Shadow figure ( Invite only)

[Yuki]

Levi sighed as he made his way to the teacher breakroom, this day was not going to well for him.. Amanda a new student that had just started today had to leave early due to her ankle getting hurt.. In his class thanks to a bully.. Thankfully though it was his break time so he could relax a little. Making his way into the staff room he could smell the sent of tea. Ahh Julian must be on break to.


Sure enough when he walked in Julian was sitting in a chair with a tea cup sitting on a table next to him. The art teacher looked up and smiled, " Hello Levi. How has your day been?" He asked.

Levi gave a weak smile, " Its been a rough start.. A student got hurt in my class and ended up having to leave to go see a doctor." Levi said with a sigh as he then started to make some tea for himself as well. He needed something to calm his nerves.

Julian's eyes widened a little as a look of concern flashed over his face. " Oh no.. How did that happen?" Julian asked, he knew how much Levi valued safety so it was a bit of a shock to hear this.

" A punk tripped her.. Right in front of me no less." Levi said in a aggravated tone as he finished making his tea, he then walked over sitting down in a chair and started to softly blow on his hot tea.

" Oh my.... Sadly kids can be rather cruel.. " Julian said with sigh. He took a sip pf his tea and placed it back on the table, reaching into his bag he took out a polaroid camera and started looking it over.

Levi raised a eyebrow, " What's with the camera?" He asked


Julian smiled, " Oh I was thinking about doing some lessons in photography. Seeing not everyone can paint or draw, taking photo's though is something anyone can do and it is a form of art. I even bought some extra polaroid cameras to rent out to any students who don't have any of their own." Julian said with a smile. " After school lets out I'm going to go around the city and perhaps the forests and mountains to take some example photo's to show my students. "


Levi gave a understanding, " Ahhhh I see, well just be careful the city can be a dangerous place." he replied, as he sipped more of his tea.


Julian smiled and nodded, " Oh yes.. I know. I don't plan on going anywhere sketchy. But if anything does happen... Well I can defend myself if needed." He rather not use his powers for violence.. But if he had to he would only if any other option was taken away.


Levi nodded and sighed as he looked at his cup. He already drank all his tea. So he then stood up to make some more. As he stood next to the small stove he suddenly got a chill down his spine as the air around him grew colder. As he breathed he swore he saw his breath. This... This is what he heard some of the students talking about! But he had wrote it off as someone just spreading rumor. He turned his head letting out a gasp. A Dark human shadow figure was standing right next to him. The Lights started to flicker,"J-Julian, take a picture now" Levi demanded his voice shaking.


Julian looked up and his eyes widened, he then was quick to raise his camera and took the shot. The camera then spit out the photo, however Julian just stared at the shadow figure standing next to Levi. " Is this really happening? The rumors... They are true?" The art teacher would think to himself.


Levi stood there finding himself unable to move as he stared the shadow figure down. " K-Keith Cyrus... Is.... " Levi did not get the chance to finish his question for as soon as he said the former school principal's name the lights in the room started to flash more violently causing him to gasp again. The two teachers did not move but Julian did take a few more photo's as this happened, now some of the photo's lay on the floor. The lights then stopped flashing and the shadow figure was now gone.

Levi stood there stunned, " Did that just... Tell me you got pictures of all that?" Levi said in a frantic tone as he turned to look at Julian.


Julian nodded, "Y-yes.." He said softly as he trembled. He then set the camera down as he picked up the photo's as they slowly appeared Julian's eyes grew wide. Levi moved closer to get a look and gasped at what he saw. There was indeed a human shaped shadow figure next to him and it seemed like it took a swipe at his arm. Levi then held his arm up and all color drained from his face. Five red angry scratch marks on his arms had formed and now it started to sting after he noticed it. Normally thanks to his powers he never got hurt.. But... This was no normal attack... It was something supernatural.. " Holy Sh$#@!!!!" Levi cursed.


The two then looked at each other then back at the photo's. " Looks like those rumors are true after all... The school is being haunted... By him..." Levi said not saying the former school principal's name this time, not wanting to anger him again.


( Imma just gonna end this here unless anyone wants to jump in? lol )

[Lepa]

"Oh Mr. Oharaaa~"

Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope.

Riki's soles screeched against the floor as he frantically pivoted himself in a 90 degree turn, nearly stumbling as he darted through the hallway. He had his own problems to deal with at the moment, and while it had nothing to do with ghosts or spectres, he still ran for his life.

The woman's voice rang out again. He ran faster.

"Urk...! I'm not falling for that again...!" Riki harshly whispered to himself, not daring to look back.

