- Well, we can ask about any other missing kids later. And, yes... - Zahira says to Zephyro, as they both examine the crystals - ...those scrolls had Transmutation and Necromancy spells inscribed on them. Those schools where present in the book and the orbs too, along with Celestial energy - Zahira checks again, is there any kind of Celestial energy around the place?
As they are keep looking for clues, the monk and the artificer see the two blue eyes staring back at them from inside the crystal and Zahira tenses and exclaims:
- Oh Gods!! Is that...?? What ..?? But how ...?!?! - she looks at both Kuro and Ethan wide-eyed, and then back to the crystal again - Is this Len trapped inside??
The genasi begins to check the rest of the crystals inmediately, looking for signs that there's something ... somebody ... in them, too.
(OOC: OMG! .... How many crystals are there? Also, is the kid inside just starting or does he do any kind of movement?)
Zephyro stares at the crystal in shock. Whatever he had expected, he had not expected this. He glances at Zahira then back at Len inside the crystal. "W-we have to take these out of here. I don't know how to get him out, or if those other ones have anyone inside, but we can't leave them here. Especially if some of the police are involved."He stares down at Len, trying to make it obvious that he can see him. "Don't worry, we we will get you out somehow." He says, though he's not sure if the boy can hear him.
Then he puts the crystal into his bag, and starts doing the same with the rest of them, as he checks them. Once done, he says, "Alright, let's get out of here. Ethan, thank you for your help, now you should probably get going to. I don't want you to get into any more trouble on our account."At this point, his voice has taken on a serious tone. However, anyone who pays close enough attention may notice that his overly calm, almost mechanical motions of gathering his things and the hardness in his voice are merely covering up how freaked out he actually is.
Kuro's blank expression falters slightly when they all realize that there is a kid stuck in the crystal. Good gods this was way worse than he'd thought. ...who would have guessed that checking out some stupid kids playing stupid headbanger music would connect to the missing kids everyone wanted to go look for. His expression flickers to a somewhat concerned one before quickly reverting back to blank. Of course, this is the first time his expression has changed whatsoever, so even the slightest hint of concern looks strange on his face. Maybe it had been unwise to tell his mom this was a joke. Now she'll definitely find out that he'd lied to her, especially since the only person he can think to bring this to is the principle--and if they tell the principle, then Father will find out and inevitably Mom will find out too. Great.
But perhaps his personal problems weren't what he should be concerned with right now, he could deal with those later. Right now he should be concerned with the fact that they were all standing around in a kidnappers lair, and they have a bug sized Len stuck in a crystal. If this isn't resolved, well the problems he'll deal with later will just keep getting worse. And who knows, maybe in spite of his utter lack of talent with magic, he could wind up in the next crystal ball. ...him or Zahira for that matter. Unless these people were only focusing on kids who primarily use magic... like wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks.
"Let's go," he says, agreeing with Zephiro. "Probably should take this to the principle..." He trails off, still not really sure if thats the best plan but unable to figure out anything.
- Y-yes ... yes ... the Principal ... good idea. He'll know what to do - Zahira says, feeling relieved to see Zephyro handling the crystals and not having to do that herself. Her hands are trembling so much that she would surely had dropped them. - He may even know how to get Len out of here. Though, where is his body? If his essence is in here, his pyshical body must be somewhere, right?- She gives a quick look around, trying to find any kind of evidence that shows how bodies could have been handled, or even stored, but she's really too distressed - and her mind racing with too many unanswered questions - to actually be able to focus on anything. (OOC Perception: 4).
- Ermm, by the way, I should let Arthur know what we've found and that we are on our way to the Principal. After all, he was the one who told us who was missing, and his party is out there looking for him. So I believe we should share with them that we have, well, found him? ... Sort of...? I'll text him once we are out of here, ok?
The elven student blankly keeps looking at Zahira, as she wisely checks the other crystals though of similar make and design they appear to be empty "Vessals" of sorts.
Ethan looked at the crystal than to her a bit confused but a bit nervous all the same. The boy had tilted his head at Zephyro blinking lightly. Ethan had looked to Zephyro when he had said it was time to go.
"All right babes.. This daddio is outta here! If ya need me.. Ya can text me~"
And with that the tiefling had begun to make himself rather scarce. Zahira in her current state wasn't able to find much more down here in the cellar.
OOC
Also the next time they long rest they will all be LV 3! You can go ahead and do the level ups now if you wish ^~^
- ... "babes"...? Really! I was about to snap every time he said that! Anyway, the rest of the crystals are empty. Let's take them with us too, just in case they are not easy to replace and this complicates further experiments.
Taking a moment to calm her shaky hands, she then takes as many empty crystals as she can store safely in her backpack.
- Let's go back to Zim and Trick, they'll probably have finished patching up the elf and the dwarf upstairs. And then ... to the Academy?
Zephryo watches Ethan leave, then shakes his head. He hopes he doesn't need to text that guy any time soon. "Yeah, he sure is a strange one, but ultimately I'm glad we were able to get him on our side...." He trails off then looks back at the crystal with Len in it, "Could he even hear me?"He thinks to himself. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Clearly the boy can't speak back, otherwise he would have responded differently. But did he at least let the boy know that he's not his enemy?
