Mother Knows Best [Seven]

Well… here was something Cater didn’t do every day. Unlike her usual active persona, today, she was just quietly walking through the halls connecting the different parts of the Peristylium, getting to her classes, doing her homework, and moving on again. To the people that knew her, she must’ve looked like an entirely different person, and she couldn’t blame them if they felt that way, because she didn’t feel like herself at all lately. These feelings had started not too long ago, when she’d walked into her classroom feeling… odd. Like she’d experienced the same exact thing before. Of course, despite not being the best student in class, Cater still knew what déjà vu was, and she hadn’t really worried about those feelings initially. Stuff like that happened sometimes, Cater wasn’t sure why exactly, but she knew it was a common enough occurrence.

No… initially, those feelings hadn’t bugged her at all. If anything, it felt kind of amusing to experience that sensation of feeling like you’d done something before. It made her feel like some sort of bad ass seerress she’d read about in a fantasy book once. But it hadn’t happened just once or twice. Lately, it had been happening a lot. And not just with small, silly things either, but with really major stuff. Quite frankly, it was starting to worry her. It worried her enough that, just a few hours ago, she’d met with Arecia to tell her about what she was going through, but the woman had told her not to worry… it was normal. Was it though? She supposed if Mother told her it was, then that had to be true. Cater had no reason to think Arecia would lie to her after all. Why would she? She never had before, not that she could remember anyway. Ugh, she was just being silly. Maybe it really was normal, and Cater was the only one over thinking it… that would be something new, Cater being the one to think too hard about something. It didn’t happen often, but it seemed even she wasn’t immune to brooding.

Stopping near the side of the hallway, Cater leaned against the wall for a moment and rubbed her hands over her face. This… thing, was even starting to affect her sleeping. She hadn’t slept well at all last night. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t feeling as energetic today. “Get it together…” she sighed at herself, “Just… trust your instincts…” she repeated to herself again, as she had so many times before. She couldn’t remember where she’d heard that sentence, maybe she’d come up with it herself? Either way, those simple words always seemed to guide her back to a more relaxed state of mind. Thinking too hard wouldn’t get you anywhere, ultimately, you just had to go with what felt right. Your instincts were hardly ever wrong, she’d found. So what were her instincts telling her right now? Was this something to worry about, or not? “…I don’t know,” was the only conclusion she could reach for now, though if she were perfectly honest, she was leaning more towards the ‘yes’ side than the ‘no’ side. The redhead sighed again and then mingled in with the rest of the students walking down the hall again. This was stupid. She just needed to trust Mother. Mother always seemed to know everything, why would that suddenly change now?

Somehow, she’d managed to step out of the classroom faster than everyone else instead of lingering behind and talking to people like she usually did, so now… she had no idea where her classmates were. She was just walking down the hall alone, and she didn’t really like it. Being alone just gave you more time to think, and she’d done enough thinking for just one day. And so, she suddenly stopped again, making several people behind her almost run into her. “Hello~?” she called out over the crowd behind her, hoping one of her classmates would answer. “Deuce? Cinque? Are you in there somewhere?” thinking about Deuce made her grin a little. Cater was short, but Deuce was even shorter. Whenever they got lost in a crowd, finding Deuce always took the longest. It didn’t help that she had such a sweet demeanor, the type that didn’t go around shoving people aside if they got in the way. Cater was much harder, which meant she was usually found pretty quickly whenever they got separated. “Eight? Jack? Or… anyone?” she just laughed now. This was what you got for getting your head stuck in the clouds, you lost track of people. Oh well, the crowd was already thinning. She just had to stand and wait for a little bit, and then she could go find someone to drag with her to lunch to help her forget about… stuff.

Take a breath

You lead me on the edge of sanity. There's not much left, so just take a breath

"Heeeeey Seven!"

Seven almost cringed when she heard the voice from behind her. Her initial reaction to the familiar underclassman was to flee for her life. Tomorrow was the day that she had to give the speech she'd promised the two girls that she would do for their class. While she had it all done and sitting on her desk in her dorm room, Seven still didn't want to give the speech that she'd been nearly forced into doing. With a hard swallow though, she turned to see the two girls - and their eyes shining with adoration - looking at her with big smiles on their faces. Seven's lips tipped up until she hoped that she was returning their gesture - though she felt like hers was plastic. Thankfully they didn't seem to care or even notice. "Hello girls. How was class today?" "Ooooh you know...same old same old. We're so excited you're coming tomorrow though, Mog knows too, and she's very happy we chose you to speak for us!" "Aha..." The forced laugh Seven gave to accompany their giggles was slight, barely more than a 'whoosh' of air forced from her lungs. "She says, that if you keep tutoring and helping students, that she'll ask you to give a speech every semester!"

Seven's face blanched. "Oh...that isn't necessary-" "But you helped us soooo much!" "Yes, but-" "And she says that one day, you should give little pep talks to all the trainees that are new every year. Wouldn't that be awesome?!" Seven felt like her knees were buckling under her. Didn't anyone get that she hated speeches? "Not reall-" "Oooh I'm so glad that you could tutor us Seven, you're so much cooler than all the other tutors." She would need a chair pretty soon, so if she fainted, she'd just fall off a chair instead of all the way to the ground. "Thank you.", she managed, though she didn't feel like thanking them at all. If this was what tutoring got you, no wonder nobody wanted to do it. Maybe she would stop after this semester...if only.

Then what she chalked up to be nearly a magical voice called out above the crowd going by. Cater! Seizing the opportunity, Seven squeezed by the two girls. "I believe Cater needs my help, girls, but I'll see you tomorrow before class, alright?" "Oooh, okay Seven!" "Bye Seven! Thank you!" "You're welcome.", she choked out while practically running in the opposite direction. Her strides were as fast as she could go without breaking into a run, her eyes narrowed in on her fellow classmate and friend. Escape was close.

Finally she reached Cater, politely pushing her way past people in her attempt to get away from her two biggest fans. She heard the last bit of Cater's calls, in an attempt to get 'anyone'. Bingo. Showing up at her elbow, Seven looked down at the shorter girl and gave her a friendly smile - one far less plastic-y than the one she'd given the girls. "I hope I pass for 'anyone'.", she said in humor. With her back to the girls, Seven swallowed and looked straight at Cater. "Can you do me a favor?" Hesitating a moment, Seven shifted her weight slightly so that the other girl could see past her. "Are there two female cadets by the pillar watching us?" She certainly hoped not, but if so, she was dragging Cater somewhere and getting the heck out of here.

