School Daze

Participants:

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Scene Title School Daze
Synopsis What started out as a Lunch period…well, there's confrontations, embarassment, catty comments, playing hooky, attention-getting, and something about a bathroom and bizarre mirror creatues. :)

Cafeteria - James Madison High - New York City

// The cafeteria has all the comforts and amenities of any other high school cafeteria, crappy food, surly lunch ladies and lots of sticky stuff on the floor to get on your shoes. The walls are painted a light blue on the lower half and a yellow on the upper half, an attempt at some kind of artistic two-tone appearance. In some locations, the walls have been re-painted with student murals as part of art projects with interesting pictures and designs, as well as some things that are just plain weird.

The Cafeteria is arguably one of the largest areas in the school, easily able to accommodate a thousand starving young teenagers, all vying for their favorite tables and so called best spots. Row after row of sturdy wooden tables occupy one end of the cafeteria, with matching chairs that look like they might be from the eighties or nineties, while the other half of the cafeteria is filled with sturdier more modernized thick plastic tables and newer, less dingy seats, making this side of the room, a far more desirable and trendy place to sit.

There are an assortment of vending machines with different brand of soft drinks ranging from coca-cola products to pepsi-cola products, as well as snack machines and even a row of microwaves for the students who bring lunch from home. Past the vending machines, the cafeteria proper ends as it moves into the area filled with the various assortment of less then home cooked meals available to students, all served up with a grin and a smile. Mystery meat anyone?
//


The public high school lunch room. One of the true bastions of social inequality. Where you sit or are allowed to sit dictates everything about your status both at school and afterwards, among other high schoolers. Some enter with anticipation, but most enter with hesitation and even terror. Life is not fair in that room. Also, the food usually sucks.

Dion's never particularly enjoyed the cafeteria, no matter what school he was attending. When you look like he does, and behave as he does, it's not a surprise when you end up sitting either alone or with all the other 'bottom-rungs'. Not that there aren't people who will talk to him - and even like him - among members of other social strata. He does get along with a number of the cheerleaders when in the right setting, after all. There's just acceptable times and places to talk to him, and this is not it.

Today, however, Dion plans for that to change. Mostly, because in light of certain changes to his own life, he's really come to understand that these people are for the most part completely beneath him. Some attitude over the whole son of a god thing? Yes. And fine with that. He 'arrives', as it were, pushing open the door to make his entrance, and makes himself the Center of Attention. So much of being 'cool' is knowing you are, and after the week and weekend he's had? He knows it, and he's not going to shy away from it. His body language says to the room 'Move aside, peons.' Oh, dear. Well, at least if he has to have an ego, he has a legitimate reason for it.

And Dion isn't the only one with an attitude change, and for similar reasons. Not only has Freida found out that she's the daughter of a god, she's also met her divine half-sister, and (best of all) got a makeover. Her fellow classmates probably won't even recognize the girl who enters the room. She's clean, her face is clear, her hair is arranged in a style that accentuates its dark waviness, and she's wearing a low cut blouse, short skirt, and heels. She's even got on makeup and jewelry (though the dog necklace is a little odd). She struts into the room, one hand on her hip, confident, a cruel tilt to her lips.

Richard's been getting his fair share of attention lately as well from the school's population, that bad-boy mystique kicked up to eleven — even despite the fact that lately he's been even more aloof and standoffish than usual, a hint of aggression lingering about him like a predator that's just biding its time. Unusual for him, he's been giving a bit of protection to the younger kids being bullied as usual in the high school clique chain.

His attitude hasn't changed that much, though, and he's still recognizable as he kicks back in his usual corner, chair back and booted feet kicked up on the table, a slice of cafeteria pizza on a plate in his lap. As there's a pair of notable entrances, he looks up—noting Dion with an amused little smile, then pausing as his gaze lands on Freida. Who the hell is that and why hasn't he seen her before?

It's been an okay day for one Neil Elliott. He's gotten to Lunch Period without getting detention, so he is also bloody-nose free since he hasn't gotten into a fight. He usually ends up seeing the lower-social kids being bullied, and runs in to defend. He's already waiting on line; foil wrapped cheeseburger and almost-hot fries waiting behind the lunch counter ahead of him. His weekend involved the usual; work and work, and Saturday detention for that one fight with Arnie last week. Which has left him with not quite enough free time the rest of the weekend, being grounded. At the moment, Neil is writing down things in a small notebook while he waits on line. Milk, eggs, dog food, those bones Sunrise likes so much…

However, the doors open, and like dominoes, faces turns towards the doors, Neil included. He just watches, feeling a little surprised at the sudden edge of quiet that brushes the crowd at the entrances. Somewhere in his head, there's that…ringing. Like he's about to get another headache; they've been coming more often lately, but he hasn't seen a doctor yet.

Sneaking from one school to another is hard! But considering her school is mostly dancing all the time with half the time spent on academics, she's playing hooky from calculus and physics once more. Why? she has Pei-Pei to make sure she has help afterall. Gayle heads into the cafeteria, wrinkling her nose as she still wears her ballet shoes from her previous class as she looks for familiar faces..

