Abney hadn’t expected the way her night went: stumbling into a group, her roommate being a disembodied head that wasn’t even her roommate and that was a fairly long story. The crystal witch ended up hesitantly taking the head, awkwardly holding the head as she made her way back to the dorm. For at least this night, Rigel-Siegmund had to stay as just a head. Idle chit-chat was made until they got back, upon which Abney placed Rigel-Siegmund in his chair and turned on the tv, finding something to amuse the head while she made herself something to eat as a thrown together dinner.

Finding plenty of ingredients to make some good old Viking food, Abney got to work on making what was known as Green Soup. It probably looked gross to other people but Abney was secretly hoping it would take the edge off of her homesickness. It did not. She answered questions here and there; what she was making, where she was from, how her world was. Abney kept the topic’s light, avoiding anything heavy or what could be considered ‘sad’. She was a Viking Crystal witch who had survived two world wars and minor civil wars who also had an affinity not just for shields but magic. It sounded quite odd when simplified that much like that and Abney just had to find it amusing.

Settling in pj’s so her usual clothes could get washed, she’d ask minor questions about his world after, what it was like - what he could remember of it. Abney paid more attention to Rigel than the tv, laying across the couch so the conversations could continue. At least until the witch fell asleep on said couch.

Her internal clock woke her with the sun and she softly groaned to herself, cursing how often she’d wake at sunrise to do engine work. Wasn’t this like a forced vacation? Why couldn’t she sleep in darn it? And she left the TV on, the box playing a random cartoon in the morning. This place had a strange sense of humor. Tiredly dragging herself up, Abney rubbed her eyes as she stumbled into the kitchen to begin her day while trying not to disturb Rigel, if he was in sleep mode. Opening the fridge, Abney took out a clay-made looking jug in curious wonder. She popped the cork and sniffed it before making a low ‘ohhh!’ in happiness: it seems the school was polite enough to put homemade mead in the fridge, much to the Viking’s delight. Popping the cork, Abney took a chug out of it before settling back on the couch to flip channels. She probably should find a way to text Toni, see if they could meet up at some point today. Abney scrunched her nose; the witch had the feeling Toni wasn’t thrilled with her existence but in this particular instance, the fellow Engineer would have to deal!

Toni was a bit surprised when Arty asked to examine Siegmund’s body. She was slightly confused by this but let him. Watching him grouch down next to the body and begin examining it. Her eyes reflected concern but she kept quiet. His findings were something similar to what she thought she would find after what Rigel told her. Not to mention she had seen some of it from the parts she had rebuilt for Siegmund. She had scraped a few of his more damaged parts and canabilized them into others. ”A lot of this is foreign to me.” she gave a soft sigh as she rubbed her face. She smiled at his fascination of her friends body. Maybe once things calmed down she could get him to help her with the wiring and study of it. Looking down at the body she felt a stirring inside her though. Was that the only way she saw Siegmund? Something to be studied? She felt very tired and very exhausted as she had that thought. She knew that he was her friend and she wanted to help him. He was also technology though and she wanted to learn and understand. It seemed to be a thing for her. All of this trial and error of socializing was making it difficult for her. Briefly she thought of Luke but hadn’t liked the feeling of his games.

Why did she all of a sudden start thinking of her relationships with people? Frowning to herself she continued on by apologizing to Arty for being the way she was. ”Relate to? You barely speak Arty, at least not much of your work. You seem to be just patiently putting up with me.” she laughed softly before giving him his new legs. She smiled as he put on the legs and wobbled around the room. She could tell that the faults were ones with the neural connections. ”Don’t think of them as prosthetics. Think of them as your actual legs. Extensions of yourself. It’s all in your mind. Similar to flexing your hand to a fist. You don’t think about the action, but you can feel it in the muscle as it moves to your will. Do the same with the nanites. They will react the same way. If you treat them like a prosthetic they will behave like one.” it had taken her a long time to get used to the armor herself but now it was like a second skin.

She paid no mind as he turned his attention to his phone. Instead she herself laid down on the couch and was soon snoring softly.

Next morning.

As the morning came Toni woke slowly not feeling at all like she had slept. Rolling from the couch she stood and rubbed her face with both hands hard. Going to the kitchen she started coffee brewing before going to the shower and washing. By the time the coffee was done she had showered, brushed her teeth, dressed, and any other necessities for the morning. Going to the kitchen she poured herself a cup of black coffee and started rummaging through the pantries for cereal. 

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The events this evening were.. Bountiful with information for Rigel. Awakening in a strange location, disembodied from the host body he’d been in previously, and meeting several individuals originating from across the multiverses. What was stranger was meeting a Goddess of the Stars herself, or himself. It was hard to keep track of Gods and the like, but Zila(r) had been an icon upon his home before, and it was nice to rekindle a small moment of memory. Returning to the living quarters with the one called Abney, Rigel was actually.. Delighted to have someone to talk to on a less stressful topic. This concept of television was entertaining, finding it a marvel of wonderment as the duo chatted the night away.

Abney seemed an individual who avoided speaking of her own past, something Rigel could understand. She’d inquired about his homeworld, a concept he found himself being rather prideful of, with a hint of wanderlust. He spoke of his people, what he recalled of those who spanned across the horizons of both intellectual knowledge and physical prowess. He spoke of wondrous rolling hills, numerous lakes, roaring mountains, and even the great deserts or tundras. His homeworld was beautiful in his eyes, a place he truly missed. With each reminiscent moment however, Rigel had shown signs of being homesick, the cheerful expressions slowly slipping to a more somber appeal.

Once she’d fallen asleep however, Rigel was left to quiet contemplation. Why had he suddenly found himself in this situation? Why wasn’t he back home, in his own body and watching over his people? Where had this host body taken him, and more so.. Why did it feel closer to home than he’d originally considered? So many questions ran through the cranium, each bringing up bigger red flags and harsher confusion. His planet must be dying for him to return… How long had he been away? 

❤Ί don't want to set the Ⱳorld on fire
I just want to start a Ƒlame in your ℌeart ❤

The morning light had brought out the birds, their melodic chirps and tweets reverberating within Siegmund. As the familiar glowing irises came alight, a perplexed algorithm roared through his processors. Where was he? How had he returned to his suite room in such a manner? Letting his own systems make the analysis required, it also conducted a rather.. Peculiar notation. His body had been reattached to his head during the night. Looking down to the limbs now securely fixated to his system, each initial scan revealed the presence of nanites, a ninety-seven point nine percent conclusion that these were of Toni’s design. She must have worked on his body during his out of service moments and then reattached him. The action of reassembling his body, fixing any damages he had, and even going about reattaching him to the body filled the golem’s processors with a strange anomaly of sensory overloads. Was this unnecessary pressure? A leak in some of his gaskets perhaps? Whatever the cause, it alarmed Siegmund of an increased elevation of warmth.