Notes: None! Wearing: Unicorm Setting: The hallway  Tagged: Cater Words: 615

made by Δ ashy of caution; shine

Tagged : Seven | Words : 796 | Notes :

It was amazing to see how much busier the entire school looked when classes ended. In the morning, it always seemed a lot quieter. People didn’t want to attend class, so they were mostly moping around and taking as long as they could to get there, and then you had the crowd that slept in and woke up thirty minutes late and had to rush to get there before the class ended. But when classes were over, all those people suddenly pushed past each other like a horde of wild animals trying to escape a vicious predator. Cater understood their haste, after all, she wasn’t much of a studious type either. She didn’t hate school that much, she just felt that… she was learning a lot of stuff she wouldn’t need in the future. Wasn’t it better to focus on the things you were actually going to use later on in life? Of course Queen or Trey would give her a rant as to why she was wrong, like they had before when she’d voiced this opinion, but thankfully Cater was good at drowning these things out. Despite the fact that she wasn’t that interested in class and preferred to get out sooner rather than later, she was usually one of the last to leave the classroom, though the reason for that was mostly a practical one. If you waited a little while, all those wild people would be gone already, and you could just casually slide out of your classroom and go wherever really, without having to worry about being trampled to death.

Which was what was happening now, almost. As she stopped dead in her tracks, not used to the fact that there were actually people walking behind her, she almost got squashed to death by two taller students who tried to push past her. “Hey, watch it!” she growled at them as they pushed at her sides before giving them a firm push and using the momentum to push her own body further to the side of the wall, where it was safer. This was exactly why she tried not to think and brood too much, it lead to annoying situations like the one she was in now; alone and almost flattened by other people. Now that she stood closer to the wall however, she only had to deal with a little shoving around. She could handle it like this, but she still didn’t like the fact that she was alone. She wanted to find one of her classmates and hang out with them, if only so she could distract herself for a few hours. After she’d called out a number of names, the usual crowd she hung out with, she finally added in that anyone would do really. She spent most of her time with Deuce, Cinque, Eight and Jack, but that certainly didn’t mean she disliked any of the others. Not at all. She simply had a bit more in common with those four. After she’d called out, she simply leaned back against the wall and waited. Soon enough, the hall would clear and a familiar face would show. Unless all her classmates had already moved on, figuring she had other things to do. Hopefully they hadn’t… she didn’t really feel like searching for them right now.

Soon enough, the hall cleared and Cater pushed away from the wall, looking back to her own classroom to see if anyone else had decided to wait it out. So far, the only person she could see was Seven, but Seven was already talking to some other people. Bummer. Her face brightened up some when she saw the older girl turn her way and hurry over, asking if she counted as ‘anyone’. “You sure do,” she replied with a grin, but before she could make a remark about how insanely crowded their school was at this hour, Seven stepped to the side a little, causing the younger girl to tilt her head somewhat. Both in confusion as well as to see around her. Were two girls watching her? Not just watching, they were downright staring, grinning and even pointing at them. It kind of gave Cater the creeps. She definitely didn’t envy Seven for being popular with these types of kids. “They’re staring at you like you’re a glass of water in a desert,” Cater replied dryly before crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at them. Seven was way too nice to these people. She just needed to grab a newspaper and smack them off like the nuisance they could be. Or seemed to be, anyway. “Do you want me to chase them off for you? Because I will. Right now.” she would too. Don’t mess with Cater’s friends or you got slapped.

Take a breath

You lead me on the edge of sanity. There's not much left, so just take a breath

Seven smiled warmly when Cater told her that she did indeed pass off for anyone, or at least...as warmly as was possible for her. She didn't say anything for a moment, just waited there hoping that she could blend into the crowd. Why couldn't a bunch of extremely tall men walk past? Seven actually wanted Nine to appear...if Nine and King could just stand behind her and block her from the overly clingy underclassmen...that would be great. Too bad Cater wasn't abnormally tall for a woman, she could duck down a bit and wait for the crowd to swallow them up - then drag Cater away and make their escape. 'Alright, Seven, you're overthinking this. They're just being friendly...' Sometimes she really hated those voices that told you to behave yourself. But she was probably thinking about the situation too much...

But juuuust to make sure, she would ask Cater to check it out for her. She was sure that they were just probably talking to each other now, maybe giggling and conversing about class or a cute boy, or-...nope. They were still watching her. "Oh Etro.", she muttered out in frustration. Crossing her arms over her chest, Seven's eyes raised a bit and she just stared at the ceiling for a few moments while she gathered herself. Okay...she was going to lay low for a long time and just avoid them. She enjoyed helping tutor students, but not if they got this attached to her all the time. All she'd done was help them with some simple healing magic, and they were acting like she was some sort of genius.

Seven had to smile at Cater's enthusiasm to eliminate her problem for her. Still, it wasn't as if they were really doing anything wrong, so she couldn't just...be rude without a good reason to be - even if their attention toward her was a tad bit awkward. "No...that's alright. I can live with it. They aren't doing anything really wrong, so until they start stalking me...", she joked. "Thanks though, they've been getting really clingy in the past few weeks." Tapping her chin with her hand, she reached up then and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I think it was because I finally agreed to give a speech for their class." Oh how she wished now that she hadn't said yes to them when they had asked her about it. Maybe then it would be easier to get away from them.

Uncrossing her arms, Seven snagged Cater's arm and gave it a gentle tug. "Come on, let's get out of here before they run over drooling." Seven nearly got knocked over by a student rushing by, and frowned after them as they ran down the hallway. "Watch out.", she said, though she doubted that they would have heard her. Turning her gaze back toward her friend, she raised an eyebrow. "Hey, do you have any plans for lunch? We should grab something."

