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One of the two people Kiase had been following turned suddenly and pointed in his and two others’ direction. Kiase froze for a few slow seconds and then stood up.

Him, a random guy no one knows the name of who has long hair like a girl stand up from the barrels he was crouching behind. Since his presence was definitely drawing much attention that was completely unwarranted and not needed, he decided to stand and pretend that he was not doing anything wrong.

Acting like nothing was amiss, Kiase starting walking away. He didn’t care about whatever social gathering of freaks and weirdos like him was happening but when socialising came into question, he was out of there.

"Yahoo~ Long hair guy! Where ya going? That ain't the direction of the auditorium!" Phoebes turned her face away from Alcyone and looked at the suspicious long hair slendermen instead. How long has this fellow been following them again? For at least 10 minutes at the lowest Phoebes calculated.

Before the long hair fellow can run away any further, Phoebes lightly jogged towards his direction and grabbed onto his long black hair. The first thing Phoebes noticed that was this man was as thin as a skeleton (Slenderman?) and second of all, he was as pale as a ghost (Slenderman??). If she were any more human she might've been scared!

At the thought of experiencing fear for the first time, Phoebes lips quirked up and red petaled eyes twinkled with excitement. She tugged on the hair a few more times to gain the others attention and smiling.

"Hey, hey slendermen, say where ya going? Wanna come with?" Phoebes tilted her head, her voice light and sweet, but her grip clearly told no room for rejection.

---

This "reformation" institute was indubitably filled with oddballs. Though,throughout Alcyone's stay, stalking was definitely a first. She watched as Phoebes bounced around the hall until she eventually made it to another person.

She felt the world around her stop for a moment as she witnessed Phoebes pull that poor person's hair and immediately dropped her bag. Seeing as they'd do a small detour to gather the people who were summoned to the auditorium,Alcyone let her bag reach the ground and just rested on it,being on standby should Phoebes' victim decide to fight back.

It seemed like a wonder that kid was able to make it through the year behaving like and approaching all these criminals like they're friends ever since childhood. Or maybe there's more to her than it seems.

Kiase immediately turned around and was about to smack Phoebes, either on the head, face, hand or just anywhere in reach, yet when he turned, he realised the girl was so much shorter that him, that the air he was about the smack was not, as a matter of fact, Phoebes. Instead, his about-to-be raised hand twitched uncomfortably before lowering.

Come to think of it, he was technically going the wrong way. Of course, he wouldn’t ever admit it, but he did know, deep down, that he was wrong. Instead of hitting the little girl, Kiase pulled her hand away from his hair, he was a calm person, he must not let emotion control him even when his scalp is burning like fire from the gremlin girl’s crazy hair-pulling.

After freeing himself, Kiase really did not want to speak to anyone, especially not parading around in a giant group of rowdy children. That would be beyond him.

But did he have any other choice? Nope.

He decided to cross his arms and not talk, but he would follow them. Naturally, no one would break their streak of two semesters of not opening one’s mouth to speak words to another human, right?

xxxxxCaesar could hardly bring himself to look at the damage that he'd indirectly caused, painful memories of a job gone horribly wrong bubbling up. He shook the thoughts from his head subtly, and turned his attention fully to Ferrenal once more. His eyes studied the marred features of his companion... So many years ago, and yet somehow this remnant of what was once a human had found the room to accept, at the very least, a semblance of forgiveness into that cold, calculating mind. Julius managed to chuckle at the old reminders, though, of the comradery that he and Ferrenal had shared before the untimely deaths of the two of them. Though, where Ferrenal had died in body, it was Caesar who had died in the mind.


xxxxx"Aye, I suppose we should carry on. Best not to keep anyone waiting on us, lest we be accused of wasting their time." Caesar adjusted his grip on his suitcase, ensuring his hand stayed firmly around the leather handle. He grinned a little at Ferrenal's comment, letting it roll through his tumultuous mind again, the words bringing an oddly serene feeling to his tense shoulders... Until, once more, the bubbling violence of that final failed mission struck him. He felt his mind flinch at the memory, the sudden blackness.. The glass walls around him. The questions. The interrogations. The brutality... Caesar shook his head subtly, then nodded to Ferrenal.

"Let's be off, shall we?"

---

Phoebes was going to keep holding on to the long strands of hair before she changed her mind last minute. She wouldn't want her new friend (?) to hate her immediately would she? Plus it was humane to be polite and comply to what folks request for.

