The evening of a school day would be one of the most joyful spectacles for the simple fact schools over. Here, on the other hand, it has to be a different matter. Classes still were being held and lessons taught at the most wicked hours. The day is at an end fortunatly for Maude. At least when it comes to taking a few "lessons" from anonymous parties.

Her left brow twitters in a twitch that also causes her jaw to chatter from the cold. The tall, short brown haired, girl stands by a pair of stairs that lead up to one of many entry platforms to the school dormrooms. Her attire is at last in the casual Shokushu colors. A good deal of wind shows off her silken hair was wet from a recent bath. In fact, the clothes look slightly damp themselves, as if she didn't bother with toweling herself or applying any degree of cosmetic. The dark navy blue jacket frames her pale features. A definite count of scratches lines her face with a straight bandaid covering the sinus of her nose. Tears of water follow the tiniest of lines those scratches have made down the soft absorbant pad on her nose or sliding its long clear tails down the curve of her chin. With more practice in care for her looks she may please some people out there apparently. Maybe she didn't care?

That twitch, as mentioned before, is quaked out of her skull with the shake of her head, spreading droplets of water about the thick pading of her jacket and beyond. It is a scene that would resemble a dog after a hose done its dirty work for her.

A few of the students, clad in the same outfit of course, raise their own brows in either concern or humor at the girl. With a head still nodding down but those blue eyes cocking up to attention at the pedastrians give her enough reason to pause. She raises that chin and leans herself further up on the railing untill she sits onto it. Both of her hands hold onto it for support while balancing in a slouched position.

"It is time to get a watch," a small glare is given down at a bare wrist after branding her stupidity for not carrying a time piece. It is late enough as it is but there was not much else to do than that. She ditched the tour group at the begining of this adventure. Now, it seemed, that decision came back to haunt her by being given a personal tour from some stranger. The only cause of it was her own but she did have reasons for the departure... Just that it was not good enough with those committed to the "student body" at Shokushu.

Her wet lips purse as the slender throat constricts around a sore throat. Anyone passing by her recently after speaking could tell a slight rasp in the voice. Taut, slender, and exposed to the air is the girl's glistening throat as she pulls her head back to hazard a free hand to softly give a soothing grip. It is in the position her head is in now allowing sight of someone seeking her attention.

Lodi was fuming. A lot less than she would have a few months ago, though. In matters of punishment, the school could do a lot worse; she should know. By Shokushu’s standards, she’d gotten off easy.
Unless of course the task she’d been assigned led her straight into the clutches of yet another monster; she didn’t exclude the possibility.

Still, it didn’t sit well with her. Just because she’d been late to her classes one too many time! Everybody was late once in a while! At St-Rose, no one would ever have dared to punish her for such a trivial thing. Screw that, no one would ever have dared to punish her, period. Back then, all she had to do was look at her teachers and they’d cower before her like the big losers they were. Back then…

That was before, wasn’t it? Now she was just a girl. A frightened powerless little girl who was trying to deal with the fact that all the humiliation and abuse she’d been through had indeed happened.
It scared her, really, to see how much she had changed. She’d only been on the island for a couple of months, and already she found it hard to recognize herself. She didn’t want to imagine what she’d be like by the end of the year. Assuming she made it that far.

She sighed heavily, shaking her head. She shouldn’t think about these things. It was far too depressing.
She should count her blessings, she supposed. Maybe they’d told her the truth for once. Maybe all she had to do was give some new girl a tour of the campus to be forgiven. She couldn’t always assume the worse. Nevertheless, she had to be careful. Being careful didn’t mean that she was becoming paranoid, did it? It was common sense after all, for all she knew, the girl could be a monster masquerading as a student. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Well, she’d know soon enough, if she survived the tour without being molested, the girl would most probably be a true student. Yet, she could never be sure, not unless she saw the girl be attacked by a monster; cold as it sounded.

