Bucephalus College grounds, Ch 2

[Lucy Took]

"Coffee shop" Chroma said, climbing into an elevator and punching the buttons to the top floor. "One of my favorite places on campus, keeps me happy, keeps me awake. Tastes good too." He walked out of the elevator and onto Libra's balcony and jumped off, gliding until his hooves hit the rooftop of Orion across the pathway. "Flying tends to be the fastest way between buildings." Chroma explained after waiting for the Changeling to join him. "The one we just left was Libra. As you already figured out, the third floor we were on was the Social Sciences floor, but the floor we just left was history and below Psych was Political Science and....Pre-Law I think? If you ever need a quick fix I recommend just hanging out on the Political Science floor. Everyone always seems to be mad there when I pass through."

He walked over to the Rooftop Coffee Shop, entered the doors and plopped a few coins on the counter before pulling out his travel mug and filling it at the refill station. He nodded a hello to the baristo and then turned back to Chitin. "I come here a lot, Joe normally fills the pots here and it makes it taste better for some reason. Feel free to order what you want though, if you've never had coffee before I'd recommend starting with something sweeter than straight black."

He took a seat at one of the high tables and started to sip at the coffee, the smell itself perking him up. "There aren't many classes here, aside from having a killer coffee shop, it's also the rec center. If you ever get the urge to run, there's a track around this shop. If you'd rather swim there's a pool below us, and there's drop in exercise classes going on most of the time on the same floor. Below that is..." He hopped down and grabbed a school map off of a rack and opened it up in front of his companion. "Underneath that is the place where you can learn to be a cop or a guard, under that is an indoor soccer field, I'd never seen one before, it's really amazing. And whenever there's an all school party they lay boards over the turf and turn the whole place into a dance floor. Below that there's an ice skating rink on one side, and a combat training school on the other. All in all, it's a nice place to hang out. And the coffee's good."

[Knight Tyrfang]

Cuppa Joe
Bucephalus - Rooftop Coffee Shop

"...Hey boss, that's the last pot for the day. I gotta go do the teacher's next. Bigger batch, they wanted some more for the weapons meet." Joe called back as he hung up his apron. Normally, he didn't charge for the coffee he brewed, just for regular employment like any of the other employees. He still felt bad doing that, since he didn't understand how any of the machines worked, and just pressed random buttons. But this time he was charging a bit extra, because the coffeeshop was on the roof. Bucephalus wasn't exactly a small building, and poor Joe didn't have wings. Nor could he figure out where the elevators were yet, so it was up and down the stairs near the entrance.

Joe was thinking about how he probably should have been at the meet down in the gym, but he did have the responsibility as a gofer pretty much. He'd forgotten to brew a batch once, and it did not end pretty. School was closed for a week, and he had to move. Not a good memory.

He picked up a cup, and headed towards the door before he thought he heard his name. Looking around, he saw a familiar face chatting with someone he hadn't seen before. He walked over, his other hand in his hoodie.

"Hey, Chroma. Morning drink as usual?" Joe asked, placing his cup down, and pulling up a chair. He looked over to the batpony's companion, and noticed that he didn't exactly look like a normal pony. Sure the eyes looked weird, but it's a fad to where different colored contact lenses, and the teeth were kinda pointy, but teeth do that sometimes. But the horn didn't look like a pony's horn, and his wings... not really feathery.

"...Who's your friend?" Joe asked, trying his best not to stare.

[Korkoa]

Tellie
Bucephalus-Hannibal's office

Tellie's eyes went wide as the door burst open, an unfamiliar boy striding into the office. Her hands went up instinctively, grabbing her hood and pulling it over her head. She began to hyperventilate a bit, a ringing sound filling her ears as the unexpected interruption triggered a fear response in the hybrid girl. She sat like that for a moment, until somewhere deep in her brain she recognized the sound of the door shutting again. She slowly looked up, peeking out through her hood and biting her lip. She unclenched her hands, wincing as she felt where her claws had dug into the palms of her hands. She looked around for something to stop the trickle of blood from collecting, avoiding the Dean's gaze. "S-Sorry about that, ma'am..."

