Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[Luminesa]

Wanting to feel satiated, she immediately cackled madly, and she flew outside to go attack zombies. As more of them began to head for the dorms, she began to use her fire to knock their heads off. The dark energy they released fed her, and made her even wilder. "More! More! I NEED MORE!!!!" she screamed.

Rabbit noticed her from across the battlefield, as they stood with Ash and Idza, and they cocked their head to the side. "...Oh dear...she's not a zombie, but it seems something else has happened to her...Any guesses what happened?" they asked Idza, curiously. They had not seen Catherine's Blood Knights, thus they did not know they were the cause for the sudden drastic change in Ambrosia's behavior.

Idza was glad to see the intrigue. Ash was glad to be lifted, even if it was in a patronizing fashion. The fox then remarked, "Well, it would basically involve phasing a number of humans and zombies into a world where only spirits reside. It can only be done temporarily." Idza walked over to her sword, still ringing in the ears, and twirls it around while looking at horde. She walked to the side, slightly, looking for a straight path.

Idza then noticed the student going crazy. "now that is unexpected," she remarked, "might also be good to take that with me."

"it is a bit difficult for multiple people, but I can most likely supplement her mana, so as to not overload my partner," The fox added. Idza then rushed forward. Her sword at her side, as she shouted a simple one word spell. With the zombies, Rabbit and Ambrosia were also transported.


As the spell's effect was cast, a large green sphere slowly covered many zombies. It wasn't all of them, but it did provide a much more manageable amount. Idza looked at the number of zombies that now reside in the spirit world with her. They were quick to realize they were in a different location. They turned around to see Idza. The calm warrior summoned, with a snap of a finger, three spirit-flames. They seemed stronger now that they were in the spirit world.

She rushed them, slicing three times, with each of the three flames rallying around one of the three slices. She then got closer to three of the zombies, striking them with the butt of her wooden sword, following by a strike with two of her fingers. "fourteen point spirit arts: dragon's prose!" she shouted, and a flood of energy seemed to burst through the zombie. It was the spiritual essence trapped inside the body of one of the zombies. It struck the two zombies that were behind it, destroyed by the energy that was released.

Eight spirit flames carressed the edge of her wooden sword. She sliced in a lateral line, and all of the flames went out and attacked their own zombies independently. Finally enough, there was Ambrosia. Idza had been careful to avoid hurting Ambrosia. She could feel something had infected Ambrosia's aura. "now what you got, Rabbit? Any clue?"

"For Ambrosia?...Ahhhhh, unfortunately, I am at my limit for how much Black Magic I can absorb, so that's a bit of a dilemna in itself...I believe the most we can do is try to track the foreign mana to its owner. I can do that, but if you can do that yourself you are more than welcome to try," Rabbit answered, calmly.

Ambrosia simply stood in front of them, grunting and snarling inhumanely. Being a new vampire, she was still wild and had no clue of any limits to her power, and she was simply waiting for a command that told her to attack either of them. Of course, she was still a coward, however. If Rabbit or Idza chose to attack her, she would almost certainly run in the other direction.

[Prusselanden]

Ignis jumped out of the horde and went over to Rabbit and Idza.
"Um...." she coughed.
Should I do this? What if they find out...?
"...I can expel the dark energy from her." she said reluctantly told them. "Um... of course, if the plot doesn't want it I could go..."

[Saleon]

Ignis jumped out of the horde and went over to Rabbit and Idza.
"Um...." she coughed.
Should I do this? What if they find out...?
"...I can expel the dark energy from her." she said reluctantly told them. "Um... of course, if the plot doesn't want it I could go..."

"well," Ash remarked, "I was going to handle it, but since you asked... that, and dealing with the dark energy that drenched the library got a bunch of black ooze covering my teeth and claws." She had a depressed look on her eyes: whenever she got dirty, she had to take a bath. "I have a knack for purification, but I'll gladly let you try. Might be fun to watch," she added and then she had a slight aside, "what do you mean by 'plot?'"

[Luminesa]

Ignis jumped out of the horde and went over to Rabbit and Idza.
"Um...." she coughed.
Should I do this? What if they find out...?
"...I can expel the dark energy from her." she said reluctantly told them. "Um... of course, if the plot doesn't want it I could go..."

