NEVER ENDING KITCHEN

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The kitchen is pretty big. The floors are a cold grey slate, the cabinets a cherry wood. IN the middle of the kitchen is a island with the same granite counter tops as the rest of the counters. There are a few chairs at the island for the lazy students who don't want to use the Dining room across the hall.

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Strutting into the kitchen Blanche let her hand bag fall on the counter, she then proceeded to go through the cupboards in search of food. "Where..is..the..fucking...coke and...potato crisps?"

Matt entered the kitchen barefoot and his shirt slightly askew. He saw Blanche and heard her statement. "Teachers stopped buying them during the summer. Weren't enough people here to eat them." He leaned against the wall and smiled at Blanche. "Welcome back."


"What the fuck is with that?" Blanche did a vicious 180, her face twisted into an angry glare at the notion of none of her most loved foods. "It's a good thing I brought my own then huh, stupid teachers," she grumbled. Blanche didn't return to 'welcome back' and instead opened her handbag and took out a can of coke and a packet of nacho like crisps.

Two days until the full moon, and Matt knew that Blanche was feeling the werewolf equivalent to PMS. Pre-moonal syndrome. He nodded. "I tried to convince them to stock it before everyone got back. No go. I went shopping earlier in the week, but had to stash it all in my room so it wouldn't get tossed."

"They don't know who they mess with," Blanche held her can of coke like it were some holy grail, cradling the luke warm can. She snapped the metal lid open and took a sip, somehow managing to open the bag of nachos with one hand also. "God this place sucks, and I bet the lesson timetable will be hell on a platter."

"We got some new teachers, so maybe they'll offer something good." Matt wasn't sure if he wanted to drop the bomb on her yet. It would be a good idea to get it over as soon as possible. "We both have special lessons as it is our last year as students. They want us to learn to control our 'natures'."

"You mean they want to collar our leashes, don't tell me you buy all that 'control' crap," Blanche ate another nacho, crunching it furiously. "This place is a cage and i'll be glad to see the back of it, I'm heading right to New York to start my business."

Matt shifted uncomfortably as she said that. "Um...actually, as the curriculum states, we both have to stay the summer after graduation. We aren't released until August of next year, when the other students return." He knew she probably hadn't read that fine print on the student handbook.

There was an awkward silence as what Matt had just said sunk in like some form of flesh eating acid. "What?" Blanche looked almost homicidal. "They can't do that, that's...it's.....they can't make me do anything I have plans."

"It is for the safety of the general public and our own safety. So we don't get killed out there." Matt didn't like it either. And having to drop that bomb on her was like signing your own death warrant.

Milo calmly walked in, knowing what he was interrupting. "Don't kill anyone." He pointed to Blanche. "It turns out badly for you." he reviled some of her future to her as her swiped a water bottle.

"Psh whatever." Blanche took a seat on the counter and trained her can of coke of its contents. "And what do you mean it turns out badly for me, I have this all planned, there is no room for error!"

Matt had to control his reaction to rolling his eyes at Milo. "It always turns out badly if we kill someone. If we don't do it right, they come back and seek revenge." Matt knew from first hand experience. His own anger at being changed was nearly unstoppable.

Milo rolled his eyes, "Yes, killing someone is always bad, but her plan after school will go bad." He leaned next to Blanche's ear, a cocky smile on his face. He loved to flirt and this vision gave him the opportunity too. "He wont be able to love you like I would." he winked at her and chuckled calmly.

Blanche didn't move away, she just turned to stare at him, their faces close. "That's cute," her tone was sarcastic. She crunched the coke can and threw it into the bin, pulling away and off the counter. "Killing 'aint always bad though, some fuckers deserve it!"

Matt tried to ignore where the conversation was headed. He turned to the cupboard and opened it. Nothing but dust and cobwebs.

Milo chuckled patting Blanches head. "You bet it is, And Language missy." he said sitting down at the counter.

"Alright DAD!" Blanche rolled her eyes and scurried over to her hand bag, she took out her turquoise DS and flipped it open. Soon the sounds of her current game filled the room and Blanche was quickly sucked in and immersed.

