"BORED BORED BORED BORED BORED!"
"ZELL, COME BACK!" Following behind him was a more brownish blur. Confused, Vincent and the others turned to follow the pairs progress down the hall, as had everyone who had been completely stunned into silence. The blue and blond streak was heading directly for the window that was open at the end of the hall.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREDDDDDDDDDDD!" With a shout that reached an amazing level of volume, the young male lept out of the open second story window.
"ZELL!" The brown blur that had been following stopped, breathing heavily as he leaned against the windowsill, staring downwards in alarm. "You promised to stop doing that!"
Now that he had stopped moving, it was easier to see that the other male was wearing a brown trenchcoat and was carrying a cowboy hat in his hands, his long brown hair waving wildly in the wind. From outside, the cries continued.
"BOREDDDDDDDD!"
"Zell!" Turning, the young man dashed down the nearest stairwell and then vanished from sight.
Everyone seemed to blink at the same time.
Motion seemed to resume shortly afterward, with Hojo gesturing to Shera with her clipboard. "Make a note of Dincht and Kinneas as well."
She obediantly did, shaking her head back and forth and mumbling to herself. "I always thought they'd end up there eventually..."
Vincent found it easier to speak now that the silence had been broken, and his voice ventured out quietly as they resumed walking. "'There'...?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Hojo's tone, which was chilling in general, now frightened Vincent terribly. He tried to think back to the rules stated during orientation...they had said something about the posession of drugs in ones room, but he could not remember what the punishment was. He hadn't been paying much attention as he thought it would never apply to him, and now here he was. He would have cursed his lack of foresight, but this was really the last thing that he expected to, or in his opinion, SHOULD have happened to him.
After all, he only had alcohol, right...? It couldn't be that bad for him...he'd just explain where it came from...
But that would get Cid in trouble as well...should he tell the whole truth? He didn't want to cause Cid any pain...he was his friend...but...
Although he was used to such altruistic actions, sacrifices for those unworthy so that they'd be free, he began to feel a slight tinge of guilt. His actions that set others free...the thought of how Cid would feel occured to him for the first time. Sure, sacrificing himself would save Cid from pain...but then Cid would have to live with the knowledge that he HAD sacrificed himself for him...
He didn't want Cid to feel responsible for him, or feel the guilt that comes with having a friend take the blame for you when you knew it was your fault. Vincent was confused. This thought had never occured to him before.
But was it really his place to decide how Cid would feel about it? He wasn't sure...
He was so entrapped in his mental discussion that he hadn't noticed how far the five had gone. Now they stopped in front of a closed door, and Hojo spoke and broke the silence that had reigned for an unknown count of minutes.
"Here we are. Which one of you two gentleman wishes to enter first?" Prof. Hojo turned to the two with a malicious smile on his face, and Vincent unconsciously cringed away. Why did he hate him so much? He must, that would be the only reason why he would get so much pleasure out of causing him pain and embarassing him...but what had he ever done to him? Other then come in late...but that was unintentional, he hardly thought that could justify this kind of hatred...
While Vincent remained silent in his reverie, Hojo put a thin hand on Cloud's shoulder. Vincent noticed the shiver that ran through the blonde, no doubt from fear. "Why don't you go first, since your transgression is so much more serious?"
The quiet amusement in his voice made Vincent clutch his arms selfconsciously, and noticed for the first time that he was wearing his sleeping clothes, his sleeveless black shirt and his loose black pants. Blushing slightly, he looked down at the floor, feeling more embarassed then he had before. Why hadn't they given him time to change? Glancing at Cloud, he found that at least his clothes could pass for casual wear. He cursed his luck. Vincent was not aware that his clothes could pass for eccentric, but normal wear, and he wasn't about to let that interrupt his angry tirade against his own stupidity.
Why hadn't he thrown away the bottle? He said he would, he knew he meant to. Things had just happened so fast, and he lost track of time. If he had just done that, things would have been so much simpler...
Or would they...? He thought for a moment. Even if he denied posession of the drugs, he was almost positive they wouldn't believe him, and would have brought him in anyway...
He watched Cloud enter the room with Hojo behind him, almost as if the professor were preventing him from trying to escape. The door clicked behind them, and almost at the same time, the two women next to him turned to him. Lucrecia was the first to speak.