"Go ahead, then, if you want to do it," Rabbit pushed her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We may actually need your help here, if you can help us to heal Ambrosia," they urged her. For once, Ignis wanted to actually help, instead of jumping into the fights at the worst times.

[Prusselanden]

Ignis jumped out of the horde and went over to Rabbit and Idza.
"Um...." she coughed.
Should I do this? What if they find out...?
"...I can expel the dark energy from her." she said reluctantly told them. "Um... of course, if the plot doesn't want it I could go..."

"Go ahead, then, if you want to do it," Rabbit pushed her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We may actually need your help here, if you can help us to heal Ambrosia," they urged her. For once, Ignis wanted to actually help, instead of jumping into the fights at the worst times.

She looked at the dark energy and sighed. "You won't freak out about how I do it?"
She was honestly worried if the two saw her demonic characteristics, she would get kicked out of Mana or even worse, killed.
"I...'m not so sure about this..."

[Saleon]

"Go ahead, then, if you want to do it," Rabbit pushed her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We may actually need your help here, if you can help us to heal Ambrosia," they urged her. For once, Ignis wanted to actually help, instead of jumping into the fights at the worst times.

She looked at the dark energy and sighed. "You won't freak out about how I do it?"
She was honestly worried if the two saw her demonic characteristics, she would get kicked out of Mana or even worse, killed.
"I...'m not so sure about this..."

"why would we be mad?" Idza consoled, "err, aren't you a teacher? You can do it." The cold warrior had a face that seemed to be like ice, and no matter the heat, there is nothing to melt it. Ash merely walked over to Ignis, "boy, we wouldn't care if your aura was black as a demon... you care for others, don't you? That is enough for Idza." The calm warrior did notice that Ash was being a little tongue and cheek, she was likely referring to the dark aspect that seemed to linger around Ignis's aura. It was the lightest things that Ash and Idza were keen on,especially when their forte was the spirit world.

[New Antonalia]

Johann Faust

The cold feeling did not go away as Johann unpacked his bags into his room. He was rooming alone and thus had the whole room to spread out, but didn't feel the need to, as he had packed rather spartenly. As he unpacked, he could sense something was amiss over at the library and immediately left to investigate. By the time he had arrived there, he could definitely tell that something had gone terribly wrong. Zombies littered the area, some were still shambling on, most were dead, if not about to die. "Hmph, I got myself worked up over nothing." He thought before he saw a group of students on the far side of the horde, a thick black aura emanating from one of them. "Not good. If this is demonic, then that could entirely ruin my plan. It must die, I can't let anything stand in my way." He said walking into the horde, deflecting any attacks the zombies used on him. His eyes fixed on the group, he pulled a little silver case out of his pocket and took a little red pill from it. Popping the pill in his mouth and biting down hard, Johann slit both his wrists to allow blood to flow freely. He wasn't worried he'd bleed out, the pill enhanced his ability to produce blood for a short time, all he needed to do was end the threat before it was too late. He could feel the pill work as he shaped his blood into daggers, he could also feel a strong burst of aura from within him as well as his aura change to a crimson red. "I can't be stopped now." He said to himself. "I CAN'T" He yelled, sending a barrage of daggers towards the group.

[New Communist and Socialist Unions]

Johann Faust

The cold feeling did not go away as Johann unpacked his bags into his room. He was rooming alone and thus had the whole room to spread out, but didn't feel the need to, as he had packed rather spartenly. As he unpacked, he could sense something was amiss over at the library and immediately left to investigate. By the time he had arrived there, he could definitely tell that something had gone terribly wrong. Zombies littered the area, some were still shambling on, most were dead, if not about to die. "Hmph, I got myself worked up over nothing." He thought before he saw a group of students on the far side of the horde, a thick black aura emanating from one of them. "Not good. If this is demonic, then that could entirely ruin my plan. It must die, I can't let anything stand in my way." He said walking into the horde, deflecting any attacks the zombies used on him. His eyes fixed on the group, he pulled a little silver case out of his pocket and took a little red pill from it. Popping the pill in his mouth and biting down hard, Johann slit both his wrists to allow blood to flow freely. He wasn't worried he'd bleed out, the pill enhanced his ability to produce blood for a short time, all he needed to do was end the threat before it was too late. He could feel the pill work as he shaped his blood into daggers, he could also feel a strong burst of aura from within him as well as his aura change to a crimson red. "I can't be stopped now." He said to himself. "I CAN'T" He yelled, sending a barrage of daggers towards the group.

