Otherworld Academy for Wayward Gods

[Sark]

Welcome to the Wayward Academy
OOC/SIGN-UPS/IC

"Welcome to back to another year at the Otherworld Academy, my Wayward Gods!" The Principal proclaimed, her hands wrapped around her podium as if it were her own child. Her voice seemed to echo around the main hall, burrowing its way into the hearts and minds of each of the 200 young Gods who sat before her. They all seemed to huddle together before her, congregating into small clusters like penguins searching for warmth in the winter. She smiled; for now, it all seemed so important: the popularity, the prom dates, the parties. It was all life and death for them-- the thought of how things would change for them once they transcend life and death always brought a smile to her cheeks.

Some of the students she had known since before they could walk, others she had only met a heartbeat ago, yet one thing remained the same for all of her students: they were all waywards. Beyond that, they were her waywards. Though there would come times when they would hate her- and times when they would hate her- deep down they all held a special place in her hear- Zeus help her if any of them found that out.

"I'd like for you all to take a deep breath" She shut her eyes and inhaled through her nose "Savour this moment. Seal it away in the vaults of your mind and treasure it. This here- this handful of seconds- marks the start of one of the most important years of your life: your senior year. It seems like a lifetime away, but every second that passes gets your close to Ascension Day, and you need to prepare yourselves..." She took in another deep breath, this one far less theatrical. She signed; the students needed all the preparation they could get... "This year will define the kind of God you will become. Will you achieve your potential or let your powers slip away? Will you be remembered as Old Legends or slip away into obscurity?"

To let the last of the Old Gods slip into obscurity... the thought still pained her...

"But beyond all this, this year will define the kind of person you will become. After Ascension Day, everything will change for you, so savor these sacred moments. Make the most of your finitude. Days like this won't come again, so make this final year the year you always dreamed it would be"

A whispy smile crawled across her face, creasing her eyes and loosening her brow. Maybe she would have been considered beautiful in her day- maybe even now- but the students could never see it. The world looked past her silver river of hair that flowed from beneath her helmet and relative youth- to everyone else, she was just the wise, old principal, queen of the detention room and custodian of infringements. Such thoughts never bothered her though- she always had bigger Krackens to fry.

"I'd like to take a fraction of this moment to welcome the most recent influx of students to our school- Welcome to the Otherworld. I am Principal Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom, Schools, Art, and War. I am one of the blessed few who have been given the privilege of teaching you this year, and I would like to start by saying this-- the Academy will be unlike any school or training center you have been to in the past. Here, you will be pushed to achieve your highest potential, not just as a student, but as a diety. You will be taught much of how our world works, and of your place in all of it. You will be taught to tap into the full capacity of your powers and how to control them and use them responsibly. In other words, this school will be the driving force shaping your destiny. We hope that you will learn all you can from us, and in time, perhaps we will find ourselves learning something from you"

Minerva brushed her fingers through the feathers of her ceremonial headdress backward, combing back the peacock tails of her Centurian helmet's scalp. He straightened the tie on comparatively unimpressive suit below it, and prepared to move onto more black and white matters. The time to inspire the students had come and gone, and now it was time to deal with business.

"I'd like to call all students who are yet to find their seats to sit down and prepare to listen to Vice Principal Wotan's presentation concerning how you represent the school in the nearby villages" A universal sigh erupted throughout the hall "Look..." Mirva bit her lip, transforming from a strict mother to an overbearing grandmother in a matter of seconds. In other words, she was playing the 'Principal Card'. "I understand that nobody here wants to start the school year with a lecture, but your behavior in front of the mortals needs to be discussed, both for sake and in the name of the sanctimony of the school"

Once VP Wotan had started to speak, the mood in the room and switched from 'engaged interest' to 'complete and utter boredom'. Half the cohort had zoned out by the time the Sky God had finished his first paragraph, and the room had devolved into a sea of chatter...

-------------
With the room's attention slowly drifting away from the speakers and towards the students, the Young Gods began to simply banter amongst themselves. Some spoke of what they had done with their families over the recent holiday, whilst others told stories of their exploits at the Academy during the break- in short, nobody was talking about anything remotely related to Wotan's talk. The students primarily congregated in 3 small clusters:

• The Elite Table

Home to the school's social elite; the Alpha Males and Alpha Females. This table primarily composes of teen sports stars, 'Pretty girls' or general dude-bros. At one end of the table, the head cheerleader, Hathor, sits on a letterman's lap, her eyes locked with her boyfriend as they whisper sweet nothings to each other. Others at the table seem to be complaining about the Principal and the school's poor performance in the last City tournament, and how it was totally rigged. Two other jocks- Vulcan and Inti- are playing catch across the table with a flaming football, no doubt a manifestation of their powers.

• The 'Usuals' Table

A home for those who just don't fit in. If you're 'not pretty enough' for the girl's table or 'not fast enough' for the Jock's table, this is where you fall to. These students aren't a traditional 'nerd squad', but instead just gathering of students who have been alienated by the cooler students. They opted to take the name 'the Usuals' ironically as a reference to the fact that they occupy the middle zone of the school hierarchy, and thus most people won't see them as anything unusual. They might be the butt of a few jokes individually from time to time, but they usually just let the comments of the Mean Girls slide; the cool kids of today are just the high school has-beens of tomorrow, right? Unlike the Jock's, the Outcasts are all talking together about how one of their own- Ran- reportedly had a ghost sighting down one of the tunnels during the break, much to the table's excitement.