"This...may take a while. You can sit down if you want." She gestured to some chairs nearby. Silently Vincent sat down, not sure of what to think, as the two women walked off, speaking to eachother in low tones.
As he sat, a thought occured to him, and he put one of his hands to his chin, looking thoughtful. Why had they searched his room in the first place...?
He scratched his head softly as he tried to think of everything he had done since he had come here. Everything somewhat blurred for him. Picking out some important events, he tried to think of something that would warrant a room search...
Cid had been beaten up...but that wouldn't mean he was taking drugs or something. He narrowed his eyes slightly. The rumors flying about him and Cid...but that should be his own preference, that shouldn't have any relevance to whether he was on drugs or not...
Thinking back, the only thing that came to mind for him was when he had accidentally cut his arm in class...
He looked at his claw, which was clenching his knee tightly, and forced it to let go, looking at the sharp tips critically. He moved his eyes to his arm, where the glaring lines stared out at him. He put a hand to his mouth as he thought some more, a look of intense concentration on his face. Everyone had seen what had happened when he was at the front, or at least Hojo would have noticed. And even if they hadn't, just because someone hurt themselves purposefully wouldn't mean they were on drugs...
Although his conclusion on that wasn't as a clear as the others, it still left him pretty much in the clear. But if it wasnt him...
He turned towards the closed wooden door. Did that mean that...Cloud...? During all those long nights where he had disappeared for hours on end...? Was he...?
Vincent thought to himself carefully. It was true that he did not know Cloud very well...in fact, almost not at all, considering they had barely spoken. He didn't know what he did on his own time, and had never pried into his posessions...he was gone for so many long hours at the night and never told anyone where he was going. But to think that Cloud was on drugs, or even dealing them...it just struck him. He inclined his head slightly as he continued staring at the wood grain. Cloud didn't look like the type.
He leaned back in his chair, stretching out his still somewhat sleepy legs. If he hadn't put the drugs in his room, that meant they had to have come from Cloud. But still...why would they have searched his room? Vincent again looked thoughtful. If Cloud had any skill in whatever he was doing, he would have known how to cover his tracks. Anyone with THAT much HAD to know what they were doing...
So what had happened? Vincent scratched his head, noting the lack of his bandana. No wonder his hair was in his face. He brushed it back in annoyance only to find it falling forward into his eyes again.
Something must have happened with Cloud, while he was out, that had caused them to search their room. He didn't know what it was, and he was fairly sure that Cloud would not want to discuss it.
Either way, they both had to find a way out of this. Vincent paled suddenly. What if they expelled him? His parents...
No, he couldn't let them find out. He had to be careful...they should be more lenient on him then with Cloud...
He sighed deeply. Why did this have to happen now? Everything in his life seemed to be conspiring against him. The nightmares were getting worse now...Cid didn't want to talk to him...he had trapped himself again...and he hated his classes...
Why was he even here? He shouldn't be here...he should have died...so long ago...he should have died and saved everyone this trouble...
He buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply. Nothing ever went right for him, ever. Everything always had to go wrong. If he didn't know better, God hated him and cursed him with this horrible luck. He was even driving away Cid, who was quickly becoming his best friend. He always hurt everyone. He always did this.
He curled up on the chair and hide his face, although it wasn't because he was crying. His claw clutched the fabric of his pants tightly, and he tried to breath calmly. Within moments he had his distress under control, and only had a vague sense of unhappiness lingering as he uncurled slightly, his face passive. He turned towards the door, wondering how long the meeting would go on.
He waited for what seemed like hours, having to endure the stares of those that chanced glances into the hallway where the chairs were kept. He could hear the muted whispers as they wondered what he did...
No, he thought bitterly to himself. No, they probably knew what he had done by now. Everyone probably knew.
Shera and Lucrecia remained a room away, still talking in quiet tones. He wasn't sure whether it was about him or not, but the quick glances in his directions at times seemed to make it clear.
Finally the door opened, and Cloud walked out, his eyes glazed and open with fright and worry, and he didn't say anything. Vincent watched him go by, as silent as the blond youth was, as he stumbled for a moment and leaned against the wall, one hand pressed against the plaster. Within moments, Lucrecia and Shera were at his side, and they led him off, asking him questions in soft voices, no doubt about what kind of punishment had been inflicted and how he would go about performing the required tasks.
