Scene #7465: Pop Quiz-1

Owner	Pose
Samhain	AFTER SCHOOL The campus is the same as usual. Statueface sits in the middle of the 'park' area of the massive school, his eternal abode. Students mill around. The Ribbongers, Nozomi, Annalise, and Yonk, are all sitting on a bench, waiting for their allies to show up. They share the story immediately, once they do: There's been special cram biology sessions, for the upcoming test. They've been going very well, and the teacher's been very helpful. However, the last few sessions, the student taking them never returned, and the teacher hasn't been around since to talk about it, leaving people worried. Despite this... Another ad for a biology cram session went up, last night. Nobody wants to take it, but the Ribbongers are sure this is probably monster-related, just based on statistics, and want help investigating. If the group all joins the cram session, perhaps they can find out what happened to the students! "So, are you in?" Nozomi, aka RibbonRed, asks those who show up. ---- MEANWHILE Selene is called away from the Ribbongers via her phone, as soon as she reaches the school. Samhain wants to talk to her, behind the track field. His message only reads 'let's make you stronger.' If she arrives, it is not a murder ambush. It is, in fact, Shaw, in his school uniform, ominously sitting on a dumpster. "Selene. My friend. You would like to grow stronger, correct? Would you like me to grant you that power?"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Is he 'in?' "Yea, verily." Bercilak even throws his fist in for a circular fist bump. Depending on the level of enthusiasm he may go for a chest bump, too, though his strength and bulk may bowl over the unprepared. The Green Knight shows up to the cram session dressed in a variation of his usual; an outfit which communicates 'far-future biker.' Tight black jeans, thick soled motorcycle boots. He's got on a light spring jacket--fashioned from what must've been the shirt from a uniform. The back reads 'GALAHAD INC.' and the front is decorated with lots of little pins and patches. The centerpiece is a shirt with a skeleton riding a 'chopper' style motorcycle towards the observer. Across the top, stretched to perfect legibility by broad pectorals: SOMETIMES I'M NICE, SOMETIMES I'M MEAN. Beneath, laid flat across abs: BUT I'M NEVER STRAIGHT. "I suppose yon inreding shalt be done withinne the biblet?" He points in the direction of the library, a thick green brow quirked inquisitively.
Xion	Xion has a school uniform on today, but hasn't enrolled. She just has one! Don't worry about it. "Biology cram session? Biology... cram?" Xion repeats, thinking about the evils of stuffing your head with disposable knowledge to complete a single test via extreme stress and resistance state. "Huh? For a cram session? Definitely not." Xion smiles. "I prefer hands-on learning. The real world isn't anything like high school! Okay, it's not anything like school learning, social life I hear is plenty like high school." Thanks, Janine. "Hey, Stronger, what's your shirt mean?"
Selene	Despite all appearances, Selene is actually rather punctual about showing up when she gets that message from Shaw. Why wouldn't she be? He's a cool guy, and it's not like he's steered her wrong before! Maybe. Those people that died deserved it, anyway, and the draw of MORE POWER is hard to pass up for someone that could barely muster up enough (physical) energy to dress herself. As with the last few times she's come to this campus, she's arrived in her gray blazer 'disguise' with non-matching red slacks and a green cap. With her trusty cat napping atop her head, she meets Shaw with a wide-eyed grin and her usual excitable shouting. "Hey, Shaw! Wait, did you have another name here? Because I'm pretty sure I had one that I saw in a-Mika! Right, that's the one. Y'know, in case..." There's a longer pause than usual. "... I don't remember. Anyway. Yeah, my Pokemon need to get powered up fast! And I gotta work on my secret agent ninja skills so I can get into the secret compounds all stealthy-like before I bust out the big guns and everything explodes for unrelated reasons." She answers with a firm nod, likely misunderstanding Shaw completely as she does so. "Whatcha got in mind? Are we gonna have some kinda dumpster-based training montage? Because I only have this one jacket after fighting that guy with the stripes."
Roxas	"... I don't know... I bet something like that would be pretty alright at a place like Luna Nova, and things are kinda weird around here, aren't they?" Roxas speculates towards Xion. He isn't dressed in a school uniform. The reason is that he really doesn't care if he stands out at the moment, and some slightly-too-old-looking guy hanging around usually doesn't catch that many eyes in situations like this anyway. Especially with somebody like Bercilak around. Today he's wearing a grey t-shirt under a dark red-and-grey hoodie that, this time at least, was not stolen goods sold to him by Mog. It probably was still sold to him by Mog, of course, it just happens to be slightly more legit. His jeans are pretty ordinary secondhand store fare, and his shoes roughly match his hoodie in color scheme. Roxas doesn't seem particularly enthusiastic about what's going on, but he likes Bercilak well enough so he responds to the fistbump favorably anyway. He doesn't have nearly the enthusiasm to even think of chestbumping though. That's not anybody's fault, his Heart just isn't that developed. "... Why dumpster-based, though...?" He mumbles in response to Selene.
