[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/SR52k84p/54b4e63d635603b22d80f72a4ba2be54.png[/img][hr][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019c02b1-4686-759e-93a8-ec58d0ea6ae8.webp[/img][hr][@Achronum][@Blizz][@Forsythe][@Kirah][@PatientBean][@Trainerblue192][hr][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]Morning - Sat. January 15th, 2039 - Los Angeles, California[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr]

[@Trainerblue192][@Kirah]: Gideon was scowling, having been robbed both of her sword and her shadow. She didn’t care much about the shadow. She didn’t spend much time thinking about the ramifications of that, as the Scarlet Witch left as suddenly as she had appeared, with a final warning glance at Andy. “This fucking blows,” Gideon muttered, kicking at the ground. “Can we go back to the dorm, so I can get my backup sword?” she then asked Andy. She didn’t like the rapier very much, but the combo of a rapier and knuckle blades was better than having nothing. She already felt off balance, as if a limb had been severed. She didn’t care that they’d been in the wrong apparently to attack these two - she would do it again without a single regret. 

[@PatientBean][@Blizz]: While the day may have started off hectic and tumultuous, filled with explosive drama, tears, and livestreams, things had finally settled for Sabine and Leah almost peacefully. Jyoti and her friends had been run off, and the rest of the students at the ice skating rink seemed content to mind their own business. No one was rushing up to demand their attention, no ominous prophecies were about to come to light - for a little while, the pair could enjoy their time together and just breathe. 

[@PatientBean][@Blizz][@Forsythe]: The same, however, could not be said for Millicent, Vicky, and Marlena. No sooner had Bitterfinger left than another screaming child had taken her place - or children, really. A small pack of freshmen girls squealed, pointing at Millicent and gesturing excitedly. “OMG is it really you??? Millicent Broadway!!! Eeeeep!!! Can you sign our faces? Pleeease?” the ringleader of the pack requested, pulling a sharpie out of her bag - a move the rest of the pack followed suit with, as suddenly about twelve sharpies were being thrust in Millie’s direction. “Wait. Shut the front door. Millie Broadway [i]and[/i] Katy Perry [i]and[/i] Taylor Swift???? This is the best day of our lives!!!” the fan girls looked at Marlena and Vicky with the same admiration, as the number of sharpies somehow tripled. “We need your autographs too!!!!!”

[hr][hr][center][h3][b][color=ed1c24]Percy Novikov[/color][/b][/h3][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b29ec-87e6-745e-afed-c64ed081c458.webp[/img]
[hr][b][color=ed1c24]Location:[/color][/b] Margaret Carter - Winter Festival 
[b][color=ed1c24]Magic Items:[/color][/b] Mystery watch from Agatha Harkness, Dorian sex bracelet
[b][color=ed1c24]First Day Fit:[/color][/b] [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019c0287-4435-7608-82b5-0b29272f9040.webp]Black Hoodie, Jeans, and Vans[/url] [hr][/center]Percy didn’t know how long he had been sitting on the bench, his knees curled into his chest. 

His breaths had gradually begun to slow, the needy gasps turning into steady inhales and measured exhales. Things had felt so different over the break - he had felt so different. He’d started to be honest with himself about who he was, about the things he didn’t want to face but had to do all the same. And he had made friends. He’d promised to help Andy with her reading, he had gone to Jotunheim with Leah, he’d vanquished Fred with Danni. He hadn’t had friends before, not really. Everyone he had called a friend before had left him, some more explosively than others. But already, he found himself sitting alone on a bench again. 

Already, his immediate instinct on learning what Danni had done had been to not trust him again, to put the walls back up and defend himself from any future, good or bad. He hadn’t changed at all. It was all the same. New season, same carnival. He wanted to run away from it all, to crawl into his room and barricade the doors, to hide himself away where he couldn’t be found. He’d rather fight Arcade a thousand times than spend another minute here. 

But he didn’t want to live like that. He didn’t want to go back to that. 

So instead, he made a compromise with himself, setting a timer on his phone. He could stay here on this bench for a little longer, steady himself, and then he had to go and do something at the carnival. He didn’t know where Dorian was - probably with the others. He couldn’t blame him. He knew he wasn’t fun, not like this at least. He’d just been a burden lately, with the alcoholism and Chase and the divorce. 

He pinched his eyes closed again, and inhaled, holding his breath and counting, before exhaling completely. 

[hr][hr][center][h3][b][color=42A9FF]April Kingston-Gray[/color][/b][/h3][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b2a42-176d-736d-87cd-e80ef331aa59.webp[/img]
[hr][b][color=42A9FF]Location:[/color][/b] Margaret Carter - Stark Hall Roof
[b][color=42A9FF]Magic Items:[/color][/b] Kingston-Gray Bracelet, River Styx Water, Hair Dying Comb
[b][color=42A9FF]First Day Fit:[/color][/b] [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019c0288-fffb-75e9-a893-c52428fffbb6.webp]Denim jumpsuit and shorts[/url], [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019c0289-6076-72bb-aa81-e8cae051d70b.webp]pink streaked hair and orange tinted sunglasses[/url] [hr][/center]It was just April and Danni left on the roof now, as Percy and Dorian had slid down the ice slide. They couldn’t help but be a little bit surprised when Danni complimented them on the ice walls - they’d really messed up when it came to helping out with the situation, so much so that Dorian had felt the need to possess them and fix everything. Any pride in the quick construction of the walls had vanished when it resulted in the new kid having a panic attack, and even pulling the walls down hadn’t been great aesthetically. April had only wanted to help - but they probably could have helped more by doing nothing at all. 

[color=42A9FF]“Thanks!”[/color] April paused for a moment, sniffling slightly. [color=42A9FF]“... I think I just made things worse, though.”[/color] They could feel it like a current threatening to catch them - how easy it would be to focus on this emotion, this guilt, and let it drown them. It took effort to avoid its pull, to focus on the compliment over how far along their ice generation and construction had come, rather than fixating on the disaster they’d contributed to. 

[color=42A9FF]“Oh, shit, sorry! Dori made this, I didn’t know I [i]could[/i] make outfits out of ice tbh, let me take it off though,”[/color] they apologized, taking a breath as they flicked their hands down, and the ice melted, falling to the ground in a harmless puddle. [color=42A9FF]“Aww, yeah, let’s go tubing!! Did you wanna fly us over there? I dunno how long the structural integrity of that slide is going to last,”[/color] they added somewhat nervously. It had been fine with the last few people who had used it, but Danni ran [i]hot[/i] - and with all of the drama that had happened, April felt jittery and didn’t know if their emotions would be enough to send some cracks through the ice. [color=42A9FF]“Also, would mean touching more ice.”[/color]