are you thinking what i'm thinking? || annabel

[CHARLES FRANCIS DENBRIGHT]

-----------------------------are you thinking what i’m thinking?

Classes right before lunch were always Fox’s favourite. It wasn’t the actual classes themselves so much, because by that time he was so hungry he couldn’t actually focus on anything, but at least everyone else seemed to have the same problem as him; for that hour of pointless teacher’s rambling there was hardly a student in the room who could think about anything but a decent turkey sandwich. It was nice, because when he wanted to talk - instead of focusing - people were willing. For the whole class period leading up to lunch he was practically skipping throughout the room, going from desk to desk, table to table, making friendly conversation about whatever may be with whoever would tolerate it. He could hear a few girls giggling, no doubt gossiping about his seemingly ridiculous antics. To most it was probably standard fare, but there were certainly still those few who couldn’t quite get over his abnormally sunny disposition.

There was one person, however, whom he knew was more than well aware of his high energy and constant need to be active. Annabel had stayed seated nearly the whole class period, but Fox was still quite sure that she was just as anxious to leave as he was. Fox had been exceptionally restless lately, on account of their not having been able to anonymously ruin any thunder elemental’s evenings together in quite a while. Fox knew as soon as the clock hit twelve he was going to suggest they skip lunch in order for something more interesting. Once the others started filing out he hung back, waiting until the room was mostly deserted. With only a few people left rummaging through their rucksacks he finally started packing up the unused school supplies littered across his desk. He didn’t want to be interrupted; not with what he had in mind. For a fleeting moment he figured she might be more interested in lunch that in increasing her chances of getting toasted by an angry fire student, but only a very fleeting moment.

As they followed the path that had only moments ago been jammed packed with students practically stampeding towards the mess hall Fox turned to Annabel, giving her that “are you thinking what I’m thinking,” sort of look.

tag; annabel words; 385 outfit; tada
thank you noa ?! of caution!

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[ANNABEL LYNNE DALE]

Annabel wasn't stupid. She didn't have problems with learning or passing her classes. It was more like she didn't enjoy sitting in a classroom for an hour listening to the teacher prattle on about shit she didn't care about. Hell, what teenager did? Josh can help me on homework, she thought as she zoned out, thinking about all the things she could be doing that did not involve sitting in a desk being bored out her mind. Ugh, I bet I won't be able to get on the internet during lunch. How is it still morning? She wanted the day to be over already so that she could go home and hang out on the computer or even go out with friends or something. Wonder what Em's doing for lunch... Her friend Em could actually drive and sometimes they would go into Maple Hollow during the lunch breaks and get coffee at Timmies or sandwiches at Subway. Do I want Subway? She could always go for an iced capp at Timmies even in the middle of winter but it seemed pointless to waste her friend's gas money when she wasn't planning on getting anything else. She insisted on paying for gas and meals sometimes just because her family had the money to spare but her friend was stubborn. I mean I guess if they're having anything good in the mess hall...

Her plans changed when the bell rang and she caught the gaze of her friend Fox as he hung back after class. She made a point of 'struggling' with the strap on her bag so that the teacher didn't get too suspicious, then made another fuss out of adjusting her shirt and tugging it down when she stood up. It ended in success as she left the classroom with Fox and returned his look with a knowing smirk. Hell yeah. She had no idea what her best buddy and partner in crime had in store for today but it didn't matter either way. They tended to just go with the flow. Sometimes there were plans but most of the time they went whatever way the wind blew. She liked the spontaneity, it made things fun. Sometimes it was inconvenient when they had to scrounge together materials from scratch but they always managed somehow... even if it did end in detention at times. "Sup, Fox?" Her tone was casual and she flashed a smile and a wave at a friend they passed on their way out of class and into the hall. Belle had a lot of friends, being so sociable, but Fox was definitely one of the people she considered really close.

When she was sure no one could hear them (or at least no one important like their enemies or teachers), she asked, "Got anything in mind? Anyone? I'm not hungry." It was her way of saying that she was fine with skipping lunch. He knew her well in assuming that she'd be up for a good prank. She could already feel the pre-prank excitement building and there was a smile fixed on her lips as she looked around at the students milling about and wondered which one would fall to their attack.

