EVENT: Snowed In

[the_npcdo]

[Early Monday afternoon, the snow starts. At first, a charming novelty glimpsed through the classroom windows, but within minutes it becomes a veritable blizzard. Any classes being held outside are urged to bring themselves inside. Within half an hour, the power's cut out and the snow is piled high enough to make entry/exit from the buildings difficult. Within an hour, it's impossible. Snow is piled halfway up the first floor windows, and most of the doors have frozen shut. The second story windows seem to be working just fine, though, as are any rooftop access doors.]

[The blizzard finally calms down, but students and faculty are trapped inside--or outside, if they managed to be on the wrong side of the doors during the storm. The power's out and the cold is starting to seep in through the insulation. Worse, there seems to be some kind of unseen presence in the buildings, an eerie cackle echoing through the empty halls or an unsettling sense that you're not alone.]

[Someone's going to have to restart the generator before we end up with a school full of studentcicles. It wouldn't hurt to clear some pathways out of the buildings, either.]

Comments

[hair_guitar]

[Well, this is a pretty awful situation already. Ellen had been between her room and one of her classes when the power cut out leaving her in the dark. Well, that's still okay... even if it's dark, she still knows her way easily enough and although her steps are a little more careful, she's not worried.

At least until the first peel of cackling laughter echoes down the hall, stopping her in her tracks and sending a shiver down her spine. She turns in place, looking out into the shadows, swallowing.]

... H... hello? Is somebody there?

[And... nothing. Nothing except the sounds of wind outside and her own breathing... except for the terrible sense of something else there with her. She gulps again and backs up a few steps.]

Th-that isn't funny! [More silence and then she starts moving again. It's just some student playing a joke or something. Somebody must think it's fun to try to scare people, that's all.

Still. Her steps are a little quicker and she keeps looking over her shoulder. She's not... entirely watching where she's going either.]

1/2

[duckduckdeux]

[ NO THIS IS CREEPY. Creepy and dark and Duck can't see where she's going AT ALL. Why did this happen?

She's walking slooowly, ever so slowly, trying to squiiiint enough to make out the shapes of the corridor in the shadows.

Wait. Is that a- ]

[duckduckdeux]

[ WHAM face-first into Ellen ]

[hair_guitar]

[Okay, okay, she can do this. Just a little bit further. Everything's fine, that laughter and that eerie feeling is just her imagination. It's not like there's a... a... a gh-gh--

And then something runs right into her andOHMYGOD OHNO IT'S THE GHOST ITSHEREANDITSGOINGTOGETHER NONONONONONONO!!!!]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

[Oh, sure, she could run or fight or... or something but let's face it when you're dealing with ghosts the most effective course of action is to stand in place and scream your stupid head right off your shoulders.]

[duckduckdeux]

[ Duck has, of course, fallen to the ground. Because Ellen is bigger than she is.

And now there's screaming! So, naturally, Duck does what any other duck girl would do in this situation - also scream. ] AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

[hair_guitar]

[AND NOW THE GHOST IS SCREAMING AT HER! Which makes perfect sense because that's what ghosts do they scream and wail and all that, she read all about it. There's still clearly absolutely nothing else she could be doing in this situation so she's just going to keep on screaming and screaming until the sound starts to trail off into a sort of even more pathetic sound before stopping altogether.

She'll keep trying for a few seconds though, until she remembers she needs to actually have air in her lungs to do it properly. She'll just stand there for a little while with her eyes squeezed shut and her books held up in front of herself defensively before she starts to wonder what's taking so long. She's quite sure she should have been gobbled up or something by now.

Ever so carefully, she'll open one eye to dare to take a peek at whatever gruesome horror may await her in this hallway.]

[duckduckdeux]

[ And there is Duck, lying on the floor still.

Huh. The screaming's stopped, at least. ]

Ummmmmmm.... are you all right?

