it's DODGEball; not FACEball [Chess]

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Isabella loved sports. And she was good. Athletic, and a soccer lover. Thus, she was able to take gym class with the juniors. She was smaller than most of the other girls, but she still packed a punch, that was for sure.

Even all bandaged. Isabella had to admit, she was a little bit anxious on her first gym class since her 'accident'. Her hair was a short boys cut, her neck and shoulders bandaged up. The soreness had somewhat eased off since the issue three days ago (she was never one to wait around to heal - besides, burns took weeks!). She had her small bag of gym clothes, and she ducked into the locker room, smiling at her friends and brushing off their askings of what happened. She told them 'second degree burns' and left it at that. She didn't think Natalia would want it circulating that she'd lit her roommate on fire.

Besides. Natalia had also put her out, give her a decent haircut, and put up with her shivering and being in some state of mental shock and drifting between the present and past for the rest of the night. She owed the older girl a lot.

She changed into her green and blue gym clothes, which didn't cover the bandages on the neck, but after promising the gym teacher she'd stop if anything started to feel any worse than it already did, she was allowed to enjoy a game of dodgeball. Typically, Isabella was picked very early on. Wounded or not, she played hard. Gym was one of her favorite subjects at school. I mean, come on, she got to run and play, what was there not to enjoy? Other than the pains in her neck. Obviously. She got picked rather early on, and so was standing with the team in the red pinnies. That was when she noticed a new girl to the class. it was only September, people were still transferring in, by free will or not. She'd seen the girl around - with her pink hair it was hard not to spot her, but never spoken to her. The girl she was watching ended up on the opposite team, and the game commenced.

Each team took a side of the gym, lined up at the wall. About ten balls were lined up at the center line. Isabella grinned, and the teacher blew the whistle. Ignoring the pain in her shoulders that seared as she sprinted forwards, she led the charge for the balls, and the pain when she threw them. She wasn't as fast or as strong as she typically was, even tapping into all of her pain tolerance of the past life. The game wore on, and Isabella did her best to not be a liability. She dodged and wove and threw and jumped and had extra motivation not to get hit, or she felt she may just pass out from the pain of any hit to her shoulders. At one point, she was hit by a ball when she turned her back to get another one, and her mouth opened in a silent scream as a few little black spots crossed her vision. Thankfully, the teacher didn't see, and none of the girls mentioned it. She went

The game of war raged on between the girls, and at once point, Isabella came barrelling forward for a ball near the center line. She bent down and swiped it, her shoulders practically numb and throbbing by this point in the class, and lobbed it at another girl, very near the center line. Pink hair. She'd kept out of things mostly, the fact she was there surprised her. Well, her team was down most of their players. The ball went flying...right into pink hairs face as Isabella narrowly avoided crashing over the center line. She stopped just short, hearing a sudden string of mutterings that weren't in English...or any language that Isabella had heard spoken ever before.

It sounded ancient. Almost like Latin. Not not quite...? Either way, it didn't make a lot of sense for someone to be rambling fluently in it. "I'm sorry!" Isabella said, since the point of the game was not to faceball people. "Are you okay...?" She asked, giving the other girl a look that said she'd heard another language being spoken, before ducking a ball headed her way. If that was what she thought - a dead language - she may have just found another reincarnate.

Class ended shortly thereafter, and to avoid missing pink-hair, Isabella didn't change. It was the last block of the day, she could take her time. Instead, she sat on the bleachers, watching everyone leave. When pink hair passed, she jumped down and grabbed her elbow. "Hey, wait, can I talk to you for a second?" That was the trouble with recruiting in class. They all had to start the same way, after class. Grab the kid and make sure they didn't get away right away.

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words| 890
tagged| Chess / Cal
notes|

[Chess Reid Ibis]

Chess absolutely hated gym class. Sure she was a tad athletic, but she was highly uncoordinated and thus fell over or got hit a lot. Not only that but she tripped over nothing, walked into walls and didn't have much of a depth perception which definitely didn't help. So thus she usually became a wallflower and ran around at random to make it look like she was doing something. Usually that ended when she got hit though. Seeing as after she didn't really think the teacher expected to do much other than to be saying ow or something similar. Being that nobody knew the meaning of throwing lightly during gym class. No, they always chucked the ball as hard as they could and if you were in the way...well then you were royally screwed. So either you could dive out of the way and faceplant on the floor, or get hit with whatever was just tossed at you. Either way it was a lose lose situation. Knowing her she'd seriously injure herself if she tried to dodge, or just fail miserably and hit the floor along with being hit with the ball. Not a pleasent thought right there either so what was she going to do? Honestly she definitely had no idea. The fact that she was new didn't help her case any and thus she wasn't exactly the first pick because nobody knew how she played dodgeball quite yet. Oh how she wished the teacher had picked pretty much any other sport. She absolutely hated dodgeball being that she completely failed at the dodge part of it. Somehow she was hoping one of the worse players would get her out early and she could just sit the rest of the time, but she jumped out of reaction and if their aim sucked she could dodge it actually.

Which was probably a bad idea, but it did make her look somewhat competent. So she probably wouldn't be picked last when it came to dodgeball, just wouldn't be someone in the first either being that she seemed to be mostly dodging instead of throwing. Though she did pick up a few balls lying around and handed them to her team mates who were looking for a ball to throw at someone for whatever reason. Completely barbaric sport, and truth be told she was pretty sure this was some sort of abuse. She should just refuse to play and be done with the whole issue. After all, what's the worst that could come from that? So she would lose a few days of credit. Big deal, she'd still dress and maybe she'd walk up and down the bleachers for some exercise. That should count for something right? She certainly thought so and definitely would have to ask the teacher about not playing dodgeball. Though some of her classmates might make fun of her for being a wimp or something, but hey she could still give them a black eye. Just because she didn't like the barbaric game of dodgeball didn't mean she was a wimp. It was just more like she had taken a few too many head shots to be good for her health. Which was more than true being that she'd pretty much taken a shot to the head with every type of ball they make. That had to be some type of massive fail accomplishment right there though if nothing else. Not something to be proud of, but hey at this point she didn't really care about how many times she'd been hit in the head, after all it wasn't as if she could simply avoid the situation most of the time.