[CHARLES FRANCIS DENBRIGHT]

-----------------------------are you thinking what i’m thinking?

Teachers usually didn’t notice, or seem to care one bit, when most students were acting suspicious, but it was always best to be safe and try to draw as little attention to yourself as possible. Fox presumed it must be wonderful to have the choice to be blissfully unaware of all that went on in the hallways. Of course they knew about the overall rivalries of the school, but something like two underclassmen water students wreaking havoc on whatever unfortunate rival student might fall in their path usually fell under their radar. “Anyone?” He thought for a moment, ”No, I suppose not... But, I’ve heard - from a very reliable source, of course - that there may just be some new frogs in the biology lab.” He knew there was a decent chance that they’d get caught if they were to try and spring the frogs, but where’s the fun without a little risk? If she could resist such an offer he’d be very surprised, and detention with Annabel definitely wasn’t the worst thing in the world. He let her think it over for a bit before he said anything else, ”Oh, and I came prepared,” He unzipped his bag quickly, making a face at a passing freshman thunder student as he pulled out an empty tupperware box to show her. ”We haven’t even got to stop for anything to carry them in.” He couldn’t help but sound triumphant, having actually thought ahead for once.

Seeing as he’d assumed she was going to jump right on board with his plans, Fox had started to steer them towards the science wing as they walked. Luckily it was well enough into lunch by then that there weren’t many other students roaming the halls, and they didn’t have to worry about keeping their voices down. ”So you know, I was thinking, maybe we head on up to the thunder dormitories, once we’ve ‘stopped by’ the biology room...” He said it as nonchalantly as possible, in a voice he dearly hoped wouldn’t carry through the open door they had just passed a ways down the corridor. If there was anything that would draw unwanted attention, it was two slightly guilty-looking water students discussing their plans to take a trip up to visit some thunder students. That, of course, simply never happened. Fox couldn’t even begin to count the times that he’d been stopped by a teacher who couldn’t help but notice his ‘suspicious smile.’

”Right, so what do you think?” He realised he’d been rambling, but he just couldn’t help it. The idea of being able to finally get back into the prank game was too much for him to hold back. Before he could burst out with more pointless things to say he held his breath, not-so-patiently waiting to see what his friend had to say about the scheme.

tag; annabel words; 500 even outfit; tada
thank you noa ?! of caution!

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[ANNABEL LYNNE DALE]

Annabel tried her best to look calm and inconspicuous as she leaned against the wall and listened to Fox as he brought her up to speed on his plans for a potential prank. This beats lunch any day. When she'd first come to the Academy she'd been a little shy when it came to pulling pranks. She came from a private school that didn't tolerate anything of the sort but now she was as much a part of the Academy as any other tenth grader. She knew where to go to slip any pursuers and she was good at acting innocent. "Frogs, huh? Bet they're for dissections." She made a face. "Biology is weird." She didn't see the appeal of cutting things open and examining their insides. She got that a lot of people thought that it was cool and interesting but it didn't appeal to her. Not because of the gore—she could handle that, no problem—but because it was boring. Most school was.

Her eyes were bright with curiosity and excitement as Fox pulled a tub out of his bag. It didn't take her more than a second to catch on. Hell, she'd figured from the moment that he mentioned the frogs in the Biology department that they were going to be kidnapping the poor specimens and depositing them somewhere. "Your source tell you whether they're alive or not?" She hoped so. It would be a lot less fun if the subjects of their prank didn't squeal and run around as frogs hopped around wherever they were planted. Would they be slipping them into someone's bag? A classroom? A dormitory? The library? There were so many possibilities. If the prank was more collaborative she might have made a couple suggestions but this was Fox's brain baby and so she allowed him to take charge.

Thunder elementals were her least favourite group in the entire school. Though like most Waters she obeyed the alliances and stayed away from the Fires, pranking them cruelly on occasion, she much preferred to get revenge on the Thunders. Her family were Fires, one of her friends was a Fire. She had no ties to Thunder. "I say let's do this!" She grinned wide and started off toward where she knew the Biology lab was located. "We should get there fast, 'cause my brother told me he used to study in the labs after lunch in high school. Can't take a risk we'll run into any nerds." She said it lightly, obviously not meaning it in a derogatory way. She was wary that someone might get in there before they did, though, and so she walked slowly enough so as not to draw attention to herself but quick enough to make good time.

