Private Tales S.A.P.

[Kiara]

On the previous night Kiara had recived all the medical assistance that she needed, but her mind was somewhere else, she was too worried about Jaken's condition, she was rather fine but him he was in a critical condition, he almost died and that thought just haunted her over and over again.
"Dear you need to rest, otherwise you will still feeling the magic withdrawals tomorrow, so just try to sleep, besides the College's Headmaster and the Guard Captain will want to hear all the information that you have." Said a nurse, Kiara just nodded and the nurce left.
She still couldnt calm herself, this was too much, too much emotions at once, she just wanted to let that all out of her system.
On that night, a different kind of song could be hear, not a gentle one that could bring light to hearts, no, this time its was a sad one, one that just could break a heart just by hear it, that was how she felt, this was her way to co-op with all her emotions by singing.
She allowed all her feeling to flow into her words and into her song. Soon enought her body couldnt take any longer so she just surrender herself to a sweet slumber.
The next morning as the nurse said, the College Headmaster and the Captain called her. She was brought to a reunion room where all the teachers, the Headmaster and the Guard Captain had gaddered waiting to hear her version of the last night. She then proceeded to explain everything, the dead guard, the existence of not one but two assassins, and how the second one escaped with some documents.
After that she was free to return to her room. The day had just started but she was already tired just wishing the return to her bed, but she was stopped by a nurse in the middle of a corridor.
"Kiara could you follow me please" said the nurse.
"Hmm.. im fine now so i dont need any more treatment..." she responded thinking that they wanted to check on her again.
"Oh no, no sweety, its the werewolf, he just wope up and he want to see you"
Kiara eyes widen at this statement, Jaken was finally concientn. She just dashed "i know the way thank you" kiara said to the nurse.
Kiara was now right in front of Jaken´s room, but she couldnt bring herself to enter, yes she wanted to see him, badly, but also she didnt knew what to say,
he was on this situation because of her after all. She them tried to calm herself taking deep breaths, then she knocked the door.

 

[Adriwolf]

Everyone heard the knocking on the door. Jaken's hope rised.
"Please open the door." the doctor commanded to the nurse. The nurse obeyed, and opened the door to let Kiara in. Jaken's eyes widened, even though his muscles were not responding to his actions, he would run to her and hug her, even if he was naked "I think you must be informed of your friend over here." he said, inviting Kiara inside "Your friend is fine, he needs to rest, but he was worried about you. In fact, so worried that he tried to find you himself, we had to inyect him a muscle relaxer. But don't worry, he is conscious and can speak, but he won't move for the next hours. I will leave you two alone. Kiara, we might ask you some questions later on, and try to keep your compannion calmed, and Jaken, please remain as calm as you can." the doctor closed the door.

"Hey." Jaken greeted once everyone left "How are you? Are you hurt? Wish I could move, but... well... I think I scared them and I got them to neutralize my body, so..." he sighed "Sorry for not being fast enough, I tried, but I think the rain made me go a bit slower, also... the city guards are stupid as hell." he chuckled, but then grunted at the contractions and pain of his abdomen.

 

[Kiara]

"Hey." Jaken greeted once everyone left

"Hi" Kiara responded gently trying to keep her smile.

"How are you? Are you hurt? Wish I could move, but... well... I think I scared them and I got them to neutralize my body, so..."

"Im fine as you can see, just had a few scratches but they healer already..." Kiara sighed trying to remain calm "How are you feeling, it still hurt?"

"Sorry for not being fast enough, I tried, but I think the rain made me go a bit slower, also... the city guards are stupid as hell." he chuckled, but then grunted at the contractions and pain of his abdomen.

Kiara couldnt endure anymore, seeing Jaken in such pain, and still he was more worried about her than himself, tears started to fall, she was feeling somehow guilty and responsable for what happened to him.
"Why... why you just needed to go that far... you should have worried about youself, that was reckless of you. Do you even know how scared i was when i found you on the garden!!!" She was now crying, her emotions all over the place.
"why going this far for me? You just meet me yesterday, besides i'm not worth enough for you to put yourself in this kind of danger" Her heart was shattered, seeing Jaken on a bed, full of pain and again she couldn't do anything to help him, nor ease his pain..

 

[Adriwolf]

"How are you feeling, it still hurt?"

"Right now... he... I can't feel anything. Only thing I can feel is my mouth moving and my vocal cords moving so I can speak to you. But yeah, when I woke up and transformed back, that hurt a lot. But now that my body doesn't respond to any stimuli I think I'll be good. My body should heal as I speak to you, give it time. I should move by this afternoon. All healed up and everyhting, maybe a bit of pain, but it won't reopen the wounds nor do something serious. Just give it time." he became silent "I'm glad that you are ok."

"Why... why you just needed to go that far... you should have worried about youself, that was reckless of you. Do you even know how scared i was when i found you on the garden!!!"

"I thought I could take him on my own. But then, this man just bursted in flames and exploded. I did not know, so I couldn't had predicted it. He exploded out of nowhere, I was lucky I realized that, or else I would probably be dead. I'd rather be wounded but alive than dead."

"why going this far for me? You just meet me yesterday, besides i'm not worth enough for you to put yourself in this kind of danger"

"Because you were in danger. I couldn't handle another dead by my hands. I dragged you into this, so it is my responsibility to take you out. And as long as you are not safe, I will do my best to protect you. Your pure soul does not deserve this. The way I see it, I must stop these men before they kill us."

He looked at Kiara's crying eyes "Don't worry about me." he said "Just let me heal and I'll be back on my feet. Promise." he became silent. Jaken felt something... but he had to hide it, it would make him look weak "Now stop crying. You are not helpful when you cry" he said in a serious tone "Tell me what did you see? They've told me that you saw the assasin. What was it like? Did it tell you something that might help us or did something that might give us a lead?"

