In an unknown forest far from the supposed secure compounds holding the Overblot students in place five figures rested. Protected in the shadows of the trees they looked ominous and unfriendly.
The first figure was notably shorter than the others and had startling dark vermillion red hair. His eyes, almost matching red rubies were reminiscent of glass balls. The pupils had shrunken to be barely noticeable, in comparison to the dark grey almost black eyeliner that accentuated his ruby red eyes. Also noticeable about his face was the ornate slightly tilted, black heart shaped marking akin to a tattoo. The inside of the heart resembling a net with the lattice pattern over the pale skin.
His distinctive red features made him stand out and were a stark comparison to his pale skin and slightly ripped up white straightjacket and matching pants. He didn't have any shoes and this seemed to make him irritable as he kept pacing, and getting irritated, stopping only to resume again.
"Why did you break us out of our prisons? " the redhead asked curiously.
"Not that we're ungrateful or anything -" the redhead flustered and stumbled over himself.
"Because we should immediately seize our lives and live! Have fun, cause a little mayhem. We shouldn't just lie in limbo wasting away." the second figure replied.
The second figure was much taller than the first. Evidently a lion beastman from his ears and tail. His white pants and straightjacket were also ripped but the slashes resembled claw marks. His black facial markings were minimal in comparison to the previous boy's, the black markings reminiscent of a sort of eye patch for his left eye. Leading to and accentuating the scar over his eye. Additionally, instead the lattice pattern was in his left eye and extended upward stopping just before the hairline.
The third contrasted the previous escapees with his brownish black hair also featuring black vipers among the silk-like locks. His eyes were so dark they appeared black and out of everyone his straightjacket was merely unbuckled, the long sleeves being rolled up to fit properly. On his face were similar black markings, primarily around his eyes and on his forehead. On his chin, mimicking a goatee were more ink markings in the form of two tiny triangles on either side of an ornate larger middle one.
The fourth was a bit shorter than the lion beastman, but taller than the Viper haired man and the redhead. Compared to the others his markings were limited to a diadem on his forehead that ended in an apple shape. His blonde hair was unkempt and he anxiously ran his fingers through the purple ends.
The redhead smirked at the blonde for some reason.
"When I was in my prison cell, I stood there observing and listening." A different voice spoke. He stepped into the light, abandoning the darkest and damp part of the forest where he'd been mostly hidden.
He was the only one of them not in white clothing was the black and purple, presumably male meroctopus. Tentacles peeking slightly out of the ends of the voluminous black ball gown he wore making it somewhat hard to tell when the dress ended and he began.
The border of the pleated hemline is very detailed and drags on the ground giving more to the illusion. The blonde haired one glanced at the fabric, either wondering if he recognized the material or when he could get his own outfit.
His grey hands and face contrasted against the black of both his clothes and form. Like all the rest he sported ink-like markings, only around his eyes as thin curving lines making an arc from the outer corner of his eyelids to the bridge of his nose. Reminiscent of a mask... Or glasses.
"I stood by my window displaying the magic powered image of the sea and wondered if this vast nothing was all life had to offer. And when I learned that there were more of us I had to know why we were separated! But walking around trying to calculate things by myself without all the information -"
"Hold up why do you have legs?" The lion beastman asked abruptly.
The Meroctopus bored his crystal blue eyes into him. Staring, staring, staring.
At last the mer scowled and crossed his arms angrily.
"Don't mar your features with such an openly hostile expression," The blonde scolded "obviously he's just antagonizing you,"
The meroctopus blinked at the blonde blankly. As if reigning in anger was a foreign concept.
"Seriously though, you can't just walk up and ask someone why they have legs." The dark skinned man with Snake hair chided. His snakes hissed in agreement, two of them inching forward til he swatted them.
"That's like asking someone why they have ears," the short redhead remarked cynically.
"That's stupid, everyone has ears *even snakes*," the lion beastman snorted. The man with the snake hair glowered at him.
"It's poor manners." The redhead murmured.
"Ahem I was talking," the mer commented redirecting the attention back to himself.
"But walking around trying to calculate things by myself without all the information leaves room for error. And I despise errors." He hissed darkly.
"So I asked myself: 'Are we really going to live and die like this?'"
"'Without any fight at all?'"
"'Surely not all of us were content with this.?'"
The blonde flushed and looked away from the mer's gaze. The lion beastman flicked his tail, but otherwise looked indifferent.
"So I came up with an escape plan, gathered knowledge about all of you to free you and decided to rebel against the normal routine I had fallen into." The meroctopus smiled.
The lion beastman shrugged. "As long as you fulfill your promise I don't care about anything else," he lounged against the base of a tree trunk.
