Kass stared at her for a moment longer then grinned, showing off almost all her teeth. No girly-girl would ever respond that way. This one's in the clear. "Nah, I was just checking to see if you were one of those pink girls, that's all. By pink I mean squealing and giggling and going to the bathroom with each other and holding hands and..." She cleared her throat. "You get the picture."

Adolpha shivered, horrified "Those girls aren't right in the head." She smiled, a thought entering her head, "Do you want to be my friend? I'd appreciate it if you would show me around, or at least hang out with me during breaks. If I can find some herbs, I might be able to make something for that cough of yours." she added as an afterthought. Adolpha pulled a small scrap of paper from her pocket, "What's your next class? Mine's Animal Herbology." She finished with her problem and moved on to the next, paper tucked back in it's pocket. "I'm Adolpha by the way, I'm a shapeshifter. What are you, and what's your name?"

Kass flashed another toothy grin. "You sure don't hold back on questions, do you?" She laughed quietly and coughed instantly after. "The name's Kass. Kass Matthews. I'm a Kwalian*, meaning I heal fast. It's a type of demon race... As for the friend request, yeah I wouldn't mind that. You'd be my first buddy here, well, outside of my troupe that is. I've got Outdoor Ed next and when it comes to showing you around, well... I probably know just as little about this schools layout as you do." Again she laughed, only to have to cough and clear her throat again. "Some throat medicine would be really nice, actually..." She smiled weakly at Adolpha.

* = 'Kwalians' is prounounced Kee-wall-ee-ans

Adolpha smiled back, "I'm curious, I think my cat form is rubbing off on me. I'll see if I can convince the Herbology teacher to let me use some of her plants." She continued to scribble in her notebook as she talked, finishing the first half of the problems. "I hope we have more than this one class together, but I'm glad to meet someone nice at this school." She rummaged through another of her pockets, this time pulling out a bead necklace, "Here, my Grandma gave this to me to ward off sickness and ill health, I want you to have it." She smiled, placing it on her friends desk.

(Are they individual desks? Or joined desk, like two to a desk.)

(I always imagined them as joined desks. Sort of like in Harry Potter... lol.)

Kass took the necklace and fingered the beads with a surprised face. "Th-thanks!" She could feel herself getting flustered. In an attempt to hide the embarassment, she quickly put on the necklace, tucked it under her shirt, and leaned forwards on her arms again casually. Mr. Siyano was beginning to talk.

(they kinda are, but sturdier)

Siyano: Class will be over with soon and I hope you are getting this potion done before the day is over with, it not we'll try tomorrow but don't worry as long as you do it correctly...
The bell rung for class to be over with and the next one would start in 10 minutes.

Kass stood with most of the other students when the bell rang. She hadn't even started on the potion or the questions. Oh well, she'd just figure it out tomorrow. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she said farewell to her new friend, Adolpha, and headed to her dorm to drop off her bag and books and grab her gym clothes.
After she finished changing into her gym stuff, she stepped out of the girl dormitory door. As she was about to turn the corner down to where she thought the gym was, a voice appeared from behind. "Nice pants."
Kass flushed. The gym shorts were small and came down to her knees quite tightly. They had the school's colours and logo on the pockets. Kass turned and glared at her younger brother, Charlie, who stood there with his hands in his own gym pockets. She frowned. "You have Outdoor Ed too?"
Charlie's response was a small grunt.
If there was one thing to describe their sibling relationship it would be 'polar opposites'. Charlie barely spoke, and when he did it was sarcastic or crude. He smoked, hung out by himself, hated groups and being around people and absolutely despised their father. He was the typical loner. Lots of people said he and Kass were almost twins. They had oh-so much in common. But how could that be? They were nothing alike. Heck, they barely knew each other.
Kass shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "So... do you know where the gym is?"
"The class is 'Outdoor Ed'." Charlie said. His voice was like a low note on a bass, thick with an accent. Kass noted on how well he rolled his rs. "It won't be in a gym."
"Oh. I knew that..." Kass gave him a dirty look as he brushed past her. She wondered how the other troupe members were doing, and if they understood their classes as little as she did. As she wandered down the hall after her brother, she began to play with the bead necklace around her neck. She started smiling, thinking of how she got a friend already and a nice one at that. I wonder how Adolpha is doing right now... she thought to herself. I hope her Animal whatchamacallit class isn't too hard.