 

[Kiara]

"Don't worry about me." he said "Just let me heal and I'll be back on my feet. Promise."

"Of course i worry about you, I care for you, and you better keep your promise, since i keept mine" she said now regaining her usual calmness.

"Now stop crying. You are not helpful when you cry" he said in a serious tone

"Im sorry that you saw me like this, i didnt mean to cry, its just.. i dont like to see you this way, anyway, thank you for going there for me" She then showed her beautiful smile again.

"Tell me what did you see? They've told me that you saw the assasin. What was it like? Did it tell you something that might help us or did something that might give us a lead?"

"Well i didnt saw they faces, yes i said they, there was not one but two assassins, one was on the tower, i suspect that he was just a diversion or a decoy, this way everyone would had think it was a solo job. The other one i found him leaving the principal office with some documents, i tryed to stop him, but i failed" she lowered her head.
"Anyway.. i have been thinking and i might have a theory..." She paused a bit collecting her thoughts "Since there here two of them, and only one guard was killed because of the rune, it let me think that someone from inside the college is helping this organization by given them another rune to a third party or by being working as a spy undercover inside the college"
"Like i said its just a theory, i dont have any proof besides of what i saw" she then finished given Jaken all the information they needed.

 

[Adriwolf]

"Well, I think so. Last time I got here, the front guard gave me THE one and only rune to let me through, and I've heard that everywhere. That the college can only allow one stranger at a time in, which means that there is only ONE rune, which is now, or destroyed, or in possesion of the one who escaped. Maybe that could give us something. If the assasin I encounteres on the clock tower blew itself up, and if your theory is right, then maybe a student is missing. A student was not amongst the ones that evacuated last night. I'm sure that the teachers counted heads before letting anyone out. Once we get out of here, we must ask around if x student went missing today. If yes, then it is most probably that it was the one that blew up the clock tower, if not, then he or she is still around here."

The other one i found him leaving the principal office with some documents

"Documents..." Jaken whispered "What kind of documents? Has the principal reported the robbery? What documents were there? What could it be so valuable to sacrifice one member of the party to get them?"

"When I get out of this state, we will ask any type of information. Are there students missing? What documents were there? And if they know what the letters S A P mean." he let his body relax even more, as he sighed. It was a mystery.

 

[Kiara]

"Documents..." Jaken whispered "What kind of documents? Has the principal reported the robbery? What documents were there? What could it be so valuable to sacrifice one member of the party to get them?"

"Well i dont know what documents are missing nor if the principal reported to the autoritues, i just can say what kind they could be, in the principal office theres is a hidden room, there he keeps every
confidential documents, since classified experiemtns, till student's identification filles.

"When I get out of this state, we will ask any type of information. Are there students missing? What documents were there? And if they know what the letters S A P mean."

"I dont know if there's any student missing, during the meeting they just wanted to hear my version of the past night, afther that i was dismissed... although, i know someone that might be able to help us... but im not sure if he will say anything that the principal ordered as classified during the meeting"
"By the way Jaken .. i have something to tell you, so please dont get mad at me..." Kiara paused studying the werewolf's face "Im sorry, but i lost the knife that you lent me, it was on the tower but since it exploded well... so if you want i can buy a new one" she said a bit nervous.
"Before i go and let you rest, you want or need something , water, food??"

 

[Adriwolf]

Well i dont know what documents are missing nor if the principal reported to the autoritues, i just can say what kind they could be, in the principal office theres is a hidden room, there he keeps every
confidential documents, since classified experiemtns, till student's identification filles

"So think about this. If they want documents so badly... enough to blow up the clock tower, then the documents should be important. The documents should be in that secret room were the principal has all those papers you were talking about... wait a second." he looked at Kiara suspiciously "How do you know that? If it's a secret room, shouldn't it be... y'know, SECRET. How would you know this information? Have you seen this secret room." he became suspicious.

i know someone that might be able to help us... but im not sure if he will say anything that the principal ordered as classified during the meeting

"I don't care." he tried to sit, but his body wouldn't obey him "We must ask this person all the information, whatever it takes, we must know it, it might lead us to the killers or give us a clue to their masterplan and hopefully, their whereabouts. I'll try to fight this paralysis as hard as I can so that we can work on that now."

Im sorry, but i lost the knife that you lent me, it was on the tower but since it exploded well... so if you want i can buy a new one

He clicked his tongue "Don't worry about it. I never used that dagger anyway, I bought it because I thought it look nice, but turns out, it was a shit weapon. No reach, hard handling, and generally not my type of blade. It doesn't matter, I'll buy another one later. Besides, the loss of a dagger is the least of my worries right now." he tried to focus on breaking free of the paralysis.
Soon enough, his body began to move. His body was under his control again, he could move. Slowly and dorkly, but he could move "Suck on that science." he whispered to himself. He sat up and laid his body back for more rest "Just give me a few more moments to control my body and let's get working on it."

"Before i go and let you rest, you want or need something , water, food??"

"Errr.... would you kindly grab me some water and an apple. I'd be grateful. Oh! And a notebook and a something to write with. We might need to write all of this down. Thanks." he smiled at her.
Then laid his head on the pillow, focusing on the healing process.

 

[Kiara]

wait a second." he looked at Kiara suspiciously "How do you know that? If it's a secret room, shouldn't it be... y'know, SECRET. How would you know this information? Have you seen this secret room." he became suspicious.

