Counting the nights had become impossible. The scribbles on her walls were incomprehensible. Individual tallies began to merge into one another. Soon, the numbers were a single constant scratch against the wall. Irony had hit her like a train. Hiding in the shadows to avoid THE Shadows. A crawling bottom feeder, a scrounger at the end of time. Faced with the endless void of uncertainty, she'd conjured plan after plan. Each colour coded nightmare had their own names. Yearn wasn't strong enough to describe her desire. There was an act that needed to be launched, the next part of the greater story she held so dearly onto. Her scribbles fell upon blind eyes and her begs were spoken to deaf ears. No scribe could translate her incoherence. Voices in her head did the talking for her. When there was no one to talk to, the only person she could converse with was herself. In desperate determination, she began to titter to herself as she realised the inaudible screaming coming from inside her run down hideaway. A tale on insanity had barely left her alone. Final hour. Final year. Final week. Final day? Something taunted her from around the corner that wasn't really there. Her skittish fiddling jingled throughout the underpass. Agony played with her.

"I can hear you, you little fucker..." A raspy, tired tone met with a head twitch unsettled her routine of self-devastation. Her eyes scouted out the surrounding. Something smelt off, as in an apparition had been lurched in her bedroom for hours. Nothing was there, of course. Nothing was ever there. There hadn't been anything but her for the years that had passed. Deep down, she hoped he would show his face, either to end it all or to just talk to her like they used to. "Come on! Show yourself...please..."

Quietly, she turned to sobbing, her face breaking down to her hands. She cradled it with dainty fingers and soaked up her own tears. Her stomach rumbled. Through her false loyalty, she thought she'd have been something beautiful. Nothing felt the same anymore. On her light and human skin, the odd feather would brush against her clothing. They didn't connect to her skin, but her clothing felt almost identical to her own flesh. Nothing quite felt the same still. She scraped another tally against the wall, watching it merge into the other countless lines she'd clawed in herself with a rusty knife. Her midnight hair flowed behind her as she wiped her eyes dry, but not clean. With weary hands, she pulled her hood up over her head, forming the cowl she'd grown to idolise. Across the face, her mask was placed, its extensive beak now hiding the face she'd grown to detest. She had become the Raven again. Under the cowl, she felt safe. Stepping out of her hiding house, she walked into the open air, where the World of Fog towered around her. Her feet were light to the step and her mind was once again set back into place. Hunger. She wanted it. She wanted to carry the death on her shoulders. She wanted someone to see what she saw. She wanted to run. She wanted to escape. And in her final lunge, she ran off into the day, sensing a strange yet destructive rift open up on the other side of the foggy metropolis.

---

The jump from sleep to wakefulness was sudden. Abrupt. And, exactly the same as it had been for the past... who knew, really. The first thing Tate consciously laid eyes on was his clock. Five minutes before the alarm was meant to go off. It was the eternal paradox that he'd grown accustomed to recently: if he set the alarm, he'd always wake up before it went off. So just don't set the alarm, then? Yeah, and say goodbye to all your appointments, fucker. Tate groaned as he rose to a seated position. He couldn't remember much about his time in the world of slumber, but the vague recollections were enough to give him pause. It was different. Tate was used to his dreams being incomprehensible, but there was something off. It made... too much sense, and despite barely remembering anything about it, Tate couldn't shake that feeling out of his head.

What was he, getting spiritual now?

Tate shook those thoughts out of his head. The hell was he getting all pensive for? He had a day to get through. With that in mind, he quickly hopped over to his alarm, turning it off right before it sacked him with the high-pitched beeps Tate had learned to dread it for. Consistently waking up before his alarm had one upside, he guessed. With that out of the way, Tate hopped into the shower. This was also part of his routine, after all. It helped get everything in order for the day. Routine was the main thing keeping him grounded right now. Tate freshened up for the day ahead, putting on a grey t-shirt and blue jeans and slipping into his black hoodie. He slipped on his shoes before leaving his dorm room...

Only to immediately run into someone.

"Heya, Joss," Tate said to the girl. This was also part of the routine he'd settled into. He and Jocelyn would meet just outside his room, before heading off to school. It was why he'd woken up so early today, even though he didn't have a class until the evening.

"Hey yourself," Jocelyn replied, "Ready to get swarmed?"

"Swarmed?"

"Yeah, you know. By the freshies."

"The fr-... ohh, yeah, no, uh..." Tate started, a look of realization coming over his face. The first-years were gonna be out in full force. "Things are gonna get crowded as fuck, huh?"

"Listen to this man talking like he wasn't exactly part of the problem less than a year ago," Jocelyn replied, rolling her eyes, "You got everything?"

"Yeah, course I did."

"You sure? If you realize that you forgot something later, I'm not helping you."

"I got it, Joss. Jesus."

"Uh huh. If you say so," Jocelyn said, and began to walk off.

Well. Tate followed her without another word.

The walk to the main building was short and uneventful. The freshmen were, indeed out in full force all around the campus, and at several points Tate could have sworn he was wading through the crowd as opposed to simply shuffling through it. He and Jocelyn talked about games and anime, mostly. Their shared interests. Jocelyn saw someone at her MahjongSoul table pull off a nagashi mangan. Tate talked about how he binged the entirety of Season 27 of Detective Conan over the weekend.

