Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

[BlueSlime]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

Lauren's cheeks were rosy and she looked down bashfully as the other girl chimed exuberantly with delight. The kiss between them had had an inexplicable magic to it, and both young women had felt it, like the tumblers of a lock clicking into place as the perfect key opens it up. The peachy-haired professor lifted her eyes to meet Stephanie's gaze as their fingers intertwined. As the new professor's joy shone like the sun before her, Lauren simply smiled and watched her silently, no longer overwhelmed by her counterpart's energy but simply enjoying it.

"I'd say it sounds like a plan, Stephie. And can I just say for the record that I have no idea how any of this just happened, but I'm so glad that it did." She brought her own arm up to wrap it around Stephanie's waist. "Just handle me with care okay... this is... sort've a first for me. Um, with the whole girl thing."

She blushed again, and then nudged them both towards the apartment's exit. The two girls locked the apartment back up and were about to exit the dormitory when a student stopped by, her dark hair done up in a high ponytail with a big white scrunchie. She wore a black and white, horizontal striped cardigan that slid off her shoulder and a pair of jeggings that showed off her shapely legs. She seemed to recognize Lauren at once.

"Professor Hart so nice to see you ag-" she stopped her sentence jarringly as she noticed the way Lauren was holding on so intimately with Stephanie. With a slight arch of her brow, she continued. "Ah, again... So, um, hi. I don't think we've met." She extended her hand to Stephanie. "I'm Natalia, the Head Resident in this dorm. Also one of Professor Hart's anthro students."

"Oh, Natalia. This is Stephanie Carmichael, our newest visiting Professor of Archeology. She'll be the new adjunct for you gals in Dorothy Upman Hall. Stephanie, this is Natalia Islington, one of my brightest students, and she'll no doubt be joining you and I on next semester's expedition."

"Nice to meet you, Professor Carmichael... So, they're putting you up in this apartment huh? I've gotta say I'm surprised they opened this place up so soon, considering last year's --"

"Ahhh, Natalia, we're sort've in a rush," Lauren said, perhaps a bit too hastily. It seemed to Stephanie that her new friend was trying to cut the student off. "Professor Carmichael and I have a very urgent meeting we have to get to, so I'm sure you'll be able to talk to her later once she's settled in."

"Oh... okay." Natalia said, stepping aside for them as Lauren guided Stephanie down the hall. "See you later I guess."

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

Stephanie straightened up in Lauren's arm and looked serious.

"Don't worry ma'am, you'll be safe with me." Stephanie deadpanned before grinning widely. "Haven't ya heard? Girl care is the best care!" The little blonde winked as she squeezed Lauren with her arm, deciding not to tell the professor that it was her first time with a girl too!

Stephanie stopped abruptly too when they came across the sexy head resident. Her eyes darted to to Natalia's thighs for the briefest of moments before forcing them up again to smile curiously at her. Ay chihuahua! She's hot! Stephanie exclaimed in her mind as she looked back and forth between Lauren and Natalia during their greeting.

Professor Carmichael shook Natalia's hand and smiled politely.

"Oh the head resident eh? It's nice to meet you Natalia. We should get together sometime to chat. I'll have lots of questions about the student life here in the dorm! Lunch on me sometime?"

Stephanie looked confused when Lauren cut off Natalia, but she still smiled sweetly as Lauren escorted her away. Stephanie looked over her shoulder and waved before turning back to Lauren. What was that about? Stephanie wondered to herself but then shrugged and decided not to bring it up with Lauren. She had a lot to learn about Miskatonic University!

"She seemed nice. I can't wait to meet all the students here. I've heard such good things about them." Stephanie paused for a second and then chimed in with a smile, "That was pretty cute by the way. Urgent milkshake meeting indeed!"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

"Lunch on you? Sold!" Natalia said enthusiastically, a trace of a dulled down British accent coming out in her speech. "Starving college students will leap at that opportunity."

The good looking HR wandered off down the hallway leaving the two professors alone again. Lauren was pursing her lips in thought as she watched the girl leave, but quickly turned her expression into a more positive one for Stephanie.

"Mmhmm, Natalia's bright and friendly. But she's got a lot of cheek in her. Don't buy that starving student routine, her father owns his own airplane company out of England and her mother is a district attorney in Chicago. Since their divorce, both parents vie for her love by showering cash on her. If anything she should be treating you. Still, for a girl with potentially everything, she doesn't flaunt it. She's a good girl. But, I don't want her cutting into valuable milkshake time."

