[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qWI2ycc.png[/img] [h1][color=palevioletred]A Pale Imitation[/color][/h1][/center] [hr] [hr] [center][h3]An Open Window, and a Draft[/h3][/center] For once, Raffaella slept soundly in her bed, through the night of her arrival at Ersand'Enise. The funny-tasting "medicine" her maid had given her probably had something to do with that—but! Then again, she [i]was[/i] so [i]very[/i] exhausted from the traveling, and this bed was just [i]so soft.[/i] All these and other frivolous thoughts floated through her mind as she snuggled her pillow, trying to drift away one more time for a few extra minutes of peaceful slumber. Yet, it was not to be. Her last few minutes of sleep were fraught with struggle as she found herself paralyzed in bed. The sensation of a hand pressing into her back made it difficult to breathe as it put its imaginary weight on her frail body, causing her to feel as though she were being crushed. Then came the incomprehensible whispers. [color=black]م̸̱̍ن̷̦̎̏̐͠ ̵̨͔̳͎̄̃̈̀͜ا̷̫͗ل̷͙̮̗͋ذ̸̣̱̭̼͈̼͚͎̲͊̂̈̍̍̇ي̸̪̀̊͛̔́ ̷̗̦̣͒ت̶̦̞͍̪̿̓͊ه̵̧̼̐͊́̾̌̐͛̕ر̴̭̜̣̹͊͗̀̈́͑̃̍͜͝ب̶̧̢͇͖̥̈́̍̃̎ ̷̱͚̞̺̼̈̓̊̀͒̍͘م̵̼̱̫̓̽͗̿̊̔ن̵̠̓͆͋̀́͒͘̚ه̸̱̰̯͈̐̃؟̴̙̍̋͐͐̐͠ م̸͉̉ن̷͙͋ ̶̪͌ا̴͈͌ل̶͈̃ذ̴̱̐ي̴̦͌ ̵̗͠ت̵̮͌ه̸̯͝ر̵͎̚ب̷̛͎ ̸̛͔م̵̜̏ن̷̗̓ه̸̻̍؟̵̰͘ م̷͇́̽ن̵̗͐́͊̚ ̶̡̡͚̦̗̌̏͛̓͂ا̷͍̣̙͔̀̒̍͋͊ل̵̧̠͍̰̼̣͒̂̍̈́̂̂̕ذ̷̯̰̘͎͕͘͜͜ي̴̱̙͊ ̸̡͚̖̬̠̭̂̀̓̋̑͑̚ت̸̢̪̅͛͑͐̓͑͌ه̵̧͈͓͕̲̝̍̏͂̈ر̵̢̘̗̀́ب̸̛͎̱̬͒͆̄̎̋̚ ̶̛̫̉͘م̷̧̛̬̥̣̖̼̌͗̐̏ͅن̴͖̃̃̿͜ه̶̡̰͇̮̏̈́̒̂̀̆͜؟̵̲̯͚͒̈ م̶̫̏ن̷͍͗ ̶̠͝ا̷͚̌ل̸̝͑ذ̷̗͒ي̸̤͛ ̴̤̎ت̸̲̊ه̵͈͊ر̶̦͝ب̶̰̓ ̶̤͐م̷͍́ن̷͙̉ه̴̺̔؟̴̏͜ م̸̛̛̼̲̭̹̜̿̀̽͛̌̓͆̔̅̚ن̴̦͈͚͓̻͍̪̥́̆̔̿̀̚̚ ̶̯̞̆̿͗̈́̎̈́͆̈́̀̎ا̷͙̫̖͔̻̖̦͙̀̐̉̐͂̂̏ͅل̸̛̛̹͂̎͛̊̃̎͑͘͝͠ذ̴̨̨̯̠̤̼͍͓̺̥̖́̾̽͊̃̔̈́̑͑͛̊̕ͅي̸̤͙̮̹̻̟̤̓̿̈́͝ ̷̛̟͎̭͚͐ت̶̛̘̰̳͕̟͈̙͗͒͑ه̵̢̙͉̰̱͖͓̖̋͋͂̍ر̶̢͙͎͙̮̫̑̄̄̽̊̈́̃́̃̋̕͜͠ب̷̡̙̦̘̗̼̫͌͆̋͌̀͠͠ ̶̯̱̘̻̠̬̬̰͕͍͕͖̓̋̈͛͗̍͑̄م̵̛̱̮̳̪̭͇̝̯̟̭͍̆̈́̉̈́̃ن̶̜͔̲̙̤͉̞͔͆͊͒͊͛ه̷͎̗͔̺̩͐̅̂̀̀؟̶̢̠̙̗͚̝͕̀[/color] Eventually, the girl's eyes snapped open. The imaginary pressure on her body vanished, but the very real pain lingered. So, it was gonna be one of [i]those[/i] days... nah. To heck with that! She threw the sheets of her bed off, sprang to her feet, and opened a window. [color=palevioletred]"Hello, Sipenta! Hello, Ersand'Enise!"[/color] she cheered, beaming at nothing and nobody in particular. "Hello, you weirdo," replied one of many new classmates whose face she wouldn't recognize. Raffaella puffed her cheek out. [color=palevioletred]"What was that sound I heard just now~? Gosh, there must be a draft today~"[/color] she sassed back, shutting the window. Then, she blinked, and gasped. [color=palevioletred]"The draft for the Trials! It's today!"[/color] she realized, rushing to get ready. She didn't know why the Trials were all that important—heck, she didn't even know why she was being transferred to this school. It wasn't her mother's idea. It certainly wasn't [i]her[/i] idea. At her old school, everyone knew who she was. Here, well... people could be so darn rude! It wouldn't stop with the rude interruption of her morning routine, either. When the time came for the team captains to choose students from her pool, she was picked [i]second last.[/i] Sure, she hadn't exactly left a big impression during last year's Trials, but! Surely being cute had to count for something, right?! So she thought, anyway. Yet, no sooner had the draft ended than the team captain who chose her, Marz, was already looking to trade her away—for a girl with no legs. Perhaps, the students of Ersand'Enise didn't appreciate cuteness, she feared. But! Just as she was about to cry, she overheard a boy named Tommy say something. [color=gray]"What do you say? Personally, she's cuter. In a... obtuse sorta way?"