Samhain	Bercilak gets a hearty fist bump from Nozomi, who stands up to do it, and then almost falls over when she gets chest-bumped. "Waaaah!" No bad feelings, though. The Green Knight is cool! "Yeah, the library! Whenever we're all ready, we can go investigate." Xion gets a response from Annalise, RibbonBlue, as she rejects the cram session. "Are you serious? This is how we'll find the monster! If you don't want to help, I guess you could go scout around and see if anything weird is going on. I saw Shaw behind the track field, sitting on a dumpster ominously." Yonk answers that. "Yeah, he's been creepy lately. Well, no, he's creepy always, really. What's with that welding mask?!" Nozomi sighs, and then waves to Roxas. "Hello! Haven't seen you before. I'm Nozomi, and this is Annalise and Yonk. We're the Ribbongers. Consider us...like magical superheroes!" ---- Selene shows up at the dumpster. Shaw seems happy, by his high hum. "Shaw. My real name is Samhain. Either is fine." A pause. "I want to make you stronger, not your Pokemon. You said you wouldn't mind becoming a monster, able to have a stronger body. I have a way to do that. You won't even lose your ego." There's an eerie lens to what he says next, though. "You'd just have to swear to protect monster-kind, to support monsters in achieving their happily ever after, instead of being destroyed by the 'heroes'. Monsters like myself and my allies." A pitch-black picture frame appears in his hands. "I could grant you immortality. The power to go wherever you wish. The ability to...throw fireballs at people." He's pitching what she'd like, clearly. "Would you want this?"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Bercilak gives Xion the greeting nudge of a bro. He is happy to explain his shirt. "It imenes I may find ani-bodi comli and wel fetured. Lanhure, whanne-so mine herte is not saved for some-bodi alredi," he adds with a chuckle and a fond, dreamy kind of smile. He blinks, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Spekinge of betinges, I should smite Shaw sonli, methinks... Per happes after scole. Hm... I shalt shoute for him on the radio." But before he can, it seems there's an introduction in order! A beefy arm is slung around Roxas' shoulder, and Bercilak gestures to him with the other hand. "He is cleped Roxas! I imet him at a souping-place." With that introduction done, Bercilak strides off towards the library, perhaps the place least suited to him in all of the school. Once he's there, he looks for any further ads or 'this way for study sesh' type posters, or otherwise gatherings of students. "Bihowing, that swich inseking shouldst continue, nau the instructour is absent..."
Roxas	"Ah... yeah, what he said," Roxas says, a little jarred by suddenly being taken around the shoulders. He doesn't seem especially bothered by it, though. "I'm sort of in the ballpark of a magical superhero, too. But, not exactly? Because I know of actual magical superheroes and the way they do things is a little more..." He frowns, "I dunno... it's just different. I do magical fighty stuff." A glance is cast back towards Xion. He sidles in close and nudges her in the side with his elbow, "I can go help look into that stuff if you want to poke around somewhere else. Just give me a signal flare in the UG if it gets weird, alright?" "... And why'd you wear the uniform if you didn't want to blend into school things?" Roxas asks, lightly baffled.
Selene	"Because dumpsters are where all the cool kids hang out." Selene explains badly to Roxas, sounding utterly confident despite how illogical she may sound. Even if it's totally wrong, she sounds like she knows what she's talking about! She has no idea what she's talking about. "Shaw? Sounds like cowboy speak." She comments, stroking her chin lightly while looking Shaw over slowly. "Yeah... Yeah! We can get you a hat, the boots, the spurs so you can really dig in if you do one of those axe kicks nobody ever gets hit by... This'll work. This'll..." Right. He was going to offer her a thing. Blinking slowly as he mentions making Selene herself stronger, the girl barely even takes a moment to think about his offer before she responds with her own question. "Does it have to be fireballs? Because if I'm gonna be throwing anything around, I gotta think about variety, you know?" She gestures at the Torracat as it peers at Shaw in its half-sleeping state, looking just a bit wary of his presence. "Protecting monsters and beating humans up, huh? Yeah, I mean... I'm already doing that, right? Learning how to bust into places and rescuing Lillie wasn't gonna happen on its own," Smiling as brightly and eagerly as ever, she clenches her fist tightly for all of two seconds before releasing that grip. Her arm's already kind of tired from carrying the cat here. "Let's do it! Hey, does this mean I can go into the employee only bathrooms with the fancy soap, too? Because I don't remember washing my hands before coming here."