Alain Toth

A stroke of fate and a pint of luck was all that Alain needed, and he encountered the same weird kid he saw at the entrance. The adolescent was really getting bored looking for new students at the Academy's entryway, and thus, he went around to find something else to do, and this was exactly the something that he wanted. Alain then rushed past the increasing zombie horde and laid a hand on the new student, "Don't..." that was all that Alain said, a plain, blunt, and simple don't laced with massive amounts of fear. "It's suicide," the cynical student said with empathy, "Just go and do something else, this is for the higher ups to handle."

[Luminesa]

"Go ahead, then, if you want to do it," Rabbit pushed her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We may actually need your help here, if you can help us to heal Ambrosia," they urged her. For once, Ignis wanted to actually help, instead of jumping into the fights at the worst times.

She looked at the dark energy and sighed. "You won't freak out about how I do it?"
She was honestly worried if the two saw her demonic characteristics, she would get kicked out of Mana or even worse, killed.
"I...'m not so sure about this..."

"Go ahead, Ignis. If you have something you want to try, go ahead and give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll find another way, hm? No worries. Let's just see what you've got," Rabbit urged her on. They wanted to get back to the human world, before Lyn, Virgo, and the zombies took over the school.

[Rhomaia]

In the Forbidden Wing of the library, the locked mage continued to empower his spell. If one saw Richard right now, they would be terrified. The black hair of the boy was almost inexistent by now, and pieces of his flesh were falling off his body.

His face now was thinner as it could be, with the rotting flash showing his chin bone in one side, while in the other one the muscles around the eye were exposed. However, the same smile remained in his face as pleasant images were inserted in his head.

His voice was completely different, as the process of absorption also affected his vocal chords. He was only a shadow of the boy he once was, while in his mind he was being admired by his secret love, Ambrosia.

All of this was for one simple reason: Out of the library, a gross giant monster appeared. It was a mix of Frankenstein and zombies, with multiple arms in his torso and small heads protuberating out of its shoulders, while his face had deformities and asymmetrical eyes completed the monstrosity that now roamed the Academy grounds.

Basil Smith

He calmly entered the infirmary, a cup of tea in his hand, of which he slowly drank while talking with Ruta.

"I believe that you are Antonius Ruta, correct? See, I was enjoying the nice, refreshing nocturnal air which this wonderful lake provides us, while appreciating the wonderful quality if this tea my wife recommended me, I have to thank for that. See, I'm not a British, but she is, so I took part in this habit... Anyway, I'm diverging from the main point. Thing is, there are zombies disturbing such wonderful scenery, and I think we should do something about it."

Antonius Ruta

Ruta had been keeping watch over Kasumi for the few minutes that she had been residing in the infirmary, and it had barely taken him half that time in his fatigued state to comprehend and gather information as to what was currently transpiring on the island. The Academy was under attack, and he was neglecting his duty as sentry to protect the school in favor of one girl, something which a Jaegar would normally be reprimanded for due to the fact such actions clashed directly with their ideals of 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'.

Once he saw that Professor Randzgriz had her taken care of, Ruta turned to see the mustached Professor Smith standing on the sidelines as he did and drinking a cup of tea as if he had all the time in the world. If this had been a normal conversation, the old hunter would likely have gotten annoyed and stormed off, but the magnitude of the situation at hand forced him to act otherwise.

"You're right, but it looks like some of the students beat us to the punch." the black robed Professor responded, smiling only slightly at the remark. "For the sake of this island staying afloat and preserving your scenery, we should be off."

[Kingdom of Irhk]

In the Forbidden Wing of the library, the locked mage continued to empower his spell. If one saw Richard right now, they would be terrified. The black hair of the boy was almost inexistent by now, and pieces of his flesh were falling off his body.