[hair_guitar]

[Right off the bat, Ellen's first thought is that this ghost isn't actually as terrifying as she expected it to be. Also, why is it lying on the ground?

... Oh. This isn't a ghost at all, is it? It's just... a regular... student.]

....

[A beat passes and she coughs, clears her throat and she's suddenly the absolute picture of calm composure.]

Of course I am. Here. [She steps forward, offering a hand out to Duck.] I'm sorry if I startled you.



[Yep.]

[infinitejustice]

[Athrun, meanwhile, had come to a complete stop. He's still new here, and hasn't fully gotten used to the layout of the campus. He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and is in the process of turning it on when--]

What the--

[Something smacks right into his back. Instinctively, Athrun leaps forward and whirls around, arms raised in a combat pose.]

What was that? Who's there?!

[hair_guitar]

[Every time she stops, she hears that cackling laughter again and again always just somewhere off in the darkness, along with that feeling of some... thing in the hallway with her. But she's fine... it's got to be her imagination, or somebody playing a trick, she'll be okay if she can just shut it out until she gets to class and other people. She'll be fine just as soon as she's not here all on her own in the dark with... with who knows what.

Needless to say her pace picks up considerably, which just makes it worse when she runs right into something. Immediately, she gives a shriek, certain she'd just run headlong into some drooling monster!]

No! Leave me alone!

[She raises her hands, trying to throw her books at whatever it is... but fortunately for Athrun, she's already off balance from the impact and her feet tangle up... aaaand over she goes.]

[infinitejustice]

OW!

[Well, one of those books managed a lucky hit -- square in the face. That's enough to knock Athrun over, too. Clutching his face with one hand, he feels around for what hit him.]

...Is this a textbook? Did someone just throw a textbook at me?

[This time, the voice sounds exasperated.]

[hair_guitar]

[Ellen hits the floor with another shriek but she's quick to scramble up to at least a sitting position, ready and able to bolt. But to where? Back the other way is where all that horrible laughing is happening and right in front of her is some terrible, chain-rattling--

-- that moment of indecision is enough to get her to stop and think here. Because... ghosts don't say "ow".]

Um....

[The voice that answers back is a little shaky and small because she's still gasping for breath from her run and the rush of adrenaline, but still probably one Athrun can recognize. She gulps, really hoping this isn't the part of the story when she gets eaten alive.]

Wh-who's... th-there?

[infinitejustice]

It's Athrun.

[Instinctive response. He doesn't process the rest of the information until after he gives his name. But he quickly figures out what's going on.]

Is that normally how you greet your fellow classmates in the dark? That book hit me square in the face.

[He's not asking seriously. That's just how he deals with getting smacked by an object.]

[hair_guitar]

Athrun?

[Oh, that's a relief! She thought she'd hit a ghost in the face with a book but she'd only hit Athrun in the face with a book.

....

Oh no, she hit Athrun in the face with a book!

This time she lets out a cry that's more dismayed than terrified.]

Oh no! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you! Are you okay?

[losingherhead]

[Celty isn't typically a nervous person. Except around humans. And authority. Okay, St. Augustus is a nervous place for her sometimes. But she's certainly not afraid of the dark. The darkness is comforting and she thrives in it.

But now there's spooky cackling laughter going on. And that's no fun at all. So she's done the sensible thing and has removed her helmet to examine the hallway carefully. Her smoke floats from her stump, helping her get a good sense for anything strange out and about. It also handily wraps her arms and legs a little. With all cold it is out, you need to stay warm.

Surely a headless student covered in smoke in the halls will attract no alarm, everything is fine.]

[hair_guitar]

[Ellen does not thrive in the dark. She does not thrive in it at all. Normally, she can keep her composure but definitely, definitely not when there's scary laughter echoing all around her and nobody in sight.

Except... no, wait! There's somebody now! She quickly starts running toward the new person. Finally, she doesn't have to wander these spooky halls all by herself anymore!]

Hey--!

