Courtyard (North)

[Khizu]

Arashi growled loudly, it seemed these changes were comeing naturally now. His eyes keep flicking back and forth from green to yellow as he started to changed. He had no choice but to set Shiori down in the grass. He found himself changeing quickly this time rather then slowly. Surronded by the light his eyes finally changed to green as half his hair turned white. It grew out and his clothes changed back to all white and black. His teeth stayed the same but his claws weren't as sharp as it was before. He moved his tail around before turning back to Shiori and helping her up so she could walk.  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

Karin froze once more as Suka stopped, ready this time so she didn't run into him like before. Her hand inside her pocket closed around the X tightly, not minding how warm it was right now, and she closed her eyes for a second before taking a deep breath and looking nervously over to the Nightmare on their right. Her ears flattened back, and the fur on her tail that she'd just smoothed out stood on end again. She noted this with a small frown, and her eyes widened for a second as he lifted his hand and set it up on the wall. She quickly turned away again with a small shudder, looking back towards the ground until she got up the courage to look to their left as well.

She blinked several times as this one stepped through the wall, and quickly bowed her head to the floor again. What was the point of cages if they could come out so easily? Her ears pressed more firmly against her head as she heard the female's steps as she circled them. Then she gradually began to realize she was the one being approached and slowly raised her head to face her. Her hold tightened a bit around the X as she took a moment to make sure her voice wouldn't shake before answering. "It's Karin..." she said quietly, but to her relief, her voice held steady. At least this one was talking rather than fighting, but then again, Kage had spoken before attacking as well. She was a bit irritated that she was being referred to as a toy, but she kept her mouth shut about it. She didn't want to provoke her into doing something.  

[[Orphen]]

Orthae hit the play button and a song all-too-familiar to the brothers began playing. It opened with a fiddle being played, and they played in sync with it. The background music went in tune with the sounds of their fiddles, and then the lyrics began. Verin was up first.

The devil went down to Georgia
He was lookin' for a soul to steal.
He was in a bind
'Cause he was way behind
And he was willin' to make a deal.

When he came across this young man
Sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot.
And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump
And said "Boy, let me tell you what.

I guess you didn't know it,
but I'm a fiddle player, too.
And if you'd care to take a dare
I'll make a bet with you.

Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy,
But give the devil his due.
I'll bet a fiddle of gold
Against your soul
'Cause I think I'm better than you."

The boy said, "My name's Johnny,
And it might be a sin,
But I'll take your bet,
And you're gonna regret,
'Cause I'm the best there's ever been."

Johnny rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard.
Cause hell's broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards.
And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold.
But if you lose the devil gets your soul.

Verin took the next couple of verses after the fiddle instrumental they played.

The devil opened up his case
And he said, "I'll start this show."
And fire flew from his fingertips
(Fire literally flies from Verin's fingertips)
As he rosined up his bow.

Then he pulled the bow across the strings
And it made an evil hiss. (A shrill note on the fiddle)
And a band of demons joined in
And it sounded something like this.

There was another instrumental, this one with an electric guitar, cymbals, a keyboard, and maracas. After a short bit, Verin began playing his fiddle at an incredible pace, and kept it going all through the instrumental. And, even though he could've nailed it, he played through the little screw-up the devil makes.

When the devil finished,
Johnny said, "Well you're pretty good, old son.
But just sit down in that chair right there,
And let me show you how it's done."

The next verse had both of them singing again.

'Fire on the Mountain'
and 'Run Boys, Run'.
The devil's in the house with the risin' sun.
Chicken in a bread pan pickin' out dough
Granny does your dog bite?
No child, no.

After that verse, Orthae took over playing the next fiddle instrumental. It was identical to Verin's, but was performed perfectly, as it was in the song.

The devil bowed his head
Because he knew that he'd been beat.
And he laid that golden fiddle
On the ground at Johnny's feet.

Johnny said, "Devil just come on back
If you ever wanna try again.
I done told you once you son of a b***h,
I'm the best there's ever been!"

He played 'Fire on the Mountain'
And 'Run boys, Run'.
The devil's in the house with the risin' sun.
Chicken in a bread pan pickin' at dough
Granny will your dog bite?
No child, no.

That was the last verse, and Orthae and Verin were sawin' on their fiddles all the way to the finishing line when the music stopped. They bowed, sweating, after they finished. Verin would never admit that he enjoyed doing that little number with his brother again. They both stood and Verin got plopped in the side of the head with a rag. Good idea... They were both huffing and puffing, but they had done it again. It had been at least a good few years since they did that last.  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

Shiori's eyes widened slightly as she heard him growl, and she lifted her head to get a better look at him, wondering if she'd offended him in some way. She was about to apologize when she found herself now in the grass. She blinked a couple times in confusion and then looked up at him, watching him transforming yet again. "Arashi-senpai..." she began softly, allowing him to help her to her feet and then brushing herself off lightly. "Do you usually change this often...?" Her head tilted curiously as she clasped her hands behind her back, watching him silently. He'd already changed between three forms in the short while she'd known him. Her ears perked as she heard music begin and she looked over at a small group of four curiously, though she didn't move from where she stood. It would be rude to Arashi to leave in the middle of a conversation.  