Why? Why did the moms always go after him? There were plenty of other (admittedly more attractive) men at this school, so why did they always go after him? Maybe he'd mind less if they... weren't so aggressively forward. Each one of them screamed bad news, whether it be a desperate widow, a lonely housewife or a disaster of a human being who jumped from one man to the next. These types consistently approached him; it was never anyone... normal, and it terrified him. Maybe he'd upset a witch at some point in his life and suffered a curse for it...

Riki's eyes widened as he spotted a familiar door.

Of course! The teacher's lounge! Sweet salvation!

Energized, the young man moved as fast as his legs could take him. He didn't care what bad example he was setting for the kids - allowing that woman to get ahold of him would've been far worse. It was times like this he was thankful for developing strong legs. Unfortunately, the door had been coming on fast, and Riki quickly realized he'd slam into it at this rate. He couldn't grab the handle at this speed, so he did the next best thing.

He aimed for the handle and kicked the door open.

The transfer of his momentum managed to slow him down a bit, but it didn't stop him from stumbling forward into the room. Riki let out a loud strained breath, panting as he quickly straightened himself up and slammed the entrance shut. He pressed his back against the door, clasping at his chest as he steadied his breathing. It took him a few moments before finally realizing there were two other people already in the room. He blinked, still panting.

"...Hi!" He managed to choke out in a strained but cheerful tone, raising a hand in greeting. He let out a small laugh that transitioned into a cough or two. "...Uh. Some weather we're having, right?" He grinned sheepishly.

[Yuki]

The sudden force of the door opening came to a shock to both Levi and Julian. After dealing with a ghost they where already on edge, Julian yelped in shock as he started to move backwards only to end up tripping over his own feet and falling on his butt. In his shock he dropped the photo's he had taken and they scattered all over the floor. Levi jumped back holding his breath in fear before breathing again. Both teachers where rather pale as they stared at Riki. Levi was quick to hide his arm behind his back and hoped Riki did not notice the scratches. " R-Riki, what the heck man? Geeze...." Levi said as he tried to compose himself but he was still clearly shaken up over the ghost incident.

Julian gave a weak smile, "Y-yeah.. Some weather haha..." Julian said in a soft weak tone as he ran his fingers through his hair. He made no attempt to get up however, as if he was just to startled really move at the moment. Though he saw the photo's he had taken where now all over the floor and looked at Riki. It was to late to try and grab them.. So now he just wondered what Riki would think when he saw the photo's of the shadow figure.

[Lepa]

Riki's harsh breathing slowed as it returned to normal. He couldn't help but awkwardly smile at the scene in front of him. He didn’t really think it through when he kicked open the door (in his defense, he was operating entirely in fight or flight mode) but it seemed his dramatic entrance was enough to cause some commotion. Poor guy in front of him straight up fell on his ass! It was a little embarrassing - more so for Julian, but still. Honestly, Riki would gladly take an awkward moment with coworkers over another cougar making kissy faces at him. Eugh.

"Eheheh... Sorry for the scare." He laughed lightly. "I was just trying to get away from, uh... another mom who wanted a... private lesson." He grimaced. "And not for her kid..." He muttered, shuddering at the thought.

"...Anyway, uh, sorry." Riki approached Julian with the intent to help him up, though he was quick to stop. "Ack! Shoot..." He paused, not wanting to step on the photos scattered across the floor. "Sorry again. Let me help you with these first-" Riki offered, scooping up some of the photos. His eager politeness quickly came to a stop once he got a better look at the images.

"Hey, uh... what’s this?" He asked, glancing up from one of the photos with an uneasy smile. He was still wary from his game of cat and mouse, but now he was looking at some... strange images here. "You trying to teach your kids how to shop stuff? 'Cause this is pretty good," he mused, looking back down. As he took a closer look, his light amusement formed into a frown. He glanced back up in Levi's direction in reference, mentally putting the pieces together.

"...These aren't shopped, are they." He stated in slow, creeping realization. The fact that these seemed like Polaroids should've been his first clue. "You, uh... didn't take these too long ago, huh?" He guessed. "Uh... If you don't mind me asking..." There was a small sense of dread mixed with his curiosity, and he couldn't help but put on an incredulous, nervous smile. "...What the hell are these all about?"

[Yuki]

Levi remained silent as he tried to calm himself, he wanted to move to help Julian up but he found himself unable to move his legs. When Riki spoke about a school mom harassing him.. Levi gave a weak smile, ha Levi wished that was his problem right now... He rather deal with a flirty soccer Mom then a ghost.. His smile vanished though when Riki noticed the photo's and started looking at them after taking a double take. When Riki looked over in his direction Levi looked back at him still looking rather pale. Maaan his arm was stinging so bad now.. Then came the questions about the photo's... Levi looked at Julian really unsure how to explain what the heck just happened to them.