Lauren smiled and then took Stephanie outside and down the short walkway to the nearest street, where they then walked a block and a half, until then ended up in a university-town string of stores - a private bookseller, several cheap, comfort food restaurants, a music store, a curio shop, general goods establishment, and a big name grocery chain - and last but not least, Hood's Ice Cream Shop, where the two girls sat down on a bench with a big chocolate shake with two straws between them.

As they slurped at the creamy shake, doing so simultaneously at times with their noses only a few inches from each other, Lauren seemed to be struggling with finding something to say so at last she came out and explained her abruptness from before.

"I guess you must be curious about what Natalia was saying before I cut her off. I don't want to hide anything from you, but you and I were having such a... a good time moving in that I didn't want to upset things by telling you something that might bother you. But... you're going to find out anyway and it's my job to tell you so... um, drat, I'm rambling. Gah!" She put her hands palm down against the table as if bracing herself. "Okay, so the apartment you're in is really good, so good that it's not usually let out to a visiting professor... but the last occupant died early this summer, during the last class' graduation. And no other professor wanted to move into the place because of it."

Lauren clasped her hands together and looked panicked about how Steph might react. "It's because the old occupant, Professor Tabetha Snow, was found dead, hanging in her bedroom. They said it was suicide."

The peach haired girl raised an eyebrow and dared a glance at Stephanie to see how she was taking this new information.

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

Slurping up the milkshake with Lauren, Stephanie couldn't help but beam brightly. It was like a real date. For realzies. She could definitely get used to this EGG game. The little blonde got so caught up in the moment and all the warm fuzzy feelings flowing through her that she sucked up the milkshake a little too much. Stephanie squeaked softly and jerked back holding her forehead with her fingers.

"Ooo! Brain freeze!" Stephanie giggled and grinned back at Lauren sheepishly.

Swept up in her happy reverie, Stephanie didn't notice Lauren's strange behavior until the peachy haired professor spoke up cautiously. The blonde smiled curiously back at her as she started her explanation. By the time Lauren braced herself on the table, Stephanie was fidgeting a finger through the braids in her long blonde hair nervously, smile starting to waver.

"Lauren... What is it? You're making me nervous hon..."

After hearing the big news, Stephanie stayed silent for a long moment as she collected her thoughts. Well that's freaky... She thought to herself but reminded herself it was just a game and that nothing was actually real. Stephanie smiled sweetly and placed her hand over Lauren's on the table to reassure her.

"Relax honey... I mean that's sad and everything but it's just a room." Stephanie smiled wider, maybe even a bit wider than the situation called for. "And a fabulous room at that. What do people think it's haunted or something? What did I tell you about ghosts? They aren't real silly!"

Stephanie shook her head and sighed with a smile. Although if nervous ticks mean anything, the little blonde was still fiddling with the braids in her long silky hair.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

Lauren's anxious expression seemed to lessen a bit as Stephanie took the news much better than she had expected, or even hoped. Nervously a smile flickered across her lips and her shoulders relaxed.

"Mm... I guess you're right. I mean, yeah some people - not me - but other people, like the students. They're starting all these rumors of it being haunted but I'm not scared. And you're not scared. So I guess it's no big deal. Just as long as you're good with it. You are, right?"

The professor's unsure tones still seemed to be seeking one last sign of assurance.

Whether or not Stephanie gave it to her, Lauren seemed to not notice Stephanie's own nervous tick of tugging at her silky braid. The peachy haired girl finished her bit of the milkshake and pushed the rest towards Stephanie to finish off. "Drink up, then after this we can take our mind off of ghosts and go see that --"

"Lauren! What a pleasant surprise!" A man's voice called out, and the two girls turned and looked up as a tall man in a well-tailored three-piece suit, carrying a stylized walking cane in one hand and a vanilla ice cream cone in his other strode over to stop in front of them, his head managing to eclipse the sun, so as to cast a shadow directly on Stephanie, giving her a better look at his face, even though the sun's rays were still bothersome. He was a clean shaven man who perhaps was in his 50s, but looking extremely well, having aged the way some men frustratingly do - looking even more handsome as the grow older. He had a kindly smile, and very intelligent, knowing eyes.

