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Occult Refurbishment; (Closed)
Topic Started: Aug 27 2013, 03:38 PM (671 Views)
OracleOfMaia
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The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.
Alicia pondered the names, putting them to memory. They were both rather pretty names, Fei and Ai. Short and simple, but they both held an exotic quality to them that hinted towards an interesting heritage. Fei was definitely the more happy go lucky of the two, proudly proclaiming her new club, an occult club. Such a concept was foreign to Alicia. She had always associated stuff like that to being ostracized, and being an outcast among peers. Or at least that is what she had endured. She had never seen it as a point to bring people together. She wondered what kinds of stakes, if any, did these girls hold in the supernatural. She couldn't quite imagine anyone else being plagued with visions as she, but somehow hoped silently that she wasn't alone in the matter.

Her thoughts were broken by Ai who said that she could stay as long as she liked. Alicia nodded in a friendly, yet sheepish matter. Silently saying in her mind, "As am I." The awkwardness she felt from conversation made her fidget needlessly as she felt the need to move. "I think I'd like that," she said with a smile. "How about we start by getting rid of this trash." she said as she reached for a dead, florescent light bulb on the ground. This was something that shouldn't have been left on the floor unattended. What if someone stepped on it? But her ears perked up upon hearing a question being directed her way.

She blushed for a moment, unsure as for what to say and how to say it. Saying that she has feinted and heard the screams of a dying man was never a recommend way to make friends. She has only opened up to two people on this topic: Rei and Kyosuke. She already felt like she was sharing too much information as it is, so decided to start with the lighter way to respond to a topic. "I'm not much for ghosts, but i can read tarot cards," she said with a hint of nervousness. "I have a deck on me that I always carry around actually." Her heart pounded in her mouth. She wasn't used to talking about stuff like this. As far as she knew, the less who knew of her the better. Rumors were a vile thing, and she didn't want to endure the brunt of any more bullying now that she was finally granted a new start.
Edited by OracleOfMaia, Dec 11 2013, 09:03 PM.
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Peachflower
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Lian was glad when she felt the anxiety in the room disappear. Amazing how Ai could simply admit that she had problems with talking to people... To her, that was so brave, she´d rather hide her fear behind a smile and not draw attention to herself...

But those depressing thoughts had to be pushed aside for now. Nodding at Alicias requst to start with the work, the small chinese once again made her way over the pile of old chairs and tables to reach the window. This time she managed without much trouble and took a stand in front of the cool fall breeze. A look out of the window made her grin and wave at the approaching Eddie. EVERYONE loved Eddie.

"Alright girls, you can hand me the trash and I´ll drop it into the dumpster. Focus on stuff that is completely unusable - we can fix some of the chairs and other things later on! Oh that means we also need to get glue and..."
the girl was already making a list in her mind again, but cut herself short when she heard Alicias answer. Another girl interested in Tarot? Wow. This year of school would prove much much more interesting. The girl felt her heart jump and she turned to Alicia with gleaming eyes.

"What kind of deck is it? I got one from my Grandmother before I left China, its a little unorthodox with the symbols, but I love it. What readings do you do?! What do you think of reverse cards - I mean some don´t use them as far as I know..."

A loud thump made it clear Eddie had arrived and Lian bent down to pick up a pile of shattered blinds that somehow got entangled with the chairs. What a mess really.
"You girls okay in there?" the friendly voice of the janitor sounded from outside. Lian nodded at him and tugged at her enemy.

"Ai-ji is not so much into fortune telling, right? But that book on Black Magic was interesting. Do you have more? We could make a small library sorted by topics too!"
Lian - lvl 1 - SC 1 - 5/5/5/4
5/5/4 - SC 0 - lvl 1 - Cathy


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ThndrMge
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Ai stared blankly as usual. She wasn't much for long conversations, but she was plenty happy to have people who accepted her hobbies, she had friends, something she'd never had the pleasure of before. Alicia and Lian spoke of tarot as Eddie finished rolling up the dumpster. Shortly after doing so, he shouted in "I'll be back in an hour girls, have fun, but be careful. Don't wanna hurt yourself on none of that broken stuff. Could put ya in the hospital for weeks, ya know? See you later." With a smile and a wave the cheerful man took his leave.