Notes: None! Wearing: Class zero uniform Setting: Hallway; Tagged: CaterWords: 535

made by Δ ashy of caution; shine

Tagged : Seven | Words : 682 | Notes :

Cater crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow when Seven told her she didn’t need to go chase her stalkers off. Honestly, the redhead would never understand why Seven was being so nice and doormat-like to these kids. If they bothered her, then she just needed to tell them off, who cares whether they thought she was rude or not. If they thought she was some rude jerk, at least they wouldn’t bother her anymore. And she especially didn’t understand why Seven didn’t latch onto this chance of having someone else tell them off for her. Those creepers would think Cater to be the douchebag for telling them to get the hell out of here, and Cater couldn’t care less. Seven would be off the hook because she can’t exactly control what other people do, now can she? “Are you sure…?” Cater tried again, glancing between Seven and her fangirls for a moment before leaning back on one leg and shrugging her shoulders. “But… they’re already stalker-level weird?” what the heck did she even mean ‘until they start stalking me’, they were already doing that. Just what did they have to do before Seven considered their behavior stalker-like? Climb into her bed and sniff her hair while she slept? But then Seven revealed just why she believed her stalkers were stalking and Cater just frowned, “…Seven,” she started with a disapproving sigh, “You hate speeches, don’t you? Why did you agree to it?” she was never going to be rid of them if she kept handing them things. Give these people a hand and they violently ripped off your entire arm.

Just as she was about to say more and give her professional advice on how to deal with obnoxious people, Seven suddenly grabbed her arm and tugged it a little, suggesting they should run before the psycho’s came over to kiss her feet or whatever these people really wanted from her. “Worried that they’re going to ask you to be the nude model for their art classes, are you?” she giggled jokingly, but she did follow after her friend anyway. Avoiding these people was probably for the best. Well, no… telling them off was the best solution, but no one ever seemed willing to follow her advice on this in fear that they’d be labeled as rude. Who cared about that? Cater didn’t. She’d rather be notorious around the school for being that rude girl who always told people to bugger off than be known as the sweetheart you could go to with whatever problem you had and she’d help you out even if she really didn’t want to. But that was just her. At some level, Cater could understand that not everyone saw things the way she did, and maybe that was a good thing. If everyone was 100% the same, the world would be a boring place.

“It’s okay, I know that guy… I’ll trip him someday as payback,” she replied with a mean smirk when another student ran into Seven and then kept going without even apologizing. “Nope, no plans, let’s go!” before she started walking though, she glanced over her shoulder again at the underclassmen, who were still staring at them. They were going to follow them, weren’t they? Her eyes narrowed a little as she tried to read their expressions. Something told her they would quietly follow after them and probably ambush them during lunch because ’oh my gosh lunch with Seven was soooo cool’, well, not on Cater’s watch. “I’m so glad you finally offered to help me out Seven,” she started completely out of the blue, “That test was so hard, I really should’ve studied more for it,” she made a face at her friend, almost begging her to just play along because Cater had no time and patience for needy underclassmen today, “Do you think the library is even open at this hour?” Oh yes, Cater was the queen of tricks. She got this. The underclassmen would rush to the library, and then they could escape to the cafeteria. What a flawless plan.

Take a breath

You lead me on the edge of sanity. There's not much left, so just take a breath

Seven nodded when she was sure if she meant it. "Yeah, don't worry about it." She gave Cater a sideways smile and shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe, but right now it's just...I don't know, they're harmless. I can get mean if I have to, I just don't want to do so needlessly." It was hard to explain just why she didn't want to release the kraken Cater on the two young girls that were just obviously slightly infatuated with what they perceived as a role model. And she couldn't fault them, or neglect to allow them to have that role model. Better her than someone like...like...well, Nine. Or Quon...he was also a strange one. Still, she had been raised around a lot of 'tough love', so if she had to speak to them about it, she wouldn't hesitate to. "Most kids around here need role models.", she said while trying to be reasonable about the entire situation. "We had Arecia growing up, but you know they don't have anyone like her aside from the mogs." It all felt sort of like excuses since she was talking to Cater, so eventually she just gave up and shifted between feet a bit awkwardly.

Thankfully - and unthankfully - they switched to a different subject. Seven's fingers went to rest against her forehead. Not many people knew the extent that she hated speeches, but she could easily remember the time she'd poured her heart out to Cater about an especially difficult assignment she had been given. So a bit miserably she nodded. "Yeah...I do." What Seven had wanted to pass off as a laugh, came out more like a 'whoosh' of air while she used her right hand to tuck hair behind her ear. "Well...it's kind of hard to explain. It's just hard to say no when someone's practically on their knees, begging you." Seven wished her cold exterior chased away more people, but somehow they just kept figuring out she wouldn't bite their heads off. If Seven admitted that they'd pounced when she had been alone, wouldn't let her leave and had backed her into a corner until she had agreed to the speech, Cater would probably just go slap them right now and get it over with. But the situation hadn't really been that weird...

That's what she kept telling herself.

Still, after a brief moment of staring at Cater's next bit, Seven couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her lips. If the image wasn't so terrifying, she probably would have flopped onto the floor and laughed until she had tears in her eyes. As it was, the humor was battled down by a bit of panic. She hadn't thought about it...what if they did go to that extreme? "Hey...you think it's funny now, but when that Carla girl is posting naked pictures of me around the school, I'll blame you." The thought really was horrifying. Seven made a mental image to constantly check the blog she knew the blue haired girl kept to make sure that there weren't any naked photos of her circulating. If there were...Cater would see how angry Seven could get.

The silver haired girl was left to blink at Cater when she did an about turn in the conversation and started speaking to her about 'helping' her out. "Uh..." For a few moments, she was left to simply stare and wait until Cater enlightened her. What in Etro's name was she talking about? In the back of her mind, Seven was trying to remember if she had indeed told Cater that she would assist her in anything. Nothing was coming to mind. Realization dawned however, when Cater gave her that 'start acting like you know what the hell is going on' look. Right. Pressing a hand to her breastbone, the silver haired girl spread as wide a smile as she could on her face. "Of course, Cater! I always have time for my friends." Just then, thank Etro, a group of larger men walked by. Seizing the opportunity, Seven ducked down and pulled Cater into a little doorway, crouching down slightly. When they were there, she watched as the two underclassmen flew past, nearly tromping some kids in the meantime.

