On the platform: Meet the new characters!

[utopiamods]

As you all crowd onto the platform and peer through the thick fog that chills the air, you are met by four girls and five boys. One of the girls is a somewhat humanoid grey-skinned, finned alien, but the rest all seem human. All nine are in uniforms that would match if not for the colour differences - skirts and trousers, waistcoats, and light summer shirts that seem totally inappropriate for the dense fog. They're all sodden and cold, and most are irritable. Each has a beret with a crest pinned to the front - three depicting a shield on green, the other six a sword on red.

At the first lull in the chatter, one sickly-pale, shield-crested girl speaks up, cutting through your conversations with her cold, soft voice.

"Attention, please."

She explains that the nine of them are the current prefects of Rakuen, representing the two schools on the island. Nanami, she points to herself, Yuri and Lelouch of Fortitude; and Santana, Flynn, Feferi, Gino, Nephenee and Kevin of Conquest. She doesn't care to explain why the prefects in red and white outnumber those in green and black two to one.

Santana interrupts, "Yeah, yeah. Look, come over when your name is called so we can all get inside." They all move to stand in two groups some distance away from each other, and the two that spoke read off names from their clipboards.

Comments

[effortless]

Last Friday... Well, I should have been more prompt, but I'm afraid I was busy. By the time I thought to see you, the round had begun.

[ she's just going to implacably lead him by the wrist towards the small, disused station office. Her grip doesn't seem particularly tight, but if he tries to break away her fingers tighten like a vice. ]

[mrdickery]

[Beyond one initial tug, Yuri doesn't say or do much, letting himself be pulled along like they're just going to have a casual talk. He's got a pretty good idea what this is about already, her saying a date just confirms it. So there's really no point in raising a fuss and getting other people involved.

Actually, he's kind of glad she pulled him away from the platform, or more specifically, away from Flynn. So he's just not gonna say anything until they're alone.]

[effortless]

[ and then she turns to him, letting go of him to clasp her hands gracefully across her stomach. ] I'm sure you know what this is about, and have some idea of what will happen... And, if I am entirely honest, even after a year, I am not very skilled at this, so it is best if we just begin.

[ and then the first penalty slams into his brain. ♥ ]

[mrdickery]

[Anything Yuri might have had to say in response gets cut off with a sharp breath as the assault racks his brain. Nothing major yet, just a... really bad headache. It's enough to get him clenching his fists, but after a short minute and he starts to adjust, he gives her a pained grimace of a smile.]

Not sure I like being your guinea pig.

[effortless]

No? Well, I'm not sure if it will encourage you to do better, but it's certainly worth a try. [ And she turns it up another notch. ] Or will it encourage you to do worse? I don't mind either way...

[mrdickery]

[That one makes Yuri stumble back a step, even while he's gritting his teeth and resolutely trying to hold his ground. It takes a little bit longer than the last time and this one isn't nearly as much a smile as it is a forced upwards turn of the lips, but he eventually manages it, giving Nanami a (rather childishly) defiant look.]

I was always wondering if you were a psycho behind that smile. [He has to take a breath here to keep his voice steady.] Guess I know the answer to that now.

[effortless]

'Psycho'? [ the tilt of her head is almost cute, and totally at odds with the pain she's putting him through.

So is the careful way she walks forward and rests one hand against his back and the other on his chest, in what would be almost a hug if it wasn't so light. But then the pain increases to the point where he won't be able to keep upright, and it makes a little more sense. She doesn't want him falling and hitting his head.

She's not Day, after all. ]

[mrdickery]

[His body gives a sharp jerk at that before his knees give out from under him. If Nanami wasn't holding him in place with her hands, odds are he would've gone face first into the floor. It's like someone's taken a hot, sharp poker and stabbed it right into his head before giving it a few sharp turns for good measure. And no matter how much time passes, the pain never stops or eases up.

But he's resolutely staying quiet save for a few noises through gritted teeth, biting his lip in the process until he's got blood running down his chin.

He can't exactly talk either, so all that's left is to wait it out until Nanami's done, or until he passes out. One of the two.]

[effortless]

[Shhh, little Yuri. Shhh. Only crippling pain now. She keeps it up for a little while, as he edges closer and closer to passing out, humming under her breath. When she can feel his muscles start to loosen from their spasms, she stops the penalty completely and eases him onto his back.

One hand is gently carding through his hair as she lets him regain control of his body.]

I'm sorry, Yuri. I suppose that wasn't particularly pleasant... but you were sloppy, to have allowed her to kill you. I'm not at all angry, though. Don't think that I bear any grudge against you. After all, we do encourage you to hate Conquest, don't we? You don't punish a dog for biting an intruder...

[ she smiles, and hums a little more. And continues to stroke his hair. Stroke, stroke, stroke. He has such nice hair, like her mother's. She wants to tug it out, just a little, but she doesn't. He's learned his lesson for now. ]

We'll just have to make sure you do better next time, hmm? But you did well.

