* Ao-Lang wanders the school halls. Specifically, she wanders the school halls
away from her room. Stupid kids.
* Ao-Lang idly ponders stepping out for air, then shrugs to herself and heads
that way.
* The school is very quickly becoming deserted, since classes are done.
* Ao-Lang keeps walking, not paying much attention to the students rushing past.
* Ao-Lang's face runs into a piece of paper just a moment before the rest of her
runs into someone she hasn't been paying attention to.
* Ryo falls on his bum.  And I don't mean hobo.
* Ao-Lang goes oof and, for one of the first times in her life, she ends up on
the floor from running into somebody. She glares at the jerk who ran into her...
and loses it awfully quickly. "Are you okay?"
<Ryo> Ao?  Ao!
* Ryo jumps to his feet and holds out a hand for Ao-Lang.
* Ao-Lang laughs and takes the hand, letting Ryo pull her to her feet. "I'll
guess that's a yes."
<Ryo> So, what the hell happened this morning?
* Ryo waves the scoresheet in his hand for emphasis.
<Ao-Lang> Second person to ask that today.  We're still in ninth?  It wasn't
just a glitch on Clinton's sheet?
<Ryo> Yeah, you're in ninth.  That's a hell of a drop.
* Ao-Lang nods, grimacing. "Yeah, it is. Hope says we went the full five, too."
She frowns. "Shoulda won. I *had* her."
* Ryo smiles woefully.  "I know how that is."
<Ryo> But still, if you went the whole five, how the heck could you lose that
many ranks?
* Ao-Lang gestures in frustration. "I mean, I knew she was coming at me, and if
I just-" She stops herself.
<Ao-Lang> Well... my best bet is the way we won one of the fights.  Assuming
they aren't tryin' to mess with our heads by putting us there for fun, which is
a pretty real possibility.
<Ryo> Mess with your heads?
<Ryo> Why the heck would they do that?
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.  Standings, they can do funny things to people.  Some people
work harder when they think they've got nothing to lose, other people just give
up.  Similar stuff for the top.  I wouldn't put it past the school to do
somethin' like that.
* Ao-Lang considers for a moment, then shakes her head. "But I don't think
that's it. Probably just the way Karasu won his fight."
<Ryo> What happened?
* Ao-Lang lets out another frustrated sigh. "You ever fight Musashi 101? They're
still the top team, right?"
<Ryo> Yeah, they're the top team.  We've fought 'em once.  They're good.  Real
good.  Real evil, too.
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.  We fought them today.  Know... what's his name, Max.  Big guy,
greatsword, armor and light absorbtion?
<Ryo> Yeah.  Nasty guy.  He's got a powerful set of moves.
* Ao-Lang nods. "He's got a serious rivalry thing going with Karasu. I figure
Karasu beat him once."
<Ryo> Karasu?  No way.  Karasu's nowhere near that powerful.
<Ao-Lang> Mariah's convinced Max's been stealing Ken Haggar's moves.  And yeah,
normally I don't think he is.
<Ryo> That's possible.  Of course, pretty much everybody around here steals
moves from somebody.  It's just the way things work.  You see something you
like, you adapt it and absorb it into your own style.
* Ao-Lang starts walking off towards outside again, even as she continues to
talk. "So anyway, thing against Karasu. Max even went and knocked laughing chick
into the wall."
* Ao-Lang snickers.
* Ryo walks along beside Ao-Lang.
<Ao-Lang> Yeah, I was trying to tell Mariah it wasn't so bad.
<Ryo> He attacked his own teammate?
<Ryo> What an ass.
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.  The leader.  She was gonna send whats-her-name out.  Chick with
a big ass scimitar.
<Ryo> Oh, her.  Heh.  She's not a very good match for Karasu.
* Ao-Lang nods with a faint grin. "Anyway, he was fightin' Karasu, and kept
whispering shit to him. Turns out he was threatening to kill us if Karasu didn't
try his hardest to beat him, or something. Me specifically, but it looks like he
was going for a full set."
* Ryo shakes his head.  "That's insane.  The guy was totally asking to be
killed."
<Ao-Lang> He was.
* Ao-Lang pauses, then continues. "Anyway, one 'stray' attack later had Isaac
unconscious and the rest of us spread. Karasu was pissed. I mean, he was acting
and looking like he always does, but he was pissed."
<Ryo> He ATTACKED YOU!?
* Ryo's eyes burst into flame.