His face now was thinner as it could be, with the rotting flash showing his chin bone in one side, while in the other one the muscles around the eye were exposed. However, the same smile remained in his face as pleasant images were inserted in his head.

His voice was completely different, as the process of absorption also affected his vocal chords. He was only a shadow of the boy he once was, while in his mind he was being admired by his secret love, Ambrosia.

All of this was for one simple reason: Out of the library, a gross giant monster appeared. It was a mix of Frankenstein and zombies, with multiple arms in his torso and small heads protuberating out of its shoulders, while his face had deformities and asymmetrical eyes completed the monstrosity that now roamed the Academy grounds.

Basil Smith

He calmly entered the infirmary, a cup of tea in his hand, of which he slowly drank while talking with Ruta.

"I believe that you are Antonius Ruta, correct? See, I was enjoying the nice, refreshing nocturnal air which this wonderful lake provides us, while appreciating the wonderful quality if this tea my wife recommended me, I have to thank for that. See, I'm not a British, but she is, so I took part in this habit... Anyway, I'm diverging from the main point. Thing is, there are zombies disturbing such wonderful scenery, and I think we should do something about it."

Antonius Ruta

Ruta had been keeping watch over Kasumi for the few minutes that she had been residing in the infirmary, and it had barely taken him half that time in his fatigued state to comprehend and gather information as to what was currently transpiring on the island. The Academy was under attack, and he was neglecting his duty as sentry to protect the school in favor of one girl, something which a Jaegar would normally be reprimanded for due to the fact such actions clashed directly with their ideals of 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'.

Once he saw that Professor Randzgriz had her taken care of, Ruta turned to see the mustached Professor Smith standing on the sidelines as he did and drinking a cup of tea as if he had all the time in the world. If this had been a normal conversation, the old hunter would likely have gotten annoyed and stormed off, but the magnitude of the situation at hand forced him to act otherwise.

"You're right, but it looks like some of the students beat us to the punch." the black robed Professor responded, smiling only slightly at the remark. "For the sake of this island staying afloat and preserving your scenery, we should be off."

Basil Smith

"Sure."

He left the cup of tea in a nearby table, and followed Ruta through the hallways. The extravagance of Basil, who was wearing a bright green robe with purple details, made a contrast with the quieter, more reserved Professor Ruta. While passing his hand through his face and mustache, he finally described the scene.

"Well, let me see.. In the Library, there is a masked one along with another teacher I don't know the name, along with some other students. However, I think you should see a certain lava armored student facing what seems to be one antagonist in this situation, who is actually wearing a black armor who seems to be made of dark energy. In the other conflict, we have three students facing off another one of our antagonists, but this one is a female. Oh, and you should now that one of the said students casted a shadow army, if I may describe it that way."

[Prusselanden]

She looked at the dark energy and sighed. "You won't freak out about how I do it?"
She was honestly worried if the two saw her demonic characteristics, she would get kicked out of Mana or even worse, killed.
"I...'m not so sure about this..."

"Go ahead, Ignis. If you have something you want to try, go ahead and give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll find another way, hm? No worries. Let's just see what you've got," Rabbit urged her on. They wanted to get back to the human world, before Lyn, Virgo, and the zombies took over the school.

She looked around. "....Alright." she went over to Ambrosia and sighed. She glared at the dark force that was now possessing her.
"I can see you so why don't you get out of her?" She growled at the dark force.
"Well?" She made her demonic aura bigger and bigger, showing she was the dominant one here, and if it didn't back off, it could end up in serious trouble.

[Luminesa]

"Go ahead, Ignis. If you have something you want to try, go ahead and give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll find another way, hm? No worries. Let's just see what you've got," Rabbit urged her on. They wanted to get back to the human world, before Lyn, Virgo, and the zombies took over the school.

She looked around. "....Alright." she went over to Ambrosia and sighed. She glared at the dark force that was now possessing her.
"I can see you so why don't you get out of her?" She growled at the dark force.
"Well?" She made her demonic aura bigger and bigger, showing she was the dominant one here, and if it didn't back off, it could end up in serious trouble.