"In other news, we have a cyborg for a teacher," Matt offered the room, glancing at Blanche to see her reaction. He already knew her love for computers. And now there was one in human form on the premises.

Milo grimaced when Blanche called him dad, wasn't a great way to start off the day. "Yeah, heard this ones a real hunk...of metal..." he laughed then turned to Matt. "Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend or something?"

"Wait what did you say?" Blanche cut them both off at the mention of a cyborg. Snapping the DS shut she shoved it in her bag and stared at them intently, gesturing for them to continue the tale.

"He was sent here by our former math and science professor," Matt said, ignoring Milo's comment. "Figured he would be right up your alley."

"Yo! Matt? Girlfriend? Did you forget about her? The spunky brunet goddess? You know she's kinda cute, If you don't mind I'd tap that." Milo chuckled only kidding but he didn't let Matt know, he wanted to see his reaction.

"That is so cool." Blanche looked genuinely interested and began to think. "I'm gonna get the front row," she drowned off at the end of the sentence and grinned to herself.

A fist went flying, landing just next to Milo's head on the wall. "You might want to cut it, shorty," Matt said. "Or I might just let my beast cut you." With that, he pulled his arm away and flexed his hand, turning back to Blanche. "If you can find him wandering, he's all yours."

Milo flinched a second before the fist flew. "So I can tap it?" he said his cockiness not giving up, he never knew when to stop. "Cause I swear I will dude." he crossed his fingers behind his back.

Blanche didn't move as the punch was thrown, she did grin though, rather intently. "Oh I fully intend to find him, but after I have picked out an outfit, possibly based on Portal." She began to muse costume ideas based around the notorious robot centric game.

"You do, and not only will I kill you, but her mother will as well." Matt, unlike other suitors, had already seeked and received Artemis' blessing because he was both immortal unless killed and could protect her daughter. But precious few people knew that. And even oracles could not spy on the gods.

"Your really hooked on her dude." Milo chuckled, "I was joking dude, don't worry. She's all yours, why don't you just go get her. I think she's up stairs. But you know fuzzy!" He tapped his head reminding Matt that she was half Goddess. "But she is hot, gotta admit that."

"Excuse me while I projectile vomit," Blanche made fake gagging noises along with her statement. The conversation was dead, all they were doing was talking about a chick.

"Leave off," Matt said, turning back to Blanche. "And you're one to talk. You would rather hump a machine than have a relationship."

"Dude just go kiss your girl, maybe it will make you less like a PMSing girl" Milo said pointing to the door."She's with Tazi. Now the witch I can see." He chuckled shooing the taller boy away.

"I like metal, what can I say?" Blanche grinned and shrugged casually. She held her bag of nachos and continued to munch her way through them, happily savoring the cheesy taste. "Do you know what other teachers we go this year?"

"Caesar is still here, if that's what you're wondering," Matt said with a frown. He continued to ignore Milo's goading. It wouldn't look good for the T.A. to go about attacking other students. "The old bat won't leave. I think he is trying to die here so he can haunt the place, too."

Milo huffed. "Esmeralda's here too." he said, before moving toward the door. "Well I have some chicks to see, See ya later." He winked at Blanche and smirked at Matt as he headed out to Never Ending 1st Hall.

Blanche ignored Milo, it was always best too. "Caesar is one of the best teachers here, come on," she nudged him in the arm. "You can't dent that his lessons aren't funny, remember the time he made that girl run out the room crying?" She paused and chuckled. "That was HILARIOUS!"

"What about the time he left that boy standing in the corner so long he actually wet himself?" Matt said with a half chuckle. "The room smelled of urine for weeks after that."

"Still funny," Blanche shrugged her shoulders and chuckled as she went back to that moment in her head. "He gets away with murder around here, in fact her probably has."

"I wouldn't put it past him. Ever since last year, there's been a funny smell about his room." Matt's nose crinkled as he spoke. "But that might have just been the burner he stole."

"I wish I could make popcorn in class," Blanche sucked out. "Though I suppose at least he shares it if we answer questions correctly." Her phone buzzed from her bag causing her to spin around and begin digging for it.

"And the machines return," Matt said with a frown.

