buried beneath [r]

[ROWAN FOLEY]

The catacombs were a dark, dreary, and terribly maze-like set of tunnels, which was precisely why Rowan liked them so much. There could be a stray demon around any corner, especially considering he had waited to come down here until the stories of random students using the catacombs as a practice site had quieted down; there was bound to be enough stocked up to pose a challenge. The ground was slick with condensation that had chilled the air, a sharp contrast to the lingering warmth outside. Various parts of the walls had crumbled, making the ground more like a mountain terrain than a man-made tunnel. It was actually suitable for what he was planning to use it for. After one last look down the tunnel next to him, Rowan turned to face his class, a rather small group that still thought they could pass his course.

Poor souls.

"If you've been smart enough to attend my class the past few weeks, then you would know we've been spending a large amount of time doing exercises on the track."

[/b] A couple of the students snorted, quieting automatically when Rowan smirked at them. "Oh, I know that was easy, and if it wasn't, then you certainly aren't prepared for the next week." At the confused looks that were passed from student to student, each asking the next if they knew what he was talking about, his smirk grew. One or two of the more intelligent students had the audacity to look at him with disbelief. "That's right. You're next course is the catacombs, and I wouldn't suggest leaving, because the alternative assignment to pass is running around the school nude."[/b] At the horrified looks, he nodded in satisfaction. Good, they were learning he was serious.

Taking a moment to adjust the scarf draped around his neck, Rowan meandered over to the corner by him, gesturing to a neon orange 'x' painted on the wall. "This is your starting point. The rest of the course has these marks at every corner, so if you're moronic enough to get lost as I'm sure a few of you will, you can find your way back. If you encounter any demons along the path, I do not recommend you fight them, as this is a timed course, and it's the perfect opportunity to see if you're fast enough to survive."[/b] He paused, digging through the pocket of his thin jacket until his hand withdrew with a handful of whistles on lanyards. "I'll give each of you one of these. If you can't outrun the demon, and you're not able to defeat it by yourself, blow on it three times and I'll be there as fast as I can. Any false blowing will result in automatic failure, and believe me, I will know who blew it."

With one last look at the group in front of him, some terrified, others grinning widely, he nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright. First five to make it back to me can use this assignment to recover from one they've failed. First eight back pass. The rest fail. Now go."[/b] He shook his head as the group scrambled to get past each other with this new information, waiting until they had each made it around the corner before he sat in the collapsible chair he had brought with him, book open in his lap. He had only managed to get a few pages in before he heard a pair of footsteps in front of him, which he met with a shake of his head, though his gaze did not leave the words in front of him. "I believe I said go. Or are you really so challenged with directions you got turned around that quickly?"[/b][/div][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[a. drew jackson]

only idiots came down to the catacombs. well except for her. at least she could hold her own against the demons down there. she yawned and switched on her headlamp. no doubt she looked like a complete idiot, but hey. she could see, which would've been nigh impossible without some assistance. slowly drew shuffled through the maze, mumbling directions to herself. "left, and then the fourth right..." her work boots made gravelly and wet scuffing noises, which echoed a bit around her as she dragged her feet.

"and the next left." she was about to round the corner when... something caught her eye. an orange 'x' painted on the wall? stupid vandals. probably some students who didn't want to get lost. shouldn't have wandered down there in the first place. drew took out a rag from her rather backpack and spat on it. she began to rub off the mark, until only a faint stain was left. "serves those cocky bastards right," she laughed smugly and continued on her path. a few openings down there was a faint glow that lit the walls, damp and glimmering.

she could hear a weak roar, more of a plea than anything. "you can hear me can't you? bet you guys are hungry. sorry i'm late. but i had to teach the brats." she flicked off the headlamp before she turned the corner. a rare smile found its way to drew's face. only a few things could make her so happy... or really happy at all. before her were three salamanders, each about six feet in length. the first one, although chained to the wall, tackled her. "hey," she said looking up at it, squinting at the flames the covered most of its body. "don't barbeque me. i brought your favourites. have some respect you knucklehead." the demon backed up, somewhat understanding her tone. she stood up and brushed off her butt, which had a giant wet spot on it now. she took off her backpack and unzipped it, taking out a large steak for each and a two two liter bottles of water. "jo. val. curtis." she addressed each of the salamanders as she tossed them their meat.