"Bruh. What the fuck."

"I mean... same."

Jocelyn shook her head as they entered the main building.

"Alright, I'm heading off to class. See ya later," she said, before heading off in her direction.

Which left him alone again. Tate moved to one of the common areas to see what was what. He had so, so much time to kill. Time to see how he could kill it.

Maybe with breakfast? You haven't eaten yet, doofus.

...He'd probably get something soon. Fine. But for now, he scanned the room.

Once again Kjell had woken up early in the morning in a cold sweat. Once again he had that dream of what happened to his sister and his role in it. Breathing heavily as he tried to calm down. Ever since the accident, he has had this dream caused by his guilt that even after six years it is still strong. After calming down, Kjell took a look at his watch, six o five am. This would not be the first time that his dream would have woken him up early. Kjell signed as thought about if he should stay in bed or not. He could try and rest for an hour and get up at seven or get up now. "Screw it", he said out loud and got out of bed. He may be tired but, at least he will get one more hour to prepare before classes start and he was a morning person anyway.

It did not take long for him to get ready for the first day of classes. Kjell left his apartment with his normal attire. Black jacket with a while grey shirt along with his necklace. Which had a special meaning for him. For his necklace is a nordic compass and was given to him by his grandparents. As to help him find his way in the world and it is like a lucky charm for him. Something he considers he needs in order to forgive himself over the incident with his sister.

After arriving at the university, Kjell found that he still had some time before his first-class started. Which he did not need to scout out where it was since he been here for a year and knows well enough where everything is. So with nothing to do, Kjell headed to the university's library. Kjell tends to visit the library when he has nothing to do at the campus and spends his time there in between classes. Sometimes to get some homework done but, most of the time read what he thought was interesting to him. This time it will be a history book that he found. Taking a sit in one of the many chairs of the library and started to read. He does not normally read history books, Kjell finds history, okay but, some topics do interest him. Like this book about the Winter War and Kjell would stay here for some time. This second year is expected to like the first. Which something he is prepared for and is looking forward to.

Liam looked on with slight anticipation as the white-haired girl took a moment to process what he'd said, it seemed his words were quite effective judging by the flushed tone she'd taken on. Her reaction only served to brighten his own grin, though a nearby sharp sigh denoted that not all parties present were pleased with his sudden and admittedly strange interjection. He stole a quick glance at the source, the other girl present, long dark hair and green eyes, dutifully tapping away at a keyboard until a moment ago. I've interrupted something rather important now haven't I? Liam thought to himself as he watched the black-haired girl practically withdraw into the couch, perhaps he'd chosen a poor time and place to try and cheer the other girl up? In hindsight, the whole scenario was just a touch odd, what with him approaching someone he didn't know to thank them for something others would see as so simple and mundane. All he wanted was to try and brighten the day of someone who was already doing that for others. Was that really such an alien idea? His attention drifted backed to the white-haired girl who'd begun to get up and hastily scribble something. He backed up a pace or two as she did so, not wanting to encroach any more upon the other two then he already had, spying a small smile on her face as she walked past and asked for him to follow. He hesitated briefly, looking back to see the black-haired girl still embedding herself deeper into the furniture. Though it was likely she wanted to talk to nobody right now, it'd simply be crass for him to walk away and say nothing if he'd caused her discomfort or stress. He whispered a quick "Sorry about that." to the girl on the couch before following his crimson-eyed acquaintance.

He trailed albeit slightly as she lead the way through the somewhat crowded common room and towards a much more secluded area near a support pillar where they both came to a rest. Scarcely a moment had passed before Liam found himself on the receiving end of a deluge of words; apologies, acceptance of his thanks, and even a mention of him being too kind all included. Once again, he found himself genuinely grinning like a fool from something so small. "Yeah- Probably wasn't my best idea to strike up conversation with somebody trying to work so close by..." he said as his hand reached up to scratch the back of his head, whilst a halfhearted chuckle escaped his lips. "Anyway, it might not have been that big a deal for you, but small things like that can really help sometimes. One person's kindness can make a terribly tough day not so tough, y'know?" His hands had retreated to the pockets of his hoodie as he watched the girl stick her hand out and introduce herself as Kirsty. "That easy to tell, huh?" he said, feigning surprise with a mild chuckle. "Well, in any case you're spot on. I'm Liam, a first year studying psychology. Though you probably already guessed that last bit with all my rambling...." his voice trailing off as he briefly averted his gaze for but a moment before taking her outstretched hand in his own. A voice creeping in the back of his head reminded him of what he'd overheard moments ago. One of the main reasons he'd decided to approach Kirsty in the first place was because he overheard pieces of her call with someone. His expression traded for a more serious one, as he dropped his voice much lower then beforehand. "Actually... there is something else I wanted to talk to you about..."

