Chasing a Text Message. (RJ cast)

[Danicca Waylan]

[[Note: Takes place directly after Rooftop Joking.]]

[D]A[N]I[C]C!?

Dani entered the Student lounge with her cell phone in hand and two minutes to spare. It had taken some time, what with stairs and distance, but at least she didn't lose anyone in the crowd of the day. It had occured to her that she could have gotten here much sooner without trying to take anyone along, but what would the fun be in that? The text had said to bring help. She texted a fast, Here. RU? and watched the few students actually in the lounge that day for activity. Realizing after a moment that she didn't see anyone that could possibly be her texter, she felt a sudden urge to yell for the texter. And after that short moment, she was mad. How dare they? It was probably a pigheaded male, toying with her worse than she had originally intended to toy with him.

She realized that she was just standing there, staring at the lounge, sort of blocking the doorway into the lounge. She moved to the couch, which was surprisingly open but for one person, and flopped down with an earth-shaking kind of sigh. She didn't care anymore that there was anyone expecting an explanation from her, having tagged along from the roof of the classrooms. All she knew was that there was an unidentified burning feeling building up in the back of her throat. She hated it, and glared at her phone for a moment before becoming aware of the person on the couch next to her very obviously trying to not look at her. She had made something of a spectacle of herself, so it wasn't too surprising, but there was something about the person...

It was her roommate. A J name, Jackson, Jin... "Jared?" That was it! Jared Park or something. God, she needed to pay more attention to names of her victimsfriends. "Hey, how's the pink coming out of that shirt? I've been meaning to ask, but I haven't seen you in the room in a while." That shirt meaning the shirt she had destroyed by throwing in with her reds. That one had been an accident, and how was she supposed to know it was his favorite? And it was true, she had been meaning to ask him about it, but either he was avoiding her or they just ran different schedules lately.

Anyway, she was getting distracted. Where could the person be? Her dark eyes scanned the room once more, briefly.

[Aaron Walker]

AJ had a little trouble keeping up with the girl as she headed toward the student lounge. It might have helped if he knew where he was going. But was the idea of an adventure. He was getting very excited. Until he realized there destination was only the student lounge.

Once they reached the room, the girl looked around while AJ stood a few steps behind her with a smile plastered on his face. Realizing he still had the paper tube in his hand, he started using it to look around the room as well.

When he looked back to the girl he realized she kept fiddling with her phone. “Is there something wrong with your phone? Did we come here to get someone to help ya fix it?” he asked, a little disappointed if that was her idea of an adventure. He had hoped for something a little more challenging. Or at the very least more physically active.

[Jared Park]

~outfiit here

In all honesty, the boy didn’t really plan on showing up in the student lounge. Cruel as it may seem, but it’s more because the boy’s so scared that he might just give himself up right there and then than anything else really. He doesn’t have that good of a poker face, and without Robbie to help stabilize himself, should a face-off happen, he’s doomed. (Where is that blonde weather manipulator anyway?). Heaven knows how Danicca will get him back for him basically making her prank backfire.

But as it was, curiosity got the best of him and the boy decided to appear in the student lounge, albeit a little too early than what was agreed upon. Five minutes early, to be exact. After a minute or two of mulling over, he promptly grabbed a plain black sweater, added a chicken hat/headdress (just for kicks) and rushed over to the student lounge and waited. And waited. And waited.

Three minutes (as apparently Danicca decided to make her appearance rather early) isn’t really that long, but since the boy’s nerves were acting like crazy at the moment, they seemed like an eternity really. He couldn’t even sit still to watch a commercial. He was walking here and there, basically second guessing himself if he made the right decision to even come to the lounge. When his phone buzzed and he saw the shadow of the infamous prankster however, he promptly flopped on the couch, texting a quick Yup. C me? then quickly hiding his phone within the recesses of the couch and grabbing the remote to look like he’s an innocent bystander.

“Saywhu-Ohai Danicca. And friends.” Jared smiled weakly. So she has an entourage now? Are they like, sniffing him out for her? Hopefully none of them are telepathic, he thought, trying his hardest to maintain the illusion of nonchalance.