* Ao-Lang urks and gets in Ryo's path, turning to face him. She waves for him to
stop. "Hey, it's okay! Max got his. But when he comes back, feel free to kick
his ass a few times."
* Ryo calms down a little.  "He got his?  How?"
<Ao-Lang> Well, remember when I said Karasu was angry?
<Ryo> Yeah.
<Ao-Lang> He did what Max wanted him to.  He... how does it go.  Let his inner
demon loose?  One second he was Karasu, and the next thing you know, his eyes go
all red and he's grinning.  With all his teeth.
<Ao-Lang> One attack later and Max was out.
<Ryo> ...that's really strange.  I _know_ he doesn't have that much power.
* Ao-Lang shakes her head. "Maybe he hides it. He doesn't like using it. It's
something *really* evil, Ryo."
<Ryo> And it's on YOUR team.  -_-
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.  Well.  Y'know, Max asked for it.
* Ao-Lang runs a hand through her bangs. "Anyhow, turns out that attack took out
Max's soul. We got Kairi's back, but Max is gonna be in a coma for a while,
probably."
<Ryo> ...wait, wait.  Karasu stole his SOUL?!
* Ao-Lang looks around, then takes Ryo by the arm and starts leading him
someplace more private. For crying out loud.
* Ryo is led.
<Ryo> What the hell?
* Ao-Lang pulls Ryo into an empty classroom and shuts the door. It's not like
the teachers or other students are using it right now.
* Ao-Lang turns to face Ryo. "Okay. Ryo. You don't know what happened to Kairi,
right? You just know Isaac."
<Ryo> Uh... sure.
* Ryo looks confused.
<Ao-Lang> Well... Oh, man.
* Ao-Lang has a seat on one of the desks. "Isaac isn't supposed to be going to
this school. From what I know, he's supposed to be dead. He took Kairi's body
for a while 'cause Kai's soul was taken from *him* at the time."
<Ryo> So _that's_ why all the information on your captain was wrong.
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.
<Ryo> So somebody stole your captain's soul, and now there's a ghost in his
body.
<Ryo> I can buy that.
<Ao-Lang> Well, there was.  We got his soul back.
<Ao-Lang> Isaac's freefloatin' now, but he's still around.
<Ryo> You guys have a ghost on your team?
* Ao-Lang snickers. "Now? I guess we do. What a group, huh?"
<Ryo> That's just way too cool.
<Ao-Lang> I dunno if he can still talk to you, but I saw him write stuff to
Greg.
<Ryo> Wow, if nobody can see him, I bet that'll come in real handy around test
time.
* Ao-Lang laughs.
<Ao-Lang> Nah, all the teachers are onto him.
<Ryo> Figures.
<Ao-Lang> Anyway, that's the deal.  Max was an idiot, so he went and got his
soul taken and traded for Kairi's.  Should be temporary.
<Ryo> Karasu stole his soul, though!
<Ryo> That's nuts!
* Ao-Lang blinks. "Yeah. And someone stole Kairi's. That's equally nuts."
<Ryo> I still can't believe you guys traded souls.  That's... that's demonic.
* Ao-Lang sighs. "Nobody's happy about it. Not even Karasu. Hope's practically
frothing at the mouth."
<Ryo> Oh, that can't be pretty.
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.  She decked Karasu, and then he actually *looked* mad.  I just
want it to all blow over.
<Ryo> I can just imagine.
<Ao-Lang> I think now she's looking for creepyboy so she can beat him into fine
paste.
<Ryo> Why the heck would he want a soul, anyway?
<Ao-Lang> Who?
<Ryo> The guy you traded the soul to.
<Ao-Lang> Well, he looks like whoever's soul he's got, but I don't think he's
doin' this to win beauty contests.  Probably gets their abilities from it,
though.
<Ryo> ...oh no.
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.
<Ryo> If this guy has his own power, AND Max's power... she'll be killed.  DEAD!
<Ao-Lang> I don't think he'll kill her.
<Ao-Lang> But then... what do I know.  You wanna find her?
<Ryo> It might already be too late.
<Ao-Lang> Some optimist you are.
<Ryo> Hey, if you don't wanna go look, fine.  It's YOUR teammate.
* Ao-Lang hops off the desk and goes to the door, opening it. "Won't hurt to
check. My room first, then the library. Are you coming?"
<Ryo> Hell yes.
* Ao-Lang grins.
* Ryo hops to his feet and follows Ao-Lang.