However, his train of thought was interrupted by quite the strange thing. Music from quite close by begun to echo throughout the common room, Liam turned to see another student had set up shop quite close by with a trombone. The slow and calm melody flooded the room, and for what it was worth the player was actually quite nice sounding. Though he couldn't help but notice the song he chose seemed a touch sappy for their current setting. Looking back to Kirsty he found himself fully taking in the fact that she was well, quite the pretty face. Though that was beside the point for the current moment, they were in a public place. What the hell was he thinking by almost spilling his knowledge of that private call where others could possibly hear them? "On second thought... nevermind." the boy said, trying to return to his upbeat, yet calm demeanor from beforehand. But seconds after, something began to occur to Liam. Wait a minute... The player had set up right next to the two of them, whilst he and Kirsty were notably away from the crowd. He was playing sappy music. He more than likely saw them holding each others hands moments ago.

He was taking the piss out of them, now wasn't he?

Oh you cheeky little f-

Liam couldn't help but laugh a little bit, it was just a little harmless fun though he wasn't exactly a fan of being the butt of said joke. "I guess somebody thought we needed a soundtrack." he said as he scoffed and looked from Kirsty to the trombone player, a mix of amusement and mild annoyance on his face. He fished around in his pockets for a moment before coming up with a few pounds and some pence, before tossing the coins into the musician's case. "What a cheeky bugger... but I guess a little schadenfreude never hurt anybody." Liam stated as he shook his head while suppressing a small chuckle.

Interacting with Kirsty @Lugubrious, Liam @CriticalHit, and Tryg @Rethel34

Well... they were gone now. Thank goodness. And they both left their statements after the fact - the blond guy left an apology for interrupting, whilst the pretty girl went so far as to leave her number behind. She really wanted to be friends with Alina, huh?

...maybe she ought to apologise later. She was a bit rude, maybe. But at least she had the area to herself; she could study, prepare for class, be alone for a bit. All good things.

Or she could be interrupted again by some jerk on a trombone. This was meant to be a quiet period for her. Why did this have to- was she just getting upset because today started bad and turned overwhelming? Because this tromboning felt like it was overwhelming, despite it being fairly soft music. She sighed again, did her best to cover her ears with a cushion, and attempted to ignore the grating sound of some guy on a trombone.

...she hoped this wouldn't become a trend. Ugh.

Rose rolled her eyes as the boy had the audacity to lecture her before running off.”Hmph, the nerve of some people.” She muttered to herself. What was wrong with expecting some manner of politeness from people? Was it so difficult to say sorry? Then this would have been over, and no harm would have been done. Clearly, Rose had been raised much better than this child.

The other boy was still here. He offered to escort her to university. Rose smirked. Although, she wasn’t at all enthused by the remark, she definitely appreciated the offer. It helped that this boy was kind of cute. Not that she was one to lose her wits over a man. ”As a matter of fact, I do attend Thanes Edge. I accept your offer. It can be so difficult to meet new people in University, it would be nice to have some company.” The young woman offered her hand for him to shake if he wanted to. ”My name is Rose Hadley, by the way. You look familiar. Do we share a class by any chance?”

@Scribe of Thoth

---

Towards the back of the library, Felix had made a small den of books. He had maee it to the University with even more time to spare, thanks in no small part to his anger at the woman. But like most emotions he stuffed it back inside as he put his mind to learning several new subjects and enchancing his understanding of old ones. In truth, he knew how unhealthy course, his studies of psychology made that perfectly clear, but there was too much for him to deal with at this point. It was nearly twelve years since he had begun doing this, ten years of repressed emotions that he could not let loose on the world.

He should have followed the unwritten rules of society with that woman. What he knew from his studies trying to understand people said that you should apologise when people ask you to, even if it isn't your fault. But this desire, this addiction, to challenging himself got in the way. Why did she have to be such a powerhouse of a woman, the Athena to his Arachnee? He didn't think he was attracted to her in a sexual manner, as he had repressed his carnal desires with his emotions... for the most part.

Perhaps it was a blessing Manann would be taking him across to the realm beyond. The world didn't need to deal with the retched beast that would come forth when his dammed emotions finally broke out.

Compared to the morning, the school day dragged on without any real surprises. As much as Kirsty wanted to keep up her typical sunny demeanor, a pit had formed sooner after she bid Liam farewell and set off about her day, and it only got worse as the hours ticked by. The coming evening held nothing but dread for her, hours upon hours of putting up with whatever Drew and Navarro wanted from her at her own expense. She already wanted to curl up in a ball in bed, but just thinking about the effort it'd take to smile that whole time made her feel ill. But she couldn't turn away. Even putting aside the idea of burning those bridges, there was the principle of it all. She was the kind one, the girl who would put others above herself, and to be that girl she needed to endure these sorts of thing without complaint. If she couldn't, she was nothing at all. Still, as she went through her classes, jotting down notes, making plans, and connecting together ideas, Kirsty couldn't help feel guilty for wanting an escape.

In a roundabout way she felt glad that the minutes seemed to be passing by slowly, and only when her final class of the day come to an end did she realize what time it was. She jerked up from her spiral notebook as if waking up from a dream, forced to confront the fact that she couldn't put off her responsibilities any longer. Paula Navarro stood by her desk, exchanging a few words with another student. Looking at her, one would be hard-pressed to imagine her as anything but the consummate professional. Everything about her from her clothing to her posture to her hairspray-shiny bob cut suggested well-adjusted, middle-aged dignity. Other than her relatively youthful hairstyle, absolutely nothing stood out about her, except the slight but oh-so-noticeable glint in her eyes that made people interested in her. That glimmer never failed to imply that she had seen something nobody else had witnessed, that she was on the hunt for some secret hidden to common folk. No doubt that sort of ambition was what landed her a coveted job like this in the first place. To Kirsty, it made her professor look hungry, like a wolf watching sheep.