Kiara notice the suspicous look that Jaken was given her. She sigh deeply, maybe it was time for her to tell him everything, she walked to a near chair and sat there, starting to talk calmly and slowly so he could follow what she was about to tell him.
"I already told you this more than twice now, i spended all my life here in this college, so i know it like nobody else, but first things first. So let me tell you a story"

"Once upon a time, a teacher from this very college was walking in the deeps woods of the forest near of Elbion, it was a regular walk until he found a little child wandering all alone on that forsaken place. Beeing afraid that the child might be lost or even worst, abandonned, the teacher took her to the college of magic. There, the school tried to find clues about the child and the parents whereabouts but all would end up on dead ends, beside the child had lost her memory so that was another factor that didnt helped.
In the end, the academy decided to adopt her, since she didnt had nowhere to go, so the teacher that had found her become her mentor and guardian. Since that day almost a century had passed..." Kiara made a pause taking another breath, then looked to Jaken with a sorrow face.

"I was this child..." Kiara waited to see Jaken's reaction, then she continued her explanation lowering her head again.
"Whenever my mentor was busy given classes and couldnt watch over me, i would go to the principal office, that time the headmaster was another men, he really liked childrens and since i was a quiet one he didnt mind to watch over me. But one day without intention i had found the secret room, the headmaster was really surprised that i had found it but he didnt got mad at me, he knew it was an accident. Besides, what were the odds of me finding that room... So he just warned me to never open that room again nor talk to anyone else about what had happened." Kiara told with nostalgia as she remembered her childhood.

"Sorry" the elf said now looking to Jaken. "i cant give you anymore details, since i promissed the former headmaster to never reveal anything, i just told you about the secret room because of what happened last time, as you can imagine, the room its not a secret anymore, since at least all the teachers already know about it, but i dont really know if they know how to access it."
"But... there is something bothering me, the only person that should know about the room existence and how to enter it would be the college headmaster and as an extreme exception me. So, i dont know how the assassin knew where to look for and even how to enter it."

I'll try to fight this paralysis as hard as I can so that we can work on that now." "Just give me a few more moments to control my body and let's get working on it."

Kiara sigh ... "You should rest, you heard what the doctor said, besides, this matter can wait, you need to recorver first. So until you get a proper rest i will not help you" she said half serious while she stands and starts to move towards the door. When she was about to leave she asked if he needed something.

"Errr.... would you kindly grab me some water and an apple. I'd be grateful. Oh! And a notebook and a something to write with. We might need to write all of this down. Thanks." he smiled at her.

Kiara was caught off guard and felt her heart pounding, she was happy, as far as she remembered, that was the first time the werewolf had ever smiled for her. She then just said sweetly returning a bright smile.
"Sure just give me a minute." Before the elf finally close the door she turn around and said "One more thing Jaken, you dont have to tell me your story out of sympathy or to return the favor, I prefer to listen to you when you think you can trust me and that is the right time for you, until then, i'll be waiting" She then closes the door gently.
Already on the other side of the door Kiara rested her hand on her chest, she was feeling much more relieved, then a little giggle came when she remembered Jaken's serious voice demanding her to stop crying <"if even in that state he still has the strength to speak like that then he will be fine, he is tough, beside he promised me..."> she then resumed to do what she was about to do.

 

[Adriwolf]

Once upon a time, a teacher from this very college was walking in the deeps woods of the forest near of Elbion, it was a regular walk until he found a little child wandering all alone on that forsaken place. Beeing afraid that the child might be lost or even worst, abandonned, the teacher took her to the college of magic. There, the school tried to find clues about the child and the parents whereabouts but all would end up on dead ends, beside the child had lost her memory so that was another factor that didnt helped.
In the end, the academy decided to adopt her, since she didnt had nowhere to go, so the teacher that had found her become her mentor and guardian. Since that day almost a century had passed..." Kiara made a pause taking another breath, then looked to Jaken with a sorrow face.

"I was this child...

Jaken did not answered to Kiara's backstory, he just sighed and kept a straight face, always makign eye contact with her. That would make some sense: a child that was literally adopted by the college was bound to find and memorize every room of it. Even those that were buried deep down in the past. They'd have to sneak in the room and find anything that is missing, or a record of the documents that were in the room and search evrywhere to find the missing documents, it didn't matter if it took them the whole night. They would do it. Or at least him, Kiara did not had to take the fall with him, he could do it on his own. He just needed Kiara to show him where this secret room is.

But... there is something bothering me, the only person that should know about the room existence and how to enter it would be the college headmaster and as an extreme exception me. So, i dont know how the assassin knew where to look for and even how to enter it

"So it was probably an inside job, bringing this theory of yours into the table yet again. If the headmaster is not the one responsible for this, maybe a teacher that also knows about the this. Either a teacher was behind all of this or a someone could have sold this information. But who? It had to be one person with a high position of the college..." he kept analyzing the information "You said that you heard the voice of the second assasin, the one that escaped with the documents. Did you recognized his or her voice? Was it familiar in any way?"

