Dᴇsᴅᴇᴍᴏɴᴀ Cᴏʀᴄᴇʟʟᴀ

Nodah’s dagger was zooming towards the snake. Desdemona caught it leaving a cut on her hand. A hiss escaped the creature’s mouth as it sensed her injury. She moved the knife to the opposite hand while the snake curled its body around her arm, eventually licking the graze. Absorbing the energy from Desdemona’s blood, the serpent’s scales gained a dark aura and the electric surges amplified. Whipping its tail to the ground, currents of intense lightning rippled across the floor rapidly approaching Nodah.

Zephyr

Zephyr quickly shifted to the side to avoid being hit by a vine only to feel the sting against the back of his head from another one. He groaned. But Zensei was still trapped, which was good. With a sharp movement of his hands he brought more vines up around the pixie and against the wall, securing the bonds. He walked to the pixie, a sharp-toothed grin on his face, and stopped a safe, but short distance away. "I'm sure if you formally yield we'll be able to walk out of here right now. What say you?" if the pixie yielded, that would be that. A short, challenging fight, although he would never admit that to anyone. If he somehow managed to get free, Zephyr would be deeply impressed. To prepare for the possibility he stepped back and grew two large plants that were rather similar to Venus Flytraps. If they caught the tiny creature he'd have no choice but to yield quickly before they started to digest him.

Leval Lamrue

Leval had always been a deep sleeper, so when someone picked him up onto a gurney and through the portal, he did not wake up. His dreams were a myriad of flashing images: a pair of fangs striking forward, a cat surrounded by bowls of food, a dark shadow rising up from the ground. However, the most distinct image was that of a strand of a thick, white substance. He looked up, the same strands of white reached up to the sky, criss-crossing itself forming a complex pattern. 'A Weave?' Leval touched it with the tips of his fingertips, it felt smooth and rough at the same time. His brow furrowed in confusion and he attempted to pull back his hand. His fingers would not come off the web. He pulled harder, yet his fingers still refused. 'Not a Weave, a web!' He grasped at his hand at the other wrist and pushed against the ground with his legs. Then, he stopped. Something was moving the strands above, they let out a slight twang as a sharp appendage emerged out of the darkness above. There was some sort of dark chittering and he quite distinctively heard in strange sharp accent, "I see you..."

He opened his eyes. Above him was a white ceiling, artificial light cast over him. 'This isn't the classroom.' He lifted his head off the table and glanced around. Rowan was there sitting nervously in chair nearby, and another girl he had not met before wearing a rather odd purple and green outfit. He stared at it for a moment trying to make sense of it, the Weave of her aura looked strange. A thick patch of color looked like it had been grafted on roughly. His brow furrowed and he groggily said, "Whose power is that?" He blinked and rubbed his eyes, before looking at his left arm. The pain in his shoulder had disappeared. He moved it around in a circle experimentally, but it moved easily as though it had never been hurt at all. He switched his attention to his right palm, there were two circular scars in his palm still fresh and new. However, that seemed to be all that remained of his injuries.

His mind began to kick into gear again, putting his stray thoughts together to form a cohesive idea. The looked at Rowan and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I take it you brought me here? Thank you."

Rowan Delacroix

Shortly after exiting the portal, Rowan stood before the large oak doors of the infirmary. "Certainly he should be here already..." She drew in a deep breath and placed both of her hands on each handle. Hesitance was a running theme for Rowan, but she eventually gathered her bearings and opened the entrance. Light shone through the white curtains of the medical wing in vast amounts, but her attention was focused on locating Leval. She slipped past the female elf and peeked around the corners of each screen that separated the individual cots. Rowan felt herself become more and more anxious as she struggled to find the human she had sent to the clinic. "Where is he? Has he not arrived yet?" The vampire gripped her wrist in one hand while the other tightened into a fist. She stood in the middle of the room and looked down at the floor, her black strands of hair flowing messily by the sides of her face. "Should I have gone to the training hall and retrieved him myself?" When she lost herself in thought once again, another unfamiliar voice interjected. “Hello? You there, with the black hair. Are you okay?”

