Flirty Entrance

Diana noticed Zem take her suitcase and she tensed slightly, she had this thing where she didn't really like her stuff to be touched. She let it slide though, trying to hold back that fleeting yell of 'no' that caught in her throat. She looked around at the doors and shivered. She hated hallways, specially long ones like such.

<span style='color:red'>"Well...I guess we start lookin'."</span>

Di walked down the hall a bit more ways and looked at each door, searching for something that might help. <span style='color:red'>"So what exactly are we looking for? Just a door that says 'Registration Office' or something?"</span> Di cursed herself mentally again, she needed to stop asking questions. It made the 'dragon too nervous.

She continued on down the hall only staring at the doors when she felt her toe hit something, she walking barefoot at the time as always. She squeaked slightly, to her utter dismay and slowly looked down. At first she thought she had seen a rat of some sort. She screamed and jumped and stumbled backwards, landing on her back for the second time that day. Diana groaned and sat up, and there...where the rat was, was a simple tennis shoe with a string twisting around and out from the back. <span style='color:red'>How stupid can I be?! I probably looked like and idiot and I still do!</span> She kicked the shoe with her foot and it flew a bit down the hallway as she still sat there, glaring at it. A soft ting of pink could be seen on her cheeks, although it was beat red under her fur.

 

Aed had noticed the slight tensing of the Anubi's form, and had an instinctive feeling about what the matter was, especially since Di was looking at the suitcase now held in Zemenia's hand. The tiny 'dragon poked her sister's shoulder in an attempt to gain the thill's attention, and finally nipped her softly on the neck, since it had been thoroughly proved that prodding would not make her head turn, nor her attention waver from the ominous hallway. With a squeak of surprise and a slight jump as the miniature female's teeth connected with her skin, though they did not enter, it became obvious that the niotie was now able to tell her sibling of her concerns without having to shout in her ear. Making Zem listen when she wasn't paying attention to you was one hard thing.
A series of short hisses and barks ensued, though they were low enough to not echo throughout the emptiness of the tunnel, or at least tunnel-like place. It was Aed's way to speak. She had never learned any true tongue, and so had created her own language with the sounds she could create. When her big sister had taken the young creature into her care, she had had to learn this particular code of speech, though it was more to understand the tiny girl than to talk to her in the same way. Since the bleached gray 'dragon had travelled near other, more civilized creatures before, she had picked up a bit more than the basics of the most common language spoken on Ramath-lehi: English. With that knowledge, she could already go in many places and understand what was said to her.
Zemenia listened closely to what the female was saying, knowing that missing a single syllable or consonent, or the faintest yipping sound would completely change the meaning of the phrase. She also needed to carefully note the tones given, so that she would know what Aed was feeling at the moment. Concluding that the speech was a simple statement telling her to put down the suitcase because Di was getting titchy, she bent over again, releasing the handle, and righted herself as another question echoed inside her head. A shiver was carried down her spine, and she closed her eyes tight for a moment, trying to stop herself from ripping her hair out with exasperation or nervousness at all the questions. She couldn't help it. It always made her heart skip... especially when it was about her past.
<span style='color:red'>Gah, not that again! Don't think. Don't think. Don-</span>
A scream cut right into her thoughts, soon followed by a crashing fall. Pale green oculars flew open in shock, striving to see what had caused the ruckus, and it took her only moments to realize that Diana had been the one. She was sitting on the floor, glaring at a shoe half-way down the hall, which she had probably kicked all the way over there. An earth-streaked eyebrow immediately came up on both Aed's and Zem's faces, making them look slightly comical since they resembled each other so much, and a thought passed right through the tall thill's head, immediately escaping through way of her mouth. Yet again, she wasn't able to stop it.
"<span style='color:red'>Is that... a shoe? What the farg is it doing here?!</span>"
It was lucky she had added the second part. If only the first had been pronounced, Di could have taken it as an insult. And that would not have been good.

 

Diana grumbled under her breath with a sort of growl to her voice, mutter about stupid shoes and dark hallways when she realized Zem had said something. She cursed under her breath softly and nodded.

<span style='color:red'>"Yes...it's a shoe. And why it is here...how should I know? All I know is that if I find out who left it there, I will tear them to shreds."</span>

Di was ready to start rambling about stupid shoes again when she bit her lip hard again to stop herself. She ran her hands over her face and sighed, shooting another vicious glare towards the shoe with amber eyes. She finally turned to Zem and Aed and smiled, though a definate fake, a small laugh escaping her. She felt so embarrassed at being frightened of a shoe.

