(3/18/2017 12:11:04 AM) M499k: The third dormitory. Night. Pretty late at night, in fact - a majority of students would probably be asleep.
(12:12:39 AM) M499k: On the ground floor, room 13 - your room, for the past couple of years... and up until now, nobody has been knocking frantically on it.
(12:13:06 AM) ***Iona is up and about. She doesn't sleep much, maybe four hours a night. She also doesn't need to interfere with other people when she moves about. She's on her way to the hallway to sneak down to the cafeteria. She's hungry. So she'll have to go through this person either way.
(12:13:19 AM) ***Iona opens the door. "Hello?"
(12:15:14 AM) M499k: Outside is one of the younger students, a short girl with large eyes and brown hair in an almost oversized braid - you've probably noticed her presence her a few times, but she's in a different class, and you've never spoken.
(12:15:52 AM) M499k: She looks up at you with a strange expression - something like half fear and half anger, with a good dose of confusion mixed in.
(12:15:55 AM) ***Iona taps her staff on the floor, playing up her blindness a bit. "Yes, who is it?"
(12:17:10 AM) M499k: There's no reply - rather a counter-question. "Why'd you take my things?"
(12:20:19 AM) Iona: "I beg your pardon?"
(12:25:11 AM) M499k: She looks up at you, perhaps slightly less sure of herself. "There were witnesses - you took my bags, didn't you?"
(12:26:49 AM) M499k: "...in the laundry room. Two of them."
(12:28:23 AM) Iona: "I would ask what your bags look like...but somehow I don't think that would help? What do they feel like?" She gestures to her blindfold with her staff.
(12:29:22 AM) M499k: "Oh. Um... soft, I think? With towels and clothes and things?"
(12:31:55 AM) ***Iona ponders if she stole anything like that. She's pretty sure she didn't.
(12:33:25 AM) Iona: "I don't think I did. You can search my room if you want, I don't mind...but I'm going to the cafeteria after this."
(12:34:35 AM) M499k: "But, if you didn't, that means I just---"
(12:37:14 AM) M499k: "But she was tall and the hair and... um. I just accused you of something terrible and if you didn't..."
(12:37:21 AM) Iona: "Hmm? Arrived at the middle of the night to someone's room while she's in her bedclothes?~" She smirks. Iona's bedclothes are long pants and a T-shirt.
(12:37:31 AM) M499k: There's a bit of panic creeping into her voice.
(12:38:26 AM) Iona: "Would you like to go to the cafeteria with me? They keep changing the locks to keep me out but it doesn't work."
(12:38:27 AM) M499k: "And you're in - um, you are? I mean..."
(12:39:00 AM) M499k: "The- isn't it...? You'd...?"
(12:39:06 AM) M499k: Confusion has reached level 'total'.
(12:40:11 AM) M499k: She takes a step backwards, closes her eyes while taking a deep breath as if to attempt to pull herself together, then looks back to you.
(12:40:25 AM) Iona: "Come on. We'll get some juice boxes and some of the pudding from today, then solve your mystery." She smiles, stepping through her door and heading onwards.
(12:40:26 AM) M499k: With a nod, "I'll go."
(12:40:56 AM) M499k: She follows a few steps behind you.
(12:41:49 AM) Iona: "So, what is your name? I'm Iona Barrnet."
(12:43:23 AM) M499k: "Ah. Yes, of course. Lutecia. Lutecia Weiss. Are you a master criminal?"
(12:43:57 AM) Iona: "That depends. Does it count if the people were already dead?"
(12:44:39 AM) M499k: "Already--- you're a, a, grave robber!?"
(12:45:06 AM) Iona: "The nice term is Archaeologist!" She grins as she leads the other girl to the cafeteria.
(12:45:27 AM) M499k: "---oh. Oh."
(12:45:49 AM) M499k: There is, indeed, a closed and securely locked door barring the entrance.
(12:46:37 AM) Iona: "Like my staff. It comes from an old tomb!" She raises it...and reaches out for the other girl's hand. "Well, the original is in a museam. This is a recreation my mum made because it turns out the design works really well with my style of magic."
(12:47:17 AM) M499k: Lutecia backs off slightly as the staff is raised. "...it's a really nice staff."
(12:48:16 AM) Iona: Said staff is hardwood with a large yellow crystal, faintly glowing. "Thanks. I don't have a device...well, I've a small backup one but it can only do messaging stuff." She holds out her hand for the girl to take.
(12:49:18 AM) M499k: She looks at the outstretched hand for a moment, before carefully reaching out to take it.
(12:52:04 AM) ***Iona gestures with the staff and calls up a spell. "Zeitschritt." A phantom clock appears about her for a second as the pair vanish...
(12:53:29 AM) M499k: It's dark, inside, and quiet but for the hum of cooling equipment from the attached kitchen.
(12:53:57 AM) ***Iona raises her staff again, calling up light. For the other girl, not for herself. "There we go. In."
(12:55:32 AM) M499k: "---wow. You're good at magic."
(12:57:15 AM) Iona: "Only some sorts. I can't hit the broad side of a barn with even the most basic shooting spells. I'm sure you are good at magic too." She starts to head off to the fridge. "So, was anything stolen of note in the bags? Anything valuable."