Rowan gasped slightly and turned to face the new presence. A girl who appeared to be a human dressed in attire that was rather eye catching had spoken up, a look of concern in her unique eyes. Rowan habitually looked behind her to see if perhaps she was mistaken, but of course she was the only other person in that general direction. She ushered a courtly nod in the human girl's direction and prepared to turn away from her. However, she realized that looking on her own would get her nowhere. "Pardon me for asking... would you happen to know if another student has been admitted here recently?" Rowan began unsteadily while she continued to glance around the infirmary. The answer to her question came shortly after she had asked; the dark timbered doors swung open to reveal a stretcher being wheeled in by two creatures in surgical masks. "What do we have here?" The nurse slid out from behind her desk on her unconventional office chair and lowered her glasses to observe the patient from afar. "Set him down over there." She waved over to one of the free beds nonchalantly and returned to her desk.

The two masked helpers pushed the gurney over to the designated cot and moved away from the male human. One of the creatures raised a hand slightly, and the gravity around Leval shifted in a way that maintained his current position while gently lifting him up into the air. As he was suspended the Gravitin flicked its wrist in a swift motion, and soon the unconscious patient was placed cautiously on the linen cloth of the bed. Rowan watched with curiosity as they maneuvered the boy's body with great care. "Thank you." The elf emerged from her corner and rolled the sleeves of her lab coat up to her elbows. The two assistants bowed and saw themselves out of the infirmary in silence, and the nurse got to work soon after their departure. She scanned his body for the potential injuries before she held her hands out over the targeted areas. A warm yellow light was emitted from the palms of her hands while she moved them gingerly along the entirety of his figure.

The vampire found herself a seat by the bedside and sat on the edge of the chair, watching the Druid's movements closely. Only moments later, the nurse let out a sigh and stepped back from her client. "All done. He should be as good as new by the time he wakes up." She offered Rowan a wide grin before she made her way back to her desk. "If you two need anything else, you know where to find me."

Rowan sat stiffly in her seat. Her eyes trailed to the human girl that called out to her earlier, but she averted her gaze in order to avoid any unwanted attention. She remained idle for a short interval of time. Occasionally she brought her hands up to her identification necklace and prodded at the red gem in the center with the tips of her fingers. As she kept to herself for most of the visit, Rowan was silent while her thoughts kept her occupied. "Shall I return to class? No, it would be better to wait for him to awake." A few more minutes passed and she was tempted to look over at the human girl again out of curtosy, considering she hadn't left the infirmary yet and they were both sitting quietly. Rowan's eyes trailed down to the other creature's exposed skin that was decorated with fresh cuts and bruises. The vampire opened her mouth to speak but she quickly whipped her head around when she heard rustling from the bed sheets. Leval sat up, clearly groggy from his abrupt nap. "Whose power is that?" Rowan raised an eyebrow at his question since she did not have an answer, and he continued on to test his repaired limbs.

Eventually, Leval turned to face the other two creatures in the room and inclined his head in Rowan's direction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I take it you brought me here? Thank you." The vampire shook her head and stood up from her seat to issue another bow in response. With her head still lowered, she spoke up saying, "You need not apologize, I felt it necessary to send for help. It was not me who brought you here, so I am not worthy of your gratitude."

Nuna Mori

Closing the distance between their mouths, energy flowed into her mouth. The insatiable hunger began to overcome her as she thought she wouldn't be able to gauge herself. Not to worry. She was interrupted by the Nocturne's hand that covered her face, ensuing the strong gusts of wind that blew her back. Suspended in the air, she made sure to avoid crashing into the floor or wall. Performing a backflip, she landed on the ground in a crouching position, skidding backwards slightly. Ready to advance on the Nocturne, her vision was clouded by the mist that was emitted from Kuroda. It was an environment she knew too well.

Looking around the entirety of the room, she sighed, "I don't know if it's just me, but I feel something is missing..." Nuna maneuvered her hand to her hair, where the flower had been adorned. Twirling it in her hands, as she gazed upon it adoringly, she jammed the stem into a wedge of the wooden floorboard. Its roots extended on the surface and underground. Taking a few steps back, she muttered the words of an enchantment, sporadically sprouting vegetation around in the vicinity. "Ah, there it is!" she expressed, impressed at her work. To conserve energy, she limited the size of the plants and trees that cultivated.