Insight:10
Tilting his head to Zahira he says, "Yes let's go back up...though...are we sure about the principal? We have to think about this carefully. What if we just waltz in there, and it turns out that he's in on this too? I really doubt that he is, but better safe than sorry."He grips the crystal in his hand, "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if we just handed Len back over to whoever did this to him."
Kuro gives no reaction when Ethan leaves, but dips his head slightly at Zahira's comment. That guy was such a creep and there is no way that Kuro will ever text him. The guy already has his name thanks to Zephiro, so the last thing he needs if for him to have his number too.
Once everyone has gathered whatever it is they wanted to take, he turns to leave--his pace notably faster than it was on the way in. When Zephiro asks about the principle Kuro says in a quiet and reluctant tone, "My... Father is friends with him. So..." He shrugs. It would be pretty sad if his father's old friend ended up being in on this... but maybe that was why he wanted them to take evidence from the scene after the fight with the gremlins before the cops showed up? Could he have been using them to hide evidence? ...or maybe he knows something about the cops being corrupt and wanted them to take as much evidence as they could before it was swept under the rug. ... the first option would be...well unfortunate. But the second option was just plain irresponsible. If he knows something, why not tell Father instead of pushing it off on a bunch of kids? Either way, it was a mess and Kuro wants out as soon as possible.
If they don't want to take the kid to the principle, then the next best thing would be Father... in spite of Kuro's hesitance to involve him, well it might put the other's at ease. They should be able to trust his father not to be involved if nothing else. But he won't offer that unless they really really don't want to involve the principle. For now, he just wants out of the building.
Listening to her friends, Zahira too begins to question the next steps.
- Are you sure you want to involve your father in this? - she asks Kuro - I mean, I thought you would prefer to be ... more private... about this, and you are talking about taking this directly to your home. Would you be okay with that, Kuro? Though, talking the Principal would probably be the same as telling your dad directly, if they are in such friendly terms. Mmmm...
She seems to meditate for a moment:
- I would hate the idea of the Principal, or any professor for that matter, to be involved in this. They are supposed to guide us and protect us! But, as Zeph says, we have to take everything into consideration. If we don't want to contact anyone that "powerful", why don't we start a little smaller? We could perhaps try with Sakimoto. He seemed to be very interested in the wellbeing of students, right? I don't know, these are the two names I first thought about: the Principal and Sakimoto.
"I could also ask my uncle", she thinks, "He seems to be pretty informed and he cannot be involved in this. He's the last person that would want to be get in trouble with Burguss and Strauss issues again .... right...?"
- What scares me, though, is that one as konwledgeable as the Principal would surely be the best option to help Len. I'm scared that something happens to him if he stays in that crystal for too long...
Kuro shrugs, "He'll find out somehow."He always did, and then Kuro might end up getting pushed further in whether he wants to or not. But, if they got an adult on the case then at least there would be someone other than kids trying to solve this serious issue. Why would going to Sakimoto be a good idea? He's not an adult either, and isn't qualified to deal with this stuff anymore than they are... well maybe he is but still, he's still just a kid. They need an adult to take the reins here, otherwise things could get bad really fast.
"Its not up to us who's involved," he says in a low tone. "We're just kids. This isn't our job." His eyes flick over to the bag where they were carrying the crystals. He stays quiet for a long moment before adding, "We need to tell an adult."
Then he shoves his hands deeper into his pockets and lowers his head so that his face is hidden by his hair and hood. If they talk to the principle first, then maybe they could just ask him not to tell Father? No, that's stupid. As if he'd listen. Right now they just need to get someone to solve this problem, otherwise kids are just going to keep going missing. They could tell Sakimoto, and Arthur too, but that doesn't change the fact that they are all still kids and need an adult's guidance. Why did everyone here just assume that since they are training to be adventurers that they are somehow qualified to deal with literal kidnappings and possibly murder? I'M FOURTEEN! he thinks, suddenly feeling trapped. I just want to go home.
- Okay, okay- Zahira says. That was probably the biggest amount of words to ever come out from Kuro, and the air genasi was a little bit amazed, but also sure that there was still a lot more running through his mind that he was still not saying - Then, I think I prefer going to the Principal first. If we are not sure about him we can always show him the empty crystals first, see how reacts to them and depending on that reaction we could show him Len's crystal also ... or stop right there and go to your father.
She sighs, tired:
- I don't know, this is just an idea. Not sure if it's the best or if it's just a big mistake. This is truly complicated... Anyway, I'll text Arthur once we decide.
Zephyro couldn't tell either way if Len could or couldn't hear him. The party had managed to leave the building without catching any further attention as tensions rised in the party. Now out and about in the town they had more time to really think what to do. Whom to text and where to head.