They reached the biology lab and she held up her hand for a moment, striding in with purpose. She was planning to ask for confirmation about a Biology assignment if a teacher was in there to get them out of trouble. She might not have liked Bio as much as her brother did but she'd taken it because she knew she could always ask him if she got stuck. Walking in to find it empty, she skipped back out and stood by the door. "All clear. I'll play lookout—I'll knock on the door if someone's coming." That way it would look like she was trying to get a teacher and Fox could hide or something.

[CHARLES FRANCIS DENBRIGHT]

-----------------------------are you thinking what i’m thinking?

Fox shrugged, “Yeah, I guess people like to know how things work or something.” He didn’t think much about it; didn’t think much about anything school-related unless he really had to. ”I’m sure the being able to poke things with a stick has a certain appeal as well.” He could sort of understand that, at least, but he’d much rather use them for a more interesting purpose - for his intended purpose. “Alive? Dunno. Maybe. But earthies would just get attached. Y’know how they are with living things.” And then he laughed, “Maybe they’re supposed t’be pets.” If they were alive that would be best, of course. Moving, jumping, slimy frogs would be a lot more interesting. And havoc-wreaking. Especially if they could plant them somewhere great. Like maybe the cafeteria, that would be perfect.

He was aware that Annabel had Fires in the family, especially Joshua, who’d turned out to be just fine by Fox’s account. It didn’t bother him much, so long as she never went skipping through daisy fields with any Thunders.That’s where he’d draw the line. Fox followed the alliances, of course, but with Thunders it was more than that. There was pretty much everything about them that he found perfectly horrible. He - ”What? Oh yeah, definitely... Nerds.” He wasn’t exactly sure what they’d just been talking about, but she didn’t seem to mind so he just kept walking.

Fox leaned against the wall a ways from the door, looking as perfectly innocent as possible as Annabel marched into the room. ”Right. See you on the other side,” he whispered the last part before slipping into the room. He scanned the room quickly, noticing the arrangement of desks, possible hiding places, alternate exits, and finally, the frogs; a good sized terrarium placed towards the back of a table halfway across the room, nearly hidden from view. He glanced back at the door for a split second before making his way quickly but quietly towards the frogs. He stopped right as he got to the table, hearing conversation. He held his breath until it passed and he was convinced it was just a group of students walking by. There’d been no knock and no other sound from Annabel, so he continued with the plan. If there was no alert there were no diversions from the plan; that was the rule. Once he got a look at the frogs - alive, lucky for them - he picked a few (the most energetic few) and threw them in his box.

A moment later he was out the door, backpack zipped with the frogs safely inside. He just elbowed Annabel as he walked out the door, but didn’t look at her until they were a ways away from the crime scene. Once they were a few hallways away, however, he couldn’t help but smile. And once he was smiling there was no stopping it. He could’ve giggled, he was so happy - that would’ve been suspicious. With the sort of adrenalin that came from this sort of stuff, how could he not? He was pretty sure that this was his main purpose for living, this sort of feeling. By the time they got to a usually- and currently empty hallway he’d come up with a plan. ”So what about the cafeteria?”

tag; annabel words; 570 outfit; tada
thank you noa ?! of caution!

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[ANNABEL LYNNE DALE]

Annabel made a face. "Only thing I care about is computers." When it came to figuring out how they functioned, at any rate. She practically lived on her computer when she was at home and sometimes even when she wasn't. She had always enjoyed technology. Biology? Not so much. Too much blood and guts for her liking. She didn't clam up easily and she could handle gore in movies but there was a difference between watching someone stick their hand in a guy's guts and actually doing it. "True. Dead things, too. Bonus points." She had always been that kid that didn't give two shits if the squirrel that had become one with the road had rabies or not. If it was a subject of interest then you could be sure she'd go right up to it and give it a little nudge with the branch of a tree. "Probably. My sister's like that. I bet she keeps all the house spiders as pets or something." Nell was a little odd sometimes but it was the loveable sort of odd, the kind that warranted a small smile and maybe a laugh or two.