Xion	Xion waves her hands in a 'no no, really!' way. "I'm happy to help! I'm just not going to do any 'cramming'. Actually, I read an article about this, recently, that the state of education being a pass/fail forever sort of experience is--" Drawing a phone from nowhere, Xion starts flipping through screens after unlocking it. "It's--" >Why are you wearing the uniform if you don't want to do school stuff? Xion looks from her phone down at her sailor uniform, ribbon, past-the-knee skirt, and brown flats with high socks. "... Don't you wear school clothes to go to school? I stand out less, too. It's better!" Roxas continues to explain he's a magical fighter but not a magical superhero. "Yeah! We do, um... We're like Kamen Rider? Masked... Ballers? Anyway, where we're from, magic superheroes do stuff like throwing bad guys to the moon." "Literally." Xion flips her phone around, showing a picture of the heroic CAPTAIN GALBADIA shouting 'Sorceress' Prison!' before hurling a large crab monster literally into space. "See?" Xion has to process Bercilak's decision, but once she does, she nods firmly. "So it means you love everyone! That's really neat. Should I get a shirt like that? I like everyone too!" Oh no. In either case, Xion is totally OK following Ribbonger towards the cram session, to DEFEAT THE EVIL OF PASS-FAIL LEARNING.
Samhain	"Oh, cool!" Nozomi replies to Roxas, seeming to be the type of girl who's eager about everything. Annalise sighs in relief at Xion. "Thanks. We'll need your help." As Bercilak starts heading to the library, the trio leaps off the bench and moves to follow after him. The library is in use, and has 'please be quiet' signs all over, but there's something that stands out. It doesn't have cram session posters, but it's unmistakeably the place - a dark back room, which everyone is avoiding. The windows have their blinds closed tight, remnants of old cram posters hang up on the wall next to them, ripped off superstitionally, and the door is slightly cracked, yet not letting much light out. All one has to do is push it open... And find a room much, much bigger on the inside. Desks and chairs have been set up with a chalkboard, much like a classroom. A skinny man in sunglasses sits with a very large pile of strange-looking textbooks on his desk, spinning a mundane-looking desk globe around with his index finger. This shouldn't be how it's set up. The space is too small for it. "Welcome to Biology Cram! I'll be your educator, Mr. Biology. Take a seat, and we'll start the session. Remember, you don't want to get any of these questions wrong.~" There's a bad aura about him, to those who can read that. He's probably not human, and probably also doesn't understand how a cram session really works. ---- Shaw just stares as Selene engages in Seleneisms. But, when she accepts, and asks her question, he nods, and moves to allow her to take the photo frame. "Fireballs, darkness, and hammers. You could probably throw a chair if you wanted." When she takes the frame, and consciously accepts its power...stuff begins to happen. Darkness envelops her, changing her form and granting her new powers. Immortality, like Shaw's. The ability to teleport, the same way Shaw can. And the ability to...well, shoot projectiles, like a true villain. She also gains a unique form. It's unmistakeably her in its aura and 'who's that Pokemon'-ing, but it resembles a monster more than a man. She can switch between the two at will. If she doesn't decide to exit the darkness in her human form willfully, she'll exit it in her monster form. It's probably taller, too. The contract has been sealed, though. If Selene turns against the monsters she swore to aid, or turns against Shaw, it will be broken and her powers will be lost.
Selene	If Selene had any second or initial doubts about any of this, she certainly doesn't look like it. If anything, it looks like the opposite with that bright smile still plastered on her face. "Awesooome. This'll do great for setting up all kinds of spots!" And then she grabs the frame, watching the darkness encroaching onto her with her usual enthusiasm and only mild shaking. There's a hint of fear when that happens, but it's coming from the cat rather than the trainer as she snickers excitedly at the transformation as it happens. Curious as to how far the changes go, she'll naturally decide to come out in her monster form. Somehow, it still looks like she's grinning, albeit in a considerably more manic way. That, or it's just the more monstrous nature of her new face doing that. Her cat, perhaps sensing something is terribly wrong, leaps right off Selene's head and onto Shaw while the trainer balances on one leg, gets a running start, and lands right on her face two steps in. "Guh... Curse these stupid sexy yet longer legs! Okay, I'll have to try that more in a not here." Selene rolls onto her back with a pained grimace, then shifts back into her human form after the darkness surrounds her again. She looks up at Shaw, then at the Torracat, then rubs her stomach. "So how do I do those things you said? The going places and the not dying thing. Is it like one of those cool revival things, or do I have to start worrying about getting frozen at the bottom of the ocean now?"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Bercilak nods emphatically. Xion should definitely get some shirts like his. He enters into the study room without much hesitation or forethought. "Ah, Mister Biology," says Bercilak. "Wel imet!" The Green Knight crams himself into a seat near the front of the room, bending the desk portion with the groan of bent metal to fit more comfortably. He then raises his hand. "Wherefore hath thee a globe, if we art to studie biology?" He doesn't pay any attention to the answer. Instead, he tries to read the titles of some of those obscure books on the desk, to see if any might give clues as to the whereabouts of the missing students and the missing instructor.
