[b]Location: Destroyed Cafeteria[/b] [i]Cameron[/i] Cams nodded solemnly when Maeve addressed him. He didn’t want her to fight the thing, especially not after it killed so many people. He bit his lip. Should he ask her not to do it? He considered following her, but he knew that would only make her worry more. “I’ll help find the rest.” He reassured in his quietest voice. “Find as many of them and take them to safety. Maybe find the teachers too?” By now, having been in Innocence 7 years, which was more than half his life, he learned that not many people adore their instructors and lecturers, but not recruiting these more seasoned Asylums to their cause would be – [i]suicidal? Silly?[/i] He turned to watch Maeve and Kiara interact. Yeah, he’d definitely try to get any surviving full-fledged Asylums to help them. “I – they’ll be in touch.” His eyes flit towards AJ. [i]How was he going to persuade his friend to come along? He knew Ms. Bennett wouldn’t be happy if he let AJ get hurt. Well, even if AJ was stubborn.[/i] Omar’s eyes met his and the older teen shook his head, mouthing “go on”. Cams blinked then nodded. [i]Well, if anything, MB was there and so was Bits. So were a few other students. That meant AJ was in good hands.[/i] “I’ll go now.” Cams announced to no one in general and he slipped away. ------------------------------------- [b]Location: Destroyed Cafeteria[/b] [i]Omari[/i] “Count me in,” the group barbarian voiced, as he gamely stepped at AJ’s side. “Where Party Leader goes, I’ll follow. That’s what a Party Leader is for,” he said with a laugh, though out of the corner of his eye, he gave AJ a sideways glance. Kid’s got balls. I’d have thought someone his age would be a whimpering mess by now given after seeing so many people killed. A second glance brought AJ’s indifferent expression to his attention and he felt a little more intrigued. Confidence or something else? He wondered to himself. Whatever it is, he was certainly to keep a closer watch on this one. The kid felt different compared to the other little kids he’s met. Heck, the boy’s demeanor kinda reminded him of himself minus his usual happy-go-lucky façade. “Dancer? Who’s she and what makes you so sure we’d get hold of weapons anyway? Anti-alchemic weapons aren’t stuff you’d like to mess with. One wrong grenade and boom! We’re doomed.” Omar fell silent after noticing some movement, this time from a different direction. He turned his head slightly and he saw Alistair exiting the canteen. An excited look flashed across his face. “Hey, guys, forget about figuring it out, let’s follow the man in pink. He seems to know what he’s doing…” He jogged on the spot, waved for the others to follow him then made a beeline for the exit Alistair took. “Come on! He might be getting armed to help the Chrono… it’s our best chance at getting our hands on those.” And hopefully, they won’t have to be explain themselves after that. He doubted their teachers would have minded them borrowing a few weapons given the circumstances, but he’d rather not risk it. [i]After all, these men and women were more fickle than a five-year-old demanding for candy.[/i] “Hey, where’d – there. Follow me!” He yelled as he continued dashing after the strangely dressed man. The bright pink was making it so much easier to track him amidst the drab greys and whites of their hallway. “I think he’s headed to the classrooms.” Omar sounded triumphant, as he rounded the last turn and bounded up the last flight of stairs. He glanced to the right, trying to figure out whether that was the direction the man took, when he felt it – a huge surge of Alchemy. His jaw drop at the sheer magnitude of it. He debated retreating, but given how they were all squeezed along a very narrow stairway, he had no choice but to move forward and hope for the best. “D-did you guys feel that?” He asked. [i]“Vail, please! Calm down. We need to get to safety! This thing is too dangerous.”[/i] “Eh, sounds like we found more survivors,” Omar exclaimed. He kinda dreaded knowing who they were going to find in the classrooms, but turning around a fleeing was stupid. The man was probably a full-fledged Asylum and thus aware he was being followed. [i]Maybe.[/i] Omari pointed in the direction he heard the voice coming from. “This way.” He braced himself then peered into the room. [i]There! The pink man was there along with a woman who appeared to have collapsed. Fainted? He couldn’t tell from this distance.[/i] The teen cleared his throat to announce his presence before joining Alistair’s side. “Hey, mister,” he asked, trying his best to sound as calm and concerned as possible. “Your friend – do you want us to go with you to the nurse’s office?” He stopped to listen.[i] The battle between the Chrono and the thing was in full swing below them, so he doubted that staying on the upper floors was a wise decision.[/i] “That or the bunkers. Either way we shouldn’t remain on the higher floors.” He paused as he felt the floor shake beneath him. “I think that’s the signal for us to go.” Omar reached out to help Alistair support Vali, but he pulled back at the last minute. He gazed a little skeptically at the heavy-looking gauntlets. He doubted he could lift it up even if he tried and there was no way in hell he’d expand boost his strength using Alchemy. Not in a situation like this. He turned to the rest. “Guys? A little help here…? We could each take an arm or something.” ------------------------------------- [b]Location: Hallway[/b] [i]Cameron[/i] A small blond boy darted down the hallway towards the entrance to the underground tunnels. Occasionally, he’d pause to throw open a closed door to see if there were other students hiding inside. Each time he came up empty-handed. It seemed that most had gathered at the canteen for lunch. The thought left him with a sickened feeling in the stomach. [i]Just how many of them had really survived? [/i] Cams gripped the door and considered shutting it, when he felt a chill run down his spine. He squared his shoulders in anticipation, because he was positive there was someone else here. Without thinking, the child darted into the room and hid behind the door. He heard the door across the hall from his opening. Who? He held his breath, muttering a few words under his breath, while focusing on masking as much of his Alchemic presence as he could muster. That should be enough to make anyone who sensed him do a double take. He began counting under his breath. After listening to several steps, he managed to figure out the timing between each step and thus the speed at which this unknown person was walking. He waited patiently, as he continued counting. Realizing that it was probably safe to peer outside, Cams stuck his head from behind door and almost fell over. [i]Mr. Joux? What was the man doing here?[/i] The boy pulled back into the classroom and rested against the door. [i]Should he follow the guy? Should he not? He had seen what the guy can do when upset, but he had also promised the rest to gather more experienced Asylums to aid them.[/i] He frowned. Slowly, his mind offered him a happy compromise – [i]he could tail their teacher for a bit, and when it was safe, he’d break cover and tell the Asylum everything (and prayed to be spared)[/i]. Well, on the bright side, he’d get to try out the techniques he learned regarding stealth and infiltration. Satisfied with that minor reassurance, Cams began chanting. “Softly, I thread. Invisible – I am unseen, unheard.” It wasn’t the most elegant verse or incantation, but he felt it was alright. The words, at least, gave him a clearer picture of what he wanted to achieve. He took a deep breath then repeated the words two more times. A tingly sensation swept over him and then nothing. He guessed it should be fine, since this was exactly how he felt when he tried to do mimic Erase. An ability he heard mentioned in class before, though honestly, he doubted he could even come close to it. Taking a deep breath to calm down, the boy threaded softly across the threshold and looked. He could see Joux turning to the left at the end of the passage. Cams nodded briefly.[i] Right, he’d probably have to move at two times his teacher’s speed, if he wished to catch up at this point. And off he went, running as fast as he could without making himself pant. The last thing he needed was for Joux to hear him. [/i]