"What're you two doing?" Chandra stared at Jace and Rick. The two of them were acting oddly to say the least. Class had started and they were just hovering outside the dorm building.
"Collecting the stuffed animals that were confiscated," Rick said.
Jace glared at him, "Really?"
"Cool," Chandra smiled, "Let me help?"
"No," Jace shook his head.
"Why not?" Chandra's smile changed to a glare instantly.
Rick's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Jace curiously, "Why not?"
"Because I said so," Jace snarled.
"What's got you in such a sour mood?" Chandra crossed her arms over her chest and studied Jace.
"Nothing," Jace muttered.
"Really?" She cocked her head to the side, "I'd believe that. Except it's written all over your face that you aren't happy. And that you should probably eat something and sleep sometime today."
"I'm not hungry nor am I tired," Jace snapped.
"What happened?"
"It's completely stupid," Jace shook his head, "I'm not going to tell you."
"It's embarrassing?" Chandra smirked, "I promise I won't tell!"
"Yeah right!" Jace glared at her, "You'd never let me hear the end of it! I already have to deal with Ral laughing at me because of it! I'm not telling you!"
"What about me?" Rick asked.
"No." Jace glared at him.
"C'mon. I'll tickle it out of you," Chandra grinned.
"You'd have to catch me to do that," Jace snarled.
"Is that a challenge?"
"No," Jace shook his head quickly. He sighed, "Fine. Ral and I were told to be quiet so I told him to play video games. He decided that it would be a good idea to get me to play too. I hate video games."
"You can't jump in a video game can you?" Chandra asked.
"I didn't say that," Jace's cheeks turned red.
Chandra smiled, "It's just the most ironic thing I could come up with since you are so good at jumping around in real life."
Jace sighed, "Whatever. Michael and David need to hurry up."
"You are working with those two?" Chandra couldn't help but laugh, "Really? So what's the plan?"
"We're attaching metal to the stuffed animals so I can manipulate them with my ability. Then we're going to take them to the top floor while Michael and David distract the principal and security."
"Ah," Chandra nodded, "Alright. I'll help. I know where there at."
"Really?" Rick cocked his head to the side, "How?"
"Kurai."
"Why'd he tell you and not me?" Jace muttered.
"Don't know. Maybe he likes me better," Chandra shrugged, "Anyway. That means that it would be more efficient for me to help you guys right?"
"Yeah," Jace mumbled unhappily.
"Alright," Chandra smirked, "Now we're waiting for Michael and David right?"
Rick nodded. He looked at Jace, "Lighten up. We honestly could use the help."
"Her help involves impromptu ideas that will inevitably get us in trouble," Jace snapped.
"It's really nice to know you have faith in me," Chandra crossed her arms over the chest.
"Hey. Can I see the medallion?"
"Why?" Chandra looked at him warily.
"To look at it," Jace shrugged.
"Only if I get to see the ring."
"Why?" Jace shook his head, "It's mine."
"Then you can't see the medallion."
"I just want to look at it!"
"No." Chandra shook her head, "If I don't get to see the ring then you don't get to see the medallion." That's probably why he was in my room last week. I never did get a straight answer out of the little twerp. "You still have that necklace I got you right?"
"Yeah," Jace pulled it out of his pocket, "Why does it glow?"
Chandra shrugged, "It's magical."
"Nah. I didn't know," Jace muttered sarcastically.
"I just wanted to know of you still had it. That's all," she shrugged. "Hey have you talked to Cain lately? He seems to really admire you."
"That's brilliant," Jace's tone took on a dark hint.
Her eyes narrowed, "We'll talk later."
"I'd rather not. Thank you," Jace muttered.
"Guys!" Michael and David darted up to them.
"Did you take all the silverware?" Chandra gaped at them.
"Well..." Michael pointed to David, "His idea."
"My idea?!" David stared at him, "Anyone who knows us knows that you're the one that comes up with all the plans!"
"Alright. Alright," Chandra sighed, "Continue with the plan then."
"Are you helping?" Michael asked.
"Well-" Jace stopped as the redhead nodded.
"Alright," Michael gave each of the three of them a portion of the silverware they'd managed to gather.
Chandra shook her head, "What are we supposed to do? Walk around with all the school's silverware in plain view?"
Jace, Rick, Michael and David exchanged glances. "Well," Jace shrugged, "I guess."
