Two in the dark [.Scribe|Open.]

It had taken Serenity some time to get to the Port, in between navigating through some of the villagers - and what seemed to be a group of non-gifted people protesting the school. Seren wasn't sure if the people were actually non-gifted or not, but she assumed as much from listening to what they were talking about. It also made her frustrated to hear what had been happening ever since she came back to the school compared to what it had been when she left. Nonetheless, the woman knew she had a job to do now and Serenity was out at the port doing exactly that.

Tapping against the ground before her, as she got closer to the water some villagers seemed to be more willing to move out of the way as she made it quite obvious her 'handicap'. "Ma'am, do you need help?" a young voice asked her. Serenity moved her head in the direction of that voice, speculating that the voice belonged to someone who was under the age of fifteen. "Leave me be boy, I've been doing this for over 15 years now I won't be needing any of your help now." Serenity waited until she heard the foot steps of the boy leaving until she decided to find a box to sit on. The woman wasn't sure where to expect the student from exactly, but she knew that the port was the place to start. Making herself comfortable, Serenity had an expression on her face that chased away a majority of people who tried walking up to her. Serenity's cane rested on her lap, the action seeming more threatening than anything else - despite the fact that the woman was thinking more about her dinner that she would be having that evening.

    In the distance, towards the water, the sound of rumbling engines peaked with fury. Despite the vigor of it noticeably getting louder with every second, it was also traveling further away so that the pitch changed over time. Eventually it became constant, steadily fading as the culprit retreated from the island.

    The young girl paused in her step where the port's wooden docks merged with a much harder surface to listen. It diminished over the sea, quickly masked by the waves that slapped against wood and stone. The plane would return to her father without her, she had been adamant that this is what she had wanted. But suddenly it was the moment of truth, and she learned instantly that she was a young girl, alone, in a strange place, without anyone she knew or trusted at her side. Macario had left her, at her insistence, without guidance. 
    After taking a moment to gather herself, she tested the ground with her feet. Smooth stone on an even level. For now. That might suggest cracks and raised portions that she would have to be careful of. A single misstep now and she would only look a fool for all her earlier bravado. She wished that a horrible stench had not been her farewell to Macario, but she had made her choice.
    Cecilia had never used a cane, nor did she think that she would make easy use of it if it were introduced to her now. She learned places quickly and had spent too long in familiar places and with a guiding hand at the ready to realize her potential need of one. Now she was alone and even though she knew that with time she would not need the cane, she wished she had one. For now she would settle for her luggage. Rolling it around in front of her, she pushed it forward up the path so that the clattering of the wheels would tell her where every crack and bump was in the ground. Still, she had a cautious step, and stopped when someone's reaction told her she had almost walked into them. 

    "My apologies, sir, but might you be so kind as to point me to Foresta Academy?"

Serenity had been waiting patiently for a few minutes before she heard a young female voice a few feet away from her. Standing up and walking in the direction of the girl's voice with ease, Serenity stopped when she felt she was close enough. "Cecilia?" she asked in the direction of the voice that she had heard - her cane tapping on the ground at a slow pace. "My name is Serenity Hikaru. I'm apart of the Foresta Academy police and I am a power training teacher, I was told to come here to receive you." Serenity said these words slowly with what almost seemed like a strict business tone.

The Headmistress had told her that the student would be blind, so for some reason it made sense to Martina to send a blind teacher after a blind student. Serenity couldn't help but snort at that, but quickly brought her attention back to the matter at hand. "I am about four feet to your right, I will hold out on my hand so we can both get started on walking back to the school." With that Serenity stuck her arm our with her palm facing up, waiting expectantly for the girl to grab it at some point.

    Cecilia turned her head at the sound of her own name, focusing her right ear to Serenity's voice. As the woman introduced herself, Cecilia made a small, polite gesture to dismiss the man she had questioned earlier. He was more than happy to let Serenity take over, leaving the young girl to turn and 'face' her new instructor. She had a peculiar feeling about this instructor already. She seemed to be putting on a show of her authority, as if she expected it to be challenged. She did not have the same self-entitlement that the upper-class families displayed regularly. But there was a definitive distance that she carried, and Cecilia was certain that Serenity was not a person to take lightly.
    The direction Serenity offered was unneeded, since Cecilia was capable enough with her own senses to judge the direction and distance of the woman speaking. Not that she wasn't prone to error, she might misjudge it by an inch or two, but she knew well enough to avoid walking directly into another person. Well, usually, anyway. Then again, without the offer, she would likely never realize someone was extending their hand for aid.