• The 'Non-Conformist Table'

These students chose their outcast. A majority of these guys and girls transferred to Otherworld and decided that they didn't belong here. In the eyes of the teachers, these students are the definition of wayward: they rarely try in any class that doesn't involve their powers, they are constantly sneaking off to do Zeus knows what and are detention room regulars...and they love it. Boann and Hebo- two twins- are telling their table about how they managed to break into Minerva's office over break and got inside her 'Converscated Goods Draw'... apparently

-----
It is up to the Transfers to decide which group they would like to try to get in with- their first associations could change the way the school perceives them for some time. Current Students would have to return to their current group and try to catch up on the conversations they were missing, and greet any other new or returning students. This was going to be a year to remember alright.
----

Roll Call
@MJK2431 as Ailuros, or Aila, Goddess of Cats
@Day as Thanatos/Mors, God of Peaceful Deaths
@Ashanna as Ninsi'anna, or Nina, Goddess of Justice and Guidance
@TheGreenerGrey as Lugh of the Long Arm, or Louis, God of Skill, Truth, and Storms
@Lucifer as Magic, or Domivo, God of Sun and Light
@Rachel Rider as Yhi, Goddess of Light and Creation
@KiwiKat as Izanami, Goddess of Creation and Death


@Cromartous, as Principal Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom and Teaching, Vulcan, God of Fire and Blacksmiths, Renenutet, God of Harvests and Snakes and various NPCS​

 

[TheGreenerGrey]

“An’ ‘e goes for the in’ercept!” A voice calls out as a hand expertly handles the flaming ball within its grasp, plucking the item out of the air before smoothly transitioning it from nimble fingers and back towards Vulcan.

Trademark grin on his face, Louis fistbumps a nearby teammate as he takes his rightful place at the Elite table, to a small chorus of cheers from the male demographic and waves of hello from the female.

After making sure to jokingly laud in the attention, the jock takes a seat and kicks up his legs, joining in the game of catch between Vul and Inti as he joins the ongoing conversation.

“‘Gonna chalk up the reason we lost tha last tournament to t'e fact ye didn’t have the one and only.” He laughs, pointing towards himself and putting on an overly superior expression for about a second before a flaming ball impacted with his face, to the laughter of the table.

Wiping his face, the deity chucks the ball towards Inti, laughing all the while, before he resumes talking with his pals.

 

[Day]

Mors sat on the end of the table that had been given the name, the 'Usual' table, named that because if you weren't athletic or weren't pretty, then you were either a Usual or a Detention Normal. fortunately, the people that sat at the table with her knew what it was like to be outcast based on your looks, even though she was indeed quite pretty. The quirk that sent her to this table was that her other half, Thanatos was able to barge in at any time, just as she was while he had control, effectively being shut out from the pretty girl's table and the jocks in one swell blow.

she sat quietly though, trying to resist the urge to pull her enchanted blindfold off and after a few long moments decided to pick at her leather jacket and the wings behind it until either someone else at the table decides to say something or she's done cleaning her body.

 

[MJK2431]

Aila was furious, her green-gold eyes forming thin slits as she stomped her way down the middle of the hall. Pale gold hair flew behind her like curling vine tendrils, a few wayward curls falling in front of her face before she irritably whisked them away. Mau was following close behind as always, the white, half-grown lion stalking a few meters further away than usual because of the mood he sensed coming off of her in waves.

The female had been late, but after attending the high-school part of Otherworld from when she was thirteen Aila had heard enough of Athena's speeches to almost quote them word for word. However, it had been the surprise waiting for her in her room that had gotten her into such a huff. Since the room allocations were publicly available to anyone who walked past the welcome board, the fuming goddess had no idea who she could even begin to question about the problem she had encountered.

For this reason when Minerva was finished speaking, she decided to just address all the seniors at once since only they had access to the upper reaches of the Academy where the senior rooms where.

"Right! Listen up you lot!" She stopped in the middle of the three tables the seniors usually occupied, her stern gaze passing over every one of the members in her year. Mau seemed to have a calm facade about him, but the way he padded in an almost agitated manner back and forth behind Aila hinted at a possible change in mood for him as well. He eventually sat down, his tail still flicking back and forth in a less than pleased manner.

Aila flung her back pack off of her by the shoulder strap, hoisting it up before flipping it over to empty the contents. As she did so, an entire toy-shops worth of plastic and wooden snakes came falling out the bag. The atrocities clattered to the floor, the girl setting her hands on her hips as she lifted her gaze once more to her classmates.

"I think I'm a pretty reasonable person. However, whoever it was that stuffed my closet full of these so that they sprang out when I went to unpack better be prepared for a whole load of wrath coming their way. I swear when....and I mean when, not if....I find who did this, I'm going to make your life living hell. You're going to catch every flu virus that exists and I'll have Mau chew holes in every single one of your left shoes! Now, if you come forward and beg for my forgiveness I might be able to dig up the smallest dregs of mercy but this is a limited time offer!"

She looked each of the seniors in the eye, her stance one of confidence and anger as her jaw clenched and her eyes somehow narrowed further. Mau's fur bristled, his claws scratching the floor of the hall as he stretched his paws.

 

[Day]

Mors was still preening her clothes and suddenly snapped to attention when Aila walked in. she folded her wings behind her seeing the fury painted on her face, she spoke to all of them about the prank played on her. Mors subtly pointed toward the jock table, winking at her trying to help her out, she knew what would happen to whatever poor soul she would find had done it. she stood after hearing her proposition for whoever decided to give themselves and stood, walking up and whispering to her.