Five-oh-five. Kirsty couldn't wait any longer, or Navarro might pack up her things and leave. Trying to steady her breath, she stood and approached the desk. Navarro had been watching her the moment she stood up, and by the time she arrived, she wore a smugly courteous expression. It seemed very much the sort a teacher might put on when a young child came up, hands fidgeting behind her back, to plead for a toy confiscated earlier. But I'm an adult, dammit. I don't have to be ashamed to ask for help. Kirsty told herself. Why is this so hard? My professor is here to help me. I've always been polite and helpful. She must be sympathetic.

Kirsty cleared her throat. “Um, hello.”

Navarro blinked, still smiling pleasantly. She was waiting for Kirsty to state her business. After clearing her throat, the girl hurried to oblige. “I-I was wondering if I could help you out tonight. I need money pretty badly.”

Tilting her head slightly, Navarro allowed her smile to spread. “Badly, hmm? Well, I would be happy to lend you a hand in your hour of need, dear. As usual, I did have some guests over the weekend, so things are a little messy.” She interlaced her fingers. “However...well, I did have other plans for this evening. Since I'm going out of my way to help you, can I count on you to help me in return? You'll clean, of course, but there's something else you help me with. Have you ever wanted to be an actress?”

Kirsty's confusion must have shown on her face. After chuckling through her nose, Navarro explained. “You see, while I work hard as a professor, I wouldn't exactly call the salary 'livable'. So I also work with some...mm, filmmakers. I mostly just provide the location, but I help shoot too, and I also keep an eye out for talent. A pretty young thing like you would work wonderfully, I think.”

Rubbing the back of her neck, Kirsty studied the floor. “I...don't know, ma'am. I've never done any acting before...”

“Oh, that's alright,” the professor assured her. “All you need to do is wear and do what I say, and I'll film you. Just like usual, yes?”

“Like...usual?” Kirsty remembered her previous nights spent working at Navarro's place. Something was crawling beneath her skin. “I did mean to ask you, um, about that. It looked like you were recording me. If...if you don't mind me asking, what was that used for?”

Navarro leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Well, to be frank, I do mind you asking. It's not really your concern, is it? Although it's really not that complicated. The fact that you haven't put two and two together says a lot.”

“About what?”

Ignoring that remark, Navarro sighed. “Answer the question, please. Do you agree to co-star in tonight's film?”

That crawling sensation felt a lot worse. Kirsty felt as though she could see something horrible through the fog, a nasty revelation long overdue. And she could just about see the shape of it. “D-did you say...co-star?”

In a flash Navarro's face scrunched up in anger. “Look, you stupid, stupid girl. You little miss perfect, so pretty and kindhearted. This is really quite simple. Either you keep doing as I say, or we can call our little deal off right here. My grace is the only reason why you're still here at this university—that, and a few pigs wanting some eye candy. If you feel like you can make it on your own, though, you won't even get the chance to flunk out. Once the university finds out what you've been up to, you'll be out of here before the weekend.”

By now Kirsty was shaking, her mouth open. Tears welled in her eyes. “B-but I haven't...I haven't done anything wrong. All I wanted...was to...was to make people happy...”

Clicking her tongue, Navarro rose and walked around her desk. She wrapped Kirsty up in a big, warm hug. “Ohh, my dear. You still can. Nothing has to change. Just make sure you show up tonight, six o'clock at my place.” She stepped back with an almost motherly concern written on her face. “With dry eyes and a big smile.”

---

Kirsty stepped out of the girls' bathroom at thirty minutes on the hour. Her face, washed and rewashed, looked down a hallway devoid of students. She thanked her lucky stars for that; she didn't want anyone to look at her, not now, and maybe not ever again. Unfortunately her dream would be short-lived. Though it felt like her heart had turned to lead, she knew that she had no choice. It was time to go.

She rushed through the building and out onto campus grounds, walking as fast as her legs could take her without breaking into an actual run. Anyone looking on would probably think she was just running late for something important, which wasn't exactly untrue, either. The sky seemed darker and the city skyline foggier than usual, but even if that had been unusual in London, Kirsty didn't look up. She hurried down the campus paths, through the thickening mist, until she reached the main gate. Already feeling pretty terrible, she noticed no change up until the point where she just about collapsed against a wall just outside the gate. The world itself seemed to swim, and that plus the fog rendered the street she'd stepped onto virtually unrecognizable. Why is this happening to me?! Kirsty let out a choked sob as she slumped down against the concrete, huddled in the fog.

---

There wasn't really too much of interest here, just people milling about, doing their own thing. The whole thing was whatever, really. Nothing new or out of the ordinary that Tate hadn't seen before...

