Valencia Academy

[Nierus Nox]

Nen slid into her dorm quietly, deeply in thought. Mora had appered in her dream last night, but it was more than her misgivings about that. Her eyes fell onto Mora's crow picture, framed and lying against the wall near Nen's bed. It seemed that Mora was everywhere.

Nen dropped her bag onto her bed and kicked off her shoes. She sat down upon Ash's bed and was about to pull down her hair when she felt a twisting sensation in her stomach--and, more interestinly, her power. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as the sensation persisted, then grew. It felt as it there were now a thousand tiny bugs crawling in her power, coursing through her lifeblood. Her mouth went dry and her breath came quickly as she began to shake from the curious sensation. Soon after, it changed from bugs to little pins, embedding themselves in Nen's power. She screamed from sheer pain and curled up on the bed. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she slammed her hands against her ears, trying to shut everything out and regain her power. But it was too late--it welled up inside of her and broke out.

Nen blinked her newly black eyes and got up off of Ash's bed. She quickly set up her paints and easel and got to work.

----

In less than an hour, she was done. On the canvas before her were Mora and herself, Mora on the left and Nen on the right. Mora emerged from black, shadowy darkness to press her hands against an invisible barrier. Nen, on the opposite side, came from blinding light. She pressed her hands against the barrier where Mora's own hands were, but they were still apart.

The real Nen suddently stiffened, dropping her paints and brushes. She stayed there, still, for a moment, before falling fowards into the canvas. Her profile smacked agianst it as she fell, imprinting her face there in the shadows with the rest of them. She landed first on her shoulder, and then gravity pulled her to her back. Her canvas and easel landed to her left with a clatter, the canvas bouncing once, twice, before settling painting-side up.

[Atonia 'Ash' Seisris]

As seemed to be typical, Ash walked into her room the second that Nen fell off her stool and into her still wet painting. Yelping, she jumped and ran (more like stumbled) forward to try (and fail) to catch Nen before she hit the floor. There was a fleshy thump as Nen hit the floor, then the clack-clack as the painting did a double hit. Ash froze mid step, her arms stretched out before her and her foot poised to take a step when her eyes caught sight of the painting.

"Oh dear God..." She muttered as she folded back into a normal stance, her eyes fixated on the painting that lay on the floor, and her fallen friend momentarily forgotten in her shock. Mora lay on the canvas, stretching out from the shadows, desperatly reaching for Nen who seemed to melt out of the light. Something kept them apart, and the strain between the two to reach the other was evident. Nen had been closer to Mora, though none of them really knew her well. Her death had upset them all though... That Valencia would kill a student right in the school... The sight of the painting sent chills down her spine, and she forced herself to look away, grabbing a rag and kneeling down to wipe the stick dark oil paint from Nens face. Water would do little good against the oil, she would need soap, but now that she knelt she wasnt sure she could get up so easily.

"Nen..." She called softly, shaking her friend, trying to rouse her. "Nen.."

[Nierus Nox]

Nen's head lolled about as Ash tried to revive her. As she regained conciousness, she became more and more aware that there was something alien here. She shivered and snapped her eyes open. Her eyes, darker then they had been this morning, snapped open. Nen saw and Ash and calmed down a bit, but there was definately something wrong.

"Ash...Ash, what happened?" Nen asked, her voice cracking. She was afraid that agian, she had violated the school. But that hadn't happened in months, ever since she had started taking mindie classes and controlling her foresight. Nen reached up to her face and gently touched the black paint. She pulled her hand away and looked at it in confusion. "Ash, what happened?" Nen asked alittle more urgently as sh looked up into Ash's eyes.

[Atonia 'Ash' Seisris]

"You painted again.." Was all she said as she sat back on her heels, relieved that Nen had awoken so easily. "You, and Mora..." She whispered, unsure of what reaction her friend would have. "I have no idea what it means, buts its definatly interesting..." She shifted so that she sat with her legs to one side, allowing Nen the view of the floored painting, and the strong contrast between the two halves.

"And I think you fainted into it... I saw you fall, and when I got over here there was that all over you face." She pointed to the black stain on Nens fingers. "Thats gonna be a pain in the arse to clean off..." She remarked quietly, trying to keep the situation atleast someone light, since neither of them really needed to much stress at this point. None in their fragile conditions. Ash out of the hospital for three days, Nen bordering mental for three months... It was edging a little close here.