[/color] Ohb-toose? What did that word mean? Well, whatever! She'd take it! Some shy introductions were made, along with some other trades, but Raffaella didn't pay much attention to that. She kinda just let Tommy do what he wanted; he appreciated cuteness, and for that, he was deserving of the role of team captain. He even named the team "Raffscallions" in her honor! So she supposed, anyway. She would certainly [i]hope[/i] that it wasn't all just a big joke. [center][h3]Melons! Melons Everywhere![/h3][/center] The Melon Derby—no, the [i]Great[/i] Melon Derby! The classic, the original! The [i]fun[/i] one. While she dangled her legs over the edge of her chair, swinging them back and forth, her teammates discussed strategy. While Tommy wondered why his team hadn't received a box to defend for Thieving Cherune, Raffie tilted her head from side to side innocently, hugging her slightly heavier book bag. When all the boring negotiations were done, it was decided that she would serve as a distraction. Raffaella would blaze through the air every which way but wherever the other members of the team were, carrying an illusory Melon Supreme. Sister Dominica would follow her around to create the illusion and back her up if needed. [color=301934][i]Ah. So, put a tracer on the tiny child and let her run around, while I babysit. Fun,[/i][/color] Dominica thought. [color=301934][i]Absolutely no one is falling for this.[/i][/color] As soon as the event started, she was off—and [i]boy,[/i] was she off. For some reason, her flying felt extra "flyey" today. Like, wow! [i]Boing~![/i] She rocketed straight for the cathedral district and the main church building: a landmark suitable and worthy of the Melon Supreme. Seconds later, she was speeding back out, carrying the Melon Supreme—though, it was not; it was a pale imitation of the real thing. Suddenly, she saw her—the one-legged yasoi, heading north toward the King's Ear base. The sight of her rattled Raffaella to her core. As if her body had suddenly given up the ghost, her eyes went dark, the arcane sparkles vanishing. Yet, her body continued to move. [hider=The Chase!] Raffaella slowly descended to the front door of the base and opened the door. Walking inside, she walked face-first into Pluurii. [color=301934]"Erm, Raffie? This isn't our base, sweetie,"[/color] Sister Dominica informed her. [color=301934]"...Raffie?"[/color] she prodded, poking the girl's cheek for a response. [color=palevioletred]"Cake..."[/color] Raffaella mumbled, walking further inside toward the Palaparese sisters. Mahal tensed when she heard the door. Her form quickly rose to her feet and moved into Raffie's path, blocking the girl from going farther. An Inpori curse escaped through gritted teeth. It was like Juulet's intrusion invited others to also invade their base. [color=#B8860B]"Who are you?"[/color] Mahal snapped instinctively. Raffaella jolted awake, or to something resembling a half-sleep. [color=palevioletred]"I'm Raffaella, ma'am,"[/color] she groggily responded without missing a beat, rubbing her eyes. Holding the shining melon close to her chest, she looked around the base, as if searching for a nice spot to put an expensive vase on display. The base was... unfamiliar. These people were unfamiliar. In fact, only Sister Dominica's hand on her shoulder was familiar. [color=palevioletred]"Oh,"[/color] she calmly remarked, as if suddenly having an epiphany about something mundane, like why she'd just entered a room. [color=palevioletred]"This is... the wrong room,"[/color] she said, covering her mouth with a hand as she let out a yawn. She placed the hand back on the melon. She looked at the melon. Then, she looked up at Mahal. Then, back down at the melon. As if it took a minute for her brain to catch up, her eyes suddenly snapped open. [color=palevioletred][i]"Oh."[/i][/color] Mahal didn't take her eyes off Raffaella, noticing the melon in the girl's grasp. It looked like the supreme melon, but was it really? That question stirred Mahal to close in. Already she expected a fight to spark over it. She had seen Lunara's kindness in work and made her own attempt. With the gentlest voice she could muster, she spoke to Raffaella. [color=#B8860B]"Nice to meet you, Raffaella. I am Mahal. May I see what you got there? Please?"[/color] Raffaella blinked, appearing unsure how to respond. Dominica stifled a giggle. [color=palevioletred]"I don't think my team would like that very much, so I'm gonna go—"[/color] Raffie was saying, but was stopped when the door kinetically slammed shut. Immediately, she bolted away from the mummified yasoi and Palaparese girls, running around the room, vaulting over chairs and sliding under tables. [color=palevioletred]"It's mine!"