Chandra sighed, "I'll be right back. Hold this." She left the silverware in Michael's care and darted off. Kurai's certainly an interesting character. He told me about where the stuffed animals were and told me to ask Jace about Cain. It's weird but I think he's not...bad. He's not good but he's not entirely bad either I guess. Her eyes narrowed. She hurried past security and into her room. She grabbed a backpack and her lighter. She jumped out the window and lit her right hand on fire. The emblem extended until it's design could be seen through her skin all the way up her arm, from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder. The veins of the emblem glowed a bright orange the moment it came in contact with the flames. She used the fire to heat the air and make her landing soft and quiet. She let the flames die and darted back to Jace, Rick, Michael and David. Michael and David were play fighting with butter knives while Rick held what she had given to Michael. Her eyes narrowed, "HEY!"
Michael and David jumped out of their skins and stared at her. They gave the knives to Jace and turned to her, "YES?!"
"What do you think you're doing?" Chandra glared at them before smirking, "Put the silverware in here. Jace has the tape."
The silverware filled the backpack to the brim. She gave it to Rick. He grunted with the effort of lifting it but used his ability to make it lighter.
She glared at Michael and David, "Go back to class and wait."
They nodded quickly and disappeared.
Jace caught himself smiling and quickly hid it away, "They actually listen to you? They don't even listen to Tina."
"You listen to me don't you?" Chandra turned to him, "When it matters. Or if I'm forceful enough."
Jace shrugged and didn't answer. He tossed Ral's device into the air and caught it, "Shall we go? We are causing trouble after all."
Chandra looked at Rick. He nodded. "Let's." She led the way into the school. The PE teacher, who was always in on their plans opened the door that led into the gymnasium for them. Chandra smiled, "Thanks Mr." He was also the coach of the football team.
"No problem. However since you're helping Michael and David I will give you the same warning. Make sure no one gets hurt."
Chandra nodded.
"Of course, Sir," Rick assured him.
"By the way Jace, starting next week you're in my class before lunch."
Jace looked at him flatly, "Why?"
"Elvira," the PE teacher shrugged.
"Great," Jace sighed. PE. Why the hell is physical activity so aggrandized in this place? It's dumb. I'd much rather just not.
"You coming? Or are you going to sit there and stare at nothing for the rest of eternity?" Chandra called from the doors leading from the gym to the rest of the school.
"Coming," Jace sighed.
Chandra led the way to a storage room right behind the office, "The stuffed animals are in here."
"Here?" Jace growled softly. He looked around, "Alright." He picked the lock to the door easily. It was much easier than the doors to the rooms in the dorms.
"You can pick locks?" Rick stared at him.
Jace shrugged, "It comes with having to work with this one on a regular basis. Especially since she often decides that just asking someone is completely overrated and not worth doing so she-"
"Really? Who else does that I wonder," Chandra stared at him for along moment.
"Shut up," Jace muttered.
"Alright, let's get the stuffed animals out of here then," Rick unpacked the backpack quietly. Jace shut the door and locked it. The room was filled with all the banned items the principal had collected. His eyes narrowed.
They don't check this room since most students shouldn't even know of it's existence. Theoretically speaking.
Why'd you tell Chandra to ask about Cain? Why? Jace resisted the urge to growl in anger.
As my summoner your welfare is my first priority. She is the most able to help you therefore I gave her a little bit of a hint to help her do so.
"Hurry it up," He handed the tape to Rick.
Rick started taping forks, spoons, and knives to the stuffed animals.
"You're gonna need more tape than that," Chandra wrapped a stuffed animal's head in tape, "It'll fall off. This things are heavy when compared to what silverware usually holds and we don't want to lose any."
"Right. Okay," Rick nodded.
Jace knelt down to help them. Once every stuffed animal had been lined in tape they waited in the dark in awkward silence for Michael and David's trouble call.
"Hey. Let's play a game," Chandra's voice rang loudly, breaking the silence.
"What?" Rick asked.
"Um..." she shrugged, "I don't know." She resisted the urge to pull out her lighter. With all the stuffed animals and whatever else was there in the room if something caught on accident then everything would be burned to a crisp, including Rick and probably Jace. She doubted either of them would appreciate that.
"Is there an intercom in here?" Jace asked.
Chandra sighed. She took her lighter and lit her right hand on fire.
"What are you-What's up with your arm?" Jace stared at her arm in surprise.
"It's a...thing that allows me to manipulate fire," she stumbled over her explanation. Now that the room was better illuminated the three of them could just make out an intercom.
"I thought cats could see better in the dark," Rick said.
Jace glared at him, "Just because I have cat ears and a tail does not mean I have cat vision. I do but that's beside the point. A cat still needs light to see and in case you hadn't noticed there was no light."