Only known to herself the source of the plants was the original flower that initiated the growth. The cone shaped flower emitted a warm glow from it signaling it to be the source. To remove the vegetation, one would have to uproot the floret. There was one catch to that though; the person who performs such a task would be subject to inhibit the poisonous effects of the bud, indomitable to Druids. This unknown to her opponent. It was a physical representation, both her Druidic qualities and Succubus aspects; alluring and blooming. If the boy was subject to break the entrancing effects of her skill, this was her alternative. It served as a defensive as well as an offensive strategy for her.

She dawdled, slowly approaching to the Nocturne.

---

Daichi narrowed his eyes as he observed the succubus through the fog. His vision had become well accustomed to the use of his own abilities, making it easy to discern the figure of his enemy in the distance. The feline paced around the far corners of the combat room, keeping a fair gap between their presences. With his hands in his pockets, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself when Nuna spoke up once again. "I don't know if it's just me, but I feel something is missing..." The heels of his shoes echoed through the brief silence of the room, and he eventually came to a halt. "You think so?" The Nocturne leaned against one of the padded walls, allowing his broad shoulders to leave an imprint in the cushions. The temperature was just to his liking- a pleasant atmosphere that was just below freezing point.

"Ah, there it is!" Nuna chimed in after coming to some sort of realization. Kuroda observed her from an angle, curious to see what she was doing. While she hummed, her silhouette could be seen crouched for a moment. Her figure stood upright once again and staggered backwards slightly, leaving the room to fall into a hush once again. However, Daichi's ears twitched slightly when the quiet was disrupted by subtle vibrations emanating from the ground beneath his feet. Suddenly, an abundance of greenery sprung up between the spaces of the floorboards and rapidly spread across the wooden surface. The cat nonchalantly stepped away from the wall just before a sapling burst violently through one of the panels he was standing on. "Oh, I'm so scared... plants are utterly terrifying." He snickered mockingly, removing his hands from his pockets. " 's this the best you can do? Tiny little sprouts like these?" Daichi crouched before one of the small trees and placed his hand on the small trunk. "Actually, they're kinda cute." As he said this, he swiped his hand horizontally across the stem, slicing the sapling in half in the blink of an eye.

Obviously chopping down one of the trees wouldn't solve the dilemma at hand; Daichi would have to find the source of the verdure and destroy it. With that in mind, he closed his eyes for a moment to dissolve the icy mist and return the chamber to its original state. The Nocturne flashed a haughty grin at the succubus when she came into view once again, and he rose from his position. He noticed the flower in Nuna's hair was no longer on her head, and he had a vague idea of what she used it for. However, he played along and spoke with a tone of sarcasm. "Hey, what happened to that pretty flower? It really complimented your eyes." Kuroda placed a hand on his hip as he watched her every move, and his eyes trailed down to the floral patch right in the center of the room behind her. Each step Nuna took forward sent the cat one step back, ensuring that the space between them was consistent. Without wavering his gaze from his foe, Daichi discretely curled his index and middle fingers in a beckoning motion by his side. In doing so, the droplets formed by the condensation of the mist swirled together on the petals of the flower and gradually expanded, enveloping the plant in a thin layer of water.

Kuroda snapped his fingers, and the flower crystallized in an instant. All that's left is to shatter it... Kuroda had to figure out a way to maneuver past the succubus without raising too much suspicion. Wait- why do I give a crap about being stealthy? Rather than dodging around her carefully, Daichi charged right at Nuna with full force. He feinted left, drawing his fist back to make it seem like he was ready to lash out at her. Instead, he used the short time frame caused by her flinch to place both hands on either one of her shoulders. Hoisting himself up into the air, Daichi flipped over with ease and landed a safe distance behind her. Now faced with the frosted flower, Daichi knelt before the plant and flicked one of the leaves, causing it to shatter. However, a purple cloud of dust wafted up into his face, obscuring his eyes in the process. His first instinct was to leap back from the unknown powder, but he found that his body was paralyzed as a result of the poison. "Shit..."

Leval Lamrue

"You need not apologize, I felt it necessary to send for help. It was not me who brought you here, so I am not worthy of your gratitude." Rowan had her head to him, much the same way that he had just done. 'I'm starting to notice a pattern to our talks...' He noticed that her arm had slipped from her long sleeve and had a red stain on her wrist. "Then you called the medics to me, that's the same thing. Blood loss wasn't the problem though so I hope that's not your concern. The shadow thing sneak attacked me on my up to the school." He gestured at her wrist. "Here let me get that." Leval shifted his legs off the bed and picked up a napkin off the nightstand next to him. The nightstand also had an empty glass and pitcher of ice water, so he dabbed the edge of the napkin inside, wetting it with the chill water.