Ai started gathering up all the smaller items she could find and carrying them to the window tossing them out one by one. Lian and Alicia seemed to have a similar interest but Lian was right, Ai wasn't exceptionally skilled with the idea Tarot or anything like that. She was heavily versed in the black arts and the presence and understanding of creatures from other dimensions. Things like demons and ghosts were her specialty. She shook her head in response to Lian's question, "I am not very good with fortune telling, but yes, I enjoy magic. I like to read about hauntings and exorcisms as well." Lian mentioned starting a personalized library for the club. It sounded like a lot of work, but the pay off would be really great, she'd never had the chance to share her knowledge with others before. This was certainly a golden opportunity.

As she continued to clean she remained mostly silent, it was just how she was, it certainly had nothing to do with the others or the lack of topics floating through her mind. Ai was simply just a quiet person and starting topics was not her strong point. She waited for the others to speak, so that she could join in. Until such time she continued to move objects to the window and dispose of them.

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OracleOfMaia
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The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.
Alica was taken aback by the positive regard she had received for sharing her aptitude in tarot. Most people usually just looked at her like she was a freak of nature when she shared her supernatural interests. But even then, this wasn't the head of the issue. It got far more weird than just reading cards. But regardless, it was nice to feel accepted for once. Maybe there was a place for her in this school.

Her ears perked, turning up in response, when a question about her deck was directed her way. "It follows the standard rider style, but the imagery is a little different," she said with a slight halfway style. She didn't feel so much proud about her knowledge as she felt comfortable confiding in the two girls. "I'd love to show you both after we finish cleaning up. Maybe I could do a reading." She hoped that she had caught their attention. Usually she cared little about how people felt about her -or at least that is what she had told herself- but she really wanted these girls to like her.

She heard Ai mention exorcisms and hauntings. "I have never read much on hauntings, actually. I've read a little on exorcisms though." She remembered reading about possessions one night, wondering if that's what was wrong with her, but she gave up on that explanation long ago.

Alicia helped move the garbage towards the window. She moved quickly, trying to compensate for the lack of upper body strength. She noted that Ai was a rather quiet girl at heart, the same as herself. She wasn't sure why, but she felt a connection with these girls. Although they all had endured different things, their experiences had all brought them to the same conclusion. A connecting point in their fate that will redirect all three of them. She was unsure what will become of the club, or even these new found friends, but she was hoping to find out what the cards will say.
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Peachflower
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Lian felt, for the first time in ages, completely at ease about her hobbies. Quickly, she had got into light conversation with those two girls that seemed so much like her. It was a quiet, but quaint time they spent clearing out room Number 22, and the dumpster was filling up fast. To Lians disappointment, there were only a few chairs that were still usable, but they were of many different designs, one with a high back and another with armrests, so it evened out a little. When finally everything was ready for the cleaning, the black haired girl took up the job of washing the windows and the surprisingly dirty blinds.

By the end of the day, she was pretty tired and her clothes were dirty and damp from small splashes of their cleaning water. But she felt great. And the exhaustion in her bones along with the foreboding strain on her muscles that heralded a coming muscle ache just made her realize how much she had achieved today. Looking around the room in the fading evening light, Lian glowed with pride.

With a sigh she arranged one of the tables and the three prettiest chairs and motioned the girls to sit down. She went to turn on the light - but there was only a click without another effect.
Dumbfounded Lian blinked and tried again.

The lamps were busted as well.
This... this was too much. Laughter bubbled up in her chest and she sank into one of the chairs, shaking her head.

