It was a dark night outside, the moon blocked out by dark clouds in the sky. There was a wind whistling, muffled by the dorms' walls, and the faint sounds of the first raindrops pitter-pattering on windowpanes and rooftops. All these sounds mixed in the background, making it a noisy, busy night; likely, all the other students were staying in bed. Not Elise and Revi, although that would change soon; they weren't far from the former woman's room. They'd soon be under the covers like all the others.

Well, not all of the others. Someone was feeling adventurous on such a stormy night; someone who didn't seem to know the reputation of the rooms' owner. The door to her room was slightly open; just a crack enough that the door wouldn't shut. It was only barely noticeable, a slight protrusion of the door so it wouldn't snap in place. It wouldn't even have caught their attention if the pressure changes in the air made the door rattle a little, held closed by something... but not completely.

Did someone pick the lock to her room?? It sure as hell seemed like it... and they didn't want to let the door close again. Left her window open... and a she listened, there was sounds of something rifling through them. Dammit... how does she attract these loons? Someone was going to have to have a talking to...

The hallways are desolate as they amble back from the cafeteria. That's not comforting in the least. Her eyes drift back and forth down the hall cautiously as her tongue rolls a toothpick between her teeth. She's been smart enough to play the good girl recently, following the rules in public, keeping her little liaisons with Revi secret, getting friendly with the girls who matter, while she squirrels away contraband in her dorm. So she's wearing the standard uniform, but that doesn't mean she's comfortable in it yet. Fingers periodically fiddle with the slutty little skirt, awkward, as if unsure what to do without pockets to put her hands in. Still, she's the incessant chatterbox, yammering on loud enough to wake up the girls in the passing dorms about how the cafeteria food is soylent green is people, about the pheromones pumped into the ventiliation system, how sure she is there's a webcam feed of this whole sordid affair providing steep monthly frees to lonely deviants in America, chattering on about any conspiracy theory she can dream up it seems. Eyes drift periodically to Revi, for some sign of assent, or maybe just validation that the other girl's listening.

Or maybe it's not attentiveness at all. File it away as nervousness, because when she settles her back against her hallway door, her heart's pounding like a jackhammer, and she fails to hear the rustling and bumps coming from her room. "This is me." One hand rests on the door knob, the other smoothing skirt over hip. The heel of a foot sits flat against the doorframe, wry smile against brief pause of silence, clueless about what waits her on the other side. "Wanna come in for some coffee....?" Face lowered coyly, blue eyes raised to study Revi's response. It's the same damn routine every time.

From some of the rooms, there were the faint sounds of laughter, conversation, or... other activities. This was a dorm in a college, after all, filled with bored girls and on a rainy night. There were a couple of screams, shocking sounds that made the heart skip. But there were giggles as well, or movie-sounds accompanying them, more often than not. Or silence that was lost among the chatter and laughter of other dorms.

It still raised hairs, made those wary of this place to be even more so... but these sounds were common, and eventually the wondering gave way to a general acceptance; it was nothing, just a reminder of what could happen in this place.


But within Elise's room, there were sounds when there should be none. The rustling stopped at the sound of Elise's voice, perhaps gone-unnoticed by the pair of women much more interested in each other than the sounds of the dorm. For a long few moments, it merely listened... waiting. It's pose was both lackluster and mischievous, lifting up tapes and books from shelves, reading the covers and backs; perhaps opening one, flipping through, and then tossing it aside onto a pile or stack.

At the sound of their arrival, the activity was stopped, but only momentarily. When Revi went for the handle of the door, he continued to rifle through the contraband, supplies, and just general personal-effects in Elise's room as if it was his own home, waiting for their entrance...

But as relaxed as he would seem on the outside... it was one of the critical moments. Everything would be decided in the next few minutes... or maybe even the next few seconds...

