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Vespera Spindel

As the spectre turned to get a look at her, Vespera tried to do likewise to no avail. The strangers face was also concealed in their cowl. She had never heard anyone speak like it before, but she wasn’t satisfied with it’s response. In all likelihood I could have told you that. There were only a handful of people at the academy she had a smidge of respect for, and she whoever this was wasn’t one of them. “Sure you are… except one thing. I’ve smelt you before.” The first time she remembered doing so was a few years into her stay. At the time she was too nervous to investigate further. It’d come up up every now and again, but she generally didn’t try to track it’s source. She assumed that however it was would eventually slip up and unveil the mystery, but it never happened. Until now that is.

“I’ll find out one way or another, there’s only so many people you could be.” By a process of elimination her suspect would have to a long attending student that still hadn't displayed their power. The figures height was inconvenient though. No doubt a transformational power, which gave her no physical insight as to who was under the mask. Vespera moved on to the next thing she wanted to know. “Are you at least able to tell me what brings you up here? It’s always just been me and my lonesome.” She had enough of the rain, so she created a makeshift umbrella for herself. As soon as she’d done so the stranger moved so fast Vespera was unable to sense where she had gone. There was always it’s scent trail, but in the rain it was going to be washed away too quickly to be of use in tracking it.

Vespera clamped her jaw in frustration. Next time they met there would be a reckoning. She'd wrap her quarry up and unmask it by force if need be.

Poppy Flanagan

Kristen and her walk on the beach was cut short by the weather. Still it didn’t get the older girl down, and the same went for Poppy. So long as they were together. It was too early to retire quite yet, so she settled on the lounge. As soon as she got out of range of her pheromones she wasn’t so sure anymore. Still the rain was enough motivation to get under the overhang. There she sat outside, her hand shakily resting on the nob. As the emotions from earlier came rolling back it only got worse. It was cold outside and she wanted to go in, but she was afraid of what might happen. On the same token the last thing she wanted was somebody to see her glued to the door handle. The result was that she froze and started getting worked up. Only when the first tear rolled down her face did she stop to get a grip. Wiping it from her cheek she forced herself through the entry with her eyes half shut. She zeroed in the the nearest sofa and pulled herself onto it’s soft leather folds. Only then did she take a nervous once over of the room and it’s inhabitants before locking her gaze on the floor before her.

Sylvia Bertoose, Gabriela, & Jake Valos, & Karlie Davis.
(Written in collaboration with True Night)

---

After that vigorous wanking session had concluded, their business with Ms. Aislin was over and they left as a group. Honestly, after that talk they literally had no reason to stick around, they left quickly. Then they found themselves with absolutely nothing to do. Since, all they could think of doing was either moan about Jaska's condition, or rage about how big of an asshole Abe is. Neither subject is good for moral boosting, so they just moved on, hoping to catch up. Jake swore he saw that pretty little thing Aislin dart out of her room. For reasons he didn't know. She should be sitting the hell down, but she's old enough to make her own decisions, nor should they even weigh down on her choices. Not when one of them nearly sent her down to the morgu-

"Ooooooooooh!" Sylvia loudly screamed, which was honestly quite startling - Since it came out of no where. Apparently the silver-haired girl spotted a familiar face. Going off her jumping up and down like a little kid, waving her hand in the air, and overall spastic body language. "Karlie!" Which confirmed their suspicions. She grabbed onto Jake's wrist, "C'mon, this is the gal I told you about! Go meet her!" It was better than walking around this hospital doing nothing. So there was no reason for Jake and Gabe not to go along.

Jake was literally dragged along, while Gabe followed - Who honestly could care less about this girl, but whatever. Sylvia was doing wonders for introducing the two, "Karlie, what the hell are you doing in the hospital, girl?" She looked down at her, and saw that she wasn't wearing a robe or anything. That meant she wasn't a patient, right? "Whatever, you should meet these two. See? I wasn't dicking around when I said I had "rich siblings."" Sylvia followed that statement up with some laughing.

"Jake Valos. Nice to meet you." Jake quickly introduced himself.

"Ya', ya', ya'.... Hey." Gabe crossed her arms behind her head and her sole eye was in every direction but Karlie's.

Karlie still hadn't managed the courage to say anything to Henry, even after a guy came and burned his wounds away? Was see seeing things? Nope. A quick peek was enough to see that Godzilla was back in talking and eating condition. Eventually Seth left and it really was about time she spoke up. After standing there for so long she felt even more awkward about it. Then right as she was about to do it she found another excuse to push it off. She'd recognize that voice from anywhere. "Oh hey!" Karlie wasn't immediately her chipper self, but that couldn't last long with her friend Sylvia here. "I sorta got bitch slapped by a big ass wave that came out of nowhere... Next thing I know I woke up here." Already she was loosening up on her verbal filter. In her mind they were just words anyways. They only meant what you made them.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn, gal." Sylvia started off, quite overdramatically. She didn't know of the circumstances where you'd get your ass kicked by a tidal wave (Unless you piss off the moon!) but it seemed pretty intense. Though, God wouldn't allow something so ugly to happen to her. She'd bitchslap the tidal wave. "Sounds like you got fucked up, but that's over with, right?"

Both Gabe and Jake awkwardly exchanged glances.

"I sure hope so..." She said brushing it off. Truth be told she still didn't even know what happened. So she couldn't be sure it wouldn't happen again.

Any mention of siblings, let alone rich ones, had been totally forgoten. Still she'd play it off cool. If their outfits were any indication she'd certainly say they were. "No joke." Karlie said with a grin. "It's nice to meet the both of you!" She pulled down the hood on her lizard costume like it was a normal thing to be wearing. Unless asked she wasn't going to say anything about her getup. The girls missing eye caught her attention, and she was oblivious to her blatant disinterest in being here. So she went right on to asking her name ignoring all the signs.

"And who might you be?" Karlie prompted rubbing the mits of her outfit together in anticipation. She turned to and fro as she did so swinging her reptile tail about.

"Gabriela," Gabe started off, giving Karlie a narrow glare. She didn't care for this girl, nor her weird fursuit get-up. For a moment, she wondered if Karlie was the sex crazed maniac Sylvia talked about. She smirked deviously. "Don't ya' forget it." She replied.

"Anyways, girl, our day has been...." Sylvia started off, her gaze bouncing between Gabe and Jake, that same smile on her face. What was the best way to describe their day...? Her day was fucking awesome. Every day was. Their day? Absolute dogshit! Which is why Sylvia's here. To brighten their days with her mere presence. "Total shit. We're lookin' to have some fuuuuuuuuuuuun, girl, got any ideas?"

Karlie wasn't planning on forgetting anyone's name if she could help it, though she didn't respond to say such. The moment Sylvia asked for her input on what to do her brain went in to overdrive. "Um, well, hmmm..." Common, think. She was supposed to be spontaneous and she wasn't doing a very good job. Actually she did know what she wanted to do, just how to say it. It was raining so it was a good time to chill out and pass a pipe. Not that she needed an excuse. Except she didn't know where Jake and Gabriela stood, or where they'd go. She'd say her room if it wasn't for Dana. There were fun things to do like videogames and karaoke. Not guarantees they'd take to that either, plus they had only just met. In the end she decided to make a subtle pass at it and go from there. What did she have to lose? She didn't even know these people a few minutes ago and the worse they'd say is no.

"I don't got much, but I got something." She held her hand to her face mock hitting a jay with a devious smile. "Other than that we could hit up the lounge or cafe. The latter sounded like a particularly good idea for if and when she indulged her herbal desire.

Both Gabe and Jake shrugged. Lounge was out of the question. That Abe bastard might be there. They'd rather avoid the lounge, for like, a very long time. Cafe? On the other hand they'd get behind that. Jake ran his hand through his ruined hair, "I kinda caused a bit of a stir at the lounge, so we can cross that off... Hahaha....." He smirked at Karlie. He pointed at Karlie, with a friendly smile on his face, "The cafe on the other hand sounds like a great idea."

"Whatevs," Gabe said, "I ain't nuthin' betta to do..."

"Sounds like a deal!" Sylvia said, putting up two fingers, "Lead the way, oh lovely Ms. Davis!"

---

Deborah Lillian Termellio, & Poppy Flanagan.
(Written in collaboration with True Night)

---

While her little chat with Nicholas was uplifting and all, Deborah had things to do. The lounge! She wanted to study social dynamics, and who lies exactly where on the pyramid. She idly stepped into the lounge and gave it one look. Everyone was doing the usual; either playing some mind-numbing video game, or talking. No group in particular caught her all-seeing eye. Well, in a group, she normally just kept her mouth shut and watched. Right now she'd rather talk to someone who was alone. Which was easy... There were the loners who came in here who - surprisingly enough! - really wanted someone to talk to. However, talking to weirdos was not in her plans today. She planned on doing the usual. Review everyone and see what her power reveals about them... Deborah caught some red-haired girl, who was very short (At least several heads below herself, though she towered over most girls to begin with), younger, and seemed to be... moping (She is in a emotionally fragile state). Deborah smiled stupidly as she regressed a bit into her first year here - This little girl had reminded her of Shannon!

No one else was here, and little Poppy had caught Deborah's eye for a variety of reasons. So it was only natural that she talked to her. She walked over to the couch that Poppy was sitting on, and stood over her for a few seconds. "Little girl," Deborah started off, her tone was amused, "What's so interesting about that floor?" She laughed. This was all just a tactic to break the ice. The worst way to go about playing therapist to strangers was to be up front. "Hello there." Deborah said, planting her behind on the sofa. "Your name?"

Normally starting off with 'little girl' wouldn't score any points with Poppy, however she was so lost in her own thoughts she didn't even notice Deborah approach. "Oh, hello..." She trailed off unsure about what to say about her choice of observation. Not that she was actually interested in the floor of course. It was just a convenient spot to look where she wouldn't accidentally meet anyone's gaze. So much for that. This African American woman had take an interest in her anyways. It was sorta weird taking to her behind the sofa, but she was going to do her best. "I'm Poppy Flanagan, nice to meet you." It was tempting to get up to talk except it would be too sudden. So she craned her neck hoping that she'd notice and move. In fact there were other places to sit.

"You can sit down if you like..." Poppy still didn't know her name, but it seemed logical that she reciprocate. She'd press the issue if that turned out not to be the case. There was an awkward moment while she waited to see what she would say. Her focus on the situation at hand superseded the 'what ifs' racing through her mind. Which wasn't necessarily a good thing, since her nightmares would come back to haunt her until they were dispeled or became reality.

