Forum Thread

Jake saw that happening tries toget her attention by throwing his scythe

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"what the hell is happening here?"

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Councillor Lediana locked eyes with her daughter. Well, at least she looked somewhat remorseful. But she had no idea. The trouble, the chaos, having to deal with imbeciles.

Athena was supposed to be the one person who the Councillor could rely on. Her daughter. Her heir.

The headmistress was droning on and on about something, a needless introduction. Useless woman. The microphone-like magical device was in her hands before the headmistress knew what was happening.

"Yes, yes. Thank you for that rather tedious introduction." She rolled her eyes. "First and foremost. Students. You are the future of this world, and you should behave as such. There are rules, and you are expected to follow them. Those who break them will be punished... much more severely, starting now. But more on that in a little bit." Her gaze was nearly blank, but a certain girl in the audience would know to fear what was coming next.

"Secondly, you have heard rumors of a tournament of power. That will start next week, and will replace a week's worth of classes. Judges will include a panel of your professors, the headmistress, and Councillors such as myself. It is a solo competition. Those who finish in the lower half will need to take a proficiency test to stay in this academy. The top thirty-two students who make it to the bracketed rounds will notice their job prospects sky-rocket."

There were gasps from the audience.

"Yes, this tournament will become biannual, and will become a measure of skill to prepare you for the workforce. Treat it with respect. The rest of the judging panel that comes from outside the school's walls will join me in three days time for the first day. I will be reclaiming the ancient post of Councillor-in-residence of the Academy. Too long the post has been unfilled, and this school has... descended into uncivilized chaos. Mischief, illegal items, dueling guards."

The entire hall was silent. A lone scythe landed inches from Athena in the front row. She summoned it to her. It was inscribed simply: Jake. Well then. She threw it back to the boy furiously, nicking his arm to draw blood.

"Next time I am interrupted, the perpetrator will be expelled." She used her death glare.

"And as Councillor-in-residence, I will begin by putting a dent in the chaos. Right now. Athena Luminia Lediana, please come here. NOW."

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Athena stood up slowly and shakily. She'd pretty much sentenced herself to doom by coming to Assembly. She could have just ditched it, hidden somewhere until she could think up a fitting explanation... Her mother's cold eyes stared at her. Shouting at her to hurry up. Carefully, she made her way to the stairs that led on stage, then up the stairs, and finally onto the stage.

Everyone stared at her. Some judgmentally, some disapprovingly, some simply curious, and some possibly gleeful. But most of all, her mother's searing gaze seemed to pierce right through her, see all the lies she'd told, all the mistakes she'd made. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned to face her.

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Kendo laughed at the woman's speech. He couldn't help it.

"Man... Lady, you are so uptight, it's killin' me!"

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Councillor Lediana watched her daughter. Had she learned anything? Hold your head high, girl. The disapproval on her face was evident.

"These have been designed by the council," She said, holding up a metal band. She fastened it around her daughter's wrist. Immediately, the girl stumbled, falling to her knees.

"Students will get one warning. The second offense will result in the bracelet. This will alert the council to your whereabouts, monitor your emotional and stress levels, and as a last resort, allow us to remotely control your magic flow, turning it on and off. The bonding process is... a little painful. Should students be able to regulate their emotions for one year, they will be submitted for assessment, and with a teacher recommendation, can have the bracelet removed. There is no shame in needing the reminder to help you with your behavior during your formative academic years. Should a student illegally remove the bracelet, which is impossible, they will be expelled, and in some cases, banished from our realm."

That laugh...

"Mr. Sato, I presume? You are on thin ice. Let that serve as your first warning. A second instance will result in the bracelet."

Silence.

"Everyone else will start with a clean slate. And the ridiculous favoritism and bullying that has been going on here since the dawn of time is over. Every instance will be reported to me. If you are being harassed, hurt, or abused, I will not stand for it, unlike the... previous... administration."

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Kendo clicked his tongue as he pointed a finger gun at the councilor.

"You're assuming you could even catch me, lady?"

Kendo yawned.

"Man, what a stick-in-the-mud."

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Athena stumbled, then fell, holding her wrist and twitching with agony. She vaguely heard what Councillor Lediana had said, but it didn't really register in her head. The only thing that registered was the pain. It was slowly spreading, moving from her wrist to her arm, up to her shoulder, and finally invading her head. And it felt like she was on fire. Which she had come very close to, in fact. She heard the murmur of the crowd, Kendo's comments, but they were drowned out by the inferno raging in her head.