"Mr. Blackwood, ah, how very unexpected..." Lauren seemed to speak with a slight strain. "How are you?"

"I'm very well, and thank you for asking my dear. Ah, but please, do introduce me to your young friend here. A student of yours? Or perhaps not. No no... let me guess, I think I've seen your face before somewhere young lady. Now let me think, let me think..." Mr. Blackwood idly took a nibble of his cone before it could begin to drip and melt in the late August sun. "Ah hah! Yes of course. I've seen your picture in your published works. You can only be the young adventurer, Miss Stephanie Carmichael! Hah hah, have I guessed it?"

Lauren sighed and put a cheek in her hand. "Mr. Blackwood is a prominent man of the town and a chief patron of the university's many expeditions. He's also got a great memory." She smiled weakly.

"Weeelllll not to toot my own horn, but I've devoted a lot of time to improving my memory through the latest mneumonic assistance techniques, some of which were developed right here at Miskatonic University. But, really enough about me. Miss Carmichael it's a pleasure to meet you. When Ernie McTavish mentioned he was getting a new visiting professor to his department I just had to know who it was. Ernie and I go way back and he knows what an interest I have in ancient civilizations. I'm something of a collector, and one of these days soon, I know I'm gonna twist his arm hard enough to let me accompany him on one of these expeditions. I try to distance myself appropriately, but it's hard - my word is it hard to not want to join in on my own funded journeys. Ah, but your work in the Incan tombs my dear, most fascinating - most fascinating indeed. We simply must set aside some time for you to visit me and my colleagues at the lodge. Just a little club I run in town here for the academic and business elite of this marvelous little city. Please do say you'll accept an invitation?"

Mr. Blackwood took another lick of his cone, and it was here that Stephanie noticed the glint of sunlight off of a large silver ring on his right ring finger. It looked like it had runic markings on it, ones that she was not familiar with, even being a professor of archeology.

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

Stephanie kept smiling widely, too widely and almost apologetically as Lauren tried to reassure her. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to bother her new friend.

"No worries honey. It's just silly superstition... not that I would turn away protective cuddles when offered!"

The little blonde added with a giggle. She was just taking a last sip of the milkshake with a contented sigh when the mystery man appeared. Nothing soothed the nerves like chocolate ice cream. Stephanie squinted up at his big imposing figure and aging, handsome face. Who is this guy supposed to be? George Clooney? she mused to herself with a little smile, curiously watching him interact with Lauren. She shifted a little uncomfortably in her chair as his attention moved to her but managed to beam in response to his revelation.

"Oh wow, you know Ernest McTavish? And..and... You've read my work? That's really cool! I'd be honored.... I mean what professor doesn't like to talk about her work to people who appreciate it? Hehe."

Just then Stephanie's gaze shifted to the runic markings on Mr. Blackwood's ring. She thought back to the strange vision she had earlier with the hooded homeless man and shivered. Something just didn't seem right about this guy... Anyone who looks like George Clooney just has to be suspicious.

"But... well I'm still getting my feet under me here at the university and in town. Getting settled and everything, ya know? It's a little overwhelming. So maybe if you wouldn't mind waiting until I get into a more normal routine?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

Mr. Blackwood's face curled into a gregarious grin, his non-cane hand rising into the air in a display of good-natured acceptance as his clear, naturally projecting voice barked a generous laugh.

"Of course, my dear!" Blackwood said. "Naturally a young lady of your talents needs her space and time to get more fully acquainted with her surroundings! No no, don't think for a moment that I am pressuring you. Consider it an open invitation to stop by any Friday or Tuesday night. Those are the club's gatherings where non-members can stop by and see what's up. But I do recommend you take me up on the offer. You can meet a lot of good people through our lodge. The sort of folks who can make your time in Arkham a lot smoother, more enjoyable and pleasant, and perhaps more importantly, a bunch of eccentric, rich men like myself who might sponsor one of your expeditions some fine day. Money is a necessity in your business, sadly, but I can put you in touch with people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer, Miss Carmichael."

"I'm sure, she'll consider your invitation carefully, Mr. Blackwood," Lauren said, her lips a little drawn back. as though she were forcibly maintaining her smile.

Blackwood's expression dimmed at this, but not so much that he did not still seem happy.