Deborah accepted Poppy's invitation, and kept that preppy, friendly (This child is shy), aura around her at all times. Because that comes natural to Deborah, and it's a good way for the child to open up to her. Poppy's a pretty funny name. "... That's a pretty cute name, though, I don't think it'll fit you when you get older." Deborah said, flashing her younger friend a disarming smile. "I'm Deborah Termellio, nice to meet you too." That was getting formalities out of the way. She would have described a bit more about herself, but a name was enough. Time to get down to business! "I noticed you seem rather... glum, so I came over to give you some company, you know."

Poppy's eye's widened and she swallowed as Deborah took a seat. As if she was half expecting her to decline. The comment about her name disarmed her a little. It was something she got all the time, however it was the last thing she was expecting right now. Not that she knew what she was expecting. "Thanks... I get that a lot." She managed to blurt in response. Deborah seemed friendly enough, but she wasn't to the point of returning any smiles yet. Just as she had took her away from her troubles she brought Poppy full circle, back to the events earlier. For a moment she froze up. "That's nice of you... If you want to help though you should go away..." Her voice was shaking and a tear slipped from her eye. The only way she could make sure not to hurt anyone was to push them away. Even if they noticed her and were nice.

Hmph. Interesting. Interesting... Seems whatever this girl was going through (She is attempting to push you away for your "safety") was interesting to Deborah. Definitely something she could probe into. This girl was full of all sorts of juicy details that all need a little tap for Deborah to get insight on them. All while playing the "empath" angle. "... And how exactly would that help you?" Deborah asked her, with a smirk on her face. "Little girl, I didn't come over here just to leave a second later. I came over here to be your friend, got it?"

Popy wasn't sure how to respond, and ultimately she didn't have to. Minus being called 'little girl' again Deborah said exactly what she wanted to hear deep down. That somebody was going to be her friend no matter what. Well maybe not that far, the fact that she didn't leave like she asked her to was a start. She wiped her face and nodded the consent she was unable bring herself to give verbally. "But why, why me? You don't even know me..." Nobody does...

Why? Why is such a good question. For Deborah she's always looking for the why in things. Why did you do that? Why you were there? Why are you pushing forward? The list goes on... But the why's here were obvious: Deborah was kind and helpful towards everyone, and she wants to know about Poppy and why she was in a slump. She didn't know which one took piority, nor did she consider it. "You're right, I don't..." She started off, she casually crossed her legs. It may have sounded blunt, but she was going somewhere with this. "... But I'd like to." She paused for a second to let her words sink into little Poppy.

It seemed there was no talking Deborah away, and Poppy no longer had the desire to. She coulden't help but crack a smile. The first genuine of the day. Not to necessarily say that Kristen coulden't have gotten her to without her power. "Okay." She replied much more composed than before. For lack of something better to say she inquired. "So what would you know?" They were going to have to know a lot more about each other if they were going to be friends. Without waiting for a responce she interjected. "How long have you been here? It's my first year." As if Deborah of all people couldn't tell.

What does Deborah want to know? A lot. The real question was how much Poppy was going to share. Most likely not too much, even with her 'nice girl' routine. That would have to come later. People don't drop their life one conversation, after all. "Me? This is my fifth year here... I'm quite well known around campus." She answered Poppy's question with a smile. As much as she'd like to talk about herself, she'd rather learn about others. It's only polite. "As for you..." She started off, but in a way that would remind Poppy that she is the topic here. "There's many things to learn about a person. Who are they, where did they come from, and most importantly why..." She trailed off, her all observant eye scanned the room really fast. "But that's a lot for one conversation, don't you think? So how about we just start with the basics?" She paused for a second for Poppy to think of something, she knew that the little redhead would.

"... Where did you come from? What do you like? What people did you meet here? How was your life?" These were some pretty simple questions about one's character that Deborah really didn't get the chance to ask. Surprising as it may sound, she rarely asks these questions directly.

Whoa, Poppy wasn't expecting so many questions at once. Thankfully they weren't anything too hard to answer. "I moved to states from Ireland when I was little. Too little to remember. I used to like to play dolls and stuff with the servants, but I don't really know anymore..." Ever since the faithful incident that brought her here she had a hard time enjoying herself. Now she didn't even know if she'd go back to her old activities given the chance. "Well, Theresa is my roommate. She introduced me to Dana. Oh, and there's Red." He was nice to her for the time they interacted and saved her from being alone the day prior. "I didn't even know meta-humans existed prior to finding out I was one. My parents kept it from me... So to answer your question not very good..." That was all she had to say on the matter, it was surprising that she even said that much. She wouldn't have disclosed at all if she didn't harbor some venom for her mother and father. They deserved to be punished for denying her the right to see the world as it was. Of course that was what got her enrolled in the first place.

Poppy answered all of Deborah's questions quite nicely (She is telling the truth). This made her smile a bit as she mentally decoded all of Poppy's responses (She likely comes from a wealthy background). Room-mates with Theresa, met Red, and Dana. Funnily enough, Deborah knows all of them. "Funny, Poppy, I know them." She said with a giggle in her voice. She just wanted to add that she knows them, she should have a conversation with them soon enough. Though, what Poppy said about her parents intrigued her (Poppy resents her family for shielding her from the truth). There was venom in her voice... It gave it all away. She would have pried for more, but even with her curiosity, it wouldn't serve her purposes to push Poppy too far.

"Don't you worry," Deborah started off, "You wouldn't have gotten here if it wasn't for them, so think of that as a good thing." She most likely shouldn't have said that, but she meant it as a good thing. "This was very informative, little girl, but I figure I should return the favor. Anything you want to know about me?" She asked.

Aislin could feel the footsteps closing in on her, catching up at an alarming rate. The very earth trembled under his feet. She couldn't run any faster. Her mind was exhausted; this whole extended consciousness thing drained her severely. It was a losing battle, Luis was seconds behind her. She was going to die, for real this time. 

At least the last monster felt bad about eating her. 

This man... This murderous dog, he would feel no remorse. It would only be by incredible luck that anyone would discover her body sliced open in the caves weeks after. It sounded like a pitiful way to die, not at all as exciting as she wanted. She couldn't begin to fend off this monster. Hell, any monster. And it would be her undoing. 

I'm dead... And no one will know. She thought somberly, the devil's breath on her neck. 

BOOM! A deafening shot exploded throughout the caverns, sound waves ricochetting off the walls. Aislin tumbled over her own feet, landing in a heap on the path. A high-pitched whine reverberated in her ears, blocking out the whimpers she failed to hear escape her lips. She frantically searched the darkness behind her, looking just as another shot violated her eardrums. For an instant the cave lit up, and she beheld a masked figure standing over the devil's collapsed body. Flicks of blood splashed on Aislin as the last shot went through his head. 

Then, it was quiet. Deathly so. Aislin shivered on the ground, waiting for a third bullet to take her out. But it didn't come, the softest of footfalls disappearing into the depths of the caves. She was alone with a corpse that had been moments from killing her. Was it luck? Divine intervention? Who was it that saved her this time? 

Aislin slowly rose to her feet, using the wall as support. The air stank of copper and iron, twisting her stomach. Nausea built up in her throat, and she pressed a hand to her mouth. Her curiosity was beyond satisfied, all she wanted was to leave. Screw the blue lady, her adventure almost got her killed. 

"Aislin!" The air stirred beside her, speaking in a warped tone. "What... What happened...?"

Ailsin recognized the tone, even if she couldn't see. "Dana..." She hung her head, exhaustion and post-shock bearing full force on her. Cold tears seeped from her eyes as she wiped blood off her face. Her body shivered uncontrollably. "... The m-m-monster on the ground... He was seconds from murdering me... Before s-someone... Murdered him." She choked, trying to hold back the sobs. 

Her head spun painfully. "Please... Get me out of here..."

Codi Bailey

Codi was actually starting to feel stress from the exertion of delivering blows, and the very tips of the first pair of arms on Reef that she had used since the beginning of the exercise had actually started faintly shaking, although Codi was the only one who noticed the quality in them. She wasn’t the only one becoming tired, the parasitic urchin was also getting worn out, but she also saw that the shaking was a good thing. The shaking meant that to some extent a kind of physical limit had been reached and now working past it could yield an increase in overall strength, although chances were the appendages would reject movement tomorrow, and she would have to figure out a way to work out the soreness. She intended to keep going, though, because the faintest of spasms told her all six of the arms were about to start behaving as though they were ‘burning’. She looked at Jago through the shield, “Well, if the arms won’t work, I’ll charge you with spikes, but if it gets to that point, stand a good few feet away, just in case.” She advised.

Nothing about her manner or tone suggested she was mocking him or returning the bravado in any form or fashion, but genuinely giving a warning meant to protect his safety. It was not difficult to examine Reef on her back, and at least suspect that it was one of a stinging variant. Its bright colors and patterns, which were highly reminiscent of flames to the point that they almost gave the illusion of having a glow, practically screamed ‘fire urchin’ to anyone that looked at it. The spines themselves looked like swords, because of their length, and paired with venom, the prospect would be unappealing even to those with armored skin. Hitting this urchin would not cause splinters, but perhaps completely spear through a limb.

Codi then returned to performing the fourth set of her barrage, four arms at once striking the shield, the same number as before, but it was to be expected now that she would add a fifth after the next pause.

Atticus Fowler

Atticus, upon Adam’s prompting, took into account that he was holding his instrument case, “Ah, my saxophone. I had been playing it, and I suppose I brought it with me on a whim. It isn’t really of any use here, but if I’m thinking too much over something, I find myself doing things and not remembering why I did them in the first place. No, though, I wouldn’t play it in here, there’s too many people who need to rest. I’m glad everyone is alright, though. That should settle my thoughts, a bit.”

Rosette Sauveterre

Rosette looked at the person who had noticed that she had a complete absence of animal protein in her meal, a touch of ire in her gaze at the comment referring to her as a little girl. She might have snapped in an extremely harsh fashion, if she wasn’t exhausted from a life-threatening chase, so instead, she decided to more calmly correct the error, “I know that my appearance is highly deceiving, but I am in reality twenty-two years of age.” She said, forcing the anger back down, and to prevent herself from saying anything else, took a bite of her baked potato.