Vincent slowly turned towards the door, now open, and again unconsciously cringed away as Hojo's fingers held the door open, his arm held out in a gesture of recieving, as he smiled in a twisted way.
"Your turn, Valentine."
Vincent swallowed once and got up, trying to force himself to stay steady and to stay under control, as he walked into the office.
It surprised him how welcoming the room was. The walls were dark brown, wood of some kind although Vincent couldn't tell what kind, and a large desk was against one of the two large windows. There was a large plush chair set at an angle to the desk, it's twin lit by the light coming from the other window. There was an ornate marble fireplace on one side, although it lay quiet, and the walls were decorated with paintings and curtains of all sorts. Confused by the disarming surroundings, Vincent walked with trepidation into the room, noting the ominous click of the door behind him as Prof. Hojo closed the door. Quicker steps behind him, muffled by the thick carpet, indicated the professors presence as he moved forward, standing next to the desk. The chair was turned away, so that Vincent couldn't see who it held. He stared at the back, feeling sick and frightened, as he eased himself into the chair in front of the desk, feeling awkward as the softness sank under him.
"Vincent Valentine is here."
The chair turned in response to Hojo's voice, and Vincent blinked several times before he could understand what he was seeing.
The woman in front of him had long, silver hair that seemed stiff around her shoulders, which were a soft purple-blue color. She wore a dress that seemed to match her skintone perfectly, so the only way that Vincent could tell that she was wearing anything at all were the nearly transparent lines near her shoulders and her neck. Behind the strands of silver hair what appeared to be veined, translucent wings, a dark purplish-red color with small black lines running through it, occasionaly pulsing brighter or darker with every breath she took. What looked like a tentacle that was resting on the desk quickly vanished underneath, out of sight, and she folded large hands in front of her, hands that resembled claws more then anything else, as she regarded Vincent with a predatory and calculating look.
Prof. Hojo smiled in a strange way and walked around the desk until he stood next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder in a familiar way. "Valentine, this is the Headmaster, Jenova. She wants to speak with you about what we found in your room."
Vincent found his mouth hanging open, which he quickly remedied. Feeling exceptionally stupid, he moved his claw over his mouth, hiding it from view as he tried to think of how he should phrase what had happened. "Um..."
"Unless you would prefer ME to explain it to her..." Hojo crossed his arms, which galvanized him into action. Vincent let his claw fall slightly, so that he could finally speak.
"Well...the bottle..." Now he had to decide. What would Cid want him to do...? He had to stop thinking of how to make him happy, and what would Cid would WANT him to do...He had to think.
"Yes?" Jenova's voice made his entire body shiver. It was controlling, and invading, but pleasant all at once, and it frightened him terribly. "The bottle...?"
Vincent closed his eyes for a moment, finding when he opened him that his hair had formed a veritable veil around his eyes. He brushed back the errant strands in annoyance and cleared his throat for a moment. "The bottle does not belong to me, although technically it is my responsibility."
Both Hojo and Jenova blinked at this, apparently not expecting Vincent to admit to his guilt. He wondered if Cloud had before him, but didn't have much chance to think about it.
"If it didn't belong to you, then who did it belong to?" He shivered again at the sound of Jenova's voice.
Vincent closed his eyes for a moment before speaking, his voice controlled and soft. "Highwind. Cid Highwind. However, the bottle is my responsibility, and I'm willing to take whatever punishment is required for what I've done."
Hojo and Jenova exchanged glances for a moment, as if having some kind of mental rapport. Hojo, much to Vincent's relief, was the one to speak.
"This IS your first transgression, and your willingness and maturity in dealing with it are indeed admirable." Hojo spoke with a certain reluctance. "However, you WILL be required to begin to visit a weekly group, for those involved with drugs or alcohol, and we will be contacting your parents, although we will tell them what you told us now."
Vincent felt his heart sink, although he allowed nothing to show on his face. His parents...he had been futiley hoping that his parents would not be dragged in, but at least it shouldn't be too terrible... "I understand."
"You do also realize..." Jenova's voice struck right through him again, as if she knew everything he was thinking. "We will be searching Highwind's room as well, if what you have told us is true."
Vincent hadn't thought of that, but he let none of his worry or doubt show on his face. He simply nodded, keeping his face completely blank. "I understand."