He reached out and touched her wrist gently, looking up at her for approval. He brought her wrist and carefully dabbed the blood away, being careful to catch any falling droplets before they fell to the floor. Her wrist was not as cold as he might have expected, but still several degrees color than the room. He finished quickly, folded up the napkin and deposited it on the nightstand. He looked up and again saw the other girl in the room in the strange outfit. "Oh sorry I don't think we have actually met. I'm Leval and this is Rowan." Glancing down, he realized he was still holding Rowan's wrist in his hand. "Oh sorry!" He released her hand looking somewhat sheepish. He pulled out his Connector and glanced at the time. 'Apparently, I haven't been out too long. Healing magic gotta love it.' He looked back up and said, "We should have enough time to get over to the classroom, before the second half of the class starts." He stood and did a quick test of his legs, everything seemed to be in working order, so he walked to the door. There was a tall elf woman at a desk in front, so Leval thanked her as he passed for her help. He opened the door and held it for Rowan to walk through. He waved at the strangely dressed girl, "See you up there." He started back to the class with Rowan, not saying anything, enjoying the companionable silence.

Rowan Delacroix

"Here let me get that." Rowan glanced up at Leval with a confused expression on her face. "What is he-?" The human motioned towards her hand that was exposed from beneath her cloak. She clutched the wrist with her other hand and prepared to turn down the proposal. "It's alright, I..." The vampire's timid voice trailed off as he reached out to her. Rowan cast her eyes away from Leval, nodding and easily giving in to his offer. When his hand clasped around her wrist gently, she felt quite a difference in the temperature of their skin. Warmth spread from the spot he touched, and Rowan watched his movements closely. Her other hand gripped her robe tightly when she felt herself become a little embarrassed. Her eyes shifted uncomfortably around the room as her face warmed up in response. "I don't recall ever feeling this warm so often. Perhaps the atmosphere of the school is altering my ambiance."

Rowan concluded that the school was causing her to heat up accordingly, so she put herself at ease. She eyed Leval's hands as he discarded the used napkin on the table, then he went on to introduce himself. "Oh sorry!" Rowan was startled by Leval's sudden outburst, but she cleared her throat and pulled her hands close to her chest. She nodded her head at him in thanks and waved shyly at the human girl in place of a "good-bye." The vampire rubbed the back of her hand where the streak of red once was while she made her way over to the oak doors behind Leval. When he held the door open for her, she halted in the door way and parted her lips to speak, but she shook her head and proceeded to exit the infirmary. The two of them walked side by side in silence, and they strolled towards the classroom at a relaxed pace.

The training hall was still empty when they had finally arrived. "These battles are quite time-consuming. Will the students have enough energy to participate in the team battles?" Rowan pondered as she made her way back over to the shaded area of the classroom. She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her arms.

Zensei Zaza

"I'm sure if you formally yield we'll be able to walk out of here right now. What say you?" Zephyr asked this as Zensei tugged on the now enforced vines. "I'll never give up for as long as ever!" Zensei yelled and proceeded to spit at the demon. As Zensei did this, Zephyr grew two large Venus flytraps that seemed ready to strike at any moment. Zensei froze in fear, imagining getting slowly digested by such an ugly creature, or possibly ripped apart by the two. He was too scared to remember the shield that would prevent his death, and began to cry. "Okay you win! Now let me down!" Following his plea for freedom, the plants in the room began to disappear and the walls suddenly vanished. Zensei who was now on the floor and salty, gave Zephyr some words to hold onto. "Next time, I wont give in so easily." He slowly arose and turned around, laughing devilishly as he exited through the hallway.

Zephyr

Zephyr smirked as the pixie yielded in fear, watching him collapse onto the floor. He rose after a short while, and with a threat that Zephyr might have found more threatening if he hadn't just frightened him into submission, Zensei left the room. Zephyr looked down at his outfit, which was still a pristine white and grinned. Nice, first battle won. He sauntered out of the room win his hands in his pockets and headed back to the main hall, curious as to who he would get to fight next. Back in the hall were Leval and the new vampire, among some other students.

He walked to a bench and sat down, waiting for the rest of the students. Hopefully his performance would be good enough for him to move up a rank. He was fairly certain it was his casual attitude that had put him where he was in the first place, and decided to give this place a little more seriousness. Likely his next opponents would be far more challenging.

