Tuesday, 23rd of January
Clear Skies
Tom awoke the next morning with full recollection of the mysterious reality. Though it appeared to be a dream, it was awfully vivid, and he had felt compos mentis the whole time; about as vivid as the Velvet Classroom dream. He sat up. Finn was still snoring to himself on the bottom bunk. He dismissed the dream, deciding that dwelling on the little words in your head was how you ended up in an institution. Instead, he opened the door, and headed to the kitchenette of the dormitories.
Mr. Haynes was preoccupied with making pancakes, and expertly managed a skillet as he prepared a series of perfectly proportioned fluffy-golden pancakes. They were not the sort you expected from a cook with his appearance, more akin to those that would be presented by a restaurateur than a dormitory supervisor. Mr. Haynes noticed him, and smiled. "Morning," he said. "It figures you'd be the first person awake."
"Why do you say that?" Tom asked.
"City kids sleep in like nothing on earth," Mr. Haynes replied.
Tom chuckled a tad. Mr. Haynes served up a plate of two pancakes, and placed it before him. Tom sat at the flimsy gateleg table, careful to ensure that it did not accidentally fall apart as he sat at it.
"So, can I expect this every morning?" Tom asked.
Mr. Haynes laughed a little. "Probably not," Mr. Haynes said. "I find cooking cathartic. I mainly do it when I've got a lot on my mind, today being one of those days..." He trailed off for a second. Perhaps he did not intend to continue, but some machinations within his mind forced him to continue speaking. "...I've been going through a rough patch for the past couple of months," he continued. "A rocky divorce, you could say. There's a reason I'm in the student dorms, and it's not because I like being here. Don't get me wrong, you guys are fun, but this was never where I intended to be. I suppose I've been grappling with some real dark thoughts about it as of late, but... I feel as if the burden has been lifted or something. I don't know how to explain it, other than feeling relieved, and getting this strange sensation that I should trust you. Can I trust you, new kid?"
"Of course," replied Tom. "If ever you need to talk to somebody, you can talk to me."
"Thanks," Mr. Haynes said. "I figured you'd be the compassionate sort beneath that stoic exterior. You can come to me if you need anything as well."
Thou art I, I art Thou...
Thou hast been tethered to the fate of another...
Through endless persistence in the defense of others...
Thou has discovered a new sister or brother...
It seems a more favourable destiny bodes...
The Magician Arcana hath now been bestowed...
Thou shalt bear new power when walking this road...
Magician Tether: Mr. Haynes
Sub-Arcana: Six of Cups
Rank 1 - No Special Abilities
The Dormitory Supervisor and an English Teacher at Abanoub College, Mr. Haynes is facing a divorce with his ex-wife, and is having a rough time dealing with the emotional consequences of the matter. After Tom defeated the darkness in his heart, he began to open up to him...
Tom continued chewing away at his pancake. He pondered for a moment. Perhaps something really had happened in that dream; though he thought it fake, there had most definitely been real world ramifications from telling that yellow-eyed Haynes to open up to him. He sighed.
"Mr. Haynes, did you dream last night?" Tom said. He left out the 'did you dream that you were a scary demonic colossus' part, for fear that it might upset him slightly.
"A little, but I don't remember much of it," Mr. Haynes replied. "I remember two figures on the porch out there, but I don't remember who they were or what they said. Why, you into that Freudian bullshit or something?"
"Not really," Tom replied. "Just curious."
Tom continued to gnaw away at the pancakes. He had rarely had pancakes before, and so they tasted divine to him even as they devolved into a pasty and soggy mess of maple syrup and solidified batter. The others slowly descended into the kitchen, each of them wearing a wearied face characteristic of the recently awoken. Groggy and not entirely compos mentis, they operated on instinct, taking a serving of pancakes with little regard to their surrounds and drizzling it with maple syrup. Finn wandered down the stairs, following them. Though he was not as languid in appearance as the other residents, he still was not quite radiating an aura of exuberance. Not that he expected him to, after all. Even Tom, early as he usually rose, awoke somewhat sluggish. However, he had to admit that the lethargy that emanated from everyone within the dormitories was almost infectious, and even he felt somewhat fatigued by merely watching them. Finn sat next to him.
