[h1][u]Ciara Ventura[/u][/h1]
[i][color=gray]Wingram Academy, Walkway and Main Building[/color][/i]
[@Nanaya] [@ERode]
[hr]

[i]Hatred.[/i]
[i]Scorn.[/i]
[i]Grudges.[/i]

She felt the eyes of the nannies of the orphanage, tightened and cold. She felt the hands that threw her out of her home, the wind hitting her face as the door slammed shut. She felt... the Hunger. Always.

For once, the Voices remained silent in the face of new hatred, unsure whether to take comfort in it, or fear it. For Ciara, she lost her breath as a layer on knowledge was added to her perception of the janitor. No one was as they seemed, not even him. Maybe... as essence approached essence, she could finally be understood, as her understanding of the janitor deepened. 

[i][b]"I'll see ya around, kiddo. Hope you're one of the good ones. It'd be nice if ya were."[/b][/i]

Ciara hesitated at the door, staring, her eyes unfocused, dread settling in her stomach. The knight, flying through the sky, and Ciara's insatiable Hunger. She had wanted to taste the good one's essence as badly as she needed to breathe.

Ciara's head bent, her frame slightly stiffening. 

[b]"... I hope so too."[/b] She murmured, before pulling the door wide, and diving into the main building.

The 'receptionist' caught her eye instantly. A cold, unseeing stare. Around the corner of the hallways she could see new forms of mannequins creeping up, slowly closing the distance from across the foyer, overcoats billowing with every movement.

[i][b]"Came to the wrong school, fool. Turn back now and the Mannekin given to me will not destroy you so mercilessly! I'm a merciful god, so I'd rather not have to thrash you, you see."[/b][/i]

She scoffed, eyes searching the walls and corners of the foyer for the source of the loudspeaker and subsequent hidden eyes the voice may have been using. Her hands slowly inched to the daggers on her hips as she took a cautious step back, lowering her stance a bit.

[b]"From the sound of your voice... you're another student, yes? There's enough seats for everyone, why cause trouble?"[/b] She said, eyes watching the ominous mannequins edging closer. 

Slowly, her shadow shifted, darkness creeping down her arms and coating the blades of her unsheathed daggers, extending the tips into a type of shadow blade hybrid.

Her eyes narrowed, addressing the mannequins directly. [b]"Come on, then."[/b]

As if on cue, they all rushed her at once, one leaping over the receptionist desk and the others crossing the foyer in mere seconds. As the first bat swung for her head, Ciara stepped back, and was consumed by shadow. A half second later, she reappeared from the shadows behind them, swiping with her dagger. One looked almost surprised before toppling over, cut clean in half.

She took a breath and swiped again, stepping to the side on nimble feet as two mannequins swung at her again with their bats. She could feel the wind whistling as she narrowly dodged, burying her blade into another mannequin and dislocating its arm from its body. Her feet moved in circles, almost appearing as a dance as she weaved between bats.

She took another breath, and disappeared in her shadow. As nimble as she was, one wrong move and she would be down on the floor, out cold. She daren't tempt fate. She reappeared again further down the right hallway, leaving the rest of the mannequins in the foyer as she sprinted, hoping to to get as much of a head start as possible before they would catch up again. She kept an eye out for a map or directory of the main building, having a strong feeling she was, indeed, in the right place.

And, most importantly, she willfully pulled on the telepathic link between her and the dark one. She packed as much information into it as possible, similar like if she was handing her new friend a piece of paper with vividly punctuated data. A snapshot visual of the red building with its golden plaque, "Main Building." A second snapshot of her pounding footsteps through the hallways of said building, looking over her shoulder at the very threatening mannequins with their bats.

She hadn't seen the auditorium with her own eyes yet. But she trusted Michael. So, she went on a limb, and tried to follow up with a simple message.

But, in that moment, her mind and her thoughts became paralyzed.