FIRE DRILL!, Outside of the Dorms, Very Late Thursday Night/Very Early Friday Morning

[suitably_heroic]

The wind roared around campus this time of night. Temperatures had dropped to close to freezing, and clouds blocked out most of the fragile light of the moon.

Perfect time to ring the fire alarm for a test, right? Right.

Somewhere deep in the middle of the night, the alarm went off. Loudly. So grab what you can and bustle on outside, students! ... and let's hope this is over quick.

[[ FIRE DRILL! have at. ]]

Comments

[bearmaidenfair]

"We just pick which god to follow," Vider told him. "But we have more than five choices." She pointed at her cheek. "A spear usually means you're sworn to Odin."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"There's someone else here with a tattoo on his face, but I haven't looked closely enough to see what," Four said. "Does he also follow Odin?"

[bearmaidenfair]

"That's Soren," Vider said. "It's the same tattoo. And neither of us follows Odin, actually. We're just both berserkers, which...most berserkers follow Odin, because the frenzy is his gift." Soren would probably disagree on the 'gift' part, but Soren had issues. "Soren's the Sun's Berserk; he swore himself to Baldur. They've got some kind of...epic bromance going on. Which I wish extended to getting the sun to rise already..."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"That would be really handy," Four agreed, stomping his feet to keep up the circulation. "Who do you follow?"

[bearmaidenfair]

"Oh, I used to be Lokiskin," Vider said as she tried to untangle one of her braids. "Now we...don't so much talk."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"So he's...around, then?"

Four's theology was vaguely defined and definitely didn't involve direct interaction with deities who weren't teaching here.

[bearmaidenfair]

The school's Thor was kind of weird, but nicer than actual Thor, as far as Vider could tell. "Yes. And he's very annoying."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Four glanced up at the sky. "Calling him annoying isn't going to get you smited or anything, right?"

[bearmaidenfair]

Vider laughed, then said, "Sorry. No, if Loki was going to smite me he would have done it by now."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"You've called him something worse?" Four said, sounding a little impressed.

[bearmaidenfair]

"To his face, even," Vider admitted. "It's a long and sad story; I'd prefer not to get into it now. So why do you have tattoos for all of your...'factions?'" Was that right? "if you're in the one for warriors?" That was what she was taking away from 'Dauntless.'

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Four pursed his lips as he thought about it, then chuckled. "No, not really. And basically, yes, Dauntless are the warriors. The police, the border patrol, we run the security system."

[bearmaidenfair]

"You would be sworn to Thor, where I come from," Vider told him. "Probably. Maybe Odin."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"What's the difference between them?" he wondered. This was interesting enough to keep his mind off the numbness of his hands.

[bearmaidenfair]

Vider had a bit of storyteller in her, and it was easy to let her voice fall into a cadence that might help distract them from their surroundings as she began, "Thor is the Thunderer. He's brave and bold, and he's also the god of smiths. His warriors tend to be more swaggering and boastful. The first ones to fling themselves into a fight because they want the glory of winning it, and never stopping to ask themselves if it's a good idea. I'm sure you know the type. Odin's warriors are more serious. Traditionalists. Hidebound, sometimes," she admitted, because she knew that if Soren had been nearby he would have said something. "They take the honor of serving the Alfather very much to heart. They don't pick fights; they finish them. And those who have been truly touched by Odin," and here Vider tapped her cheek, "all have a bit of madness in us."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"Dauntless skews toward those who would swear to Thor," Four admitted. "I'm...not that flashy. You've been touched by Odin? Truly?"

[bearmaidenfair]

Vider grinned. "Yes, truly. All berserkers have, in a way, but I chose it. I'm kind of famous for it, back home," she admitted, crinkling her nose because that was weird and unintended. "Most berserkers are born to it, father to son, you see, but I chose it. I helped find Baldur the Beautiful and bring him safely home, so the Alfather granted me a boon. I asked to be one of his berserkers, and he put the frenzy in my chest."

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Four was so, so impressed with the girls at this school. They were badass. "How does the frenzy work?" he asked. "Will it come out in something like a snowball fight?" He grinned. "If so, do you live on my floor?"

[bearmaidenfair]

"No, and you don't want it to, either," Vider told him soberly. "Berserkers in the frenzy aren't known for our rational decision-making. And I don't know, are you from the fourth floor, aka best floor?"

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"No, I'm on five, aka the one that will win," Four said.

[bearmaidenfair]

"You're going down, fives," Vider informed him solemnly. "Though in the spirit of inter-floor cooperation, I should warn you that I just found out there's a guy on three who can set himself on fire." And no one had told her about Elsa yet.

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"... of course there is," Four said with a little sigh. "Well, we'll see how it shakes out. At least there'll be a bonfire afterwards?"

[bearmaidenfair]

"I'll see you there," Vider told him. "After the fourth floor makes you eat snow."