She raised her brows as he seemed to tune her out, a little put off by it. Excuse you. However, she was more interested in getting this prank pulled off than being snippy with him for not paying her any attention and so Annabel shrugged it off like it hadn't bothered her in the least. Besides, it wasn't like it was that important. He'd surely figure out what she meant if they actually ran into any of the nerds in question.

Left on her own for a moment as her partner in crime went to go gather capture the materials for their latest grand scheme, Annabel pulled out her phone and pretended to be messing with it as students and teachers alike slowly filtered past her through the hall. To a passer-by she probably looked like she was texting or playing a game but in reality she simply scrolled aimlessly through her contacts list while watching everyone out the corner of her eye. Restless, she kicked her foot lightly against the stone wall she was propped against until after what seemed like ages (but was probably only a minute or two) Fox returned from the room and nudged her with his elbow. She ignored him, staying with her phone and allowing him to walk a good bit ahead before starting after him. That way they didn't look like they were together and it would attract a lot less attention.

She caught up with him in a deserted hallway and exchanged a smirk, expression filled with excitement and muscles tense with adrenaline. She loved the rush she always got from breaking the rules. She used to always wonder why kids got such thrills from disobeying their parents but it was not until high school that she understood the euphoria of even silly rebellion such as this. It was the thrill of doing something wrong, something out of bounds. "Oh, but I thought you ordered the frog soup!" Her sly comment was more than enough to confirm to Fox that she was completely on board. "Should I distract one of them so that you can work your magic?" She wiggled her fingers at the word magic, chuckling. She was good at distractions.

[CHARLES FRANCIS DENBRIGHT]

-----------------------------are you thinking what i’m thinking?

Fox knew most people didn't quite "get" their addiction (there was no use denying it) to breaking the rules in such extravagant and complex ways, but he never completely understood why. You could get a rush of adrennalin better than riding a great roller coaster, amuse the general public, and ruin your enemie's day, all in one go. How could any one pass up that sort of opportunity? On the other hand, he could certainly understand their point of view when he was being pulled by the ear away from the scene of a not-so-successful "crime" by a teacher as his heart sunk into his stomache. That was usually the least enjoyable part of a prank gone wrong, so he always pushed it to the back of his mind whenever he was working on something new. Admittedly his "working on" usually only consisted of the short and sweet development of a rough idea for something to get a few laughs, and very rarely did he actually meticulously plan anything too elaborate. That was part of the fun; the spontaneity. And he got ideas from just about anything. Two girls giggling in the hallways? Idea. A club meeting announcement in the morning? Idea. A rumour about live frogs locked up in the bio lab? Well that was just begging for attention.

"D'you reckon we could get some friend frog legs of we slip on of them onto a Thunder's plate?" He said it as he led the way from their abandoned hallway towards the cafeteria. Shortly before they actually reached the cafeteria he slowed down and turned towards his partner in crime. "Okay, I'm going to find a good target. I'll signal when I've found them, then you go?" he was being intentionally vague because the student-to-hallway ration had increase significantly as they got closer to everyone's favourite room within the school.

Just outside the door he stopped for a moment, thinking it would be best to chose a student a ways away from the lunch line. He didn't expect the lunch ladies would give them too much trouble; they were very much the clichè 'don't give a shit' kind of lunch ladies you see in cheesy, over the top Disney movies. It was almost impossible to draw their attention, but it was better safe than sorry. "Here we go,"

As soon as the plan was set and everything was in order he stepped into the cafeteria. Right away he could smell the "meat"loaf, cardboard flavoured mashed potatoes and sickly sweet jell-o. He took his time leaning on the wall next to the door as he chose his pray. Once he was in position, taking a seat right across from a table full of sophomore Fire and Thunder girls he anticipated would be sufficiently squeaky once they discovered the frogs tucked away in their salads, he looked up from his half-open bag to give his partner in crime "the signal."

tag; annabel outfit; tada
thank you noa ?! of caution!

