How to Be a Spy 101 [Att: Aominecchi & snowstein]

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

You are enrolled at a prestigious spy training academy. The only way for students to get in to this school is to be recommended by their parents who have attended; the location of the school moves each year to keep the academy a secret from outside threats. Students meet their training partner, during first day of orientation and they are informed that they must be paired until graduation. Each day they take part in combat classes, tech classes where they learn to create and utilize spy gadgets, escape simulations, physical and mental fitness exams, etc. Students are informed that their final exams will consist of a field mission that is truly life/death, so they better get along with their partner.

(Simple character sheet. Note: They don't have to be human.)

Partners:
Keita - Hijikata
Tsuneo - Ryu
Minoru - Maria
Akashi - Harumi
Arisa - Kanaye
Murao - Kukiko

Name:
Age: (16-18)
Partner Preference: (Male/Female)
Appearance: (Desc or Picture)

Name: Keita
Age: 16
Partner Preference: Male
Appearance: Fox boy


Name: Harumi
Age: 16
Partner Preference: Male
Appearance: Human


Name: Tsuneo
Age: 18
Partner Preference: Female
Appearance: Vampire


Name: Minoru
Age: 17
Partner Preference: Female
Appearance: Elven


Name: Tamara
Age: 90
Rank: Principle
Training Area: Random
Species: Wood Fairy
Specialty: All


Name: Machiko
Age: 34
Rank: Teacher
Training Area: Marshlands
Species: Valkarie
Specialty: Combat, Hacking & Vehicle


Name: Hiro
Age: 529
Rank: Teacher
Training Area: Desert
Species: Fox Spirit (A guardian of the desert)
Training: Agility, Parkor & Weapons


Name: Tessai
Age: 47
Rank: Teacher
Training Area: Underground
Species: Bat
Training: Escaping, Evasion & Disappearing


Name: Zeshin
Age: 39
Rank: Teacher
Training Area: Water
Species: Merman
Training: Awareness, Adaptablity & Coopertive


Name: Kinnosuke
Age: 21
Rank: Teacher
Training Area: Forest
Species: Were-wolverine
Training: Tracking, Hunting & Navigation


Name: Shigeru
Age: 28
Rank: Teacher
Training Area: Arctic
Species: Rabbit Demon
Training: Infiltration, Intel & Stealth


Classes of creatures and enemies will be posted during the tests where characters must find information on them or have the information given in order to know how to get past them. The sheet is posted below. You will get something similar for tasks as well.

Type: A-E Class and S Class (E being the weakest, S the strongest)
Creature/Enemy: What kind of creature/enemy is it
Weakness: What are it's weaknesses
Strength: Where does it excell
Special Attribute: Immune to..., uses..., etc.
Favored Enemy: Who would it prefer to attack
Other information: What calms it down, how to distract it, how to defeat it, how should it be fought, etc.
Image: A picture of the creature

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Name: Akashi
Age: 16
Partner Preference: Female
Appearance: Human


Name: Hijikata
Age: 18
Partner Preference: Male
Appearance: Elf


Name: Ryu
Age: 17
Parner Preference: Both
Appearance: Vampire


Name: Arisa
Age: 18
Partner Preference: Male
Appearance: Human


Name: Murao
Age: 17
Partner Preference: Female
Appearance: Neko girl

[snowsteinModerator]

Name: Maria
Age: 17
Preference: Female
Appearance: Wolf Demon


Name: Kukiko
Age: 18
Preference: Female
Appearance: Dragon Girl


Name: Kanaye
Age: 18
Preference: Female
Appearance: Reaper

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

"We'd like to welcome all of you to our Academy. Today is a special day for everyone. You are part of an elite group, only accepted due to your family lines. Each of you have your own special talents in some areas, while you lack in others. We have partnered you with someone who is your exact opposite in both skill and in personality to see how well you adapt to situations and how well you work with others. You will not be allowed to exchange partners. During the final exam, you will be put in a real life situation that you must rely on your partners help in order to get through it. If one of your partners fails the tests or dies, you fail and you will not be allowed to graduate and sent home immediately. So please... try to watch each others back," The woman said with a smirk. The principle, Tamara (I will make her sheet as well as the teachers eventually), was a wood fairy. A mere small 4' tall, but an intimidating woman. "I will now announce the names of your partners, so listen carefully and pair stand by them as soon as your names are called!" She looked down at her paper, adjusting her glasses as she began reading out the names. "Keita and Hijikata. Tsuneo and Ryu. Minoru and Maria. Akashi and Harumi. Arisa and Kanaye. Murao and Kukiko." She looked at the students as they moved next to their potential allies or worst enemies. "Relationships are not forbidden, but they are frowned upon. It's up to you if you choose to start a relationship, but DO NOT under any circumstance allow your mind to falter. Your mission is your top priority, your partner, unless in danger, a second priority," she explained, scanning over the crowd of newcomers. "Classes begin at 0500. Don't be late. You share a room with your partner, so go up to the dorms and get to know each other, get unpacked... and don't disappoint me." With that, she dismissed them and walked off the state.

Keita let out a sigh of relief, his hands on his chest. At first glance, he was a short and very shy boy, only running about 5'2", which was an average height for his kind. Not the most impressive looking thing. But underneath all of that, he was sneaky, quick, mischievous and quiet. His eyes slowly glanced up at the elven man next to him, feeling rather small compared to him. He was glad that he was paired up with a guy, despite the man's intimidating presence. Women scared him. His ears went back, his tail between his legs as he looked down at his feet. It was clear he lacked in confidence just by his demeanor. He leaned over and picked up his bag, then shyly looked up at the man. "H-hello... Hijikata, right? It's... nice to meet you...," he said, fidgeting with the strap of his bag. He was like a cute little pet and often underestimated by everyone, but that was always a mistake on their part. His enhanced hearing and slippery movements made him the perfect candidate for a spy being one of the most versitle. All he needed was someone to give him a confidence boost. "So... um... sh-should we go to our room?" He asked, his ears perking up just a little bit.

Tsuneo let out a loud and disappointed sigh as he looked around at everyone who was paired up. "All of these hot women and I get stuck with another dude," he said, putting his hand on his chest as he closed his eyes. "Oh, how the heart breaks!" He was a very passionate man. A lot of people look at him and think 'this guy has to be a joke'. But his charisma was his biggest asset. His specialties were gathering information and conning others with his charm. He could charm his way into a woman's pants in a matter of minutes and get her to spill everything she knew. He hugged himself with a smile. "At least we're allowed to date them. So many possible canidates and only a year to achieve each one as a prize." Yeah... he saw women as an object. And why shouldn't he? He was a vampire whose parents grew up in the dark ages where women were subjected and nothing more than dirt at their feet. Oh, he hoped he could have the chance to taste each and everyone of their blood. The thought alone was a euphoria for him. The tall, 6'2" man ran his fingers through his hair as he came out of his own little world. "Well, come along partner. Carry my bags would you?" He came from a snobby family as well, one full of servants and could care less how others feel as he walked towards the dorms.

Harumi said nothing, a blank stare in her eyes. A lot of people assumed that she wasn't exactly all there considering she rarely spoke and didn't seem to listen well to others. But, they weren't that far off from the truth. Her mentality wasn't something someone wanted to mess with or see it's true form. Actually, she would have a reputation... if she ever left any witnesses alive for it to be remembered. She had a fetish for blood. It was her passion and she actually got off from it. Even more, she easily became obsessed with her targets and when she did, she would 'play' with them for days... even weeks before 'releasing' them... or they broke. Whichever came first. This little 5'6" girl was often taken lightly. Her specialty was interrogation, collections and weapons which ranged from hang guns to complicated explosives. She didn't even bother to look up at Akashi once, almost seeming to be lost in a very deep thought about something, but had no intentions of speaking with him. She closed her eyes and bent over, picking up her bag with both hands and slowly turned, beginning to walk in not much of a hurry to her room. She was a creepy one. No friends. Her parents were never around. She was alone. And she liked it that way. If her partner got in her way, she wouldn't hesitate to show him whose boss.

Minoru smiled as she turned to her partner with bright eyes. "Hello Maria! I hope we can be the best of friends!" She said as she extended her hand. She was a happy, go lucky girl who always saw the best in everything and everyone. This elven girl was about 5'9", taller than most of the women here, but so were most elven women. She was average height in her world. The men were always 6'4" or over once they reached their late teens. It was just how her people were. "Come on, let's go check out our room!" She turned and picked up her bag, skipping along to the dorm room. "What're your hobbies? What's your favorite food? Do you have a lot of friends? What's your family like? What's it like having ears, a tail and wings?!" She suddenly broke out into twenty questions, wanting to know everything about the other girl in a few minutes. She had the brightest smile, and the most girly personality. Her specialties however was her misleading personality and medical knowledge. She could get in close to her targets and even go undercover without gathering suspicision and her medical knowledge. Simple assets, but useful in their own way.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

If looks could kill, Murao was this kind of person and oh boy, could she deceive people with her innocent and pure appearance. Charisma and cunning were her biggest assets, making information gathering an easy quest for her. However, behind that beautiful face, a very passive aggressive person is hiding, ready to confront everyone on sight. When her name was anounced, along with her partner, Murao quickly turned around the room to try and spot Kukiko but was halted by Ryu, a beast standing at six feet 4 inches. "Oi, what the fuck is your problem?" She groaned, raising a eyebrow at him as she crossed her arms but only received a smirk in return and continued. "Just because you are tall, doesn't mean you can overshadow people and make fun of them. Too bad we aren't all as tall as you." A chuckle escaped Ryu's lips as he listened to Murao's sarcastic comments and then made a step to the side without a word - not that he ever actually talked, most students thought he was a mute but he sure loved playing pranks. "Oh, why thank you." Murao said with a glare and approached Kukiko, with... Well... Not the friendliest smile as she would examine the girl from head to toe, judging. "So, it's you I am with? Ehh, adequate. I only hope you won't drag me down with you." She said and procceeded to walk to the dorms as they were stuff they were waiting to be unpacked.

