Nothing but a Glitch

[Vanellope]

[[September 5th, just as the last classes of the day are finishing. Closed to Vanellope, Taffyta (when she gets approved) and Angel. Taffyta, would you give me and Angel a couple of posts together before coming in, please?]]

Aaaaand that was it for the week.

If truth were to be told, the little glitch felt rather glad it was over. Her first week at school hadn't been awful, not by any means; but still, Vanellope wasn't used to being told where to go and what to do, and so the prospect of having the next two days to do whatever she wanted with struck the girl as a particularly appealing one. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a fellow circle member to hand out with over the weekend; someone like Angel, that small dog who, much to Vanellope's complete disbelief, hadn't even resented her for being a glitch.

Well, there were still the fights to go, but Vanellope didn't have any real intention of stopping by the arena to watch. She hadn't been called to participate today, she had been relieved to note, so the small girl didn't see that there was much to be gained by posponing the start of her weekend to watch Mortal Kombat in real life. No, she'd just head out into the grounds, find somewhere to hang out by herself and just kill some time.

Working her tie a little looser for comfort's sake as she pushed her way out of the classroom door, Vanellope darted across the bustling hallway and into a small alcove just down the corridor that she had noticed earlier. She would simply wait out the tide of bodies pouring past before heading out, the glitch decided. She was in no particular hurry, and being continually jostled by the crowd would have a high likelyhood of causing her to glitch; not at all an appaling prospect when there were so many people around to notice. Once the crowd had thinned, Vanellope figured, was when she'd follow on for herself.

[Angel]

Like Vanellope, Angel didn't really have any intention of going to see the fights. No one she knew was being forced to participate in them, except for that blond man who was in her history class, and the idea seemed about as brutish as watching some hapless stray wandering into Reggie's alley only for them to get mauled. She'd seen that happen before, too, and she never wanted to see it again. At least now she had some time to herself.

Reflecting on the past few days, Angel realized that it had been a rather strange experience. She'd never gone to school before, being a stray, and it was rather unusual. She did have to admit one thing, though. She'd gotten to meet a few individuals that she actually liked. That Patch was one of them, and the other... That girl who seemed so much like her; Vanellope. It was fortunate that neither of their names had ended up on the list for that day's fights, because Angel dreaded the idea of having to watch a kid like her get involved in fighting someone.

Angel made her way out of her classroom and into the mass of students leaving for wherever it was they were going. Being as small as she was, Angel could just weave between their legs and get by without a problem. As she began to do that, though, she caught sight of a familiar head of black, candy-speckled hair. ...Might as well try to make conversation. She did like the girl, after all.

"Vanellope? Do you make a habit of standing around hallways like this, or am I just lucky to find you?" Angel asked as she got closer.

[Vanellope]

"Oh, I just hang around wherever," Vanellope gave a casual shrug as she stepped back a pace to let the small dog join her. The fact that Angel had actually claimed to think herself lucky to find her there threw Vanellope a bit; since when did anyone count bumping into her as lucky? She was the glitch, the reject... it struck her as a little ridiculous that anyone would be happy to see her. But Angel sounded sincere, and Vanellope rather liked the small dog, so she wasn't going to question it.

"I was waiting out the crowd. No point gettin' shoved around in there when they'll all be gone in a minute anyway," she added. The answer was truthful enough; it just wasn't the whole truth. But Vanellope wasn't about to explain the full details. True, Angel had seen her glitch once and apparently not thought anything of it, but if the canine found out that it was a constant problem she had... well, Vanellope didn't want to go there. She knew Angel would have to find out sooner or later, but for now, the girl prefered to keep the truth to herself. This was the first real chance at a friendship that she'd ever had; she didn't want to blow it.

"Guess you just had a class too?" she enquired.

[Angel]

It was luck, at least in Angel's eyes, because she believed the little girl to be a good individual. She hadn't chased Angel away when they'd first encountered each other in the lunch room, and they were managing to keep the conversation going when they spoke with one another. By all accounts, the stray thought things were good between the pair of them. Topping it off was the fact that Angel didn't care about whatever it was that made Vanellope twitch the way she'd seen in the lunch room the day they'd met. Angel didn't know what it was, nor did she care to ask about it. It was probably a problem Vanellope didn't like having addressed anyway.

