Another Sleepless Night (Private w/Castor and Nova)

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest couldn't sleep. Again. It was usually nightmares that kept him up at night, and naturally it was hard to return to a peaceful slumber after experiencing something harrowing like that. The nightmares were either Forrest being wrapped up in gnarled roots until he could no longer see the sky above him, or it was having to deal with a never-ending stack of homework. Every time, he would awake violently in a cold sweat. Tonight was no different. He figured a view of the calm night sky was what he needed to ease his shaken mind. He switched his outfit from his pajamas to his school uniform before leaving his room.

Forrest made his way to the rooftops. The first thing that caught his eye was the beautiful skyline. As Forrest looked upwards, he noticed the night sky full of stars, the shattered Moon, and other celestial bodies.

Wow... Why didn't I ever do this sooner?... Forrest's mind wandered as he made his way to the railing in front of him. Again he gazed up at the night sky, seemingly calmer than when he first came up here. As it turned out, Forrest spent more time on the rooftop than he originally anticipated...

[Nova Starr]

Starr was no stranger to the night sky, nor the constellations weaving the fabric of reality beyond Remnant. Indeed, she spent a great deal of time admiring it all from her comparatively drab existence on the ground below. She imagined what it must be like to look down upon the world from the edge of space, to soak in the beauty of the natural world in a way that no being had ever done so before, nor could ever hope to. These intriguing, perhaps childish, thoughts would often lead her to the dormitory rooftops at an ungodly hour, when most students were floating mindlessly through dreams. Or nightmares, if they should be so unlucky.

On this particular night, Nova had slept through much of the evening preceding it, and found herself navigating mindlessly through the dorms. Going to the rooftops was less a conscious decision and more so a natural instinct. With no intention of succumbing to sleep any time soon, she had a journal tucked loosely between her elbow and torso, intent on spelling out her thoughts of the day and the days before it. Figuring nobody else would be awake, she hadn't bothered to change out of school clothes - the typical Beacon uniform plus her sparkly tights - having fallen asleep in them shortly after classes, nor had she fixed the tangled mess that was her hair.

When she finally turned the last corner toward the rooftops, the sight of another student caught Nova by surprise, shoes scraping the asphalt as she ground to a halt. Curious eyes fell on the (assumed) boy, who appeared to be gazing at the vast expanse above. She joined him in admiring the stars. There was a gravity to them that just never failed to get her attention. "Beautiful, isn't it?" She threw on a friendly smile, making her way over to the railing a few feet beside the boy.

[Castor Achromos]

It wasn’t unusual for Castor to spend his nights outside of his bedroom, in fact there were multiple nights where he would miss the last ship to Beacon and find himself stuck in the alleyways of Vale for the night. For the night though Castor couldn’t help but find himself unable to get some shut eye, regardless of the reason he walked his way through the academy ground with only the silence keeping him company. He usually was ok with it usually; half the time people can’t stand to be around him. Usually for good reason though, but tonight he was craving some, any kind of interaction with someone else. Either due to boredom or given the last few hectic days Castor himself wasn’t entirely sure.

Either way he could slowly make his way to the rooftops, he never cared for star gazing unlike other people. For someone like him where colors are a foreign concept, having blips of light run across the sometimes-open sky didn’t really mean anything to him. Besides, he rarely had time to really relax in a way that didn’t involve unsavory company. When he finally reached said rooftops, he was surprised to see other people had the same idea. One of them he remembered somewhat, he was a new student who had met in a class a few days ago.

“didn’t expect to run into you again.” Castor spoke up making his presence known.

[Forrest Waldstein]

The presence of the female student would've startled Forrest, but he was relatively calm at this point. He turned his head and returned a smile in kind. He didn't recognize her at first. A new student, perhaps? Most likely, he thought.

"Yeah, it's really something... Forrest began, taking a moment to think about what else to add.

"That's one thing I don't miss from my home village. You couldn't really see the night sky that well underneath the canopy of trees. Oh, right! I should introduce myself. My name is-"

Forrest was interrupted by a familiar voice sounded from behind them both. Forrest turned his head to see a familiar face.

"Oh, hey Castor." Forrest spoke as he waved to Castor, though his gaze shortly returned to the girl standing beside him.

"I'm Forrest Waldstein. What's your name?" Forrest continued from where he left off before.

