A Little Bit Early [Slice of Life / Open / T]

SERP Member Posts : 10 Join date : 2018-03-26 Age : 30

"Sewing silver prayers beneath the blanket of night."

✐	Mar 27, Morning
	~

Apprehension tore through the mind of the girl like a hurricane, upending every plan and contingency she had set before herself. Or perhaps it wasn't the apprehension itself but a combination of her own internal tumult and the wave of exhaustion that washed over her from the arduous climb up the legendary steps of DWMA. Tsuga pushed the sweat-laden strands of hair from her face, shouldering her duffel bag with another heavy breath. Her hand clasped and pulled at the slip of paper from her uniform's pocket, examining the contents before putting the scrap back, folded neatly. She was almost two hours early for her appointment, which meant at the very least she would have time to catch her breath.

Of course, the stairs had actually been the least of her worries. Tsuga was far more nervous about immersing herself in an environment full of people that were not only like her, but who had far more practice than she did. Even as a NOT student, she still felt utterly outclassed by students she hadn't even met yet. She swore silently under her breath and shook the thoughts from her mind, resolving that their skill levels ultimately were irrelevant to her. The objective was to control her power, not to become a member of EAT, or a death scythe.

She pushed towards the front door, striding confidently for a few steps until she was met with another wall of exhaustion. At the very least, she knew she'd be in incredible shape within a month at the most. The stairs were brutally unforgiving, and the realization that she would have to traverse that obstacle every day ate away at her stamina. She slumped down against the wall of the school, heaving a heavy sigh. The duffel bag slipped across Tsuga's lap, her breathing slowing down as she turns her eyes to look out over the city.

"Gods...You can see everything from here..."

Last edited by Tsuga on March 29th 2018, 12:58 pm; edited 3 times in total

Today was another ordinary day for Hudson. He woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for school. He couldn't help but wonder if his weapon was already at the academy. He shrugged. Guess I'll find out later. He told himself and he walked out of his house and headed towards the academy. Upon reaching the academy a few minutes later, the meister made his way up the stairs. When he reached the top, he noticed a student sitting against a wall of the DWMA. He hadn't seen her around before, so assumed she was new. Hudson reached into his bag and took out one of the few water bottles he carried with him and walked over to her, handing the girl the drink. "Here, you look like you need this." He told her with a smile. "I'm Hudson. Hudson Herondale. I'm a meister here at the academy. I don't recall seeing you around here, are you new?" He asked kindly.

SERP Member Posts : 10 Join date : 2018-03-26 Age : 30

"Sewing silver prayers beneath the blanket of night."

✐	~
	~

Tsgua pushes herself from the wall into a standing position. She took the water bottle with a not, downing almost half of it in a single gulp. A gasp escaped her lips as the bottle left it, her left hand placing it in her bag while she wiped her lips of the excess liquid. "Tsuga, although most people just call me Hemlock. Doesn't make a terrible difference to me." Her expression remained rather blank as she eyed him over. He was attractive at least, and he offered her water, but ultimately that was all she knew.

And he was a Meister. She extended her hand to shake his, eventually. "I'm a weapon, I guess. A kusarigama if you're trying to be precise. I'm also here to join the NOT program." The other students milling about spread a visible look of surprise across her face. Her eyes widened slightly as more and more flooded up the steps without the slightest hint of exhaustion. "I'm going to assume that I'll just get to the point where those stairs are normal..."

SERP Member Posts : 27 Join date : 2018-02-07 Age : 31

Most newcomers saw the legendary stairs of the DWMA as an exhausting chore to climb. But not Robert. He'd actually looked forward to it. He personally loved the exercise it gave him, and while it'd only been a couple weeks since he arrived in Death City, he never lost enthusiasm for climbing these steps. Robert charged up the steps past some tired students who were left shocked by his enthusiasm.
He was still thinking about the stairs when he overheard a conversation concerning the same topic."Either that or quit the school out of frustration because they're too cheap to install an escalator and you're not down for a little mandatory exercise." He gazed down at the homes and businesses below.

He smiled as he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Tsuga." The meister told her kindly. He raised an eyebrow as she told him what she was. "That's a nice form you've got. And NOT class? A weapon form like yours has a lot of potential you know. But either way, if you want to just go through the NOT program, that's your decision." Hudson nodded. "Yeah, the stairs are normal. The more you use them, the better it gets though, I promise. It may come as a surprise, but you do get use to them." He replied with a chuckle.

