Chapter 4: Officials
It was a weird building really. Or was it a castle? How could they have lived in the city so long with this building looming over them, covered in skulls, and not thought something was off? Shuddering slightly, the leader of the group moved forward towards the man waiting for them at the threshold of the school. He was tall with golden eyes, dark hair and… were those stripes of white on the side of his head? Shaking her head, the woman's eyes fell on the woman beside the man. She had dark blonde hair and while she was dressed in a manner that showed she was in a high position of some sort, her facial expression was anything less than welcoming. "Good morning, Shinigami was it?"
"You can call me Kid. And this is my wife, Liz." The dark haired man answered while also nodding over to the woman beside him.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Maryann Wilson. These are my associates." The official answered, nodding to the three with her. The day had come when they would be starting their observations of Shibusen to learn what these people were truly capable of. Looking at this man, the leader of them (?), they were already somewhat different. She nodded at the shorter, auburn haired man of the group with round glasses. "This is Robinson. He's my direct aide and will be taking the notes." She then gestured to the other two. "This is Evert and Mays. They'll be working together as well in observations. I hope that's fine for you."
"So long as you aren't disrupting any part of our everyday tasks." Kid had answered in a tone that held professionalism. "It's taken a lot to explain to our kids that none of them are in trouble or in danger." Maryann raised an eyebrow.
"Should we have brought our own security?" she asked and noticed Liz frown.
"These kids are in no way a threat to anyone." She interjected. Maryann raised an eyebrow at her but Kid raised a hand, halting any upcoming debates.
"This is a learning environment and many of these kids see this place as home. No one will bother you if you don't bother them." He explained easily and his attention averted at the sound of an excited hoot. Liz let out an exasperated sigh and the officials turned in bewilderment at the brown haired boy shooting through the air.
"What on earth…"
"They're late." Kid grimaced.
"Hell yeah!" They watched at the boy came closer and suddenly, the pack on his back that was shooting flames, and helping the boy stay airborne, transformed in a boy with glasses. The two landed easily on the ground, the goggles wearing boy far more gracefully. "Made it up in less than two minutes! Great going, Aiden!" The boys slapped each other high fives.
"Do children always fly in on jet packs?" Whispered Evert to Robinson as the pair stared at the two young men with wide eyes. The question was ignored however as Liz approached the boys and began chastising.
"You were asked to be in your classes early today." She snapped, slapping the brown haired boy over the back of the head. "Honestly, I knew I should have set an earlier expectation. Get moving!" The messy haired boy glowered, rubbing the back of his head but slumped his way past the group of adults, his partner following close behind him, and through the threshold. Kid cleared his throat.
"Well, how about we give you a tour?"
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Maneuvering easily around the students filling the halls, Lyra came to a stop at her partner's open locker, pulling the door further open and looking up at the confused man expectantly. She had gotten wind of their latest visitors in the school and was less than pleased. Not only that, but she had witnessed a few young students ducking their way out of what looked to be interviews as they rushed to class. As an older student, she was actually offended. It was like everything their school stood for was being disrupted. Not to mention the assignments board had YET to be returned. Rolling his eyes, Ares went back to digging through his locker. "What is it?"
"Don't talk to those people when they approach you."
"And why not?"
"Because I don't trust them." Lyra answered, wrinkling her nose in disapproval. Ares let out a sigh, slamming his locker closed before leaning into it and fixing her with a mildly entertained, yet skeptical look. She hated that look so much.
"What's not to trust? They're just here to observe us." He informed and his partner rolled her eyes.
"They're looking for threats and honestly people like you and Death scythe's son should be more weary of them considering your special circumstances." She said with a pointed look as Ares let out a knowing sigh.
"You've always been a just a tad too harsh about things you don't understand, you know." He informed in a calm tone. He looked distractedly past her for a moment before resting his eyes on her expectantly. Frowning, Lyra let out a sigh, crossed her arms and leaned her back into the lockers, close enough to her partner to speak so only he could hear her.
"People fight things that they fear and that's how war and destruction are caused." She informed. "We barely understand each other, let alone ourselves from time to time and we expected these… these normal people to come in and learn to accept us for what we are?"
"What makes them any more normal from us?" Ares asked and Lyra looked up at him indignantly. "Just because we have a little something different from them doesn't make us any less normal. Like Shinigami says, we still bleed, cry, laugh, and breathe like the other people in this city. We just have different expectations from them is all." Lyra allowed her annoyance to fade slightly.
"I guess…" She murmured, not realizing her partner had shifted his position and moved closer to her. She blew a lock of hair out of her face in defeat only to stiffen when Ares reached out, brushing the offending lock from her eyes when it fell back into place. He stood over her, a good foot taller, leaning slightly with his arm resting against the wall, above her head, and body slouched slightly so his face was closer to hers. It had only taken her a moment to realize something was off about his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you." He said in a low tone.
"What makes you think I need you to protect me?" she asked back quietly, placing her hand on his chest to pause his advances as a smirk crossed his face.