[Nova Starr]

She looked around when yet another student arrived. Another boy, a scruffier one, with a bluntness to his voice that masked any surprise Nova could glean from his announcement. The two were apparently aqquainted with one another as the green-eyed boy sent a wave to the red-eyed one; Or was it brown? She struggled to tell what color his eyes were in the dark of night, not helped by the streaks of hair obscuring his face.

Not wanting to be the odd one out, she extended a friendly smile to the newcomer and shifted over a little to make space for him on the railing.

Nova brought her attention back to Forrest as the boy introduced himself. She nodded in understanding and responded in kind, "Nova Starr. Nice to meet you, Forrest Waldstein. And... Castor, was it?" She gently inquired about the newest arrival, not wanting to botch the pronunciation of either of the boys' names.

"Nobody else usually comes up here so late. Nice to meet some fellow stargazers." Her gaze lingered on neither boy in particular, but the stars in the sky between them.

[Castor Achromos]

Castor nodded as Nova introduced herself, it wasn’t the first time someone had a problem with his name, but it didn’t bother him in the least. As he made his way to the railing, he couldn’t help but answer her. “Well, most people are sleeping around this time, and besides I’m hardly a stargazer.” Unlike the other two Castor never cared or had much time to spend doing nothing. Before his time and even now as a student Castor found himself too busy to stop and relax. A lot of the time he was busy either working or trying to fit in what little studying he could manage to maintain the bare minimum grading for the academy. But to liven up the conversation Castor continued “Whenever I look them all I remember is about a certain story I was told when I was growing up.”

Many cultures generally gave celestial bodies like stars, the moon and even the sun divine and human characteristics. Though the exact details would vary from culture to culture, someone would claim they were the home of divine beings, other would say they were the bodies of said beings and several people in ancient history claim they were in direct lineage to said celestial bodies. Though personally Castor’s personal favorite story about them was the tale of lost children. It was a story told to him by Set when Castor caught him stargazing on a night not un-similar to the one, he finds himself in right now.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest seemed to be enthralled by the beauty of the night sky at the moment. His eyes slowly tracing the shapes to constellations in the night sky. Then his gaze shifted over to Castor.

"It's really fascinating how different peoples and cultures developed different stories and meanings for the stars in the night sky. I personally find that stuff interesting." Forrest replied.

Forrest couldn't think of more to add at this moment, and decided to just enjoy the full embrace of the night sky. As it turned out, enjoying the night sky was exactly the right thing to do, as three shooting stars traced their way through the sky. Forrest pointed out the trio of shooting stars to the others.

"Shooting stars! Three of them." Forrest stated as he pointed them out.

[Nova Starr]

She hummed in agreement with Forrest's sentiments. "It is fascinating." Even herself, Nova assigned her own imaginative meaning to the stars; That when somebody passes on, a new light emerges in the sky and their legacy and spirit live on amongst the constellations. A naive yet comforting thought.

When Forrest gestured up at the sky, she followed his finger and gazed curiously at the trio of shooting stars. She guffawed at the sight, lips kept parted in silent awe. As they soared magnificently through the cosmos, the rest of the world fell away for a moment. Nova was taken back to when she was a child, and her parents would trek to the tops of hills just so that they might catch a glimpse of a shooting star. They rarely did. To see one on an otherwise insignificant day at Beacon...

She made a conscious effort to pick up her jaw from the floor. When the shooting stars eventually fizzled away, as they tended to do, there was a twinkle in Nova's eyes. "Not to be dramatic, but if that's not a sign from the universe or something, I don't know what is." She relaxed, putting her back to the rail as she looked to Forrest and Castor. "Did you two make a wish? It's bad luck to leave a shooting star wishless."

[Castor Achromos]

Castor couldn’t help but agree with Forrest interest in different cultures varying stories of the world around them, though sadly many of those stories tend to end…in not so happy ways. Such as the lost children forever doomed to spend their days looking for something they can never have. Castor, unlike the other two, wasn’t really all that amazed but the wishing stars that streaked through the night in front of them, being colorblind certainly didn’t add to the “magic” of stargazing but even then, he was always more down to earth overall. Which is rather ironic given his name comes from a constellation of all things.

When Nova jumped with her comment about wishes, Castor couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. HE had completely forgotten about that kind of stuff a long time ago.