Nodah Listig

Desdemona reached out, and caught the blade. It spliced across her palm, and Nodah heard the snake hiss in lent pain, winding its way up its mistress to tend to the injury. And in that moment, Nodah realised he could very well die.

They were not very far apart. When the snake lashed its tail, it unleashed jagged slashes of electricity. Nodah watched as they headed for him, with single-minded purpose. His thoughts raced in his head, as swift as the bolts of lightning crackling over the ground. It is near time for the duel to end. The snake - the Devil incarnate - was coiled almost lovingly around Desdemona's arm. Docile as a pet. Desdemona wishes to win in the worst way. Pettiness is known to thrive where bitterness breeds. Travelling lightning scorched the once-pristine floor, marks of devastation blooming in its wake.

Nodah did not desire death.

But he had thought too long, spent the precious scant seconds he'd had. The lightning reached him, and Nodah's heart dropped as he felt heat wrap itself too familiarly around him, burning close and burrowing to get under his skin. Light encased him; it was all he could see. Through the smothering blanket of blinding light, and incomparable heat, Nodah realised this ordeal should not have lasted more than milliseconds. Lightning strikes were not long-lasting - but was this within the realm of the ordinary? His shirt burst, and Nodah winced, wondering if into flames. Flashover effect, he thought numbly, as heat began to concentrate near his collarbone. Curious, Nodah thought in that detached way one often adopts when thinking in the present, of reality, was only insanity. The phenomenon that could very well spare him had been made more likely with his protective barrier, but why did the back of his neck still burn?

Metal, Nodah thought, slow panic driving a hammer into his heart, accelerating as the heat and pain began to grow. I'm wearing the student identification. A clipped anguished cry tore itself from his lips as his palms spread open beside him, an instinctive movement. A heartbeat after, Nodah felt himself smack against the ceiling as the pulse that had been delivered without thought, but with a primal need to survive, flung him upwards with giant's strength as easily as a limp rag doll. His forehead and knee ached from slamming into the roof, but he no longer felt the crawling sensation of electricity plying at the protective barrier, seeking to slither through some hairline crack or across a metal bridge and roast his flesh. With a shred of renewed relief, Nodah squinted into the fluorescent bulbs that suddenly seemed so dim, the ceiling rushing further and further away from him.

His tailbone struck the floor, before the back of his head. Lifeless and winded, he lay against the cold unforgiving floor in a shirt and trousers that had become ragged strips of singed blackened cloth draped on his person. His heart was aflame, but with a blind scrabble at his chest, his fingers found his scalding pendant, toasted and heated by the lightning's charge. He wrenched the heated necklace, and felt the clasp behind his neck give at his weakened tug. Its burning golden links slipped between his loose fingers to the floor. He could almost vow wisps of steam were rising from it into the cool air. Any energy but a myth, Nodah closed his eyes and let his head drop back to the floor.

Leval Lamrue

The hall was still empty when they arrived back at the large room. The holograms were still on the screens above, moving every once in a while, but remained silent. 'Are they going to teach us actual combative techniques soon or is this just some type of pretest for the first day?' Rowan moved over the shaded part of the classroom and sat down, huddling her body close together. Leval sat down next to her, giving her some space, sitting with his legs crossed and hands on his knees. Some of the other students were coming out now, Leval saw a large demon that he had seen at his table from breakfast. He looked quite pleased with himself, so Leval assumed his battle had gone well. He made sure to take special note of his arm, in case the added detail would be useful later.

Leval closed his eyes and reached again for his magic. He opened his eyes and saw the Weave before him. Countless strings covered the room, crisscrossing across the room, the students, and things unseen all in one grand shifting pattern that was constantly in flux. Every person in the room so far had a complicated, multicolored pattern of string surrounding them. Some had loose patterns that sagged somewhat in the outlying reaches and yet others had patterns of such tight thread, you could hardly tell there was a pattern at all. In this much confusion, it was close to impossible for Leval to make out any detail about one specific person without directly in front of them. Turning inward, he saw the faintly glimmering, blue strands of his magic. He frowned, a faint glimmer meant he was beginning to run low on magical energy. Still, it would have to be enough.

