[IC] The Safe Haven

[Raptra]

Cole was looking, but not exactly seeing, and hearing, but not listening. He continued to watch the activity going on in the arena as green hair went up against sword. He could pick up some commotion coming from the back, though, he still was not in the mood to trouble himself by turning around to see what it was all about. He kept his gaze fixed on the arena, and it was not long before something unusual happening fully caught his attention.

Luxianne had stopped, and she was speaking to Eric. Was she... handing him his weapon? Were they not supposed to go all out? Why would she-

Some movement near him then interrupted his thoughts. Someone was speaking to him. He turned to the other blonde who had seated herself in front of him, with an eyebrow raised. He did not recognize her. Well, that did not matter, because she had just introduced herself. Cole decided that it would be polite enough to just do the same.

"Serenity..." he repeated, to make sure he had gotten it right, especially in his state of mind right now. "Pleasure, my name is Cole."

@JewelProphet30

[DELETED324324]

Eric caught the blade, and looked down. She wanted a fight, and he wasn't giving her one. But she shouldn't of given him the sword back. "Alright." Was all he said, he had to think fast she was already on the move again. Eric changed his stance, turned, and began to fall back. He needed to give himself some distance from her, if he got to close he was just asking to get trapped. She could control her hair after all, she could easily just hit him in the back while he engaged her up front. Essentially he went in a giant half circle around the arena, this would give Lucky plenty of time to prepare a defense and figure something out, but he didn't care he had to get his head in the game.

As he finally turned to engage, he did so on her right, and he ran for her as fast as he could. Eric kept an eye on anything she might try as he sprinted, ready to dodge if need be. But as he cleared the gap and got close enough for a swipe he took it aiming for the back of Lucky's leg, aiming to disable her leg hoping against all hope he could not only hit her, but also not feel bad about it afterwords.

[JewelProphet30]

Serenity smiled a little when Cole answered her and she glanced back at the arena for a moment before facing him again, her smile a little more sure now, it produced a dimple in one cheek. "Have you fought already?" She asked as she tugged at her gloves again, still nervous as she tried to gauge him, she wanted to reach out to touch him but curbed it as she remembered what exactly could happen if she did that. "I'm not sure who I would fight, it looks like everyone has been up there except me..." she bit her lip slightly as she watched the boy begin his attack again and she shuddered, not wanting to think about what she would be expected to do.
@Raptra

[Raptra]

The fight in the arena had resumed as both Cole and Serenity turned their attentions back to it, but Serenity then spoke again, asking him if he already had his turn. He looked down again at the bruises that covered his arms, a light smirk of amusement crossing his face for a split-second before it disappeared. It had been a fight, that was for sure, but with whom exactly? Sarah, Professor Jacob, or the thing in his head?

"Yes."

She continued speaking to him, wondering who her opponent would be.

"I'm fairly certain that the teachers have something planned," he simply said in reply.

He looked at her curiously, finding the location of the seat she had chosen rather strange when she had intended to start a conversation with him. She seemed to be in quite an awkward position as she was watching the fight and talking to him at the same time. Cole could understand not wanting to get too close, as he usually liked having his own space as well, but it seemed to be a significant inconvenience in this situation.

"Is it not uncomfortable to keep turning like that?" He asked her, before jerking his thumb at the seat to the other side of him, the one without his jacket slung over the backrest. "Would you like to move up here?"

@JewelProphet30

[JewelProphet30]

Serenity swallowed a little as he offered for her to sit beside him and she nodded shyly before standing up and moving to the seat he had indicated. "It's not so much that it's uncomfortable so much as I didn't want to encroach on your space." She said this as she settled in the seat still watching the fight below but giving equal attention to Cole, he was very polite and she wondered what his story was, why he was here. "Have you been here long?" She asked quietly knowing that some of these students had been here for ages, while others were just as new as she was. She had barely had time to put her things in her room last night before exhaustion caught up with her and she had then over slept, so not only had she walked into class late she hadn't had a chance to meet anyone yet.

@Raptra

[Aphelion]

@Enalais

Lucky followed Eric's movements with her eyes as she stood resolutely in place. Her hair retracted back and slithered in the air behind her, waiting for her to command it on its next course of attack. She had a plan in mind, giving him his sword back. And now it was time to see it to fruition. [[They know I hate this shit but insist on these classes! Let's give everyone a show then, shall we!?]] Lucky narrowed her eyes and glared at Lady Jade and Professor Jacob.

