Springtide of the Black Rose: Chapter 7: We're all mad here!

Story by RaiRaijinn on SoFurry

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#7 of Season of the Black Rose Series

Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?


September 20, Early Monday morning, 6:00 AM; The Hentzel sisters were passed out in their hammocks after spending their weekend sleeping over at Zoya's for the fifth time. A crab drone with number 5 painted onto its metal shell made its way onto Rociel with its articulators, "Tick Tock! Tick Tock! Its six o'clock, time to wake up!" it chimed in digitized feminine tone. She rose from her sleep, letting the artificial crustacean fall to her lap, "Thanks Fifi. Can you wake Cell up?" she said before yawning then gently tossing Fifi across the room.

#5 successfully landed on the lapine until she raised her defenses, eager to sleep for few more minutes, forming an algaic tendril to combat the invader. It struck it against the automaton with a swift knock back, "Miss Celestine! You have to go to school like everyone else!" Fifi said, battling the plant based construct and its master. She activated the Shock Protocol in her mechanical claws, a defense mechanism against any wildlife that might mistake them for food by using a static charge to discourage consumption, clamping down on the algae tentacle.

The bolt of electricity easily traversed through the microflora, acting as a conduit between the bot and Celestine. She propelled herself upright at the discharge, launching the Crab drone across the room against her dresser, "I'm up!" she exclaimed. Her ears stood erect in the air, stimulated by the static shock before shaking her head with her hair to follow suite.

Rociel sighed at her sister, "Are you sure you don't want to tell Dad about what you can do cause since when you can do that?" she asked, curious to the new addition to the Botanokinetic's arsenal. Celestine focused on goopy strand hanging from her fur, channeling her energy into it, triggering the eukaryotic cells to divide and replicate until forming a coagulated globule. She plucked it from its strand on her forearm then stared at her eldest with a sidious grin, contemplating a way to celebrate this development.

The crossbreed squinted at the peculiar slimy mass before her younger sibling flung at it at her face. Next thing Rociel knew, her entire head was covered in a bizarre algae with a few droplets managing to land in her mouth, "... It tastes like fucking seaweed!" she screamed, triggering her gag reflex. Celestine laughed at her sister's disgust, "Oh really? I know how much you love seaweed sissy cause there is a lot more where that came from!" she replied with a sinister grin.

The technopathic hyena didn't hesitate to retaliate, summoning forth a cloud of nanomachine templates from the storage locker near her bed, "Two can play that game Bitch! Goo fight!" she said, condensing the nanites down into a semi-fluidic form. She split off a small chunk of the grey goo, then pitching it at the lagomorph, landing it on her chest. They soon began exchanging fire at one another rapid fire onslaughts and enough material to eventually turn their room into a warzone.

Five minutes later, Kaina came walking up the spiral staircase to find a bedroom that had everything covered in mixture of Green algae slime and nanitic grey goo. The Hentzel sisters quickly flung their ammo at their mother, encasing her in their collective fluids. Regardless, they reveled in pelting each other with their gunk, tossing it around like silly putty.

The Loppe wiped the steely muck from her face, cleaning off her glasses to witness her daughter manufacturing the emerald swill. She was half-awake and barely dressed, "Rociel sweetie, did Celestine get powers or I am dreaming?" she questioned, wondering about the nightmare of time she would have cleaning up the potential biohazards left behind by her daughters. Rociel figured it was time to relinquish the goat to an extent, "Yeah, this morning... And she started flinging her crud at me!" she answered, catching her breath from the excitement.

They both stopped silent for a minute, realizing they unconsciously let it slip to some extent. Cell's ears twitched, thinking of a way to downplay the truth before leaping out of her bed, dashing to her mother to hug her. Despite her excited facade, Mid-dash she slipped on a wad of Grey nano-goo, sending her flying towards the Ashen Loppe.

Kaina fortunately caught the airborne bunny from falling flat on her face, "Careful Honeybun!" she said, cradling Celestine in her arms. Rociel giggled at their contrasting height, Cell having a few inches over her biological progenitor who stood at five feet six inches. Her mother helped her daughter from her stumble, propping her upright before pecking her on the forehead.

"Now get ready for school, I don't want that Vice Principal of your's looking for any excuses to kick you out cause of your dad." Kaina said, recalling the last Parent-Teacher Association meeting for their High School ending in utter disaster. Dr. Hentzel outright challenged the School's budget practices, namely the usage of prepackaged foods to feed children and the lack of experienced staff members to handle those with special needs. Least to say, He came out on top of the scenario, leaving behind a fuming Ms. Beni wanting to rip out his throat in front of the entire room.

Their moderately sized bedroom was battered with the soup of organic and inorganic goop, a mess that their mother wasn't eager to clean up after. She stared at her daughters with an expectant gaze, "Well... Pray I don't get eaten by some slime monster while I clean up this mess..." she hinted, utilizing her vivid imagination to play upon their conscious. The Hentzel sisters looked at one another, silently agreeing that it would be better idea to gather up the material for their crude rudimentary constructs than leave it up to chance.

Rociel restored the microscopic machines to their default powdery solid state, guiding them back into their cylinder in her storage locker by using her psionic prowess. Celestine, on the other hand, struggled on what to do with the algaic mass she had collected, before opening the bedroom window and disposing of it onto the lawn outside. She smiled at her mother with an impish grin, "There! All gone!" she cheered, a little guilty that she took the lesser route.

Kaina pushed the bridge of her glasses against her nostril with an insidious thought on how to rush them out the door, "Well good thing I don't have tentacle creatures to worry about!" she jokingly teased. Rociel and Celestine deadpanned in disgust for a second then rushed their respective drawers, quickly dressing themselves before storming down the stairs in a hurry, grabbing a box of homemade power bars on their way out. The Loppe giggled at their haste, "That's a new record." she thought, normally accustomed to prying them out of bed for School, literally and figuratively.