they made some pleasant eating noises, like vomiting cats, while drew filled up their water bowl. "now, i'll be back here tomorrow to feed you guys again. i think you've gotten just about big enough for my class." a smile flickered across her face. "most of them won't be able to take you down," she hummed and turned on her light again. she walked back down the way she came, erasing a few more of the 'x's she happened to find on the wall. hopefully, they'd take a wrong turn and maybe something would eat them...

approaching the exit, she heard the pattering of footsteps and the collective cursing of at least ten students, who would surely have a nice surprise somewhere down the road. idiots, all of them, who on earth in their right mind would wander down here, knowing what could be... "i believe i said go. or are you really so challenged with directions you got turned around that quickly?" the fool didn't even look up to see who he was addressing. she smirked and put on a pleading face, squeaking, "i'm so sorry professor foley. i-i-i just got lost. it's so scary and dark down here. you're not gonna fail me are you?"

[ROWAN FOLEY]

All Rowan had wanted was a little time to read, maybe to grade/fail a few papers; if it came down to it, he could possibly even take a small nap. It wasn't as though he weren't comfortable enough; despite the fact that it was chilly for autumn outside, let alone in the musty, dank air of the catacombs, the redhead found that his slightly over-sized jacket and scarf were doing plenty to keep him warm. He had a small lantern lit and resting on the box that held the papers he was going to try and get around to, and although the light was dim, it was plenty enough for someone as used to reading in dark, cramped places. The only thing he could really complain about was the uncomfortable weight on his ragged sneakers, which were quite caked in mud. Stupid rain just had to fall when he had decided to go to the catacombs; at least it would make the course slicker and colder, and thus more difficult for his students.

In the distance, Rowan could hear the loud chattering and sometimes rather vehement cursing of a large portion of his class, which only caused him to roll his eyes. Cooperation was hardly going to benefit them in this exercise; if anything, the cantankerous behavior would just attract the demons to them faster. He was sure there were maybe one or two, the natural loners, that would be attempting the course by themselves, which would be dangerous, but in the long run far more beneficial. Still, he had to admire the acoustics in the catacombs, especially considering how the echos from their voices reached all the way to him. Either that, or they really hadn't gotten far yet, which he really wouldn't doubt.

He didn't even have to look to recognize that voice; Rowan rolled his eyes at the text in his book. "Jackson." With a sigh, the ginger snapped his book shut and set it to the side before crossing his arms over his chest, leaned back with one leg crossed over the other, and raised an eyebrow at his blond friend. "I can't say I'm very pleased to see you, especially after that horrid attire you forced me into for my last mission."

[/b] He scowled briefly at the memory of the 'princess costume' he had been wrangled into for a disguise, even though it was hardly something royalty would wear. Still, it had at least been efficient; no one had recognized him, especially since his slightly androgynous appearance only added to the effeminate costume. He really could have done without his partner for the mission mistaking him for a female, however, and he could have done even less with the man insisting on treating him like one even after he found out the truth.

Forced out of the horrid memory by an obnoxiously loud shout of 'Where's the mark? Professor Foley said they were on every corner!', Rowan snorted before shaking his head. Idiots. It wasn't as though he had expected the marks to remain where they were; a rambunctious demon could easily erase one or two. He paused, eyeing Drew for a moment before rolling his eyes. Rambunctious demon or irritating human, they were all the same. He grumbled under his breath incoherently before scowling at his friend. "Please tell me you at least managed to kill a few of my students, not just confuse the hell out of them." As if answering his question, there was a sharp shrill of a whistle in a pattern of three. He scoffed, but slid to his feet nonetheless. "I only told the morons to blow the whistle if they ran into a demon, not if they got lost. But since we've had some interference, I suppose it's only to be expected."[/b][/div][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[a. drew jackson]

how was it that she always managed to run into him. it was like some sort of disgusting trick of fate. not that she believed in fate or any such nonsense. she futilely tried to suppress a smile when he said her name. it was a little disconcerting how much enjoyment she was getting out of his displeasure. but it couldn't be helped, she did so love seeing him mad at her, or at least displeased. "well, i can't see why. you looked absolutely darling in that dress," she sniggered. "and i hope those shoes didn't give you blisters; silver is most definitely your colour. but i find it unlikely you'll ever find such a use for them again. luckily, i have a few candids in my desk." that would hopefully bother him for a bit.