Hijikata may not be as tall as Ryu, but he surely is intimidating, especially because of his cold stare and attitude. He always wore Japanese traditional clothes and was extreemly skillful in martial arts and handling a katana as well. Despite being that skilled, he lost his right eye at the final exam of his first year due to his partner's incompetence. Luckily, they did not fail. Two years have passed since then and no way in hell he was going to listen to the principal's speech for a third time, hence he stayed at the sidelines, leaning against the wall until Keita found him. "Huh?" Hijikatana glanced down the fox, noting the shiny fur on the ears and tails and how they moved according to Keita's reactions. "You must be Keita." He simply replied, indeed making the same mistake as the others did; underestimate his partner but he had a reason to. After 'that' incident, Hijikata couldn't trust his partners anymore, he prefered working solo. "Yeah, sure." He then shrugged to his partner's question, not really caring. This year too, he wouldn't trust anyone.

When Ryu was done pranking Murao, he turned to look for Tsuneo, or did Tsuneo found him first? He did not know, until he noticed someone being frowned upon and being pointed at. Ryu lowered his head, touching his forehead in disappointment. Great, this year he got paired up with the Academy's clown. It is going to be one hell of a year. Literal, hell. He approached Tsuneo and watched him do his own thing, patiently, until he would finish and then shook his head in great disappointment. This guy was so ridiculous that was ashamed both of them were vampires. When Ryu was ordered to pick up Tsuneo's bags, he refused without uttering a word, kicking them back to his partner, as well as with his own luggage, having a 'fuck you' smile drawn on his face. Oh, he wasn't going to let Tsuneo turn him into a slave. His family may not be noble like his partner's but they have pride and honor. Talking about pride, Ryu had a big self confidence. His range of skills included sneaking around unnoticed and assassinating his targets without leaving a clue. Hopefully, he was frightening enough to get his point across, being taller and all... Maybe even the absense of words. Nobody actually heard him talk.

Meanwhile, Akashi was a first year compared to the others and felt out of place as he was surrounded by other creatures that obviously had superior skills thanks to their race, something that he lacked being simply a human. However, that unimportant detail, according to Akashi, would not render him useless. In fact, he trained and trained and kept training until he would excell, making him one of the best strategists and intel gatherer in his class but his self confidence was still dragging him down. If only he was a vampire, or even an elf. It just felt so unfair being a mere human. "Chin up." Arisa cheerfully told Akashi with a gentle push, trying to boost his spirits. She had already gone through the proccess twice and could understand his struggles as they were both human. "They are not as exceptional as you think, or else you wouldn't be paired with one of them. What they lack in, you fill that gap and vice versa." She said with a smile and before he could even reply, the unknown woman had disappeared. At least he felt somewhat more useful and capable after that encounter, so he decided to go and find his partner... with no prevail as Harumi was already gone. Akashi later would return to his room.

People had already given Arisa a nickname; The Ghost and as her name suggested, she was good at making her presence unknown. She was a sniper and a gun collector, often quoting that her favorite gun is an Austrian Steyr SSG 69 from the 1969. Old but good. Arisa had a thing for old objecs. After disappearing on Akashi, she appeared in front of Kanaye, just as fast, always sporting a huge smile on her face and then slightly bowed. "I am your partner for the year, Arisa. I've never met one of your kind and I am really curious. Care to inform me on our way to our room?" She exhaled, grabbing his luggage without notice as she was ready to follow after him. Arisa was a very straightforward person and would always speak her mind, sometimes without thinking first and it quite often caused misunderstandings, in spite of that, she was the nicest person someone could ever meet... Unless they were her enemy.

[snowsteinModerator]

Maria looked over at her partner curiously. "Certainly better than the worst of enemies," she said as she watched the woman cautiously. This was her first interaction with anyone of the elven species. Maria was an observant and cautious 5'8" girl with instincts that were second to none. Her specialty was heavy explosives, traps and tracking. Her personality was more than a little dark. "Sounds good to me," she said as she grabbed her bag and followed her new partner. Maria looked at the girl talking non-stop. She reached in her bag, pulling out an apple before quickly shoving it in the girl's mouth as the last question left her lips. "One question at a time! Blowing people up after making them see the same done to their loved ones. Human. No. Annoying. Take a guess," Maria said as she gave a sigh while she kept walking.

Kanaye was always secretive and reserved on the outside, but on the inside he was bat shit crazy even by reaper standards. Fast and adaptive at close quarter combat, he was better with all bladed weapons than most people were with a gun. He was a third year with a reputation of his partners "disappearing" every year after the final exam. "Kanaye. Ladies first," he said, giving a boy back to her. Clearly he wasn't one to talk about himself. As they walked, he took out a black book and wrote her name in it, above hers were the names of his previous partners with a line through each of their names. The title on the book was "My Reaping Book". He smiled at her as he put his book back in his pocket while they walked to the door.

Kukiko was a quiet person, not used to being around so many people. She specialized in magic, stealth and infiltration. She wore a hooded robe that covered her form from head to toe. She stood at 5'9", her tail and wings hidden in her robe. She looked at the neko girl, giving an emotionless stare. "I won't drag you down with me." Her tail wrapped around the girl's ankle. "But I will drag you along with me," Kukiko said as she dragged her partner all the way to the dorm before letting her go.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Keita felt a little unsure as Hijikata looked down at him. He gave a slow nod, his ears finally perking up a little as the man said his name. He was only a first year, so getting partnered with a third year made him feel a little bit better and he hoped Hijikata would show him the ropes. His head tilted to the side, his ears standing up completely. It was something he always did when he was curious. With Keita, reading his movements and reactions helped a lot with knowing what was on his mind. "What's wrong with your eye? Did you have an accident?" He wondered as he followed Hijikata fairly close, not really thinking that it might have been a bit of a touchy subject for the man. "Um... I really look forward to working with you and I hope we can get along," he said, closing his eyes as he smiled up at the man. He seemed like a sweet boy, but he was also a follower who needed someone to tell him what to do. Having no confidence, he wasn't the type to take charge and make a decision on his own. "So, what's the training like? Is it difficult?" He was mainly just trying to make conversation with Hijikata and wasn't trying to annoy him with questions or anything, shortly arriving at their room.

Tsuneo stopped and looked at the man in surprise. "Aren't we the rude one. You'll never charm the ladies acting like that my friend," he said, suddenly throwing Ryu into the friend category even though he barely knew the man. "Very well, I'll carry them this one time," he said as he grabbed the bags, but at the same time he put his arm around Ryu's neck and pulled him over, having to pull him down a little bit because of their height difference. "I'm sorry, is there a problem? I can't hear you!" He was obviously making fun of him for the fact that he couldn't talk and began pulling the man along with him despite the fact that he was shorter. "I think it's about time you pull that dick out of your ass and loosen up a bit!" He said as they got to their room before letting the man go and pulled out the keys and went into the room. He tossed the bags down and looked around. "Much smaller than I had imagined. I guess it will have to do," he said with a heavy sigh, sounding extremely disappointed. He didn't even notice that there was only one bed in the small room with a small bathroom and kitchen scrunched in. Just another part of adapting to the situation and having to live in a close space with a partner tests their compatibility. All of the rooms were like this. He went over to the bed and collapsed on it with a smile. "I can't believe we have to be in class at 5am tomorrow. Such a ridiculous time to be awake." He was so oblivious to Ryu's attempts to scare him away.

Harumi was already up in their room. This was her second year, so she already knew about the room situation. Each room's fridge was adapted to whoever was staying in their. Vampires would have access to blood. Humans had whatever they preferred in their diet. Elves had fresh cuts of meet and organic fruits and veggies and so on. She was in the middle of making herself a small bed in the corner of the room when her roommate walked in. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but she didn't mind it. It was better than arguing and fighting for the bed. She glanced back for a brief moment when she heard the door open, then went back to what she was doing without saying a word. She kept her things in her little corner, not wanting to take up too much space and not wanting to be a nuisance. Once she was finished, she finally stood up and turned to face him, but her eyes never looked up at him. She bowed deeply as if welcoming him without actually saying it, staying like that for a moment before standing straight up and sitting down on her make-shift bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and just sat there, seemingly staring off into space.

Minoru was still going on and on when suddenly she had an apple shoved into her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at the girl. "Mmmayy..." Aka 'Okay' was what she said with a nod, keeping the apple in her mouth as the woman answered her questions. She stayed silent until the girl was done talking and walking away again before taking the apple out of her mouth and running to catch up. "I'm sorry. I'll do my best not to talk so much. My parents say I'm just too friendly of a person and this is normal because I tend to talk a lot more when I'm nervous," she said, going on and on. It was hard to believe she talked even more than she already did. "Hey! We should treat this like a sleep over! We can do each others hair and we can paint our nails and we can tell stories! Oh this is going to be so much fun!" She said excitedly as she went into their room and she skipped over to the bed, sitting down on it. "It's comfy! Come sit Maria!" It seemed like she got louder the more excited she got. How this girl could ever be a spy was beyond anyone because it never seemed like she shut up. "Oh! Can I play with your tail? It looks so soft!" She didn't even really want permission as she reached over and grabbed the girl's fluffy tail.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Despite Kanaye suggesting she should go first, Arisa let him lead, following right behind as she would observe the man's actions, curious as to why he was so secretive. Well, Arisa couldn't blame Kanaye for doing his job; being a spy but they were partners! If they didn't know a tiny bit about each other, how were they going to cooperate? As they were walking, her interest was piqued by the black pulled her new parner pulled out, making a step forward faster in order to get in front and take a closer look. "Oh... My Reaping Book. How cute." She read out loud with a giggle and decided to play an innocent prank on him. "You got my name wrong. Though... People may misunderstand since it looks like a hit list or something." Arisa then took out her backpack a bright pink notebook, covered in fur, that would read 'My Diary' and a pen, flipping through the pages until she stopped at the first empty one, writing down Kanaye's name. "There we go. Now I also got you in my book." She added with michievious laugh and placed it back, wondering how he would react.

A face of superiority and accomplishment was drawn on Murao's face at Kukiko's inital answer, along with a hand on her waist, only to raise an eyebrow seconds later. "What did you dare say?" Murao raised her voice, shocked her partner even had the guts to talk back. Like, how dare she. However, before Murao could even take action, she was dragged all the way to the dorm before being released. Once they arrived, she took a deep breath to calm herself down and then procceded to regain her dignity back by crossing her arms and glare. "The audacity you have to drag people without approval. How inso- Ah, no. I must stop or my beautiful face will wrinkle. What even sort of creature are you?" Murao's facial expressions sure were rich, Kukiko must have seen a thousand of them by now if not shocked first by the sudden change in attidude.

