THE RELIEVING SHRILL OF THE bell signals to Hu Tao that her last class is finally over. She sighs in relief and stretches, turning her head to survey her fellow classmates. Xingqiu, Chongyun, and Xiangling meet each other's eyes at the same time, and immediately begin discussing their soon-to-be plans for the evening.
"Where are we meeting again?" Xiangling looks between the two blue-haired boys.
"We will be investigating the abandoned Wuwang hospital," Chongyun begins, cracking his knuckles and straightening in his chair. The group sighs, knowing that a long lecture about demonic entities is coming next. "Wuwang district is practically abandoned now, with many of the buildings having been neglected by their last owners and now remaining untouched."
"So, do you need us to bring salt, candles, incense, and a Ouijia board, ghostbuster boy?" Hu Tao laughs.
"Hey!" he snaps, "The work of an exorcist is no joke."
"I think you mean, 'wannabe exorcist'."
"Say it again," He clenches his fists, "I'm actually gonna kick your-"
"Hu Tao," Xingqiu interrupts, "don't you frequent that part of town? I'm sure you know the place like the back of your hand."
The boy has developed an impressive habit of cutting off Hu Tao and Chongyun's... aggressive comments towards one another. Personally, he doesn't care one way or another whether someone speaks with crudeness, but when the pair are at each other's throats, he usually feels obligated to separate them (sometimes physically).
"That I do, Xingqiu. Oh look, I'm a poet and I already know it."
"For the last time," Chongyun rubs his temples, "kindly shut your mouth."
Xingqiu smiles, secretly stifling a laugh, "Then we won't have to worry about getting lost if you're our guide."
"What a relief!" Xiangling exclaims. "I'd hate to get shot by some gang member-- or worse! Get tetanus from a rusty nail..."
Everyone shoots her a very skeptical glance.
"Xiangling, I don't think that's worse..."
"Whatever!" she happily leaps up from the table and grabs her bag. "Let's get out of here before we're locked in overnight."
Xiao counts the cracked tiles lining the streets of Wuwang district. His ambers study every indent and every stain, the ghost town surrounding him only being another helpless distraction from the thoughts eating up his mind. Not a single street light is even dimly lighting the area, since the electricity had been cut off from the place long ago, leaving everything in darkness.