    "Thank you for meeting me, Ms. Hikaru. I apologize for the inconvenience." Cecilia offered a polite bow, which was probably a lost gesture to her blind opposite. Shortly, she offered her hand in a similarly upturned manner, waiting patiently for it to be taken. An odd sight it would likely be for any passerby, two blind girls passively reaching out to one another, slightly out of reach.

Serenity smiled lightly as Cecilia's apology, finding that her tone of voice interesting - briefly remembering that some of the students came from rich families. As Cecilia held out her hand, it did not strike the woman that the student was in front of her until she felt a tiny bit of warmth at her finger tips (like the sensation someone would feel if your hand was only a few centimeters away from their arm). Reaching out, Serenity quickly gripped Cecilia's hand in a gentle manner. "I've been told that you're blind, Cecilia?" Serenity then asked as she started to walk in the direction back to the school, expecting the young girl to follow along while she was holding her hand.

    "Yes," Cecilia replied simply as she felt the warmth of another's hand. With an icy touch and an elegant grace, she curled her fingers to secure the hand hold between the two, ensuring that they would not part easily. As Serenity pulled to lead the way, Cecilia dragged her luggage behind her, its wheels rattling over the bumps and cracks of the path noisily.

    She had thought the question to be an odd one, as though the woman were double checking her facts. That was well enough, she supposed, but her blindfold usually served as an obvious indicator of her ailment. How could this woman be so uncertain? Did she take Cecilia for a liar? She had no expectations of being treated more favorably than the other students (at least, that's what she told herself), but could she at least be treated with some integrity? She was not some wild street kid prone to deceptive antics! Thinking back to her home life, Cecilia realized that, yes, to an extent, she was.

    The fact that Serenity shared in her ailment did not occur to Cecilia immediately, but she did manage to realize it before they had made their way halfway through the village. Not that Cecilia had any bearing on where the halfway point or the end of Albion was. The tapping of the cane, consistent and leveled as it led the way, tipped her off. She had not noticed it initially because of her own rattling suitcase and all the other noise from the village surrounding them. She felt like a fool for her doubt in this woman.



    "And yourself?" Cecilia prodded, wondering whose brilliant idea it was to send the blind to greet the blind. Had it been meant to make her feel more comfortable? Had it been successful? Cecilia Vega was not certain.

Serenity nodded to herself as Cecilia responded with a simple yes. As they walked every now and then the tapping of Serenity's cane would stop and the woman would just walk without any noise at all. Then the tapping would start up once more, the difference in the tapping seemed to happen as the pathway occasionally changed from paved to dirt and then back to paved again. "Myself?" Serenity repeated Cecilia's question for a moment, seeming just a bit amused about answering it. "I am blind as well. You were probably born blind though, correct? I had been born with sight and had it taken away from me," Serenity said these words simply - the tone of her words making it so she should not be questioned anymore on the subject.

Silence fell upon them while they continued to walk, and the once paved road turned to dirt soon enough. The sounds around them soon started to quiet down, the hustle and bustle of the village being behind them. Serenity knew that they were soon coming upon a more recently dangerous part of the island, mostly because the roads were a good enough distance from the school to not be patrolled by the teachers. As for the Port Albion police, she was uncertain as to whether or not they started venturing closer to these roads.

Nonetheless, Serenity tensed up being in the area - remembering the lecture she had gotten from the Headmistress about recent kidnappings. Resisting the urge to grumble to herself, Serenity seemed to be in her own mind for a moment when there was a sudden rustle of leaves to her left that seemed quite a bit different from normal. "Cecilia, please stand behind me." Serenity suddenly snapped at the girl in a stricter than normal tone. Quickly, the older woman pulled Cecilia behind her so as to protect the smaller girl from whatever was coming out of the nearby grass.