"Almost..." *ching!* "There!" *ching!* "Come on!" *ching!* "One more~" *ching!*

Kade pulled herself to the top of a high rock face. She was out of breath and her pull up was more of an exhausted scramble to reach a surface that wasn't vertical. Once she managed to get her entire body off the cliff face, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky, panting to get her breath back. She was wearing her climbing attire and had a climbing pick in her hand, which she let go as she lay on the ground. Her hand was red and raw for holding tightly onto the pick for too long. Kade unclipped a steel canteen from her belt and drank the water in it, pulling it away with another gasp as she caught her breath.

Kade had left the walls early in the morning to tackle the hardest cliff face on the island. She had done it every other week, her first time had resulted in a bad accident that almost killed her. Despite her bad history with the rock face, she still climbed it, The face had essentially become a apart of Kade's fitness regimen; she would climb up it, shift to the inverse and climb back up it, only to shift back and be at the bottom again. Before she shifted, she made sure she was rested and fed so she would have the most amount of time possible in the inverse.

Kade sat up and stared off to the horizon, she sat in a meditative position. She relaxed her shoulders and took deep breaths to regulate her breathing. After a few minutes of meditating and relaxing, she reached into a pouch hanging from her belt and pulled out a tupperware, inside was a sandwich. She opened it up and ate the sandwich as she looked on to the endless horizon, the wind blowing into her and cooling her off from that intense climb. When she finished eating, she put the empty tupperware in the pouch and went back to meditating.

Shifting was the worst part of her power. She could never get over the disorientation that happened right after the shift. She found ways to minimize it, such as meditating and becoming aware of her surroundings, it helped enough that Kade could refocus herself in a few seconds and get to work, time is very precious in the inverse. She took in some more deep breaths, not to recover from her fatigue but to be made aware of the wind currents. She flexed the muscles in her legs and butt to feel the ground she was sitting on. When she closed her eyes, there was a 'thud' sound; when she opened them, she was facing a large rock wall and things were dark. It was night time in the inverse. This was Kade's true test for herself, it was dangerous and exciting to her. Climb a rock face at night.

Kade remained in her position for a short while, feeling light headed and dizzy. Down became up, and left became right. She kept her breathing stable and strong. It helped her to reorient herself in the inverse. After about thirty seconds of meditating, she opened her eyes. She looked at the rock wall and grinned before standing up. It wasn't total darkness, not yet. So she could see enough, if she stuck to her plan, she'd be at the top before it reached midnight in the inverse. She got to work.
__________

*ching* "You can do it..." *ching* "I know you're tired." *ching* "Think of the shower at the end." *ching* "Come on~ Yes!"

Kade pulled herself to the top and was panting more than when she scaled it the first time today. Climbing night is a much more methodical and slow paced journey. The exhaustion is even worst since you need to hold yourself up while you search nearly blind for the next surface to pull up on. "Water... Holy crap... Water..." she said to herself why searching for her canteen. When she didn't feel it, she looked over the edge and saw it had unclipped when she was fiddling with the roots of an inverted bush. She saw the glint of the steel taunting her.

Kade groaned and threw herself back to lay on the ground, staring up at the inverse moon. She took those deep breaths again so that she could have the energy to shift back to the verse. After that climb, and the lack of water, she only had about another twenty minutes left before things would start to go South for her. She slowly and sorely brought herself to sit up and get into her meditation position. With a groan, she started to regulate herself. Yet another shift for her.

*Thud!*

Things were warm again, birds were chirping and insects were buzzing by. Keeping her eyes closed and her breathing in a good pattern, she fought the disorientation every step of the way until it had passed. When she opened her eyes, the light from the sun prompted her to squint them near shut again. Kade stood up and looked back at the rock face, "I have conquered you again!" she said at nothing, just thinking out loud.

She saw the bush that her canteen had been lost in. She could even make out her steel water container half embedded into the stone. She sighed, "Not getting that one back, either..." she looked to her right along the wall, seeing one or two other canteens from earlier, similar, predicaments . "These things are gonna put me in poverty."

Kade started to do some stretches to ease herself down from the intense work out. When she finished, she turned and began walking back to the academy.
__________

As she walked through the main gate of the walls and onto the campus, Kade studied the groups of people but didn't really recognize anybody she knew past their first name, if even that. Her mind was dead set on the showers, after climbing the same rock face twice in the same day, she definitely didn't look and smell too lady-like. Her clothes were damp with sweat and she was covered in dirt. Her hair was a dirty mess also. The shower after her climbing was the part she looked forward to the most. Kade made her way to the dormitories, wanting to get clean sooner rather than later. As such, she hoped nobody would stop her.

Jago Andrew Javaunt, & Nicholas Raynor.

---

Upping the ante seemed appropriate. After all, so far, Jago has made her look like a little bitch. He eased up a little in the break between her attacks. Didn't want to make a blood vessel explode or something. He was getting strained from all this shielding, buuuuut, so should Urchin-Girl over here. It was a test to see who would give out first, and Jago was going to make sure it wasn't him. Whatever urchin girl was doing, it looked funky. Just like he was warned, Jago got back. Instead of taking steps back, his body floated up into the air a bit with a blue aura, and landed a few feet back. Not that he was worried or anything. There was a difference between lookin' tough and being stupid. Those spines looked mighty dangerous. Yikes! He wasn't going to admit it, but those things scared him a bit. What if one of those went through him.... He doesn't have to worry about that, though. Ultimate shield, and shit. This onslaught was different, though. It was putting pressure on him like never before. It fucking felt like someone was squeezing his brain. Sweat was dripping down his head into his eyes, and his legs were shaking.

He gave out.

"... Ugh!" The shield seemingly evaporated, and Jago felt relieved. Any of Urchin girl's freak attacks that were heading towards him went unobstructed. Thank God he got back. For good measure, though, he got back even further. Not because he was scared, but because he didn't want to get run through. Fear and common sense. There's a difference. "Ah... Hehehe..." Jago scratched the back of his neck like some nervous twat, with an equally dumb smile on his face. "Looks like I need a break!" He jumped straight up to his feet, making a low awkward laughter. It was better than letting Urchin-girl break his shield. Which was pretty much about to happen, what it is what it is. Better pick up that Gatorade... His juice! Christ, during that desperate struggle, he dropped it. It was all depressing! Lying there spilled on the floor. Wasted! Like the last ten minutes He gonna have to get some more....

"Hold up for a sec," Jago put up a finger as he raised one foot, waist-high, then put it down forward. He held that pose for a second, as he turned everything above the waist towards Codi. Much as he'd like to get up and march off, he decided to show Codi a little of his cordial side. "Gonna go take a break juice break so my mind doesn't turn into mush, okay?" He stepped off towards the vending machine.

And on the other hand of things, it turned out a certain Nicholas had arrived on the scene, having ran through the rain and gotten doused with plenty of the liquid to make his hair at least a little wet. He shook his head as he walked in through the doors of the building, before taking note of something. He hadn't even drank much of his tea before. Crud. And he unfortunately could feel the yearning in his body for something sweet to drink. Maybe gatorade would do the trick. After all, he had always liked how they were sweet, and yet, not overpowering.

Within seconds, he looked around, and spotted a vending machine, with a student, seemingly a tad bit younger than himself who seemed to be sweating profusely, of all things, heading towards it. He considered it rude to step in front of someone, so he took the alternate route, moving to step behind the younger boy, as if to make a line in front of the vending machine. Notably, he quickly took out a dollar in change. He wasn't one who had skimped out on money, thankfully, his parents had given him a good deal of spending money since they had been aware he would likely need it here and there. And he was going to make sure to use it as best as he could.

Who is this sweat stain? Jago looked as another boy came out of no where. Just looked like another whiteboy. Nothin' special about him. But Jago had to give him props: he knew to step the hell aside. Jago flashed him a grin, the shit-eating kind, and sarcastically said, "Thank you!" As he went to go get his own drink. He got yet another Gatorade. A lime-flavored one. Personally, all Gatorade tasted like sugared piss, but damn did they get the job done. He quickly downed it as he leaned up against the vending machine. While he was drinking it, his eyes were on Nicholas the whole time. Sizing him up... That was barely even neccessary since this kid looked like a punk right off the bat. Though, he said the same thing about Codi! And she nearly punched through the Ultimate Shield. And little Jago wasn't expecting that. He'll have to see what Bitch-boy here is packing in terms of powers before he chalks him off as being worthless or not.

"Yo, you there," Jago started off, "What brings you to the training hall, hm?"

Well, -this- guy didn't seem too friendly. Nicholas quickly picked up on his attitude as soon as he gave him that grin. Ugh. Like he hasn't seen that pride before. Quickly, he simply nodded to the guy. He didn't want to cause any trouble, and thanks to Deborah, he was in a fairly good mood and was confident in the fact he wasn't about to let it get ruined by just -anyone-. After the guy got his drink, Nicholas walked up to the vending machine and inserted his money, getting a glacier cheery flavor, the white, almost mist-like color of the gatorade apparent as he opened it up and took a sip, before replacing the cap and winding it back on before looking at this fellow. "I was told it might be a good idea for me to come here to see if I could help others push themselves, being my power has the ability to do that." He stated, leaning against the wall next to the vending machine, taking another sip.

Now, little Nicholas here got Jago's attention. Helping others push themselves, that might be fun. Especially when Urchin-Girl over there nearly pushed him to his limits. "Huh... Funny," Jago took the Gatarade away from his lips, looking at Nicholas. "I'm here to push myself to my limits. If you get my jist." That grin got much larger. If Nicholas didn't get the hint, then white-boy right here must be dumber than a bag of hammers. In fact, Jago thought he should hit him with a bag of hammers just to get the point across that he dumb. Whatever, Jago still had a little trace of politeness in there somewhere. Introducing himself might be a start. "I'm Jago. You?" Your name is probably something really gay. Like Jeffery, or James... Anything with a J sounded gay.

Nicholas sharpened his eyes. Ugh...he could tell already, this guy wanted to just use him, most likely. He had dealt with that before, but not quite like this. He slowly sighed, snapping his fingers and forming a bright flame on his right thumb. "Right. I'm Nicholas, by the way. Also, hold still." He stated firmly, walking towards Jago and moving to press his thumb against Jago's own forehead, as the power of sheer improvement of inner morale would quickly find itself distributing through Jago's body as he spoke, the flame firmly remaining on Jago's head as Nicholas pulled his hand away, before taking a sip of his gatorade and continuing to lean against the wall. It wasn't that he meant to be rude, but he just didn't want to deal with this kind of person too long. He had a feeling he would have to anyways, but if there was one thing that irked him a little more than it should, it was people who used others for their own gain. Hrm...though...maybe it wouldn't turn out so bad.