"Machines that make my life what it is so don't insult," Blanche opened her phone and began to tap away, returning a text to whomever had contacted her. "A duel huh," she mumbled to herself.

"Complicated?" Matt asked jokingly. "Energy driven? Expensive?"

There was a pink puff of smoke and when it cleared Aphrodite was standing in front of Matt looking up at him disappointed. He had two minuets, two minuets till Kiley fainted. The fainting was a side effect of traveling with Hermes but Kiley traveled with her Uncle anyway. "You have two minuets wolf boy." she glared into Matt's eyes with her own purple ones. She had done this every year without fail for four years. Aphrodite pointed to the door and simply said, "Run boy run."

"What the?" Blanche stared at Aphrodite, her phone half crushed in her hands as she clenched it tightly.

"Shit!" Matt said. He had forgotten, like a dumb ass. Without bothering to take off his clothes, he half shifted into wolf form and took off out the door to Never Ending 1st Hall.

Aphrodite chuckled, that boy was good for Kiley, even if the little goddess wouldn't admit it herself. She spun on Blanche with a meddling smile plastered on her face. "Open your eyes to the boys around you. Machines can't return your love." there was another puff and the Goddess of Love had disappeared.

"Whatever, babe," Blanche scoffed and walked out of the kitchen.

The kitchen door banged open and Akantha entered, looking coolly confident as she took a sweeping glance around the room to get an idea for what door she'd opened. "Bitchin'," she said when she recognized it as the kitchen. Shrugging her shoulders caused the straps of her rucksack to fall to the crooks of her elbows, after which she pulled one arm out entirely and directed the other towards the wall, where the luggage collided and then flopped over. Her boots clamped against the grey slate floors, announcing her arrival the same way her hair, piercings, and clothing did - without mercy. Eying the spread, Akantha walked over to the fridge and pulled it open. Perusing the items, she made a quickfire decision and grabbed the gallon of milk, kicking the door shut behind her as she turned around. She made her way then to the cabinet and pulled out a box of cookies, pushing the door shut with a bump of her hip this time. With the milk in one hand and the cookies in another, she walked over to the island and set her things down. Opening the box by squeezing the middle, Akantha reached in and grabbed a handful of chocolate chip goodness and then popped open the top to the milk with her thumb. Grabbing the perspiring milk jug, she brought it to her lips and took several deep gulps before setting it down and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Tazi pushed open the door once more and entered, spotting Akantha quickly. She moved to the refrigerator and pulled out some water. "Hi dere," she said to the other girl. Even if she was new, Tazi wanted to at least say hi. After all, it was better to get along with the other students than to get into misunderstandings.

As the dark complected girl walked in, Akantha looked up without much interest, a cookie half in and half out of her mouth. "Sup," she replied, nodding her head back once in greeting. Taking another gulp straight from the milk jug, Akantha eyed the girl up and down, piecing together that the bitch was foreign. "Where you from, girly?" she asked, setting down the milk jug and leaning on her arms. When Tazi looked at her, Akantha was ready with her tongue out, flashing her a mischievous look as well as a glimpse at her tongue piercing, fitted with a red anarchy symbol. Bored with being nice, Akantha flopped back into a stool at the island and lifted her combat boots to the countertop. "So what kinda freak are you?"

"I am from a small island in de soud," Tazi replied, neither stating exactly what island nor how far south. She could tell already that Akantha was a bit out there for a student. Opening the bottle of water, she sat down on a stool, careful to keep her skirt low. "Freak? I take dat to mean you are asking why I am at dis school?" Tazi looked over Akantha's head for a moment before shrugging. "I am a sea witch, I suppose. Voodoo powers, as most here put it."

"Caribbean, I can dig," Akantha said, filling in the blanks herself. With an accent like that there wasn't much left to the imagination. After grabbing another cookie, the exotic girl pushed the box closed and snapped the milk cap back on. With a swing, she swept her feet off the counter and hopped out of the stool, sauntering over to the fridge to replace the gallon that was now half-gone. Yanking open the cabinet again, she stuffed the box of sweets in at random, knocking a few other things over without care before pushing the door shut firmly with the toe of her boot. Turning around when Tazi asked for clarification, she laughed once and lifted a brow. "Uh...yeah? What else would I mean?" As the younger girl was explaining herself, Akantha leaned against the island. "A witchy-bitch. Noted," Akantha said dryly, covering her yawn with her hand, showing off chipping black nail polish.

