Wiki-shrine page for my friend Secret's OC lore

cause she doesn't have a website or know html at the moment so everything else here is written by her unless otherwise indicated with this color

Intro to Dalan theology

　Dalan is home to many people whose stories collide in one way or another. This land is a realm with three layers; an isle of the divine (on top), the land of the common folk (the middle), and the deep unknown (the bottom). Acts of nature each have a creature- a flawed being just fulfilling their job enacting their role; the seasons, death, life, morality... etc. But things go south when this system cracks with its eventual flaws, too many mistakes, pains, misunderstanding, and scars enveloped within each other to fall apart into what it is known today as: Dalan. (It's derived from "thy land" lol)
　Emotions have power here, and like most places on our earth there is conflict as well. Back in the beginning there were sentient plants who would mingle with each other, they would mingle with their brothers and sisters, some of whom resembled and were named Sock People. The people lived in peace for awhile till the Plant People waged war on the Sock People. Sadly due to their gentle nature, the Sock People had no hope of defending themselves and could only try to flee. Only a small fraction of their society escaped to another realm where they harvested milk for nutrients, trying to find their own type of comfort in sentient milk friends.
　Back on Dalan the corpses of the dead Sock People piled high, the rivers gelatinous with blood, and Dalan which was in of itself alive ripped itself at its seams. Balance had to be maintained for order to ever exist, and with this unparalleled catastrophe, rifts started to appear in the sky. Suddenly people from other realms and plants could venture forth into Dalan. This unstable state of things could only be maintained for so long however, and as a sacrifice to bring back enough life into Dalan to restore balance, a girl offered herself up to immortality, and another to a longer lifespan that would go on for generations. The rifts started to close in time but people would still slip in, like the second person who offered themselves up to an extended lifespan. Peace was restored for enough time that society rebuilt itself. The gelatinous corpses of the forgotten Sock People were the foundations of the modernized cube cities where there were the most variety of people. The Plant People and the travelers who slipped in enjoyed each others presence for a time until some people came with new ideas about a thing called "oil".
　These travelers gathered together in a like mind and decided to dig a hole in the center of the common land of Dalan, little did they know they incurred a tower of flames that came from the pit. Dalan with its living soil erupted with the bright orange flames of a coming age. The Plant People who lived near the pit evolved throughout the coming ages to be able to resist and even tame this fire. These Plant People were seen coated with fur (often with raccoon characteristics), while in contrast the other Plant People had evolved to mimic the travelers who often appeared very much human. Sadly these new furry Plant People were seen as unusual and dangerous by their old comrades (the other Plant People), and so they isolated their respective communities.


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here's a quick list of the characters until Secret writes a better one (in order of appearance in the story after this)

...she started writing a story where all the characters get stuck in a classroom together and never finished it but i'm putting what she has so far here cause it's great

The beginning (1)

