Gertrude walks Clarice down to the headmistress's office. In the corners of the hallway - Claire can be seen stalking them, bouncing from corner to corner every time one of them looks back. Gertrude and Clarice finally enter the office, leaving Claire behind. Her eyes kept darting to her surroundings, only to find out that the student council's office was just beside it, and the door was left open. Stealthily she entered the office. However once she got in, she heard a group of students closing in on the room, she frantically searched for a spot to hide, that's when she found a cabinet sitting behind the wall, next to the headmistress's office.
Student council finally entered the room and Claire was nowhere to be seen
On the other side of the room Ms. Song is seen signing some paperwork. Ms. Song notices them "What is it Gertrude?"
"Headmistress, the girl's sister… she's back"
This made her take her glasses off, carefully drop the pen, then clasps her fingers to square her posture. "Clarice will you promptly wait for us outside, I'll call you when I'm ready"
Clarice was pushed all the way out, then she waits patiently outside
Claire also hears these words even while inside the cabinet
While the two were alone in the office, both sides could hear Gertrude's voice
"Ah! AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHH! *gasp* HA! HAAaaaaaaa…"
escalating until a muffled scream was heard, and it progressively toned down to a wheeze.
The twins' faces shot up in shock from what they just heard
One of the students on Claire's side briefly murmured "Yikes, ever since Ms. Song got that makeover, people have been screaming in her office lately"
Due to shock, Claire's face shot up even more.
A muffled voice sounded right behind the door "Come in Clarice!"
She was greeted by Ms. Song on the doorway, once Clarice enters the room, as she looks around- she discovers Gertrude's lifeless body, drained of all her fluids, slumped over the chair in front of the desk.
Her eyes shot up, jowls dropped
Ms. Song clicked the lock shut, then lazily wiped a smear of blood from her chin with her thumb.
Then she walks towards Clarice. Ms. Song
Clarice's lips quiver "w- why?"
"Why not? She's become a liability on our end, I tasked her to look after your sister in Cydonia. Then what did she do? Nothing… absolutely nothing! But you… you have been you've been the sharpest among them little Phoenix"
With her hands shaking, Clarice had her eyes glued onto Gertrude's corpse
"Clarice~"
She just kept staring
"CLARICE!"
The voice was loud enough to snap her look towards Ms. Song
"Sit down dear"
She reluctantly dragged her feet to the chair opposite the desk.
Ms. Song slowly walks right behind at Clarice, lightly grabbing her shoulders, as she can feel Ms. Song's chilling breath blowing against her neck.
Then *prick* her entire body stiffens
Ms. Song's entire maw was wrapped onto her neck, she could feel the puncture along with its vacuum. As Ms. Song pulled her jaw out of Clarice's neck, she gagged.
Breathing heavily, she had her eyes slanted down outward, saying "Huh, so it doesn't work on people under Noctum's mutation." She said it with a smirk
Clarice gradually relaxes her shoulders. But then her stomach unexpectedly grumbles
Ms. Song whispered softly "Are you hungry?"
Clarice just pursed her lips and looked down.
Ms. Song pulled out her phone and speed-dialed her personnel "Hello Regina, it's almost lunch and I'm going to need two samples…
Oh because I have a special guest- she is extra hangry…
…oh! Almost forgot! Make this pair extra plump alright? Make sure it's the loud ones, they always pack the sweetest substance!...
Tnankies~<3"
The call ended
Clarice stammered while looking at Ms. Song "Wh- who was that?"
Ms. Song switches her eyes to Clarice, with her eyebrows stretched outward - relaxing them to a slant on her temples, along with a soft smile "You know what's the best part of Noctum?"
A brief silence struck the room, Ms. Song breaks it
"You can tell the intentions of anyone through their heartbeat, yours is galloping like a horse"
Clarice scoffed "Ha! After what you did to sister Gertrude? Who wouldn't? Why did you call me here exactly?"
Ms. Song faces her entire body towards her "I rite of passage my dear; sometimes you have to close a door to open a window. In your case you have always left your door open, and your windows closed."
She shakes her head as she sways her hand "What I'm saying is…: You need to let Claire go"
Clarice looks to the side looking away from Ms. Song while she sharply sighs. A small frown curls on her lips.
Knock knock knock
Suddenly someone knocked on the door
"Come in!" Ms. Song quickly turns around
Whom opened the door was a nurse, pushing it with her trunk - pulling a person tied on a wheelchair as their face was covered by a sack. Then came in another nurse with also a person tied to a wheelchair whilst the face is covered as well. Both of them seem to be boys, but the other has long blonde hair.
