter]

[selfportraiture]

[Did he.

Real convincing. But also, she can't blame him.]

... I don't think that's exactly right either, but... [A sigh.]