Episode Three

It takes courage~

It’s quiet. Too quiet. The silence that Juuzou once sought after, now heckling her into an anxious spiral. She sits, uneasy on her brother’s soft brown couch, the imbalance fueling the perturbation. No sound, not one at all. All that’s left to fill that vacuum is her tinnitus-like thoughts. Her mouth is dry, dry as the ashy air from home. She licks her lips, hearing her heart thump in her chest. Air. I need air. One of the many thoughts in Juuzou’s mind. Uroth. The fiery prison. Her father. His voice. Xander. His resemblance. Fear. Unease. Agitation. Tension. Stress. She hyperventilates in the lonely apartment, usually inhabited by students that should be at the school by now. 

Air. Juuzou heaves, scattering up from the couch. She scrambles to Xander’s front door, passing the breakfast food that was made for her. Rattling the door knob, her shaking hands attempt to bypass the magical crystal lock; its confusing mechanisms making her more stressed, reminding Juuzou of that trapped feeling with the ticking wall clock adding onto her anxiety. 

She bangs the gem on the lock with her open palm once. “Please, open!” She yelps, exasperated. Juuzou hears a small ‘click!’ and with that, swings the door open, almost tripping. 

Air. She practically runs to the apartment’s elevator, smashing the button to go up. A ‘ding’ is heard as an older gentleman appears when the doors ever so slowly open. “Oh, pardon me.” He says, passing Juuzou, but she doesn't pay any attention while planting her gaze to the ground; quickly walking into the machine, an automated message begins. “Hello. What floor would you like to go to?” says a robotic voice from a purple ceiling gem. “Uh.. R-Roof, please!” Juuzou stammers, embarrassed to talk aloud like that. “Heading to the rooftop.” the voice states, machine-like whirring accompanying it, raising Juuzou past several floors. 

Air. please. The only thought left in her mind, repeating over and over like a record too stubborn to work right. The wait feels like forever to her, tapping her foot on the linoleum tiling, emulating a ticking sound that doesn’t help. Juuzou twirls a piece of hair around her finger, as if holding it will keep her together. The big foreign machine halts, finally giving Juuzou some form of relief. She can hear her heartbeat in her ears, racing faster as the anticipation grows. The sliding doors crack open, blinding her with a line of morning sun; she waits impatiently, right at the doors, mashing the ‘OPEN’ button with her free hand. 

Having taken their sickly sweet time, the doors finally open wide enough for Juuzou to squeeze through and breathe clearly again. “Finally.. Air.” She stumbles her way to the roof’s edge, taking off her gray oversized t-shirt to feel the breeze on her skin; too heavy for right now. Juuzou takes a very deep breath, calming down slowly. Her mind feels clearer as she breathes in through her nose and out her mouth. She takes a seat on the ledge, looking down below to see the same odd group of three she saw before at the window, now almost to the school. Juuzou takes another breath. 

“Judging by those uniforms.. They must be students.” She ponders on the thought, looking ahead to Deadman’s High. “Maybe I should.. Listen to him…” She breathes in again, a little back to normal. Her thoughts have settled for now. She reaches for her jeans’ cuff and rolls it up a bit, making sure it's at the perfect height. Basking in the warm sunlight, she scans the ground below. Staring at the group ahead, her mind is almost completely void of those annoying thoughts, except one: Maybe I need.. company.. for a change. She contemplates it, slowly starting to stand from the edge of the building and remembering to grab her shirt as well. 

Maybe.. Hot pink misty embers manifest from Juuzou’s body as she considers the thought further. Dark wings sprout from her shoulder blades, stretching and arching her back as they emerge. She stands tall, staring off into the distant blue woods behind the school. Shirt in hand, she spreads her demonic wings, whipping her heart-tipped thin tail to her side. Maybe.. I’ll try. She studies the thought, then asks herself, aloud “Couldn’t be worse than.. being held up in Xander’s apartment for a week.. by myself.. Right?” Juuzou shakes her head as if to stop herself from overthinking it too much, taking a tiny step forward while looking down. 

“Here goes.. everything.” 

She takes another step, this time in mid air. She free falls, zipping past Xander’s apartment window along with the rest; one big flap of her wings gets her soaring through the air, seeing various beings with flight capabilities make their way to the school as well. Juuzou takes a big deep breath, reveling in the freedom of a cool breeze. Her bright white hair flowing behind her,  clearing her head. Slowing her descent, she lands on a building adjacent to the school, watching the students wait at the front entrance. A bell rings loudly, making her flinch and panic momentarily, then realizes it’s an alert for the students that school is starting. 

“Right.. Bells.. I remember hearing that sometimes.. Even by Xander’s window...” Juuzou mumbles, studying the variety of monsters and demi-humans alike and unalike. She then spots her brother, Xander, along with those three individuals she saw earlier, and what appears to be her brother’s girlfriend she had been introduced to before. “Oh..!” She watches intently as the group heads inside, a peculiar pink-haired being standing out clear as the pink hued morning sky. She waits for the majority of the students to head in, still too afraid to be seen in a crowd like that. She then flies down quietly, flapping her wings as light as possible to not draw any attention to herself. Her wings retract and compress back to where they emerged as she starts putting her shirt back on, away from others. Patting wrinkles down, she rolls up her pant cuffs again, making sure she won't trip and embarrass herself. 