During his self evaluation, Siegmund had remained motionless in the chair Abney had placed Rigel last night. However, the body was now securely fastened to the severed head, and as she took a seat on the couch, the head swiveled to her direction. ”Good morning Abney. Enjoying the morning?” the familiar monotoned voice of Siegmund had returned, overshadowing the previously energetic and emotion filled voice of Rigel. ”It seems a thanks is in order for both yourself and Toni for my recovery. I doubt a student would be able to bring my body to our suite room after curfew hours.” His calculations predicted the outcome numerous times. The amount of damage outweighed the speed of the nanites repairing him fully before the curfew bell could have rang. Abney must have been involved. ”However, it seems whatever events had transpired after my disassembly remains unclear…” He stopped on the word, letting it linger in his processors. Should he indulge into the idea, or let it slip? ”Forgetting is probably for the best. After all, I have a class to teach today.” Siegmund stood at this point, looking down to his rather exposed attire. Synthetic skin had been placed over most of his body, giving him the look of a nearly naked male. Considering his lack of understanding of indecency, Siegmund quickly analyzed that a lack of clothing was not a proper method tool for teaching, calculating that clothing was needed. ”Excuse me Abney, I require clothing.” He stated, venturing into the bedroom to change.  

❤In my ℌeart I have but one Đesire
And that one is Ɏou, no Øther will do❤

Dressed and ready to teach, Siegmund emerged from the bedroom only moments later, fixing the alignment of his attire to be in perfect condition, stepping off towards the door. ”I shall return promptly after class, as I have no prior arrangements for this afte…” Siegmund was finishing up his notation of arrangements when he paused in place, head twitching as light sparks flew from his neckline. Freezing in place, he spoke more robotic like, if that was in plausible, the following statement of ”I have a meeting with Lady Abyssia this afternoon. I cannot miss it.” His words held a sensation of… forced? As if they weren’t his own train of thoughts? Nearly as quick as it had onset him, Siegmund was back to normal, making his leave for the door. ”I shall see you later Abney.”

Making a quick trip to the Life Skills classroom, Siegmund awaited the arrival of the other teacher, hoping to get a few moments of precision calculations and compare algorithms on how to approach this rather large class size. Perhaps they could all learn something from each other.. 

Toni was blinking tiredly into one of the cabinets when Arty gestured to get her attention. Looking at him she took a moment to watch his awkward movements and then an even longer moment to understand his question. What the hell did he mean where was the body? Running her hand through her hair she came around the corner of the room and looked where Siegmunds body was left the night before. ”What do you mean? It’s …..” not where she left it. Her brain felt slow and sluggish as it processed that the object that she was looking for was not before her eyes. Eyes which widened significantly before searching frantically around the room.
At first she was only searching for the body but then a thought occurred to her. Her nanites had been on that body…. If the body was gone… That also meant that her nanites were gone… Letting out a string of very colorful curse words she spun around looking frantically every which way. She didn’t even pay attention to Arty anymore as she started speaking gibberish to herself and Val as she looked. Obviously the gibberish made sense to her and Val but to others it was well… gibberish…
”Val, locate the nanites…. Where the fuck have they gone?” hunger and coffee forgotten the short girl was fuming at the school for stealing not only Siegmunds body from her care but also her nanites. The school knew how much she relied on them. It was even more astounding to the young genius that she had completely overlooked the fact that they weren’t even on her person. As Val displayed a locator on the HUD Toni paused in the middle of the living room and tilted her head comically. Of course they were still with Siegmund. Growling lightly to herself she waved at Arty as she ran past him and out into the hallway. Bolting down the hall she made it to the classroom in record time. Panting lightly Toni burst into the room as the indicator on her HUD signaled that her Nanites were closer. For some reason they weren’t responding to her summons. What the hell had happened to them?! Pausing just inside the room she looked around with wide eyes before they landed on Siegmund. Marching right up to him she held out her hand and demanded, ”Give them back. I have no idea how you or the school took them or your body parts but give them back right now!” she was beyond pissed. 

Abney was spacing out, watching the television for whatever struck her attention for the moment but she wasn’t really paying attention. At least until Siegmund spoke, causing her to jump practically out of her skin. The monotone Siegmund had was odd to adjust to once again after Rigel vibrancy but Abney supposed she could get used to the massive swings, should Rigel come back around. They had still yet to figure out what caused Rigel to pop out but that was a thought for another time. “Uh the morning is fine!” Abney said, giving him a slight smile and listening to him go on. The witch opened her mouth to deny having helped, that it was all Toni and none of Abney, but then Siegmund mentioned that he had no idea what happened after he was disassembled. That struck the witch into confused silence for a moment, furrowing her brows at him, staring at him for a brief moment. It seemed to be a mutual thing, that Rigel didn’t know much about Siegmund and Siegmund didn’t know anything about Rigel.

The talk about his appointment with a Lady Abyssia only served to feed into Abney’s confusion. It was as if it were forced, that Siegmund couldn’t miss the appointment if he wanted to. The witch simply nodded, confusion still written on her face but she rolled with the punches. If she stopped to think about it too hard, Abney was sure she’d run herself in circles. “W-well uh - enjoy the class! And good luck in the appointment?” she said, waving at him as he left. Once again left in the quiet stillness of the room, Abney scratched at her neck for a moment, trying to decipher what had just happened but in the end - it was Siegmund and shit was bound to be confusing. Her phone went off, Abney reaching to read it. A smile immediately graced her features at the message.

Placing the jug of mead down, Abney quickly texted Tahlia back.

To Tahlia~:

I am totally free! (◕∇◕✿) Sure! Lemmie know when you head there - I’ll join! My roommate is teaching so I’ll be finding something to do （＾－＾✿）(Oh my Odin I love these~!! They’re so cuuuuute!!!)

Sticking the phone in the short’s back pocket, Abney figured what she was wearing was fine. It didn’t smell like she slept in it and that was good enough for her. Grabbing her spell book’s bag, she slung it behind her and made her way out the door to entertain herself for goodness knew how long. A walk in the woods, when it wasn’t attacking her, sounded fantastic. 