"Ugh, I had the worst dream last night," Finn complained.
"Did it have something to do with Personas and a monstrous Mr. Haynes?" Tom whispered to Finn.
"Yeah..." Finn said, before realising the obvious impossibility of the situation. "Wait, did we have the same dream? Did you fight off a pumpkin-headed..."
"...lamp-wielding maniac? Yeah, I did," Tom interrupted, concluding Finn's sentence for him. "I'm starting to think that might not be entirely a dream."
"What do you mean, not entirely a dream?" Finn said, the pair of them now whispering like two gossiping girls at a slumber party.
"Well, Mr. Haynes seems to have some limited recollection of us standing over him on the porch," Tom said. "I think we might have actually done something by defeating that thing that came out of him."
"What do you mean, done something?" Finn asked.
"Yellow Haynes said that he wanted to kill himself for some reason and end it all," Tom said. "Well, I think I found a motive."
"Huh? What motive?" Finn asked.
"His wife is filing for divorce," Tom said. "It seemed like he was going through a bit of a rough patch."
"How do you know about all of this?" Finn asked.
"He told me this morning," Tom replied.
"So, that means that the weird dream we had last night was actually capable of helping his mental health," Finn postulated.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Tom said. "There is no reason to feel that the two matters are connected yet, but I would like to brush up on what we know of the dream thing. If it is linked to a sudden shift in his mental state, then we might be able to help similarly tormented individuals."
"So, we might become superheroes?" Finn asked. "Oh man, that sounds like a sick gig."
"Don't jump the gun," Tom replied. "There's still a lot we don't know. If we act without forethought, we could end up getting in trouble. Worse yet, we could end up in the psychiatric ward. We have to do proper research, stake the place out, and know what we are doing first."
"Seriously?" Finn queried. "There are people in need, and we're just going to sit here twiddling our thumbs going over facts?"
"Yes, otherwise we'll end up doing something regrettable," Tom said. "Let's just sit tight, wait until after school, and go over what we know. Then we can make a game plan for if it happens again."
Finn sighed. He could not argue with his logic. If this otherworldly realm truly was linked somehow with a person's state of mind, then acting spontaneously might only result in greater casualty. While he wanted to help people, he could not deny that. The truth of the matter was that they had no idea what their actions might do, or whether the would even return to that dreamy world. It was for the best.
"Alright," Finn said. "We're doing this."
"Yeah, but let's just find out what it is exactly that we're 'doing' first." Tom added.
The two of them left the dormitories, Finn smirking to himself as he followed alongside Tom. A young boy stared at them, wearing a pair of glasses and a snooty expression with which he looked down upon the world. He watched on with both contempt and envy, yet neither of the two were particularly prominent upon his face.
"I wonder what those two are so chipper about?" He muttered to himself as they wandered off.
The school day passed effortlessly for Tom. As an attentive student who seemed to hang on to each and every word of the teacher's, there was very little that he could not answer. Those limited things of course could be rectified with further study, but nonetheless he felt as if he had grown slightly more intelligent as the day drew on due to a consolidation of understanding. Finn was far from the worst student in the class, but he was certainly no scholar either. Tom had the slightest feeling that there was something that he was forgetting, and as the day drew to a close, he remembered.
"Wait, didn't you have homework for geography, Finn? He asked.
"Oh shit, you forgot to do it, that's right," Finn replied. "Crap, now I'm in for it..."
"I forgot to do it?" Tom said, puzzled.
"Don't worry, I'm just messing with ya'," Finn said. "Although now I really am stuffed..."
"Do you have to do it?" Tom asked.
"Take it from me when I say that this school is bonkers about coursework," Finn replied. "If I miss two or more, they're probably going to sit me in a detention."
