Adrian's eyes widened, a look of surprise appeared on Adrian's face when she told him who had done this to her. "He did this to her? Omnitrace?! Of all people I didn't think he was capable of this. But why? Why would he do all this? Why would he come here? Just to beat up Lydia? No. Lydia said he seemed surprised to see her. If he wasn't expecting Lydia, that means he was expecting someone else, and since he waited in this house... Benjamin.

Lydia began walking toward the kitchen and Adrian ran after her. "Lydia, stop and listen," he said as he leaned against the counter. "This is about more than revenge. What if he does this to you again? Or Dillon? What if no one is here to stop him? Or worse. What if..." Adrian stopped to look at the bruises lined across her neck. He noticed the pattern and recognized it as the bottom of a shoe. His stomach flipped at the thought and an overwhelming anger began to form within him just at the thought of it and his voice turned into a whisper. "What if he does it to Alexis? I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to her, knowing that a sicko is out there, and I could've ran my sword through him to prevent it. Besides, aren't you even the slightest bit curious why he was here? After all, you said it yourself, he was surprised to see you. So if he wasn't expecting you, then he was laying in wait for the person he knew would be here. The owner of this extremely expensive mansion. Benjamin."

“He left as soon as Dillon arrived. Might have been that suit of armor, or it might have been the fact that he didn’t want a battle right then. He's done this," she gestured at her neck, pointedly. "And other things to me more times than I can count, Adrian. The cards were just set up terrifyingly in his favor that last time. I'm too strong to let him do whatever he wants. He can imitate my power, but I'll always have my strength. The most he can do is match it and then we're stuck in gridlock, usually. I get a little damage, and then he gets bored. This time, I was weak. I over trained, weightlifting cars that were right, exactly, at my calculated weight limit... so I didn't have my strength, and I wasn't quite as durable as normal. He took advantage of this to use my own powers against me. He's always been after me, ever since grade school. It may not have helped when we entered high school...” Lydia couldn’t help but smirk a bit. “But, as I told him later, if you plan on seducing someone’s friends, maybe you should try to actually get it in.” She grabbed some yogurt out of the fridge, a spoon out of the drawer and jumped on the counter, crossing her legs, peeling the top back. “It’s me he wants, not Alexis or Dillon. I honestly don’t think he’d do it to anyone else… but that might be my egotism talking. He did tell me he was here to see Benjamin, now that you remind me. So… you're saying we need to protect Benjamin.” She looked over at him. “Is that right?”

Adrian shook his head, "I don't give a damn about Benjamin. But this springs another question, why does Thomas need to talk to Benjamin? Benjamin went so far as to lie to me about what happened. Why? You remember how he invited us to his house, with open arms, right out of the blue. There's something going on here. I want to know what."

"Regardless Thomas is going to be a problem. If he so much as looks at her wrong..."

"Yes, I remember how Benjamin invited us here, out of the blue, with open arms. Letting us have whatever we wanted and do whatever we wanted," Lydia answered. "It might seem weird, but I don't think his intentions are malicious... You can prod and dig at the world around you, but I'm pretty content. Strangely enough, I'm not seeing Benjamin as some devious mastermind plotting something... But I agree, Thomas does deserve to get his ass kicked. But don't kill him. I don't want to be fighting alongside Titan if I don't have to." She finished her yogurt and tossed it across the kitchen into the trash. "That'll mess things up for everyone..."

She paused a moment, sliding off the counter. "In the parking lot... I was trying to get you to fight with me." She tossed the spoon in the sink. "It worked, but it wasn't the kind of fight I was looking for. I didn't want to ask you nicely to fight with me, so I tried to provoke you into fighting with me." I almost need a new enemy so I don't piss off my nemesis.

"You... just wanted to fight me? Well, that's better than thinking you're a bipolar, crazy bitch. Well, maybe the "bitch" part is still there," he said sarcastically with a smirk. "It's probably good that you want to fight me. We do need some training with other supers before the big match comes. How long will it take you to fully recover?"

