[CYOA] Maize Maze (Deacon/Riyo)

[Sexy Cocaine]

Recent events had left Riyo with a slightly more positive outlook for the future and a significantly darker appearance, one being the result of the other. At least for her, things had been peaceful. Much more peaceful than she had ever thought they could be. Perhaps she had just learned when to venture out of the dorms and when to stay inside, or maybe a calm before the storm?

Ah, well... It was about that time of the year, wasn't it?

The ghoul had been ready to once again wind down after her studies, peering out her window as she grabbed the drapes to yank them together, but a view in the distance caught her eye.

What was...

Corn?

A grimace followed the morbid curiosity that tore her from the safety of those walls and out into the common area, where she pulled her eyephone from her pocket and started tapping the screen vigorously.

Hitsuzen

To Deacon: Any idea why a citadel of corn suddenly popped up on campus?

 

[Sexy Cocaine]

Daring to step just outside the door, Riyo's ears could catch the muffled screams coming from within the... Cornucopia's walls.

A soft mewing from her phone informed her a new text had arrived. Against all better judgement, of which she was sure she had before she started at Amity, the cat ghoul agreed. Peaceful was dancing on the line of dull, after all.

Hitsuzen

To Deacon: Statistics say it's going to end poorly for us but I've got nothing to lose at this point.

After a moment, she sent another.

Quote:

I'm standing outside of the dorm entrance if you want to meet me.

The thought that she might not be easily recognized failed to cross her mind.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo glanced over her shoulder and followed Deacon as he moved, immediately realizing what he was referring to. Subconsciously, her hand reached up to run through the black locks.

Her stare was somehow more intense than usual, as if the contrast brought out the color. "T-thanks..." She finally just took a compliment at face value, glancing away as she tried not to blush. "I call it a happy accident." Though those who had plotted the 'accident' were none to happy with the result.

"Are you growing out your hair?" She tilted her head as she tried to sway the conversation away from her, eyes fixating on the orange. It didn't look bad on him, she supposed, and it was always nice to have a thicker coat for the upcoming cold.

Hitsuzen

 

[Sexy Cocaine]

More than likely Deacon would find out what had happened someday, but today was not that day.

A smirk formed on the cat ghoul's face as he explained his situation. "Well I'm sure your mother could always toss a bowl on your head and cut it herself." She had heard of that method. Worse, she had seen it at the cafe. Those poor, unfortunate souls...

"Well, I hope your new ghoulfriend appreciates your lax hair care." Riyo recalled he had been with some little number at the prom. She really didn't know how the rest of the night had panned out for him, being busy babysitting a date of her own. Nor did she particularly care.

Since their visit had purpose, the demoness started moving towards the... Rather corny scene, expecting Deacon to follow suit.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

"I suppose it would be better to look like a blind kid with scissors than a trainwreck." Not that she wouldn't absolutely laugh her a** off if either happened. She would, and would not be merciful about it.

"Are those really that fun?" Deacon seemed to hover towards that every year so she could only assume it was better than asking people you actually knew. Absentmindedly she tapped her chin. "Maybe I should do that next year." If she even went next year. Truth be told she hoped to be graduated and on her way to... Whatever she was going to do by that time. Still, it might be nice to have an actual official 'date' at least once, instead of all the misleading bullshit of earlier years.

Just considering going on a date with a stranger was a sign there had been some growth to her mentally.

They arrived at the maze shortly after, the craftsmanship (or lack thereof) making the culprits of this atrocity obvious. "Ah. Well." Her expression screamed 'second thoughts', but her feet continued forward towards the entrance. "I suppose it would be cowardly to turn back at this point." Annoying they may be, gnomes were still just gnomes. What could they possibly do?

"Shall we?"

Hitsuzen

 

[Sexy Cocaine]

It was... Almost strange to be talking so casually about dates with Deacon. She supposed it shouldn't be. They had known eachother for a long time. Riyo had known Deacon technically longer than anyone still on campus. Almost an unsettling thought, it was.

If the demoness had known at the time what was going though Deacon's head, she would've been grateful for and surprised by the forethought. Perhaps the cat boil had done some growing himself.

Instead, Riyo scoffed at the suggestion she should go first. "Yeah, alright, I'll be the meat shield." Even though he had taken to walking next to her. She could only smirk and roll her eyes.

Regardless of what the maze's true intentions were, the feline could only assume somewhere down the line it would grow heinous, so she kept her guard up and ears perked. They swiveled almost immediately when the moaning began. Her expression, however, remained unphased. "Probably one of those cheap machines that make 'ookie spookie' noises." Though... It hadn't sounded that cheap.

Cautiously she glanced between the two directions and chose to take another left.

... How had the temperature suddenly dropped like that?

Hitsuzen

 

[Sexy Cocaine]

Instinctively Riyo pulled her jacket in tighter as someone turned down the invisible thermostat. It wasn't winter yet. What the hell?

Her head turned in the direction of the 'choo choo' sounds, though her similarly cat-eared companion had other ideas. "Worse?" She turned back around and noticed he had taken the other direction. Riyo couldn't remember ever taking a train. Her ride to school had been a little more fancy than that, back when she had that kind of dough.

"What's-" She could've asked what was wrong with trains, and maybe she would later, but much like Deacon had become distracted by the moat and it's lackluster sign, so did she. Her eyes narrowed on the disparaging handwriting, and for a moment she was silent. Only a moment.

"They're not getting a single seed from these pockets." Spoken like a true miser. With her nose turned toward the air, Riyo lifted her boot and casually used her long legs to step over the stream. "Psch. fine my a**." A poor choice of words but she couldn't take them back now.  

[Sexy Cocaine]

As they continued on the path, the feline became less attentive to Deacon and more absorbed in the surrounding mushrooms. The haunting floral melody that plagued her along with the sensory overload from the glowing mushrooms must've been doing something to her.

"I... I'm not sure." Her answer was delayed. "I feel like... Someone slipped catnip in my afternoon tea..." That was a good way to describe it, considering there had been more than one occasion where something similar had happened.

Riyo had failed to notice the cat boil's halt, and managed to bump into him in all her distracted glory. Good thing they weren't running from anything... Yet. "Oof."

She shook her head in an effort to regain some sense, and cautiously glanced over Deacon's shoulder. "Or perhaps it's a bastardized version of 'East'." Bastardized was, of course, putting it lightly. Tearing her vision from the sign, she caught a glimpse of some stripes and focused on the gaggle of gnomes. "You could always direct any questions to the peanut gallery." Riyo wasn't saying he should ask for directions, but in a womanly way she was probably insinuating that he should. It was, after all, a corn maze that somehow fit a train, a moat, and a field of singing jackdamn flowers in it's boarders.