gooseberryhigh | (no subject)

WHO: Micah St. Clair & ~~OPEN~~ Reece Downing
WHAT: Micah sees something suspicious.
WHEN: Friday, January 5. Evening.
WHERE: Near the Ornery Oak, between Quail Trail and Bear Trail.

The Ornery Oak is one of Micah's favourite places on campus, especially in the evening when it's late enough for the Oak to be asleep. Not that watching the Oak pelt people with acorns isn't its own kind of delightful, but he likes watching the ribbons swaying in the nighttime breeze, or to look up at how those massive branches spread across the sky like they're trying to engulf the stars.

He's sitting under the Oak with his camcorder in hand (set to nightvision mode), panning it around him at random, when he spots a figure standing in the shadows of the trees. He's wearing a white mask. Micah's winged mask, from the Masquerade, and—his suit—

"Hey!" Micah scrambles to his feet. "Hey! Hey! Stop!" When Micah grabs his bag and runs for him, the boy runs too, alarmingly quick. (It is a boy, isn't it, he's not that tall—) "Come back!"

Without a second thought, Micah dashes straight into the forest, without a trail to mark his way back.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The entity is quiet for a moment. The question has left him uncertain. Explanations have never come easily from either brother. Humans like you brought them. He gestures, like trying to describe something far away, but it's not quite right. A long time ago?

There's a sense of annoyance around them now. Irritation at whatever these strangers are, like having ants in your kitchen. My brother will get rid of them.

Not a super helpful answer, but Reece wasn't really expecting one. The annoyance in the air puts him a little on edge - he really doesn't want Anonymous's mood to sour while he and Micah are still lost out here.

"Well, uhm," he says, not really sure what the proper level of formality is when you're addressing a forest guardian. "Thank you, and him. And I'm sorry about the moose," he adds for good measure, beginning to pull Micah back towards where he thinks the school is.

"The moose that was totally not our fault," Micah quickly adds. Kidnapping or no kidnapping, he wants to stay firmly on the good side of Anon and his brother. Something he said was interesting, though. Vague as all heck, but still interesting.

Micah lets himself be pulled along, but he's still watching Anon. "'Humans like us'?" So, what, this weird face-stealing clone is man-made? "Wizards, right? Or regular non-magical people? Are you sure it's not aliens?"

The ones like you who change what's real. Anon waves his hand, fingers posed like he's holding wand. There are stars visible in his palms, like his brother's eyes. The strangers cannot hurt you. They are weak. Ants. Mistakes. Annoyances. A minor infection.

And then somebody laughs, like they just heard a bad joke. It's the laugh of someone who saw another person fall down a short flight of stairs. Except it sounds exactly like Zachary Zheng, who's never laughed like that in his life. Anon freezes, and then turns to face the laughter. The silhouette of the entity standing in front of the boys grows, and becomes more incomprehensible. They know in their hearts it must have taken effort for him to appear so small, and so human. He growls like a dog (or a wolf?) as he stares out into the darkness behind him. It rumbles in their chests, both terrifying and comforting. Dangerous not towards them, but for them.

Go home. They're repulsed by the forest. Go sleep. They're tired. You're safe. They're reassured..? Regardless, they know it's time to leave.

Edited 2018-01-05 03:24 (UTC)