There is one entire wall of windows, allowing her a fantastic view of the grounds and the morning sun. In the corner where the wall of windows meets the other wall in a bunkbed, perfect for late night guests, a little hanky panky, and lounging somewhere else. The bunk underneath is a futon. Off to the side is a small bathroom with a claw-footed tub, vanity, and very small shower. Near the door is her closet, which slides open to reveal a walk in where she can easily store all of her shoes, clothes, and anything else she might want to hide out of reach. Near the main door is her desk, where her laptop is sitting underneath various papers and letters from other friends at her old "Freak School." She has a bean bag that gets tossed around as needed but is usually in front of her miniature television. It only gets a few channels, and it's black and white, but hey, it's hers.
Akantha stepped into the place, surprised to see her mom had remembered to ship the boxes on time. Hippolyta, as her daughter called her, wasn't good for much. Looking around at the bunk beds she'd had since she was young and the desk she remembered fucking her old boyfriend on, Akantha couldn't help but feel a
little happy. She was a long ways from Zona, but they had Skype for shit like that. Shrugging off her rucksack and tossing it onto the bottom futon bunk, Akantha decided that there would be plenty of time to spend in her room later and decided to go poking around the place. Perhaps she'd swing by that welcome dinner. Perhaps... She exited the door to
Never Ending 4th Hall, grabbing the key she found on her desk and locking up as she went.
Some time later...
Akantha burst in with a flurry. The sacks in her hand rustled as she lifted them and placed them on the desk with her laptop, which she hastily scooped off the table and into the topmost drawer so that it wasn't ruined during the course of the party. Remembering suddenly that she had totally forgotten the glasses she'd gone into the kitchen to get, she cursed and closed her eyes to try and send a telepathic message to Ashley to grab them, but try as she might, she couldn't direct her thoughts. Still, she attempted anyway and said,
"Yo Ash, party has started. Grab the glasses I forgot and come on up." Opening them, Akantha immediately pulled the items from the bags, like a hooligan Mary Poppins. Four 2 liters of soda to mix the drinks with, snacks of all kinds, a few 6-packs of beer, and a bottle of wine. Tossing the plastic bags into the trash can next to her desk, she then pushed the boxes in the middle of the room closer to the desk and knelt by them to open them. Lifting a finger, she shifted a single fingertip to that of a tiger's, a large black claw protruding from the end that effortlessly sliced through the tape. Pushing back the flaps of cardboard revealed a veritable liquor cabinet that, if anyone was looking, included various types of gin, brandy, whiskey, and almost any other type of hard liquor one could imagine. "Shit, Hippo, nicely done," she said to herself, using the derogatory nickname for her mother as she admired the selection given. Standing, she lifted the box onto the desk chair and gestured towards it as the others came in. "Pick your poison," she said, bending over a bit to fiddle with the stereo on the little stand next to her bottom futon bunk. Soon, the room was filled with jarring punk music of the loudest, meanest, swearingest, and grittiest variety.
Matt walked in and winced at the sound coming from the stereo. He set the bags he was carrying on any space that was available, smiling at the sight of the booze. He just shook his head. "A little early yet. Did you want to wait for everyone else?"
Ashley walked into the room, glasses in hand with a slight smile. "Hello luv, did you miss me?" he said as he walked over to the table with the liquor bottles and set the glasses down. He leaned in close to Akantha, and attempted to whisper into her ear. "Keep it a secret please luv? I'll keep yours, if you keep mine." However, he wasn't sure if she could hear him at all, considering the volume of the music.
Akantha made and face and shook her head vehemently at Matt's question. "Rule one of parties: WAIT FOR NOTHING!" she said, making an emphatic fist as she swished over to the box of booze. "If everyone is standing around with their thumb up their ass then the party'll never get started," she said, as if reading from the manual of Party Throwing. The music was loud and thrashing, but somehow quite energetic even if it wasn't to everyone's tastes. Akantha started to dance, bouncing effortlessly from foot to foot in a little shuffle, her head thrashing from side to side as she grabbed a green bottle labeled "Jameson." Her glossy black hair whirled through the air, showing off the buzzed sides of her head with each headbang. When Ashley walked in, she looked up and grinned, seeing he'd brought the glasses as per her mental request. She kept her head still as he whispered to her, looking up as if in concentration, though the beat hadn't left her feet and hips as she rocked back and forth. When he was through, she smirked at him for a moment and then winked. It was only fair that they keep each other's secrets since she was pretty sure he could flip through
her brain and find out all sorts of interesting things.
"You got it, Ash," she thought as she unscrewed the top to her bottle of whiskey. "Who wants a drink?" she barked over the stereo. "We got Jack and Coke, Rum and Coke, screwdrivers, order up!" she demanded.
Matt pulled a bottle from the box. Captain. He smiled to himself and took the entire bottle, ignoring the glasses. He could always buy her more to replenish her stock. For the moment, however, this would be all he would drink. He opened the bottle and took a swig, letting the burn settle down his throat.
"Thanks luv,"
Ashley said as she mentally responded to his request. He gave her a wink and a smile as he made his way over to the alcohol, making it look like he thanked her for the invitation to drink. He took the bottle of coca cola and the Jack and mixed it together in one of the glasses he and Akantha had found earlier. He wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, but he hoped he didn't add too much alcohol. He took a sip afterwards as he turned around, and realized he had. Too late now though.
The door opened and
Melinda slipped in the room. She looked a little shy and hesitant. She spotted the rocker girl and two other boys. One looked like a stuffy British professor and the other looked a bit scary with scars and such. Her eyes scanning the room she twisted a piece of her dark locks nervously. Seeing the rum she smiled inwardly. Rum was the one alcohol she enjoy even though her powers tended to go crazy the drunker she got. She bit her lip unsure what to do.
