Dresden: restart

The boy nodded and he and the principal ran for the back door.

Raphael followed, glancing back at Gregory, "Well, come on, then!" He called back.

Once out the back door Johnny fell to the ground crying.
"Why does this keep happening to me! I just want to be normal!"

Raphael emerged from the door just to hear Johnny's wail. He wanted to retort in some fashion, but was too busy coughing the smoke out of his lungs to think of anything.

The principal awkwardly patted Johnny on the shoulder saying, "if you had agreed to listen to Gregory and learn control this wouldn't be an issue..."

Gregory moved forward to the boy, "I can only begin helping you if you let me."

Overhearing the conversation, Raphael decided to interject. "Hey... hold on, guys." He said between coughs, "Give the kid a break... He's got enough on his plate right now without being chewed out."

Johnny threw himself at Raphael's feet and asked, "can you make it stop?? Can you make me normal?"

Finally getting his breath back, Raphael stood upright. "I'm really sorry kid," he said, still breathing heavily, "but I don't know what's going on any more than you do. Less, probably. But you're okay now." He offered his hand to Johnny.

Roz had taken the opportunity to wander around the school while the teacher's attention was engaged by a student panicking about the laptop he had left inside. Aside from the smoke, nothing seemed unusual until a group poured out of a side door, most of whom definitely weren't students. A smile played over Roz's lips as she leaned against a nearby wall.

I do like to make an entrance... she thought, pushing back the nagging feeling that it was probably something she'd inherited from her mother. Besides, otherwise I'll never know what's going on.

"Hey, you lot," Roz drawled, "Where's the fire?"

Raphael turned to see who had spoken. When confronted with the sight of Roz, his eyebrows lifted noticeably. "Hello there." He said to her, "Can I help you?"

Amelia had followed Roz around the building, as she was the first almost friend she had made at the school. Hearing Raphael, she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. The principal glared at the two of them and said, "Shouldn't the two of you be on the lawn with the rest of the school?"

Johnny looked up at Roz and said, "I'm on fire!" then quietly to himself, "but you're hot!"
He tried to pull himself together and pretend he hadn't been sobbing uncontrollably just a few moments before.

Roz rolled her eyes.

"Here I was, thinking the group of people running into the burning school was the most noticeable thing about the day. Apparently I was wrong and the big event was this shirt shrinking in the wash."

All hail that glorious washing machine Raphael thought to himself. "Why don't you go with this priest?" He suggested to Johnny, turning back to the boy. "He seems to know more about what's going on than anyone else here."

"I don't want to know what's going on," Johnny cried out, "I just want it to stop!"

Gregory straightened his outfit, shooting a surprised glance at Roz before addressing Raphael and then Johnny in a calm, even tone. "Minister, actually. Johnny I want you to focus."

Gregory shut his eyes, Opening them a moment later. He Looked Johnny over, avoiding glancing around beyond the boy, letting his Sight guide his words. "Johnny, the fire is a part of you, you control it. It is a manifestation of your will. You must will the fire to stop."

"Man of the cloth." Raphael shrugged, turning to face Roz and Amelia, "You know these guys?" he asked, gesturing towards Gregory, Johnny, and the principal.

Amelia shook her head and said, "It's my first day...I don't really know anyone...except her...Do you go here?"

Roz raised her eyebrows at Amelia.

"Not unless he's failed a couple grades. He's got to be mid twenties." To Raphael she said, "I know who they are. I don't know what the minister's doing in a burning school, and Johnny being able to burn down a school is news to me. Why are you here?"

Raphael shifted to stand rather more rigidly. "You go here?" He asked Roz, his voice half an octave higher than he had intended. "You don't look like a high-schooler. As for me, I'm just drifting through."

Hector, having learned about the fire while researching the school, debated whether he should take a look around. Knowledge is always useful, but is it worth the risk? Curiosity dualed the paranoia in his mind, but eventually the pride kicked in and it ended in a land slide victory in favor of his hunt for information. I suppose I could check things out while I drop off a few supply caches nearby

Roz rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I go here. Not all of us make a habit of hanging around high schools in their spare time."

Raphael cocked his eyebrow, "That's a harsh accusation. For what it's worth, neither do I. I came here because of the fire. That made it stand out a bit from other high schools I've walked past."

Amelia sighed and said to herself, "and here I was hoping for a quiet first day..."

Raphael looked at the scene around him, thinking it might be time to leave, "Well, now that everyone's safe, I think I'll just... go... Glad you got out of that burning building." He said to Johnny as he turned away.