Diana was about to say something, her muzzle opening slightly, when she noticed how odd Zem and Aed both looked in the dim, almost dark light of the long hallway with the bright light of the sun pouring in from behind them. She shook her head and scratched the inside of her palm with a nail. She then saw her suitcase and walked over, picking it up and slung it over her shoulder once more.

<span style='color:red'>"Shall we move on...and not talk of any shoes."</span> She giggled playfully at the last part and smiled, her eyes were now a dim, rough amber color now that the light didn't shine on them.

 

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Zem's mouth as she listened to Di's seemingly angered answer. It wasn't everyday you met someone who could talk about ripping someone apart as if it wasn't serious - which, actually, it probably was. But how could she tell? Diana was one unpredictable creature according to her standards. At this build-up of inquiries and replies in her own head, and also wondering thoughts, a new question came whizzing through her head at lightning speed.
<span style='color:red'>What if it's the principal's shoe?</span>
Another hint of a grin pulled away at the ends of her maw, making the gleaming ivory tips of serrated fangs show beneath ebony lips. However, for the very first time since many years of her life, she managed to stop herself from letting these words pass her lips. It might offend the Anubi female, and Zem sure didn't want to do that - and not just because Diana would probably go after her with claws and fangs. This beige femme was the first who was able to stand her long enough for the tall thill to show her more mature side, and wasn't getting all pissy as much, nor commenting about what the 'dragon had done earlier. And the last fact that made the gray and brown female enjoy the company of her newfound friend, or at least companion, was that Aedil wasn't getting all tense and spitty either. She was calm and composed, settled snugly on the hightes section of the soft rise of Zemenia's shoulder, half-closed eyes betraying her obvious need for rest. Her older sister cast a worried glance in her direction, concerned for her health with all this excitement happening, even though she didn't really have to [and she knew that quite well]. Aed had taken care of herself for many years out in the wild, and was able to survive without her strange sibling. She could do it again.
Zem watched as Di took her suitcase and swung it over her shoulder with a casual ease, and then spoke again. The thill twitched as she noticed the beginning of a question, but soon untensed her facial sinew as the end of the statement made by the Anubi femme came up. It sounded slightly like an inquiry if listened to closely, but the abnormally long-legged female didn't particularly want to think about that small detail just as much as she didn't desire to let thoughts of her past, or anything concerning her past, for that matter, enter her childishly mature mind, and only payed any attention whatsoever to the fact that it seemed to be a rhetorical question, or a question that wasn't really entirely a question, and so wasn't too bad. She shrugged her shoulders, making Aedil squeak in surprise as the niotie was shaken from her perch. The tiny female leaped onto her sister's head, accidentally kicking one of her ears, and gripped the new surface with thick claws. Zem winced in pain for a moment as she felt the dull tips of her smaller sister's claws digging into her skin, and reached up to take a hold of the tiny girl. However, seeing that she wasn't making her sibling very comfortable while doing this, Aed soon jumped off of her head and landed on her other shoulder, a slight pout etched carefully onto her facial appearance, though a glint of pleading for pardon could be clearly seen inside her bicolored oculars. Zemenia sent her a warm smile to comfort her, and then flicked the end of her muzzle with one needle-thin claw, giggling happily as she teased her sister. The pale ashen female growled playfully, swiping at the teasing hand, and then settled onto the shoulder by draping herself over it like a loose rag on a bar. Comfy.
Realizing she hadn't answered Di yet, Zemenia left off from playing with her sister and turned a slim, agile head to face the beige Anubi.
"<span style='color:red'>Well... I suppose. I think we're supposed to be looking for a place called the Main Office. But I can't see it, or the Registration Desk, for that matter.</span>"

[Sorreh about the late reply x.x I'm gone every weekend, and often on vacations. Gah. Too many absences.]

 

Di couldn't help but smile as she watched Aed almost flip out as Zem shrugged. She couldn't understand the little one in anyway, but she doubted she ever would. She began to trail off in thought again about queer things about the school when she heard Zem's answer.

Diana nodded and sighed a rough gaze going down to the end of the hallway. She looked back to Zem and smiled. <span style='color:red'>"Alright, I got an idea. I start at the end of the hall and you start at the beginning if we don't find the door by the time we meet at the middle then not only will I be confused but very pissed."</span> She laughed again softly and walked down to the end of the hall and looked carefully at each door in turn.