The nurses line them up side by side, as they finally take the boys' masks off. The boy with the shorter hair was just a random student, as his mouth was muzzled shut, muffling his words to incoherence as he looked around with his eyes bulging wide.
Next, the other nurse unmasked a long-haired blonde
Clarice's eyes shot up as she immediately started sweating bullets
"Donovan?!"
"Oh! So you know this rat?" She closes in on him, then she starts squeezing his cheeks "He was caught stealing from the campus pantry, taking more for one person - as punish this past week we've been force feeding him at least 10,000 calories a day"
Donovan's eyes were glued to Clarice as he sweats profusely
"Clarice, take this one. I'll handle the other" Ms. Song walked in front of the random student and sat on his thighs facing him eye to eye. She caresses his cheek right before she draws her face close to his.
Brushing past his cheek, Ms. Song started to sink her fangs onto his neck. The tips began to sink under his skin as the student started to squirm his torso to buck off Ms. Song, along with muffled distressing cries.
Cupping her hands on the back of his head, she pulls him in, fully embedding her fangs on his neck. Muffled screams can be heard as he tries to squirm out of her grip. Slowly his body began to drain, while Ms. Song was moaning and her pupils dilated - rolling to the back of her head. Then the student's body began to deflate like a balloon.
In the other room, Claire heard everything, yet quickly shutting her mouth with her hands before she could let out a gasp. Sweating profusely; she continues to listen.
Donovan saw the entire scene, with his eyes shot open, sweat just kept pouring down on his face, switching her eyes to Clarice. His eyes slanted outward, his breaths got heavier, he shook his head looking away from the both of them.
Finally Ms. Song releases her jaw from the students neck; a few drops of blood shed down from her lips, sharply sighing. While Ms. Song stands up from the student's deflated lifeless body, she says
"Well how about that… You know despite my age I have quite a good memory, because these faces are quite familiar in the Welfare Trials. Though I think this one isn't a part of your team"
Clarice stammered while slowly turning her eyes towards Ms. Song "Y- y- you were watching us? This whole time?"
She scoffed "Pfft! Of course! A good leader should always oversee what's happening below; just to keep the gears running smoothly! Also I loved your work with Reyna, but if I'm cut-sure… that was more of an act of desperation, yes?"
Squeezing her eyebrows upward, Clarice glances to her back where Ms. Song as she pursed her lips. She faces Ms. Song talking to her whilst avoiding her eyes "I can't do this…" she glances back at Donovan, then back to Ms' Snog "he's… my friend"
Ms. Song answers with a soft motherly smile…
"I know"Clarice's face shot up as her jaw dropped with a ragged breath.
Donovan's eyes stretched open as he heard those words.
Ms. Song shrugged "Well what are you waiting for?" slowly creeping up a smile as he grey eyes started to faintly glow
"Dig in!"
Clarice turned her body facing Donovan. Slowly. With her hands quivering, she grabbed Donovan by the shoulders
He looked up at her face as his tears were welling up whilst shaking his head. Panting frantically as he squirms, shackled onto the wheelchair
Reluctantly, Clarice straddles both of her legs in between Donovan's legs. Under his muzzle he began letting out distressing muffled whimpers, this time aggressively shaking his head in refusal. Both of them lock eyes; Donovan's were shot wide open as his tears were already dripping down his cheeks, while Clarice - frowning as her pupils were quivering and the end of her eyebrows slanted down.
Clarice bites her lip, her hand trembling as he caresses Donovan's cheek, after that he has calmed down for a brief second. Right before Clarice opens her mouth revealing the serpent like fangs fold out from the ceiling of her mouth. Donovan closes his eyes as a single tear runs down his cheek.
As Clarice draws her face closer to his neck, he could feel the cold breath as his eyes shut even tighter. Her jaw quivers as she unhinges it. She drew closer…
And closer…
Until her fangs finally touch the surface of his skin
"I- I can't do it… I'm sorry Ms. Song"
Pushing Donovan away with both arms as she was still sitting on her legs.
Donovan sighed under his muzzle, his body dropping down as he sighs.
Ms. Song loudly clicks her tongue exclaiming "Just bite him! you've done it once, you can certainly do it again!"
Clarice shook her head "I'm sorry- it's just- I wouldn't have made it in the trials, without them…"
Donovan squints his eyes as he smiles under the muzzle
"And I chose you for the trials!" she swiftly swipes Donovan on the face with her claws. He loudly whimpered as blood began to drip down from the fresh lacerations.