Hudson turned at the sound of a new, and unfamiliar, voice. He smiled at the young boy. " Well look at that, another face I don't know. Wow, the DWMA is really getting an influx of new students." The mesiter chuckled and proceeded to introduce himself once more. "My name is Hudson Herondale, in case you didn't catch that as you were coming up the stairs." He told him with a quirky smile.

SERP Member Posts : 10 Join date : 2018-03-26 Age : 30

"Sewing silver prayers beneath the blanket of night."

✐	~
	~

Tsuga shrugged at the other boy. His opinion, as right as it was, was entirely irrelevant to her. She was more interested in the fact that someone had told her that she held inherent potential as a weapon without so much as even seeing her in combat, much less witnessing her transformation. She was conflicted with her own conclusions about this Hudson. Was he cocky enough to presume that someone would make a strong weapon of form alone, or was he looking at something beyond what could be seen on the surface?

Ultimately, Tsuga couldn't decide and instead opted for a more neutral response. "I'd prefer NOT for the time being, as I'm a bit more interested in not shattering my wrist like I did when I first transformed. Not necessarily the most pleasant of experiences." She shook her head as the memory pushed through her, clutching her left elbow gently.

She throws her words at the new student. "What about you?" Tsuga directed the question directly at the boy, not even bothering to ask his name. "Judging from your attitude, and the fact that your first sentence to me amounted to 'If you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen,' I'd blindly assume you're already registered for the EAT class." Her face remained rather static, but the hint of annoyance was lacing her intonation.

SERP Member Posts : 27 Join date : 2018-02-07 Age : 31

"Robert Holmes, Meister" He replied to Hudson. His brow furrowed in confusion when he regarded the girl's statement. Sheesh, this was the second time at the DWMA someone had misinterpreted his words. He had to correct this mistake before it got out of hand like last time. "No...My first sentence to you was meant as a potential prediction of what would happen if you didn't get used to the stairs. The school board's the one that's basically telling you to get used to the heat or quit the kitchen." He replied, jerking his thumb behind him at the stairs. "Like I said, they're the ones who didn't install an escalator or an elevator. If I'd designed it, I'd at least add an elevator for the handicapped. And only for them. In my opinion, these stairs are a godsend of fitness!"

If by attitude she meant eagerness for a good workout, then: "Yep"! the Meister replied proudly and obliviously to any annoyance she felt for him. "The opportunity to investigate bizarre phenomena, with a heaping side course of action, and a 100 soul goal! That's the life for me! He hadn't heard any of their conversation before the comment about getting used to the stairs, so he hadn't heard the part where she told Hudson she was a Kusarigama in NOT class, so he could only guess. "And since you didn't add a 'too' after the words 'EAT class', I suppose you're in the NOT class, or applying to be part of the janitorial staff. I heard they're looking for fresh blood." The last part he muttered to himself but was still vaguely audible. "Heh...vampire janitors...not too farfetched for this school." He fiddled with his tie. "And what are you? He asked the both of them. Meister or weapon, and if the latter, what kind?" He was always eager to meet a weapon, partially because he was still looking for a partner, but mostly because they had fascinating abilities.

"I agree with you there, on the importance of the staircase. While it may be tiring at first, you get used to it eventually, and it keeps you in shape. It's also one of the easiest obstacles you'll face as when you go on missions for EAT or go through training courses in NOT will be harder than a single staircase, no matter the length." Hudson agreed. He turned back to Tsuga and nodded. "It's understandable. EAT can be dangerous, and in some cases lethal, and so it makes sense that you would just want to learn how to control your powers and just go back to your normal, everyday life. Well, as normal as it can get, being a weapon." He told her with a smile.

Hudson nodded at Robert's question. "Yes, she'll be joining the NOT class. I however, am a meister in the EAT class, with my weapon." He replied.

SERP Member Posts : 10 Join date : 2018-03-26 Age : 30

"Sewing silver prayers beneath the blanket of night."

✐	~
	~

"So you're telling me that having difficulty climbing the stairs in a sweltering shrine regalia that has armor pieces sewn into it is just me not being cut out for DWMA?" Her eyes narrow at Robert, an irked "tch" escaping the side of her mouth. "I'd like to see you haul up the stairs in clothes that are half your body weight."

She pauses briefly before letting out some hybrid between a snort and a chuckle, smirking at the boy. "I know what you meant, but your apology needs work. You shouldn't try to shift the blame from yourself to something that didn't make the other person mad. If you say something that makes someone upset, just swallow your pride and apologize for upsetting them. An explanation is no more an apology than a denial."