<span style='color:red'>"I hate this place...it's too dark for a school and we can't even find the main office. But the people are okay so far."</span>

OOC: It's alright. Your sort of slow replies sorta makes up for my kinda short posts. ^^;

 

Zemenia nodded in agreement as Di proposed an idea to find the door to the Main Office, and walked back to the doorway before whirling around, pale green orbs trained on the doors on her right. Aedil checked the doors to her left, thin, indigo-ringed ears flicking at every entryway that wasn't up to expectations. Slow pace began as the tall thil started walking forwards, calm steps stopping her sister from bouncing up and down on her shoulder. One door, two doors, three doors, and still nothing that showed they had reached their destination. And they kept on getting closer to their companion, audits flicking off the wrong doors, moss-hued oculars switching from one mahogany panel to the next, always hoping to find it but seeing that they had not yet reached their goal. It was boring work, to say the least, though not tiring; looking at doors wasn't a particularly interesting job, especially since each and every one of them seemed exactly the same except for the small panels with the names of the rooms behind the doors they decorated etched carefully into their copper surfaces. That was the only difference between any of them, really, and it didn't take long for Aedil to begin yawning. She still hadn't completely recovered from her raging fury earlier, in which she had become angered to the point where her tail had started smoking, beginning to blaze as it usually did when her temper got high enough, and this continuous row of entries did not entertain her much. Thoughts of escaping the wide hallway and running outside to trick some unsuspecting student of the Janardan Academy crossed her mind, thoughs eh payed no heed to them. At the moment, Zemenia needed her, and so she had to stay there.
"<span style='color:red'>I haven't found it yet. And you, Di?</span>"
Aedil jumped awake, quickly flicking over the names of the doors her older sister had passed while she had a short rest. Zem's call had pulled her from slumber, but she wasn't angry about it. Quite ashamed, really. She was growing rusty with this easy life. Imagine going to sleep on hunting duty! What a terrible mistake that could have been.

OOC//Eh, I suppose so xP I'll stop talking OOC now.

 

Diana looked about and right when she heard Zem call out to her, her eyes landed on a plate apon one of the doors that purely said 'Main Office'. She grinned and yelled out a 'yippie'. She smacked a hand over her mouth and looked to Zem and removed her hand to show a grin.

<span style='color:red'>"Yeah, I just found it. Thankfully."</span>

She laughed and ran up to Zem, taking her arm and ran off with her to the door, stopping in front of it. She sudenlly felt nervous. New school...new life...new people. It seemed a bit too overwhelming for her, she almost felt like she was going to barf. Scratch that she was going to.

<span style='color:red'>"Oh god..."</span> She whimpered and whirled around, after letting go of Zem, and dropped her suitcase and ran to the nearest trash can. She held onto the sides of the plastic container and let it out.

 

Both Zemenia and her sister jumped in surprise as they heard Di's joyful cry echoing painfully inside their sensitive ears. The taller one of them flicked her ear, as if she wanted to dislodge something stuck inside it, and then turned to see what had made her Anubi companion so happy - or at least seemingly so. The beige femme was grinning merrily beside another one of those fargging doors, exactly the same as all the other ones, except for... the... panel.
'Main Office'.
A victorious grin of satisfaction began spreading across the thill's maw, serrated fangs showing clearly beneath ebony lips as the corners of her mouth were pulled up with an almost instinctive movement. Then Di confirmed the sight, though her words reverbrated hollowly inside the tall female's skull like the tones of a ringing gong, and gave vent to a short laugh before running towards the contented sisters, Zemenia looking slightly surprised and nervous as the beige femme grabbed her arms and began dragging her over to the door. Aedil gave a squeak of shock while her older sister started racing forwards alongside their newfound companion, latching herself to the secure lump of a shoulder - or not so secure, looking at how close she had been to tumbling right off of it - she had been resting on moments before. Zemenia gave an apologizing glance over her shoulder, though she wasn't able to stop or help her younger sibling - one of her arms was being tightly held by their supposed friend, and the other was busy keeping her from falling in the speed. Getting pulled along the slick floor of a school hallway at quite a rate wasn't especially great for your balance.
Their sudden stop jarred the smallest one of them, the pale gray niotie, right off of her sibling's clavicles. She just fell forwards, rolling head over paws, and then dropped through the air to land roughly on the ground. She had been leaning forwards against the speed, and so her fall had been that much easier to provoke. Letting out a faint 'oomph' as the air was punched out from her chest at her harsh landing, a faint whimper could be heard escaping her throat. Zemenia, immediately troubled by her sister's pain and worried for the tiny creature, scooped her up into her arms. A bruise was already developing on Aed's chest, turning the bleached ashen skin a dark, angry purple-blue. The niotie winced in pain, but did not let another noise come from her mouth. She wasn't weak. She would take it. That was the message sent to her sister in the little one's actions, and so Zemenia calmed slightly, turning to see what Di was now doing.
In fact, the Anubi girl wasn't even there anymore. She was standing farther away, next to one of the few garbage cans lining the walls, and leaning over its rim. A sickly smell was beginning to fill the air. Zem wrinkled her nose in disgust, and imediately closed the airway leading to them, instead letting her mouth hang open slightly to let oxygen come into her lungs. A tentative phrase, slightly plugged by the fact that she was not using her nose anymore, came forth in a near whisper from her unlocked jaws.
"<span style='color:red'>Di? Is everything all right?</span>"
She started walking hesitantly towards the beige female, wondering what was happening. It wasn't everyday you saw someone looking into a garbage can. Unless...
She grimaced at the thought. Augh. Would Di really puke her guts out?

