<font color='#000F22'><center><blockquote><font color=dimgray face=verdana size=1><span style=letter-spacing:-1px><font color=black>;; out of character</font> I love you, you love me, we're a happ- er, I mean, private for 'Kie. x) <font color=black>;; in character</font> The steady trickle of rain, falling down the window behind her, was a sound that Hart could hear. Soft as the pitter patter was, the principal had long learned to hear even the smallest things. A shift in the movements of nature might foretell the approach of another, after all. It was a soothing sound as well, though, at the moment, too much was on Demori's mind for her to be able to calm down completely. Things rushed through her thoughts, paw moving swiftly as the inked pen ran along the paper in a speedy attempt to complete some built up work. There were a lot of things to do, and today was officially her "day off", but she had opted to merely have most of her normal duties taken care of by others. Tails twisted and turned, coiling around each other, then moving swiftly to break apart. Eyes flickered to the open entrance, anticipating a riot sometime soon. Sure enough, the bell rang, and students began to speak and move. Noise was a more soothing factor to the principal then silence had been, and tensed shoulders relaxed. There was a certain sense of security, of contentment, in hearing the students mill about. Soon enough, they'd go into their second class of the day. Tilting her head, she curved one ear towards the door, prepared for a teacher to come in and inform her of some need. Strangely, there was no need for her. No incidents, no pushing, shoving, or other such matters, in the hall. Which was a relief, since she hated having to deal with bad students on her day off. Silence settled once more, and Hart half-mourned the noise. Yet that also meant that the next class had started... she really should go and look in on one of them. But the principal had other things to do. Perhaps today would be relaxing? Or perhaps she had thought too soon... </font>
<font color='#000000'>·· The Black Snack Market ·· Okkie hoisted her damp backpack to a more comfortable level, and kept walking. The hallway was empty, and her footsteps echoed in the silent expanse - the rubber soles of her white tennis shoes were squeaking on the tile, because she'd just gotten here, and it was raining outside. The female tried to walk as softly as she could - she didn't want to get caught milling around the hall between classes - but she couldn't quite muffle the noise. After a few minutes of fruitless fretting, she just let it go, and kept scurrying down the hall. Only now, her squeaky footsteps weren't the only sounds in the vast, empty corridor - there was a medley of nervous swearing to add to the clamor. The lanky female kept peering shiftily around, afraid that the dirty language, if not the screeching shoes, would surely attracted some strict teacher's unwanted attention. She expected a professor's head to pop out from one of the many doors, expected someone to yell at her and send her to the principal's office, but nothing of the sort happened. Perhaps the drumming of the rain shower had stifled the steady squeaking of her sneakers, or perhaps she was in a hallway where none of the teachers cared if you cut class. Who knew? Who cared? 'Least she wasn't getting caught. Okkie finally reached her destination - the teacher's lounge. She nervously peered about, and stuffed her thumbs in the loops of her baggy blue jeans. The she-pendragon then leaned casually against the door, and it immediately gave way. She nearly tumbled into the room, but checked herself. Her entrance wasn't graceful, but it turned out it didn't matter - the lounge was empty. Score! The youth grinned widely, glad she hadn't had to make up some lame excuse about why she had abruptly fallen into the teacher's room. She then shook her head with a vigorous woof, and turned to face the sole reason she had come here - the vending machine. It had everything a young pendragon could dream of. Sugary snacks, salty chips, and plenty of drinks high in caffeine. It held all the snacks that weren't available in the student cafeteria. It held all the little repasts that the youth of Janardan lusted after, but couldn't get their grubby paws on. Okkie stared with wide blue eyes at the many delicacies within, and dreamt of all the things she could get by bribing other students with these snacks. She knew, for a fact, that all the chubby little pendragons would give anything, anything, to get their hands on these things. She could run her own little "black snack market" - or at least that was her plan. Okkie sidled up to the machine, and then crouched down in front of it. She shrugged her backpack from her shoulders, and opened it. Then, after a few moments of consideration, she