{2/9} - Two of Nine: A Nine Lives Forum adventure

[Lilium Mortem]

“Scud...” Wuther said. Ow, when he does that to me it hurts. I deflated a little. I said the first thing I could think of and sounded like a jerk.

“Wuther, you’ve got a basement and/or attic right? Can we just loot those for fishing net?” Peri asked.

‘Sorry if you aren't expecting us at the moment, I think the open-ended question probably activated us.’

“<Shit!>” I exclaimed.

‘-Which reminds me, be careful when talking/listening to us. I know you won't say anything to us out loud with them around, but your body language might change noticeably when interacting with us. Be sure to avoid pausing conversation to listen to us like you did around Silversong.

I won't lecture you, but...Wuther is friends with Peri for a reason, even if you can't find it. Be courteous to her for his sake.
I won't tell you to cut her a break, you're allowed to be annoyed. I'd stray away from actively griping about her in your head though. That sort of attitude always finds a way to seep through, usually through tone and facial expression.’

The [Sphinx] and [Siamese] both looked at me. Fuck, I said Shit in english. Crap! Ok, have to be careful here. You’re right, I can’t space out around them or they’ll know something’s up. And I’m allowed to hate this girl in my own damn head! Ok, I need a lie. English is gibberish to them… so…

“I Saw a big bug in the corner. Surprised me.” I said.

“What the heck does <shit> mean?” Peri asked.

“It’s the sound I make when I start a sentence and see a giant bug” I said “ I was going to say ‘Shiru alu lalutit’ but I bungled that and the sentence came out sounding like <Shit>”

“Weird. If we find the bug that scared you does that count?” Wuther asked.

“Nah, we should do outdoor bugs only” Peri said, shrugging.

“I need to use the bathroom, you guys can start looking around for stuff.” I said, running to the bathroom. You know those old toilets that had their water tanks hanging high off the wall? Those are standard here because otherwise tails would get in the way. Other than that I locked myself in a fairly normal bathroom, by earth standards. Good plumbing is universal, it seemed.

‘Well, it seems like you don't have to intentionally consider some decision in order to summon us, simply asking a question out loud is enough.
The bug net thing seems simple enough to me, check if any of you or anyone you know have fishing net at home, buy some from the general store if you can't, but you're asking Peri and Wuther, not us, so you should probably work out some agreement with them.
Do you think you could become friends with Peri, in the right circumstances?’

Yeah, it looks like I need to be careful with what I say until I can get more control. And like, I could be friends with Peri, maybe. It’s just… She rubs me the wrong way. Sometimes there’s someone you just don’t like, your personalities just don’t work together.

‘what's your problem with peri she seems like a nice kid

like you know better cmon’

Shut up. I know she’s a good kid. I just don’t like her. I’m allowed to think bad things about people. I’m allowed to hate people. I’ve been passive aggressive towards her in the past, but that’s stopping. In the end you need to remember you’re reading my mind and not my actions. How many times have you wished you could punch an idiot for swerving in front of you on the interstate, or like wanted to choke out a lady in Starbucks for ordering something so convoluted that the staff can barely process it, then she gets mad when they ‘take too long’ and only takes a sip before throwing it in the garbage can?

You don’t get to judge my thoughts. You should know better, c’mon!

I’m going to go back out there, I have no doubt you all have more to say, but I’ll get to it when I get to it. Right now hanging out with Wuther and having a good time are my priorities. It’s time to catch some fucking bugs.

Turned out that Wuther’s basement did contain a fishing net that was fine enough for making bug nets out of. There were some old brooms I could screw the handles off of, and some strange metal rings none of us, not even Wuther’s parents, could make sense of. I commandeered Wuther’s mom’s Sewing kit and got to work making the nets. I didn’t know how we’d secure them to the poles, but we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.

“How did you get so good at sewing?” Peri asked as I worked.

“I’m not, this is netting, the thread I’m using is pink, and I’m basically just tying a bunch of complicated knots” I said.

“Still better than what I could do.” Peri said, shrugging.

“I’m not so sure. I’m winging it here, mostly. I’m more confident because I’ve been hands on with arts and crafts all the time.”

“I guess arts ‘n crafts just aren’t my thing. I’m more of a swords and sports person myself. It sucks we don’t have a HWS team.”