Which wasn’t really hard to do, considering she brought up that incident with his favorite shirt. “It’s turning light pink now, thank you very much,” he replied, adding a leer to the end as a move to mask his growing anxiety. “I don’t think we’ve met before,” the boy said, turning to Danicca’s companions and extending his arm out as if Danicca wasn’t between them, “I’m Jared. Jared Park.” Anything to distract them (and him) from their real agenda.

[Aaron Walker]

AJ’s worried thoughts that this ‘adventure’ was turning out to be a little less than he had hoped vanished the moment he saw the boy’s chicken hat. He wasn’t sure he would enjoying wearing it himself, but he was enjoying seeing someone else wearing it. He started giggling the moment the boy stood up and addressed the girl AJ was following.

For a moment AJ missed the fact that Jared was trying to shake his hand. He was too busy wondering where a person would even buy a hat like that. Maybe a store like that would have something more his style as well. When he realized Jared was talking to him, he looked down to see a hand stretched out to him. “Oh,’ he said shaking Jared’s hand. “I’m Aaron James Walker. But you can call me AJ since everyone else does. At least most everyone does.”

Maybe there’s a costume shop in town, AJ thought to himself, still shaking Jared’s hand. I’ll have to look around. Or maybe they only sell chicken outfits. That would be cool, even though I’m not really a huge chicken fan. I like ducks though. They’re always good for getting rid of old bread.

“Do chickens like to eat stale bread?” AJ asked Jared, still shaking his hand.

[Danicca Waylan]

[D]A[N]I[C]C!?

When Dani noticed her roommate's hat--even though it seemed impossible to not notice it, somehow she didn't right away--she had all kinds of plans pop into her head for teasing, but there was another concern to address today. A more important one than the fact that chickens may or may not enjoy eating stale bread, or the fact that her roommate calling her by her full name may or may not aggravate her to no end. She let the boys introduce themselves, although it irked her a little that Jared was so casual about acting as if she weren't there for a moment, and then, to make sure there was no chance it was Jared--although, how the hell could it be, with how... Flamboyant the boy was--She asked him, rather abruptly and very seemingly out of nowhere, "Do you have a phone, Jared?" She didn't remember trading numbers with him, but still. (No luck on Jared's subject change--even though Dani didn't notice, she still managed to make things harder for him.)

Then, she turned to the kid she had brought with her--AJ, she reminded herself, she didn't want to have that issue again--and said, "I'm Dani, by the way." She never gave her full name anymore--way easier on her nerves to not be called "Danicca" all the time. Only her mother--not even her mother called her Danicca anymore. She would nail that into Jared's head later, when he had to sleep in a room next to hers.

((OoC:Sorry it's so short and took so long. Life can suck. 83))

[Jared Park]

Of all the quirky things he has – like those backless shirts and ripped pants – Jared could honestly say that it is his unique hat collection that he’s very proud of the most. From normal animal hats (like the one he has right now) to cartoon characters (he has this Stitch hat he’s very much proud of), he’s got almost everything really. He even has a Green Lantern lantern hat (the actual lantern) that he likes to wear whenever he’s ‘geeking out’.

So when Aaron (he was never for shortened name versions, unfortunately) jested him with a question about chickens, he smiled brightly, almost giggling as he tried to think of a witty answer. “I actually don’t know,” he nodded pensively, his mind giving up with the whole witty comeback thing already, “Though I’m fairly sure this chicken would rather have a freshly baked one.” Jared, would you like to think about what you just called yourself?

But whatever delight he has back then has been pushed back once more when Dani spoke, asking him about his phone. “Me? A phone? W-why no, I don’t have one.” A blatant lie, and he’s fairly sure it was written all over his place. He wasn’t a very good liar under even normal conditions, so him being put under pressure is pretty much done. “O-or at least I don’t have one with me right now. Not like I could call anyone, right?” Hopefully that save – along with the slight reference to his powers – would be enough to get Danicca off his trail. Sure he has his phone in his pocket right now, but given its baggy nature, he figures it’s not that obvious. (Hopefully). It’s not like Danicca would call the number she’s been texting with for a while now, right? (-winkwinknudgenudge-).