　It was a crisp autumnal morning. 39 individuals unknowingly walked to their designated class. Little did they know, despite being over a decade apart in grade levels, they would all attend the same class. First to enter was Fionne, as punctual as ever, she always aimed to enter class 20 minutes early. Thankfully she didn’t expect anyone to be there so early and thus she could peacefully enjoy reading her newest find in the bookstore. Only 10 minutes later did her brother enter the door, which was strange because they entered the building at the same time. Only when Fionne glanced over and saw her little brother playing with their sister did it all make sense. That little guy could never do anything in a reasonable amount of time when he was having fun. But upon further thought, it was strange that Fionne’s little brother would be in the same class as her; she was already starting high school, but her little brother was still in the middle of middle school. But sometimes there are strange traditions in schools, so Fionne tried to regain her previous emersion in her reading material.
　The clock continued to tick steadily till it was 5 minutes before class and a stream of people filtered into the classroom. Last to arrive was a tall guy with a long braid of red hair, a mysterious girl lugging a grey mass, and an ominous androgynous person around her age who kept darting their eyes around. These people especially caught Fionne’s attention because at the point they entered the classroom there were no seats left. The only option left was to huddle with familiar faces or throw caution to the wind and do something wild such as going under a table. Rather peculiar was the fact that the guy with the red braid did exactly that and found a dark space to call home. The ominous person went to the back of the classroom to find their comfort in someone who it seemed they knew, a person clad in purple with eyes a piercing cyan. Now as mesmerizing those eyes were, Fionne was more intrigued by the fact that the mysterious girl was carrying another girl who was asleep rather than a mere gray mass.
　The ringing of the bell silenced all conversations and thoughts that might have accumulated in one’s mind. Everyone suddenly as clear minded and serene as a breezeless day looked forward to the front of the class. It was as if we all knew something was coming, a reason for our gathering. And almost as if on cue, the door opened methodically, as a purple heap of metal and cloth staggered into the room.
　“Hello class, I will be your professor for the year… all you need to know is that I am thoroughly qualified to be your instructor, and hope to be a support for all of you… emotionally, and intellectually”
　The voice that emanated from the head of our supposed professor was glitchy and rusted as though left behind to rot, but then wiped off until intelligible. But before the class could process this situation, the door opened again.
　This time a tall lady with glasses in an ill-fitting nurse’s uniform came into the room. She explained to us that if we had any physical problems she was here to help. She smiled sweetly, though there was this glow behind her eyes, maybe Fionne was overthinking it.

Settling in (2)

　August tends to sit in the darkest spots of the room. They are very observant as to their surroundings, though lacks the motivation to get involved themselves. Class was very strange indeed, the teacher kept sporadically testing people, then asking the assistant teacher who only showed up recently to help, but this assistant teacher kept weeping in the middle of class only to regain their composure a minute later. Yesterday the instructors told us their names; the teacher's name is N38P (but no one calls them that), while the assistant to them is named Sbeve. August, despite paying close attention to their classmates, could never tell if anyone was paying attention to what the professor was saying. And thus, August had their first conversation of the school year.
　“Do you know what the professor just said?” asked August.
　“I wish I knew; all I wonder is when the next test will be and if my soulmate is in this room.” responded the person next to August.
　“Your soulmate?! How can you be concerned about that when we haven’t left this classroom for days?”
　“If I am trapped in this room forever, I might as well make the most of it and live out my dreams”
　August turned away from the girl with two blue braids since it was obviously futile. Now August knew they were officially doomed. They didn’t even care about their studies, but if no one else is concerned about the learning material, there was no point to the class, so they might be held back a grade till they finally do care. Those close to August call them a reasonable worry wort. But this was no assurance as to whether any of these concerns were going to happen.

The rumor (3)

　Willow had the moral conviction that she had to protect Luna at all costs. And while her vengeance that had its stake in her heart was a priority, the here and now called for Luna to be protected. Willow had seen what Valery stalking Luna had done to her friend's wellbeing; now that friend can't even stand to face reality and would rather sink into oblivion. This would have been all fine and good if Valery wasn’t literally in the same room as them at that moment. Now Willow must keep her guard up; she is usually rather calm and placid, but having a new nemesis on the premises makes a bite creep into her demeanor. Luna doesn’t even realize this traitor is here, a sole diagonal right of 10 feet away. Willow must find security in the promise the professor made the first day of class, that it would support them emotionally. She hopes with all her might that the promise extends itself to protecting Luna.
　Only half the class knows of Valery’s treachery. They might be acting all nervous, but it's all for show. Willow knows that if she even considers a possibility of redemption for Valery then she will fall victim to their manipulative tactics. Tactics that she is tired of suffering from. Though Willow has no reasonable choice but to be concerned. Because what possible sane reason would there be for Valery to hide behind a folder for most of the class whispering to their classmate?