Julian sat there staring up at Riki as he looked the photo's over.

"You trying to teach your kids how to shop stuff? 'Cause this is pretty good,"


"Ahhh ummm.... Not exactly.. Haha...." Julian said in a nervous tone.


As Riki looked at the photo's more it seemed to sink in that the photo's where real as he looked over at Levi then the photo's again. Yep Levi was wearing the same thing as in the photo's and his cup in the same spot too.

"You, uh... didn't take these too long ago, huh?" he asked

Julian bit his lower lip a little as he started to rub the back of his head looking away off to the side. "..................... Y-yeah.. just now actually... " He said in a rather soft nervous tone. What else could he say?? Riki was looking at the proof of what just happened mere moments ago telling a lie would be pointless as Riki practically figured it out already. Would he notice the ghost took a swipe at Levi?


"Uh... If you don't mind me asking..."
"...What the hell are these all about?"


They knew it was coming.. But the question made both men freeze anyway.

Julian would be the first to speak, giving a sigh he looked back up at Riki.


" I..It happened so fast.. Suddenly the shadow figure was standing next to Levi... The lights started flashing and I took a few shots of it..." Julian did his best to explain as his voice quivered in fear.


" Y-yeah... Suddenly I felt super cold... I could even see my breath.. I turned my head and.. There he was... Standing right next to me..." Levi added, it would not be fair to let Julian do all the talking.. But he left out the fact saying the ghosts name angered him and scratched him. Levi just really hoped Riki would not notice that in the photo's as Levi kept his arm behind his back.

[Lepa]

Riki blinked. This wasn’t a prank, right? No, no; they were clearly too spooked for this. Plus, neither of them seemed like the type to try and pull a fast one on Riki. He stared wordlessly in thought.

"...Well!” He clapped his hands together as if he had just finished a pep talk. "Great!” He genuinely sounded as if it was great news. “Good to know this place can’t catch a break!” He finger gunned. His apparent joy was no more than a means of denying his fear before it crept in, though it also thinly masked his frustration at the school's misfortune with the Templars. He quickly dropped his little act, rubbing at his temple in visible stress.

"...Man, but for real. Seriously? You telling me this place is haunted now?” He tilted his head forward, glancing over the rim of his glasses. “W...Was this place built over some ancient burial ground...? Do we gotta call those guys who bust ghosts?” He smiled wryly, flipping back to an attempt at cracking jokes. “Or maybe some third 80s movie reference I can’t think of right now?” He snerked. Despite his attempts, he found himself unable to stave off the rising emotions as his dread continued to creep in. He paused, nervously pressing his lips together into a thin line. When he spoke again, his tone was much more hushed.

“Or... do you think those knight terrorists had anything to do with it...?”

[Yuki]

All Levi and Julian could do was stare at Riki as it seemed he go through a tide of emotions as it sunk in how real the photo's where and how it meant the school was haunted.

"...Well!” "Great!” “Good to know this place can’t catch a break!”
the man would say in fake cheery voice as if he was trying to mask the fear that could be seen creeping into him.


As Riki then went on a bit of tangent, making jokes about ghost busters Levi and Julian looked at each other and back at Riki really hoping he would not have some sort of panic attack. But truth be told they where very close to having one themselves. Though the next question that came from Riki was not one they where expecting.

“Or... do you think those knight terrorists had anything to do with it...?”


Julian eyes grew wide as he went even paler then before, and a dark look crossed Levi face. The attack on the school.. Only one person died that day and it was someone everyone here loved and admired.. Levi held a deep regret that he did nothing that day... It took two students that day to fight back and save lives.. While he a teacher and former hero did nothing but run.

Without thinking Levi moved the arm he had been hiding from behind him and ran his fingers through his hair. " They may just have everything to do with it.." he said in a frustrated tone


Julian looked off to the side, " Riki.. The gh...ghost... Its him.. He's still here..." Julian said in a soft sad tone slowly looking back at Riki.

[Lepa]

"They may just have everything to do with it..."

Riki grimaced at his words. Didn't those guys hate magic or whatever...? He (thankfully) wasn't able to experience the Templars' fury first hand; he only went off from what others had told him and the news reports that followed. His cousin, another teacher at the school, said they'd been looking for a dragon or some other absurd claim. ...Well, maybe it wasn't so absurd in Aster City, but that didn't give them a right to storm in and murder people. Or rather, a singular person. Actually, now that he thought about it-

"HOOoo-ly cripes," Riki cut himself off from his own thoughts. "G... Geez! Dude!" He pointed. "What happened, man? You, uh...?" He gestured to his own arm, mirroring the scratches on Levi's. His concern was enough to override his fears about the supposed haunting, though he hadn't put two and two together. "You, uh... You okay?"