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The room had become eerily quiet for a place on the brink of loud commotion. One could refer this to the calm before the storm even. An abundance of lifeforms running about in this room, each trying to pass their given assignments. He’d spoken to Abney before departure to this locale, but perhaps it was better to have lingered before arrival. Standing before the empty arrangements of counters, cutlery, and miscellaneous utensils, Siegmund noticed a surge in his systems. Leading others wasn’t a strong suit for an automaton designed to follow orders after all, so this was going to prove.. Difficult. Was he truly the right individual to lead this class alongside another?

The silent contemplation was shortly disrupted when a rather angry Toni stormed into the classroom, marching herself straight up to his presence. Hand extended out like an adolescent offspring demanding material possessions from a parental unit, Toni demanded for something back. ”Greetings Toni. I imagine I must thank you and Abney for repairing my body during the night. I daresay after removal of my own head, systems and signal transfers were severed. However..” Though naturally monotone in voice, a shift in the actual deliverance of his voice began to take a stern one. ”Demanding things from your teacher in such a manner is hardly fitting. I’d advise you refrain from such a tone with other faculty members in the future Ms. Vanko.” Lifting a hand, he hovered it over hers, watching as her nanites departed from his body, dropping down like raindrops into her palm before dispersing. Small holes slowly revealed themselves on his person, noting that they hadn’t fully finished the repair job. ”Please take your seat, as class will begin shortly.” 

❤Ί don't want to set the Ⱳorld on fire
I just want to start a Ƒlame in your ℌeart ❤

Sure enough, as Toni went to her assigned location, the schools bell began to ring, harboring in the students to appear throughout the room. By this time Siegmund had taken notice of Adrian’s arrival as well, approaching the faculty member as they in tow approached him. Based from Siegmund’s scans, Adrian had some traces of medical usage around him, possibly something in the form of inhaled substance. An intriguing endeavor, as the hand came forth with a greeting, Siegmund blinked momentarily. ”Greetings to you as well Mr. Adrian. I am Siegmund Gole, Bartender, chef, and Life Skills assigned co teacher here. A pleasure to be working with you.” His own hand extended, grasping Adrian’s in return. The heat generated from his internal core gave his grip a rather heated sensation, but not enough to actually burn someone. Letting go of his hand, Siegmund tilted his head to one side. ”My scanners indicate a slight irregularity with your systems, are you in need of medical assistance? What are the benefits to such medicinal substances?” Perhaps his co-teacher had pains or an ailment he could help with.

Quickly deciding to change the subject, Siegmund directed Adrian’s attention to the students. ”We could work together on this assignment for the students. A good way to lean away from focusing on any injuries or illnesses.” Maybe if time allowed it, he would escort Adrian to the clinical doctor in Heartless, for an examination. For now though, the duo gave their introduction to the class on the assignment. With each student informed of their assigned tasks, Siegmund nodded to Adrian, branching off to show a few culinary techniques. Allowing the class to circle around a table, Siegmund demonstrated a few knife skill cuts, such as how to julienne various vegetables, what categorized a dicing as small, medium, or large, and other techniques to speed up the process without increasing the risk of injury.  

❤In my ℌeart I have but one Đesire
And that one is Ɏou, no Øther will do❤

Keeping visual over each of the students, Siegmund insured that each student did the assignment to a degree one could call ‘artistic’ or well structured. Pacing between each group, visual scanners kept check on each handling technique, audible controls working on the slightest off pitch kettle or stove top. If such an issue arose, Siegmund was quick to the scene, hovering over the group while indicating the problem they had produced. He wouldn’t interfere with their work, just stand there, a stern look across his face each moment. Much like an annoying paperclip mascot in computerized documents, he wouldn’t leave until the issue was addressed by the students, flashing a brief nanosecond of a smile once it was resolved.

Several students were unable to participate in today’s class, being put either on dish duty or just not attending class at this time. Whilst they were gone, Siegmund rounded up some information for them to process over upon returning. Better to review notes during their unplanned time than to miss an assignment completely right? Letting Adrian do whatever he wanted during this time, Siegmund kept his vigil of the students from the front desk now, gathering up the paperwork for those not there. Was he going overboard? Only by fourteen percent by his calculations. But there was always room for error… right? 

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Classes had gone rather… swimmingly. Siegmund found the word within his own mental vocabulary, something he often wouldn’t use to describe a situation. Adrian was rather intriguing, the students were amusing to watch, and those who didn’t help out with their assignments would do extra work later on. He’d helped judge all the meals, dishes, and even the stylization of each dish, finding the guest judge and Adrian had wonderful input to provide. Visual scanners observed the slowly emptying room as bells rang throughout the school. The trickling flow of students departing brought.. Strange signals to Siegmund’s mental core, a hand lifting to grasp his cranium. Was he going to experience more black outs of memory? Numerous flashbacks? Whatever the situation was, Siegmund was not ready for this to happen, especially in front of his students. A large hand clenched to the desk before him, metallic fingers digging deep into the woodwork, small smoldering smoke trails billowing from the wood burning. He needed an escape, somewhere he could get away to.. To avoid causing more destruction. 

❤Ί don't want to set the Ⱳorld on fire
I just want to start a Ƒlame in your ℌeart ❤

The sound of rain pounding against the windows brought his attention away from his situation. Staring in awe at this sight, Siegmund’s body began to drift towards the window, the damaged desk slowly repairing itself after his departure. Staring out at the rain, at the storm brewing in the world outside, Siegmund sensed a… connection. A form of rage or hatred emanating from within. The bellowing winds only sparked a curiosity within the golem, one that derived him to venture towards the unknown. He wanted to go outside..

Leaving the classroom behind, Siegmund found his pace to accelerate to roughly seventeen percent faster than his average traveling speed. His systems truly wanted to experience this ‘storm’ outside. As he rounded a corner however, eyes set upon the exit door, he froze. His systems maneuvering capabilities no longer permitting him to venture forth, instead overriding his trajectory. With a rather unnatural turn, Siegmund found himself marching towards the therapist’s office, the destination set by Abyssia the day prior. Essentially fighting a losing battle, Siegmund’s eyes kept glued to any and all windows during his forced trek to her office, eventually stopping directly at the front door, spotting Harper outside the room. A quick glance to her direction, Siegmund monetarily blinked, opening the door before venturing in.   