"... You have one second to..." Jago threated as this fucking stranger decided to violate his personal space. Nicholas was two seconds away from getting the shit knocked out of him, when he did that fire thing. He felt... different. He felt like he could take on the world! For real this time. He never felt so uplifted in his life. Only one problem. "That's cool, white boy...." He grabbed Nicholas's hand, and pulled it away. "... But don't touch the valuable property, okay? That's gay." Jago sounded super cheeky throughout his little statement. You don't touch the grand champion you peasant! There's a place where kids like Nicholas belonged, and it was at Jago's feet. "What the hell was that, anyway?" Jago asked as he drunk even more Gatorade.

Nicholas frowned. Oh dear. Here we go. One of -these- guys. Ugh. He slowly nodded and closed his eyes. "Right, right. Anyways, it was my power. I'm...still unsure what to call it, but its some sort of flame that both is capable of healing and giving people little...bravery boosts? Perhaps the term "morale-boost" makes more sense." He stated after a moment of consideration. "It may sound pretty weak compared to some other people here, but I've been useful so far, so I haven't had a reason to really complain." He finished, before looking at the other equipment in the building. Great. He hoped he didn't get stuck being this guy's assistant at this rate because of his interest in his power. Ugh.

"... Wanna be my assistant?" Jago asked with a rather cheeky smile. White-boy here might not have much in terms of personality, looks, or probably not even money, but he sure as hell will useful for something. He would rather have Nicholas on his side than against him, because why not? He had enemies here, and Nicholas seemed like a real chipper. The kind of kid you could push around with a itty bitty bit of aggression. He would love to make this guy his bitch for the rest of the school year. "Yeah, man, you and I could make our own little team, ya' hear?" He started off. Maybe he should tell a little bit about himself... Or just his powers. Huh. Actually, now that he thought about it, his power probably works in synergy with Nicholas'. A healer, and a shielder. Probably could save someone's life if they ever need to. But naaaaah. Shit happens all the time, and it ain't like someone's going to attack this happy little school. If they did, Jago would trip Vespera.

"Yo," Jago started off, snapping his fingers. He created a shield between himself and Nicholas. Glowing purple and translucent. Not as big and thick as the shield he used to block Codi, because this was a quick demonstration! Give ol' Nicky boy here a taste of what's to come. "My power is to make shields, and ain't nothing can break them. In fact, they just took a beating and still were going strong!" Jago jerked his head awkwardly towards Codi. To get Nicholas to look at her - Though, with a body like that, who would? Ooooooh. Maybe some sexual fetishist is into urchins or hunchbacks. "So don't even think about cracking the ultimate shield."

Nicholas smiled. While instinctually, when he heard this, he was ready to cringe, a thought popped into his mind, hardly ever in older communities was a service offered without something in return. And that was the exact angle he wanted to play off of. He had been told he could use his healing factor to pull off stunts that he normally wouldn't be able to, and survive relatively unharmed afterwards. With that in mind, he rose up his index finger after looking at the girl with the strange hunchback. Hrm. He recognized her. She had been carrying that one girl...Theresa, yes. He hadn't gotten this girl's name yet, so he would have to ask later. And this fellow's power was interesting...and yet, he had reason to believe that the 'ultimate shield' wasn't so ultimate. Based on how this guy was talking he -may- have been exaggerating his abilities...or maybe he was serious and Nicholas didn't know what he was talking about.

"Alright, but only on a few conditions. This isn't going to be a one way deal. I help you, you gotta help me. I plan on pushing myself physically and learning to adapt new ways to use my abilities for more than just outright healing. Because of that, I'll need someone to test different ideas with, and I'm not saying you'll have to be a punching bag, because you have those shields, after all. Furthermore, I'm no one's servant. I might be nice, but I'm nice because I have a -choice- to be. You take that away, and you'll find yourself assistant-less. Sound fair?" He asked, before simply taking another sip of his gatorade. Nicholas was nice most of the time, but the one thing he -was not- going to let happen was to be bullied around by someone who looked younger than him.

Looks like white-boy here is at least trying to have a spine. Trying and succeeding are two different things, but Jago had to give him props here. "Maaaaaaan," Jago gave Nicholas an aside-glance, laughing boisterously, "Think I'm some rich bitch that never got worked? I don't need an assistant, so don't worry about that." He had to answer the man-servant comment, because he wasn't going to let him think he needs one. The rest was ultimately what Jago wanted to hear. He knew that Urchin-girl probably had some reefs to fuck, so he doubted she would make a good training buddy. But Nicky-boy here? At least he'd make a training bud. Maybe not a good one, but Jago's options were running out. "Sure, sure... I give what I take." He laughed, "You help me, I help you, get it?"

Though, Jago had some other ideas. He started walking up into the training floor. He stopped and turned halfway towards Nicholas, "What? Don't want to get started now? Believable Nicky! I had such high hopes for you."

Theresa Sindel Obott.

---

Seems like little Miss. Rosette here got shafted by the power stick harder than Theresa expected. For a moment, she had to double take. This girl... Was actually twenty? She definitely sounded like she was twenty. In both mannerism, and voice. Her aging was stunted, or was it reversed? There were so many questions - Since with super powers, everything's a possibility. Thus, there wasn't any reason for Theresa not to believe her. Whoa, you must be every pedophile's dream girl! She thought to herself, laughing at her own little joke. It would be really offensive to say it, especially when there's the off chance that she might not be twenty. Then she'd look like an idiot, and little Rosette here probably would have to long a talk with her parents. Though, she felt like she could have some fun with the little woman-child. It might be fun to tease her a little! "Little girl," She started off, "We all know all little kids want to be adults, but adulthood is a dark and scary place!" Theresa pressed her palms against her cheeks with an audible smack. "You'll have responsibilities! College! And taxes! That stuff would make any grown up squeal like a piggy! You don't want any of that...."

---

Dana Lucille Alcott.

---

All this blood, all this violence... Dana didn't think twice when Aislin said to get her out of there. Watching this bloodshed unfold must have been something else. Even staying in here made Dana shudder... with the transformation and everything, she needed to get the hell out of here fast. Because everything was starting to weigh down on her... School was paradise, but even in paradise, there's a darkside. An evil lingering in the shadows. And it's more apparent now than any other time. Dana wrapped her long, eldritch arms, around Aislin's midsection, and used her other hand to latch onto the back of Aislin's head to stop her from getting whiplash. Aislin would note how oily and rigid Dana's body felt. It was almost like she was constructed out of an exoskeleton, but different. Her texture felt like she was, in all seriousness, was sown together, like cloth... But out of a harder organic material.

With a jet of speed, Dana left Luis's corpse behind her, and was heading back to the school at lightning fast speeds. The only sound that was made was a jet of air. She was going top speed here. Because the only thing in mind was getting the hell out of there... she's been in the Academy, and seen some fucked up stuff. But nothing like someone getting their brains blown out and a friend nearly getting killed twice in one day. This girl must be... Actually, no, Dana choose to distract herself by thinking of the unimportant things. Whatever hid the memories of what she saw from herself. She wondered what Aislin would be experiencing at this point. Dana's own body was moderately more durable than a human body. So the speed didn't really bother her all that much. Aislin on the other hand... Dana was going to make sure to come to a soft stop. Just so her skull doesn't pop out of her head.

The only place she could think of taking Aislin was to Adam. Yes... He would know what to do. Dana effortlessly scaled the walls of the school. Landing on the ground with a splash on the puddle. This time, Dana took it slow. Instead of zipping around the school. She figured that Adam was still at the hospital. Otherwise, they're sol. Dana made it to the hospital in record time. She put Aislin down by the entrance, and stepped aside. "I got you out..." She trailed off, her warped voice hid her emotions quite well. Her face peered into the hospital window. "... We need to tell someone about this...." She hovered over to Aislin, and put her hand on Aislin's shoulder. "Don't worry, you will not be alone..."

Codi Bailey

Judging from the recent turn of events, it looked as though Codi was losing her training partner, because even though she could tell he seemed reluctant to go along with it, the nice healer who had saved the injured patients in the jungle was seen as more preferable. At the same time, though, this allowed Codi to draw what she suspected was a strong conclusion: Jago was a person, who wanted to go ahead with whatever business he was conducting, but he also had an excessive amount of pride, to the point that it would work against him. The sudden way he had decided to take a break told her he had used it as an excuse to avoid any more blows that he worried would break his shield, and the warning he gave Nicholas told her he didn’t want that shield broken, even though it was clear that there was some sort of limit to what it could handle. He had dumped the urchin-girl because she was perhaps too strong, and might wound his pride. Ultimately, though, if Jago took that approach, his strength wouldn’t increase as much, because it didn’t matter if you worked until you were tired; in order to truly increase your strength, you had to break something down so it could be re-built, just as Codi had clearly done to whatever muscles were present in Reef’s arms.

In the end, if Codi wanted to train with someone, it was clear she needed to find a person who was like her, in the sense that they didn’t view training as some sort of ridiculous competition where you’d suffer if you lost. Codi didn’t care, because what visible or overweening pride could an urchin-girl have, when she had an enormous marine-themed parasite on her back, and a hunch as a consequence? Codi might have been beautiful, but her powers made people look at her, and completely ignore the features that would have been seen as pretty. In her mind, anyone who might have insulted her got belittled and peppered with mental derision, although she never outright said it; in reality, it was really just a way of coping with the fact that such treatment was extremely hurtful. She supposed she could cut training at this point, since she had successfully managed to wear out Reef, but she knew she would need to increase her overall physical strength, too.

She started walking out of the gym, whispering ‘Hi,” as she passed by Nicholas, aware that she would probably only hurt herself if she decided to say anything else in this decidedly awkward and uncomfortable situation. She then exited, with mental notes having been taken, and the urchin on her back twitching in a form of sore discomfort.