OOC Just let me know who they text and where they head too! Also everyone can benefit from a short rest if they want and once they decide I'll think of a way to introduce our new PC ^~^
Kuro falters slightly when Zahira suggests going straight to his father...what gave her that idea? Does she even know who his father is? He glances briefly at her, then shrugs. Father would be thrilled to meet all of them...maybe. Though it would be so annoying if he let onto the fact that he somehow thought Kuro was the one supporting the whole team...as if, but sometimes he wonders if Father can tell fiction from reality. Sure, he'd considered taking the issue to him, it would be better than just going to Sakimoto, but that didn't mean he wanted him to be their second option.
"Fine,"he says. They have to figure out who to trust, and right now the principle seems like the best option. He's powerful enough to get Lenn out of the crystal, and he has (hopefully) no connection to the cops. If he refuses to help, then they can ask Father and tell him that the principle might be in on snatching the kids... which honestly it makes sense for someone in the school to be responsible considering the fact that he hasn't heard of any other schools loosing kids... like, what about that big wizard school? Have they lost anyone? He closes his eyes for a moment, then says, "Lets go then." He also pulls out his phone and texts his mom. If Father finds out, she's going to find out too so might as well let her know a little of what's going on.
"Going to campus with my group to tell the principle about the idiots who pranked us. I'll text you when we get there." and that's all he says to her. That way it isn't a total lie, but he doesn't have to worry about her freaking out and driving over at the moment. He'll explain the whole situation later but at least this way if he goes missing she might be able to put together who was responsible.
Hesitantly he says, "I told my mom where we are going. In case something happens." He glances at his group members, then fall silent again waiting to see if someone else texts anyone. The more people who know where they are the better...so long as they can trust them. As they walk he is as quiet as usual.
Zephyro nods to Zahira, "I agree with going to the principal first and showing him the empty ones before going all in. I'm not to keen on getting Sakimoto in on this right now. I doubt he's in on it, but if this is brought to his attention...i just don't want him to end up in trouble. I am going to text Himari though and she can decide if telling her brother is a good idea, and it would be good to let Arthur know, especially since we found Len.""Although his parent's could be in on it...Ceribrum, MY parents could be in on this." He thinks to himself. What would he do if that were true? What would happen to his family? Best not to think about that unless he gets actual evidence... He looks back down at the crystal and sighs, then he puts it in his bag. He feel's odd putting a person into it, but it's probably best not to let anyone see it.
Once at a safe distance from the building, the young elf gets out his crystal and starts texting.
To Twilight:
"Hey Twilight, I'm not really sure how to say this, but my party and I may have just gotten ourselves into something a bit out of our league. Long story short, we found Len. Whoever is taking these kids has been trapping them in these crystal things, and the whole place stinks of necromancy according to Zahira. One of the guys guarding the place was Ethan, but we managed to convince him to stop working with them. He's on the run now, but we can contact him if necessary. Ethan also said that Reaper might be in with these people and he could potentially be the next target for kidnapping. The group apparently has been targeting magic users. I'm going to be upping my time in the Wizard classes in order to keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately, some of the cops and the knights might be in on this. My party has decided to go to the principal for guidance, though we are going to take precautions. We don't know who to trust right now.
Also, I know your brother has been trying to do some investigating on the missing kids, so if you think telling him about this would be ok then go for it we could use all the trustworthy allies we can get. I just don't want him to get in over his head as well, he seems like the type to try to run off and investigate on his own...."
Once he hits send, he looks to his companions. "Well? Off to the school? I'd like to get Len out of this thing as soon as possible."
As Zephyro texts Himari, Zahira does the same with Arthur. They will probably be together and receive the message almost at the same time, and the genasi wonders how they'll react and if they will share this information right away with the rest of their party members, which include Reaper. Well, its up to them to decide how best to handle this information. And if Reaper is such a good kid, then they are surely the best to help him out of the mess he seems to have gotten himself into.
"Hey Arthur. I think Himari is receiving this same info at the same time as you, because Zeph is texting her right now. We ... have found Len. It's a little bit complicated to explain and we are still shocked by what we've seen, but the thing is we entered a building in front of Flurry's where there was some incredibly loud music, and this led us to meet the famous Ethan and some of his 'friends'. We tried to avoid the fight, but those friends of his didn't want to let us go alive, so we fought them. Luckily Ethan turned on them and helped us. Don't want to think what would have happened if he hadn't.
It seems they had been hired to guard that place by some group called "The Purists", who are performing some kind of experiments with kids that are good at magic, in that building's basement. When we examined we found many arcane glyphs, crystals and such. All of it full of Necromancy essence. And Len is trapped in one of these crystals. His essence, or soul, at least. We found no trace of his body.
Ethan says cops and knights are involved in this. So please be careful who you share this information with. We are at this very moment going to the Academy to meet the Principal and ask him for help. As we are not sure if he is involved too, we'll first show him the empty crystals, to check how he reacts. If we sense he's not compromised, then we will tell him about Len. And let's pray he knows how to help him...
Also, important: Ethan says Reaper is involved in this. He says they both believed they were helping. So... handle Reaper with care. If we are to believe Ethan, he's not really very involved in this, but probably just mislead. You'll probably know this better than me, as I don't really know Reaper at all. But both Himari, Ethan and you have stated that he's a good kid, so I trust he can be led to the right path.