Matthew is sitting where he always has, amongst the jocks and other associated popular sorts. If his attitude has changed of late it's not showing at all, he's continuing to eat heartily and wisecrack with the friends. He seems in decent enough spirits though, words being exchanged and another school put down on general principle. It's life and it's a good one darn it! He turns his attention as others do, staring for a moment before shaking his head and trying to get his tablemates back on topic. He's failing. A frustated exhalation and head shake leaves his gaze tumbling across Gayle and with a wave he invites her over.

The smile on Dion's face says all that attention feels very good. Not that he didn't get attention before, but it was a very different sort, and often involved lockers or slushies. Now though, eyes are on him for a different reason. He's changed. He looks around him with a bit of a toss of his head, looking for the people he considers 'in'. They gets smiles, though he also frowns some at Matthew. After only a few moments of getting the lay of the land, as it were, he starts towards the table he wants. It's not one inhabited by the most popular, or the least. It's just the most central, and he very much give the impression that he will be choosing who's permitted to sit there.

It does take Dion a moment to recognize Freida. That is quite a change for her, after all. He grins brightly and draws her along with him is she's willing. "See? What have I been telling you? Don't you feel *so* much better?" Then, "Hey, wait! Where was *I* when you were doing all of this?" He gestures to all of her. "How could you let me miss it?" It's a friendly sort of chastisement, though.

Freida gets an eyeful of Dion, and some of that self-confidence falters, for just a moment. She's got a huge crush on him, afterall, and he's just moved from awesome to Awesome, somehow. He pulls her into his circle, and she…smiles. Something that never happens. "Hi, Dion. Well, I took your advice, isn't that enough? Next time I'll take pictures."

Richard blinks, twice. Wait, is that— holy shit, it is. The teenager's boots fall one then the other from the table's edge, hitting the floor before he rolls himself up to his feet; plate cradled easily in his hand as he strolls along around the table, sauntering with that casual, near-predatory grace he's unconsciously adopted in recent days to head over towards the the table that Dion's heading for, apparently considering himself welcome to join him.

"Hey, Neon," he greets in casual tones as he draws closer, "Freaky. Lookin' good. What's the word?"

"Matty Matt Matt!" Gayle chirps merrily as she wrinkles her nose and lets out a happy giggle and a wriggle of her fingers as she heads towards nhis way. On the way there, she tries to sneak up behind Neil to jump on his back as she playfully ruffles his hair. "Long time no see, stranger!" she chirps.

The grocery list is forgotten as Neil brings up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Stupid weird headaches. He shakes hie head, shoving the notebook back into his back and scowling. This lets him take his eyes off the entering pair…he's not even sure who they are, but he's not all that keen on who's who lately. He looks to the lunch line, which has not yet moved, and feels his stomach growl. Working out a grocery list while hungry? Bad idea. He considers ditching it for chips and a soda, and steps out of line, where the void he's left fills quickly with chattering people. He looks up…and stops. His lips go white as he presses them together as he sees Richard, and he slowly starts stepping in the rebe;'s direction.

At least, that's where Neil starts to go, and then all of a sudden he's nabbed from behind. His eyebrows lift as he turns. "Gayle? Gayle Ha?" He flashes a smile that is usually easygoing, but his mind is elsewhere. The smile, while honest for the young lady, doesn't quite touch his eyes. "Hey. Wow, I never see you around. Don't you have some special dance school these days?"

"You're happy" Matthew says towards Gayle, rolling his eyes as the conversation at the table nearby continues to excite. "And here. Why are you happy and here? Something happen?" Her wild leaping attacks on people is taken in stride. She does things like that, being all terribly violent and fearsome.

Dion, of course, remains oblivious. Poor Freida. He also remains almost gushing about her makeover. "You did! You do!" he replies as they get to the table he wants, and then he's looking at those already seated there with an expectent expression. They get the hint. Sure, he's girly and therefore a complete wimp, but Richard and Freida are scary. Sure, Freida might be less so at the moment, but in some ways the sudden change is even more disturbing. Whatever's the final straw, the table is quickly emptied.

As he encourages Freida to take a seat next to him, Dion turns to give Richard a smile. "Isn't she? Now maybe she won't complain so much when I try to get her out for a mani/pedi." Of course, he doesn't seem to mind Richard's assumption that he's welcome. He obviously is. He looks around again at the room and those in it, for others he's going to deign to invite, and watches Gayle ane her menfolk for a moment.

"I'm supposed to be there, technically. But ya know, I'm there for dance. Physics II, bah. Calculus, not that difficult. So I decided to play hooky. The only class I have after that is my "internship" at Juilliard.." Gayle happily replies with her finger quotes around internship. "It's another class as part of their pre-college program, but I don't have lessons till later tonight.." when she gets to hang out with her college beau. Huzzah! Still, she offers Neil and squeezy hug and beams brightly before letting go.

"We totally need to catch nup, but I gotta grab Matt!" she continues, bouncing on over as she says hi to the various other kids at the table with Matthew. She eases on down next to the jock and raises her brows at Dion and company. "I didn't think he was going to take that whole orgy thing seriously, but damn. He's totally recruiting for the orgy right now." she leans in and whispers to the quarterback. "And look Freida's all over him, doesn't she know he's totally for the other team? And I totally thought she was into fucking dead things.." Rawr, someone's let the cat out of the bag.

"Just took him a little time to get warmed up" Matthew says to Gayle while running his eyes around the room, "And yeah. From the way people are staring he's probably going to get gang raped behind the bleachers or something. Man. I hope not. Then we'll have to sit through a couple of "don't rape your classmates" sessions and that would suck. And uh.. if he is playing for the other team his thing is probably as dead as it's going to get around her?"