Chess looked around at her class mates and found herself definitely not liking this situation. Most of the best players on her team were gone and she was still running around like a maniac so she didn't get beaned. Somehow though she'd managed to end up in the front and then bam. One second she was a teenage girl in gym class. The next minute she was a cross between Chess and Iaia. Which resulted in her cursing fluently in Latin once she fell over. She could hear someone talking, but it took her a moment to put the pieces together because she'd taken a nice shot to the head and was currently thinking in Latin instead of English. Oh, someone apologized, and it sounded like a girl. Then she heard the are you okay and looked up to note a look she'd gotten before. The 'what-the-hell-language-are-you-speaking?' look. She had her hands over her nose and shrugged. Hey, if asked about it she could honestly say that teachers were strict about swearing and she was attempting to stay out of trouble by using gibberish instead. After all, it wasn't as if it were a living language and thus shouldn't really be commonly recognized. Though she should probably actually respond so they didn't think she had some major concussion or something. I will live...I think? she said with a shrug before walking and sitting out for the rest of the period.

She played with her pink hair and watched the stupidity that was this game until they were allowed to go change. She got up and rubbed her nose one last time before walking towards the locker rooms only to be stopped by the girl that had hit her earlier. That was odd, she wonderd what the girl wanted with her. So Chess stopped and blinked at the girl. Yeah, sure I guess. What's up? she asked the girl with a slightly confused expression. After all what could the girl want? Unless it had something to do with her speaking in Latin. In which case she would just make something up on the spot.

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words: 1010
tag; Dante/ Isabella
note: no picture/lyrics because I got 3. hours. of. sleep. the fact that this is slightly coherent is a miracle...

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Isabella didn't really understand why people didn't like sports. There was just something about knowing your muscles could obey you to do all sorts of things, like throw a ball and hit a target a ways away. Girls didn't really play sports in her past life. They played games as kids, but they didn't really play sports. Neither did them men, but they played different games than the girls a lot of the time, more physical, rougher sports. She'd been one of the smallest in the village...playing solider was what she loved, but her stockier build hadn't really happened until she was being considered too old to play such games. Drat that.

Needless to say, gym class was a fulfillment of many things. Never in her past life, would she have dreamed, nor cared to, go to school. Now she was more educated than she ever could have dreamed of before, and only a sophomore. Granted, she was burnt up, but hey, she'd lived, and would live. Fancy that. Jehanne D'Arc burning and living. Just another fact of life in Riverdale high.

So was people bursting out in dead languages. Well, sort of. It wasn't common. A lot of reincarnates were post-industrialization, but obviously, this pink-hair was either a scholar or lived long before the steam engine, Isabella could tell you that. The question was, which was it? "I hope you will," Isabella said in thier mid-game exchange, "I'd feel terirble if you died!" Killing someone via dodgeball? Yeah...not nice. She wasn't sure she could throw that hard, to be honest. The game wore on, and Isabella noted that pink-hiar didn't rejoin the game again. Maybe she was hurt, but it didn't look that way. Just not an athelic sort, that was more likely. Isabella couldn't fanthom why, but each to her own. Some people liked football. She thought that was a stupid sport. Dodgeball was just good fun, though. Good fun, and possibly a reincarnate-finding. That was her job, after all, amoung other things. Like making sure no dead lanuages were spoke in gym class. Or anywhere outside that mystrerious attic.

She watched the girls file into the locker room, and then slowly beging to file out, thinking about this situation. Here was a junior who spoke a dead langauage...but a junior she hand't seen in a RSOR meeting? That pink hiar was distinctive. She'd know it if she'd seen it, Isabella was sure of that. Was she new to school, then? Possibly. Or she had slipped under the radar, somehow. All the way into junior year? That was perplexing. She'd have to see into this. And see into it she would, as pink-hiared stopped and turned around. She looked confused. Isabella just smiled. "I've never seen you around school before." She said, looking up at the older girl. "Did you study Latin? You sounded pretty fluent back there. Just curious." Isabella admitted. "No one really speaks Latin nowadays, after all." Oh, it was good that she had Orville and Bonaparte to help her out. It seems new ones might pop up anywhere. Literally anywhere, it seemed. Libraries, the bunk under your own, holding a candle, hearing Voices just before class...you name it, it had happened. Just another day at Riverdale, it was, as the gym empited out, leaving Isa and pink-hiar to be. Oh, and the gym teachrs eating a snack in thier office, but the door was closed; they din't really count.

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words| 647
tagged| Chess / Cal
notes| I can't make my posts that big. xP

[Chess Reid Ibis]

Chess was an artist and an artist only. Sure she had some athletic skill from beating some people up, but that didn't mean she'd be any good at anything other than possibly kick boxing. If she was even good at that, which seemed slightly doubtful being that she didn't really have any skill behind the punches or swats or kicks. Just random reflex actions. So thus a professional would first off beat her and second off probably try and tell her what she was doing wrong. Oh well though, Chess didn't particularly care what they had to say about her random reflex hits. After all, she certainly thought they worked just fine and was thus fine with using them. The only problem was that they didn't exactly work for gym class. Being that she got hit in the head on a regular basis because people had shitty aim. Which was why half of them didn't actually go out for sports. Most just attempted to get out their mixed agressions in gym before going back to their normal lives. Definitely was a slight issue when they failed completely though. Oh well, she supposed, like her, not everyone was good at sports. Some people just weren't made to be good at them. She herself had decent enough aim, she just didn't throw it hard enough to hit someone. Also didn't move quite fast enough to dodge when they all decided to pelt her for getting someone out on the off chance that she did.