“All right any wish will do right?” so he closed his eyes for a moment pretending to make a legitimate wish...until his stomach. Started to make its own “wish”. Playing along Castor jumped onto the guard rail before quickly glancing at them “all right made my wish, you guys hungry?” he said before hopping off the guardrail casually as if the laws of gravity don’t apply to him. Of course, though Castor had this jump several times before…due to usual nighttime raids on the school’s cafeteria. There was always a free tree that he used to help guide him down to the bottom of the building even if it required a bit of good footwork and aura to avoid any injuries.

Castor was unsure how they would react to his “sudden” lack of common sense but in the worst case scenario he could grab a bite to eat and come back.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest thought for a moment as he deliberated his wish. He thought it was a somewhat selfish wish, but still one that would make him very, very happy.

That would be nice... Forrest mentally concluded as he made his wish.

Forrest was caught by surprise as Castor jumped onto the guardrail and leapt off it.

"Castor?!" Forrest called out to him as he fell onto the tree. Once he realized that Castor would be fine, he sighed.

It's always the simplest of motivations with Castor... Forrest thought. He then felt his stomach growl at the prospect of potential food.

Aw, man... I can't believe I'm going along with this! Forrest thought as he used Sylvan Anthem to increase the tree's height, ensuring Castor was already off the tree by that point. He then jumped onto the tree, hanging on by an arm and a leg, and looked over at Nova.

"Wanna come join us to get some food?" Forrest asked.

[Nova Starr]

The sound of shoes touching metal didn't immediately concern Nova. Not until she caught onto what Castor was doing; Her concerns were immediately apparent after that. "Wait!" Horrible images flashed in her mind as she leaned over the rail in a panic. Instead, her fears were immediately dashed after the boy manoeuvered in and around a tree to reach the Quad below, and she was left with just a trace of panic-turned-irritation.

She huffed. Forrest seemed to share the same sentiment as her. To the surprise of Nova, however, he was on board with Castor's late-night gathering of snacks. "What if..." After a few seconds of thought, she couldn't really come up with a reason why not. As it to remind her that she'd missed dinner, Nova's stomach grumbled right on cue. "Ugh, fine. It could be fun. I am a little hungry, too."

Having tucked her journal into her school jacket, she took a slightly more graceful path down. Shimmying along the edge of the rail and around the corner, she finally stepped off the edge of the rooftops, falling a dozen feet or so before activating her semblance. A ball of light materialized in her hand and slowed her fall, just enough to come to a near stop before she let go and fell again. Rinsing and repeating, she soon set foot on Academy grounds.

Now grounded, she poked her head around the corner with a smile and joined the party of snack-getters. A sucker for adventure, the girl would be lying if she said she wasn't excited about the idea of sneaking around Beacon at night. "Do you... do that often?" she asked Castor, gesturing to the tree. "You're a little crazy, you know that?"

[Castor Achromos]

Castor waited for the two of them to make their way down, was kind of interesting how both went about dealing with the tree, unlike them Castor didn’t bother to use his semblance but then again, his eye’s keen attention to detail even in a night like this made the whole issue a breeze. Castor couldn’t help but laugh in response to Nova, “I’ve been called worse things. Besides it was the easiest way down” It wouldn’t take long for Castor to lead them to the academy’s cafeteria, of course they would have to take the long way to it to best avoid any potential professors or staff that would be patrolling the grounds. After all the three of them were technically breaking curfew. If they had stayed on the roof no one would have noticed or even cared enough to stop them if they stayed near enough to the dormitories. But Castor had missed lunch that day due to “work” so he figured might as well raid the cafeteria for some food, what’s the worst that could happen? Assuming the other two had no problem with it and could keep quiet. They would eventually arrive at one of the smaller side entrances to the cafeteria, greeted by a padded lock, “shouldn’t take to long to take care of, just let me know if we have any company.” He said to both Forrest and Nova before returning his attention to the lock at hand. It would not take long for Castor to realize the simple device had been modified to resist simple blunt force entry even by aura, if nothing else Castor felt this little “puzzle” was a little fun distraction.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest caught up to them shortly after he gracefully descended from the tree. He found the pair by a side entrance to the cafeteria. He saw Castor holding the lock in his hands, observing the padlock. Forrest took a peek at the padlock from over Castor's shoulder for a brief moment before quietly speaking.

"Mind if I take a look Castor?" Forrest inquired.