"Riki.. The gh...ghost... It's him.." He'd heard Julian speak barely above a whisper. "He is still here..."

Riki's dread quickly returned, though he again staved it off with the most deadpan tone he could muster, like a calm before the storm.

"I'm sorry but the what with the what now."

[Yuki]

Levi froze a bit when Riki freaked out and gestured to his own arm and mimicked the scratches that where on his arm. " Shit..." Levi muttered and then sighed. Levi's mind raced with what to say.. Well there was no easy way to say that the ghost of Keith Cyrus the former school principal attacked him. Levi looked at the scratches on his arm, they where not bleeding but the red angry scratches did sting badly. But before he could even come up with a answer Julian spoke though it was difficult to hear his soft voice.

Though it seemed now things where starting to sink in for Riki as he deadpanned.

"I'm sorry but the what with the what now."


Levi and Julian stared at Riki, with a sigh Levi stepped forward till he was standing in front of Riki. He then placed both hands on Riki's shoulders in a attempt to try and keep Riki calm and or if he freaked out he could hold the man in place. Levi then locked eyes with Riki, " Riki... Take a deep breath alright.. And slowly let it out." Levi instructed. Levi himself was freaked out but he was trying his best to stay calm.


" The school is now haunted.. By the former principal.. You saw the photo's.... And my arm... He. He did that too.. Saying his name seemed to anger him." Levi said slowly in a calm manner, though he tightened his grip on Riki just in case.

[Lepa]

Hmm.

Riki didn’t like this. Riki didn’t like this at all.

He and Levi were peers, but at that moment, Riki felt like the other guy was his dad; not in the "hey sport, let's play catch" sense, but in a tense, dreadful "son, we need to talk" kind of way. Maybe it was good for his students that he emulated a dad figure at all, but Riki was an adult, and something about it was unsettling. Maybe it was the fact that someone else had to be the voice of reason to him.

Or maybe it was the whole, you know, haunting thing going on.

Still, he did what was asked of him and let out a deep breath. He did feel the man's grip tighten as he spoke, causing Riki to tense up himself. The action tugged at faint memories of dealing with his own fair share of hooligans in his youth, though he clearly had other things to worry about now.

Like the principal.

...Wait, oh god, it was the principal?

Riki's eyes widened as the information sunk in, but he stood still, again pressing his lips into a thin line. He let out a tense sigh through his nose. "S... Sssssoooo..." He began tentatively, his voice halfway to a whisper. "What... What do we even do?"

[Yuki]

Levi felt Riki tense up and then quickly took his hands off his shoulders. He did not need to make Riki anymore tense then he already was. Then came the question.

"What... What do we even do?"


A silence fell over the room, Levi looked down at the floor as he ran his fingers through his hair again. What in the world could they do? Its not like anyone here could deal with a angry ghost.. That he knew of anyway. How was this going to effect the students? He had already heard them talking about ghost encounters they ether had or heard about. This was just so frustrating! He was powerless to do anything!


Julian still sat on the floor and his eyes where looking down, as he was also at a loss for what to do.

Levi glanced over to Julian for a moment then looked back at Riki.

" I... I don't know.. But I do know this... We need be ready to be there for any student who may want to talk to someone about this. Rumors are already spreading.. Students are also having encounters with him. However... There are two students I think may be the most effected by this.. Sarah and Taylor.. They... They where the ones that got the templars to leave the school by having them chase after them. I worried how they will react to this... And how the ghost will interact with them. " Levi paused a bit letting that sink in for Riki and Julian.



Julian looked back up giving a small nod, "Y-yeah... Your right the students come first.. I have Sarah in one of my classes.. I.. I will do my best to reach out to her." Julian said softly but with resolve.

Levi nodded, " I have Taylor in a class too, next time I see him I will have a chat with him.. Damn.. I know he is being bullied he does not need to deal with a angry ghost too..." Levi said with a annoyed sigh.

[Lepa]

Taylor, huh? Was... that the same Taylor he saw with Casey the other day...? It seemed odd for the boss to agree to training some random high school kid. He didn't want to pry into Taylor's matters, but Casey did mention him getting bullied that day... So it was likely to be the same kid, right? If true, then... that explained a lot, especially with the boss' emphasis on self defense against threats in the city. If Taylor was involved with that, then... was Casey talking about the Templar attack...?

