Eliza was apparently focused on their phone as they answered, "I found me in a bit of pottery my mother had been curating from Pompeii. It was my vessel to this plane, crafted with a dozen or so souls. When I tried drinking water from it, I-" Eliza paused, as if realizing they were getting the pronouns confused. "Um, they er, came in direclly and we became 'we'. Gotta make another vessel that won't get tossed in a landfill before this body dies." They gestured, "Else it means hoping someone summons her, er, him from the nether."

Eliza perks up at Anthony's existential concerns, "You never get bored committing yourself to stopping something inexorable. I'm going to be a part of making sure the universe doesn't go cold through dissipation. Some of the best monsters were most remembered by dedication themselves to something mad." They paused, "Wait is Dracula real? Is that history or...?" They looked to Anthony and Tiffany, assuming they would have some Transylvanian 'cousins' or something.

 Felicia smiled and said," Well you need to find something that matters to you if your immortal, I protect my temple and praise Bast, that is my calling as a Temple Gaurdian. "

 Felicia smiles at Tiffany and says," I wouldnt mind being in a cage for you Tiffany, but maybe we can work on a disguise so I could actually be with you Tiffany, but I still have to keep watch over my Temple though Tiffany. " She looked sad that she might not be able to travel a lot with Tiffany because of her duties.

Eliza piped up, unable to hold this one in, “Well, you know Felicia, you could always travel as Tiffany’s emotional support... kitty.”

Tiffany giggled, had a thought, and blushed brightly.

"Well," she said, "Leaving all that aside, the temple is more of a problem.  How long can you be away from it, Felicia?"

Anthony noted the expectant expression on Eliza's face, and his eyebrows went up. "Well I surely cannot say. Vampires are real, obviously, unless they continue to irritate me and bully other students, but... whether Dracula himself exists, is a question better put to them. My hunch is that the entire saga was made up out of whole cloth, that in reality they grew out of the shit of some demon and decided that THAT story was not goth enough for them and their idiotic 'Apex Predator' narrative. Poseurs and charlatans, one and all."

Eliza grimaced at the word 'demon'. "No, they are not so low as to be even fractionally as disgusting as demons. Vile things, completely and utterly. Not even proper monsters, just bottom feeders to chaos." They shook their head head, "At least vampires had the decency to have changed and grown since they were first manifest, human to more than human. If they do have some predator complex though... The Apex Nethers have a saying though, 'Being the best of one thing means you are are for lacking everywhere else.'"

Eliza frowned, shoving a lock of brightly colored hair out of their face and saying, "It sound better in Abyssal."

 Felicia looked at Eliza and replied," An Emotional Support Kitty what does that mean?"
 Felicia smiled at Tiffany and then when Tiffany asked her how long she could be away from her Temple. Felicia actually didnt know she has spent every night of her life at the Temple,  would have too consult Bass on this, she thought. She then said," I do not know that answer I will have to pray to Bass for guidance. " She hoped she could spend some time away but she didnt think it would be long that was her job protecting her Temple.

 Felicia smiles as Eliza and Anthony talk about vampires and Dracula, she just nods and smiles at Tiffany.

"Well, you should find out," said Tiffany.  "Otherwise, planning how you could travel doesn't really matter that much.  And that would be a shame."

For Felicia, but also for herself.  She wouldn't mind traveling around with a cute girl, even if she had fur sometimes... Better to cuddle, really.

Anthony smiled, as he sat back and contemplated the words of his newest acquaintances. It was clear, as he scanned the room, that he had managed to form a "clump" with these people, for better or for worse. While it was true that their words made sense, and seemed wise on the surface, he wondered in his heart when they would betray him, and how. He resolved to keep a watchful eye open, and reminded himself to be careful with what he confided. He had not revealed his true nature, nor the full extent of his powers, and resolved to keep both things in that way.

Finally, he set his brooding aside for a moment, and said, "I do not speak Abyssal either, a fact I have never regretted, even now."

The background noise of the cafeteria fades substantially as people stop eating and talking to watch the drama unfolding near the entrance. Unsurprisingly, Maura is at the center of it, with Seong clinging to her arm nervously as she looks around the expansive room. The toadies are back, and apparently, they're back to bossing people around on Maura's behalf - not that she gave them any such instructions.

And then, without fanfare worthy of such a glorious prank, the toadies shoes spontaneously transform into jester shoes, complete with bells on their toes.