“Woah. You’ve been travelling for a while and yet you didn’t know each other’s name. That’s awesome.” Though given Dani’s strong personality, that might’ve been rather expected. “What are you doing here anyway Danicca?” And no, Jared won’t call her Dani just yet. More nailing needs to be done still. The boy just hopes it actually doesn’t include nails.

ooc:
I apologize for my muse suddenly leaving near the end. D;
- Jam

[Aaron Walker]

AJ smiled at Jared, finally remembering to release his hand after shaking it for so long. “Maybe ducks like fresh baked bread better too, but no one ever thinks to offer it to them,” he suggested, making a mental note to bring some fresh bread to the lake later.

He was a little confused. Jared was addressing the girl as Danicca, but she introduced herself as Dani. Did that mean that he was cool enough to call her by a nickname but Jared wasn’t? He thought Jared seemed pretty cool. Only cool people could pull off wearing a chicken hat, right?

“I don’t have a phone either,” AJ said, trying to stay up with the conversation. He had no one to call anyways. Except maybe his family. But he didn’t have to own his own phone to do that. “Do you need to borrow one?” he asked, looking at Dani. “Is yours not working? Is that what we’re doing here?” He was still clinging to the hopes of an adventure. Maybe they had to secure the phone situation first.

[Danicca Waylan]

[D]A[N]I[C]C!?

Dani was suspicious, but there was certainly no reason for Jared to lie, especially because, yes, he was undetectable by the phone, so no, he couldn't call anyone, so why would he even have one except for someone to call 911 if he suddenly keels over? Well, there went that possibility. There was still one thing that hadn't occurred to her until just then, though: The person hadn't called. She had given specific instruction to call, and the person hadn't called, they had texted, which lead to her not knowing their voice, which meant only one thing: they knew from the start who it was. Like, the very beginning, before she even got yelled at by Tom, or got the first message from the mystery texter. This was a revelation.

While she replied to the questions the boys threw her way, she began going through the complicated process of getting the number up on her phone so that she could call it. "What we're doing here, boys, is solving a mystery. You see, it apparently wouldn't be fun enough to just let me know who it is that's been texting me, no, they're playing games. They said they'd be here, now, but I don't see anyone fitting the image built up, so there's only one thing left to do: Call." She was feeling triumphant, a little smug, and was ignoring the voice in the back of her head telling her that she was a little slow to not have realized this before now. She waved her phone, once, to punctuate her intent. "If I hear their voice, I know who it is. Pretty much everyone at Hammel, I've tried copying their voice at some point or another, so I'll know who it is." There was a smile on her face that wasn't altogether benevolent.

Oh, this would be good. Not pausing for more than a moment, Dani hit send. Placing her phone to her ear and preparing to force her power to work, she listened to the mechanical ringing echoing through the air.

[Jared Park]

“I don’t think I’d ever offer ducks fresh bread. Unless they’re my pets,” nodded the Asian boy, sincerely interested in the topic. He didn’t really care that it was rather off and really odd; as long as it distracted Danicca, he’s good. Anything to get her mind off her search. (Though she seems rather adamant at finding her secret text-pal despite everything. Damn). “I’d rather eat them myself really. Fresh bread and cream cheese. Yum yum.” He even rubbed his belly and made that patented ‘delicious’ expression. “French toast even. You know if the cafeteria’ll serve them tonight?”

All hopes were crushed however, when he heard Danicca speak in such a logical manner. While he wouldn’t agree that she sounded so good when she’s saying it, whatever admiration he might have is replaced immediately by fear. Goodness knows how the girl will come back at him, considering how he ‘played’ with her. Her pranks are already terrible when she’s in a nice mood; heaven knows he doesn’t want to experience anything worse.

“Y-you s-sure that’s a good idea?” he asked tentatively, slowly walking behind Aaron, “I m-mean, maybe they’re just t-toying with you. Who s-said they’d s-stay long enough f-for you to m-meet them?” He knows he should’ve left the moment he saw them enter. Then he could hide from, say a corridor or something, and text her cryptic messages as if he’s still inside the lounge. He’ll be extremely dead in close quarters. “I mean, if it was you Aaron, would you stay long enough to be found out?” Any good – decent even – prankster wouldn’t. Clearly he wasn’t one.