"my bet is the ass hole table" and smiles before starting to walk off to her own room in the upper levels of the school.

 

[Sark]

“An’ ‘e goes for the in’ercept!” A voice calls out as a hand expertly handles the flaming ball within its grasp, plucking the item out of the air before smoothly transitioning it from nimble fingers and back towards Vulcan.

Trademark grin on his face, Louis fistbumps a nearby teammate as he takes his rightful place at the Elite table, to a small chorus of cheers from the male demographic and waves of hello from the female.

After making sure to jokingly laud in the attention, the jock takes a seat and kicks up his legs, joining in the game of catch between Vul and Inti as he joins the ongoing conversation.

“‘Gonna chalk up the reason we lost tha last tournament to t'e fact ye didn’t have the one and only.” He laughs, pointing towards himself and putting on an overly superior expression for about a second before a flaming ball impacted with his face, to the laughter of the table.

Wiping his face, the deity chucks the ball towards Inti, laughing all the while, before he resumes talking with his pals.

"Alright alright, I'll give you that one" Vulcan chuckled, letting his friend bask in his fleeting moments of glory before the smoking ball ricochetted off his chin. "You're one of the top players, man..." He stiffened his eyes and pursed his lips, causing wrinkles to appear on his otherwise smooth face. His teasing continued, now mimicking Wotan's prim and proper accent, croaking his voice so make it sound older. "Now imagine how good you could be if you applied yourself a little more and tried your hardest!"

Mors was still preening her clothes and suddenly snapped to attention when Aila walked in. she folded her wings behind her seeing the fury painted on her face, she spoke to all of them about the prank played on her. Mors subtly pointed toward the jock table, winking at her trying to help her out, she knew what would happen to whatever poor soul she would find had done it. she stood after hearing her proposition for whoever decided to give themselves and stood, walking up and whispering to her.

"my bet is the ass hole table" and smiles before starting to walk off to her own room in the upper levels of the school.

"Ding Ding Ding!" Inti cried, winking and tilting his head towards Mors. "10 Points to Gryffindor! Give this girl a medal!" The teasing continued as another one of the jocks rose from Inti's table and made her way into the center of the 3 tables, touching Inti on the shoulder as she passed him. The girl on her boyfriend's lap called for her to sit down and just let it all blow over, but the guilty party ignored her completely; she was going to follow her prank through to its finish

Aila was furious, her green-gold eyes forming thin slits as she stomped her way down the middle of the hall. Pale gold hair flew behind her like curling vine tendrils, a few wayward curls falling in front of her face before she irritably whisked them away. Mau was following close behind as always, the white, half-grown lion stalking a few meters further away than usual because of the mood he sensed coming off of her in waves.

The female had been late, but after attending the high-school part of Otherworld from when she was thirteen Aila had heard enough of Athena's speeches to almost quote them word for word. However, it had been the surprise waiting for her in her room that had gotten her into such a huff. Since the room allocations were publicly available to anyone who walked past the welcome board, the fuming goddess had no idea who she could even begin to question about the problem she had encountered.

For this reason, when Minerva was finished speaking, she decided to just address all the seniors at once since only they had access to the upper reaches of the Academy where the senior rooms where.

"Right! Listen up you lot!" She stopped in the middle of the three tables the seniors usually occupied, her stern gaze passing over every one of the members in her year. Mau seemed to have a calm facade about him, but the way he padded in an almost agitated manner back and forth behind Aila hinted at a possible change in mood for him as well. He eventually sat down, his tail still flicking back and forth in a less than pleased manner.

Aila flung her back pack off of her by the shoulder strap, hoisting it up before flipping it over to empty the contents. As she did so, an entire toy-shops worth of plastic and wooden snakes came falling out the bag. The atrocities clattered to the floor, the girl setting her hands on her hips as she lifted her gaze once more to her classmates.

"I think I'm a pretty reasonable person. However, whoever it was that stuffed my closet full of these so that they sprang out when I went to unpack better be prepared for a whole load of wrath coming their way. I swear when....and I mean when, not if....I find who did this, I'm going to make your life living hell. You're going to catch every flu virus that exists and I'll have Mau chew holes in every single one of your left shoes! Now, if you come forward and beg for my forgiveness I might be able to dig up the smallest dregs of mercy but this is a limited time offer!"

She looked each of the seniors in the eye, her stance one of confidence and anger as her jaw clenched and her eyes somehow narrowed further. Mau's fur bristled, his claws scratching the floor of the hall as he stretched his paws.

"Hi" The cheerleader waved at Aila, her head tipped and her eyes wide "My name is Ren- you probably don't recognize me, I'm always too busy to having a life to talk to people like you, but today I'm feeling charitable. The snakes are mine, and I would love it if you would give them back to me tomorrow. They don't like hanging around strangers for too long..." A smile crawled along her lips "Especially not when they wake up"

One of the snakes started to twitch...

 

[MJK2431]

Aila nodded her head in gratitude towards Mors when she singled out a smaller group of culprits. Her head immediately swung to fixate on the guilty crowd, her eyes almost reptilian at this stage with how angry she was. Her gaze was pure wild-cat, eyeing them each as if they were prey. Mau got up behind her, joining her at the females side when he sensed her sudden change to a stance of aggression rather than irritation.

The individual responsible for it all then spoke up, the female who Aila could only guess was a cheerleader. Her words barely even stung Aila's ego, her petty words bouncing off her like rubber balls. The girl moved forward slowly, eventually stopping near her face.