"It seems we still have some ahead of us... "
she smiled at the others and pulled out a small sheet of paper, starting to note down what they still needed to do.
Lamps, glue, sandpaper, furniture polish, curtains... She mumbled a little while working, her brows knit in concentration. But then her pen stopped and she laid it down.

"...I can´t keep it up, I´m tired. Phew..."
She leaned back and rubbed her eyes.
Lian - lvl 1 - SC 1 - 5/5/5/4
5/5/4 - SC 0 - lvl 1 - Cathy


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ThndrMge
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After the hours of work clearing out the room, moving chairs, desks, broken utilities and other such things. The room began to look less and less like a hurricane had blown through and more and more like someplace the girls could call their own. Something that crossed Ai's mind was how lucky they were to be given this unused room, it meant that they had the entire thing to themselves and could decorate it any way they wanted. Unlike the other classrooms which belonged to a teacher or a member of the staff that used it for lessons this room was long since forgotten and they could do whatever it is they wished with it.

Ai thought back to the idea of bringing in books and creating a personal library with the others. This thought excited her, then her mind darted to the idea of keeping a tarot table in the room somewhere for other girls. She couldn't help but picture all the possibilities, her trance of thought got her zoned out for the majority of the process, though she still interjected with conversation here and there when appropriate she was mostly in her own little world of cleaning. Lian cleaned the windows and Ai washed the floor, the process all together brought out the best in the room, the teamwork in the club. Ai was rather proud of herself for everything she had done, and she had managed to avoid getting herself too exhausted.

It was shortly after they had thrown out the last broken piece of furniture, determining it was impossible to repair that they finally shut the window and cut off the cold wind that had picked up outside throughout the building of the evening. Lian gathered up the remaining usable chairs and set them around a table, Ai was starting to get hungry but she kept it to herself for now. The girl with the bright attitude and the short bobbed hair tried to turn on the overhead lights and without any warning or prior knowledge, nothing happened. The bulbs of the lights had been damaged or even burned out long ago, Lian laughed, and it was infectious, soon the usually stoic silent Ai was laughing along with her.

They had come a long way over the day, it was finally time to start looking at the future of the club... and their friendship. While Lian jotted down the list of things they needed for the club room, Ai knew exactly what the other girl had in mind. And she waited patiently to see what the cards foretold of their fate. It was something she had mildly entertained in the back of her head all day, and now it was the primary interest in her mind.

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OracleOfMaia
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The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.
Alicia adapted to the flow of the work. Keeping a tune in her head to maintain a sense of timing. She wanted to get done quickly, but was hesitant to burn out. She wasn't the best in the department on strength, so she focused on some of the smaller items first. She kept her eyes peeled though, damaged equipment could be sharp if you aren't careful. The plethora of broken down equipment in this junk pile of a room was rather unprofessional of Ravencroft, she thought to herself with a heavy sigh. She saw broken equipment that seemed rather difficult to break under normal circumstances. But once the mess cleared, she felt the extent of her exertion. She wasn't breathless, just a little sore and tired.

She watched Lian turn on the lights, only to see that the bulbs were dead. There was a hint of laughter within the group. Alicia joined in, although it almost seemed like a sigh rather than a wholehearted laugh. "Of course, why would I have expected otherwise." she said in a sarcastic, yet joking tone. She was trying to keep things light, despite her natural tendancy to do the opposite.

She sat at the table, seeing the expectant look of Fei and Ai. Alicia knew that she promised them a reading, and knew that she best make good on that promise. From her purse, she pulled out the deck. An aged box that has yellowed with time. With one swift motion she removed the deck and began to shuffle, not giving much attention to the deck without any decrease in performance. A clear sign of practice. She decided that she best give them some background while she shuffles.

"This deck was originally owned by a woman who had helped care for me when I was younger. She was very superstitious, and taught me how to read tarot cards. She had given me this deck as a final farewell gift." She left out how she was the closest thing to a mother she ever had, even in comparison to her real mother. But her tone spoke volumes; protective, remeniscent, and somewhat somber.

The deck finally felt right to her.