Xion	Following the Ribbonger and Bercilak to the library (and being exceedingly quiet), Xion finds the BROOM CLOSET OF DARKNESS within the library, pushes open the door haltingly, and finds-- Mr. Biology. "This isn't the Realground at all. Even if this school is half-way into the UG..." Xion dramatically points at Mr. Biology. "You're the monster!" She announces, pausing for a dramatic 'don-don'. Her pointer finger curls as the rest of her balled fist relaxes, a soft 'shwink!' heralding her Keyblade's summoning. "Pass/Fail over a single question? This is people's lives you're toying with. That is even more evil than... than--!" Xion has to think back to reasonable commentary to make on this world. "--than being a stinky statue! Nobody's playing your game:" Xion holds Starlight out, in both hands, stance ready. "You won't be passing, and you plan will be failing."
Roxas	"There's 'going' to school and 'being at a' school. You wear the uniform if you're a student, not if you're just a visitor," Roxas explains. He rubs at the side of his head and adds, "But there's nothing wrong with dressing up if that's what you wanted to do, either." "Cramming IS pretty dumb though, yeah." He trails along after Bercilak, talking as he goes, "Yeah, superheroes are like that. Captain Galbadia is pretty cool." At the very least, Roxas is at least second to enter the library room behind Bercilak. He immediately takes note of the gloomy atmosphere, and arrives at the conclusion that this was probably one of the Corridors he could've exited from. Just inside the door he pauses, waiting for everyone to be inside. Then he pushes the door open and looks out at the room as it can be perceived from just outside. Then looks back inside. This goes on a couple of times before he ducks properly into the room. Roxas glances meaningfully towards Xion as he shuts the door gingerly behind him, the gentle click of the mechanism falling shut echoing heavily through the study room-- as it does in all places like this one, which are usually just soundproofed enough to provide a quiet study environment, and consequently, all sounds within are quite sharp. Or at least they should be. In this space that's obviously not the space it should be, maybe it doesn't pan out like that. There is a sharp, abrupt ringing noise when Xion confronts Mr. Biology. Roxas presses a silver-and-white keyblade into the door and turns it. A keyhole shines momentarily where it was pressed, followed by a series of chains snaking out from the keyhole to envelop the door, before the symbolic imagery fades away, leaving behind only an Extremely Locked Door.
Samhain	Bercilak takes a seat, but as he stretches the chair, it stretches with him, like it was made out of rubber. "Oh, because every teacher has a globe, of course." Mr. Biology responds, as Bercilak gets a chance to peek at the textbooks. They do not have textbook names on the side. No, they have human names. One of them is a teacher's name, complete with proper address. As he's doing that, Mr. Biology puts up a sign on the chalkboard. 'NO CELLPHONES DURING QUIZ'. He knows that teenagers are likely to cheat! And then, the teenagers entirely reject his game instead of playing along. His grin goes into a crack. "How dare you." He stands up from his seat as they point their keyblades at him. "HOW DARE YOU! This is a completely consentual game! As soon as you pass through those doors, you've accepted cram. And if you fail...well, they can learn from your example." He knocks against the top textbook, the one with the teacher's name on it. The Ribbongers, meanwhile, are already beginning their transformation sequence, but the camera pans back onto Mr. Biology, because they paid a lot for his actor. "My word! None of you take learning as seriously as I do! Even that teacher failed his questions! Well, then. Die!" The Ribbongers are in their Sentai-Magical Girl armor, red, blue, and yellow, with needle swords pointing out. They move to dash at Mr. Biology, when suddenly, he snaps his fingers, double helixes flashing out of his sleeves. "Pop quiz! What's an allele?" "What? We don't have time for that-" Annalise shouts out, as the 'teacher' makes a buzzer noise with his mouth. "Wrong! And for that, you get DETENTION." One of the DNA strands breaks apart, moving to surround her, and in seconds, she's suddenly turned into a weird textbook, falling onto the floor with a thud. Other double helixes fire out, not moving to turn the group into books, but instead to thresh them apart with razor sharp strands The two Ribbongers shout out. "Annalise!" The book does not reply. Luckily, Roxas locked the door, so Mr. Biology can't easily escape in the case of a resounding defeat! ---- As Selene takes the offer, Shaw laughs. It's a happy, jovial laugh, rare out of his deep baritone. "Good, good! Take that power and darkness and let it flow through you!" "If you die, you will return with a new body elsewhere. And if you want to teleport somewhere, simply imagine it, whether it's been described or you've been there before, and create a picture frame with your mind. It'll come and take you away." "Thank you, Selene." Shaw says, honestly. "Having an ally that supports my dream is...I love it."