We can meet in the Academy if you guys want to come.
PS: It's probably best that you delete this message after you read it. Just in case. I will remove mine from the sent list."
After sending the text, Zahira says to Zeph:
- I've told Arthur to delete the text after he's read it. Just in case. I will also remove it from the sent list. They can probably still be tracked anyway, but it won't hurt to do this anyway.
She's about to just continue walking when she decides to send another text. This one to uncle Plash. She begins typing ... but finally refrains from doing so. Perhaps it's better to reach the Academy and see how things go with the Principal before doing that.
Put your spoiler here. Oh dear! That's crazy.. We just ran into some wild gremlins being controlled by some strange man.. The guy got away but we defeated the gremlins! We didn't know what to do.. Arthur got hurt but he's okay now. You okay?! Also.. I think I can tell Sakomoto I trust him, he's a dork but he's a good guy. I thought about giving him the evidence we found. Nari and Evie are smart but it's a lot to take in.. Wait you found Len!? Oh jeez! Well.. Damn you are making better progress than us! Do you want us to meet the principal with you?
Zahira's Text
Put your spoiler here. Oh no.. I'm sure you woulda kicked butt! But I am glad you're okay ^~^. We got in a bit of a brawl ourselves but were okay too! Oh no.. Poor Len.. Idk who these purist are but they sound like bad news! Ahh I made a knight friend.. A squire named Evan! Also I was thinking of applying myself.. But because you say so I'll be careful promise! How can that cute face lie? I probably shouldn't say that right now ugh! Oh well! You knew I was thinking it I'm sure! Still.. We gotta help fix Len. I hope Reaper's not apart of all this.. And just mislead. Oh sure no problem!
Kuro's Text
Put your spoiler here. We can head on over, if you want. I think we should, I'm just worried about you going if kids are messing with you dear. I know you're father says you can just "beat" them up but I know you were never really a violent kid.. I love you dear.
With that the party had made it's way to the school, albeit it wasn't exactly empty. After school sports and clubs with many teachers and students, those wishing to train and hone their ability had come to use the training equipment as well. Wandering through the halls they were able to in time find the principals office, "Mr Forthright's office" on the plaque. Now it was only a matter of entering or knocking if one had preferred.
Kuro hesitates... great, now Mom's worried. Should he just let her show up? That might not be a bad thing...
He looks over at the others, knowing they probably don't want anyone else showing up right now. Sighing, he looks back at his phone and writes, "Its fine. Don't really want Father to know about it. I'll let you know if something happens." He sends the message and then hesitates as something occurs to him. Maybe walking home alone wouldn't be a good idea...both cause of his asthma and the possibility of a kidnaping... so he writes another text. "Could you pick me up later?"
When they arrive at the office, Kuro stands dully, waiting for everyone else to take initiative first. He certainly has no desire to barge in or knock on the door to the principle's office.
Arthur's text puts a soft smile in Zahira's face. Saying things in the least appropriate moments was definitely something the genasi was familiar with. She then felt a little bit concerned: sure, it was great that the paladin applied to be a knight, but she hoped this didn't put him in any sort of trouble. Not all knights could be involved in whatever was happening, right? And having him in their ranks could gain them useful information. In any case, it was too soon to be thinking of that and Zahira didn't mention any of this when she replied back saying she was happy for his having met that squire friend, telling him to be super extra careful and finishing the text with a kiss and a blue heart amajis. Plash would be annoyed if he read that. Oh, well...!
Standing in front of the Principal office she began to feel a little nervous as she whispered to her friends:
- Uh ... okay ... so here we are. How do we wanna do this? Hummmm. *Come on Zahira, calm down* ... We could maybe think of some kind of code phrase in case any of us detects that Forthright isn't sounding good, and in that case we will just leave without showing him Len's crystal. Otherwise, we'll just hand him Len. What do you think?
Zeph nods to Zahira, "Good idea"then quickly responds to Himari,
You'll have to tell me more about it later in person. Heh, doesn't surprise me, I'm glad he's alright though. Yeah, it would be good if you all could meet us here too. Though I will say that we aren't sure we can trust him fully yet. I really hope we can, and I think we can, but better save than sorry. I really don't want to end up giving him Len, only to have him give him back to whoever stuck him in there.
Oh and delete this conversation after you read it. We don't want to be tracked.
Once they arrive at the Principal's office, Zeph looks around as if expecting someone. He still has a serious, and slightly worried look on his face. When Zahira speaks up, he takes a moment to register her words. "Uh...I suppose we could try that. Or we could just have some kind of signal like pulling out our crystal and pretending to get a text or call from our parents...or uncle in your case...saying that they want us to come home."
- Okay! Pulling our crystal and pretend we have a message from our families sounds fine to me. Let's hope we don't need to get to that- with that she approaches the door and moves her hand towards it in order to knock. Sharing one last look with her friends to check they are ready, she then knocks and waits to hear the Principal's voice inviting them to enter.