“What does that stand for?”

“Historic Weapons Sparring. All kinds of cool weapons like swords and spears and axes. It gets interesting when you get a match-up between different weapons. Watching an axe vs sword duel is awesome.”

Huh, I guess stuff like HEMA was more prominent in this world. Always thought it was just like, two steps removed from fencing. Then again I actively tried ignoring Peri for most of my life here. Oh shit, I don’t know how to respond to this. It would be out of character for me to show interest, but I don’t want to brush her off or work in silence. What should I say?

[King-Clod]

You can get more information without necessarily showing interest. Act skeptical, ask her "How so?" about the axe vs sword battle. I'm sure she'd be glad to talk at length about it without much prompting.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Do you like playing a character?
Have you taken the time to think about what "you" is now?

Anyway, say more swears. If you really want to act like a kid being able to swear and not get in trouble for it is something a kid would be all over.

[1011686]

You know what they say, character development is the process of continually acting just a little bit out of character until it become the new norm. Well, they don't say that, but they should.
Is there anything related to weapon fighting that you're genuinely curious about? I'd say you should ask her about that, just speak from sincerity. Surely you must've thought swords were cool at some point in either of your lives.

[Lilium Mortem]

‘Do you like playing a character?
Have you taken the time to think about what "you" is now?’

Fuck off, This week is for Scud. I’ll sort out my identity after I have a happy birthday with the people I care about.

‘You know what they say, character development is the process of continually acting just a little bit out of character until it become the new norm. Well, they don't say that, but they should.
Is there anything related to weapon fighting that you're genuinely curious about? I'd say you should ask her about that, just speak from sincerity. Surely you must've thought swords were cool at some point in either of your lives.’

Not willing to take that chance, not for this week. I’m going to stay true to the Scud I was before awakening. And yeah I did think swords were cool, but then Peri sucked all the fun out of it by being nothing but a martial arts freak.

‘You can get more information without necessarily showing interest. Act skeptical, ask her "How so?" about the axe vs sword battle. I'm sure she'd be glad to talk at length about it without much prompting.’

Good idea. I just need to push her in the direction of talking and she’ll just zoom off.

“Uh,” I said, breaking the silence. “They have that on tv? Or did you see it in person? Seems like a long train ride for something like that.”

“Oh, I saw it on TV, but I’ve been to a few tournaments and exhibition matches before” Peri said, “but some people come from all over the world to watch matches. We have knights, so it’s a no brainer that we’d be center stage for cool weapon combat.”

“Oh, ok.” I said, finishing up the second ring. “Didn’t know Knights had anything to do with sports”

“They have everything to do with HWS! People were always trying to become knights, trying to distinguish themselves. Gladiatorial combat was a thing for a bit, but the King at the time decided that he was losing too many good people's lives, so he set it up for non-lethal combat, which became the sport. Instead of just heroics, people tried to show off how skilled they were to get an endorsement to become a knight.”

“Wow, it feels like I’m in history class, is it tomorrow already?”

“Hey! This is cool stuff, not memorizing dates and import/exports of old countries.”

“Sorry...” I sighed, I made a sarcastic comment out of habit, but Peri didn’t deserve it. “I- I don’t have an excuse, I’ve been a butt to you, more than you deserve.”

“Oh so I deserve some of it then?” Peri asked, smiling.

“Yeah, you’re a huge nerd, and also a jock, a big old jock nerd.”

The sound of the basement door opening interrupts our heart to heart and wuther runs down the stairs. “Guys! Mx. Able, the person who works on ships, they said they’ll weld the rings onto poles! Well, they actually said something about rivets and threading, but basically they’ll put the nets together for us!”

“Sweet!” Peri said, jumping up off the box she was sitting on.
“As a famous plumber once said, Let’s a go!” I said, finishing the third ring.

{ {} }

I was trying to puzzle out some of the weirder looking tools in the workshop, wondering if they were like, stuff I just didn’t recognize from earth, or Kaz’rao specific tools. I’m reminded of this one comic, ‘cow tools’ where there’s a cow lined up next to these misshapen nonsense ‘tools’. Because if you could meet a cow that used tools, they wouldn’t be how humans used them, even if the tools had the same basic function. I’m sure there’s stuff here that are cow tools.

