Stalling (OPEN)

"I think we shall be alright. I am very good at playing tag, you know!" He smiled as he opened the door, then stepping to the side and motioning for her to go first. "They often will try to surprise me, but they have not been able to tag me just yet!" It was difficult to tell if he was serious or joking. Considering how the conversation had been going so far, one would assume he was joking. After all, they clearly were not playing tag. However, he spoke as if he was being serious. And considering how he suspiciously 'forgot' the whole incident just a short while ago, one would clearly be confused as to what he was talking about.

"I do know an excellent place down in the city. They can put chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla all at once on a cone for you!" Perhaps an average adult would be simply trying to keep the child interested and entertained, but he was clearly serious.

"I see.. I suppose that means my favorite ice cream place is not so unique. Rather, it is just as wonderful as all the others!" They would make their way around a corner, as he lead her towards the front entrance of the school. With class in session, the halls were clear. For the most part. As they came around that corner, a young male student, perhaps only a few years older than Sophie, would stop dead in his tracks after seeing Alistair.

"You - You're that guy!" He said, slowly taking a few steps back as if planning to run. Alistair made a confused face in response and even turned around to look behind him as if expecting the young kid to be referring to someone else. "Look don't tell anyone I saw you! I saw nothing!" The kid took off down one of the hallways, dropping a large poster-like piece of paper as he did so.

"Perhaps he thought I was 'it'? I have not yet been tagged, so he would have been mistaken." He noticed the paper on the ground and walked over to it. "It would appear he has forgotten one of his belongings. Shall we return it, M'lady?" Then he actually got a good look at it:

—-ATTENTION-—

WANTED: ALISTAIR FORDREN
FOR: ASSAULT, ROBBERY

ANY CHILDREN OF STARLIGHT ACADEMY CAUGHT FRATERNIZING WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL SHALL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED. ANY WHO BRING THIS MAN, ALIVE OR DEAD, SHALL BE REWARDED WITH POWER, GLORY, AND MONEY.

SIGNED,

KEITH VARDAS
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, FLAME SERPENT SQUADRON

——

"Hmm, I've seen these all over town. Whoever drew this picture clearly has never seen me before. It is entirely incorrect." He lifted it up to show her. It actually looked exactly like him.

For once his emotion actually dramatically changed. He went from 'extremely positive and happy' to 'only a little bit happy'. There was also some aggravation thrown into the mix, but it would feel different than that of a normal person's. If she really tried, she would probably be able to tell that his aggravation stemmed from the students being 'severely punished', rather than it having to do with himself. In fact, he didn't really seem to care about his part in all this.


"This man is not an official of the school. It is nothing you have to worry about. Still, I wonder if it is such an option to bring you out for ice cream as I had hoped. It could, perhaps, be rather dangerous for you." He didn't make any reaction to the fact a twelve year old had just used a swear word. "Keith Vardas is a man who has taken an incorrect path, I'm afraid. He controls a gang in the city that has recently grown larger and more active. Many people fear him, and anyone who spends a lot of time in the city has heard of him. It would appear he is attempting to use that fear to get to me." Probably because he had, indeed, taken something that had once belonged to him. But it wasn't exactly robbery.

He threw the poster away in a nearby trash bin. "For your own safety, Sophia, it is recommended you do not inform others that you have met me." He looked into her eyes with concern. The emotions portrayed from him, the tone of his voice, and the fact that he actually had used her name this time instead of a formal pronoun showed that, despite his earlier antics, he was quite serious this time.

"The staff here is pretty good. Just be careful of Mister Amarant, he can be scary especially if you interrupt his nap." Yeah, that one time he was chased through the forest by Amarant's animated suits of armor made for a rather interesting night. He was silent for a moment, leaning against the wall in thought. Truly, no one was safe. Vardas was using him as sort of a scapegoat in a ways, but there was no one on this island that was "safe" now. He wasn't entirely sure how he could explain that to a young girl, even if she did seem quite mature.

"I will be alright. There is no need for concern, m'lady." He smiled at her. His emotions had returned to their normal super happy positive state once again, and it would likely be difficult to determine just how confident of those words he really was. Then again, he may very well have believed what he had just said. It wouldn't be unlike him to be confident in even the most grim of situations. "I will simply take on each challenge as required. This man does not like me because I stopped him from doing a very bad thing, once. He wants to do more bad things, so it is logical he is afraid of me stopping him again."

"Hmm.. I suppose I have been on this island for about a year now. I do not come to the school very often, but I do enough to know most of the teachers by name. Not that they are ever very excited to see me." He shrugged, not seeming to mind whether the teachers liked him or not. In all honesty, being liked had nothing to do with his reason for being here, so it was irrelevant.

"What!?" He jumped back in an over-exaggerated response to her statement that he was her only friend. "Only friend!? Surely a fine young lady such as yourself has found other friends? Perhaps I should introduce you to my friends? Surely you can make some friends here at the academy, as well! Some wonderful students are here." He left out the part that some of them were not so wonderful. Whether or not that was on purpose would remain a mystery. Knowing him, he very well may have included the not-so-wonderful ones in his statement.

"I have an idea." He said right after she compared him with a superhero. He took her hand and began running down the hall, opposite the direction that they were originally heading towards. "We are going to find you some more friends, m'lady!" He yelled in an excited tone, almost as if he was having fun with this. Well, he probably was having fun with this. Apparently he completely ignored her comment about being a superhero, however.

Although, he did know that the class bell would be ringing again soon. Perhaps that is why he began running towards the class rooms.