Hearing the other girl she smiled a little. Well at least the girl felt bad about hitting her in the face, which she had a few that didn't feel bad. Just told her it was her own fault for either being in the way or not moving fast enough. So thus she had decided to sit out for the rest of it being that technically being hit she was out and all. Also, her face kinda hurt and she just didn't feel like going back into the game. At least she wasn't getting a headache or something from it being that you weren't allowed to take Advil during school. Which she didn't know why being that it wasn't addictive, and neither was birth control or anythinig of the such. But zero tolerance for drugs and all forbid that. She carried it with her anyway and took it when teachers weren't looking if she needed it. That rule was still stupid though. Maybe you could overdose on it, but you couldn't get high off it. That was for sure. Oh well, she supposed it wasn't her decision to make after all. That was the school board and if they wanted to be stupid and make that the rules then they could go right ahead. Anyway she was tempted to draw a few pictures while she was sitting there, but her sketch book was in the locker room with her other books and she currently couldn't leave to go get it being that the rooms were typically locked before class started. To prevent theft and all that being that it was always a problem. People just couldn't keep their hands on their own stuff only for some stupid reason.

The other students were off to the locker rooms now and she figured she might as well go too so she could go home already. It was last class after all and she didn't particularly want to stay here longer than she had to. Who really wanted to stay at school anyway unless they had a good reason to like some sort of fun club. Seeing the girl smile she gave a slight smile back before hearing her say she hadn't seen her around before. Well, that was true being that she hadn't seen the other girl either. Then again she was pretty knew. Then of course she was asked about the Latin. Well, shit that certainly complicated things. How the hell was she supposed to explain that she'd never taken a class in her life, but knew it because she was reincarnated and was really an artist from a considerably long time ago. I'm new. Got transferred for punching a few too many people being that I get picked on kinda often. Weird name and all. she said with a light sigh. The girl was cute, though you couldn't really tell too much being that she was kinda bandaged up at the moment, but she was still kinda cute. Chess tucked the pink hair behind her ears and thought for a moment how to answer the question of why she was fluent in Latin. Uh. Not exactly.....a lot of teachers get real strict about swearing, so I decided to look up curses in Latin being that nobody would recognize them. she said quietly. Not the truth, but the girl wouldn't exactly believe the truth and would probably just find her insane. How did you know it was Latin anyway? she asked realizing that the girl probably shouldn't have recognized it at all. Should definitely change the subject off of herself. Being that Chess honestly didn't want to talk about why she knew Latin being that she didn't want locked up in an asylum. I'm Chess. What's your name cutie? she asked with a little smile. Hey, if the girl got creeped out then maybe she'd drop the question. Sure there was always the chance that the girl would flirt back, but that would hopefully distract her enough to forget about the Latin. Well, Chess could hope that was the case anyway.

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words: 980
tag: Dante/ Isa
note: Bwaha. >3 let the flirting begin to distract Isa~

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Isabella enjoyed having a job around Riverdale high. One that was different than working in a McDonalds, or attending soccer team practices, or stuff like that. No, she was talking about having a job that could literally change how people looked on life, or how they felt. That was a job! None of this "would you like fries with that" crap. Because McDonalds fires were only going to change life in the way of a heart attack. Now, she could always be barking up the wrong tree with the Latin thing, but she didn't think so. She'd heard one or two reincarnates speak it, and Latin hadn't been dead in her day. Well, most literacy was dead in her day. But Latin was used with the priests and clergy and every scholar and lawyer that had sought her death.

She smiled at pink-hair, but her arms were crossed, giving her a quizzical, but not as of yet, piercing look. Naw, that look might creep her out a bit. She listened to the explanation of new, but Isabella couldn't really see her punching people. She was taller than said sophomore, but she didn't look that strong. Still, it was worth noting that if she wasn't lying, she could throw a decent punch. "That explains that then." She stated with a nod. She liked to think she knew a lot of people and their faces at least, from RSOR and her typical social habits.

The excuse came next, and as soon as pink-hair had said it, she was dissecting it. Strict on swearing, so she'd look up Latin curses? But that couldn't have just been curses. They sounded too...congruent. But then again, she could probably get phrases, what with the revolution that was Google. Saying them, though? That was different. Maybe Isabella was barking up the wrong tree here, but it couldn't hurt to try, could it? She snapped back to herself when pink-hair went on, asking where Isabella had heard it. "Oh, I've heard Latin here and there. It's not hard to recognise if you know the 'feel' of it." No lies there. And a bait of sorts...now how to question her excuse. What could Isabella grapple on to see how legit it was? There had to be something, after all.

There had to be something, but then things got a little odd. She was asked for her name, which wasn't odd, with it didn't seem like she might be being hit on wasn't included in the sentence. She wished her hair was longer just now, that she could make to flick it out of her eyes, but no such luck right now. Instead, a millisecond of 'what the fuck?' crossed the saint reincarnates face. Goodness, she didn't think her hair gave off that impression, did it? Isabella didn't have issues with those people...she just wasn't in any way that way inclined. But then again, it could have been an innocent, 'pet name' sort of thing. She hoped, because she was going to get to the bottom of this. "Nice to meet you, Chess. I'm Isabella. You can call me Isa if you want." She managed to keep the weirded-out bit of her out of her tone, thankfully enough. "But wouldn't you get in trouble anyways," She went on, "If you called out in a language that the teachers don't understand? They might think you're saying bad things about them, or bad things in general. It might not work...?" She asked. Hey, it was true. Whenever she muttered to herself in French at home, her parents always got a little weirded out. They didn't understand it, or how she'd picked it up. But they did accept it. Latin, Isabella assumed, would be different. "If you can get away with it then, all the more power to you." She added with a grin. Hopefully the conversation would keep on the Latin, and this wouldn't get real awkward, real fast.