A very tricky situation (4)

　Mack’s official name is Mackabell, but Mack prefers to shorten their name till it is only a single breath of sound. Mack doubts people know how important this whole class is. It's not their studies that are important, but what is at stake. Valery must get rid of Alexa once and for all. And as much as Mack knows they can do the deadly deed; they know the responsibility lies on Valery. Though now Mack must make Valery commit to their promises without telling them to since they know how if you ever tell Valery to do something that will be the last thing that ever gets done on this earth. Mack can’t even tell if they like being with Valery… Is it obligation or comradery that ties them together? One can only guess. All Mack knows is that the darn crow outside is staring at them. The peace can only last for so long-
　“CAWWWWWWWW”
　Mack has no choice but to attack the crow who has dared interrupt their thoughts. These crows have devastated countless communities before this slight slip up, it's time the crows face condemnation.

Thoughts (5)

　If Willow didn’t think that Valery was suspicious before, they certainly do now. How else could you describe the person next to them jumping on their table, picking up their chair, and jumping from table to table with said chair screaming “CAWWW CAAWW” at a crow outside?

More thoughts (6)

　August wants to leave. All they can think about is how the last time they saw their mother was 2 days ago. And while that may not be that much time it certainly feels like forever when no one told them this was a boarding school. August knows they are going to go crazy here. Someone has already fallen victim to the absurdity of the situation, this girl with cyan eyes is screaming like it’s the end. August knows that this commentary rings too true to elaborate.

Too many thoughts (7)

　Fionne hears the screaming and looks around to assess the damage. It's only when her eyes catch that guy with the red braid does she realize he is looking at her. This would not have bothered her ordinarily, but he blushed when he realized she noticed him. Now while Fionne has been called oblivious one too many times for comfort, she understands quite clearly that this is a declaration of war. This man wants to be her rival, and she will not back down now. In fact, she finds pride that out of everyone in the room this man has assessed her to be the worthiest opponent.

Please quiet my head (8)

　Typically, Amanda just huddles under a table playing video games and chatting online with some friends while occasionally looking over the course material, but strange thoughts have been coming over him. Sometimes he will chat with Fitterfeather (whom is also in the class) when suddenly Fitterfeather will start to ask about who Amanda finds the cutest in class. It must be because Fitterfeather sits behind this girl named Argyle who just keeps telling the person they sit next to about the qualifications of a soulmate. Amanda looks around to see If there is anyone of interest to him, but then a “CAWWWWW” echoes throughout the classroom. The farthest he can look in the direction of the screech is in the direction of this girl with slightly wavy white hair clutching a book. She also reacts instinctively to the sound and by coincidence makes eye contact with Amanda. The words of Fitterfeather drift through Amandas mind of the “cutest girl in class”, and in pure embarrassment Amanda turns away in a flush of red. Only in a second glance do they find a determined smirk has made its way onto the girl’s face, as she tightens her fist in a unapparent fit of glee. Amanda has never been in love before, but his heartbeat indicates that this is his first sip of infatuation.

I won (9)

　Mack has scared off the crow. It would be too disastrous to do physical combat with the enemy in front of so many bystanders. Though even though they have been considered, said bystanders are looking quite perplexed by her actions. Only a few in the room look lost in thought in either lament (understandable) or…. Glee???? Even though war is on the horizon these people do not know the plan the unseen ones plot. But before the plan comes about Mack must influence Valery into completing their promises. Alexa is only going to be seen as the cause of the destruction until she is gone. But Mack must pace themselves, this is the reason why they are here.
　Mack settles down back into their seat with their chair. The professor is as unreadable as ever with that glazed screen in place of a face.

Behind the scenes (10)

　As the nurse, Cypress must pass by the classroom every once and awhile in case there is an emergency. On one such occasion they meander by only to hear a “CAWWW”. People breaking under the pressure of reality is sure to happen sometimes. But only after peering through the door and seeing Mack screaming at a crow, does something click. For as long as Cypress can remember there have been legends of the unspoken forces that influence the world around them. Could the crows who have in the folktales been described as the harbingers of transparency be involved in our present world? Whatever the truth, Cypress must put the pressure on the students until they reveal whether they actually do know anything about the secrets of existence.