Elise's conspiracy theories always brought a grin to her lips, over the last few weeks - a fatalistic sort of grin, all told, because there was a good chance at least a chunk of them were true. The pheremones, the webcam feed, she wouldn't be suprised if there was a sliver of fact behind either one of them. If not worse things. In her solo time, spent at the gym or running or doing any number of slightly-less-savory activities, Revi has a lot of time to think. Dangerous thing in this place. She's wearing the same fetish-bait school uniform, long, toned legs showed off to fantastic effect beneath her own slightly-too-short skirt. The ambient noise of the dormitory washes over her in a wave, flickers of recognition in those dark, almond eyes, but it's largely ignored. Background chatter.

They reach the doorway, Elise props up her foot, and after a quick peripheral scan to check for curious eyes, Revi's hand is on the doorway by her friend and confidante's head, leaning forwards just a bit.

"'Course. Black."

It was a comfortable, almost comical routine at this point, wry grin tilting her lips, little flash of hunger in her eyes. The secrecy of their trysts made it that much more of an adventure - they both knew that inside of five minutes they'd be a mass of writhing bodies on the cluttered bed, but it was all part of the game. Compartmentalization, deception, spycraft, boxes within boxes, whatever you wanted to call it, they both got off on it.

Revi's fingers close over Elise's on the doorknob, and the handle begins to twist, just as a not-right noise filters through to the thief's ears - almost unconsciously, Revi slides herself in between El and the doorway, disentangles the other girl's fingers, and kicks the door open with a bang, eyes blazing, snap-scan of the upturned room - from lusty to murderous inside of a split second, it was how she operated. If some girl was in here unauthorized, she was about to get the beating of her life - Revi still has her reputation on campus of Not To Be Fucked With - crazy tattooed Triad hitwoman or worse, nobody quite knew. Either way, she looks like she's done this before, breaching rooms with the intent to startle - she'd be at home with a 9mm in each hand, blowing holes in rivals with that demon's grin on her lips.. but this was Shokushu. Different ballgame entirely.

When he heard Revi's response, the little bastard was already moving; not rifling through Elise's anymore, but scrambling away. The window was open a crack, the faint sounds of rainfall and wind whistling through it, but they were lost as the sound of scattering DVDs, books, and other possessions of Elise's hurricane-style room organization were kicked about underfoot.

The figure was lithe, with short, blonde hair, but everything was happening to suddenly for Revi to get a good look (and Elise couldn't see anything from out in the hall!)... the fleeing thief wasn't helping things either, as they tossed a blanket up in the direction of the door, to obscure and slow down... her(?) pursuers as she ran for the window...

The noises from the various rooms are comforting, something to sneer and snidely, passingly comment on, blissfully ignoring the fact that she's planning on doing much the same in just moments. But seriously. All those other girls are just total sluts. That's all there is to it. There's a sketch of a smile at Revi's response.

"Just like you like your cocks and assholes, right?"

She has just a moment to idle, eyes tipped coyly up to Revi, and then the girl's moving. Elise didn't sense anything. For all the shit she plays about being tough and perceptive, her ears and intuition didn't pick up a thing, may as well have been filed away with the rest of the doe-eyed little slasher bait. And if she had a moment of introspection, maybe she'd reconsider this whole relationship (if that's what you'd call it). Is she just a stupid, lovelorn puppy dog, or is she just stupid regardless? Prey?

Luckily for her self-esteem, she doesn't have a moment, left blinking as Revi goes John Woo on the door, pure instinctive momentum in action. Oh, God, despite the situation, her heart skips a beat. Stupid. She doesn't wait though, following tight on Revi's tail. As the other girl lunges, predatory, towards the suspected thief, El's reaching behind the door, fingers wrapping over the rubber handle of prized titanium bat snagged from the gymnasium, looking every bit the spunky star of a hentai epic in this moment: little jailbait uniform, dark scowl weathered over her adorable features, bat held tight as if she could do any damage. to anything. Isn't she precious!

Revi's a whirlwind, one hand reaching out to snatch the blanket out of midair and toss it aside before it spreads and becomes hindering, sending it fluttering to the floor in a quiet heap. In stark contrast is the thief herself - the room is only so big, there really aren't that many places for the invader to hide despite the ridiculous mess Elise's dorm was in. The half-open window is the only real point of exit, and Revi charges right for the figure, cold words leaving her lips.