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She Withdrew the first card. The Hermit Arcana, reversed. She took a deep breath before beginning, relating it to the club they were started. "We have spent a great deal of time alone, spending a lot of time reflecting. A fear of opening up was holding us back. We need to overcome that to move on."

She withdrew yet another card, placing it to the left of the first card.

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The fool, upright position. she studied the card, pausing for just a moment. "This is a new beginning for us, as a group. A time to take risks, perhaps? The number zero, like a void waiting to be filled." She paused for a moment, feeling odd by saying her explanations aloud. She has never done many readings for others before. Her explanations always sounded better to her in her head.

taking a deep breath, she reached for another card.

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"Three of Pentacles, a sign of laying down a foundation and growing. Plans, Goals, being determined to succeed."

She nodded to herself, taking it all in. She noted to herself, but not aloud, that the third card in fact did not promise success. But she couldn't help but admit that it alludes toward such. She looked towards the others, curious what they'd say. She had grown so used to suspicion that she couldn't help but to expect nothing less.
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Peachflower
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Lian curiously watched Alicia, she had a swift shuffling style. The girl noted that she herself did it a little different, it was really interesting to see someone with the same hobby use different techniques. Even though she was eager, she bit down on her lip and waited for Alicias explanation. This was her reading, it wasn´t Lians turn to interrupt. In the small moment while Alicia drew the cards, Lian realized how peaceful this situation was. It felt nice to sit like this. She had managed to make Ai laugh, noone was out of the loop... Lian was happy.

Quietly she nodded at the explanation. It had been similar for her, getting her deck of cards from her grandmother before leaving china. Maybe this was the only real way of being introduced to the art, having someone be your teacher.

A small smile spread on her lips in response to the reading. It was so clear! Usually Tarot was a lot more vague - maybe the combined spirit of the girls had made it so easy to understand?

"This is amazing." She waited a moment before speaking to give Alicia the time she deserved, then getured to the three cards. "As a classic Past-Present-Future pattern, It all makes so much sense. It´s almost eerie... and the Three of Pentacles, hinting at the future, gives us a clue what we have to do!"
The girl got swept away by sheer excitement and looked intently at both girls.
"Work hard, plan right, and give it a good "foundation" to stand on! This is a great outlook on the future, we just have to follow this advice!"

Lian turned her sparkling eyes to Alicia and nodded lightly. She sensed how anxious she was, her tone was quiet and as if she didn´t really want to be heard. She knew how she felt. But it was alright. Lian tried to let the other feel her empathy, then blinked happily and inclined her head to Ai.

Quickly, she gave her a small rundown of how the reading worked. This time she got nervous herself, even if Ai had said she didn´t really know much about fortune telling, maybe she was saying something she already knew?
"...and in the Three of Pentacles, we see a man finishing an artistic work that also serves as a backup for a bigger structure, the house or possibly church. That symbolizes that to build something to last, you need a good foundation. It´s a card that tells us to follow a careful plan if we want a flawless execution and support."

For a moment she was quiet, then, suddenly serious, said in a flat voice:
"I think I know one of our main problems. We have to plan carefully on how to avoid a Stigma for this club... W-we all, I think, know what I´m talking about. We won´t be able to stop all rumors, but... we need to make this a friendly, homely place. Then noone can say we summon the devil in here..."

Hah. How ironic. It was so similar to how she put on a smile and an inconsiderable appearance just so she could fit, despite being different. Lian smiled sadly. But she knew from experience: It worked.

Lian - lvl 1 - SC 1 - 5/5/5/4
5/5/4 - SC 0 - lvl 1 - Cathy


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ThndrMge
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The girls discussed the results of the reading. It was pretty amazing how the cards could read the situation in such an usually accurate way. Ai was never much for fortune telling as she believed that her fate had been locked since the day she was born, but the encouragement that followed Lian's explanation, though serious in tone, was something that Ai took to heart. This was a new life for Ai, a chance to change the way people think of her. To these girls she was one them, a colleague to study a hobby with, and that made her feel loved deep inside.