 

Diana spit out the last of it that was stuck in the back of her throat and wiped her maw one the back of her hand and cleaned that off with a tissue she pulled out of her pocket. She turned around and leaned against the wall, her skin was an almost deathly pale under her fur. She kept her eyes closed, they seeming like complete black spots on her face. She sighed and breathed slowly and steadily. She opened her eyes and nodded softly.

<span style='color:red'>"I-I'm fine. Just got a bit too nervous, heh."</span> She whispered just barely loud enough for Zem and Aed to hear and rubbed her forehead. She felt so embarressed again, but now it was because she had just hurled her breakfast into a school trash can. She was sudenlly becomeing a nervous reck, which never happened often.

She finally leaned off of the wall and noticed Aed's bruice on her chest and she faintly remembered the tiny one falling off of her sister. She smirked and rubbed the side of her head. <span style='color:red'>"I'm sorry Aedil. I really didn't mean to hurt you."</span> She smiled and laughed softly, though it seemed to be a bit forced and it hurt the back of her throat. Hell her whole throat hurt, and her mouth did too. She was going to be feeling this for a while. She hoped that more wouldn't come back up.

 

By the time Di had finished hurling the contents of her stomach straight into the garbage can, Zemenia had reached the place where she was bending over the plastic container, the little body of her sister still cradled in strong earth-streaked arms. Another concerned look had appeared upon her marked features, though this time it was directed towards their companion, and a slight frown similar to the one she had used some time ago as the Anubi had yelled at them was now bending her brow into an elegantly curving v-shape, though the pout-like expression created by the curling of her lower lip ruined the faintly serious look she had developed. As Aed glanced upwards at her sister's features, one eyebrow raised in a questioning manner, she noticed this particular detail, and even more consternation imprinted itself upon her simple mind. Zem had nearly never shown much attention to others except as an occasion to have fun or to push away thoughts of by-gone events, and so this was something quite new to the pale gray niotie. She switched her position slightly, searching to be able to have a better look at her sibling's visage as she began pondering this new change in her kin, wincing from the pain caused by the spreading bruise on her chest in the process. Her attention immediately becoming attracted by this new something, she looked downwards at the angry hues coloring her abdomen, noting that the bruise was becoming much larger. It would heal quickly, but for now, it would be the main source of exasperation she possessed. Sleeping wouldn't be easy with such a huge thing pasted on her body, especially since she just couldn't rest on her back. Her tail made that quite uncomfortable. And so all other thoughts were pushed away as she began grumbling about it, though she didn't care much about the pain. At least her attention was off of the changes happening inside Zem's head.
In this short time she had spent with the beige thill, Zemenia had begun thinking that maybe the two could be friends. Di wasn't too complicated once you got to know her, though she might yell and scream a lot at first - especially if you yelled in her ears after jumping at her out of nowhere. A slight smirk twitched at the side of the tall striped femme's maw at this thought, though it disappeared quickly. Di had cleaned herself - at least generally - and was now leaning against the wall next to the can, eyes closed as she took deep breaths, probably to calm her stomach and stop herself from puking for the second time. Then, as she opened amber oculars, she gave a soft up and down shake of her head, answering Zem's earlier question by indicating that she was fine, and then putting it in words. The streaked gray thill gave her what she hoped was a sympathetic half-smile, though it looked more like the way a 'dragon bites their lip when they're nervous, and then wiped it off of her face, worried that she might aggravate the situation by doing something stupid. She had already srated chewing her claws again, this time at the same time as she rubbed her abnormally long foot along the back of her leg, the green fabric of her pants rustling faintly as she did so.
Aedil, again nestled again the ebony-hued cloth of her sister's shirt, shrugged her shoulders in reply to Di's excuse. It was nothing compared to what she had endured before. She could take it, as she had stated in her silent way before. Though she did not know how to speak english, she was able to express herself well without it.
"<span style='color:red'>So... do you... want to, umm, stop and rest, or... go in?</span>" Zem asked hesitantly, gesturing towards the door of the Main Office behind her. She hoped this wouldn't cause another reaction from Di [she didn't especially enjoy watching others, especially ones she was beginning to like being around with, puking into garbage cans], and this could be plainly seen by the concerned glint that had entered her eyes.