Wiping the blood with her thumb, Ms. Song smeared the blood onto Clarice's lip. Recoiling she swats away her hands, however her pupils began to dilate, the world around her started to look sharper, her breaths got heavier, and her stomach grumbled louder. The stench of blood impregnates her lungs as it activates neurons in her mind.
Mouth open, fangs out, he stares down at Donovan dolling, as her eyes glow a sapphire blue.
You could see in Donovan's hands, he was trembling in fear.
With a low, broken moan, Clarice grabbed his face, violently turned it to the side, and sank all of her teeth deep into his neck.
Donovan's muffled screams echoed through the room as she wrapped her arms around him like a vice, claws digging into his back as it bled. She drank greedily, moaning in shameful pleasure while his body jerked and thrashed against the restraints.
In the next room, the Student Council fell completely silent, glancing at each other, visibly distressed. Claire, still hidden in the cabinet, pressed her ear harder against the wall, her face pale with horror, jaw hanging open. Her sweat dripped down the floor as she quickly shut her own mouth right before she could squeal a sound.
The screams gradually fizzle out with each passing second, but Clarice's moans increasingly get louder, then finally…
Sucking off the very last drop, she slowly pulled her maw out from his neck, as strings of blood and saliva stretched from her lips, sighing with relief. Looking at his neck, Clarice left a nasty bite mark, not just the fangs but all of her teeth- yes this includes the lower jaw.
A mixture of blood and saliva dripped down at the ends of her lips, while her face was still blushing out of pleasure.
Ms. Song holds her shoulder from behind "So… how does it feel, when the food is served not on the floor, but on a silver platter?"
Clarice looks at herself in the reflection of Donovan's lifeless eyes
"Euphoric…"
*Meanwhile in the other room: Student Council Office*
Claire was still in the cabinet, but since the room turned silent she tried to open the door.
It's locked, she tries wiggling it open, repeatedly making clicking sounds. Her face lit up; she pulled one of her hair pins and lodged it in the keyhole of the cabinet.
After several seconds of fiddling the keyhole it finally clicked.
But right she was about to push the door open, one of the students opened it first, starting the both of them.
"Err… Sup" Claire waved.
The student that pulled her out had a red tag wrapped around his right sleeve and asked "What are you doing there?"
As Claire drops down she scoffed "Hah, I definitely wasn't eavesdropping" her eyes bulge out frantically looking around as she purses her lips.
An awkward silence ensued
The same student grimaced "Er yeah, sure buddy… Come sit down with us"
While walking towards their table Claire asks "Yer the campus Council President yeah?"
He points the student with the blue tag "This is the vice"
At the yellow "the secretary"
At green "Treasurer"
And at pink "And you… What do you even do?"
She shrugged "I sit pretty ~<3"
The campus president nodded "Oh yeah, you're the campus muse…"
Claire walked between them flailing her arms "Alright! Alright! I get it! Do you guys have any idea what's going on in the Headmistress' room?- matter of fact what's been going on in the whole campus?"
The student president asked "Wait before we get to that, we didn't get to know your name?"
"It's Calire… Claire Phoenix"
The entire student council gasped as they kept glancing at each other reluctantly
"Wha- why- what's going on?"
The vice president stepped forward and asked "Wait you don't know?"
"Know what?"
The vice looked down to the side "Um… how can I say this?... You err-"
The secretary shot up from her seat "You're already expelled!"
All of them darted their eyes towards her
"I've read a document of yours that 'says after you were gone for a week, faculty and the clergy officially declared you were expelled"
Claire stammered "B- but I'm still part of the orphanage right?"
For a brief moment the whole council looks down to the side… right before the campus president breaks the silence by holding her shoulder saying "Look… we're still not sure about that one, but we know for sure; whoever it is…
they want you out"
Claire lightly bites her lip while she shook her head "Tsk, I dunno what's worse; the fact that no one ever tried to contest Song, or the part when I already knew this would happen when I was gone.
Ya'll got any ideas in yer noggins?"
All of them looked away when she asked that, then the treasurer spoke "We can't scheme right now, she (Ms. Song) might hear us"
*Back at the Headmistress' Office*
Clarice has already covered the bodies with cloth, which are tied on wheelchairs.
Ms. Song holds her by the shoulder "Do you still remember our last formal meeting?"