Bingo! Bullseye. Indeed it was an 'accident' that resulted in Hijikata having one eye, however, he hoped Keita wouldn't address the elephant in the room just yet, thought he felt it was inevitable. Usually, when students were injured, they also lost but that was not the case with Hijikata and his first partner. So, when the second year begun, everyone was cautious and often avoided him, including his new partner, thinking he was incompetent. Ignoring Keita's first question regarding his eye, Hijikata remained expressionless, casting his eyes down the boy. "Training is always difficult or else they wouldn't pair us with our exact opposites. And speaking of opposites... You must be good at long ranged combat?" He acknowledged, his words showing no emotion and further scanning the fox's appearance in order to get to know him better. Hijikata was a very observant person, although it was not rocket science to make the connection that he and Keita were partnered because of their clashing skills; Hijikata confronting his targets straight on, usually with a katana, and Keita facing the enemies from afar. After a while, they finally arrived at the room and when the Boy placed the luggage down, he picked up a long rectangular case with dragons and flowers hand drawn on it and opened it, revealing its contents; An old Katana. Hijikata slowly raised the sword from its case as it made a sharp sound and observed its tiny details, later wearing it on top of his yukata with a soft smile. Probably the only smile he would ever show again (how it looks).

Ryu momentarily opened his eyes wide as Tsuneo pulled him closer and later made him stand a little lower to reach the same height, totally unexpecting what would follow. As Tsuneo mocked him for not speaking, he rolled his eyes hard and gently pulled away, making their height difference obvious again. Ryu was used to being made fun of because of his inability to speak, it was his second year at the academy already, however because of his intimidating height nobody would take the joke too far. This guy too it seemed, though Tsuneo was hardly a threat and more like the academy's clown, to which an unaware Ryu let out an inaudible chuckle, thinking his partner was oversharing and overfriendly. Once they arrived at their room and Tsuneo started complaining - not even five minutes in, Ryu ignored the man and took a second to exam the room before heading towards the fridge to inspect its contents. Blood! Alas, a good meal and a warm place to stay. He had forgot the feeling of that and let out a silent sigh of comfort, closing his eyes... and quickly reopened them to glare at Tsuneo as the man wouldn't shut it up. This was going to be one tiring year... Ryu shook his head and grabbed the pack of blood, slowly drinking it using a straw.

Akashi reached the room after asking around for directions, wondering where his partner disappeared off to. He even wondered if he had a partner at all but that couldn't be the case. He simply shrugged the thought off and closed the door behind him, facing a woman that could be no other than his partner, Harumi. Watching his partner going back to what they were doing without a word, he wondered if he was purposely being ignored and tilted his head in confusion, trying to think of any reason as to why he may have insulted or bothered his partner but he couldn't. Akashi simply pouted and dropped his bags on the bed as he then sat down, observing her until she would turn to face him again. Awkward silence. Why isn't she saying anything? Akashi wondered while scratching his head, flashing a stiff smile at her. "Umm..." He exhaled upon seeing they made no progress and decided to make the first step, though Harumi seemed to be drifting into her own world. "I am Akashi... Nice to meet you... I guess..."

[snowsteinModerator]

"Holy mother of sin it's possible for you to talk more than you already do!?" Maria asked as they walked to the dorm. "No. No. No. The only story I have is the first time I ate an elf," she said with an intimidating smile. "... Alright. It's sort of soft," Maria said as she sat on the bed next to her partner, feeling the softness of the bed. "As long as you quiet down a little," she said, hoping the girl would shut up of calm down and talk less. Maria wasn't complaining about having her tail pet and played with. It felt nice enough that she let out a soft moan.

Every reaper carries one. It's for the souls we've taken," he said, pointing to the names with lines through them. "... And the ones we claim as ours to reap," Kanaye said, slowly moving his finger down to her name. "After the final exam, I will cross your name off like the others and that soul of yours will be mind," he whispered in her ear. "At least mine looks professional," he said with a smirk before picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder as he carried her to their room. "Same room as last year...," Kanaye said as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Says the cat that talks down to everyone. So would now be a bad time to tell you that you have a grey hair? Me? My appearance should be self explanatory," Kukiko said as she removed her robe, revealing her body while she stretched out her wings and tail. "I'm a shadow dragon," she said, bringing her wings back where they had been. Kukiko walked over to the bed and slid her bag under it. "Well, it's late and we have a busy day tomorrow. Goodnight," she said, turning off the lights while wrapping her tail and wings around Murao's body for warmth before laying on the bed.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Keita looked up at the man as his ears went back. Apparently his eye was not a subject the man wanted to talk about. "W-well... sort of. I'm better with stealth than physical combat and I can stay pretty far back and still listen in on a conversation," he said as he shyly looked down and awkwardly tugged on his fox ear. "I'm kind of useless in a fight to be honest... Intel and stealth are my skill sets and I'm pretty quick on my feet," he explained, his tail wagging back and forth as his hand dropped back to his side with a small smile. Even when he explained that to people, it was clear that his demeanor still made others doubt him. How could someone like him even kill someone? It was true Keita had never taken someone's life, and it was true that he wasn't confident in himself, but he was determined and he didn't like letting people down. He set his things down and looked at the only bed in the room, wondering if he should even ask who would be sleeping on it when he saw Hijikata walk over to the bed. He looked at the case curiously and began admiring the sword. It was intriquet and really beautiful. He had never seen anything like it and it looked like it had been taken care of with love. Seeing the smile on Hijikata's face made him feel more comfortable around the man. "Your katana is beautiful. You look so happy when you hold it," he said as he smiled at the man as he sat down by his bag and leaned against the wall. He may have been a little intimidated, but he definitely wasn't afraid of the man in the slightest despite Hijikata's reputation and all he wanted to do was make sure he didn't let down his partner.

Tsuneo kept thinking to himself as he realized there was only one bed that he could've been sharing it with that cute little cat girl or even that adorable chick with wings and a dog tail. Yeah, he liked those "pet" types. He finally glanced over at Ryu who still hadn't spoken a word to him and came to the suspicion that everyone else did that he was a mute of some sort. Considering the man's arrogance, he could only imagine what the man would say if he did talk. "We should probably get some sleep. You can sleep on the floor," he said, not even bothering to ask as he kicked his shoes off and climbed under the covers and closed his eyes to go to sleep for the rest of the day. (I know his is short, but I plan to move this day along pretty quickly and have everyone go to bed within a post or two)

Harumi didn't even seem to be looking at the paper as she drew on it. Everyone had a weakness, but no one ever figured out hers since she was a fairly good partner to have. As she heard the man speak, she slowly looked in his direction, again not looking directly at Akashi. "Harumi." She was quiet when she spoke, possibly shy? It was certainly what most people thought of her... that is, until they saw her darker side. It was always strange how she would acknowledge someone's presence and yet she never looked directly at a person, almost as if she didn't know exactly where they were, just their general direction. Like Hijikata, she was an exception with a handicap that she would never admit. Only the teachers and the principle knew... and her partner the year before. "Sleepy." A woman of few words, she placed her notebook down and crawled into her make-shift bed to go to sleep. Akashi could see that she had been drawing a scenery. It was a beautiful forest filled with trees and animals and despite its detail, something about it seemed off, almost fantasy like. It was as if she had never seen the real thing before and was creating it how she imagined it to be...

Minoru began laughing at the girl's reaction, not getting that Maria hated how much she talked. "Oh my. You've eaten an elf?" She asked as her smile faded and seemed more curious than afraid of that fact. "Yes it is!" She said as she bounced a few times, loving how soft and comfortable the bed was. She looked at the girl as she heard the moan, then smiled a little. "We should go to bed," she said, seeming to have finally hypered down a bit as she laid down, expecting Maria to lay down with her. When she did, she reached over and started gently rubbing the girl's head and massaging Maria's ears, continuing until she finally dozed off.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Arisa's jaw dropped at Kanaye's answer regarding the reaping book. "I-Is that so?" She tried to calmly reply after recovering from the shock with a wry smile, wondering if the man was honest or not. Was he playing a prank on her as well? Arisa took a peek at the notebook from behind his shoulder and let out an uncomfortable laugh after reading her name on it. Was Kanaye really going to reap her soul at the end of this year? "Well, you don't need a book to have my soul taken." She frowned playfully and continued. "My ma always used to say I have no heart. No heart, no soul. Checkmate. However... I would be more concerned about your... soul. My book is for the souls I've annoyed... to death... Yeah." Arisa was making stuff up on the spot in an attempt to get back at Kanaye, optimistically thinking he was simply joking around with that book. And before she could say anything else to deflect his smart comment, the last thing Arisa saw was a smirk on Kanaye's lips as she was carried over like a potato sack but she did not complain. Instead, she thought it was convinient, though kind of regretted eating earlier as she would weight much more. "Oh. uuh... Okay. Fine. Am I getting the bed this year? I so hope I get the bed since you are going to steal my soul and all..."

"Huh?!" Murao raised angrily an eyebrow at the strange creature, offended by the harsh remarks but quickly had a change in attitude at the mention of gray hairs as she desperately searched for a mirror. "Re-Really?! Where? I need to pull it out before more of them appear, those things are like cockroaches. You see one, means they brought company." Murao said while clenching her first, enraged at the thought that her flawless image was now flawed. Her appearance was her biggest asset after all. After calming down at the sight of her own self in the mirror, Murao took a deep breath and stared at Kukiko as she made her way to the bed. "Don't you dare think I am going to sleep anywhere else other than the bed, you hear me? Good--" Her partner had wrapped herself around, making Murao unable to move. A groan escaped from her mouth and forcefully closed her eyes, thinking it was all a very bad dream.

Ryu had been through the whole proccess for the second time now, knowing there would only be one bed at the room and tried to claim the spot by laying his luggage on top, only to be tossed down by His Highness Tsuneo. Ryu mimicked Tsuneo's voice in his mind, furious at how he was ordered to sleep at the floor, his body movements going bersherk as he couldn't express himself in any other way. Oh ho ho ho, but no! He wouldn't let His Highness behavior slide this time, but he couldn't kick him off the bed either, hence Ryu shoved his partner to the side of the bed so he could sleep on it as well. A sly smile formed on Ryu's lips as he got under the covers and with his hand made the goodnight sign, not caring whether Tsuneo would understand or not. Seriously, whose idea was it to share one bed during the whole year?