the costume party had been a particular favourite of hers. it was a rare and glorious occasion when she got to tell rowan what to do and he would listen. and even though she had pretty much made rowan lay pretty princess, he couldn't really be mad at her. then he'd have no one else left in a near hundred mile radius to tolerate. drew flattered herself with her importance in rowan's life. couldn't live with her, and would probably go a bit more mad than he already was without her.

she wasn't all too happy to hear the hollering of one of his hopeless students. their conversation was lacking the usual kick, even so the interruption was not welcome. "please shut up. your troubles are irrelevant and trivial," she yelled back over her shoulder into the maze, arms crossed. after a moment's pause she uttered a small, "oh." she turned her attention back to red head, "so those pieces of graffiti were yours? whoops." she shrugged and glanced at him mischievously. "and no. it's a shame i didn't get to wring any of their necks. but frankly they're not worth my time and from the looks of it are doing a great job of causing you trouble. something i wouldn't dare to intervene with."

things were getting nice and well not cozy. but at least interesting, when a distressing set of whistles echoed in the hollow halls of the catacombs. rowan rose to his feet. like she was going to let him go somewhere. "i'm not done with you yet, foley," she asserted and pushed him back down into his chair. she had a few inches on him, which made her efforts easier. drew took advantage of this opportunity to just push his buttons a little more and sat herself across his lap. because she could.

"do you really have to go after them, professor?" she pouted, hoping to make him irritable perhaps. "i'm quite sure that josephine, valerie, and mister curtis will be quite able to finish them off. i don't feed them all that much..."

[ROWAN FOLEY]

Rowan's discomfort only intensified when Drew smiled. That... was never a good thing. It wasn't as though the woman never smiled, but when she did, it was less of a 'oh, the world is such a pleasant place' smile and more of a 'let's terrorize Rowan until he's on the verge of whimpering in a corner' type of smile. He eyed her warily, arms crossed over his chest in a slightly defensive posture; he may be able to tolerate Drew for longer periods of time than he might other people, but that did not mean he had to like her. At the mention of the dress, the redhead couldn't help but pale slightly, just barely enough to remain unnoticed. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep the news that Halloween was quickly approaching. Sure, the school was attempting to crack down on anything related to the pagan holiday, but Drew was obviously not the type to follow the rules, and he did not want to be forced into a dress again.

The scowl was quickly back in place, however, and Rowan waved a hand dismissively. "You may have them now, Jackson, but it's so very easy to get rid of photographs. Maybe I should just dump a vat of acid on your desk?" It wasn't as though it would be difficult to obtain some; he was a science teacher for Christ's sake, he could just claim it was for an experiment and voila! No more blackmail material. He thought about it for a moment before his eyes narrowed, glaring dangerously at Drew. "You have copies, don't you? Dammit."

[/b] It wasn't as though the woman standing across from him was an idiot. If she were, Rowan wouldn't even talk to her in the first place. Actually, that may be the safer route to go for his sanity, anyways.

There was an obvious silence from in the maze for a moment, which caused Rowan to frown because his students never listened to him like that, then there was a loud... observation. 'Man, that sounded like a chick! Let's go see if we can find her.' And with some echoing footsteps, the noises disappeared further down the tunnels. The knight scowled briefly, shaking his head. "How is it you manage to motivate my students when half of them still refuse to listen to me?" He raised an eyebrow at Drew, giving her a look that denounced her intellect in the same manner his voice was mocking her. "Obviously they were mine. What, did you think the students would instantaneously become insightful enough to leave trail markers?"[/color] Ah, well, it didn't matter. He could easily find his way back without them, and this way he could legitimately test whether they would stay calm enough in this situation to find their way back.