Phoebes let go, and she waited for Mr. Slenderman to talk. But only silence remained. She looked up questionably, wasn't it his turn to talk? Why wasn't he replying? Was he perhaps what they call a 'mute'? A hint of interest appeared on Phoebes face. This was the first time she has met a mute person, so it was natural for her to have many questions.

Such as, were they all super tall and lanky?

Did they all have such pale slendermen-like skin?

And naturally, with a fearless mentality she voices out her questions innocently.

"Hey hey, are you gonna answer or not? Or are you mute? If you are then nod okay?"

Phoebes advised before turning her head back briefly and pulling Kiase's wrist and dragging the other back to Alcyone who was standing back watching her. Phoebes even waved enthusiastically.

"We're back Alcyone~ I even brought a new friend hehe"

---

Kiase repressed the urge to punch or slap the girl, adult, gremlin or whatever she was.

Sighing very very deeply, he didn’t respond nor shake his head, dejectedly, he let himself be dragged towards the social gathering party. Great, people, absolutely amazing.

Kiase’s extremely irritated face could be seen from a mile away and every can probably see that he’d rather not be babysitting a six-year old or twenty or however old the girl pulling him was. In his head, he was thinking over the ways he could escape from the grasp of the devil in disguise, but alas, he had no option but to allow the dragging since he had to get to the auditorium.

The girl who he in fact, has never seen in his life, calling him a ‘slendermen’, what in the hell was that? Is it an insult or something? He wasn’t sure. And of course, he was no mute, but Kiase refused to speak, therefore he kept his mouth shut. Lastly, ‘friend’? Who was the little, short, evil little demon calling a ‘friend’? If not for his need to know where the building he needed to go was located, he would’ve kicked her in the shins and told her to find her parents.

Persephone O'Couna
Persephone glanced upwards as the final message clicked off. She was standing outside, her right palm pressed firm and flat to a tree, her other gripping her luggage. People should know better than to steal from her by now, but it wasn't as if common sense was something that afflicted many of the idiots here. No, they preferred to make ridiculous decisions and receive their disastrous consequences.

It's not like she cared. But everything everyone did... annoyed her. She easily recalled memories of the first week, when they'd tried picking on her, framing her as the weakest link. Like them and their money and their nice clean criminal records made them better than her.

She beat them into the ground and they didn't learn. So she did it again, and again, and she'd do it however many times it took for them to get the goddamn message.

I'm above you. I can toy with you until you're a broken little ragdoll in my hands and you'll puke out your stuffings and I'll leave you shattered on the ground behind the building, ripped up little limbs and cute little button eyes thrown everywhere. Compared to me, you're nothing. You're playthings; I'm the goddamn best.

And you know it. So keep your grubby baby hands off my stuff.

Persephone blinked, letting her shoulders relax and an easy smile pass over her face. That was enough of that. People would know better soon. She'd teach them.

So she really should stop worrying about puppets, and start thinking about the games to come. Soon, she'd be meeting the grandmasters, the real puppeteers behind this whole ridiculous show...

And be given a chance to become one of them.

Or... Her lips curled up in a smile. Destroy them.

That might be fun too. Just because they were part of the rebellion didn't mean that they weren't a part of this world. Everything she'd ever see would be just another background or puppet to the whole pathetic show. The play never ended, and so she might as well see what parts she could play.

"Though..." she murmured to herself. "Perhaps l could find someone interesting."

For a moment, she thought of Natalie, smiling wide, her eyes strange and shiny, the infinite darkness behind them. And again, she wondered just how alike they were.

Natalie always said they were opposites. Two sides of a coin, but not the same coin. Pages from different books shoved post-haste into the wrong binding. Never meant to touch, but doing so anyway. Their own antithesis.

But Persephone knew Natalie was wrong. Natalie was a player in this world. Maybe different in a way, maybe ruined in another way altogether. But definitely part of the cast.

Whereas Persephone could see her own hideous flaws reflected in every facet of this torn up hideous place. From the bared teeth of mangy dogs, desperate for a meal that might very well be their last, to the little street kids, stealing pocket change just to buy a place for the night. She was desperate for life in a way that perfectly matched every hellish turn of this place.

Just different roles. Same page, same coin, meant to touch for a moment, and then let history flow on into forever.

