Chapter 24c: Harpy: Knowing Her by kirbymanx/huskynator

It's been 5 days since the day the angel known as Harpy unleashed powerful sonic waves in the air. The angel of discord destroyed a lot of glass, harmed a lot of ears, and general cause-and-effect things that happen because of it.

Several windows and lightbulbs broke far outside of the school's grounds, at least a few cars crashed with people recovering in the hospital as a result.

Most of the shattered glass has been cleaned up, but not nearly all the windows have been replaced and there are still some shards about. It was recommended to wear some thick-soled shoes and hover around the school if you had the ability to.

This affected the students in a few ways. The school was closed for a few days for one, and will still have no gym for a while.

A few skittish students have yet to arrive, too afraid to get hurt, and that's with the possibility of running into Schezo and his gang alone with all this glass about. Not knowing even they took it easy with those sharp hazards around. Just focusing on their gambling business.

In short, for some students it's business as usual, others are a little on edge, and some are just restless at being discouraged to sport or cheerlead.

And most importantly, some are angry because the glass on their phones cracked. At best.

Merigu and Emii were huddling around and sharing Shosu's phone as they followed Ess into the canteen.

F1 - Canteen

"Papa! Papa!~" Ess skipped towards the parental robot working as a cafeteria working robot. "Good news, Papa!"

The three singers dressed like cartoon ghosts have known this cheerleader for a little while now. They've gotten used to Ess' switch from assertive opinionated girl to being daddy's little girl to this robot which isn't even her real father.

It was amusing to the trio. She went from the green-haired leader of the trio, to the coddled blonde one, with the interest in robotics the redhead had. All three of them have made the comparison.

"Oh? What is it, Ess?" Zed played dumb, he knew what it was.

"You should finally be able to start using your eyes again, Papa! Those meanie mechanics took their sweet time." Ess pouted at that last bit.

"It would be nice to use my eyes again, relying on just my radar and auto-cook functions has been a bother. I can't wait to see your face again, Ess." Ess beamed at everything the robot said as was common on a relatively good day.

"'Scuse me…" A quiet mumble came from behind Ess and the white poncho-wearing girls. "I want some food."

"Oh, pardon me." The robot said. "Ess. Why don't you play with your friends? I need this boy's help to make sure he gets what he wants."

"BUT PAPA!" The cheerleader whined. "He's the friend of that feather bag that blinded you!"

"I know, Ess. But I've learned that you'd always have to show kindness, or things will only get worse. That's the real reason I am currently blind."

"Of course, Papa!" Ess beamed again. "You're always so wise~"

"So, guys." The redhead of Ess' posse, Shosu, whispered to her sisters. "How much do you wanna bet she'll forget this lesson as soon as that conversation is over." She grinned.

"Uh-uh."
"There's no doubt." The others whispered back.

"Can I have a salad? Harpy's usual." Panotty didn't need to look, he could feel the girls behind him tense up at the name. Even almost a week later and Harpy's fake name had that much power.

"I am afraid I am still blind after her wail, young boy." Zed said with no malice in his voice. Just a robo-sigh, he's had to say that a lot. "Please stand in front of one of these dinners Lemres made in my stead."

Panotty sighed, he obeyed and got the most salad-like item. As he walked past Ess he got the 'I am watching you' motion. He ignored it and sat down at a table. Trying to enjoy a salad.

He realized he wasn't hungry...

Panotty didn't really have the drive to do what he usually did. He mostly stared off into space. Still coming to terms he lost a friend.

'WHY SHOULD TELL YOU WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'

Panotty shivered. Those were the last things he heard from her. He was more focused on that than anything that happened around him. Such as Kikimora the janitor cleaning up glass shards as she was talking to Vice-Principal Accord.

"Can you please remind Akuma to repair my window soon?" The janitor told her superior while hard at work.

"I'll run it by him, dear." Accord gently wrote it down with a smile. "Are you sure you don't need help cleaning all of this up?"

"WHAT! I NEVER SAID THAT! I said I can do it all by myself! Not that I want too! Hire some extra help ASAP!"

"Oh dear." Accord wrote that down too.

"I swear, one student breaks everything and I get chided for not cleaning it up fast enough. I don't even think the school should be open yet for crying out loud! Blasted angel." The janitor grumbled on and on.

Panotty shivered and clenched his fists.

"Oh, Good afternoon, Panotty." Vice-principal and music teacher Accord said to the elf as he passed by.