Adolpha frowned, she had just finished arranging everything for her potion when the bell signaled an end to class. She packed up her ingredients carefully, and waved farewell to her new friend, Kass. She rechecked her class paper, her next class was Intro to Animal Herbology with Mr.Artemis. She walked outside of the classroom, looking for someone to help her find her class. Spotting one of the teachers, she asked, “Um, where’s Intro to Animal Herbology, with Mr.Artemis?”

As she waited for a reply, she thought to herself, 'I hope the charm I gave Kass works, maybe I should find some other classes I have with her and check up on her, see if her cough is going away.' Her thought's were bouncing all over the place today.

Mr. Siyano waved goodbye to his students.
(I can be more than one teacher for everyone so not everyone is in the same class all the time)
Lady Irina: Come on students lets get to work, we have to start those warm ups. 100 juming jacks no stopping or you'll start over. Go!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HWU3wX2cDL...e_girl_elf.jpg
Mr. Artemis: Okay class lets take a seat.
http://www.airandangels.com/allen/images/artemis.jpg
Mr. Artemis: Let's begin shall we. You'll have one week to study and then a test. And yes this class will get better.
Open to your books to page 35-40

Book Info: Many people prefer using herbs, a combination of medicinal herbs and western medicine, to cure or alleviate their symptoms. These remedies have no guarantee.

Herbology is the art of combining medicinal herbs. A medicinal herb may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant.

Herbology is traditionally one of the more important modalities utilized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. One batch of herbs is typically decocted twice over the course of one hour. The practitioner usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that target the illness. Then the practitioner adds many other ingredients to adjust the formula to the patient's Yin Yang conditions.

Sometimes, ingredients are needed to cancel out toxicity or side-effects of the main ingredients. Some herbs require the use of other ingredients as catalyst or else the brew is ineffective. The latter steps require great experience and knowledge, and make the difference between a good Chinese herbal doctor and an amateur. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients are considered more important than the effect of individual ingredients. A key to success in TCM is the treatment of each patient as an individual.

Kass' face fell when she heard that. 100... jumping jacks..? Her eye momentarily twitched as she stood there, trying to understand how student abuse was even allowed in the school. She failed to notice everyone beginning their warm ups.
Charlie, coming out from the change rooms in his gym shorts (which, to Kass' anger, weren't nearly as tight as hers) and tank top. His long white hair was tied back in a ponytail, showing off his wan face even more so than normal.
Kass glared at him as he started his own warm ups without so much as battling an eyelash. She growled and cursed him under her breath. Noticing the teacher was giving her the evil eye, she started on her own as well, slowly counting in her head. 1... 2... 3... 4... 6... 10... 19... 27... 35... By the time she skipped her way up to 100, everyone was finishing around the same time as her. She smirked at her good timing. Cheating was the key to success in her mind.

Adolpha smiled, her seat was right at the front of the room, next to the teacher. She opened her book and her notes, jotting down some of the information. She raised her hand quietly, and when the Mr.Artemis called on her she asked, "Will we be allowed to take our school books home with us?"

Mr. Artemis: Yes you will, you'll need it to study. Now let's play a game to get to know everyone's names.
************************************************** **************************
(Another class)

Lady Irina: Alright now that we are finished with that, you have 100 push ups to do and if you cheat, you will begin all over again and won't leave class till you finish. Now Go. And ms. kass please do this right or I will make you stay after school today and do this all over again, you too tyler.
Tyler was the kind of kid who was too lazy to do anything like this and he had bronze colored hair with hazel eyes. 5"9

Kass glanced over at the kid named Tyler. She said nothing except give Ms. Irina a dirty look. To her side, her brother Charlie made a soft humming noise in the back of his throat. It was teasing. Taunting. Kass hated it.
Angered, she kicked him in the leg. Not that it did much. Charlie simply continued to stand there, no difference in his expression. Getting even madder, Kass planted another kick to his shin. Nothing. She swore under her breath at him.
Charlie glanced at her from the corner of his eye as everyone began lowering to the floor to do their push ups. "Funny how someone as pathetic as you could be my older sister..."
Kass could feel her rage bubbling up inside her. Pathetic?! PATHETIC?! She was way better than him!
It was the next thing he said that made her snap.
"You're more like that man... our father... than anyone else..."
The next second anyone could see, Kass had leaped on Charlie and knocked them both to the floor. Kass, fists raised, landed a hard punch to her brother's jaw. Charlie's head jerked to the side. His eyes, golden and slitted, stared at her. "Feel better?" He asked.
"SHUT UP!" She screamed. She punched him again. And again. And again until she was forcefully pulled off by the teacher and other students. Nothing seemed to hurt him. Nothing broke him. "YOU'RE just like him! You play those stupid mind games! You know, it's a good thing Aunty Kassandra is dead!" Kass saw a muscle in Charlie's temple pulse at the mention of their aunt's name. "Because she hated you! She couldn't stand being near you! She's better off!"
The next thing anyone knew, Charlie had Kass' neck in his hand and he was squeezing it so hard she couldn't breathe. She could see darkness spotting in her vision. She wanted someone to step in and help. To get the crazy guy away from her. Too many memories were rising.