"Maybe she's right. Benjamin doesn't seem the type to plot something. Then again, it's practically a prerequisite that a villain is capable of creating dastardly plots," he thought facetiously. "I wouldn't put it past him though. He may be the lowest ranked junior, but that's only because of his fighting abilities. Who knows what he's capable of."

"Adrian," Lydia said, accusingly. "I'm always a bitch. I'm surprised you ever thought any less of me. What good thing could I have ever done to make you think that wasn't so?" She leaned against the counter. "I should be there tomorrow if I stop picking fights, get lots of rest, stretch my arms and legs, and eat a big dinner..." She stretched her arms, reaching them over her head. "Who are you wanting to train with? I'd like another chance to kick Mythos' ass... But I'll have to really piss him off to get him to fight me. It looked like he was more interested in fucking than fighting."

Adrian chuckled,"I don't know. Maybe it's the moment you and I shared. For a moment I actually... liked you. Crazy, right," he said, joking. "I have quite a few people I can train with, but it's not like they have much of a choice. I've also been meaning to see what Dillon can do in case I can use her later on in the matches. That reminds me, she and I have to have a discussion about lying."

Adrian looked over to Lydia. "Lydia, don't ask my minion to lie for you again. Otherwise, things might get unpleasant."

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Adrian, this was a girl matter. I'm sure Dillon didn't want to tell you I was sexually assaulted anymore than I did. It's not a comfortable thing, nor was it actually your business. A secret between girls, about private matters like sexual assault, is not really a secret. No one will tell you the truth all the time. If you get angry with her for keeping a promise to me that she wouldn't tell you I was sexually assaulted, I will be downright cross with you... But don't worry. I'll promise not to ask her to lie for me anymore." She stuck her hands in her pockets, heading out of the kitchen. "It's a dangerous thing, isn't it? Liking people?" she headed to her room, feeling annoyed with Adrian for making a big deal out of the small lie.

Adrian shook his head disapprovingly at Lydia as she left. "She's not capturing the whole picture. This goes beyond her little moment with Omnitrace that I've seen countless times before."

Just then Dillon walked in from outside. "Oh," she said, mildly startled by Adrian's presence. "I didn't see you there." Her metallic gauntlets clanked against the floor as she walked past him.

"I know what really happened."

Dillon stopped walking and turned to face Adrian. "How?"

"Lydia told me the truth. My nemesis. The person I'm suppose to be one hundred percent against opened herself up to me, unlike you. My very own minion."

Dillon crossed her arms. "Is that what I am? Because lately I've felt like the minion to an ungrateful, insensitive asshole. Well, I suppose minion fits, actually.

"So, what? Is that what this is about? Getting back at me? Right now you're a fuckin' hypocrite. You preach trust and openness, but then you lie, straight to my face, about what happened."

"Because you can't seem to listen to me! We're on the same side here, but it seems like you treat me as your number one enemy! As if you can trust me!"

"Geez, I wonder why," he replied sarcastically.

"When I've done nothing but tried to be your friend. I'm sick of it. Hell, it seems like you even treat Lydia better than me."

"That doesn't excuse lying to me."

"Is there anything that you care about more than yourself and what happens to you? Maybe it wasn't any of your business Adrian! A girl could've been raped and the only thing you seem to care about is my fucking lie!

"What the fuck is up with you and Lydia?! Can neither of you see that there's something bigger going on here?! Something bigger than a rape-y Omnitrace? Something I'm trying to get to the bottom of? Here, let me spell it out for you. This morning, someone broke into the mansion we've been mysteriously invited to stay at, and turns out V-Vaid, Vad, whatever the fuck her name is, went into Willow's bedroom to delete a picture. Then, when I arrive home, someone broke into our mansion again, but this time to see Benjamin. Then Benjamin lies to me about who did it and why. Does that not seem just a little bit suspicious? You lying about it, in such a critical moment, certainly isn't helping."

