• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

< Many Hungers In The Food Hall | HighSchoolOfShadows | A Game of Coffee >

<Mese> Grey skies and a chill wind. Two sides face each other. There will be no quarter given, none asked. Their instruments are hefted with a grim intensity. They wait for the signal.

<Mese> The whistle blows.

<Mese> Lacrosse.

<Mese> Sarah grins across at Laetitita, on the other team for this practice, as the referee (Miss Washington) lets go of the ball for the draw.

Laetitia springs into action!

<Mese> The ball falls toward Sarah's team. Sarah scoops it up in her crosse and quickly throws it across the field to her right attacking wing.

Laetitia tackles Sarah!

reaction is now known as Helena

Laetitia backs up awkwardly when she realizes that Sarah no longer has the ball. "Er, uh, sorry."

<Mese> Helena and Ophelia are watching from the sidelines.

<Mese> Sarah gets knocked down. She's clearly bruised something, but she grins. "Got a lot of energy there, Tish? Good!"

<Mese> Miss Washington blows her whistle.

<ophelia> "Did you see that? Laetitia totally nailed Sarah."

<Mese> "Laetitia, that was a flagrant foul! I ought to red card you."

<Helena> "Nice."

<Mese> Miss Washington has her hands on her hips. "This kind of show doesn't impress me any, you know."

<Mese> She goes for a yellow card, which will send Laetitia off the field for three minutes...

Laetitia looks at Miss Washington. "But, Miss Washington, it was an honest mistake! I didn't mean to..." Her eyes are very wide.

<Mese> "...all right, I'll let it pass."

<Mese> Sarah is all, "You what? That is some BULLSHIT. She bodychecked me!"

<Mese> Miss Washinton flashes the yellow at Sarah, and says "Dissent, get off the field."

<Laetitia> "Thanks, Coach." Laetitia flashes a concerned look at Sarah. "You okay? Do you need a breather?"

<Mese> Sarah looks between the coach and Laetitia with an expression of disbelief, and then storms off the field without another word.

<Mese> She winds up sitting next to Ophelia and Helena.

<Mese> Sarah: "The fuck happened there?". She's clearly very pissed off, and in a fair bit of pain.

<Mese> The wind howls, and fall leaves blow across the field, briefly brough to life to dance before being dropped dead to the earth.

<Mese> In Ophelia's mind, the rustling resolves into words.

<ophelia> "Noooo clue," Ophelia says, with a shrug. "But she took you down like a truck. Never thought I'd see that."

<Mese> <Do you want to be in the team, Ophelia? You could be in the team. You could be popular, and sucessful.>

<Mese> <You'd be better than her. She's so....inelegant. Don't you think?>

<Laetitia> A few moments later, a water break is called, and Laetitia brings two bottles over to the bench. "Hey, Sarah, I wanted to apologize for that. Don't know what came over me."

<ophelia> Ophelia turns pale, and stares at the leaves. "Just leave me alone," she says in a fearful whisper. "you lie." Her gaze falls on Sarah, though, and the jealousy she feels is real.

<Mese> Sarah doesn't meet your gaze, but is all "Sure, whatever Tish."

<Mese> ⚠ <I don't want to leave you alone, Ophelia. You're pretty, and I like you. And you owe me, remember?>

Laetitia hands her a water bottle. "Can I ask you a question? Have you been having weird dreams since Audrey...since the thing happened?" Her voice drops to a husky whisper. "I dreamed that the QB from the boys' school - what's his name? Collin Harper? - was swimming with her, and then suddenly..." She pauses, letting that image sink in.

<Laetitia> "Then he pulled her under the water, and she didn't struggle..."

<Mese> Sarah turns to look at Laetitia. "That's some sick shit, Tish, What's wrong with you?"

<Laetitia> "I haven't slept since. It was -awful."

<Mese> Sarah looks at Laetitia for a long moment. Her expression is unreadable.

<ophelia> "I DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING!" Ophelia shouts suddenly, at no one.

<Mese> Sarah snaps out of her gaze at Laetitia, to spin round and look at Ophelia.

<Mese> "Who said you did?" she says.

Laetitia gets up. "I better get back to the field."

<Mese> Sarah shakes her head. "Freak." she says, cuttingly, over her shoulder, toward Ophelia.

<Mese> She turns back to Tish. "Yeah, you'd better. Gotta use the time while I'm off the field to showboat for coach, right?"

Laetitia grins, carefully folding her towel and setting her water bottle atop it. "Precisely."

<ophelia> "No one." she says, getting up and giving them a frightened look. "No one!" she says to the leaves, and runs back towards the school.

Laetitia makes a mental note to see what is up with Ophelia later.

<Mese> "Loony tunes school." Sarah says, shaking her head and fuming out at the field.

<Mese> Ophelia runs off the stand and through the field. Leaves blow about her, slapiiing her in the face; more leaves than could possibly be on the field, a torrent of them...

<Mese> Ophelia is running through some woods.

<Mese> She comes to a clearing.

<Mese> "We weren't done talking, Ophelia." says a voice like glass, all shiny facets and sharp edges.

<Mese> A swirl of wind an a beautiful woman is there, clothed in a long, white dress with a high collar. On her brow is a silver circlet.

ophelia skids to a halt, panting and scared. "Leave me alone! Please!" she says, stumbling back away from the Queen

<Mese> A perfect face forms one delecate firm crease. A frown.

<Mese> "I cannot abide rudeness."

<ophelia> "I... I said please!" she protests

<Mese> "Oh? You wish me to leave you alone? Here?"

<Mese> "Well, since you asked politely...."

<Mese> She smiles, and vanishes on the breeze.

<Mese> In the distance, something howls.

<ophelia> At first, she is relieved, and she turns to run back to where she came from. She runs, and runs, the howls ringing in her ears. /Everything looks the same. Where did the school go? Where am I?/ Tears start to run down her cheeks.

ophelia finally stops, unable to run any longer.

<ophelia> "I'm sorry," she calls out to the wind in the leaves, in her ragged breath. "Please don't leave me here! I want to go home!"

<Mese> <Of course, sweet Ophelia. I don;t mean to distress you. It grieves me to see you sad.>

<Mese> <You can go home.>

<Mese> <Just promise me you won't run from me, in the future.>

<ophelia> "I... I promise..." she says, feeling the weight of it on her shoulders and staring at the ground, "...My Queen."

<Mese> <Good girl.>

<Mese> <We will be such good friends.>

<Mese> <Home, then.>

<Mese> Leaves blow up around Ophelia again, circling her like a small tornado.

<ophelia> <Yes,> she agrees, trying to placate her. She closes her eyes, holding up her arms against the little gale as it swirls around her.

<Mese> By the time she can see again, she's in... her living room?

<Mese> Wet leaves are everywhere.

<Mese> They're in her hair, her clothes, all over Mom's best furniture and soaking in to the carpet..

<ophelia> Her immense relief at being home makes her giddy - until she notices the leaves. "Oh shit, Mom's gonna KILL me!" she cringes, and then scrambles to start cleaning them off, starting with the furniture.

< Many Hungers In The Food Hall | HighSchoolOfShadows | A Game of Coffee >