In a flash, they were standing in the driveway to their bus's stop with their Learning Tablets in their respective satchels. Siria soon walked up minutes lately, finding Rociel lightly panted and Cell trying to catch breath, "So how's your morning been?" she questioned, raising her brow at them. The Hyena shrugged her shoulders, "Ehh, you know how it goes, our mothers chase us out of the house by either with weirdness or deception. Same old same old." she replied, before yawning at the morning dew.

Their Bus rolled up but this time without the roar and clank of a diesel engine, it was silent like a gentle wind. The county school board had fortunately elected to replace the fleet of outdated diesel buses with Aerotek's Mass Transport Shuttles, due to the rising prices of Biofuel and its derivatives. Its electric engine gently hummed as its passengers boarded, the driver contented with his new vehicle compared to the rolling scrapheap.

The Hentzel Sisters took their seats though separate this time, Rociel accompanying Siria on the left side of the Bus while Cell stared out at the wilderness from the window seat. The eldest started affectionately courting her companion, nuzzling against her neck for some odd reason, "I love your scent, is it a new Shampoo?" she questioned. Siria's ears perked at the sudden comment, a little disturbed by the unusual behavior that deviated from the Hyena's normally stoic attitude, "Are you okay?" she replied.

The Data-Pad screen on Rociel's Wrist turned from its regular sky blue to a pink with a crescent moon symbol in the upper left hand corner. It was the precursor for her monthly tide and thanks to her microscopic creations flowing through her veins and she knew when it was about hit her like a bag of bricks. The medical Nanomachines in her cardiovascular system were laboring away to prepare for the initial surge, sending signals and relaying information the current levels of her Estrogen as well as Testosterone levels.

Back when Rociel was 13, she had enough her falling prey to influenza and colds every year when winter hit to the point she developed the first step in practical nanites, one issue though was the microscopic level at which they had to be produced. The adolescent technopath first constructed the Nano-Molecular Fabricator Assembly, a self-contained factory capable of processing raw materials then refining them into usable materials and components. Inside the machine was a complete vacuum, allowing for the Micro-constructors to use their static propulsion systems to break apart materials from the storage chambers then build according to a holographic blueprint.

Siria gently brushed her cohort off, "Ugh, why must you put me through this nightmare?" she questioned, jaded by the fact she'd have to contend with the highs and lows of the Hyena's mood swings. Rociel wasn't too concerned by her wrist computer's reports as she was with the wolf, pulling her on her lap, "You love it though! If wasn't around when you have your periods, you'd probably be humping every pillow in your house. It's bad enough Cell does it at mine..." she said, jabbing at her sister across the isleway. Celestine stared at her eldest with a beading glare, her dozing eyes adding onto it, "Just cause our pillows were mixed up in the laundry that time wasn't my fault." she hissed.

When their shuttle arrived at school, they immediately went to the Gymnasium for their morning announcement. Normally the seats would be flooded with their respective grades from freshman to seniors but thanks to this year's flu season, four fifths of the entire population was at home or in the hospital. In most scenarios the school would have closed down except the associate superintendent for the school board's central office insisted it remain open.

The teachers weren't exactly happy either, especially the new Art teacher, Isaac Aradesh, considering he was a substitute for Rociel's homeroom teacher, Ms. Feng. The Vice Principal, Ms. Beni, had taken the opportunity to schedule this as a 'Free Day' since the teachers who weren't out sick had to catch up with some of their paperwork and adjust their lesson plans. She soon called out the student's chaperones for the day, "Abernathy and Feng's homerooms will be with Mr. Aradesh..." she announced, much to dismay of the only members that hadn't been stricken ill.

Kenashi scowled at the thought of being trapped in the same room with Rociel for hours on end with nothing to do. It wasn't because he disliked her in anyway but he never had anything to talk her about whenever the situation presented itself, leaving an awkward silence in contrast to her little sister who loved to discuss anime and manga. The only saving grace to this day was the opportunity to spend time with Akira, who he normally was separated from due to the school's tendency to partially segregate boys and girls from one another.

After the first bell rang, the students reported to their respective Chaperone's rooms with Mr. Aradesh and his group occupying Ms. Feng's classroom due to the school still renovating the second floor art room. As the Hentzel Sisters entered the room with Ken and his friends, Caesar and Iraimei, shortly behind him, Rociel took her normal seat in the middle row. She particularly favored his position in order to ask the teacher questions to which Ms. Feng was eager to answer as opposed to some other educators in the school who despised the crossbreed Hyena.

Celestine was stunned by the sheer organization of the entire room. The desks were arranged in a peculiar fashion where potentially every student was in the front seat, as a small projector hung from the center of ceiling faced on the Intelliboard, the modern whiteboard for any classroom that was basically an oversized tablet for a teacher to use, though it did have drawing tablet integration. Off into the corner was a black sleek bookcase filled with several different types of textbooks in case a student 'forgot' the necessary reading material for her classes.

Ms. Feng's classroom was perfect in the sense everything had its proper place and nothing was intentionally out of line, the domain of disciplined professional. Kenashi felt a chill up his spine upon entering when he looked at the sheer immaculate nature of it, "... I can definitely see why she doesn't give her a hard time, it reeks of dominatrix in here." he thought, recalling the rumors of Rociel humiliating the school staff. Caesar wasn't too far behind on his train of thought, "You have no idea what she does after school is done." He commented using his Telepathy, regretting the one time he accidentally peeked into a teacher's mind to learn of her side occupation.