[/color] she spat childishly. Mahal's expression darkened when Raffaella spoke. Her hand raised to the door and muttered a spell, it snapping shut to stop them. With that tension released, things broke into a chase. [color=#B8860B]"Lunara, deal with the other girl. I got the melon one."[/color] Wasting little time, Mahal streaked after the ruffled girl, hot on her tail. Raffaella dashed into the kitchen, "avoiding" several Shadowy Defenders on the way. They made halfhearted attempts to grab her, more to stop her from hurting herself than anything. Some pan handles carelessly left dangling over the edges of the counters were knocked aside; dishes clattered here and there. [color=palevioletred]"Aw, they ate it all,"[/color] she remarked, spotting the remains of where the cake had been, scooping up some frosting with a finger. It was still in her mouth when Mahal rounded the corner. Mahal heard the pale girl dash for the kitchens, nimbly evading their allies. In truth, it didn't seem like they took this seriously at all. As she rounded the corner, the Palaparese girl lounged for the melon. Raffaella twisted on a dime and rushed to the side. Her clawed hands narrowed missed the arms cradling the prize. Not predicting it well, Raffaella zipped past her easily. Rushing about the counter, she swiftly rounded about to catch up again. [color=#B8860B]"You're going to give me that melon, now!"[/color] She growled. [color=palevioletred]"No! I'm not giving it!"[/color] she squeaked back, jumping over an island counter, making an even bigger mess. She then bolted out the back door, running down a back alley near a distinctly Perrench team's base. She turned abruptly northwest toward one of the bigger roads. Sister Dominica had been standing there, looking at Lunara with her head cocked to the side, wondering how she was going to "deal with" her, when she suddenly spotted a bright light out the window. Casually, she opened the door of the Nice Ones' base and grabbed Raffaella by the scruff of her school uniform, plucking her into the air. [color=301934]"Alright, that's enough,"[/color] she said patiently. Mahal gritted her teeth, she wasn't about to give up easily to a brat. Her feet kicked off her shoes as she slipped into the running girl's wake. She moved like a Goma cat hunting a Thunder Tamarin. She kinetic slammed her feet against the ground, kicking herself onto the nearest roof. It was soft enough to avoid any damage indicating she had done this many times before. She scaled onto the top quickly then rushed to catch up to Raffaella. The Palaparese girl bounced from roof to roof. Seeing the [i]maliit[/i] make a turn, Mahal moved to intercept. She jumped to the roof of their base before sliding down to the street below in a smooth motion. The flash of bright light distracted her as Raffie's teammate put the chase to a stop. Seeing her quarry in front of her, Mahal approached the front door. Her chest heaved slighly, but her eyes locked on the goal. Mahal dove for the melon, using an internal chemical "attack" to cause Raffaella's fingers to loosen. She defended adequately, but then Mahal "tripped" on a subtle binding trick from Sister Dominica. Mahal, almost regaining her balance but not quite, careened straight into Raffie. [i]Splat.[/i] A thick cloud of pungent and sticky vapor enveloped the trio. The "Melon Supreme" was, in fact, the inferno lemon. Sister Dominica had been holding a dummy lemon the entire time. Dominica closed her eyes, and the corner of her patient smile twitched. [color=301934]"Well. I certainly tried to stop you,"[/color] she remarked bluntly. [color=palevioletred][i]"Eww,"[/i][/color] Raffaella moaned, her eyes watering from the stench as she tried in vain to get the stuff off her little hands. While a small and harmless prank, Mahal stayed where she landed. She had been brought to all fours to keep her face from colliding with the dirt. Anger trembled across her form as Father's voice snaked its way into her thoughts. [i]Worthless girl.