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[ANNABEL LYNNE DALE]

Annabel giggled with mirth at the idea of scaring a Thunder so badly that they shocked the subject of their fear. "Poor frogs won't know what hit 'em." There was a good chance that they might end up killing off their props for this prank but Belle wasn't too concerned. They were just frogs and besides, the biology kids would probably have got around to them eventually.

She paused when he slowed down, eyeing him with an expectant blue gaze. The Water dipped her head in a brief nod to show that she understood and was willing to cooperate with this plan. "Be careful." Her words of warning were accompanied by a friendly smirk that suggested she trusted Fox to get in there and pick their target without getting caught. It wasn't like they'd never done this before, after all. They were Waters, born for a life of petty but entertaining crime. "We'll split up once we get inside. Less suspicious that way." If anyone from their year recognised them as Waters and saw them milling about the mess hall together they were bound to catch on to the fact that something was about to go wrong. Waters had never made a secret of their prankster ways, after all.

There was a wide variety of food in the mess hall and most of it wasn't as bad as people initially thought. It was a year-round boarding school and so they had to keep the students well-fed and happy lest the parents complain. Annabel didn't eat breakfast or dinner in the hall thanks to the fact that she lived in a mansion with her brother and sister-in-law and could eat much better there but she often stayed for lunch. She wasn't a big fan of meat loaf, however, and so when she saw that it was one of the courses she wrinkled her nose. Pizza days were her favourite. She'd hazard a guess that they were everyone's favourite.

Catching the signal, she moved fluidly away from the table she'd been leaning against and strode toward the Thunders at a leisurely pace. Having grabbed a bottle of water from the table of refreshments, Belle uncapped it as she got close and manipulated a small spray of it to cascade over their targets. It wasn't much but it was enough to catch their attention, especially the Fires, who rose immediately with fierce glares. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said with false innocence, swaying on the spot with a sweet smile. "I tripped." The Thunders were standing too now, frustrated and ready to back one another up. "How's about I trip and wring your neck?" That was a Fire she recognised from her class. She's so pleasant. Annabel pressed her lips together to hold in a laugh. "Don't look so cocky, bitch. We've got the edge over you." That was one of their Thunder targets, sparks dancing across her hand as she spoke. Annabel blinked at them. "You'll get in trouble if you start a fight in the mess hall," she insisted, rolling her eyes. She scuffed her foot across the ground, her signal for Fox to do his thing while their attention was focused on her. "It was only a bit of water..."

[CHARLES FRANCIS DENBRIGHT]

-----------------------------are you thinking what i’m thinking?

Fox loved how they always sounded so much like secret agents whenever they were planning stuff out, with intentionally vague vocabulary and phrases like "split up once we get inside," which usually did better to make them sound more suspicious, as opposed to less so. This never concerned him, however, because in his mind they were practically untouchable. Earth and Water students were on their side, and therefore considered untrustworthy if they were ever to turn in a pair of their "own." Thunders were usually nonconfrontational enough not to get into anything over meets suspicions, and Fire students always had to think twice before getting into it wit any waters of a reasonably matched skill-set. That left them just Winds to worry about, but they were usually not much worry at all, seeing as they were newe organised enough as a whole to collectively get mad about anything. Fox wasn't about to go telling the world about it, but in his ees they were pretty well off in the school's hierarchy.

The water thought he maybe very well like their pranks in which Annabel played decoy best. Not only did she do a good job of getting their targets agitated pre-prank, but she managed to be pretty hilarious and perfectly rude as she was did so. It was a careful balance, one that most non-pranksters would never be able to appreciate in full. And that sickly sweet innocent thing she always did so well? He could never pull that off. Nobody could pull that off.

He couldn't appreciate her distraction skills for long, however, because only a few moments after "accidentally" spraying water across the goup of girls Annabel was scuffing her foot nonchalantly across the ground; the sign that it was time to go. As soon as he was given the O.K. Fox wasted no time in pulling the box from his bag and moving as indetectably as possible over to the back corner of the girls' table, abandoned when they all stood up to "deal with" Annabel. Without making a sound he opened the lid of the frog-box and pulled the first of three from his happy home in its container. With the frog in one hand he used the other to make a smal hole in the pile of lettuce leaves on the first girl's plate before dropping the frog - whom he thought looked very much like a Joe, Joe the Frog - into her salad. From there he moved on and quickly placed Martha and Jameson the Third into the other two salads at the table. Once his work was done he retreated back to the table he'd been sitting at before Annabel engaged the girls and packed up his things.

thank you noa ?! of caution!