She wished they’d given her more information. All they’d told her was that her name was “Mode” de la Besner - Seriously, what kind of parents named their child “fashion”? Well, that was a point in favour of the “she’s a real student theory - and that she’d be waiting for her by the dorms’ stairs. Who was she, that girl, to get her own personal guide? That, was a point in favour of the “she’s a monster theory”.

She’d know soon enough, she thought as she arrived in view of the dorms. Gods, she really didn’t want to do this! She was so tired! All she wanted to do was drop dead on her bed and sleep until morning found her! Damn that girl! Or monster, her mind supplied.

A lone silhouette was detaching itself against the setting sun, perched on the stair’s railing. At least the girl was there. For better or far worse.

The girl was tall, and lean, with a wiry frame, her head was thrown backwards, revealing the long line of her slender neck. Lodi winced internally, because even after she’d been taught better, looks was still the first thing she examined upon meeting a person. Dolores Gensworth wouldn’t have called her beautiful, but since her arrival on Shokushu, Lodi had become better at detecting inner beauty. The girl’s face didn’t have the delicate ethereal beauty that Lodi’s mother so much praised, but it was comely. Her best feature were her eyes, she reckoned, they were of a stunning blue colour; Lodi was sure that she’d never seen their likes before. Yes, she could be called pretty, Lodi surmised.
However, the girl was in a dreadful state. Lodi’s eyes widened as she got closer, taking in the pitiful appearance of her charge. She was soaking wet, and her uniform was all rumpled! And was that a band-aid she saw on the bridge of her nose!

“ ‘Mode’ de la Besner?” She inquired, her tone full of disbelief and wariness.

The girl looked harmless, and her predicament made Lodi want to feel sorry for her, but it could be another monster's scheme to make her lower her guard.

“Gods, what happened to you?” She asked, shock still present in her voice. She shook her head. Not her business. “Never mind” She said in her best “take in charge” tone. “You’d better get changed. Believe me, you don’t want the prefects to see you like that.” She gestured at the girl’s dripping uniform. The girl might be a monster, but if she was the real thing, Lodi didn't want her to get in trouble on her first day.

“ ‘Mode’ de la Besner?” She inquired, her tone full of disbelief and wariness. Her hand drops away. It comes to her attention that this is the guide. What comes to a surprise is the unease.

Staring at this girl is something that alot of people must do. Lodi's curves must be watched all day. Those around the stairs do just that. A few people direct resentment at Maude for obvious reasons. Lodi is also being stared at. Lodi could be the focused attention of the day, like a model in an art museum, standing without having to speak for being there and admired. It was not the curves, the lithe figure, or the beauty's smooth features that Maude was looking at; the person. Something was wrong.

She faces the other girl and acknowledges her name with a silent nod.

The tone's motive was easy to sense. Something bothered the guide. Her mouth opens to ask what is wrong.

"You..." “Gods, what happened to you?” She asked, shock still present in her voice. She shook her head. "... Ok?" “Never mind” She said in her best “take in charge” tone. "Ah..?" Her mouth hung open for only a moment before shutting up. Her shoulders droop with her mood. Apparently, the question can wait. “You’d better get changed. Believe me, you don’t want the prefects to see you like that.” She gestured at the girl’s dripping uniform. The tall girl's gaze drops and nodding to the guide's observation in agreement.

"Sure," a subdued tone, raspy as current, as she nods again before looking back up to Lodi.

She slides off the rail. Her hands, out of habit, pat away the imagined dust off her waist or dirt off her hands upon the jacket.

The farm girl looks over the imperious girl, "Guess you are following me, Tour Guide," and walks past with a wave to follow her up the stairs. There is a name for this other girl but it has yet found its way between them. That talking made her swallow roughly. Rubbing her throat, she gestures for the Dorm. There is a grimace on her face untill both hands fall away and back, in a pat, on her hips before seeking to pocket them in her jacket.

She stalls at the steps and checks behind her for Lodi. The face she places for Lodi to look at is passive or submitted. Her head cocks to the side as she looks down to watch the patient's reaction.