pushed open the flap at the bottom of the machine and reached inwards and upwards. It wasn't long before the young mischief-maker was harvesting many a snack, and every last one went directly into her waiting backpack. Her paws fell on many packages of dreamy, powdery pastries, a surplus of crispy chip bags, and not to forget the dozens of cartons of juice and soft drinks. In fact, she had pretty much cleared out the bottom, accessible, half of the vending machine, and now there was only one thing left that she could reach - a rather large, delicious-looking lollipop. This one is for me, 'Kie thought to herself. She smashed her cheek up against the glass of the vending machine, and strained her arm in an attempt to reach the prize. When she thought she had it within her clutch, the young pendragon then yanked. Only, she hadn't had the lolly in her grip - it had been one of the stock rungs. And she'd pulled so damn hard - the whole vending machine tilted precariously, and then tumbled forward with a monstrous crash, with Okkie halfway underneath it. Squashed like a bug.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><center><blockquote><font color=dimgray face=verdana size=1><span style=letter-spacing:-1px><font color=black>;; out of character</font> Sorry... for... delay. xx; <font color=black>;; in character</font> Ah, yes, the day was going rather nicely. Before too long, the somewhat relieved Principal would be able to retreat to the Staff Room for a bit, then actually enjoy her day off. Perhaps she would do some other administration duties, but that was a matter for consideration at a later point in time. Right now, she just wanted to finish up the work that was set before her. It wasn't hard, just tedious. The same words flowing from her pen, page after page. It was as much habit as it was voluntary thought. Actually, she mostly just did what came natural - replied appropriately, but with little real contemplation on the matter. She knew the answer before it was penned, and just jotted it down so that it was appropriately realized by whomever needed it back. An idle smile graced her features, one that was vague in intent and origins, and she chuckled softly under her breath. It was almost too easy, after all these years, to work on schedules and letters, acceptance and denial of exchange students - more of the latter than the former. Janardan accepted almost everyone, gave them a chance, then kicked them out if they caused too much trouble. That was just the way things worked, here in the Academy. Demori's ears caught the sound of squeaking shoes, and the softest murmur of words. Lifting her head, for a second, confusion whispered across it. All of the students should have been in the classrooms by now. Perhaps it was a newcomer? Or a teacher? But it wasn't her duty, today, to investigate. Surely someone else had heard, and it wasn't up to her to make sure that it wasn't an intruder. The defenses of Janardan were enough to protect the students, so it had to be someone "safe". Someone who wasn't about to blast the entire place with black sorcery, or some such nonsense. A soft chuckle escaped her throat, and she relaxed a bit, just realizing that she had been tense from the idea of a trespasser. It wasn't exactly impossible. Especially when she was sure the Graders had enough influence to have the access codes to the shields. She hadn't given them the information, but others had held the secret before her, and more currently did, alongside her as administrators and the like. Knew how to drop them in the case of emergency. Though why their leaders would want to get rid of the school was beyond her, so it seemed a farfetched idea. Arther Rhapsode walked in with a warm smile, and gracefully approached her. Art was an old friend, and had once been a romantic interest. Perhaps, deep down, she still loved him, and he her, but that was a matter for different times. At the moment, the younger pendragon was bringing her some warm honeyed tea, since he had a few moments off. Perhaps he had even left his class for a moment to bring it to her. If she remembered correctly, Rhapsode had a class today. A faint frown graced her lips at the thought, but Art snorted softly, as if reading her thoughts, and handed her the cup. Taking it with a grateful mental murmur of appreciation, she sipped from the steaming mug. With a fond grin, Arther waved, and stepped out of the room, returning to his needy class. No words had been uttered aloud, yet there was a mutual understanding between them that didn't need vocalization. The hot beverage was enough to make Hart want to melt. It was perfectly made so that it warmed her, but didn't scorch her tongue. Besides that, it had the right amount of honey in it, not too much, not too little. Arther knew her all too well. Sometimes, it was sad that