Ultimately, interesting people didn't matter. Everyone here was doomed from the moment they defied the whole rotten government. And it didn't matter, because if they tried to touch her, she'd tear them apart herself.

Dolls, that's what they are. Dirty little ragdolls crumpled at my feet. Ready for the trash.

Persephone found that she was walking towards the auditorium. As she glanced around, she noticed the others as well. Her competition.

Her hand tightened on the handle of her luggage and she recalled the words from the announcement. Final challenge. Who knew when it would start?

She certainly couldn't trust her fellow "rebels" not to stab her in the back. That's why they were all here, after all. Nasty little things skittering around, looking for an opportunity to take a chance and use someone else as a stepping stone.

Disgusting. She hated pests.

Putting a smirk on, Persephone raised her chin and walked past the group of chattering mice, keeping a look of haughty disdain on her face.

---

Woah are these what people call introverts?

Phoebes finally let go of Mr. Slenderman's hand and looked between the two of them. The silence would have been oppressive if it were any other individual between the two of them, but unfortunately it was the socially unapt Phoebes who has no social construct imbedded into her head that was present.

Rather than the silence being oppressive, she was just confused. Aren't humans supposed to be social creatures? How do they socialize if one of mute and the other isn't willing to talk?

Phoebes scratched her cheek in confusion, but just as she was about to turn around she saw a familiar face.

"Ehhh! Persephone?! Is that you?! Persephone O'Couna?" Phoebes exclaimed in surprised. With her little grubby hand and her legs, Phoebes skittered over to Phoebes and grabbed the edge of her clothing in surprise and excitement.

"Haven't seen ya in a while! You suddenly disappeared one day.. you weren't avoiding me were ya? If that were the case, Phoebes will be very disappointed!" Pheobes remarked with a pout.

---

Persephone O'Couna
Startling, Persephone pulled back with a violent yank, tearing the creature off her. It took her a moment to recognise the little rodent that was clinging to her shirt. And when she did, she felt her eyebrow twitch.

But instead of beating the Thing around the face, she gave it a pleasant smile and stepped back, keeping her hand carefully on her luggage, her grip so tight she imagined the metal might crack. "Oh, little 'Pheebs', is it? I'm afraid I'm not all that good with faces. If I don't care about the thing, I don't care to remember it."

With a grin, she slipped her free hand into her pocket and her fingers found the rosehip seed. She smiled sweetly at the Thing and kept her shoulders relaxed.

Her fingers traced gently over the outside of the little shell. Round, crescent shaped. So sweet and gentle. But even the littlest of things could grow up and into its thorns.

You could never underestimate anyone here. Even those with the sweetest smiles, the tiniest frames... they were out to get you. If you gave them the chance, they'd tear you down themselves.

It was a dog eat dog world. And she wouldn't fall for the sweet round eyes of a beast in the skin of a puppy.

---

Phoebes eyes widen slightly as she stumbles back and balanced herself, the excited smile never leaving her face once. Pheobes dusted off her clothes as if she was used to such actions from the individual in front of her. Though it was unfortunate that her old friend still treated her this roughly despite their multiple interactions.

But it was ok, Phoebes still has plenty of time, and she was plenty patient. If she could wait 14 years in her little test tube confined to a laboratory for her whole life, it was nothing waiting for Persephone to let her guard down.

Phoebes gave Persephone an understanding nod. This was one of the reasons why she liked Persephone so much, it was because there were many occasions where she found herself relating to such individual and her offhand statements. Phoebes sometimes thought perhaps they were meant to be?

Perhaps she found the one person that proves that she could become human! Perhaps being an artificial creation wasn't a problem!

Phoebes got excited again, agreeing with Persephone's statement. "Yes I totally understand! I'm just like that too! But I try to remember Persephone because I thought you'd be a person worth caring about in this world at least right? I mean thats how the system works isn't it? After all, we've already met so many times!"

Phoebes red petaled eyes twinkled as she rambled. Then she noticed her friend's luggage.

"Hey, want me to carry that for you?" Phoebes asked as she went over and grabbed it.

---

After having allied himself with Caesar once more, Ferrenal was about to depart towards the auditorium when he suddenly heard a gunshot ring out in the distance. This quickly diverted his attention. Had the government finally discovered them? Were they here to execute them all? No, that would not do. Signaling Caesar to follow him, Ferrenal took off at a running pace towards the source of the noise, making sure to prime the weapons in his arm as he ran. His arm quickly buzzed electrical signals back to his brain, confirming his orders.