Intimidated, Ambrosia hissed and backed away, holding up two hands full of now-black fire, as she did so. "Stay away...from me...I'm not coming...with you...I DO NOT BELONG TO YOU, OR ANY OF YOU!!!!" she roared, flashing her newly-sharpened canines, as she spat at them. Even as cowardly as she was, she was still frightening to look at.

[Chrome Legion]

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


Again Legion's voice spoke in Ambrosia's mind. "That's right child, you are mine. That is the price you pay for you new power, for your now eternal youth. The ravages of age shall never touch you, and for that you are beholden to my will. Leave them, come to my side."

The other blood knights continued their duties. They cut down the undead trying to swarm over the school, and stopped any from coming to Lyn's aid.

[Prusselanden]

She looked around. "....Alright." she went over to Ambrosia and sighed. She glared at the dark force that was now possessing her.
"I can see you so why don't you get out of her?" She growled at the dark force.
"Well?" She made her demonic aura bigger and bigger, showing she was the dominant one here, and if it didn't back off, it could end up in serious trouble.

Intimidated, Ambrosia hissed and backed away, holding up two hands full of now-black fire, as she did so. "Stay away...from me...I'm not coming...with you...I DO NOT BELONG TO YOU, OR ANY OF YOU!!!!" she roared, flashing her newly-sharpened canines, as she spat at them. Even as cowardly as she was, she was still frightening to look at.

Ignis hissed louder.
"I've faced rabid tiger demons before. You don't scare me one bit." She ran up to her and bit into her shoulder, hoping to expel the darkness from her body if it realized she was meaning serious business. Dark characters began to appear on and blaze on her body and her eyes glowed a light blue. "I'm not afraid of destroying this body of yours and I will not stop until you yourself are destroyed. Flee into anything you want, I will find you and I will kill you."

[Luminesa]

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


Again Legion's voice spoke in Ambrosia's mind. "That's right child, you are mine. That is the price you pay for you new power, for your now eternal youth. The ravages of age shall never touch you, and for that you are beholden to my will. Leave them, come to my side."

The other blood knights continued their duties. They cut down the undead trying to swarm over the school, and stopped any from coming to Lyn's aid.

She heard the voice as Ignis bit into her shoulder. She freaked-out when she saw Ignis's eyes glowing, and then she pulled away. "I MUST LEAVE NOW. I WON'T LET YOU CONTROL ME!!!" she screamed at Ignis. She then suddenly disappeared in a whisp of fire.

Rabbit watched her leave, and then grabbed Ignis by the shoulder, before she could tumble forward. "It seems she is out of our control for now. Come. Let's get back to our world and finish these zombies. Then we can go fight Lyn and end all of this," they suggested. They then turned back to Idza, expecting her to take them back to the human world.

[Prusselanden]

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


Again Legion's voice spoke in Ambrosia's mind. "That's right child, you are mine. That is the price you pay for you new power, for your now eternal youth. The ravages of age shall never touch you, and for that you are beholden to my will. Leave them, come to my side."

The other blood knights continued their duties. They cut down the undead trying to swarm over the school, and stopped any from coming to Lyn's aid.

She heard the voice as Ignis bit into her shoulder. She freaked-out when she saw Ignis's eyes glowing, and then she pulled away. "I MUST LEAVE NOW. I WON'T LET YOU CONTROL ME!!!" she screamed at Ignis. She then suddenly disappeared in a whisp of fire.

Rabbit watched her leave, and then grabbed Ignis by the shoulder, before she could tumble forward. "It seems she is out of our control for now. Come. Let's get back to our world and finish these zombies. Then we can go fight Lyn and end all of this," they suggested. They then turned back to Idza, expecting her to take them back to the human world.

Her eyes came back to normal and the characters disappeared when she felt Rabbit grip her shoulder. She looked at Rabbit, bewildered.
"....You're not scared? Not a bit?" This was the first time a human ever didn't try to run or kill her after seeing her enraged form.

[Luminesa]

She heard the voice as Ignis bit into her shoulder. She freaked-out when she saw Ignis's eyes glowing, and then she pulled away. "I MUST LEAVE NOW. I WON'T LET YOU CONTROL ME!!!" she screamed at Ignis. She then suddenly disappeared in a whisp of fire.