Castor slowly perked up a bit at the question, a bit surprised, but figured that Forrest could conceptualize a good idea to bypass the lock.

"Go ahead." Castor replied, handing the lock to Forrest and taking a step to the side to keep an eye out for trouble.

Forrest fiddled with the lock for a moment, getting a feel for the weight of it alongside its other properties.

I could put a tiny seed into the lock and expand it to break it from the inside... No, that's too noticeable. Better to leave no trace behind... Could I make a skeleton key with a seed?... No, making wood that thin would be too brittle... Forrest revised his original idea and looked over to Nova.

"Nova, do you have a pair of bobby pins on you by chance?"

[Nova Starr]

Nova imagined that they were in some secret spy movie with funky spy music playing as they snuck around school grounds. The reality was far less cool, of course. Being out and about at night wasn't totally forbidden, nor all that strange; about the only thing that might turn some heads was their presence at the sidedoor to a locked cafeteria. That, and the fact that the two boys were putting their heads together to try and break into it.

She stood back a little, a nervous onlooker to their antics. What if they did get caught? Would there be repercussions? Just then, Forrest looked to her and posed her a question which led the stargazer to return a regretful frown. "Crud. I had some in this morning but I'm pretty sure I took 'em out earlier. I haven't even touched this mess-" she started, beginning to ruffle and straighten out her currently hedge-hog-looking hair. "-since I passed out after... classes... ouch!" Feeling something solid in the nest on her head, she dislodged two bobby pins that were nestled deep inside. She grimaced upon seeing strands of purple hair weaved around them, holding them a full arms length away. "Gross. Here." Holding out the makeshift picklocking set, she soothed her aching roots with her free hand.

[Castor Achromos]

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with trying to break into the cafeteria for some late-night grub, though Castor was surprised no one had spotted them yet. Usually there was a professor or at least a guard or two by now. Either they were lucky, or Castor half expected to be jumped the moment they opened the locks, Castor saw as both of his newly acquainted accomplices work their magic with the lock.

“Well at least I know I’m not the only one who likes to nap through classes.” He half joked given that he sleeps through most of his classes, in all honesty he’s only passing his physical classes at this point. It would only take a few moments for them to pick up the lock and make their way into the cafeteria. In the day this place would be filled to the brim with students going about their day, some eating, some just hanging out with friends and others like Castor plan out their several schemes with Vee and other likeminded individuals here on their free periods. But right now? It was empty and quiet like a cemetery, just the way he liked it.

“All right let’s see if there’s any grub for us in the kitchen.” Castor said to both, as he made his way across the room and towards the main serving kitchen area. Of course, the food by now would all be gone from their usual stations, but Castor knew for a that the school kept an ample supply of food for emergencies situations.

Of course, they wouldn’t mind the three of them taking a few bites to eat…right?

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest couldn't help but think what his father Rowan would have thought of him as he picked the lock. The stories he heard from his mother made him out to be a devilish prankster in his younger days, always getting into trouble one way or another. They were almost always some type of harmless shenanigans, like the old bucket of water above the door, the firecracker in the toilet, you name it, Rowan probably did it. He always had a clever ploy up his sleeve should things go horribly wrong. The entire lockpicking process did not take too long, maybe a couple minutes at most, as Forrest knew the basic anatomy of locks.

Oh man... I really am my father's son... Forrest mused as the lock opened. He returned the bobby pins to Nova as they entered the cafeteria.

Forrest looked around the kitchen for a brief moment, taking in the surroundings as he entered.

"Is it just me, or are things going a little too smoothly?" Forrest quietly asked the others as he began to look for some stored food.

[Nova Starr]

She slipped the body pins into a blazer pocket, symbolizing the mischief they were getting up to. They'd also serve as a gentle reminder that, if there were an afterlife, the three would most assuredly go to the bad one.

Once inside, Nova checked every door leading into the cafeteria, her eyes whipping around a few times when shadows seemed to play tricks on her. Nobody else was around... for now. Satisfied that they weren't going to get caught immediately, her shoulders loosened up as she stood a little straighter and trodded onward behind Castor and Forrest. The plan to b-line it straight for the kitchen seemed flawed in every conceivable way, but she was in too deep now. Snacks were within arms reach.

"Maybe Beacon security is lax around the cafeteria?" she responded, answering his question with another question. She began to help with the rummaging, opening a pair of cupboard doors to nothing but some pots and pans. "Unless the school is worried about a serial frying pan thief." Her eyes lingered on some of the fine looking cookware...