Setting back on her heels, she glanced over at her friend. "Okay...point taken, they're a bit creepy."

Notes: Sorta doesn't match the current plot, but who cares. Wearing: Soon to be nothing Setting: Dat bar; Tagged: Serah Words: 625

made by Δ ashy of caution; shine

Tagged : Seven | Words : 1056 | Notes :

“Well… okay, suit yourself,” Cater shrugged when Seven continued to defend her freak followers claiming they weren’t as bad as they seemed. She was way too nice for her own good sometimes, but obviously Cater wasn’t going to be the one to talk her into being meaner. That’s something she’d have to decide for herself. “The offer stands though, if you ever need someone to tell them to leave you alone, you know where to find me,” she grinned almost enthusiastically at the thought of scaring some poor innocent (not) kids off and sending them running down the hallway in terror. Cater wasn’t a mean person who went out of her way to make people’s lives miserable, but if they did it to her or her friends first, heck yes she enjoyed making them pay. Maybe that did make her a bad person. She didn’t really care if it did though. The redhead pursed her lips and rested her chin on a fist as she considered what Seven was saying about role models and such. “I guess…” she replied quietly. Yeah, they really had gotten lucky with Arecia, but still. Just because they wanted her as a role model, it didn’t mean they got to push her around and make her do whatever they wanted her to do. Arecia would’ve probably slapped them all or something if they tried to make her do something she didn’t want to do. Cater supposed Seven was strong enough to know when to call it quits though, so she didn’t nag on about what she wanted her friend to do and how she hoped she would handle this situation. Seven didn’t really need that help, Cater knew she could get fierce if she wanted to. It was alright if she wanted to play nice for now. If those kids ever started stalking her or trying to push her around in Cater’s presence though, they’d better hide because there’d be some hell to pay.

Cater herself didn’t see the problem with speeches. The only thing annoying about them was having to prepare them and then memorize what you wanted to say. The only reason she ended up with only half decent grades for her speeches was because she always had to check her sheet for what she wanted to say again, and she gave off an air of not really caring about what she was talking about, or so she’d been told. She could offer to do the speech for her, but honestly, she didn’t like having to do all that work, especially not when she wasn’t graded for it. Just because Cater didn’t feel like taking her burden away though, didn’t mean others wouldn’t be more than willing. “You know you should just tell Trey to do it for you,” she replied lazily, “Etro knows if they listen to one of his speeches, they’ll never ask for another one ever again. Not even the teachers will want to hear another speech during the rest of their career.” She wouldn’t even have to ask or convince him either, just tell him he had to do a speech and walk off again before he could start ranting about it. It was amazing how much that guy could talk, and Cater couldn’t for the life of her figure out why Cinque seemed willing to tolerate it more than others. Maybe she just zoned out better than the rest of them.

She simply laughed along when Seven seemed amused by her comment about naked modeling. Maybe she was laughing because she knew it was true. Those little creepers would jump on the chance to see their role model strutting her stuff around the art room, no doubt about it. “What? No way! You have to admit it’s funny!” she giggled and playfully stuck her tongue out, “And very likely to happen too, better watch your ass before they do it Seven!” her laughter sounded a bit sour when Carla was mentioned. Carla… hated them all for some weird reason, and Cater wasn’t afraid to return those feelings even though she barely even knew the blue haired girl. She hadn’t talked to her enough to properly form an opinion, but if Carla could hate for no reason, then Cater could too. “She’ll be sorry if she tries that,” Cater mentioned a little sadistically, though she didn’t specify what she was going to do. Nothing all that terrible really, most likely she’d just find some way to humiliate her back by planting cameras in her bathroom or something. She knew several people she could enlist to help her should she need to get revenge as well. Don’t mess with Class Zero Carla.

The next thing she knew, Seven was dragging her off to the side of the hallway and into a doorway. Not a second later, the underclassmen Cater had worried about stormed past like a pack of wild animals. Her eyes widened some in shock as they ran past them. She’d thought pretty poorly of them, but she didn’t seriously think they were that bad. Turns out her suspicions had been right though. Narrowing her eyes, she gave the older girl a look that screamed ‘I told you so’. Thankfully Seven wasn’t trying to deny it this time. “A bit?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, but decided not to be obnoxious about it. Seven did have some point about them needing role models, but Cater still thought of them as a bunch of jackals. Neither of them would end up admitting defeat here though, so why bother? “Well, we survived at least! Let’s go before they realize you’re not in the library,” glancing around to make sure they weren’t simply waiting a few feet away to ambush them, Cater waved Seven over when she’d confirmed the coast was clear and then started walking in the direction of the cafeteria. She went surprisingly silent on the way over, as she wasn’t in a very talkative mood today. She’d push some words out for the heck of it though, just so she wouldn’t rouse suspicion. “So…” she started quietly, but then cleared her throat and spoke a little louder, “I wonder what’s for lunch today… I hope it’s better than yesterday, they only had these dry, disgusting leftovers by the time I made it there.”

Take a breath

You lead me on the edge of sanity. There's not much left, so just take a breath

The silver haired girl smiled genuinely at her younger friend when she spoke. While Seven didn't usually act like Cater unless she absolutely fed up with a situation, it warmed her heart that her friends would stand up for her in the situation. "Thanks. Who knows, I may take you up for it." Seven wondered what it would be like to be someone that had no one. It overwhelmed her now to think of life without her friends, Arecia, or Rubrum. This was all she had ever really known growing up with the rest of these kids, under their mothers guidance. She'd never known why she was picked to be a part of that group, or why later she had been chosen to be part of Class Zero. All she'd been told was that she was special, but each of the others had been told the same thing. Without her peers, Seven might have been lost - exactly why she wanted to cut these others girls some slack. They didn't have what she had, and she felt bad for them for it. Even now they didn't have role models like she had.