Ken sat a seat away from Rociel who was slumped over her desk, playing around with her wrist-bound data pad and tinkering with its programming, indicating she was bored out of her mind with nothing to do. Akira sat next to his right, but piled with homework she let fall behind a few days, whimpering in her misery. She looked at her boyfriend with an innocent glint in her eye, "Kenny could you help me with my Social Studies homework?" she questioned with a sweet ring in her voice, handing him her worksheets.

He looked at her worksheets for a brief minute, baffled by the series of questions that were focused on Morocco's History, namely the various dynasties as well as the various ethnic groups that resided in it. Ken glanced over to the crossbreed hyena before switching seats next to her, "Umm... Hey Rociel, mind taking a look at this for..." he said before she snatched it out of his hand. Her eyes scanned over it in a matter of seconds, "Oh fuck you! Just because my Mom's dad is from Morocco doesn't mean I am going to know everything about it." she jeered, assuming he asked her based on her mixed ancestry.

Kenashi squinted at her confused, "No, I'd thought you'd have the answers because you're always talking about science and history. Is everything alright?" he asked, hoping to avoid another beating from the brainy maiden. Rociel suddenly giggled in her realization, complimented by his words, "Thank you... I'm just under the weather, stupid menses shenanigans that I'll have to tolerate until my mid-forties. Wait till your little girlfriend starts up then she'll be real clingy for attention..." she forewarned, knowing that Akira hadn't begun experiencing the 'joy of becoming a woman'. The Vixen blushed in embarrassment, "Not fair! At least I don't have a penis..." she said, recalling the one evening she saw her coming out of the shower at Zoya's house.

Rociel cheekily grinned, laughing at the Fox, "At least mine's bigger than that tiny excuse of a button that Cell somehow manages to find every time when you guys hide out in the closet." she jeered, taking the opportunity to torment Akira and her childishness. Her nostrils flared in frustration, helpless to defend herself until Celestine threw her left Tabi-style boot at the Hyena from across the room, " It's not that tiny, you PMS-ing bitch!" she said, only to further embarrass Akira. The Teacher peered up from his books for a minute, "No throwing stuff in the classroom or I am sending you to the principal." he shouted.

Kenashi lost himself in the conversation between the three, "Okaaay... Rociel is having her period and has a dick?" he thought to himself, trying to keep up. Caesar sat next to Celestine near the corner of the room, listening into the thoughts of those in the room, "Dude, you really don't know about that? I thought you knew everything about women." he replied, chastising his cohort's lack of awareness on anatomy.

The Fox looked over to his Friend Iraimei that sat parallel from him, staring at him hoping for an answer.Ira was enraptured in his history book until he felt Kenashi's glare piercing through the side of his skull, looking back at him, "I am not saying a word. I don't want to get involved." he said. Rociel in her hormonal tirade decided to pursue the Jaguar, "Excellent! Now the indecisive pantywaist wants to continue his long streak of waiting to figure out what he wants in life aside from money. Here's a bloody excellent idea, be a little impulsive for once in your life, smile for once in your life! You are worse than the freaking art teacher..." she lectured, her words akin to sharpened razors on a shiv to the ears. He didn't say a word out of respect and consideration for her as a friend, well as far as their association went with one another.

Mr. Aradesh diverted his attention from his itinerary, "Excuse me?" he said, standing up from behind his desk then walking in front of Rociel's seat. She didn't hesitate to go for the throat on the teacher himself, "Well, at least Ira isn't a virgin that wacks off to toddlercon and checks out every girl in his classroom then draws them naked on the internet for all his cyberbuddies to look at..." she hissed, analyzing the browser history on his phone. The hairs on Isaac's neck rose in fear and outrage before he slapped Rociel across the face with an open hand, "Shut the fuck up you little brat bitch! You say a word to anyone or I will have you kicked out." He screamed in her face.

Rociel deadpanned for a minute then broke out into tears sobbing, upset that the teacher hit her on the side of her head. Ken furiously lunged over his seat at Mr. Aradesh, pouncing on top of him and slugging him across his face with a swift right hook, "You fucking touch any girl in this school like that again. I will cut your fucking heart out, actually, Let me stand corrected. You look at girl wrong here, I'll rip out your eyes! You hear me!" he threatened, pinning him against the floor. The 27-year old educator spit in the fox's face, "Fuck you! You worthless little bastard, I bet your mother likes getting railed by guys half her age!" he taunted, prompting Ken to slam him against the tiling.

Ira climbed over his desk, crouching down at the pathetic excuse of a man, "So you want to hit little girls and talk about our mothers like that? What kind of sick pervert are you?" he hissed. Mr. Aradesh didn't stop at Kenashi's mother, "Piss off, I've seen your mother work that corner every night for the past 6 weeks and pounded her ass over the hood of my car!" he distastefully sneered at the less fortunate adolescent. Ira wrapped his hands around the clouded leopard's throat, "Don't you ever dare say that about my mother, or I will end you. I've beaten thugs down in the street without a second thought." He jeered.

Ken was at wit's end with this teacher, "Caesar, Do as you do... wipe this moron off the face of this planet." He instructed. The Wolf gladly stood up from behind his seat, walking towards his newest victim, "I'll savor every minute of your memories I obliterate... Now keep his mouth shut so the faculty doesn't hear him." He answered, kneeling down as he placed his palms on Mr. Aradesh's temples. He started prying through his memories like an open book, scanning across for any that needed to be removed, deleting all the ones relevant to any of his perverse fetishes and fantasies along with some of his more foul experiences in life.

In mere moments, Caesar combed through Isaac's mind and eliminated whatever memories he saw fit to alter his personality the best he could. Mr. Aradesh passed out during the process with blood dripping from his nose, a common side effect from Psyper influence though with little consequences. The psychic esper quickly wrapped up his trade as Ken pulled off of their victim, "Cover story, he slipped and fell, if he asks why Rociel is crying. Well, let's just go with the truth on that one..." He explained to his compatriots who nodded in agreement.