Nova closed the cupboard quickly, shuddering. She'd already debased herself enough, best not to add hardware burglary to her list of moral convictions. "I'm not seeing anything. Is there, like, a fridge or something? You find anything, Castor?"

[Castor Achromos]

The lack of life around three thieves was starting to become unnerving, as if at any moment now they were about to be jumped. Once they made their way to the kitchen it would only be a matter of time before for them to find the right cabinet, fridge, or freezer with all the grub they need. Castor turned to Nova but momentarily was distracted by an all-to-familiar hole in the wall, along with small scorch marks on the floor.

“…yeah, should be something around here.” They would eventually be greeted by a much larger freezer door nearby, seemingly undisturbed by the destructive environment surrounding it. More importantly it was locked with not one but multiple heavy-duty locks. Even Castor could tell these would be a lot more difficult to break or pick through.

But at least they would have enough time to work…

at that point the trio could hear the main doors of the cafeteria open, along with a clutter of footsteps. None of them were sure if they were heading for the kitchen also but the steps were starting to sound louder and with more frequency. Had they triggered a silent alarm? Castor realized their plans were a bust. The three of them would have to quickly make their way to the back door...which of course would also be locked. Most likely by a cheap lock like with the other side entrance they first came through. Castor would turn to them with a whisper, “you guys can work quick and quietly I’ll try to distract whoever just arrived.”

With that he went past them and did his best to lie low as he stepped out of the kitchen area, only to see a pair of robot guards. Normally these “tin cans” would be seen in Atlas but given the explosive events of the past few days it seems they sent a few of them as added security to the school. They hadn’t noticed him yet so maybe there was a chance for them to be lured away? In the back of his head Castor couldn’t but realize they would probably be leaving the place with empty stomach unless they were able to get through the numerous locks in the freezer…or find food from somewhere else?

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest deliberated the options in his head briefly. On one hand, opening the freezer door would take time and risks them getting caught, but they would most certainly leave with food. On the other hand, the back door seemed to be a viable escape option should things go more awry than they already have. It didn't take long for Forrest to make a decision, because he always preferred the safer, less risky options in a situation like this. He gestured Nova to follow him as Forrest searched for a back door to escape. The good news was that it was relatively easy to find, the bad news, however...

Shit! It's locked from the outside, why didn't I think of that?! Forrest mentally grew anxious as he realized the back door would not budge. He thought back to the freezer doors for a moment, but knew that they would take way too long to get through.

"Nova, we need to find another exit, maybe a vent or something!" Forrest quietly but urgently hissed. He began looking immediately for a vent. It made sense for a kitchen like this to have a ventilation system, as the hot air and emissions from the kitchen ranges had to go somewhere.

[Nova Starr]

Nova was a deer in headlights when the cafeteria door opened and the dreaded sound of footsteps followed. A wave of unnecessary thoughts flooded the girl's mind, not least that they'd be immediately expelled if they were caught by... whoever the hell was approaching. 'No, no, no! Why did I ever agree to this!?' She would've have stayed frozen had Forrest not gestured her to follow. Keeping low, she shuffled along, peeking above the counter tops to both check on Castor and to try to spot whoever had entered the building, though the dimly lit kitchen and hall was too dark for her human eyes to catch anything useful.

Her heart sank when the backdoor wouldn't open; panic resumed. "A vent? Uhm..." She searched, eyes darting frantically in hopes of spotting something remotely resembling a door or a ventilation shaft.

Salvation. "There!" she whisper-shouted, pointing to a vent not so far from the door. She started toward it but stopped just short when her eyes settled upon something even more curious. Sitting nearby was a tall, rectangular shaped appliance that emitted an all-too-familiar hum of a refrigerator, and without a padlock to keep any hungry souls out. Could it be the snacks that were promised? "Get the vent open!"

Quietly, she opened the door. Inside was... something. Chocolatey? Pastries, maybe? Small pies? Nova couldn't tell. The light illuminated the insides for just a second before she pressed a button by the hinges to disable it, lest the other intruders catch sight of a suspicious light in the kitchen. It was better than nothing. She grabbed a few pieces, thanking her lucky stars that they were wrapped and sealed in some sort of container, and stowed them away in her school jacket.