[/i] She clutched her fingers into fists while hot, angry tears began to sting her eyes. The air around her began to chill and lightning began to crackle across her form. Slowly, she rose onto her feet and glared at the pair. Her lips twisted up into a snarl. Spotting her sister's patience running dry, Lunara pushed past the two. Her native tongue rapidly poured out in hopes to calm her sister. [color=Aqua]"Ate, ayos lang. Huwag gumawa ng isang bagay na padalus-dalos. Alam kong galit ka, pero pag-isipan mo."[/color] Her hands gently gripped Mahal's shoulders. Mahal tensed before she gradually relaxed, the lightning dying almost instantly. She looked at Lunara with a pained look who nodded. With a gentle tug, Lunara encouraged her to enter. While moving past their opponents, she paused and switched back to Avincian. [color=Aqua]"You two should likely come in as well to clean up."[/color] Raider looked ready to protest, but he merely shrugged. He sent his teammates off who returned shortly with buckets of water, and rags. Lunara sat Mahal down and offered her a rag. Sighing, Mahal took it and began to clean off the sticky, yellow mess from her skin. [color=palevioletred]"Um, are you okay..?"[/color] Raffaella prodded as she watched Mahal tremble in what she initially thought may have been pain. When she rose in anger, the mini-Miattan brought her hands up to her shoulders in a frightened self-hug, eyes wide with fear. Sister Dominica, despite her vanishingly little patience remaining for the antics of this tiny child, quickly pulled Raffaella close and drew heat from the surrounding air, giving Mahal a no-less cold and stern look. It all proved unnecessary due to her sister's intervention. Raffaella was more than a little embarrassed. The "adults in the room" didn't even seem to care about the melon derby, which made her feel foolish. She sat across from Sister Dominica, pouting a little. Dominica picked up a rag and started wiping her own face off. When she noticed Raffaella wasn't doing the same, she tossed her a second rag. [color=301934]"You can clean yourself. You're not a baby."[/color] Raffaella jolted as the rag hit her face. When the rag came off, her demeanor completely changed. She was almost solemn as she started clearing the goo from her cheeks. Mahal pulled off a rather long string of goo from her arm, dangling it from her fingers. She frowned at how sticky it was. It stretched between her fingers as she pulled them apart. With a shake, it flung off her hand onto Raffie's dress. Her other one reached into her snack pouch to pull out a small brown chunk and chomp down on it. A loud crunch came while she chewed it before swallowing it. Raffaella's face soured. It looked like it could have been an accident, but that was how people got away with things like that. The girl pulled the blob of slime off her dress with an obvious intent to flick it back at her dress. Dominica snatched her hand and held it firm. [color=301934]"Any more from you two and I'm dragging you both to the bath house, and neither one of you will come out of there until you're best friends. Understood?"[/color] she warned. Raffie pouted, but she let go of the goo. Or, she tried to, anyway, which Dominica took as an acceptable reply from a young brat. Spotting Raffaella about to flip the ooze back on her, Mahal's eyes narrowed. She began to draw in with the intention to repel the incoming offense with her magnetic. However, it wasn't needed. Upon catching the woman's buff, she scoffed. [color=#B8860B]"That will not happen. Not even if my ancestors asked it."[/color] She clicked her teeth at the notion. [color=#B8860B]"Why would you protect a lemon like that anyways? It does not make sense."[/color] [color=palevioletred]"Tommy made me do it!"[/color] Raffaella insisted. [color=palevioletred]"I told him I was fast, and he made me [i]bait!"[/i][/color] she pouted. [color=palevioletred]"It's not like I wanted to mess up your hair, or anything!"