Rosette Sauveterre

Just what Rosette had needed: someone poking fun at her because she had been unfortunate enough to lose the benefits of physically aging to her early-twenties. She was honestly worn out, regarding such things, “I can honestly tell you I have nothing pleasant to say to you in response regarding that comment.” She said, starkly, an almost tired look creeping into her eyes, mixing with the rancor, which had distinctly tainted whatever innocence could be present in a human being. “My childhood suffered a symbolic death at the age of eleven, I have had to act like an adult and be mature for eleven years since then.”

Ugh... Aislin couldn't help but shudder as Dana wrapped her up in some incredibly long arms. They felt so strange, so abnormal and alien; she thanked the darkness she couldn't actually discern their true nature. With tentative hands, she held onto the arm around her waist, swallowing her repulsion. It's just Dana, get ahold of yourself.

Their speed was insane, truly insane. G-force pressed against her body, she could hardly breathe at this break-neck pace. Well, it literally would be break-neck if Dana hadn't securely supported her head. Aislin was so not prepared, and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the roller coaster ride to be over. She stumbled on her feet as Dana set her down, forgetting her sense of balance. Where were they?

She appraised doors she didn't recognize for a moment. But... Oh right, she walked out these very doors not an hour earlier, blind impulse guiding her to what could have very possibly been her demise. Ah, and after her second brush with death she had more questions than answers, and still no answers to her previous questions. It was disenchanting, increasingly so. Her ideals were slipping away, she could feel it. Instead, they replaced themselves with fear, darkness... 

"... We need to tell someone about this...." Aislin felt a hand on her shoulder, which she reached up to grip tightly. The texture still churned her stomach, but she felt herself descending into a dark, dark place. Dana was her last spark of light. "Don't worry, you will not be alone..."

Aislin looked down at herself, and immediately wished she didn't. Being covered in mud, dirt and blood from head to toe and wearing shredded, stained clothes made her look god-awful. Like something that walked through Hell, which honestly wouldn't have been far from the truth. Her exhaustion pushed her past the point of being self-conscious, but she didn't want to talk about... About before. She'd force herself to relive it, her and her cruel imagination. 

Fresh tears silently fell from her eyes as she let go of Dana's hand. Her voice was a whisper. "You're right... You're right."

Feeling a little more resolved, Aislin let themselves in. The waiting room was just down the hall, empty of most people except two. She recognized them both, the eel-ish meta that kindly carried her to the hospital earlier, and Mr. Blackmore. He always seemed to be at the right place at the right time.

"Mr. Eel, it's good to see you." She said hollowly before turning her gaze to the man of the hour. Adam was a very important teacher to her, his opinion mattered a lot. And to have him see her like this, it embarrassed her. What would he think, seeing a sniveling little Aislin walk in like she'd seen a ghost? 

"Sir..." She began, her voice shaky. "Something's, uh... happened. May Dana and I talk to you in private?" 

Theresa Sindel Obott.

---

Of course Ms. Delayed aging had to be a stick in the mud. Theresa didn't even try to hide the roll of her eyes. But at the same time she kept that cheeky smile on her face. She grabbed a fork, and pointed it at Rosette, "You don't know how to take a joke, now do ya?" Theresa personally didn't understand Rosette's problems. It was hard for her to handle emotional situations, not in the way of sociopathy, but she just couldn't handle it. Which is why she chooses to block them out as much as possible. She only wanted to fool around. Which is why she's only going to continue joking. "I know you got shafted by the power stick, a little, heh." Her tone was somewhat amused, almost to the point of mocking. That smile didn't help. "We're all kids deep down, you know?"

---

Dana Lucille Alcott, & Adam Leo Blackmore.

---

This was hard... Making Aislin do all of this. She watched someone die, and she now has to repeat all of it. Right to Adam. But someone has to do it, unfortunately. That atrocity must not go unreported. No matter what happens, Dana will be behind Aislin the whole time. "I will be there..." Dana whispered. When Aislin went into the hospital, Dana disappeared in a whip of speed. Of course, she wasn't abandoning Ms. Rose, she was looking for a way to get out of this monstrous skin, and into a wheel chair. The school wouldn't mind if she borrowed one for a little while...

Just the person Adam was looking for just walked in. He gave her a tentative look. Things didn't seem quite right with her. Her expression, her mood, the way she spoke... Through years upon years, Adam was easily able to tell when something was wrong with a student. He stood straight up, and looked down at her. "... Ms. Rose, where have you been, I've been worried about you." That's when Aislin said that she needed to have a talk with him, in private. He knew that this would be important. He nodded his head and he turned his head to his previous guest. "Atticus, excuse me for a moment." He took a step away from Atitcus and gave the area one hard look. She mentioned Dana, but that woman was no where in sight. Thus, he had to ask Aislin, "Where is Ms. Alcott?"

"... Here." Dana said as she rolled into the room on one of the hospital's wheelchairs, seemingly on cue. Right when she rolled into the room, she was already human, and it felt refreshing. Being the person she honestly is felt great. She rolled up to Adam and looked straight up at him. Wrapping her fingers around each other. She was shaking, and for good reason. There was the thought of what happened, and she was trying her best to keep it suppressed.

Adam calmly folded his hands behind him, and briefly got on his tip-toes. "Very well...." He stated. With both Ms. Rose, and Ms. Alcott here, there was no need to remain in the hospital. Holding that position, Adam took steps towards the exit. "Follow me." He commanded as he walked. He deployed a large black umbrella, which was large enough to cover both of the ladies he's with if they stay close enough. He knew the best place to have this talk. His office in the training hall. The place where he had hundreds of talks before. He knew exactly where it was. Aislin behind him probably would not, generally confused as to where he's going - Dana talked to him in his office. It wasn't long before he got there, the training hall was usually busy at this hour, but his office was kept locked at all times. The moment he stepped into the lobby, Adam unfurled that umbrella and stepped down another hallway. The ones that lead away from the fast paced and exciting training halls. Adam reached a curious door that had a nametag saying

ADAM BLACKMORE,

HEAD POWER INSTRUCTOR

Bringing to his march to a halt, what came next was fairly simple. He opened the door after putting a golden key inside. He held the door open for the two girls a second after turning on the lights. The room was rather large, and robust. The walls were made out of a hard wood, which was expertly crafted and very professional. For a very professional man. There was a blue rug in the middle of the room with a ebony-wood desk placed on top of it. Opposite to the door would be the massive square window Adam uses to keep track of the school. With both sides of the room being stacked with file cabinets.

Adam leaned up against his desk. "What do you need to discuss?"

Jago Andrew Javuant, & Nicholas Raynor.

---

Nicholas internally facepalmed at Jago's words...or more-so, his attitude. He didn't know how well this was going to go or not, he simply walked after Jago, not bothering to take the time to argue with him. He knew it would be a waste of breath on a guy as high as himself as this, though he had to admire just how spirited he was. As the girl with the hunchback passed him and slipped him a "Hi", he quickly responded, waving to her. "Hey. Have a good night, and be careful out there." He noted to her, looking to her as she walked away before turning towards Jago, lifting up his arms in front of himself, forming fists. "Right, so how are we going to do this? Just freeform sparring, or is there any rules you want to set down?"

Huh? So White-Boy wants to spar? If he has it in him, then why should Jago even object? All in the name of fun. Though, he might lose a bit of control of himself and accidentally knock Nicholas on his ass with an infused punch. Jago watched as Urchin-Girl walked by and completely ignored him, and gave a high assed 'Hi' to old Nicky-boy. God almighty, doesn't anyone here have any respect? Jago had to roll his eyes. The second she was out of earshot, Jago chuckled. "God help that freak..." Though, he had a bit of respect for Codi. She managed to nearly break down his shields, as hard as it sounded. And while she had little to no personality, at least she wasn't that annoying. It was just something he wasn't going to show. "Enough about her, and more about me." Jago pointed two fingers at himself as he quickly changed subjects. Rules? Who the fuck needs rules? In a street fight, there ain't no rules. Only yourself, your opponents, and maybe a baseball bat. But, eh, White-boy here must be accustomed to tickle fights and co-co. Sooooo maybe he should take it easy. Just for first times sake.

"Free-form's coo, but maybe we should take a little easy?" Jago was obviously cheeky, that manner of speech and smirk showed it. He was mocking Nicholas. "I don't want you to break a nail. Hahahaha..." He hovered over the training hall floors, and landed right in the center. A perfect arena for their little duel. From the way Jago saw it, it should be easy trashing this kid. From one look, Jago knew this kid probably ain't shit, and that healing fire crap isn't going to do him any good. While Jago could easily defend himself against most forms of attack. Then again, he hasn't seen all of White-boy's tricks. Which made him ask, ".... Do you want to use powers?" He asked him, tilting his head and giving him a curious look.

Nicholas frowned. Jeez, this guy really -was- on a high horse. Not only did he take someone leaving without speaking to him offensively, but he had the gall to offend his former training partner. Nicholas simply shook his head, sighing as he lowered his arms to his side. "I don't need you to take it easy on me. Go all out." He stated firmly, as he slowly moved his right leg behind his left, giving two or three feet of distance between each foot and bending his knees. He had to admit, his actual technique was rusty, but his experiences with former bullies were intense, and with the amount of beatings -he- had gone through over the years, he had learned how and when to anticipate some level of oncoming assault. His eyes slowly sharpened, the blue gleam from them taking hold as a small flame sprouted from his right hand, as he slowly applied it to his forehead. The moment it took hold, it glowed brightly, not administering a healing effect, but rather, focusing on the morale-boosting effect. Quickly, the effect bolstered his confidence, as no longer did he seem fearful or cautious. Just watchful, silent, awaiting his opponent's movement. After all...it always seemed that being too head strong would create an outcome in the negative.

Hm... Seems like Nicky-boy's taking a defensive. Which is a problem since Jago's style revolves around defense too. Jago eyeballed that fire for a moment. He casually downed that Gatorade before wiping his mouth clean. It was completely empty, save for a few drops that he wouldn't be able to get to. He gave him a toothy grin.... Don't take it easy? Okay! Jago tossed the empty bottle right in Nicholas's face, before beginning a little charge. Using that telekinetic bullshit, Jago was able to increase his mobility by quite a few notches. Thus, he slid alongside the ground, with a smooth dark-purple aura around him, and closed in on Nicholas. If he wanted to, he could just make this kid float and punt him across the room, but, nah. Where's the fun in that? He delivered a solid punch to Nicholas's core. He didn't use his telekinetic abilities to augment it, because he didn't want to show that ability just yet. Nor did he want to reveal his telekinetic nature in one fell swoop. In fact, this whole move should show Nicky-boy that he's not all shields!