When Kiara closed the door, he sighes in releif and laid his body back on the bed. He calmed down and started thinking. THere were so many things going on in less than a whole day. The attack of the girl, the guard's death, the clock tower blowing up, the assasins, the S.A.P., there were so many questions and no answers to any of them. The first lead they had was the secret room Kiara was talking about. He closed his eyes, not with the intention of sleeping, but to focus more. Being trapped in his own thoughts and conclusions, that could help him find everything. He gathered all the information.
"<<Could it be that this is something to do with something magical? After all, the last time I had contact with this school I had to retrieve this magical item that God knows what it does, besides, It's a freaking magic college, so it is bound to have some magic involved. If those were documents that were kept in the secret room, then it probably was something that the college are keeping for themselves. Maybe a ritual? But is it a dark ritual or a pure ritual? Or some kind of spell. Maybe something to craft and give power to someone, like a tool... a magical tool. And what about the assasins? If the assasin wanted to blow up the clock tower, why not just blow it when Kiara stepped in? Why not blow it up when he was fighting with Kiara? He waited until I reached the tower, probably minutes after Kiara's combat with him since I did not see her around the area when the explosion happened. Huh. Now that I think about it: yesterday I escaped two assasination attempts: the girl and the man at the clock tower... 'You are causing us problems'... the girl said that before attacking me... am I going to far with this, I mean, it could be just a coincidence. That's all I got. I better wait for Kiara and let my wounds heal, maybe make the pain go away...>>"

The werewolf focused, with his eyes still shut.

 

[Kiara]

"So it was probably an inside job, bringing this theory of yours into the table yet again. If the headmaster is not the one responsible for this, maybe a teacher that also knows about the this. Either a teacher was behind all of this or a someone could have sold this information. But who? It had to be one person with a high position of the college..." he kept analyzing the information "You said that you heard the voice of the second assasin, the one that escaped with the documents. Did you recognized his or her voice? Was it familiar in any way?"

"That's impossible, as i told you, no one besides the headmaster and me knew about the room, so it cant be a teacher, im sure of it, but i also dont believe that the headmaster is responsable.... I know that this dont make any sense... but ... there's no way someone could know the room's location .... but still it happened." The elf paused, bringing a hand to her chin, she was thinking, trying to put all the pieces together.
"Hmm... someone could had sold the information as you suggest, but if that's the case, then it could only be any of the previous headmasters, that's the most logical reason, but i can't believe that a former headmaster would do that. Maybe im being too sentimental or i just trust people and put my faith on them too easily" Kiara paused, recalling the last night battle she tried to remember every little detail., then she shook her head in denial. "No, i didn't recognize the voice, but it was a male, that much i know"

After a while the elf had gathered everything the werewolf had asked. As she returned to his room, she knocked on the door announcing herself before entering it "Im back" she said moving close to where Jaken was, putting all the material on the table that was right besides his bed. She grabbed the chair she had been seat before, pulling it closer to him, seating and grabbed the apple and the knife she had brought and started to peel and cutting it into pieces so it would be easier for the man to eat it. While she was doing it she was singing a soft lullaby. This was a first, she never singed for anyone and neither in front of anyone, besides her guardian, the closest and only way to hear her sing would be while she was chanting a spell, but for some reason she didn't mind singing for Jaken, maybe she wanted to somehow ease his pain or she just felt safe doing it in front of him. "I hope my singing is not bothering you" she said sweetly while peeling the rest of the apple "But if it is let me know, anyway, here is your apple, I cut it for you" said the elf giving him the plate with the apple slices with a kind smile, she then closed her eyes and relaxed her body, moving to a more comfortable position on the chair, then she continued singing her lullaby,calmly and softly, until only a whisperer could be hear, then the song just stopped. Kiara had fallen asleep, sleeping with such a peaceful face, her breath steady and slow, she didn't sleep much last night due to her worries, besides, she didn't had stopped the whole morning.

 

[Adriwolf]

I hope my singing is not bothering you

Jaken opened his eyes quickly due to the voice talking to him. He wasn't aware that Kiara had entered the room nor that she had brought everything Jaken asked her to. "No, no, it's ok. If it helps you relax after everything, then you may. Besides... you have a nice voice, not gonna lie." Kiara gave hi the apple "Thank you. I'm starving." he grabbed the first slice of apple and ate it desperately, he had been without eating for a long time, not since yesterday before the attack of the girl had occured. Not even a snck before the clock tower incident. He kept eating as Kiara sang her lullaby sing. Jaken was not bothered by it, in fact, he wanted Kiara to continue, he needed to be calm and keep thinking of the mystery they've got theirselves into. Eventually Kiara had stopped singing, he looked at her and realize she had fallen asleep. Kiara had fallen asleep in that uncomfortable chair.

Jaken placed the now empty plate aside, drank some water, and grabbed the notebook and the quill and ink Kiara had brought. Jaken thought on what to write... the only things they knew for now, which were few:

S.A.P.: FOund in guard's ddead body. Acronym? Mark? Of what?
2 assasins:

1. Assasin one (clock tower): Decoy or murder attempt?
2. Assasin two (documents): Stole from secret room. Why? How? What documents

Secret room: who told the assasins? Current headmaster? Previous headmasters? Teachers that know?
Inside job?

Jaken could not think of anything more, he dug on his mind any information that could be usefull, but there was nothing else. And he couldn't do nothing else for now, his body needed to fully heal. He sighes, leaving his things on a table nearby. He then looked at Kiara, she was still asleep on the chair. He sighed deeply "I can't beleive I'll do this" he whispered. He managed to sit and grab Kiara's body, pulling her to the bed with him. Sure, it was a small bed for the two of them, but Jaken managed to find a way for them to be comfortbale and have enough space with each other. Kiara was still asleep, the werewolf was impressed on how heavy her sleep was. Maybe it was like this everyday, or maybe she was just tired.

Jaken hugged her closely and soon fell asleep two.