Seven found herself cocking her head back to laugh when Cater mentioned the effects of what Trey's speech would do. Though she quickly stopped, she couldn't help continuing to chuckle lightly at the thought. "Indeed. Can you imagine their faces? What if...what if I could convince Trey to wear a wig and a skirt for the day and be me? He's lean enough...he might pass off if he really tried." Once she had caught onto the idea, Seven found that she liked it more and more. Eight had mentioned Trey giving her speech the other day as well...perhaps both of these two were onto something with what they thought. A rare twinkle of mischief came onto her eyes. "We'd have to get him to shave his legs though...if I hold him down, do you think you could shave his legs? We could ask Cinque and Deuce to come help us make him pretty..." The more she thought about the idea, the more Seven absolutely loved it. Perhaps it could work!

How did they go from holding Trey down and shaving his legs to make him appear like a girl to naked pictures of her flooding the school? Seven hoped she never figured out how brains made that sort of connection. Instead, she simply tucked her hair behind her ear and sheepishly grinned over where Cater seemed to be highly amused at the thought. "Let's hope that never happens...I might just turn in my cards and leave. How does anyone handle that sort of thing. Did you read her blog on Nine's lance?" Thankfully so far Seven had escaped the radar...but that was the terrifying thing. How soon would she strike on her?

And then the next moment Seven realized that Cater might be right and those girls might be stalkers. She groaned aloud when they ran past. "Okay...a lot.", she finally said. Seven knew when she was wrong, and could admit it. With a look of relief, Seven smiled and poked Cater in the ribs. "If you'd stop being late and rushing around all the time, you would get better food. They actually had these awesome fresh cinnamon rolls and barbeque pork yesterday for lunch." While it had actually been delicious, Seven couldn't resist teasing her. "Hey..." For once, Seven felt in a mood to do something she didn't normally want to. "Want to race to the cafeteria?" Her eyebrow was quirked. She'd obviously been starving for fun lately. "Whoever gets caught automatically loses."

Notes:  None! Wearing: Uniform Setting: Hallway Tagged: Cater Words: 866

made by Δ ashy of caution; shine

Tagged : Seven | Words : 623 | Notes :

Cater couldn’t help but feel proud when Seven agreed, or more or less agreed, that she might take her up on her offer of terror. That was good to know. She’d remember that promise for future reference. Of course Cater could understand to a certain degree that Seven was right, that these kids just wanted role models and all that. She just didn’t get why they had to act like dogs fighting over a juicy steak. It obviously wasn’t going to make Seven more eager to hang out let alone help them, so what was the point? She supposed it was nice that Seven was looking out for them, but Cater couldn’t see how encouraging that sort of behavior was a good idea. It was her decision though, she was the one with the stalker fangirls and she’d have to continue living with them. Cater could do nothing to change her mind. Her eyes widened some when Seven mentioned forcing Trey into a skirt and a wig to make him pass off as her. “Pfff,” she spluttered at that mental image, and playfully hit Seven’s arm when she continued on with more horrible (though Cater thought they were beautiful) suggestions. “Oh definitely!” she agreed with an overjoyed grin and sparkling eyes full of mischief, “I’ll shave those babies until they’re as smooth as butter!” poor, poor Trey. Looks like he was to be the next victim on her list of people to prank. Was Seven serious though? That was the real question. Joking about it was fun, but Cater would actually pull through and do it. She wasn’t sure if Seven felt the same. Or Cinque or Deuce really. Cinque could be convinced, but Deuce was a sweet girl. A sweet, but awesome girl. If they convinced her it would be fun and ultimately harmless say for a few days of itchy legs, she might be persuaded to join in. Muahaha. “Let’s do it, it’ll be so much fun!” she laughed enthusiastically, “You’re serious, right?” Cater really hoped she was.

The fun subjects continued to arise and Cater felt her mood lighten some. She hadn’t been feeling well earlier, but Seven was doing a good job in making her feel more like her usual self. Which seemed almost unlike the silver haired girl. Wasn’t she supposed to be the older mature one? Not that Cater was complaining, not at all. She loved this entire conversation and where it was going. She’d be sure to thank her friend later for cheering her up, even though she didn’t seem to realize she was even doing that at all. It still meant a lot to the red haired menace of Class Zero. “I didn’t, no. Carla just writes nonsense anyway, she’s not worth the trouble of getting upset over,” she replied almost wisely, but that mood didn’t stick for long when curiosity began to set in. Cater had made the decision to not pay attention to the blue haired bitch that kept hating on them for no reason a long time ago, but for some reason she still felt curious about what she was up to. It was only smart to have that attitude though, Cater decided. She didn’t care enough to read about everything she did, but cared enough to keep tabs on her and make sure she didn’t go too far. “So uh… what did she write this time then?” she asked casually, crossing her arms and leaning back on one leg. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too bad, but knowing Carla, it more than likely would be. What was her problem anyway? None of them had ever done anything to her, so why was she this spiteful towards them? Cater could only assume she had nothing better to do with her time than make up stupid stories about other people. And if she ever got into that with the other girl, she’d be sure to tell her that too. Someone had to.


“What?! Are you serious?” Cater gasped in horror when Seven mentioned cinnamon rolls and barbeque pork. No way… had she really missed that? “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” she’d better be. Cater loved those sort of foods, and just the idea of missing out on it made her want to slap someone. Seven had a point, she was usually late for things… was that attitude finally starting to affect the little bits of joy in her life? The redhead wore a defeated look when she considered that possibility. Life was so unfair to those who didn’t stick to the times like everyone else did. It was downright disgusting. “Yeah…?” she asked almost sadly when Seven called her out, she wanted to race? What was going on with her today? Cater actually rose an eyebrow when she suggested racing her to the cafeteria and that whoever was caught was the loser. Maybe today was just one of those days where everyone wasn’t like their usual self. “What’s the penalty for losing?” she asked, though she was still a little confused about Seven’s sudden mischievous streak. She had to encourage this behavior though, so her friend would show it more often. “I have an idea… the loser has to help Astley clean the school!” that was a huge risk she was taking. If she lost, that meant she had to spend time with the one person who gave her the creeps. But what was life without a little danger and excitement? Besides, Cater didn’t plan on losing. Maybe Seven had another idea though, so she patiently waited for Seven to speak up before getting into a racing position and waiting for the go ahead signal. This was going to be interesting…

Take a breath

You lead me on the edge of sanity. There's not much left, so just take a breath

Seven found herself lively grinning - something that would probably shock the crowd - when Cater smacked her arm at her suggestion. While Cater probably thought it was a joke, Seven's mind had been turning ever since Eight had suggested it to her. While she had somewhat forgotten about the idea, or pushed it to the back of her mind, when Cater had spoken of it again, she had instantly recalled it to mind. While it seemed unlikely that it would work...she found herself thinking more and more about it. This...could actually work. So much so, that at the mental image of them holding Trey down and shaving his legs until they were nice and smooth made her giggle - which eventually turned into a snort. With widened eyes, she slapped a hand over her mouth and looked at Cater to see if she had heard. While previously she hadn't been serious, when she looked over at Cater's sparkling eyes, she found herself nodding enthusiastically. "I...I think I am serious." Her smile widened and she glanced around. "We still have a week until I told them I would give it. Do you think we could get everything we needed by that time? Someone would have to get his measurements for a well fitted skirt..."

