"I don't think it's even possible, unless it's looping us over and over. I don't know of any familiar that can cause space loops." Arowen soon spotted the bottom of the stairs and hurried down the stairs, almost falling at one point.
"You also didn't know about a weapon that was a person," Sebastian pointed out when a chuckle. He saw the end as well, picking up the pace. He reached out to help Arowen when she almost fell, coming to a stop at the bottom.
"You okay?"
"That's true," she acknowledged, accepting his hand to help steady herself. "I'm fine."
She reached the bottom, and her eyes widened. "What -"
It was full of weapons, papers, and pictures and maps and charts covering the walls and part of the floor. "What is this?" She breathed. She looked around at everything, stepping into the room slowly, mouth open at everything.
And then her face grew pale. "It looks like… he's preparing for war."
Sebastian nodded a bit. He looked around, an indifferent look coming over his face.
"It does," he said softly, calm on the outside. "But… with who?" Sebastian took a hesitant step forward- he had no idea what might be hidden in here, and he paled a bit. In all technicality, he and Arowen could be considered two of the most dangerous weapons in the room. This thought made him swallow thickly.
"I… I don't know." Arowen pursed her lips. "I think I can see why, now, that he was being chased by those guys."
She knelt down to examine one of the papers, and an expression of horror crossed her face. She glanced at Sebastian, and her face was pale.
"He… wants to use weapons and familiars to create a weapon."
Sebastian's eyes widened some, and he shook just a bit.
"I… I think we should leave," he said after a moment. They were in a very, very bad position right now, and Sebastian refused to think of what might happen if they were found.
"I- yeah, we should." Arowen pulled her phone from her pocket and took a picture of the document, before standing. She turned to go… and stopped.
"What do you two think you're doing here?" The headmaster asked quietly.
Sebastian hadn't turned around yet, but the headmaster's quiet words slammed into him. He froze, turning slowly to face the man. He didn't say anything, moving to Arowen's side.
After the initial shock, Arowen's face grew dark and angry. "We were here to see what the attacks on this school were, and what they had to do with you. And we found this." She motioned to the papers spread around the floor.
The headmaster sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If you want to know the truth, I need a reason to trust you."
"Why do we need to give you one? You're planning on harnessing familiars to make weapons!"
She glanced at Sebastian to see if he had anything to add.
Sebastian steeled himself as Arworen spoke, stepping up to bat when she finished.
"There's a reason familiars and weapons are separate as they are now. By blurring the lines between the two-" as Sebastian's own weapon did- "then there would be dire consequences for all involved." Sebastian shook his head.
"Humanity's ability to harm each other simply to discover ways to hurt even more people disgusts me."
The headmaster sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand. He didn't look or feel at all malicious, Arowen noted, and his threat level was only a 5. So how…
"These are the papers that I stole from those Oranges. This is their work. That's why they were after me."
Is he telling the truth? Arowen silently asked Eris.
Seems to. He's not telling you the whole truth, though. He has no evil intent, though, her familiar said.
She nodded to Sebastian, and relaxed slightly. "Then why do we need to prove that we're trustworthy?"
"Because if this information gets out, there are many things that could happen. Bad things. Governments could try to get this information. There could be wars. So many things could happen." He sighed and looked tiredly out at the papers strewn about.
Sebastian took Arowen relaxing some as a sigh that the headmaster wasn't lying, but he didn't do the same just yet.
"If these are so dangerous, why haven't you just destroyed them yet? If anyone of power found them, whether with good or bad intentions, people would still be hurt, and those who you're so afraid of finding these would be able to easily." The man narrowed his eyes some, still not trusting.
Arowen nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Keeping these papers complete and in one place can make things worse, rather than better. What if someone finds them?"
The headmaster rubbed his face. "Because the Council wants to see them first, to see if it is really dangerous, or if it's just a prank that someone took too far."
Arowen snorted in disgust. "Yeah, blame it on the Council," she sneered.