Hrm. This kind of approach. As the gatorade approached, he used the gatorade in his own left hand, still partially full, to deflect the oncoming bottle in a sweeping motion, releasing his own gatorade bottle with the same motion at the same time, the cap on tight to make sure it didn't spill everywhere. As soon as he got an eye on Jago, he kept his arm extended outward, awaiting the eventual strike. And then, he saw it, the first shoulder movements revealing a punch. His eyes focused on the arm being extended outward, before thrusting his own extended arm inward towards the oncoming punch, extending his other hand out towards the other side of the oncoming punch, as his left hand's palm pushing against the oncoming punch's wrist before it connected as his right hand then moved to grab onto the same punch's arm, before using Jago's momentum to pull him forward towards Nicholas, before delivering a powerful knee at Jago's core, before pushing him back with both of his hands via Jago's shoulders. No. He was not going to be caught off guard so easily.

Whoa! Looks like Jago majorly underestimated White-boy. Seems like he's got some moves! His punch was tossed aside, and he was falling towards Nicholas. There was a knee heading straight towards him, though, he can handle that one. Using his free hand, he swept his palm across and created a shield right in the path of his knee. The attack was effortlessly bounced off the shield. It took much worse in the past! However, after all this whole attack was over, Jago was being sent sprawling. Nothing too serious. He used his telekinesis to adjust his balance and quickly got himself back to his feet. Perhaps Jago will have to handle this a little differently. Nicholas probably knew what he was doing, probably got some training. Not really that surprising since Nicholas probably got his lunch money taken too much, and his parents gave him karate lessons so he'd be less of a bitch. What did Jago have? Some basics taught to him by his daddy. Jago sneered. He wondered how his Dad responded to his training being turned against him...

That wasn't important. He has a fight to win! Jago, while young, had a lot of creativity behind his belt. The same creativity can be applied to his shields. Jago crossed his arms over his mid-section in a X and did a sweeping motion outwards, palms out. He created a nice little bubble shield around Nicholas. White-boy here would quickly find out another detail of Jago's amazing gift. While Nicholas can't go through it, Jago can. He closed in, waiting for Nicky-boy to pull any tricks.

Hrm. Well, it seemed Nicholas' judgements weren't too far off. Because of this, however, he wasn't about to kick Jago while he was down. He was going to allow the boy some level of reprieve. It was only proper. Unfortunately, it seemed that was his undoing. By allowing him time to respond, he quickly learned that his abilities had more than one aspect to them. His shield could not only be used on himself, but on others. He could already tell where -this- was going. He was trapped, with no way to get out. At least, not normally. As a sphere, and one strong from the inside rather than the outside, something like this couldn't be more than a certain strength based on the fact that it probably had to defend omnidirectionaly. So perhaps by focusing his abilities...

Nicholas slowly stepped back, forming another set of flames, this time forming around his feet and his core. Strange. Why there? Simply put, he was going to put together something he had thought about in his own mind. A creative use of sorts. He stared forward, taking note of the oncoming Jago. He only had so much time. Slowly, he concentrated, moving the right half of his body slightly back with a light step, allowing his left side dominance. His flames began to glow abnormally brightly, distributing even more of the morale-boosting effect through-out his body. No fear. No limiter. He pulled back his right arm, pulling it as far back as he could in this barrier, allowing his chest muscles to stretch and bend with this motion, pulling back as far as he could. And then...something quite peculiar happened.

All three of the flames. The one from his bending legs, and the one from his core, launched forward into his pulled back arm, glowing brightly and covering the arm in the shimmering light being created by the flames. At the same time, he quickly shifted focus, stepping forward with his right leg and extending forward his right arm towards the shield, bending his knee and crouching slightly down to get as much force as possible out of the blow, despite how it injured his body and the effect it would have on his arm.

However, this was -not- the good idea he had intended. As soon as the punch made contact with the shield, it pushed forward, yes, but bounced back, forcing Nicholas back with all of the force he had just pushed in, feeling himself reeling back from it and onto the ground. However, there was -one- bright side to this. If Jago had been in range of that punch, which he hadn't quite felt due to the fact that his morale-boosting flames had kind of been there to evoke an indomitable force over the pain that would have been there if he had collided, he would have felt the majority of that punch's power.

Nicholas's little plan certainly was amusing! Jago had to stop to laugh. Loudly. He had to kneel over and slap his knee. "Ahahaha...." He said. Not revealing all your tricks in one good was definitely the way to go! Though, he though Nicholas had short term memory since he forgot about his knee bouncing off the shield. He was hoping that there'd be someone here to watch, but looks like this is no arena. Whatever. This would be a personal victory. "Didn't feel good, now did it Nicky-boy!?" Jago loudly shouted. He refrained from calling him "White-Boy" since that's something he keeps to himself. White-boy might be politically correct, and get offended.

But enough White-boy politics! Jago had to retaliate! Since Nicholas was already on the ground, and Jago was already knelt over, he hovered over the ground with his hand extended to grab. He was quick as hell. Faster than he was on foot. He grabbed onto Nicholas's leg the second it came in range, and figured he'd take him for a riiiiiiiiide.

Nicholas felt so stupid. What a waste of energy. And not only that, he was getting insulted by the kid. Nicky-boy, eh? Well, its not like he minded it, but just his attitude itself made Nicholas just a little bit more annoyed. Well, ya live and learn. Taking advantage of the moment of reprieve, he used his own flames, which were dying down, to quickly begin to heal any damage left over from his maneuver with his right hand, feeling the soothing from the action as a few seconds later, his arm was quite well. Thats when he looked back at Jago, noting his oncoming approach. He only had a few seconds to react. In this position, he could only do so much. So he did what he could. As Jago reached in for his leg, he pulled into within the barrier, as in retaliation, he pulled his leg back before delivering a forward thrust with the same leg at Jago's face, aiming to push him back and away, before attempting to get onto his feet, preparing for Jago's own retaliation.

Dammit. Jago was kicked clean off balance. The bottom of Nick's shoe collided with Jago's face at high speeds. Which left a nasty mark on his face. Worst of all, it made him stumble back a few feet. Using his telekinesis to regain his balance yet again. The sphere Jago made had disappeared at this point. It didn't matter. It served it's purpose. Jago will have to do a little bit more to bring Nicholas down. Because so far, everything he's been doing offensively hasn't been working... It dawned on him. Adam and Deborah told him to stick to what he's good at. Which is defense. Jago has an insanely weak offense and he knew it. He made up for it in raw defense. "Yo!" Jago shouted as he stood tall, and put his hands on his sides. "Nicky-boy, how about you pull that tampon out your ass and come and get some!" Not the most subtle tactic, but maybe Nicholas will take the bait. Otherwise, if Nicky-boy wants to be a bitch, then Jago will show him his telekinetic side.

Nicholas frowned. Oh...one of these maneuvers? Hrm...he wondered. Slowly, he walked towards Jago. But he didn't pull back his arm. He simply looked him over. But he did nothing. He simply stood there, maybe re-concentrating his energy on his flames, but he did absolutely -nothing-. He stood there, so close to taking Jago's bait, which he quickly recognized as such. That kind of wording is -asking- for trouble. After a moment, Nicholas moved over back towards the gatorade he had dropped, moving to reach down to it and unscrew the cap, taking a large portion of it and guzzling it down, emptying the bottle quickly and placing it back down before looking at Jago. "So, is that it?" He asked, tilting his head. He hated to do this, but he knew the young man had no good intentions for him...

Hahaha... Nicky-boy knows his stuff. Probably more than even Jago himself! He knew that Jago's heavy defense would be too much on his little baby tush. Fair enough, baby.
It was time for Jago to show Nicky-boy that he's a telekinetic. Jago started laughing, starting off quietly, then breaking out to all out mad-man in a few seconds. "Oh, you haven't even seen half of it." He pointed a hand at Nicholas, which was wrapped in a neat aura, and made a simple gesture with one finger. He extended his finger, then pointed it straight up. Nicholas would find himself floating helplessly in the air. Almost like he's been relieved of a mighty weight! He would have a hard time even moving without flapping his arms. But, Jago's not done yet! Oh, no! It's time for Jago to go on the offensive. Jago swept another arm across, and created another shield. Not a sphere, but a simple wall right in front of Nicholas. Show-tiiiiiime! Jago put on his game face as he skated across the floor using his abilities straight at Nicholas. He was picking up speed fast, going faster than no boy should ever go! All in the name of one last finishing move. Jago intended on ramming the shield, using his combined speed and body weight to send Nicholas flying across the room. It would hurt, but damn, it would be cool!

Nicholas widened his eyes as he was lifted up into the air, unable to move. Hrm. Well, this -was- something. He was unable to move. Just float. But luckily, he was still in control of himself. Jago apparently intended to use this in order to outright render him unable to counteract Jago's own movements. His offensive capabilities. Well, it was finally time to let his power shine through. His opponent raced towards him at breathtaking speeds, and he had very little time to react. And so, he did something shocking. He pulled his body back as he floated, lifting his left hand up in front of his body as if preparing to try to stop Jago's oncoming onslaught..which he knew was impossible. Using this as a distraction, the flame on his forehead vanished, instead internalizing and spreading throughout his body for one last final morale-push, as the moment Jago's body rammed against the shield, Nicholas aimed to use the last of his own remaining ability to deliver an extremely strong punch, with no safeguard to how much it hurt from the oncoming force, to force the shield to bounce back with all the force Jago himself had delivered and force -him- back instead. Quickly, he bent his body forward, his chest muscles straining and aching by how they were exherted, but the pain was ignored, as he continued onward, aiming to deliver all he could as a piledrived the punch, twisting it to retain the energy he could as he let it loose as he threw it against the oncoming shield. All he could do was hope he could succeed with this, or else he was in for a world of hurt.

Seems like Nicky-Boy was intending on going out with a bang too! Jago was hoping he'd just float there like a bitch then take it, but he had to do otherwise. At least it's interesting! Nicholas learned quickly, enough so that he could turn the barriers against Jago! That ain't fair, but it's a double-edged sword. A little effect happened. When Nicholas hit the shield, it had whacked Jago with enough force to divert his rush. However, he was packing enough speed and momentum that the shield whipped back towards Nicholas. Except, with not as much force hitting an undisturbed barrier would entail. And yes. It hurt like hell. Jago hit the shield shoulder first and it was set alight with a pain that wasn't unfamiliar. As a result of all of this combined, however, his concentration was broken. Thus the barrier disappeared, and Nicholas would fall back to his feet. Almost like gravity had suddenly returned.