"Mau....go for the Louboutin's first....gods know she has something as unreasonably expensive as those shoes here at school. Then the cheerleader training sneakers. Finally, I want you to go for her slippers. Remember, only the left." Mau padded off, waltzing back out of the hall as he went to do as told. Aila's gaze never left the girl who had admitted to the crime while she spoke to the lion. "You might be too busy to talk to 'people like me', but we'll see how chatty you become when you look like a run-down old hag from the countless nights you're awake trying to deal with mucus running down your nose."

Her ears picked up on the sound of the snakes slithering, her eyes dulling from their furious look to a momentary one of fear. She quickly got a grip on herself, not wanting to let the girl know that her little prank had managed to fill her with a fear so potent that only her anger had been able to cover it. The girl looked over her shoulder at the slowly awakening creature, reacting hastily. She flicked the creature up with the toe of her show, doing a bolley kick that sent the reptile flying into a nearby sconce placed on the wall that held a flickering flame. The snake crashed into it, sending the sconce falling into the ground where the rest of the semi-plastic beings caught alight.

She turned back to the girl, almost spitting the words out. "Come into my room again you scrunchie-obssessed back-flipping little pest and I'll give you the whooping cough at a snap of my fingers." She turned after picking up her empty backpack, about to walk away but threw one last sentence over her shoulder aimed at another member of the guilty-table. "...Oh, and Vulcan or Louis, be a doll and put that flame out unless you want Mau to give your jock strap the same treatment as her shoes."

Aila strolled out, seemingly victorious. However, as soon as she was out of the Great Hall she felt her chest seize up and her hands ball into fists. The female thought she was going to have a panic attack as she imagined how it would have felt to have the snakes crawling over her. She had touched one. The female forced herself to breathe in and out deeply, needing to close her eyes so she could compose herself more.

"Asshole table....that's one I need to memorize for use later. Couldn't even give her the whooping cough, not just yet anyway, but she doesn't need to know that." She whispered through gritted teeth, eyes still closed in her efforts to calm herself down.

 

[Sark]

Aila nodded her head in gratitude towards Mors when she singled out a smaller group of culprits. Her head immediately swung to fixate on the guilty crowd, her eyes almost reptilian at this stage with how angry she was. Her gaze was pure wild-cat, eyeing them each as if they were prey. Mau got up behind her, joining her at the females side when he sensed her sudden change to a stance of aggression rather than irritation.

The individual responsible for it all then spoke up, the female who Aila could only guess was a cheerleader. Her words barely even stung Aila's ego, her petty words bouncing off her like rubber balls. The girl moved forward slowly, eventually stopping near her face.

"Mau....go for the Louboutin's first....gods know she has something as unreasonably expensive as those shoes here at school. Then the cheerleader training sneakers. Finally, I want you to go for her slippers. Remember, only the left." Mau padded off, waltzing back out of the hall as he went to do as told. Aila's gaze never left the girl who had admitted to the crime while she spoke to the lion. "You might be too busy to talk to 'people like me', but we'll see how chatty you become when you look like a run-down old hag from the countless nights you're awake trying to deal with mucus running down your nose."

Her ears picked up on the sound of the snakes slithering, her eyes dulling from their furious look to a momentary one of fear. She quickly got a grip on herself, not wanting to let the girl know that her little prank had managed to fill her with a fear so potent that only her anger had been able to cover it. The girl looked over her shoulder at the slowly awakening creature, reacting hastily. She flicked the creature up with the toe of her show, doing a bolley kick that sent the reptile flying into a nearby sconce placed on the wall that held a flickering flame. The snake crashed into it, sending the sconce falling into the ground where the rest of the semi-plastic beings caught alight.

She turned back to the girl, almost spitting the words out. "Come into my room again you scrunchie-obssessed back-flipping little pest and I'll give you the whooping cough at a snap of my fingers." She turned after picking up her empty backpack, about to walk away but threw one last sentence over her shoulder aimed at another member of the guilty-table. "...Oh, and Vulcan or Louis, be a doll and put that flame out unless you want Mau to give your jock strap the same treatment as her shoes."

Aila strolled out, seemingly victorious. However, as soon as she was out of the Great Hall she felt her chest seize up and her hands ball into fists. The female thought she was going to have a panic attack as she imagined how it would have felt to have the snakes crawling over her. She had touched one. The female forced herself to breathe in and out deeply, needing to close her eyes so she could compose herself more.

"Asshole table....that's one I need to memorize for use later. Couldn't even give her the whooping cough, not just yet anyway, but she doesn't need to know that." She whispered through gritted teeth, eyes still closed in her efforts to calm herself down.

"If your animal puts so much as a foot in my room, its dead. You're both dead!" Ren was no hypocrite- trespassing was different when she was the one doing it! There was no way she was going to let that beast anywhere near her stuff; the very thought of having all that live fur rubbing itself up against her freshly pressed Abercrombie made her physically sick. She had never been worried about her clothes becoming contaminated or dirty-- she was worried about losing them. Losing such a symbol of status would kill her. It would strip her of her perceived class and value, and force her to devolve into something she truly despised: Ordinariness. "Call you pet back her right now..."She bit her lip, filling her mouth with the taste of both blood and cherry "Or else I'll lose my temper" A hollow threat at best, built on the complex that Ren could become even more of a brat than she was already being. Regardless, she was putting her foot down. She was not going to let anyone or anything walk all over, least of all something with paws.

