glass heart. ap!

🐊 “High school? Um…” Tomimi had gotten talking with a young teen when something called ‘high school’ had been brought up. Apparently she was a student at one? So the Archosauria had begun to frantically flip through a worn dictionary she’d bought at a small store when she’d arrived.

“Oh! It’s a place of learning? Is it… Is it up really high then? Wouldn’t that be distracting?”

@violetslippers​

       ❛   ... High up ? Oh — no, it’s on the ground !  They only refer to it as ‘high school’ because it’s a higher level of education. You could also call it, mm... Secondary school.   ❜   THE   somewhat-displaced first year exudes almost unending patience, her warm smile reaching all the way up to her eyes. Her eyes only crinkle further as she catches sight of the well-worn dictionary; however confusing this island is for Kasumi, it must be all the more confusing for this young woman. If this woman can take it in stride, then she could follow her example !  

        ❛   I’ve found myself in this city before, and the last time I was here, there were natural disasters all over the place !  Now the air is totally different, but... I’m a little confused.   ❜   THERE’S   a lengthy pause as she steeples her fingers, laced together against one hip as she stretches. The streets were paved again, after all, which meant it would be way easier to get back to daily jogs !  But before that, she has to ask... Even if it’s a little embarrassing to be so out of the loop.

        ❛   ... Why do so many people keep talking about dinosaurs ?  You know... like they’re alive ?   ❜

         ❛   Are you on your way to a dress rehearsal ?  I know there’s a theatre in this ward somewhere... I’d love to watch the show when it premieres !    ❜

⇄ “You told me something cool, so let me show you something EVEN COOLER!” Ruby had that glint in her eye as she reached for Crescent Rose behind her. Luckily, while brief, she’d spent some time in this city and in a city before so she’d gotten her scythe back. If she came here without it again she would have died!

But this girl she’d met - Kasumi! She’d been talking about her dancing, so the Huntress wanted to show and tell something too!

“Check it out!” The scythe constructed itself from the compact travel form she kept it in. “This is Crescent Rose! She’s practically my daughter!”

@violetslippers​

          ❛   Whoa, that’s — that’s a weapon !  A real one... !   ❜   KASUMI   can hardly help but nimbly leap back as it unfolded, eyes the size of saucers... Stunned, but curious. It’s far more bulky than her rapier, be it the plastic one at her side or the genuine article she left behind. She has to admit, the way it glimmers in the light is... Beautiful in its own way.

“I should be the one getting married…”

        ❛   They carry on like nothing crazy even happened. I can’t decide if that means they’re super resilient, or that wild situations like that are just the norm here.   ❜

          ❛   You should really eat up, Senpai,   ❜    SHE   urges in a bit of a rush --- barely coming up for air. One might even wonder if her chopsticks have ever left her lips, if it weren’t for the fact that she was absolutely shredding through her mountain of noodles. Polite as ever, until you look closely... 

         ❛   You worked hard today --- and your body has to have fuel if you want your muscles to rebuild !   ❜

Everything about this phenomenon was jarring. Who was even causing all this, and why? Whenever she activated her gravity magic, it usually just disabled her enemies. Here, weakening the gravity meant innocents had a very real chance of dying, as being flung several miles into the air and being suddenly dropped would do.

At least it was fortunate that the buildings here were built into stone. The one she was in presently, a general store it seemed, had enough supplies for everyone to bide their time with. Not that she wanted to stay here long enough for that to be necessary, but it helped to have a plan.

Kelechi made certain to stand (float?) far enough not to block the entrance, but close enough to it that she could see outside. Doing so meant she wasn’t surprised when two more people entered. An elderly woman and a high school student.

Odd, they didn’t look to be related. Perhaps she was worried the lady wouldn’t make it on her own. Yep, she was thanking her, definitely an altruistic act. If the college student was in her place, she’d likely do the same. What luck, then, when that same high school student interrupted her reverie with a concerned question.

“Hm, wha? Uh, yeah, I’m fine here. I’ve dealt with low gravity before.” The poor kid looked like she was about to throw up. If anything, she should be the receiving some help here. “I…do you need anything? Some water? No offense, but you look like you’re gonna pass out.”

            ❛   --- Aah--- I’ll be alright !  I’m more worried about her, honestly...   ❜    SHE   trails off, gaze flitting to the elderly woman currently bracing herself into a corner. Actually... The woman has impressive core control, considering her age. Despite her assurances, Kasumi can feel her vision tunneling in and out. It’s unlike her to be winded so quickly... What would her coach say ?  Then again, she did only just arrive in this place. Wherever... ‘this place’ happened to be. And she definitely hadn’t eaten beforehand...

       Wait a second --- wait just a second !  What did she say ?

           ❛   Hhhhold on... You’ve ‘dealt with low gravity’ ?  ❜   It should have occurred to her that she probably meant it in some capacity that she couldn’t even begin to understand, given the state of this crazy island. But as it is, Kasumi’s mind is still squarely set in her ‘reality’. So, with that in mind... Hopefully it’s understandable that after a prolonged silence, she gasps --- regarding the blonde with utmost admiration.

     HER   phone --- a new one, one that works surprisingly well --- went off with some sort of alert last night. A ‘disaster report’. All the conditions she’d observed over the past couple of days changed entirely, right on a dime... It didn’t seem possible for mother nature to flip so suddenly. All Kasumi knew was that Fibonacci --- the place she was told would be her residence --- was the most dangerous. Fireballs that could land at any time ?  No way she could stand a chance against that ! 

     Archimedes, though, didn’t seem much better... Whereas some wards were trying to function despite this crisis, it was deathly still. She felt like she could hear a pin drop from a block over. She can hear a mild buzzing of passersby, deeper within the city --- those still in the ward seemed to limit their business to well outside the mist. She’s just about to turn and follow suit, already prepared to break into a swift jog, when a hint of movement catches her eye. 

         ❛   Is... someone out there ?   ❜