Josh was sitting on the couch, his knees to his chest, vines wrapped all around his body like a tight cocoon. Lydia spotted him and startled. “J-Josh! Are you asleep?” She walked over and pushed him, lightly.
“I’m awake… just thinking…” Josh murmured. “The vines help me think. Sorry. I’ll go to my room.” The vines receded and Josh got to his feet.
“Okay, good. I didn’t want to kick your ass again.” Lydia crossed her arms.
“Yeah, my jaw still hurts.” Josh headed towards his room, pausing. “Lydia, I’m sorry about Thomas. I should have come back with you.”
“Oh shut up. What would you have done?” Lydia said, crossly. “He’d have killed you. It’s better you weren’t here. You didn’t get hurt. He would have tore you apart. Do you remember the last time you tried to stick up for me?”
“I dislocated my shoulder…” Josh muttered, rubbing his upper arm. “... and sprained my wrist.”
“Right. That’s why you’re a sidekick.” Lydia looked at him.
“Lydia, you have no idea why I’m a sidekick. Stop pretending you understand or want to understand me.” Josh replied.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the life of a sidekick was so complicated,” Lydia said, sounding snarky.
“It is, actually. Whenever you quit being a hero to work for a bitch, it is kind of complicated.” Josh retorted.
“Maybe you should have stayed a hero,” Lydia frowned.
“... maybe I should have.” With those words, Josh left the room, leaving Lydia frowning after him.
Getting the last word, huh? Asshole. Lydia went to her room for real this time, closing the door behind her.

"I-I," Dillon stammered as she attempted to grasp the information Adrian was hurling at her. "What're you saying?"

"I'm saying that Benjamin has a hidden agenda. Something he means to hide."

"And how do you know this?"

Adrian sighed. "I asked a servant what happened and she told me the truth regarding Thomas. Then Benjamin asked what happened as well and a servant told him. I then asked him what happened and he said that... This one girl did it. Ugh. I can't remember her damn name now. Fuck."

"'This one girl did it'?" she repeated and Adrian nodded his head. "I'm done with this."

"Don't you remember?! Willow said it himself! Her names was... fuckin' shit, what was it? He told you! Willow told you himself you had a discussion over it!"

"No, no, we fucking didn't," Dillon shook her head. "Okay, as you figure out the name of this imaginary girl, I'm going to get some sleep. Enjoy your paranoia."

"Dammit. What's happening? I must seem crazy." Adrian allowed her to walk away, before going outside for himself. "Arcesso gladio," he said, and a sword appeared in his right hand. He kneeled down to the ground, pressed the point of the broadsword to it, and began engraving a small sigil into the tile flooring. It took him awhile, but a small, almost unnoticeable sigil could be seen engraved in the floor. He then proceeded to draw another one directly in front of the door to the pool. Completing it, he walked over to the front door and engraved another one in front of it. He then began looking for any other possible points of entry in the mansion. He found the front and back doors of the mansion and engraved the same sigil in front of the doors. "There. Those should notify me, even when I'm asleep, if someone walks over them."

Adrian proceeded to walk back into the mansion. "How should I proceed with this? Should I confront him now?" Adrian rubbed his eyes, "No, I'm too tired. I'll have to do it later. Will he tell the truth? Maybe not, though it'd be nice." Adrian walked up the steps to his room, took off his shirt, and flopped down on the bed. "This bed feels better than I remember," he thought as his eyes slowly closed.

Benjamin's Mansion, Morning

Adrian's eyes fluttered open and he sat up, rubbing his eyes, and glancing about his room. His covers and sheets were ruffled about the bed, and he found himself in a completely different position than the one he fell asleep in. He stretched before standing up and looking out the window. "Finally. The last day of exams."