Watching as the party slowly got started,
Akantha pursed her lips, intent upon having a good time even if she was the only one. These country folk did
clearly not understand how parties went down in the big city. She lifted her bottle of Jameson as a little cheers to Matt when he procured the Captain Morgan from the cardboard box of party favors, accolading "fuck yeah!" emphatically. As Ashley made himself a drink, Akantha dropped to her knees in a sudden and quite limber manner right in front of the box of booze and started digging around. The sound of glass clinking against glass was heard until the Greek girl pulled out a large stack of double-shot glasses with a resounding "WOO HOO! All right bitches, let's get this shit going.
Everyone get over here, this ain't optional," she hollered, standing up just as quickly as she'd dropped, taking the shot glasses and the green bottle of Jameson whiskey with her. She looked up once when the door opened, happy to see that the shy one had decided to make an appearance. "Hey yo bitch, come here," she demanded in an aggressively friendly manner, smiling in a way that looked as if there should be fangs hiding behind her plump lips. Setting down four double-shot glasses, she twisted off the cap to the whiskey and promptly filled them all with a practiced hand that spilled not a single drop. Picking hers up, she lifted it into the air, looking to her fellow party-goers. "To breaking all the rules!" she toasted, her dark eyes urging those around to pick up their shots and cheers her in the air.
"Hello,"
Ashley told Melinda as she entered. He sensed her before she ever entered the room, and heard that she was uncertain about drinking at all, as well as her idea of him being a stuffy British professor. How he looked British in any specific way or stuffy he wasn't sure. However, he did catch that rum was her favorite alcohol as well. He may have to find a way to give the girl what she wanted, if for no other reason than to show her that all things should be done in moderation. When Akantha came over and pulled out the shot glasses, he knew what was coming. And he figured it out without reading her mind. He watched as she skillfully poured the shots, and was a bit impressed. Then again, he poked around for a moment and realized she had quite a bit of practice in doing that. He held his drink in his left hand, and picked up his shot in his right. He held it aloft in a silent cheers to Akantha's toast against rules. He looked to the others with an expectant look. If he was going to be doing this, so would they.
Raising an eyebrow when she was demanded to join the girl,
Melinda just went with it and lazily went to the girls side, nodding to Professor Stuffy, who had welcomed her, along the way. Upon inspection Melinda discovered the bottle in the odd girls hand was whiskey. Watching as she poured with practiced skill, Lin inwardly groaned. She didn't like whiskey but it was tolerable. Hesitating, Lin finally decided to pluck a shot glass from the table. She thought,
Screw it. They can watch out for themselves when my powers go crazy. as he fingers tightened around the tiny glass. She raised her glass, briefly joining Akantha's cheer. She hesitated once again, waiting for someone else to down a shot before she tipped her own.
Matt gave Melinda a smile and nod when she entered, but also made a face when Akantha began her toast. This wasn't strictly against the rules, but the teachers would still frown upon it. He took a swallow of the rum and sat down in the nearest chair, watching everyone else. Some nagging part of his brain told him that this was a bad idea, especially so close to the full moon, but another part just told him to relax and enjoy it.
It stood to reason that, once everyone had a double-shot of Jameson in their hand, that
Akantha downed hers first. She brought the clear glass to her lips and then knocked it back, taking the burning liquid down in one gulp that lit a fire down in her stomach. Righting her head, she slammed the shot glass back onto the desk without the slightest trace of a wince, though as she breathed out, the smell was of rich whiskey. Immediately, she poured herself another double shot, filling the glass up to the top and then downing it with the same enthusiasm as she had the first. Her olive skin was imperceptibly flushed, but she felt the warmth rushing to her cheeks and chest as she put down the double shot. "WHEW!" she said, setting down the bottle of whiskey and spinning the cap back on it. However, when she noticed that there was still one shot glass with whiskey left in it, Akantha's predatory eyes lifted and scanned hastily for the culprit and found Matt sitting in the bean-bag chair without a shot glass in his hand. Grabbing the tall shot, she swished over to him confidently, holding down the amber liquid to him. "Bottom's up, Slim, no exceptions on the first shot of the night," she said, putting a hand on her hip expectantly.
Matt took the shot, but also gave Akantha a wink. "I hope you're able to keep a full grown werewolf at bay if I get too drunk." With that, he downed the shot and passed it back to her, not even cringing at the burn. If anyone didn't already suspect it, it was now obvious that this wasn't his first time drinking.
With a roll of her eyes at Akantha's double shot,
Melinda downed her own shot, squeezing her big blue eyes shut as the burn traveled down her throat. Her pale cheeks where turning a pale reddish color, making the abnormal sparkly blue swirls on the side of her face stand out even more. Opening her eyes, Lin put the shot glass down with a smile. Her eyes locking on what she really wanted, the bottle of rum Matt had. Walking over to Matt and Akantha, with a alcohol induced swing in her petite hips, Melinda liberated the bottle of rum from the wolf boy. Raising it to her lips she took a lengthy sip. Once she lowered the bottle she giggled then hiccuped with a giddy grin.
Ashley watched as everyone else downed their shots. Melinda was worried about losing control of her powers, as was the werewolf. He still wasn't sure exactly why everyone thought he was "stuffy." He shrugged his shoulders and downed his own shot, not realizing the exact strength or content of the glass. As the liquid made the journey down his throat, it burned every bit on the way. He managed to swallow all of it, but his face was rather flushed as he began to cough a little bit. He never really drank in the first place so drinking that was a bit of a challenge. He set the shot glass back down, inwardly refusing to follow in Akantha's footsteps for a second taste, and made his way over to the futon and sat down. With drink in hand, he watched and listened to some of his other classmates for a moment or two.
