2024-04-27: process

• Log: 2024-04-27 process
• Cast: Stella Loussier, Elan Ceres
• Where: Asticassia School of Technology
• OOC - IC Date: April 27, UC 0099 (2024)
• Summary: After class, Elan notices Stella staring at something out the window and goes over to see what it is.

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<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        "-and thus the sudden surplus energy from the completion of the African orbital tower led to destabilisation of numerous economies within the Middle Eastern zones. Which in turn led to a decrease in living conditions and resource shortages, resulting in increasing unrest. The formation of several radical factions plunged those countries into turmoil and-"

        Bing bung boong bong.

        The teacher at the front of the class turns back as students start packing up their things and chattering amongst themselves. He calls out amongst the rising cacophony of voices, "Don't forget the homework assignment! Thirty pages describing the motivations behind the Blood Sands Rebellion in my inbox by the end of the week!"

        No one seems to be paying attention though as students all file out in order to go take full advantage of their lunch break before the next period. That is all except for one. A girl with blonde hair and violet eyes who is currently engrossed in staring out the window. Something she's been doing for most of the lesson, seemingly unaware of anything going on around her.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        here is one voice that remains silent, both during and after the lecture; the owner of that voice remains in his seat for a moment while he finishes up taking notes on a tablet. The actions of a diligent student, perhaps, and given his grades, perhaps that's no surprise from Elan Ceres. But while his notes are meticulous, he looks... bored. Maybe indifferent is the better word. Either way, despite the way he takes the time to finish up his notes before he rises, there's no particular expression on his face.
        
        A pity. He has such a pretty face.
        
        Once he's done, which conveniently is around when most of the classroom has cleared out, he rises, his tassel earrings swaying with the movement. He gathers his things--just a tablet and a book, really. Lunch break is next, so there's no need to hurry. For the same reason, when he spots another student who's lingering behind the rest, he takes the time to consider her.
        
        She's staring out the window at something. She was doing that when he entered the classroom just before the start of class, too. Elan's yellow-green eyes flick in that direction, but nothing outside stands out to him.
        
        He's in no hurry. Once his things are gathered, he silently steps over to behind Stella so that his perspective is closer to hers, then looks again out the window.

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        It's no surprise that Elan didn't see anything at first. It's hard to do so from a distance. But once he gets up behind Stella it's easier to see. In the corner of the window frame there's a spider's web. And a butterfly appears to have accidentally flown into it. It's dead now, though judging by the spider's progress in cocooning its prey, it hasn't been that way for long. Which means Stella has probably been watching the whole process.

        Though she's not watching it now. Instead she has turned her head to look at Elan, her eyes sizing him up. She doesn't speak any words, but her expression seems to be one of annoyed questioning. Perhaps something along the lines of 'What do you want?'

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        When Stella gives Elan that mild glare, he doesn't return the look. In fact, he too watches that spider spinning up that butterfly for a long moment. His expression is dispassionate, even distant. Nonetheless, he watches.
        
        After that long moment has passed, he looks down at Stella. Still no change in his deadpan. She might recognize him as the head of Peil House, one of the three major branch Houses; whether she does or not is separate from whether she'd care, of course.
        
        Regardless, after several more seconds of staring at her back, all he says is, "Class is over."
        
        Just in case she hadn't noticed.

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Stella has recognized Elan. She recalls his face from the briefings she'd received about the people of note within the school. Though her lack of any real response to such recognition suggests she does indeed not care. On the other hand, it's unlikely Elan recognizes her. As far as anyone here is aware, she's simply a new student recently transferred in. Here on a scholarship from some minor company. A regular nobody who's not particularly interesting in any degree. Thus unlikely to catch the attention of any of Elan's handlers.

        What Stella does seem to care about is him disturbing her. But as he finally speaks and points out the ending of class, Stella does blink in mild surprise.

        Apparently she hadn't noticed!

        She looks around the now mostly empty classroom for a few moments. But the surprise passes quickly and she goes back to staring out the window. Finally she simply asks, "So?"

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Elan indeed doesn't recognize Stella. To him, she's another face in the sea of students at Asticassia. She hasn't caught the attention of his handlers any more than he has hers--less so, really--and so she's simply another student.
        