Lydia woke up the next morning, tangled in her sheets, yawning as she stretched. She reached over to the nightstand, grabbing her phone and checking the time. Good it’s still early. She slid out of bed, walking over to her vanity and checking her throat. Yup, still bruised. Yup, still hurts like a bitch. She got up and got dressed, before sitting down at her vanity, picking up her concealer, taking great pains to cover up the bruise. She continued working until the bruise wasn’t noticeable anymore, looking over herself in the mirror. She gathered her hair up and slipped a hat on. I feel pretty good. 90%. Maybe 88%. Good enough. She left her room and headed to the kitchen.

Josh woke up slowly, and groggily. He opened his eyes to see his vines covering the walls of his room, thickly, covering every square inch and object in the room. He yawned, the vines beginning to recede back to him, staring off at the far wall. Well, no nightmares. That’s good. Josh entered his private bathroom and took a shower, exiting the bathroom, pulling his clothes on. He headed into the kitchen to see Lydia eating a parfait the servants had made and he rolled his eyes, reaching for the box of cereal. “Morning, Lydia.”

“Josh, attend the superhero games for me today. I don’t feel like going.” Lydia answered.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not your bitch. Ask someone else.” Josh replied, pouring the cereal in a bowl.

Lydia raised a brow at him but shrugged. “... nice comeback. I approve... I’ll go ahead and go.”

“Good.” Josh carried his bowl of cereal into the living room to eat in front of the TV.

Adrian descended the stairs, clad in a black muscle shirt and black loose fit jeans after having taken a shower. He smoothed his short hair over as he walked into the kitchen, past Lydia and Josh, and over to the pool entrance, and checked the sigil he engraved into the tile floor, it remained there, unadulterated. "Good. If someone were to tamper with this, like adding the tiniest of lines, it would fail, but apparently it hasn't been altered. So someone hasn't been through here. Now I need to check the others.

Just then Benjamin descended the stairs and waltzed right into the kitchen. "Hear, hear!" he said. "Tonight I'll be having a little soirée again. I hope all of you will be able to attend."

"I won't be," said Adrian.

"Why's that?"

"Because I have training to do," Adrian said as he walked past Benjamin to check on the other sigils.

Benjamin sighed at this, "Well, what about you?" he asked Lydia. "Surely you have some time to have some fun."

“Mm. I do need to be training, but I think the party is the perfect occasion to really piss someone off,” Lydia paused,. “... I do have a certain someone to get revenge on….” Not that I could yet. He’d still wreck me at 80%. Rapid regeneration? Super strength and durability? What other powers has he learned that I don’t know about... “I might stop in. See if there’s anyone there that I really fucking hate.” She ate the last bite of her parfait, setting the dish next to her, leaning forward on her hands.

“Don’t you hate everyone?” Josh ventured, casually, from the couch.

“Don’t give away my secrets, Willow.” Lydia answered, thinking to herself. “Maybe I’ll run into someone at the games today that I can just lay out.”

“Be careful and have fun,” Josh responded, not really caring.

“... Sorry, Benjamin. I don’t think I’ll be there long. And at the very least, I’ll be there, just causing trouble. Partying isn’t much fun when you can’t consume enough alcohol to make anything happen, and you don’t engage in random hookups. Or have friends.”

Adrian looked down at the sigil he made at the front door, and it too was untouched. "So, no one has been through here during the night. Oh shit," Adrian thought, realizing something. "With the party tonight the sigil will constantly notify me with everyone going in and out. That'll certainly give me a headache. I'll have to disable it.

"Arcesso gladio," he said, and a sword appeared in his hand. He then bent down and added a small line to the sigil. "Now time for the other one, he thought as he made his way to the back door. He checked it, and like the others, it was untouched. "So no one has been here while we slept. I suppose that's good, but I'd like to find out what the hell is going on here." He rubbed his temples, attempting to remember when recent events that got him to this spot, but something was missing from his memory. "Benjamin lied about Thomas being here, and said it was... dammit! I can't even remember how he lied. Regardless, I'll have to confront him about this. Dillon and Lydia know the truth."