The girl acknowledged her presence with a curt nod, confirming her identity by a simple move of the head. A good point for her, Lodi didn’t want to deal with a chatty and bubbly new student ; her head was throbbing enough as it was.

“Mode” – what a stupid name – was studying her calmly, not even bothering to hide what she was doing. Lodi was used to people staring at her, ever since she’d started to mature - even before actually - she’d been the centre of everyone’s attention. The quality of the looks had changed over the years, as her body became more curvy, but the fascination had always been there. It was such a given in her life that she barely noticed the looks anymore, or if she did, it was with a slight amount of pride, or annoyance, depending on the person. Yet, there was something unnerving about the way the girl was looking at her, so openly, like she was trying to see beyond Lodi’s body and skin, right into her very soul. It unsettled her deeply, few people ever tried to see what was hidden behind her confident front and regal attitude. Worse of all, the girl was looking at her with what looked like compassion. No one felt sorry for her! She might have gone through hell on this island, but it didn’t give anyone the right to pity her! And had she been about to ask Lodi is she was ok?!

Her shoulders slumped when Lodi told her that she didn’t want to hear any explanations about her current state. Petty as it was, it cheered her a little. If the girl was looking for a shoulder to cry on, Lodi was the wrong person. She really was not in a mood to hear anyone’s sob story.

“Sure.” Was the girl’s meek answer to Lodi’s advice. Well, at least she wouldn’t have to argue with that one. Good.

The girl slid off the railing, and wiped some imaginary - or real for what she knew - dirt off of her uniform. Like that would help, she thought as she threw the girl a condescending look. Lodi hated the school’s uniform, but she wasn’t so far gone that she’d let something like that stop her from taking care of her appearance; hers was perfectly ironed and freshly washed.

Lodi bristled when her charge opened her mouth again, gesturing for her to follow. “Tour guide?! Who does that girl think she is?!” No one talked to her like that! She might take a lot of shit from monsters, she didn’t have a choice in the matter, but she was not about to accept that kind of behaviour from a student!

“It’s Lodi… Newgirl.” She said, scathing.
She might look submissive and passive, but Lodi was not fooled, there was more to the girl than what she let on. Maybe she was a monster. And what was it with her voice, it sounded hoarse and she kept rubbing her throat like she was in pain. Throat ache? Or maybe a monster who didn't feel at home in its fake body. She was unusually tall.

“So, how comes you’re getting your own private tour of the campus?” She asked as they entered the building. She didn't like to follow directives, but as things were she was happy with "Mode" leading the way. It allowed her to keep her eye on the new student, if she did anything weird, Lodi would see it.
The girl was suspicious, but she might let out something useful if Lodi kept questioning her.

“It’s Lodi… Newgirl.” She said, scathing. A soft grin stretches slowly. She turns away from Lodi enough to face the grinning away.

The two girls began their entry into the building without incident. No monsters as far that they could tell waiting in ambush behind these doors.

“So, how comes you’re getting your own private tour of the campus?” She asked as they entered the building. Maude walks along the wall with her finger tips brushing the wall to balance herself as she turns to look back at Lodi in respect. "Lodi, I dropped out. They want a scape goat if I do it again." It made sense in her mind.

-Inside Maude's head-
(Ignore this if you wish not to know why she made such a reply.)

With as many girls coming to the island from boat and only one tour guide to keep track was immeasurably difficult to monitor the mass. It would be trivial to punish a guide for that. It is not going to be a small matter for one girl to supervise a lot.

That might be why Lodi is given the assignment. The rich beauty losing this farm girl would be just the escuse. An extracted fantasy of someone could easily come from penalizing Lodi in private.

-Back out of Maude's head-

"That is why you are afraid of me," she stops against the wall to give this girl full attention on the matter, "right?"