[/color] she proclaimed, crossing her arms in a sassy manner. Though, she clearly wasn't regretting Mahal's state, given how she'd acted towards her. [color=301934][i]I only agreed to this plan because it made it easy for me to keep tabs on the tiny child,[/i][/color] Dominica wanted to add—but she kept her mouth shut. [color=#B8860B]"I doubt you are sorry."[/color] Mahal retorted, her temper gradually shimmering down. Part of her wanted to smack the spoiled child, but she resisted. Not even Lunara was this bad. [color=#B8860B]"You also walked into our base. What did you think was going to happen?"[/color] Her form was up before she realized it and towered over the smaller student. [color=palevioletred]"That was... um, a mistake,"[/color] Raffie confessed, unsure where to even begin explaining her condition. [color=palevioletred]"It's called sleepwalking, and, um... sometimes, it... happens."[/color] She trailed off. Dominica did her best to appear preoccupied with her nails, but she had her eye on Mahal, even if it didn't look like it. Mahal cocked her head to the side. She felt Lunara's stares causing her anger to fade, leaving only lingering shame. The woman sighed for what felt like the tenth time. Straightening up, she crossed her arms over her chest and weighed the truth. [color=#B8860B]"So it is like my... hunger. You can not stop it? Is there herbs or something for it?"[/color] Raffaella felt a little pang of guilt. She knew what the hunger was like, too. Suddenly, having one up on Mahal didn't seem so important anymore. [color=palevioletred]"Nope..."[/color] She frowned. [color=palevioletred]"I mean. People tell me 'coffee,' but..! I [i]hate[/i] coffee."[/color] She stuck her tongue out to emphasize the point. Being the daughter of a coffee plantation owner, Mahal's right eyebrow rose. She clicked her tongue against her teeth as she retorted. [color=#B8860B]"What's wrong with coffee?"[/color] Her foot tapped on the floor a bit, waiting for an answer. [color=palevioletred]"Because! It's so [i]bitter!"[/i][/color] Raffie replied as though it were obvious. [color=palevioletred]"Why do you care, anyway?"[/color] [color=301934]"Because she's your friend,"[/color] Dominica replied flatly, looking at neither of them but having a smug smirk on her face. Raffaella blinked, and blushed. She said nothing. Raffaella was still cleaning off the stubborn inferno lemon juice when she suddenly perked up, looking directly at Mahal, as if she noticed something. Sister Dominica picked up on her sudden movement and looked, too—and also seemed to notice something. Raffaella's eyes drooped while Dominica's widened. As the servant of Eshiran stiffened in posture, Ipte's Penitent gazed impassionately, her lips slightly parted, drool forming at the corner of her mouth. Then, she stood up and walked forward, eyes locked on something behind Mahal. [color=301934]"Raffie, no! Don't touch it!"[/color] Dominica barked, leaping up and grabbing her in a tight bear hug. [color=palevioletred]"Hweh?"[/color] Raffaella jolted slightly. [color=palevioletred]"But, it's so pretty..."[/color] she mumbled, reaching out as far as she could with her little arms. Behind Mahal was a rainbow—except, it couldn't have possibly been one. Its existence and its shape made no logical sense. It could only be an aberration! Mahal scowled at Dominica's statement. Her eyes rolled as she slouched in her seat, her legs stretched and crossed at the ankles. She continued wonder how much longer Johann and the bitch would take. A prick of eyes brushing her skin drew the Palapnar girl's attention. Her eyes snapped back to see Raffaella suddenly stand and move toward her. Before Mahal could react, she caught Dominica's warning. Her head jerked to glimpse a strange sight of a rainbow. Her form immediately stood upright, blocking Raffie's line of sight. [color=#B8860B]"What is that?"[/color] [color=301934]"It's an aberration, stay away! Don't touch it!"[/color] Dominica reiterated urgently. Raffaella, still half-asleep, drew the rainbow-colored anomaly a bit closer, putting both her and Mahal in its path. [color=301934]"No!"