Leval raised his hands out before him, palms facing upward. Through all of fingers, except his index fingers, strands of shifting color stood out against his skin. He shifted his hands towards himself, so no onlookers could see the minor alteration. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The Weave he had in mind would lack the power of touch, but if he spent enough time and effort on it, would be indistinguishable from reality. He wouldn't be able to maintain it for very long given his reserves of magical power left, but it would buy valuable time. He visualized the weave and with a slight twitch of his fingers began to guide the threads of his power into a sight, a sound, a scent, a taste, and a trick.

When he completed his task, he leaned back against the wall and took a breath, hopefully they would be allowed to get lunch and recover some of their energy before any of the other courses that happened today. He looked over at Rowan, 'What made her comes here I wonder?' He would hopefully learn soon, but he did not ask. Rowan seemed quite shy to Leval, and he didn't want to overwhelm her with questions on the first day at Rosewood. She was rather unlike the other vampires he had known. Back home, the young Vampires had flaunted their powers easily in the poorer areas Leval had lived. There were faded scars on his upper arms from before his own power had manifested itself and he could hide himself from their fangs. They had carried themselves with pride, in the full knowledge that they were predators. Rowan was so radically different, that even though, she had drunk his blood, 'which I gave willingly' he reminded himself, he had a hard time putting her under the term 'Vampire.' She had been brave, respectful, shy, and most of all, kind. She had sent for the medics and stayed with him until he was well.

Leval then realized that he had been looking at Rowan for quite some time now, and shifted his gaze away looking all around the room for something else to focus on. 'Strange... my focus isn't usually this poor. I wonder if I am still recovering from my healing?' Leval concluded that his healing had caused his attention to flounder, so he put himself at ease.

"This is certainly taking a while huh?"

Dᴇsᴅᴇᴍᴏɴᴀ Cᴏʀᴄᴇʟʟᴀ

As Nodah’s ounce of energy finally depleted, Desdemona smirked in the realization of her victory. “Looks like I win-” the moment of triumph quickly fleeted as she experienced the consequence of her magic. The serpent abruptly dissolved into particles as Desdemona’s vision began to blur. Almost collapsing to the floor, she managed to stay balanced. “Damn, I overdid it.” Desdemona thought as she looked back at Nodah. The protective barrier prevented any fatal injuries, so there was nothing dead in the room for her to replenish energy with. Her only option was to find a place to rest.

Heading towards the exit she slightly turned her head to the side, “I wouldn’t mind fighting you again sometime; I had fun.” Desdemona says unsure if Nodah could hear her or not. Returning to the training hall, she made sure to not let her exhaustion show. Desdemona sat on a bench hoping to recover as much strength as she could before the next battle.

Nodah Listig

“I wouldn’t mind fighting you again sometime; I had fun.” Desdemona's voice seemed to come from the end of a long tunnel. Nodah rubbed his face wearily, feeling a headache begin to pound in his skull. Lightning, he thought as Desdemona slipped from the room. A tad too excessive. When the door closed behind her, Nodah let out a groan. His arm fell once more to his side, but his wrist landed on a soft nest. Opening one bleary grey eye, he took in at once the folded clothes. Sitting up was a painful chore, but he reached for the long-sleeved white shirt and black slacks, which he recognised from his own backpack. Not about to question how his clothes had come to be beside him, Nodah sat upright and pulled them towards him. Shedding his burnt clothes, he wore the fresh set.

As he was tugging the blackened cotton shirt off him, he noticed feather-like branches that raced up the underside of his arms. Nodah looked closer, and realised the pattern reached all the way up to his shoulders. I am in need of a mirror, he thought, looking around the room, only to have his eyes light upon an ornate looking glass hanging lowly on the wall next to him. He peered into its reflective surface, and looked in quiet shock at the branches that encircled his neck, a wreath of thorns. He placed one finger to it, and felt it smart beneath his touch. Mild singeing, he thought, with a wince as added pressure intensified the sharp pain. His hand dropped, and he stared critically at his own reflection. He now had a disc-shaped burn on his chest over his heart from the pendant. Pulling on the white shirt, he tugged back the long sleeves. His eyes fell to the golden necklace on the floor. It was utterly fine, in all aspects of the word, and when he clasped it around his neck once more, its kiss was as cool as it had always been.