Jago hit the cold metal of the training room, hard. There he laid. Face down on shiny metal. It was an epiphany! Time to give this shit a break. Before he breaks something important. Like his dick. Jago raised a finger into the air, still face down. "... I think we have come to a draw." As much as he hated forfeiting matches he knew that he had to stop. Smashing into barriers at high speeds tend to do that. Besides! While he came to two draws in one day, at least it isn't him getting his ass kicked. Jago hopped up to his feet, pressing against the ground with his hands.

Uuugh. Man. The pain was NOT fun to deal with, as he held his arm in pain as he floated down onto the ground. All of that reflected damage from the shield had managed to hit, what else, his extended arm that had punched the barrier itself. Because of this, his arm wasn't in the greatest condition, but given some time to recover, he could quickly heal it. Were a few things broken in it? Probably. A few finger bones, maybe his wrist. He wouldn't be moving for a while. He sighed in relief though. "...Yeah. You did great, Jago." He stated, smiling now that the fight was over and simply sitting down on the metallic surface, laying down on it and resting his body and mind by closing his eyes, breathing in deeply inwardly and outwardly. It was something he had enjoyed, yes, but he was surprised he did so well. Perhaps his powers and his abilities weren't so useless in his own combat after all...then again, he was fighting a defensively-based person, rather than someone offensive. Either way, though...it had been enlightening enough, and it was good enough training for today, he supposed.

Rosette Sauveterre

Rosette took another bite of her food, taking her time to chew and swallow, and deciding, after this woman had chosen to use a figure of speech that Rosette suspected was vulgar in nature, that immediately responding was just giving her a reaction that she wanted. Because of this, instead of saying anything, she just continued eating in the casual manner of a person who might as well have been sitting alone by themselves. She did not drag the silence on to an unbearable length, but she held it for long enough that a person would realize that Rosette was not the kind of person that would be enjoyable to carelessly toy with. She would endure the torment, but only because she had the self-control and self-respect to do so. She tolerated the woman because she felt there was no other choice, but had Rosette possessed fewer inhibitions, she might have torn into her in the most brutal of fashions.

The only sign that Rosette was frustrated at all was that her ethereal hand gripped her fork so tightly that the knuckles had turned white. Nothing else about her behavior betrayed her feelings, neither her face nor her movements. It was self-control on a level that seemed almost unnatural for a regular person, and yet Rosette almost flawlessly managed it. When she felt that she had allowed enough time for her anger to subside, Rosette’s hand loosened around the fork, and she was comfortable enough to speak again. “My powers come with incredible drawbacks that are severely detrimental to my well-being, regardless of their strength or usefulness. I think I might have been happier if I had some ability as ridiculous as turning into a clam and back.”

Rosette wasn’t exactly mean-spirited, and though this person aggravated her, it might make the conversation easier if she said something ridiculous that would have made anyone laugh at the notion. Indeed, one idea that she found quite bizarre would be a person whose only gift was transforming into a tiny bivalve. Other ideas were transforming into a worm, a snail, or a slug, but Rosette was filled with deep loathing when she thought of those creatures. They were all quite useless-sounding abilities, but a person who could turn into a clam could get away with never using their powers, and living out a normal life in the world. Because Rosette had become like a phantom in appearance, normal life was virtually impossible, as was ignoring the dangers that her abilities posed.

Poppy Flanagan, Deborah Termellio, & Shannon Balore.
(Written in collaboration with Mr Allen J)

---

Poppy paused for a moment, she'd already asked the one question she had on her mind. She didn't have to know much about Deborah to be friends with her. The easiest thing she could come up with was going with one she had been asked. "So where did live before coming here?" Both of the other ones she could learn later. If she remembered. Once she had her answer, the subject would hopefully shift back to her. It was rare a occassion for Poppy to have a conversation that wasn't centered around herself or a third party. Subconsiously it was uncomfortable for her to inquire too deeply into somebody present. The only exception were her old classmates. No way would she have given them anything that could have been used agaist her. Deborah fell into a differnt boat because she was older and nice.

Where did Deborah come from? That was a simple question (She is reflecting a previously asked question at you). She didn't live in one place, she was a girl that was always on the move. A little perk that came from living with a family that worked in the military. Well, not really a perk for other people, but Deborah saw it as a way to meet new people, see new things, and shape herself into what she is now. Hmph. "Me? I lived many different places.... My family worked with the military, I lived on-base." Deborah answered Poppy's question Fortunately for Poppy, Deborah was open about pretty much anything - It wouldn't be fair prying into other people's business otherwise. However, that was pretty much where the conversation hit a stopping point. Unless Poppy here came up with another question of course... Then again, Deborah couldn't expect everyone to be good at learning about people as she was. "I haven't really been staying on-base too much since I came here," Deborah started off, "Not that I'm complaining, sweet-heart, I like it here way more." Because of a certain someone making it so much better.

The idea of living on a military base seemed intriging and alien to Poppy. Two truly differnt worlds that coulden't relate to each other. She actually found herself more interested than she anticipated. Not enough to dig deeper though. It was good to here that she liked it here though. It made her think that there could be hope for her yet.

Yup, the conversation's going no where (Poppy is interested in my past, but doesn't want to pry too deeply). Unfortubately, she didn't know whether or not she should tell Poppy that it's okay. Deborah looked around awkwardly as she searched for something to say.

"... Debs, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to sit in a cafe and eat some cake in peace." Shannon snarled as she plopped herself down on the sofa next to Deborah. Not noticing Poppy. She had a small plastic tray that had yet another strawberry cake. She would have eaten it in the cafe, but there would have been another pissant that would ruin this delicious cake. "It's like every idealistic dolt wants to make me the center of their attention the second I sit down...."

"Um, hey Shannon," Deborah didn't expect Shannon to come up (Shannon is oblivious to Poppy's existence), but that was perfect for this dying conversation. At the same time, it was awful. Because Shannon's here, and not in a great mood at that (Shannon recently had some less than stellar in interactions). If Poppy says one thing wrong, Shannon would explode all over her. Though, that's why Deborah's here. To balance out Shannon's cynic mindset with her optimistic mindset. "Girl, why the hell are you eating that?" Deborah pointed at the cake, "Giiiirl, you know you can't be eating like that."

"I know," Shannon said, she was going to casually dodge the fact that this is her second slice. "I got my room reassigned and I just had to celebrate...." She trailed off, poking at her cake with a fork. "... I may have gotten a little carried away when I moved out of her room."

"Oh my god," Deborah said with a smirk, "What did you do?"

"I noticed that, after her illustrious appearance in the lounge, she could use a new wardrobe." Shannon couldn't help but snicker.

"Heh..." (Shannon altered Vespera's attire) Deborah almost forgot about Poppy here. "Oh, Shannon, this is Poppy... I met her like a few minutes ago...." Deborah trailed off, "... Be nice this time."

Hm? Shannon didn't notice this third person until Deborah brought it up. Shannon gave this girl a little look. Tiny, with some red hair. She looked a little bit like Shannon did when she first arrived on this island. But Shannon had better hair/clothes. She always did. Otherwise, this girl didn't interest Shannon even in the slightest. Of course, Deborah had to make nice with her, and of course Shannon had to get dragged in. She sneered visibly. Whatever. She would play along for just this once. "Oh, yes... I'll try to play nice." She answered, she said 'try' because there was still a high chance this child could be nothing more than an annoying brat. "I am Shannon Balore... What did Debs say your name was again?"

Poppy glared at Shannon, then looked at Deborah questioningly before responding. "My name's Poppy." There was a clear edge to her voice. Of course it had to be too good to be true that she could find a good friend so easily. Why weren't there more people her age? And then she wasn't sure if that would be a good thing. All of her past experiences had been amoung children her age. It was clear by the way she was intorduced that Shannon wasn't going to be her friend, and she had Deborah's favor.

She forced herself to say "Nice to meet you." Her contempt at being treated indignantly was masked as best she could. Unconsiously her eyes fell upon the cake. Since leaving home she often found herself hungry, whereas she used to eat three meals then whenever she wanted. It wasn't fair that a person like her had yummy food when she didn't. Logic told her she must have gotten it somewhere, which meant she could too, but she wasn't about to ask. It was easier to lament on the fact her belly actually wanted food and this lady was eating to celebrate. She found herself thinking that it wasn't suprising that she had her room resassigned.

"... That is a very weird name." Shannon started off. Her gaze was locked forward, most likely to avoid eye-contact with Deborah or Poppy. "I know what your parents were hitting up when they named you." She followed that statement with a chuckle. Before she casually started taking bites out of her cake.

Deborah playfully pushed Shannon, while saying (with equal playfulness) "I said be nice!" She followed it with a bout of laughter (Poppy is curious about the cake). "Don't listen to her, Poppy, I like your name." She let go of Shannon and reverted back to a more neutral position on the sofa. Their conversation was going so well until Shannon came up! With her gloomyness. Though, once again, it was Deborah to the rescue. Saving this conversation. She had to come up with something, so she said the first thing that came to mind, "Oh, Poppy, I've been meaning to ask you what your power is, if that's okay with you."

"... Get used to that question. People take far too much pride in their powers..." Shannon spoke in between bites of her cake.

Again with the name comments, there was no doubt in her mind that she'd change it when she was older. For now she had to endure them just about every time she met someone. Whether she wanted to meet them or not. What she was getting at with the parents comment didn't register with her. Though this stranger had no right to mention them, nor did she want to think about them. Deborah scored some points for defending her for what it was worth. The damage was already done. Then all was put on hold when she asked the dreaded question.

Now she'd also have to say it in fornt of Shannon, who's comment did nothing to put her at ease. Pride was the last thing she felt for her power. It gave her an idea though. A false sense of confidence might knock her off guard with an ability like hers. She knew little about it herself, but they woulden't know. All she had to do was paraphrase Adam. If only I remembered what he said... Giving up she decided to forgo an educated answer. The jist would be enough. "I have the power to punish people when they make me angry." She spoke as calm and clear as she could, looking slightly more towards Shannon. As not to make the point to blatant she tore her gaze away from both of them. That and her words didn't match what she was feeling. She didn't mean it, but she wanted Shannon to go away.