"That's what a man does for his woman." He answered. Lyra blinked in confusion. What did he just…
"Well hello there!" Came an exuberant voice. Ares stood straight, eyes flashing back to normal, looking over his shoulder with a raised brow while Lyra struggled to regain her composure. Stein looked at the two with a far too entertained expression on his face and cup of coffee in his hand. Soul was with him looking skeptical.
"Keep it PG in the hallways, you two." The white haired weapon drawled as Ares stood straight and fully faced them.
"Sorry." The pair responded, but Soul waved them off, starting to walk off. Stein moved to follow him before turning back to Ares.
"Let's go. You and Zeke have Soul therapy today." He informed, beckoning the young adult alone. Without a word, he obliged, beginning to follow the pair. Absently, Lyra reached out, grabbing the sleeve of his uniform jacket and stopping him. The weapon raised an eyebrow at her.
"What?" Lyra stared at him silently. He seemed all there. Everything about him was familiar- more specifically his eyes. That was him in there… right?
"Are you ok?" He cocked a brow at her.
"Yeah?" There was a pause.
"Since when do you have to start going to soul therapy?" At this, Ares grinned innocently. He reached out and flicked her nose, causing Lyra to grimace.
"Just making sure everything is in check is all." He answered, his smile turning teasing. "I help out the Evans kid a lot with controlling his little problem, you know that. Don't miss me too much." Lyra scoffed and gave his a shove.
"As if. Get going." She muttered, brushing past him and stomping off in a seemingly annoyed manner. She could feel his eyes on her briefly, but when she glanced over her shoulder, he had taken to following after her father and Death Scythe.
"Hi Senpai!" Snapping from her thoughts, Lyra turned to see Ava and Rion looking back at her with expected excitement. She grimaced slightly.
"What is it?"
"You're not busy are you?" Ava asked almost anxiously. While she couldn't seem to stop herself from bouncing, her partner stood beside her with more control despite the hopeful look on his face. She became apprehensive.
"Not exactly… Why?"
"We heard that if we you can find a senpai or two star group to team up with that you can go on assignments." Rion informed.
"And because we still haven't exactly fulfilled certain requirements, we're not exactly two star worthy yet." Ava continued. Lyra eyed the pair for a moment before scoffing.
"So you're asking me to help you beat the system?" She asked. The younger students stared at her blankly before slightly dejected expressions began to cross their faces. Shaking her head, Lyra sighed, walking past them only to glance over her shoulder. "I promised I would behave. Because of my track record I can't get my hands on any missions for a while. Maybe when the townsfolk stop tracking us I'll let you pipsqueaks accompany me and Ares on a little task." She said.
"Thanks senpai…" Ava muttered dejectedly, sulking away. Lyra watched as the brown skinned girl's not nearly as pint sized partner tried to cheer her up, not noticing the interested look of one the Death City's officials that had been lurking the halls. Lyra narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She really didn't trust any of this at all.
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"Hello there." Slowly peaking around his opened locker door, Gabe raised an eyebrow at the woman staring at him. She was a tall, proper looking woman, her hair pulled up in a tight bun. Part of her face reminded him a bit of his mother about to interrogate him when he had clearly avoided doing something she had asked of him. Maybe it was the eyes. The brown haired meister looked around, noticing many of his classmates had left the halls, headed to their designated class for the hour. Closing his locker slowly, he looked at the woman apprehensively.
"Can I help you?" he asked slowly.
"I saw you this morning." The woman answered. She sure had a proper tone. "You've got an amazing ability. Was that a jet pack you had?" Gabe made a face.
"A jet pack? No." He answered almost indignantly. "If you're talking about this morning, that was my partner. He's not a jet pack, he's a person." The woman didn't seem fazed at all.
"But he can become a jet pack?"
"He can become a flame thrower," Gabe answered. "Who are you exactly? You don't have very much tact." He deadpanned. He hated that people said he was as blunt as his mother at times, but it wasn't really that bad. Especially when being approached by some stranger. The woman chuckled knowingly.
"I'm sorry, my name is Maryann Wilson. I'm an official from the city here to observe this school of yours." She answered promptly. The teen raised a brow. Oh, so she was one of the people they were told not to speak to unless attended by a senpai or professor?
"Oh, well I've gotta go. I have class. This is a school after all." The woman ignored his shortness.
"Right. What class is it exactly? We haven't exactly been invited to sit in on anything yet." She explained. She was tapping distractingly on the clip board in her arms. It was really a little nerve racking. What exactly did these people want?
"Excuse me," Snapping from his own uncertain thoughts, Gabe glanced over his shoulder and stiffened slightly when he saw his mother approaching, stern look in place. The look wasn't focused on him however. Kim stopped beside her son, pining Maryann with a look. "You were told not to question any students unless they were accompanied by a professor." The official straightened, her once professional smile fading.
"I'm sorry, and you are?" she asked and Kim's eyes narrowed.