Concern (11)

　Alexa does whatever her patrons need of her. She only calls them her patrons because they have given her a place to stay in her times of uncertainty even if they are the same age as her. But one of her patrons; Amanda, has been acting rather strangely lately. He keeps trying to ask her something and it’s baring a shocking resemblance to the love-struck folks from back home. Alexa is so happy! This is the day that Argyle always wished would happen for her brother. And to see family wishes come true, especially being the family of her patrons makes her very happy.
This would be the only thing on Alexas’s mind except that someone from her hometown at the edge of the world is here. Supposedly she is supposed to be far from such people, but here they are… Valery. But Alexa isn’t the suspicious type, even to a fault. So she reasons to herself that Valery too has escaped from their hearth. It’s a common struggle they share, no malicious intent here. Even if Alexa feels consistently like she is being watched… It’s nothing to worry about… right?

Why am I here? (12)

　Milfred is the oldest one in class. She is easily over 80 years old but doesn’t look it. Now the most confusing part is why she is here. Supposedly this was supposed to be a mandatory instructional class so she could keep her business license even while being the most qualified person at her company, but they haven’t been able to leave the class in 3 days. Strangely enough, no one is getting hungry, or feeling any bodily needs they would normally feel besides the craving of sleep. Mildred, as an immortal, can suppress spells such as the ones being used to induce this temporary coma, but such is not the case for everyone else. As to erase suspicion she pretends to sleep, but just recites the entire database at her job from memory in her mind. One of the perks but also worst con of being immortal is great memory of anything from the last few days. Though it worries Milfred that whenever it's time to sleep, and she peeks out from under her half-closed lids, she sees a multitude of eyes just watching. The window is constantly shrouded in conspiracy. If only Death hadn’t ran out on the job. Then none of this would be happening.

It’s been 6 days (13)

　Fionne has realized she mustn’t make too much contact with her rival in case she leaks any of her study notes. She needs any leg up she can in order to beat the man with red hair. Though Fionne has been keeping close tabs on him just to assess how close a battle it is. Everyone is settling into some rhythms including her nemesis in the making. Her rival has extremely good short-term memory as when there is a quiz on recent topics there is typically a ruckus made from the upperclassmen that sit above them. Though when it comes to subjects covered only a few days ago then their results paper gets passed around without a care in the world. Fionne has noted that it’s the 6th day since their arrival in this strange room, and if her rival keeps acing the mini tests, but fails the review ones, then Fionne will still have a hard time catching up. Thankfully in a time like this she can get full concentration on intellectual matters with a tightening of the scrunchies in her hair. Her laser focus will prove useful in times such as these.

Monotonous days interrupted (14)

　The longer Janet stays in this room, the longer they feel it isn’t real. Why does the teacher have no center of gravity? Why must they swing their head like a pendulum with that long neck of theirs? It is the desire to leave that grounds them in any sense of reality. Though an unexpected benefit of being here, trapped, is that there are no mirrors. Janet hates mirrors; ever since their accident they can't look into a mirror and recognize themself… a different voice, different eyes, nothing familiar in the entire façade. Janet stared blankly at Sbeve crying at the front of the class. A familiar tune for a familiar day. Something to control in this life full of uncertainty.
　“What are you going to do when class is over?”
　“What?”
　Of course, in their blank daze they even forgot the familiar face right next to them; Honey, a lovely friend with wavy deep blue hair that sways just like their birthplace. The ocean.
　“I meannn, what do you want to do when the professor stops embellishing the curvature of tectonic plates?”
　It was the way Honey would draw out words in their speech that would give Janet some time to think, a gentle wave knocking against their brain gnawing their way into the present.
　“I’m not sure, same as always probably and just fold some paper”
　“Well, if you are that unsure, want to go to the nurse’s office with me?”
　“Are you ill?”
　“Oh- no. But staying stuck in here without a little exploration is really wearing on me… So, I want to feel the fresh breeze of freedom with an adventure!”
　Honey has never been one for having adventures without incident, Janet knew this. So, Janet decided to ask a friend to join in on this unprecedented occasion.

