The Arrival

*She sees what it was. A vague shape lopes after them, bright red eyes bobbing between 3 & 4 feet in the air. On Euryale's end, the dorm building looms on the horizon, still frustratingly far away.*
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*In the lobby, they are confronted with the choice of trying the elevator or taking several flights of stairs. The Shadow is on the doorstep, only visible because it distorts the back lighting from inside.*
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*Aroma takes a few steps back.*

A"There could actually be something really dangerous out here, like a rapist, or something. Maybe we should call for help?"

*Eve takes the stairs*

Mimiru booms it up the stairs, two at a time.

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Taiyo, squeezes Euryale's hand and starts running.

"What would we say?" Mortal asked, "We think there might be a rapist, 'or something', on the loose... somewhere."

Gabe was about to agree, but Mortal's retort dissuaded her.

"There really isn't anything we can report," Noct said, "So lets just get out of here. I'm starting to get the creeps."

*It doesn't seem to be following them, but the stairwell is so dark that it's hard to tell.*
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*As they pass a tree next to a retaining wall, Euryale lags back & gives Taiyo a little push from behind.*

"Keep going!"

*She then reaches up & breaks of a branch. The thing leaps, so fast that she hardly has time to swing herself around, but it's enough. As she falls back, she pushes against the branch in her hand. The eyes can be seen bobbing through the air as the leaves shake, & then they're both heard hitting the concrete floor of below them pretty hard. Euryale scrambles back up to her feet & resumes running.*
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"Agreed, I'm getting pretty scared. We could cut across the lawn, or maybe we should head back to the street & take a bus?"

*Eve follows Mimiru, not wanting to be alone*

<Maybe it stopped following us.>

Mimiru: "Don't bet on it."

She makes no attempt to stop running.

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Taiyo looks over her shoulder, screaming for Euryale to keep running.

"Bus!" Gabe said, "I, uh... don't want to walk across the lawn."

Astarte went to her room and started looking up news on the internet, purely to pass time.

*That she does. Euryale opens the door cautiously & heads inside.*

"I don't see anything in here."

*She looks around & absent-mindedly pushes the button for the elevator.*
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*They eventually reach their floor.*
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"Okay."

*Back at the road, it's of course pretty much pitch dark, what with the bus stop light having blown out. They've been waiting for about 10-15 minutes when the row of bushes behind them starts rustling, & they hear a clicking noise.*

Gabe looks back and stares at the bush. Sab looks back as well, "Uh, did you hear that too?"

Gabe nodded nervously.

Mimiru heads to her room, slamming the door behind her and falling against it, out of breath.

Azuma: "When did you take up running?"

Mimiru: "Sh...shadow is here."

Azuma: "Fuck."

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Taiyo follows Euryale into the elevator and leans against the back wall, panting.

*Eve runs into her room, and if there was no one besides her and Mimiru going that way, she shuts the door. Then Eve turns on all the lights, and dials Thiera*

*Once they're inside, they see the Shadow come out of the lobby wall & advance towards them.*

"Jesus!"

*Euryale hammers the door close button with her fist. It finally closes just as the thing starts reaching out to the door. While they're on their way up, the lights in the elevator start flickering, & the shaft groans. Euryale falls back against the floor & holds Taiyo.*
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*As if to punctuate the statement, a shadow is visible passing from beneath the door. A second or 2 later, it passes from the other side. It knocks.*
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*Ring...ring....*

"We were just about to call you, did you make it to safety?"
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*The rustling & clicking grow closer. They can see the bushes visually move as something passes through each one towards them.*

Mimiru locks the door and moves away from it.

=================================================

Taiyo quivers in Euryale's arms, holding on to her.

{Yes, as did Mimiru. Where are you two?}

Gabe begins to back up until she is near the curb, Sab right there with her. Mortal and Noctis both kind of just look at the bushes, waiting for a cat or something to wander out.

Grimm eventually got up and started looking around his house and out of his windows for sign of anything still hanging around him.

Back at the Cyprus residence, Hector was doing the same thing, except mostly looking out for big red eyes.

*What actually happens is that the rustling stops when the bus rounds the corner & fills the stop with light. What they do know is that it isn't a cat. The feet under the bushes are primate-like, but don't look furry, & terminate in short claws. They are spaced wide apart, such that the animal must be a few feet long even if stretched out. And there is a flap of folded skin running up the forelimbs. The bus stops, opening its door.*
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*After an agonizing wait, the elevator finally stops & the doors begin to open. Euryale immediately pulls Taiyo up with her & rushes to Taiyo's room. She stops at the door because only Taiyo can open it. The flickering begins to occur in the hallway as well. Euryale wrings her hands in the air.*

"Shit shit shit fuck damn...uh...maybe it won't be able to tell which room we went in!"
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*Neither of them sees anything. Of course, by now it's getting dark enough that it's difficult to see anything more than a few feet outside of the window.*
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"Roatha & I ended up running in the complete opposite direction of the dorms, towards downtown. In the end we decided to pool our money together & just get a hotel for the night, not wanting to risk going back to the dorms while that thing was still wandering around. Now I can kind of see why Vanessa's been living like a vagrant."
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*The knocking & pacing shadow persists in random intervals, though the knocking gets louder & both become longer & more frequent.*

{That's probably for the best. Where are you staying? I'll try and meet up with you two as soon as it's light out. Oh, did you happen to see where Nero went?>
---
*Monu sets the plates of pasta in front of Cameron and Tirea*

Tirea:<Can I sleep here tonight? I don't wanna go home.>

Monu:<I don't mind.>

Cameron:<You're couching it though.>

Tirea:<Thanks, you're both awesome.>

*They start eating*

Gabe practically runs onto the bus. Gabe's reaction sends Sab right after her. Noct and Mortal are too distracted by Gabe and Sab to give the claws the inspection it probably deserves. "Your girlfriend is quite the brave one," Noct said to Aroma as she got on the bus.

*After Aroma is done being paralyzed with shock, she too runs onto the bus, after literally seeing a monster, even if it was only a glimpse.*
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"Don't worry about it, we'll come back to campus tomorrow. As for Nero, we got a text from him a few minutes ago, saying that he wound up walking through downtown with no idea how he got there. He's going to meet us, & stay with us tonight."

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," Mortal said, "It was probably a baby bear or something."

Azuma gets up and wedges his chair underneath the door handle then backs away.

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Taiyo fumbles around to get her I.D out and open the door, pulling Euryale in, closing and locking the door behind them.

{Alright. I'm glad you're all well. Shall we meet at the cafeteria tomorrow morning?}