Adrian then proceeded to make his way through the kitchen, passing Benjamin, Lydia, and Josh, and to the pool entrance, modifying the sigil.

Benjamin raised an eyebrow at Lydia's words. "Oh? Someone you hate? If you mean Thomas I apologize for his behavior yesterday. I owe him some money, and expects me, especially me, to pay up. Quite a bit of money, actually..."

Lydia stiffened a bit at his comment, immediately filled with rage. Words came out of her mouth before she could even think twice. “Okay. Woah. First thing. Don’t EVER apologize for Thomas. I’ve known that bastard since third grade, and what he did yesterday had nothing to do with you in any way. I’ve discovered anyone who does or is willing to apologize for him is not someone I like or want to be around… At all. Because that means they’re his friends, and I don’t trust Thomas and I don’t trust his friends. Don’t apologize for him. He knows what he was doing.”

She drummed her fingers on the countertop, annoyed. Ugh, that left a pissed off taste in my mouth. Are they friends or something?

“You owe him money? That’s funny. I’d sure like to know what the hell he’s doing to get all that money. The last time I hung out with him, he was living in a one bedroom apartment with his dad, counting change to buy groceries. I’m not sure if I’m just missing some big piece of the puzzle like he won the lottery or pulled off some heist or is amazing at gambling… or if you’re lying. I don’t care if you are. Everyone lies. Just don’t expect me to like you if you’re sticking up or lying for him.”

"Whoa there, calm down," he said as he raised his hand defensively. "I'm just trying to be polite since I feel it's partially my fault this happened," he said as he looked down, ashamed. "After all, if I had just paid my dues, because I obviously can," he said, beholding his mansion's furnishings. "Thomas wouldn't have been here, and in turn he wouldn't have had the opportunity to hurt my guest. But you're right. I shouldn't apologize for him. So, instead, I'll apologize for my own fuck up: I'm sorry, Steelia."

Adrian walked back into the kitchen to catch Benjamin's explanation and apology. He quirked an eyebrow at this, "He actually seems... genuine." He looked over at Lydia, ready to gauge her response.

Lydia frowned to herself, leaning forward, crossing one leg over the other, looking a bit cross. He seems like he means it, well enough... "I assumed since you were apologizing on his behalf that you were a friend of his..." she paused, studying Benjamin. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did... I accept your apology." she pursed her lips. "Thomas has always done what he wanted, when he wanted... If he knew I was here, he probably would have been here before. You didn't do anything wrong... I'm quite sure you're innocent in all this." She glanced at Adrian, before looking back at Benjamin. "I may have overreacted. Yesterday was a bit..." she paused. "troubling."

Adrian crossed his arms, still skeptical of Benjamin's story, and rolled his eyes at Lydia's subtle reference. "'Innocent in all this,'" he rolled around in his head. "I doubt it. I'll still keep an eye on him and this mansion."

"Don't worry about it. And thanks," Benjamin said with a smile.

"Lydia," said Adrian. "Are you going to see the matches?" Adrian motioned his head toward the door, indicating to follow him. If she followed, and moved close to him, he'd issue another magical spell by saying, "Lanuae Magicae: Quinque" and in a flash they'd both be teleported by a green light enveloping them. They'd arrive in the exact same spot within the school hallway.

Lydia slid off the counter, getting to her feet. “Yeah, I’m going. Unfortunately,” she walked over to him, sticking her hands in her pockets. She startled when he teleported them and it caused her to stiffen in annoyance. “Adrian! Warn someone when you’re going to teleport them,” she scowled, annoyed. “I get that you have all these fancy powers that you get to throw around willy-nilly…” she crossed her arms. “Geez… but since it’s just us… I don’t believe he’s malicious, I still don’t… but he’s definitely lying. I don’t believe his story even for a moment.”