Guffawing with scorn as Matt took the shot from her black-tipped fingers,
Akantha shook her head and patted him on the head the way a strong mistress might to an ornery pup. Obviously, she found his warning unnecessary for someone like her. "Puh
leeez Slim," she said, kicking a hip to one side to place a hand in the crease of her curves. "I'm pretty sure I can handle any shots you take," she replied confidently. Ignoring Melinda as she came over and snatched the rum from Matt, Akantha watched as Ashley quarantined himself to a corner and she held up her hand in a brusque parting goodbye. Crossing towards the Brit since he was standing by the stereo on which the CD had started to bore her, she lifted an eyebrow, wearing a smug smirk as her dark eyes peered bottomlessly at him, flaunting his secret and her own shrewdness at having discovered it. Blinking to sever the bond, she knelt by the futon to flip through the book of CDs that rested there. At last she found one and pulled it out. She jabbed the button and the music stopped abruptly, the sudden silence almost as garish as the loud, driving jams. Quickly a new band was playing, this one much more metal and growly with the bass assaulting every corner.
Ashley sipped his drink as Akantha came over and stared at him. She knew his secret, and he was already beginning to grow uncomfortable with it. As she began to play with the CD player, he watched her, wishing he could take it all back and keep her from knowing.
What's done is done, he thought to himself.
Just keep moving and figure it out as you go. He took another sip of his drink, and realized that the shot was a bit more powerful than he expected as he started to feel a bit light headed. As the new CD began to play, he held his hand up to his forehead and looked to Akantha. "If I begin to get a headache from all this I'm blaming you luv," he said with a smile.
Melinda, satisfied with the rum, dropped down into a bean bag. She took another sip then put the bottle on the floor next to her and crossed her legs since she was in a skirt. She crinkled her noise at the noise Akantha called music. She yawned as she sat there.
Akantha closed her eyes, lifting a brow and shrugging a single shoulder coolly at Ashley's warning. "So long as you don't puke anywhere stupid, you can blame me for the fucking war in Iraq," she replied, patting him on the head with her black-tipped fingernails. Having just moved in, there was little in the room for means of furniture, but she was unfazed by guests on the floor. Hell, they were lucky to be drinking her booze. Pulling open a drawer from the simple bedside table, Akantha extracted a Ziploc bag full of something green and pungent, a cigar, and a pack of smokes that she immediately started packing on her fish-netted knee. With the other items in her lap, she focused first on unwrapping the cellophane from the red and white pack, stuffing it into her pocket as she flipped open the top and grabbed a fag between two teeth and pulled it free. The same hand that had shoved the trash into her pocket drew out her Zippo and in a flash she was in business, a white line of smoke rising from her flaming cherry. "So Ash," she asked, not looking at him as she grabbed a tattoo magazine from the top of the bedside table and put the Ziploc and cigar on top. Toeing over the trash can, she pinched open the cigar and emptied the tobacco contents into the trash, releasing a pleasant aroma. "In all seriousness, is this your first time drinking? because I'm not so good with virgins," she said, looking up at him in a way that was either too honest to be believed, or so beguiling it was sincere.
Ashley smiled at Akantha's joke about the war in Iraq. He was trying hard to keep control of his power, as he hated migraines. "I may do that luv, blame you for the war that is. I normally don't get
that sick from headaches." He took another sip of his drink and watched as she pulled out the ziploc bag. He opened his mind a little to find out what it was. As soon as he knew, as well as knew how she felt about whether anyone was sitting in the floor or not, he closed his mind once more or did his best too. The alcohol was making it hard to concentrate. He wasn't sure about alcohol in the first place, but he knew that smoking
that would end up causing havoc on his head. More than likely the migraine would last several days. He decided it was best avoided, but didn't want to miss the party so he stayed. His mind came to as Akantha asked her question of him. "Well luv, this isn't my first time drinking, but I don't have the most extensive amount of experience. Does things to my head you see." He gave her a wink and a smile before taking another sip of his drink.
"Whew, good. I hate it when people can't handle their shit,"
Akantha said around her cigarette, blowing out smoke all while her hands were occupied with the magazine covered with reefer in her lap that she was busily breaking apart with her fingernails. "I ain't got a baby, I don't need to be babysitting asshole who're too stupid or wet behind the ears to know when to quit,
and that for everybody," she said, looking up and raising her voice so that everyone knew she was addressing the patrons. "Don't make me regret partying with you people," she warned. Once that seemed to have been covered, she filled the empty cigar shell with the fresh, springy green weed and rolled it up hastily, licking the end and then twisting it up in a well rolled blunt. Dusting off her lap, she placed the magazine back on the nightstand next to the futon she was sitting on and reclined entirely, almost disappearing into the comfortable bed. Above, the bunk she slept on shadowed her, creating a little cave of sorts in which her smoke bounced and hovered. "Gotcha," she said flatly as Ashley mentioned how drinking messed with his powers. She got up suddenly and walked across the room to grab the bottle of Jameson she'd left by the desk, returning just as quickly to sit in a complete heap on the futon mattress. Unscrewing the top, she took a long pull and then dropped her head, grimacing as the burn singed her throat. "You smoke?" she asked to Ashley, indicating the blunt she'd just rolled as she put the bottle on the floor by her feet.
Ashley took a sip of his drink as Akantha, who seemed to be his only hope for a friend within these halls or at least within this room, as she began to give her warning.
She has no idea what all this may do to me, he thought. He watched as she finished making her blunt, and retrieved her whiskey. He did pay a bit extra attention to her butt as she had gotten up. The alcohol was already doing things to him that he wasn't used to. As she sat back down and asked her question, he gave her a little frown. He wasn't one hundred percent sure how to answer her as he could see that unless he gave her a straight 'yes' he would probably receive a scornful remark from her. "Well luv, the truth of the matter is that I can't," he said as he took another sip. He lowered his voice and leaned close to her, "Alcohol I can abide and handle, but that stuff messes with my head far too much for me to allow. Don't want to get sick with a migraine."