"Well, good. Good. Ah, and Lauren my dear. Edward does send his regards. I don't want to interfere in things that aren't my business, but just in observing his manner these past weeks, I think it would be clear that he does miss you, and whatever it was that may have occurred between the two of you, I'm certain he's sorry. I'm just afraid that he's inherited some of his father's stubborn pride, not being able to say it. I do... I do hope you will not be a stranger to us."

Lauren set her shoulders and shook her head steadily before finally glance upwards to meet Blackwood's eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Blackwood, but if your son has something to say to me, I'm sure he can do it himself."

Blackwood frowned a little at this, his expression turning sour for a brief moment before he gave a slight nod to Stephanie. "Professor Carmichael, it's been a pleasure. I'll leave you two to your own devices. Until we meet again, which I hope shall be soon." The man about town gave a short wave and then strolled off, his cane ticking along the sidewalk as he walked down the road, humming in the sunlight.

The milkshake was drained swiftly after that, and Lauren's mood quickly brightened again when it was just her and Stephanie. "Come on, I'll show you what you've been dying to see. I can't deny I've wanted to sneak into the museum's vault, but until you showed up I haven't had the courage to truly consider it."

Lauren grasped Stephanie's hand and gave it a squeeze as she stood up and guided the blonde girl back towards the campus. Ten minutes later, they had arrived at the museum, which stood on the edge of Miskatonic University, closest to the city proper. A large statue of Triton, the mythical god of the sea, half man, half fish, holding a mighty trident, was placed at the museum's entrance, as though he were its guardian. Rather than go through the front doors however, Lauren took Stephanie towards the back of the building, near where the loading bays for trailers were. A nondescript, eggshell colored door was next to the loading bay, and beside the door handle was a digital lock with a keypad display. Lauren slid an ID card she had on her keychain through a slot and then punched in a code, opening the door with a click and a buzz.

"After you, cutey." Lauren said, with some excitement in her voice. She looked around conspiratorially, as if on the lookout for security. This only had the effect of making her look more suspicious than necessary. It was cute, in a naive sort of way.

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Stephanie's Story (Ranger Princess)

A whole club full of eccentric, rich men? Is that supposed to be a perk? YIKES! Stephanie thought to herself while smiling at Mr. Blackwood. She found herself nodding as the man of the town kept talking. He sure liked to talk, maybe even more than Stephanie. Yeesh. When he'd finished, Stephanie took a little notepad from her purse, jotting down Meeting with Mr. Clooney - Tues/Fri - Club. She paused for a moment then scribbled beneath it Find something to wear! Professor Carmichael smiled cutely when she was finished and winked.

"Tuesday or Friday at the club. Gotcha. That shouldn't be too hard for someone with an amazing social life like me! Don't worry Mr. Blackwood, I'm sure I'll find time to stop by sometime soon."

What really caught Stephanie's attention though was when Mr. Blackwood mentioned Edward. Not just any Edward either but Edward Blackwood of course! The plot thickens. Stephanie pondered Lauren's relationship with Edward, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into. She arched a blonde eyebrow as she listened to the exchange between the two curiously and stealthily glanced toward Lauren's ring finger to see if she was married or engaged. Stephanie smiled and waved, though, when Mr. Blackwood made his goodbyes.

Stephanie was considering just how to broach the Edward topic. A long term relationship gone sour or just a bump in the road? Something else? Luckily for Lauren, she brought up one of the few things that could have gotten Professor Carmichael to change her tune (perhaps on purpose?) The museum! Stephanie's big blue eyes went wide full of wonder, smiling widely like a kitten being offered milk.

"Really?!" Stephanie squeaked out excitedly before looking around embarrassedly and hushing her voice to a whisper. "I mean you can get us in? I thought you said it was dangerous." Regardless, the excitable blonde wasn't going to argue with so many interesting possibilities awaiting her. Stephanie let Lauren guide her along, bounding after her to catch up so she could walk alongside her new friend.

When they reached the museum and walked along the side of the building like they owned the place, Stephanie muffled a little giggle with her hand. She was imagining a lobster singing "Under the Sea" at the base of the Triton statue, of course. Stephanie straightened up after that, smiling at Lauren reassuringly. They had to be professional after all, and professionals didn't giggle at merman statues. Then again, professionals don't have as much fun as Stephanie either. After Lauren opened the door with her ID card, Stephanie snuck inside, trying not to make any noises or attract attention. She looked around curiously, wondering what would await her in this mysterious Arkham Museum just outside Miskatonic University.