TELESCOPIC CLAWS EXTENDED
ATP LEVELS ELEVATED
PROTOTYPE-1012-COBALT ON STANDBY


As he made it to the source of the sound, Ferrenal realized he was standing in a makeshift shooting range with targets laying strewn about everywhere. In the middle of the range stood a figure that vaguely resembled a human holding a sniper rifle. However, they had a horse head and were covered in crow feathers. In an attempt to identify the being, Ferrenal scanned them with his bionic eye.

IDENTITY: SATSUJIN, LAST NAME UNKNOWN
NON-HUMAN SENTIENCE DETECTED, TAXONOMY UNAVAILABLE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Realizing that this was one of the graduates, Ferrenal lowered his arm but remained on high alert. After all, weren’t the graduates meant to be heading to the auditorium now? What was this one doing here? Were they plotting something? Ferrenal greeted the strange figure and attempted to find out more. “Hello there. You’re one of the graduates no? Aren’t you meant to be heading to the auditorium with the rest of us?”

Persephone O'Couna
This pest... so goddamn clueless. Every screechy word that left its lips made Persephone twitch. What made it think that being in close quarters with someone made them friends? You could take the same bus route with someone for years and never know that they were a murderer. You might see them and feel safe, sure, if you were that particular breed of idiot who got attached to consistency. But you'd never really know someone, much less someone who hated you and pulled away every time you tried to touch them.

She blinked.

Something was touching her hand. Something was touching her suitcase.

"No!" Persephone yanked it back. Alarm bells went off, bouncing around her skull.

I was caught off guard. I got lost in my head.

The Thing had a strange effect on her. Persephone was almost subconsciously categorizing it as harmless. What an unnerving thought. She needed to remind herself that the pest was her enemy.

"Don't touch my things!" she snapped, feeling rattled. "Never touch anything of mine, understood?"

---

Just as Phoebes was about to drag the suitcase, she was pushed away yet again. How many times was this now? 5? 6? Why is it that every single time Phoebes tries to reach out to Persephone during their interactions in the past, she was the one getting pushed away?

"Waah.. you were like this last time too! You rattled on about how I was insignificant compared to you, and how I should've get lost.. sniff Persephone you're one of the most cruel person I've ever met in my whole life!" Phoebes blabbed. She didn't actually feel aggrieved, but she'd like to think that if she could feel more she would have been. If she we're just a bit more humane, even emotions like scorn, and hatred would've felt nice.

But unlike everyone else, she is artificial.

Phoebes whole entire face dropped, from her eyes to her lips. She pucked out her lips and looked at Persephone sadly. She didn't know why she was trying so hard this time, but Phoebes didn't like the sinking feeling in her chest.

This couldn't be an emotion.

It mustn't.

Afterall, how could a emioyion she so eagerly wanted to feel.. could feel so.. ugly?

---

Persephone O'Couna
And now The Thing looked like it was about to cry. Fantastic.

Persephone's eye twitched. Honestly.

"Learn to take the word 'no'," she told it coldly. "Then, maybe I'll give 'Fifi' a chance." She laughed mockingly. "Poor little Fifi, baby mousey trapped in the claws of the cat... what a pitiful existence. I pray they'll let you leave this noble institution soon, with the little brains it's given you. Maybe you should learn how to be a human before you try and be a rebel."

Throwing her head back, she walked around it, giving it a wide berth, and headed for the auditorium, her lips twitching as she tried to maintain her smile. The seed within her hand was being to crack between her clenched fingers.

---

Graduation?

Why did people even bother with naming these things? It's not like anyone would remember where they went to school, their time there, and when they left when they were 6 feet under.

Still, perhaps the "Graduation Quest" could provide some much needed entertainment. This "Reformation" may have further enhanced her skills, improving upon her previous talent, but so what? It was getting boring, she needed a serious change of pace.

Ldeya rolled a black suitcase towards the auditorium.

There were a few other people gathering there, she probably knew their names, but she didn't care to remember at the moment. Or most other moments, actually.

The one with white hair, streaked through with black, was sitting in a chair.

Ldeya sat down next to her, crossing her legs casually.