Selene	"Alright, so I don't have to worry about weird fates worse than death. That's good! Guess I still gotta take my meds, though." Selene sighs dramatically, then springs up onto her feet, then pokes two fingers to her temples. "Still, that makes things a whole lot easier. Probably. I'm pretty sure I haven't died yet because I'd notice something like that, but I'll still try not to do that. Besides..." A mischievous glint comes to her eyes. "Now that I can set up impossible spots and get into weird places, Lillie's as good as rescued! I mean, once I figure out where she is." She drops her hands, then raises an eyebrow at Shaw as he continues. "Don'tcha have those other people you're working with? That other manager, the gun headed guy, the... Uh. What's his face..." She gestures towards the school vaguely. "The one that came outta the statue? Do you have any others around here that might need a hand? Because if there aren't, I know just the place to try this out!" She digs her fingers into her temples again. If Shaw doesn't say there's anyone to check on, then Selen makes good on her promise and tries getting into... The faculty bathroom. She has no idea what it even looks like or where it is here.
Roxas	Roxas doesn't actually reply to Mr. Biology. There is a very simple reason for this: An answer is neither correct or incorrect until it is given. He's not really entirely certain how this works, but he's moderately certain that a nonanswer (but not a WRONG answer) buys him time in a worst-case, and in a best-case probably prevents him from being a participant in the question at all. The only thing is... Is that right? This guy doesn't know what 'cram' means. Does he actually have to follow any of these rules, or are they entirely arbitrary? He decides to test it. He twists his Keyblade about to receive the helical assault, catching it against the 'flat' of the teeth and pushing back against them. The posture he takes reeks of a counter-attack, but instead--! "By failing to leave by opening and walking through THIS door within three seconds of this sentence finishing," Roxas gestures at the one he locked, "you agree to participate in MY Pop Quiz!" This is absolutely impossible for anyone but Xion. Three seconds later, Roxas points his Keyblade at Mr. Biology and asks, "What does it mean to 'cram'?"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	It doesn't take an academic to know the meaning of those books. However... urgency isn't always a concern of the Green Knights. He'd sat down willing to indulge Mr. Biology, thinking that perhaps he might coax from the obvious monster-in-disguise a means of freeing the victims, by indulging his little game. It's... a bit unnerving, how casually he rises from the desk, when Annalise is trapped. As if time just isn't a concern from him. His armor appears, and he sends a plated foot crashing into the underside of his seat, hurling it towards the 'teacher.' As a spring cloak of rye grass and hyacinths sprouts from between the huge pauldrons of that bulky armor, so too does an axe appear in his waiting hand. He uses the heel of the weapon's edge to catch the lip of the teacher's desk, and with his might, yanks backwards, attempting to tug the desk and, more importantly, the books, towards and behind him. There will be plenty of time to save them, he thinks--as long as he can place himself between the books and the teacher. Razor-sharp strands naturally flense away at his thick armor, cutting deep score in it, but even this does not seem to impart an urgency in him. "A-ha! Thou shalt hath no mightihed o'er me, for everi sware I yeve thee shalt be the truth!" Not correct. The truth. "I KNOUE NOT!" He doesn't seem to understand how a pop quiz works. 'I don't know' is a true answer, though.
Xion	Xion doesn't react, even to the flensing pain of the DNA helix striking her dead on. She doesn't move, doesn't blink, doesn't do anything. Certainly, she's hurt, and certainly, there is a pain-case that happens as her health ring depletes, but she stares gormlessly at Mr. Biology. 'What is an Allele', followed by the teacher actively trapping one of the Ribbongers in a book. Xion lifts the tip of her blade shakes her head. "I'll tell you a truth: You're not allowed to hit us. Even if this is in the Underground, you can't just do anything you want. There are rules. And I'll tell you another truth:" Xion lifts her left hand to 'reach' towards Mr. Biology, heaving him up with a ring of Demi-gravity force around the back of his neck and clothes, and forcibly throwing him through a pile of those wobbly desks. Xion, for a moment, looks absolutely hateful. "Adjuncts and substitute teachers don't get to send people to detention. Teachers that hit students? Not only is that illegal: It's grounds for instant termination. So: You hit me." Xion thumbs back at Annalise. "You're not allowed make anyone serve detention."