Tazi didn't bother to ask what Akantha was. She could pretty much sense it from her. "It allows me to do dings oders can't. I'm stronger near de oceans, dough." She eyed Akantha as the girl took care of her things. "What do you change into?"

Matt slid into the kitchen while the girls talked. He waited until Tazi finished what she was saying before stepping fulling into the kitchen.

As the witch zeroed in on Akantha's power, the punk just flashed a deviously toothy grin and shrugged a shoulder. Knowledge was power after all and she didn't want to answer for every bear, hyena, or tiger attack in the area - to name a few. So this broad was a witch... Akantha had a few experiences with witches at her other school, but they all seemed a bit harder and darker than the Caribbean girl. Then again, she supposed that's what you got when you put a bunch of freaks in a warehouse in Queens. Eying the skinny boy as he came into the kitchen, Akantha placed a hand on her hip and blatantly checked him out. He looked rugged - just her kind of guy. "Yo, skinny," she greeted, smirking.

Pausing, Matt blinked a few times and inhaled. The new girl's scent stung, if only because she was a shifter and it was much too close to the full moon for him. He twitched slightly and looked at Tazi. "Kiley is in the hall. I was going to fetch you." He turned back to the new girl and frowned. She smelled strongly of several different animals, and that confused his senses. "Hello," he said to her. "Um...the welcoming diner is about to start in the dining hall..." He trailed off as she eyed him. He knew that look. Knew it all too well, actually. Female werewolves that survived the transformation were rare. But shapechangers who were not part celestial were even rarer. His frown deepened.

Akantha just laughed at Matt's reaction to her forward personality and shook her head as she walked towards the door. As she neared him she paused, looking up brazenly as she stepped into his personal space. "A shy critter. Not my style," she said with a lamenting sigh, pushing her sheet of hair over her shoulder and continuing on her way. "Later Slim," she called as she headed towards the exit, her natural stride causing her hips to sway just a bit. She didn't give a shit about the welcome dinner but she was hungry. It had been a long walk from the train station and she needed the nourishment. Grabbing her rucksack from it's resting place near the wall, she hoisted it onto her back quickly, showing lithe strength, and then kicked the door open to Never Ending 1st Hall.

Tazi nodded at Matt and made a face as Akantha eyed him. This wouldn't be good. She instead sat down. "I'll be here for a bit. You go ahead. I catch up."

With a look at Tazi, Matt turned and followed Akantha back into the hall.

Sitting in the kitchen, Tazi could hear what was going on in the hall. She stood slowly and went to the door, slipping out into the hall.

A while later, Akantha entered the kitchen again, heading straight for the cabinets to start opening them and see where the glasses could be. She found pasta, peanut butter, pretzels, and then shut the door to move onto the next cabinet, where the tupperware and soups were kept on a lazy Susan. On she went, checking cupboard after cupboard, wondering just where the hell the glasses were and why they were such a bitch to find. Meanwhile, she as briefly thinking of Sid, wondering if he'd noticed the money yet and, if he had, just what he expected to do about it. Fighting with him had never been an issue - the both of them had always held their own and gone away licking their wounds and nursing their egos, but breaking up with him by stealing his money and vanishing without a word, well, that was an offense that he could get the Hounds involved in... Whatever. She'd take them on too, or fly away, or turn into something so small they'd never know it was her. Sid hadn't seen all her forms before, he still didn't know about the cat or the horse... but he was smart enough to question any animal he saw... Actively suppressing those thoughts for when she could be alone with them and really lay them out, Akantha continued perusing cabinets, finding food galore but no sign of dishes. "What the fuck? Do these people all eat with their fingers or what?" she asked irritably as she kept searching.

