[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

[faultlieswith]

Ow!

[ Ishmael responds by swinging back at him to get his hand away. ]

I thought you were one of those things for a second.

[gamboler]

Hey—

[ Oh...there was nothing there, was there? Waving a hand, he straightens up, exhaling a tired chuckle. ]

And I thought you were covered in spiders. What a pair we make, hm?

[ Some good old shared trauma. Actually, that's kind of new for him! Trauma is usually a solo affair. ]

[faultlieswith]

[ Exactly! Trauma is meant to be carried solo until a magical mcguffin forces your to relive and work through it in front of all your coworkers! Or is that just her and the other Sinners? ]

... that makes sense.

[ She laughs mirthlessly. ]

I feel like I'm going insane, after all that and seeing those damn dolls everywhere.

[gamboler]

[ Just you, Ishmael, no one got to come on Aventurine's trauma-reliving fieldtrip with him. :( ]

Let's hope it doesn't last. If we are the butt of some cosmic joke, once we stop reacting to it and they grow bored, I suspect they'll move on.

[ The voices they'd heard in the classroom. Whoever that was must be responsible for this, too. ]

[faultlieswith]

[ That's a bummer. :( ]

... Yeah, the reaction is probably exactly what they want. I just dealt with this kind of shit back in the City.

[ Ugggggh.

And, because she knows that Garnet has no idea what she's talking about, she elaborates: ]

My coworkers and I dealt with a group of ancient elders who were watching the world outside like some sort of play for their amusement - us included. They loved horror and tragedy, because it was the only way they could feel something.

[ She shudders at the memory. Not just because of the violation of knowing she'd been watched, but the fact that they elders themselves were horrors in and of themselves. ]

[gamboler]

[ An exceedingly unwelcome violation that makes Aventurine's mouth twist up in familiar distaste. Being forced to play to the tune of another's control for their entertainment is a concept he too is unfortunately all too familiar with himself.

Not that he's admitting as much quite so readily. He's a little surprised, actually, that she revealed that so easily. What if he found a way to use that against her? ]

Sounds like something the Fools at the Tavern might pull...though if they were responsible for this, they'd have laughed themselves silly and revealed themselves by now.

[ He still is...glancing around for the sight of that Masked Fool, Sparkle. She would have an absolute field day with this... ]

I suggest we don't give them time to grow bored, and find a way out before then, though I'd also wager you don't need me to tell you that.

[faultlieswith]

[ Being creeped out by all of that is far from the worst ammo he can use against her. If he were to ask about whales, by contrast, she'd clam right up. ]

Fools at the Tavern? Can't say I'm familiar, but I'll take your word for it.

[ They sound like a headache, whoever they are. ]

No, you don't. But it's good to know we're sailing in the same direction on that point.

[gamboler]

[ Fortunately for her, he's the wrong Hoyo Man to ask about whales (except for the gacha kind). ]

Likewise. Facing unknowns like we are now, reliable allies can mean the difference between life and death. Even if we lost the game, I think we still have a promising partnership ahead of us.

[ Because as far as he's concerned, the game has only just begun, and the sooner he can stack the chips in their favor, the better. ]

[faultlieswith]

[ It's only a matter of time before she crosses paths with said Hoyo Man... ]

We did run a pretty tight ship in there, the six of us. Even with the goddess of luck taking a vacation.

[ Is that a pointed dig? Kinda, but it's not really a heated one. ]

[gamboler]

[ Whether it is or not, it earns her a wry smile from him, even if it doesn't quite reach his eyes. ]

Well, as I'm her only follower these days, you'd think she'd have some time to spare. Allow me to extend my sincerest apologies on behalf of Gaithra Triclops herself.

[ Hah. As though he speaks for her, or any god or Aeon. ]

[faultlieswith]

[ She returns the wry smile. ]

Apology accepted.

[ Only because, fixation on luck aside, Garnet's been awfully reliable.

She stretches and sighs. ]

We probably shouldn't stick around here too long. We're like fish in a barrel.

[gamboler]

...Right. Best see what fresh hell awaits us next.

[ Whatever it is...he doubts that the worst is behind them, unfortunately. ]