 

[Kiara]

Kiara was used to sleep just a few hours and normally her sleep was very light, but the previous day events and the next morning had exhausted her to a point she was not used to, but soon enough she was starting to come to herself. Still half asleep she felt something warm near her, it was a pleasant feeling, warm and comfy, she just relaxed even more enjoying the sensation, then suddenly she remembered where she had fallen asleep, waking up in a slip of second fully aware of her situation.
She blinked several times, her heart beating at a racing speed, and her face just so flushed, she was in the same bed as Jaken and in his arms. She couldnt even breath, she had frozen in place, her mind racing to access all the information <"how..!? what should i do? should i move and get up? what if i wake him up too?? Or should i just pretend to be asleep... Awww !!! i need to calm down, just calm down Kiara..."> she then started to breath slowly, she then started to leave the bed, slowly so the werewolf wouldn't wake up, that way Jaken would have more space and could rest properly.
Once she was out of the bed she turned to the window, hiding her face from his sleeping form. She could still feel her cheeks burning, and her heart still pounding, but she was starting to regain her usual calmness, when she knew she could trust herself she turned around, now facing Jaken <"he is really kind"> she thought, her face showing such a lovely expression, then something caught her attention. Jaken had wrote something on the notebook. moving close she grabbed and read it, once she was done she closed the notebook placing it on the same place and seated on the chair waiting for Jaken to wake up.

 

[Adriwolf]

Hours passed before Jaken gave slight signs of being alive, moving his head and moaning softly. He opened his eyes, facing Kiara watching over him. Was that all a dream? Did Jaken dream that he took Kiara in his bed? He wasn't sure. He was always sure about reality, but maybe his exhaustion and wounds made his mind blurry and a bit hard to know the difference between a dream and reality. Or maybe he was dreaming right now. Though, it did not felt like it. He could feel his body in reality, in dreams, he knew that his body was not living in the real world. Besides, he caught Kiara reading his notes on the case and he knew he ACTUALLY wrote those notes, afterwards, he took her in. So this was reality. "I thought you'd be asleep for a little while longer." he sat up "I thought that it was better if you slept on a bed instead of a chair. Beleive me, last time I slept on a chair I woke up with cramps all over. They went away eventually, but the cramps were a pain in the ass." he felt his body better "I think I can move my body more." he turned his body to Kiara and stood up, with his boxer on and feeling recharged "Yep...." he strecthed "I'm back." he smiled at her.

He looked out the window, it was dusk. Night was about to fall. Though he wanted to transform when night came, it wasn't necessary. They would instead look for clues about the robbery. He drank the last bt of water he had. "Well then. Let's get to work."

 

[Kiara]

Few hours later Jaken was finally giving signs that he was about to wake up, opening his eyes and facing Kiara

"I thought you'd be asleep for a little while longer."

"I use to sleep only a few hours, it come when you study a lot" she commented.

"I thought that it was better if you slept on a bed instead of a chair. Beleive me, last time I slept on a chair I woke up with cramps all over. They went away eventually, but the cramps were a pain in the ass."

The image of her awakening by his side came to her mind once again, she could feel her cheeks starting to gain a reddish colour and her heart racing once more. She turned her face in an attempt to hide this vision from him, trying to control her voice so that it wouldnt give her away "Thank you, it was very thoughtful of you, i will keep that in mind on the next time... and sorry for the trouble."

"I think I can move my body more." he turned his body to Kiara and stood up, with his boxer on and feeling recharged "Yep...." he strecthed "I'm back." he smiled at her.

Turning now her face to him after regaining control of her emotions she said in a sweet voice "Im glad to hear that, welcome back Jaken" giving a gorgeous smile. Seeing him looking at the window she followed his gaze, it was dusk already.

"Well then. Let's get to work."

"where do you wanna start ?"

 

[Adriwolf]

Minutes later, the nurse that Jaken first saw after waking him up brought the clothes he had left the night prior. They were already dry so there was no problem on wearing them again. The werewolf had missed putting his clothes on and feeling the comfortable feeling he had when using them. He was ready to move again and solve the mystery.

"where do you wanna start ?"

"The room." he answered immediately "The secret room where all this secrets are trapped. However, we'd have to sneak in, find our way to the entrance of it. You could help me since I'm sure you know where it is and how to enter it. The problem is: there should be more protection around the building. The clock tower is already a bad thing so they wouldn't want something worst to happen. The security would be increase, the defensice and offensive system would increase. As I said, we'd have to sneak around. How good are you on stealth?" he said as he looked out the window, facing the sun slowly hiding under the horizon.

 

[Kiara]

While Jaken was getting dressed Kiara left the room, so he would have some privacy, only entering again when he had finished.

"The secret room where all this secrets are trapped. However, we'd have to sneak in, find our way to the entrance of it. You could help me since I'm sure you know where it is and how to enter it. The problem is: there should be more protection around the building. The clock tower is already a bad thing so they wouldn't want something worst to happen. The security would be increase, the defensice and offensive system would increase. As I said, we'd have to sneak around. How good are you on stealth?"

The sun was going down, leaving space for the moon to rise and shine, Kiara was contemplating the scenery before her eyes, she then spoke.
"Let's get to the cafeteria and eat a proper meal, neither you or I had a decent meal since yesterday, besides, the cafeteria have a panoramic window towards the north wing where the principal office is. We could use that chance to study the guards, keep a watch on them, see how many they are and get the timing of the rounds, by then will be dark, that will give us advantage, also dont worry, i can be pretty sneaky and stealthy when times call for it, since i was little i used to sneak out of my room and to go the library in the middle of the night "
Kiara paused, now turning to face Jaken with an apologetic face. "I can lead you the way to the headmaster office, but ... i cant tell you how to find and neither help you to open the secret room, you will have to do it by yourself, im sorry, i really sorry, but try to understand, i promised to the former headmaster to never reveal that info, i gave him my word... maybe you think i'm being selfish or even naive after of what happened, but i will honor my word.. But i can keep a watch over principal's door and warn you if a guard is getting close, that's least I can do for you, also, i hope you can forgive me"

 

[Adriwolf]

"Ok. The cafeteria is our most promisable vantage point. A panoramic view is all we need to plan our approach strategically. Also... a good meal wouldn't be bad, I feel my stomach already growling. Guess I won't be transforming into a werewolf today, I need the least height possible and the thinest body I can get. The werewolf might give us away due to my height and complexity... sorry, thinking out loud. It helps my thoughts get in order." he said as he stared outside the window. Then nodded "Alright, we must go." he said as he walked away from the window before being stopped by Kiara's facial expression.