"I hope you're not expecting an apology or anything, freak" The snake goddess spat. By this time, the all too familiar scent of burning plastic and scales had met her nose. Her snakes were dead-- and that trip to the dollar store had been a total waste. All those rubber snakes she had to force into life for nothing, all because one chick just couldn't take a joke. The so-called 'Prank' had gotten out of hand long ago, but there was no backing out now- she was going to shoot down Aila, and show the school that she deserved to sit atop the food chain. None dare to question the reign of the High School Queen.

Ren combed her flowing red-blonde hair with both hands, reaching from her red scrunchie downwards in an attempt to calm herself. She was pretty. She was strong. She was worth it. And she wasn't about to let some manic pixie dream bitch undermine her rule! "Becuase I've already used up my apology budget for the entire year. But I'm feeling nice: I'll let this...psychotic episode of yours slide as long as you walk away.... and never so much as look at me again. If not, the reptiles are the least of your worries..."

-----
"Buzz~Kill" Vulcan sung to himself, trying to spin the side of the football around on his finger, desperately trying to steady the unbalanced shape like a tightrope walker. He seriously couldn't care less about that latest episode of the 'Ren Show'. Heck, she was probably just jealous of all the attention Cythea was getting since become head cheerleader. Heck, she might even be jealous of Aila herself. It really didn't bother him, so he pretty much just zoned out and went back to playing ball. Scooping the ball of the table, he leaned back and placed it over his shoulder, preparing for a spinning toss "Hey, Louis! Go Long!"

@TheGreenerGrey

After watching a pile of rubber snakes burst into flames, the room went deadly silent again, everyone's attention falling to Aila and Ren. Even Wotan had been caught off guard by the incident, halting his riveting discussion on the school's magical barrier system and its current limitations. He simply gazed misty-eyed over his glasses and towards the students, believing himself either too old or too tired or simply too far away to intervene. Perhaps he was better off just leaving the students to work things out for themselves, or wait for Minerva to get back from her office. God help them if she came back from her office...

 

[TheGreenerGrey]

"Bugger off old 'ag!" Louis cries towards Vulc, breaking into laughter just as the drama with Aila began to go down. He had thought of stepping in, but after she told him or Vulc what to do he had found his enthusiasm to do that dwindled pretty rapidly.

"Man, wha' is 'er problem? Storms in 'ere like some sor' a angry banshee an' leaves the moment she's done, no' even lettin' others get a word in edgewise. Seems like she thinks causing a scene isn't exactly what Ren was looking for." Louis mutters as he watches the cat goddess leave. It may or may not have also stung, just a bit, that she didn't know that fire wasn't his thing. Idly he wondered if he could get Ren to tell him. An unfortunate workaround to his powers was the answer 'I don't want to tell you.'

At Vulcan's shout, the teen was out of his seat in a literal flash. As the god hurled the ball, Louis races with it from below, matching the speed of the airborne item as he cleared every obstacle in his way. Chairs, people, the Usual table (may have kicked up some food there but hey, if they wanna complain let 'em) before snatching the ball from the air and holding it aloft in triump, more than half the hall away.

"This is how you go long, Vulc! Catch!" He calls out, ball that had been spinning in twisting ways on his finger going behind his shoulder before his arm rockets forward, sailing smoothly through the air in a perfect tragectory to land in Vulc's lap. Provided no one got in the way of course.

 

[MJK2431]

Aila could hear Ren ranting and raving like the attention-seeking brat she was. While annoyed that she had let the female get the spotlight she so desperately needed to be in, she was still happy that she had put an end to her little prank. To everyone else it might have seemed a harmless enough little trick, but to her it had been so much more. After the nightmares that had plagued her for most of her life, she still got chills down her spine at any thought of the scaly creatures being anywhere close to her.

Her heart rate was beginning to slow once more, her rage dialing down to just a simmering anger that brought a rosy hue to her cheeks. Eventually she would have to go back into the hall, wanting to catch up with some of her friends she had missed over Christmas. Ren's words were still echoing right down to where she stood, the female's attempts at hurting her feelings making her smile rather than it's intended negative effect.

Ren combed her flowing red-blonde hair with both hands, reaching from her red scrunchie downwards in an attempt to calm herself. She was pretty. She was strong. She was worth it. And she wasn't about to let some manic pixie dream bitch undermine her rule! "Becuase I've already used up my apology budget for the entire year. But I'm feeling nice: I'll let this...psychotic episode of yours slide as long as you walk away.... and never so much as look at me again. If not, the reptiles are the least of your worries..."

She couldn't help but be touched at how easily she had been able to affect the girl. This is going to be an interesting year if that's how the first ten minutes back at the Academy is going to be. I bet Mau is just about done with her shoes by now. She thought to herself, finally calm once more. The cat prowled back just then, a piece of rubber sole sitting in the corner of his mouth as he chewed slowly. Aila laughed softly, rubbing his still forming mane between the ears. The cat purred, buffeting against her legs at the affection before looking up at her with a wide-eyed gaze.

With her feline back at her side, the female walked back into the great hall. She had some news that would surely reach Ren eventually and make the cheerleader grind her teeth down to the gums. The girl was a lot more demure this time, greeting some of the students from years below her with a smile when they called to her from the other tables placed in the hall. Eventually she reached the seniors side once more, picking up the sconce she had knocked over and placing it back on the wall in a non-nonchalant manner.

 

[TheGreenerGrey]

“Tha grea’ one has returned, ta bless us with ‘er extra divine presence!” Louis calls out at the sight of Aila, giving a mocking bow in her direction, to the laughter of the Elites. Okay, so maybe the fire comment had struck a little deeper than he thought.