A not so exciting exchange (15)

　Drax was sitting with Marion, working on a new invention when Janet appeared. Janet never had much of a presence so whenever they approached no one ever saw it till the moment Janet was looming over them like a tax report. However, this never bothered Drax. The only sadness with this interruption was that the dull clicking noise Drax often made would be no more. Instead, his sole unwavering eye would circle in on whoever had his current concentration.
　“Click, click- Oh Janet! What a joy! What brings the pleasure of this exchange?”
　“I hope you know I don’t do well with pleasantries Drax.”
　“A day without a new way to get to the point is a dull one for me, it’s rare for me to speak to someone new even when surrounded by possibilities.”
　“Urh… either way, want to join me and Honey after class today?”
　“Sure, what’s going on?”
　“Honey is feeling a little stuffy in the room and wants to take a recreational trip to the nurses office.”
　Drax lowered his head in consideration of Janet’s proposal. It was a tempting one indeed. What he didn’t know was that Janet specifically chose him because he was the best person for talking themselves out of tricky conversations that Janet knew.
　“Alrighty! I’ll do it!” Drax relented.
　Further conversation was not needed. And Janet really was bad at pleasantries so why even try.

The outing (16)

　When the professor put down the graduation cap that often nestled itself atop its head, the bell rang, and everyone knew class was over. Drax was the last to arrive since he was always occupied with a new thing. But nonetheless he did come. Honey didn’t seem to mind Drax’s presence even though she was never debriefed on his accompaniment.
　Honey went to the professor to ask if they could go to the nurse’s office. He obliged, though Janet did notice a twinge of inquisitiveness that lit up his eyes. Meanwhile, in the nurse’s office, Cypress was cutting up some bandage fabric. She hummed a mashup of every song she ever heard with a bounce in her step. She was about to cut the very end of the bandage when suddenly the door opened, and the scissors went diagonal. As Cypress’s eyes darted towards the door, she saw the students and suppressed a grimace.
　“Ah, hello, what may I do for you today?”
　“We wanted to come here to see how it looked…” started Honey.
　Janet could not stop looking at the gauze looking bandage fabric… when suddenly Honey trailed off to focus on grasping hold of Janet's hand. It was a reassurance which Janet appreciated; gauze always brings back bad memories. Though of course those times are a mere blur of understood flashes. And in this time of stillness Drax did exactly what he was there to do.
　“What we mean to say is that we wanted to practice going to the nurse’s office in case of an emergency. One can never be too careful when preparing for such a case. Besides, we wanted to appreciate your hard work in looking after us.”
　Cypress took one look between all three of them trying to figure out exactly what was going on, but nothing was notable enough to comment.
　“I am very thankful that you are committing yourself to the safety of your peers, but are you sure you don’t need anything?”
　Cypress was looking to see how they would respond to the pressure. An unintended start to their plan of finding who could be a clue to the unknown.
　“We definitely don’t have anything troublesome enough to bring to someone as preoccupied as yourself. I apologize that we distracted you from your bandage preparation.”
　Cypress turned to look at the now uneven fabric, when suddenly it was lifted from her desk by Drax. Truly a force to be reckoned with in terms of even hand movements, he fixed the uneven age to look perfect. He handed it to Cypress who had a difficult time not looking pleased with the turn of events.
　“Thank you,” said Cypress.
　“The pleasure is all mine,” Drax responded as he did a mock bow.
　Drax was always one for making a nice impression as it’s the only thing he could get anywhere where he was from. Though unfortunately he also learned it part from an acquaintance who felt trapped by such expectations.