Clarice looks back "H- how could I? It was the same day Claire… almost… oh god"
Ms. Song hugged her from behind saying "Shh- You don't need to worry about that, what matters is that you two are together again… Weare together again.
But I'll beat myself up if I didn't tell you this: Your sister has been…" she says with a low tone "effectively expelled from this institution"
Clarice swatted Ms. Song's arms from her embrace "Wha- why?!"
Ms. Song crosses her arms "Clarice Phoenix, I don't need to remind you that she has gone missing for more than two weeks!"
Shoulders squared, fists tight, Clarice rebutted "What? You didn't even consider that she almost bled to death? Unbelievable! What would you do if I was the one that left and not her?"
Ms. Song dropped her arms as she straightened her face, before blinking to lock onto Clarice's eyes "I would've expelled you…"
Clarice's shoulders dropped as she loosens her fists
Ms Song continued "The outside world is cutthroat, so cutthroat that it has a thirst for grit… which you have clearly shown. They will not care how young you are, nor if your only human, they will not hesitate to make you their toys"
Clarice stammered "B- but you didn't have to- we don't have to do all of this!" She swayed her arms towards the limp corpses.
The room fell silent.
Then Ms. Song started giggling.
The giggle grew into laughter.
Then full, loud, unhinged cackling that echoed through the walls.
Then she sighed "At the end of the day you're still a Phoenix" she shook her head as she leaned on the desk.
"After what you did to your so-called 'friend' you have the gall to take this moral highground? That audacity of yours is truly disgusting! I have given all of my wit, just for you to succeed in the welfare trials. What do I get in return? You spit it back on my face!"
Her eyelids twitched as she he scoffed "You know what? You have always been the weaker twin!"
Clarice's faced dropped in awe
"I know how you two live, Claire sticks her neck-out doing odd jobs by night, and penny pinching by day, just so you could sit pretty in class while she flunks every class. She's aimless! But you~ because of her you are here, everyone has given you every opportunity.
You were given a dream, a goal, I gave you friends, I gave you power! And what do you do, with everything you have?!"
Ms. Song shouted at her face as Clarice recoiled, and then she asks
"What?"
"TO WIN! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WIN!
When the opportunity is given to you; YOU TAKE IT! You don't let anyone and I mean anyone take it from you!"
After each sentence she keeps aggressively tapping her finger on the desk
"No stranger, not your friends, nor Claire, nor even ME! You don't get to let it go, especially when you've come this far. When somebody offers you the easy way way out- with nooooooo repercussions, you RUN without looking back-
Which is why I*presses her finger aghast her chest* had to let your sister go. She's become a weakness of your success- *she flings her hands up* hell! You don't even need to be codependence anymore," she clenches her fist tighter with each word "for you have become much stronger than her"
Ms. Song drops her shoulders as she sighed, softly closing her eyes, she approaches Clarice, pulls her hand- cupping it with both of her own hands, softly she said
"Whatever your ambition is, you don't let that go…"
Slowly she tightens her grip on Clarice's hands "So right now, despite my potential immortality, my body is on the edge of death.
Feeding on blood is the only thing keeping me breathing, which is why I need to keep feeding every hour, I will only let myself go when I have found a true successor for headmaster of this campus-" she waves her hands at Clarice "you're almost there, don't get me wrong-
it's just you still have one weakness"
Clarice tilts her head "What?"
For a moment Ms. Song shuts her eyes tight, before looking back at Clarice in the eyes
"You need to let Claire go…"
Clarice's eyes well up with tears as she shuts her eyes tight, one can spot her frown from the side of her face, right before she looks back at the headmistress with her eyes glowing blue.
It quivers within the reflection of Ms. Songs eyes, as it was half open while she flashes a small soft smile.
"I…" During this long, excruciating pause she grits her teeth, them purses her lips
"I need to go"
She swats the headmistress' hands away from its grasp. With heavy steps she hurriedly exits the office, while Ms. Song just stared at her on her way out.
Once she was alone with the bodies that the both of them fed on, she leaned on the desk. The middle of her eyebrows pressed up and a frown drooping down her face. She pulls out her phone, speed dialing someone.
"Hello infirmary? I'd like to request a clean up please"
*Meanwhile in the students council office*
*BANG*
Claire heard a loud bang on the Headmistress' office, she darted her head to the opposite room, she quickly got up from her seat as her steps progressively got heavier she shouted at them "I'll talk to you guys later!"
Once she exited the office, she saw Clarice running in the hallway as she was audibly sobbing.
"REECE!"