That is, until he heard the unmistakable sound of a brass instrument. Someone was fuckin' putting their iPod or whatever on speaker... was Tate's first thought, but the acoustics were too crisp, too clear, for that to be the case. And so, Tate turned and why was there a guy just playing the trombone.

For a few seconds, or maybe several, Tate just stared in disbelief. Then, his brain did a little reboot, and he had half a mind to go and tell the guy off. What stopped him was... well, this was a public space, and causing a ruckus here probably wouldn't be the best idea, as much as he would have loved to. It was just something about the guy that Tate didn't like. Rubbed him the wrong way. You had to be on top of these kinds of gut feelings, after all. But... okay, fine. No ruckus causing, at least right now. Tate had a little impulse control, yeah? Right? No? Well, it stopped him in this instance and that was good enough.

A sharp pang in his stomach reminded Tate that he'd still not yet eaten. Fine, whatever. Nothing interesting (except for tromboy over there) was happening anyway. He turned right around, heading for the nearest place on campus where he could get food.

---

The day had come and gone and nothing had changed. Tate had gone through his classes for the day (all two of them), and had spent the rest of the afternoon at the arcade.

Yeah, you know, the arcade. It was a short five minute sprint from the campus, but usually Tate walked. It was one of the only places in the UK, as far as he knew, that still had a working, custom In The Groove 2 cabinet. It allowed Tate to continue to indulge in one of his longest lasting passions: dance rhythm games. Tate considered this place a sanctuary, some place to keep the mindless tedium of the rest of his routine at bay. Here, he still had a lot of room to grow and improve. Here, he would grow and improve. He'd spent the last year here, whenever he was able to find time. Grow and improve.

Not today, though. Today, for some reason, his ITG session was going bad. Everything felt off, just ever so slightly. He could pinpoint what the problem was, but everything was slower, sloppier... he wasn't hitting with the same accuracy that he knew he was capable of. He took a frustrated chug from his water bottle as he ended yet another disappointing credit. What the hell was up with his body today?! He sighed, before checking his phone. 5:29PM, an hour and a half before class. He usually tried to squeeze in as much game time as possible, but today... he may just have to call it quits early. He fiddled with the coins in his pocket, before clumsily depositing them into the coin slot. His hand had been shaking, he noticed. But it was just nerves, he could still do this. Just one more credit.

The headache that pounded his skull just a few seconds into the first song already let him know that this was about to be a waste of a pound. It was a pain unlike any he'd felt in his life. Not necessarily stronger, but it was just... worse, somehow. He couldn't keep going like this. He quickly took all his belongings and left the arcade. All the while, a growing sense of dread rose within him, accompanying the headache that was now feeling all-pervasive. One though shot immediately to the forefront like the sudden activation of an alarm: he had to get back to the dorm.

The campus was a short five minute sprint away.

Tate ran as fast as he could, trying not trip over his own two feet. He strained to not get lost, in this winding streets that he should have known like the back of his hand, but everything was wrong. It was just so subtly different, but it was wrong. The sky was the wrong shade. The trees were the wrong color. The roads were the wrong texture. His mind scrambled for a coherent thought, over the pain, over the nausea, over the heavy, suffocating feeling enveloping him.

What the hell is going on?! What the hell is happening to me?!

His brain clawed desperately at anything it could grab onto that could count as an answer. Food poisoning? Or... had someone drugged him?

His water bottle?!

He threw it onto the ground, almost throwing down his bag with it. It didn't make any sense! Yet, it was the only thing that made sense! Who and why the hell would someone drug him? But then what else could it be?

It wasn't until he reached the front gate of the campus that he'd realized he'd not seen a single other person on the sprint back. It was the contrast that did it. The lone girl, slumped against the wall, was the first person he'd seen ever since he left the arcade. That's when he realized.

He wanted to say something to the girl, but he didn't know what. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The headache, the nausea, the everything, was just so overwhelming.

Whoever drugged him (it had to be, it had to be) was having a laugh weren't they? He still couldn't at all understand why, or who, but it must have been very funny for them. Haha, look at Tate look at him stumble around like a bug high on caffeine, ain't he hilarious? Isn't this the funniest shit you've ever seen?

Yeah, whatever.

He stumbled to a stop just a few feet away from the girl, which is when his body decided to just give up completely. And he fell forward, just barely managing the put his arms out so he didn't crack all his teeth on the ground.

And just like that, Tate Hwang was out.

---

_{And he comes in with a MAJESTIC faceplant and what a way to end the routine! The crowd is going wild and I gotta say that that's a 10 outta 10 from me, Bob! But let's see what the judges think, and by the judges I mean the girl whose feet he landed right beside (@Lugubrious).}

Adonna chuckled, reminiscing about her own first year of university. Even though it'd been her idea to enroll and turn her life around, she didn't adapt easily to the structure at first. She had to fight the very fiber of her being not to push against and question the system. And it worked, she had a lot to show for it now in her third year.

"She's probably feeling confident knowing that you're on campus, and you'll have her back," Adonna mused, just in time to process Cara's question. "I'd planned to keep things mellow, of course that means what happened was--"

Bzz, bzz

Again? Part of her was annoyed for the repeat interruption, but still her stomach poised to flip. Could it really only be aggressive telemarketers?

"Sorry, Cara, go on ahead? I'll catch up."