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words| 706
tagged| Chess / Cal
notes| Well, this will be amusing.

[Chess Reid Ibis]

So far Chess didn't mind the school too much. She'd been to worse, and she'd been to better so it was nothing remarkable. She was still getting used to the layout though and thus sometimes got a little lost. Oh well, if she was late for class then it didn't matter to her. Not like it would be the first time it had happened. Then again it also wasn't as if she was the best student. Sure she was smart, but it was more that she didn't really like any class other than art. Also it was highly possible that she wasn't even awake yet. Though that wasn't relevant now. Being that for one she was awake and for two she didn't need to get to class. Just had to find her way out of school once this girl was done talking to her. Which she still really had no idea what the girl even wanted to talk about. Sure it could be the thing with the language earlier, but she was hoping that the girl would just forget about that so she could move on and pretend it didn't happen. After all how the hell was she supposed to explain that she knew Latin because she was reincarnated from someone that was alive back then and thus spoke it fluently. Either way though she was pretty sure her past life wouldn't have approved of her use of the language, but hey it was a reflex thing. Otherwise she would have just shouted a stream of curses and insults which would have probably gotten her detention. Probably good she had that reflex then being that detention was rather boring, and she'd avoided it so far in this school and wanted to see how long that would last.

Chess blinked and tilted her head a little at the quizical look. She smiled back as innocently as she could. She nodded when the other girl said that her being new explained why she hadn't seen her. Well, yeah that obviously explained that. It was either that or the girl was very unobservant to have missed her for two years or so. Which she definitely wasn't being that Chess wasn't exactly the easiest person to look over...what with the bright pink hair and all. Either way though she still didn't exactly know why the girl was so curious about the whole Latin thing. Or how the girl even knew Latin to recognize it. Which could present a problem or two in the future. Maybe she'd be able to weird the girl out enough to make her drop the issue? Well, she could certainly try. She watched quietly while the girl seemed to think about her excuse for knowing it. When she gave one though Chess seemed a little surprised. How on earth had she heard Latin before unless she was in some sort of class or otherwise? Unless of course this girl was like her, but what were the chances of that even? "I suppose It just takes some getting used to to recognize it like with any language." she mused with a simple shrug. She'd definitely recognize Latin no matter where it was spoken, but that was irrelivant and the girl didn't have to know that. Only she would ever have to know that she was an odd person who obviously didn't feel like being gone forever in a first life and thus came back for a second for one reason or another. It was weird, but she would think that more interesting people would have come back instead, but there was no changing that obviously.

The look on the girl's face for that very breif moment let her know that this just might work to keep her from finding out about her past life. Hey, it was definitely worth a shot to continue trying after all wasn't it? Besides, it wasn't she really cared what the girl thought about it. So thus she'd continue and hope the girl dropped the subject and was weirded out enough to go find something else to do, or to go change and go home maybe. Chess smiled when the girl introduced herself. "Nice to meet you as well Isa." she said with a slight giggle. Chess shrugged lightly at the statement. "Most don't recognize Latin, and swearing in English is a tad easier to recognize, thus I get away with saying it's gibberish or something. she said simply. Well she'd gotten away with it in the past that was for sure, and right now was the only time anyone even remotely said something about it being something other than gibberish. Thus she wasn't too worried about being caught, and besides she couldn't help it. Honestly when she took a hit to the head she would temporarily forget how to speak English until she came back into focus, or at least until it didn't hurt so much. Which, unless she ended up with a concussion somehow, was only a few seconds. Chess definitely didn't want the conversation to stay on Latin. "That's not really interesting though. I'm more interested in learning more about you." she said with a slightly flirty smile at the other girl. Well hopefully the girl would either leave or let the conversation go in the direction that Chess wanted it to. If not then the pink haired girl definitely had her work cut out for her.

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words: 950
tag: Dante/Isa
note: poor Isa XD

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Irony was a staple around Riverdale; at least among the RSOR kids, who knew irony when they saw it. Irony sometimes was awkward, but this was probably going to fall into a whole new level of awkward soon. Not that Isabella quite yet knew, but it seemed a staple of this life that awkward conversations gravitated her way. Why? She had no idea. "I'm good with languages." Isabella said, noting the surprise pink-hair displayed. "English is not my first language. You'll find a lot of people here are good with languages." Isabella may not have been native to the language, but she spoke with a decent American accent. There was some French influence thrown in with the way she spoke and pronounced things, (this confused her parents somewhat, as they were Spaniards) but given that she was French before, and spoke French before English in this life, it did add up. It wasn't just rambling, though. He words were meant to garner a response of any sort. Every word counted when trying to figure out the secrets of total strangers.

The wording bit, though, would be the easy bit. It was trying to get through to people that was harder. Like, for example, people would try to stop this conversation from happening. She'd tried, somewhat, when she'd been recruited. Than again, she'd been dead embarrassing about crying over a candle. This was just going to get dead awkward, if the girl went on. Isabella hoped her shaking it off would dissuade her, but alack, alas, no. There was giggling. Yarsh. This was gonna get weird, because determined Joan wasn't going to stop. She'd just have to word it to make it sound like she wasn't interested. In that, anyhow. "Riverdale's a bit different." Isabella said in response to most people thinking Latin gibberish. Her tone was still even and kept together, but she shifted slightly. Okay, she was a little weirded. Or a lot. But that was her nature. It wasn't like she hadn't been in odd conversations before. Like ones about her boobs. That was just damn strange. It wasn't her fault some sculptor made her busty! The only painting she ever sat down for was later destroyed, so any pictures were artistic interpretations. Some did well, others did not...who the hell got it in their minds she'd been blonde, anyways? Her hair had been black! Sometimes interpretations were just weird. Artists. Who knew, with artists?