Rabbit watched her leave, and then grabbed Ignis by the shoulder, before she could tumble forward. "It seems she is out of our control for now. Come. Let's get back to our world and finish these zombies. Then we can go fight Lyn and end all of this," they suggested. They then turned back to Idza, expecting her to take them back to the human world.

Her eyes came back to normal and the characters disappeared when she felt Rabbit grip her shoulder. She looked at Rabbit, bewildered.
"....You're not scared? Not a bit?" This was the first time a human ever didn't try to run or kill her after seeing her enraged form.

"Absolutely not. You're perhaps the least intimidating teacher in this school, to be completely honest...which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But anyway, we do need to leave. We can talk about this later, hm? Right now our school is still in danger of becoming the set for 'The Night of the Living Dead'," Rabbit explained, with a laugh.

[Prusselanden]

Her eyes came back to normal and the characters disappeared when she felt Rabbit grip her shoulder. She looked at Rabbit, bewildered.
"....You're not scared? Not a bit?" This was the first time a human ever didn't try to run or kill her after seeing her enraged form.

"Absolutely not. You're perhaps the least intimidating teacher in this school, to be completely honest...which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But anyway, we do need to leave. We can talk about this later, hm? Right now our school is still in danger of becoming the set for 'The Night of the Living Dead'," Rabbit explained, with a laugh.

She laughed as well.
"Well don't worry, at least they're easy to kill! If I can kill more than 15 with my fire attacks, they should be complete wimps then! Alright, let's go and kick some zombie ass! By the way, where did they all come from? A comveniently nearby graveyard? Every single person who drowned in Lake Superior?

[Razzgriz]

Looking down at it, she mused, "I see only with my eyes now, but I would assume that there is purpose behind all of this." Looking back up, she did as she was instructed, her hands shaking slightly as she followed orders in a robotic manner. "The lies we tell about are the ones we begin to believe... but, to be perfectly honest, I doubt I have understood any word that's come from you since we met."

"I see, well at least you're regaining some of your consciousness and be careful not to drink it all in one go we need it to last until you can give me a clear picture of your condition." Gently holding the girl's hand to make sure she wouldn't drink it all by mistake he continued " Sorry for the misunderstanding. How about we start with your name and gradually work our way to your reason being here." he stated, slowly taking the vial and awaiting her response.

[Luminesa]

"Absolutely not. You're perhaps the least intimidating teacher in this school, to be completely honest...which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But anyway, we do need to leave. We can talk about this later, hm? Right now our school is still in danger of becoming the set for 'The Night of the Living Dead'," Rabbit explained, with a laugh.

She laughed as well.
"Well don't worry, at least they're easy to kill! If I can kill more than 15 with my fire attacks, they should be complete wimps then! Alright, let's go and kick some zombie ass! By the way, where did they all come from? A comveniently nearby graveyard? Every single person who drowned in Lake Superior?

"...Noooo, one of Lynefleur's servants summoned the zombies by using the Old Earth Tome...and I certainly hope there's not that many people buried in Lake Superior. People do fish there, after all," Rabbit answered, slowly. "And I also hope that there are no graveyards that big on this campus...what, with all of the Black Magic that is already at work..."

[Charlia]

Looking down at it, she mused, "I see only with my eyes now, but I would assume that there is purpose behind all of this." Looking back up, she did as she was instructed, her hands shaking slightly as she followed orders in a robotic manner. "The lies we tell about are the ones we begin to believe... but, to be perfectly honest, I doubt I have understood any word that's come from you since we met."

"I see, well at least you're regaining some of your consciousness and be careful not to drink it all in one go we need it to last until you can give me a clear picture of your condition." Gently holding the girl's hand to make sure she wouldn't drink it all by mistake he continued " Sorry for the misunderstanding. How about we start with your name and gradually work our way to your reason being here." he stated, slowly taking the vial and awaiting her response.

"...My name..." Kasumi mused. "If I made any more sense, I'd go mad. Then they'd call me wise. But my name... is..."

Her brow furrowed, and she thought deeply.

"...I can't recall," she said abruptly. "There are names in my mind, a lot of them, but I don't know which one is mine. I've forgotten. And I just can't remember... Are you unaware of what you have forgotten?"

---

Natalie was starting to feel... less than good.