[captain_borgue]

Kerrigan calmly sat back down behind her desk and offered a box of tissues to Tellie. "You have nothing to apologize for, Ms. Plato. I was not anticipating such an influx of visitors, but this is an issue I can rectify easily enough," she said, sipping her tea. "Though I am curious as to your response. Was it merely the entrance of unknown persons, or was it that they were male that caused you to react defensively? A university setting is awash with both, which makes pinning down exact causes more difficult- but knowing more would assist a great deal in determining the cause of your anxiety, which will help formulate a method to reduce it."

[Korkoa]

Tellie accepted the tissues gratefully, pressing them against her palms and watching the blood slowly soak through them. "Um, a-a little bit of both, I guess... M-mostly the first though. See, I-I don't have much problem with men, I just... Never really spent much time with them... It-it's more about the unexpected entrance... I-I sort of have myself t-trained to retreat when I get scared... Which is a lot... B-but it's so I don't accidentally hurt anyone..."

[Lucy Took]

Chroma felt a buzz in his pocket, but looked up at Joe before answering. "Second cup this morning, had an early meeting with Hannibal. I can tell you brewed it, it's the best as always" he answered, taking a sip. "As for my guest, this is Chitin, transfer from the local Changling hive. Dean wanted me to show him around. Chitin, this is Joe, god of coffee."

Plesantries exchanged he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and texted back "Running an errand for the psych dean,showing someone the campus. I'll be there asap" he looked across the table. "So Chitin, you've seen the psych building. I can show you anywhere else or you can come with me to a party. My girlfriend's there so it's got to be exciting."

[captain_borgue]

Kerrigan raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think you would accidentally hurt anyone? Admittedly your physiology makes you stronger than most ponies, but you do not strike me as violent. Typically fears in adulthood stem from childhood trauma. Have you ever inadvertently injured anyone? If you are uncomfortable speaking about it, I can assure you that every word spoken within this office is entirely confidential. Unless you are a danger to yourself or actively threatening somepony, abolutely nopony else will ever know what we discussed here. I take patient confidentiality very seriously," Kerrigan said. She made it a point to avoid diagnosing a patient after a single meeting, but Tellie was showing all the signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Still, she would need more data.

"The condition you are describing is known as Hypervigilance, which is best treated through a process I call 'reality anchoring'. Having a safe place, or a close friend or lover or even a service animal to serve as a tangible reminder that the danger you are feeling, which stems from a past trauma, is not real- your mind may think it is back in the moment of the trauma, but these reality anchors serve to pull you back into the present. Do you have anything resembling that now? A close friend, a quiet space, or a pet?"

[Korkoa]

Tellie winced as the Dean guessed at the source of her issues. There was no hiding it now, at least not from the Dragoness. "I... I didn't mean to..." She said quietly, looking down at her lap. "W-we were just... just playing. Kids, j-just dumb kids... It was an accident, Dean Hannibal, you have to believe me! I... I didn't hurt him... I... I k-killed him... A-and that was the worst part, but just the start too, there was an investigation and none of my friends would talk to me anymore, and then my father, who I'd never seen before in my life just showed up and all the questions stopped and police went away, and I should have payed for what I did but nothing ever came of it, and-and so I thought that if nobody else was going to keep me from hurting people, then it was up to me to be strong enough to keep myself controlled!" The words just poured from her mouth as she talked about the traumatic event for the first time in years. Tellie furiously wiped the tears from her eyes and did her best to avoid eye contact with the dean. "N-nothing's been the same since... The closest thing I have to a friend is Nova, my roommate... And she has no idea what I did." Tellie took a deep breath to try and calm herself down, processing through the other things the dean had said. "A-and no, no really close friends, I share a room, don't have a pet... Nothing like that." It felt lame to her, to tack that on at the end of her confession, but she had been asked the question after all...

[TwentySided]

Chitin - Bucephalus - Top Floor Coffee Shop

"Chitin," the changeling replied, not necessarily looking at the pony that had come up, much more focusing on the aura around him, there was certainly some confidence in this one, a hint of doubt? This one was interesting, like a banquet of flavors. He could feel the deep want to return to the hive once again with yet another one of these ponies. They were all so rich pride, doubt, so many other emotions, why his queen hadn't just turned this entire place into one large farm, he had no idea. It was not really his place to judge her on such decisions.