Soothing intentions (17)

　Felix is an herbalist yet can’t work to his delight while being stuck in this room. Thankfully he knows the shop can be taken care of, but it still wears on him that he can’t do anything besides review his plant books while twirling a leaf. Though this is the least of his concerns as what worries him the most is Willow. She has been too on guard as of late, so Felix wants to make something to sooth her nerves. He cares as much about Luna as Willow does, especially since Luna is his little sister, but he knows unnecessary stress will only wear on Willow.
　Flipping through the pages of his plant book, he finds a little note he found before, some meditation practices that he found great use of when he first inherited the shop. He walked gracefully to Willow who was gripping her fist in contemplation of bad memories. But upon seeing Felix she relaxed slightly.
　“Hi Felix, how are you feeling?”
　“You know Willow, I think you should be worrying more about yourself, you look so sore from gripping your hand all week.”
　“Well, I was just having some trouble with my studies, so to concentrate I would grip my hand…”
　Felix was not the kind of man that would point out a lie so tenderly put together in an effort to hide.
　“If your studies are that tedious, want to take a break with me?”
　Willow nodded, but hesitantly.
　Felix opened the window next to Luna a little bit as to let a breeze in. It ruffled their hair slightly and let in the pleasant smell of greenery. Then he gingerly brought a chair close to Willow and led her through some breathing exercises.
　But as Willow took in a deep breath, a black feather floated into the room.

Someone new (18)

　Devin was at the foot of the window. The crack of the window now spread wide as to hold the now-standing little child.
　Looking around they could see many surprised faces. Devin while curious had a pounding in their heart more ferocious than any other thought. They watched the class, occasionally gripping their mushroom hat to not be carried away by the wind. It was only when the professor introduced them as the newest addition to their class, did they finally hop down.
　Milky Way was the first to approach Devin.
　“Hiya! Why did you come in through the window?”
　“Would you typically enter through the door?”
　“Hehe, well, yeah”
　“Heh, well then next time I'll definitely remember that.”
　After that, Devin was friends with Fionne’s little sister. A new connection made, a bond to treasure. Though Mackabell, and Milfred always keeping an eye on things saw that feather and knew what it meant.

It’s Monday again (19)

　Mackabell approached Devin in the early hours of Monday.
　“What do you know about the crows?” asked Mackabell.
　“…I suppose you wouldn’t know since you’ve been stuck in here…”
　“Know what?”
　“That an entire town has collapsed due to inhabitable conditions… It happened in an instant. The rats and crows… they’re friends, aren’t they?”
　“You say that as if you already know the answer.”
　“Maybe I just don’t want to accept it…”
　“It was your hearth that was destroyed, wasn’t it?”
　“I wish it wasn’t. But wishing won’t bring back the dead.”
　“Very few here know what is happening behind the curtain of sight, but if you need a shoulder to lean on, I’m here.”
　“Have you too been hurt by the new death?”
　“No, but I understand it. I have a duty here, unrelated to your wounds, but if I don’t complete this task then more disaster will come…”
　“You don’t need to say any more, I still know little of this world, but I know enough to know when to keep a secret a secret.”
　Mackabell looked at Devin, who while trying to put on a brave face and keep a lighthearted smile with squinting eyes… It could not disguise the tears dripping down their cheeks. It was then that Mackabell hugged Devin, a more intimate act then any Mackabell had done with Valery… The fur lining Mackabells coat tickled the nose of Devin.
　“Thank you” coughed Devin.
　And there, as the morning mist was still settling outside. The still indigo dawn lighting the room, Devin muffled their cries in the thick coat of Mackabell who didn’t say anything more.