“Ya know, if yer gonna pick a figh’, ya might wan’ ta think about a more... private location. Makes it ‘ard ta walk back in after you’ve caused a scene.” He tells the goddess as he made his way back towards his friends, passing by her with the usual smirk.

“Also, i’d watch yer cat if I were you. Tha thing’s a target, ‘specially now that ye’ve angered li’le Ren... and annoyed a certain storm god.” He says a bit more quietly, nudging the lion out of the way with a tap of his foot.

Of course, he wasn’t going to hurt such a cute little thing, especially not because of a mild mistake. But fact of the matter was Aila was getting awfully close to biting off more than she could chew. There was a reason his group was made of the people it was, and while most of them still cared more about popularity (cough Ren cough), they were still the elite.

It would suck if such a pretty thing like her ended up in trouble.

 

[MJK2431]

Aila took the mockery in her stride, rolling her eyes slightly at Louis' comment. She did a small curtsy to match his mention of her divine presence, saying in a matter-of-fact tone rather than the mocking one he had decided to use on her. "Glad I could provide some comic relief for your group's 24/7 'look at me!' parade"

The girl was fine with being made a fool of, having grown a tough skin throughout her life. She was friend to almost all at the Academy, even those not in her year. She didn't need the approval of a select, overly-priviledged few to make her feel complete. However, when the male aimed a dry threat at Mau it raised her hackles and darkened her expression. Aila didn't react immediately though, dragging in a breath so that she could keep a level head.

"Of course I know you're a storm god Louis. I don't get an A grade in 'Deity history's in assorted pantheons' for no reason. If you weren't so overly protective of your ego and eager to act out against absolutely everyone just like your rather rude friends you would have realized I was referring to the fire extinguisher that is found on the wall next to your favorite table. You all think that you sit at the top of the pyramid...unfortunately, the higher you are the harder you fall. Keep that in mind when dealing out your threats to someone who has already been pissed off today. It's not even me you need to worry about....Mau was dealing with poachers bigger than your jock buddies before he even met me, so I would be careful about how you talk to him. He understands everything you say, by the way."

She sighed deeply, placing her hands on her hips. The lion beside her was glaring at the male angrily, his demeanor no longer calm as his shoulders stiffened where he sat.

"I came here to clean up my mess, not to get all uppity over some burned plastic and shoes that will be replaced in less than a day with the budget Ren's family has. I'll be getting out your hair soon enough, I need my rest for the cheerleading trials Professor Terpsichore* will be holding some time this week. I don't need an apology from you, but I do want you to think about how you react simply because of the people you choose to keep as company. Word of advice....don't get involved in Ren's business or threaten Mau again. I don't mind dealing with her because she got herself into this. I have no problem with you though so don't make one"

She let the information sink in, placing her hands gently on her hips in a non-aggressive manner. She knew the words she had said were loud enough for Ren to hear, but the female still didn't know herself whether she was happy that she would hear or didn't care at all.

*- one of the nine muses, affiliated with the arts such as dance and performance.

@TheGreenerGrey

 

[TheGreenerGrey]

Louis smirked good naturedly at Aila. “‘Tha higher ye are the ‘arder you fall’ huh... well, I do ‘ope ya realise tha’ our position on top o’ tha ‘pyramid’ as you put it, was built due to most of us puttin’ in the effor’ and makin’ sure we didn’ end up on that bottom. Much like those slaves that used to worship you, right?” He says cheerily, smiling at the little kitty as it tried to seem bigger than it was. Mau too.

“As for making a problem, I ain’t got beef with you. Just telling you to watch yourself. Sure, yer pretty and yer confident. But yer also more uppity than our dear Ren, ‘ave a stick up yer ass tha size of a lamppost, and I personally don’t like yer put upon, self righteous a’itude born ou’ of some sort of moral superiority just because ye’ve seen too many American high school dramas and have clumped everyone in our table together into the same poorly clichèd role.” He wondered if this was where his power came to bite him in the ass, as his mouth ran.

“Now I ain’t threatening ye or yer little kitty, and I sure as hell ain’t getting involved with Ren and your little drama, but I’m telling ya now you need to watch yourself. Be careful, know yer enemy, all that jazz.” He claps her shoulder good naturedly, before making his way towards the table before she can get a reply in.

He did have to quell the small happiness that she knew he was a storm god however. He chalked it up to the fact that he as a god hadn’t been seen since good ol’ Christ muscled in.

@MJK2431

 

[MJK2431]

Louis smirked good naturedly at Aila. “‘Tha higher ye are the ‘arder you fall’ huh... well, I do ‘ope ya realise tha’ our position on top o’ tha ‘pyramid’ as you put it, was built due to most of us puttin’ in the effor’ and makin’ sure we didn’ end up on that bottom. Much like those slaves that used to worship you, right?” He says cheerily, smiling at the little kitty as it tried to seem bigger than it was. Mau too.

“As for making a problem, I ain’t got beef with you. Just telling you to watch yourself. Sure, yer pretty and yer confident. But yer also more uppity than our dear Ren, ‘ave a stick up yer ass tha size of a lamppost, and I personally don’t like yer put upon, self righteous a’itude born ou’ of some sort of moral superiority just because ye’ve seen too many American high school dramas and have clumped everyone in our table together into the same poorly clichèd role.” He wondered if this was where his power came to bite him in the ass, as his mouth ran.