"There aren't many classes here, aside from having a killer coffee shop, it's also the rec center. If you ever get the urge to run, there's a track around this shop. If you'd rather swim there's a pool below us, and there's drop in exercise classes going on most of the time on the same floor. Below that is the place where you can learn to be a cop or a guard, under that is an indoor soccer field, I'd never seen one before, it's really amazing. And whenever there's an all school party they lay boards over the turf and turn the whole place into a dance floor. Below that there's an ice skating rink on one side, and a combat training school on the other. All in all, it's a nice place to hang out. And the coffee's good."

His attention snapping back to the batpony that had brought him here, Chitin turned his gaze to the map, Chroma had opened up. Most of the words he was saying he had only really heard in passing, but had very little knowledge on what they actually were. "What do you recommend then, Chroma?" He had no real idea actually where he could go. He wasn't out here to hunt and everything he really knew was back in the hive. Actually learning and trying to live out in this world, it was beginning to feel like a rather daunting task.

[TwentySided]

Double Edge - Bucephalus - Martial Meet (in the ring)

Stumbling back, Double felt his breathing coming in patches. Looking back at the scoreboard. He had finally tied up the score between LU's team and Celestial Tech. But it had come at a cost. His original conclusion about the earth pony from CT was still holding true. He was an absolute wall. Every strike he countered and followed up. While Double had found opportunities to land a few blows, knocking him out of the ring two additional times, and even for a moment taking the lead, his opponent had learned most of the tricks Double could think of with only his rapier. The last engagement had not ended gone well, seeing what he had thought was an opening, Double had taken a chance.

Unfortunately it had been exactly what the earth pony had wanted, countering the attack the CT student pressed the attack landing a riposte on Double's shoulder, followed immediately by a punch to the zebra's gut and haymaker across Double's face,. While wildly unconventional, each had still counted as a blow being landed.

Looking to his blade hand, Double finally noticed the shaking in his right hand. He was absolutely spent. But there was still one last bout. Gazing back to the earth pony, Double took up his stance once again. Trying to steady his breath as the whistle was finally blown, Double gritted his teeth and charged forward. He had no desire to continue this fight any longer.

Surprised, the earth pony took a step back switching his stance to receive the charge, raising his own foil, the earth pony drew his sword arm back ready to lunge forward, before feeling his own arm twist into him. In shock the pony looked down to see the rapier blade caught between quillion and basket.

The opponent's blade now in his own control, Double turned, raising his leg and kicking the inside of the earth pony's leg, breaking the wall like defense as the pony's other foot faltered, sending the earth pony to the ground.

Standing over the earth pony, Double felt his arm being lifted by the judge. Unconscious to the world around him, he felt his legs give out as he fell back to the ground, exhausted.

[Lucy Took]

"Party" the bad pony said without hesitation. "I'm normally not a partyer, but it's a good way for you to get a look at pony culture, and like I said, girlfriend. Though she's really an outlier when it comes to pony culture, she's a culture all of her own. You want to come Joe? It's the Psi Omega one."

[Knight Tyrfang]

Cuppa Joe
Bucephalus - Rooftop Coffeeshop

Joe gave Chitin an odd look. He couldn't really tell the expression on his face, but it was something like he smelled something good? The earth pony resisted the urge to check if he smelt like B.O., or coffee.

"Psi Omega... That the one that Ryla's friends set up?" Joe asked. "I don't mind, but I'd need to stop by the martial meet downstairs first. I'd figure there are others that want to go, and I gotta go make more coffee."

[captain_borgue]

Kerrigan listened intently to Tellie's cathartic monologue, pouring a cup of strong tea for the girl and setting it down on a coaster at the end of her desk. She had not anticipated this turn of events, though it was more and more obvious that Tellie had been holding all that in for a very long time. "It is important that you understand this was NOT your fault. Although tragic, you could not possibly have known control as a child, especially given your inherent strength. I have no doubt that it was entirely accidental," Kerrigan said, pouring a cup of tea for herself. "I try to avoid making a diagnosis on the first session with a patient, but it is clear to me that this incident has traumatized you for quite some time, and your present symptoms strongly indicate you are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Luckily, there have been great leaps forward in treating PTSD, and as fate would have it I specialize in this variety of neuropathology," she said, calmly sipping her tea.