"...Okay. Okay, I get it, we have to reassure the kids, that's our job, but, like..." Riki lifted his hands as if holding a block of air. "What do we say?" His brow scrunched up. "Like, what, do we dismiss it as a rumor? Do we lie? Because telling the truth also means admitting we can't do jack squat about it, and that won't help matters." He frowned. "Or what about telling them to not say his name? Because that might as well be a dare; you know there's some kid out there who'll take it as a challenge." He sighed, folding his arms. "Just... how much are we supposed to let them know...? Hell, what about the rest of the staff...? Do we tell them, or...?"

[Yuki]

Riki had very solid points, there was really not much they could do at all.. It was ether just dismiss this a a baseless rumor, or say ya its a real thing but there is nothing they could and just make the kids even more fearful. On top of that the dares would start and kids would end up getting hurt.. Levi looked at Julian who was looking at him, and Riki was also looking at him for answers. Levi moved away from the two of them and sat down in a chair once again running his fingers through his hair in frustration. His eyes narrowed as he glared down at the floor and he started to grit his teeth. He was useless.. Just like he was useless back when the attack happened.. There was nothing he could do to protect the students.. A dark look crossed Levi's face as flash backs from eight years ago started to through his mind. His best friend bloody and beaten.. What if the ghost hurt the students? Levi formed his hand into a fist slammed it down on the arm rest of the chair he was sitting in. However he did it a little two hard and ended up breaking the arm rest. The snap broke Levi out of his thoughts and he looked at the arm rest. " Shit....." he muttered as he stood back up.

" Yeah... We are pretty much powerless here.. We may just gave to gather as much evidence as we can and show it to the principal.. The school is going to have to be shut down for everyone's safety.." Levi said however keeping his gaze to the floor.


Julian was a bit shocked when the arm rest broke like that. He looked over at Riki to see his reaction then looked back at Levi when he started speaking again. When he then suggested they get the evidence they needed to shut the school down. Yeah.. That would be the best way to go.. With a sigh he started to pick up the photos he had taken.. " Well.. If that is the case we have a good start. Levi let me take a photo of your arm." Julian said as he then stood back up and got ready to take the photo. Levi just nodded as he held his arm out and let Julian take a photo of the scratches on his arm.

[Lepa]

Riki couldn't help but jerk a bit once Levi's fist came down like a hammer, snapping the armrest. The first thought that came to mind: was the school budget in such dire straits that school furniture was starting to fall apart that easily? The second thought that came to mind immediately after: was this guy hiding some power? Riki almost couldn't fathom why, but he supposed it was harder to understand without powers of his own. He thought better about questioning it, though; they had more important matters to concern themselves with.

"...Yeah. That sounds best," Riki agreed with their plan. "I guess, uh... I'll keep a lookout, too." He shrugged. Gathering evidence was better in the long run, but honestly, the quickest way to show off the danger would probably be to say the old principal's name in front of the new one; assuming that's really all it took to summon him. However, it probably wasn't the safest method, and not exactly one he was keen on suggesting at that moment. His fear had begun to fade, but it still lingered, and Riki wasn't ready to spike his heart rate again by trying the method himself.

"...Hey, uh, mind if I nab one of those pictures?" Riki glanced downward at the snapshots. "Or at least make a copy of one if you need to keep 'em?" He shrugged again. "I think it might be good for reference... I mean, admittedly, I don't know how good it'd actually do since I'd probably be running the second I see anything weird," he laughed nervously. "But... it couldn't hurt, right?"

[Yuki]

Dammit he messed up big time.. He let his emotions get the better of him and broke the arm rest.. But thankfully it seemed Riki and Julian where not going to ask about it. The whole ghost thing mattered more thank goodness... Well for now anyway they could still question him about it later. Closing the school again though... Things had just started to get back to normal too.. After everything that had happened.. Why, why did this all have to start happening now? And why was Keith even doing this? He was a kind hearted man when he was alive.. How could that have changed so much?

When Riki asked to have one of the photo's it snapped Levi out of this thoughts.


Julian blinked and look at Levi who shrugged and gave a nod, he did not see any reason to say no.


Julian nodded and held out one of the photo's to Riki. "Here... Careful not to lose it." He said softly.

Levi then sighed and headed for the door, " I need some air...." he muttered as he left the room. He needed time to sort his thoughts.


Mean while Julian stood there and started to look at the photo's again. "" I just don't get it.. Why is this happening? He was such a good person..." Julian said as he could not fathom why Keith would be so.. So dark in death and scaring and harming people.