When Keita noticed and commented on how he looked so happy while holding his katana, Hijikata's smile disappeared, quickly unbuckling his belt and placed the weapon back to its case. He did not like showing emotion, there was never one instance were it was beneficient to do so. His expression turned cold again and pointed at the bed. "You can sleep there. As for me, I guess it's convinient they paired us together. Honestly my sight's not that good and I am slow in my movements." Hijikata let Keita know a tiny bit about his life, yet did not feel comfortable to reveal much but wanted to inform his partner of his abilities... and disabilities for their better cooperation. Having said that, Hijikata threw some sheets at the floor next to the bed and laid down, turning off the lights as he held the case close to him.

Akashi scratched his head one more time in confusion as Harumi seemed to ignore him but later on settled with 'she is just crazy' to feel better about himself, especially after observing how off this world she seemed to be. Yeah, definitely nuts. That's what he thought after watching her draw without even looking at the paper, or when she turned towards him but not really at him. "Okay..." He uttered and then said out loud as if Harumi was deaf or something. "Nice to meet you...Night." His voice got lower at the last word as she seemed to go to sleep even though he tried to strike a conversation with her, his mind filled full of confusion about this woman. "Jeez, what's wrong with you." Akashi softly uttered as he got up and approached Harumi, covering her up the shoulders, not before noticing the drawing first and how dreamy it looked and then got back to the bed.

[snowsteinModerator]

"It is. You sound worried about that," Kanaye said with an evil smirk. "Of course not. I'm a reaper. I can take your soul with just my hands right now if I wanted to," he said, his eyes and composure giving no hints as to whether or not he was serious or just pranking her. "You have a soul. I can see it. All I can say is if it's going to be an annoying year, I'm truly going to enjoy the moment after the final exam when your soul becomes mine," he whispered with a creepy smile. Kanaye kicked his bag into the corner while he pulled out his phone and put on a song with classical music, but it sounded like a darker song. He smiled as he put her down, making her face him as he took her right hand in his while his left hand rested right on her lower back. "Care for a dance?" He asked as he started making her dance with him, not even bothering to answer her question about the bed. "How about a little wager? If you can prove your skills are better than mine by the end of the week, I'll erase you from my book. However, if you can't prove it by then your name stays in the book and you have to obey one specific request that I give you. This will continue every week until either you win and are no longer in my book, or we complete the final exam and I take your soul," Kanaye said, wanting to make things more interesting. As the song came to an end, he walked over to his bag and pulled out a hammock, hanging it up in the corner above the bed. "Don't let the nightmares get you human," he said before climbing into his makeshift bed and going to sleep with his book in his pocket in case she was thinking of stealing it.

Kukiko smiled, watching her new partner freaking out over something so trivial. "It's a few centimeters away from the patch of gray behind your ear," she said knowing it wasn't there, but was enjoying the show anyway. Kukiko quickly passed out, content with her newly found soft source of warmth. She awoke in a groggy state. Her bikini top had come unties and Murao's hand was on her breast. 'She's kind of cute when she's not being bitchy,' Kukiko thought to herself as she looked at how peaceful her partner was before passing back out, too tired to do anything about it.

I couldn't think of what to write for Maria without it being short as hell so I'm just going to say she fell asleep.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Keita tilted his head to the side when the man let him have the bed. It wasn't like he wasn't used to sleeping on the ground. His people were known to live in burrows or small caves and not have the luxury of the bed. "Th-thank you, but..." He saw the man put the sheets on the floor as he stood up. He let out a sigh and slowly walked over to the bed, climbing in. He felt like this bed was way too big for him, but the fact that he always slept curled up had something to do with that feeling. He laid down, his tail wrapping around him. "Good night," he said softly before closing his eyes and falling asleep. He was having some trouble sleeping. He normally slept curled up to his fourteen siblings, him being the oldest of the bunch. Another common fact about his kind is that their families were large and took care of each other. At some point in the night, he looked down at Hijikata who hadn't even bothered to grab a pillow or blanket and felt a little bad. Not wanting the man to get cold, he very quietly climbed off the bed and pulled the blanket over the man. He didn't even think twice about it as he laid down on top of the blanket behind the man and curled up again, this time his tail wrapping around Hijikata in an attempt to keep him warm before passing back out. The boy was as silent as the grave and wouldn't be noticed even by someone like Hijikata. The alarm next to them went off in the early hours of the morning, making Keita bury his face into the blanket as he groaned, but was still sound asleep as his ears with back to try and muffle the sound of the alarm, cuddling up to Hijikata and his tail still wrapped around the man. "Can't the twins go hunting today? I always do it...," he mumbled under his breath, dreaming that he was back home and probably thought he was talking with one of his parents.

Tsuneo looked over his shoulder at the man and glared at him when he was shoved over and growled, clearly frustrated that Ryu hadn't listened to him. "Damn mute..." He had no idea what the man was saying when he signed goodnight and scooted away in a huff, not wanting to have any sort of physical contact with the man right now and soon went to sleep. When the early morning came, he didn't even hesitate as he shoved Ryu off the bed to wake him up with a devilish smirk. "Morning asshole. Sleep well?" He asked, clearly behind sarcastic as he climbed out of bed and stretched his arms above his head. "Is it true they have new teachers every year so the tests are never the same?" He asked as he went to the fridge and grabbed some blood, putting a straw in it and started drinking it. He wondered what the teachers were like. Supposidly, there were 6 teachers, one for each day and Sunday they were supposed to study and bond with their partners. "This is going to be a very long year," he mumbled as he sipped on the bag of blood and went back by the bed to grab some clothes.

Harumi laid there with her eyes closed, but was still awake when he walked over to her and pulled the blanket up. What's wrong with her? She would never tell... but she felt like her cheeks had grown hot from the gesture as a single tear slid down her cheek. She woke up instantly and shut off the alarm before it was done with its first ring. Sitting up, she knew the room would still be dark and she didn't hear any movement from Akashi. Assuming he was still asleep, she grabbed some closed and stood up, taking off her shirt and skirt. She took off her bra and panties, a decent show if he was awake as she put on a new pair. She thought she heard movement and looked in his direction. "Akashi?" After a moment, she didn't get an answer. It wasn't that dark, was it? She was looking directly at him, but if his eyes were open, she apparently couldn't tell. She sighed softly and put on her shirt and a pair of pants as well as some boots. Then she did something kind of odd... she put her hands on the wall and started feeling her way to the bathroom, not even bothering to turn on the light. She found her tooth brush and brushed her teeth, at the same time she brushed her hair, but even with her attempt she was missing a few spots that she just couldn't seem to get. She wouldn't even notice if the light was turned on. Her partner last year figured it out pretty quick after a night or two with her. She wasn't acting like a stuck up bitch who wouldn't acknowledge her partner... she was blind... mostly. Everything was just a big blur of mixed colors for her and she only knew how the world looked through description. Her specialty was to read her surroundings by vibrations, but if there was no sound, she had no idea what was around her.

Minoru awoke the next morning and sat up with a stretch, shutting off the alarm. She was used to waking up early in the mornings and she never seemed to get exhausted, as Maria probably could already tell. She slid off the bed and went over to the fridge, finding some fresh strawberries and pulling them out. She washed them off before walking over to Maria and gently shaking her shoulder with a bright smile. "Good morning Maria! Would you like a strawberry?" She asked as she offered to feed the girl one of the berries. "We should get ready or we'll be late! Up! Up! Up!" She said after feeding the girl the berry and pulled the covers off the bed so she couldn't hide. How she could have so much energy first thing in the morning was always an amazement. "It's the marshlands today, right? They say the course is different every time you see it. This is going to be a fun and exciting year!" She did a little excited twirl and jump before grabbing some clothes and getting ready.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Arisa let out a soft sigh of relief when she was released. only to find herself moments later at his arms with a song in the backround. "O- Oh! We are dancing, right." She replied to his proposal with stiff smile, mixed with laughter, as it was unexpected and then placed her left hand on Kanaye's right shoulder. As they kept on dancing and the song finally came to end, Arisa was left with her jaw opened wide, surprised, at his offer. Was he not kidding about the reaping book after all? She blinked a few times in shock and then awkwardly smiled after weighting his words. "Is that what you did with your previous partners? Is that why their names are crossed on your book?" These were only two of the countless questions Arisa had in her mind, wondering if the man would even keep his promise if said the truth. "Alright..." She exhaled heavily, agreeing to his request and then adjusted a few strands of stray hair behind her ear. "I'll prove my skills, however, what do I have to do?" She just hoped that his request wouldn't be something dirty though in exchange for her soul, it seemed like a fair deal. At least that's what Arisa thought as she watched Kanaye climb the hammock and then walked towards the bed, lying down. "Don't let the bugs bite."

(( Won't post Murao and Arisa's morning since I have no idea what is going to happen D: I leave it to you Sarah ))

Ryu woke up by Tsuneo's shove, resulting in an inaudible groan as he glared at his partner and caressed his acking back before standing up. Yeah, he probably deserved this as Ryu was the first one to shove Tsuneo, though he didn't expect this to start a sorts of competition and so, that groan turned into a radiant smile, feeling he had somehow bonded with his partner. Ryu followed behind Tsuneo, being hungry as hell and opened the fridge as well to get a pack of blood, though he could not reply to his question, just nod. This wasn't the first time in the Academy for the both of them, however Tsuneo had a year of more experience. Ryu then shrugged at Tsuneo's remark about this being a very long year, wanting to say that it is not as bad as it seems, though being a mute, he understood that people had a prejudice against him. Instead of words, Ryu stood up as soon as he was done with his breakfast and walked up his partner, who by now was dressed and then apologetically smiled, patting Tsuneo's back gently. His glance fell to the ground afterwards and turned to change clothes at the bathroom, as well as wash his face.

It was morning alas and Hijikata found himself slowly waking up by the warmth of Keita's soft fur, accompanied by a blanket which he thought was odd, not remembering falling asleep with one. The makeshift bed was so warm and comfortable, Hijikata didn't want to fully wake just yet, a content smile forming on his lips, only to fade moments later after realising he was sleeping next to Keita, resulting in a gasp. When did Keita lay there? How did he not hear the fox slip into the sheets? Hijikata titled his head at all these questions, finally acknowledging the boy's skills but was interrupted by Keita's sleeptalking, turning to face the boy with a chuckle. "Wake up." He softly said next to Keita's ear, his expressions returning back to normal - cold and expressionless - as he gently nudged the fox's ears and then stood up. Hijikata walked towards his luggage and got undressed, staying only in his fundoshi (traditional Japanese underwear) as he pulled out the bag a brand new Yukata and started getting dressed.