❤In my ℌeart I have but one Đesire
And that one is Ɏou, no Øther will do❤

Abyssia was seated in the room, an IV in her arm, her attire rather in disarray, and still attempting to be as pleasant as ever. ”Greetings Lady Abyssia.” He remarked, eyes often glancing over to the large window at their side. The storm was raging outside, drawing his attention away from her words. Processing the verbal communication a little slower than normal, Siegmund eventually took a seat, soaking in what he could of her questions. ”Life Skills class is running smoothly. Assistant co teacher Adrian has provided much knowledge into ‘day to day’ requirements of life.” He spoke with his head focused on the window. It was as if he couldn’t pull his eyes off the falling rain. When the topic of his dismantling came up, or even just anything in general, Siegmund finally turned his gaze to her. Glowing orbs of iridescent yellow stared back at her face, their cold, lifeless and emotionless perception trying to capture the exact origin of her words. ”I already stated before when everyone arrived. I dismantled myself for the benefit of others. Being in pieces kept my programming from plausibly causing destruction, to an error margin of point zero zero three percent.” The monotone ring of his voice seemed to echo, not necessarily a shout, but louder than usual. ”I am not understanding how or why I am here if I am being truthfully honest. I have a sudden… compulsion to venture into this anomaly outside, yet here I am, arriving per an overwritten protocol in my design.”

Leaning back in his chair, Siegmund’s glance turned towards the storm outside the window again. ”Why… does the world seem so angry right now? Has it become upset with its denizens? Has the faculty or students here done something wrong? Or..” Eyes fixated on the window, Siegmund grew quiet, the glowing fires of the furnace inside his chest began to rise in coloration, in temperature. ”Or has the denizens of the lonely world shunned their provider? Want nothing more than to kill, to destroy.. To use his power to take over one another..” Emotions flared within his tone of voice, the yellow eyes shifting from yellow to blue for nanoseconds. ”They would… remove you from your own existence.. Try to harness what essence is left of you to.. To… Leave.” Various colorations of flames escaped through the gaps in Siegmund’s plating and synthetic skin, much like a solar flare causes fire to leap from its own surface. A single singe mark streaked down the left cheek, burning in the formation of a teardrop.

As the sudden onset of emotional wording escaped, the flares subsided, the eye shift reverted to yellow, and Siegmund was composed. ”My.. Apologies. It seems my programming has malfunctioned. How long have I been here?” Eyes questioned Abyssia for guidance, clarification, and understanding. Why was he truly here? 

Toni vaguely started to calm down and catch her breath as Seigmund spoke. He thanked her and Abney, who did nothing to fix his body, for repairing him. Hearing his voice take a stern tone however though her eyebrow over her left eye quirked comically. Hearing him call her ‘Ms. Vanko’ instead of Toni she felt like a fuse had been set off in her brain and mentally the image of the emoticon with the exploding head came to mind. Blinking once she only realized that her nanites were returning to her and she was gaining control again. Pain, anger, and a multitude of other emotions washed through her. She wanted so badly to yell and scream at him and to let him know just how much his tone and words had just cut her. However, she did something she typically had only reserved for her parents instead. ”As you wish Mr. Gole. So you are aware, Abney did nothing to repair your body. It was in my care. When the school I suppose reattached you to your head, they also took my nanites and blocked my communication and control to them. So forgive me for panicking when my only means of protection in this school is stripped from me.” her body shook with anger and her voice was dripping with sarcasm but she knew it would be lost on Siegmund because he didn’t understand emotional tone. As she turned to look at her seat as he told her to take it she felt herself twitch. ”Go for a swim, Mr. Gole.” she said as she turned and headed back. Seriously considering blowing something up she couldn’t think straight before things went black.


Blinking slowly Toni looked around the entrance to the school confused. The clock display in her HUD said several hours had passed and that she had been obviously moved. Looking outside she heard the storm brewing and it helped her feel at peace. With a soft sigh she went to the cafeteria as she was hungry and grabbed some food before heading back to her room. There really wasn’t anything for her to do before she would get ported back anyway. So munching on an apple with a bag of food in hand she opened her dorm door and walked in. She felt strangely better than she had this morning. Her suit showed signs of wear and battle damage maybe she had been put in a room to break things? That would make sense. Thinking to Siegmund she felt her heart grow heavy. She had thought that they were more than just student and faculty. She had thought they were at least friends, but she supposed that she was wrong. He always brought up Abney when around her now. Why had she not realized it before. Of course she had no chance with Seigmund. He was already roomed with Abney and she was another faculty member. Toni rubbed her face in annoyance with herself. Picking at the rest of her food she ate a bit more at the kitchen table before leaning back and looking around. Why the fuck was she even here? This school was filled with gifted individuals. Granted she had knowledge but already she had learned of several flaws, and knew she wouldn’t compare in any real way. Especially if they took her nano bots from her. She was just a human. A tiny insignificant human…

Thinking to her research she wasn’t so sure she wanted to continue. Arty had appreciated his legs but as she thought about it… did he really? Or had he just been polite? She had after all pretty much forced them on him. Feeling like a deflated balloon Toni went out to sit on the balcony to watch the storm. 

The thunder roared and lighting struck but that never bothered Abney before and it wouldn’t start bothering her now. In fact, the young Viking turned her eyes to the sky and suddenly smiled widely, brightly at the turn of the weather. Gathering her bag, she jogged back to the school and tossed her bag full of plants and her books under the safety of the awning that lead to the door. But the witch wasn’t done with the weather. Undoing her traditional headband that held glasses, it revealed poorly kept roots, loose trinkets that sorely needed redone and unkempt dreadlocks, when had Abney had time to fix her dreads to be fair, but the woman didn’t give an ounce of care at the moment. Hair be damned, clothes be damned; Abney willingly ran back into the rapidly declining weather.

As it raged, Abney stood in it and even stretched her arms open and welcomed the storm as if the torrents had been a blessing. Water poured down, soaking her instantly but she just let out a loud laugh, running her fingers through protesting hair, keeping crystals from smacking her in the face. When her hair was thoroughly soaked and stopped flying everywhere, Abney loosened her fingers from her hair and reopened her arms and simply embraced it as a gift from Thor himself.