[Castor Achromos]

Castor couldn’t help feeling like a mouse, trying his best to remain hidden from their sight, maybe if he acted quick enough, he could disable them? Assuming there isn’t any more standing outside….Castor sighed thinking to himself “well shit…there’s probably a few of them by the back entrance.” As soon as those thoughts entered his mind, as if in the queue Castor could hear the unmistakable sound of a door being broken down. Which…confused him, they may be tin can, but wouldn’t the school have given them access to keys or other way to get past locks without brute force? Then it dawned on him, these robots aren’t part of Beacon security, but who were they? He wasn’t going to find out by simply sitting in the dark like a rath, so Castor did what he knew best. Violence, of course, though he would have to be quick and quiet about it. He was already on thin ice with much of the staff at Beacon as is. Being caught sneaking in the cafeteria might be the excuse they need to finally expel him…not that he cared all that much about the school or even being a huntsman for that matter. But it was the best way to reach his true goals, so for now he would have to play along. With a little creativity Castor could easily dispatch the two tins can without as much of a peep. The two robots were scanning for any signs of life staring right at the entrance of the kitchen, where he was hiding beneath the counter, his best shot was to use his summons to take them out in an instant. Castor would focus the aura into a single point, out of his back soon appeared a pair boney white fangs like a growth of plant. Normally Castor would continue this process to allow fidi to fully form but he lacked the time and patience at the moment and as such from the depths of his mind he gave his beast one mental command “skewer” with that Fidi was already springing to life, only have formed with barely a portion of her face put together she pierced the through air like a spear it would only take a second but she found her target as she sliced one of the robot guards like a knife through butter destroying and sending it’s pieces flying in short order, before the destroyed piece of scrap metal could completely fall Fidi had diverted it’s attention to the next target and forced her way through it’s equally malleable body as well.

One the dust had been settled Castor was about to head back to the kitchen surely the “guards” would have noticed the commotion he just ended, before he could at the main entrance of the was a familiar figure.

“Those toys were quite expensive, you know.” The man said the face he did not recognize, but the voice and the mannerism…more importantly the stink he knew all to well. Castor hoped the other two got away...with a least a snack or two for him.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest quickly located the vent by the door where Nova had pointed. It didn't take long at all for Forrest to get the vent open, all he had to do was take the cover off.

"Get in! I'll close it behind us!" Forrest whisper-shouted to Nova as she was stuffing her jacket full of whatever snacks she managed to pilfer from the refrigerator.

By this point, Forrest could make out the sound of something banging against the back door.

Not good! Forrest thought immediately as the door slowly became dented in. Whatever was on the other side of the door would break in any second now.

Forrest also made out the sound of something cutting through metal. He froze for a moment, realizing it was Castor. He was probably buying them time to get out of there, using his tried and true method of wanton violence. Forrest's gaze soon returned to Nova.

"Nova! Vent! Please!" Forrest added urgently, hoping she would bolt to the vent at this point.

[Nova Starr]

Nova made out a voice coming from the kitchen; she clenched her teeth upon realizing that it didn't belong to Castor. For all she knew, they might've caught him. "Oh, no..." She looked to Forrest with worry in her eyes; then, a loud bang shook the room. Already in motion when Forrest made his plea, she scurried into the vent quick as lightning. Whatever had made that banging noise was bad news bears. She wasn't trying to wait around and meet the source of it face-to-face.

She covered her mouth to muffle a cough, then looked around the inside of the vent. It was disgusting. A thick coat of dust clung to the metal walls, causing a cloud of the stuff to kick up whenever she moved deeper inside. Using her semblance, she created a ball of light to illuminate the way, spotting a promising bend up ahead. "This leads away from the cafeteria! Can you see Castor?" she asked, looking behind her as best she could given the tight space.

[Castor Achromos]

Castor never expected this idiot of all people would be so stupid to enter Beacon ground for any reason, granted this time he was wearing a new face and body, but Castor could recognize the mannerism and stench from a mile away. This new person was covered to head to toe in trench coat, chances are he was posing as a private detective of sorts…that or he killed the bodies’ owner and was now taking it for a joy ride, regardless it’s not good for a supposed “dead man” to be waling about Castor had better think of a way to get rid of him before Forrest and Nova see him. Before Castor could respond though his continued “you know I’ve been meaning to talk with you again little snake.” He said making no attempt to his disgust of Castor, “I tolerated your laziness for long enough.” Castor interrupt with a quick “if you want to tell you can just send me a text message, it has this amazing thing called the send button.!” Making no attempt to hide his anger but doing his best to hush his voice. If this idiot was about to send his ass on another job, then why the hell is he sending him the details in person? The strange lanky man who reeked like a corpse jointly walked to Castor before questioning “I’ll ask this only once, are you the only one who survived?” Castor’s eyes widen for a moment at the implication.

