Steps will be Taken [Private]

((Private RP for Intel))

The PA system crackled to life:

"Gongjiang, Slyph Gongjiang to the office immediately, please."

A more ill timed summons there never was. After an hour and a half, he re-emerged.

=========

Slyph stepped out of the principal's office, and sighed heavily. His shoulders drooped as he begun to make the long tired walk back to class.

Feet dragging, he didn't even secure his backpack, instead letting the messenger bag hang lethargically in his hand from its shoulder strap.

He sniffed and wiped his eye, stopping at a water fountain to wash his reddened, tear stained face.

Her eye twitched.

If she was caught breaking into other people's lockers, she'd be suspended almost definitely, but the locks that were in the centre of her vision were tempting her to grab them, and use her nimble figures to manipulate the dials, feeling the subtle pressures, probing it's secrets, to uncover the hidden treasures it concealed...

"Gongjiang, Slyph Gongjiang to the office immediately, please."

The announcement of a familiar name awoke her from her reverie as she frowned at the speaker.

---

"I would ask you if you alright, but you quite obviously aren't."

Arms crossed and back to the wall, Nameless stood next to the water fountain.

"I would ask you what's wrong, but you wouldn't tell me. I wouldn't, if I were in your shoes."

Her red eyes turned to look at Slyph.

"Are you going to be busy after school?"

Having been untimely ripped from his thoughts, Slyph's shoulders jumped at first at her sudden appearance.

"Jesus!" He gasped and gulped down the remaining water in his mouth. Taking a moment to compose himself as he turned around, Slyph closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes to regard the girl before him, his eyes were narrowed and his brow furrowed. "Oh. Hi."


"Truly, Mr. Holmes, your powers of observation know no peer." He smiled dryly. Flipped around, the boy set his sleight hands on the water fountain's edge. The fingers drummed impatiently.

There was a beat, "What gave me away? Nevermind. Don't tell me." Laughing awkwardly, He lightly pushed himself off the fountain and stuffed one hand into his pockets as he snatched his bag from the floor.

"I would ask you what's wrong, but you wouldn't tell me. I wouldn't, if I were in your shoes."

For a moment, Slyph took a breath, deciding instead to just give a small smile. Although his mouth was certainly upturned, his eyes were not.

"But you aren't." He said quietly. "What makes you think I won't tell you? Out of Curiousity."

"I have a thing at 8, but I'm free until then. Why?" Without seeing if Nameless was following, he continued down the hallway.

"Tokens," she said simply, "Something that would make you that upset would be worth a lot of tokens. So I figured if I showed you around more of the places I hung out, you'd be more inclined to reveal what that," she motioned in the direction of the principal's office, "Was all about."

Bag lazily hanging off one arm, she followed Slyph. "You are, of course, free to refuse, but you really do look horrible."

Slyph squinted for a moment before his eyes widened. "Oh! That's not... that's not like a hard and fast rule; its more of a guideline... I mean... Nevermind sorry." He pivoted to a halt and clacked his teeth together pensively.

His almond shaped eyes stared at Nameless for another beat, eyes following her motion towards the principal's office.

"Fine. But no skipping class today."

Stepping in line with the girl, Slyph couldn't help but hide a smirk as he hoisted the strap of his bag securely onto his shoulder: "You know I probably would have told you anyway, but if that little token system is the only way to get you to hang out with me then I guess it'll just have to wait!"

"Bugger," she said flatly, striking her palm softly with her fist, "Foiled again."

Snark was much better than tears, she thought, inwardly pleased that Slyph seemed to be better, at least.

She wasn't looking forward to an afternoon of classes, though, and made a half-hearted attempt to suppress her displeasure. They were just so dull, with the material rarely seeming relevant to anything.

"What have you got for afternoon classes?" she muttered out loud.

No one wants to be mad at a friend, even if the friend is ambiguous in their... well... everything. Slyph didn't exactly have the numbers to afford to be mad, so he let slip his frustrations for the time being.

At the mention of class, Slyph attempted to and failed to suppress a subtle sigh of displeasure.

"Pre-Calc. But afterwards I get French! And you?" His face brightened considerably upon him mentioning one of his favorite subjects.