During a particular loud crack of thunder and lightning, Abney laughed yet again. “Whooo! Odinson!” she called, honoring her every religious root. In her world, storms were welcomed and beloved as a sign, symbol and blessing of Thor himself. What was viewed as utter destruction to some was viewed as gifts and even, to Abney, a guiding hand. Her smile faltered, faded into a soft curve on her lips. “Son of Odin and the Earth, God of Thunder and Lightning; my Friend and my Guardian… Thank you...” the Norse poured forth softly, barely a mumble over the torrential downfall, as she took solace within the storm like she had so many times before.

Her phone pinged, barely audible over the cracking thunder and Abney resigned herself to get out of the storm and answer her phone. Of course it was Madam Thalia! Abney tried to wipe her hands on her clothes but found that it made everything worse and resolved to try and just not get the phone too-too wet.

To Thalia~

Oh I had no idea! (◕ᱛ ◕✿) That sounds lovely and wonderful! I do need a plant area for my potions and tonics~ I feel like teaching the students potions and tonics would also be beneficial if they’re in the field and they’re running low on energy for magics~

I am a witch afterall (◔◡◔✿)

Perfect! I’ll make my way to the library! :’D If you don’t mind me imposing on you for a bit!

Abney hit the ‘send’ and snorted softly. Of course, she was soaked and Thalia probably wouldn’t appreciate Abney dripping all over. After wringing out her hair, shirt and pants in that order, Abney shoved her goggles into her backpack then made her way to the library. She wasn’t dripping wet anymore by the time she reached the library but one could tell she obviously took a dunk in some water. “Good evening~” Abney sing-songed as she came in, shivers ripping down her spine at the air conditioning making her clothes freezing. “I got ‘caught’ in the storm,” the witch giggled a bit at her waterlogged appearance. 

Siegmund looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her arm a moment before Abyssia pulled her sleeve down more to cover it. The Shade feared explaining to the Golem the circumstances behind the I.V would be more disastrous than beneficial. His gaze easily shifted to the window outside and Abyssia internally let out a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding in relief. The conversation, at least there, wouldn’t need to happen. “Knowledge of day to day activities are beneficial. Especially if one’s day to day is different than others, a fresh perspective is helpful.” she agreed easily. After the agreement, she just let Siegmund do the talking, like a good therapist should. At least to get a basic understanding of what was going through Siegmund’s head.

______And talk he did, the conversation changing topics in a matter of moments. The questions died on her lips as he switched from his compulsion to dismantle himself to mentioning he had such a yearning to take a walk outside, making Abyssia glance to the window. A storm was raging but wouldn’t a storm hurt him? Abysisa tilted her head but it would not be the first thing to confuse her within the moments. Soon, his fires began to change color and dance, his eyes switching colors as well. The room grew warmer and warmer by the second as his colors flickered, emotions that Abyssia wasn’t even aware he could express became evident in his voice, making the Shade pay close attention and start taking notes immediately. Whether this was cause for concern, as well as her fuzzy memories of him being a head in the forest, had yet to be seen. It sounded as if he were speaking from some form of experience he, himself, wasn’t even aware of. The display became a tad bit more confusing when, what looked like, a tear ran down his face. It solidified Abyssia’s thoughts that Siegmund was expressing emotions from somewhere within himself. But where? And was Siegmund himself even aware of the emotions and feelings that are being expressed?

_________As quickly as the expression began - it ended. Siegmund was composed, his eyes normal and his tones back to being his normal way, leaving Abyssia blinking in utter surprise. Did his programing malfunction or was there something else underneath the programming? And the fact that he couldn’t remember it also troubled her. Trying not to stare at Siegmund while her brain raced with possibilities and questions, so many questions, he seemed so confused. The Shade furrowed her brow at his questioning. “Siegmund-san, what do you remember of being here?” Abyssia asked, concern showing for a brief moment. Taking notes absentmindedly as Siegmund spoke, Abyssia then turned her concerns to the memory gaps that Siegmund seemed to be having. And before she knew it, their time was closing up. Abyssia groaned internally; she still had not gotten to the bottom of him being damn determined that dismantling himself was the best course of action. Well that would have to wait. “Would you like to join me again next week or what would you like?” Abyssia questioned, doing her best to make this an easy thing for Siegmund but Abyssia was fairly concerned about the staff’s memory gaps and, frankly, was worried about finding him in dismantled heap again. After discussing what was best for him, Abyssia lead him out and gave him a wave and polite bidding of a good evening. After he was out of sight, she leaned against the wall heavily and sighed. Jacob was probably right, Abyssia had to begrudgingly admit this but she wouldn’t out loud.

____________It didn’t take much longer, Harper gathered her up and off they went back to the infirmary. The ride back was quiet as Abyssia’s brain mulled over Siegmund and her concern over him. Should she be concerned? He seemed to be confident that he was fine but he did take himself apart in the middle of the forest as close to the barrier as he could. With a soft sigh, Abyssia dropped her head in her hand and decided not to drive herself insane with this tonight. Her head was starting to hurt… Harper picked her up and put her back into her bed, snorting that she ‘needed to quit the tough guy act’ before pointing out that just because most of the surface burns healed, much to her clear amazement, didn’t mean she was all the way healed. Internal damage was, as Harper elegantly put it as she hooked Abyssia back up to the bag of clear liquid, a ‘bitch’. The other creature of darkness, the species of which Abyssia couldn’t put her thumb on, made herself comfortable at Jacob’s desk as the storm outside got worse. The Shade sent a soothing smile to Luca but seeing the boy scrambled some of her thoughts; just who else was there during 'The Indent'? Before losing herself to that train of thought, she pulled her phone out. Or she would have if she knew where it was. Furrowing her brows, Abyssia patted her pockets, realizing she had no idea where it was. A few moments of trying to remember where it was and the feeling of plastic materialized under her fingers. ‘Du’Loch…Du’Loch... Kuma-San had it… had your phone’ she was informed in overlapping voices, making the Shade that much more curious. Why did he have her phone?! Opening it easily, Abyssia’s eyes flicked to Zila’s name and the last message sent to Zila: ‘Please get to the infirmary now! Abyssia is dying! I need help!’ and it boggled the Shades mind. So Zila was… not… involved in the incident…? Trying not to dwell on that, least the headache get worse, Abyssia’s fingers hovered over the word pad for a few long moments before figuring out what to say. Why was she so damn nervous about texting Zila, oh dear Gods.

To: Zila

I hope the evening is treating you well and the chaos has been manageable.

It seemed so… dumb… in hindsight but Abyssia was sure it was just her nerves acting up and Abyssia wasn’t even sure why she was nervous. Emotions, needless to say, was not Abyssia’s strong suit. 