"Hey, Fonzie," Freida says to Richard, proving that you can dress'm up, but you can't take'm out. "Just getting a new attitude. You know, that whole growing up thing?" She glances over at some of the other tables. "Gayle's still around? I heard she shipped out to military school or something."

The plate and its pizza-slice are dropped down on the table, and Richard hooks a chair with his foot to drag it away from where it'd recently been evacuated by a wary-looking freshman before sprawling himself down in it, legs stretching out under the table and one elbow hooking over the back of the seat.

"Some of us grow up, some of us don't," he comments easily to Freida's words, glancing over to the table where Matthew and Gayle conspire, exhaling a snort before looking back to the pair, "She's goin' to some special dance school and nailing some college douche. She keeps sneaking over to hang out with Meathead, though."

"Sure, sure," Neil answers, but he's only able to half-hear things due to the ringing in his head. "Have…fun," he says, as Gayle walks off to hang out with Matthew. Matthew's sitting near Arnie, both of them being on the football team, but Neil turns away. That's not who has raised his ire at the moment. He's still hungry, and might remember to get some lunch, but he wants to deal with the wrongs he perceives at the moment. He turns on a hell, beelining towards Richard, Frieda, and Dion, with a look of Intent (tm) on his face.

"And what's up with the others? I think Freida either got layed majorly and she truly is one of us. But come on now, why are they being all haughty? So our parents are gods.. big deal. I bet Freida's is like the god of poop or something.." Gaye whispers to Matthew, unable to keep herself in control as she hrmms and purses her lips once more. "And I think being a child of Dionysus may have gone to Dion's head." She huhs and pauses for a few moments, chewing on her bottom lip. "Maybe that priest guy was right? Maybe knowing what we are does fuck us up in some way?" she continues to whisper.

Dion nods to Freida and Richard, then replies. "Preston. Pretty cool guy, really." Okay, maybe he's biased. Preston's really hot and can dance. He finally takes his seat, continuing to hold that attitude of having risen to the top of the food chain around here. It has completely gone to his head. "Anyway, I see no reason we have to put up with the shit these people give us." He gestures around them, clearly meaning the mortals in the room. "We're special. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that." He doesn't seem to have noticed the incoming Neil yet.

Freida snorts. "A college guy. I guess she really must think she is the Queen of the Universe now." She rolls her eyes. "I'll say this, I'm not gonna take shit from anybody anymore. I've been stuffed into too many damn lockers and called too many names. I'm thinking it's Payback Time."

"Look at them" Matthew says equally as quietly to Gayle, "I mean I am not like a religious scholar or anything but just think of the seven deadly sins. Richard meets his dad and suddenly wrath has totally taken him over. Dion? First with carrying that cup everywhere and now the orgies? Gluttony. And that other one is now suddenly being consumed by pride. I mean.. I know you have your doubts and I still do as well but just look at them. Something really bad is happening here."

"As long as they don't Columbine the place with their new powers, I think we're in the clear. But I think you and I both realize if that happens, we'll be the only ones able to stop them.." Gayle continues to whisper conspiratorially. Is that even a word? Still, she facepalms and sighs, occasionally giving a furtive glance to the locker stuffers now god children before looking back to the others at the table. She tries to put it to the side as she amicably chats away with her 'friends' wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah. They're blaming me for that whole.. thing that went down, too," Richard mutters in dark tones, gaze dropping down to the plate that he's got there on the table; fingers nudging the paper edge before curling to the crust, "Apparently, Hopper getting dragged off by that metal bitch was all my fault, since I'm a 'mad dog that needs a leash' or some bullshit like that. I can't believe I— well, anyway, fuck 'em. I've got things to do, I'm not gonna sit around and play their games." Dark eyes lift back to Freida, lips quirking up a bit at one corner. "Truce?" Well, they didn't ever really get along.

After taking a bite of pizza, he becomes aware of someone out of the corner of his head, head tilting a little to look towards Neil, one brow lifting a bit.

"Yeah.." Matthew says to Gayle looking a bit concerned now. The thought of them totally going off on the school had not occurred to him. "You don't even go here though. They go off you're still going to be dancing away or whatever it is you do. I'll have to keep an eye out though in case they get any worse."

Dion waves his hand airily, when Freida speaks of payback. "I didn't like violence before, and I still don't. I just won't tolerate any of that anymore. Neither of us should." It wasn't really a problem Richard had. "I wasn't very comfortable about all of this at first. It's a kind of showy that… well. I didn't think I'd want *that* much attention, but this last week I felt like I was fighting what I am. I finally decided to embrace it." He shrugs, and pauses to examine his manicure critically.

For either conversation, the still-mortal Neil hasn't heard a bit of it. He gets a little focused sometimes, and he has his goal. He /will/ set the example, he /will/ be the one to do the right thing for the right reasons, and he's been hearing things around school about Richard. What he doesn't know is that some of the details are dead wrong, as passed through the school gossip chain. Which is going to make him look really dumb in a little bit, but people say that about him anyway whenever he runs in to help the bullied un-asked.