Rociel was still crying in her frustration before her rage set in, her eyes soaked with tears as she accessed her Data-pad's remote interface, tapping into the circuitry of one of the cars sitting in the Teacher's parking lot. The electric engine kicked on then started revving faster each second as the Lithium alloy batteries started to overheat, sparking beneath the hood before they started to melt. An explosion echoed from outside, the technopathic teenager giggled, "Ivan's not home..." she muttered, satiating her psychological need for revenge.

Ken's expression deadpanned as he turned to the Hyena, his ears perked the sound, "... Rociel, was that what I think it was?" he asked. She grinned at him, brazening her ivory razors, "I am not the aggressor here... and thank you gentlemen." She replied, acknowledging the fact they stood up for her regardless if she was right or wrong. He didn't bother to question her logic, despite how eschewed it may have been, "Yeah yeah, He had it coming. I'm tired of seeing his shitty drawings on the internet anyway." He said.

Rociel raised her left brow, tapping into her data-pad to peruse through Mr. Aradesh's online accounts by breaking into his email then sending requests to the various sites he participated in for their respective passwords. There she found his galleria of drawings that parodied a number of students' and teachers' appearances and personalities: Akira, Zoya, Linette, Kenashi, Caesar, and even Iraimei were among his victims. She promptly deleted them all except for a copy of a Ms. Feng's imagined analogue then to it to her email with an 'explanation' of who it was, using his email account.

She stretched her neck, rotating her head around after she finished erasing the tragic product of a pervert's twisted imagination. Rociel gazed around the room, "What drawings?..." she sarcastically commented, hinting to the fact she destroyed any trace of his smut. Akira's eyes beamed with joy, lunging her arms around her virtual savior, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!" she excitedly screamed, happy Mr. Aradesh's secret portfolio was destroyed.

The Vixen's tail swayed and swirled happily in the air until Rociel decided to capitalize on the moment, slipping her palm against the back of Akira's head before pressing her lips against hers. Kenashi witnessed the two locked in oral tango, slackjawed by the sheer bluntness of Rociel's advance on his future spouse, "Uhh... well, thanks for doing that..." he said, taken back by the sight. She simply raised her index finger at him, still engaged with the Fox's receptive embrace, finally breaking away after a few minutes.

Celestine was fuming in the corner of the room, "Hey hands off my bitch!" she said, envious of her Eldest's outright boldness. Rociel rolled her eyes at younger sister, "Don't be so green-eyed. She is not yours... wait!" she said, noticing the collar on Akira's neck, reading the circular tag that said Pet on it with Kenashi's full name on it along with his street address and cell phone number. The Hyena was slightly embarrassed she hadn't noticed it in the first, "Technically she belongs to Ken..." She said.

Akira was absolutely clueless to the meaning behind her accessory, never bothered asking why she wore it aside from her appearance, "Wait what are you two talking about?" she questioned. Rociel turned her attention, "Ken, I apologize for touching her without permission." She said, adding onto the confusion. Ken himself was baffled by her context, never understanding the entire meaning behind collaring his girlfriend, "Heh?... I don't really care, it's her choice anyway." He said.

A series of groans and grunts emanated from Mr. Arasdeh, waking to find the three adolescent boys surrounding him, sitting upright while placing his hand against his forehead. His entire skull throbbed in pain, though nothing an Aspirin and an Acetaminophen couldn't take care, "...What happened?" he asked. Kenashi was quick to answer, "You slipped then fell on the tiling, and you were out for a while. I think you should see the nurse..." he suggested, taking advantage of their substitute's stupor.

Mr. Aradesh gained his footing, slightly dizzy from Caesar's mind scrub "Yeah... get ready for your next period anyway. Meet up in the Athletic's center while get checked out, I hope I don't have a tumor or something like that." He said before hastily leaving the room. Ken paused for a minute, looking at the psychic canine, "Can you get a brain tumor from Psypers?" he asked with a genuine concern. Caesar shrugged his shoulders, signing "Few but not many" he answered, hoping it wouldn't be the case for a psychic such as himself.

Rociel giggled at the thought, "Besides, if any of you had a tumor, I would know about it." She stated, smiling with her psychotic glee. Ken's ears perked at the statement, questioning why he hadn't fall prey to the flu or any other infections lately, "Wait what did you do to us Rociel?" he asked, fearing the potential answer. She frowned, namely for the fact that her technology managed to outpace her, "Yeaahh... remember when I kissed you on the forehead when you were crying your eyes out? Apparently the medical nanites in my blood developed a Herd Immunity program then started transmitting to those around me through dermal contact." She explained, ashamed and surprised by her own invention.

Inside Kenashi's body was a horde of the microscopic physicians and surgeons traveling throughout his veins, he had mixed feelings about the fact but didn't know how to react, "Rociel... how many people did they spread to?" he probed with the thought of a nano-viral apocalypse lingering in his mind. Rociel accessed the data pad on her wrist, having been tracking the spread of the transmitted nanomachines over the past month, "Just a few thousand people as calculated, a lot of them in the hospital from that stupid flu strain. I'll disable them later after everyone gets over this bug, and see how well they do in this field experiment." She stated. He was apprehensive about his body being invaded, "So what do these nanites do anyway, specifically speaking?" he asked, curious about the effects of such a futuristic marvel.

Rociel smiled happily, adoring the fact she had the chance to explain how something worked, "They work in unison with your autoimmune system to hunt down pathogens, aide in maintaining proper hormone levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and physical development, and assist in the healing process of minor injuries such as lacerations and bruises. The normal wear and tear on a body with some emphasis on pediatric care considering they have been floating around in me for a couple years." She lectured. Iraimei was enthralled by the idea of Nano-tech in his blood, "So it's essentially free health-care?" he said, recalling his state provided insurance's inability to provide him and his sister a competent family physician. She giggled at the frugal thought, "A world that knows no hunger, disease and war will become Utopia... still, they have their limits and surgery is one of them." She replied, forewarning him what they can and can't do.