[Aryline C. Winterbourne]

Both Raine and Sakura couldn't help but applaud their song. Wow, Raine thought to herself, I can't believe they even have the nerve to stand up in front of complete strangers and sing like that. She hoped that if the school had some sort of talent event, she and Sakura would be able to get up and do just as they did. Verin and Orthae were amazing, she had only heard that song a few times but was glad to hear it once again. The talent the two brothers had between the two of them was amazing. Sakura herself couldn't help but to think that the two of them could make a lot of money off of their singing.  

[[Orphen]]

Verin took a seat next to Sakura as Orthae landed in the grass on his back next to Raine. "Wow...that felt great. How long has it been since we did that, Verin?" Verin was still getting his breath back from all that fiddling. "Three years, Orthae...sucks that we got disqualified, though." Orthae laughed cheerfully, "Yeah, really. You'd think they wouldn't care that I wasn't a student." Putting his hands behind his head, he aimed his next question at the girls. "So...how'd you like it?" Orthae hadn't noticed that the sun had gone down. Must've been so caught up in the idea when they left the library that he didn't even pay attention to the sky.  

[Aryline C. Winterbourne]

Raine clapped her hands together, "You two were amazing up there. It must take a lot of practice to pull off something like that. That and a lot of nerve to be able to stand up and do that." Raine felt kind of awkward, part of her had always had some sort of problem going out on a stage or in front of people and doing things like that. Where as Sakura had always gotten a lot of support from her family and had grown up on singing and dancing for fans. Sakura looked at Verin, "You two were so good, why the big huff and puff about singing and playing?"  

[[Orphen]]

Verin decided to lay back also, lying in the same position as Orthae. "Well...I'm not really one to perform in front of audiences. It was embarassing enough the first time, and I wasn't all too hyped about doing it all again. But once again, Orthae succeeded in pulling me through it." Orthae replied to Raine, "Yeah, three years ago, Verin's school was holding a talent show. Verin told mom about it a few months before and how he didn't want any part in it, then she convinced me to do an act with him, and—" "So that's how you knew about it!" Orthae chuckled, "—as I was saying, we practiced for hours every night, no matter how much guff I got from Verin about it. Even though he hated the idea, we got the act down pat and the day finally arrived. We were the last act and we did good—" "We did more than good, we kicked a**." Verin put in. "—ahem. And everyone loved the act. The judges were cheering almost as much as the audience. We half expected them to throw roses—" "They threw coins." Verin butted in again. "—Would you stop interrupting me? I'm telling a story here. We knew we were a shoe-in for the win. But that's when the principal of the school pulled us aside in private and congratulated us on a job well done. But then he told us that, according to the rules, all acts had to be performed by enrolled students only. And, well, I wasn't one. So, by rule, we were disqualified." Orthae told the story as though the event had happened only yesterday, and he never did get tired of retelling it. He pestered Verin with the story at least three times on the way to Ria High.  

[Khizu]

He looked at her and the sighed lightly as he opened his eyes. He then looked around and twitched his ears. He looked at her and then over to the four people. "No, I just change back to my regular form. So it will happen sometime." He rubbed his head and looked at her ears. He walked behind her and he nibbled on her ears. He purred alittle, he moved them around abit as he did. He looked around and continued to mess with her ears as he bit them. He found himself haveing fun with her ears.  

[Aryline C. Winterbourne]

"That's awful," Sakura said having listened to their whole story. She curled her legs up against her and wrapped her arms around them. "Couldn't they have done something, I mean there must have been some way you could have gotten around that rule." Raine gave Sakura's shoulder a small pat and looked at her, "Not every rulebook has a loop hole somewhere. But I guess for them it would have been nice had they been able to win. It would be amazing if you two would play in a talent show type thing, I'm sure with your singing talent you would win."  

[[Orphen]]

"Yeah, the audience wasn't pleased, either...but that wasn't the worst of it, was it...Verin?" Unable to contain himself any longer, Verin laughed at what Orthae was implying. He knew it all too well. "Oh, come on, Orthae. You act like it was the first school that exploded while I was there." Orthae chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, you maniac...you went through, what, twelve?" Of course he won't admit to one thing... Orthae thought to himself. "Hey, Verin, isn't there something else that you did? I recall mom telling me that no matter how many schools you destroyed, no one was ever injured. Huh?" Verin almost flushed red at the comment. "Sh-shut up! I just didn't see the point in..." Verin looked in the other direction, 'hmph'ing. He didn't need anyone knowing about that, that would make him seem soft. And that's the only thing an enemy needed to gain an unfair advantage over him. "Uh-huh...sure..." Ah, he's nothin' but a big softie...even if he did fry that girl, he didn't let her die, either...  