Samhain	Roxas asks Mr. Biology a pop question. "You mean besides cramming you into books?" The Nobody doesn't immediately get the idea that Mr. Biology is bound by any rules. He has a power, and he's playing a game with that power. However, he does find something crucial. When the question is asked, Mr. Biology stops. He's thinking it over. This is a perfect time for a counter-attack. And as he thinks it over, he answers the question. "Last minute studying. You work as hard as you can to absorb as much information as you can before the big test." This counters what he's actually doing with his 'cram session', which is probably a guise to trick people into turning into books. However, despite having an obvious heart of pure darkness, Mr. Biology absolutely loves to teach. It's clear in everything his game represents, as well as his face. "I don't know isn't the ANSWER!" He responds to Bercilak. Another double helix flies out of his sleeves, but this one splits down again. Whatever it hits, whether armor, a weapon, a chair, or Bercilak himself, will be turned into a neatly categorized textbook. And then Xion picks him up, gives an angry monologue, and tosses the teacher through a desk. Mr. Biology laughs and laughs, as his skin splits. It does not reveal blood and gore, which would be overkill for what happened to him, but his true appearance - a biology class skeleton, with seams and stitches across his body. Perhaps...? "You don't know anything about this school! I'm the teacher, I MAKE THE RULES!" A snap of his fingers, and bone fletchettes go flying at Roxas and Xion, trying to skewer them like bullets. The remaining Ribbongers go in to stab him with their needle swords, but Yonk finds hers stuck between his bones, while Nozomi's manages to chip his bones and causing him rattling backwards in pain. "Aie-aie-aie!" ---- Selene will find she can't actually just teleport to the faculty bathroom, because she has no idea what it looks like or where it is or anything besides 'bathroom'. So, Shaw describes it to her. "I scoped out the school when I joined. Here." If she tries again, a dark picture frame opens up wherever she wants. It can even fly through her to teleport her there. The faculty bathroom is very, very luckily empty. Shaw teleports in a few moments later. They are now hiding inside a small bathroom to...do something. "I don't understand why you are doing this, but a good test of your power. Tell me. If I told you there were monsters all over this school, what would your reaction be?" Also, a pause. "We should head back. This is creepy."
Roxas	Ok, so he's just a rubber suit monster, not a Faerie or similar being. That changes Roxas's perspective considerably. This time around Roxas misses the opportunity to attack, but does catch that there WAS one and that he can open it up again. Nodding slowly, he creeps forward, trying to think of a good question to use... "What was the first known play?" Roxas demands, approximately simultaneous with bone fletchettes being flung at him. He plunges forward in a long dash, parrying a few and simply having to live with the grazes of the rest. As he closes to range, Roxas grasps his Keyblade two-handed and splits it apart. He comes in with a pair of intersecting thrusts to-- no, he's not trying to just get a good hit in, he identified a good opportunity and is going more mechanically complex than that. During the presumed moment-of-opportunity, he slides the keyblades flat between the ribs, and then twists them so that they form an X in the skeleton's ribcage. He pulls back on the hilts, drawing Mr. Biology into what would be a very hideous full nelson if he wasn't a shitty biology classroom skeleton. "Light 'em up!" He offers, to Bercilak and Xion.
Selene	With a frame of reference in mind, Selene is able to get into the faculty bathroom! The urge to cackle is rather intense, but-actually, she does cackle a bit. Not too long, though, since the novelty wears off rather quickly in favor of doing what she set out to do once Shaw arrives. She washes her hands with the good soap. She even makes sure to wash her face off while she's at it, since she did take that brief tumble earlier trying to run with a gait she's not used to. "Look. If I'm gonna test out that revival in a new body thing, I'm gonna do it with something cool and dramatic. I don't wanna die and come back becaus of something lame like a virus." With her task complete, she snags a towel and dries herself off while pondering Shaw's question for all of three seconds. "That'd be pretty cool. Monsters gotta learn how to monster, too, right? I mean, kinda weird if they're doing all this as part of some high school adventure thing, but whatever gets them going hehehe yaknowhatImean?" She says that last part with as much sleaze energy she can muster, then presses two fingers to her temples again once Shaw shows that even he's weirded out. "Alright, alright, fine. Let's go to... Back to the dumpster! And then we can see if there's any other weird stuff going on to try out some of this new stuff."