He has enough control that he doesn't slam his palm down on the table by Frieda, Dion, and Richard, but there's no fear in his expression. "Hi," he says to the young lady with the dog pendant that he notices, with a quick nod. The same is given to Dion. "Hi." Then, he turns to Richard. "I need to talk to you," he says. "And no, it's not going to wait."

"No, you know my cell, Matt, and I expect you to use it. Unless of course you mom takes it away from you for going over minutes.." Gayle replies, snickering a little as she ruffles up the jock's hair before stealing a chicken tender off his plate. Omnomnom.

"Blaming /you/? Man, somebody is letting all this go to her self-righteous pretty little head," snarls Freida. "She needs to get her butt back to Fame school, if she can't handle." She puts her manicured hand out to Richard. Manicures for everyone! "Truce. You need me to help you get Hopper, I'm in." And then Neil comes over. "Hi. Aren't you in my Biology class?" Then she sighs. "Oh great. I hope that by "talk to" you mean "talk to" and not "beat the shit out of"."

The sudden demand to talk to Richard brings an eyebrow up, but not much other reaction save curiousity; his head tilting a little to one side as he considers Neil, gesturing with the slice of pizza in his hand towards the other teenager. "It's your dime, dude. What's the word?" Freida's words get a roll of his eyes, but no further comment.

Well. That's interesting. And ballsy. Dion turns his head to look at Neil, his expression one of curiosity. Though, he does reply to the greeting towards him with a smile of his own. "Hi. You don't mind if we listen in, do you? I'd just hate to see this get needlessly violent." Needfully violent might be another matter entirely. Meanwhile, he starts to set out a fastidiously-packed lunch. With it is his very nice metal drinking bottle, of course. And, just because it's right there in his bag, he takes out a wireless microphone and sets it on the table next to him. Just in case.

Before attempting to speak with Richard, Neil stops. "Ms. Allen's class?" he asks Frieda. "Yes. And I'm dreading that digestive system review test. It's been kicking my ass." He is polite, after all. Setting an example. Dion's question brings him up a little short. "I do not want it to be. It remains to be seen. But, since you all were here first, I wouldn't ask you to leave." He leans down a bit, looking into the 'bad-boy's' eyes straight on. "Look, I know ahT I've been hearing," he says, in a low voice. No need to shout, here. Not the kind of example he wishes to set. "You're helping protect those who're outnumbered, or being screwed with by bullies. That's cool, I can respect that. But you're /charging/ for that protection? That's crap." Oh, that rumor got mangled all to hell by the time Neil heard of it, and here they are.

His chicken! Oh noes! Matthew watches in despair as Gayle steals his precious precious food, "Yeah yeah. We'll have to think of some code to text if the loserzilla's start going all growly and murdering everything in sight. Maybe that priest guy will have some kind of antidote to what is being gone. Least enough to get em to lsiten to reason you know?"

"Then the codeword can be loser. I mean I'd totally know who you're referring to." Gayle quips with a wry grin, omnoming away on the chicken as she bumps against Matthew before peering towards their group at the table. "Oh, it's nothing, just freaky Freida and the others. Just leave 'em alone for now, kay? I know you all like picking on 'em, but let 'em be for a bit. You know they have issues afterall. Besides, it's senior year, we should be focusing on prom."

Freida is nosy, and listens in on Neil's whisper. And his words cause her to laugh. It's a loud, raucous cackle that is quite at odds with her pretty face but not her unpretty personality. She can't even make a cynical quip, she's laughing so much. Tears are running down her face.

Blink. Blink. Richard's serious, intent expression splits into a grin at Neil's words, his shoulders shaking with muffled laughter for a moment to match Freida's own—although it's more of a rough chuckle than anything. One hand comes up to rub at the side of his neck self-consciously as he observes in amused tones, "Dude, I don't know who you've been talking to, but I never charged anyone for shit. Maybe I should…"

He turns a faux-serious look on Dion, trying not to grin and not quite succeeding, "You owe me five bucks for letting you out of that locker a month ago."

Dion listens, and he too seems to be finding the accusation funny. He can't help but note. "I'm the first to agree Richard has issues, but have you *looked* at his wardrobe? That is not a man pulling in any lunch money." To the comment about helping him out of the locker? The young man replies "Only if you promise to put it towards a decent pair of slacks."

"Ok" Matthew agrees readily to Gayle. It sounds like a good codeword to him. "You girls can focus on prom. Some of us have a season to finish out! So seriously, you never answered. What are you doing here? Got hungry passing by and decided to go on a raid for chicken?"

"I'm playing hooky. Who needs calculus and AP physics when you're a dancer? I mean seriously. F = ma. Centrifugal force. I don't need to know it. I apply it to my everyday life.." Gayle says, spouting out the nerdspeak as she wrinkles her nose while eyeing the others who gasp. "And Pei-Pei tutors me, so if I get behind I just ask her what's the stitch and she explains stuff."

It's easy enough for Neil to be disarmed. He took the rumor at face value, which is something he usually does with everyone. But there's a flush to his cheeks as he realizes that he's apparently wrong. There's the amused looks from the trio, and Frieda's laughter heightens his embarassed feeling. He just made a dick move, and he /knows/ it. "I heard…" He pause. He then wishes he could shrink to a centimeter tall and die. It would be easier. The laugh from Frieda is drawing eyes from the lunchroom, but he doesn't hear if anyone's heard whay they said. "Then I heard wrong, and I apologize," he says, eyes downcast. "If you do it…to help people, it's different from the usual, and it's good to hear." With that, shame-faced, he turns and walks away.