She didn't even look back as she bolted, so Claire booked it! Loudly Clarice cried across the hallways. Students looked over them as they moved out of their way while Claire was tailing her. Clarice was bawling her eyes out while covering her mouth, sprinting along the hallway, she was so fast that Claire was starting to fall behind.
"Reece! Wait! *pant* *pant* H- how the fuck did you got so fast?!"
One of the students stuck their leg out, Claire saw this so she jumped over it, but right before she landed there was another leg, this time she tripped for sure.
She trips slamming flat on her side
"Ow, owie, *hiss* Argh! I don't have time for this!" she quickly pushed herself back up while holding her other arm. At the end of the hallway, she saw Clarice frantically enter the bathroom. Claire followed her inside, as she got in; it was just in time to see her which cubicle she hid herself.
Locking the door, backing down to sit on the toilet, Clarice gagged as she sobbed, pulling her face down along with tears running down her cheeks. Her cries echoing throughout the porcelain walls, wiping her tears in futility as more flow down, wailing
"Uuuuooogh! W- why us?"
Suddenly she hears a loud bang from the door, accompanied by he the sound was Claire huffing, gasping for air
"Dang it Reece! Where are you?!"
She wailed "G- *gasp* get away from me p- pleeeeeeaaaaAAAAASSSEEE!"
Claire walks inside, staring down the doors, tracking Clarice down through sound "I'm not leaving here 'till you tell me what's going on?!"
Clarice dragged her voice "Please Claire, I'm begging you! Stay out of this!"
Claire quickly walked towards the door where Clarice was hiding, wiggling the door knob "You know well enough that I'm not leaving here until you tell me what's upsetting you!"
Clarice just answers back, sobbing with every stutter "*hic* Please Claire, I- I can do this o- on my own!"
Claire sighs and takes a few steps back, sprinting with all her might - she kicks the door straight to the lock, literally cracking it open. Clarice was startled as soon as Claire slammed it open.
She stopped crying, staring at Claire intensely as her eyes still well up "Cl- Claire"
Claire purses her lips as her eyebrows slanted down outward. "Come on, let's go to our room." She reaches her hand out
"NO!"
Claire tucked her hand back
"Please Claire, y- you have to l- leave… LOOK AT ME!" She quite literally tears the skin off of her face as Claire's face stretched in horror.
She pulled it right from her forehead as she let out a guttural scream. Pus was squirting around the wound as she continuously ripped it down. The black pus drips down from her fingers to her arms as she stops pulling her face down. Witnessing before her was the skin of Clarice's face slowly Mending back together; first it was the veins, then the collagen, then the fat, lastly her skin.
She also folded out her fangs as it made a squelching sound.
Claire was hyperventilating "W- what the fuck?!" Cupping Clarice by both cheeks she sees her face slowly loosen as wrinkles begin to appear on her face. Claire wiped Clarice's tears away, however her face contorts in the middle as her nose flares up, gritting her teeth she asked
"Who did this to you?!"
Clarice looks down while she caresses Claire's hand "Who else? You already know the answer to that"
Claire shook her head, exclaiming "Argh! Stop being vague! Who exactly did this to you?"
"You might know him, it's Nicodemus… Nicodemus Brown. But judging how the headmistress works right now, I'm pretty sure this was her plan"
"Err- yeah, I do know him. Where is he now?"
Clarice starts biting her nails as she said "He um… I almost killed him" Claire's jaw dropped while Clarice was still talking "But he's in the infirmary now, but… He's barely holding on"
Claire clicks her tongue "tsk, then I can deal with him later, right now we-"
Clarice cuts her off mid-sentence "I got it!"
Claire tilts her head saying "what do you mean you got it?"
"Look at this" Clarice pulls down her neck collar revealing two pairs of bite marks "See this? Notice there's two?"
Claire gazed down saying "Oh shit… they deadass turned you into a vampire, like an actual real one!"
"Yeah and get this: since we don't have any blood but pus inside of us, we're practically poison to ourselves"
Claire crosses her arms "So you're saying?"
"Listen, right now the headmistress is treating delinquents like cattle-"
Claire sporadically scrambles her hands around "W-w-w-w-wait, you mean they actually suck off blood from other people now? Christ… that's fucked up… Please tell me you haven't sucked any"
Clarice looked away and got quiet
"Oh my God… Reece, h- how could you-"
"I HAD TO! I- I had to…"
Both of them looked down, Clarice's lips were quivering while Claire covered hers.