Maude gives space and time to Lodi by standing against the wall and remaining queitly. Light from outside drifts slowly over her plain features. Something was wrong with Lodi and there was plenty of time to explain if the issue was as suspected. That is why there is no eager inclinations towards the way she spoke or looked at Lodi now.

If there was nothing to be said or the idea brushed aside again then there will be the two girls walking once more for Maude's dorm room.

Otherwise there is going to be two girls appearing to be gossiping like any other casual pair of students in the dorms.

“Mode” was walking a few steps before her, her fingertips brushing nonchalantly against the wall. For a brief moment, Lodi envied her; when was the last time she’d looked so relaxed?

The girl still hadn’t answered her question and Lodi was about to ask again, when she turned around, finally opening her mouth to offer an explanation.

“Lodi, I dropped out. They want a scapegoat if I do it again.” She said.

Lodi frowned. It was not what she'd been expecting. This new parameter made it even more difficult to decide whether or not she was a monster. Her mind was racing, there were too many possibilities. Was the respect in her voice fake or not, was she saying the truth, how could she…

“That is why you are afraid of me, right?”

Lodi flinched. “Mode” was now leaning against the wall, giving her her full attention. Lodi swallowed. Hard. What did she mean by that? Was she mocking her, taunting her, trying to torture her before leading her into her trap? Was she a stupid, reckless student, like Lodi herself had been when she’d arrived on the island? Was she…

Stop, she berated herself. She had to get it together. She couldn’t keep thinking like that. She couldn’t be this terrified little mouse, bumping her head against every wall because she was too scared to think straight anymore. She had to think about this rationally.

The girl could be monster, or she could be a student.

So far, all the clues pointed in favour of her being a student.

Monsters masquerading as students took the appearance of sweet beautiful girls, seemingly harmless and fragile. The girl’s looks were average, she looked more boy than girl, and there was a distinctive edge about her that said “tough girl”.
Her concern had looked genuine and there wasn’t any lust in her eyes. Furthermore she didn’t have this suffocative aura that made you feel like a helpless prey.
Not to mention that no monster would give that kind of explanation. “Mode” sounded like the troublesome kind. Monsters wanted to seem as harmless as possible.

In all likelihood she was a student, and Lodi would treat her as such. Girls were constantly going in and out of the dorm at this hour of the day, even if she was wrong, she’d be mostly safe.

Now, how should she answer the girl? Her reasoning was more accurate that she probably knew. She was sharp, and obviously not afraid of a confrontation. Lodi wouldn’t be able to lead her off track. Yet, she couldn’t tell her the truth. She wasn’t allowed to, and even if she was, the girl would just think her crazy.

She shook her head, her body relaxing significantly.

“I don’t think I have any reason to be afraid of you.” She said calmly. “None of us has anything to worry about if we do what we’ve been told to.”

She remained silent for a few seconds, studying the shadows playing on “Mode”’ face.

“Why did you ditch the tour?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

She shook her head, her body relaxing significantly. A grin returns with approval of this decision. The worry was little now compared to if Lodi's judgement called for remaining silent.

“I don’t think I have any reason to be afraid of you.” She said calmly. “None of us has anything to worry about if we do what we’ve been told to.”

"I agree. It is the right thing we do," the tall frame of the girl adjusts to fit her hands deep into the wet jacket's pockets while speaking slowly in her current raspy tone.

“Why did you ditch the tour?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. A bench would be really appropriate right now but the last one was passed outside the building.

"I had higher priorities with my schedule," she swallows after her reply is half finished, " and I can look and ask around if interested."

There was something that she could not remember. The cause of all this started confusing, went bloody, and ended in tragic loss. Something about that counselor that she met with after ditching the group.

She shakes her head to clear the fuzzy thought out but adapts the motion for careless, "It didn't go so well after the school's staff discovered me." A quick thought about her choice of words edits, "Found me, I meant. Nothing bad happened."

That was a bit of a lie. She was not about to have Lodi go off topic after welcoming this conversation. She hands Lodi time to react and judge for herself the situation of the charge.