What came from that noise was a dirty looking, almost stick-thin male. The only way that Serenity perceived he was dirty though, was by the stink of human sweat and other odors that were less than appealing. "Hey, you there. You're going to that school right?"

Serenity narrowed her expression in the direction of the male, tightening her grip on Cecilia in a protective manner. "What of it?" Serenity snapped back at the male.

    Cecilia Vega, merely along for the ride, had always lived by someone else's guidance when in unfamiliar territory. Normally, her guide was someone she knew and trusted. This woman would certainly be sympathetic, she hoped, but there was no inherent trust between the two. As long as they had been in the village, this did not seem to be a problem to Cecilia. When surrounded by the sounds and presence of the villagers, she felt there was a level of accountability. Plus, at least she had some bearings on her environment because of the noise.
    She learned quickly that the taps of the cane coincided with the changing terrain, adjusting her step once she determined its surface. Thankfully, she had not met any raised bricks or cracks that she would trip over, yet. As the pair left the sound of the village and proceeded up the path towards the school, Cecilia focused on Serenity. The sound of her footfalls through the town, on various surfaces, gave her a guess of weight, and the direction of her voice indicated a nearly specific height. Serenity's hand felt firm and worn, compared to Cecilia's own child-like daintiness. This woman knew work and as such was not at all like the other women Cecilia had met.
    The commentary only confirmed Cecilia's suspicions, and she was glad she had not misjudged another aspect of her guide. It appeared to lead into deeper, underlying issues, but she was not interested in this woman's history. That was not a conversation she wanted to have and, based on the older woman's tone of voice, neither did Serenity. They shared an unspoken agreement on the matter.


    The blind instructor's grip had become tense without discernible reason, which indicated some level of anxiety to Cecilia. She tried listening more closely to the world around her, as the sound of the village faded further and further away, but did not immediately detect anything. The behavior was worrying and Cecilia felt even less comfortable than before. Despite this, she chose not to doubt Serenity, who had so far earned nothing of Cecilia's distrust. In that moment, she became aware of the sound of leaves as quickly as Serenity had.
    The stench met Cecilia and she wrinkled her nose in response, surely this must be some wild animal. She could not fathom a person smelling this way. Allowing herself to be moved behind Serenity, a bit surprised at the sharpness of her voice, Cecilia let go of her own luggage to ensure that it did not slow her down if the need to escape arose. She could probably make her way back to the village the way she had come, if need be, on her own.
    The source of the smell came closer as the creature approached, his voice startling the young girl. She nearly missed the content of the short conversation, incredulous that a human being could emit such a foul smell. Cecilia was pulled from her thoughts by Serenity's grip, thinking briefly that it was a bit excessive. It seemed to Cecilia that the woman had tightened her grip because of the male's voice, as if a wild beast would have been preferable. She wondered, briefly, if a mud-covered pig would be a more pleasant smell than this.

"That means you're one of those freaks then!" The young male snapped at Serenity - suddenly getting a harsh expression on his face that was missed by Serenity as well her companion most likely. Before Serenity had time to respond, the male darted at Serenity with surprising speed - the young woman seeming to dodge with surprising grace. In her movement, she lightly pushed Cecilia to the side and let go of the girl. Despite this the man seemed much more interested in the adult and ran at Serenity once more, this time wielding a sharp weapon he had pulled out of his pocket. As Serenity dodged him once more, the man grew frustrated and started to yell at her. "What's the matter, freak? Not going to use your power on me?!" At that Serenity smiled, even though the action would only be noticed by the man. "That would be unfair, I'll just use my weapon instead." With those words, Serenity's thumb slipped over a button on her cane - suddenly causing the cane to shrink into itself and a slender dagger to show up in its spot. As she did this though, Serenity suddenly stopped and turned her head in the direction of where she assumed Cecilia would be. "If I need you to leave Cecilia, I will tell you when. I do not know your power, but you are fine in my hands." The woman briefly assured the student, gaining a laugh from the male before them.