“we need to have this conversation somewhere else.” He said, “I’ll meet your and you know who at the usual place.” Castor was at least trying to be discreet about who he was talking to. The strange man agreed "we could, or I can take care of the bugs in the vents, and we have the cafeteria all to ourselves…” After a brief but intense moment of silence Castor yelled “there not real, you can break them!” Before throwing a surprise haymaker at his uninvited guests face sending the stick of a man flying a few feet in the air…though he strangely got back up as if the strike didn’t phase him “I guess the little snake needs to know who’s in charge here.”

[Forrest Waldstein]

As expected, Forrest closed the vent cover after following Nova into the vent. The pair couldn't have timed that better, as a loud bang originated from the back door. Whatever had been banging on the door earlier was now able to enter the kitchen.

Definitely not going back now... Forrest thought as they both were in the vent, stifling a sneeze as his entrance kicked up some dust.

In addition to being dusty, the vent was very cramped. A small child would be able to maneuver through the vents with ease, but for young adults like Nova and Forrest, moving around in the vents was feasible but awkward. Forrest followed Nova towards the bend, trying his best to move forward despite the compact space. There appeared to be another cover by Forrest, and he heard the sounds of pandemonium break out from the cafeteria. From the sound of it, it appeared that Castor was fighting another person. He couldn't make out enough detail through the cover to determine who he was fighting.

"I see Castor. He's fighting someone else... I can't make out too much detail from here... We'd have to remove the cover and drop into the cafeteria to get a better look." Forrest whispered to Nova, hoping she shared the same altruistic drive to help Castor that he had.

[Nova Starr]

Nova wasn't immediately struck with the urge to help, but she could sense that Forrest wanted to. By all rights, the situation had grown beyond either of the three students' control, and every fiber of her being screamed at her to crawl ahead and get as far away from the cafeteria as quickly as possible. She struggled with whatever shred of morals she had left at that point, trying to think of an argument for getting to safety at the expense of Castor. There wasn't one.

She sighed sharply, starting to take off her school jacket in the uncomfortably cramped vent. "Damn it."

Shimmying ahead to the nearest vent cover, she braced herself, pushing against the roof of the vent with one hand and the side of the vent with the other. With a powerful kick, she drew in a sharp breath and knocked the cover from its fixture onto the cafeteria floor. "So much for being covert," she hissed, using her leverage to swing out from the hole and onto the ground. Now on her feet, Nova spotted the back of a strange man in a trench coat, standing next to Castor, who seemed to have his fist drawn. Worry immediately set in. "Castor!"

[Castor Achromos]

Castor knew the difference between him and the person in front of him was always large, but at the very least he should be able to keep him preoccupied while the others dealt with the fake tin guards. What he wasn’t expecting was for Nova to pop out of nowhere, Castor was distracted for a moment, but it was enough for the stranger in the coat to take advantage of the situation, grabbing Castor by the face. At this moment whatever conversation, the two had was over simply focused on the “fight” in hand. Criminel was never one for subtlety but even he was aware of the consequences of even a potential exposure of Castor’s involvement to his mother’s “business”, Castor waved at Nova, and he struggled to let out “took you sweet time didn’t ya.” Before returning his attention to the matter at hand. Castor was fully aware he couldn’t beat his opponent on a good day…but something had pissed Criminel off more than usual? More importantly both would have to finish this fight quickly or they would risk getting more of an audience they already had.

Castor would throw out a kick right into his “foe's” face forcing them to let go of their grip and allowing him to break free, Castor would quickly retreat to Nova’s side chiming in with a quick “don’t suppose you and Forrest made an exit for us yet?” Normally he would gladly offer his summons to do such a thing, but the school has started to pick when the signs of his summons’s handywork. Looking back at the “stranger” in the coat who’s nose he had broken with the earlier kick…though they seemed unbothered by the damage and simply stayed silent but clearly enraged at him. Castor wasn’t surprised given how he was aware of his opponent’s semblance worked. If they fought seriously Castor could tear an arm off and the bastard would keep coming after him.