"That shouldn't matter to them anyway. If it's real, it needs to be destroyed, and even if it is just a prank, it's a dangerous one that should be dealt with as such. If anything, if it's real they're going to take them under the guise of destroying them, then continue the research themselves." Sebastian shook his head solemnly.
"No one in power, no matter who or what they are, should get their hands on something like this."
"Exactly." Arowen nodded with Sebastian's words. Privately, she was impressed with what he said. It was wise, and stirring, but if she told him that, she was pretty sure that he would laugh at her.
"What if there were traitors in the Council? They could find this information and create horrible things." She smiled slightly, although it didn't reach her eyes. "Why don't we dispose of it for you, headmaster?"
He paled. "No. Please don't, or I'll lose my position!"
But she had already started gathering up the papers and graphs into a pile.
Sebastian nodded to Arowen's additions, turning to gather up the papers as well.
"Would you rather lose your position, or endanger the lives of millions? If this is truly your choice, then you deserve to lose it." Sebastian neatly set the papers into piles, ignoring the principal's protests.
The principal sighed. "Fine. Take care of them. But this is on your heads, not mine."
Arowen scowled. She finished tearing the graphs off the walls and piling them in one heap. "You're just a coward." She brushed some hair from her face and started shoving the paper into her backpack to have Eris dispose of when they were alone.
Watch it, her familiar cautioned suddenly. There's someone here. Someone powerful.
"I'm sure we can handle ourselves," Sebastain said cooly. He himself had the first instinct to just pile all of the papers up here and now to burn, but with a moment's thought he realized how foolish that would be. So, instead, he moved to help Arowen pack the papers away.
"Shall we get going?"
Arowen nodded. "Let's go." She sent Sebastian a warning look, and as they piled the papers together, she murmured, "There's someone here. Someone besides the three of us."
Once they were done, she stood. She brushed past the principal, papers in her arms, and back up the staircase.
Sebastian pursed his lips some when he heard this. That was troubling news, indeed. The man stood up, holding the papers in his arms as well. He followed the woman, keeping silent as he thought over the situation. Perhaps it was someone from the Council, for all they knew.
They arrived at the top of the staircase, into the principal's office. There was no one there, and the school was eerliy silent. Eris, too, was quiet, which Arowen wasn't sure if she was relieved about or not. At least there didn't seem to be an issue at the moment.
She tucked the papers into her backpack first thing, so that they wouldn't draw as much attention, and then glanced at Sebastian. "Wee need to talk," she said quietly. "Do you know of a place?"
Sebastian was silent as they came back into the office, arms folded in front of his chest.
"I do," he said, nodding. "But it'll take us off campus, and it can take some time to get there. Are you okay with that?"
"'Course." She waved her hand dismissively. "Anything to get away from this rotten place." She could feel the edge of one of the papers she had crumpled up digging into her back, making her shift uncomfortably.
Sebastian nodded, beginning the walk away. He didn't say a word as they walked, arms folded tightly as he thought. Just what were they going to do now? These things… were going to have quite the consequences.
(Do we do a timeskip, to somewhere safe?)
(Sounds good to me)
(Alright! Do you want me to write it?)
(Yes please!)
"Welcome to Starbucks," Arowen said.
The two of them stood in front of a Starbucks near the campus. It was one that most of the students frequented on a daily basis, but right now, it was fairly empty, with the attack from all the Oranges and all that.
Arowen opened the door and stepped inside, backpack pressing uncomfortably against her spine. She ignored any questions or concerns that Sebastian might have, and walked over to the counter. She ordered a drink, and then glanced at him. "Want anything?"
Sebastian glanced around once, glad the place was nearly empty. They didn't want to deal with any of what they had just done in front of a crowd, after all.
"A caramel frappuccino," Sebastian said, when Arowen asked what he wanted. He still had his arms folded in front of him, lips pursed.