Decent and dressed, Nodah placed his burnt clothes in a corner, deciding that salvaging them would be a vain attempt. As he was tucking his knife into his belt again, the door flickered alive before him, and he opened it to see the same dark hallway once more. He stared at the pitless end, and felt one foot inch away from the glowing exit. The call of the void. Stopping himself abruptly, and tore himself away from the endless corridor, and walked to the final door.

Opening it bathed him in the light of the training hall, but Nodah did not think he would ever be blinded by light bulbs and candle flames ever again. He strolled through the hall, hiding the deep penetrating ache of his joints and the limp it brought with it. As he passed Desdemona on a bench, he flicked his fingers in a mild come-hither gesture, and summoned his dagger whizzing back to him. Catching it deftly by its handle, his steps came to a slow, and he paused thoughtfully before Desdemona. He studied Desdemona's blood that stained the blade, before turning sapphire blue eyes with barbed veiny etchings that flickered - pointedly - like lightning to the demon. "How fares your cut?" he asked, his voice hoarser, a croak, as he held out his hand, asking to see Desdemona's. His gaze fell to the feathery ribbons that wended their way up his palm, seeking shelter up his long sleeves. He wondered how far the patterns traversed his skin, if they would fade with time. He would have to seek a druid soon for assistance; walking to the medical wing would be so tiresome, and Nodah did not wish to exert his legs if he could avoid it.

When Mischa dodged Reas' attack it had mildly a surprised him as he saw his illusionary double coming up to meet him. The both stopped and turned towards the direction the nocturn had dodged only to see a lightning bolt streaking towards his real self. "crap" he said to himself as as he attempted to jump out of the way, just avoiding getting electrocuted he ducked into the smoke once more this time having his duplicate double again and attack him from the sides. As the clones went to attack they tried to do a pincers attack with one coming from the left and low with a leg sweep while the other came from the right and up high trying to cause Mischa to dodge again so the real one could fight. The black smoke continued to fill the room further obstructing anyone's vision except Reas' since he was able to make it clear for himself but he did clear a three foot radius around Mischa just to be nice.

Nuna Mori

Waiting for the Nocturne to initiate, Mori played along with his quirks. Before acting upon the scenario, she watched as the boy adapted to the environment, becoming too comfortable and slicing one of the plants. It was an impulse for her to make those who deteriorated nature make amends. Her conduct was interrupted by his speech. "Hey, what happened to that pretty flower? It really complimented your eyes." She gazed in his direction infallibly as her secret got out. She shrugged her shoulders thinking to herself, Come on. This kid is really chatty. Move already! The boy had started into a sprint, gesturing as if he were to deliver a blow. Nuna flinched bracing herself from any impact, but she felt none. The grip of Daichi's hands on her shoulders permitted him to vault over her, in stead for the flower. Her balance was slightly disoriented as she sidestepped and turned to face the dashing cat. Noticing the floret had been crystalized already, the boy crouched over to shatter it. Doing so, it released the poisons that hindered him. 'Shit' was audible along with the thud of his body met the floor.

The plants around her degenerated, as she sauntered to her opponent with haste. "It wasn't going to be that easy. Now I could drain your energy or you could submit. Choose. Try anything funny and you won't see the end of it." she said as her head loomed over his face.

Rowan Delacroix

Rowan sat with her gaze fixated on the slight movements of the students who were slowly starting to fill up the room. Leval plopped down next to her and left a fair distance between her. Her eyes flitted to the side for a moment to catch a glimpse of the human, but she quickly shifted her attention back to the other presences. They were all creatures she hadn't associated herself with, and she wasn't sure if she was going to anytime soon. Some appeared more intimidating than others and she made sure to steer clear of those who came off as such. Others were clearly injured from their battles prior; one particular female demon gave off the slightest scent of blood followed by a human boy who's aura seemed to be quite... charred. Rowan nestled her nose into the crook of her elbow as she waited for the silver-horned being to move along. The faint smell proved to be rather bothersome to her sensitive nose. "Rosewood has quite the selection. Humans, demons, vampires...-" Her list was interrupted by the voice of the boy perched beside her.

"This is certainly taking a while huh?" Rowan lifted her head from her sleeve and rested her head on its side. Facing Leval, she procured a slight nod and a soft murmur of agreement. Her gray eyes wandered to the small tuft of hair on his head. Rowan studied his profile for some time. "Humans have such interesting features." She thought ironically in her head as she stifled a faint chuckle. The vampire turned her head to face forward once again, hugging her knees closer to her chest. "Shall I thank him one more time? No, perchance it would come off as too modest." Rowan closed her eyes and let out an inaudible sigh, then she recalled Leval saying something that caught her attention some time ago.