I heard the whine of an electric drill cut off and turned to see a [Scottish Fold], the mechanic Mx. Able, finished with the nets. Not exactly the elegant simplicity of an Animal Crossing bug net, but they’d do. The nets were a bit misshapen, but the overall structure looked sound. The poles aren’t too long, the rings big enough to give us a lot of leeway in aiming, while not being too big to be unwieldy.

Peri picks one up and starts swinging it around like some kind of staff… or spear. I hope there are LARPs in this world, I want to sit on the sidelines while this girl beats up nerds. I walked up and picked up the second net, testing the weight, and gave it a few downward swings, the net trailing behind. I’ve never actually used one of these.

Wuther picks up the last and fumbles with it a bit, he’s a short kid, so the net’s a little big on him.

“Thanks a ton Mx. Able,” Wuther said “Scud didn’t have a clue how to put these together, their best idea was superglue.”

“If it’s so super it should be no problem” I replied, defending my honor.

“No sweat, kids.” Mx. Able said, rubbing their paws with a cloth, “I think it’s a grand idea, and yer a crafty bunch. It's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming, on days like these, kids like you should be having a good time.”

“We just need one more thing,” I said, turning to my crew “Some kind of bug box. Like maybe a shoebox with some glass on top and holes poked through?”

“Are we going to catch a lot of bugs and take care of them?” Peri asked.

“Nope,” Wuther interjected before I could reply. He pulled out a polaroid camera and gave a big smile “We just need to get a good picture.”

“I think I’ve got something that could work,” Mx. Able said, walking over to one side of the workshop. They took a small wooden crate, took the lid off and cut a sqaure out with an electric hand saw. With some tape, They adhered a pane of glass to the lid, before putting back on and presenting the finished bug box to us.

“Wow, that was fast.” I said.

“Ain’t nothing to it, really” Mx. Able said, smiling. “I got a good mind for this stuff. Know where all my stuff is, and how it goes together. Was an engineer in another life, Tried to make Aeroplanes a reality, but you know how well that worked out, heh.”

“Ok, let’s get going!” Peri said, running out of the workshop.

I gave Wuther a look. I wasn’t chasing after her. He shrugged and began to walk out before Peri popped her head back in, “Uh, where are we going?”

“Good question,” Wuther said, furrowing his brow.

I considered my options. There was the pond by the church, the park, some bushes and trees at the western windbreak, some private gardens from residents we could ask to have access to, and the tall grass around the school. I couldn’t think of anywhere else that might have bugs.

I paused, waiting for The Forum to say something, but I never phrased anything as a question, or asked for help. That was good to know, as long as I was careful I could control when they showed up. I really needed to figure out if there was a way to block them out though, I don’t want every cry for help to summon them.

Peri poked me, bringing me out my mind. I responded on reflex

“What?” I asked.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Well, what happens next? Why did Peri poke you? Also hello here we are.

You know how everyone says if they could go back in time they would put money in computers because boy did those computers take off? I suggest you keep a close eye on this Mx. Able. I feel like theyre about to be computers, if you catch my drift.

Anyway, grass by the school seems like a good idea, never know whats lurking in places by those.

[1011686]

I suggest the bushes and trees.

[King-Clod]

Maybe the weather station? It's about as likely as anywhere else to have bugs, but also sounds like it'd have a nice view. Or the tall grass by the school or the pond by the church, you do know the town better than I do.

[Lilium Mortem]

‘Well, what happens next? Why did Peri poke you? Also hello here we are.’

“Woops,” I said “Uh… remind me what we were talking about?”

“Where we should go.” Peri said, folding her arms.

“Give me a sec, I think I’m going to have some ideas whether I want them or not.”

‘You know how everyone says if they could go back in time they would put money in computers because boy did those computers take off? I suggest you keep a close eye on this Mx. Able. I feel like theyre about to be computers, if you catch my drift.

Anyway, grass by the school seems like a good idea, never know whats lurking in places by those.’

‘I suggest the bushes and trees.’

‘Maybe the weather station? It's about as likely as anywhere else to have bugs, but also sounds like it'd have a nice view. Or the tall grass by the school or the pond by the church, you do know the town better than I do.’