Sitting up, she knew the room would still be dark and she didn't hear any movement from Akashi. Assuming he was still asleep, she grabbed some closed and stood up, taking off her shirt and skirt. She took off her bra and panties, a decent show if he was awake as she put on a new pair. She thought she heard movement and looked in his direction.

Akashi was woken up by Harumi's movement, slowly opening his eyes to face her direction and gasp at the naked sight of her. When Harumi seemed to notice him, he quickly placed his hands in front of his mouth and pretended to be asleep, however that didn't settle quite right in his mind and regretted his choice, wanting to apologise to her. Akashi took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, getting up his bed and covered his eyes in an attemp to stay decent, approaching his partner. "I'm so-" He immidiately paused as he felt something was very wrong with his partner, given the fact he was not discovered and quickly opened his eyes, catching Harumi walking from wall to wall using her hands to get to the bathroom. Luckily she was clothed. "Huh?" Akashi tilted his head and then let out an inaudible gasp upon realising Harumi is blind. Should he apologise for seeing her naked if he wasn't perceived? Should he even acknowledge she was deaf or wanted to keep it a secret? Suddenly everything made sense to him. The drawing, her out of touch attitude and stare... Everything just clicked right in place but realised Harumi was hiding that fact. Maybe he shouldn't let her know... and so he decided. "Oi, Harumi?" He knocked on the door, trying to play it dumb and continued. "Morning, you gonna take a long? I can't really hold it in..." He embarassingly said, holding his pants.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

[Stein didn't want to only work with one character, having the same problem you were liz, so he's gonna skip this turn and post next turn]

"Mmm...?" Keita's ear twitched as it was touched, instinctively reaching up in a tired motion to bat Hijikata's hand away, but the man had already moved. He opened his eyes a little, watching the man as he got up. He slowly sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes with a yawn. "Good morning." He didn't really think about it possibly bothering Hijikata at all that he had laid with him last night and unless the man said something it was probably going to become a habit. He got up out of the bed with a yawn, showing off his longer canines and started changing his clothes. Once he was finished, he glanced at the clock. "We should probably get going. Let's see... Monday is the marshlands," he said as he looked at his little notebook before looking at Hijikata with a bright smile.

Tsuneo glanced up at the man as Ryu gave him a pat on the back. Oh sure, now he was going to be friendly? But with a defeated sigh, he gave a nod as if understanding what Ryu was trying to say or at least he hoped he did. "One of these days I'm going to get you to talk," he teased with a smirk before he grabbed his sword that had belonged to his father and heading out the door.

Harumi glanced back at the door, managing to get her hair at least fairly decent. She set her toothbrush down as well as her hairbrush before going over to the door and opening it. "Sorry," she said to Akashi before walking out the door and going over to the fridge to find a quick snack before they had to head out for training. Now that the lights were on, she seemed to be able to navigate a little better, giving no sign that she had trouble seeing again. At least she wasn't completely blind as long as there was light even if it was all blurry.

[For the purpose of continuing the story, I'm just going to do this for all of the teachers and we can have our character's react after the fact. If you want me to slow it down and space it between posts, just let me know. Hopefully this helps for future reference on what to have your character's do in the mornings]

A beautiful young woman with white hair and a small set of wings that were attached to her costume came walking out. She turned and looked at each of the students as if evaluating them. She had a bandage covering her right eye and was a fairly tall woman at 6'3". She wore a short kimono dress and didn't seem to be the most intimidating looking thing... at first. "Welcome to the marshlands," she said and crossed her arms with a grin. "I'm Machiko. I will be your combat instructor, teaching you how to hack into just about anything and how to hot-wire and drive any vehicle you may come across in the work place." She smirked at them, then held up her finger. "Let's see... Eye-patch, Pretty boy, Dog with wings, Space cadet, Tall dark and creepy and... Little miss kitty cat," she said, pointing to Hijikata, Tsuneo, Maria, Harumi, Kanaye and Murao. "All of you will be my volunteers for a trust exercise today. Your partners will be learning how to shoot a sniper rifle while all of you will be in the way of their target. These are live rounds... so try not to kill your partner on the first day of class, hmm?" She snapped her fingers, each of the people that she didn't choose having a sniper appear in their hands. "When your partner is in danger, there is a chance you will have to take out a target behind them. There are obstacles blocking your view and you have a small window to hit the target... mere centimeters determined whether you hit the target or your partner and you may not even have a clear shot to the enemy. You have to make a call... once you've all shot, we'll move onto the next lesson. You have to trust that your partner will watch your back at all times. If you don't trust your partner, you risk getting yourself killed, plain and simple," she said, addressing those that she knew didn't work well with others. She snapped her fingers again, each of the people she volunteered vanishing and reappearing in a random place on the course with someone holding a gun to their head and where only looking through the scope will they be able to find them. "If you miss and you alert the enemy... your partner gets his brains blown out. Now begin!" (Basically, we'll skip to the end of the day after that's done and just assume that they had been teaching them that entire time, for development and progression purposes since they're supposed to have a years worth of lessons.)

Keita was a little unsure about the woman. Actually, she looked kind of scary. The last thing he expected was for a gun to appear in his hand and he almost fell over because of the weight alone. It's not that he's never fired a gun before thanks to his father showing him how, but he had never tried to shoot a living person. Cans and animals were completely different. You could keep your distance and you didn't have to worry about getting killed by them. But this... he glanced up at Hijikata, then down at the gun again. Keita didn't look like the type of person that could take someone's life, but he wasn't about to let his partner get hurt. That was the point of the test, or at least he assumed. They had to choose between their morals and their partner's life. His ears went back, hoping he wouldn't miss. As Hijikata vanished, he took a deep breath, then let it out and began looking for somewhere he could have a good vantage point to look for his elven companion.

"You mean we have to kill someone?" Minoru asked herself as she looked at the gun in her hands. She had shot a bow before, but this was much more complicated than that. "Um... Maria... I'll do my best to find you quickly," she said, not sounding very confident as she gave the woman a smile. When Maria vanished, she started held up the gun to look through the scope. It had a pretty decent distance, so she could probably search for Maria fairly easily. "Hmm... I guess I'll go this way," she said, knowing each partner was in a different area of the marshlands, though she had to be honest with herself. She had no idea how to use this thing or where she was going.

Tsuneo's only thought was that his teacher was pretty hot, but as he listened he put his hand on his head. Did he really have to stand there and wait to get rescued? What a way to go. "Better not miss," he said as he put his hand on Ryu's shoulder. He continued to listen to the teacher and soon found himself in a completely new area with no one around. Well, no one except the man behind him pushing the barrel of a gun to his back where his heart would be. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Anyone ever tell you not to be so forward my friend?" He asked with a slight laugh, the man not even reacting as he pushed Tsuneo's head forward with the gun. "Sheesh, can't take a joke?" He mumbled, hating that he would have to wait for who knows how long for Ryu to deal with this guy.

Harumi didn't seem to have much of a reaction. It was probably a relief to Akashi that she wasn't the one chosen to save his life considering she couldn't manage to see what was in her face, much less someone holding a gun to his head. Harumi heard the snap of the woman's fingers and felt the ground under her feet change to something more swamp like. She could feel the gun pressed against the back of her head. Each one was aiming for the point that would kill them quickly. All she could do now was wait patiently for her "hero" to come and save her.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

The Marshlands, ah just great. A sigh escaped Hijikata's lips as they arrived on that goddamn place, knowing their first mission would definitely have him appear somewhere wet like usual and it really came true, cursing at the fairy like teacher. Like, she even had to give him a nickname, 'eyepatch', since it wasn't obvious enough. What grinds Hijikata's gears however, is that his hand sewn yukata will be ruined from the mud but did not have the luxury to think further as he felt a gun pointed to his head. Three years at the Academy, he knew too well that a sudden move would result in his excecution. Everything relied on his partner Keita now and how good his aim was. Hijikata took a deep breath and closed his eyes, staying as still as he could so Keita can have a clear shot. Wait. Could... Keita make the shot? His whole body trembled, the fox didn't look like a killer and then clenched his sheathed Katana in an attempt to regain control of his actions.

Ryu gently patted Tsuneo's back before disappearing, wanting to say he shouldn't worry and put some trust in him and then checked out the gun that appeared on his hands, aiming to find his partner. Luckily, Ryu's set of skills included assassination from afar - daggers being the favorite weapon - therefore, he didn't worry about missing his target. With confidence feeling in his hands, and his finger being trigger ready, he aimed at Tsuneo, watching his partner being shoved into obedience and let out a heaby sigh of disappointment, wondering if the guys knows no limits. Several moments later and once he got a steady grip, he fired in success with a headshot towards the enemy.

When Akashi was chosen to hold the gun, he couldn't contain his happiness, knowing that Harumi was blind for a fact. He certainly would die if their positions were switched, or so he thought, not having even a little trust in his partner. "Alright." He exhaled as his hands trembled by the sheer weight of the sniper. He hadn't kill before, well, helped but not kill. It wasn't the idea of killing someone that bothered Akashi but rather the idea of hurting his partner or miss his aim. He took another deep breath and wiped his sweaty palms, readjusting his aim and then fired. His shot had landed. It wasn't too perfect, the bullet almost scratched the guy but managed to hit all right. A sight of relief escaped his lips.

Murao groaned loudly as she almost dropped the rifle that appeared on her hands, not being able to handle its weight. "Ah, jeez. I am a lady not some hanky panky jankie full of muscle mass." She exhaled and tried to steady the gun with no success. Then, a brilliant idea came to her mind. "Aha!" Murao snapped her fingers with the most sly smile she could sport and placed the gun ontop of a rock, scanning the area to look for Kukiko. "I am the smartest, indeed." She told herself and pressed the trigger as a grin formed on her lips. "Take that bitch!" Murao yelled at her partner, despite killing the enemy and then clenched her fist, continuing her self monologue that fed her ego. "Nobody dares to ridicule me. I am a lady. Pfft. Gray hair." Yeah... Murao had spend the whole morning in front of a mirror, looking for any gray hair to weed out. She had found none.