Freida finally stops laughing, and waves Neil back. "Hey, wait a moment, man. Don't go." She smiles for the second time today. "It took balls for you to come over and confront him on that. That's cool. There needs to be more cool guys like you around here."

Richard's head shakes just a bit, free hand lifting in a vague and dismissive wave at Neil's departing form. "Don't worry about it, man, yeah, have a seat," he invites with a tilt of the pizza crust over towards one of the empty chairs. THe crust's brought back to his lips, and he takes a bite, teeth crunching on it and he chews, swallows. Crumbs are brushed off his fingers, scattered throughout the plate. "School needs people lookin' after it. These're dangerous days."

Dion continues to look like a new lord of the manor, so to speak. And unapologetically so. He watches Neil, grinning over the faux pas, and looks like had Freida and Richard not said something, he might have. With a nod, he agrees "Anyone that would risk a beating over something like that deserves thanks, not laughter. It was funny, though."

"Fuck if I know" Matthew says to Gayle. That might actually be handy as a ballplayer but he doesn't have a clue what crazy science stuff she is talking about now. But it's good you have the yellow chick there to help you keep your grades up. You wouldn't want to get kicked out or anything before you're all trained or famous or.. whatever it is they do with you there. What is it they do with you there?"

At this, Neil turns around. "It's…" He waves a hand, as if he can't quite get the words right. He does okay in school, but he's no super genius. His eyes search Frieda's face first; inside, he's wondering if she's serious, or setting him up for further embarassment. Which he inflicted on himself. To Dion, his shoulder rise in a shrug. "S'just, well, if I get beat, I'll get better, that's all." He's taken and given lumps in his time; he's used to it. And Richard's words are what hit home. It's the first time he's heard them out loud. From someone else. And not written on that Livejournal he keeps private with all-locked posts and has told no one about. "Yes, that's why," he says. The guy /gets/ it. "I…" He looks towards the line, where there's some stragglers, before turning to the others. "I need to get lunch first. Forgot."

"Gah, poor Neil. Look at freaky Freida and the others laughing at him. Such bitches.." Gayle replies with a bit of eye rolling as she wrinkles her nose as she looks back towards Matthew at his question. "Well, there's dancing. Ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary and even tap!" she says brightly. "Oh, ad remember, you have your Dance Inc audition ext week. We see what happens then with respect to our bet." she says firmly and resolutely.

"Hurry back," Freida says to Neil. And she actually means it, it looks like. "Fonzie, he's kinda like you, isn't he," she murmurs after Neil goes to get his food. "The two of you runnin around here like Batman and Superman might get a little crazy. I like it, though."

Matthew shrugs at Gayle and tells her, "What do you expect. If they were good people they'd be popular. That is like.. karma right? Maybe that is why their stuff is turning them so evil and yours isn't all twisting and warping you? Because it needs like.. lots of evil fertilizer to take root and start doign the bad stuff? And yeah.. yeah. I know. I've been practicing. I'm totally going to win."

Russel has arrived.

Richard's eyes roll a bit at Freida's words. "So long as I get to be Batman," he replies firmly, shaking the end of the pizza crust at her as a grin cracks his lips, "Anyway, I think we should go talk to Hiroko, maybe she knows something about the Order." Of course, there is a minor problem there, given that Hiroko is dead. Still, he seems confident enough despite this obstacle.

Suddenly there's a shrill shriek from one of the bathrooms. There's lots of shrieks afterall, as various girls, cheerleaders, nerdlets and niners run out, some of them covered in blood. Oh shit.

Trouble is on the wind today. The lower classman have been talking about an incoming Junior. One Russel Hook. Apparently the rumors have gone around school that he has been responsible for multiple injuries to multiple people that decided to fuck with him. It wasn't so much self-defense as it was a horrid thing to watch. Of course he has been expelled from more schools than his parents can afford to keep him in, and this is of course his last chance at a normal school before he is shipped off to a military academy. Or so the rumors go….and in he walks. Gloom and Doom with a sense of 'do not touch' about him. He moves through the lunch line in a sullen way idly moving to grab a burger and a drink before finding a table…..people -scoot- away.

Dion can't help grinning at what Freida says about them being like Superman and Batman. "Oh, I don't think there's any question about which of you is which. You're all over the dark and broody thing." It isn't said meanly, though. He thinks about the Hiroko thing, then says "I don't think I have the right wardrobe for trying to summon the dead…" Her forehead wrinkles briefly, before he smooths it out. He has to be mindful of wrinkles, after all.

And then there's screaming and blood, and Dion's eyes widen as he turns to see where it's coming from. His eyes pause on the way to look over Russel, given the major 'tude he has going, but then he's back on point and rising to help deal with… whatever. Maybe. His microphone is grabbed, of course. Maybe he plans to sing at the problem.

At the shriek from across the cafeteria, Richard knocks his plate over — the crust of pizza going tumbling onto the floor as he nearly falls out of his chair, catching himself deftly with one hand and lunging up to his feet in one smooth movement, twisting towards the screaming. "…what the hell? Hey—HEY! What's going on in there?"

No sense in jumping to conclusions. Maybe it's a prank?