But there’s no stopping her. He could feel his phone vibrate in his pants and the screen light up. He was just about to put it out but then he remembered that he doesn’t have it on Silent mode. In fact, the volume was at its max. Within seconds, Ke$ha’s TikTok was resounding all throughout the lounge.

He’s dead. (At least don’t judge him with his un-updated musical taste).

Cowering behind Aaron, he reluctantly picked his phone up, put it in his ear as he said a barely inaudible “Hi” on the microphone and waved at Danicca. God knows he should’ve done his will last night. At least that way he’d know his collection of suspenders would be taken care of.

[Aaron Walker]

“A mystery?” AJ asked, excited. “Like Sherlock Homes?” He suddenly wished he had a bubble pipe to perfect his look. Instead he used his paper telescope to scan the student lounge for likely suspects. Almost everyone in there seemed to be fiddling with some sort of phone. It looked like it would be a tough case.

Something that Jared said pulled him back into the conversation. “You want to eat a duck?” he asked loudly. “But…but…what has a duck ever done to you?” It took a moment for AJ to realize that Jared was referring instead to fresh bread. “Oh. You mean bread?” He smiled. “That’s much better.”

AJ was confused again when Jared started circling behind him. He looked back and for between the other two with confusion all over his face. “Um..I dunno what I'd do…” he replied to Jared’s question. Truth was he was too busy trying to decipher the current situation to really consider what he would do.

And then Jared’s phone with off and he waved at Danicca. “I think you two are close enough together that you shouldn’t need to use a phone,” he offered.

[Danicca Waylan]

[D]A[N]I[C]C!?

"Something like that, JayJay." Dani said, grinning at the image of Jared trying to even hold a full grown duck, let alone him wanting to eat one. It was grand. She turned her attention back to her phone, for the most part ignoring Jared's... Strange activity. Then, the most loud, obnoxious, pop-culturally-fueled ringtone a person could possibly have began to pump its tinny bass throughout the room. It took several moments for Dani to register the source of it, and by then it was already ended, Jared having picked up his cell phone. She knew for sure it was him because there were all the background noises that were happening around them being echoed into the phone, but not Jared's voice. She had never really forgotten about his power, but it hadn't been right at the forefront of her mind along with the question of "Why didn't the person call". While it made sense now, it was still a surprise.

Dani did not like surprises today.

But then why did she start this whole thing in the first place? Good question. She didn't quite remember herself the whys involved, just that in the end she'd done it. Smiling in a falsely sweet manner, Dani ended the call and stood, stepping forward and ever so slightly moving so that she could get to Jared easier--only if required, of course. "I agree, JayJay. Jared and I are close enough we can talk face-to-face. Wouldn't you agree, Jared?"

Dani was having terrible thoughts about Jared and what she would do to him just then. We would share, but the nature of such thoughts are far too graphic for the current audience.

_{[[OoC: I apologize for random nicknaming, but she's Dani. She has to.]]}

[Jared Park]

I am so dead.

Aaron was lucky he wasn’t a telepath; with his proximity to the Asian boy, he’d surely be overloaded and would’ve had a massive headache had he been privy to Jared’s thoughts. Not that his thoughts were all muddled up and chaotic (they were rather unified really), but it’s more along the lines of his mind practically pleading – shouting – for help.

“Don’t let her get me AJ, please please please please please,” he whispered behind the sound manipulator’s ear as he clutched tightly behind his back, moving Aaron’s shoulder’s with his arms (very much like a human shield) as Danicca went close. “She’ll kill me Aaron, oh she will!” I apologize Aaron for getting in the middle of this mess. I would suggest going out while you still can, but with the (death)grip Jared has on you, you’d be having a sleeveless shirt if you do.

Either that or you lose your arms. Same banana.