"Hi." She thought for a moment. "Andrea, right?"

---

Hearing a voice behind them as Satsujin suddenly stopped and froze in the tracks as they stand their silent and still without turning their head for a moment, before adjusting their sniper rifle to be towards their chests as they had one talon on the trigger as they quickly turned their head to face them with their pierce pupil that shrink in size while looking at them with intense intent.

"Yes I am, I don't bother being on time for anything anymore thank you very much, besides it nothing really special if you think about it, everyone is going to be treated as special than yourself being treated as the only special one and the one who's is clearly the best and deserves to overshadow everyone else!" she chuckled in amusement while giving them a fang-filled smile but it definitely wasn't those smiles then gave off good vibes rather than bad vibes, seeming to give off the energy that would make you uncomfortable but you couldn't exactly pinpoint why it would make you uncomfortable, certainly unsettling in style that gave unease but at the same time you couldn't explain why it was giving you such an effect on you.

---

xxxxxJulius was... Momentarily stunned as Ferrenal tipped his head and paced away. Evidently, the elder rebel's hearing was a little less keen than the half-android's, though his pace was still easy enough to follow along with. Maybe not at the same speed, of course, but Caesar could keep the younger individual in sight at all times, up 'till the last corner. He managed to round the corner just in time to see... Something mouthing off about superiority. His eyes narrowed slowly as he gazed upon the non-human creature, his jaw setting as he tipped his chin up. Incidentally, he found himself glaring down his nose at the beast, even as it held a rifle of lethal caliber. His voice was a stern mumble, a low growl of a response, even unprompted.

xxxxx"Your trigger discipline is sloppy. And lest you be careful, your careless shots are going to draw unwanted attention. It's not like a gunshot is particularly quiet. Let's be off, Ferrenal... There is nothing here to glean, and no threat to dispatch. Just an ego far too inflated for the body." His dark eyes glared at Satsujin, and he turned sharply on his heel, pacing out of sight once more. He took several steps after turning the corner, then stopped, waiting as patiently as he could for Ferrenal; such an offense to such a powerful individual couldn't be tolerated. Especially against someone who had, in such a short life, gone through such brutal suffering... And all by a painful accident.

---

Ferrenal nodded at Caesar and slowly lowered his arm, claws retracting and temperature lowering. “Yes, this detour was nothing but a false alarm. We must be off to the auditorium.” Ferrenal slightly shifted the weight of the large pack on his shoulders before turning around and following Caesar. However, he gave one last glance to Satsujin. “I suggest you follow, the mission briefing is soon.” As he and Caesar walked, Ferrenal quietly spoke to him about the rather peculiar individual they had just encountered. “Reckless and arrogant. I do hope this mission is rather low stakes. Having to collaborate with those types could very much get us killed.” There was no malice in Ferrenal’s voice; he only cared about efficiency. However, having to go out of his way to keep the other graduates from exposing the collective group every 2 picoseconds would be very inefficient indeed. The similarities between Satsujin and his younger self were not lost on Ferrenal. In fact they gave him a slight hint of worry. It was only a matter of time before his arrogance led to his destruction. By this logic, it would only be a matter of time before Satsujin would grow too reckless for their own good. And if a similar cataclysm happened to Satsujin, it could risk exposing the whole mission. As he and Caesar continued to walk, Ferrenal spotted the grand entrance to the auditorium in the distance. “We are not far,” he said to Caesar, “And we are making rather impeccable time might I add. I cannot locate any other graduate near.” However as soon as Ferrenal spoke, he saw a group of four students relatively close by. Although it was hard to make them out at such a distance, Ferrenal saw a short pale… child? with green hair, a slightly taller pale woman with short, jet black hair, the diminutive greasy haired stalker from earlier, and a blonde haired woman. Surely they could not be the other graduates? They were not even traveling the correct way to the auditorium. However, as Ferrenal looked at the group with interest, the sunlight caught his mask at an angle, causing the steel mask to reflect the light and serve as a beacon to the location of the auditorium.

“Hmmm? Oh yeah. Andrea. Andrea Kingsley. That’s me.” Andrea glances up at Ldeya tiredly, offering the girl a half smile. “Nice to meet you Ldeya” Andrea replies, smile perhaps a little more fake than usual. Looking Ldeya up and down, she smirks a little “Not particularly excited to graduate, are you? Well neither am I”