 

Di smiled and shrugged, crossing her arms over her stomach and she leaned over, once more leaning against the wall though doubled over slightly as if she was a bit cold. She looked up to Zem and Aed and smirked. <span style='color:red'>"I'd rather get this over with as soon as possible. If I do that then there will be a chance I wont puke soon enough."</span> She laughed at herself again and stood up and sighed, rubbing her arms and walked over, picking up her suitcase. She looked to the door and shivered and she shook her head, as if to try and get rid of the slight nervousness in her stomach, or was it bile.

She looked to Zem and motioned her head to have her follow her. She turned back to the door and grabbed the handle and opened it. The main office was simple and just looked a lot like the main office, though there were quite a bit of doors about on the east and west walls, they being on the north wall while the south wall was without doors. She walked slowly up to the front of the desk where the secretary was bored out of her mind, filing at her nails.

<span style='color:red'>"Um...which way to the Registration Room?"</span>

The femme secretary looked dully up towards Diana and smirked. She held up and pricey manicured nail towards the second door on the west wall. <span style='color:yellow'>"In there hun."</span> She then went back to filing her nails, the smirk still on her maw. Diana gritted her teeth against saying something to the woman and walked slowly towards the door, and she stood there seeming to stare at the handle. She was sort of off in her own world at the time, remembering how being home schooled was and wondering how different Janardan Academy might be from it. Her face had gotten it's color back but now it had lightened to the sickly white agian and her ears rested agianst her rust colored hair.

 

Zem stayed utterly silent as Diana gave another small, faint smile and shrugged her shoulders again, watching without a sound as the beige Anubi bent over slightly, seeming to clench her stomach with crossed arms as she leaned against the wall for the second time. Another moment passed by with no words being exchanged between the trio, the tall earth-streaked gray thill standing in the hallway, cradling a pale ashen 'dragon with a spreading bruise on her chest in her muscled arms, and the other femme's bleached frame depending upon the smooth surface of the wall beside her for support. But when a sentence was thrown into the air, it did not come from either fo the siblings watching the previously sick female, though Zemenia did nod in agreement to the statement and return a hesitant smile, worriedly keeping an eye on Di as she got back to her feet, taking a hold of her suitcase [though Aed did notice, from her perch in her older sibling's arms, that she did not sling it over her shoulder in her habitual way of transporting it] as she laughed again. The strange niotie nestled against the rough black fabric that made her bigger sister's shirt was beginning to wonder how the thill could keep on laughing like that even after having literally puked her guts out, especially since she was looking so pale and sickly. She noted her reactions as Di's amber gaze rested on the door again, shivers up her spine, a small shake of the head, and decided to keep it in her memory for now, just in case. Anything could be used in different situations. Might as well begin her reconaissance work right then and there.
Zem began moving towards Di as soon as she saw the gesture telling her to approach, thick, bare feet thumping against the shining floor with a rythmical steadiness that seemed to calm her own nerves and tumbling thoughts. She didn't quite get what was happening, and having mental problems was no help here. Why did she enjoy this thill's company? Was it because Di was all right once she got to know you a bit better? Or was it because Di liked her company? She didn't know for the latter, but what she was sure of was that she did like the fact that the beige Anubi wasn't yelling at her anymore. Shrugging her shoulders at her unfinished conclusion, deciding to finish her thoughts later on, she kept on walking, the soft sounds of her toes hitting the ground surprisingly low for such ungainly things.
She stopped as she got at the door. Because of her last experience with one, back at the beginning of the hallway, she wasn't especially excited about repeating the fear of confronting a blank panel of wood, completely devoid of anything else but dark material except for the shining plaque on the front. She stared at that for a bit, began concerning herself about Di again, and poked her snout around the door.
"<span style='color:red'>Di? Did ya find it?</span>"

 