"Good. Thankfully, this went much quicker then with the Strife boy." Hojo rolled his eyes for a moment. Jenova smiled in an eerie way that made Vincent twitch compulsively, particularly his arm.
"He was amusing in his own way, however." The quite amusement that had snuck into Jenova's voice made Vincent feel even more uncomfortable, and more then anything he wanted to get away. Hojo smiled back at her for a moment, then turned to Vincent with a severe glance.
"The drug group will be meeting on Mondays, at seven pm. You will be there, and we will monitor whether or not you have been there."
The reminder of something happening at night brought to mind the horror that had befallen Cid, and Vincent jerked slightly, then recoiled, coughing slightly.
"Do you have anything more to say?" Hojo's tone made him wish he didn't, but he had to say something...
"Yes...Highwind...Highwind was attacked last night..." Vincent looked down, not wanting to meet either of the eyes that were searching for his. "He was...beaten...very badly..."
"Really?" This news came as a surprise to both of the authority figures, who once again exchanged glances, this time with more concern. "How so?"
Vincent rubbed his arm. "It's...not too bad. His feet were torn up pretty badly..." Vincent lowered his voice and stared at Hojo for once while speaking. "That was why he was on crutches."
Hojo appeared to ignore him, but Vincent noted the slight change in his expression.
"But...I think I know...who would have done it."
"Who?" Jenova's question demanded an immediate answer, which Vincent gave quickly.
"The Weapons..."
Jenova and Hojo again exchanged glances, and looked back at him. "They've always been trouble. Which ones?"
Vincent tried to remember if Cid had said anything about who they were, and found himself shrugging. "There were four of them...I know that much."
"Why do you think they attacked him?" Jenova's question came, and Vincent locked eyes with Hojo, the hatred in his voice lying just below the surface, slow and deliberate.
"They thought he was gay."
"Oh?" Again the quiet amusement snuck into Jenova's voice, but given Vincent's current angered state, he didn't feel as uncomfortable as he had before. Hojo matched his glare, but the shifting within his eyes made Vincent sense that perhaps he felt a tinge of regret. Something was in those eyes that showed that he didn't approve of what had happened, at least, whether it was regret or penance didn't matter. Vincent knew now at least that Hojo hadn't intended to harm Cid so badly with his teasing. "And they attacked him?"
Vincent nodded, breaking off contact with Hojo who shuffled somewhat awkwardly. Vincent put his claw back onto his arm, holding onto it somewhat tightly. "Yes...it was at night while he was alone."
"Hmm." Jenova folded her hands in front of her again, looking at Hojo with unreadable eyes. "We shall have to speak with them about that. Thank you for informing us."
Vincent nodded.
"Now, please leave. Shera and Lucrecia shall answer any other questions you may have. I want to speak with Professor Hojo at the moment."
Vincent nodded awkwardly, not sure of what to make of the request, and finally stood, bowing slightly before exiting the room, feeling confused and sick inside.
His parents...he didn't want them to get involved...but if he explained what happened, they'd understand, right...?
He sighed deeply. He could only hope they would understand.
Once outside of the room, the change in atmosphere shocked him, having become unconsciously accustomed to the welcoming surroundings of the office. Shera and Lucrecia approached him, Lucrecia holding out a piece of paper.
"This has all the information you'll need for the meeting coming up, alright?" They were speaking as if someone was going to listen to them. Vincent took the paper quietly, not saying anything as he thought about what had just happened. "It should have everything you need to know on it. If you have any questions, just ask. Remember, it's meeting next Monday, and be prompt."
"Are you going to be alright?" Shera's soft eyes looked into his own, but Vincent found himself only desiring to be alone at the moment. He closed his eyes, looking away.
"I'll be fine..."
"Alright, you should go back to your room and sleep for a while...your classes should be starting soon, right?"
Vincent jerked as he remembered. He had to get to class! He nodded to them quickly.
"Thank you, but I have to go."
He hurried off down the corridors, heading in a direct line for his room in the dorm that seemed so far away at the moment, hoping he wouldn't be late.
Although with his current streak of luck, he most likely was going to be.
He made it to his class about fifteen minutes late, wearing a black trenchcoat over his black jeans, and a dark grey t-shirt underneath. He was breathing heavily, his hair once again tied back by his bandanna, with his toolkit held in his tingling fingers. The handle was sharp and cut at him, but he refused to drop the thing, knowing that it was important. He couldn't forget this.