Ashley had followed her close behind, and watched as she began to rummage through the cupboards. He could hear her irritation and the particular bits of language in her thoughts. She had a dirty mouth, that was certain. However, he did start hearing her thoughts of Sid and his gang. He heard her confidence about fighting him, but then he heard about the gang. His former panic from the dining room. He started to try and figure out a way to possibly end the potential confrontation before it started but was interrupted by her sudden exclamation. "To be honest I wouldn't know. I just got here." He stepped forward and looked in a cabinet himself. "Well look here my dear, there are just a few but I found them," he said holding a few glasses aloft. He turned to look at her, smiling, and waited for the harsh thoughts to come through.

"No way," Akantha said, abruptly turning around and marching over to the cabinet Ashley had just opened to see, indeed, two glasses in his hands. She grabbed one from his hand, inspecting it and then took the other before lifting her head to look into the open cupboard and count the number of glasses in there. "Well no shit. They got this place set up all weird. Who puts the glasses next to the pantry?" she asked hypothetically as she stood on her toes and grabbed four more. "Let's see, if Spooky, Slim, Panty-Boy, and his little escort all show up, then that's six," she said, stacking the glasses into two towers of three each. She grabbed another just in case someone unexpected showed up, or one got broken, which had been known to happen at some of her and Sid's wilder parties. Pretty much any time the Hounds showed up, something either died or was demolished - there was really no other way for those monsters to party. "So, she said, turning to lean against the counter with one leg bent so that her foot rested flat against the lower cabinets. Her eyes suddenly turned sultry and she took a step towards him. "You know, you never told me what you were," she commented casually, walking smoothly so that her hips swung evenly as she approached. "You did all the asking but kept your secrets to yourself," she said, smoothing her hands over his shoulders and to his back as she leaned her head into his, her full chest pressed against his chest. Aligning her soft lips to the shell of his ear he whispered, "Just what are you hiding?"

Ashley stepped away from the counter after she grabbed the glasses from his hand. He smiled to himself. She was rather interesting after all. However, his mind began to reel again with the thoughts of Sid and his gang showing up. He didn't like the images he was getting of them. With as violent as what they were, the school might be lucky to survive a visit from them. He hoped they never would. He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he put his glasses back, he realized that Akantha was looking at him. She was incredibly attractive, and she looked rather inviting at the time. Unfortunately he couldn't read her mind at the time as his own mind was focused elsewhere. He took a step back as she stepped forward, his eyes on her hips. He heard her words, but he was still utterly surprised at her behavior. He started hearing thoughts from all over the mansion, loud and incomprehensible. He did his best to turn it off, but just as he did she had grabbed him. He didn't know what to think as she asked her question. If I weren't a virgin I may have better control of myself in this situation he thought. "Well, uh..." he stammered, his voice cracking just slightly. "As I told you my dear, I'm just naturally curious. And who says I have anything to hide?"

Smirking as his voice cracked, Akantha, who clearly had something up her sleeve, licked the rim of his ear slowly with the point of her tongue, punctuating the motion by coming back down and then sucking on his earlobe. She released him then with a scrape of her teeth and then backed into the counter, leaning against it with her arm extended behind her on the granite tops. "You know, I was at a freak academy like this before," she began, her eyes pinned on him and the awkward nerdiness of his never-been-touched-before demeanor, "we had all kinds of different circus acts; werewolves, vampires, witches, elves, even a fairy or two..." Having clearly decided that he was not any of those, she listed them off with a dismissive shrug and then cast a wicked gaze on him, grinning as if she had finally cornered her prey. Deciding to test her theory about what else he could be, Akantha began to think very clearly about the two of them having sex. Her image was simple, one of her back up against a brick wall, legs thrown around his waist as her mouth opened in a wild, sensuous cry of pleasure while Ashley hovered over her, hands braced against the wall near her ears. It was PG-13, she showed nothing but the gestures and all the clothes on in a whirlwind fury-fuck. As she thought about this, her image possibly hazy since she didn't have much practice with controlling her thoughts, the Greek troublemaker kept a sharp eye on Ashley, waiting to see if he was picking up on anything and see if her guess was correct.