"Mmmmm'ello." Panotty mumbled.

"You don't look so good." The vice-principal replied. "Oh! I hadn't considered that. Harpy was your friend. Do you need someone to talk to?" She lent out a hand.

Panotty didn't reply. But he wished he did though.

The rest of the school didn't really have nice things to say about the earthborn angel known as Harpy. And Panotty didn't have it in him to stand up to her as he is now.

He had a feeling he's feeling what she was feeling almost a week ago. Though he can't imagine what she felt. Sure, them not liking him he didn't care about. But she clearly did, and she lashed out as she did… The elf looked at the nearest window covered in cloth.

He decided to find Jaan somewhere. He couldn't find her easily, both their phones are broken. Good thing the building is less soundproofed now. He shrugged and kept his pointy ears open.

It took Panotty a little, but he found Jaan. He heard her around two corners. She seemed to be talking to someone. He waited around the corner. Being in an extended conversation didn't sound like something he'd enjoy at the moment. Not in the mood for that.

"Look." A monotone voice said. "I get she's a friend of yours. But that doesn't change Harpy can only sing really badly, and never stops." Sig calmly explained to Jaan. It made Panotty grit her teeth and clench her fists.

"That's not true!" Jaan sounded really defensive. "Harpy is a good kid, she'd stop if she understood how painful her singing is." The genie gave perhaps not… the best case for Harpy.

"Eh, doubt it. Someone with a superpower like that is probably gonna do so again and again." Sig remained monotone as usual. "I hope she's gone." Jaan flinched, she wanted to berate him. But she read more fear of Harpy than malice through Sig's stoicism. Jaan couldn't argue.

Panotty could argue, but he swallowed it and waited for Jaan to be done speaking to him.

Jaan decided to argue anyway, completely off the cuff. "Sh-She could change! You didn't see her on the roof like I did! I was there. She changed a lot! She can change!"

"I really doubt it. Mind if I go to the Rec Room now?"

"…No." The genie said a little deflated.

"Thanks…" Sig walked past her with a wave. "And uh… Sorry that you lost a friend, Jaan."

Jaan sighed deeply. "'S okay. We weren't that close… See ya, Sig."

"See ya." Sig finally walked out of the room, unintentionally leaving the genie girl a class lower than him in not the greatest mood. Not that she was to begin with concerning the angel.

Panotty shot a glare at Sig as he left the room. Sig didn't seem to notice the short elf. Well, whatever. "Jaan." He said walking into the room.

"Panotty!" The sophomore genie shook out of her thoughts seeing the freshman elf. She hopped towards him and crouched to see him eye to eye. "Still no word of her?"

"…no…" He sighed. "She still won't answer my calls and hasn't posted anything online…"

"I see… "

"I hope she's okay…" Panotty's voice cracked. Jaan heard it a few times over the computer but this was the first time she saw it in person and it hit her hard. She didn't waste time giving the child-sized 15-year-old a hug.

"There there." She patted him on the back. "We did our best."

"It wasn't good enough!" Panotty verbally lashed out but hugged Jaan back tighter. "You heard what she said!"

'WHY SHOULD TELL YOU WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'

Panotty noticed that Jaan shuddered. "She was being irrational. She didn't mean it." She tried to put the same positive spin on it for the past few days even if she had the same (but lesser) stance on it as the elf.

"Whatever. Even if she doesn't wanna be friends anymore I need to know if she's okay!" Jaan recognized Panotty's behavior here. It reminded her of the girl known as Harpy a bit. She didn't really know what to do.

"I have a wish ready in two days-ish?"

"I just need to know she's okay. And maybe know her real name too… Been insulting her all this time without meaning too…" The prankster cried with his head leaning into his fellow prankster.

"..." Jaan would be lying if she didn't feel that retroactive guilt too. "?" Suddenly she felt the elf in her arms tremble.

The elf made a mighty grrrr. "I'M GOING!" He forcefully wriggled himself out of Jaan and left the room.

"Lemme know how it goes!" She didn't stop him. "GOOD LUCK!"

Panotty hurtled to the fastest way out of the building and ran past many confused fellow students at the anger and passion on the elf's face.

Ҽʍɑ μɑμɑμɑɑɑ

And that passion wasn't gonna slow down anytime soon! He needed to know how she's doing to rest easy!

Down the halls, down the stairs, through the front entrance, he ran. He was outside of school grounds, free to go to check up on her. He just needed to run a kilometer to reach the bus stop.