- Well, we can ask about any other missing kids later. And, yes... - Zahira says to Zephyro, as they both examine the crystals - ...those scrolls had Transmutation and Necromancy spells inscribed on them. Those schools where present in the book and the orbs too, along with Celestial energy - Zahira checks again, is there any kind of Celestial energy around the place?
As they are keep looking for clues, the monk and the artificer see the two blue eyes staring back at them from inside the crystal and Zahira tenses and exclaims:
- Oh Gods!! Is that...?? What ..?? But how ...?!?! - she looks at both Kuro and Ethan wide-eyed, and then back to the crystal again - Is this Len trapped inside??
The genasi begins to check the rest of the crystals inmediately, looking for signs that there's something ... somebody ... in them, too.
(OOC: OMG! .... How many crystals are there? Also, is the kid inside just starting or does he do any kind of movement?)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Zephyro stares at the crystal in shock. Whatever he had expected, he had not expected this. He glances at Zahira then back at Len inside the crystal. "W-we have to take these out of here. I don't know how to get him out, or if those other ones have anyone inside, but we can't leave them here. Especially if some of the police are involved." He stares down at Len, trying to make it obvious that he can see him. "Don't worry, we we will get you out somehow." He says, though he's not sure if the boy can hear him.
Then he puts the crystal into his bag, and starts doing the same with the rest of them, as he checks them. Once done, he says, "Alright, let's get out of here. Ethan, thank you for your help, now you should probably get going to. I don't want you to get into any more trouble on our account." At this point, his voice has taken on a serious tone. However, anyone who pays close enough attention may notice that his overly calm, almost mechanical motions of gathering his things and the hardness in his voice are merely covering up how freaked out he actually is.
Kuro's blank expression falters slightly when they all realize that there is a kid stuck in the crystal. Good gods this was way worse than he'd thought. ...who would have guessed that checking out some stupid kids playing stupid headbanger music would connect to the missing kids everyone wanted to go look for. His expression flickers to a somewhat concerned one before quickly reverting back to blank. Of course, this is the first time his expression has changed whatsoever, so even the slightest hint of concern looks strange on his face. Maybe it had been unwise to tell his mom this was a joke. Now she'll definitely find out that he'd lied to her, especially since the only person he can think to bring this to is the principle--and if they tell the principle, then Father will find out and inevitably Mom will find out too. Great.
But perhaps his personal problems weren't what he should be concerned with right now, he could deal with those later. Right now he should be concerned with the fact that they were all standing around in a kidnappers lair, and they have a bug sized Len stuck in a crystal. If this isn't resolved, well the problems he'll deal with later will just keep getting worse. And who knows, maybe in spite of his utter lack of talent with magic, he could wind up in the next crystal ball. ...him or Zahira for that matter. Unless these people were only focusing on kids who primarily use magic... like wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks.
"Let's go," he says, agreeing with Zephiro. "Probably should take this to the principle..." He trails off, still not really sure if thats the best plan but unable to figure out anything.
- Y-yes ... yes ... the Principal ... good idea. He'll know what to do - Zahira says, feeling relieved to see Zephyro handling the crystals and not having to do that herself. Her hands are trembling so much that she would surely had dropped them. - He may even know how to get Len out of here. Though, where is his body? If his essence is in here, his pyshical body must be somewhere, right? - She gives a quick look around, trying to find any kind of evidence that shows how bodies could have been handled, or even stored, but she's really too distressed - and her mind racing with too many unanswered questions - to actually be able to focus on anything. (OOC Perception: 4).
- Ermm, by the way, I should let Arthur know what we've found and that we are on our way to the Principal. After all, he was the one who told us who was missing, and his party is out there looking for him. So I believe we should share with them that we have, well, found him? ... Sort of...? I'll text him once we are out of here, ok?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
The elven student blankly keeps looking at Zahira, as she wisely checks the other crystals though of similar make and design they appear to be empty "Vessals" of sorts.
Ethan looked at the crystal than to her a bit confused but a bit nervous all the same. The boy had tilted his head at Zephyro blinking lightly. Ethan had looked to Zephyro when he had said it was time to go.
"All right babes.. This daddio is outta here! If ya need me.. Ya can text me~"
And with that the tiefling had begun to make himself rather scarce. Zahira in her current state wasn't able to find much more down here in the cellar.
OOC
Also the next time they long rest they will all be LV 3!
You can go ahead and do the level ups now if you wish ^~^
When Ethan disappears, Zahira rolls her eyes:
- ... "babes"...? Really! I was about to snap every time he said that! Anyway, the rest of the crystals are empty. Let's take them with us too, just in case they are not easy to replace and this complicates further experiments.
Taking a moment to calm her shaky hands, she then takes as many empty crystals as she can store safely in her backpack.
- Let's go back to Zim and Trick, they'll probably have finished patching up the elf and the dwarf upstairs. And then ... to the Academy?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Zephryo watches Ethan leave, then shakes his head. He hopes he doesn't need to text that guy any time soon. "Yeah, he sure is a strange one, but ultimately I'm glad we were able to get him on our side...." He trails off then looks back at the crystal with Len in it, "Could he even hear me?" He thinks to himself. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Clearly the boy can't speak back, otherwise he would have responded differently. But did he at least let the boy know that he's not his enemy?