Picking up the blunt,
Akantha held it between her plump lips and flicked her zippo once, inhaling until the brown tip burned orange and smoke rose from the tip. She listened as she moved, replacing the lighter in her pocket by leaning to one side and then narrowed her brows as she heard his explanation. "Can't?" she repeated incredulously, leaning forward to unlace her boots, tugging at the strings to loosen them enough to pull her feet free. Tucking her legs underneath her, the Greek fell back into her futon and closed her eyes as she took a deep pull from the blunt. She waited a moment before replying, holding the smoke in her lungs to achieve maximum affect. "That's some freaky shit, Ash. Never heard of the ganj fucking with a man's brain like
that." She shook her head and lifted her hands to start idly combing through her hair, blunt held between her lips as she smoked. Knowing the music was loud enough to cover the sounds of their conversation, Akantha carried on, looking up as she spoke while she remembered. "We had a few like you at my other school, and reefer always seemed to chill them right on out, like they needed it or something to keep from focusing on too much at once." Shrugging, she pulled her thick black mohawk-ponytai
l over her shoulder and started gently raking her fingers through it to clear the gnarls.
"Then I guess I'm different luv," Ashley responded to the Greek girl. "Just like alcohol it removes some of the guards I have up to prevent my headaches. I lose my focus and end up sick from it." He took another small sip of his drink as he turned his face towards her. She was certainly an attractive young woman, it was too bad that a monster like Sid might come after her. As the smoke started to slowly fill the room, he turned his head to try avoid too much of a contact buzz. "Contact is about as much as I can handle without starting to hear too much. Rather not have that if I can."
With a cringe Melinda watched Akantha smoke from her blunt. She thought about how destroyed the girls lungs will be. Batting the smoke away from her uselessly, Lin's mind started to fog a bit. As daintily as possible she lifted the bottle of alcohol to her lips. She looked at her class mates hoping these weren't the only ones. Tucking her thick black locks behind her ear Lin thought of that exotic boy that she showed to his room. He was kind of cute. But, Whatever she thought. Resting the bottle on her lap she started picking at the label while she thought.
Matt got up and retrieved a new bottle, ignoring Melinda's grab and Akantha and Ashley. He took a liberal swallow from the new bottle and looked over at Akantha again. He would wait until the smoke cleared a bit to do anything else but lean on the table.
Opening her eyes as she reclined against the bottom bunk, Akantha just grinned, her dark eyes shining. "Good, cuz this room is about to reek," she stated, tapping the ash into the trashcan before inhaling once again. Sitting up, she grabbed the bottle of Jameson at her feet and took a long swig, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand before looking over to the rest of the party-goers. Seeing how Melinda was just sitting there awkwardly and Matt didn't seem to know where to stand, Akantha decided to take matters into her own hands and stood up. Crossing to the desk where she'd made them all take their first shot, Akantha grabbed a beer from the six-pack Matt had retrieved on his run into town and twisted off the cap with her shirt. With the brown blunt between her lips, she clapped her hands together to draw attention to herself. "All right, gather 'round! Spin the bottle is about to commence," she dictated, bringing the beer to her lips and gulping a few times. When she righted herself, the beer was half gone. She pushed the bottle into Melinda's hand and then crossed back over to her bottle of whiskey, all the while puffing on her blunt and filling the room with thick, pungent smoke. As if she had perhaps learned a thing or two about being a hostess, Akantha grabbed all the pillows from the top of her bed and tossed them into a circle on the floor so that everyone would be comfortable. Plopping down onto a large black one, she sat cross legged and waited for the rest to come and play.
Opening the door, Amun stood in the doorway for a moment, looking over the occupants of the room before casually stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. Despite recognizing Melinda, his gaze did not linger on her any longer than it did anyone else, though mentally, his evil snicker was purring at full volume. "Hey, found the party," he said with a little grin, a hand in one pocket as he looked at the bottles on the desk, touching each one to turn the label towards him. After deciding on a bottle of tequila, he picked it up in his large, slim hands and walked over to the pile of pillows that Akantha was sitting at. Grinning at the saucy bitch, Amun sat down next to her and then shifted his gaze to Melinda, and then Matt, and then Ashley. "So... pow wow on the floor, or what?" he asked, breaking the tension with a laugh and a smile so sincere it seemed to warm his handsome face.
As Tazi entered, she heard the sound of 'spin the bottle' and made a face. But this was a party, wasn't it? And she came here to get to know her fellow students. She decided to sit next to Amun, who was the only one sitting on the floor besides Akantha, who frankly scared her a bit.
Raising an eyebrow Melinda watched Akantha with a subtle curiosity. Inwardly groaning once the girl mentioned 'Spin the Bottle'. This game never did wonders for the girl. Either the other didn't want to kiss her or she didn't want to kiss them. Wrapping her fingers around the bottle unconsciously, Lin brought it too her lips and drank. As she brought the bottle away from her lips Amun entered. She dropped the bottle slowly from her mouth. She smiled briefly at Amun, watching him sit on the floor. Sliding off her seat she sat on the floor, Her legs tucked in by her side. Hearing the door she looked up to see the girl from the hall come in. Lin smiled warmly at her as she sat next to the exotic boy.
Ashley had been watching as the others seemed to just be sitting there. He also watched as Akantha stood up and crossed the room. He groaned inwardly as he heard her think up the game 'spin the bottle.' He wasn't particularly thrilled to play the game, but so be it. This was a party and he was trying to get along after all. He slid off of the futon and sat on one of the pillows, drink in hand. He could hear both Tazi and Melinda's distaste for the game as well, and that eased his discomfort. At least he wasn't the only one that didn't really want to play. However, the biggest curiosity was the new guy that sat next to Akantha. He didn't hear anything in particular coming from him, aside from something about Melinda, but his mind felt dirty. Like just listening to his surface thoughts would sully his own soul. He took a sip from his drink and looked at the other boy, rather worried about what it all seemed to mean.