Diana swallowed down the feeling that was creeping up her throat shook her head, as if coming from a dream and looked to Zem and smiled. <span style='color:red'>"Yea...heh. I found it."</span> She faught back the small whimper that threatened to come from her and she grabbed the door handle and opened the door, slowly walking into the room. She walked up to the desk and smiled at the sort of short man sitting at the desk. She set down her suitcase and cleared her throat. <span style='color:red'>"Umm...excuse me. I'm here to get registered, heh. I'm new."</span>

The short 'dragon's eyes locked with Di's amber ones and the sick feeling was beginning to come back. <span style='color:yellow'>"Alright. Take this and fill it out and then once I look it over to make sure everything is in order, I will allow you a room."</span> He spoke steadily and deliberately as he handed her a couple of sheets of paper on a clip board with a pencil and turned back to his work. He then absently pointed to a couple of chairs over to the side of the room and Diana nodded. She quickly went to the seats and tried to block out as much as she could around her. The odd clean smell of the room, the plastics and metals and electrical equipment. She shook her head and payed all her attention onto her papers. After a couple of minutes she was still pale but now she looked even more nervous.

She finally stood up from what looked like an uncomfortable position ontop of two chairs with her legs under her in odd angles. She walked back to the desk and handed the clipboard to the short 'dragon. He looked it over and nodded. <span style='color:yellow'>"Alright Miss Morrigan. I think we can easily fit you into room #5002. How does that sound? It'll be on the fifth floor...that is how the numbers work miss."</span> Di nodded quickly and smiled.

<span style='color:red'>"That sounds good, is that all?"</span> The dragon nodded to her question and Di snatched up her suitcase and jogged out of the room and went right past Zem. <span style='color:red'>"Come on...I want to get out of this building before I barf again."</span> She ran out of the office and into the hall and put a hand on the wall to steady herself. She felt better than she usually did when she was near offices, she thought that maybe it was because she was with someone who actually was always disappointed in everything she did. She smiled softly and waited for Zem and Aed to catch up.

 

Zem had to wait for a few minutes as Di disappeared into the room, thick muzzle inserted through the doorjamb, pale green eyes roving over the interior of the room as she tried to occupy herself by surveying the small, tight place. She didn't feel very comfortable in the tiny cell-like office, her nervousness gaining in intensity at every moment as she flicked her gaze back and forth across the shelves, electronics, books, and the desk where the secretary was sitting, a thin file in hand, rubbing away at the ends of her nails. Though it looked as if she was concentrating on the rounded tips of her digits, since she was bent over them with apparent seriousness, except for that faint smirk she had worn while talking to Zem's current companion still being present on her refined maw, the tall streaked thill knew she wasn't really paying attention to the constant ziiiiip of the band of metal against her claws, mainly because of the slight glances she kept on sending over at the hesitating and anxious female, obviously thinking she was not seen in her action of espionage. However, on one particular trip of the gaze to the femme standing awkwardly outside with her cranium poking into the office, her eyes rested on the tiny bundle of bleached ashen skin cuddled up against Zem's shirt, immediately descending down the length of Aed's slender neck to the spreading purple-blue bruise on her upper abdomen. An eyebrow shot up her forehead, betraying her sudden surprise at what looked like mistreatment, and she sent a frown in Zemenia's direction, thinking as soon as she had seen the mark that this abnormally long-legged femme was the cause of the blemish. Of course, the earth-striped thill, along with her smaller sister, did not know what to do, and so did the first thing that passed through her head.
They stuck her tongue out, the thill hugging Aed closer to herself.
The secretary gasped in shock, an exaggerated gesture that she had plainly practiced many times, before sending a barrage of furious glares in the niotie's. Zem rolled her eyes in exasperation, retreating back into the hallway, sending one last growl in the femme's direction as a warning before she disappearec beyond the door. The secretary ground her teeth in annoyance. What an impudent child.
Zem snickered as she walked a little farther down the hall, rubbing the top of Aed's head. The tiny 'dragon purred roughly, pushing her head against her sister's palm, and giggled along with her. That was fun.
Zem whirled around as Di walked past, saying something that she didn't quite catch, though her meaning was obvious afterwards by the way she ran right out of the office, then leaning against the wall for the third time in that hall. Zem jogged over, still using that strange, amusing way of hers that made Aed bounce up and down comically. She finally decided to get out of her sister's arms after a moment of this extremely uncomfortable movement [rendered horrible by the bruise on her chest], instead jumping right onto the thill's high shoulder with a single strong release of her hind legs, claws catching in the fabric as she landed so that she could steady herself before falling as she had the last time. Her sibling stopped at their supposed friend's side, coming to a jarring halt in which the smaller niotie nearly fell off again, and then spoke again. She was a lot more talkative than usual today.
"<span style='color:red'>So... where do we go now?</span>"
Though Zem was afraid of questions directed towards her [she didn't think about the reasons, pushing other thoughts away], she was fine with asking them unless they bothered the one they were addressed to.