"I can lead you the way to the headmaster office, but ... i cant tell you how to find and neither help you to open the secret room, you will have to do it by yourself, im sorry, i really sorry, but try to understand, i promised to the former headmaster to never reveal that info, i gave him my word... maybe you think i'm being selfish or even naive after of what happened, but i will honor my word.. But i can keep a watch over principal's door and warn you if a guard is getting close, that's least I can do for you, also, i hope you can forgive me"

"Yes. You are being naive." he said in a serious and sinister tone while crossing his arms "We need to find what those documents were about. If we don't know what we are dealing with, then maybe something might happen. To the both of us. You need to tell me where it is. Kiara." he got closer to her "Please. We need to find out what have they stolen and why was it so important. What if it is something that might harm everyone? What if it is something that can create destruction? A weapon. Something that would benefit them. Sometimes we need to break those codes of honor to save, not only one person, but to save lots of people. I think that the information of the documents is dangerous because they made the clock tower blow up just to get those. They wanted the secret documents so bad that they created a massive explosion, hell, they almost killed me. They attacked you. If you don't help me find this secret room, we are wasting time. We are allowing the assasins to gather information and put their masterplan in action. Kiara... you need to tell me how to open the secret room... think about it." he said as he walked away from the room. However, he did not went that far. He waited outside the room for Kiara, he left her to think about it and was waiting for her to head to the cafeteria.

He knew that Kiara could open the room, he just needed to persuade her...

 

[Kiara]

"Yes. You are being naive." he said in a serious and sinister tone while crossing his arms

What if it is something that might harm everyone? What if it is something that can create destruction? A weapon. Something that would benefit them. Sometimes we need to break those codes of honor to save, not only one person, but to save lots of people.

Kiara just froze, seeing the werewolf leaving the room, for the first time on her life she was conflicted, sure the werewolf knew how to persuade people, what he had said was true, she was being naive and people could get hurt if she made a wrong decision. Felling lost and having a huge fight inside of her, honor versus life, head versus heart, she was struggling to choose one side, until that day, both head and heart were always in sync, she still could hear the werewolf's voice lingering on her head. She then turned to the window, the sun was already gone. Taking a deep breath, she had made her mind. She couldnt bear having countless lives on her hands, sure honor was important for her but could be regain over time, but death could never be undone.
Leaving the room Kiara notice the werewolf not to far away, he had waited for her, walking slowly she stopped right in front of him .
"i will do it, i will open the secret door, back there you were right" she lowered her head "i was being naive, thank you for the wake up call" she was ashamed of herself, how could she put her honor above others people lives, she couldn't forgive herself for that mistake.
Both werewolf and elf then proceed towards the cafeteria, Kiara didn't raise her head or spoke the whole way.

 

[Adriwolf]

i will do it, i will open the secret door, back there you were right" she lowered her head "i was being naive, thank you for the wake up call

"I can see that you are in internal conflict." he observed, observing the elf's body language and hearing her voice tone "I can't really blame you, you have lived with this code for your whole life, so it is comprehensible if you break down once you turn around those rules." he stepped away from the wall he was leaned on, facing Kiara "I know it may be difficult. I have gone through that. You'll just have to learn to live with it. Accepting that sometimes rules must be broken is part of growing up... it'll be ok." he smiled at her... then hugged her "It's ok. I know it´s hard." he hugged her tight "You did the right thing. But, let's clear our heads on the cafeteria. C'mon, let's go." he let go of her and walked towards the cafeteria.

The werewolf did noticed Kiara's behaviour. He knew what it was. It was a good ol' internal struggle. He understood it. If you asked Jaken 7 years ago, he would say that he'd never kill a living being bigger than an insect, now, he would kill anything to survive. At first, he struggled a lot with himself, his first REAL kill made him struggle with his sanity for a long time. THis was Kiara's turn, maybe her sanity was not in game, but her moral code was.

In the cafeteris, people were coming and going. Jaken and Kiara were on a table eating their meals. Jaken had gone for a cooked steak and a ration of vegetables, alongside with a cup of water. As he muched on his meal, he stared at the note he had done in the medical room. No new notes were added, they were the same as the ones that have been written hours ago. He stared outside the window, into the principal's office. Kiara was right, there was a panoramic view of the office. From there, he could see the shelves stocked with books, the wooden desk with papers scattered all over it. A lantern on the corner of the desk, the comfy looking, leather chair, the rug, and the animal heads product of hunting. A bit unusual for a principal in a college to have those decorations. But that was not Jaken's worries. It was entering the room that he had to be focused on. He went back to his meal and ate what was left of it. Even though the moon was up, he wouldn't transform now, it wasn't necessary, besides, the attention he would attract could make for an obstacle when infiltrating the secret room.

Jaken went back to study his notes as he heard some girls giggle:
"Excuse me." said one girl elf from Jaken's back. The werewolf turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Aren't you the werewolf that blew up the clock tower?"
"I did not blew it, little girl." he growled "Stop bothering me."
"My friend over here says you're hot in your werewolf form!!"
"Shut up Erica." she blushed. Jaken looked at them with a straight face "I hate you." the second girl said to Erica as she dragged her away from the embarrasing scene.
"Friend of yours?" he said sarcastically to Kiara "Get ready. We might move out soon. Let's finish our meal and get to work."