Glancing over as Amun arrived and took his seat, Akantha greeted him with a nod and then looked back as Melinda did her job finishing the beer. Leaning forward to grab it, Akantha licked the rim to make sure no beer was going to fling out as they spun it, and set it on the floor in the middle of their circle. "Now is it starting to look familiar?" she asked Amun. "Spin the bottle. So lame, but so fun." Tossing her raven mohawk out of her eyes, Akantha blinked as the smoke from her blunt got in her eyes and then passed it to Amun, who she figured was the pot-smoking type. "All right, I'll go first," she said, grabbing the empty bottle with two fingers and letting it whirl. It spun for several seconds and then started to slow down, pointing at everyone in turn before it settled on Matt, who was standing off to the side, leaning on the table. Lifting her dark eyes to him, Akantha motioned with the slow hook of a single finger for him to come closer. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Slim," she said. "Now come over here before I have to get up and take it."
With a smile, Matt moved over to Akantha and knelt in front of where she was sitting. The beast inside was roaring for release and Matt knew he was tempting fate here. Leaning close, he gave her a wink before starting this game off on the right foot. Matt tilted her head up to his and captured her lips in a most unchaste kiss imaginable. He wasn't fond of spin the bottle, but it was so close to the full moon that any excuse to make a move on a woman was welcomed, and this kiss would only end when Akantha pulled away.
As Matt knelt before her and winked, Akantha gave an unimpressed-yet-jesting roll of her eyes and grabbed a handful of his shirt. Lifting from her pillow onto her knees, she grabbed two handfuls of his shirt and tugged him nearer. Their lips met in a sudden furious crash which Akantha did not shy away from. Her last beau had been a werewolf after all, of an entirely different variety than Matt she supposed. A werewolf was a werewolf though, and she knew the moon was growing fatter with each passing night. She kept hold of his shirt and then let go, pulling away with his bottom lip between her teeth until she let go and settled back on her pillow. "All right, who's up?" she asked casually, as if there were nothing at all embarrassing about what she'd just done. "You, spin," she said to Melinda, rolling the bottle to her.
Matt settled back down in the empty spot, a vague smile on his face and a dark look in his eyes. He watched as the bottle was passed, wondering to himself exactly what sort of state he would be in if he kissed Akantha again.
Melinda watched as the bottle was grabbed by Akantha. She looked on as Akantha spun the bottle and watched as it slowed to a stop in front of the boy who was called 'Slim'. Looking down to study her nails as Matt knelt down and they kissed. Once they separated Lin found the bottle in front of her. "Alright." She shrugged and set the bottle in the middle of their makeshift circle. She twisted her fingers and let the bottle spin watching as it slowed to a stop.
Tazi froze as the bottle stopped at her. She sat up a little bit, leaning forward in her dress and looking at Melinda. Tazi was uncertain how to do this, do she scooted over and gave Lin a peck on the lips, holding it just long enough so no one would say anything, before sliding back to her seat, a deep blush on her dark skin.
Amun watched the first kiss with a measure of enthusiasm that only registered in the demonic flicker in his eyes. The skinny bastard was a lucky one to get away with kissing the thick one like that, but he merely took a swig of his tequila, wincing slightly as it burned his throat but otherwise handling it well. As the bottle switched to Melinda he casually slid his gaze over, watching as the brown glass came to a stop on the other girl in the room, a quiet and shy one. "Aww, you're cute," he said, giving Tazi a sweet smile as she sat down after her chaste little smooch. His golden skin flashed in the dim light, as if glowing in the midst of all this teenage sexual tension. "I'll go next," he said, spinning the bottle quickly with his fine fingers. As the bottle slowed and then stopped on Ashley, Amun looked up, expressionless, taken aback by the results of his spin. Surely, he'd liked to have kiss one of the girls, despite his demonic indifference to sex. He then glanced around at everyone else. "Well...here goes nothing," he said. Crawling on his knees to where Ashley was sitting, Amun put a hand on the telepath's shoulder and leaned down, placing a calm but firm kiss on Ashley's lips.
Staring wide eyed at the bottle Melinda's gaze traveled up to see it was the quite girl she'd be kissing. Lin sat frozen as Tazi leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips. Melinda's large blue eyes blinked as she turned slowly to watch Amun spin. She blinked slowly as the bottle landed on Ashley and the one boy leaned over and kisses the other. Lin sat there, her vision a little wavering though she didn't know if it was from the alcohol or the shocking kiss.
Ashley sat there sipping his drink as the game began. He was having a difficult time controlling the thoughts that were coming through. He could hear the beast within Matt roaring to get free. Akantha seemed a bit indifferent. She didn't seem to care one way or another that she had to kiss Matt. Then Melinda and Tazi kissed. Neither seemed to care for the game before, but now Tazi was simply embarrassed that she had kissed another woman. The new guy, Amun, decided to have his turn. As the bottle spun Ashley took a long sip from his drink. Before he lowered his glass, he heard Amun and then saw in his mind his target. "Wait, wha-" was all he could muster before Amun was kissing him. He didn't know what to do, but the shock of it broke through some of his controls. He saw deeper into Amun's mind than he wanted to. Far, far deeper. Locked within the sights of Amun's thoughts, he was frozen for a few moments. Then he realized he was still kissing a man. He pulled back hastily after, and quickly stood up. His drink was empty. He certainly needed another, and he walked over to the makeshift bar and made it. "That was...interesting," was all he could mutter while he fought back the images from the boy's mind.