After Lyn had basically just waved off all her attacks, she'd gone back to chomping zombies, but felt more like she was eating lead weights. She'd wanted to help, but there was nothing.

She'd been so useless.


She hadn't felt so useless in a long time... not since...


Her eyes filled with tears, even though she was still in her odd caterpillar form. It was hard to think about her girl without crying. That was the worst time of Natalie's 'life', watching helplessly as the girl she loved, her best friend, her only friend, suffered through so much. Things that Natalie didn't understand, but that she knew were awful from the muffled wails she heard each night, every time her girl tried to sleep, but the nightmares wouldn't let her. Things she knew were awful because of the hollow emptiness she saw in once-sparkling blue eyes, the deadness in a voice that she remembered being happy and lively. The broken way her girl went about life, looking almost as if she wasn't really there.

Natalie was different, too. She always felt different. Darker. Sadder. Like there was a deep, heavy pain in what passed for the little ragdoll's chest, like someone had stabbed her right through her tiny cotton heart.

She didn't understand it.

She hated it.

She wished she could help her girl. She was crying, sobbing into her pillow, every single night, but Natalie couldn't help her. She couldn't even talk to her. She couldn't even hug her.

Why couldn't she at least give her poor girl a hug?!

It wasn't fair.

She'd never done anything wrong, and she was hurting so much, and the only friend she had left in the world couldn't even give her a hug. All the little doll could do was stay with her girl, and soak up her tears.

Now that she'd been granted another life, she wished she could see her girl again.

So she could talk to her.

All she wanted to say was, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry for every minute I spent watching you suffer and not doing anything to stop it.

For every minute you had to cry alone.

And thank you.

For not hating me for being useless.

For being my best friend.

For being so brave for so long.

For being the wonderful girl you always were.

She didn't know how many times she'd said that to emptiness.

Wishing her girl could hear her.

Her girl.

Same red hair... same blue eyes... same voice. Only colder. Like melting ice and teardrops. It hurt.

The way she looked. The way she talked. So much love, but so much pain, and Natalie hated how much pain there was in her soul.

And the way she smiled.

Like some rare flower that only bloomed in winter.

She always smiled like she was about to cry.

But there was nothing Natalie could do.


Just like now. All she was good for was little things. She couldn't help anyone, not really. All she could do was pointless little tasks that were just made worthless sooner or later.

The caterpillar-like creature continued to bite off zombie heads, but her heart wasn't in it.

Her heart was somewhere else.

Somewhere with two happy redheaded girls--her girl and Mama--and lots and lots of cheese. Somewhere that she could be with the two people she cared about most and be happy forever and ever and never have to see either of them cry again.

Natalie's idea of heaven.

[Razzgriz]

"...My name..." Kasumi mused. "If I made any more sense, I'd go mad. Then they'd call me wise. But my name... is..."

Her brow furrowed, and she thought deeply.

"...I can't recall," she said abruptly. "There are names in my mind, a lot of them, but I don't know which one is mine. I've forgotten. And I just can't remember... Are you unaware of what you have forgotten?"

---

Natalie was starting to feel... less than good.

After Lyn had basically just waved off all her attacks, she'd gone back to chomping zombies, but felt more like she was eating lead weights. She'd wanted to help, but there was nothing.

She'd been so useless.


She hadn't felt so useless in a long time... not since...


Her eyes filled with tears, even though she was still in her odd caterpillar form. It was hard to think about her girl without crying. That was the worst time of Natalie's 'life', watching helplessly as the girl she loved, her best friend, her only friend, suffered through so much. Things that Natalie didn't understand, but that she knew were awful from the muffled wails she heard each night, every time her girl tried to sleep, but the nightmares wouldn't let her. Things she knew were awful because of the hollow emptiness she saw in once-sparkling blue eyes, the deadness in a voice that she remembered being happy and lively. The broken way her girl went about life, looking almost as if she wasn't really there.

Natalie was different, too. She always felt different. Darker. Sadder. Like there was a deep, heavy pain in what passed for the little ragdoll's chest, like someone had stabbed her right through her tiny cotton heart.

She didn't understand it.

She hated it.