[Nierus Nox]

In a flash Nen was in front of the painting. Her eyes searched it, trying to make sence of it. She didn't remember doing this at all. She didn't remember doing this...again. But what did this mean? The painting...Mora was dead. Nothing, nothing could bring you back from that. But Nen was alive, for the time being at least, and she was close...close to Mora. But it didn't seem like a death warning, more like...desperation. Both Nen and Mora were desperatly trying to reach for each other, stopped by...life? Death?

"Ash..." Nen finally said, turning back to her friend once again. "I...I don't know if I can do this again." She said it truthfully, making it solid in the air. She didn't want to loose herself and do something like this again. Nen didn't want her power to control her. So what could she do? Professor H, the mindie professor, was gone...and there were no other mindies that she knew could help her. But...she couldn't ask him for help, not again.

[Atonia 'Ash' Seisris]

"I know," Ash said simply, reaching out to gather Nen in her arms. She hated seeing her friends hurt, and she hated not being able to do anything. Nens power controlling her was far out of even Ashs influence. Now, now was when she definatly knew how Eron felt all those years ago as she held Nen in her arms. Helpless, powerless, at a loss, and completely hating it. But there was nothing she could do, nothing anyone could do...

"We'll find something..." She said, though she didn't know whether she was trying to comfort Nen or herself with those words.

(Still...short)

[Nierus Nox]

Nen stayed in Ash's arms for a few minutes, just calming down and pushing back tears. She breathed in the air around her; it smelled lightly of Ash's natural scent (a citrusy-orange), the paint from the canvas, and fresh air from the cracked window. Then she straightened and cleared her throat.

"You know," she said mildly as she picked up her easel and painting, "It's really me who should be comforting you."

Although Nen had ment it as a joke, it came out a little wrong. As if she was angry at Ash for comforting her, which had happened before. The younger girl sighed, and told softly, "That's not what I ment..."

[Atonia 'Ash' Seisris]

Ash winced slightly at the bitter tone in Nens voice once she had moved out of her arms, but she smiled gently and ran a gentle hand over Nen's hair. "Its alright sweet, I know... This is all just stressful still, no blame..." She stood up on weak legs, and pulled her black hoodie a bit to make it hang better. She reached up and grabbed the hood, pulling it around her neck like a scarf then sat on her bed.

"Times are gonna be difficult for a while I guess... I'm sorry I haven't been here..." Once the words were out of her mouth, she flinched again... It was so much like what she had said to Eron when the fought so many months ago I'm sorry I couldnt be there! They just kept taking me away every time I thought I got better... I wanted to be there, I wanted to be with you. She bit her lip and shook her head, chasing the thoughts away. She would find him later and try again, the time was now...

"What do you think it means..." She said softly, nodding her head toward the painting as she patted the bed next to her for Nen to come sit. "It kinda gives me the chills, like theres something after all this that we don't know about..."

[Nierus Nox]

Nen's mouth twisted. Since when had Ash and her become out of synch? They used to be so well fitted...

No. Not 'used to be.' We will agian. She's just regaining a part of herself, so of course she'll be different. Dofus. Nen told herself scornfully, fearfully hoping that she was right.

Nen set up the easel near the wall and put the painting on it. She hesitated there, looking at it, as Ash asked:

"What do you think it means? It kinda gives me the chills, like theres something after all this that we don't know about..."

Nen bit her lip slightly, looking again. "Sadness is coming from me, like I want to see Mora 'cause I miss her. But Mora...Mora's desperation. She wants to see me, she has to see me, she has to get a message across to me...But what? What is it, Mora?" Nen asked quietly, searching for the answer. After a second, she pulled away and went into the bathroom to get the paint off.

From there, she shouted back to Ash, "Of course they're's stuff we don't know. Mora was mystery. There was no seeable part to her, you know?"

[Atonia 'Ash' Seisris]

Ash listened quietly as Nen spoke, unable to pull her eyes away from the picture. "Yea... you're right.." She whispered to herself, taking a moment more to stare at the picture.