she had little free time. It would have been nice to go out for an evening with the always-offering Fighter. He often asked her if she wanted to go get dinner somewhere on Watani, but something always came up. It was a sad excuse, but it was true. It wasn't that she wanted a husband - she had already gone through one of those, and Arther was more of a good friend than someone she would want to spend nights with... or so she often told herself. Oh, to be young and carefree again. Her musings were cut short as a crash echoed from the Teacher's Lounge. Ears perked up, and her eyes widened a fraction at the sound. That certainly hadn't been anticipated. Easily vaulting over her desk - which wasn't terribly large - the grown pendragon unsheathed her claws. Walking menacingly towards the Room, she glanced sideways at the halls. No one else had heard it, or, at least, they weren't coming if they had. It had been loud, but her office was close to the Lounge, which would explain why she might have heard it, but no one else. As she came to the door, she saw that it was partially ajar, and frowned slightly. They always kept the door closed... Shoving it open, she hissed at the sight of the fallen snack machine - and the teenager stuck halfway under it. With a frown that was layered with disappointment and anger, she walked towards the student. <font color=#330000>"Care to tell me your excuse, hm?"</font> She inquired coldly. </font>
<font color='#000000'>Something... wet was dripping all over Okkie, and as she squirmed under the weight of the toppled vending machine, she just hoped it wasn't blood. It felt cold, thin, and bubbly - perhaps a box of juice or soda had exploded on impact? After all, the backpack full of foodstuffs had been right next to the pendragon - it had likewise been crushed. The femme wriggled beneath the gigantic weight atop her body, and tried to reach some cinnamon digits towards the moisture that was clinging to the tail of her shirt. It took something of a monumental effort, but she finally slipped a paw towards the spreading liquid, and her fingertips met with a mere puddle of juice. Relief sang through the young female's mashed body, and her focus shifted from improbable bleeding to the more important task at hand - getting herself out of this figurative yet literal mess. I do not want to break any bones now, 'Kie thought as she peered at the wreckage that was her bodice. Everything from the elbow down was pinned beneath the machine, and it was extremely difficult just to move her hands or wiggle her toes. Even her fluffy ginger tail was trapped. But I have to do whatever it takes, I guess. I cannot just lay here and wait to be discovered. That would entail way too many detentions... No way I am gonna get caught... Too late. An authoritative, booming voice crackled through the lounge, and the banded youth would have cringed at the sound, had her body not been crushed beneath the vending machine. As it was, an involuntary shudder traveled through her body, and her spikey nape prickled as her cobalt eyes blazed with intensity. Large ears pricked, and she tried to twist her neck up and around to see who it was yelling at her with such emotionless lexis. She couldn't really maneuver her cranium that well, however, and she simply laid her skull back on the cool tile and peered coyly up at the elder pendragon, whom she vaguely recognized as Janardan's principal. Okkie waited until the adult was done spitting out her angry words, and then the young female smiled crookedly and asked in a small, though not frightened, voice: "Um... can we do excuses later, after I'm out from under this thing?"</font>
<font color='#000F22'><center><blockquote><font color=dimgray face=verdana size=1><span style=letter-spacing:-1px><font color=black>;; in character</font> As she awaited a reply, Hart's sharp eyes took everything in - including the tell tale corner of a backpack. So that was the reason that the machine was lying across the caramel form of one of Janardan's students, she had been trying to filch some of the goodies. The Principal was tempted to snort and leave the child to her own devices. After all, the banded nioti had done it to herself. It would be the perfect punishment: self-inflicted. However, the machine was rather heavy, and could probably do damage, if Okkie was exposed to it for a long period of time (haha). If it hadn't already cracked or fractured some bones in the body of the youngster. Therefore, she was in between a rock and a hard place. The youth had to be gotten out, but that required Hart thinking up better punishment... which didn't sound like a good thing to do on her day off. Ears swung languidly as she continued to wait. This certainly wasn't the nice, relaxing day Arther had claimed it would be... "no worries" he had said. Never, ever, did the Principal of Janardan have no worries. Always, the days off were the worst. With the most trouble, the most accidents, the most busy... yes, it was always a pain, her day off. For she would have delegated to someone else, otherwise, since she was too busy. She had time, now, though, and couldn't just claim it was her vacation day. That would certainly seem self-absorbed. Scowling in irritation, she listened to the resident's words, and chuckled lightly. That kid sure did cut right to the chase... with a soft sigh, she nodded, and moved closer. Leaning up onto her hindlegs, she shifted so that forepaws were placed underneath the machine. <font color=#330000>"On three, I lift it. Got it? One... two... three."