"So it's The Marshlands again..." Arisa exhaled and after listening to the teacher's speech, she found herself near a tree, a man aiming a gun to her head. "I don't know which is worse." She awkwardly smiled at the stranger, trying not to move an inch. "Having your soul taken or be excecuted?" She continued making small talk, not really caring if the guy understood a word she said or not - if he even was real. "I just hope his aim is good, can't really prove my skills by standing still."

[snowsteinModerator]

Kanaye stood there listening to the teacher give her speech. He smiled as Arisa vanished. 'Well, we know who won't be prooving her skills today... though it appears I will,' he thought as the rifle appeared in his hands. Kanaye quietly walked off and started scanning the area for his partner. 'Ah, there you are,' he thought to himself as he crouched down, aiming the rifle. 'Later loser,' he thought as he pulled the trigger, the bullet flying right by Arisa's face and hitting the man in the head. "Miss me?" Kanaye asked with a smile as he walked up to her.

Kukiko stayed silent as the teacher gave out the instructions on what was about to happen. She let out a heavy sigh of annoyance as her partner got the gun. 'Murao is probably still mad about the gray hair thing,' she thought as she had a small smile cross her lips, remembering the girl's reaction. Kukiko's smile vanished as she reappeared somewhere in the marsh with a gun pressed up against the back of her head. Even with a gun pointed at her by a stranger and her self beauty obsessed partner with a gun, she still felt safe inside her robe, nobody but her partner knew what creature she was and she liked it that way. Kukiko glanced in the direction she heard Murao's voice. "Good shot. I thought that rifle was going to be too heavy for you," Kukiko said as she walked over to her partner.

"Of course we are going to kill people. You weren't expecting this school to be all sunshine and lollipops were you?" Maria asked, looking at her partner. "Not encouraging," she said before she vanished, the realization that the girl had never handled a gun before. "Well buddy, your bullet and I will probably be getting to know each other," Maria said, seeing the stranger with a gun to her head. 'With how loud she is, the chances of me getting shot are very bad,' she thought as she tried not to move. Maria stood still, worried about what her partner was going to do. 'I had hoped to live past the first day...,' Maria thought to herself, feeling annoyed at the thought.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Keita walked slowly, feeling like he was going to sink into the mud as he walked. Even the end of his tail had gotten pretty soaked from the wet land that surrounded him. He was used to desert and forest, but this was not currently a place he would willingly come back to. He found a decent sized tree and started to climb it as far as he could while staying hidden. "Okay... let's see..." He laid down on a thick branch and looked through the scope, searching around for his partner. His ears perked up as he spotted Hijikata, but something seemed off about him. He couldn't tell if the man was scared or if he was eager to deal with this himself. He aimed the gun at the man behind Hijikata. Except... he was hesitating. Could he really kill this person? He was just another pawn in the test, wasn't he? His finger hovered over the trigger as he closed his eyes, remembering what his father had taught him. 'It's kill or be killed in this line of work. There is always a risk, but you have to act on your instinct in order to survive.' His father's words played over and over in his head as he took a deep breath, then very slowly let it out to lower his heartrate. He imagined the man to be nothing more than one of the animals he used to hunt and as he opened his eyes, steadying his gun. "I'll watch your back," he whispered and pulled the trigger. The bullet almost grazed Hijikata's cheek because of his trembling, just barely missing him, and hit it's mark behind him, landing right between the assailant's eyes. Keita's ears went back as he lifted his head and let out a sigh, feeling numb under the current circumstance as he slowly started to climb down the tree and went back to the starting area.

Tsuneo stood there, beginning to get a little antsy as he waited. He hated standing still for too long and he was starting to wish he could just slash this guy in half. It wasn't like he couldn't move faster than this guy's vision could follow. As he stood there thinking to himself, he jumped at the sound of a gun shot and glanced back at the body now lying dead on the ground. He let out a sigh of relief and looked in the direction the shot had come from, smirking as he gave his partner a playful salute before heading back to where the test had begun. He had to admit, Ryu was an excellent shot. At least he knew he had someone to watch his back if things got complicated.

Harumi half wished she had been given the chance to shoot the gun. Just because she couldn't see didn't mean that she didn't have ways of finding her targets. And she could feel that Akashi wasn't too trusting of her at the moment. He probably figured it out by now... then she heard the sound of the bullet impacting on the person's skull behind her, his blood splashing onto her face. She wiped it off with her sleeve, then sighed. She had made it to her second year. Wasn't that enough proof that she could do this? "I guess not...," she whispered, looking down as she walked away.

Minoru walked around, fiddling with the gun and occasionally using the scope to look around with a smile. "This is so cool," she said, but couldn't help but think how much heavier it was than a bow and couldn't hold it up for very long. "Hmm..." When she spotted her partner, her smile grew. "This can't be too hard." She lifted the gun and took aim, waiting until the person's head were in the cross hairs of the scope. "And... bang!" She pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. "Hm? That's strange." She examined it curiously, trying to figure out why it wasn't working. She checked to see if it was loaded, and from what she could tell it was. She noticed a small switch looking thing and flipped it. "Let's try again..." She aimed the gun, wondering if she had fixed it. When she fired, she fell back onto her ass into the mud, but amazingly barely managed to hit the guy. Another half an inch as she would have missed. Turns out the safety was still on...

As the day was growing to a close, Machiko stood in front of her students. "Good work today. Though... some of you could use some work with weaponry," she said, mainly looking at Minoru for her interesting display earlier in the test and Akashi for his nervousness while handling the gun. "Anyways... the next test won't begin until 8AM tomorrow, so enjoy sleeping in. Dismissed," she said before vanishing into thin air.

(So they can go back to their room or go to the training room or shopping area. It's about 6PM and there isn't a curfew, but they're not allowed to leave the school grounds without permission.)

[AominecchiAdministrator]

As Kanaye's bullet found its target, Arisa had, just barely, her left cheek scrapped off but the injury would leavy no scar, just a few days scratch. "Excellent shooting." Arisa wryly smiled, adjusting a few strands of stray hair behind her ear, her words full of irony, as she wanted to show him her scratch. "If this is your level of skill, then I'll have no obstacles protecting my soul, right?" She then added, her smile turning friendlier, purely making fun of Kanaye as it was not her intention to mock him. "So..." Arisa slowly exhaled, making small steps towards him until she would come to an halt, right in front of him yet close enough to feel his breath. "There is still time till curfew, got any ideas Reaper?" She continued and attempted to hold Kanaye's arm close to her.

"Oh, just how dare they give me such a heavy machinery." Murao complained, her tone getting slightly higher as a groan escaped her lips. "Me, such a delicate and small creature learning how to handle a gun? Ha! What if I broke a nail... I wonder if my insurance would cover that..." She later wondered, muttering the last sentence under her breath, being real curious and serious about her question though it was unknown if Kukiko heard or not. "Like, you don't understand. My face is my selling point. How else am I going to extract information if I look like a hobo? But... Whatever." Finally Murao brushes the subject off, trying not to roll her eyes at the obviously stupid excersises they had to undertake. "I got this super fluffy creme the other day for my face... Wanna try it out? I can even do your makeup."

When Ryu spotted Tsuneo smirking right at him, he headed towards Tsuneo's direction with a smile drawn on his face. No, he not once worried about injuring his partner as he was confident in his skills. Ryu wished however he could compete with shurikens, he was better trained on throwing blades and such but his aim wasn't bad either. It was close ranged combat that made him anxious, especially because of his height, being an easy target and all. He glanced up Tsuneo and then raised his finger as if saying hold on a moment, and then pulled out his pocket a small notebook and a pen, writing on it. Yeah, it should make communication easier. On it, Ryu wrote: You were easy to find, I just had to follow the snobbish aura you emmit. Won't lie, I had a small urge and desire of shooting you for payback for yesterday's bed incident. I can offer blood juice as a sorry . An inaudible sigh escaped his lips as, honestly, very few people could speak the sign language, or even simply understand him, making Ryu feel heartbroken. Despite of this, whatever words his voice couldn't convey, his heart and rich facial expressions did, earning him the nickname 'Gentle Giant'.

Hijikata took a deep breath as he waited for his partner to shoot, feeling like an eterny had passed. No, he couldn't trust Keita. In fact, he wanted to but couldn't. Hijikata's mind briefly drifts to his old partner, back when he was a first year. He trusted him too... and it cost his eye, excluding the ugly scars he received. Alright, maybe Hijikata always was a distant person, but only due to his appearance and cold gaze - something he could't change. Standing there still, he closed his eyes and took another deep breath, alas hearing the deadly shoot but suddenly opened his eyes in shock, upon hearing the close distance of the bullet. It was too fast to see but he felt it. Hijikata felt the bullet just barely grazing him before finding its target, his eyes opened wide at the sight. The kid had made it despite his looks. He was so proud, a faint smile appeared on his scarred lips, forgetting that the bullet almost hit him. After finding Keita, Hijikata warmly smiled once again, caressing the fox's ears with one hand, the other holding tight the seathed katana, something he was used of doing. "Good job." He said, staring down his partner and added. "There still time ahead, I am going to rest up somewhere." Yeah, he still didn't fully trust Keita, not because it was Keita but due to his own past experiences. He was just unable to. Hijikata then headed to their room, only to get his drawing supplies and then walk to the garden and find a cozy spot to draw. This time, he would paint a handsome man's bare back, surrounded by flowers. Maybe... He knew the man on the painting.

A sigh of relief escaped Akashi's lips, feeling both blessed he was chosen to shoot and hitting his target as well, greatly underestimating Harumi's skills. It wasn't the case that he found her useless, he just worried that sooner or later Harumi may slip up and mess things up. Akashi felt like he had to protect her, even though she probably needed no protection. "Harumi." He shouted, making sure she would find him by the source of his voice and rubbed the back of his neck feeling a bit uneasy. How was he going to act now? Maybe she would get offended if she found out he knew... or maybe the opposite? Akashi was so torn, he could not decide on his next step, sighing softly. "I... Errh... Was going to head to shop, buy some traps and stuff. Need anything? Or even better, accompany me?" Yes, that was a better and safer option.

[snowsteinModerator]

"No it wasn't. The scope is off by a half a foot after 150 yards," Kanaye said, examining the scope for a moment. "Why should I show you my true skills if you haven't had the chance to show off yours?" He asked with a smirk as he looked at Arisa. "The only plan I had was to go get some half decent food for our fridge. I figured I would make us dinner," Kanaye said as he smiled at her. He had to admit, she was certainly intriguing if nothing else. Perhaps this game for her soul would be more fun than he originally thought. "Just because we're playing tug of war for your soul doesn't mean we can't have fun," he said as he watched her closely.