"Kim Ford. A parent and professor here at the academy." She answered shortly. "Next time you decide to approach a student, make sure you're not breaking any of the conditions you made with our officials. Kid may be lenient, but I'll be a lot less forgiving if something endangers my child." She said in a low tone before turning on her heal. "Gabriel, let's go. You're going to be late and its not often I can get Angela and Eureka back to help with a lesson."
"Y-yes ma'am." The boy answered, moving swiftly, yet one step behind his mother. He glanced temporarily over his shoulder to see the woman was writing something on her clipboard.
"She didn't ask you anything personal did she?" His mother's voice snapped him from his thoughts.
"What?" Green eyes glanced back at him.
"Did she ask you anything personal? Anything that might have bothered you?" Gabe shook his head. "I want you to be careful. I don't think Kid mentioned anything about witches being a part of Shibusen community and taking into consideration history, its best that outsiders don't know." He nodded slowly, lowering his gaze slightly.
"Hey mom… What're these people looking for exactly?" None of the professors wanted to answer the question and simply told them to just go about their routine as if it were any day, but it was hard when they were told to not speak to these intruders in the least. Kim was silent for a while and shrugged a shoulder.
"Honestly, I don't know." Yeah… that's the only other answer he seemed to hear that day.
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Sitting with her back against the wall and knees to her chest, Ayame sat lost in her thoughts and waiting for her partner to come out of the room. She always came out of her Soul Focus class before he finished Soul Therapy and would have to wait a solid ten minutes before he walked out, sometimes looking disheveled and tired, but a stoic expression on his face as he'd stare at her and then beckon her along so they could go to lunch. Twice a week with this for the past three years. She hated that this was still even necessary, but she remembered the few times recently where her partner wasn't himself. That glazed over look and sometimes far to snarky remark and smirk on his face before he'd snap out of whatever had possessed him. She hugged her knees closer to her chest. What was it and why wasn't it gone yet?
"Are you ok?" Snapping her gaze up, the dark haired girl frowned slightly at the stout man standing over her, clutching a binder in one arm and pushing square rimmed glasses back up his nose. "I was informed that all the students would be heading to the cafeteria for lunch… are you ok?"
"I'm fine." The girl answered shortly. Her dad had told her in simple terms to obey the rules for the simple fact of keeping everyone safe. Zeke's situation didn't need to be leaked out in any form. These official people would think he's a threat and take him away as some kind of experiment and she didn't want that. "I'm just waiting for my partner."
"Oh, I see. You just looked upset is all…" There was a pause. Was he not going to walk away? "So, is your partner the weapon or wielder?" Ayame raised a brow.
"My partner is the weapon. I'm his meister." She answered.
"The two of you don't share the same courses?" The man ventured. Ayame stared at him mutely. Stiffening slightly, the man let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm sorry, this must be a bit intrusive. I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Evert Lewis. I'm one of the officials here to observe."
"Yeah, you don't look like anyone from around Shibusen." Ayame responded.
"I see… I suppose you would realize if something was out of place."
"Yeah." The silence resumed, Ayame waiting for the man to walk away and the man waiting for… well an answer she supposed. "We have the same classes… but certain classes are designated for different things and not everyone has to attend them." She offered. Evert smiled slightly.
"Oh, I see. We aren't allowed to sit on classes as of right now. I suppose there's the issue of trust as of right now."
"You are a potential threat to us." Ayame cut off.
"I'm sorry."
"Why do you wanna be here anyway? We've never done anything to hurt anyone." At this, Evert lowered his own eyes.
"There's been strange things happening within the city… and outskirts as well. People have been led to believe it all is traced back here. This school has history of strange incidents." He explained. "Since arriving all I've seen is nothing but a bunch of kids living their lives. Much like my own really." There was a sad smile that crossed his face. "I suppose the adults here are trying to protect all of you as much as we want to protect all of our youth."
"Uncle Kid… Shinigami is a pretty big believer in giving chances where he sees fit." Ayame explained, resting her chin on her knees. "We're all scared of what you people are here for, but our parents and professors won't let anything happen to us no matter how you people make us out to be at the end of this study you're supposedly doing." The silence returned until the classroom door Ayame had been sitting next to opened and Zeke stepped out. He blinked when he saw the man standing over his partner who was sitting on the floor and soon a frown crossed his face.
"Ayame, is this guy bugging you?" he asked in a low tone as his meister pushed herself from the floor and moved to his side.
"No, he was just passing by." She answered and looked up at him thoughtfully. Everything seemed in place. "You feeling alright." Zeke slowly moved his eyes from the official to his miester.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Kinda hungry." He answered distractedly.
"Great. It's lunch our anyway and then we've got Hand to Hand." She informed brightly, a grin splitting across her face. Zeke allowed his shoulders to drop as he let out a groan.
"I'm nowhere in the mood for that!" he groaned, beginning to lead the way from the classroom, Ayame close beside him and smiling contently. She only glanced briefly over her shoulder to see Maka talking to the man. He really didn't seem like such a bad guy, but they couldn't let their guard down. Not just yet.