 

[Kiara]

"I know it may be difficult. I have gone through that. You'll just have to learn to live with it. Accepting that sometimes rules must be broken is part of growing up... it'll be ok." he smiled at her... then hugged her "It's ok. I know it´s hard." he hugged her tight "You did the right thing.

It was easy for her to forgive other person’s mistakes due to her kind nature, but she was fierce with herself, punishing and torturing herself unable to get her own forgiveness. Suddenly, Kiara felt herself being hugged tightly, a warm, soft sensation passing through her. That was what she needed right now, a hug. His voice reached her ears and shook her core, taking her from that dark place she had put herself in, then an old memory crossed her mind.

Memory: “It’s ok, everything will be ok, im here for you, so you don’t have to be afraid of doing a mistake nor punish yourself for that, you are not alone, i will always be here for you, to support and guide you and put you on the right path if you ever get lost” said her mentor while given her a comforting embrace. End of memory.

A faint smile escaped her lips, she indeed was lucky and grateful for having such amazing people on her life, bringing her to the light when darkness was lurking around her. But she didn't expect being comforted by Jaken, even less on the same way as her mentor used to do to her, maybe this was the reason why she felt natural and easy to be near the werewolf, despite knowing so little about him. Because in some sort of way, he resembled of her mentor.
Already on the cafeteria, Kiara settle for a vegetable soup and a fruit, while eating she scanned the place, like she was looking for someone, but he was not there, so the elf turned her attention to the window, focusing on studying the guards, trying to find a flaw on the security, but soon she was interrupted by a girl’s voice.

"Excuse me." said one girl elf from Jaken's back. The werewolf turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Aren't you the werewolf that blew up the clock tower?"
"I did not blew it, little girl." he growled "Stop bothering me."
"My friend over here says you're hot in your werewolf form!!"
"Shut up Erica." she blushed. Jaken looked at them with a straight face "I hate you." the second girl said to Erica as she dragged her away from the embarrasing scene.
"Friend of yours?" he said sarcastically to Kiara "Get ready. We might move out soon. Let's finish our meal and get to work."

Kiara giggled a bit at the werewolf's reaction “you didn't have to be so harsh with them, they didn't mean no harm” she said with a playful smile. She had fallen silent, starting to wonder, looking again toward the window, trying to recall the last night, when she saw Jaken in his werewolf form, but her memory was blurry, all she could remember was seeing a huge wolf. She sigh deeply, back there her priority was his well being, so she did not paid attention to the little details, making a note on her head, she thought that the next time she had the chance, she would pay more attention to his wolf form, she had get curious of what the girl said, the girl's word had gotten her curiosity. Hearing Jaken's voice the elf turned her attention to him once more, after his comment, she just nod her head, it was almost time for they to move.

 

[Adriwolf]

you didn't have to be so harsh with them, they didn't mean no harm

Jaken raised an eyebrow at Kiara. Then back outside the window, analyzing the principal's office. >Trying to find anything that might indicate there is a secret room behind: a lever, a trapdoor, a spare space behind a shelf, something, but there was no sign of this on sight. He turned back to Kiara and sat where he was, waiting for Kiara to finish her meal. As he stared outsiide the window, his eyes slowly turned from the principal's office to the moon. It wasn't full, it was in it's waxing gibbous state. Few days before the full moon. He wasn't afraid of it, he never losed control at the full moon, but he always had this feeling of power and urge to tranform during it. He let his werewolf form out almost every night, but when it was a full moon he would mostly enjoy the whole night. He became hypnotized with the moon, his thoughts were erased, his body went numb. A clinck brought him back to reality, Kiara's dish was empty. The spoon was on the dish with remains of vegetables and soup. "I guess you are ready." he said "Let's wait for the principal to leave his office and sneak in. We should be able to see the when the principal leaves his office from here."

The time passed, everyone in the cafeteria left and eventually the staff told them to leave. They had to wait at the end of the hallway outside the office until the principal left. When they saw the principal exit his office, Jaken swiftly raised the notes he had made to hide their faces as the principal walked by them.
"That's our cue." he stated "Follow me." they both walked quietly to the office's door, but it was locked "Locked. Piece of cake." he snucked into his jacket and searched his pockets "Damnit. My lock picks and daggers are kept with the guards. Can't break it down, might attract some attention." he whispered to himself, he crouched to the doorknobs alttitude and analyzed it "Sash lock. I would need something to pry it open. A cardboard piece or something sturdy to open it. Do you have anything like it?" he looked at Kiara "Anything sturdy and thin enought to fit in here? If not I could go to the cafeteria, grab a knife or something."

 

[Kiara]

"I guess you are ready." he said "Let's wait for the principal to leave his office and sneak in. We should be able to see the when the principal leaves his office from here."

Kiara had finished her meal, hearing the werewolf she just nod, that sounded like a plan, the only thing they needed to do now was waiting for the right time. Soon the cafeteria would close so the staff asked them to leave, crossing the central garden the elf could still see some remains of the clock tower, but thankfully most of the wreckages were already clean, giving the school almost a normal appearance.
Crossing the hallways and moving again to the north wing they had finally reached the hallway that would lead them to the office, the only obstacle right now was the headmaster. Once he had left Jaken started to work on the door, meanwhile the elf watched they surrounding looking for any sign of guards.