"Sorry," Rick said quickly, "Didn't mean that to be...irritating?"
"Of course it's irritating," Jace snapped.
"Hush you two," Chandra interrupted, "As much as I love watching you guys argue it would be a bad thing if we were to be caught in here." Jeez. Jace isn't incompetent. I'd expect him to be able to realize he needs to be quiet. She put the flames out and sat back down, "Now we wait for Michael and David to do their freaking part of the job.
After what felt like an eternity they finally heard the song play over the intercoms. Jace leaped to his feet. Instantly Rick's ability activated and all the stuffed animals rose into the air around them. Chandra choked back a laugh as a string of very profane curses echoed from the office.
"Michael! David!"
"Let's go!" Jace activated Ral's device and opened the door. He just saw Michael and David disappearing around a corner in the opposite direction with security and the principal chasing after them. He darted past the office. The door was still pretty far away. He growled.
"Hurry up Rick."
"Sorry. I have to be able to keep an army's worth of stuffed animals in the air," Rick's teeth were gritted with concentration, "Who's are these anyway?"
"Mine. Before you ask it's because Ral doesn't understand the meaning of the word no," Jace snapped.
Rick nodded, "Alright." He managed to make it outside and they were halfway up the stairs of the girls' dorm building before Ral's device died.
Jace cursed.
"I'll go ahead and see if there are any guards," Chandra darted away.
Jace sighed, "Since when was she so helpful anyway?"
"She hasn't always been like that? She's been pretty helpful since we got here at least," Rick shrugged.
Jace shrugged, "Just focus on keeping the stuffed animals up."
"Yeah," Rick nodded.
Awkward silence filled the air. Jace decided he didn't particularly mind Rick but didn't particularly like him either. He was too helpful and Jace didn't entirely trust helpful people. It was a weird thing he didn't really think anyone would understand. Oh yeah. Chandra said she was going to talk to me after this. Great. Let's hope she forgot. I hope she forgot. I doubt it. She difficult like that. He sighed, "Why?"
Because your welfare is my top priority. And you'll listen to her...eventually.
Right. Jace stared at the ground and continued up the stairs. How do you know anyway?
I have been well acquainted with Elspeth for quite some time.
Elspeth told you all of this? Somehow Jace doubted it. He didn't think Elspeth was terribly fond of demons of any sort let alone the kind that could outright control someone with the smallest look.
No. Elspeth did not. You did. We are connected after all since you did summon me.
So you went snooping when you shouldn't have? Jace ground his teeth together angrily.
"Are you alright? Something seems to be bugging you," Rick said as they stopped in front of the door to the top floor common room.
"I'm fine," Jace insisted.
"Put the stuffed animals over there," Chandra pointed, "I'll go get Isabelle. She'll know which stuffed animals are hers. The rest are probably Jace's." She looked at him, "Pick out the ones that are yours and take them back to your room. You can go ahead and use the backpack."
"Thanks for the explanation," Jace muttered.
"Don't worry. I'm going to talk to you once I get Isabelle," Chandra smirked. She hurried down the stairs. He is so gloomy! My god. There's definitely something going on. I'll figure it out. Or he'll tell me. Either one. He'd prefer it if he just told me but I'll probably have to figure it out for myself and tell him what's wrong. Ugh. Sometimes I hate dealing with people.
"Then why do it."
She turned and glared at him, "Why do you?" Kurai stood behind her, leaning against the edge of the hallway watching her go down the stairs calmly.
"It's part of what I do," Kurai shrugged.
"Really? And why help someone if you're a demon?"
"I have technically allied myself with the archangels. For now at least. Besides you of all people should understand that he's important."
"Important? Like a tool?"
"That is the only thing something as great and massive as an elder dragon would see you or any of your allies as. You know that as well as I do," Kurai shrugged. His red eyes studied her for a response.
She growled, "Are you just here to piss me off?"
"Maybe I am? What will you do?"
"Lop your head off your shoulders."
"Will you really?" Kurai smirked.
"I'm an assassin, Demon. Don't play with me," Chandra snarled.
"But will you really lop my head off? Right here? And now?" Kurai watched her.
Her eyes narrowed, "If I do it won't matter. It would take more than a regular blade to kill you." She turned away from him.
"I'm amazed at your self control, pyromancer," Kurai rose to his full height and walked up to her. He stopped two feet from her, "I thought you lived your life by your standards. I thought you weren't tied down by any responsibilities or anyone else's demands or impressions of you."