Amun felt an immediate mental presence in his mind as his lips touched Ashley's. Though he lacked any telepathic powers himself, he knew the feeling of someone else in his mind, having been raised with devious succubi all his life, and knew that some of his secrets were being pulled out. He couldn't tell which onces, but that sucking sensation was enough for him to pull away with more force than he originally thought. Once they were parted, both teenage boys looked at each other for a moment, as if realizing that perhaps they'd misjudged the other. Amun however played it off better, and simply wiped his mouth and laughed as he took his seat again. "Whoops, I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable. Just a game," Amun called to Ashley as the latter left the circle entirely to make himself a drink.
Leaning back on her arms with her legs crossed at the ankle in front of her, Akantha sucked on the blunt more, puffing large clouds of smoke into the air. She smirked greatly as Melinda and Tazi experienced a small, fleeting kiss with zero passion or finesse, and then had to laugh out loud as she watched Amun take charge of Ashley, who seemed to be repulsed by the very idea of homosexual insinuation. "Aww, c'mon Ash. Golden boy there can't have been all that bad," she jested, tapping the blunt with a finger so that the ash fell onto the floor. Seeing that Ash wasn't returning just yet, Akantha toed her fishnet-covered foot at the bottle and sent it rolling towards Matt. "Your turn, Slim," she said, grinning as she recalled their rather passionate kiss. She sat up a bit and took a swig from the green Jameson bottle before settling back on her hands, watching the party goers start to unwind slowly, but surely.
Catching the bottle with one hands, Matt casually flicked his wrist, sending the bottle spinning. He waited for it to stop, looking up at Melinda as it did. Matt leaned across the space between them and locked lips with her in nearly the same fashion as he did with Akantha. He was all animal instinct in this game.
Casually inspecting her nails, Melinda didn't look up as Matt spun. She froze when she felt his gaze on her. Her gaze slowly lifted as Matt leaned toward her and pressed his lips against hers. Her eye flew open wide as he kissed her in a almost animal fashion. She pulled away after a moment, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, a blush spreading through her cheeks.
Watching with silent delight as everyone started to loosen up, Akantha let out a "Wooo!" as Matt and Melinda kissed, noting the way Matt seemed to be rather into the game. "I like your guts, Slim. It's always more fun when you just go for it," she said, taking a long last drag from her blunt and then flicking it into the ashtray beside her. Getting out a cigarette from her jacket, the Greek girl toed the bottle towards Tazi. "You, go," she said as she fished in her pocket for the Zippo and then lit her fag.
As Matt sat back, Tazi took the bottle and spun it. She waited patiently for it to stop, and when it stopped on the boy next to her, a tiny blush formed and she smiled. "Okay," she said under her breath and leaned over to kiss Amun, trying to not be too obvious that she had never kissed a boy before.
Watching all these humans kiss one another awkwardly was starting to entertain the demonic Amun, who kept his amusement to himself but couldn't help but wonder what all the shyness was about. Sure, he knew he was more forward thanks to his species, but it was no wonder, really, that humans were such easy prey for his kind. Watching with sharp eyes as Tazi took the bottle and spun it, Amun wished he could force it to stop on him. There was something about her timidity that made him hungry for corruption, hungry to show her what all she was missing... When the bottle did stop on him, Amun looked to the girl beside him and grinned a little, shrugging his shoulders as if he were simply playing along and not at all so excited he could bite her right then and there. "Don't worry hon, I'll behave," he assured smoothly. Then, he fitted his hand behind her ear, digging into that thick sheet of dark hair she had, and drug her mouth closer to his until they were kissing. He let it linger for a moment, much longer than with Ashley, and dared to trace his tongue over her bottom lip before pulling away and grinning some more.
Tazi's hand grasped his as he put it behind her head. She leaned into the kiss with a sigh and sat there for a moment after he broke the kiss. Tazi let her hand fall, fingers still interlaced with his. She didn't seem to realize she still had his hand as she sat back.
Her reaction was delicious. Amun simply loved humans, loved females, loved the pleasures of the flesh. Hedonistic to a fault, the Egyptian boy licked his lips as he sat back down on his pillow and held Tazi's gaze for a moment. He liked her exotic look and immediately asked, "what's your name?" as he gently untwined his hand from hers to return it to his lap.
Eying the Caribbean witch and the golden boy as they came together, Akantha smirked and brought the bottle to her lips again for a quick swig. "This is starting to get hot," she said, pitching forward onto her feet and then standing. She stepped around Melinda and Tazi to get out of the circle, following over then to where Ashley was standing, apparently frozen after his kiss with Amun. "C'mon Ash, snap out of it," she drawled, elbowing him in the ribs as she took the bottle from his hand and poured his drink for him. Thrusting the glass into his chest, she put a hand on her hip and looked up at him. "It's your turn," she informed, turning from him to replace the cap on the liquor and then take up her seat again, leaning back on her arms as she watched the party-goers with a smirk and reddened cheeks from alcohol.
Matt watched the next round of kissing, shifting a little in his seat. Reaching behind him, he found his bottle of liquor and watched Akantha, his inner beast on fire.
"Tazi," she replied, taking her own hand back. Some deep part of her hoped that no one here could sense the slumbering goddess within her. If Calypso was unleashed because of some boy, her mother would disown her. Which was one reason she had never been close to a boy. "And you?"
"Tazi," Amun repeated, as if he were simply trying to remember a name with the face. In fact, he was thrilled to have gotten another name - if he managed to sneak into her dream, then he could woo her with it wearing someone else's skin. However, before he could dive too far down that path of thought, Amun's dark eyes suddenly shifted to Akantha as she stood up, watching her shorts and tights pull against her curves as she moved. He used this diversion as a means to stare at Ashley, who was starting to give him some type of strange vibe that kept him from wanting to project his full demon persona. Though he was no mind reader, he couldn't help but feel like something of his had been taken, a thief in his mental library. Eying the older boy for a moment, Amun then looked back to Tazi and cleared his throat, returning to the moment. "Amun, Amun Al-Massri."