A tiny smile pulled at the corners of her mouths. "There really was no seeable part of her.. Not with that big cloak in the way..." She laughed softly, making a small, what she hoped seemed light-hearted, joke about Mora's apparent lack of visibility in the real work. "Seriously though, did you ever get the feeling that she was only half here? Like some part of her was already in that unknown? Maybe Im just crazy but... Wait... don't respond to that one..." She grinned at her own stupidity, then forced herself to stand again, trying to get accustomed to using her limbs again.

She walked to the bathroom behind Nen and wrapped her arms around the shorter girls waist, resting her head on the curve of her neck. "Who knows... Maybe theres a life after death... Maybe theres something she forgot to finish... You know how they always say ghosts hang around for unfinished business... Well maybe Mora's hanging around with an unspoken message..." She shrugged lightly, staring into the mirror over Nens shoulder, blinking fiercly as her eyes changed colors unwillingly, a result of her recently broken coma.

"Maybe we'll figure it out..." She said softly, then, not liking the somber mood, turned her head and gave Nen a big wet kiss on the cheek, just for the hell of it.

[Nierus Nox]

Nen scrubbed the panint off with the soap and dried off as Ash made her small joke. Nen smiled at it in the mirror. Well, that was certiantly true about Mora. She was the hardest girl to see, in any aspect.

Ash slipped her arms aorund Nen's waist. Nen looked at them mournfully. They were so thin! In fact, Ash was just so skinny. But Nen had never seen a person come out of a three-month coma looking healthy, so...

Nen pursed her lips as Ash talked aobut the afterlife. Nen supposed it was possible, but to be honest, this whole talk sort of creeped her out. Death did that to her, because she had been close to it so many times. And Nen felt stupid, but she thought that if she died now, then so much would go unfinished here...After all, she wanted to help bring Valencia down in her lifetime, since he wans't getting any older.

Nen was startled out of her thoughts with Ash's kiss. She smiled again at Ash in the mirror and said, "Well, that's one way to cheer me up."

[Atonia 'Ash' Seisris]

"I figured it might! It got me out of my depression over my episode earlier this year...We spent the night in giggles... If it fixed me, and didnt fix you? Then I think we'd have a bit of a problem..." She winked and grinned, and hugged Nen tight in her bony arms. She shook her sleeves down as she let go of Nen and hopped up onto the counter watching the multicolored soapy water spiral down the drain.

"So whats next... what do we do? As beautiful and descriptive as they are, I dont think your paintings will actually talk to us and give us the answers... So do you suggest Private Investigation? Or full out Massacre to get answers?" She stuck her tongue out and laughed, rolling her eyes at herself.

[Nierus Nox]

Nen laughed at Ash's sillyness. Honestly, sometimes she wondered who was the older girl in this room. In any case, Nen whiped down the sink, getting the black off the white porclin (sp?). Ash was rambling again, but this time...

Nen turned to Ash, an idea in her mind. "Wait a sec...what if we could? Reach across life and death, I mean. If anybody should be able to do it, it would be mindies, since, you know, the body stays here. But the mind, the soul...where does that go? What would even be the price you'd have to pay to speak with the dead? Madness? Death yourself? Or maybe, just maybe, something less conciquential..."

Nen was off, that crazy idea stuck in her head now. It couldn't be just life and death seperating people, could it? It didn't matter, because now...now she would have to investigate...

[Atonia 'Ash' Seisris]

Ash's eyes widened at Nen's otherwordly thought.

"Um...Nen? Maybe we could just find somebody who sees the dead...Hint Hint! Or atleast might be able to give us some insight..." She bit her lip, looking curiously at Nen. "I mean its a good idea, and it makes sense, but personally I'd rather not lose you too, to death or madness, or whatever might result..."

She hoped down off the counter, grabbing Nen firmly by the shoulders. "Now don't go making all sorts of crazy plans without getting me involved... Talk to Sage or something before you get too involved with this idea. Life and Death is a pretty big line to cross... Ive been there enough times..." She said seriously, playing the big sister for the moment.

[Nierus Nox]

Nen was snapped out of her thoughts when Ash grabbed her shoulders. They were face to face, with Ash getting that warning in her voice. Nen knew that tone very well, having ignored it and gotten sorry quickly. At least this time, she listened the whole way through before deciding to ignore her. Well, part of her.

"Ash," Nen said, looking her in the eye with a serious tone in her voice, "I promise that I will not go playing with Life and Death." Her voice was level, and her face sincere, so there was no way that Ash could have noticed that Nen's toes were crossed in her loafers.