"Now, you have been honest with me, so I am going to be honest with you. Treatment is not a simple process, and may be very intense at times. It will feel, on occasion, as though you are getting worse. I will endeavor to make it as smooth as possible, but ultimately, your success at coming to terms with your past and moving beyond it rests with you. In the short term, there are medications and relaxing exercises that will help alleviate some of your anxiety- to take the edge off, as it were. Nopony is going to force you to use them, of course, but I want you to be aware of all your options. I suggest you find a larger living space, for starters. The less accommodating architecture of the dormitories can lend a feeling of cramped-ness that will only reinforce your present anxious response. There is actually a living space on campus that I think will be helpful to you- the Psy Omega Phi organization has living quarters in the apartment block by the lake, which were designed to be very open and spacious. There is still space available, and I would be happy to sponsor you if you choose to relocate there. Nova is welcome to come too- I would encourage it, actually, as the more sense of normalcy you have the better. I suggest a trial run- live there until the Winter Ball, and see if you like it. It is less crowded than the dormitories, the doorways are both wider and taller so there is less need to bend or stoop or tuck in, and the lakeshore is quite peaceful if you need some alone time. I can have all the arrangements finalized at any time, so if you decide to pursue this, just let me know," she said.

"Oh, and they allow pets. I would suggest something furry, warm animals provide a symbiotic calming effect on mammals."

***

Shuang watched the duel carefully- he suspected there was something untoward occurring, though he could not quite discern what. The match seesawed between LU and CT, each side gaining the lead before losing it just as quickly, until in what was clearly a desperation gambit, Double emerged victorious- but only just barely. Still, it was enough to give LU the match, and Shuang helped Double stay on his feet as he bowed to the CT team's coach. "Take it easy, Double. That was quite the performance, you should be proud of your efforts today. Luckily, we will not be seeing Celestia Tech again this season, unless we both get to the finals, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it."

Tiny relayed the bout to Rose as best he could, though he left out just how much of a pummeling Double was taking. Rose could tell something was amiss, though, her posture and tone of voice gave it away. She was worried about him, and Tiny- begrudgingly- was worried, too. The other guy was an impressive stature, for a pony, and the match seemed to drag on forever. When Double finally won, Tiny patted Rose's leg as she clapped and cheered enthusiastically. "Wait until the crowd has dispersed a bit, it's a little hectic right now," he whispered.

Rose nodded and sat back down. "He's not actually hurt, is he?" she asked, softly.

"The swords all had this magic glow on them, so I don't think he'd be bleeding anywhere- but he may be bruised, judging from the size of the guy he was fighting."

"Oh... well, he won at least! And that would be all the more impressive if the other guy was bigger, right?"

Tiny chuckled. "Right."

[TwentySided]

Double Edge - Bucephalus - Martial Meet

Double was thankful for the support given to him by Shuang, he was more afraid that without it he would be sprawled on the ground, unable to actually get up. "Sir, I, I hate to ask this. But I would really appreciate not being called on as a replacement for the rest of the meet." the zebra mumbled as he was helped to the bleachers, one of his teammates handing him an ice pack for his quickly swelling eye.

Finally getting his chance to catch his breath, Double slowly rested the ice pack onto the left side of his face. Nearly every part of him hurt and he was thankful for his black stripes, it probably hit most of the other bruising. He would have to work on a few painkillers when he got home. At least there it was going to be quiet.

---------------------------------

Chitin - Bucephalus - Top Floor Coffee shop

A party? Chitin had to admit he had never actually been to one of those. He had seen them from afar. Gathers such as those were ideal for abducting those that strayed from the herd. Filled with false notions of love or simply pure lust they were like ripe fruit ready for picking and more importantly they were all easy to pick off their minds deluded by their own beverages.