When Eric came up behind her and swiftly slashed his sword across the back of her right leg, Lucky let her power drop and exposed herself to the brunt of his attack. The blade Eric wielded sliced through tendons and muscle, creating a horrible gash that left lumniescent green blood pooling around her. Lucky let out a grunt of pain and dropped to one knee, her own blood splashing up to freckle her arms and pants where she landed. Then, just as quickly as the wound appeared, it stitched itself together, leaving not a trace of it existing in the first place.

Lucky looked back at Eric. "You have to aim for something more vital than that to incapacitate me, Eric. But if you wont, then I'm ending this." She sighed, wishing that her new friend had the balls to get this over with so she wouldn't have to hurt him. He had also made a grave mistake, going behind her. That meant he was much closer to the thing that was one of her biggest weapons: her hair.

Without hesitation, Lucky whipped some the dirt on the arena floor that had mixed with her blood up into Eric's face. Simultaneously, the aforementioned weapons lashed out in countless sections, aiming to wrap themselves around Eric and crush him into unconsciousness. Quite a few went for his torso and arms, but there were also ones to entrap his legs and face. Most of them were un-enhanced, granting them speed, but there were also thicker, enhanced sections that would act as the vice-grip, should they be allowed to connect with Eric.

[Raptra]

Cole shifted a little as Serenity climbed up to sit beside him. "I truly appreciate your consideration in that matter. The least I could do is to consider your comfort as well."

The both of them had sat in silence for a moment watching the arena battle, before Serenity asked another question, this time wanting to know how long Cole had been at the Haven.

"I arrived here just a couple of days before the start of the new term," he simply replied, thinking that he would probably scare the friendly blonde away if he went on to elaborate about the events that had led to him ending up at the school.

Turning his attention back to the arena, Cole's eyes then widened at Luxianne's blood, or what he assumed was her blood, being spilled by the sword. It most definitely looked very painful, but he was also rather fascinated by the color of the liquid and how it was glowing. The rapid healing that followed was of course, just as intriguing. He continued to watch as Luxianne suddenly seemed to turn serious, practically restraining Eric with her bright green hair. He wondered how the latter was going to get out of this one. Cole had a wild monster in his head that could rescue him from traps as a last resort, and he only hoped that Eric had something up his sleeve as well, or that the teachers would intervene in time.

@JewelProphet30

[JewelProphet30]

"I just got here yesterday, I suppose everyone's stories are different..." She said trailing off as she focused on the fight again and frowned when the green girl started glowing everywhere. "Oh...Oh no..." she whispered hoping the other boy would be able to pull something out and be safe or that the teachers would stop the fight soon. She clutched the arms of the seat she was in and leaned forward a little as she watched, thankful again for her gloves that protected her from the worst of the memories that likely permeated the place. She gasped a little when the girl healed and unknowingly reacted grabbing Cole's hand as she watched what was going on.

@Raptra

[Drakey]

@Kazemitsu@Dutchess Sarah

Eira froze. The dragon's joke had not been appreciated. While he had seemed to be a decent person, his actions brought memories to the forefront of Eira's mind. Memories that she would have rather left buried. Her mood, which had already been dark, turned pitch black. Her flames shrinked back, just barely riding her skin. Her face, completely emotionless, was terrifying.

"Kaze," her voice was ice itself. "Never again. Never do that again." Immediately, the metal around Eira began to crack from the cold. Getting up, she merely left the two. Walking out of the arena, Eira immediately headed towards her dorm room. That fucking dragon, why did he have to do that?

[Raptra]

It had gotten to a point where Cole's full attention had been on the arena battle, when a sudden feel of fabric against his bare skin caused him to jump slightly. His eyes darted to Serenity's gloved hand over his own, and he stared, stunned for a moment. It was the first time he had been touched since he was helped to his seat after his fight, and it agitated him a little. How he was feeling in response might have also been due to the fact that he was not used to being around people who expressed themselves in such a manner. This contact, to him, seemed... unnecessary.

Regardless, he was in a rather awkward situation. He first considered that she might have wanted his attention, but she had not said a word to him since she had taken hold of his hand. If that was not it, then... do certain people not find comfort in touching another person? In that case, was she that anxious about the battle that she had to do that? He looked up at her, finding her still watching the fight closely. He did not know what he could say to calm her.