This was going to be too good.

And as much as she loved her class, Seven had laughed overly much when she read Carla's article on Nine. Later she had found out that Queen had spoken to her - fueling the lies. Well...no one knew for sure if they were lies or not. Seven had most enjoyed it anyway...someone had to take Nine down a notch at times, and if it had to be Carla, the girl had her respect. "It was about him carrying around his giant lance for reasons of overcompensation.", she said in good humor. Carla did seem to have an unjustified dislike of their entire class, but that right there had been a long time coming. "I hear he completely flipped when he read it." Seven wasn't about to rat out Queen either...in her opinion, Nine deserved it with how cocky and arrogant he could be.

Seven did give her a look full of pity when she mentioned the foods. "I'm usually serious, aren't I?" She did have a point there, Seven hardly ever teased someone on something that wasn't true. "No messing.", she said over her horror. Patting Cater on the back, she shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry, the kids liked it so much we convinced them to have it again soon." Cater looked like she needed some cheering up though. The gears turned in Seven's mind until she snapped her fingers and suggested a race. That was sure to liven the girls spirits. While it wasn't normally something she would do, what people didn't seem to realize was that she was a kid too, and liked to have fun - even bend a few rules at times. She didn't, however, seem to have a punishment in mind. "Uh..." Oh Etro... Seven blinked when Cater finally came up with a punishment. Oh heaven...she had thought of it as just a fun way to cheer Cater up, but that meant business. No one...no one wanted to to hang out with Astley. "O...kay.", she finally said, before nodding more firmly. She was going to have to actually get her head in the game now though. "Yeah, alright...that sounds like a...uh...fair punishment." Positioning herself like she was ready, Seven glanced at her friend. "Ready?"

Notes: None! Wearing: Uniform Setting: Hallway ; Tagged: Cater Words: 631

made by Δ ashy of caution; shine

Tagged : Seven | Words : 1052 | Notes : I think we're caught up with this one too!

This had to be a dream or something. Since when was Seven being the bad girl with her snide ideas of shaving legs and racing to cafeterias? Cater looked baffled for a second as she questioned her about those things, asking if she was serious and all that. But as soon as she realized that Seven had her bad girl cap on for reals, Cater jumped on the opportunity. It wasn’t like the silver haired girl was dull or anything, but she tended to be more law abiding than say, Cater. Or Eight. Or Nine. Or half of their class really. But Cater didn’t mind this other side of Seven. It was amusing. And somehow, the fact that she didn’t often act like this only made it that much better. “You bad girl, we can definitely get it done in time, don’t sweat it. If need be, we’ll just lure him over with a text book and knock him out,” she stated with a grin when Seven relayed her wishes to her. She wanted to find him a skirt, shave his legs, get a wig… oh yes, Cater could get used to this. Trey probably wouldn’t even notice. She’d just ask him about the numbers of Pi and he wouldn’t notice what was happening around him until he finished talking, by which time it would be too late. It would already be done. “Cinque can do that,” she stated almost straight away when Seven mentioned needing someone to get measurements, “She’s been hanging out with him a lot, and I doubt she’d even know why it was an embarrassing task.” She loved Cinque, but the fellow redhead really wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box. Still, she had a good heart and she could get quite creative when she did something she actually enjoyed. Being involved in this would probably make her happy just because it meant spending more time with her friends. Cinque would say yes. There was no doubt about it.

Cater could merely stare when Seven mentioned Carla’s article to her. Nine… overcompensating. That didn’t sound too far off from the truth actually, maybe there was a half decent writer somewhere underneath the huge piles of crap she usually produced after all. “Sounds legit, I’m surprised,” she replied and then smirked when Seven relayed Nine’s reaction. There was another thing that didn’t surprise her, Nine flipping out for no real reason. She still liked him though. He wasn’t an overcomplicated individual, Cater could appreciate that about him. “When doesn’t he flip out?” she giggled a little, “I swear you’d think someone took a piss in his coffee every single day with how he can exaggerate,” though considering this was Carla they were talking about, she couldn’t really blame him for getting mad. Carla was an obnoxious person. Cater didn’t like her any more than the rest of them did. In fact, she might dislike her more than the others.

The fact that she’d missed out on a delicious lunch made her feel kind of down, though she did manage a small, sad smile when Seven tried to cheer her up. “I hope so…” she mumbled at the idea of having another day with those treats on the menu. It was so like her to miss out on these things. She’d been told in the past that she moved too quickly at times, that she needed to stop and take a breath every so often. …maybe they were right. It was just… difficult to slow down when you yourself didn’t think you were going all that fast in the first place. Her mood brightened some when a race was mentioned, and it got even better when Seven agreed to her terms. “Alright!” she fist pumped the air and knelt down into a running position, waiting for the signal. This was going to be fun. Seven was actually fast, so it wasn’t like racing Cinque, who really wasn’t that fast at all. She seemed fast because she talked fast and was always running around, but her actual speed wasn’t impressive. Seven was though, so this would actually be a real match rather than a match for the sake of having something to do. “Ready!” she called and grinned at her friend, “The question is, are you?” a little taunting never hurt. The more pumped up the older girl was, the more interesting this race would be.