My favorite color is a very specific type of red (20)

　Laura woke up with a yawn and a stretch. She shook off last night's dreams, and with excessive motion she pumped her fists into a fist bump to reinforce a good start to the morning. As Laura skipped to her seat, she saw that some people were already awake. Mackabell and Devin were sitting together watching the sky, Fionne was tidying up her workplace, and someone special was shaking their hands awake.
　Watching people has always been a hobby of Laura, she is a frilly girl who just wants to know everything about everybody. She previously was able to go through the day without much incident, but something is different now. Laura didn’t notice Clementina on the first few days, but steadily she noticed this girl with the most beautiful red hair. Laura’s favorite color is a pinkish red, one that feels like the personification of passion. Never had she seen it unless specifically searching for it, a red with a pastel pink tint.
　That was what first drew Laura towards Clementina. But after further observation Laura realized that Clementina was unique in other ways as well. She closed her eyes during lectures, not to sleep, but rather to feel the words in vivid image. Clementina had no particular attachment to anything besides a silent gratitude. She talked to someone new every day about how they were feeling, and then she would wander around the classroom in no planned-out fashion to get somewhere where she could meditate.
　Now Laura finds herself looking forward to how Clementina will spend her free time each day. But while Laura is fascinated by Clementina, she hasn’t worked up the courage to talk to her yet.
　“Dude, have you still not talked to her yet?” groaned Fitterfeather.
　“Not yet per say, but yesterday she was like a foot away from me!” quickly justified Laura.
　“There are only so many feet in this classroom, unless you were her worst enemy she would eventually come into close proximity to you!”
　“But I can feel it, I am going to talk to her soon.”
　“You say that, but I bet if I asked you the same thing yesterday you would have said the same thing”
　“'Soon' is a variable which cannot be defined until it happens!”
　“The point is that no matter what time I asked you that question, even 50 years from now, you would still procrastinate talking to her!”
　Suddenly Fitterfeather realized they got a message from Amanda and sighed.
　“Look Laura, I don’t care how you live your life, but I'll be blunt here, it's plain old stupid to wait till later to do this. Unless you had a darn good reason… which you don’t… so you should just take a little step forward towards living a regret free life.”
　Laura was about to make a cutesy comeback, but Fitterfeather had to go soon, so they picked up one of Laura’s favorite erasers, walked over to where Clementina was about to walk, and dropped it. Laura was shocked seeing Fitterfeather leave the scene of the crime so nonchalantly. But nonetheless, Laura waddled speedily towards the eraser, and picked it up.　　As she was raising her head she was face to face with her most recent aspiration.
　“Sorry about that, I just forgot my eraser here…” awkwardly mumbled Laura.
　“It's perfectly alright with me, in fact due to you forgetting your eraser I got to see how pretty it was.”
　Taken off guard, Laura blushed. The eraser's color was a dull version of Clementina’s hair. So reminiscent of it in fact that Laura looked at said hair mesmerized.
　“Anything you like to do after class?” asked Clementina.
　“Just perusing the scenery. How about you?”
　“I actually aspire to be a veterinarian, so I’ve been brushing up on my studies”
　“Oh, that’s so cool!”
　And so went the first interaction Laura had with Clementina. It was a joyous day indeed.

Let’s rewind (21)

　As Fitterfeather was leaving Laura, they approached Amanda. In more recent times, the awkwardness of Amanda’s chance encounter with romance had died down. In its place was the old Amanda who while still conflicted on their feelings for Fionne, had tried to move on. But Fitterfeather was a bit of a sadist and wanted to see how things could progress. Though without a plan they couldn’t tip the scales in any direction, so they decided to wait and see how things would go.

Oblivious (22)

　Lately Amanda has seen Fitterfeather hang out with his sister more. Occasionally you see Argyle get so excited in their conversations that she will squeal loud enough for the entire room to hear. And as embarrassed as Amanda is, he is even more concerned over what they are talking about which is only conveyed in whispered tones between each other. One day Amanda went over to his sister to ask what they were up to, but all he got in response was a “Aw, nothing you need to worry about big brother”. This made Amanda even more suspicious about the whole ordeal. Just as he was recovering from his first taste of romance, he was straight into a nervous wreck wondering what they were plotting. It got so bad in fact that Marion noticed. Marion was the girl who sits at the same table as Amanda, so to give him a change of pace she dragged him to another part of the room with some paper and a pencil. This did help since taking notes for class did take his mind off of everything for a little while… It was fine at first, writing away, solving problems, but soon the problems were difficult enough that all he could do was stare at it with a renewed pang of anguish in his soul. That was till, someone sat at his new table.