She gave the shorter student a half-smile in apology before stealing away around the bend. Another look at her phone showed Unknown. At this rate, she was going to be late. But... better safe than sorry, she decided.

Finally, she picked up. She waited, but there was only silence. Relenting, "Hello?" she said. Nothing. Irritating. She took the phone away from her ear, about to hang up. But there was no red phone symbol. Just her colorful apps happily staring back at her.

Damnit, she'd waited too long, she hadn't actually picked up the call. And how was she supposed to even call "Unknown" back? Well, she couldn't, but... she picked a contact out of her speed-dial list and brought the phone to her ear. Yep, she was definitely going to be late now.

He picked up fast. "Hey cuz, did you call me?"

"No," he sounded grim, her stomach tightened. "But, uhm... Look, I know you have class today... but, I don't wanna talk about this over the phone. I'm heading out from work, will you meet me at home?"

Her stomach was practicing for Cirque-du-Soleil. "Yeah." She hung up, and raced to the parking lot.

---

Between traffic, distance, and luck (or lack thereof), it was evening by the time Adonna made it back. She'd used the time in the car to send out near-similar emails addressing her absence and extending her apology. Normally, she'd have been in knots over the implications of missing class, but right now she was doing everything she could not to bounce off the walls. She was much more comfortable with action, and even though the car was moving to its destination, her legs and arms tingled as though electric.

She raced up to the apartment the moment the car parked. This time, she allowed herself the stairs to get the sparks out of her limbs. Whether she made it up there sooner or later than the elevator proved to be a moot point when she went inside and found the apartment still dark.

A quick text, an even quicker response, Almost there.

Now all she could do was wait.

The lecture enraptured me. Not all lectures had to lull your brain into inactivity rather than as intended. There's a method to avoid giving off those signals that put even the wary to sleep, but I wouldn't know it myself. The professor, a graying gentleman wearing wide rimmed glasses and bow tie straight out of last century, looked at first the old coot who also fibbed as much. Until the words that came out of his mouth sounded like a reconstruction of all the economic texts I'd ever read, building blocks for a near utopia. Keynes, Malthus, Ricardo, Smith, all channeled their spirits into one man's utterance, bridging the pure ideals of yesteryear, an age closer to when my senior professor was born, to our increasingly twisted present world I must now learn to preside over its corruptible systems. Until now, my teachers were neither educated nor skeptical in their approach to fill my mind with the mainstream propaganda my mind could already, inevitably sponge from listening to some daft BBC news. The only commonality was still having to weed out the liberal agenda stuck down both the government’s and most British educational institutions' pants, Thames' Edge being no exception.

No worries. If there's one thing to take from online meme culture to the real world, anything can be co-opted for any political platform. Anything.

---

A buzzing in my pocket breaks me from my post-class reverie. I pull out my mobile, fully expecting the contact name across the screen. What's she gone and twisted her knickers for now?

"Yeah Mum?"

"Tommy, how have you settled down over there in London? Alright?"

"Yeah. That's all you're asking?"

"Actually, I have a few issues I need to discuss with you."

I roll my eyes, and sink my body and mind into cushier depths, in preparation for a long one.

"Go on then."

"Your Dad's secured another interview, but the site's a bit ways out of the city on the outskirts, about 40 to 45 minutes driving. Have you calculated the portion of our expenses to maintain the car?"

"Not for that amount of time on a one way trip, no. But if the wages are worth enough, you can dig a bit into our nest egg just this month," I sigh, and go into lengthy detail how high those wages should be exactly to justify the added expense, the price trend of petrol in Birmingham to predict sustainability, and petrol stations located along the route to the job site Mum describes, with the help of our Google overlords. I plug in my earbuds to swipe on the screen while speaking, which pick up the faint, hurried scratching of a pen. At least she's better than Dad's bold attempts at memorizing ledgers like limericks, with the part of his brain that isn't fossilized yet.

"Right on, now the pantry we frequent the most has been facing shortages, so they say."

I tap on the mobile screen inadvertently, before replying, "There's no way around it. Once they're out, you can buy your favorite veggies at the greengrocer, only if on sale. At least I won't need you to cook my meals now. But that job Dad's found better be worth more than enough."

"True enough. Oh, and one more thing, the dryer's broken down again."

"Oh for fock's sake!"

The exclamation leaves my throat before I glance around, catching the curious eyes of a couple passersby. Then I hunch forward, pinching the bridge of my nose harder than the burning sensation of my cheeks, "It's the same part that keeps getting loose, wait for Dad to get home, he'll know."

"But your Dad's business clothes are inside, I need them dried and ironed by tomorrow for the interview."

"Well I don't know what to do all the way from London, maybe ask the bloody neighbors for once, they can already guess our situation anyways."

A long silence follows. If I were at home, I could excuse myself to my room to cool my head. But here, 2 hours away from Birmingham, a phone was my only efficient connection to close the distance between my family and I. Disconnecting from it would be leaving them to hang, without the pulse I provide to keep my Mom and Dad in stable conditions.

"...I'm sorry Tommy, I should start learning all the little things you used to do for me while you were around."

"I'm...sorry as well, for getting cross at you Mum. I have a lot of things to learn at university myself."