Well...how's that for irony for you? The school may has well have used it for electricity, there was so much of it around.

Just as much as Isabella wanted the conversation to stay on one track, the girl, Chess, wanted it to go a whole 'nother way. Great. No one had taught her about this in recruiting. She'd have to keep this in mind, for telling recruiters to be...you may get hit on. And you may not like that. "Erm...uh...I'm really not that interesting." Isabella assured the older girl. She would have said interested, because that was true, too, but that may shut down any conversation attempts at all. "I mean, I got set on fire but what the hell. Happens every day around here." She did her best to ignore the flirty smile and mold the conversation into something she could extract useful information from. Which may or may not be easy. She wasn't going to flirt back, that much was clear, but she would joke, she would talk, and she'd see if she could figure out who, if anyone, Chess was. "Weider things have happened." She added, after a slight pause. Weirder things were happening right now. Weirder things happened in general. Biology, physics, chemistry and philosophy combined couldn't explain what happened to a soul any more than a reincarnate could make sense of it. Weirder things happened. Things that tore at most people's view of reality in it's completeness. Riverdale and weirdness was just...typical. And hopefully the thought of this would hold and stop Isabella from changing her mind about trying to converse with Chess.

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words| 766
tagged| Chess / Cal
notes| Awkwardddd. XD

[Chess Reid Ibis]

Hearing that Isabella was good with languages she realized that was the reason she recognized it. Yeah, hadn't exactly anticipated on someone figuring out it was Latin, but then again she wasn't exactly used to the idea of people being multilingual being that in America everyone expected you to speak English and say to hell with any other language. Due to the whole idea of if you're going to live here you should learn the language. There was also the fact that Latin was a dead language and all, and most schools didn't offer classes for it. At least not until college anyway. Hearing her say a lot of people were good with languages she shrugged lightly. Really? Wonder why that is. she noted simply. So that meant she might have to just hold her tongue instead of starting to swear in a dead language. Though she wasn't sure if any of them knew Latin, but if they were good with languages then it was always possible. So thus she'd just have to bite her tongue, or avoid getting hit in the head. Both of which would be rather difficult for her being that she was kind of used to being able to curse quietly. Ah well, she'd have to work on that then wouldn't she? Ah well something to keep in mind for the future is all. Being that if one of the teachers recognized it then well she'd probably get both odd looks and detention. Which she rather hated being that it was boring and was a lame punishment. What did it teach you anyway? Oh you're bad and thus have to do nothing for an hour. Big deal, who cares seriously? Well maybe that was just her opinion on the subject.

Anyway though she was back to paying attention to Isa and trying to distract her from the fact that she was very much fluent in Latin. After all someone her age certainly shouldn't be fluent in it. Unless of course she had been speaking it her whole life, or had spoken it in a past life. Though that choice wasn't exactly a common one she imagined. Most wouldn't jump straight to that would they? Then again it was always possible wasn't it? She couldn't possibly be the only one being that you would think more important people would come back as well. Hey the flirting seemed to be working so far being that the conversation had become less about the Latin, and more about the school. That was a start at least. She was more comfortable talking about that anyway. Hearing that it was different she tilted her head a little. Different how? she asked curious as to what she meant by that. After all couldn't you say that any school was different from the next. Being that no two schools were exactly the same after all. Maybe that was just in response to her saying that most thought Latin was gibberish though. Ah well she'd get an explanation of some sort at least. Maybe not the one she would be expecting though. Chess could tell that the girl was a tad awkward with the whole flirting thing. Ah well, there were weirder things that could happen weren't there?

Chess definitely didn't want the conversation to stay in one place. After all she was never one for conversation staying in one place anway. Though this was a special case in which she definitely didn't want it to stray back to Latin. Being that the girl might find out her secret then if that was the case. Hearing the statement of her saying that she wasn't that interesting Chess shrugged. I disagree, but everyone is their own worst critic, whether it be about art or just their self image. she noted simply. Which reminded her that her sketchbook was in the locker room. She wasn't sure how often theft was here, but she didn't really want to risk it. Then her attention was taken by the fact the girl said she had been set on fire. Wait what? Set....on fire? That explains the bandages, but that happens often? she noted looking confused. That was certainly an odd thing to say wasn't it? That also probably explained the short hair cut might have gotten set on fire when she was then. Then she stated that weirder things have happened. Weirder things like what? she asked curiously. Sure she was reincarnated and thus that qualified as weird, but that didn't exacly happen often she had to guess. Though if that was one of the things the girl was talking about, well then this could get interesting fast. Then the thought of her sketchbook poked at her mind again, and her camera. Uhm. Can I go get my bag real quick? I can just go home like this, but I don't want anyone to possibly take my sketchbook and camera. she said simply. Going home in shorts and a t-shirt was fine with her, she just needed her stuff obviously. So thus she'd run to get it and then come right back to talk to Isa being that she definitely found the girl interesting.

----------
words: 911
tag: Isa/Dante
note: slightly less awkward~

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

America wasn't much for embracing other cultures, but Riverdale...well, it could be excused as being a boarding school, with some exchange students, and being a little different than most American school. What they didn't know was scratch the surface in the right places, and you could forget about reading history textbooks - there were people who would tell you it from the first person. And needless to say, not all of them had spoken English the first time around. Any imaginable language could crop up, and be spoken fluently. From Latin to Zulu...it could end up here. "It just happens, I suppose. We have a good languages program here, too." She'd hint to it, but she could use this languages thing to her advantage. She could use it to test the waters, so to speak. Figure out who this kid was. Pink hair might be pink hair only. Or she might be an old soul. It'd be nice to have some old, old souls around. Alexander the Great and Ramses were two, she supposed, but a good number of them were 1700's or later.