“OK,” I said. “There’s a lot of tall grass up by the school and on the path to the weather station, we can start there and make our way through town from the far northeast edge. How does that sound?”

“Good enough for me!” Wuther said, smiling.

“Yeah,” Peri agreed, “I don’t care too much, and it makes sense if we want to hit all the best bug spots.”

You know how tall grass can get when no one cuts it? When you’re a kid those patches of wild grass look like thick jungles. One of the favorite recess games for when teachers weren’t looking was playing tag in the tall grass. As kids we still hadn’t grown to a point where most of us could see out of the stuff, so we’d get lost or have to jump up to get our bearings or find a rock. It was a blast.

When we went to look for bugs it took on a whole different feeling. It honestly felt like working my way through an untamed jungle, big game hunting. Except big game in this case would be like a fat caterpillar. Or an elephant beetle, get it? Haha. ha.

End result was a lot of running around chasing grasshoppers. Wuther had the great idea to look under rocks. We found a lot of worms, but we did end up finding some choice bugs, including a centipede. Wuther got good pictures of all of them on his polaroid camera, and we even managed to net one of the grasshoppers. It might have been ambitious for us to hit all the best bug spots in one day, about a half hour before dinner time we had finished up in the tall grass and had gotten exhausted.

Peri’s furless skin was covered in bug bites, we laughed at her until she pointed out that we probably had some bugs in our fur. God I hate the flea-shampoo. It makes everything smell like chemicals for an entire day, and when you have a feline sense of smell that really counts for something.

Still, it was worth it. I hadn’t had fun like that in a long time, as either Scud, or as a human. The day went by so fast that I honestly forgot that tomorrow was the first day of school. Not much would be expected, it’s mainly just beginning of the school year orientation stuff.

After my shower I went back to my room and sat down on the windowsill, looking out at the town as the last glow from the sun was fading.

“<Hey guys, uh... I summon thee Forum!>” I said, sounding like an idiot. “<Oh, I think that actually did something. Anyway today was a good day, I just thought I’d check in with you before bed. Any tips for the first day of school? Or really just anything you want to talk about? I don’t have to go to bed for another hour or so. I died and was reincarnated as a cat person, AMA.>”

[1011686]

How does education work on Kaz'Rao, with how people gain memories of past incarnations? It seems like there wouldn't be much point in teaching people stuff they've learned in past lives, unless there'd been significant progress in the field since the last time a particular cat person (do Kaz'raons have a specific name other than cat people btw) went to school, so what kind of things do you learn? I imagine history would be quite an interesting class as well.
Also, we could try to work out what the first stage of your soul art is, if you want. Silversong did say you should work on that. I honestly have no good ideas for what it could be other than just, you being able to summon us by considering some sort of question or problem or choice. However, something that might be a part of your soul art, maybe a stage different from the first, is that when we perceive your surroundings or your thoughts or people's speech, certain things kind of, stand out more than usual. Usually these things were related to soul arts, either yours or Silversong's so far, like the word "forum", or your past life.

[King-Clod]

Tips for school? A lot of my info has to do with American school (which you know enough already.) Maybe...make sure have a set organization system for your notes and such? And a set folder and calendar for homework, if that's a thing here. Don't bother bringing too many pencils either, maybe 1 or 2, since other kids often drop theirs in the hall and don't bother to pick them back up. You can collect a solid hoard in about a week. I'm pretty sure you can ask your parents for advice about Kaz'Rao school also, they're likely to know quite a bit more than we do.

On the topics of Soul Arts, I suspect it's going to be a bit tricky tomorrow, since we seem to be summoned every time you ask a question. Which you would be doing a lot of, in school. This is not to say you shouldn't ask any questions tomorrow, quite the opposite really, but... be aware of that. We can refrain from saying anything if you accidentally summon us during school if you prefer.

Oh, this is a bit off topic, but someday you've got to take us to the ocean. I'd love to see it through your eyes.

[ಠ_ಠ]

that took a really long time for me, is anybody else feeling that? 

Can I talk directly to the other people here? Hi other people.

Anyway, my advice is the same as always: buy your way to success.

[Lilium Mortem]

‘that took a really long time for me, is anybody else feeling that?