"How hilarious, my mistress told me that if I served her correctly she would reward me," suddenly the young man had a demented laugh and Serenity concluded that whoever this person's 'mistress' was that the woman was probably giving him something to do because ultimately he was useless for the time being. That was all the way up until he darted at her a third time, and the sharp object ran across Serenity's lower arm - causing a deep cut that had the woman pause for just a moment. That paused ended quick enough as Serenity managed to grab a hold of the man's clothing, quickly wrapping a tight and deadly arm around his neck. Angling him so as to kick him onto his knees, Serenity bent the man's neck back and pushed her dagger up against the vulnerable area - drawing only a tiny bit of blood.

    Cecilia was shocked by the loud and sudden antagonism from the man, she had never been this close to a threat on her life before. If there had ever been kidnappers aiming to ransom the Vega family of their blind daughter, Cecilia never knew of it. She had been told, some time previous, that there was always that risk, but that she should not worry because, after all, they were Vegas. Now, she might have Serenity at her side, but Serenity was not Macario or her father. It never crossed Cecilia’s mind to doubt Serenity’s physical capability due to her blindness. She knew how powerful her family was, she only hoped Serenity could match it. Feeling as though she would know exactly what to do in her own home environment, she expected that Serenity would know what to do here.

    None of these thoughts went through Cecilia’s mind in any clear, organized form. It was a rush of fright, mostly. Then, although she did not wish it, she felt Serenity’s hold leave her and subsequently push her away. Cecilia nearly tumbled backwards but caught herself, it had only proven slightly disorienting, and she was already planning her sprint back to the village. She had to be sure that it would be the correct direction. In that time, she heard the two exchange pleasantries, and noted how frustrated the male sounded. Serenity, on the other hand, sounded calm and poised. And then, the older woman directly addressed Cecilia.

    That determinism and confidence did not speak of foolish bravado to Cecilia’s ears, so the words quickly washed her fear away. She righted herself and stood where she was, hoping that she was out of harm's way. She did not wish to move further in any direction. Replaying the events in her mind, Cecilia laid out a soundscape of what she had heard and assessed the contents of all three of their actions. The male was fast, but Serenity had not been required to move as fast to avoid him. She could tell from the spacing and heaviness of his steps that he had missed and had been trying to stop. He had tried the same tactic again immediately after, but Serenity had been ready for him. That was when the divide had been shown. The man had shouted in frustration and Serenity had replied in boast. Overconfidence could be a killer, Cecilia internally voiced, but brought to mind her father’s words, ‘In a fight between two skilled men, the one to lose his focus first loses the match.’ There had been a subtle sound, one Cecilia was not familiar with, before Serenity had addressed her. Perhaps it was the woman’s power, or a weapon.

    The third assault was too short. Cecilia had not recognized that he had a weapon, it made too little noise in his movement, so the ensuing tussle of clothing and body weight gave her the impression that Serenity had countered his head-on assault instead of evading it. The only way for her to judge the victor of the tussle was the groan of pain coming from the man, whose voice now came from a lower point than when he had initially assaulted them. Her guardian had been victorious. 


    “Miss…?” Cecilia asked the open air, canting her head to aim her hearing at the pair, not entirely certain of the position the two were in. She suspected that Serenity was holding him down, but she had said nothing in her victory.

Serenity was about to move her weapon in a quick and emotionless manner, all the way up until she heard the voice of the little girl behind her. Serenity moved her hands away from the man and he quickly got too his feet and ran down in the direction of the village. Feeling irritated, Serenity walked back over in Cecilia's general direction. "You'll find when you get older that people will underestimate you because you're blind, Cecilia. Turn that into your strength."

Reaching forward, she quickly took the young girls hand again - starting off once more on the path toward the school. It was hard, but the woman had remembered what the Headmistress had told her upon one of her first days being back. As easy as it would have been to slit the mans throat, she knew that just the sound of it would leave a horrid effect on a little girl she assumed that had never experienced death. "I would also recommend once we get back to the the school, to not go back to the village unless you have a teacher or older student escorting you that you can trust." Serenity spoke these words simply, holding her chin up in the direction of the school while slipping her thumb over a button on her cane. With a sharp retracting noise, the weapon quickly went back to looking like a blind woman's cane once more.