[Her words catch in her throat just as quickly as she goes stock still, staring as every last speck of color drains from her face. There's... there's no head at all. Nothing but a stump with thick black smoke pouring out of it. No... head....]

[The scream that followed could accurately be said to have shaken the walls of the Academy. Whatever Celty does next, Ellen's already on the move, having picked a direction and fled all while shrieking.]

THE HEAD IS MISSING! IT DOESN'T HAVE A HEAD! THERE'S NO HEEEEEEEEAAAAAD!

[losingherhead]

[Hm? Celty turns as she spots the running figure out of the corner of her... smoke. Is that another student? She does seem vaguely familiar. Maybe they could work together to find whatever that noise is coming from.

She lifts her hand up to wave to the girl politely before noticing the shock on her face. A tinge of unease rises in her stomach.

SHIT. SHIT. SHE SCREWED UP SO BAD. She immediately starts racing after Ellen. Maybe she can do some damage control and make sure not too many people find out about this?]

[hair_guitar]

[... It's following her! Nope nope nope NOPE NOPE NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE!

Ellen only screams louder when she realizes the headless smoke-stump ghost is in hot pursuit and sheer, brainless panic kicks in spurring her to only run faster through the hallways, screaming her fool head off the whole way. That thing... it lost its head somewhere along the way so that can only mean--

IT MUST BE AFTER HER HEAD!]

IT'S GOING TO CHOP OFF MY HEAD!

[RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING]

[losingherhead]

[Chasing after a terrified human, smoke billowing behind her.... Its almost familiar, in a way. She can tell she's missing a few things. The forest. Her horse. Her own head underneath her arm. But the chase brings back an experience she can't fully recall. All she'd have to do is bring out her scythe and exterminate the unwanted eyes that gazed upon her form.

But that would upset people. People she liked. Upsetting people generally seemed to lead to misery and horror from everyone. And that was the opposite of what she wanted. Plus, the girl obviously didn't deserve anything like that. No, she had to keep a clear head. As best she could given. You know.

The real priority was making sure NO ONE WAS SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER OH GOD OH HECK. She shoots a jet of smoke in Ellen's direction. It didn't have the same range as it did outside of the school, but maybe it could reach the girl's hand or leg if she gets close enough. But damn why does this girl have to be so fast and loud?! WHY DOES EVERYTHING WITH HUMANS HAVE TO GO HORRIBLY WRONG LIKE THIS.]

[hair_guitar]

[It might have been something of a relief to Ellen that Celty had come to the decision to not chop her head off after all. At another time, she might not even have been running like this... but, unfortunately, Celty had come across her at just the wrong time. And then made nothing but decisions that would only escalate things.

Take her decision to go for that grab, for instance.

As soon as the smoke catches Ellen's arm, her shrieks somehow get even more shrill and the fight part of her instincts kick in, now that flight is less successful.]

LET ME GO!

[... Celty will now find herself under bombardment by textbooks. Followed by whatever else Ellen can get her hands on. Is that a fire extinguisher? Yup. A painting off the wall? You'd better believe it!]

[worldcup]

[ Usually it's in bad taste to prank someone while there's something strange going on, but she can't help it. This is just too easy... ]

Boo.

[hair_guitar]

[Very bad taste indeed, but at least it's good timing as Ellen is just gingerly peeking around a corner.

If Ellen was still a cat she'd be clinging to the ceiling. But she's not a cat, so instead she'll just hurl her books up into the air and scream bloody murder instead. She might try to go for the ceiling anyway, but she only makes it about a foot.]

[worldcup]

... Wow, that was too easy.

[hair_guitar]

[Good going, Illya. Ellen lands again after that jump and immediately flattens against the wall, breathing hard.]

E-e-easy? Wh-wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about?! I-I'm not s-s-scared at all--!




[She might actually be dying here.]

[worldcup]

Are you sure? Because it looked like you were scared just then.