Can I talk directly to the other people here? Hi other people.

Anyway, my advice is the same as always: buy your way to success.’

“<Well I did spend the better part of a day without summoning you.>” I said, “<Also for the last time I refuse to be cat Jeff Bezos.>”

‘How does education work on Kaz'Rao, with how people gain memories of past incarnations? It seems like there wouldn't be much point in teaching people stuff they've learned in past lives, unless there'd been significant progress in the field since the last time a particular cat person (do Kaz'raons have a specific name other than cat people btw) went to school, so what kind of things do you learn? I imagine history would be quite an interesting class as well.

Also, we could try to work out what the first stage of your soul art is, if you want. Silversong did say you should work on that. I honestly have no good ideas for what it could be other than just, you being able to summon us by considering some sort of question or problem or choice. However, something that might be a part of your soul art, maybe a stage different from the first, is that when we perceive your surroundings or your thoughts or people's speech, certain things kind of, stand out more than usual. Usually these things were related to soul arts, either yours or Silversong's so far, like the word "forum", or your past life.’

“<Ok, that’s a lot. First off, we’re called The Kaz. Kaz’Rao translates from a dead language to something like ‘the realm of the Kaz’. I’ll try to answer the rest of your questions in order. There are two different tracks for school, first lifers are given special attention and like, the best education, since it’s going to be their foundation. The track for reincarnates is more about refreshers. Basic math and history, and some classes with subjects that change as new discoveries are made, like science, or interim studies. Oh, interim studies is basically a class for getting people caught up on global events so they don’t have to figure out what has changed in the ten to thirteen years they’ve been a kid.>

“<Once you have your memories you can basically choose to go back to college, or head straight back to your life, or start fresh. I think there’s some kind of grace period for getting used to the memories and how things have changed, but that’s basically the gist of it.>

“<As for my Soul Art, while it seems like it’s core functionality is guidance, we can’t assume. What we do know is that I can summon you with the right question, or just now, when I literally said ‘I summon thee’. I don’t know what you mean about things standing out more than others, maybe it’s some kind of clue? We’ll have to come up with some tests. Science the shit out of this soul magic crap.>”

‘Tips for school? A lot of my info has to do with American school (which you know enough already.) Maybe...make sure have a set organization system for your notes and such? And a set folder and calendar for homework, if that's a thing here. Don't bother bringing too many pencils either, maybe 1 or 2, since other kids often drop theirs in the hall and don't bother to pick them back up. You can collect a solid hoard in about a week. I'm pretty sure you can ask your parents for advice about Kaz'Rao school also, they're likely to know quite a bit more than we do.

On the topics of Soul Arts, I suspect it's going to be a bit tricky tomorrow, since we seem to be summoned every time you ask a question. Which you would be doing a lot of, in school. This is not to say you shouldn't ask any questions tomorrow, quite the opposite really, but... be aware of that. We can refrain from saying anything if you accidentally summon us during school if you prefer.

Oh, this is a bit off topic, but someday you've got to take us to the ocean. I'd love to see it through your eyes.’

“<Well, the thing is, school supplies are supplied by the school. At least in the kingdom. You can buy your own stuff if you want a more personalized touch, but the school stuff is pretty high quality, especially for first lifers.>

“<Regarding what you said my Soul Art, It’s not every time I ask a question. I didn’t summon you again after the workshop. I wondered out loud what kind of ice cream I should get at the general store, I asked what Peri’s favorite video game was, I asked how to operate a Kaz’rao Polaroid camera. It seems like you’re only there when I need you, or think about you. Once I stopped worrying about you popping into my head, the day went by without a peep from you. Not like I had any hard choices though.>”

“<The last thing I find odd. You can see the ocean from most places in town. We were in a boat workshop that was open to the sea earlier. Maybe my Soul Art only sends information I concentrate on. Like the sea is just backdrop to me, I barely think about it. But I can show you now.>”

I stretched and got up. I slid open the window and climbed onto the windowsill. Turning around I grabbed the edge of the roof and pulled myself up. I climbed to the top, where I got an unobstructed view of the bay and the lights of the town below me. Well it was obstructed a bit by the Lightning towers, but not much.