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[ANNABEL LYNNE DALE]

Though she could see Fox creeping up behind the girls and over to their table from the corner of her eye, Annabel refused to look directly at him. If she broke eye contact with those she was meant to be distracting and made it clear that something else had caught her attention, they might look round and the whole ruse would be broken. A good prankster knew these things and also knew how to avoid such triggers. It was an effort to hold in a giggle as she saw him sneaking away back toward his own table but she managed for the sake of the prank.

"Ugh, you guys are such drama queens," she said, tossing her hair as she shook her head. She was playing it up on purpose. "I came here to eat lunch, not pick fights. I'm out." With that, she started to walk away. A couple of the girls (she assumed the Fires) called after her, trying to antagonize her back into the fight. Before anything else could happen, however, there was a loud shriek from the Thunder elemental who'd rolled her eyes and followed Annabel's example in going back to her food.

Belle turned around in time to see the other girl backing several steps away from her salad in disgust. "Frogs! Gro-oss!" One of the two Fires seemed equally grossed out while the third looked more irritated than panicked. She swung around on her heel and approached the Water girl, grabbing her by the collar before Annabel could find a path of escape between the tables that blocked her way. Shit. "You better not have had anything to do with this!" She called Annabel a name that her mother would have been ashamed of and Belle had to think fast in order to get herself out of the sticky situation. The Thunder girl was still freaking out over the frog ("It's moving! That thing is alive!) but the other Fire was coming up fast to help her friend.

"I was standing here the entire time, arguing with you idiots!" She probably shouldn't have called them idiots when they had the clear advantage over here, but what was done was done. "I can't help that you weren't paying enough attention to the rest of the damn mess hall!" Her opponent scowled at her and then let go, shoving her back a little before heading back to her table with a mutter of, "I can't eat this now. Ugh." Annabel wasted no time in getting away from them and out of the mess hall, grabbing a snack on the way out and waiting for Fox. She wasn't going to risk meeting up with him inside. Annoying as those girls were, they weren't completely thick. They'd realise what was up.

[CHARLES FRANCIS DENBRIGHT]

-----------------------------are you thinking what i’m thinking?

When trying to leave a so-far successful prank the number one mistake that people make is getting to excited about their recent success; a problem Fox struggles with even in regular life. That being said, one can imagine how difficult it was for him to walk back to his table a few meters from where he released the frogs without nearly exploding. Once he reached the table and turned away from Belle, still doing her thing, it became considerably easier to bear. The squeaks of "Frogs!" followed by countless variations of the word 'gross' were erupting from behind the Water as he tried to look focused on his food for a few moments more. He allowed himself a few curious glances towards the table, but no more than any other student might get before appearing to grow bored with the show and turning back to his table.

Once Fox decided he'd sat at his otherwise abandoned table again long enough not to look suspicious he got up casually and started making his way, slowly as he could manage without being too suspicious, back towards the trash and tray drop-off. Unfortunately he was passing just behind Belle as she called the group of girls who were now sufficiently mad at her idiots, and he couldn't help but cringe, stopping for just a moment to see if it was going to escalate to the point that he'd be needed as backup. Once the job was done it was usually best to stop insulting the target and get out as soon as possible. At least, that was the general concensus. But to each his - or her - own.

While Annabel hurried out of the room, Fox slowed, stopping to chat here and there - really playing the part of someone who had nothing to do with the frog salad situation that had just gone on across the cafeteria. He waved from a distance to an old lab partner while simultaneously exchanging pleasantries with a casual friend at a table he'd stopped at. He waited a while on Belle was out the door, maybe 45 seconds, before heading to the exit. When Fox finally got out the door Belle was there waiting, as he'd expected. "Okay." He darted off whispering, but there wasn't much use considering how abandoned the hallway had become. Once he glanced around and recognised the lack of risk he dropped the low voice. "That was a pretty good one."

thank you noa ?! of caution!

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