She wished she could help her girl. She was crying, sobbing into her pillow, every single night, but Natalie couldn't help her. She couldn't even talk to her. She couldn't even hug her.

Why couldn't she at least give her poor girl a hug?!

It wasn't fair.

She'd never done anything wrong, and she was hurting so much, and the only friend she had left in the world couldn't even give her a hug. All the little doll could do was stay with her girl, and soak up her tears.

Now that she'd been granted another life, she wished she could see her girl again.

So she could talk to her.

All she wanted to say was, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry for every minute I spent watching you suffer and not doing anything to stop it.

For every minute you had to cry alone.

And thank you.

For not hating me for being useless.

For being my best friend.

For being so brave for so long.

For being the wonderful girl you always were.

She didn't know how many times she'd said that to emptiness.

Wishing her girl could hear her.

Her girl.

Same red hair... same blue eyes... same voice. Only colder. Like melting ice and teardrops. It hurt.

The way she looked. The way she talked. So much love, but so much pain, and Natalie hated how much pain there was in her soul.

And the way she smiled.

Like some rare flower that only bloomed in winter.

She always smiled like she was about to cry.

But there was nothing Natalie could do.


Just like now. All she was good for was little things. She couldn't help anyone, not really. All she could do was pointless little tasks that were just made worthless sooner or later.

The caterpillar-like creature continued to bite off zombie heads, but her heart wasn't in it.

Her heart was somewhere else.

Somewhere with two happy redheaded girls--her girl and Mama--and lots and lots of cheese. Somewhere that she could be with the two people she cared about most and be happy forever and ever and never have to see either of them cry again.

Natalie's idea of heaven.

John leaned forward propping his arms on the bed to make an artificial stand to rest his head as he stared at the girl with concern. "Can't remember your own name huh? Tell me.... Miss.. would you have happened to be on medication of some sort prior to this condition you're in now? If so this could explain things, but if not... I am afraid we're stuck back at square 1.....Not that we have made much progress anyway"

Leaning back in his chair, John never took his eyes of the girl even as he took a sip of water from the glass that sat near his feet. This just isn't normal......then again I guess I should be used to things like this based off what I've experienced. he though to himself as he handed the girl the vial again. "Let's hope this will be enough to help you remember the answer to this question." he said with a grin.

[Charlia]

"...My name..." Kasumi mused. "If I made any more sense, I'd go mad. Then they'd call me wise. But my name... is..."

Her brow furrowed, and she thought deeply.

"...I can't recall," she said abruptly. "There are names in my mind, a lot of them, but I don't know which one is mine. I've forgotten. And I just can't remember... Are you unaware of what you have forgotten?"
John leaned forward propping his arms on the bed to make an artificial stand to rest his head as he stared at the girl with concern. "Can't remember your own name huh? Tell me.... Miss.. would you have happened to be on medication of some sort prior to this condition you're in now? If so this could explain things, but if not... I am afraid we're stuck back at square 1.....Not that we have made much progress anyway"

Leaning back in his chair, John never took his eyes of the girl even as he took a sip of water from the glass that sat near his feet. This just isn't normal......then again I guess I should be used to things like this based off what I've experienced. he though to himself as he handed the girl the vial again. "Let's hope this will be enough to help you remember the answer to this question." he said with a grin.

She shuddered briefly, not because of any external stimulus but simply because... she did.

"...Yes," she said slowly. "I took large amounts of emotional suppressants in order to... well... to suppress my emotions. However, they disappeared recently and I was unable to find them."

Her explanation sounded remarkably lucid.

[Prusselanden]

She laughed as well.
"Well don't worry, at least they're easy to kill! If I can kill more than 15 with my fire attacks, they should be complete wimps then! Alright, let's go and kick some zombie ass! By the way, where did they all come from? A comveniently nearby graveyard? Every single person who drowned in Lake Superior?

"...Noooo, one of Lynefleur's servants summoned the zombies by using the Old Earth Tome...and I certainly hope there's not that many people buried in Lake Superior. People do fish there, after all," Rabbit answered, slowly. "And I also hope that there are no graveyards that big on this campus...what, with all of the Black Magic that is already at work..."

She shifted and hissed.
"Well, if there was one, we'd definitely know right?" Ignis wiped her forehead nervously.