[mrdickery]

[For a minute, Yuri groggily wonders if he's still standing or if he actually did hit the ground. It's hard to tell through all the hazy pain and throbbing ache that fogs his mind. As his vision starts to beat back the black edges, just barely, he does manage to make out Nanami's face above him which... is probably a good sign that he isn't vertical anymore.

Her words keep breaking in and out for him as his consciousness wavers and the more he tries to focus, the more it just... hurts. Eventually the effort gets to be too much and he just gives up and shuts his eyes. Whatever she's gonna do now, he doesn't really have the strength to stop it.]

[effortless]

[ and she just sits there, with his head on her lap, smoothing his hair back and humming her soft tunes. She'll look after her subordinates, after all. That, and she doesn't have the endurance to carry him or the permission to actually kill him.

He's kind of cute, too. Like a pet is cute. She is rather fond of her two prefects.

And after a few more minutes: ]

Ah... Perhaps I should have done this somewhere closer to his room.

[mrdickery]

[Though there's nothing about his body language to indicate he's awake, at Nanami's words there a very, very inaudible murmur. If it weren't for his slightly moving lips, you might have thought you imagined the whole thing.]

[isur2ndprincess]

[and then Yuki walks by, she had been enjoying the day but this certainly changes things]

Yuri! [she runs over to him and kneels down to cradle his head as she looks up at Nanami]

Why did you do this?

[effortless]

Oh, thank you. [ Nanami carefully eases him properly onto Yuki's lap, and arranges his hair properly so she doesn't step on it as she stands up. ] He tried to murder the Conquest headmistress a week ago. You are Conquest... are you not? So I suppose you will have heard about that. In any case, he has been disciplined for it now, so I will go.

[isur2ndprincess]

[Yuki is a bit shocked by the news. Okay, very shocked by the news. Yuri never seemed like he was capable of anything like that. To attempt to commit murder? How could he? She knew that Day was a horrible person and maybe life and death don't mean a lot here but to die... it must be horrible...]

[But still, she doesn't appreciate what Nanami did to him!]

It doesn't mean you have to put him in this much pain, couldn't you have given him detention or fined him instead? Something that would hurt less...

[effortless]

Don't be childish. Those kinds of punishments wouldn't influence him at all. [ she brushes a little dirt from her skirt and tights, and smiles wanly. ] Ah, and good luck in the next round...

[ lolbye ]

[mrdickery]

[It takes a few minutes after Nanami leaves for it to finally stop hurting to think, much less move. Which is why she's probably long gone when he does open his eyes again.

The sight of Yuki above him isn't as surprising as one would suspect, he was conscious during their entire conversation, after all, and towards the end he was able to listen to all of it without any trouble.

Which means he also knows that she knows what he did. So, without a word, he slowly puts his hands against the ground and starts to push himself up, wincing the whole way. His head does not appreciate the change of position.]

[isur2ndprincess]

[she wants to say something back but Nanami just walks away from her.]

[So now she has Yuri in her lap and no one is around and she definitely can't carry him back to his dorm. She knows that he is good friends with Flynn but to find him would mean leaving Yuri defenseless...]

[But she has to make a decision! Yuki gently takes Yuri's head out of her lap and makes sure he looks as comfortable as he can be on the grass before going out in search of Flynn.]

[whitestknight]

[ CONVENIENTLY Flynn is busy sorting out the Conquest register on the far side of the station. ]

[isur2ndprincess]

[Yuki runs up to him, a bit out of breath she says]

Flynn, Yuri has been hurt.

[whitestknight]

Yuki-- I see. [ he knows now that she's the girl Yuri made the food for, back on the first day he arrived, so he doesn't even bother to ask how she knows. ] Where is he?

[mrdickery]

[In the time it takes Yuki to go and fetch Flynn, Yuri is already trying his feet to see if he can make good on what he said earlier of making it back to his room on his own.

Already upright, he takes a slow breath before shoving himself onto his feet and-

Well this was a bad idea. His head suddenly spins painfully with the sudden rush of blood and he goes face forward towards the ground.]

[isur2ndprincess]

This way! [and then Yuki heads back where she came with Flynn right besides her, on the way she decides to fill him in] It was Nanami, she was punishing him for [she pauses] for what he did.

[when they arrive they see Yuri struggling to stay on his feet, Yuki picks up the pace when she sees that he is about to fall]

[and then he goes down! but Yuki is there to catch him before he hits the ground, aren't you lucky Yuri.]

[whitestknight]

He told you about that? [ he sounds honestly surprised. WOW HE GUESSES THEY'RE GETTING PRETTY SERIOUS? but it's not the time.

-- speaking of timing, nice catch. He'll just kneel next to them. ] Yuri. Can you hear me?

[mrdickery]

[If he was lucky, he would've been able to walk back to his room without Flynn ever knowing. As he feels himself being caught by someone decidedly soft and smaller, he blinks his blurry eyes once, willing them to be cleared as he tries to find out who caught him.

Of course, then he hears Flynn's voice and gives a little groan.]

Yeah. [Pause. Deep breath.] I'm fine.