    The noticeable pause before Serenity's response clearly made Cecilia anxious. All she heard after asking for confirmation was the man's footsteps retreating towards the village. She judged his footfalls by their weight and pace, more so against Serenity's earlier walk than the sound he made in combat. Had she completely misjudged the situation? Had her guardian been felled by the deplorably ill-scented man? Had he subsequently escaped in panic? At the very least he had not turned on her, but she did not find very much comfort in that. For all she knew, she was completely abandoned and she only had two choices. Retreat to the village, where the man with the knife was, or attempt to venture forward, into the unknown.
    These thoughts, unlike some previous, did process rather quickly and concisely despite her rising fear, but it was all quelled and shoved aside instantly when she heard Serenity's foot steps approaching her. A clear, stoic voice without any indication of injury came as added relief. The words, however, were very similar to what her father had once told her. She had always used her ailment as an advantage, but it had primarily been in business dealings and family matters. Nothing quite so personal and intense.

    Recalling the information she had processed earlier, Cecilia took the time to find her luggage, reaching it easily and, through some communication, allowed herself to once again be led by the hand towards the Academy. She took the words of advice sincerely, however. It seemed that this island was not as safe as she expected. Foresta should have been a haven for Gifted. It should have been remote. It should have been lost to non-Gifted. Yet, somehow, there was prejudice in such a place. A type she had never faced before. This development virtually guaranteed that she would not be leaving the Academy grounds voluntarily. As of now, Cecilia decided, she had her trust in only one person on this island.

[OOC; I'm going to time skip in this post, which might result in your post being the ending of this thread. Let me know if you would like anything changed instead. ]

Serenity walked on with Cecilia for about ten more minutes in silence before the woman started to hear the voices of students near the court yard. Eventually, Serenity's tapping slowed down as she started to walk on concrete she was familiar with. Turning to Cecilia, Serenity considered whether or not she should take the girl all the way up to her dorm to get settled in. "We're in the court yard now, Cecilia. Would you like me to take you all the way up to your dorms?" Serenity thought about her question for a moment before raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, the Headmistress told me that you will be in the Emerald dorms, also."

It seemed sort of silly that Serenity had not remembered to tell her before, the woman's mind being on the rising chaos in the village. Setting her cane against the ground, which almost suggested she might be leaning on it - Serenity moved her head around in a manner that from an outsider might appear that she was looking around the court yard. Instead, despite her years of being blind - the woman found it easier every now and then to pretend that she could see in her mannerisms. "If you would like for me to leave you here, this will give you a chance to meet some students."

    The long silence after such a confrontation seemed awkward to Cecilia. It did not help put her at ease and the lack of explanation or mention of it for the duration of their walk made her wonder if such events were common place here. The sound of the village had quieted considerably, but if she focused she could still make out its direction with confidence. Not that she could clearly identify what noises she heard, it was a harmonic mess that blended together. If she had heard it from the distance first, and not been so focused on her soundscape as they retreated from it, she would not have been able to guess the reason for such a faint, busy noise.

    Ahead, another sound came to her attention as they progressed, but this one she could identify as voices. At first she could not make out what any of them were saying, but as they neared, it became easier and easier to focus on individual conversations. The tone and pitch of the voices were higher than she was used to. The language looser. Most of her family and other elite socialites spoke with a practiced, drawn tone, and it only worsened with their age. So, working her way backwards, these must be young voices. Students, like herself, but with language and dialects that differed from her own experience. They were mostly intelligible and most of them spoke English. This was a mid-Atlantic island, after all.
When Serenity stopped, Cecilia paused in her steps to take another, more thorough check of her surroundings. The way these voices were spaced out, she had a vague idea of the courtyard's shape. Tracking the moving voices of students, she painted a pathway in her head where it was safe to walk and where there might be obstacles. Most importantly, as voices cut off with an irregularity not consistent with simple distance, she identified the location of the Academy's front door.

    "Emerald?" Cecilia asked rhetorically, confirming the designation, but only expecting a response if she were incorrect. "I believe I would prefer to stow my luggage in my room first, Ms. Hikaru. I cannot consume all of your time, I will find my way."

[OOC; End Thread. ]