The horizon was painted a dark blue, as the glow from the west slowly disappeared. I could make out a few waves cresting against the beach southwest of the bay, and some sea spray on the bottom of the cliffs to the northwest. The last of the fishing boats were just coming in, and the water was calm under the clear sky.

Countless stars shined down from the cosmos. Light pollution was always such a problem back home, but in this life I lived so far from the lights of big cities that I could see the stars clearly. It was something else. I had no idea what so many stars in the sky could look like. I could even make out where the galactic disk was, Kaz’Rao’s version of the milky way.

I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the town and the sea. The rowdy fishermen at the pub, the distant sounds of waves, the last caws of seabirds and the chirps of summertime insects. The smell of salt on the air reminded me of the few vacations I took to the beach when I was human. I wouldn’t have even noticed the difference if I didn’t have memories from a time where the air didn’t smell like salt.

“Spirits, I’d been missing out on so much my last life. I wonder if Earth was ever this beautiful.” I said, half to myself, half to The Forum.

[King-Clod]

It's clearly different, but at it's core it's still much of the same.
Earth was beautiful, yes. But even people with longer lives than yours will never see the full extent of that beauty, even if they spend their whole life seeking it out. The beauty lies in the overwhelming vastness of it all, much as it does here.
But, you don't want a lecture. You've had enough of those.
Thank you for this, Scud.

[1011686]

That was lovely, Scud.



As for sciencing the shit out of your soul art, well, here's a test we could try. So far everything we've percieved has been something you've also been aware of, but we don't know if that's an actual restriction. So, we could try checking if it's possible for us to perceive things you can't see. Like, try drawing a card from a deck, and holding it away from you, and just wave it in the air without looking at it, and we'll tell you if we can see what it is.

[Lilium Mortem]

‘It's clearly different, but at it's core it's still much of the same.
Earth was beautiful, yes. But even people with longer lives than yours will never see the full extent of that beauty, even if they spend their whole life seeking it out. The beauty lies in the overwhelming vastness of it all, much as it does here.
But, you don't want a lecture. You've had enough of those.
Thank you for this, Scud.’

“<You’re welcome, I guess.>” I said, curling up. “<I just- It’s only now sinking in that I won’t ever get to go home. You either. I mean this is my home too, but… I was such an ass back on earth, and I’m never going to be able to apologize for all the shit I did, how little I cared.>”

‘That was lovely, Scud.



As for sciencing the shit out of your soul art, well, here's a test we could try. So far everything we've percieved has been something you've also been aware of, but we don't know if that's an actual restriction. So, we could try checking if it's possible for us to perceive things you can't see. Like, try drawing a card from a deck, and holding it away from you, and just wave it in the air without looking at it, and we'll tell you if we can see what it is.’

“<I’ll Try that out tomorrow, thanks for the idea. I’m going to get some sleep, Ok?>”

With that I climbed back into my room. I walked over to the bookshelf that held my sculptures. There was the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Sphinx(heh), the Sydney Opera House… There were originals there too, but my subconscious must have bled through to make all of these. Bits and pieces of my home, as I only knew them from photographs. All except one. A cat-faced statue of liberty. I picked it up and put it on my nightstand.

The light clicked off and I dreamed of the sunrise on liberty island.

[Suggestions are closed, next post will be an intermission.]

[Lilium Mortem]

{-Intermission 1-}

“Professor?”

Dr. Ethmoid Ko-Benthos Looked up from her papers to see a student standing in the doorway to her office. She held up her hand, giving the common gesture for ‘just a moment’. She finished scoring the test and then looked up to the student.

“It’s Doctor, actually.” She corrected, almost automatically.

“Right, but you’re a Professor” The student said.

“I Have seventeen [PhD]s, My job is not my title. Please respect the work I put in and address me accordingly.”

“S-seventeen?! Oh, wow, ok. Doctor, Can I ask for an extension on my paper? A family emergency came up.”

Dr Benthos closed her eyes and reviewed the information she had about the student. She looked back through the index of her memory and picked out all the times he had acted up in class, all the times he made excuses, and every time he was tardy.

“Jet Em-Rockwalker, You have been late for class twenty-one times, absent seven. You have had five extensions from me personally this semester, and forty-seven for all your classes this semester. You were arrested during the able hall party for controlled substance abuse and vandalism, and have seventeen recorded arrests in your current life. You have ninety-seven counts of breaking university rules, twenty of which are from this semester alone, and you have talked during class fifty-eight separate times.”