"YAAA!" Panotty yelped. He was unexpectedly swept off the ground by someone with wings.

"Where you think you're going on a Tuesday, young man?" It was Coach Satan's angry voice. The coach took off to the roof entrance.

"Lemme go! I need to know if she's okay!" He desperately flailed. Even high up in the sky.

"Pipe down! You'll fall!" The coach sweat at not letting this angry, erratic behaving student drop while carrying him to Principal Akuma's Office.

F2 - The Principal's Office

Panotty was restrained in a chair by the pressure Satan put on his shoulders. Forcing him to be eye-to-eye with the principal: Akuma.

"Yougottaletmeseeher!" Panotty bargained.

Akuma let out an exasperated sigh. 'Another one…' "Just to be 100% sure who we're talking about the one known as Harpy, correct?" Panotty heard Coach Satan grumble behind him. Agitating him more than he would've been.

"Don't play dumb, old man! You were there!"

"You can never be sure. For all I know your mother has been hospitalized." Panotty pulled a face. "I HAVE HAD MANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN MY LIFETIME!, KUMAKUMA!"

"Just lemme go! What do I have to do?! Please! I need to know how's doing!"

"Well, if that's the case." Akuma leaned back in his chair for effect. "She's doing well."

… "What?" That took Panotty by surprise.

"Yes." The teddy bear possessing principal nodded. "ACCORD AND I HAD A VIDEO CALL WITH HER AN HOUR AGO, MA MA KUMA!"

"What the heck! She won't answer my calls…" The elf slumped in the chairs. "How's she doing? When will she come back? Will she come back? Please tell me…"

"She's understandably depressed? And as for the WHEN AND WILL, THAT'S UP FOR HER TO DECIDE, KUMAKUMAKUMA!" That wasn't good enough. He needed to know first hand. "I CAN INVITE YOU TO OUR NEXT CALL TWO DAYS FROM NOW, MAMAMAMA!"

"No! I need to see her now, please!"

"Pipe down, brat!" Coach Satan had enough of this. "School isn't over yet, you're not going to visit Harpy."

"Stop calling her that!" The elf struggled but the adult devil kept him in place. "I'm going to see if she's okay with my own two eyes and you can't stop me!"

"Yes. We. Will." Satan rebutted.

"No, we won't." Akuma calmly countered.

"…What?"
"I beg your pardon?"

Akuma leaned towards the two. "You heard me. Let Mister Woodham go, Satan."

Satan complied with his superior's demand but he certainly was confused. "But Akuma. Shouldn't that angel-"

"Quiet. I know she caused you a lot of harm, Satan. I'm not senile." Akuma's words made the devil hold his head and ear from the memory of the angel's attacks on him. "But you're recovering. She has gone through a lot too, and she was struck hard by revelation. She hurt a lot of people too, but she's hurting and SHE NEEDS TO RECOVER TOO, KUMAMAMAMA!"

Satan shut his mouth.

Panotty sat there. Confused there wasn't a bigger fight. "Oh, Mister Woodham. Before I forget."

'Ah, here it comes…'

"I have changed my mind, I'll allow you to leave on one CONDITION, KUMA!" The teddy put his plush elbows on the table and rested his plush chin on his plush paws.

"I'll take it." Panotty said with no hesitation. Akuma smiled.

"Well, well. Glad you do care about her. She could really use it. I hope you're prepared to handle the consequences of it…"

Panotty sat there stone-faced.

"You will have to make up the classes you skipped out on today on Friday."

"Deal!" Panotty nodded.

"Then you have my blessing. Satan, ESCORT HIM AS FAR AS YOU CAN, KUMAMAMA!"

"What? Don't drop this on my lap lik… Agh. Fine, but don't touch anything in my car."

Satan dropped Panotty off and raced back to the school with little words.

Primp City Outskirts - Outside of Harpy's Home

The elf looked a the building. Trying to determine the best way to approach it. If he rang the bell they probably wouldn't open.

"Which window?" He tried to figure out which windows let him up to her room. "Yes." He swung his arm and snapped his finger. Luckily the window was open. Conquering the fence, he ran towards the walls of the building, and quietly finagled his way to the window. He peaked in the room. The lights were out, making it harder to see.

He didn't see the pink-haired, canary-colored winged angel anywhere. Not directly at least. There was a huge lump underneath the sheets. She's sleeping with her big plushes.