Now things get interesting. First, the shrieking and the blood. And then in comes the broody scary Russel Hook. Freida stands up, that smile on her face almost manic. Blood, baby! "Why don't we go check it out, huh?" Unless someone has an objection, away she goes towards the source of the chaos, purse banging her hip.

Freida isn't the only girl to head towards the bathroom. Gayle jumps up and looks towards Matthew, wrinkling her nose as she even bumps next to Freida. "Look, you might wanna stand back girly.." she says firmly and resolutely while heading into the bathroom.

Of course, there's a gaggle of girls all with their faces scratched, at least the pretty one's faces are. There's blood running down their cheeks, while the other girls seem to be okay, only panicking at the sight.

Feeling a little bit better, and actually considering taking the invitation, Neil goes back to the lunch line. They're probably out of those cheeseburgers by now. Hello, Mystery meat in odd gelatin-like substance! At least that's what he's sure he's going to end up with if there's nothing else. Asking for Humble Pie will just make the lunch lady give him that weird look with her left eye. Which she gives to everyone. It's really, really creepy.

Again, Neil does not get to the counter once he hears the screams. His head is pounding, flashing little light flashes behind his eyes, and Neil, forgetting lunch again, turns around and starts bolting towards the doors outward. Neil. The mortal. With his 'protect the helpless' issues…

When he sees the girls outside, he does to the side of one, picking out a small first-aid kit. All it is is pads and bandages; he's not trained in much else. "What the hell?" He eyes the door to the Forbidden Zone-er, Girls Lavatory. Almost as if he's ready to rush in regardless.

Matthew is not a girl! The jock is not always aware of a lot, but the difference between him and girls is something he has devoted considerable research too and is quite certain about. Therefore he does not run into the girls bathroom. He instead watches from a distance and finishes off his chicken nuggets while the girls play investigator.

Russel only grins slightly at the scream, seeming to give the impression that he is amused by it, or perhaps that he knows something about it. He takes another bite of his burger and idly stretches a bit as he looks to the girls and then stands up, mildly amused he leans against the doorway of the cafeteria to peek, mainly out of a curiosity to see how the situation progresses. He makes no move to help calm or aid anyone…and why should he?

Such cognitive dissonance! Richard would go in to find out what's going on, since clearly something fucked up is, but— but it's the girl's bathroom! No man's land! Literally! So he stops near the crowd departing, frowning at the door before there's the comment from Gayle, garnering a glare her way. "Just cooperate, for fuck's sake," he snaps out, "Frieda, go check it out. Yell if you need backup."

Dion is not a girl. Technically. Still, it isn't the sign on the door that deters him. There's something bad in there, and he's still not any sort of fighter. He looks around at those young men who are daunted, and makes an exasperated sound. "People could be seriously hurt, and you're scared of going into the girls bathroom." He hmphs, then proceeds. It's not like they have anything he wants, right? Well, aside from their cosmetics, maybe. He may be perhaps the most girly boy at the school, but apparently he has the balls to go into the girls room, microphone ready for… well, it's a microphone.

"Age before beauty," Freida says, allowing Gayle to get by without a fight. She waves at Richard. "Will do, Fonz!" She moves in after Gayle to see what is going on.

"Well, it is /ladies/ first.." Gayle quips back as she heads into the bathroom, the door closing after the two girls. Her eyes widen as she looks around seeing the blood pooling on the ground, blinking for a few moments as she wrinkles her nose. "What. The. Fuck."

Freida growls out some swear words as her reflection leaps out at her to scratch her face. She just barely gets out of the way. "Oh no, that damn facial cost too much money for this!" She reaches into her purse and pulls out a shiny black knife. "You goin down."

Meanwhile, the boys outside can hear the sounds of Freida cussing and saying someone's going down. Are she and Gayle duking it out? Are they having a cat fight? Will they have a makeout session due to the tension? Inquiring boy minds want to know!

Oblivious boys are oblivious for the most part. It seems the notion of GaylexFreida might be too much. Still, there's something that Neil and Richard both notice. There's a necklace that one of the girls is wearing. It's a young niner, one of the freshman who has a necklace. It's rather pretty really, something that Swarovsky would totally make, since he's into crystal jewelry. Inside though, there's a woman and she looks to be laughing.

While remaining outside, Neil is murmuring nice words to one of the girls while he Bactine's the cuts on her face. She's wincing because it stings like all hell, and Neil is still trying to be calm. "It's okay. You'll be all right…" And there's more with cuts. "Can someone get the nurse? She has more stuff than I will," he asks, but the screaming and such coming from the bathroom makes him purse his lips again. "What's happening in there?" What he /does/ see is the young Freshman's necklace, and a…a vision? "What the hell is-agh!" he says, cut off as his headache comes back with heavy reinforcements.

There's a squeak as she dives into the ground just in time for her doppelganger to sail right above her. The claws of the creature barely manages to graze her cheek, though there's no scratch. That was close. She looks at Freida and oyes.

Just as Freida brings out the relic dagger made from obsidian, one appears in the opposite hand of her doppelganger, snarling. Gayle of course, doesn't like this as she grumbles and looks towards the goth chick.

"Idiot, they're our mirrors. They have what we have!" Which means, no bringing out relics at least not in her mind anyway. She starts running towards the door intending to bring Freida with her, by force if necessary.