"Well, at least you get a break to do the homework I suppose," Tom said.
"Nah, I usually nap," Finn replied. "Teacher's don't give a shit."
The two walked and talked, and began to wander on impulse without watching where they were going. As they wandered, their paths collided with another student, who attempted to steamroll through them in a hurried jog. Tom, taking stock of his surroundings, skillfully dodged the oncoming student. However, Finn was not so lucky. He fell to the ground, a bundle of paperwork splaying across the floor. The brunette haired individual responsible was imposing, even in the rather comical looking school uniform. Tom felt it wise to ignore the individual. Yet on the flipside, it would certainly be gutsy to give him a piece of his mind. He made up his mind.
"Oi, what was that for?" Tom said, sounding disgruntled as he reverted to country vernacular and accent. The brunette haired individual approached him. A scar across his left eyebrow was now visible, his wounds somehow acting as a testament to his might. "You know who I am kiddo?" He asked rhetorically. "I ain't got time for your crap. Piss off."
The brunette haired individual wandered off. Tom, not pressing any further, decided to leave him be. He helped Finn from the floor, and collected the papers that were now strewn across the halls.
"Thanks," Finn said. "I really appreciate you sticking up for me back there."
"Who was that?" Tom asked.
"You remember that Dennis fellow I mentioned before? That's him," Finn replied. "I don't get it that bad from him, but he really makes some other kid's lives hell around here."
"I've been bullied before, I know the feeling," Tom said.
"Yeah, it's sad. He bullies a lot of kids around the school, not just me," Finn said. "He never used to have a problem with me, either. I suppose it all started with my previous roommate, not that I blame him or hold it against him, and in actual fact I think it was a good thing that Dennis and I stopped seeing eye-to-eye."
"Stopped?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, I used to be on his side I suppose," Finn said. "I was more of a bystander than a participant, willingly averting my eyes when push came to shove. However, I moved to the student dorms, as you know. People change, and people change people. I suppose I became a better person, even if I did end up taking my roommate's place. I wanted to stick up for my friend, and at the end of the day, it did nothing."
"It did nothing?" Tom said, puzzled.
"Mhmm," Finn replied. "What I didn't know at the time was that Dennis' father was on the board of directors here at school. The parents didn't know, because his dad ensured those kids kept their mouths shut for fear of expulsion. It's twisted. That's why they all hate this place. I don't get it as bad as the other kids, but I want to make sure that nobody gets such foul treatment some day."
Finn sighed to himself, at ease somewhat. He continued. "You know, it felt relieving saying that. We all have our troubles at this school, but with such apathetic counsellors, it gets pretty hard to air them," Finn said. "It's nice that I got to talk to you though; I feel as if I was able to get a lot off my chest. I think we're going to get along just fine."
Thou art I, I art Thou...
Thou hast been tethered to the fate of another...
Through endless persistence in the defense of others...
Thou has discovered a new sister or brother...
It seems a more favourable destiny bodes...
The Justice Arcana hath now been bestowed...
Thou shalt bear new power when walking this road...
Justice Tether: Finn Teague
Sub-Arcana: Eight of Pentacles
Rank 1 - Collaborate
Can now receive Tactical Directives in Battle!
Your roommate and friend at Abanoub College, Finn is the victim of relentless bullying perpetrated a kid named Dennis who seems to have caused trouble for a large portion of the school community. After Tom met Dennis, Finn decided to come clean with him about it...
Tom nodded. Finn grabbed the last piece of paper from the floor, and stood tall. Even still, Tom could note an underlying sense of despair beneath that otherwise enthusiastic expression. He was not a particularly strong-willed individual, nor was he assertive, but he was at the very least a person who stayed true to principle. Even if he lacked the fortitude to face his enemy, he still had the constitution to recognise them. "Well, I'm going to head back to the dorms," Finn said. "Let me know if you want to hang out later." Finn headed off. Tom was left alone in the hallway, and decided now would be a good time to get his bearings around the school.