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Abyssia was full of secrets, some more recent than others, but today apparently had been focused in his own direction. She’d encouraged him to speak, to vent out any built up thoughts or anomalies, but as far as the Golem could comprehend, he was operating just fine. The marginal error of malfunctions was well below warning levels, but as his attention drew towards the raging storm, Siegmund lost control. He no longer spoke on his own behalf, instead the inner voice elaborated things meant to be heard by none. How could his people do that to him!? Had he not provided them with support, with comfort, and the protection they needed to thrive? Each passing moment this inner voice spoke, the fires within the Golem seemed to escalate, only mere moments from reaching an apex level of threat. But, just as they rose, the inner monologue ceased, the fires faded, and Siegmund was left questioning Abyssia, even the situation itself. Why had she truly brought him here?

What did he recall of being here? Siegmund blinked repeatedly, much like a confused child did to a parent speaking of incomprehensible topics. ”The question is rather.. Extensive Ms. Abyssia. Do you mean to ask what I recall of being at this meeting, what I recall for the day, what I recall of being in Heartless, or do you mean..” He hesitated, an unknown protocol rearing up a warning about his next choice of words. ”Or do you mean since my last activation period?” Whatever the cause or need, Siegmund found his curiosity peaking from Abyssia’s own investigative pokes or prods. But, just as the questions, the inquiry and words began to flow, their time for this session was drawing to an end. Abyssia inquired about further sessions, but Siegmund didn’t see a point. ”Such appointments will not be needed Ms. Abyssia, for I see no logical reasoning for needing to waste your time with a construct. Your representative skills are best suited for those who truly need assistance or can make logical or emotional decisions on their own. I cannot.” Watching her leave, Siegmund soon found himself alone. 

❤Ί don't want to set the Ⱳorld on fire
I just want to start a Ƒlame in your ℌeart ❤

What was he to do with himself now? Everyone had retired to their rooms, to other sections, but Siegmund was alone. Playing back through the messages delivered to him, a singular notation stopped his replays as Toni’s words strung out for him. Such elevated levels of aggression were in place under her tone of voice, she had been furious with him. He’d spoken to her much like the protocols and instructional videos he read informed him to do with students raising their voices to a faculty member. He’d followed all protocols he’d learned in his own setup for being a perfect teacher and yet… Things had gone awry. He’d classified Toni under an exclusive section in his memory banks, under the filing of ‘Protect at All Cost’. Some of the other members here in Heartless resided there, along with a rather corrupted file of unreadable notes. Was Siegmund in the wrong to do as he had? Perhaps it was best if he just… left.

The raging storm soon shifted to hail pelting the building, drawing Siegmund’s attention away from internal affairs. Approaching the glass window, his hand pressed to the glass, watching as it fogged up from the difference in heat exchange. What a perplexing scenario, Siegmund watched as the world outside the safety of manufactured walls raged. Visual sensors were glued to the destruction going on outside, before, off in the distance, something was spotted. A body of water, alive with the torrent of pelting hail danced in the landscape. The vast amount of water out there, the blistering winds, the torrent of natural rage, it demanded his attention. ”Home.”

What seemed like a blink of ones eye was actually several minutes, but Siegmund was in the room one moment, standing outside the front gates another. The hail pelted the ground just inches away from his location, rainwater mixed into the fray. The forceful winds whipped around the building, showing the true nature of… nature. At the sight of water, Siegmund often found himself freezing up, but this kind of weather was bringing… a new sensation to his systems. A notice of familiarity. A sense of yearning… A notice of… this was him. This reminded him of his own existence. That he’d seen this numerous times before. That he’d done this countless times before.

Hands reached out, watching steam immediately rise from the synthetic skin upon contact with water or hail. The quiet sizzling vapor soon became a soft droning hum the further he exposed his presence to the stormy water. Stepping further into the storm, Siegmund found himself removing his vest, tie, and shirt, letting them fall in his wake before venturing further away from the building. What synthetic skin was on his torso soon began to sizzle away, the internal furnace burning hotter as the rising steam billowed from his body. Soon only his head resembled that of a human, the rest of his body fully exposed metal and fire. The weather around him whipped and raged, trying to move his body from advancement, but Siegmund was not swayed from his path. Ever marching forth, he approached the pond, its vastly rippling water surface hindering any signs of reflection. Standing over the water, Siegmund found a warning now flashing into view, something he wasn’t aware of before venturing out here. He’d been too perplexed, mesmerized by the storm to truly notice the actual reasoning he was out here. The order given by Toni flared up in his visual sensors. “Go for a Swim Mr. Gole.”  

❤In my ℌeart I have but one Đesire
And that one is Ɏou, no Øther will do❤

The world around him went silent, or at least his audible sensors deactivated to their deafening sound. Eyes fixated on the water below him, merely millimeters away from a fatal drop into the water for him. Nobody would be around to find him, nobody would know he was out here. His compulsion to follow orders drove him here, and at the final moments, Siegmund pondered what would become of him. Looking at his own reflection shimmer in the water, Siegmund let out a sigh, steam flowing forth from his mouth. This wasn’t a wonderful final memory.
”STOP!”
Illuminated sensors Flared open, staring down at the waters below. Who… who had spoken to him? Beginning to glance about him, Siegmund found no others in his vicinity, only himself and the reflection in the water. Looking back to the water, steam nearly engulfing his presence, he found… tranquility. Resembling a large cloud upon the ground, Siegmund gazed into his reflection, seeing the eye color shift to a blue. ”You! Yes you! You are Siegmund correct?” The reflection began speaking back to Siegmund, the familiar yet foreign voice resonating within his cranium. ”Affirmative, I am the Golem called Siegmund Fireheart Go..” ”Yeah yeah I know WHO you are, but do you know who WE are? Who I am?” The reflection itself was speaking to him! Staring down at the reflection, Siegmund was.. Perplexed. ”I.. Do not understand, is it not me I am speaking to?” Watching the reflection raise his hand and strike his cheek, Siegmund in tune noticed his own hand strike his face, the action mirroring the motion. ”Wrong! We may be one in the same to some aspects, but we are completely different. Siegmund.. What does this storm remind you of?” The reflection gestured his hand to the surrounding environment, Siegmund raising his head in unison. Visual scanners took in the world around him, the steam only obscuring some of his peripherals. ”Moisture, Precipitation. Nature.” the reflection of Rigel rolled his eyes at these words, about to intervene before Siegmund continued. ”Desperation… Regret.. Anger… Repressive memories..” With each word, Siegmund found himself lowering towards the ground, eventually kneeling before the pond.