        Mostly.
        
        She looks around at the now-empty classroom. Then she stares out the window again. His gaze joins hers again. That spider is an industrious one. But then, spiders generally are.
        
        'So?' she asks.
        
        It's a good question. He doesn't have an answer to it. But it does strike him as unusual, at least for a student at the hyper-competitive Asticassia. Suletta Mercury is also a transfer student backed by a very minor company within the Benerit Group, but she's more invested in her school life by far. He gives the back of Stella's head another brief look.
        
        "It's nothing," he decides.
        
        It really is nothing.
        
        He turns to go.

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Elan begins to walk away. And it seems like Stella may be content to let him do so.

        That is until she suddenly speaks, "Do you think... It knew it was going to-" She stops for a moment, her body tensing at what she was about to say. Before she relaxes again, continuing slightly differently, "That its end was coming?"

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Stella suddenly speaks up. Elan keeps walking at first--but when it becomes clear she's talking about the butterfly, he stops. As she stops, he looks over his shoulder at her. Then he turns his gaze back forward.
        
        This time, his lashes have sunken; his gaze is on the floor.
        
        "...Agonizingly so," he opines. "But there's nothing it could have done."
        
        Once it was caught in that web, that butterfly's only fate was to be eaten alive.

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Stella seems to accept this response, remaining quiet for a few moments as she continues to stare at the spider dealing with its prey. Does she have a fascination with death? Or perhaps it is something else?

        Either way she asks another question, still staring out the window as she does so, "What... Would you do? In such a situation?"

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Whatever it is, it's clear that Stella isn't like the other students. She isn't even like Suletta, who also isn't like the other students.
        
        Elan continues to gaze at the floor, eyes like limpid pools of drowning-depth water.
        
        What would he do?
        
        He's already caught in the web. He was caught a long time ago. Therefore...
        
        "...There's nothing I can do, either."
        
        He almost leaves. One of his feet twitches to do exactly that, even. But something makes him wonder, "What about you?"

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Elan asks the same question back at Stella and for a moment, she seems to consider it. She starts, "Stella would..." Having likely heard the class roster numerous times before, Elan would recognise that's her name. Though why is she speaking about herself in the third person?

        There's the scraping sound of Stella's chair on the floor as she stands, saying firmly, "Would claw." She picks up her bag and slings it over her shoulder, "And scream." She turns, starting to walk towards Elan, "And fight." She continues forward to Elan...

        ... But then passes by him. She stops for just a moment as she does so, eyes also staring at the floor, her firsts clenched. But she softly whimpers, "Stella doesn't want to..." Want to... What? It doesn't seem like she can finish the sentence.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Now that she says it, Elan does recognize 'Stella' as her name. It doesn't answer why she's referring to herself in the third person, but he can accept that she's a strange person. At least, by the standards of normal society, anyway.
        
        Even accepting that, though, her answer is unexpected. She would claw and scream and fight, because she doesn't want to... what? He looks at her now that she's passed him by, staring at the floor as she clutches her bag. She doesn't want to...
        
        Context clues suggest what the blank in this sentence is.
        
        "Die?" he surmises.

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Elan surmises.

        Stella freezes.

        "No..." Was that not the right word?

        Stella starts to shake a little, "No no no..."

        She crouches down, hands rising up to clutch the side of her head, "Nononononono! Stella doesn't want to!"

        There's a slight pause as she freezes again for a moment. Then she bolts up straight again, quickly transitioning into a dash as she makes a run for class exit at a frantic pace. She's swift too, either being extremely fit or having physical alterations of some kind.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Stella goes from zero to sixty, possibly literally. Elan is left staring in her wake, normally indifferent eyes wide with surprise.
        
        It seemed for a second like maybe he'd guessed wrong, but she makes it clear that he was right after all. Agonizingly right, perhaps. Her speed startled him, too. That's not the speed of an average human being.
        
        "..."
        
        ...But she's already gone. After several long seconds, Elan walks out too.
        
        Whatever's going on with his classmate, he still has his own responsibilities to which to attend.