"It helps when you're small in situations like this. Then you can just weave around and through crowds," Angel observed. Not that she'd recommend that Vanellope tried it, since the girl was still a fair bit bigger than her and might get hurt, but it was still an observation. Hell, Angel herself knew it was dangerous. Given her own small stature, the little dog was liable to get stepped on or even kicked if she wasn't careful. She had plenty of practice on the streets, though, so she wasn't worried. The way she saw it, the worst that could happen was getting a paw stepped on or breaking a claw, or even getting punted for a moment. Angel didn't imagine she'd end up trampled, not when she'd been well versed in crossing streets without getting hit by cars.

"Anyway, you'd be right. I just got out of class myself. It's still kind of strange, isn't it? Animals going to class like this, I mean. It never would happen back where I'm from," Angel said. At least Vanellope was human. She'd probably gone to school before, or at least that was what Angel was assuming. She had no idea how wrong the assumption actually was.

"You going to see those fights that are supposed to be happening?"

[Vanellope]

"Wouldn't know. Schools aren't really a thing that exist where I'm from." That would probably sound pretty odd, but Vanellope wasn't sure how to get it making much more sense than that. She doubted Angel would understand if she tried to explain that she came from a video game; or that, unlike real world kids, she and the other racers were game constructs who had been programmed with most of their knowledge in the first place. To someone who had been a true living being all their life, that would make very little sense at all. She doubted it would even sound believable; and so if Angel was to ask, Vanellope would just be sort of dismissive about the whole matter.

She shook her head as Angel asked about attending the fights. "Nah. What's the point in watchin' the real life version of Street Fighter they got going on here? I'd rather just hang out and enjoy classes being over." Actually, the thought of watching her fellow students batter each other senseless as if it was some sort of entertainment struck Vanellope as an entirely unappealing thing to do, but the glitched girl decided that she would just remain casual about the whole thing for now.

She was really missing her hoodie's pockets; three times she had almost gone to stuff her hands into them, only to remember that her uniform didn't have any. Vanellope couldn't help but wonder how much trouble she'd get into if she wore the hoodie over her uniform next week. Probably more than it was really worth.

"If you're not either... we could hang out?" she suggested, sounding just a little too nonchalant. She wasn't used to knowing anyone who would even consider spending time with her; but bizarrely, Angel actually seemed to like her company, and Vanellope wanted to explore that a bit more.

(ooc: Angel, would you say Taffyta can come in whenever she's ready now? ^^)

[Angel]

(ooc: Yep! Whenever you're ready, Taffyta, you can come in. ^^)

'Street Fighter'? Well, whatever that was, Angel would go along with the girl's statement. She was along the same line of thinking, anyway. Having to witness the other students being mauled by each other wasn't her idea of fun. It had been gruesome enough witnessing Reggie tear apart some hapless dog who'd wandered into his alley, and Angel hadn't even willingly played witness to it. That was Buster's idea of fun; not hers. In the end, Angel shook her head.

"I'd rather not watch the others get mauled out there. If it's all the same to you, I'd much rather be hanging out with you anyway," Angel said. Strange though it might have sounded, and foolish though it might have been for her to put trust in a human after swearing off getting adopted, Angel liked Vanellope. There was nothing wrong with her as far as she could see, and the two might as well spend time with one another. After all, they were in the same circle. If they didn't get along it would have been much stranger, but it seemed they were rather alike. Besides... Although Angel hated to admit it to herself, she was starting to grow fond of this human. Maybe she really was different from the others.

"We could head back to the dorms, or do you want to go somewhere else?"

[Deleted]

The classes had been unproductive. And to be frank, kind of boring. Tafftya had been hoping for something more fun, racing had been her name of the game. But none of the teachers here had classes like that. The schedule she had, was pretty basic, except for one known as Con Art class. She at least wished she had some of the other sugar rush racers to do something with. Even Candlehead, and that was saying something. Her blue eyes narrowed in malice and a smirk appeared on her face as she noticed a familiar candy haired girl.