[/color] Dominica shouted, throwing Raffaella off of her and shoving Mahal out of the way. If the young students insisted on trying to draw it in, she could draw harder, and had a better chance at surviving its effects. As she began to absorb it, she turned to Mahal. [color=301934]"I don't know what will happen! Take Raffie and run! GO!!"[/color] Mahal's teeth gritted together, her eyes narrowed on the strange thing. A small part of her wanted to protest and ignore Dominica. Her common sense, however, won in the end. She cursed in Inpori then rushed at Raffie. Her arms caught the girl around the middle as her kinetic popped open the door. Her voice carried behind her, [color=#B8860B]"Lunara, warn Tku!"[/color] Somehow, Mahal managed to pick up Raffaella without waking her from her half-asleep state; and in doing so, she would realize just how small she was. Beneath the frills and ribbons and poofy dress, she was a tiny thing, to a degree that just wasn't normal for someone with the privilege of attending Ersand'Enise. [color=palevioletred]"Aw,"[/color] she moaned in disappointment. [color=palevioletred]"It looked tasty..."[/color] She yawned. While Mahal carried Raffaella, the crowd which had by now begun to panic drove them southwest, away from the King's Ear base. In the distance, the Academy grounds adjacent to the Cathedral District were being used as a gathering space for injured students. Mahal left her in the care of the academy's binders as the chaos unfolded around them.[/hider] In the end, Raffscallions placed 3rd in the Great Melon Derby, with a final score of 4108. [center][h3]The Undesirables[/h3][/center] Next was the Dragon—a notoriously difficult and unabashedly dangerous relay race. Once again, Raffaella let her teammates decide on the actual strategy. Apparently, she was to join the absurdly-named "Giggling Calamari" in reducing the numbers of an invasive species in... wherever they were going. Raffie didn't really pay attention to that part. At least, no one [i]thought[/i] she did. As she stood on the shores of Kiluaho, she contemplated something. Making pizzas, collecting eggs, digging up treasures, catching invasive creatures—and yesterday too, gathering melons. Weren't all of these competitions just excuses for the biros of Ersand'Enise to go around... running errands? Only the mushroom maze portion really felt like a pure and simple race. It was almost as if the Zenos threw it in there for the sake of keeping up the Dragon's fearsome reputation—having a leg of the race knock out a majority of teams, in this case literally, with its psychedelic fog. Wouldn't they have been able to help the locals of Kiluaho more if they just skipped that part, though? What was the point of this? Why not just be honest and upfront, and do this in the spirit of cooperation? Such were the thoughts that idly fluttered through her mind as she furiously fanned herself, before remembering that cryogenic arcane spells were a thing. Oops. Giggling Calamari stood leaning against a tree, engrossed in a lollipop. She'd been eyeing Raffaella suspiciously ever since she used her chemical magic to keep the pestilence that was the massive swarms of mosquitoes away from the two of them. Now, she was fanning herself with arcane magic, and despite her reputation as a fragile little marshmallow who would probably melt in just a tiny bit of rain, she had managed to do both of these things without complaining about the conditions of the environment a single time. Was her reputation not a deserved one? She certainly [i]looked[/i] like a tiny little crybaby. All Calamari had to do was wait, however. Raffie had a brilliant plan, and even came up with it all by herself! She would use her chemical magic to signal to the threshers, basically making herself smell like "mom" to coax them out, and it was working! Reaching out with her little arms, she beckoned the "kids" to come to her, her warm eyes sparkling with wonder. Soon after their arrival, however, Taleja set about making as much noise as possible, causing the creatures they were supposed to be catching to scatter. They fled, and much to Raffaella's dismay—decidedly [i]not[/i] into her arms. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the chaos unfold around her. [color=palevioletred]"Why?!"[/color] she demanded. [color=palevioletred]"Can't you see we're supposed to be helping these people?! Who cares about the race?! You're all so [i]SELFISH!!"[/i][/color] The locals could tell that she was upset, but as long as she wasn't hurt, they didn't seem to have time for her. Taleja was either ignoring her or couldn't hear her over the sound of her own racket. The only one who acknowledged her was Calamari. [color=hotpink]"Girl, you are reading into this [i]way[/i] too much. It ain't that deep. There's plenty more o' these girls, and more beach for us to use. Come on,"[/color] she grumbled, dragging Raffie by the arm. If she was easily upset, she was surely easy to please. The girls took their time exploring, with Raffaella being rewarded with a Golden Emperor Conch for her efforts. That wasn't all, either. While she was gathering up the rosy threshers, she came across an abandoned nest of five torpedo thresher pups—and they, too, were irresistibly drawn to her. One, with a pearlescent coloring, caught the girl's eye immediately. Scooping her up in her hand, she brought her in for a closer look, her eyes gleaming. [color=palevioletred]"Wow~ Arnshu jusha cutest?!"[/color] she cooed to the little critter, which then proceeded to pinch her right on the cheek. [color=palevioletred]"Awh~ Shtawp! Legwo!"[/color] she cried, trying to pry the girl's claw open, but it was to no avail. The girl had staked her claim on a new mom and would not let go. Calamari shuddered as she watched the threshers crawl all over her partner. [color=hotpink][i]She thinks they're [b]cute?[/b] Just what kind of creature is she?![/i][/color] ... The night after The Dragon, Raffaella was wandering around the school grounds like usual, when suddenly a [i]massive[/i] figure appeared. It was... that one-legged yasoi, again?! [color=palevioletred]"HIIIEEEEEEEE!! Don't come near meeeee~!"[/color] she screamed, taking off and flying as fast as she could—but the yasoi lady was faster! "C'mere, you!" she growled, tackling Raffaella and squeezing her tightly. "You really are tiny, huh?" she teased as Raffie struggled. "Gimme the box, you! I know you have it!" [color=palevioletred]"No! You can't have Mr. Box!"[/color] She said as she clung tightly to her book bag. "Oh yeah? Take this!" Tyrel replied as she tickled the small yanii trapped in her arms. [color=palevioletred]"N-No! Ahahaha! Anything but that! No, nono, AHAHAHAHA!! Uncle! UNCLE!!"[/color] she cried, relinquishing the box. "Thank you much~" Tyrel grinned and ruffled Raffie's hair before flying off. [center][h3]Only Up![/h3][/center] The next day, another fellow student came to relieve Raffaella of a Cherune box. This time, it was Mahal, predictably offering her some sweets. Raffie gave her a token little "humph," and informed her that she was (in fact!) something of a [i]connoisseur[/i] of sweets, and she'd need [i]quite[/i] the selection to impress [i]her[/i]—and... wow, that [i]was[/i] quite the selection of exotic sweets. Raffie could do without the chocolate-covered bugs, but the vast majority of it looked very good and made her quiet curious. After a battle of will that didn't last terribly long, she handed the box over to Mahal. [color=palevioletred]"Sorry, Mr. Box,"[/color] she murmured as she relinquished the second Cherune box in as many days. She was a creature of habit, not self-discipline. ... The day of the next Trial came, and it was met with more Taleja shenanigans. This time, she was harassing the Soul Sisters. Raffie furrowed her brow in disapproval as she watched her "negotiate" with the Soul Sisters, and then Jocasta—an exchange that ended with her being flung into the water some distance away. [color=palevioletred]"Woop woop~! Get dunked, Tally-girl~"[/color] She