</font> With that, she heaved the snack machine upwards, waiting for 'Kie to get out before she could allow it to fall back to the ground. For an elderly pendragon, Hart was actually rather strong. For anyone at all, actually, she had a rather impressive amount of muscle. Perhaps it was because of her trades, which didn't require muscles for the most part, but were both part of being a warrior. She wasn't much of a fighter by choice, but was certainly capable of defending herself. </font>
<font color='#000000'>'Kie began to twitch in the period between her curt question and Hart's rejoinder. It seemed that the principal was deliberating over something... perhaps she was trying to torture the young pendragon? Or maybe she was even thinking of leaving her pinned under the machine? Not funny, Okkie thought as she writhed and struggled against the crushing weight on her body. Though she hadn't initially been nervous, Hart's presence in the room made the youth extremely tense. She just wanted to get out from under this thing, explain herself, and leave to go curl up in a corner and lick her proverbial wounds. But, no, she thought, her cobalt eyes fluttering towards the elder female, as the pause lengthened. She is just gonna stand there until this vokcing thing sucks all the vokcing oxygen out of my vokcing lungs. Hellooo. It was just then that Hart scooted closer to the scene, and Okkie felt relief soar through her veins for the second time since the accident. She watched the adult's every momevement with piercing blue eyes, waiting and wondering what Hart could possibly do. She seems a little old, cinnamon femme thought. That was until Hart single-handedly hoisted the machine off the young one's body. But 'Kie didn't take the time to marvel at the sixty-something's strength - she immediately relished the lack of weight against her lower torso, and she slipped from beneath the collapsed vending machine as quickly and stealthily as a cat, her smashed backpack trailing in her right hand. The banded pendragon rose to her feet as soon as she was freed, and she looked down at herself. The seat of her dark blue jeans was soaked in dark liquid, as was the majority of her white tank. 'Least her striped arm socks were okay... the only part of this incident that had gone unscathed. The rest of her body just felt pinched, and her fur was all sticky and ratty. Not to mention her snack bag - it was soaked and dripping everywhere, and all sorts of creams and crumbs were teeming from inside it. Kinda... gross to look at. But appearances weren't important now. Kanji-marked female slowly spun around to look at Hart, who had by now let the snack machine fall back to the floor. Okkie was sure that the principal would want some sort of explanation - adults always seemed so damn strict and disapproving. In fact, the teenager bet herself that, sometime in the next quarter of an hour, her least favorite word in the world - "inappropriate" - would pop out of Hart's grim-lined mouth. Alas, she could push that moment far into the future, if she began talking, and trying to explain, now. "Ehm... well, I'm guessing you want some sort of explanation, right? Well, I know this isn't on my student records, but I have this eating disorder that requires me to eat every hour. I really apologize for not letting the school in on it, but, like, it's personal... and embarrassing. I'm really sorry! Anyway... I missed breakfast this morning in my rush to class... I needed something. Now, I mean. I still do, in fact..." To emphasize her story, Okkie reached into her backpack, scooped up a pile of cream, and put her digit in her mouth. She made a satisfied "mmm" noise, then smiled sheepishly at the principal. "That should keep me in order for a few minutes. You see... this vending machine is the closest, and it was an emergency. And I didn't have money. And I took a lot of stuff because my stock pile ran out last night... 's why I didn't have anything this morning... I'm really sorry..." The lie. It came so easily. And it was so well executed. Thank spy and rogue training for that... Would Hart Demori be able to tell?</font>