As they walked through the halls, Slyph couldn't help but glance at the locks on the lockers. Whenever a lock was opened, he made the subtlest of nods to himself.

(Apologies for delay)

"Biology," she answered, with a tone that said that there was not nearly enough dissection for her liking, "Then..."

She twitched as yet another lock was opened. She knew that one. 6-9-3-1. Clockwise first.

"English Literature? I think? The one with the dude who killed his dad and fucked his mum, then stabbed his eyes out."

That lock needed to be picked. Or you can buy the same branded lock if you were lazy. Ten possible lock and key combinations! Collect them all!

"That's one of the classes I can sleep in," she said jestingly, knowing that such sentiment irked her walking companion. Especially on that particular subject. "Teacher only has eyes for her pets, screw everybody else. Easy C-B grade, there."

Oh, come on, you didn't even try to lock that one.

True to form, Slyph was irked by Nameless' sentiment.

"Nggh..." Slyph's nose crinkled and his lip upturned.

"Oedipus is not... It's about more than just... It's more than whatever that nutjob Frued came up with! Sophocles did NOT write the Three Theban Plays to be about Incest and Patricide."

So enraptured in indignation was he, he missed two unlocked lockers. He stopped for a moment, pivoting, and silently counted the two. He nodded again, sure he didn't miss any, and continued on their way down the hall.

Nameless glanced around when Slyph looked back the unlocked lockers. "Yes, but people read the plays for daddy-killing and mommy-fucking. The scene where Oedipus stabs his eyes out sticks in your mind, though." She paused. "Or more emotionally arresting, as it were."

One of the things she picked up with hanging with Slyph was certain types of phrases that made things sound nicer, making you seem more intelligent than you actually were.

"I don't see the whole hubris idea, though," she mused, "As leader of the city, wasn't it his responsibility to look after his people? Oedipus seems to be less a tragic hero brought down by pride but more an unfortunate sucker fated to be screwed over by road rage."

"Road rage and uncontrollable testosterone... I suppose... I always felt more bad for poor Antigone and her sister. Having a Dad-Brother would just be... a little too much for me."

Defeat in an argument is an important facet of friendship building. It shows a willingness to give in, and a subtle ego boost to the winner. That and sometimes you actually don't have an argument to retort with.

Having gotten to his intended destination, Slyph pivoted on his heels and stood outside the door to his classroom. He sighed, and pursed his lips at Nameless.

"Can I ask... Nevermind." Slyph squinted. "Nevermind." He repeated.

"I'll tell you later."

He blinked and shook his head. Turning to go, the boy waved a hand behind him as he slipped through the doorway.

"See you after school."

================

The school day, as many were for Slyph Gongjiang, was rife with worrying about things that weren't school related.

This served to pass the time. Homework was handed in, pop quizzes were taken, but Slyph was certainly not all there.

The final ring of the bell signaled a sudden and total relaxation of every fiber in the boy's being. He grabbed his bag, his moleskin planner, and his favorite 4 color pen, and left the class with a purpose.

Slyph stood in the hall hesitant.

"If I was a Byronic mystery of a red-eyed girl... where would I go to brood?" He mused aloud.

He headed for the roof.

Punnet squares, genotypes, and fruit flies were the subject of biology, whilst comparisons between Anitgone and Oedipus were the subject of literature. Neither fully captured the red-eyed girl's attention. Instead she was thinking of a number of things; tonight's dinner, the various odd jobs she had to do, and where exactly she was going to take Slyph tonight.

Halfway in that last thought, the school bell announced the end of classes. Now where would they probably meet...

---

It was a curious sight. Leaning against the wall, knees pulled up to her small chest, bag resting by her side, Nameless sat, eyes closed and breath light. She had gotten there quickly, had decided to take advantage of the sun, warm but not harsh to nap whilst she waited.

The door creaked open, and Slyph gingerly peaked his head through. Craning his neck, he saw the girl and couldn't help but smile. He didn't mean anything rude by his assumption; in truth, he found the odd girl named Nameless (which was a last name (That somehow made it stranger...)) to be quite excellent.