The silence between them was heavy, heavier than their actual body weight. Heavier than the downpour of the storm around them. ”My… our name is Rigel…. Isn’t it.” Siegmund’s monotonic voice broke the silence, synthetic hair falling around his face. ”We once… kept our planet safe, we were entrusted to keep things under the natural balance of life.. We helped those who needed us.” Again, he went unanswered. ”We… were a beacon of hope for our people.. But why…” The head lifted, staring directly into the reflection. ”Why can we not remember their faces? Why can’t we find them? Why are we not.. Not home?” The internal fires within were dwindling, a small white fire crackling within. ”Rigel… why are we not home?” The questioning voice of Siegmund wavered in strength, as if his very core was shaking with concern. ”I’m sorry to say Siegmund but… I do not know. I’ve only recently had a chance to take in our surroundings but I can’t find any connection to well.. The actual ME, the actual US. And nobody here can give me a straight answer to our coordinates.” Siegmund’s hand lifted up, punching into the ground, causing a deep crater to form. Water rushed into the crater, slowly submerging his hand before slowly withdrawing it. ”What you are saying is.. We are stranded here, with no connection to our home, to our actual existence. We have no intel on the status of our people, and finally… we have only half formed recordings of our memories actually in tact, is that what I am gathering?” Seeing the reflection nod, Siegmund took a seat in the wet grass, the rising levels of steam still clouding around his presence.

The two had finally come to terms with their own existence, the once glowing orange flames within his core slowly began to shift to a white light, slowly pulsating much like a heartbeat. Sclera that once was bright yellow slowly flickered to blue, then yellow, before settling on a calming green hue. Finding a balance between both of their existences, Siegmund and Rigel were now aware of each other, something that could plausibly be beneficial to them both, or detrimental in the long run. A soft sigh escaped, as Siegmund assumed the majority control. ”Siegmund.. We should call Toni. We could really use some help later on and… you need to apologize to her.” ”Apologize? For what?” ”Siegmund don’t play dumb you know exactly what for! You basically insulted her, talked down to her, and made her feel insignificant. That is exactly why we had issues back home!” Both voices were resonating from Siegmund at this point, quickly shifting from a deeper tone to a rather calmer, friendlier tone. Taking into consideration what has transpired, Siegmund nodded, opening up a messenger to send off a text to Toni. Hopefully.. She wouldn’t be too mad at them.
To Toni:
Hello Toni, this is both Siegmund… and Rigel. We both have come to an understanding that, we both are the same person but also different? It’s.. hard to explain but that isn’t the reason for this message. Rigel has informed me that my actions with you lately have been less than ideal for someone to consider for one placed under ‘Protect at All Cost’ Folder in our systems, so I wish to formally apologize to you for.. Everything. You’ve repaired us multiple times, helped maintain what damages or irregularities we’ve had, and yet I’ve made you feel less than a friend should to another. I can understand if you have no means to forgive the actions that have transpired from us, from me specifically, but I.. we would appreciate your assistance and time. Aside from that, we have come to enjoy your presence. I don’t expect a response right away, as from what Rigel has told me, organic life needs time to heal but, I hope we can grow past this complication.

-Siegmund. 

Toni blinked as she watched the storm. It was getting a tad uncomfortable what with the wind and rain. Shivering slightly she stared at the message that displayed on her HUD. With a soft growl she opened the message and read it silently. Her arms crossed over her upright knees she wasn’t sure what to make of the message. It made sense but at the same time she wasn’t so sure she felt that it mattered to her. She hadn’t thought that he would put her in such a category and frankly… she didn’t know how to feel about it. A part of her wanted to think that made her special but the logical side also noted how he mentioned that she had fixed him multiple times. Why wouldn’t he want to protect his mechanic? With a heavy sigh she crossed her arms so her hands were on her shoulders and just stared at the message rereading it for a time. Did she even want to reply? How would she even reply? Opening a reply she stared at the blank space for some time before finally just typing something.
Message to: Siegmund
From: Toni
Message: Understood Mr. Gole. I will provide whatever assistance you may require of me. I will endeavor to remember my place as a student and support role. It is my understanding that all students at Heartless Academy would already be in your ‘Protect at All Cost’ folder. As it is your directive as staff to protect us. It also makes sense that you would want to protect your mechanic. I’m sure Abney could do a fine job as well given her ‘witchey’ abilities.
Regardless there is no need to give false politeness. I am made fully aware now of our standing, and will not make such grossly false assumptions, such as friendship, again.
-Toni

Ending the message she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was sure that most of the sarcasm in her message would be lost on Siegmund as it always was. It didn’t matter though. She had grown to care about the man and he had shut her down completely. It burned and well Toni knew already from the few times before that she had been burned, she did not deal well with rejection of any kind. She hadn’t even gotten up the courage to tell him that she had developed more of an attachment to him. She didn’t know what kind but she had… and well he had made it painfully aware that they were simply staff and student. There was a line that would not be crossed.

Hearing the bell ring she knew that Arty would be returning soon. So it was no surprise when he came out to stand near her. ”Storms are beautiful things. They cleanse whatever they touch.” she continued to look out at the storm regardless of how wet she was becoming. It was rather cold now and her skin prickled to goosebumps as she watched Arty head back in. That didn’t seem like a half bad idea but she liked the storm. So instead standing she leaned against the door and shrugged at Arty’s question. ”I do not remember the vast majority of my day. I did indeed find my nanites. And subsequently received a thorough verbal reminder that Siegmund and I are not friends. He is staff and I am a student. So I should remember my place and not speak to him in a demanding tone, or I will face corrective action.” She shrugged schooling her face to not reflect how much saying that out loud bothered her. Instead she came in and shut the balcony door behind her sitting on the floor in front of Arty. Listening to his assessment of her prosthetics she nodded. ”It took a long time for me to get used to the nanites as well. With time it gets easier to manipulate them and use them. The more you leave them on the faster the process will be. I can understand though the aversion to that. Most aren’t comfortable with wearing technology 24/7.” It was neat watching him shatter his cane into dust. She was always amazed when he did that. It was neat to witness someone else’s abilities so casually.