As soon as she gave the signal, Cater took off like a rocket. Her face looked completely serious now as she took on the right posture for a sprint. It worked in her advantage that she liked running as a hobby, and often did it as a means of passing time. Even so, she couldn’t get too cocky, as Seven was by no means an easy opponent. With controlled breaths, she ran the distance to the cafeteria, it wasn’t that far, but it was still an exciting race. She briefly glanced over at Seven and grinned proudly at her. So cute, she actually thought she was going to win… Sadly for her, glancing over to Seven had meant not keeping her eye on the hallway in front of her. Though it had been empty a second ago, the moment she looked up again, she spotted a familiar face in the exact center of the hallway, effectively blocking the path for both of them. “Cinque watch out!!” she yelled, waving her arms a little in hopes the girl would move. She wouldn’t stop running. She couldn’t. Seven would win and she’d be stuck with Astley. Dammit, she regretted that punishment now…

Of course, as luck would have it, Cinque didn’t notice it in time and took the frantic arm waving as a regular wave. “Hi Cater! Hi Seven!” she laughed joyfully before actually running their way. Oh for the love of Etro… Okay, just dodge past her. She could make it, just dodge off to the side… Just as she was about to run around her friend however, the other girl tripped in the most inconvenient way imaginable, and somehow managed to fall in such a way that she knocked both Cater and Seven off their feet as they ran into her. “Ow…” was the only thing Cater could utter as she rubbed her sore knees.

Take a breath

You lead me on the edge of sanity. There's not much left, so just take a breath

The more they talked about it, the more and more she wanted it to happen. She would admit mostly for selfish reasons. Seven didn't want to give this speech...she would admit it, but there was also a part of her that had this strange desire to now see what Trey looked like...pretending to be her. It was all too much, really. She didn't doubt that Trey had nice legs. Actually, with a glance at her own legs, Seven pondered over it a bit more. Trey might actually have nicer looking legs than the girls did. For a moment she tried to think about the last time they had all gone to the beach. Would she have noticed if he had obnoxiously skinny legs? Oh men and their loose pants. Now Seven just wanted to get the archer in short shorts so she could see if his legs were as shapely as she was imagining. If they were...he might make her look better than she currently did. Wait...if Cinque could get his measurements - Seven didn't even want to ask how Cater knew that, or how Cinque would get them - she could probably get him into some sort of obnoxiously short shorts and get a picture of it. Though Seven supposed if they were going to hold him down and shave those same legs, she would get her chance of looking at them soon enough. "That would be great. I bet Carla would have a wig somewhere I could re-purpose."

Speaking of Carla...Seven couldn't resist bringing the article of Nine that the blue haired student had written. She would admit that despite Nine being a good friend, he did get touchy about his lance. "That...is true.", she agreed about Nine flipping out. "I must say, being turned down by Emina would make any man flip out." Seven didn't quite understand why she had felt extreme satisfaction that Nine had been turned down by the boobiest woman in Rubrum, but she did. It hadn't been like she had been jealous or anything...that wasn't it at all. Even then she could feel the red creeping up the back of her neck just at the thought. Nine was obviously good looking...but that notion was ridiculous anyway.

Thankfully she could be distracted by something other than Nine. Like...racing. With Cater in position, Seven shifted around and crouched until she too was ready to start running. She bounced up and down lightly on her heels and felt a smile lift onto her lips. This was...free feeling. She wasn't one to break the rules very often - but knowing how freeing it felt...she might have to do so more often. Just not with someone like Deuce around. While she didn't want to go around corrupting people...she also liked to have fun. "I'm always ready.", she shot back. Tensing lightly, Seven started the countdown. "Three, two..." Pausing, Seven rolled her shoulder back before she said the signal. "...one, go!"

Seven was barely behind Cater's start, reaching her long legs to make it up. The hallway was pretty close to empty - and the distance not that long, but Seven found that Cater was a worthy opponent. All that running to class in order to be on time had certainly paid off for the girl. But Seven wasn't going to let her win! Oh no, this wasn't just a bit of a race, this was Astley they were talking about...having to work with Astley. That in mind, Seven felt a little burst of speed and managed to catch up to Cater. Grinning triumphantly, the cafeteria in view, the silver haired girl took a split seconds to glance over to see how her opponent was doing.

She was just in time to see Cater frantically waving her hands. Confused, Seven's step faltered, her eyes swinging up to see Cinque sprinting for them. "Oh craaaaap!", she burst out. Frantically attempting to stop and change direction, Seven went to slide to a stop and ended up stumbling over her own feet. That had thrown off her balance, to the point where she could do nothing but slam into the likewise stumbling Cinque. Sent flying to the right, Seven landed heavily on her back and just blinked as she stared up at the ceiling. "Ugh...", she managed to groan. Sitting up slowly, Seven held her head in her hands and peered over at the other girls and where they lay sprawled out. "Cinque...", she sighed while she rocked back and forth. "Did I hear you guys were going to clean with Astley?~" Seven blinked when she looked up to see who it was that was talking to them. The very girl they had been talking about was standing there smirking down at them. Damn it, how did she always end up being in the right place at the right time? "Uh-oh.", Seven groaned while the other girl grinned down at them. With a horrified look on her face, Seven's gaze swung to look at Cater. They were going to have to go work with Astley. Every student's nightmare. No way was she going to back out when Carla had somehow overheard them.

Notes: I figured they would have tried getting out of it if they weren't forced ;D Wearing: Uniform Setting: Hallway Tagged: Cater Words: 917

made by Δ ashy of caution; shine

Tagged : Seven | Words : 1558 | Notes : We need a Carla/Cater hate thread sometime xD

It was shocking in a way to hear Seven talk about something as crazy as shaving Trey’s legs and turning him into a Seven look-a-like, but at the same time, Cater couldn’t say she was genuinely surprised. The calmest types tended to have the deepest darkest thoughts hidden away in that logical seeming mind of theirs, Cater had seen it often enough to know what she was talking about. Heck, she’d even been right about Deuce all those years ago when she mentioned the sweet, innocent little girl would bite your head off in rage if you pushed her too far. And lo and behold, someone had upset her, and things had never been the same for them again. The redheaded menace grinned mischievously when Seven started talking about her plan, and by the time they’d gotten to actually setting the plan in motion, Cater must’ve looked like the Cheshire Cat on drugs because her face was actually starting to hurt from smiling too brightly. “Oh man… Carla? Isn’t there another way?” she frowned a little at the mention of the blue haired demon. It was no secret that Cater disliked Carla, and it was no secret that Carla disliked her just as much. But then, Carla disliked all of them for reasons known only to her, and that was exactly why Cater couldn’t stand her. She didn’t even know any of them and here she was, acting like they’d personally wronged her in some terrible way in the past. Quite frankly, she needed to get the hell over it and deal with whatever issues she had. But whatever, if Seven wanted to deal with her, she could go ahead and do so, so long as she didn’t expect Cater to approach the other girl and try to bargain with her. It would probably end badly in every possible way, with both girls being bald due to hair being violently torn off and Seven’s purse being angry due to Carla charging an even more outrageous price for her crap out of bitterness. No… no, Seven would have to handle that one herself, for everyone’s sake.

