[OFFICE] Professor Red's Office

[Marushii]

Her steeled expression didn't change as he spoke. She didn't preen when he admitted to admiring her, nor did she grimace as he handed her the piece of her. Red beheld the fragment of her former form, tilting it to examine it in the light.

Carefully, Red placed the dark piece onto the desk. One heavy paw-hand rested on Remi's shoulder. The other soundly boxed his ear. "Idiot whelp," she began, "If you rely only on instinct then you're even stupider than I suspected. You need to think." The professor's knuckles rapped none too gently against Remi's skull in indication.

The professor moved away from him, leannig up against her desk. She considered him, talon lightly tapping against her lip. "Your heart is in the right place," she began. "But you need to be wary that it will not lead you astray. You remind me of how I was when I was your age. Should you wish to continue down this path, you have a lot of work ahead of you."

Red turned her inhuman hand up, offering it to the boil.

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"That is, should you choose to accept it."

Lilwolfpard

 

[Lilwolfpard]

Remi watched with wide eyes, and even winced (probably more out of reflex than thhe actual act. Truly it did not hurt that badly) as she socked him right in the ear.

"...But you said not to thin-" He cut that retort off with a clack of his teeth once she started to speak again. Watching her a bit owlishly, he waited for her to finish...

His mouth dropped open, only not for words. Well, damn. He had been expecting a rejection. He was not certain if the professor would even take his offering, certain she might take offense to the skull fragment.

Maybe he was wrong.

Still he stared at the badge, not speaking for a little while. Instead he tried to wrap his mind around it. Finally, realizing that he probably should say something, he nodded a few times. "Wha-really? i mean, Ack, Y-yes, Yes! i accept." Oh jack did he ever. A Bogeyman trainee? Him? Really? He resisted the sudden urge to jump up and hug the professor tightly. But he figured -- A: She had a lot of sharp pointy things on her B: He didn't think she would appreciate it C: He liked his limbs where they were. Instead, Red received a brilliant almost starry-eyed smile. "Thank you" He stood up a moment later before taking the badge from her. Staring down at it, he forced himself to blink a few times. Yup, still there. It was real.

Remembering she was there still, he cleared his throat a little sheepishly, knowing for a moment there he had worn his heart on his sleeve. "Where should we start?" After all he now wondered fully what he had gotten in to.

marushii

 

[Marushii]

The phrase "But you said not to thin-" earned Remi another bap, followed by an unavoidable noogie. "Idiot cub. Don't follow words too closely or follow your heart. Both will lead you astray faster than you can blink." When her hand was removed at last, Remi's hair would smoke and crackle for the next several minutes with Insanity.

A smile crept up on Red's lips as she watched the boil's excitement. She was reminded of when she was in his place; all starry-eyed and naive. Her smile faded as reality crept back in, shaking her head and turning to face the desk. "We shall start the training on the morrow. But for now..." Red reached out and carefully scooped up the minipet, looking at it before offering back to Remi. "I think this little fellow should have its walkies. Also find me a guide on how to raise them. It has been a long, long time since I had a minipet. You are dismissed, Trainee Remi."

Lilwolfpard

 

[Lilwolfpard]

"His." He mused in reaction, a huge grin meeting her if she turned around to look at him. For some reason the word 'walkies' from Reds mouth amused him greatly. He also made sure to take a step away, in case she decided to punch his ear again. "That pom is a little boy." He nodded towards the Behemoth, now in her arms.

He did end up following her towards the door though, making a note of the large puzzle like game that was on its back. "Sounds good, Professor." Was that what she still wanted him to call her? Was there a specific new name he should give her? He made the mental note to just use the usual until corrected. "Ill go see if i can find some reading material then. Been a while since i graced the libraries presence anyways..." With a little nod at her he turned away to leave. He figured she would notify him, somehow, with the time and place of the first meeting. Glancing down once more at the object gleaming in his palm, he clasped his fingers around it and could not stop himself punching the air in victory.

marushii

 

[Marushii]

Red made a shooing motion towards Remi after offloading the male behemoth onto him. "Go on, take him for his walkies and bring me a miniguide by seven o'clock. And not that Minipets for Dummies guide either."

The professor turned and walked away, parting ways with her young mentorling.

Fifteen minutes later she was back in her office, idly munching on a package of jerky. She examined the basket Remi gave her, considering it with a shake of her head. It was an odd collection but --

Wait.

Wait.

Why did she spend the last seven minutes hammering the vending machine for something when there were plenty of snacks in this basket for her? With a sigh, Red morosely tore into another package of snacks Remi left her and began to eat those too.  

[Bittiface]

Mot had long wished to speak to Red about joining the Boogeymen. The only thing that had stopped him in the past was his crippling self doubt. Lately his confidence and drive to become stronger had given him inner strength he'd once lacked.

He was still kind of scared though. Red had always been intimidating, but more so lately...

With a gulp, he stood outside the office door, in hand he had two coffees. Originally he had just meant to get himself one, but then he thought maybe it would be a good ice breaker? He didn't even know how she liked her coffee, so he'd gotten several little packets of add ons like sugar and... wait, maybe she hated coffee! Oh Jeepers Creeprs!

Mot sighed, knocked on the door, and peeked in. "Ah... Miss Red? May I come in?"

Marushii

 

[Marushii]

When Mot peeked in, he was greeted by the sight of Red caught in the middle of licking the delicious cheese-dust left over from those crunchy cheesy snacks off of her fingers. It certainly wasn't a flattering pose, made all the more awkward as the professor stared. She blinked, then slowly resumed licking her fingers before daintily wiping her fingers off with the edge of her cloak.

"You've poked your head in already. I don't see why the rest of you cannot come in as well," Red replied as she scrambled to pick her dignity up off the floor. "What brings you here?"

Bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

Mot tried not to smile too much at the sight, shrugging lightly as he entered the room. "Right, well uh... I brought coffee? Oh, but that isn't why I'm here..." The reaper stepped closer to the office desk, gently setting down the two coffees in their holder on a clear spot.

"I've been needing some guidance and direction, as far as my future is concerned after school ends. You see, I've dreamed of becoming a Boogeyman all my life, and I feel like you'd know better than anyone what steps I can take to reach my goal." He'd been training his body, strengthening his mind. Now he just needed to be pushed in the right direction.

Marushii

 

[Marushii]

The professor leaned back in her chair, elbows resting on the armrest as she tapped her fingertips - no, they had shifted into talons - together. Click, click, click. Her gaze followed the movement of the coffee being set on her desk, rising to watch the reaper and listen as he spoke.

"Indeed." She began, "I do know of the path you wish to seek. The question is... do you believe you are ready for it?" Red's gaze left his eyes, flickering once briefly before dropping back down. "I am sorry for the loss of your hat," she continued abruptly, "But in retrospect, losing some as replaceable as a hat is better than the loss of a life. Don't you agree?"

Bittiface

INTERROGATION START!

 

[Bittiface]

Mot nodded stiffly, slightly intimidated by her clicking talons. "I do! I admit that while I had intentions of joining for a long while, I think now I am more able and ready than I've ever been before." He smiled some, nodding to assure himself. "I have much more willingness to change and grow these days."

Mot... was astounded she remembered that. It had been so long ago. Heck, he'd been a Snot back then. Mot smiled warmly, scratching his cheek in a bashful gesture. "Ah, no worries. It is no longer something that troubles me."

His smile remained, his cheek scratching ending in favour of resting his hands at his sides. "Oh, I do! I agree full heatedly. I feel that.. material things are often used as an emotional crutch. I feel lives will always take priority over objects. Even if those objects carry precious memories."

Marushii

 

[Marushii]

Red stood up and came towards Mot, walking around her desk. She reached down and grasped the edge of her cloak, lifting it. "Do you recognize this?" Her talon tapped against one of the many holes along the bottom. "For some bogeymen, their cloak reflects who they are and where they came from. Our cloaks are both a material object, yet they are also part of us. For me, mine reminds me of every battle."

She let the fabric slide between her talons. A talon rose, idly running along her hood before it snagged: another bullet hole. "And this one? Does your memory serve you well?"

Bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

Mot was confused for a moment as she spoke, revealing wounds her cloak received, just as flesh would also scar. His brows knit together, until finally he seemed to connect the dots Red had been leaving for him.

"Woah... wait so.." Mot's mouth formed a thin line, "Are those from... me? Do you.. remember that battle, then?" She had been transformed.. he'd wondered back then if had truly been Red, as he shot at the then former teacher. For the greater good, or so he thought, he'd tried to protect himself and his fellow students.

Marushii

 

[Marushii]

The professor gave a slow shrug. "Bits and pieces. Fragments. There are times when the truths are twisted into lies, only to be revealed through nightmares."

As she spoke the vibrant red hue in her cloak faded, the shoulders starting to gray. "Do you know what it is like to be betrayed? To watch in rising horror as they take you apart bit by bit becoming more and more of the fact that they can't hear you screaming at them to stop? To realize that you yourself can't control yourself? That you have no mouth and you must scream?"

Bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

Mot's heart began to fall. He'd never really thought about it at all. Never thought what Red must have gone through. That those events had to have haunted her. It was something that happened; something terrible. And it happened to her. He'd lost a hat? Almost his eye sight? She'd lost so much more; A year of her life, her trust?

Her cloak's shift in colour made him want to back away, but he didn't. Running away was his default, but also something he'd been working on destroying within himself. He needed to see this through, no matter the end result. Even though he was scared. No..because he was scared.

"I can't imagine. I think only someone who's been through it before could know." He responded with a shake in his voice. "I don't feel I've ever been betrayed, or had so little control of myself that all I could do was watch... then again, I've watched friends fight and hurt without the power to stop them or help them. It isn't the same but... It's one of the reasons I strive to keep going and changing."

"Miss Red..? I'm sorry for what I did, without knowing what you were going through. I'm truly sorry.."

Marushii

 

[Marushii]

She took a step forward. When her foot landed it created a puff of black smoke, clearing to reveal a beastial paw with talons. She took another step, the same happening to her other foot. "'͘S̴o̵rry'͞ i͝s ͏me̶r̕élỳ ̀a ͘s͏i̴x-҉l̵e͡t̵t͞eŕ wórd̷ wit̸h̸o̸ut̷ ҉m͘ea͜ni̧ng͜.̕" Red growled as she approached him.

"O͟n͝ ýo͝u͘r kne͡es, cu̡r.͜ ͜Y̴o͞ur ͜ļi̢t̸t̕le̢ m̨i͘nd̕ co͜u͟l͝d̨ ̷n͞ot͟ ev̀en̨ ͏b͝egi̧n̢ t̡o̵ ́co̴mp̴re͜hend͡ w̡h̀a͞t I ͢ha̵v̛e go̷ne thr͝oug̕h͟ ̸f̵o̵r̵ t̷he͞ sak̴e ͘of ͢s̨aving ̛t̵he͡m͜." Her eyes blazed as she spread her arms, cloak billowing with the motion. "L͟o͡o̷k̶ ̨a͏t ̷t̨h͡e ̴pri͜c̴e I͘ have ҉p̡ai̢d!̕ T̡HIS is̴ the ͘pr̡i͟ce ̕of foll͡y͞;̡ ͠bo̡th͘ ͡y͜o̸ùr'̸s a͏n̴d m͝i̵nè."

Bittiface