Looking back up at him she shivered and waved a hand as he thanked her. There is no need to thank me Artorias. You have helped me. I have been studying the crystals you have given me and you were able to provide that insight into Siegmunds compounds. Regardless I’m honestly not sure how much I want to continue my research…” she looked at the carpet of their room and played with the threads aimlessly. Which was uncharacteristic of the mechanic. ”I am a simple human in a school of gifted individuals Arty. Yes, I am very smart, but smarts don’t help you when a person can touch you and turn you into a living crystal.” she wasn’t even sure entirely if he could do that but with the way he spoke she didn’t think he ever actually had tried to harm someone that way.

She knew she was just feeling depressed so she rubbed her face and thought… ”Help me replicate the wiring in Siegmund? You knew what the compound was and seemed familiar with how it functioned. Everything I’ve built so far can easily be shorted with enough electricity. Granted it has to be a lot if I can’t discharge it but still possible.” she stared at Art for a moment longer considering her next question. ”Arty… Are we friends?” god how pathetic did she sound? Shaking her head at herself she stood and shivered again before sneezing violently into her elbow. 

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Isolation. Solitude. The heavy downpour of rain or hail pelting their metallic body. Siegmund was unmoved by this environmental anomalies but was swayed by the very notion of Rigel. They spoke to each other, communicated within their skull and also verbally aloud. Each had full control of their circuitry but also the restraint of the others control. Neither was the master nor the puppet. They were, in a sense.. One. Rigel could recall many a time they were in this state of existence, but since memory wipes were common for the automaton brain of Siegmund… cooperation was going to be a vital learning point. ”Listen Siegmund.. I can understand this information will be rather difficult for us to master or understand.. I believe we have roughly..””There is a seventy nine point four three percent marginal error chance we will falter on this issue within the next twenty four hours.””..Yes.. Thank you for that exact unit of understanding Siegmund. At ANY rate, we’ll have to break the news to others slowly..”

Nodding, Siegmund stared down into the water, watching numerous rippling waves counteract each other before them. The body that was Siegmund remained in place, the steam still billowing from his body. Movement became mildly sluggish from the water, each passing moment dampening his figure and circuitry. The glowing white lights within his core were beginning to fade. They needed to head inside, or to get under cover soon. Attempting to stand, a rather ear wrenching ’Creeeeeak’ echoed from their joints, legs barely budging in their effort. Perhaps they’d lingered too long already. ”Systems are coming to a standstill, our presence here as inquired an excess water limit of thirty three percent.” ”I’m quite aware of that Siegmund, what we need to do now though is get moving.” The two voices were arguing with each other, their isolated tones nearly opposites of each other. With Siegmund the voice was one tone, lacking any true form of emotional fluctuation or concern, whilst the voice of Rigel varied with sarcasm and punctuation, emphasizing the necessity of movement. Perhaps together they could make a singular, normal individual. 

❤Ί don't want to set the Ⱳorld on fire
I just want to start a Ƒlame in your ℌeart ❤

In the flurry of executing small, rather strenuous movements, a notification pinged into their visual screen, a response from Toni. Letting it open before their eyes whilst adjusting their stance, Rigel let out a long, low sigh at her words. Toni was hurt, having been rejected in such a fashion by Siegmund without him even properly understanding what he did wrong. That was the issue with mechanical thinking versus organic thinking. One couldn’t comprehend the emotional backing to a situation, to a dilemma presented before them. To a hurt friend who.. May now be out of reach. Whilst Rigel was contemplating over all this, Siegmund had begun to assemble a reply back to Toni, trying to further explain himself. ”Siegmund no! You don’t respond to a message like this with such a lackluster, calm expression!” ”But I must make Toni understand the situation is not as she described” The right hand of Siegmund quickly shot up, grasping his chin in a firm manner. ”You will NOT respond to her right now. She is hurt by your actions, and further speaking on them right now will only increase the chances of her never wishing to speak to us, MAINLY you, again. Do you understand?” Siegmund paused, letting the verbal directions settle into his processors. Giving a simple nod, Siegmund wouldn’t fight Rigel on this discussion. Obviously he understood how to handle the problem, and in doing so would have the best outcome for their existence… or lack thereof.

With that situation settled for now, Siegmund archived the message, hoping to address it later when the time could allott a discussion. The storm was showing no signs of letting up and the world around them was taking a beating. All of this however felt… familiar to Siegmund. ”Rigel… may I inquire a question from you. Have we… done something like this before? Did we.. cause a storm?” ”Well, we’ve caused lots of storms before back ho” ”No I mean, a storm kind of storm. One of cataclysmic levels. One that toppled civilizations. One that…” The robotic monotone droned off, silenced by the heavy downpour. ”I think you know the answer to that Siegmund..” The sombering tone of Rigel rang calmly within this raging storm.  

❤In my ℌeart I have but one Đesire
And that one is Ɏou, no Øther will do❤

The sound of another’s voice soon graced Siegmund and Rigel with its presence, causing the Golem to look over their shoulder. No true signs of an individual was there, but someone clearly had been speaking to them. ”Greetings, is someone there?” Siegmund spoke, Rigel fading back into their processors to avoid causing mass confusion. To fully reveal themselves to the rest of the school well.. That didn’t fare as a good idea yet. The voice seemed concerned yet distant, close yet so far away. They vocalized someone missing them potentially inside the academy. ”That declaration is probable, albeit with a marginal error potential of roughly twenty three percent.” He spoke like a machine, quickly spouting out his answer before growing silent. ”I have also offended a friend, so my processors indicate they’d prefer me to avoid contact with them.”

The slight tug from an unforeseen force caused a bit of a flare up within his systems, visual sensors slowly fixating on a brush not too far from their location. Blinking several times, the elevation of heat radiating from this position, along with its placement, gave way to a rather radical estimation that, whoever was talking was there. ”If you inquire that someone is worried for my safety, then why are you out here? Organic life often seeks shelter during environmental storms.” Taking a rather clunky, slow step towards the brush, Siegmund extended a hand. ”I offer a counter deal. I shall venture inside, only if you accompany me.” Steam still billowed wherever the water made contact with him, but his face bore a soft smile. ”You do not need to explain anything to me as to why you are out here, though I will offer an ear if you truly need someone to talk to. I can provide shelter as we venture inside.” If Urocya took the offer, he would carry them back into the school, albeit at a slow pace, providing as much protection from the wind, rain, and hail as he could provide. His core would provide warmth in their travels, and once to the school would escort them to their room. If not, he would remain there until they accepted the offer.