Sticking her schedule back in her pocket, she straightened her tie, it wasn't comfortable and wasn't pink unlike most of her wardrobe, so that was very annoying but she looked the part. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that this school didn't have a No Glitch policy." she said as she walked up and looked at the girl's outfit. Her house wasn't that special but from what she saw, her circle members were much better than Vanellope's.

[Vanellope]

Again, the fact that Angel actually responded positively to the idea of spending more time with her still surprised Vanellope. She really wasn't used to anyone even thinking highly enough to want her company at all, let alone enjoying it as well. Still, she tried to keep a casual face. There was no reason to spilling the whole sob-story of her life onto the little dog. "I was thinking we could..."

She stopped abruptly and winced, a shudder of blue code gripping her body for a moment, as another voice from behind her cut in - one that was addressing her in a much more familiar tone. After not seeing any for the five days she'd been here, Vanellope had almost forgotten that there was a good chance of running into any of the racers from back home here; now, she was being forceibly reminded. Swallowing nervously, already certain that this wasn't going to end well, Vanellope turned to face Taffyta. The blonde girl was clad in an air circle uniform, tie worn more neatly than Vanellope's own; at least they weren't in the same circle, the glitched girl supposed, though that was a minor consolation.

"I'm not a glitch, Taffyta. I told you, it's just Pixlexia," she replied, shuffling her feet awkwardly as another tremor ran through her. Vanellope wasn't optimistic to imagine that Taffyta would buy that excuse for one second, but she wasn't going to admit that the other girl was right about her. She twisted the end of her tie between her hands, wishing that the other racer would just go away; for all the good that ever did her.

[Deleted]

Tafftya rolled her eyes at the same excuse that had been used many times in Sugar Rush. "Uh-huh." she said with as little enthusiam as possible. She glanced at the tie in Vanellope's hands, though the blonde knew that there was a chance that they wouldn't fight at any point, part of the racer hoped that she would be able to beat the glitch into place. "Look, I know you like using that excuse around us, but we all know the truth, you are a glitch and that's all you'll ever be."

She pulled out a lollipop and stuck it in her mouth. "Weather its in Sugar Rush or here in these halls. It's what you will always be."

[Vanellope]

Vanellope seemed to shrink back as Taffyta spoke, her gaze darting from the other girl, down to her own feet, then back again. She had noticed Taffyta's earlier glance at her tie, but had no idea if that was significant or not; the blonde racer might just have been noting what circle Vanellope was in, or she might have had something more malicious in mind. The glitched girl had no way of knowing, and another tremor of code, this one born of nervousness, caressed her frame. She hadn't a clue how Taffyta intended to go about picking on her this time, only that it was definitely going to happen. She might have run, except that she was - literally - backed into a corner here. She was as good as at the other girl's mercy.

"Look, I'm not hurtin' anyone, can't you just leave me alone for once?" she pleaded, knowing even as she did that it was a lost cause. Taffyta never backed down once she had got it into her head to put 'the glitch' into her place; why would this time be any different? Vanellope had completely forgotten Angel's presence by this point; it never even occured to her that the small dog might take exception to the way Taffyta was going to treat her. No-one else ever had, at any rate.

[Angel]

Glitch?

Blue eyes darted from Taffyta to Vanellope and back again as the conversation went on before her. Evidently, the blonde girl knew Vanellope from wherever it was the black-haired girl had come from. Her presence also apparently made Vanellope quite uncomfortable, because Angel could see the girl's body shimmering and rippling blue all over again. This caused Angel to tilt her head to the side in confusion. What even was that and why did it happen to Vanellope? For that matter, what was a glitch? It didn't sound like a good thing the way Taffyta said it, but Vanellope was trying to deny that much.