She nodded in response, "We are going to have a good time." When she said this she picked up her bag from underneath her chair and pulled out the straw doll she kept with her. She stood up from her chair and walked over to the nearby shelf, they hadn't thrown it out because it was still usable, many of the shelves were a bit scratched up and it had been covered in dust but it was still usable. She placed the doll on the shelf in the upper right corner.

"This doll will protect us from evil and ward off misfortune. In my country this is called a Wara Ningyo, which means straw doll." She turned to face the others, in her own strange way she thought of this as her way of helping to prevent rumors and other such things. Her belief in the occult was enough to make her feel comfortable with this and she hoped that would be shared between the others. Her expressionless face was not unreadable however, she had a faint smile and her cheeks were rosy. She was happy as could be to have friends like Lian and Alicia.

The girl made her way back to her seat, "With the positive reading and the doll to protect us from misfortune for now. We have nothing to worry about. I agree we must be wary of strange stories however." She did agree with Lian that rumors could cause trouble if they got out of hand. However, Ai tried to stay positive about things, contrary to her usual habit of thinking negatively about everything.

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OracleOfMaia
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The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.
Alicia nodded as her new found friends had pondered over the reading she had performed. They were positive, it was a strong energy that seemed to overcome the dullness that the room emanated. She couldn't help but smile, because for some reason when she looked at both Lain and Ai, she no longer saw the dirty surroundings, but rather the potential that was to be found in this room. No longer will it be a trash heap, but instead a haven.

Alicia's eyes darted towards the doll that was being pulled out. It was rather cute in it's own right, she thought to herself. She listened intently to the explanation of what exactly it was and it's function. She mouthed the words 'Wara Ningyo' after Ai, committing it to memory. It seemed that they all had a lot to offer one another, their different cultural backgrounds brought forth a wide range of techniques and experiences. No one lacked anything to add to the table. Alicia, for once in her life, did not feel like either an outcast or a burden. She had something to bring to the table like everyone else.

But then, it happened.

She felt reality peel away like aging paint to reveal a rusty panorama. Her heart pounded fervently as she felt a dark aura, just like the last vision she experienced. Only this time, it felt closer. She closed her eyes as hard as she could, opening them to see reality had returned to her. She was shaking, still trying to pull herself out of that state. It was the very same premonition that she saw the last time, only this time it was much stronger.

She looked to her new friends, blushing with nervousness. To them, it probably just looked like she had feinted, or at the very least, had a dizzy spell for a moment. At least that's what they all say. But few knows what she sees, and no one has ever seen it for themselves. It was like a gentle reminder that even though she has friends, she will always be different. She was at a lack for words as she dusted of the dirt from her uniform absentmindedly.
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Peachflower
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Lian nodded in response to Ai. Yes, they would have a good time. It was about time they did, right?! But when the other girl pulled out her doll, the doll she had already seen on their first meeting, Lian frowned a little. This was a powerful talisman, and she had the impression it was very important to Ai.

"Are you going to be alright without that?" she asked carefully. "We can craft all sorts of protective charms to help out, you don´t have to give up yours..." But it seemed she was completely alright with it, after all she had put forth this idea herself, and the bold way she put it up on the shelf made Lian smile a little. The Wara Ningyo - may it protect them, indeed. Maybe this act of giving up her own protection for the sake of the club made the gesture so important. So she just shook her head a little and gathered her papers, all businesslike again.

"Good, I think for today thats all we can do. We should talk about a meeting time and tell it to our- Alicia? Is something wrong?"

The chinese leaned forward in sudden worry. Her new friends eyes had flashed in a weird light for a second, but now she seemed to be okay again... But somehow Lian felt this was more than just exhaustion from todays work. Alicia seemed disoriented for a moment, then shy and - guilty?