Dr Benthos allowed herself a small moment of satisfaction as the student’s draw dropped. It was always like this when someone found out about her Soul Art. She waited for the student to collect himself.

“I can explain!” he said defensively “I Have a learning disability, and anger management issues, I’m getting therapy for it but it-”

“I’ll stop you right there,” Dr Benthos said, standing up. “If you were telling the truth it would be a different story, but You have no record of a disability, or any atypical mental disorders. You do have a record of anger issues, but have refused five separate offers for free therapy, the least of which was last week.

“You are a slacker, Mr. Rockwalker. A man who gets by on talent and money, I cannot fathom how you got into my class with such an attitude, but you are genuinely brilliant when you actually buckle down and do the work. It’s a shame you wait until the last possible moment to do so, if at all. I will give you no more extensions, accommodations, or any other leeway from here on out.”

Dr Benthos sighed as the man stammered, trying to find some way to protest. She told him to get out of her office, he dragged his feet, but did so. Dr Benthos rubbed her temples. It was times like this when she considered quitting.

Just then a bespectacled [Tuxedo cat] entered her office and closed the door behind her. She smoothed out her green dress self consciously before looking up.

“Benny found one, The Rose Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense added a transcribed phone call to their online database. A knight, Ser Artra Ka-Silversong, Reported an EC and took jurisdiction over them. One Scud HarvestFell, In a town called Blackwater Crossing, Bluerose Island.”

Dr Benthos perked up. They hadn’t found one in a while, and every EC was an invaluable asset to the organization. She took the printed out transcription and pulled on every memory she had of importance, compiling the information before making a decision.

“Ok Aloe, You’re on the case. The window of opportunity is rather wide, and you need the experience. Talk to Lorien, ze will help you with gear and put together a false identity. Make contact, Orange protocol.”

“Yes Doctor,” Aloe said, straightening up. “I’ll make sure to bring the EC back.”
 

{---}

Director Southwind looked over his assets. That damnable Knight took jurisdiction over the HarvestFell EC case, there wasn’t much he could do except wait for her. That didn’t sit well with Southwind. So he was looking over his department’s assets, seeing if there was anything he could spare.

There were a few agents whose mission was over in Central Red Rose, but the HarvestFell case was taking place in northern Bluerose. Not enough time. Then he remembered something. He flipped through the case file again.

The brother of the suspected EC worked in Castle Garden. Southwind smiled, before starting the paperwork on a new assignment for his agents in the area.
 

{---}

“And so, with the room locked and windowless, the only way the murderer could enter would be through the air ducts! Remember assistant, I told you of the old pipes in this place, not enough wiggle room for a full grown Kaz, but what if you had just awakened?”

“Gosh inspector, you don’t think it coulda been da kid?”

“I do indeed, now all we need to do is lay a trap, and I have the per-”

Artra Silversong Sighed and turned off the radio. Normally she liked listening to radio dramas, they were a good source of entertainment last life after she lost her vision on assignment, and just kind of stuck with her.

But the episode she was listening to reminded her too much of Scud’s awakening. They were a Defiant, and worse yet, probably an EC. Her duty was clear, but she still felt guilty. She never told Scud she suspected anything, beyond them being Defiant. She wanted Scud to get the chance, that one week, before she had to take action, before their life as they knew it would fall apart.

The best she could do was give Scud the time they wanted. Just one week. She could protect them until then. No doubt moves were already being made in the shadows. But this was Silversong’s town. Let them try.

“Just until your birthday then, Scud.” She said, watching the sun rise over the town. “I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you’re ready for what’s to come.”

[Suggestions still closed, next post will be normal. Do not mention any of the intermission to Scud, The Forum did not witness it, this was strictly for the audience.]

[Lilium Mortem]

{Act two}

I woke up, and for a minute as I was getting ready for the day, didn’t even think about earth or the dead people living in my head. It all came crashing down when I asked my mom where the cereal was. Cereal seemed like the go to ‘first day of school’ food, but I hadn’t even realized… cereal doesn’t exist here, or at least I didn’t know about it.