"Locked. Piece of cake." he snucked into his jacket and searched his pockets "Damnit. My lock picks and daggers are kept with the guards. Can't break it down, might attract some attention." he whispered to himself, he crouched to the doorknobs alttitude and analyzed it "Sash lock. I would need something to pry it open. A cardboard piece or something sturdy to open it. Do you have anything like it?" he looked at Kiara "Anything sturdy and thin enought to fit in here? If not I could go to the cafeteria, grab a knife or something."

The sorceress didnt had anything that would fit on the description that he gave, she only had her crystal staff, and summoning her grimoire wouldnt help on anything. Then she remembered something.
"Wait here, i will be right back" she said to the wolf while dashed down the hallway, making the reverse path they had taken before, only stopping on the garden. There she started to look in all directions <"where did i saw it, i know it’s around here"> then she saw it, bending on her knees on a near bush she grabbed a little shard of metal, a remain of the clock that had be left behind.
While rushing towards the office, Kiara saw on the corner of the hallway a shadow casted by a guard, she needed to hide, it was forbidden to students and residents to be out of their rooms past 11pm, so she took cover behind the staircase and waited until the guard had passed the corridor and turned the other corner. The path was clear now so she just hurry to where Jaken was. Four minutes later Kiara was back.
"Sorry it took me longer that i expected, here take this, hope this do the trick" she handled the metal shard to him.
"Also we need to hurry, on my way here i saw a guard, so it will not take to long for him to be here". She added with a worried expression while looking to the end of the hallway.

 

[Adriwolf]

Sorry it took me longer that i expected, here take this, hope this do the trick

"I can work with this." he said as he grabbed the piece of metal "Just give me a few seconds." he commanded as he introduced the metal into the lock and started playing with it.

"Also we need to hurry, on my way here i saw a guard, so it will not take to long for him to be here"

He focused his hearing, able to hear steps approaching. The guard was nearby, and as Kiara said, he would be upon them any minute now. Kiara was right, he needed to hurry. "Yeah, I can hear him too." he whispered "Gotta be quick." he said as he handled the piece with more concentration and speed. The sash lock was hard to pry, made worse by the need to remain as quietly as possible. If this wasn't a stealth mission, he would have already broken the door, in fact, not even trying to lockpick, he would just kick it down. "C'mon, you stupid lock." he forced the piece even deeper into the hole. The steps were approaching. Jaken made more force to pry it open "Just.... a bit.... longer....." the steps were getting closer.
CLICK
"Let's go!" he yell-whispered, opening the door and dragging Kiara inside the office, closing the door afterwards as slowly and quietly as possible and putting the lock on once again "Close one." he commented. The office wasn't any different as he remembered it: stocked shelves with old, dusty books, a fancy yet old rug on the center of the office, a wooden desk with papers stacked in an organized pile, a leather chair that had recent sweat marks on it, and the animal heads hung up on the wall. It smelled nice, not flowers, but it was a pleasant smell: the smell of old book pages. It gave that feeling of oldyness but comfort.
"Ok Kiara." he said "SHow me the way to this secret room."

 

[Kiara]

The guard were getting closer at every second that passed, Kiara's mind was now racing trying to think on what to do, on her whole life she was never caught during her night walks, so for sure she didn't want be to caught trying to force the principal office <" a sleeping spell is not an option, if he dont return to his post then another guard will come to look for him, also hide will not work, the hallway dont have any place to conceal us "> she was getting nervous and Jaken was still struggling trying to open the door, then click, she was dragged into the office.

"Let's go!" he yell-whispered, opening the door and dragging Kiara inside the office, closing the door afterwards as slowly and quietly as possible and putting the lock on once again "Close one." he commented.

She blinked a few times while the werewolf closed the door, she took a deep breath and sigh heavily, putting her hand on her chest, feeling more calm.
An old scent came into her nose, she remembered that smell, old books, memories started to flow into her mind, the time she expended on that office with the previous headmaster, reading all that books one after another, she loved them all.
Turning her back to the door she saw the office, it was different from back then. The desk was on a different position now, the couch and the little coffee table were no longer there and some bookshelves were also gone being replaced by animal heads.
Kiara didnt like it, she preferred the old decoration of the office. At least some things remained, like the wooden desk, the fireplace and the huge bookcase stocked with some of the books that she once had read.

"Ok Kiara." he said "SHow me the way to this secret room."

The elf came back from her memories, it was time, if someone had asked a few days ago she would never imagine herself doing this, but her mind was already set, lives were at stake, she just nod her head.
Again she let herself go back to the past, back to the day she had discovered the secret room. Tracing the same footsteps, moving in the direction of the huge bookcase, bending over until her eyes meet the forth shelve, counting from the bottom, passing one finger though the books covers, and stopping on a particular one. She took it out, making some space for a hand to fit and reached for the background, she found it and pressed the little switch, then she placed the book she had taken before to its previous place, she got up, now moving in the direction of the fireplace pausing for a bit.
She need to relax, her thoughts where now running wild, was she really doing the right thing? She only knew Jaken 2 days ago, was really ok to guide a complete stranger that she only knew his name and profession into the greatest and deepest schools archives? Kiara took another breath and took the leap of faith, pressing a hidden pressure plate that opened a hidden trapdoor. The fireplace started to move revealing a few pair of stairs going down to a complete darkness which would lead them to the secret room.
She had done it, she revealed the secret room, why she trusted him so much? Now there was no way of going back. Looking back to Jaken she gave him a faint smile.
“It’s open, follow me and be careful with the steps” she then sang some whispered words, a little light spell, making the tip of her crystal staff to glow in a bluish color, illuminating the stairs.
“Just one question before we go in, how will we know that documents are missing, i don’t know if there is something like a record that keeps track of every documents that are there, if there is nothing like that then how will we know what is missing?” she asked while facing the entrance of the secret room.