Goodness knows he shouldn’t have stayed. He saw them the moment they walked down the hall; he could’ve snuck out and gone the other way at that moment. And maybe just watch from a distance. But no, he has to get down and dirty with Dani and AJ. Damn. And in his chicken suit at that.

“If you’re going to dump paint on me, please do it without my beloved chicken hat. It’ll be very hard to remove if that happens.” As if that’s going to stop her.

[Aaron Walker]

“JayJay?” AJ asked, looking around the room. He thought another student must have walked in. “Wait, you mean me?” he asked Danicca. Cool, he thought to himself. I have a nickname for my nickname. That has to be like two times as cool.

As Danicca took a step toward Jared, AJ found himself being used as a human shield. Not that he really minded. He started laughing. “I’m not gonna be able to save ya dude. She looks like she means business,” he attempted to back away from Danicca, but Jared sure did have a strong grip. He tried to peel off the boy’s fingers from his shirt, but it didn’t work too well.

“You’re not really gonna kill him, right?” he asked Danicca. Then he turned his head toward Jared, since he couldn’t actually turn around, being a human shield and all. “Wait, if you do die, can I have your hat?”

Turning back to Danicca he attempted to reason with her. “Do you have to kill him? Can’t we just like tie him up somewhere? Upside-down maybe?” AJ realized he wasn’t being that much of a savior to Jared, but he figured being upside-down was better than being dead.

[Danicca Waylan]

[D]A[N]I[C]C!?

Yes, JayJay. You have a nickname for your nickname. That therefore makes you a coolsplosion.

Dani stopped her advances, actually smiling not out of malicious intent, but because the view in front of her was just so fracking funny. Jared was more of a chicken than the hat indicated, if he was hiding behind a kid like JayJay. No offense intended--it was just her line of thought.

Dani grinned. "Nah, I ain't gonna kill him. That would be way too easy on him, not to mention Jail doesn't sound like a thrilling prospect. Buuuuut," She paused, putting her finger up, to indicate she was still talking. An evil grin made its way across her features. "I very, very much like that idea, JayJay. I bet we could, the both of us together, overpower him and get him hogtied, maybe hang him by some of those rainbow suspenders of his." She was mostly saying this to get into her roommate's head, but she was kind of serious at the same time. It would be fun, at least in her eyes. She darted around AJ and put her own iron grip on Jared's shoulders, whispering in his ear from behind. "And I am very offended that you think that I would dump paint on you. I thought you'd know me better by now, Park." She would probably cover him in honey and throw glitter at him. Never paint.

[Jared Park]

“Say what?!” Jared said when Aaron said something about wanting his hat. He was just about to say something when the boy suddenly suggested (to Dani of all people) that instead of ending his life quick, why not tie him up and hang him upside-down? “Dude!” he growled, shaking his human shield, “You’re supposed to be encouraging me. Not her. Bros before hoes remember?”

And yes, he and AJ are now ‘bros’. Also, he just called Dani a ho.

He tried to send a convincing leer to Dani behind the shorter boy’s shoulder, but the sight of the prankster’s glare is enough to send him cowering back and simply peeking from Aaron’s neck. “Get away from my rainbow suspenders. Or my unicorn ones for that matter.” They’re expensive after all. Not to mention hard to get. “Maybe the Spongebob ones that Jeraiah gave me for Christmas.” It’s a little too tacky for his tastes. “But still…no.”

Jared instinctively covered his mouth to prevent the girly squeal from escaping when he suddenly felt Danicca’s hands behind him. How the hell did she move so fast? “I-it’s not just m-me,” he said, eyes going wide, “A-Aaron had a hand in that t-too.” And now he’s selling his ‘bro’ out. Hooray.

“When I say go, run ok?” he whispered to Aaron as a plan formed on his head. Hopefully this’ll work. He promptly released AJ from his death grip and pinched Dani’s nose for a good five or so seconds, wiggling in slightly from side to side for an extra kick. “Go!” he said pushing Aaron out the student lounge, hoping it’d be enough of a diversion for them to run away.

If she caught them again, it’d be the end of both of them for sure.

ooc:
Should we start wrapping this one up then? =P
- Jam