Panotty frowned to himself. He didn't like the idea of waking her up, but here he goes...

Jumping inside of her room, he tip-toed to her bed. He gently shook her shoulder. But it's clear it was just plush. The short elf couldn't reach where she would actually be on this bed.

That's when the door of the room opened. Panotty panicked! No time to hide!

The light went on. It was her in pajamas! Holding a mug of coffee.

She looked horrible. Her eyes looked baggy, sad, and drained. Her hair was unkempt and her wings unpreened. She held a posture that didn't look healthy for someone with wings.

The girl looked like a mess. She walked towards her couch. "Hhhum?" She tilts her head to Panotty. Making the elf jump.

Took the angel a few seconds and a rub in the eye to recognize the out-of-place thing in her room.

"'N-N-Notty?" Her voice sounded hoarse. The elf was about to reply back but the girl said something herself. "Oh, the doctor said I'm delusional. I guess I'm more delusional than he thought if I'm seeing you, 'Notty. Nobody likes me." She said it so casually as if it didn't register to her she said it.

The girl sat on her couch, wrapping her body in a sheet, sipping her coffee, staring into space. That was until Panotty moved in her direction, the angel was curious why the hallucination would approach her. Then again, she's never hallucinated before. Regardless she just let it happen, a fake Panotty couldn't hurt her physically, and certainly not verbally she felt.

She was in for a shock to her system when suddenly felt cushions move as the elf jumped onto the couch and embraced her. "I'm so glad you're okay~" The boy cried.

"Oh, gosh! 'Notty!" A figment of her imagination couldn't hug her like that. "How?"

Panotty nervously chuckled, he did break into her house to meet her. He does owe her an explanation.

"How could you keep wanting to see me?"

"Um?" Panotty wasn't sure if that sentence was coherent, but neither seemed the girl's train of thought. It also wasn't the question he was expecting which threw him for a loop.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to know how you're doing. You made me worry so much."

"But I said such mean things to you, and hurt your pointy ears. Why?"

"Because I like you." Those words made the pink-haired angel wanna hug the elf back on instinct. "You didn't deserve what happened."

The pink-haired girl felt her heart melt. A welcome feeling. "'Notty." She moved her wings in for a hug. "You don't hate me." She said to herself in confidence.

"I never have." She didn't know why or how. But she took it. They sat there for a while. Neither of them wanted to let this reunion embrace to break up anytime soon.

The girl took a deep breath in. And another for good measure.

My teachers have been calling me "Harpy" since kindergarten. I thought they were being nice to me… That they compared me to the half-bird, half-human people, because they knew I liked birdies because birdies sing pretty, and I thought I sung pretty. But no… They called me that because harpies' voices are so squawky… I've been insulted most of my life by everyone in my life and I forgot my own name. I can't do anything right, nobody likes me… Not even birdies… Even back then...

"That's not true!" Panotty countered. But she said nothing back, not in the form of a reply anyway.

"I didn't know nightmares could wake you up…" She said still in her zone.

…

Her muscles began to tremble. "Muh-Muh-My ears will be l-looked at s-s-suh-sommmet-time… S-so I'll hear like eh-everyone else…"

Panotty gave an understanding, non-verbal nod.

"W-Will my vuh-v-voice be really awful?" She winced at the thought.

"Um…" This was all too heavy for Panotty. He wanted to give it to her straight, but he felt like diverting with something he did believe. "I always thought your speaking voice was pretty."

"'Notty." The angel hugged him tighter. "Please don't lie."

"I'm not! Your voice is pretty. It's just the singing where it goes wrong!"

…

…

…

"Wanna start over?"

"What do you mean, 'Notty?"

"I've only known you as Harpy. I wanna start over." Panotty broke off the hug. Making the girl feel extremely nervous.

'Why would you do that? I thought you lik-' Her thoughts were cut off by the elf extending his arm. 'What is he doing? Oh, a handshake. Of course… I can't do anything right.'

"I'm Panotty, what's your name?"

The angel bypassed the handshake and went straight back in for a hug, surprising the elf.

"Yoko… My name is Yoko."

"Oh." Panotty was surprised. "Cute name, Yoko~"

Yoko giggled, that compliment was a bit of levity she needed. She smiled. "Please keep calling me that. I'm not used to it yet."

To be continued...

Authors' Notes:

HUSK: Here we go, Harpy's true arc has started. Yoko, I meant Yoko. One last chapter before this "Season", as we call it, is over.