A friend might be to forward a term, but Slyph liked the idea that she didn't endure his company because of some social obligation.

For a moment, he forgot the trouble at the office.

"Hi." He strolled next to the girl and plopped down next to Nameless.

"So what's the plan, Stan? I'm assuming you have one, but if you don't that... is also okay." The awkward finish made the boy cringe somewhat.

"Mmh..."

When she opened them, Nameless' eyes were blurry with tears. With the irritation that came with being just awoken, she looked at the boy who had sit down next to her.

"...a minute..." she muttered, before closing her eyes again.

It was seven minutes before she spoke again.

Eyes still closed, she said, "It's a nice day today. I was just thinking about just walking around town, up and down Swan St, see what we can see. Was originally planning to go to the botanic gardens, but I would just nap there as well."

Slyph blinked and opened his mouth slightly.

"Oh. Oh, you were... Sorry. I'll just..." He put his knees to his chest and held them, reducing his size inward.

"Sorry." He whispered as he let the girl be.

The seven minutes could have been the longest the boy had ever experienced.

He tried to remain still, and failing that, quietly produced his small moleskin planner and his favorite 4 color pen.

The only people who find a pen and paper boring are those without the imagination to utilize these tools properly. Slyph silently scribbled some shapes, then a brigantine flying the Jolly Roger. The sky proved to produce some exciting pictures of  stratocumulus, cumulonimbus, and cirrus clouds (The boy's favorite).

The girl's sudden voice made Slyph wince. A harsh streak of black  ink sliced his sky in two.

Fumbling to return the pen and paper to his vest pocket, The boy sat upright and cross legged.

"Swan St? I don't think I've ever been... Is it near downtown?" His nose curled inward as his face corkscrewed in surprise. "We have botanical gardens? Since when?"

She lifted a finger, tracing lines on an invisible map. "Swan St begins at Faust University, turns 100 degrees around the open air market, then ends at the Royal Botanic Gardens. It's a bit of a walk from downtown, half an hour or so. There is a subway station right next to the Gardens, if you want a swift way downtown."

When she opened her eyes, they were sharp and alert, as if she never slept. Said eyes caught Slyph's scribbles, causing her to raise her eyebrows. "Didn't know you drew."

With that statement, she stood up and started stretching away the soreness in her limbs.

Slyph follower the girl's finger intently, closing his eyes ever so often and mouthing the names of the landmarks as she spoke.

"Pfff!" He scoffed. "A half an hour? that's nothing. One time I-"

"Didnt know you drew."

Slyph blushed profusely. Instinctively his hand went to his pocket. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped.

"I dabble." He managed. "We don't know alot of things about each other."

As the girl stood up to stretch, Slyph remained knees to chest on the ground.

Nameless cracked a smirk. "Good. The more you know about me, the less interesting I become."

She held out a hand to help Slyph up.

"I do make a point to meet interesting people, though. I'm rarely bored."

"Oh, I don't know about that. What's a good mystery without a few clues?" Brow raised, The boy took the girl's hand and with a squeaky grunt hoisted himself up.

"But... uh... Thanks. I guess. Interesting is good. I'd hate to be thought of as boring." The red in his cheeks persisted despite a subtle relaxation of his face.

Slyph grabbed his bag, opened the door, and held it open.

"After you."

She picked up her bag.

"After me."

---

It was a nice day, she thought as she crossed Swan Bridge over the river, licking the vanilla ice cream she had bought along the way.

"You see over there?" she said between licks, pointing at the expanse of green that lay just beyond the end of the street. "That tall stone building is the Remembrance Shrine, and before that is the Royal Botanic Gardens. The Gardens close at sunset, which is interestingly when the gardens look the best."

He abstained from the ice cream, Not due to lack of hunger (although that is what he claimed to be the case) but from the embarassing fact he didn't have any money.

On the walk, minds tend to wander. Slyph was no different, and the days trials and tribulations proved an excellent subject to mull over silently. His finger absently tapped his teeth in an incessant steady rhythm.

Was it... No it couldn't be... But maybe... Couldn't I just... That wouldn't work...