Melinda was more interested in Akantha's floor then what else was going on. She was drifting off, spacing out, she was just thinking not pay attention to what was going on. She looked deep in thought, staring at the floor. She thought of what it would be like here, if these people would become her friends.
Ashley was still drowning in the horrible images from Amun's mind. What was he? He was trying to go through the information that he had from, not only everyone in the room, but anyone he had ever come into contact with. His memory was pretty good and he knew a lot of things, and none of the possible classifications that he came up with for Amun were good. None at all. Especially since nearly ever surface thought was about sex, and more so than the average hormone driven teenager. It made Ashley feel like he needed a shower just by being the in the same room with the boy. When Akantha elbowed him in the ribs and poured his drink, he came back from his thoughts and into the present. "Huh?" was all he said before his drink was thrust into his chest. He then realized it was his turn, and the hormones were raging in the room. Tazi had become enthralled with Amun, and he with her. Matt seemed to want to just let his werewolf instincts take over and rut with someone, it didn't seem to matter as long as it was female either. Akantha was loving ever minute of it as everyone seemed to be unwinding. And poor Melinda was lost in thought and still didn't seem to want to be there. Ashley returned to where he was sitting, took a big gulp of his drink, and spun the bottle. At this point, he only wanted either Akantha or Melinda. Matt would have created problems, and either Tazi or Amun would just have disturbed what they were starting. As the bottle slowed, and eventually came to a stop, Ashley realized his silent hopes were answered. It had stopped on Melinda. He set his glass to the side, and smiled at the girl, who still wasn't paying any attention. He moved over to her and smiled. "You're a popular girl luv," he whispered as he leaned in close, put his hand behind her head, and kissed her softly. He wasn't the best, but he didn't need to be. He held their lips together for a moment, and lightly bit her bottom lip as they separated. He gave her a wink and a smile and sat back down, taking his drink back up. It was then that he realized that a small headache had begun in the front of his head.
Melinda could care less what was going on around her, she assumed that since just before she had been 'spun' that then it was a small chance she would get chosen again. She was oblivious to just how wrong she was as Ashley leaned close. She didn't realize what was going on until he whispered to her. "Wha-?" She started but was cut off by Ashely's soft kiss. She leaned into him when he kissed her, blushing hard when he pulled away biting her lower lip. She smiled slightly, finding that maybe she could enjoy this game.
Taking long, slow pulls from her bottle, Akantha looked down at the amber liquid and realized after seeing how much was gone that she'd drank it a bit faster than she intended. She could feel the burning aftertaste on her breath as she exhaled, and smell it as well. However, she was a champion partier and knew how to handle herself in almost any drunken situation with almost any crowd. Sitting on a bunch of pillows on the floor was hardly outrageous, and considering her current company, she was the most likely to start something crazy. A genuine grin crossed her lips as she looked at the expression on Tazi's face as she exchanged pleasantries with Amun, entertained by the shy awkwardness and the way the golden boy seemed to be playing his hand so well. Her eyes carried over everyone in due time, lingering a little on Matt as she caught him staring at her with that beastly look she'd come to recognize at a certain time of the month from her werewolf ex-boyfriend. She was surprised at first to see the strength of his gaze, but just shook her head, wearing a smirk, and then slid her eyes over to Ashley as he came back into the circle to play the game. As he spun and Melinda was the target again, Akantha let out a low wolf-whistle and watched the two of them come together softly. The lip-tug at the end wasn't what the Greek girl had expected from a more timid fellow such as Ash, but she had little time to be surprised as it was her turn. Letting her cigarette hang from her lips, Akantha gripped the bottle on both sides and sent it whirling into motion, spinning so fast that it at first clanked against the floor as it tried to take off. Then it slowed, and slowed, and slowed until finally the neck was facing Ashley. Lifting her dark eyes to look at him behind her sheet of long, black eyelashes, Akantha set her booze down next to her, maintaining eye contact. "I won't deny, I was a little excited to see if I'd get to kiss you," she thought, doing her best to send Ash the message as she closed the space between them by walking on her knees, fishnet tights scraping against the floor. Kneeling before him so that she looked down into his eyes as he sat on his pillow, the brazen punk girl slid her fingers into his short, black hair and brought his head to hers. Their lips touched softly at first and then, Akantha held his head tighter and pressed harder, deepening their oral embrace and seemingly all right with waiting for any of Ashley's reactions.
Tazi nodded as Amun said his name. She had stopped paying attention to what was going on around her and Amun would see her eyes flash an intoxicating shade of blue. "Amun, it is a nice name." Her voice had dropped half an octive, giving it a much richer sound. She could sense her inner self's interest in the boy, which was unusual in itself. The goddess sensed something.
Matt growled under his breath when Akantha spun the bottle. He seemed to catch himself, though, and stood slowly, backing away from the group and taking a seat in the corner. Though he was a rarity, Matt was still virginal. He wanted to keep it that way, but the hormones in the room were heavy.
Ashley had continued to sip his drink, and smiled to himself when he heard Melinda. His kiss had given her cause to like the game. That was interesting, and he couldn't help but make note of it. The alcohol was certainly lowering his inhibitions a bit. That and the slight headache from continuous thoughts bombarding his mind was beginning to make his head feel a bit fuzzy. So much so, in fact, he wasn't even paying attention to the bottle as it spun, and eventually landed on him. He looked up as Matt backed away, his feral instincts still keeping his mind on mating. The full moon period would be dangerous around here. He took another sip of his drink and then he heard Akantha's "message." He swallowed his drink quickly as she made her way over to him. Excited? For me? Wait, why?, were the thoughts running through his head. As their lips met, the images of her thoughts from earlier in the day came to mind. He had to admit, he somewhat liked the idea if he could focus long enough. However, he didn't have any experience in that department, but that didn't stop his hormones. He leaned into her kiss and parted his lips, just enough to lick hers. He wanted more, but he wasn't going to force it. If she was really that excited, he would know and he may just take advantage.