"Leval Lamrue." Rowan began unsteadily, lifting her head from her arms completely. She turned to face him properly. "You... you claim you've been bit before, correct?" Her curiosity was triggered, and the question that loomed in the back of her mind was evident- "He's come into contact with vampires before?"

---

Kuroda wore an expression of great distress, almost as if he had run into a corner. He crouched stiffly in his spot as he heard the clacking of heels getting closer and closer to him. He forced an audible gulp down his throat. "It wasn't going to be that easy. Now I could drain your energy or you could submit. Choose. Try anything funny and you won't see the end of it." Kuroda remained silent for a few moments. He assumed a face of uncertainty while his eyes followed the movements of Nuna. That is, until the succubus lurched over him and closed in on his face yet again. Bingo. The infamous essence of mischief reappeared around the Nocturne, consisting of a toothy grin that exposed his fangs as well as a prominent aura of confidence he swaggered from the beginning of the match.

The corners of his lips spread to either side of his visage while his amber irises transitioned to a deep indigo, foreshadowing the power that was to come. "Seems like you can't take advice." The poison that had supposedly paralyzed the Essentia was instead manifested into more energy; his focal points were the production of ice, mist, and poison, proving Nuna's stealth method to be ineffective. Daichi's body in all reality was able to move about without any difficulty; both of his hands clasped against either side of Nuna's head, squeezing her cheeks to produce a masterpiece known as the "fish face." "Poison is one of my specialties, after all." With his foe in his grasp, the cat narrowed his slender eyes at the enemy and his eyes faded from an azure to their original hue.

"Good game." Daichi brought his face dangerously close to Nuna's, being sure to maintain contact as his pupils contracted and his eyes widened. Suddenly, he thrust his head forward to collide with the succubus' forehead with irrefutable force- enough to send the receiver into a daze from the abrupt contact.

Nuna Mori

"Seems like you can't take advice." Promptly after, the Nocturne's hands compressed her cheeks, forcing her lips outward. Lost in thought, Nuna pondered over how Daichi was able to surmount the toxin. "Poison is one of my specialties, after all." "Wow..." Her eyes widened as the gap between their heads diminished. "Good game." The collision of their foreheads caused her immense pain and she felt herself unable to keep the equity. The diminution of her state was not to be unavenged. As she staggered rearwards, she used her whole embodiment to move forward with a blow with her fist. Using this as a bluff, she took advantage of the momentum created to send her leg full force in the direction of his groin. The strike would be immense for the recipient, but delightful for Nuna as she would feel the organ in some fashion. "Good game, indeed."

---

Content with the collision his head made with the succubus', Daichi fashioned a celebratory grin followed by a scoff. She recoiled from the overwhelming force of his lunge and used the momentum to propel herself back towards the Nocturne. "Coming back for more?" He took on a defensive stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground while clenching his fists in front of his face. He prepared to deflect the oncoming attack, lurching forward to dodge below her arm and finish his advance with an uppercut to her jaw. Too easy-- His thoughts were silenced immediately and an intense jolt of pain shot through his whole body in an instant. "--fuck!" Kuroda collapsed forward and swore under his breath. He clutched the source of impact and fell to his knees, hunching forward with his head on the ground. "Good game, indeed." He gritted his teeth and banged his free hand against the cold surface beneath him. "I-I'll get you for this, you bitch..." Groans of agony echoed endlessly from the crippled cat, swearing between pants with excessive vulgarity.

He rolled over onto his side and curled up into fetal position, still hanging on to his stomach and manhood for dear life. Clearly debilitated, Daichi decided against pursuing the battle any further- he didn't want to risk taking any more damage from an assault as low as Nuna's method. I can't believe I let her win this way... He slowly closed his eyes, bringing his knees in closer to his chest while doing so; the blunt pain resonated through him mercilessly, and he could have sworn his energy had been seeped out of him in the process. Took some energy while she was at it, that succubus. As he wallowed in his misery, the door appeared on the opposite side of the room. Moving was out of the question for him. Looks like I'm gonna be stuck like this for a while... damn it! His eyebrows furrowed as he thought heatedly to himself.