Nameless' voice broke the spell over the boy, his head snapping up.

"Woah." Slyph's mouth hung slightly open, his almond eyes squinting into the evening sun.

"Interesting. Maybe we could loose track of the time? We could just... forget the place closes at sunset." He glanced sideways at the girl.

Focus returning to the gardens, Slyph nodded towards the Rememberance Shrine

"What's the shrine remembering?" He asked.

"Everything that everyone else has forgotten," she said, biting the edges of the waffle cone, "It was part of the Government's city beautification policy about twenty or so years ago. It's an ode to the good things that were once with us, but are not anymore. Or something."

She shrugged. "I don't know. But it fits in with the gardens, and one has a fantastic view of the city from there. So it could have been far worse."

"That's... oddly general. I was hoping for something more along the lines of..." He halted, centered and deepened his stance. Arms slowly rising above his head, Slyph's voice deepened into a dramatic growl.

"When the settlers came, an epic slaughter commenced on this very spot! The shrine is only a token by the city to placate the ancestors of the natives, but it has failed to placate the souls of the slaughtered!"

His arms slowly fell. "I've always wanted to be a tour guide for some sort of haunted tour-"

"Gongjiang! Ey!" A jovial voice rung out.

Slyph freezed as his eyes shot to Nameless, widened.

"Gongjiang! Get over here, dude! Come on! I thought I recognized that voice." Came the call again.

The man was leaning out of the window of a small outpost. Surrounding the kiosk were bar stools next to a counter. The sign above said in bold black and white: 'Poor Boy's Po Boys'.

The man behind the counter was big, at least in comparison to the small kitchenette inside the kiosk. His umber skin made his big grin stand out. Hair shaved short, the Fade haircut on his head blended into a simple but well maintained beard. The dark blue and grey polo shirt he wore tucked halfheartedly into his beige khakis.

"Kid, how many times do I gotta say it? Get your skinny little behind over here! Don' make me jump over this counter." Well meaning, the man banged a fist on the counter and motioned to the stools.

Slyph awkwardly shuffled over to the counter and sat down. "H-hi."

"How's your old lady doing. She have any mo' trouble with that Toyota of hers?"

"The C-Camry? N-no."

"Good! Knew I could beat some sense into that old thing." He turned to Nameless, his smile widening even more. "You shoulda seen his grandma when she was last here. Practically ate the goddamn counters along with that gumbo."

As the man talked, Slyph stared diligently at the counter.

"Name's Fonzemi. Everyone calls me Fonz." Without particularly asking, Fonz took the girls hand in an intense double handed handshake. His hands were rough, big, and had a distinctly dusty feeling.

When accosted by someone she didn't know, Nameless' self-defense mechanism was to kill any emotion on her features. It wasn't a mask, for that would imply something was behind, hidden. This the removal of all masks.

The man reminded her of Whitewoods, in a way, and she knew how to deal with people like Whitewoods. They tended to have enough energy on their own that you really didn't need to add to it. She didn't need to react much as he grabbed her hand with two of his to impart greeting. Handshakes were an important thing, she knew. People tended to base a lot their first impressions on them.

"I'm..." Serenity Nocturne. Starry Night. Solemn Nicety. "Nameless. Everyone calls me 'you'."

Same as her face, her voice was drained of all passion, words coming out in a flat yet clear monotone, contrasting her absurd sentences with absolute seriousness.

She motioned to Slyph. "I take it you are familiar with my schoolmate."

"Alright, You. I can dig it." With a snap, Fonz shot his index finger cordially Nameless way. "'Schoolmate'. Is that what they call it nowadays?"

He laughed rancorously, a joyous and well meaning laugh that meant no ill will. The volume, however, made Slyph cringe. "KnowhatImsayin? I Kid. I kid. This kid's grandma is crazy. She comes in all the time for my gumbo and to talk soup. Sometimes she gives me a few extra bucks to fix her junk."

"Oh man. Where are my manners? Can I get you two dudes anything? We got the best N'Orleans food north of the Mason-Dixon Line."

Slyph waved a hand. "We're g-good."

"One bowl of gumbo. Comin' right up. And for you, You?"