cheered for Jocasta as she burst out laughing. Several other students watched her and snickered as she recoiled in embarrassment at her public outburst. As the time of preparation neared, Raffaella began leaving strange tins that Desmond had prepared inside every aircraft she could find, as stealthily as possible as he had instructed. As she stood outside the basket of one hot air balloon, she turned one of the tins over in her hand, curious about its contents. There seemed to be some kind of thicker-than-water liquid inside—and, it was cold! "What's that?" one student asked suspiciously as he caught her standing next to his team's craft. [color=palevioletred]"Um."[/color] She blinked, realizing that she didn't actually know. [color=palevioletred]"Ice cream, I think. Desmond told me I'd get some if I passed these out to everyone, all sneaky-like. It's a surprise!"[/color] She smiled impishly. "Desmond, huh?" The kid narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, no thanks." [color=palevioletred]"Huuh? You got a problem with my teammate?"[/color] she drawled. [color=palevioletred]"Or, does your whole team hate the second best dessert in the world?"[/color] she accused. "Second best?!" he replied. [color=palevioletred]"Uh, yeah? The best is cake, obviously."[/color] "What?! No, it's—" He caught himself and facepalmed. "Anyway, beat it, pipsqueak!" Raffaella puffed out her cheek. [color=palevioletred]"Humph! More for me, then!"[/color] she pouted as she stormed off. Her task complete, it was time for the second part of her role in the plan: to hitch a ride with another team. After all, who was going to say no to the cutie? [color=palevioletred][i]I love the way you think, Tommy! This is why you're the best![/i][/color] Giggling to herself, she looked around as the other teams took off, and her eyes landed on a massive beanstalk. [color=palevioletred]"Oh, wow..."[/color] Her eyes glittered with glee. Then, they glazed over as she gave in to her desire for sleep. This was a critical step: by relying on her sleepwalking, she would be harder to detect! However, the plan failed as Raffie met with someone who will say no to a cutie: Edyta Laska. She held out a hand to stop Raffie, and ruffled her hair vigorously, enough to wake her. [color=6ecff6]"No. You've been swept up in enough of your friends' schemes for one day,"[/color] she scolded gently. [color=palevioletred]"I'm not gonna do anything mean... I really can't come?"[/color] she replied with pleading eyes. [color=6ecff6]"No. You may not."[/color] The nun refused more firmly the second time. [color=6ecff6]"Be a good girl."[/color] She fixed Raffie's hair for her, gave her a tiny strawberry muffin, and shooed her away. [color=palevioletred]"I really wash jush gonna go to shleep and let it carry me up,"[/color] she sulked with a mouthful of muffin as she slowly walked back to her team's meeting place. There was nothing for it; she'd just have to ride up with the others. It wasn't all that bad, but it was considerably less cool than riding a magnificent and beautiful giant beanstalk straight out of a fairytale. Then, Raffaella dropped to her knees. If it were possible, her face grew even paler than usual. [color=palevioletred]"What... is this..?"[/color] she asked no one in particular, trembling. [color=palevioletred]"My manas are... gone? I can't... move..?"[/color] Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded as she shook violently. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she started hyperventilating. Already, she was a pale imitation of the real thing. If she stopped being capable of magic altogether... [color=palevioletred][i]Who would I be?[/i][/color] she realized. Then, a familiar face snatched her up. [color=palevioletred]"Zazzy!"[/color] Raffie breathed. She grabbed Raffie and fled, far out of range of whatever was affecting her—it was Command magic, but that was a conversation for another day. Right now, they needed to win, and win big! The Raffscallions took 7th place, which, in some circles, would be considered winning big.