 

Diana looked up and smiled, her smile just seemed to grow into a massive grin as if the whole barfing incident hadn't even happened. <span style='color:red'>"Outside onto the campus grounds of course. I want to hang out with you! You spark an...oh what is the word I'm looking for. Oh....you spark an interest in me."</span> She smiled and laughed softly and slung the suitcase over her shoulder and began to walk down the hall towards the double doors that lead outside to the courtyard and campus.

When Di reached them she opened them slowly and breathed in the sweet smell of outside and almost instantly felt better. She looked back to Zem and Aed. <span style='color:red'>"Well...you coming or not, Cutie?"</span> Diana cursed herself mentally for saying that. She had no idea on how the 'dragon would take it, though she hoped to god she wouldn't freak. Diana was just too big of a tease sometimes, even to friends.

She laughed again, louder this time and darted outside and ran through the crowds, looking behind her to make sure that Zem would keep up. She finally stopped in front of the old tree that she had been under when she first arrived, and the tree that Zemenia and Aedil watched her from without her knowing.

 

Zem gave another hesitant smile, though it was slightly larger than the last few she had managed to create upon her streaked maw, as Di began grinning for a reason that the thill could apparently not see. However, the uncomfortable gesture of friendliness was soon wiped off the femme's face to be replaced by an expression of either absolute shock, utter surprise, or plain amazement. Her lower jaw dropped right then and there, just like a stone, and her articulation cracked painfully as it was brought to a jarring halt, but she did not do anything that might have shown she even noticed the pain. Wow. Now that was big news.
She just stared at the Anubi for a second, her suitcase slung over her slender shoulder, wondering exactly what to do. No one had ever told her that. Ever. So this, all in all, was quite a fix for the strange 'dragon. What could she say? Was she supposed to answer? Should she stay silent? Even Aed had jumped at the revelation, which, in fact, had been made as if she was saying she had learned to walk, as easily as if it was said five times a day. This would have caused a suspicion inside her mind if she had been using all of her senses and had been aware of different things, but the pure shock of even hearing something like that, and directed towards her, was too much.
Realizing that she was still staring like an idiot at the beige femme's back, jaw opened stupidly, she closed her mouth with a jerking snap, wincing at the pain that shot up inside her head. Giving a quick shake of her ashen skull, bleached moss gaze hidden from view behind lowered lids, she cleared her thoughts, trying to put one thing inside her mind more clearly than the rest.
<span style='color:red'>Is it true?</span>
By this time, Di had opened the doors to the hallway, now breathing in the sweet, fresh air wafting inside from the outdoors. Zem took a tentative sniff, making sure everything was just as she had left it, and concluded as she deviated from her original topic that three more students had come out, and none gone back in. Or, at least, to her knowledge.
Slim ears perked as more sound came in, and she identified it as Di's voice, opening her eyes again as she looked at the female.
<span style='color:red'>Cutie? Wuff?</span>
The thill didn't quite know what this word meant, having heard it only when older 'dragons were speaking to very young nioti, and so, one eyebrow cocked up on her forehead, Zem walked cautiously over to the door as Di ran off into the crowds. Frowning slightly at the tight groups of students, Zem decided to take a different path from the one thier companion had, not wanting her little sister to freak, and ran off in her strange gangling steps to the side, sliding through the shadows alongside the walls, until she had reached a place where she could survey the whole campus and not have to be in the middle of crushing crowds. There was Di. With no hurry, Zem started towards her, making sure Aed was comfortable on her shoulder, deciding that if what Di was saying was true, it would be proven later. Then would be the time for doubts. Now, why not have some fun?

 

Diana saw Zem and Aed come up casually and she smiled, setting down her suitcase she layed down onto the ground and stretched out her left leg while her right leg was propped up with the knee jabbing up to the sky. She splayed her arms out over her head on the grass and stared up at the tree, and her beige fur danced with darker and lighter colors of beige as she light hit it in different areas through the canopy of leaves. She looked to Zem and stuck her tongue out playfully. <span style='color:red'>"Well...sit down. It's not like it's gonna hurt."</span> She just giggled softly and looked back to the tree's canopy.