Insight:10
Tilting his head to Zahira he says, "Yes let's go back up...though...are we sure about the principal? We have to think about this carefully. What if we just waltz in there, and it turns out that he's in on this too? I really doubt that he is, but better safe than sorry." He grips the crystal in his hand, "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if we just handed Len back over to whoever did this to him."
Kuro gives no reaction when Ethan leaves, but dips his head slightly at Zahira's comment. That guy was such a creep and there is no way that Kuro will ever text him. The guy already has his name thanks to Zephiro, so the last thing he needs if for him to have his number too.
Once everyone has gathered whatever it is they wanted to take, he turns to leave--his pace notably faster than it was on the way in. When Zephiro asks about the principle Kuro says in a quiet and reluctant tone, "My... Father is friends with him. So..." He shrugs. It would be pretty sad if his father's old friend ended up being in on this... but maybe that was why he wanted them to take evidence from the scene after the fight with the gremlins before the cops showed up? Could he have been using them to hide evidence? ...or maybe he knows something about the cops being corrupt and wanted them to take as much evidence as they could before it was swept under the rug. ... the first option would be...well unfortunate. But the second option was just plain irresponsible. If he knows something, why not tell Father instead of pushing it off on a bunch of kids? Either way, it was a mess and Kuro wants out as soon as possible.
If they don't want to take the kid to the principle, then the next best thing would be Father... in spite of Kuro's hesitance to involve him, well it might put the other's at ease. They should be able to trust his father not to be involved if nothing else. But he won't offer that unless they really really don't want to involve the principle. For now, he just wants out of the building.
Listening to her friends, Zahira too begins to question the next steps.
- Are you sure you want to involve your father in this? - she asks Kuro - I mean, I thought you would prefer to be ... more private... about this, and you are talking about taking this directly to your home. Would you be okay with that, Kuro? Though, talking the Principal would probably be the same as telling your dad directly, if they are in such friendly terms. Mmmm...
She seems to meditate for a moment:
- I would hate the idea of the Principal, or any professor for that matter, to be involved in this. They are supposed to guide us and protect us! But, as Zeph says, we have to take everything into consideration. If we don't want to contact anyone that "powerful", why don't we start a little smaller? We could perhaps try with Sakimoto. He seemed to be very interested in the wellbeing of students, right? I don't know, these are the two names I first thought about: the Principal and Sakimoto.
"I could also ask my uncle", she thinks, "He seems to be pretty informed and he cannot be involved in this. He's the last person that would want to be get in trouble with Burguss and Strauss issues again .... right...?"
- What scares me, though, is that one as konwledgeable as the Principal would surely be the best option to help Len. I'm scared that something happens to him if he stays in that crystal for too long...
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Kuro shrugs, "He'll find out somehow." He always did, and then Kuro might end up getting pushed further in whether he wants to or not. But, if they got an adult on the case then at least there would be someone other than kids trying to solve this serious issue. Why would going to Sakimoto be a good idea? He's not an adult either, and isn't qualified to deal with this stuff anymore than they are... well maybe he is but still, he's still just a kid. They need an adult to take the reins here, otherwise things could get bad really fast.
"Its not up to us who's involved," he says in a low tone. "We're just kids. This isn't our job." His eyes flick over to the bag where they were carrying the crystals. He stays quiet for a long moment before adding, "We need to tell an adult."
Then he shoves his hands deeper into his pockets and lowers his head so that his face is hidden by his hair and hood. If they talk to the principle first, then maybe they could just ask him not to tell Father? No, that's stupid. As if he'd listen. Right now they just need to get someone to solve this problem, otherwise kids are just going to keep going missing. They could tell Sakimoto, and Arthur too, but that doesn't change the fact that they are all still kids and need an adult's guidance. Why did everyone here just assume that since they are training to be adventurers that they are somehow qualified to deal with literal kidnappings and possibly murder? I'M FOURTEEN! he thinks, suddenly feeling trapped. I just want to go home.
- Okay, okay - Zahira says. That was probably the biggest amount of words to ever come out from Kuro, and the air genasi was a little bit amazed, but also sure that there was still a lot more running through his mind that he was still not saying - Then, I think I prefer going to the Principal first. If we are not sure about him we can always show him the empty crystals first, see how reacts to them and depending on that reaction we could show him Len's crystal also ... or stop right there and go to your father.
She sighs, tired:
- I don't know, this is just an idea. Not sure if it's the best or if it's just a big mistake. This is truly complicated... Anyway, I'll text Arthur once we decide.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Zephyro couldn't tell either way if Len could or couldn't hear him. The party had managed to leave the building without catching any further attention as tensions rised in the party. Now out and about in the town they had more time to really think what to do. Whom to text and where to head.