No, he couldn't think that anymore. He wasn't a hunter anymore he was here to learn to try and be friends with these people. He couldn't give in to such base wants he had to be strong for the hive. "A, um, a party sounds lovely." Chitin replied trying to sound calm.

[Lucy Took]

"Party it is" Chroma said, picking up his cup and folding the map and handing it to Chitin and then taking a napkin and writing the party information down for Joe. "See you there?" He said, sliding over the information before walking out the door and jumping off the roof, looking back to see if Chitin was following.

[captain_borgue]

Shuang just smiled. "Yes, well, I suppose we'll see. In the meantime, I would suggest you sit and relax," he said, before bowing slightly and backing away, giving an eagerly waiting Rose an opening to float over. She looked worried, but happy- which was fitting, given that these were the precise emotions she was feeling.

"Hi, Double. Tiny told me about the match. It sounded very exciting. You aren't hurt, are you?" she asked, fluttering a little closer. "And if you aren't Double Edge, please let me know before I do something awkward, ok?" Rose said, lightly landing on her hooves. "So... if you aren't doing any more sword stuff today, I was wondering if we could maybe go get ice cream or something?"

[TwentySided]

Double Edge - Bucephalus - Martial Meet

Double couldn't help but smile despite his aching, as Rose landed next to him. "Double? Who's this Double guy, I'm no Double I'm the real thing see." the zebra replied, in a very poor accent, "Thank you for coming Rose. I know this probably wasn't the most fun for you." he continued returning his speech back to normal. "As for my condition? Well the blades are covered with magic so they don't cut but that doesn't really soften the blows that much especially when the guy decides to punch you. But I'm fine, just a tad sore, and I would love to go get ice cream once Shuang says I can leave." He smiled again, reaching out and grabbing ahold of her hand "It means a lot to me that you came."

"Oh I just remembered...ow.." Double grunted sitting up, rummaging through his equipment bag, pulling out a small piece of wood, two lengths of string sprouting out from either side. The piece of wood itself was covered in deep groves and marks that he had whittled away trying to make it perfect. "I finished this, its a necklace, for you." He continued, putting the piece of jewelry into the mare's hand. "I, well, I carved out some totemic charms and let it soak in a few solutions I brewed, together they are supposed to give the wearer luck, if I did it correctly that is."

[captain_borgue]

Rose let out a delighted squeal and giggled as Double put the necklace in her hand. She carefully ran her fingers over the wood, feeling the shape of it, the grain of it, the subtle variety of textures. It smelled wonderful too, earthy and crisp in a way that defied any real explanation. "It feels wonderful! I like how some of it is soft, and some is sharp, and some smooth and some rough. It smells nice, too. And I'm pretty sure it looks good on me, but you'll have to be the judge on that one," she said, giggling.

Shuang looked over at the pair of them and smiled- it was good to see his students happy- after all, that was the point of the whole exercise. He strolled over and waited for a pause in their conversation, before bowing slightly. "I think you have certainly earned a break- you won us the match, and although I have no doubt you are capable of continuing if necessary, I believe the young lady had a superior activity planned. I will let you know how the rest of the team did in class, and hopefully Sharp will be feeling better by then. Now, off you two go! All I ask is that you enjoy some mint chocolate chip for me," he added, smiling, before bowing again and disappearing into the crowd.

Moments later, he stood next to the medical team, discussing Sharp Wit's condition with a stern looking EMT. The news was most distressing, indeed- it was no natural ailment. There was magic involved, magic intended to cause harm. The EMTs were polite enough to give him a copy of their findings- which he intended to promptly fax to the dean, as well as send a copy of- with a signed apology letter- to Sharp's parents. The implications, however, gave him the ominous feeling that this would not be the last time it happened.

[Korkoa]

Tellie nodded slowly, listening intently as the dean outlined her plan. She reached for the tea on the desk, pausing when she noticed her hand shaking. She took a deep breath and held it, watching as the shaking slowed down enough for her to take the tea and slowly sip it. The hybrid girl nodded as Kerrigan continued to speak, trying to relay that she hadn't stopped paying attention. "I-I understand, Dean Hannibal... And I should say, it-it's not that I've been unaware of these things, I've... Suspected as much for a long time. Just never had the chance to-to really do anything about it. My father may have saved me from jail time, or juvenile correction or whatever, but... He also wanted the whole thing to just kind of... Go away. S-so I never really got help for it, though I looked into it on my own... He-he's a Griffon, he sort of... Expected me to be stronger about the whole thing, I suppose..."