The subject of Carla didn’t end with the wig though, while they were at it, Seven mentioned reading an article about Nine’s lance and how he used it to overcompensate for something and all that, and even though Cater still hated on the merchant from hell, she had to admit that that subject was almost amusing. And probably based on some actual facts too, obviously Cater had never pulled Nine’s towel away to sneak a peek at his crown jewels, but she could imagine that might be a reason for his angry, confrontational personality. Again though, she didn’t know. For all she knew, he carried a massive log inside those pants and he was mad over the fact that said log was too heavy to carry around and broke his back. Either way, she couldn’t say she cared all that much about what any of their classmates were hiding underneath their clothes. “Probably, yeah,” Cater agreed with a giggle, yeah most men would probably feel a little burned if a woman like Emina turned them down. “He should’ve seen it coming though, Emina is like ten years older than him, it would be like you dating Kurasame,” what had Nine honestly expected when he confessed his feelings to her? That she’d be jumping for joy that a teenager was interested in her? “He should just date someone his own age.”

Thankfully talks of Carla and Nine’s err… size (though they hadn’t actually spoken about that directly) ended when she was challenged to a race to the cafeteria. Ohohoh, now they were talking in a language Cater could understand! Racing, yes, she could do that. She’d probably win too, Cater thought arrogantly to herself when she positioned herself in the hallway ready to start running at any given moment. Yes sure, Seven was quick as well, but did Seven run laps around the school every single day? Either for sport or because she was late for class? …maybe, actually. Cater obviously couldn’t keep tabs on every single classmate at once, so who knew what sort of stuff any of them did when she wasn’t paying attention to them. She grinned when Seven replied back to her taunts in an almost challenging way. This was going to be fun, Cater hadn’t had much fun today but hanging out with Seven had definitely turned out to be one of her better decisions, for a moment, she didn’t even worry about what odd things were going on with her.

The race started, and Cater immediately started strong, putting all her effort into a swift start. She was fast, but Seven had the advantage of longer legs on her side. Plus, the silver haired girl was already fast without abusing her height, so she’d make a tough opponent to beat. But Cater had trained for stuff like this, and so she wasn’t too worried about whether she could win or not. She knew she could, she’d managed to outrun people taller than Seven even, so height and long legs didn’t scare her anymore. She would win this one for the shorties and poke and laugh at tall people for the rest of the day if she won. IF she won… HAH! When she won was more likely. With a cocky smirk, she took her eyes off the hallway and aimed them at her opponent, she was doing well just keeping up, but that was about as far as Cater was going to let her come to winning. “Hehe, tired Seven?” she taunted again before looking back at the hallway the stretched out in front of her. Almost immediately, she had to eat those arrogant words when she realized she was on a crash-course with Cinque of all people. Most people would jump to the side or something to avoid a crash, but Cinque seemed to like the idea of running up to meet them. Not so she could cheer from the side, but so she could… what… hug them or something? Hell Cinque could get her hugs so long as she moved her ass out of the way now. “Cinque no!” she screeched again as she tried to dodge to the side, but this hallway was too narrow for three people to casually move through it at once. The crash was inevitable. Maybe she should’ve done what Seven did and slow down, but her competitive side did not allow her to stop. If she stopped and Seven somehow managed to dodge past Cinque, then Seven would win. And if Seven won, that meant Cater would have to help Astley… No, she couldn’t let that happen, she would tackle and carry Cinque on her back so she could keep running if that’s what it took to avoid the punishment… that she’d made up. Dammit Cater that’s what you get for not thinking things through.

Rather than screeching to a halt like her opponent attempted, Cater bent her knee some and held her arms out ready to do that tackle and carry thing. Cinque wasn’t that heavy… and the adrenaline she felt coursing through her veins should give her that extra boost of strength to be able to lift her friend up and run to the finish line with her slung over her shoulder. She could do thiiiiis. Her arms spread wider to make a grab for the girl’s waist, but just as she was about to throw her arms around her friend and lift her up mid-run, Seven’s slip and slide ran right into both of the smaller girls. Cater’s head banged against Seven’s and bounced off to headbutt Cinque in the nose before all three violently crashed to the floor. Oh goodness… she was seeing stars… and not in a good way. “Owww…” Cater whined as she rolled onto her side and held her head. That seriously hurt! It was a good thing she’d drank a lot of milk as a kid, or her skull wouldn’t have survived the impact. “Cinque!!” she yelled angrily but then calmed a little again when she realized it wasn’t all the other girl’s fault. They’d been running around in places they shouldn’t have been too, and had they been walking normally, they likely wouldn’t have crashed. “…are you okay?” she glanced at Cinque first and then at Seven who was a bit further away. “Well at least no one-“ her voice was cut off by an irritating noise, and Cater immediately scrunched up her nose when she realized who was talking. Oh for the love of Etro, why Carla of all people? “What are you, a stalker?” Cater snapped at her, not bothering to actually look at her as she scrambled back to her feet with support from the wall. “Go find something else to do besides obsessing over our class’s every move, you creep,” unlike Seven, Cater didn’t feel the need to confirm or deny anything. Hopefully Carla would insult her back rather than keep hammering on this subject though, because if there was one thing she wouldn’t give the girl creep, it was more material to write about. ‘Class Zero Cater cowers out of challenge’ no way. She would probably confess her undying love to Astley before letting Carla win.

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