"Because nice guys are sometimes the most surprising," Akantha mentally replied as her hands tightened about his head to keep him firmly in place. Her lips followed his as he opened them, her tongue slipping into his mouth to teasingly glide along his for a moment. Growling, the Greek punk lapped her tongue against his a few more times in a slow, wet friction before sucking his bottom lip into her mouth and letting it scrape through her teeth to release it. She pulled away and let her hands slide off his face and back into her lap. Raking her fingers through her thick black mohawk to toss it over her shoulder, Akantha backed up on her knees until she was in her spot again, stubbing out her cigarette and taking a sip from her Jameson. Nudging the bottle towards Melinda so that she'd take her turn, she settled back down on her pillow and looked around for a moment for Matt, who had removed himself while she had been kissing Ashley. "Yo, Slim, what's the deal?" she asked, narrowing her eyes and looking at him curiously.
Ashley could honestly do nothing as he and Akantha kissed. He was frozen in the moment. It didn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but it was certainly something to remember. Not many had come at him like that, and feeling her tongue in his mouth, and the way she lightly bit his lip just made him want to keep going. However, the moment was fleeting as she backed away and back into her spot on the floor. He took a deep breath and grabbed his drink. He needed to get a hold on himself or he would end up with a migraine for sure. He sipped his drink, and watched as the bottle was passed to Melinda. He wondered how this night would end with all these teenage hormones raging.
Matt didn't look up at Akantha's call. In all honesty, he didn't hear her. He was too deep in thought about the tensile strength if steel chains. Would they hold tonight? Or would this be the night he snapped and raped or killed someone?
A flash was seen outside Akantha's window followed by the sound of a large explosion. Growls and piercing demonic screeches came next. The sound of battle was coming from the grounds.
Melinda ran a hand through her hair and shook it out, not watching Akantha and Ashely kiss. She didn't pay attention to anyone else really until the bottle hit her knee lightly. She took it and went to spin when the explosion happened. She jumped and then peered out the window. "Oh god!" She exclaimed standing quickly. She dropped the bottle and raced out of the room, a bit glad to have an excuse to leave. She exited to Never Ending 4th Hall.
Looking up suddenly, her coffee brown eyes alert as the BOOM rocketed through the floorboards, Akantha tensed, ready to strike. She set down her Jameson and hastily got to her feet, marching over to the wall of windows in her room and peering out into the grounds with her hands cupped around her eyes, but saw nothing but a blue shape. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she opened them and saw instead with tiger's eyes that cut through the inky blackness of night. "SHIT," she growled as she watched demons pour in from seemingly out of nowhere. "Everyone needs to get to the fucking grounds, and be ready to kill some shit," she warned to everyone left in the room. Then, she backed up from the window and inhaled deeply as she rapidly shifted into a horse, growing larger and stretching out with such force that it seemed that she'd been consumed by it entirely until a tall bay horse stood in her place. Snorting now as she backed up towards the window, the large equine bucked harshly, sending her back hooves through the windows. Once planted again, Akantha started to shrink, condensing into a smaller pile of fur that then tapered out into long feathers as a hawk then let out a piercing cry into the night as she soared out into the air above Never Ending Grounds
Amun listened to the thunderous boom with little more than a glance, wondering what the fuck Melinda was doing running out the door without even checking the situation first. Looking over as Akantha took note of what they were dealing with at the window, the Egyptian boy backed up as she suddenly shifted into a horse and kicked the windows open, letting them shatter until a sizeable hole was left that she apparently flew out of. Standing then at the window to look at what was going down, Amun heard the Egyptian screamed in from a harrowing voice. <"Come at you then?"> he asked darkly, stepping back as his skin started morphing into crimson. He grew taller then and let out a howl as his appearance changed into that of a demon, fueled seemingly by the demonic howl that he let out through his fanged teeth. As soon as his red, leathery wings sprouted, he flapped them once and then soared out the broken window, breaking it open further with a great flap that sent him into the night.
Ashley, in his somewhat intoxicated state, watched as Melinda ran out of the room. Wasn't much point in reading her mind as she spoke what she had thought. The loud boom didn't really affect him all that much at all, but when Akantha shapeshifted twice and shattered the window he started to get a bit worried with everything that was going on. He knew what she had seen, but he wasn't sure he wanted to go join the fight or if he could even be of assistance. Then, when Amun stepped to the window and revealed his demon form, Ashley knew why he didn't like the boy's mind. He would have to stay away from him. He stood to his feet and stumbled to the edge of the window, drink in hand and looked out upon the scene below.
Taziwas not a fighter by any means. Whn the explosion went off, she jumped, then scooted to the wall where she wouldn't be in the way. She could heal, but that wouldn't do any good down on the grounds.
Matt heard the commotion and smelled demons. He shifted on the go, becoming a full werewolf moments before he went for the window. There was no thought to the action, he just followed the rest into battle.
Ashley watched the scene below unfold into pure carnage. On the field of battle, he would have been positively useless against such a horde. He could fight decently enough one on one, but against a big group he had no chance. Not enough skill on his part with his powers. However, he had an idea. Not something he ever tried though, but it was worth a shot. He reached out with is mind, and tried to contact the only person who knew what he was: Akantha. Only problem was that she was a grizzly bear by this point and it may be a touch difficult.
Never Ending Nightmare * Never Ending Dorms * Never Ending Playing Characters
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