Tellie cleared her throat, reminding herself to get back on topic. "But um, about the treatment... I-I'll talk to Nova, see if she's willing... I don't really w-want to move without a familiar face there. Though, getting a pet... I-I think I might like that..." Tellie paused as she considered the options, nodding to herself.

------------------------------------------------------

Static cheered along with the rest of the Luna crowd when her brother won, albeit louder and with a touch more insanity. After things had cleared up some, she ran down the bleachers, ducking and weaving through the slowly dispersing crowd to get to her brother. She readied herself to pounce on him in congratulations, but stopped short when she saw him having what appeared to be a tender moment with Rose. It was a bittersweet moment for the purple-hued unicorn; on the one hand her brother seemed to be genuinely happy and enjoying himself, but on the other... Well, what if he didn't need his twin sister anymore? But, not one to be unhappy for long, Static pushed the thought from her mind and smiled approaching her brother a bit more slowly, clearing her throat to alert Rose to her presence. "You were so great out there Dubs I'm so jealous of how good you are at this! That last match and the way you just WHAM and then BLAMMO it was so cool! Oh yeah and River and Booster are throwing a floor party too for something about a new frat or sorority or something and I was thinking maybe we could all go if you'd like? Of course if you two want some time for yourself first and Mister Diamond Dog here then you should go for it but maybe afterwards?" Static's eyes pleaded with her brother, at the last couple statements, she hadn't gotten to spend as much time with him since he'd come back as she would have liked.

[captain_borgue]

"I-I understand, Dean Hannibal... And I should say, it-it's not that I've been unaware of these things, I've... Suspected as much for a long time. Just never had the chance to-to really do anything about it. My father may have saved me from jail time, or juvenile correction or whatever, but... He also wanted the whole thing to just kind of... Go away. S-so I never really got help for it, though I looked into it on my own... He-he's a Griffon, he sort of... Expected me to be stronger about the whole thing, I suppose..."

Kerrigan nodded as Tellie spoke. "There is a certain cultural expectation of stoicism amongst the more martially inclined races. Though I can understand the intent, it does not account for individual variation, especially when a more Equestrian upbringing is factored in. I suspect fear of him may play a part in your anxiety response, but that is not an issue that we need to explore right away. Family situations typically carry heavy emotional weight, and I do not think that reconciling such issues at this early stage will be beneficial- though we certainly can, if you'd prefer."

Tellie cleared her throat, reminding herself to get back on topic. "But um, about the treatment... I-I'll talk to Nova, see if she's willing... I don't really w-want to move without a familiar face there. Though, getting a pet... I-I think I might like that..." Tellie paused as she considered the options, nodding to herself.

"I will file the requisite paperwork today, at the close of our session. If you or Nova change your mind, I can simply withdraw the request. There is an animal shelter a short walk from campus- the veterinary med students typically do their field work there. I'd suggest a younger animal, they acclimate more readily. And, I'm told, they are cuter," Kerrigan said, glancing at her phone to determine how much time was remaining- and seeing a message from Firesong that piqued her interest.

"Though for courtesy's sake, I suggest taking Nova once the subject of moving has been settled. It would not be kind to introduce an animal she may be allergic to, or have a phobia of. I would personally recommend a cat. They have few requirements, clean themselves, and the frequency of a cat's purr has been clinically proven to decrease blood pressure and heart rate, as well as increase production of stress-releasing hormones, and even speed the rate of cell and tissue regrowth," Kerrigan said, writing down the address of the shelter on a sticky note and handing it to Tellie.

"This is the address and phone number, as well as the hours of operation. Perhaps you and Nova could make a day of it- examine the new apartment, examine the potential animal companions, that sort of thing. Feminine bonding rituals tend to be more about building rapport than about competition, which would be helpful to you at this stage."