[Aryline C. Winterbourne]

Sakura looked over at Verin who looked like he was in the middle of a pouting session. Putting a hand on his shoulder for a moment then quickly pulling back as if burned, she said, "There's nothing wrong with sparing lives of people who are innocent. I've never killed anyone because they just happened to be there. Heck the only one I have..." Sakura's voice seemed to phase out suddenly, as if she were too frightened to even speak of what happened. Raine looked at Sakura her eyes wide in surprise, "Sakura! You never told me about that!" The look Sakura gave Raine was of guilt, Sakura remembered she had not wanted to kill anyone...ever. "You wouldn't understand, Raine," Sakura said softly, sounding as if she were choking back tears. "It was in your best interests that I did not say a word."

Sakura could remember the exact day it had happened, the exact moment and everything the man had said to her. She was only fourteen years old, barely old enough to go out on her own. She remembered sitting on a park bench by herself, it was twilight, the man came from behind her with a knife. How else was she expected to have reacted? She did the only thing she knew how, she protected herself. Sakura remembered pulling out a small knife she carried with her without even thinking about it. Before she knew it she was standing above the unconscious man, her hands soiled with blood. "It's okay Sakura," she remembered her mother telling her. "It was either him or you, what you did was protect yourself from harm."  

[[Orphen]]

"There is death in everyone's life, in one form or another...it's the one thing in this world we cannot escape." Came the grim insight from Verin. Verin looked at the palms of his hands, reflecting on what Orthae had said. You're only half-right, Orthae...sure...I never killed anyone in the schools...but what about...

Verin had very vivid memories of his time spent in that underworld-like cave that the race known as the drow had lived. While around them, he had learned more than words of power. He had learned how to use stealth to rid himself of any opponent. Verin had killed many in the drow world, especially in his one special year at the academy. "You're only half-right Orthae..." Verin spoke quietly. Orthae's ears caught the comment, and he stood up on his elbows. "Am I now? What's the other half?" Verin looked at the palm of his hand, a glistening black orb appeared. Wisps of dark smoke swirled around it and it formed into a dagger with spider-shaped guard. "You remember when I went missing for a year...?" He proceeded to explain just how he had come across the drow in his wanderings, and his year at the academy...and the hundreds of drow students he had slain. "They don't look down on murder...they praise it. The stealthier you dispatched your enemy and the more enemies you slew, the more you were revered...those who died were considered weak and those who lived were strong..." A visible tear actually gathered at the corner of Verin's eye. "Hell, Orthae, that's what it was...I mean...for God's sake, even their own family members killed each other in order to ascend to higher ranks...it was there I became truly tainted. It was there that I learned to kill without remorse. In that world...there was one rule: kill or be killed. It's something I've been trying to forget ever since it happened. But that year in that upside-down world is forever burned into my mind." Orthae couldn't believe what he had heard. So, his brother had taken a life...many lives in fact. Smiling genuinely, Orthae moved and squatted behind Verin and Sakura. Putting a hand on each of their shoulders, he spoke, "Well. This changes nothing about how I see you. Verin, you're still my brother, and Sakura, you're still my friend. Nothing can change that." Verin smiled. Yeah, hardly anything broke that fortress of calm Orthae had goin' for him...  

[Aryline C. Winterbourne]

Sakura looked at Verin, she still felt guilty about the man she had slain while she was a teenager. His blood would always be on her hands no matter how many times she washed them. Looking over from Raine to Orthae to Verin she wasn't sure what to say anymore. She was surprised when Verin had admitted to the murders of so many people. "I know, but its not like that," Sakura said looking down at her hands. "After almost ten years I still feel dirty. I still feel like that little girl standing in the middle of the park staring at her hands." Sakura shook her head, trying not to think about it anymore. She hoped that one of the others would mention something else that would change the subject entirely.  

[[Orphen]]

Orthae sensed a golden opportunity to change the mood...and so did his stomach. In the midst of the silence, his stomach grumbled. "Whoop. Oh my. Hey! I'm starving! Who wants dinner?" Verin looked over at his peppy brother and could only smile at him. Food sounds good...it'll probably help us all get our mind off this subject... "Yeah, I'm hungry, too. Especially after all that fiddling." "Okay, that's one taker! Sakura, Raine, up for some eats?" Orthae hopped to his feet, along with Verin. Orthae's gentlemanliness rubbing off on him for a second, the two angels offered their hands to help the girls up, if need be.