Kenashi was slightly skeptical at this point, suspicious to her motives, "Okay, you made something that can help cure sickness though I don't entirely buy into this idealistic bullshit without feeling that these 'nanites' are capable of doing more..." he said, standing in front of her. Rociel glowed with an impassioned aura, "They can track people... I can find anyone anywhere on the face of the planet as long as they have my nano-machines in or on them. Why? Afraid of technological singularity happening within your lifetime?" she teased, secretly wondering what he was thinking. An idea sparked in his mind, "How much money would it take for you to start a company because I'd like to invest in your ideas." He answered, figuring his remaining inheritance wouldn't last him long especially since his mother had been using for the past eight years to pay for his and her expenses.

Iraimei's ears perked in the air, agitated by Kenashi discussing business, though remained silent to see how she would react. Rociel's eyes widened, interested in the offer proposed to her, "Are we talking Monopoly cash or real numbers here?" she probed, tugging on her lower lip. Their conversation was cut short by Mr. Aradesh returning early from the Nurse's office with an Ice pack and stargazed glint in his eye from the painkillers, "Guys, get to the Athletics center... please, I don't want to yell." He said, his head still panging. They gathered up their things then visited their respective lockers, mainly fetching their Gym clothes and sports attire for the day's schedule.

The class followed him to the Athletic's center building that was adjacent to the track field, despite traversing outside through the torrential rains that were commonplace for the town. Inside the recently constructed portion of the school that was built last year, there was an array of machines that were donated to the school as tax write off, mainly treadmills and weight sets accompanied by a series of punching bags and training dummies. After changing out from their school clothes into the proper clothing, they immediately took to their activities

Ira went to work on the pull-up bars, quickly hanging himself upside down hanging from his legs, lifting his entire body up in repetition. He rarely had the opportunity to use any athletics equipment since he was in his middle school's acrobatics team and his family couldn't afford the cost of a Gym membership, much less the fees for the community center. In his pace, his glasses fell from his face, colliding with the floor as the lens popped out and cracked.

A prompt "Goddamit!" echoed throughout the room, with a distempered Jagpanther to contend with the misery of dealing with his far-sightedness. Caesar walked to him and picked up his glasses, examining the damage, "Hey do you want me to get your contacts?" he said, using sign language. Iraimei groaned in annoyance, "I can't see what you're saying without my glasses... and yeah get my contacts out of my locker!" he replied, able to guess what at most the mute was saying.

Kenashi laughed at his compatriot's misfortune but his attitude changed when he noticed Rociel attacking one of the training dummies, namely the one that had the appearance of a man. She struck like lightning with every blow of her fists jabbing the mannequin's forehead then delivering swift round kick to the side of the upper ribcage. He felt the air around her fill with anger and frustration, causing him to worry if she was alright, taking a seat outside of her striking range.

Rociel continued her assault on the mannequin, pummeling and pounding on it before grappling its head then bashing against her knee, cracking the dummy's head open with the sheer force. He watched from afar as she tackled it to the ground, pinning it beneath her as her right knee pushed against the sternum. The Bezerker maiden soon put the doll's life to a quick end, grabbing the back of the skull and the side of the face, twisting it with a swift snap to the neck despite the dummy being made of rubber.

She panted and huffed before her invigorated expression turned sour, tears running along the stripes that ran across her eyes. Rociel started crying aloud, staring down at the busted mannequin with contempt, "Why doesn't anyone like me..." she muttered under her breath. Ken was divided with himself once again, his mind debating whether to approach her or not.

The rational part of his brain reminded him of what happened when he caught her in foul mood, "It would be better just to leave her alone... There's too much crazy wrapped in her head." It thought. His empathic side had other ideas, namely of how to exploit her sensitive state, "...Though she's an idealist and likes to talk about her ideas from the sound of it. Maybe a little pillow talk would make her feel better..." it replied, schnieving a scheme in his head. He carefully walked towards her, minding his posture on his approach, "Hey, you alright Rociel, is there anything you wanna talk about?" he questioned, tugging his hair out of the way of his eyes as he kneeled down to look at her, staring into hers.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood in the air, catching wind of the fact he was attempting to hit on her but didn't make too much of it, "..." Rociel paused. She looked around the room, noticing her sister was too enraptured in her conversation with Akira about her favorite doujins and animated television series, and Mr. Aradesh passed out on the coach's desk that was tucked away in the corner, recuperating from his psychic lobotomy. The adolescent Hyena grabbed Ken by the hand, leading outside the front double door underneath the veranda, wanting some privacy.

Rociel sat against the red brick wall, sighing, trying to regain her composure, "Let me ask this question from girl to guy. Am I attractive?" she asked. Ken's ears perked up, completely flustered by her question, "Well... umm, you're athletic and beyond smart. I mean personality wise, you are kind of rough around the edges, and can be a little extreme to be around but you seem very vibrant and passionate. I think you just have a hard time connecting to other sometimes..." he said, felt placed on a stage by her forwardness. She cracked a grin and giggled then tugging at her lower lip, coyly gazing at him, "You... you're good you!..." she humored, quoting one of her favorite Italian American actors that passed away in the late 2020's at the ripe old age of 92.

"You learn the two greatest things in your life, never rat on your friends and keep your mouth shut! Yeah... my dad was a big fan of him, he even has a copy of Taxi Driver buried with him..." Ken revealed, stunned at himself that he'd talk about his late father. He never really talked about it with anyone, not even Akira though Rociel couldn't help to probe, "So... How'd he die?". His expression froze with sorrow, "Gold plated Desert Eagle, two shots, .50 caliber, to the ventral artery... He lived for a week after he was shot. It was kind of sad to see him that way but we had some fun, busted it out the credit cards, had a famous chef cook for us. We watched every movie that we wanted to watch together, I never saw my mom cry that much though before." He explained, recalling his father's last days.