"That degree you're studying for, Economics was it? Are you sure you can make a living off it after you graduate?"

"Yeah Mum, you'll know when I show you my first paycheck."

"A ways away that will be."

I finally bid farewell and hang up. Somehow I feel drowsy, a little more exhausted than right after class. I stand up from my seat outside the lecture theater it was held, and resolve to head back to my flat. Maybe a nap before next class should be in order.

The steps I take on the way amplify the symptoms of sleepiness. First my eyes droop, then my shoulders fall forward, my feet drag across the ground in a shuffle, and numbness begins to set in from my fingertips. I barely jam them into the door handle of the student accommodation building, and tug it open before slipping in, just to collapse on the floor. My eyes voluntarily close to shut out the nauseating visions of the world swimming around me. The next I open them, I look up to see foreboding walls protrude in all directions like a jagged jigsaw, and through the formerly glass doors a scene of nothing but gray, unyielding fog.

Interacting with Kirsty @Lugubrious, Liam @CriticalHit, and Tate @CondorTalon

Studying went decently. Classes were slow, but at least she didn't have to interact with the people next to her for them. Just listen and write down notes, was all. And after that... lunch, more studying- blissfully quiet, thank God- and finally, the day's long-awaited end at 5:30 PM. Just in time to receive some texts from Mary.

Hi, Alina!
Sorry about the weirdness earlier! That was wild, right?
Do you still want to come over?? I really would like to help you with food and study and stuff.

Blugh. She'd been putting it off, but... she needed to address this crush thing, didn't she? That might be important? But, well... maybe she was mistaken earlier? And even if she wasn't, it didn't mean anything as long as Mary didn't act on it. She didn't need to bring it up. There was no point making it awkward. Maybe she'd bring it up on a less cruddy day. She was starting to feel a bit sickly, actually, swimming vision... well, Mary wouldn't mind if she threw up or anything, would she. Especially not if she had an actual crush on her.

Sure. I'll meet you at your place.

Shit. Fuck, no, why did she write that. She didn't actually want to go to Mary's house, why would she write that out. Fuck. God damn it, she was a fucking idiot, and she was actually starting to feel ill now. Ugh, fuck it all. Fuck, fine, whatever, she could handle it.

---

A few minutes later, and she was realising she really couldn't handle it. By now, though, she suspected she was having some sort of stroke or something? The world was starting to look all kinds of hazy and warped, like a fog was building up or something... she felt rather disoriented, lost, like she couldn't properly make her way around the place, and she could swear she hadn't come across another student for at least a couple of minutes. The closer she got to where she knew the front gate was, the more sure she became that there should be students in the area, especially once she got outside. By now, though... well, there was fog, a real pea-souper at that as her grandad might say, but if it had seeped in from outside, it sure didn't feel like it.

But hey, go figure, with how today had already gone. She woke up in a shit mood, her best friend had all but admitted to having a crush on her, so why not get lost and have a stroke too? And what in the hell was that crying outside the front gate? Was that some kind of stroke hallucination? Shit, she had to go investigate it, didn't she? She needed to get out of the school regardless, so why not do the most obvious horror movie cliche ever.

...oh. It was the prettygirl from earlier. The one who'd given Alina her phone number, hadn't she? And, uh, again, she was crying. Well, grand. That was- oh hey, another guy, aaaand he was flat on his face. Out cold, perhaps.

'So this is a shitshow.'

Granted, she wasn't an expert on people being smart, buuuuut... honestly, she could use a sit down, too. The world was spinning around her and everything. So she did, next to- fuck, what was her name... she checked the note she'd gotten earlier, but no. Apology and number only. Sure, she guessed she had to sort something out.

'So. It's really foggy, and we're either lost or drugged. Is that why you're crying?'

As she asked this, she sort of poked the guy on the ground with her foot, trying to get some sort of response out of him. Hell, if he was out of it too, or worse concussed, or even worse drugged and concussed, well this was just gonna be a super duper fun time.

---

Sure enough, Beau's first day back at the university was proceeding as normal for now. His metalworking degree was meant to be more of a practical class but, as per usual of a university, there was still a good chunk of lecture in there. And since Beau was more of a kinesthetic learner than anything, almost none of that lecture part was sticking. Still, he learned something out of it, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Still, by the end of the day, he was glad that it was over and he could return home.

Beau had planned to make a quick grocery run before returning to his dormitory, and went out the back entrance since it'd be closer to get to where he needed to go. But right at the second he left that way, a thick, mysterious fog had completely surrounded the fog around him.

"The hell?" confused about the sight of this, Beau instinctively reached for his phone, "I could've sworn the forecast was meant to be..."

He was about to say the word "sunny", but as he observed the top of his screen in detail, he could only bite his lip and blow out of it to make a big long resounding F. Just his luck; not only did a gargantuan mass of fog materialize from quite literally out of nowhere, but it was at that exact moment that Beau's phone decided to be as good as dead to him. And furthermore, there was no-one around to verify that they seeing the same thing he was. Was this supposed to be some kind of warning sign that Beau was unaware of?

With a sigh of defeat, Beau pocketed his phone again and continued on his way for now. He remained vigilant of his surroundings; that much made sense to him. But there was no use being paranoid about what one couldn't control...