He walked directly into the middle of his class while his teacher was talking. The teacher in question turned and regarded him with a frosty glare, simply motioning toward an empty seat near the edge of the room, which he slid into gratefully. He tried to catch his breath, trying to ignore all the stares that were coming towards him. He noted with a quick few glances around the room that he was one of the few males there.
"For those of you who may have missed it..." The woman at the front said, glancing at Vincent for a moment. "Welcome to Art 101. I'll be your teacher, Ms. Arrowny, although you may call me Relm, or Ms. Relm." She brushed back a strand of her hair that had fallen out of the kerchief on her head. She looked exceptionally young, and Vincent was confused as to how she could be a teacher. He shrugged it off, however, not viewing it as terribly important.
As she continued to speak about what she expected out of the class, what they were going to do as their first project, and what art truly was about, Vincent found his attention wandering. He wondered how soon Hojo and Jenova were going to call his parents...not too quickly, he hoped. He needed to prepare what he was going to say first. He hoped Cid would be alright...
He straightened as he realized. He had to warn him about the room search! But how...? He was probably already late...he just hoped that Cid had done a better job of hiding things then Cloud had.
"Excuse me, what's your name?" The woman, although Vincent was more tempted to say girl, was pointing at him, and he jumped slightly, startled. He brushed back his hair, feeling nervous as every eyes settled on him once again.
"Vincent, Vincent Valentine."
"Would you mind telling us why you're in this class?" Relm gestured to the rest of the class, the look on her face warm and accepting. But when she looked at him...Vincent felt a tinge of foreboding. He had rarely gotten along with any of his art teachers, and he really didn't think that Relm would be an exception, although he wanted to try.
"I...I like to draw..." Vincent felt extremely awkward and kept his eyes focused on the desk. "I've been drawing for a long time..."
"And...?" Relm gestured with a smile for him to continue, but Vincent could only shrug and mumble under his breath.
"I...just like to draw..."
Relm seemed confused for a moment, and then smiled in a strained way. "Alright, that's perfectly fine. How about you, Rinoa?"
The girl next to Vincent who was dressed mainly in blue smiled in response to Relm's question. "I love art! I've been drawing for a long time, and I want to improve my skills and make my art the best it can be!"
Vincent felt exceptionally stupid now that he was faced with a correct answer. He should have been paying attention.
"Anything else?" Relm seemed pleased by Rinoa's response, which prompted the black-haired girl further.
"I want to learn more about art and where it came from, and how to use different mediums, and use my talent to it's full potential!"
"Very good." Relm smiled in response to her, and Vincent felt extremely out of place. He didn't really belong here in any sense of the word that he could think of, and to hear people give answers that seemed to come so naturally, but came so contradictorily to him made him feel uncomfortable. "How about you?"
She moved on, and Vincent was left to sit and think about what he should have said. Angry at himself for his own stupidity, he dug into his backpack for his sketchbook, planning on drawing until he felt better. He had only begun to sketch out a form before silence made him look up.
Relm was standing above his desk with an amused smile, while the rest of the class just stared. Vincent felt even more awkward then before. Relm held out her small hands.
"May I see that, Vincent?"
Vincent anticipated that his sketchbook, like so many before it, would be confiscated and only see the light of day at the end of the year. He watched the book slide from his desk into her hands, and instead of simply confiscating it, she began to flip through it. Vincent opened his mouth to say something to her against it, to warn her, to explain things to her, but in the end said nothing. He felt violated in a way to have his sketchbook looked at without his permission.
She turned to the class, the book held open by her thin fingers, smiling at them. "Class, I'd like you to come and see this for a moment. Pull up your chairs and such."
Everyone willingly did so, but Vincent lingered behind, until he felt that he should get up and at least try and explain what it was they were looking at. He stood at the fringes, catching glimpses of his stark black and white drawings as they flipped through the pages.
"Vincent, how long have you been drawing?" Relm's question startled him, and Vincent stammered slightly before he could remember.
"Um...six or...or seven years..."
"See, class? Look at this potential." Relm gestured to a page that Vincent recognized, a picture of Lyzndr and Eiyon in an embrace when he had felt lonely. He felt very embarrassed, and wanted to explain who they were, but her voice cut him off. "These kind of drawings can only lead to better things. It's always important to practice."