"I *would* tell a separate story about how I specifically escaped but I can't help but think it'll be ruined by *someone* asking questions and spoiling my fun." The mer huffed. The lion beastman snorted and rolled his eyes. His tail swished once.
"So you freed us... What next?" The redhead remarked. His lightless ruby, glass ball eyes fixed upon the Mer as if he held all the answers.
Around all of them a tablet displaying a glitching teal blue screen floated. Occasionally a voice from within muttered something unintelligible. But none of them noticed.
"I'm thinking we could find out what we did to get arrested. I for one don't recall anything that would have caused me to be put in jail." The blonde one said, his arms folding indignantly.
"We were in mental asylums you dope -" the beastman scoffed and immediately got slapped with a chain made of long stemmed daisies.
"Don't be rude!" The blonde huffed. He looked at the chain and flushed. "I... don't know how I made this," he fiddled with it more.
"We should try figuring out what all we remember, maybe one of us has something useful," the one with Snake hair mused.
The Meroctopus' eyes lit up and he sidled next to the man in question.
"I like this idea," he remarked.
At first it was silent until absently, the lion beastman began to hum an irritating but catchy tune that sounded as though it belonged on a game show. One by one everyone looked at him, willing him with their eyes to stop humming. He never looked up.
"Stop it already! It's distracting!" The blonde smacked him with the daisies again, irritated.
The redhead ran a hand down his face caressing the heart shaped lattice mark over the right his face.
The beastman burst out laughing. "You guys are so prone to distraction,"
"You're more fun than the guards at my old home," he cackled slapping his knee.
"Surely, you know Leo-" the blonde froze, as did the short redhead.
"I.... Your name is Leo?" Asked the man with Snake hair. The redhead next to him looked impressed.
"You must have amazing intuition to guess someone's name despite having never met them," he marveled. Leo just looked stunned.
"Come to think of it what are our names...?" The redhead wondered.
The lion beastman looked about them. "Wait none of you know....?" He started to ask.
The Mer octopus was looking among them feeling the corrupt magic keeping them alive, noting the different signatures and realized he missed something.
"There is a seventh," the Mer octopus announced. The blonde blinked.
The redhead closed his mouth.
"You said your name was?" The mer whirled to face the tablet which had started to sink to the ground.
"Uh--! I'm Stratigós!" The speaker startled then said confidently from behind the screen.
"I see, ....Stratigós.. Would you be so kind as to locate him for me?" The Mer smirked looking at the tablet.
A nervous swallow.
"Locate who? Aren't we all accounted for?" He asked nervously.
"Incorrect. Someone is missing. I'd like to bring them here so we can put our heads together and figure out who and what we are," the mer explained.
The deep voice shook off its hesitation and cleared its throat. "I don't mind... if I know how to find it.... Nevermind I got it covered,"
It glitched shifted and reshaped itself to form a sonar. 'Odd since sonars were only useful under water.' The mer frowned. Why did he know that but not much else, like his name...?
The sonar adjusted and the beeping changed.
"Corrupt magic energy of similar construction found. Located in the Draconia Castle in Briar Valley." A different, high pitched voice chirped. The Mer looked at his new acquaintances.
"I'm staying because I don't want to look a mess when I first meet them! I'm so unkempt and unpresentable!" The blonde huffed. Immediately he tried to summon a object - apparently a mirror. Promptly he pursed his lips as if confused. Now that he had it he didn't know what to look for. He faltered and looked dazed.
"Hermmm..." He hummed dismissively. The daisy chain was on the ground forgotten.
"I don't want to go," the Viper haired man commented.
"If that is okay... With you?" He mumbled uncertainly after a moment.
"It is fine I assure you," remarked the Mer resting a tentacle on his shoulder.
"I can go by myself," he said with finality.
'I'll convince whoever it is to join us - even if only for a little while. I don't know how just yet but I'll think of something. My plans rarely fail after all-- ah?? My plans? I've done this before?'
The mer furrowed his eyebrows in thought.
The short redhead and the lion beastman looked at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Leo asked looking up at the redhead. He stood up and dusted off some imaginary dirt off his pants.
"Maybe..." The redhead mused.
He walked up to the mer, interrupting his musings.
"We'll be your backup in case things go south," the redhead sighed. "We should stick together now that we're together," he decided.
"That's not what I was thinking!" The lion beastman now dubbed Leo protested.
"Come along Leo," the redhead remarked.
"The rest of you can wait till we return. Then we'll figure out what to do from there."
"Still haven't figured out everyone else's names...." The voice in the tablet lamented.