Lian - lvl 1 - SC 1 - 5/5/5/4
5/5/4 - SC 0 - lvl 1 - Cathy


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ThndrMge
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Ai's concerns were placed elsewhere as soon as she noticed Alicia's sudden unexplained oddness. Was she okay? Perhaps she was suffering from some sort of medical condition and needed medication, or maybe she had over exerted herself during the cleanup process? It didn't look horrible, perhaps at worst some sort of fainting spell. She absentmindedly reached out to Alicia to make sure she was okay, catching herself in the act she retracted her hand in embarrassment. "Alicia, is everything ok? Are you tired?" She tried to be understanding of the situation, not wanting to ask any personal questions having only just met her, but Ai was concerned none the less.

However, Ai's thoughts were attempting to be positive for once, it was late after all, and they hadn't eaten all afternoon, she might just be suffering from a lack of energy. The idea to have some sort of meal together sounded appealing but the situation was not really appropriate as of this particular moment, particularly since they had already put off things like school work and family in order to clean up the room. Ai certainly wondered what her Grandmother would be thinking right now, uncertainty clouding her thoughts as she worried slightly about that topic. She did what she could to put that out of her mind for now however and waited for her new friend to respond. What would they do if it was something more critical however?

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OracleOfMaia
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The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.
Alicia noticed the concern of the girls around her, and grew flushed in the face. Though she felt like they would accept her regardless of what she said, she couldn't help but be afraid to change that. She promised herself that she'd tell them later. In due time, when she is ready. She felt like the vision was a smack to the face, one that sent her back /to reality and out of the fantasy world she had built up around her in the past hour or so. Having friends, and activities to perform with them seemed to be too much to ask for.

She turned to both of the girls, taking a deep breath. "I'm alright. Just a little light headed, is all. It was probably just the dust in here or something. " She said looking around the room, though much cleaner, she knew that she had probably breathed in her fair share of it. But she knew that deep down inside that it was nothing more than a lie. She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. As if it was turning itself inside out. It could've been hunger, in part, but the guilt overpowered any desire to eat. Her thoughts grew self loathing for a moment, having just lied to those who have been more accepting of her than anyone else that she has met. She looked up with a sideways frown. "I'm sorry to have worried you. It happens sometimes" That was all she could really get herself to say at this point.

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Hmm... Even Ai seemed to have caught the sudden change in Alicia, but if she said everything was okay, they just had to believe her. After all, it had been quite a handful, and neither of the girls had been prepared for it.

"Well, we´re all tired I think. Let´s call it a day and... meet up again next week? Tomorrow?"

Lian relaxed and stood up. It was late, and they had to go soon, as the school gates would be closed for the night. She went to pick up her belongings and neatly stacked the notices and lists she had written inside. At the door she looked around the room once more, waiting for the others to finish up and get out so she could lock their new room. It looked great. Well.. not really. But much better than before.

Then her eyes lit up and she laughed bell-like.

"We worked as hard as brownies! Uhm, not the cake kind... I mean..." insecurely, she looked at the others and smiled sheepishly. For the first time the chinese didn´t feel bad for spluttering nonsense - she was wondering if the girls knew the folklore themselves. It was a nice feeling. Expectation reflected on her face as she waited for either of them to say something. Even if they didn´t know, she was eager to tell them about it. These girls wouldn´t look down on her for it! Surely!

(If you want you can finish at this point and just assume Lian chewed your ears off about brownies and goblins and wichtel on the way out^^)
Lian - lvl 1 - SC 1 - 5/5/5/4
5/5/4 - SC 0 - lvl 1 - Cathy


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ThndrMge
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"Yes. Lets meet up again soon."

Ai let a small smile creep across her lips as she slowly walked out of the room with the girls, the day had been fruitful and the future was now bright. Together with her new friends she would possibly make something of her life, something she was happy to do. She listened to Lian discuss the goblins and brownies as they left the room.

Things were looking up and it was a rather good moment for Ai. Happiness was not something to be taken lightly.

((Exit thread. Permission granted for social link rank ups))

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