Rociel smiled with a devious glint in her eye, "The best way to go out though, spoil everyone you love with fancy meals and an all-around party. Good men die young, Heroes die even younger." She said, quoting her mother, moreover on the part about heroics. Ken noticed her words, "Yeah... speaking of which, what's with your mom? She seems kind of off sometimes... I see her scanning the room like if she is expecting something." He questioned. She burst out laughing, "Yeah, a boy! I hope... a little brother would be nice." She cheered, happy to have someone to chat with.

A thought appeared in his mind, leaving him to wonder, "Hey, I know this is weird to ask but do you think... your dad and... umm" he asked, a little hesitant to bring up the idea. Rociel's eyes went wide, not doubting the possibility, "I would not put it past him... considering I sent your mother an Invitation to one of those Japanican-style resorts I'm planning to send my folks to for my mother's birthday." She admitted, having planned out an entire surprise trip for her parents and a plus one. He stood still for a moment, "Oh you are one horrible person... wait, how long will they be gone?" he said, curious to how long he could have his home to himself. "From Tuesday to Sunday, and I have to take a trip to an Aerotek facility for an interview." she detailed, hoping to cover her tracks on what she had planned.

Kenashi's mind wandered to another train of thought, "So... what's your type of guy? ... cause didn't you?..." he asked, recalling the night he was unfortunately tied up in Erika's concept of revenge. Rociel groaned at the mention, "Yeah, I molested him because I was bored out of my mind at Zoya's house, I don't really care for female company at all to be honest. My type of guy though is kind of hard to say... in polite company of course!" she boasted, afraid to describe her preference in men. He playfully smirked at her, "Oh yeah... hit me with your best shot. I've heard some of the most horrible things I will hear in my life from women. I am not a stranger to it." He said, challenging her while curious to what the Hyena had to say.

Rociel looked around, ensuring that no one else was around to hear her, "My type of guy is athletic, smart, approximately 30 centimeters tall, and hung like a Belgian draft. He has to have a sense of adventure and get along with my parents. I'd also like him to be a sadomasochistic switch, cause all work and no play bores the daylights out of me if I am the one pitching all the time." She professed with a libidinous vigor, thrilled that she manage to get that secret off her chest for now. Kenashi was appalled by her description, deadpanning "I never pegged you for a size queen, in fact, I thought you'd be into girly guys or something like that." He replied, shaken by the thought of a Belgian Draft horse. Caesar had unfortunately walked into the conversation, carrying Ira's contact case in his right fist, traumatized by the imagery stemming from Ken's perverse imagination envisioning Rociel and a horse.

She looked at the astonishment on the wolf's face then staring at ken, "Okay, what are you thinking about?" Rociel asked. Kenashi giggled in his adolescent humor, "I thought of you and a horse... Just a random thing that I thought of" he said, admitting of his deviant idea. She shrugged her shoulders at the concept, "Oh, that's all? I have something like that at home." She replied. "Alright... Wait, what?" Ken exclaimed, confounded by what she meant by that.

Rociel chattered madly at his confusion while Caesar quickly left them alone, "So you want to hang out this afternoon, I'll bring some 'Party Favors' and perhaps we could have Akira join us?" she teased, turning the tables on him. Ken could sense the tide turning on him, though he was intrigued by her offer, "Sure... I'll see if she be interested." He answered. She smiled a Cheshire grin, "Excellent! It's a party and there shall be cake!" she cheered, pondering what kind of cake to bring.

The school bell binged and bonged, signifying the time to change class, though it was time for lunch period. Kenashi and his comrades sat at their usual table, with the exception of Rociel joining them today, "So gentlemen, I'd like to thank you for standing up for me earlier. Not many would defend me in my weakest moment. Ken thought nothing of it, "It was no problem, though I really appreciate that you getting rid of those horrible drawings. Not to mention the backstory for his 'characters' were horrible!" he explained, relieved that one nightmare of his was already over.

Rociel was slightly confused by one fact, "Why didn't you guys report it to the school board? You could have had him fired and potentially imprisoned." She asked. He sighed heavily, "...Because some of the older teachers here are crooked, they'll back each other up if they come under fire and we had no evidence to prove he was the artist. All of this for them to keep their stupid jobs safe along with their pensions." He explained, detailing what the teaching staff had been dealing behind closed doors. The crossbreed did notice a trend amongst them, "Yeah... Some of them seem to skimp by on their lessons, none of them seem eager to educate the next generation." She said.

Grants Pass High School itself had negative association with it in the past years until recently of last year that the school acquired a new vice principal, Delylah Beni, who reigned everything into the place the best she could. She virtually had control of the school for better or worse, but she wasn't popular with some of the older teachers since she was liable to hand them the Pink Slip at any given moment if they faltered. The worst part for them was that fact she had replacements available for them at a moment's notice that were willing and eager to stand in front of classroom to engage a room full of adolescents.

Kenashi was still upset about the drawings, "The worst part about them is that he made out us to be worst of the worst. He made me out to be some sick anal-loving freak with an Oedipus complex, Ira here a twisted sociopath who raped his little sister and mother on a daily basis, and that's not even the half of what the fucker wrote about us and our parents. Good thing you stopped him when you did, he would have turned you or your sister into some closeted nymphomaniac or worse." He explained with a sense of violation stirring inside of him. Rociel picked up his mood, hugging him for a brief moment, "Don't worry, the scary monster in the closet is dead... because I stabbed him in the throat then watched him bleed to death while I tore out his eyeballs and forced them down his gullet." She said with a giggle, depicting a rather vivid garish scene with her words but it was a part of her dark sense of humor. He paused for a minute, unnerved by her attempt to comfort him but he understood what she was trying to convey to him.