Maria tensed up as she heard the gun shot. She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed upon hearing her captors body hit the ground. "Well, I'm impressed. She is very quick on the uptake," she said to herself as she looked in the direction the shot had come from. "Good shot. You had me worried thinking you didn't know how to use a rifle," Maria said, giving Minoru a compliment, not fully realizing that was the girl's first time with a gun. "What do you want to do now that it's over with?" She asked, feeling more relaxed.

"I think a side arm would be a better fit for you," Kukiko said as she listened to Murao complaining about the gun. "I don't think a broken nail is covered by medical insurance," she said, tilting her head to the side thinking about it. "With a body like yours I didn't think you'd be so concerned with your face being the selling point," Kukiko said, admitting that she found her partner's body attractive. "I don't know what any of that is... but I'm willing to try it," she said, knowing that she had never seen or heard of anyone of her species using beauty products before. "I'm curious and wouldn't mind if you told me more about these things," Kukiko said as she scooped up Murao in her arms while stretching out her wings before flying them to the edge of the marshlands. "I noticed you don't like to get dirty," she said, putting her partner down before retracting her wings back under her robe and putting her hood back up. Clearly beyond her partner she had no intention of letting anyone else know what she was.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Keita looked up at Hijikata as he approached and was about to apologies for almost hitting him but was met with a smile from his partner. He was a little relieved that the man wasn't mad at him, but felt his cheeks grow hot as Hijikata caressed his soft ears. It tickled a little and they twitched in response, having to bring his hand up to scratch them after the elf took his hand away. "Th... thanks," he said and faintly smiled back at his partner. "Okay. I'll see you later," he said as he walked the man walk off. Keita decided that he would give him some time and headed back to his room for now. When he got there, he wasn't really sure what to do with himself. He decided to make the bed, picking the stuff up off the floor and set everything up neatly. "Maybe I should make dinner..." He glanced over at the fridge, wondering what he should make. He spent some time taking care of dinner and had even made some extra for Hijikata, setting it on the counter for the man. He glanced at the clock for a moment before sighing. He covered up the plate and wrote a note for Hijikata to warm it up when he got home, also writing in for him to take the bed this time. Keita yawned as he went and turned off most of the lights except for the one above the stove for Hijikata and changed into a t-shirt and some shorts. He went over to his bag and pulled out a silver flute before going over to the window and opening it. He climbed up onto the window sill and sat down and started playing. Fíonnula's Tale He had an enchanted flute that normally could be heard if someone had ever lived in a forest that had elves living in it because most of their forests were protected by enchantments. That, and elves were usually the ones who created these instruments. His father was good friends with the ones were he lived and that's why he had the flute. The flute was the prominent sound that could be heard by those in tune with nature, and the rest of the music was being created by the enchantment that Keita was channeling with memories of the elves joining in with his songs. It was such a beautiful sound that could warm the coldest of hearts. This music was why he loved living in the forest and it reminded him of home.

Tsuneo gave the man a curious look when Ryu held up his finger and watched as he pulled out a notebook and pen. He read the note as it was held up and walked over to Ryu, roughly rubbing to top of the man's head playfully with a smirk. "Snobbish aura? No amount of blood can make up for that comment," he said and laughed as he pulled his hand away. At least the snob had enough of a sense of humor to not take offence to comments like that or at least know when Ryu was just messing with him even if it was on paper. "So, since you can just write down the answer now, mind telling me why you don't speak? It's been bugging the shit out of me," he said, motioning for his partner to follow him as he headed towards the library. He wasn't much of a reader, nor did he like to study, but he was curious if there was information on past tests in the records section. Eventually things would repeat, or at least he assumed as they walked. "By the way, thanks for having my back big foot," he said and gave Ryu and gentle pat on the back, getting back at him for the snob comment. Though in truth he wasn't that much shorter than Ryu considering he barely broke six foot himself, about a four inch difference or so really. Though his hair was grown out to his lower back which is why he usually loosely tied it so it wouldn't get everywhere. "Got any plans now that the day is over?" He asked, kind of enjoying the company of his partner.

Harumi turned in the direction that she had heard her name called out and started walking towards it. "Sure." A lot of people didn't know if she was shy or if she really just didn't talk much. To be honest, she just never really found anyone that she could talk to or ask for help because she was scared they would find her a liability more than an asset. She had always relied on herself. Her father was a strict man who made her learn how to live with her blindness and never offered help with anything. In a way, she kind of developed a sensory that a bat would have because of it, using sound to see objects. It actually made her a valuable asset in more situations than Akashi would think because some of these tests would only get harder with each week, most being life threatening. "Thank you... for saving me," she said softly and smiled a little as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She could hear quite a few other students as they drew closer to the shops. Some of them having fun and others talking about the items. It was kind of crowded though, so she walked pretty close to Akashi to avoid bumping into anyone. "What shop are we going to?" She asked, wondering what she would be looking at.

"Oh, I had never shot one before," Minoru said as she rubbed her lower back from falling after firing the weapon. "It didn't work at first. I had to press this little button here before it would work," she said and laughed a little as she looked at Maria, seeming unfazed by the mistake. If it had been a real situation, her partner most likely would be dead right now. "Hmmm..." She thought for a moment, putting her hands behind her back before getting an idea. "Let's go back to our room and make some snacks! We can watch a movie together! Or we can take a nice long bath together and relax! Or we can go shopping! Or we can just stay up and talk!" As if this girl didn't talk enough. She was... unique. And often overly excited about every little thing. She was enjoying having a friend to talk to. She stopped for a moment when she could hear the music from Keita's flute and closed her eyes with a smile, it seeming to calm her down suddenly.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

A faint chuckle escaped from Arisa's lips in response to Kanaye's comment. attempting to get playfully get a hold of his arm. "But your life is also in my hands and... I think I should get extra points for protecting you." She replies, ending the sentence with a snicker as they walked. "Besides, I am a 3rd year. Having a reaper bet on my soul can't be the worst thing to happen to me. And talking about reapers... Do you even eat food?" Kanaye was a very mysterious and secretive person that Arisa had no idea what weaknesses or strengths this race has. Suffice to say, she was curious to know more about him... and that book.

Honestly, none of Kukiko's remarks surprised Murao; they only fed her ego, to which she made it obvious by adjusting a few strands of stray hair behind her ear, making that mole under her eye appear alluring. Or at least the people she has deceived told her so. Once they arrived back to their room, Murao didn't even protest being carried by Kukiko all over the Marshlands. If anything else, it was convinient for her feet. "I hate dirt. I get my information from respectable and unsuspecting sources, it is the least I have to do in order to get their favor. Ah, I remember a politician once..." Murao started to reminisce with a blush as she headed to the dresses and opened a drawer, revealing all of her make up and care collection. "And I have noticed that you hide your form to others. Why is that?" She curiously questions and signals her partner to sit at the stool next to her. "Close your eyes."

Ryu laughed at Tsuneo, finding his response clever for a change. Alright, truth to be told, Tsuneo wasn't as stupid as he first appeared to be, maybe it was all an act to get ladies? Still, Ryu thinks that's a stupid approach. Even a mute can do better. When Tsuneo asked why he can't speak, Ryu stood silent for a moment, only to later shrug. It still wasn't the time to start revealing his past. He simply smirked, writing down the notebook as they headed to the library: You could read a book about manners. Or, how not to embarrass yourself 101... Maybe... How to cook 101? So many possibilities. Okay, maybe Ryu overdid it a bit there. With a faint snicker, he walked to the erotica novels section and browsed the titles. It was his guilty pleasure.

The sun had set already, surrounding the area in darkness except for a small flame that provided light under a tree. Hijikata was sitting under that very tree, sketching what seemed like a male figure with human characteristics. There was a constant smile on his face, as if he knew the model, with every smudge and draw. Soon, his attention got distracted by an awfully familiar sound. "It can't be..." He uttered, glancing towards the music's source but did not have a clear view because of the trees, his ears perking up. That sound. It was nostalgic. In fact, so nostalgic his jaw hanged open in surpise. Hijikata then stood up and packed his drawing supplies, following the source until he found himself in front of their dorm and Keita, oh Keita, playing with the flute. "That song." He exhaled, his eyes longingly staring at the fox as it reminded him of the forest. "Where did you learn that? It is so beautiful." The music turned him into a statue, he thought if he walked upstairs the boy would stop playing. He didn't want that.

Akashi rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward chuckle to her as he felt uncomfortable around Harumi, mainly because of hair inpairment. He had to be extra careful now, huh? And not obvious enough he knows her condition. "Umm..." Akashi exhaled to her question, watching all the students crowd the area. Uh oh, dangerous. Harumi might bump into someone, he needs a change of plans. "Well, seems like I forgot. I was going to her some cables but I already have some... So uh..." His eyes quickly scanned the area to find a less crowded spot and then discreetly guided Harumi there by her hand. "Maybe... Are you hungry?I - I can cook!" Or at least try to, he thinks to himself, knowing without a doubt his food is going to be shit. Tested, tasted and wasted.

[snowsteinModerator]

Kanaye looked down at her and raised an eyebrow as she grabbed his arm, not that Arisa would be able to see it with his bangs constantly covering his eyes. "You haven't protected me yet little Missy," Kanaye said with a ton of amusement in his voice as he spoke, smiling at her. "I'm sure it's not the best thing to ever happen to you," he said while he shrugged at her question with a playful smile. "What about you? Humans eat, right?" He asked, clearly just being a smart ass. "So, what do you want for dinner?" He asked as he started walking with her to the store. With reapers, they fed off of life force, but they could eat. He at least knew the basics when it came to cooking, he just didn't do it very often. "And why are humans so curious?" Kanaye asked as they arrived at the store. "Keep holding my arm like this and people are going to start thinking we're dating," he teased as he smirked at Arisa, waiting to see Arisa's reaction to his comment. His long, grey hair made him seem a lot older than he actually was so it only made things look even more strange as people were glancing over at the two of them.