Juuzou whispers quietly “Okay..” while tucking the left side of her bangs behind her pointy ears. Taking a step forward, she starts getting that usual pit in her stomach, feeling nauseated. She breathes deep again to calm down, seemingly working by the third breath. I can do this.. I can do this. With heavy steps, she places one foot in front of the other, staring straight ahead to the doors of the school. Regretting her life choices, she spins around right back to the empty side of the building, recovering.

Mostly everyone has gone in now.. No need to worry… Juuzou asserts to herself, trying her best to keep cool. She heaves a deep breath in, straightening her slouched posture to accept more air. She tries to recall what Xander had told her days prior. I think.. He said to check the “front office”..... thing. They’ll know what to do. I sort of know how a school system works.. I think. She trails off in her own head, finally working up the courage to approach the entrance and enter the school.

Prying open the metal doors, Juuzou is greeted by an array of monsters and beings. She recognizes the harpies, elves, and fae creatures alike, demi-humans such as amphibians, elementals, reptiles and the like, among very many others. 

There’s.. So many.. Different people.. She stands at the open doors in awe, never witnessing this variety of creatures before. But one thing stood out to her as she thinks Barely.. any demons. She can feel herself getting smaller, cowering at the thought of standing out. Her tail straightens, hiding it behind her legs as she pushes herself to walk towards the prominent overhead sign stating “FRONT OFFICE” to her left. Juuzou dips her head down, avoiding anyones eyes until she reaches the office doors, neatly adorned with a file organizer holding stacked papers. She slowly creeks open the door, alerting the lady at the front desk. 

“Hello, how may I help?” The lady asks politely, greeting her with a smile, something Juuzou is clearly not used to. 

“I.. um.. How do.. How do I enroll?” Juuzou whispers at the pale woman. She takes a pencil out of her perfect bun, straightening her necklace with a free hand. 

“Hm? Oh, enrollment? Yes, it’s very simple! I’ll get the paper for you, go ahead and take a seat, no worries!” The lady smiles, going through her usual dialogue. 

Juuzou notices fangs on the woman, her pale complexion and bright yellow eyes, though cheerful, makes her assume the woman is a vampire. 

“Thank you….” she replies quietly, avoiding the vampire’s professional eye contact and following the her directions. Juuzou takes a seat, scanning the room she’s in. A bright pinkish-purple somewhat matching the students uniforms paints the walls with muted purple accents to it. She admires the colors, rarely seeing these cool tones on Uroth. 

“Here you go, dearie”  Not even minutes passing before talking to her, the vampire woman calls Juuzou up to the desk. Standing once again, she looks at the being directly this time, seeing how beautiful she actually is. Damn. Quickly snapping back to the current situation, she grabs the paper the lady is holding out for her. 

“Now, you just have to fill out this form with your information and Principal Deadman will approve of your enrollment, if she sees your information is good to go. Easy as that!” The vampire states, ironically very lively. “We rarely disapprove enrollments, so you should receive a response today or the next!” She adds on. 

Juuzou scans the paper briefly “Oh.. Thank you.. Miss..?” alluding to a question.

“Gwendol” she says with a lighthearted grin. 

“Th-Thank you.. Miss Gwendol.” Juuzou stammers, returning to her seat to fill out the form. 

“Call me if you need anything, dear!” the woman calls out, gingerly showing her vampiric grace as she stands to place some papers off to a different desk.

Juuzou sits down, staring at the page inquiring for her basic information like her name, current address and such. She fills it out the best she can, getting lost in thought. Should.. I ask about.. Demons enrolling here..? I mean.. Xander is a demon, and he’s enrolled.. She pauses, gripping the pencil that was given to her rather hard. Maybe.. I’ll just leave it be. Juuzou’s eyes wander off the page to another student waiting for something a couple seats away from her. She pays no mind, and continues to fill out more information. Checking it over, she scans from right to left, making sure everything is right. Juuzou goes to stand, but then immediately sits back down, needing to check it over once more just for good measure. Once she’s satisfied, she stands up again, calling for Miss Gwendol. 

“Um.. Miss? I’ve.. finished.” Juuzou speaks slowly so as to not stumble over her words, her mind moving faster than she can speak.

 Miss Gwendol turns in her swivel chair, greeting Juuzou again with a light smile. “Oh, perfect! I’ll take that out of your hands, hon!” 

She’s so nice.. Is.. this normal..? Juuzou thinks to herself, but chalks it up to the woman just being professional. 

“Alright, you’re all set! If this is the correct address, you’ll receive a letter of enrollment! That’s all—” Miss Gwendol stares at the paper intently, making a note of Juuzou’s pronouns. “That’ll be all, Miss Juuzou! Thank you for choosing us, dearie.. Ah-” Miss Gwendol stops for a moment. 

Juuzou flicks her tail slightly, anxiously waiting for the lady to finish. 

“Do you know the way out, dear? I can help, if you’d like.” She smiles again as she places Juuzou’s form onto a pile with other papers. 