Xion	This time, Xion doesn't mess around with taking a hit. If Mr. Biology, much as he loves teaching, is some Rubbersuit Skellington Abuser, Xion doesn't have the patience or mercy to show leniency to 'Heartless, Comma, Who Also Don't Follow Any Rules But Am Strong Will Abuse Power'. That was worse than Darklings! "I DON'T KNOW--!" Xion begins, a desk lifting with a sweep of gravitic purple to intercept the shards before being cut through by the keyblader's advance. "--IS A PERFECTLY VALID ANSWER!" Roxas sets her and Bercilak up, and Xion runs up the back of a chair and over it, empty hands lifted high. Starlight is stuck in the desk beneath her. "What's the power that is both cold and hot? That's right! The power of the High Wasteland -- The Stronger power!" A medallion in green glimmers in her fist before transforming into a long bearded axe with a key-tooth head. "Abusing people who just want to get through their studies without being hurt -- you're the worst!" She brings down the huge-headed axe like a giant hammer, seeking to scatter the bones with Bercilak's help.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	"Gate his asse, Xion!" Bercilak pumps a fist and cheers her on, evidently entirely in agreement with her. He lifts his axe and prepares to counter the double helix. This proves to be a mistake. The weapon's cheek turns aside the blow just fine--but in so doing, it is turned into 'A Brief History of Axes and Their Martial Applications' by Sir Reginald Grabahan, OBE. The book clatters to the ground, followed shortly by an indignant huff from Bercilak. He's not angry that his axe was made into a book--rather, very unsatisfied with Mr. Biology's response. "She is right! Not one, child ne grouen, ilerns that wai! If one knoues not the sware, thanne instruct theim!" Xion throws him, and his true form is revealed. It makes sense, somehow. He points dramatically at the skeleton, as Xion leaps over the chair to reach him. "Thou may be the instructour... BUT I AM THE PARENTE!" He leaps, too, across the room, landing just shy of Mr. Biology and Roxas. As he lands, he kneels low, then springs up with a vicious left uppercut, aimed just below the skeleton's jaw, the Green Knight timing his impact to strike at the precise moment Xion's axe does.
Samhain	Roxas' ploy works. "That's...well, it depends on if you consider the oratory literature by the Egyptians and Mesopotamians 'plays'. If you do, then it is likely the Tale of the Eloquent Peasant from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, between 1990 and 1800 BC. If not-" The keyblades come in, interrupting Mr. Biology's lesson. They hold him in place, cracking his ribs, as Xion's copied axe comes down with Bercilak to scatter his bones. Mr. Biology does the only thing he can do to survive. He sacrifices his body. Bending backwards, the blows splinter through his chest, as the remaining Ribbongers stab forward with their needle swords. "AGH!" His bones crumble, as his head goes flying off from the vicious uppercut, clattering against the blackboard. But... Unlike the other Stitches, he doesn't immediately disappear. He gets out one call. "Nurse! NURSE!" A hand wearing a medical glove reaches through a portal that appears next to the blackboard. It grabs his skull, and pulls him through, leaving just his shattered bones. They have a feeling Mr. Biology will come back for them, at least, and also a feeling that...the pocket classroom is crumbling! If they stay in there too long, it'll crumble away, and they'll all be stuck in a broom closet. Luckily for Bercilak, it seems that while he's away, the latest item to have been transformed is slowly coming back. That book will be back to axe form by the time he's on his motorcycle. Hopefully, this means Annalise is turned back soon too, as well as the others. Perhaps if they can destroy him once and for all, it'll secure their transformation back! ---- As Selene washes her hands, Shaw listens through the door. He pushes them to teleport once he hears someone coming, and quickly, they do. Once they arrive at the dumpster, he sits back down, sighing. "This school has a secret. I am not able to share what I know of it, for multiple reasons." The main one is paranoia. "However, I heard from Masked Baller Spalding that you fought a 'Bad Nurse'. A monster. I would like you to aid her in the future. Find out what she knows, and why she does things. And then...report back to me. Is that acceptable, my friend?" Yep, Selene's social link'd up to Actual Friend. Samhain will now kill for you!