"Don't fight what we don't know about, freaky. You may have broken my Barbies, but I'm not allowing your head to get popped off too.." she says matter of factly.

Oblivious Matthew if oblivious. Screaming girls continue to be oggled, chicken nuggets continue to be consumed and he remains quite unaware of slashy slashy fun currently under way or any crystaline laughing women.

Still undeterred by the warning on the door, Dion rushes towards it with the intention of going in. He'll probably run right into the girls on their way out.

Russel simply smirks a little bit at the confusion. He sighs a little bit and slowly pushes off from the wall before he moves over to the girls room and just pushes the door open. Rules? Pff. Never liked em', never will. He strolls in to the scene and quirks a brow a little bit, tilting his head to the side. Not suprised….more amused.

Freida lowers her blade, furious but not (too) stupid. "Fine. We retreatin, then?" She backs off, hopefully out of range of the doppelgangers. "So how do we stop this shit? Can we block it off?"

"Wait a minute…" Richard's distracted by something shiny—his gaze pausing upon the gleaming necklace around one girl's neck in the midst of the chaos and confusion. He hesitates for a moment, then moves to push through the other students, working his way closer and closer to where she's standing.

Woomph! The girls definitely run into Dion and Russel as they try to go in. They too can see the doppelgangers. There's a bunch of them! There's an angry Gayle, Freida, Cassie, Jennifer, Ashley, and the rest of the spirit team as well. They look angry, hissing as their eyes are blood shot.

The real Gayle continues to scramble. "What the nhell you pervs!" she says, annoyed at the two. Close the door. Keep it shut!" she says matter of factly.

Whoa. Not what Dion expected to see in there. Not that he's sure what he expected to see. He backpedals quickly to let the door be closed behind them all. "What ARE they? And have they no Visine?"

The retort is -instant-. "Shut your gash', you are attractive things that love the stink'." Comes a rather cockny british accent from the flaming red head. He doesn't take shit, and especially from the over-stuffed popular girls who think they are hot shit. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out what looks to be a sling shot. He looks to the spirit-squad's second in command and simply gives her a command that is not to be ignored. "Get the fuck out."

"Fuck you, Brit." Gayle says, rolling her eyes once more as she continues to slam the door, trying to keep it shut. "You either help or you shut the fuck up. It's a bad teen movie in there" she says firmly and resolutely.

"Matthew! We need your football strenght here please.." she says, struggling to keep it closed as the door is getting pushed and kicked by the doppelgangers.

Meanwhile, the girl with the necklace is oblivious. It's a pretty necklace, and there's a clear way to the girl.

Sure, Dion hasn't much strength. That doesn't mean he won't put what little he does have to use trying to help hold the door closed.

Freida lends her strength to holding the door closed, having put her knife away.

Matthew must abandon his beloved chicken nuggets and even more beloved girl oggling to actually do something productive. Finally leaving the table towards the sight of all the commotion so that he can bully his way the crowd of onlookers to put his shoulder to the door. Working to brace it shut with his strength and putting the weight of his footballer build into it.

"Would, Lovie, but I think my fattie looks better without Ghoneria, Chlymidia, Herpes and warts….so, I'll pass." He offers instantly without even a moments hesitation. He has an extremely -sharp- wit about him. He brings up the Slingshot and levels it at the dopple-Freida before he pulls back the empty band and keeps it leveled, taking time to aim. "Now if you don't mind, Slag, keep yer mouth closed so I can concentrate on saving yer arse." Russel no likey the bitches.

As the others try to hold the door against the onslaught of dopplegangers, Richard slips along up to the girl with the necklace, lifting a hand to tap her shoulder lightly. "Hey. Hey, babe…"

When she turns to answer him, he steps in to try and sweep her up in his arms, dip her low, and kiss her on the spot in the midst of all the chaos and confusion… while trying to slip that pretty necklace's clasp open at the same time.

Seeing as Matthew's taking care of the door, and any other attemps to help there would really just be a drop in the bucket, Dion steps back to not be in the way. It gives him a chance to look over the guy mouthing off at Gayle, an eyebrow arched as she studies the young man.

Oh goodness! Nerdgirl with the necklace thinks Richard is groping her rather flat chest! Still, the niner squeals in delight as the senior seems to take interest as he easily takes the necklace.

Still, there's more pushing and kicking at the door to the girl's bathroom. Gayle looks towards Russel and rolls her eyes. "Like anyone would want to ride your fattie. Please, anyone who names their dick that obviously has a small one. Now shut the fuck up and help us keep the door closed, damnit!"

And somewhere at Juilliard, Preston suddenly has the urge to kill something.

Russel walks over to the nearest fire-hose that is locked up in glass and idly lets the bullet fly, shattering the glass. He takes the hose and simply stands with it hanging over his shoulder. "It's a colloquiallism ya daft cunt….Now….say please." he says in a mocking manner.

Gayle just stares at Russel, most definitely annoyed. She really wishes she can bring out the baka mallet and smack him on the head and just rolls her eyes once more. "FUCK. YOU."

After a few moments of the kiss, once the necklace is safely palmed, Richard straightens again and steps back with a dramatic sigh, "I'm sorry. It would never work out between us, beautiful." Hey, he might as well say something nice before never touching her again. Girl could stand to learn to brush, ugh.