Then Clarice locks in
"I need to save them, Claire…" her voice was shaky but it had a stern tone "if she can't kill me because I'm on Noctum then… if everybody here is all under its influence, the headmistress won't be inclined to suck any of us off!"
Claire purses her lips as she squints her eyes, despite this, you can see she's holding her laugh back as she snickers
"Look man, that sounded better in my head, but you know what I mean?!"
Claire rested her fists on her hips, raising an eyebrow. "Then how exactly am I supposed to help you with that genius plan?"
Clarice tapped her finger on her chin, thinking. "Look… you're gonna hate me for this, but I need you to do what you do best."
She spread her palms dramatically.
"Act like a complete idiot and piss off anyone who gets in our way."
Claire grinned, stretching her shoulders. "Say less."
She suddenly struck a ridiculous pose, voice going up three octaves. "KYAAA~! I'm just a stupid bimbo doll! My bag is Gucci to match my perfect coochie! I'm just a little bimbo doll, my boobs are huge but I'm so small! KYAAA!"
Clarice immediately curled over, cackling while covering her nose. Claire threw her head back, laughing loudly with her.
After a moment, both of them sighed, the laughter fading.
Both of them sigh, Claire scratched the back of her neck. "So… since you're on a diet now… what do you want for dinner? You don't eat humans, right?"
Clarice froze, staring blankly at the floor for a second too long.
"Right…?"
Clarice startled, waving her hands frantically. "N-no no! Of course not! What— why would you even—!"
She caught herself, forcing a weak smile.
"Honestly I just wanna hangout tonight, y'know~ as twins!" said clarice as she wipes more of her tears away
Claire crossed her arms "Rooftop?"
"Rooftop" Clarice nodded
They dap up as Claire pulled Clarice up from the toilet.
*Later that night right when the sun was about to set*
Claire, sitting on the roof over one of the high walls of the campus. The desert breeze slowly cools her face as it brushes her hair to the side. The sinking sun shining the remaining beams on the horizon. She was curled up as her arms were covering the bottom-half of her face. With tired eyes she can barely keep her eyes open, as the breeze makes her slowly relax her body. But then she hears a clank from the high wall hatch. Scooching to the side, she rests her arms behind her, anticipating as clanks can be heard drawing closer to the roof
"Phew! Now I know why they call it the high walls now" Clarice said as she wipes her forehead
"Reece! Come sit down will ya!"
As she does, with trepid steps, she carefully squats down as the shingles make clanking noise with every move
Claire leans her arms backwards as she gazes the horizon "y'know - we haven't had an actual talk right when we met… again that is"
"-Yeah- yeah… err, I was thinking the same thing" Her eyes scramble around avoiding Claire right before she says "How about you go first?"
She hissed while looking up "Well… right after the big squabble in the casino- I honestly thought I died" she giggled nervously, then her face straightened "Then I woke up in a clinic while a priest- or more or so a High Priest was looking after me… He was really nice~"
Clarice smirked "Seems like you had a great time there~"
Claire hunched forward and crossed her arms covering her knees "Which I'd be saying if it was true; you see the clinic was actually a part of a church, they deadass been doing some shady shit there; guys getting shock-chaired, some look like they're worked to the bone, pretty sure it's forced labor too."
Clarice covered her mouth "Oh my god…"
"Yeah" Claire nodded "right after that, a riot attacked us, then a giant robot punched a hole on the ceiling, and bashed my head 10 feet to the ground"
"Oooohhh~ So that's why you stayed a bit longer" Claire tilts her head away
"Yup- how about you? How's school?" Asked Claire as she leaned back again with her arms behind.
Clarice tilts her head while saying "Well… I think you already know half of it, but long story-short: I won the welfare trials"
Claire puts her hand on her head "Holy crap! So the rumors were true. How'd you win?"
Clarice started counting the trials with her fingers
"Well… first there was the expedition around Cydonian perimeters, then unarmed combat with my guy best friend, then armed combat against the girl-"
Claire immediately cuts her off "Hold on! Hold on! You fought in the trials? How?!"
"Whaddya mean how?" Clarice raised a brow
"Cause you…" Claire starts tilting her hands perpendicularly "You don't really strike me as a fighting type of gal"
Clarice briefly looks away- face scrunched inward, she clicks her tongue, and she quickly shoots up from the roof, pressing her thumb against her chest with every sentence
"I survived the oases of Cydonia!
I beat my guy best friend with pure strategy!
And I beat my final opponent with everything I had!"