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She was annoyed. She was oh so very annoyed. But Councillor Lediana was not the blind cruelty of the headmistress. She wanted to help and emphasize the difference betwen them. no matter how misguided and evil she is...

"Mr. Sato. I understand it takes to adjust to change, and that alone is why I have not smited you in your seat. All of you go back to class. This is effective immediately."

They all filed out of their seats, whispering.

"Not you." She grabbed Athena by her collar, and all but hauled the girl down the hall to her new office. She closed the door, and checked to make sure the soundproof spell was expertly warded. She turned back slowly, dangerously, and rounded on her daughter.

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!? ATTACKING GUARDS? JUMPING FROM ROOFTOPS? BRINGING SHAME AND DISHONOR ON THE LEDIANA FAMILY NAME? DO YOU THINK I ENJOY BEING WOKEN BY YOUR IDIOT HEADMISTRESS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND BEING TOLD MY DAUGHTER IS-" She paused and took a deep breath.

"I am so disappointed. I can't even look at you. Explain yourself immediately."

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Athena could barely speak, much less think of a proper response. She wanted to shout that the guard had tried to kill her, that people had tried to kill her many times already. And that jumping from rooftops was something she did everyday. Also, shame and dishonor? With what? Doing what was truly right, standing up against the crazy schooling system? But none of it came out. Instead, she just hung her head, staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

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"No answer." She turned back around, and began to pace. "I am beyond disappointed in you."

"The guard will survive, by the way. They were able to rush him into the hospital, and give him a heart transplant in time... You have never thought of the consequences of you actions. Even as a little girl, you were impulsive. I tried to motivate you to do the right thing. Rewards, consequences, both. You were so smart. But it seems your prowess in academics hasn't transferred to common sense."

Her daughter stared at the floor. Weak. Any answer would have been better than silence. Didn't she realize that it was behaviors like this that caused her to fail? Compliance at all the wrong times. Etiquette, ballet, argumentation, philosophy, history, self-defense, magic. Had every lesson been a waste?

"So I ask again. What do you have to say for yourself?"

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Her brain screamed at her to just say it, all that rage and resentment that had been building up for the past 12 years. To open the flood gates, let them through. To just tell her mother how wrong she was! But why. Couldn't. She. Do. It? It was as simple as a few words, a few sentences. Just moving her mouth. But instead. Instead, she had to fail. Had to keep all those emotions in, keep building onto them, making her even angrier, causing her to make even more mistakes, which her mother reprimanded her for, and repeating the cycle all over again.

"I'm sorry." She didn't mean it, but it slipped through anyways. Her mother wouldn't be satisfied in any way with the answer, but it was all she could say. All she could say without letting the truth slip.

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"Get out. Just get out. I don't want to see you in this room again, until one year from now when you get your bracelet off."

She turned away from her daughter. A disappointment. And she could see in Athena's eyes that she knew it too. Alright, time to start on the crack down of enforcement.

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Really, those might be the best and worst words she ever heard. Finally, she could leave. Leave the stifling atmosphere, unbearable pressure. But... Her mother had as good as given up on her. And she had good reason to, she'd pretty much given up on herself. If she couldn't even say the simple truth, stand up for herself, she was a serious disappointment. To everybody.

Limping slightly from the aftermath of the bracelet's activation, she made her way to her dorm. Locked the door, and sat on her bed. Pulling out a book, she began reading furiously. But her mind wasn't really in the book, it was still thinking about the events of the past few days. The pride which she had felt when she'd escaped the guard evaporated quickly, to be replaced by anger, exasperation, and slight guilt.

After hours of reading, long after everyone else had fallen asleep, she finally managed to fall into an uneven sleep. It was laced with nightmares, of everyone being disappointed in her, even her best friends. She woke up multiple times, sometimes crying, once even screaming. But then she would fall asleep again, and have even more of those horrible dreams.

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"Aw man, I wonder if Athena is ok. Maybe we could go to her place and cheer her up Calico?" Calico stares at Sobble with his cuuuuuteee eyes.

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She knocked, quietly. "Athena? It's me, Sophie..." No answer.

"I understand if you don't want company, but can you just let me know if you're... hurt?" Sophie was furious on behalf of her friend. But some of what the Councillor had said made sense, especially that part about bullying. She wondered if Athena's mother would be true to her word.

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Jake pulls back his scythe being in his cold self

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"Ah I'm here, looks like someone else is here too. I'm Sobble, who are you?"

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"..... Jake"

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"That's a nice name, say you look nice."

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Jakes eye turned red as there is fire in there and his scythe eye glows and tentacles become coming out of his back "..."

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