Then he's away past the confusion around the door, stepping to get through the milling and shouting students before bringing his hand up to look at what he's stolen, murmuring triumphantly, "Now, who are you, then?"

The little things. There's arguements, random kissing, and something really really…not right going on in the bathroom resulting in bleeding faces and screaming and everything else. And it's making Neil's head feel like it's going to split open, even if he doesn't know why. There's a comment or two he can hear, in a British accent, and he turns to almost say something, but a Freshman is his salvation, having gotten the school nurse. Here, he stands, and moves over to the older woman. "Okay, there's a few people with face cuts. But they're clean, sort of. Not lacerations, I mean." The nurse hears, then moves past Neil to help the injured.

Russel smiles a little and drops the hose. "Already told you, lovie. I like my life without the chronic case of Hepititus. Things can be learned. Hope you learn how to keep a civil tongue." He shrugs and moves to stand, nay…lean against the wall in a very calm position. He's not involved, but is curious how it will turn out.

He has… a hose. Dion's eyes all but turn into saucers, since at the moment he's easily in splash range. "This jacket water stains." he says, sounding horrified at the prospect of it getting wet. Fortunately the hose is lowered without incident, but he remains wary.

The reflection in the necklace looks a lot like Tyra Banks. A really ridiculously crazy looking Tyra Banks who is laughing the entire time. She looks towards Richard as she realizes the necklace has been taken. Suddenly and surely, the kicking at the girl's bathroom door stops as she disappears from the locket.

The cuts on the girl's faces were clean. The claws were razor sharp, like a scalpel. Maybe the claws were made of scalpels. Still, there's at least half a dozen girls who have cuts on their faces. All the pretty ones. And they're not even all popular. The main thing in common is that they're pretty.

Model pretty even.

"It stopped, Gayle," Freida says, lessening her hold on the door. "Want to peek inside to see if the coast is clear?"

As the kicking at the door goes away Matthew slowly lets the pressure slip away from it. There no longer seems to be a need to hold whatever is inside, inside! "That was weird" he opines, looking grumbly at the sight of scratched up pretty girls. Hrmph. Don't people know it is only the ugly ones that should be disfigured! The attractive being preyed upon is not a suitable turn of events!

"Don't you think we should still stay here and make sure they haven't stopped so they can run out screaming at us with their daggers and claws?" Gayle says for a few moments, breathing heavily as she wrinkles her nose once more, still staying by the door.

"I see you, bitch…" Richard's fingers close again, divine-fueled strength crushing down against the crystal of the locket once the figure fades from it to try and break it if he can, the remnants shoved into a pocket to deal with later— in case they need to be exorcised or something, he'll ask someone who knows a bit more. "You're not getting away that easily."

He moves to step over towards the others, reaching over to touch Frieda's shoulder, voice low as he murmurs, "It's clear. We're good for now."

Freida hears Richard's words, then smiles at Gayle. "On second thought, I won't bust in there. You go on and talk to your boyfriend from Mary Poppins." Then she walks off, the smile gone and her thoughts on the attack.

Dion looks relieved, of course. He backs away further from the door to look at the damage to the girls. He looks like he truly feels for them, too. A hand goes to his own unblemished face, and he shudders a bit.

Gayle remains by the door, not wanting to move away as she looks towards Freida, wrinkling her nose. "Puhleeze, the Brit is a twat." she says with a roll of her eyes before peering towards Matthew.

"You okay there? And we're totally on a hellmouth. I know it.."

When things calm down a little, Neil looks to Richard just as the latter destroys the locket that Neil glimpsed, with the odd image, right before the headache hit. His eyebrows draw upward as he sees its destruction, but before he can approach and ask something pertinent, like 'what the hell was that?' he's suddenly recruited. There's still a number of pretty girls with slashes faces who need to calm down and get patched up, or sent to the hospital for stitches, and the school Nurse recruits Neil to assist her. This will get him out of class, but even as he's being led off, he glances once more behind him, towards…the others.

If there weren't other people injured and upset, he might have asked the Nurse about these headaches of his.

"That's the twat calling the twat infested with sores." Offers Russel in a very relaxed almost bored tone. "Pretty people being attacked all over these days. Lucky these didn't turn out like those murders not long ago." He says with a soft grin on his face as he heads back to the lunch room in an attempt to finish his meal.

"There were vampires in the bathroom?" Matthew says sounding kind of surprised by this idea. "I guess that explains all the blood. Maybe we have vampire students and when the lunch bell rang they thought it was time for them to eat too so they thought they would just nip off to the bathroom for a little chick. Huh. So were they the pale goth kind or the preppy glittery kind? You were in there."

Once again, Dion's attention goes to Russell. Conveniently, after all, they're both headed back to lunch. "You looked particularly prepared for this kind of thing. Why?" he asks in his gentle, feminine voice.

"No, no vampires. It's like that bad movie, Bloody Mary, where the guy from Gossip Girl gets killed by his reflection. That's what it was.." Gayle explains as she slumps next to Matthew, resting her head on his shoulder as she oyes and runs her fingers through her hair. "I'm so glad I transferred out of this school."

The comment about the murders gets a glance from Richard, thoughtful— not about Russel, no, but about the subject he brings up. The image in that crystal did look like a model of some sort! Maybe from one of those television shows his mother watches, he's not sure. He turns to head back to the table with the others, frowning to himself.


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