She extends her hand out to Robert, "You can call me Hemlock. I'm a weapon; A kusari-gama to be precise, although I'm sure you were listening to Hudson well enough to catch the first half of that. In any case, I'm not joining NOT to avoid dying. I'm just trying to avoid breaking something worse than my wrist the next time I transform." Her eyes cloud over slightly, an unpleasant memory flashing before her. "I've seen enough of death for it to be commonplace at this point."

She shakes her head, her neutral expression returning. "Anyway, I hope you'll have decent luck finding yourself a good partner. You'd be hard pressed to realize your goals without one."

SERP Member Posts : 27 Join date : 2018-02-07 Age : 31

"People typically don't embark up the stairs in shrine regalia with accompanying armor pieces. I prefer lighter clothing myself, although If you really wanted to see me, as you said, haul up the stairs in clothes that are half my body weight, I'd be happy to oblige." She let out a sort of laugh, which relieved him. As he'd only cleared up a misunderstanding and hadn't really said anything serious enough to require an apology, he zoned out when she gave him the unneeded advice.

He shook hands with her. "Hemlock...were you born into a family of assassins?" That seemed to be the most obvious reason for parents to name their daughter after a poisonous plant. As for her weapon form, a kusari-gama didn't have as much range as say, a gun or a catapult, the kind of weapon he was most interested in working with. So even if she didn't end up working with him, it wouldn't be too much of a blow for him. Though he'd be willing to work with any weapon crazy enough or at least desperate enough to work with him.

Hemlock seemed to remember something when she mentioned a previous transformation. She also mentioned seeing enough death for it to be commonplace, leading him back to the assassin theory. His natural curiosity was relit when she vaguely mentioned her past, and he wanted to ask what'd happened, but knew that going through other people's emotional baggage was a sure fire way to piss them off. Anyways, he'd already come close to pissing her off once and he didn't want to do it again.

"Yea." He replied. Robert didn't like to think about his weaponless status. He'd already had several chances to partner, but naturally, he'd managed to drive them all away. Since she'd basically said good luck to him, he felt it was only fair to say it back. "You too, hope you get a Meister...If you want one...a class for non-combatants shouldn't really need students to partner if they're not here to do any fighting. Unless it's for lab or a school project."

Being left out of the conversation, Hudson took a step back and let the two talk. However, when Robert brought up the subject of students in the NOT class not having a need for getting a partner, the experience meister thought he should step in.

"Actually, it's very common for students to want to have a partner, and be in the NOT class. You see, students that enroll in the NOT class, like our dear Tsuga here, want to learn how to control their abilities and be able to transform without harming themselves, or others. Just because they're not fighting anyone or anything, doesn't mean that they're not learning anything. By having a partner, not only are weapons able to learn how to partially transform, but they're able to learn how fully transform in the hands of someone that has the capability to wield them." He pushed up his glasses. "The same goes for meisters. While they may not transform, having a partner will give them experience in wielding a weapon the can resonate with. Now, I bet you're wondering. "Why would they need to learn these things if they're just going to go on with their normal lives after they graduate?" Well, Mr. Holmes, just because they don't plan to pursue anything dangerous like us EAT class students, doesn't mean they won't ever use these capabilities again. Depending on the type of weapon, they could do all sorts of normal things with their abilities. As for meisters... It just helps them figure out what they want to, make new friends, etc." Hudson explained, sticking his hands in his trouser pockets.

SERP Member Posts : 10 Join date : 2018-03-26 Age : 30

"Sewing silver prayers beneath the blanket of night."

✐	~
	~

Tsuga's eyes go stony. The look on her face falls utterly flat as she simply deadpans to Robert, "I'd rather not talk about the dead with someone I've just met." She shoulders her bag sharply, offering the boy a bit of insight. "My name isn't Hemlock. It's a moniker. I'm very experienced with herbal poisons and anesthetics."

Nodding along to Hudson's speech, Tsuga offered a "mmhmm" of agreement every so often. "Saying that NOT students don't need to partner is like saying someone with an assault rifle doesn't need any training," she added. "It doesn't matter if I'm here to become a death scythe or not. I'm still a lethal weapon, and I need to be both aware of that fact, as well as prepared in case something were to happen."

Tsuga sighs heavily, "But what do I know?" She shrugs, "It's not like you're here to join NOT. After all, you said you're here to make death scythes, and I'm here to avoid killing things accidentally."

A flick of her wrist pulls a slip of paper from her sleeve while a quick glance at the clock only confirms what she already knew. "I've got orientation soon, so if you all would excuse me, I need to go and find the room I'm supposed to be in."

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