 

The tall thill shrugged at Di's words, wondering what the heck the Anubi was talking about, but knowing that it would've been pretty obvious for anyone else, and so not asking the question that tumbled round and round her head. Aed jumped down from her shoulder, landing with a light thump on the grass-covered earth, wincing slightly as the shock of meeting ground so suddenly jarred her body, activating the bruise that had now stopped spreading on her chest. She glanced upwards to her older sister, who was trying to sit down comfortably without looking like a complete idiot, long legs splayed out around her in a similar manner to the one their companion had adopted as she lay down.
As she finally managed to get down without sitting on her tail, nor tangling her legs, nor falling over backwards like a total imbecile, she started to relax, leaning back on her outstretched arms to stare at the mottled green canopy above her head. It was nice there, just sitting under the tree, nothing said or done. She'd never tried it before. She was always moving around, staying with her sister to make sure she didn't get in too much trouble, or joining in with the fun of making pranks. But this... this was a different joy. A silent joy. Not the same, but equal to what she had experienced in her stays outside with the tiny gray niotie now curled up on her lap. She smiled down at her sibling, warmth radiating from her cool bleached moss oculars, half-closed eyes expressing the lazy happiness that was now spreading through her being. It was nice here. Nice. Was Di nice?
Zem surprised herself by thinking this, and gave a small nod of her head as she replied to her own inquiry.
<span style='color:red'>Yeah, she's nice.</span>

 

Diana noticed out of the corner of her eye the slight trouble Zem was having while trying to sit down comfortably like herself and she giggled softly, but playfully not at all mean. She then cocked her eyebrow as she saw the 'dragon nod her head. Di rolled over onto her side and propped her head up with her hand, a questioning gaze directed towards Zem. <span style='color:red'>"Why did you nod your head?"</span> She was curious on what the 'dragon was thinking. She didn't truly understand Zem completely yet, all she knew really was that she got quiet nervous when asked questions, but she would have to try and get used to them, specially with Di's curiousity. Though Diana doubted that Zem would get used to questions, so she tried to lessen her curiousity herself.

Her sleek, thin tail swayed slowly and casually behind her. She was content and it showed in every aspect of her form. She layed there, her gaze soft but demanding as specks of light hit them and made them dance, her slim figure curving gracefully on the hip that was not touching the ground. She looked like a dancer, but was a simple dream weaver who loved astrology. She believed such things as horoscopes and astrology, she simply adored them.

 

Zemenia, absorbed in her own thoughts, jerked back to reality as Di's voice rang through her ears. Aed, dislodged from her rest by the harsh and sudden movement, squeaked in surprise, immediately jumping off of her sister's lap to roll across the ground, halting as she reached Di's leg. Her face was contorted with pain, though she tried not to let anything escape her maw about the agony, and she got up slowly to not jar her bruise anymore. Glancing reproachfully at her sibling, who gave her a sorry expression in return, she curled her lower lip at the tall and gangling thill, planting a frown upon her brow to complete the pouting effect she wanted to create. All these disturbances were becoming quite exasperating for the tiny niotie, especially since she was the one with the bruise, though she knew that this moment was particularly hard for the streaked femme because of the accumulating questions, the thoughts tumbling through her head as they fought each other, and the two needs of staying here with Di because she was finally making a friend and running away because she couldn't stand the nervousness building up inside her any longer. Rolling miscolored eyes in exasperation, getting up on her hind legs [a rare happening already, and nearly impossible near anyone she did not know entirely - Di was getting quite a few privileges] to place thick paws on slender hips, the pale ashen girl of ten years might have looked just like a 'dragon mother ready to lecture her hatchling - if she had been six or seven feet taller.
And she also sounded as if she was giving Zem a good telling off, a stream of shrill hisses and barks escaping her maw like angered wasps, in front of which her sister, three or four times bigger than her, and probably stronger as well, cowered as if she was being threatened. The tirade soon stopped, but Zem continued staring at the ground with an ashamed expression on her face, as if cowed into submission. However, Aedil never really got angry at her sister, and soon dropped back to her four feet to scamper to her side, giving her sibling's slender hand a comforting lick to tell her she was forgiven. The ways they communicated were strange ones to be sure, but there were the bases of kin relationship present in there.
Zem had seemingly forgotten Di's question, and so Aed flicked an ear towards the Anubi's form to remind her. An immediate look of nervousness spread on the thill's features as she searched for something to answer without saying everything. However, she was never really good at that.
"<span style='color:red'>I... uh... well, it's... I... You're nice.</span>"
<span style='color:red'>There, I've done it now. No going back.</span>