So, hears to testing out people. Riverdale was a special place, and even if she wasn't in RSOR, she'd probably consider it to be so, anyways. "Oh, Riverdale is just special, I suppose. And pretty much everyone finds a place here, too, regardless of where they've been, or when they've been there." Isabella wondered how that would go. It was a subtle hint, something that might make pink-hair think that maybe she knew that maybe, maybe, the Latin wasn't Internet induced. Or, it could just be a slip of a tongue from a girl who didn't have English as a mother tongue, that addition of 'when'. Hopefully, regardless, it would remove the fact she was being hit on from this equation. Because it was weird. And awkward. And Isabella didn't know what to do if she were being hit on by a male, let alone a female! She just did not know what to do - in either life. Though, in the first life she'd done the cross dressing thing and been around males, so for the most part, that put that away. And getting hit on by a female was unheard of in the time. It wasn't enough to get her to run, but it was enough to make her falter.

"As for me, I'm really not interesting." Isabella insisted, hoping this whole thing was not her getting hit on, since that would be weird. "The story of Isabella Jillian Avadore is not particularly special." Some people would be inclined to disagree; her apparent "sixth sense" that she refused to speak of, her picking of of French for no reason or weird phobias could make for a story; but the story of Joan of Arc was a step above. Well, in both lives, the story went she got set on fire...yes, she supposed that was a little bit interesting. Isa could smell the smoke in her nostrils, even if it wasn't there. "Yeah, I had a really bad night not to long ago. It's not happened often...but...yeah." Isabella would wait to see how Chess responded to her "whenever they were there" comment before elaborating on the fact that yes, she'd been set on fire before. Too much at once could be a very bad situation to walk into, after all.

She asked about weirder things and Isabella only gave her a crafty smile. "Weird things just happen. I can't explain them." She stated simply. If nothing more, this would have the girl interested and talking. And she'd backtrack it to Latin when the girl with the pink hair least expected it, and bwaha.

Unless she tried to get away...? Was that what she was doing, with the sketchbook and camera comment? "But everything goes in a locker...? Did you not bring a lock?" The locker room had a limited amount of space, so each girl (or boy, since the system was the same) was told to bring a lock, use any locker they wanted, and at the end of class, take their stuff and their lock away so other girls could use the lockers. Isabella was not letting it slip yet. Some things had to be done in the moment, and at least getting some more solid confirmation or denial was on Isa's mind.

----------
words| 803
tagged| Chess / Cal
notes| -sits in ze pot- No notes.

[Chess Reid Ibis]

Chess really had no idea where this conversation was going. It seemed kinda random actually, but maybe it had a point of some sort. Or maybe it didn't. Seeing as for now it seemed the subject of her speaking Latin had been dropped. Well, for the most part it had anyway. Which was good because explaining how she was fluent in it would not go over well. After all it was possible she could end up in an asylum for such things wasn't it? Hearing about the language program Chess raised an eyebrow. Seemed they weren't totally off the subject yet. Ah well, at least it wasn't a question. I suppose that helps with recognizing languages. she noted simply tucking a pink strand behind her ear. Slightly nervous habit, but nothing to worry about. It wasn't like that was a hint to who she really was or anything. Just something she had picked up somehow. She certainly had enough time to what with her having two lives and all. Though she had to say hitting puberty twice wasn't all that fun.

Chess tilted her head a little to the side a little when Isa said that Riverdale was special. Well, yeah most schools could be considered special in their own way, but the when really got her attention. Where they've been and when. Well, that was interesting. Umm when? she asked simply. Sure that could be taken as when in their lifetime, but it could be taken other ways. Where and when for Chess was obviously different from most others being that it was Rome thousands of years ago. Which would explain the Latin quite a bit. Though she was definitely caught off guard by that comment she wasn't sure how to react either. Sure she could start hitting on the girl again or just look confused, but whatever too late for that really. She could throw the girl back off by hitting on her again in a few moments. First though Chess would have to figure out what to say. Honestly she had no idea where this conversation was even going. It was just kinda random but at the same time not. However that worked. She'd figure it out soon enough though she hoped. Or maybe the girl was just insane and wanted to have an odd conversation. Whatever, Chess didn't mind too much at least. Wasn't as if she had anything to do today anyway. Would just probably sit and draw some more due to the fact she hadn't quite gotten all the drawings of the scenery she wanted yet. Which was quite a few she had to say. Not like she couldn't get them some other day. Well, so long as she wasn't expelled for something within the next few days. Which she didn't think would happen because she hadn't done anything to get expelled quite yet. She was trying to keep her temper after all. It was just a tad difficult at times. Especially when you were the new kid.

Hearing that Isa said she wasn't all that interesting again Chess shrugged. I still disagree. she stated simply. The story of Chess Reid Ibis isn't that special either, but everyone finds someone else's story interesting being that it's different from their own. Different is interesting. she said with a smile. Hey, obviously the girl thought different was interesting being that she had pink hair and piercings. Hearing the slight explanation of how she got set on fire Chess tilted her head. I'd say so if you ended up set on fire. I would certainly hope people don't get set on fire on a regular basis. she noted simply. Well that was true obviously. Who wanted random people to be set on fire? That would just be odd, and very much dangerous. Maybe a little exciting at first, but would quickly become something to worry about. After all how would you explain that? Then she heard the comment of weird things just happened. Chess just raised her eyebrow. The unexplained is always more interesting. Scientists would disagree wtih you, but hey they don't know everything either. she noted simply. Surely scientists didn't know about reincarnation, being that it wasn't logical and all that.

Chess blinked when Isa asked if she brought a lock. It must have fallen out of my bag last night. I really will be right back though. she said then dashed off to get it real quick before returning with her messenger bag over her shoulder. Obviously she couldn't have undid a lock that fast whether it be a key or combination. See, told you I'd be right back. she said simply before fixing her hair. She did mess it up a little with the dashing she had done. Now to continue their conversation obviously. Due to the fact that was the only reason she had come back. After all she could have just left, but that would have been mean even for Chess. Besides, the conversation was rather interesting for now. As long as it didn't turn back to why she was speaking dead languages she didn't care.