“Now I ain’t threatening ye or yer little kitty, and I sure as hell ain’t getting involved with Ren and your little drama, but I’m telling ya now you need to watch yourself. Be careful, know yer enemy, all that jazz.” He claps her shoulder good naturedly, before making his way towards the table before she can get a reply in.

He did have to quell the small happiness that she knew he was a storm god however. He chalked it up to the fact that he as a god hadn’t been seen since good ol’ Christ muscled in.

@MJK2431

The words stung. More than she would have liked. She knew in some ways, Louis was right. She did have a way of sticking her foot right into it when people attempted to get an unfair punch at her. However, she knew in some ways the male would never understand her predicament. He may state that the Elites had worked their way up to the top, but most of them got where they were because they were the God or Goddess of being in the position they were in. All the people he had befriended and now sat with were at the top of their pantheons where as she sat in the middle league of her own. A mere soldier meant to fight an eternal war against a being of chaos.

Him bringing in some of her own Deity history by mentioning the slaves had made most of the wind in her sails die down too. The realization that he paid attention to other student's past and not just his own and the people at his table had given her food for thought. Maybe he wasn't like the rest...but then again some of his actions had still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She whispered under her breath, not intending for anyone to hear it but spoke just loud enough for it to be audible as he turned and walked away. "I don't see how not to clump you all together. You might not have been the one to put the snakes there, but you didn't speak up or shame her for doing something like that." The fear she had experienced at the trick tainted the end of her sentence, the female soon clearing her throat to cover her tracks. Mau bristled at being called 'kitty', but backed down when he saw that the girl had no energy or pizzazz left in her for another fight.

Aila left the Hall then, ready to clean up the last of the plastic snakes.

*******************************************************************************************************​

After Light's out, a shriek echoed once through the seniors passageway. The source came from Aila's room, the girl frozen in a corner of her allocated space. It had taken her some time to clear out all the plastic snakes and dump then down the garbage shoot, needing to hurry in case they woke like the one in the Hall did. There was one that she had missed though, the slithering cobra that cornered her now. The thing hissed and spat at her, writhing as it's hood flared around it's face that held glowing red eyes. The girl was frozen with fear, unable to move as flashbacks from the nightmares that had always visited her sent her into a state of paralysis.

 

[Ashanna]

Nina took a slow, deep breath, purposefully holding back as the scene unfolded before her. These antics seemed...childish. They were supposed to be gods, right? And here they were, no better than your work-a-day average teenagers. The drama-llama was already alive and well this year, it would seem, and she had had enough of teasing for an immortal lifetime in her childhood. She knew this game; and she knew there was only one way to win.

Exhaling through her perfectly-painted Cupid's-bow burgundy lips, Nina headed towards the "Elite" table first. "Good morning, Hathor...Louis...Vulcan...Inti....everyone." There was nothing of sarcasm or cloying to her tone; rather, she greeted them genuinely with a warm smile, but she didn't linger. Despite her appearance and dire perfectionism, she had never really thrown her lot in with the Elite crowd.

Without bothering to get involved in the argument, Nina progressed to the next table--the "Usuals". "Good morning, Aila...Mors...Ran..." She kept her voice even despite the screeching match between the two females. She towered over most of them, and she had learned that even if she went unheard, it was typically enough to keep her demeanor calm, cool, and collected. The detached friendliness had kept her from making enemies at the Academy, and she had every intention to keep it up through her senior year.

Finally, she approached the "Outcast" table--the place she would have made a beeline towards several years ago. "Good morning," she greeted this table as well, before moving on. She didn't stop walking until she reached her dorm; her parents had paid handsomely for a private suite, for which Nina was eternally grateful. Her ears were still ringing from the noise of the hall.

One more year... she thought. This was her final year of this before this so-called thing "life" actually began. Despite having transferred the year prior, Nina had made it her policy to not get overly involved with any of the school's cliques. Sure, she was pretty and smart enough for the Elites; down-to-earth enough for the Usuals; and, well...secretly odd enough for the Outcasts. But aligning with one group meant sacrificing ties to the others, and Nina didn't play that way.

***************************​

Nina had gone to bed early, one of the other perks of keeping mostly to herself, but her slumber was suddenly interrupted by a barely-perceptible scream. She threw back her covers and ran on tiptoe down the hall towards the source of the screaming, finally pinpointing it to Aila's room. She hesitated only to knock. "Aila? What's wrong?" Without waiting for an answer or an invitation, Nina threw all of her 6', well-toned frame against the door--possibly breaking it. Assessing the situation, Nina conjured a small ball of brilliant light from her palms. "Aila, cover your eyes!" she warned before hucking the orb towards the snake; the radiance would have been enough to blind, possibly stun it.

 

[TheGreenerGrey]

For the rest of the evening, Louis hung out with his pals. He stopped for a moment to waggle his eyebrows at the weird Neutral girl, but aside from that he just fell back into the role of Ace. It felt... right. He was at home, surrounded by friends. It was their final year, and he had to make it count.
**********************************
A sneaker flashed, illuminated by the orb of light and impacting with the snake, sending its head rearing back and inadvertently dodging the ball of light. A hand quickly grabbed the animal by the joint where the head met the rest of the body, and the panicking animal was lifted up from the floor.

"The 'ell do ya think yer doin'? Scaring the animal like tha'." Questions a shirtless Louis as he looks into the room. He had heard the scream just as he had left the shower, and hadn't had time to get fully dressed before he sprinted down the corridor. "Christ, it's like you wan'ed to make it worse." He mutters as he looks at the, calm now that it was in the nature god's hands, snake. A... cobra? What was a Cobra doing in some random dor-wait.