"I- Is everything alright?" He eventually blurted out, which he then realized was a silly question, considering that she was visibly tensed.

@JewelProphet30

[Dutchess Sarah]

Sarah was missing most of the fight. She had tried to focus on the arena, but the thing with Kaze and Eira was distracting. Still, she felt a wave of relief when Lucky healed her injury seemingly easily. Oh and the new girl chatting with Cole was cute.

Then a flash of cold fire. Sarah jumped and Kaze kissing Eira had been funny, cute even, but Eira's reaction had startled her.
She turned to Kaze, almost afraid for his reaction. "Are you okay? That was some reaction." She hoped Eira hadn't hurt him. Somehow, despite the girl's cool exterior, Sarah thought she would regret hurting the big dragon dude.

Almost as an afterthought she added "I wonder... what has she been through to react like that?"

@Kazemitsu @Drakey

[JewelProphet30]

Serenity startled when Cole spoke to her again and she looked over and down, seeing her hand on his she jumped up “I...I...I’m sorry!” She blurted put before turning on her heel and moving several seats away putting some distance between herself and the other students. She hadn’t touched anyone in months, had refused too simply because she was scared of what would happen if she did, even with the gloves on. Jewel bit her lip as she focused on the fight and nothing else around her, tugging on her gloves as she watched the flaming girl run out of the arena and she looked down at her hands and wondered about the school and her classmates.

Serenity glanced back over at Cole but looked away quickly tugging on her gloves she took them off and very carefully touched a finger to the seat beside her, allowing her skills to take over she closed her eyes and absorbed the information that began to flow into her mind. Previous fights, teachers and students interacting, she smiled a bit as she learned more about the schools dynamics.

@raptra

[DELETED324324]

@Aphelion

Eric watched as the sword cut through her and he winced. "I'm sorry Lucky." He said, but as he saw it heal the relief on his face was palpable. The thought of hurting someone especially a friend had been almost too much to bear. He had promised someone, and himself he wouldn't use his powers to harm anyone. Just to relieve them of their money, and valuables. Still even with her healing factor he felt something gnawing away at him, he felt his guilt. She did the smart thing and whipped dirt into his face and for a moment longer he was stunned. When the hair wrapped itself around him, he let out a grunt of discomfort. "I'm not going to hurt you Lucky." He said softly, as the hair squeezed around him, he felt it tighten even more, and he knew he was beaten. He didn't really have a choice but to yield.

They wrapped around his face and he couldn't breathe. He gently tapped her hair, a gesture people use in martial arts to show to release. "I give, let up." He said, the hair muffling it. He just hoped she could hear because if she couldn't then he was screwed he'd probably die suffocated in her hair. Not a way he wanted to go out, he knew that Lucky was going to be mad at him for giving in, but he didn't care. He didn't want to fight her in the first place.

[Kazemitsu]

Kaze's head tilted at the rather odd reaction. The two had been getting along until the smooch, so something in her past was related to that kind of gesture. Not in a good way considering the volatile freezing reaction. Shifting a bit he watched the smaller woman leave the arena before he turned his attention to Sarah. "I'm fine, I burn at a high temperature." He said while touching the frosted areas. Steam rising from the metals surface.

What the other girl said made him shrug. "Whatever it was it turned one of the human races simplest ways of showing affection into something dark." He rumbled quietly before shaking his head. "She'll open up about it when she's ready, maybe time will change her reaction." Kaze continued on before leaning back in his seat.

[Raptra]

"What? No, don't be. I just-"

Cole stared in astonishment as Serenity got up and left. Had he said something wrong? When she had taken his hand, he found the gesture to be rather unusual, and he figured that he would have shown his concern by speaking up, though, that had proven to have flustered her even more. Should he have not said anything at all? There was no point in thinking of such things anymore, because it did not matter. Instead, his mind raced as he tried to think of what to do next. Sure, he did wish for a distraction from the memories that had been running through his head after his fight, but having to deal with his current situation was turning out to be a rather unpleasant experience as well.

He caught her eye once more after she had sat back down some distance away, and considered saying something else. No, that did not turn out well the first time. He continued to observe her as she went about doing her own thing, removing her gloves and then closing her eyes. What did it all mean? It had all suddenly turned out to be really strange. She had not been present during his battle, but had she somehow figured out what he was and gotten scared? He was still puzzled by her behavior, and let out a sigh in frustration when he could not think of anything he could do to get any answers for the moment.