Rociel didn't even bother to examine the old Mr. Aradesh's gallery, but could easily envision it to be the product of a warped imagination, "...But really? I could never think either of you as that, especially Iraimei." She said. Ira's ears perked, curious to her perception of him, "Might I ask what do you think I'm like?" he probed. She smiled, laughing at herself, "Well I think Ken is an emotionally intelligent yet repressed young man who should really needs more intimacy and affection in his life, namely unconditional love. You, Ira, are semi-introverted but aren't beyond using unconventional means to obtain something you want in life and have strong family values which is why you invested the funds I provided you into something your family would use and you appreciate those who share similar values like Zoya. Caesar lacks initiative and has fear of becoming too committed if he starts hanging out with her, seriously man, Sex is Sex and you don't have to be boyfriend and girlfriend to do it, you can just be friends." She lectured, verbally tackling all of them at once with her psychoanalytic evaluations. The three of the boys stared at her with mixed reactions, attempting to comprehend all that she said.

Kenashi's eye began watering, reflecting on her statement, "Am I really that desperate for that kind of attention?..." he thought, afraid she pinned the source of his misery. Ira was deep into his own psyche as well but evaluating his relationship with Zoya, "Do we share the same values?..." he said in his mind. Caesar had his palm planted firmly against his face, embarrassed by the fact he had only been courting Rociel's younger sister in her dreams, before he stood up and walked over to the lapine in question.

Celestine was amidst a conversation until she saw her favorite canine approach, "Hi Caesar! Is there something wrong?..." she said, having been secretly listening in on what her eldest said from across the room. Caesar was a little flustered but it didn't stop him, "Can we talk in private?" he signed, hoping she would understand. She smiled, standing up then following him, turning her head towards her sister, "Thank you!..." she silently worded with her lips.

Rociel giggled, setting the gears in motion for what may come, as she turned back around to find that Ira had departed to visit Zoya in Detention and Kenashi heeded her words, whisking away Akira elsewhere in the school. She laughed and grinned joyously, "I came, I saw, I conquered. Hehe!" she said to herself, sighing about the fact that she had no one to talk to at the moment. A pair of arms draped over the Hyena's shoulders, whispering into her ears, "Rociel, my medicine is wearing off and everything is starting to look like a Jungle and you're turning purple and pink. Can you please stay with me?" Siria requested, her Wunderlind syndrome taking a hold on her perception of the world around her.

The Technopath perked up at her statement, "Okay, You, Me, South Wing restroom." She said, aiming to exploit her sensitive state. Siria was shivering and scanning around the room, "I don't care as long as it doesn't turn into a Caterpillar again, just stay close to me! I saw a boy with three tails wearing a yukata and a two-faced Oni together, a Mayan warrior with a Russian White guard, and a Roman emperor with a Dryad." She said in a panic, describing the people she saw on her way to her companion. Rociel's mind quickly equated the vast array of characters to their actual counterparts, "Okay then let your Chesire guide the way for you." She said, grabbing her by the hand.

Meanwhile, Caesar and Celestine had sneaked away into the nearby AV equipment room, "So... I would to ask you if we can be friends." He signed, fraught with anxiety of her potentially saying no. She looked up into his eyes, blinking twice at him, "Sure, but what kind of friends? The kind that spend time together alone?" she questioned. The Wolf's cheeks turned cherry red before he nodded yes with a smile, nervously anticipating her reaction.

Celestine leaped and wrapped herself around the adolescent canine, entwining her lips with his her excitement as their tongues began parrying one another. She broke away then gazed into his eyes, "You know... I've been waiting for you to ask that question for a while now. My parents are going to be gone for the rest of the week... so would you like to "tie some knots" with me?" she said, teasing his imagination. His heart began pounding faster, beating akin to the sound of subwoofer, while he tried to catch his breath, nodding his head once again.

Caesar gently let her down on the floor tiling, "I would like to thank you though for not taking this too seriously, my parents have been pushing the Girlfriend issue a lot. I am not ready to be committed to that kind of relationship this early on in my life." He signed, having meandered on the idea of it over the past month. She smiled, her expression bright as day, "Neither am I, we both might have plans for the future and those plans might take us to different places. Right now it would be better idea to be friends and have Sex on the table without having to feel the whole sense of being fated together and if it does happen later in our lives. It will happen because we're friends and choose to be forward and honest with one another instead of leaving one another in the dark about what we want in life." Celestine professed, recalling a book that her father recently gave her that detailed various types of relationships. The Wolf relaxed at her speech, he couldn't agree with her more, "Yes, and it would be easier to be there for another without any strings attached when we need each other." He replied.

Celestine beamed with a hearty glow to her smile, "Exactly, and I want unconditional romance and love-making so I don't feel this crippling sense of loneliness of never having relations with another individual later in my life. Besides, I want someone who is kind and genuine to be the first guy I ever do it with, and I'd like you to be that guy." She explained, stimulated by her own conversation. He was captivated by her boldness and her statement, "Same here. I would rather sleep with someone who is sweet and caring as you than someone who just wishes to use me for their own gratification and not care about me afterwards." He signed, secretly remembering how his friend Kenashi was used by his Babysitter like that a long time ago. She twined her arms around him in a tender embrace, "I promise not to hurt you as long as you promise not hurt me. Deal?" she said.

Caesar returned her affection, gliding his palm up and down her back, patting her gently in agreement before they were rudely interrupted. Zoya and Iraimei stood in the doorway, having planned to utilize the room for their own purposes, "You do know there is a lock on the door?..." the Husky said, a little embarrassed that she caught the two in a moment. Cell stared at her for a minute, "Uhh... we won't tell if you don't tell?" she said, giggling a little bit.