Adolpha sat in class quietly, sitting by the window. She let her gaze wander, and froze, it looked like Kass was fighting someone in class. She watched as the teachers pulled Kass back, and Adolpha started to relax. She started to turn back to her work, but the boy's movement caught her eye, "I'm sorry sir," she said to Mr.Artemis, "But I have to go." She left her bag and left the room at a jog, swiftly changing to her wolf shape and raising outside. She growled at the boy, and leaped towards him, slamming into his stomach and knocking him off of Kassandra, "Don't you dare touch my friend," she growled, voice low and threatening. She changed back and looked at Kass's neck, where a large bruise was starting to spread.

Mr. Artemis: Alright, no homework tonight.
************************************************** **************************
Ms. Irina: Alright, alright stop it.

Vaneria runs over whispering soemthing and the next thing everyone knew even the teacher was lifted off the ground. "Geesh a weesh and so early in the morning too."

Kass rubbed her neck, wincing. What had thrown Charlie off her? As she sat up off the ground she fell right back down when she saw a wolf standing there, snarling at her brother. "Wh-what the hell?!"
Charlie, despite what everyone thought he would do, simply stood up straight. He dusted off his stomach and his long, thin lips twitched into the slightest bit of a frown. That hurt... He thought to himself. Giving the wolf a cold stare, he turned on his heel and stalked off. So Kass had a friend, huh? "What a surprise." He murmured under his breath.

They all landed back on the ground softly except Charlie who landed with a thud. Vaneria walked up to them "Okay who started this, you arn't in trouble. Just tell me who" vaneria spoke.

"Are you alright, Kass?" Adolpha asked, changing back. It was a good thing she had learned to shift back with clothes, but so far the best she could manage were a skirt and bra made of fur, or feathers depending on her form. Right now she was kneeling by her friend and checking her neck for bruising, or other injuries. "You seem alright, but you should probably go to the nurse's office anyway." she told her friend before looking up at the teacher, "As far as I can tell, he said something to her, made her angry, she hit him, got dragged off him, then he attacked her and I came to help."

"alright thank you and here take this" Vaneria handed the girl a thin black sweater. Vaneria turned to the boy and grabbed his ear and pulled him to the headmistresses office. "The nurse is down the hall and to the right, last door, it should be open" vaneria added.

Adolpha accepted the black sweater, and slipped it on over her bra. She turned back to Kass, and helped her friend up. "Do you have ear piercings? My tribe made some earrings for protection, but I can't wear them." she asked her friend, reaching into a small inner pocket on her skirt, "I always carry around at least one protection charm, you never know when they'll come in handy."

Kass stood up and shook her head. She saw Charlie being dragged by the ear and let out a low, raspy laugh. She coughed afterwards, but only a little. It didn't sound as throaty and clogged like before. "No, sorry, my ears are pierced... But..." She pulled on a wristband she wore. "I always wear this. It was... ah, never mind. You could pin them to this if you want." She grinned again to Adolpha. "What's with all the charms? Don't think I can protect myself?" She laughed softly. No cough followed.

"It's not that," Adolpha said, "I just don't want you to get hurt, and my Tribe-family gave me more charms then I can use." She pointed at the various anklets, bracelets, necklaces, and hair pieces that somehow made it through her transformation. "They're also one of the only things that make it through my shape changes." She laughed, and smiled at her friend, "See, they're working already!"

"That's cool!" Kass said. She touched one of Adolpha's bracelets, as if to test if it was real. "How does it do that?" She asked. "Does all your tribe shape-shift?"

(Sorry about my disappearance, I'm working on it.)

Adolpha grinned, "I have no idea why they work, I just know that they do." Her smile fell when Kass asked about her tribe, "No, I'm the only one. That's the reason I'm here, they decided it would be best if they sent me away somewhere where I could learn to control my power."

(yay its still going now I gotta catch up somehow maybe)