With that, he turned back to the arena, finding the two combatants to be in the same position as when he was last looking at them. However, something caught his eye, and he leaned forward for a clearer view. Eric was doing, or attempting to do something in the middle of all that hair. He was lightly tapping the portion of Luxianne's hair that was within his reach with his fingers. Cole did not understand what that meant, but he figured that he was about to find out very soon.

@JewelProphet30

[Aphelion]

@Enalais
Dark images floated through Lucky's mind while her hair constricted Eric, cutting off his air supply. Rage flooded her vision as she glared at her teachers, wondering why they forced them into these situations. Eric didn't want to hurt her, or so he said, and she didn't want to hurt him. She was so overcome with her anger that the only thing that shook her out of it was the vibrations she felt through her hair as her opponent attempted to tap out of the fight.

She quickly released Eric and pushed herself up from where she was still kneeling in a pool of her own blood. She turned to face him and stared at him, her expression stony and unreadable. She stood like this for several moments before speaking. "You could have made this fight a lot harder than it needed to be. But.... I appreciate that you didn't. I don't like pain, and I don't like hurting other people. You're alright in my book, Eric. Let's never do this again." Lucky extended one of her hands to shake his, but stopped when she noticed that it was caked in blood still. She gave him an awkward wave and a cheeky grin. "I'll buy you something yummy from cafeteria later to make up for the whole dirt-in-eyes-suffocating thing. Friends?"

[DELETED324324]

@Aphelion

Eric's vision was starting to fade, before she let go. He let out a gasp as he took in each sweet breath, he looked up as she offered her hand but took it away. "Absolutely no hard feelings, as I said no matter what happened, I wouldn't hate you." He said, the smile on his face was genuine, he didn't know what to do so he settled for giving her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and turning from the arena. "Come on, lets go wash those hands before anything else." He speaks in a calm tone, his grin going ear to ear.

When he stepped out of the arena he leaned against the wall, still slightly out of breath. He knew he held back, but he didn't want to hurt anyone. Why would they need to fight anyways, this place was supposed to be safe. If he ever had to fight he didn't think he could hurt or even kill anyone, not anymore at least. He shook his head trying to get himself out of the thoughts moving through his head, he didn't like to linger long on the past. Why worry about the past, when the present is much more important. But Eric thought he was going to like it here, as long as there were more people like Lucky, and less people like the ice queen.

[Kaesus]

The teachers walked towards the class, "Good job everyone, class is dismissed for today, if you have any questions towards us or towards your collegues fill free to ask if not you can go, there will be no more classes today so have some rest and we'll see you next week".

The teachers waited for everyone to ask questions or otherwise leave the arena grounds.

[Raptra]

When the teachers offered to answer any questions, Cole remembered Professor Jacob's invitation to discuss with him about his... issues. However, he decided that it was not the time to do so. He was feeling a lot better than he had been right after his fight, but he was still tired, and did not wish to bring up those memories again, at least not right now.

He uncurled in his seat and cautiously attempted to stand, keeping in mind that his legs had been weak before he had sat down. Once he was confident about being able to walk without stumbling, he grabbed his Sun-dried jacket off of the next seat and turned to Serenity, wondering if there was anything to be said. She did not look ready to speak to him, so he made the decision to save his questions for her for another time, if there was even going to be another time.

His attention then turned to his opponent for the class, who was sitting with the dragon boy. He muttered a simple word of thanks to her for their match earlier as he passed her on his way out of the arena.

@JewelProphet30 @Dutchess Sarah

[JewelProphet30]

Serenity shivered a little when the the teachers called them to attention, to let them know that class was dismissed and she quickly tugged her gloves back on her hands. Glancing around she saw Cole, look at her and she shook her head slightly before heading for the door. It seemed like this was another place where she would be alone thanks to her ridiculous awkwardness and she rubbed at her eyes as she tried to get to her dorm without anyone stopping her. She knew there was other people around, she could hear them talking but she just wanted to be alone, the memories from the arena floating around in her head as well as her own. She wanted to apologize to Cole for running away but she had seen him walk off to join the dragon boy and another prettier girl, so she just left falling quiet as she walked towards the dorms.