OOC
Just let me know who they text and where they head too! Also everyone can benefit from a short rest if they want and once they decide I'll think of a way to introduce our new PC ^~^
Kuro falters slightly when Zahira suggests going straight to his father...what gave her that idea? Does she even know who his father is? He glances briefly at her, then shrugs. Father would be thrilled to meet all of them...maybe. Though it would be so annoying if he let onto the fact that he somehow thought Kuro was the one supporting the whole team...as if, but sometimes he wonders if Father can tell fiction from reality. Sure, he'd considered taking the issue to him, it would be better than just going to Sakimoto, but that didn't mean he wanted him to be their second option.
"Fine," he says. They have to figure out who to trust, and right now the principle seems like the best option. He's powerful enough to get Lenn out of the crystal, and he has (hopefully) no connection to the cops. If he refuses to help, then they can ask Father and tell him that the principle might be in on snatching the kids... which honestly it makes sense for someone in the school to be responsible considering the fact that he hasn't heard of any other schools loosing kids... like, what about that big wizard school? Have they lost anyone? He closes his eyes for a moment, then says, "Lets go then." He also pulls out his phone and texts his mom. If Father finds out, she's going to find out too so might as well let her know a little of what's going on.
"Going to campus with my group to tell the principle about the idiots who pranked us. I'll text you when we get there." and that's all he says to her. That way it isn't a total lie, but he doesn't have to worry about her freaking out and driving over at the moment. He'll explain the whole situation later but at least this way if he goes missing she might be able to put together who was responsible.
Hesitantly he says, "I told my mom where we are going. In case something happens." He glances at his group members, then fall silent again waiting to see if someone else texts anyone. The more people who know where they are the better...so long as they can trust them. As they walk he is as quiet as usual.
Zephyro nods to Zahira, "I agree with going to the principal first and showing him the empty ones before going all in. I'm not to keen on getting Sakimoto in on this right now. I doubt he's in on it, but if this is brought to his attention...i just don't want him to end up in trouble. I am going to text Himari though and she can decide if telling her brother is a good idea, and it would be good to let Arthur know, especially since we found Len." "Although his parent's could be in on it...Ceribrum, MY parents could be in on this." He thinks to himself. What would he do if that were true? What would happen to his family? Best not to think about that unless he gets actual evidence... He looks back down at the crystal and sighs, then he puts it in his bag. He feel's odd putting a person into it, but it's probably best not to let anyone see it.
Once at a safe distance from the building, the young elf gets out his crystal and starts texting.
To Twilight:
"Hey Twilight, I'm not really sure how to say this, but my party and I may have just gotten ourselves into something a bit out of our league. Long story short, we found Len. Whoever is taking these kids has been trapping them in these crystal things, and the whole place stinks of necromancy according to Zahira. One of the guys guarding the place was Ethan, but we managed to convince him to stop working with them. He's on the run now, but we can contact him if necessary. Ethan also said that Reaper might be in with these people and he could potentially be the next target for kidnapping. The group apparently has been targeting magic users. I'm going to be upping my time in the Wizard classes in order to keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately, some of the cops and the knights might be in on this. My party has decided to go to the principal for guidance, though we are going to take precautions. We don't know who to trust right now.
Also, I know your brother has been trying to do some investigating on the missing kids, so if you think telling him about this would be ok then go for it we could use all the trustworthy allies we can get. I just don't want him to get in over his head as well, he seems like the type to try to run off and investigate on his own...."
Once he hits send, he looks to his companions. "Well? Off to the school? I'd like to get Len out of this thing as soon as possible."
As Zephyro texts Himari, Zahira does the same with Arthur. They will probably be together and receive the message almost at the same time, and the genasi wonders how they'll react and if they will share this information right away with the rest of their party members, which include Reaper. Well, its up to them to decide how best to handle this information. And if Reaper is such a good kid, then they are surely the best to help him out of the mess he seems to have gotten himself into.
"Hey Arthur. I think Himari is receiving this same info at the same time as you, because Zeph is texting her right now. We ... have found Len. It's a little bit complicated to explain and we are still shocked by what we've seen, but the thing is we entered a building in front of Flurry's where there was some incredibly loud music, and this led us to meet the famous Ethan and some of his 'friends'. We tried to avoid the fight, but those friends of his didn't want to let us go alive, so we fought them. Luckily Ethan turned on them and helped us. Don't want to think what would have happened if he hadn't.
It seems they had been hired to guard that place by some group called "The Purists", who are performing some kind of experiments with kids that are good at magic, in that building's basement. When we examined we found many arcane glyphs, crystals and such. All of it full of Necromancy essence. And Len is trapped in one of these crystals. His essence, or soul, at least. We found no trace of his body.
Ethan says cops and knights are involved in this. So please be careful who you share this information with. We are at this very moment going to the Academy to meet the Principal and ask him for help. As we are not sure if he is involved too, we'll first show him the empty crystals, to check how he reacts. If we sense he's not compromised, then we will tell him about Len. And let's pray he knows how to help him...
Also, important: Ethan says Reaper is involved in this. He says they both believed they were helping. So... handle Reaper with care. If we are to believe Ethan, he's not really very involved in this, but probably just mislead. You'll probably know this better than me, as I don't really know Reaper at all. But both Himari, Ethan and you have stated that he's a good kid, so I trust he can be led to the right path.