"Stop RIGHT there, you fucker!"

Oh, she's very well-spoken. She'll lunge for the figure with her left hand, trying to get a handful of shirt or shoulder or arm, and swing her/him/it around, right fist already cocked to deliver a solid punch to the abdomen - no face hits, she wanted a stun, not a knockout at this point. She's got that demon's grin on her lips, intent and focused, insurmountably pissed that someone would violate the sanctuary of her friend's room. Ironic, coming from her, but the world was full of double-standards, wasn't it?

The slight figure was fast; it didn't pause, turn, or even notice as the little lady came into the room and pulled out the gleaming baseball bat from beyond the door, violence in her mind. All the figure did was run, fingers jamming into the crack of the window and yanking up. But it only opened a couple of inches, the sound of wind and rain more clearly heard and a gust clearly felt.

Then Revi was there; the left arm was seized, and the figure was -yanked- around roughly, Revi's fist pulled back to strike. But she wasn't the only one with a devil-wide grin, glittering mischief, malice, and trouble in her eyes. The familiar face of the tentacle-creature she had ran into so many months ago whirls around, even as his slim body staggers ungainly. His left hand went to his chest, as if to stabilize himself by will alone.

"Oh, it's you." Simple words from the grinning face, blonde hair tussled and frantic as if from activity. Like a chase, imagine that. Revi had a handful of trouble now...

She kicks the door shut behind her, free hand reaching to click the lock into place a Revi closes in on the little monster. Obviously, faster, stronger Revi has this whole situation on lockdown, so El just blocks the door, twisting bat in hand, her brow lifted, back flat against the door as she watches for an opening. Her tongue traces the inside of her gums, surly frown stretching pretty face.

"You know this little bitch?"

"Fuck."

She remembered the face, of course. She could hardly forget it, this little bastard had nearly drowned her! Those grim features twist in a momentary mixture of loathing, disgust, and rage.. but she knows the score. In a confined area like this, all the 'kid' had to do was show his true form, and the two of them are both effectively sealed in, open window or no.

"Get the door El, get the door..."

Not panic in her voice, no, not that, but a definite sense of urgency. Natural human reflex, put a barrier between the two girls and the unwanted intruder. El can pretty distinctly see the half-Chinese girl's proverbial hackles raise, hand snapped back and away from Iso, clearly ready to -move-.

It was a small 'move' for him; the best were those unseen. That door would not open... the instant it had closed, he had taken advantage. It was a critical move; if they hadn't all come in, if the door hadn't been closed... he would have had to play things differently. But with this... even a direct trick like that was hidden from plain eyes.

"You can try if you want, but it's not gonna open." Ico grinned at Revi as he leaned slowly around her to look at the door, then Elise. "I got to warn you though... the same tricks don't work twice on me... does your girlfriend know that?" Cheerful and evil little eyes moved back up to Revi as he stood up straighter...

"I hadn't expected you to be rooming here though... been a while since we last met. Shouldn't you introduce us?" Like hell she would, like hell she could. He had never given a name, and like hell she'd want to.

One thing she remembered though, he liked to run his mouth. "There's no need to cause a ruckus... I hadn't had the chance to make off with any goods..." His eyes moved to Elise again. "...and since it's raining out and the door's closed, why don't we enjoy each others' company?"

"I already closed the do---" she stalls out mid-sentence as she reads Revi's features, taut and ready to move. Oh. "Sorry...." Her voice is meek, nearly breathless, and as her hand reaches for the door, jiggles on the knob, she finds it won't budge. She spins the bat in her palm, narrowed eyes lifted to the little runt monster, then back to Revi. She shrugs, sheepish. "He doesn't look like much, does he?" It's almost apologetic, then back to the runt. "You don't look like much, you know." If Revi's panicked, El should absolutely be terrified. Maybe she's stupid, or maybe it's the terror that's causing her to not shut up. Nah. She's always like that. But it's distracting the little creature, hopefully, head tilted. "Usually the monsters around here don't feel the need to dig through my junk. It's not my personal effects they're interested in, you know.... So what's it all about? Snuffling around the old panty drawer, digging through the trash for some old tampons?"