Rowan was about to ask what Drew meant when she shoved him back into his seat with a slight yelp. His mouth immediately clamped shut to prevent anymore obnoxious noises, and instead he glared vehemently as she sat on top of his lap. That was entirely unfair; Rowan was indeed shorter than Drew, much to his chagrin, and he even managed to easily weigh less than her due to his terrible eating habits. He squirmed slightly underneath her before sighing in exasperation. "Christ, Drew, get your fat ass off of me before I lose the feeling in my legs. I kind of need those, you know."[/b] He grumbled when he saw his struggles weren't getting anywhere, taking a moment to shove some hair out of the way of his bottle-green eyes before he leaned back and glared at Drew."If they die, it's your fault."[/b] He winced when the whistle blew again, only intensifying his glare. He wasn't completely heartless; as much as he may jest, he didn't really want any of his students to die. Maybe get maimed viciously to learn a lesson, but not die.[/div][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[a. drew jackson]

it seemed that drew had the upper hand today. a pleasant– she wouldn't call it a surprise. why shouldn't she have it over rowan? she did 'win' rather frequently in their little disagreements. winning in her book meant, he got more frustrated than she did. today, he was reacting quite well. empty threats and evil scientific schemes. she bit her lower lip, trying to keep her smile from spreading. though it wasn't working as well as she hoped. maybe it'd be too dark for rowan to notice. wouldn't want him getting any ideas. oh god, what if she was developing a sadistic streak? like some of those sick bastards she had the misfortune of calling 'co-workers.' not possible, all she wanted was for him to dance a little for her. a little more prodding wouldn't hurt.

foley was just shooting himself down, saving drew the trouble. but where was the fun in that? she didn't have fun very often. and she was not about to miss out on this beautiful opportunity. "no, maybe you should pour a vat of acid on my desk. i've been wanting a new one lately. just tell me before you do, so i can clean out some papers." she didn't actually like the idea of him attacking her desk with chemicals. but where would he get the balls to do something like that? "and as a matter of fact i do have some copies. i can give you a few as thanks for totaling my desk." drew took out her phone. she squinted at the brightness as her eyes adjusted. "actually, would next wednesday at six work for you," typing the appointment into her calendar, she asked not waiting to hear an answer. "good then. it's a date." there was an emphasis on the last word. as if either of them would actually go for that. but if did. she knew she'd be wearing the pants. it would be foolish of drew to even try to match rowan's femininity, let alone surpass it.

she was by no means flattered when she heard some turds yelling about how she sounded like a chick. god dammit. of course she sounded like a chick. even if she didn't dance around in princess dresses, she still had a freaking uterus. "i don't know foley," growled drew, throwing a dirty look in the students' general direction. "i'm surprised they can even hear us through their thick skulls. but they seemed to be motivated by my feminine wiles. woo-hoo." her hands waved in unenthusiastic jazz hands. "maybe if you put on a skirt, they'd take some direction. if aegle could be fooled, surely they wouldn't take much persuading either."

"and yes, they were obviously yours. because x totally spells rowan foley. why didn't i realise that only you would have the genius to bring a class full of complete dumb asses to the catacombs?" drew snapped at him. it wasn't like she was without reason though. his ridiculous, little lesson might have just ruined her plans. and nobody was supposed to get in her way. not even rowan. especially not rowan.

it gave her the most perverse pleasure, sitting on his lap. no, not in that way. but hey, she was undoubtedly in control here. so what if she had to literally throw her weight around to get what she wanted. "poor baby," she lightly patted his face, taunting him. she doubted he would retaliate violently. maybe he'd swat at her. "and oh don't say that, rowan. i really would like to go help them. i'm just so tired." drew made a point of yawning and stretching her arms over her head. then she did the unthinkable and curled up on rowan's chest, contemplating whether or not she should pretend to purr.