---------
words: 910
tag: DANTE~ Isa
note: -eyes pandora's box-

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Isabella, while not a native to English in either life, knew words pretty well. English and its slang sometimes went over her head, but she didn't need to use to to make a conversation flow in her favour. While the subject of Latin seemed almost forgot, it was paramount. And she'd weave it in, like thread in her sewing. "It does. But it also means some of the teachers can speak Latin, or just about any language you want to curse in. Unfortunate, but true. I'm trilingual and in comparison to some students, that's nothing." Most of the teachers were fairly lax about cursing, so long as you didn't shout shit or fuck every other word in the classroom, or to their faces.

That in itself certainly hinted to more than a typical school on the surface (actually, it was a typical school; the students built the framework of the society; and they were the oddballs...and the principal, that helped), but the 'when' was the major bit. Isabella saw Chess' intrigue at her next words, in the way she tilted her head, and suddenly, things were different. A normal might have the same reaction, but a reincarnate would almost certainly have that one, since they'd jump to the first life over the second. Joan knew she did. When she thought of home, she thought of Doremy, not Charlotte, not Granada, not even Riverdale. Doremy, which had now had her nickname in the name, making it Doremy-la-pucelle, just Doremy. In all it's small town medieval splendor. "When?" Isabella repeated, blinking. There was mischief in her eyes. "Well, that might have been a slip of the tongue, but when works." The 'might' also may have been a slip of the tongue. But of course, that was up to Chess to decide. In reality, it didn't make a lot of sense for a girl who seemed accomplished in languages to suddenly make small errors like that - unless she meant to. And if Chess' mind had jumped to a first life (if a first life was, indeed, there) she might think just that. That something was being hinted on. Like "why do you know Latin", but Isabella couldn't ask that question out and out. So he had to do it on the sly.

Hopefully do it on the fly and not get hit on again, since that was effing awkward. It made her squirm inside, and such situations almost always had. Unless she was laughing at Oliver's crush, since that was a funny case. Who would have ever thought Orville Wright would end up crushing on Anne Frank? Odder couples had, and would likely happen, but you just never knew in Riverdale. This situation, was not made amusing by history, it was made weird by the fact it was all very much in the present.

"Different is interesting, yes, Isabella had to agree on that front. "But Different or interesting does not necessarily detonate special or overly peculiar. The life of an average joe might be interesting, or different, to the life of someone who's had a crazy life, but that does not make the life of an average joe special, now does it?" Her words put in stark contrast the simple errors she'd made before, and that would be interesting to watch how pink hair responded to it. It was all part of a plan, that kept unfurling and changing and moving, a living thing, in it's own way. Like the tides and waves, but under control of her tongue. "However, there is no denying that was an unusual, and very bad night. The bathtub has scorch marks now." And for all the peasant girl's scrubbing, she could not get it out again. Her parents would not be pleased about losing their 'dorm deposit' that was part of school fees, on account of fire damage in a bathtub, of all things. "It's one of those weird things that just happen...scientists can't really explain why I was lit on fire. They can't explain most things, all said and done. And some scientists I know don't try to." Well, Orville Wright wasn't really a scientist, but Edison could be called one, right? And neither of the two made any attempts to explain her Voices (probably to avoid her killing them), or the fact that they did die, but now they were in a new body and that was that.

At the explanation of the lock, Isabella nodded, and before she could say anything, Chess had danced away. Damn. Well, pink hair was easy enough to find around the school, if the situation pressed itself, Isa would have no troubles hunting her down. Multiple recruiters in ever grade, and barring the freshmen, at least one member of the panel per grade. But she needn't have worried so, as Chess was back in an instant and fixing her bright hair. "Good to see, too," Isabella said, playing with the bandages at her neck. "Else wise I'd have had to hunt you down."

---------
words| 924
tagged| Chess / Cal
notes| Bwaha.

[Chess Reid Ibis]

Chess was definitely native to English in this life and only knew Latin in her last life. So she didn't know many languages, and learning that two or three was nothing compared to some people she had to note not to burst into Latin curses on reflex anymore. Or she would just get in trouble for it. Either way worked fine with her even though she was attempting to stay out of trouble this time around. It worked so far, but she hadn't been here for that long and so it was hard to say how well it was working. She at least tried? That had to count for something. So Chess frowned slightly and sighed a bit. I guess I will have to work on my reflex reactions then somehow. she noted simply definitey not looking forward to having to do that. After all she had been using it as a reflex for a considerable amount of time. Being that she had transferred schools a bunch and most didn't have a Latin program or anyone that spoke it wandering the halls. Ah well, just something to keep in mind she supposed. Though it was kind of odd that many students knew multiple languages now that she thought about it. What was the need to know so many languages when you lived in South Carolina of all places? Sure maybe if you moved around the world a lot, but if you lived here your entire life, which was the case with at least some of the students she was sure, then why would you know so many languages? It was an odd thought that had her pondering a few things.

The when was definitely an interesting statement. It made her go back to her home in Rome rather than where she was born in this life. She wasn't sure if Isa had meant to do that, but she might have. Which would mean she knew something about Chess that she shouldn't know. Or well, how would she know about that unless she was one herself? Though that would mean that Chess's note about you would think more important people would be reincarnated might actually still apply, but she wasn't going to get ahead of herself quite yet. Would still see where this was going of course. Chess was skeptical about it being a slip of the tongue too. Hm. When indeed. she pondered a little. Definitely didn't make sense for her to mention something like that unless she had a reason to. After all the girl seemed pretty fluent in English. Obviously Chess was having some thoughts about this, but she wasn't about to voice them until she knew more about what was actually going on at the moment. After all when could refer to just about any time. Quite honestly she really had no idea where this conversation was going, and currently she didn't think she wanted to. After all if Isa had somehow found out she had a past life then things could get really bad. So thus she'd try to lead it in some other random direction maybe. Though it seemed that somehow things were being looped in that didn't need looped in.