You may not recall, but I have not forgotten your private line in post number 37 of this thread. =^.^=

Tiffany blinked in surprise.

"I did not," she said, "in the least expect that to happen.  Did one of you...?"

 Felicia heard the commotion, she watched and when the Toadies shoes changed. She looked at Tiffany, then to Anthony. She wondered who did it?

Anthony shrugged, and said, “Perhaps someone cast a spell, revealing the character of a person through their footwear? I, to be clear, could not cast such a spell. In case you were curious. No, if there is such a spell caster, they may be here... in the very room... passing unnoticed.”

He grinned again, and said, “Should a caster of such a clever spell show themselves, I might be tempted to signal my approval in some surreptitious way. Or, perhaps in an overt way! I am whimsical like that.”

Tiffany gave him an odd look.

"I don't think I can parse that sentence well enough to figure out if it was an admission, a brag about knowing the person who did it, or what," she finally said.  "Eh, whatever.  Just so nobody gets in more trouble.  Too much drama around here as it is lately."

In reply to Tiffany Cabot (msg # 182):

Anthony chuckled. "Isn't 'drama' our defining trait, as high school students? My father once commented that we collectively are... how did he put it... 'Often wrong, but never in doubt.'"

Then he glanced over at Maura and her collection of toadies, and said, "I bridle at the implied hierarchy, and dislike bullies intensely, whether living or not quite dead. So long as they give me a wide berth, coexistence is possible."

 Felicia smiles and says," I have never been to a real school before is it always like this in every school, yes there seems to be a lot of drama for sure. Well I can not cast magic I did not get that from my mother."

"I wonder if we could learn how?" Tiffany pondered.  "There's magic that's traditional for my kin that humans don't really use..."

A lot of it was fish-related, granted, but not all of it.

It doesn't take long for everyone else to notice the prank. For their part, the toadies both shriek in indignation and embarrassment. Peals of laughter echo around the large room and many people get out of their seats so that can take a closer look as the fiasco unfolds. A dozen or so of the bravest jeer and make comments along the lines of "Stuck up bitches!" and other insulting comments directed at the four girls. Seong clings to Maura tighter, who simply stands tall and apparently unmoved amidst the furor, at least for a moment or three.

"Silence!"

And it was so, even the most dimwitted of the assembled students rapidly withering under Maura's glare and shutting his mouth.

"I don't know who you are," she says, scanning the room, "But you've gone too far with your joke. They might be empty-headed bootlickers, but they're my empty-headed bootlickers."

Toadies gonna toadie, apparently, because even being so directly insulted while being defended seems to make the pair unreasonably happy.

"Undo your magic and I'll let it slide this time. Well, since you seem to have a shoe fetish, I can also walk on you like the insignificant gravel that you are if I must." she says, smirking broadly.

A handful of faux wolf howls and other catcalls of that sort erupt from a table of beastmen types in the back but everybody else keeps their mouths shut.

In reply to Aeternitas (msg # 186):

Anthony sighed, and said to the table, sotto voce, "She really is quite extraordinary. Unfortunately, she knows it. Pity."

"It's almost a shame," said Tiffany.  "She's not quite as bad as she could be, though.  I think she'd be better of without the toadies-- they're half the problem, at least."

 Felicia watches and really respects Maura and Seong was still very close to her. Felicia looked around to see if she could tell who might have done it. Felicia wasnt up on high school antics. " Yes she is and yes that seems to be the problem at times. " Felicia turns to Tiffany smiles and adds, " Yeah yeah she could loose them for sure." She smiled at Tiffany.

Anthony will speak up, addressing Maura. "What purpose do the 'empty-headed bootlickers' serve? Ornamentation? Menial tasks? Emotional support? Practicing having minions for your probable ascension to a position of power?"

He shrugged. "Generally, they seem to be more trouble than they're worth, with little benefit."

Not waiting for an answer, he turned slightly back to his table and said, "I've been curious about that."

"Emotional support, if you ask me," said Tiffany.  "Supportive friends are good, even if the relationship is flawed."

 Felicia smiled and her sharp teeth showed, and she replied," I agree Tiffany it must be for emotional support but I think there is more to Maura then we know and she is treating Seong very well so far." Felicia just watched and then added," So where are we suppose to go after we are done here?"

Tiffany checked her schedule...