“No.. it’s okay, thank you! I.. uh.. Remember the way.” Juuzou turns to leave and points in the direction she needs to go to the woman, wanting to break eye contact. “Okay hon, have a good day!” Miss Gwendol gives a small wave, Juuzou returns it with a timid smile, then turns back around to the door. 

She was really nice.. Is this actually normal?? Juuzou questions in her mind, leaving the front office and closing the door quietly behind her. Making her way out into the hallway, she meets face to face with Xander and his friends. 

“Oh, Juuzou! Heyy what are you doing here??” Xander shouts excitedly as he jogs up to her, calling unwanted attention to Juuzou. 

“Ah-! I was just.. Enrolling…” She whispers, knowing Xander all too well.

Xander’s eyes widened “You decided to enroll? WOOHOOO!” he cheers, throwing his hands up.

“So this your sister? Dude, she’s like the total opposite of you, Hahah!” Mareea chortles, having followed behind Xander as she shows off a toothy grin while belly-laughing. 

“Oh, hi! It’s nice to meet you! Im Hyori” Hyori butts in, the two beginning to crowd Juuzou.

“I.. uh.. It’s.. um..” she stutters, unprepared for the sudden introductions. 

Pink hair.. Juuzou admires Hyori’s vibrant bubblegum hair, forgetting her anxieties for a split second. 

“I’m.. …Juuzou..”  avoiding their piercing gazes, she backs up a bit. 

Xander, noticing her nervousness, puts himself between Hyori and Mareea, spreading his arms apart. “Alright you two, give her some space, She’s still getting used to living here on Devil’s Fork.”

Baking away, Hyori bows apologetically. “Crumbs, I’m sorry! Are.. you okay?” she asks Juuzou with such concern.

No one’s ever..

“... It’s.. okay. I’m okay.” Juuzou takes a deep breath, somehow not minding Hyori’s worried stare. She tries to stand straight and meet her eyes, placing a hand on Xander’s shoulder from behind. “It’s okay, Xander.. I.. want to know.. your friends..”

Xander spins around, cupping Juuzou’s face in his hands. “REALLY?! Aww my baby sister Juju is growing!” He says in a playful babied tone. 

Juuzou swats his hands away, annoyed at his silly antics. “Don’t call me Juju!” She asserted, louder than her normal quiet. 

Laughing at the siblings, Mareea introduces herself. “Ahahha! Ah, the name’s Mareea!” She holds out a firm hand, chomping her teeth into a wide grin. 

Juuzou hesitates to take her hand, untrusting at first. But then, holds out her head close to her body, accepting the handshake then quickly letting go. 

“Yes.. nice to meet you..” she mumbles, returning to her regular volume. 

Hyori jumps in again, more cautious and tender this time. “Oh, Xander mentioned you’re staying at his place! I should make you a sweet treat!” 

Kai walks from the end of the short hallway from behind Mareea and Hyori, Vonni following behind quietly. “Oi, what’s up you guys? Class is gonna start soon. Oh–” He notices the tall, white haired girl timidly staring at Hyori as she explains how close the bakery is to Xander’s apartment. “Who’s that?” He questions Xander, who’s now returning to Vonni’s side. 

“That’s my sister, remember what I was talking about?” 

“Ohh yeahh, Hey! I’m Kai” he waves, the second toothy grin today accompanied with his greeting. 

“H-Hello.. I’m.. Juuzou.” She tries a smile. 

“So what flavors do you like? Sorry- am I being overbearing? I have just been really excited to meet you, Juuzou!” Hyori springs up with a bubbly smile. “New people means new desserts I get to make for them! Ahh this is so exciting! I already said that, didn’t I? Hehe.” She giggles.

Juuzou’s stiff posture softens a bit, chuckling quietly at Hyori’s delight. “No, it's.. It’s okay. Um.. Chocolate, I guess?” She relaxes, finding it easy to talk to this bright being with lovely heart buns and adorned purple ribbons. 

This girl..

“Chocolate? Oh that’s perfect! I have a dessert with your name on it, then!” Hyori beams gleefully, jumping with buoyancy. “I have so many ideas, ughh! Our bakery is all made in house! We have this awesome kitchen— You know, we’re the only human operated bakery in town! It’s just me and my parents so—”

Juuzou’s eyes widened, her body stiffening again. “Human? D-Did you.. Did you say human?” she can feel her mind buzzing again, the deep pit in her stomach returning along with the loud repetitive thumping of her heart now going faster. “I-I’m sorry.. I.. excuse me..!” Juuzou rushes past the group, making her way to the entrance of the school. Jogging now, she pushes open the door and runs out, catching her breath.

“Ah, jeez..” Xander voiced in a whisper, lifting a hand up to his head to comb through his hair.
Hyori turns to Xander, frowning. “Huh? Was.. was it something I said?”

Kai, having overheard, asks “What the crab was that about??”

“Xander, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—” Hyori conveys, looking to the school entrance. 

“No, it wasn’t you.. Just.. I’ll go talk to her.” Xander sighs, putting his free hand in his pocket as he walks towards the doors.