Vincent felt a tinge of annoyance.
"Now see the sharp lines here? And here? Very stylized, but that can easily be fixed with some more work and dedication. And notice here how the lines are a bit sloppy, that can be worked on as well. It all takes work and dedication, and a good art class to make drawings like these into something great."
Vincent felt very annoyed and somewhat hurt. He hadn't asked to have his drawings analyzed in front of class or used as an example, and he didn't appreciate having them belittled in this way. He felt awkward saying so, so in the end just remained unhappily silent. She finally handed the book back to him.
"These are great little cartoons of yours. But now you're going to work on REAL art."
Vincent struggled to keep his face impassive as he shoved the book back into his bag with barely constrained fury. Who were they to judge his art? He poured his heart into his drawings, and they dared to say they weren't real art. He felt angry and frustrated, and the class continued much along the same vein, much of what was being said annoying and frustrating him to no end. The minutes passed by like hours.
He wondered what Cid was doing.
Cid had sensed that, considering Vincent's room search, his own would not be far behind. He had to hide his alcohol...but where...?
He sighed as he picked up the phone, wishing he didn't have to do this.
"Catface?" He heard the phone picked up on the other end, then a deep voice calling off to one side.
"For you."
There was a scramble for the phone, and the familiar voice of Reeve came across, apparently in his Cait Sith persona. "Hey Spazboy, what's up? Is this about the show?"
"No, it's more serious then that. Listen, y'got to help me here, or I'm goin' t'get #$^#ed majorly."
"What's wrong? What can I do?"
"I need you t'hold some stuff for me...just for a little while. Not even today. Just hide it somewhere in your room, okay?"
Reeve hesitated for a few moments, his voice finally coming in very unsure. "I don't know..."
"Pleeeeease? There's no one else I can ask! Don't worry, nothin'll happen. Y'can trust me."
Reeve laughed at that, but quickly sobered up. "I guess...but if anythin' happens it's goin' DIRECTLY on your shoulders, right?"
Cid nodded, although that motion could not be seen through the phone. "Right, don't worry Catface, I'll take th' fall for you if th' heat comes down."
This made them laugh for a few moments until Reeve finally spoke again. "What do I have to do?"
Cid stared with disgust at his crutches. "I can't take 'em m'self, got those #$^#in' piece of #$^# crutches t'deal with...can y'come over here and pick 'em up?"
"I guess..." Reeve paused for a moment. "I've got about an hour before class...alright. I'll be there in a little bit."
"Great!" Cid hung up abruptly on that note, not exactly sure of why, and then got busy.
Dragging out a box he had hidden underneath his bed, he searched around the room for several painful moments until finding a paper bag that Reno had left, who fortunately was not in the room at the moment. Taking the bottles that he had hidden in the box, he put them carefully into the bag and took a stapler from his desk, stapling it shut. He heard a timid knocking on the door, and he rushed forward to open it, startling Reeve who still had his hand up.
"Hi."
"Hey! There it is." Cid gestured at the bag sitting in the middle of the floor. "Just take care of it for me, alright?"
"It's not goin' to explode on me or anything, is it?" Reeve smiled as he picked up the bag easily from the floor, walking back toward the doorway.
"Nah, don't worry." Cid smiled back. "It's safe. Just keep it for a bit, alright? And we can work on the talent show later."
"Alright. I'll see you then." Reeve moved his hand for a moment to wave, then moved it back into his previous position, heading out the door which Cid nudged closed with his foot carefully. He flopped back onto his bed, a great deal taken off his mind with that taken care of.
He put his hands over his eyes for a moment, sighing. "Why th' $%&$ does this $@#^ always happen to me?"
He straightened up and checked the clock. He had a few hours to burn before his next class, so he leaned against the wall and flicked the TV on, losing himself in a comedy that was on.
An hour later the knock came on his door, and he opened it with his customary sarcastic smile, supporting himself with one arm on his crutch.
"Well la dee #%^#in' dah, what do we have here? Wish I could be surprised, but I saw you comin' a $%&$in' mile away. Wait, let me hide my giant pile of crack I have in my closet."
Neither Hojo, Lucrecia, or Shera were amused.