Kukiko glanced at the girl with her bright yellow eyes as Murao tucked her hair behind her ear, admiring her features. "Dirt doesn't bother me. What's the most you've ever had to do to get information?" Kukiko asked curiously. Due to having no real experience in the outside world with any race other than her own, she found that her partner raised many questions. "It just seemed logical. I was told that most species are afraid of dragons. Besides, I draw far less attention to myself by hiding my form," she said as she removed her robe and sat down on the stool, her large black wings tucked behind her. "Okay," Kukiko said as she closed her eyes and waited while her scaly tail wrapped around her legs. Her skin was rough, mainly because of it's partial scaly texture and the fact that she lived in a mountain with her parents, her father being a real dragon after all. She quite enjoyed the dark. The shadow was her friend and where she was most comfortable, but she couldn't say that she wouldn't be willing to adapt to a different lifestyle in the long run.

"That's not encouraging. You realize this, right?" Maria asked as the realization that this girl could have just as easily taken her head off came to mind. "I guess I should be happy you didn't have a misfire or we both would be dead," she said with a heavy sigh. Maria's eyes widened before pulling out a pear and shoving it into Minoru's mouth. "Settle down. Movie, snacks, bath or all of the above sounds fine to me. I'm not big on shopping," she said as they walked back to their dorm. "That's a nice song," Maria said as she very quickly realized the calming effect it was having on her partner.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Keita gently lowered the flute as the song came to an end and looked down at Hijikata, tilting his head curiously. He was only on the second floor, so he didn't hesitate as he hopped down, landing on his feet in front of the man. "My father is good friends with the leader of the Isionia tribe. They had given this to him as a gift... some kind of acceptance of their kinship or something," he said as he rubbed his head, not really sure how it all worked. Basically, his father had passed their test and was accepted as one of their tribe is what he was saying. In a way, they were under the protection of the Isionia tribe because of it. Each test was different depending on the tribe, but surviving it was never easy. "My father was the one who taught me some of their songs and whenever I played it I would always hear the tribe join in. I even learned how to sing some of them," he explained, smiling a little as he looked up at Hijikata and implying that he knew a few other songs. "That one was about... Fionnula," he said, putting his finger to his lips as he tried to remember the story. "She was an elf who gave up her immortality for a human she loved and he betrayed her by marrying another woman, so the story is about her journey through it all," he said, his ears laying back and hoping he had got it right. (You can add to that if you want.) His ears perked up again as he closed his eyes with a bright smile. "Are you hungry? Your dinner is probably cold so you'll have to heat it up. I also made the bed for you," he said, spinning around on his heels and heading back up to their room.

Harumi was a little confused when she felt Akashi grab her hand and pulled her along, wondering why they had made the trip here if he didn't need anything. "A little," she said softly at his offer for food, stopping as they walked and glanced into a shop when a blade was being sharpened. She slowly released Akashi's hand as she went into the shop and without even hesitating she picking up a knife off of the counter. "Well, if it isn't my regular from last year," the shop keeper said as he walked over to her, watching as she gently ran her fingers over the blade. It seemed that he knew her. Harumi tilted her head, not looking at the knife. "It's a brittle metal... it would break after a use or two," she said, the shop keeper almost looking surprised. The man smiled and laughed, leaning on the counter. "Always the sharp one. I could never fool you could I? At the shops, we're required to mix faulty items with quality ones to teach the students how to tell the difference. Most never figure it out and will pay for it just because it looks cool or something," he said. Harumi flipped the knife with one hand so she was holding the blade and handed it back to the man who took it and placed it back on the shelf. "Take your time and see if there is anything to your liking," he said, receiving a nod from Harumi as she cautiously wanted the shop, feeling the different items with her hands. The shop keeper turned his attention to Akashi and smiled at the boy. "Names Jack. You must be Harumi's partner. Come here for a moment," he said as he waved for the boy to follow him into the back.

Tsuneo gave the other boy a curious look when he shrugged. He pouted a little and crossed his arms. "Harsh. I never feel embarrassed and I have more manners than my parents. Plus I know how to cook... kind of," he said in an attempt to defend himself a little. He watched as Ryu walked off to look for something, but paid no mind to what it was as he went over to the lore section. There were supposed to be creatures during these tests, so he thought it might not hurt to start studying up on some of them in case they happened to deal with whatever he was researching. He grabbed three books on water, flying and demonic creatures for now, knowing it would take him at least a few days to get through each one since they were pretty thick. As he headed over to the counter to go check them out, he stopped for a brief moment. "... Why not," he said, pulling a fourth book off the shelf and checked them out. Maybe it could be useful in the future after all. He mixed the fourth one between the others and went to go find his partner, scanning the books on the way to Ryu. "Erotica huh? So, quiet guy is a closet perv," he teased with a smirk as he tried to see what Ryu was specifically interested in.

Minoru looked at her partner, confused on what she could have meant by that as she followed the girl. "It's not?" She asked, not fully understanding why when she had accomplished the goal after all. "This is why I like bows. Guns are so complicated," she said, holding her hands behind her back with a smile, acting like it was no big deal. "Mmph..." She whimpered a little, taking a bite of the pear as she pulled it out of her mouth and pouted, looking at Maria as they arrived back at their room. She smiled again and nodded, the song soon coming to an end. "Elves may live in different tribes, but one thing we all share is our love of telling stories through music. It keeps our history alive and is a great way to bring us together. You are lucky to have heard it. Maybe someday I'll bring you to my tribe so you can get the full experience. If you'd like, I can tell you some of our stories later," she said, definately calmed down after hearing it and no where near as hyper as she was earlier as she went into the bathroom to get the water started.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

The book in question that Ryu was reading had the title: Shibari IV: The Young Maiden & The Prince. An epic tale between mortals and BDSM. And it was the 4rth in the series, meaning there were 3 previous releases... Alright, who the fuck writes these books? Or, the proper question should be: What a dumb idiot reads these books. Apparently Ryu is that dumb idiot, all of his collection of obscure novels have cheeky titles. He dares not think how much Tsuneo will tease him if he discovers this. As his partner seemed to have checked out the needed books, Ryu glanced up and then placed a bookmark in the specific page he had stopped reading. Oh, he would definitely read it at home. "Like you don't watch porn. Someone forgot to delete their browser history~" Ryu wrote with a smirk on his notebook, in response to Tsuneo's smart comment and then shrugged. Wait- was that browser history even Tsuneo's? Well, shit. It couldn't be. Ryu mostly used his cellphone to jerk off at the bathroom... not that this information is important. "So, we done here? I wanna go home." He adds under the first line, not admiting he wanted to continue reading his erotica novel.

A soft sigh escaped Murao's lips at Kukiko's question, wondering herself indeed, what is the most she had to do in order to obtain information. "Well, I certainly did not kill anyone if that's what you mean." She replied, applying the creme on her partner's face and then gently massaged the area before moving on to the next. "I have injured men though. There was this closet BDSM politician once that secretely loved women to dominate him." Murao continued, taking the brush and a red eyeshadow as she started to elaborate. "He begged me to make him come, I let him only after getting the information I needed. Oh, he came so much. I don't think I have seen something similar before." Using the brush, she started to softly apply it on Kukiko's eyes and then added a thin but bold layer of red eyeliner with a chuckle. "I think this suits your scales. You have to take good care of yourself, you are a woman. Moreover, the cuter you are, the more men are lured in. Spying is not all about fighting and threatening. You gotta use your girl charms too sometimes. Like, I don't know what they teach you in those mountains but you don't have to live like a caveman." Murao lastly said and offered Kukiko a mirror but not before she ruffled her partner's hair. Ah, so cute. Murao had an image of a tiny lizard in her mind instead of a real dragon. That tiny lizard needed protection, at least in her mind.

"Ah, so you can cook after all!" Arisa exhaled in surprise but could not tell what his expression was as it was hidden by his bangs. Hopefully a happy one. Maybe reapers weren't as bad as fairytales described them, or maybe this reaper was broken or something. Besides, Arisa didn't even know their existance until a day ago. "Oh? Have other humans bothered you, or bombarded you with so many questions or is it just me? Well, it can't be just me, I just voice my thoughts. Everyone has these questions, they are just too shy or scared to ask." Arisa says as they walked to the store, still haven't decided on what to eat. Speaking of food, reapers don't just eat like humans, right? Or do they? Her point finger moved on her lips as she took a moment to think this through and then glanced up Kanaye at his comment about dating. "I am sorry." Arisa quickly replied and let go of his arm as she didn't catch his joke, if it even was a joke, as she couldn't read his thoughts or expressions. She actually thought he was bothered by it, so better safe than sorry. Maybe she had overstepped a few bounderies herself too. "I don't know about the main course but i'd like some pudding." She added in reply to his previous question about food, wanting to change the subject and smiled.

As Harumi dropped his hand and walked off like it was nothing, Akashi tilted his head in both confusion and shock, raising the hand he was previously holding Harumi and stared at it speechless. The blind girl walked into a shop with no struggle, passing through the crowd. The blind girl, he repeats in his mind and then shakes his head in an attempt to get back to his senses before running after her. Maybe she wasn't as helpless as she seemed. "Ri- Right." Akashi muttered under his breath as he watched his partner and the shop owner talk, his mind still blown off by what he had witnessed earlier. Only this time, his thoughts were interrupted but the owner who signaled him to step closer, and so he did. "Huh?" Akashi wondered what he was called for. Was it a stubborn salesman trying to force Akashi into buying something? Was it about being recruited to Jehova's Witnesses. Akashi's mind sure was wild. "Is there something wrong?" Instead, he opted for a simpler and much more reasonable question.

When Keita jumped down from the 2nd floor, Hijikata didn't panic... much. He was used to the animal's nature and the boy sure wasn't human but still... His heart raced for a moment, making a step back for the boy to land. His eyes were filled with sorrow as the boy further explained the flute's source, or the song he was playing, his hand uncounciously moved to the edge of his sword, along with his other, a battle posture he was always making when standing, revealing his violent past (basically imagine Hijikata in this posiiton xD here, here and here). "Only that the elf wasn't a female but a man." Hijikata's eyes fell, adding to the story. "He loved her so much that he sacrificed everything, even his imortality, just to spend the rest of his life with her. He didn't even have seconds thoughts, about his family, friends... lovers." Everytime he mentioned the word her, his hand gripped the sword in anger, his facial expressions however did not show any emotion other than sadness. It was obvious he knew about that tale, and about that man. Perhaps he was the one drawing earlier? "Anyway." He exhales deeply, brushing his bags aside. He had said too much. "Thanks Keita." Hijikata replied with a smile as he caressed the fox's ears and proceeded to walk up their dorm.

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