Whatever it was, and whatever the blonde thought, Angel knew her own stance. Stupid though it may have been, Angel couldn't just let the one human friend she had so far suffer the wrath of someone who could have been equated to a smaller, less violent version of Reggie. A low growl rippled in Angel's throat as she stepped in front of Vanellope to protect her. The fur beneath her uniform rose along her back and her ears fell back against her skull.

"Leave her alone," Angel growled. Buster and the other junkyard dogs would have been shocked to see her defending a human, and they probably would have shunned her for the rest of eternity, but the little stray didn't care. Her allegiances no longer lay with the junkyard dogs. As long as she wore the school's uniform and the colors of the earth circle, she had a place to belong that wasn't an absolute dump. She had a human companion to protect, and as a dog she was going to live up to the reputation as man's (or girl's, in this case) best friend.

You may live to regret this, but it'll be worth it, she decided.

[Deleted]

Tafftya was about to respond to Vanellope's cries when the dog besides her spoke up. The blonde looked down at the dog in disgust and then back at Vanellope. "Well, this is an interesting pair, a glitch and her dog." she smirked, lollipop still in mouth. "Guess freaks attracted other freaks." The blonde decided to ignore the dog who was starting to get protective of Vanellope and returned her attention to the raven haired girl. "You may have gotten into this school but don't start thinking that things will be any different than they were back home."

Her blue eyes narrowed for a moment. "As for you." she turned to the dog. "I don't have to do anything, less around be ordered around by a mutt like you."

[Vanellope]

Vanellope would never in a million years have expected anyone to stand up for her; so when Angel abruptly did just that, the girl was left momentarily speechless. Even if Angel had stuck around before, Vanellope had expected that the small dog would abandon her upon learning that she really was just a glitch. But much to the dark-haired girl's amazement, Angel was still here, standing resolutely between her and Taffyta.

Why would anyone do that... for her?

Keeping a wary eye on Taffyta, who she was sure was going to resort to using something more than words to get at her sooner than later, Vanellope crouched to one knee besides Angel, in gratitude rubbing the fur at the nape of the canine's neck, just above her shirt collar. She didn't understand why Angel was doing this, but right now, she wasn't going to question it; not right here and now. But it was proof enough that Taffyta was wrong; this was already plenty different from the way things were back in Sugar Rush.

"Don't call her a freak!" she hurled back at the other girl, little thinking about how badly that would be taken. Angel was the first defender she had ever had, and Vanellope wasn't about to let Taffyta just insult her like that.

[Angel]

'Freak'? What, because of the way her ears were? Or was there some other reason Taffyta had suddenly deemed Angel a freak? Whatever the reasoning, Angel wasn't about to back down. She continued to growl low in warning should Taffyta think to get closer to them, when suddenly she felt Vanellope rubbing the nape of her neck. No one had touched her in that particular spot for what must have been an eternity, and it did feel strangely nice to have Vanellope do so. For a moment, her tail betrayed her and the fluffy appendage gave a wag to confirm she liked the feeling. It wasn't long before she snapped herself back to the present situation and allowed the two girls' comments to sink in. Vanellope, too, was standing up for her. That much was something Angel appreciated more than anything. As for Taffyta's statement...

"I may not have a fancy pedigree, but I'm at least comfortable enough in my own four paws to not bring people down just because they're different," Angel said. Her ears rose back up slightly and a frown etched itself on her face. Who did this Taffyta girl think she was, anyway? What she was doing was no better than strays making fun of house pets. Did she honestly think she was better than Vanellope just because she didn't happen to have those admittedly strange moments where her body would give in to some strange tremors and spasms like Vanellope's did?

"What exactly is it that makes us freaks in your eyes? If you're bold enough to call us such, you should at least be big enough to say why."

[Deleted]

Oh. So the dog had a mouth on her. The blonde shook her head before flicking her lollipop away and crossing her arms. "You don't know her the way I do Dog." Her eyes narrowed darkly. "She is a glitch, which is something that is not allowed in any game where we come from. They are like viruses, she is something that shouldn't even exist." The blonde smirked. "And by hanging out with her, you are bound to be the same freak she is."

She shook her head. "I don't know how you got here Glitch, but i am not hesitant to take you down in a fight."