We can meet in the Academy if you guys want to come.
PS: It's probably best that you delete this message after you read it. Just in case. I will remove mine from the sent list."
After sending the text, Zahira says to Zeph:
- I've told Arthur to delete the text after he's read it. Just in case. I will also remove it from the sent list. They can probably still be tracked anyway, but it won't hurt to do this anyway.
She's about to just continue walking when she decides to send another text. This one to uncle Plash. She begins typing ... but finally refrains from doing so. Perhaps it's better to reach the Academy and see how things go with the Principal before doing that.
- Let's go, then.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Zeph's Text
Put your spoiler here. Oh dear! That's crazy.. We just ran into some wild gremlins being controlled by some strange man.. The guy got away but we defeated the gremlins! We didn't know what to do.. Arthur got hurt but he's okay now. You okay?! Also.. I think I can tell Sakomoto I trust him, he's a dork but he's a good guy. I thought about giving him the evidence we found. Nari and Evie are smart but it's a lot to take in.. Wait you found Len!? Oh jeez! Well.. Damn you are making better progress than us! Do you want us to meet the principal with you?
Zahira's Text
Put your spoiler here. Oh no.. I'm sure you woulda kicked butt! But I am glad you're okay ^~^. We got in a bit of a brawl ourselves but were okay too! Oh no.. Poor Len.. Idk who these purist are but they sound like bad news! Ahh I made a knight friend.. A squire named Evan! Also I was thinking of applying myself.. But because you say so I'll be careful promise! How can that cute face lie? I probably shouldn't say that right now ugh! Oh well! You knew I was thinking it I'm sure! Still.. We gotta help fix Len. I hope Reaper's not apart of all this.. And just mislead. Oh sure no problem!
Kuro's Text
Put your spoiler here. We can head on over, if you want. I think we should, I'm just worried about you going if kids are messing with you dear. I know you're father says you can just "beat" them up but I know you were never really a violent kid.. I love you dear.
With that the party had made it's way to the school, albeit it wasn't exactly empty. After school sports and clubs with many teachers and students, those wishing to train and hone their ability had come to use the training equipment as well. Wandering through the halls they were able to in time find the principals office, "Mr Forthright's office" on the plaque. Now it was only a matter of entering or knocking if one had preferred.
Kuro hesitates... great, now Mom's worried. Should he just let her show up? That might not be a bad thing...
He looks over at the others, knowing they probably don't want anyone else showing up right now. Sighing, he looks back at his phone and writes, "Its fine. Don't really want Father to know about it. I'll let you know if something happens." He sends the message and then hesitates as something occurs to him. Maybe walking home alone wouldn't be a good idea...both cause of his asthma and the possibility of a kidnaping... so he writes another text. "Could you pick me up later?"
When they arrive at the office, Kuro stands dully, waiting for everyone else to take initiative first. He certainly has no desire to barge in or knock on the door to the principle's office.
Arthur's text puts a soft smile in Zahira's face. Saying things in the least appropriate moments was definitely something the genasi was familiar with. She then felt a little bit concerned: sure, it was great that the paladin applied to be a knight, but she hoped this didn't put him in any sort of trouble. Not all knights could be involved in whatever was happening, right? And having him in their ranks could gain them useful information. In any case, it was too soon to be thinking of that and Zahira didn't mention any of this when she replied back saying she was happy for his having met that squire friend, telling him to be super extra careful and finishing the text with a kiss and a blue heart amajis. Plash would be annoyed if he read that. Oh, well...!
Standing in front of the Principal office she began to feel a little nervous as she whispered to her friends:
- Uh ... okay ... so here we are. How do we wanna do this? Hummmm. *Come on Zahira, calm down* ... We could maybe think of some kind of code phrase in case any of us detects that Forthright isn't sounding good, and in that case we will just leave without showing him Len's crystal. Otherwise, we'll just hand him Len. What do you think?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Zeph nods to Zahira, "Good idea" then quickly responds to Himari,
You'll have to tell me more about it later in person. Heh, doesn't surprise me, I'm glad he's alright though. Yeah, it would be good if you all could meet us here too. Though I will say that we aren't sure we can trust him fully yet. I really hope we can, and I think we can, but better save than sorry. I really don't want to end up giving him Len, only to have him give him back to whoever stuck him in there.
Oh and delete this conversation after you read it. We don't want to be tracked.
Once they arrive at the Principal's office, Zeph looks around as if expecting someone. He still has a serious, and slightly worried look on his face. When Zahira speaks up, he takes a moment to register her words. "Uh...I suppose we could try that. Or we could just have some kind of signal like pulling out our crystal and pretending to get a text or call from our parents...or uncle in your case...saying that they want us to come home."
- Okay! Pulling our crystal and pretend we have a message from our families sounds fine to me. Let's hope we don't need to get to that - with that she approaches the door and moves her hand towards it in order to knock. Sharing one last look with her friends to check they are ready, she then knocks and waits to hear the Principal's voice inviting them to enter.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra