[img]http://i.imgur.com/2uDBgEK.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/8I5EqBQ.png[/img] [b][u]Aliquam: Academy of the Arts: Northern Section [/u][/b] Time stretched on, and with it Estelle grew weary. After their preparations in the performance hall and adjacent patrols in the hallways surrounding it for nearly five hours straight, Estelle was exhausted. After walking for so long and seeing absolutely nothing of interest, almost jumping out at random statues now, she decided she needed a rest. She sat down on one of the corridor’s benches, heaving a heavy sigh as she stretched out. She had forgotten how boring the stakeout element was. Just waiting, and waiting, and waiting… what if the Masked Phantom never came? This whole venture would have been a waste of time. If he did attack, he had better have done so somewhere close to where she was…! “Are you doing okay, Estelle?” She looked up to see Dalia by her side, holding out a cup filled with warm coffee from a thermos she had packed. Estelle thankfully took the cup from her friend, and began to sip it. She saw Aria to the side, drinking her own cup of coffee, smiling back at them and waving down the corridor. Her eyes continued to glance over their surroundings, looking for any sign of the Masked Phantom. “Haaa… how long is this going to go on for…?” Estelle whined. After finishing her drink, she hopped up to her legs and stretched powerfully. “This guy’s really getting on my nerves! I wish he’d just… just… just get it over with!!” Dalia laughed, and Aria nodded with a smirk. Estelle rummaged through her small pack of belongings hanging by her waist, retrieving the small communicator device Dalia had given her. She checked it over, making sure that it was still on and that she hadn’t broken it, and sighed. If the thief had appeared, then she was sure they’d have been informed about it by one of the many groups patrolling the Academy. So far she hadn’t, but that wouldn’t stop her. She clicked one of the buttons, squarking it to life, and said: “Guys I am sooooooo BOREEEEEED!” Estelle’s voice jumped out through all of her friends’ communicators. “Has anyone seen this guy yet? Er… over?” ----------- [img]http://i.imgur.com/9qAfFLn.png[/img] [u][b]Aliquam: Academy of the Arts: Southern Section[/b][/u] At another part of the Academy, a small smirk crept up Rose’s lips as she heard her friend’s voice sound out. She reached for her own communicator, keeping an eye on Lute and Trixie patrolling through the courtyard, Lute using his sound powers for echolocation to blurred results, and Trixie using her acute nasal senses to try and smell the thief out. “Unfortunately we’ve got no sign of him yet either, but we’re keeping our eyes open and alert,” Rose replied. A loud neigh screeched over the communicator from Sebastian agreeing. In Moira’s group in the Academy’s statue sector, a loud laugh snorted out from Angel. Then, they heard a tiny voice squeak from the communicator saying “Over!” followed by hushed whispers from Trixie lecturing Rose on the superhero importance and necessity of including that final word. [img]http://i.imgur.com/8mPMSWF.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/AIt9B3l.png[/img] Marcus laughed back over the communicator. His group had met similar poor results, and had only been able to wander the corridors in the Painting Wing over and over to little success. He, Dylan and Xandra had spent some time at first admiring some of Dylan’s paintings that they had found in storage, but after that it had been the same monotonous routine over and over again like their friends. Dylan and Xandra both spoke into the communicator next, the pair reassuring their friends not to give up heart, and that they’d catch this thief no matter what! Followed by a more determined and committed [b]‘Over’[/b] from Xan. [img]http://i.imgur.com/WDVJyuu.png[/img] And in the central courtyard, Tobias’ brow twitched. Earlier in the day he had accepted Lucien’s suggestion to use his blackbird summon sparingly, so as to conserve his magical energy, but he still had to endure Lucien’s jokes. Every so often the summoner would get bored again, and need to talk, and it was always the jokes he relied upon. Tobias regretted rejecting Lucien’s suggestion of now splitting up, oh so much. And he was now becoming irritable from all of the pointless chatter rebounding over the communicators. “Look, would you all just focus on catching this thief?!” Tobias angrily shouted down the line. “If you have time to talk, you have time to [i]look[/i]! Stop talking and get walking!!” “Now Tobias, you don’t have to talk like that…” Rose started. [i]“Honestly.”[/i] “Yes, Tobias, you don’t need to treat [i]everyone[/i] so harshly.” Was Dylan’s voice. “Really, Dylan? This, now?” A frustrated sigh followed. “We can talk about that later, if you want.” “No, I think I’ve done enough talking to you.” [i]“Ah!”[/i] A scream suddenly interrupted out from the communicator. Everyone glanced down to theirs in surprise, concern and anticipation of what was going on. Then, they could Dalia begin to speak urgently. “There!” She said. “I can see an aura in the shadows there!” “Aria!” Estelle called out, along with the sound of feet shuffling. “Roger!” Was the illusionist’s reply. And then… nothing. For some strange and inexplicable reason… all sound from Estelle’s group was silent and cut off. Across the Academy, the rest of the groups who had been listening in on the conversation carried across the communicators all looked to each other and staredv at their silent communicators. --------- [b][u]Aliquam: Academy of the Arts: Northern Section [/u][/b] “Ah… oops.” In the northern sector of the Academy, Estelle froze in her tracks. She looked down, eyes blinking and lips pulled taut. She lifted her foot up, and glanced at the remains of her communicator, shattered into several pieces beyond repair. She had accidentally dropped it and then smashed it. Oops indeed. “Freeze, you!” Aria’s shout drew Estelle’s head up again, to watch the illusionist free a knife in the direction of where Dalia had pointed the purple hazy aura was at. It was skewed off aim slightly, intended as a disarming warning rather then anything maliciously dangerous, and clinked against the wall. The figure in the shadows screamed with an frightened ‘eep!’ and a ‘don’t hurt me!’ Estelle, Aria and Dalia all stopped. That… didn’t sound like the voice of a confident thief whatsoever… Dalia in particular frowned. A purple aura signified the emotion of someone who felt cautious and guilty… something the Masked Phantom could, and should have been. But this person instead was… Walking into one of their set up lights, Dalia frowned intently. “Simon Brace, what on Ddaear are you doing out of the dormitory?!” "I wanted to photograph the Masked Phantom!" Simon replied, trembling with his camera in hand. "Please don't stab me!" [img]http://i.imgur.com/unVxaeB.png[/img]