"Oh... I was looking through your contraband." He leans over the edge of the bed he had jumped upon now, a motion so far that would unbalance anyone else. Down at the pile of books, movies, and other possessions. "And cute 'lil old me isn't as dangerous as most of the other 'fellows' around here... so yup, I don't look like much." A sickeningly innocent smile... obviously intended to be anything but. He wasn't fooling anyone...

"But I was mostly killing time until you got here... I didn't expect your friend... but the more, the merrier, as they say..." His eyes slid back towards Revi, then Elise. "Your friend here already tried to run me through once with a stick... so I don't recommend the baseball bat. This time I brought protection..."

He reached under his shirt, now, lifting it up to reveal a thin body, and... huh, a hole dead-center in his chest. Like from a bad cartoon. Except there was a small jar sitting in the hole, which he pulls out. "After I got ran through last time... I figured I'd bring something potentially flammable and leave it where I got poked..."

Waggling the jar in his hand, he eyed Elise's baseball bat. "So you put that down, I put this down... fair enough? We can swap a few words..."

She doesn't hesitate, no sign of weakness. There's no pause, no blink, just a quick bark of a laugh sharpened with the narrowest edge of mirth. Once it dawns that the whole idea of "education" in this place is a charade and the premise of a post-graduation future just becomes a menacing unknown void, you're left with nothing but time to ponder the motives and methods of these monsters. And her encounters, particularly down in detention block, have pretty well verified her suspicion that the girls are to be kept alive and well. They're more exotic pet than prisoner. At this point, the threats of death and dismemberment don't dishearten her; they just bolster the hope that maybe, maybe the handicap between monster and girl isn't as distinct as the administration and the spooks would like them all to believe.

"Really? You're going to try to hold us hostage with a firebomb? You think a few minutes of agony is really a threat in the face of a lifetme in this place? Be my guest, little monster. Shower us all with napalm death. Do us a favor here, why don't you?" As she slowly approaches across the room, tip of the bat snicking across the surface of the carpet in its pendulum sway, a quick skeptical glance Revi's way as if to say Really? THIS is what you're afraid of?

She wasn't surprised or frightened, rather, she was emboldened, calling his 'bluff'. It was a nice change of pace... tasting of something else. That was important... that step, this step, every step of the way. After all, it was why he was here...

"Oh, sure. I'd have to toss you two out the window before you two got burned. Geez... I wasn't threatening you with death. Not even injury. Just... a lot... a whole lot... of inconvenience." His eyes followed the baseball bat, not that he seemed concerned with it. He brought his fingers loosely together, half-pointed upwards as fingertips interlocked with the jar in the cradle.

"You know what they say, don't draw a knife at a fistfight. It's a good thing you know about that deal, though. If you didn't, it'd be an inconvenience later." His eyes still didn't leave that baseball bat, even as she slowly approached, feet whispering beside the wooden weapon as it swung.

Slowly, he began to sway to the right, then suddenly hopped down from the bed onto the litter-covered floor. The window was open, unblocked at least for Revi, although three stories up was a long way to fall... for Revi, and definitely for Elise. "I ought to tell you though... I met you in your room for a reason."

He leaned slowly to the side, then looked towards the window for a moment, where rain was beginning to sodden the windowsill and bedsheets as the wind blew it in. As the slight figure turned back to them, he continued his almost-rambling tone. "I should apologize; I had taken the liberty of doing some plumbing to your sprinklers. So if you'd rather pass on the flambé, we can put our toys aside?"

He knew Revi had the potential to be chaos on wheels... and Elise too. But together... one wouldn't leave the other, and wouldn't put the other at undue risk. Hopefully. This direct confrontation forced them into a 'hall'... a situation with only two directions, attack or retreat... for now. The appearance of being trapped... Elise was already looking for cracks... good in the long run. It was going to be time to apply a spark to that search, very soon...

The question remained though, how far would they go?