The couple was immediately pushed out of the old AV equipment room before the door was quickly slammed and locked behind them. Celestine wasn't surprised by this as she stood out in the hallway with her 'friend', "You know that's the fifth time she's done that to me and it still doesn't get old." She said. Caesar simply shrugged as they decided to continue on with their day, talking about what they planned to do while her parents were gone.

The rest of the school day went by uneventfully, as the time came for the students to be shipped home via the shuttles. The Hentzel sisters boarded their bus home with Siria on the Eldest's back until she was sat down before being lifted up into Rociel's lap, safe and sound from the menagerie of imaginary creatures that she saw. Celestine sat next to the two, "Is she okay? Did her medicine wear off again?" she asked, seriously concerned if it was affecting her psyche.

Siria was in her own personal wonderland, seeing and hearing everything differently around her, "I am fine if I keep the Rosie's Caterpillar safe inside my belly. Aren't you late for a date Ms. Dryad with Emporer Julius? I know Ms. Rosie has to meet the Tri-tail Kitsune and his Oni concubine then partake of the magical mister to visit Cain in the land of Babbel once she hands the King of Spades and his Pair of Queens the Ticket to Aberdeen" She said in her delusional state. Celestine's expression went flaccid, disturbed by her ramblings, "What does she mean by a Caterpillar?" she asked. Rociel simply stared at her sibling, letting her figure out what the hallucinating wolfess meant by it.

Celestine quickly realized what its analogue was, "Ooooh! ...Yeah, we should really take her back to our place and call her Mom or Dad. She is way past and over the hill at this point." She said. Siria was enthralled by the world around her in psychomania, while she cradled Rociel's head, massaging her scalp inadvertently, "Ms. Rosie, Can I play with your caterpillar when we return to your cottage in the darkwoods, my belly misses it and I want to see if it squirts bug juice like it did that one time!" She said. Rociel blushed with a guilty look on her face, "Granted, she is more fun this way!" she cheered, reveling in every second of the canine's insanity.

Once their Shuttle stopped at their drive, Rociel had Siria hop on her back once more, carrying her up to the doorsteps of their cottage style home. Celestine wasn't too far behind until she came inside to find a loud pop with confetti bursting into her face. She jumped at loud sound, "Hell's Bells!!!" she screamed, frightened by the sudden noise accompanied by a barrage of paper.

Celestine gathered her bearings, and then noticed a Pie, a Mixed Berry one, on the Kitchen counter, knowing that her father made them only on special occasions. Her dad lifted her up into his arms, giving a bear hug, "How's my little Chlorokinetic baby girl!" he cheered, happy to have another Esper in the house. She didn't expect him to react this way, expecting a more serious approach to the matter, "Umm... I'm fine daddy, can you please put me down?" she asked until her feet made contact with the hardwood floor again.

They took a seat at the table with a couple plates and forks as her Dad gave her slice of Berry pie that was made from scratch, using raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and cherries. He smiled, "So how long have been able to play with plants dearie?" he questioned with a soft tone, approaching the topic calm and collected. Celestine took a bite of her afternoon snack before answering, "A while, I didn't think it wasn't too important to mention." She answered. Rhyne stood up from his seat, leaning towards the lapine, pecking her on the forehead, "I understand, I'll talk to you later about it though, right now your mothers are probably finished packing and I think was more than just mint in that nasal sprayer so I am ready to drive." He said, knowing what is like to be coerced into the ESP's system against his will in the first place.

Rociel finished talking with Siria's parents over the phone, sitting down at the table for a slice of pie, "Well, looks like your Psycho-sitting cause Siri's folks are out of town, apparently their out of Seratizine and got caught in some heavy rains to the East." She said. Siria had taken an affinity to the leather couch in the den, rubbing up against it with her tail wagging in the air, "Ms. Rosie, can I play with your caterpillar now?" she asked. The Hyena planted her palm against her face, "Now its starting to get slightly annoying." She stated.

Jacklyn had snuck up behind her daughter then planted her palm on her head, then pecking her on the cheek, "Good girl, and thank you for planning this! So where we heading cause we don't where you booked our reservations?" she asked, displaying her motherly affection. Rociel sighed a little disappointed her surprise was spoiled but content with her progenitor's excitement, "The Sanzu Spa and Resort off Route 101. You guys have fun." She said. The Lady of the week and soon-to-be mother of three patted the technopath's shoulder, "Oh and there is some spare Med-pens in the fridge, case your Snow White gets a little too far out there in the Enchanted forest." She said, before leaving the house with her partners and their luggage.

Rociel searched in the refrigerator to find several autoinjectors on the lower shelves filled with Seratizin, an anti-psychotic prescribed for Schizophrenics and those who suffered from Wunderlind syndrome that lasted for a few days at a time. She primed the medi-pen's spring and look at her sister, "So... you hold her down while I unload into her in the ass?" she questioned, hoping to have some assistance in chasing down the wolf once she realized what they found. Celestine turned her gaze towards Siria who was upside down trying to walk up a wall, "Yeah... wait! What are we doing again?" she said, thinking she misheard something.

The Eldest of the Hentzel sisters nodded her head disappointment, grunting in annoyance, "You know what I meant." She remarked. Cell blushed a little, "Well as a long as its consensual..." she joked, understanding her role clearly, though poking fun at her sibling's statement. Siria saw the spring-loaded syringe in Rociel's hand turn into a pink serpentine dragon with long hypodermic fangs that snapped at her, "Nununu! Keep the Hendrical away from me!" she said, starting to run all over the room and the furniture without any real direction. The two looked at one another before they pursued her throughout their home armed with nothing but an injector and time on their hands....