---

”My name is Rose Hadley, by the way. You look familiar. Do we share a class by any chance?”

Ah shit, the million-dollar question. Franc? Pound? Whatever. This girl wasn't sure if Leo was in a class with her either. Though, if Rose thought he looked familiar and he thought she looked familiar, they were probably familiar, right? Besides, he shouldn't assume everyone else was hyperobservant of their classmates if he wasn't. Plus he was usually wearing glasses in class; she might just not recogize him without them.

Either way, he took the offered hand and shook it with a relieved chuckle. "Probably. I was thinking the same thing but wasn't sure. I'm Leo. Uh, Leo Gremminger," He greeted before he turned away and continued on his path to class. In contrast to the 'proper escort' he'd offered, Leo merely waved his hand as an invitation for Rose to join him.

---

After classes, Leo found his way to the library. An idea for his next painting hit him right in the middle of Business Management, and he didn't want to risk walking all the way home and losing it in his usual scatterbrained daze. It had already taken tremendous self control to not start sketching the preliminary idea right in the middle of class, but Leo didn't think he heard a word the professor said in the meantime anyway.

The boy had been lounging in a less-populated corner of the building for quite some time, slouched down in his chair like a lazy teenager in some boomer newspaper comic as he drummed the side of a pricy tablet with a matching stylus. His eyes slid indolently back and forth across the screen, surveying a loose sketch of an alleyway to no avail. It was missing... something. The banality of it wasn't the problem; he wanted a mundane scene, but he also wanted some part of it to be eyecatching.

A sigh escaped him as he lulled his head backward in a sudden fit of dizziness. This was more exhausting than it should've been. Leo already knew if he winged it, it'd just look like shit, and the headache he was progressively generating was telling him to quit while he was behind. It was a sad day when even his hobby was too much of an obligation for him to follow through on.

Leo tucked his tablet back into his backpack and moved to stand, only for his body to give out as he crumpled back into his seat. Was he sick? It was a fight to keep his eyes open at this point. He wasn't sure if he just blinked or actually nodded off, but when his eyes reopened, the room was a lot darker. The telltale sound of rain was absent, so... ah, fuck, he seriously passed out until sundown.

No, that wasn't quite it. It wasn't just dark, everything was hazy, like somebody decided to start chainsmoking indoors. It didn't smell though - still, his eyesight couldn't be that bad. Leo stood up again - a far easier feat now that the dizzy spell had passed - and rubbed his eyes to try and dispel the fogginess. He needed to head home. Or to a hospital. It was a toss-up, honestly.

---

@Crimson Flame

---

Felix sighed as he slumped into his den of books. The first lecture was little more than an introduction, further it looked like most of the stuff they'd be covering he had already gone over during the summer. Admittedly, it was always good to go over subjects multiple times, though it was clear the lectures wouldn't be the main centre of his learning.

He was in the midst of reading some annoted texts of old French tales. He didn't know what it was but he always found a connection with the main character. As he sat there, delving into both the story and the culture that spawned it, he didn't notice some form of mist curling around him. What he did notice was the fact he was becoming drowsy. He never became drowsy, his brain kept firing full burst until he crashed. Thoughts began to speed through his mind, ranging from poison to kidnapping, to his brain finally entering its death throws as it could no longer deal with his abuse to it.

Collapsing to the floor, he was quickly buried underneath his den. When he awoke, he was surrounded by this ethereal mist, blanketing the world in a shroud of shadows. Gripping his head, which currently had a few bruises from the falling books, he looked around.

"Merde, it's the Otherworld..."

The first day of classes went as expected. Meeting his professors, classmates, and what to expect. Par for the course and it was fine. He liked his new astronomy professor based on his first impressions of her. Hopefully, she will make astronomy interesting since his last professor somehow made the topic boring. Kjell's love for astronomy is the main reason he has stayed with his last astronomy class. The last thing he needs is another boring class to spend a semester, math was boring enough without his favorite subject is in the same category.

Once classes were over, Kjell decided to head to the library. To get a headstart on his studies and a excuse to read about astronomy. Taking a seat near a bookcase and started enthralling himself with the book. As he as finishing a charter about black holes, Kjell started to feel a pain in his head. He tried to ignore, thinking it would pass but, it kept getting worse. Causing him to hold his head and drop the book on the table.

Kjell does not remember closing his eyes but when he came to. He found things to be different. The library seemed darker and somehow a fog had entered the building. Confusing him and Kjell shook his head in an attempt to clear his head. Kjell collected his things and as soon as he left the library. Did he realized how off things were. The college grounds near the library seem devoid of students and when he checked what time it was. His watch read, 5:45. That is weird, it should not be dark and the fog that he found in the library was everywhere. Like a cloud has decided to fall to the earth and make everything fuzzy to see.

Not sure of what to do, Kjell retreated back inside the library and started to search for people. "There has to be someone here", he said under his breath. He can not be alone at the university. As he searched the library, Kjell spotted a person with red hair who looked liked he had fox ears and was holding his head. Kjell approached the stranger and spoke. "Hey are you okay, and do you know why there is fog everywhere?