He fished through his bag of dust trying to find the right answer to this little puzzle of his, “whatever you do don’t let him get near you.” He said as the “stranger” repositioned his fracted nose back into place, though instead of running straight towards him the man instead opted to grab on of the nearby lunch tables…as in the ones meant to sit around a dozen or so students and casually tossed in their direction with one arm like if it weighed nothing.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest made his way over to Castor, just behind Nova. Right when the lunch table was thrown at the three of them, Forrest threw a seed towards the ground in front of the table. When he activated his Semblance, the seed grew into a gnarled, tendril-like root that slammed down onto the table, sending it crashing onto the floor, ensuring their safety. He didn't like the vibes he was getting off of this stranger that seemed to know Castor. The stranger seemed powerful, so fighting would only be done as a last resort. Who was he? It didn't matter. Forrest was more concerned with getting his friends out of here.

"We need to leave, now!" Forrest called out to Nova and Castor. He maintained his concentration on keeping the root around, in case the stranger decided to throw any more tables.

[Nova Starr]

Nova watched Castor struggle with the stranger before breaking free, and she shook her head 'no' to his question when he ran over. "Vent seems kinda pointless now. This guy came through the front, right?" She recalled him entering the hall through the main doors. With any luck, those were still open.

The Stranger, seemingly angered, launched a table their way, and all Nova could do was throw her arms up to protect herself. Thankfully, Forrest's semblance made short work of the projectile, though the root pummelling the table presented a fresh problem; guards could probably hear it from halfway across campus. "Yup," she agreed without hesitation, pulling her jacket from the vent and doing her best to stop the food from falling out. She wasn't even hungry anymore, but the snacks had just become evidence that they couldn't afford to leave behind.

She ran as quickly as she could to the main entrance, stopping to look over she shoulder at the Stranger. Who is this guy? Her eyes flicked to Castor, who seemed to be at least somewhat familiar with the launcher of tables. Wasting no more time, she crossed her fingers and tried to nudge the door open with her shoulder. It gave way. Yes! "Come on!" Shouting to the others, she prayed they'd make a clean getaway; or as clean a getaway as possible, given the situation.

[Castor Achromos]

This situation was worsening, between them nearly eating a table and both Forrest and Nova getting the suspicion of a possible “connection” between him and their uninvited guest. Castor knew just like everyone else the best option was for them to get the hell out of there as soon as possible, it would not be long for more “guests” to arrive. As if one que the two robotic guards arrived on the scene, even if they were not official security, their static batons were just as painful as the real ones. Castor was too focused on the situation at hand, he didn’t notice the looks both other students gave him. No matter what Castor was going to have to make a mess to get out of this mess. Shuffling through his bag of dust Castor would quickly fetch a handful of dust crystals. Some fire, some ice and one chunk of gravity crystal. Whether this combination of dust was intentional was unknown given Castor’s inability to see color, but he had gotten used to the different tactile textures each type of dust had. At the very least he knew what was in his hand. Before anyone had a chance to react Castor would chuck the collection in the dust in the air where his faithful summon would swoop high in the air after and with a quick strike of her tails smack to the dust crystals in the direction of the “stranger”, thank to the gravity dust in the middle the bundled dust stuck together like adhesive creating a cocktail explosive of multiple elements. Crashing face first into their opponent like a grenade and causing actual dust and debris from filling the area around them.

“Here’s our chance!.” He shouted to both Nova and Forrest and made a quick exit to the nearest doorway they could, chances are faculty will be arriving soon. They should be back to their dorms by then and luckily their “guests” will also be gone by then. Criminel is a bastard, but he was smart enough to know when to get his toys out of a sticky situation. More importantly if anyone figured out what happened today, he would never hear the end of it from mama Brigitte. But that can wait for now. Castor would have to do his best to deal with the awkward situation created from this mess, they both suspected Castor of knowing the man. Castor was never all that good a lying, that was more of his “brother’s specialty, but he could try his hand at weaving a half truth of a story to get them off his ass and hopefully they would buy it enough to not get the school official involved. Otherwise, it would just get in the way of his own agenda. So, Castor offered to talk to them about what “happened” tonight when things were less crazy and explosive.