I’ll help you… but just this once (23)

　Fionne already knew the subject being taught, and as fun as it would be to learn it again, she just couldn’t bring herself to do that day. It was a bright sunny day so she should feel especially vigorous, but today was more mellow and monotonous then usual. So as the professor was using a fantastical metaphor which she presumed no one in their right mind could understand, she looked around the room. It was always this turning of her head that could introduce something new to her day, and there it was, her rival… struggling. At first Fionne felt empowered that she was in the lead for this subject, but as she continued to watch him, she felt something stir in her heart. It was a bruised feeling, like watching a starving kitten on the street in the rain. You just want to help them.
　Fionne went to the empty seat next to her struggling rival. She bent sideways to see which problem he was on and noticed his misery as plain as day on the paper. She could see his repeated erased mistakes as he tried desperately to follow the convoluted metaphor the professor was still describing even after 5 minutes had passed. It was at the point that the professor tried to describe how the problem could be solved if you imagine a rabbit flying that she had had enough.
　“You need to put the sign up there and switch it around,” commented Fionne.
　“Ohh, so that’s how you do it, I was wondering when the flying rabbit came in,” replied Amanda.
　“I think you just get more lost when you try to follow the convoluted logic of our professor.”
　“Makes it more interesting if nothing else.”
　“Heh, yeah”
　And as Fionne laughed, Amanda saw how her face lit up so adorably that again Fitterfeather's original words popped into his mind, “cutest girl in class”. Amanda turned away, though Fionne now noticing the sudden change in demeanor leaned closer to Amanda asking what was wrong.
　“Oh… oh it's nothing!”
　“But something's wrong, isn’t there?”
　“Uh, not really?”
　Finally Fionne, unbeknownst to Amanda had moved swiftly out of her chair to now be face to face with where Amanda was facing. Amanda even more flustered moved his face away but Fionne, determined, leaned in close to his face to see what was wrong. After some inspection she had that proud smirk, she first had when Amanda first felt this way.
　Fionne had deduced in her head that again this declaration of battle had etched itself upon Amandas face, truly he was unable to hide his burning passion for rivalry no matter how casual the conversation. But it would only show weakness if she further pushed this point. She must keep this to herself and casually win the rivalry. Such was all academic pursuits for Fionne.
　Thus, Fionne and Amanda spent more time with each other. Sitting together during class and slowly growing closer. Though still both oblivious to what one thought of the other.

Time for another test (24)

　Eloise had these big wings filled with eyes. She tried to keep them hidden most of the time but with being over half the size of her small frame she always failed at it. Sometimes the teacher would try to sympathize with the students plight of being stuck in a chair all day so it would lead us in some stretches… though how can anyone follow along fully to someone with an abstract body and inhuman flexibility. When Eloise did follow along in these stretches, she would forget about her wings, letting them go to full height. It was then she would notice a few glances. Whether they were real or imaginary she doesn’t know.
　Eloise is the youngest in the class, she tries to be a good student following along with their instructor, but nothing makes sense. Back at school whenever she tried to talk to people, they always shunned her for her “creepy” wings. So, she just learned how to do everything alone. But thankfully the people who took her in ever since she was little help out the best they can without shaming her for her deformity.
　It was time for another test in class. Sbeve was handing out the papers like always, eventually passing one to Eloise as well. But upon glancing at the paper, Eloise realized it was not a test but rather an instruction sheet for one of the upcoming days. She was framed! She thought. Maybe she was overwhelmed, if she told anyone, would they be mad? It wasn’t her fault, was it? Maybe they would blame her wings for attracting bad luck…
　As Eloise was tormented by the bad voices, Alexa noticed her adopted little sister in trouble. She raised her hand saying she forgot her lucky eraser with someone and walked over to Eloise. When Alexa reached her, she got down on her knees, and hugged Eloise with one arm, while with the other assessing the problem.