Ashley's eyes widened and his pulse quickened as she began to run her tongue up and down the rim of his ear. When she sucked on his earlobe, the thoughts of the mansion came crashing down upon him once more. It was starting to give him a headache. He knew he had to focus and fix the situation, but at the same time his member was beginning to grow as she backed away against the counter. He was frozen with embarrassment as he panicked to find a way to hide his rapidly growing erection. As she started listing potential "freak groups" that he could be a part of, his face grew red. Not only was she embarrassing him by, quite obviously, figuring out he was a virgin, but she was trying to discover what his particular "talent" was. He looked around, face red, fully erect, and panicked and tried to find a way to hide it all. The best he could come up with was examining the contents of the refrigerator. As the image of the two of them having sex against a wall came through, he quickly pulled open the door and knelt down to look inside, thus hiding his boner at least. He was still blushing of course just as he was speechless. He was a little appalled at the simple fact that he liked the images he was getting from her, even if they were a bit hazy. He was still a gentleman after all. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and held it up. He cleared his throat, hoping to keep his voice from cracking again, and asked, "Would you like one?"

Akantha leaned comfortably against the counter, as if she were doing nothing wrong at all. In fact, she arched an inquisitive brow and brushed the glossy sheet of black hair from her shoulder with a smooth gesture. "What's the matter, Ash?" she asked, emphasizing him name to snap him back to the present in case he was having difficulty. Her eyes drifted down to his groin as he fidgeted and then turned to find solace in the refrigerator, as if he could block her thoughts by turning his back. Having relied on her confident sexuality on more than one occasion, the teenage shapeshifter smiled knowingly as, once again, she had used it wisely. She chuckled once, a short, sharp sound of pure amusement. "Having a hard time?" she purred lowly, as if she were about to turn into a large, feral cat at any moment. While he kept his back to her, Akantha drummed up another sensuous image - a flashing image of her bucking on top of a man with glasses who held onto her hips as if afraid she'd fly off. "Don't need one," she replied, letting the image fade away as he offered her a water, clearly trying to keep his secrets secret. "Gotcha, telepath," she thought as she stared at the back of his head, grinning like the cat who ate the canary.

"Not used to women coming onto me as you seemed to be doing," Ashley said as calmly as he could muster. Which wasn't much as he was still trying to control himself in more ways than one. When she said she didn't need a bottle of water he stood up and closed the refrigerator and opened up the bottle in his hand. He took sip as the memory of the image she had in her head began to fade. She was good, and he was sure that she had him pegged at this point. Not good, he thought to himself. Then he heard those two magic words. He cut his eyes towards her for the briefest of moments, only the most observant would have noticed. He took another sip of his water and leaned up against the countertop. His only choice would continue to play dumb until she really pressed him to it. He tuned the other voices out. Now he knew what she was up to and it made it easier to regain control of his other head. It was just the two of them now. "So, what all is going to happen at this party of yours?"

"I'll bet not," Akantha replied as he basically admitted he was clueless about chicks. "But I didn't need to read your mind to figure that one out. You can tell just by looking at you," she carried on, smirking as she folded her arms over her chest while he busied himself against the opposite counter. She shrugged at his question with no intention of answering. "Kinda kills the fun of a party to plan it all out," she drawled, lifting a brow as she stuck her bottom lip out in a practiced, street expression of 'what the hell is wrong with you?' Looking him up and down with scrutiny again, she sighed and closed her eyes, shrugging a single shoulder. "Drink. Smoke. Listen to music. Maybe play some bullshit games. Stuff like that," she explained. Pushing off the counter, she walked by, making sure to brush her hip against his side. Without verbally saying goodbye, she lifted her hand as she exited the doors to Never Ending 1st Hall and made sure to think "Dormitory 160 quite clearly.

She knows, Ashley thought to himself as Akantha left. What am I going to do? he asked as he stared at the floor. He didn't know what was going to happen. He seemed to have everything under control and now this girl entered into the picture and seemed to have him figured out better than most people could. He was suddenly very uncomfortable, and was going to have to figure this whole situation out. However, standing in the kitchen wasn't going to achieve the goal he wanted. "Looks like I'm going to a party," he said aloud as he walked out of the kitchen to Never Ending 1st Hall. He returned later and grabbed the glasses and walked back out.

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Leads to: Never Ending 1st Hall
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