At least Isa agreed that differentw as interesting. Then at her next statement Chess simply shrugged. Doesn't make it special or anything, no, but it does make it a little more interesting to see the diversity across lives. Seeing as it always differs from one person to the next even if it isn't a huge difference. she noted with a smile. The whole across lives bit could possibly hint to reincarnation, but if you weren't reincarnated then there would be no way to pick up on that. Would just think of everyone's lives rather than a person having more than one life. Depending on which way the younger girl took it could tell Chess something a little more about her. Then she heard about the bathtub having scorch marks. I'm sure the school will love that. she noted with a hint of sarcasm. Seeing as the school would definitely not like that in the slightest bit. Why would they? It was their property being damaged after all and thus they would have to pay to get it fixed probably. Better the bathtub than all of you. she noted with a light smile. Then of course Isa was talking about unexplained things again. It was certainly an interesting conversation she was having, she'd give it that. You know scientists? Chess asked her with a slight tilt of her head. Obviously there was a little more than met the eye here. I wonder if there will ever be an explanation for everything. Seems like the world would be a bit more boring if everything could be explained. Seeing as things that cannot be explained are a little more fun. she said with a smile. Things that could not be explained, like why she was reincarnated, or why some things just happened. Then of course Chess had to run and fetch her bag before it was stolen or something. She did come right back though and fix her hair. So it was no big deal, was only gone for a minute or two. Then she had to giggle a little when Isa said she'd have to hunt her down if she didn't return. You'd hunt me down? she asked with a slight blush. That was definitely an unexpected comment after all. She didn't think the girl was all that interested in her really despite their rather amusing conversation.

--------
words: 977
tag: DANTE and ISA
note: bwahahaha

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Isabella merely nodded about pink-hairs response to swearing, momentarily letting the Latin subject drop. She'd be able to work without if for a couple sentences, for a couple minutes; the subject as still there, in undertone, in the mention of when. Joan's mind had always been keen for this sort of thing, even while illiterate. It was a challenge, and back then, for high stakes. Now the stakes were almost as high, the pressure was on her to play this right, but there was also an air of a game about it, compared to things she'd done before. She'd be able to work out this code that was Chess, and figure out if it contained a recycled soul of not; without Chess ever knowing, if it was the latter.

Isa's gamble of letting Latin drop paid off a moment later when Chess, it seemed, might be taking the bait. Maybe she was playing back. Maybe it was bad working. Regardless, Isabella took that and used it. Either way, it would help confirm or deny much better, and that was the sole reason Isabella was holding the conversation. She'd love to make a friend (thought doing so with a girl who hit on her might just make life weird), but right now, she had mission. And an idea bringing Latin back to the conversation. "Yeah, I agree. It differs life to life, person to person. Things change, times change..." Isabella dared make eye contact, trying to figure out this girl in her entirety. She prayed that Chess wouldn't take it any other way than curious...and not THAT sort of curious. Sheesh. People always took it that way, it seemed.

Though, the real reason was Isabella was curious was not one most people would think of. Not one that most people could think of. Very few people died and lived to tell the tale, and Isa was among the few. Was this girl? Isabella hoped so. It was always fun to meet other reincarnations; and she loved, sometimes proving that they were, in fact, not alone. The discovery that she was a reincarnate had shaped her life...mirroring her past life, funnily enough. She'd gone from small and shy to small spitfire once she'd come to realize that the "borrowed thoughts" were not borrowed, but hers, to take use and tap into as she wished. The good and the bad - hence a terrible, practically crippling, fear of fire. And that was why there were scorch marks in the bathtub. "I'm quite glad it wasn't all of me. That hurts." Now, maybe she was just saying that would hurt, as any sane human would know to be true. Or maybe it meant being engulfed in flame hurt, and she knew it.

"As for scientists, yes, I know some backyard tinkerers." Not a lie, given she knew some normals who were backyard tinkerers, and then there was always Orville Wright, a freshman with an aptitude for, well, tinkering and setting his roommates computers on fire. "But even they concede that there are some things that have no explanation. You can explain the Origin of Species but not the Origin of the very first lifeform with certainty. You can explain intelligence but not sentience; you can mix religion in and philosophy too, but you can't ever know it all...can anyone explain why we have souls with concrete proof?" Another drop - souls. People clearly had them, or reincarnation wouldn't be possible. Hopefully her speech was going to get her somewhere, though Joan would dare say that she might know why people had souls; God. He had wanted people to love him and life to be, and so he set the big bang going, He stepped in to lend a hand to humanity here and there, but he also let science be. She'd say without a doubt God existed - Voices being proof -but Saladin, a zealot of Islam, would probably tell her a different God and setup existed. It really was a complicated tangle - then add in politics and technology, and you had a knot that was being tugged every which way in an attempt to undo it, which would only make it tighter.

"And maybe, in the end, a mystery is best for us all." Isa just managed to say before Chess took off to get get her stuff. When pink-hair came back, Isa said something she assumed to be innocent enough in nature, until the older girl blushed, and awkward once again came into the conversation. That was the last thing she needed a girl in gym class bushing about her. Oh Lordy. The fact of the matter was, she didn't know what to say that couldn't be misinterpreted, which just made her look down at her shoes, which could be misinterpreted anyways, in a way that she was shy or hiding a smile or something, Isa knew, but the sharped tongue Joan of Arc was used to conflict, not some girl blushing about her!

----------------
words| 885
tagged| Chess / Cal
notes| Finally!