It sounded enough like the Kaz word for ‘salmon’ that I got away with having ‘sushi’ for breakfast. I think Kaz are something like obligate omnivores? A healthy diet has to have meat or fish, and we evolved to eat raw meat, so long as it’s fresh.

After my meal of salmon and crackers I grabbed all my stuff and started walking to school. There was a bus, but it was for the kids who lived out of town proper, but still within the Blackwater School district.

Seeing kids in uniforms funnel their way towards the school gave me a distinctly anime vibe. Friends walking together, people meeting up at a crossroads to walk together, the only thing it was missing was someone with a piece of toast sticking out of their mouth.

I wondered if it would be a good idea to walk to school with Wuther in the future, I’d always walked to school myself, but it’s not like it’s far. Maybe that’s just the anime talking. At least there was no gate or greeter at the school itself, just a large two story brick building.

There was an assembly on the bleachers by the sports field first thing in the morning, they needed to give everyone their schedules and homeroom assignments, and the principal had to make some big speech. The woman that was the principal Didn’t look like it. She wore a leather jacket and dyed green highlights onto her tabby fur. She sauntered up to the podium.

“Good morning my bleary eyed charges!” She began. “I bet y’all are tired and itchy what with the uniforms and getting up early again, and I get it. I still want to sleep in until noon, but here I am, and here we are.

“Certainly there are things about school that suck, Like boring lectures and homework, but there’s fun stuff too! Art and music classes you just get to have fun, and express yourself. Practical Health Education you go out and play games. And if you give it a chance, you might find something in History or Science that you enjoy. Math I find is a necessary evil myself, but people can enjoy it.

“All I’m saying is that School is not some machine, turning out perfect workers, It’s a place where you grow into people, learn lifelong skills, and make friends that will last nine lives. The Faculty and I are here to see you succeed. If you need anything, if something’s not clicking, if you’re feeling like you’re wasting your time, come talk to us, and we’ll do everything in our power to help you.

“Without further ado, I’ll announce homeroom assignments, and let y’all go about your day.”

The principal continued for a while, talking about the new school year, how the science room was refurbished, and letting everyone know it was tuna rolls in the cafeteria today. I got physical arts as my homeroom, along with the rest of year 5. We weren’t a big enough school to have more than a single class per grade. Most subjects First Lives and Reincarnates had in common, but would be split up into tinier classes for what was different. At least I knew I’d be in all my classes with Wuther.

Soon enough I found myself inside, my new schedule on the table in front of me, which I shared with Wuther and three other students. Professor Spinner had told us what was going down today, which would basically amount to visiting all the classrooms we would use this year and get to know the teachers and what we’d be covering this semester. Until then it was free period, and with nothing better to do I called The Forum to attention with a traditional Earth greeting.

@everyone, New year of school, first period and it’s a free period. I’m a bit bored, how are you doing?

[King-Clod]

I've been doing alright, not much change from last night honestly. It's been interesting sitting backseat throughout your school day though, you're right with it seeming anime-ish. Buuut that may be because anime is my only point of reference for school in another culture.

I'll be honest, the principal's fur dye was more of a surprise than it should've been. I forgot that you'd be able to do something similar to dying your hair with fur. Do people go for different patterns? What colors are widely available? Do you think you'd ever dye your fur, and if so what color?

What are the uniforms like? What sort of sports do they have? Does it seem better or worse than American schooling so far?

Oh, and for your hourly unsolicited advice, be sure to talk to some of your classmates after you're done chatting with us. It'd be good to talk to more folks than Wuther, Peri, and space-ghosts.

[1011686]

Gosh, is how your principal acted is, well, normal for schools in Kaz'rao? It wasn't unsettling or anything like that, but I'm just surprised she spoke so frankly and simply.

Do you have any good card games around? That's always a good way have a fun time and make friends at school I feel.

Oh, and a thought just occurred to me. We could technically help you cheat on schoolwork. I don't know about the others, but I'm quite knowledgable when it comes to math and science. Although I suppose since you've regained your past memories, the work youre given will likely be easy enough to do by yourself anyway, and honestly you should probably do it yourself anyway instead of relying on us. But if you do ever really find something difficult to understand, I wouldn't mind helping you out.