Xion	As the dream crumbles, so too does the mighty axe in Xion's hands. As it fades into dust, only the medallion remains. That, too, flickers and turns into warm green energy that returns to Bercilak's chest like a warm hug and an old coat both. A power well-used and loved. As skull of Mr. Biology calls for the Nurse, Xion seems... Conflicted. Furrowed about the brow. "If you love teaching, then teach. Demanding someone know the answer... Isn't that the opposite of teaching? If someone doesn't know, help them learn. If 'I don't know' isn't a valid answer for you..." The head disappears with a snap of surgical glove. Xion carries on anyway. "... then you're probably not really teaching any more." She pats Roxas on the shoulder as the dream returns all to broom closet. "Thanks for backing me up. If you didn't set him up, the Ribbonger would probably get turned into knitting textbooks!" Xion looks to the color-coded girls. "And that's why cramming should be illegal!" She smiles, giving them a thumbs-up with her right hand as she retrieves Starlight from a broom rack that it had been jammed into. "Let's get... fish! It's brain food, I hear."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	This is more or less how things seem to go at this school. If Mr. Biology returns, so be it--he'll be ready. No need to fixate on an adversary's escape, especially when the victims are safe. Xion's suggestion of fish is therefore met with a hearty "Verily!" Bercilak scoops up the books, easily tucking all of them under an arm, and vacates the fake study room. "Proud am I to clepe thee frend, Xion, and thou flatere me with thy axe," he says, too loud for the library. Then, much too loud, setting the books safely down upon a table (save his axe-book), "Lattermost one to the souping-place is a putrefactible egge!" He clank-sprints his way out of the library, likely to the consternation of those trying to study, and hurries to his bike.
Roxas	Roxas is close enough that he might've swung at the retreating skull or the hand that grasped it, but he doesn't. He spends an instant thinking of whether to lock the portal, but by the time he comes to a decision the opportunity has come and gone. The black blade is pressed to the white blade, becoming the silver-and-black keyblade once more. With a sweep he unlocks the door through which they came, though he's not in a special hurry to get out either. He can handle escaping from a collapsing UG segment if he needs to. He smiles pleasantly at Xion's thanks, "Glad to have been able to help. Man, though... I think I'm getting too used to weird Nevernever lairs and traps." There is a light jingle as the Keychain on Roxas's Keyblade shines and transforms, adopting a miniaturized, and further stylized appearance of Bercilak's helmet. You have established the Bercilak Social Link of the Hierophant Arcana! He looks at it oddly, literally allowing the Keyblade to dangle from its chain as he holds it up to compare it to the real deal. After a moment he shrugs and banishes the weapon back to wherever it goes when he's not using it. "H-hey wait, we can just..." Roxas starts, but Bercilak is already on his way out to his vehicle. Offering a slightly exasperated Nominal Victory fistbump to Xion, he compresses himself into a point of light and zips after the enormous knight in strange little fits and starts.
Selene	"Bad Nurse, Bad Nurse... Sounds familiar! I think she made one of the local monsters grow or something, right? Anyway. Yeah, I think I can pull that off. Now that I can go all mon-starry, they might not even notice!" Selene opens her mouth again, then stops for once in her life. "... I'm gonna need another name for that form, though. Something cool, but not too obvious that it's me. Then I can really play up the secret agent angle!" She laughs excitedly, then punches her fist into her palm and winces. She's still kind of weak. "Then we can really show 'em we mean business! And then your guys can get their happy endings, I can find Lillie, and then we'll all be set for life!"
Xion	Xion frowns. "I could just... make a portal... though..." She mutters, concernedly. Then, Roxas goes running off too! With a light-link! Her hand chases the motes of light, grasping onto something that isn't quite the trail, and doesn't do any yanking when she tugs it back. A keychain with a black-and-white cross and a chain of alternatingly colored links. "Oh. Actually, I guess your power ran out! Luck-y." She smiles lightly. Gesturing with Starlight, a swirling portal of darkness -- sanguine red, aphotic blues, and blacks - appears in the library, adding the undulating sound of Darkness to the library like a present whisper. "Hey, Ribbonger, do you wanna get fish too?" The portal resolves, like a vertically-slitted eye, into a wavering sepia-tint over a Rubios Coastal Grill. "The shrimp burritos are my favorite. If we hurry, we'll beat them both there, and then Roxas or Bercilak will be the rottened egge!" She laughs, lightly, before stepping through her exceedingly evil-looking portal which, if not interacted with rather quickly after she leaves, snaps shut with a bubble-esque pop and puff of dark smoke.
Samhain	As the group goes for RUBIOS, the Ribbongers are at a loss. Their friend is still a book, and they're holding her book closely. But...if she's going to revert back, maybe, it's best for it to happen in a safe, delicious spot where they can feed her, right? The pair of girls, motivated by their stomachs first and foremost, carry the book into the portal. Annalise will return to normal mid-meal, and order tacos once she's done being panicked. ---- Selene agrees to the plan. Shaw laughs again. "Fantastic! Let us change the world." He then gets a text message. "That's my dormmate. He's inviting me out for sushi. You're welcome to come. I'll pay." And if she accepts, he portals them straight to their destination.