Blood-Etched Trees

In a school full of superpowers, a grown man marking trees with blood ranked right up there with 'pretty weird'. Everything was relative, but even this wasn't something somebody could easily get away with at Starlight.

Fleur had not initial interest in what he was doing. At first, she figured Sasha was just some teacher, or maybe a gardener or forester inspecting the trees. A second look showed her the weird knife in his hand, and the marking in a red tone that was less familiar in spray paints and more in blood. Someone carving bloody messages into trees...

Well, that was good enough of a reason to back away and run. But Fleur wasn't quite so cowardly... or rational. Besides, she wasn't as weak as she seemed. If she got into trouble, she had her kick-ass Kung fu right with her.

“Are you supposed to be doing that?” Fleur asked, her ponytail dangling to the side of her head. She bent down until she was level with the marking.

So it wasn't blood? Fleur wasn't about to give it a taste test, so she'd rather just take his word for it. On the other hand, he was still cutting up a tree. It was basically graffiti, only one that couldn't be washed. Fleur eyed him with suspicion, as much as he deserved.

“I am a student,” Fleur rested her hands on her hips, flipping her ponytail back behind her shoulders. “And what are you? An older college student or something?” Fleur didn't think he'd be a guest from off-campus. What would an outsider be doing vandalizing trees with bloody pens, if not for some weird cult ritual? Unless that was exactly what he was doing.

“I won't tell anyone if you tell me why you're doing that,” Of course he wouldn't admit to anything evil, so Fleur didn't expect her to go back on her word so easily. At the same time, she was tentatively curious.

What was she doing? What everyone else does at a school. Get an education (sorta), and develop her powers. Well... and hiding away from grandpa. Fleur had her own secrets too, however. “I'm a student, so obviously I'm learning stuff. I'm still in High School,” Fleur explained.

She didn't like his answer either. Most people on Manta Carlos islands were not human. She wasn't anywhere any of them were, really. It was a secret island kept away from visitors outside of the supernatural sort, so either he was a rare exception or he was lying.

“Gather your bearings? There's easier ways than cutting up trees. Like looking at where the sun is, or maybe outlines of mountains. Besides, if you aren't a student, why do you care how the school is outlined?”

“Instruction?” Now, there was something a little more curious. “Well, why are you on the island then?” Fleur approached him, a little more willing to come near the etching even if it meant having the grown man behind her back. He could still be a threat, but she was willing enough to take the risk.

“Well, why a pen with deep red ink? Doesn't seem like the best colour,” Fleur was curious, but she was also still suspicious. She hoped she didn't drive the man mad with her questions, but at the same time she had a lot on her mind.

“My name's Fleur, by the way. I'm a snake, sort of.” To prove her point, she twisted her back all the way until she was facing Sasha with her top half. The lower half was still crouched down.

Fleur didn't think they sent letters to old guys. Fortunately for Sasha, her suspicions dissipated to a degree. It didn't take long for him to come up with something equally weird, when Fleur looked towards the school and found it impossible to see anything like that. It wasn't even that, quite... Sasha wasn't looking towards the school at all.

Granted, she couldn't confirm his assertion, but Fleur was curious about just how much detail he could get into. “Girls, huh? So are they boys? What are they wearing?” Fleur certainly hoped he didn't have interest in girls. He was a little old for them.

She turned the rest of her body around, contemplating jumping into the tree for a better vantage point.