(12:59:07 AM) M499k: She counts the contents off on her fingers. "My favourite towel, my spare uniform skirt, some underwear, two pairs of pants... not really, no."
(12:59:43 AM) M499k: "There weren't any ancient artefacts in there, were there?"
(1:00:03 AM) Iona: "Hmm...so no shirts?" She heads for the fridge. "You want anything while I'm rummaging about in the fridge?"
(1:01:43 AM) M499k: "No, I washed those yesterday- is there any cake in there?"
(1:05:54 AM) ***Iona 'looks' for any cake. She's more interested in pudding or those custard tarts herself. "Alright, so it wasn't a full uniform. So someone couldn't pretend to be part of the school unless they also robbed someone else."
(1:06:53 AM) M499k: "It wouldn't even fit- and she was already wearing a school uniform---"
(1:07:32 AM) M499k: "...you didn't do it, did you."
(1:07:57 AM) M499k: And there's no cake, either. Some leftover pudding, but that's about it, sweets-wise.
(1:08:10 AM) Iona: "No? Why would I. I'm very tall, you are short and cute. I'd tear your outfits. Hmm...we have pudding. Is that alright?"
(1:09:55 AM) M499k: "...oh. I'm - I mean, I'm not, or rather, I am. Sorry. I'm... really sorry."
(1:11:07 AM) Iona: "Why are you saying sorry? You are just removing possibilities. Right now, it's not me and it's not you and it's not likely anyone trying to steal a disguise...so that means it's likely either people being mean to you or someone with a similar looking bag who took it by accident."
(1:11:36 AM) M499k: She backs off slightly and lowers her head. "But, but, they said it looked like you, and I just went off and said all those things and you're even offering me pudding and I should but I don't, and..."
(1:11:39 AM) M499k: A deep breath.
(1:12:22 AM) M499k: "...thank you. And, um, thank you, but I can't really stand pudding, but thank you anyway."
(1:13:26 AM) Iona: "Alright. More for me." She gets herself a large bowl of pudding and a juice box for each of them before heading over to a table. "So, do you have any people who dislike you or would want to embarrass you?"
(1:14:53 AM) M499k: She takes the offered juice, and a seat. "Absolutely not!" A slight pause. "...I don't think so?"
(1:15:54 AM) M499k: "...except that one time..."
(1:16:01 AM) M499k: "...and maybe her..."
(1:16:04 AM) ***Iona nods. "That one time?"
(1:17:22 AM) M499k: "...I may have sort of said some mean things... once or twice."
(1:18:22 AM) Iona: "Once or twice?" She tilts her head a bit like a bird. It seems to be her replacement for raising an eyebrow.
(1:18:27 AM) ***Iona starts to munch on her pudding.
(1:20:35 AM) M499k: "...well, um, I was sure they were planning to corner me and bully me and beat me up, so I sort of called them some things..."
(1:23:32 AM) M499k: "...and then when she showed up and cornered me in my room, I was scared, so of course I'd say things I don't, wouldn't normally."
(1:23:58 AM) M499k: "It was an easy mistake - anyone could make it. And she... does sort of look a little like you with the proper lighting."
(1:24:41 AM) M499k: Lutecia looks down at the table. "I'm sorry. I figured it out now."
(1:24:54 AM) Iona: "Oh, yes? Who is this?"
(1:27:12 AM) M499k: "There's this girl in my class - she's, probably not a bad person, but when I sort of accused her of... one or two things, it escalated, and she followed me, and... now she's taken my clothes in order to..."
(1:27:14 AM) M499k: She shudders.
(1:27:16 AM) M499k: "I have to stop her!"
(1:27:47 AM) Iona: "How about first of all we find out if she did it? There are still plenty of options."
(1:29:05 AM) M499k: "But she might be making one of those creepy little magic dolls you see in movies, with my hair!"
(1:31:19 AM) Iona: "See?" She tilts her head again.
(1:32:52 AM) M499k: "Okay. Okay, that might have been pushing it a bit..."
(1:34:12 AM) Iona: "Right. So how about this? We'll go ask her in the morning." She smiles at the girl warmly.
(1:35:00 AM) M499k: "Then she'll... it could... that."
(1:35:10 AM) M499k: A slightly forced nod. "We'll do that."
(1:35:26 AM) Iona: "Alright. Come visit me in the morning and we'll go do that, alright?"
(1:36:40 AM) M499k: "Okay. Thanks. You're... actually really nice."
(1:37:56 AM) Iona: "And Pretty. And Smart." She smirks. "But mostly I'm trying to help get things sorted in a nice way. We have to live together, better than fighting."
(1:39:33 AM) M499k: "Mh, right. Of course. I'll... see you in the-"
(1:39:54 AM) M499k: She rises, moving as if to leave, then notices the door.
(1:41:10 AM) ***Iona holds out her hand.
(1:41:37 AM) M499k: After a moment's hesitation, Lutecia takes it.
(1:42:39 AM) ***Iona raises her staff, casting the spell again to get them to the other side of the door.