Looking into the room, he noted just who was inside. "O' course it's you." He says, voice almost comically flat as he lets out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in one hand, snake now still in the other hand. "Dammit Ren... Couldn' even wai' a single day." He looks at the animal at this, as if the goddess herself were there. Which she just might be.

"I'll talk with her over this. It's no' righ' ta use an inbuil' fear like this. I'm fine with beatin' 'em, bu' ya gotta have some honour in it." He tells her, more resigned than apologetic. What had she even expected to gain from such a thing? Making the cat goddess too tired for cheerleading? Couldn't be, Ren isn't that good with 'the big picture'.

 

[MJK2431]

Aila didn't even notice the other goddess coming bursting through her door, her eyes too transfixed on the snake as it bobbed it's head back and forth. The reptile followed her every move, red eyes like droplets of blood as it extended it's fangs once more in her direction. She heard the cry to cover her eyes almost too late, blinking with only moments to spare as the ball of light came flying into the room.

The orb allowed for the necessary illumination, providing enough light to see the sneaker that whacked the snake in the head and sent the orb of light dissipating into the air. Louis and Nina were suddenly there, the reptile held in the man's grip.

The 'ell do ya think yer doin'?

He was saying words, talking about Ren and the snake. Aila was still too scared to move, fear coating her mouth like a bitter gall. She was so shell shocked, all she heard was the question in the man's dialogue. With his powers over truth and her vulnerable state, she was spewing the honest words before she could stop herself. Her eyes were flicking between Nina and the male. knees wobbling like they were made of jelly. This was not the girl who had been filled with bravado earlier that day, that much was certain.

"I wasn't doing anything. I couldn't. It's because of the nightmares. Why snakes....it could have been anything but snakes. She...she must have read that book in the library. The one on Apophis." She aimed her next words at Nina, needing to swallow in order to get the words out from her suddenly dry throat. "Thank you for...for coming, I know you l-like to stay out of things but Mau...is Mau okay? He likes to hunt the owls by the ruins at night, did that witch get to him?" Her hands were shaking, clearly from fear rather than anger. Her words were short and almost incoherent, the female keeping her gaze fixed on the snake still caught in Louis' grip. She placed her hand on a nearby desk, trying to steady herself.

 

[TheGreenerGrey]

Louis shrugs at Aila's question, holding the snake behind him as he notes her eyes still locked on the animal. It wasn't right, using a god's inbuilt enemy, and he would be having a talk with Ren. Or rather, getting Vulcan to do it. He was better than him at staying non-hostile, and he was pretty sure the snake goddess had a crush on the guy.

"'Ow the 'ell should I know? I came here 'cause of yer scream. Yer cat will be fine, I promise you that. Ren's not some psycho, she ain't gonna go after an animal. Especially as a goddess of one herself." He says soothingly, wanting to help the girl calm down but not coming any closer, the cobra was still in his grip and he was afraid she might have a ciolent reaction.

"Get ta bed. If ya wan', I can go grab another cat god ta fin' Mau. Ovinnik's a bit weird, but he ain't gonna say no if I ask him. Otherwise, I can get ya somethin', or I can leave if ya wan'." He knew they weren't friends, far from it, but she was scared... At least Nina was here, if she sent him away.

 

[MJK2431]

As soon as he took the snake away and out of her immediate sight, her fear-filled state was broken and she regained some sense of control over herself. She realized now how petty she must look, whimpering over some animal a lot smaller than she. The snake of her dreams was five times the size of the one in Louis' hand, but the one in her head and the one he grasped both shared the same hooded head and red eyes.

She was unsure what to say, the words whizzing around her head in a chaotic matter to match her emotions. She had been grateful for Nina's swift arrival but had expected nothing less of the shy but kind - hearted girl. Louis' actions though had confused her. Aila had rather expected the jock to have laughed or used the scenario to make a mockery of her... instead, he had helped.

"A little difficult to not think your friend psychotic after she placed living snakes in my room Louis. She knows the easiest way to get to this freak is to go after Mau, which is why I was worried." The words were soft- spoken, reserved even and lacking emotion as she repeated what the other female had called her. The girl wasn't trying to be harsh, she was simply stating how she felt.

"Let Ovinnik sleep. The less people there is who know about this the better. " She said in a defeated tone, the embarrassment at what had occurred finally bringing a rosy hue to her cheeks. "I, ah, don't need anything. Or anyone. I'll be fine... thank you both for coming, I'm sorry for waking you. "

She headed over to the door, relieved to see it was still intact after Nina had burst in. Aila opened it up, her free hand not holding the door clenching and unclenching nervously.

Maybe Ren is right. I am a freak. What powerful God or Goddess allows themselves to be so easily affected by fear.

 

[TheGreenerGrey]

Louis nodded. If she didn’t want any help, he wasn’t going to go out of his way to annoy her with repeated questions if she was sure. Turning around, he began to make his way out.

Before he did so, however, he made sure to clap Aila on the shoulder. Grabbing might be a bit too... personal. “Ye aren’t a freak. Bit of a bitch, aye, bu’ not a freak. Yer good as ye are, and don’t let...” He gestures in the general direction of himself, the snake and the room. “Whatever this was make ya think otherwise.”

With that said, he gives an awkward nod to Aila and Nina, making his way out.

Ren had some explaining to do, and he needed to talk to Vulcan.
**********