Oh boy. Shannon rolled her eyes up into her head. It didn't take a genius (but she was close to one) to tell that what Poppy said was a not-so-subtle directed at her. Shannon looked at Poppy, keeping her gaze on her. She didn't want to turn this into a stand-off, but people quickly find out that while her power is to control clothes, she could hold her own quite well. However, she didn't know what Poppy could do. Nor did she honestly care.

This didn't look good (Poppy didn't take too kindly to Shannon's mention of her parents). Especially when Poppy mentioned that her power is to punish people (She herself is unsure of this ability). Even with Deborah's ability to infer much better, she didn't know the exact details. It was hard to keep everyone pleased here. But it's fine. Deborah has handled these situations before. "Look," Deborah put her hands up in a stand-down gesture, one palm was pointed at Poppy, while the other was at Shannon. "I'll point it out now; I can sense the hostility in the air-" My power tells me what is wrong "-And I think we should work it out, now." She turned her body to Shannon. Since she was the start of all of this, and Deborah knew exactly how to talk her down. "Silk-worm, your wise-crack about her parents hit a bit of a sensitive area...."

Oh, well that explains it. Shannon shrugged. Personally, she would tell her to toughen up a bit, but Poppy is a child after all. She can't expect everyone to be at least partially ready for the world. In any case, Shannon was going to go along with Deborah, and simply apologize, "... I'm sorry then, Poppy." Whatever stops this from escalating.

This was unexpected, Deborah seemed to know a lot about what was going on. Then Shannon even apologized. "It's okay..." Even though it really wasn't. "I didn't mean to threaten you. I'm sorry too." Her words were insencere. Not because she wasn't sorry, but because part of her did mean to make her reap what she'd sown. Now that she thought about it she had started to think differntly withn the past year. Maybe it was part of her power. In any case it was now a part of her. Now Poppy was begining to think that maybe she up and leave them. Like she was considering earlier before Deborah changed her mind.

"It is fine, yes? It won't happen again." Begrudgingly. Shannon replied, very calmly. Whatever ended this confrontation.

Good. Everyone was kissing and making up. Deborah closed her eyes and crossed her legs. Putting her arms on the back of the sofa. "It's good that you two kissed and made up. I don't think the janitor wanted another mess to clean up." She said in a teasing tone towards the two. "Just remember, Poppy," Deborah started off, raising one finger, "Nothing ever gets by me. So if you have something to say, just lay it out there. Because if I have something to hear, I'm not afraid to hear it. Learning won't hurt anyone."

"... Because of a certain magical gift, that is."

---

Karlie Davis, Sylvia Bertose, Jake & Gabriela Valos

---

And so the quartet skipped through the rain to the cafe, or maybe that was just Karlie. She didn't look behind her to see if the others caught on. It crossed her mind that maybe she should stop by the dorms for a change of outfit, but she didn't want to risk them dispanding. In any case it wasn't the outfit that was the problem. Had she wanted to look more 'normal' her safari gear would have been the way to go. The main problem was that it would take forever to dry. Perhaps if they stayed in doors long enough. While wearing the outfit it had a degree of restance to moisture, but that didn't do squat since she put it on soaking wet. Once inside she grabbed onto the nearest unoccupied booth and swung herself into it. It always amused her when people come in and sit there eyeballing everyone before deciding on a seat. In her mind the choice was very simple. Booth or table. She did consider a window seat favorable though. Even if there wasn't much to look at.

While the siblings were largely indifferent to Karlie, Sylvia was yucking it up.. It became apparent to them that Sylvia enjoyed Karlie. Jake had created an illusory umbrella to shield all of them from the rain. That was the fantastic part of Jake's illusions. How they can be solid. Regardless, the trio walked up into the cafe behind Karlie and got in the same booth she did. Not too snazzy of a place, but Jake and Gabe have seen better. Unfortunately, they just have to settle for second-best.

A waitress walked up and asked what everyone wanted.

"We just want some regular coffee please." Jake raised a finger and answered the waitress.

"Oooooooooh, nothing for me." Sylvia answered the waitress, before quickly adding on, "I got everything I want right here!"

The waitress walked off to get what Jake and Gabe asked for.

"... Hopefully the coffee here won't taste like ass." Gabe snarled as she watched the waitress storm off. Bleh. Nothing of importance here. So let's see what Sylvia's bestie has in store for them, just what she can offer to the group in terms of entertainment. Because so far, Gabe wasn't too thrilled with Karlie. Probably because she doesn't know jackshit about her, but maybe Sylvia knows her better than they do. Then again, Sylvia's a fool. "So, Karlie, what the hell is with that lizard get up...?" Gabe had to ask. "Don't tell me yer' one of those people...." Gabe turned her eyes towards Sylvia, who seemed to be laughing. When she turned her eyes to Jake, he seemed to be leaning forward with a palm attached to his face.

"... Here we go again." Jake muttered under his breath.

"Well, there was a jungle expedition and thought it might be cool to bring along. I never got to wear it though..." Karlies voice sunk on this note, then shot back up. "So when I woke up I decided to wear it to go see Henry!" She had no idea what kind of people Gabe meant. "Do you like it? I have plenty go around." At this she snickered. Very rarely did anyone take her up on that offer. If she didn't have her power even she wouldn't be wearing costumes around all the time. Despite popular beliefe she wasn't some drama geek before getting her power. Still she had particpated in a few plays, so she certainly wasn't agaist them either. "Oh yeah, I should probably mention I have fashion power manifestation." That was always quite a mouthful to say. It woulden't be suprising if her power name was the longest part of her normal vocabulary.

The quiet "No" was drowned out by a voice, a voice mimiking hers, loudly saying "Yes!" Gabe looked around for a second, confused as all hell. But she knew that it had to be none other than Jake Valos's brand of trickery. Indeed it was, Jake knew Gabe was going to say no to Karlie's little offer, and he had to do something to keep the conversation going - Because Gabe wasn't going to do it.

"Asshole..." Gabe whispered to Jake. Conceding to defeat.

Which meant that it was up to Jake now. He decided to take hold of this conversation. Karlie mentioned that her power was Fashion Power Manifestation? Jake had no idea what that meant, but he was going to take a guess here.. "Fashion manifestation? I'm going to take a guess and say that you get different powers based off what you wear...?" He asked.

"Yes!" Sylvia answered for Karlie. "And it's a pretty bitchin' power... but I like my power more. It fits a musician like myself."

Oh boy, power conversations. Gabe rolled her only eye. She didn't care for them. Because she felt it best to show people her power. Through setting them on fire with lasers!

"Oh, really? I have some stuff here, but it's all drenched. Back at my room though... I got everything!" Just a tiny exageration. It was enough for Karlie, but at the same time she never missed an oportunity to expand her wardrobe.

"Yes really." Jake said with a smirk, which caused Gabe to make a loud "Ugh" sound.

Sylvia beat her to answering Jake's question, and it was a good excuse to change the subject. The whole sharing her costumes was meant to be joke in most cases. "Yeah, I could switch between like a dozen costumes and still be be able to outmatch your beats."

"Pttf!" Sylvia loudly said, "You. Wiiiiish." She retorted. In truth, she knew that Karlie could match her if she has the right outfit on. Then again, Sylvia was not intending on fighting Karlie, like, ever. This was bravado!

When the waitress came back Karlie asked her for a Red Bull. She was an energy junky amoung other things. Eating desert for breakfast, getting hyped up on a regular basis. Everytime she came down from one thing it gave her excuse to seek something else. It wasn't quite a dependancy, however if she could avoid feeling strung out all the better.

The twins got their coffee, and weren't disappointed. "My, my, my..." Jake started off, "This isn't that bad of a coffee, don't you say?"

"... I've had better." Gabe said before she retreated back to her coffee.

It didn't seem fair to let Karlie talk so much about her power and share little in return. At least that's what Jake thought, "Well, Karlie, I should probably return the favor..." Jake snapped his fingers, and created an illusory fountain made of stone. It sprayed rushing water. "I'm the master of illusion. To the point my illusions are more or less real... Try touching it and find out." Jake pointed at the fountain.

Karlie dropped everything else and starred in awe at Jake's fountain. She ran a mitted hand through the illusory water and retracted it without feeling any more wet. "That is so cool! So, like, could you make icecream that tastes like icecream?" To her it'd be the best thing ever to have the flavor without the fat. Not that it was going to stop her. The fact that an actual icecream was only an order away was irrelevant. She woulden't trade power for any other, but if she had too it'd be for one like that. The waitress came back with her energy drink, and she drank most of it in one go. Maybe Gabe also had an awesome ability, though it was going to have a hard time topping that.

"... Your wish is my command." Jake gave Karlie a sly smirk as he snapped his fingers. The fountain disappeared, simply faded out of existence. Merely because he didn't want the extra effort that came with maintaining multiple illusions. A cloud of smoke appeared in front of Karlie's face, and when it faded away, there was a floating ice-cream cone. Vanilla. Karlie didn't say which flavor, so he went with vanilla. This wouldn't taste like no regular ice-cream, Jake and Gabe once had the chance to taste premium ice-cream. It would be absolutely delicious!

"Jake Valos does it all." Sylvia inserted with a smirk. She leaned back in her chair and threw her feet on the table. She started casually playing her guitar to provide a little atmosphere here.

Gabe leaned in and whispered into Jake's ear, "Make her ice-cream taste like ass."

"No."

"Don't act like you don't know what ass tastes like." Gabe pulled away, giggling.

It was actually happening, icre cream out of thin air. Karlie snatched it sceptical that it wasn't real until licking confirmed it. Not a mark on it. "Whoa! Then I bet it doesn't melt, and if you dropped it no big deal. I'm so jealous!" It was extremely rich and creamy. So sinfully good that she might have actually stopped to consider the calories of the real deal. "I don't think I've had any this good before..." She licked it vorasiously then pasued. "If you could do this forever I don't think I'd ever stop." There wasn't a hint of sarcasm, truthfully the only reason she normally did was because she had too.

"... Do it, Jakey, make her taste ass." Gabe tried to quietly tempt Jake yet again.

Which was casually brushed off. Jake took pride that he managed to brighten up Karlie's day, since getting bum-rushed by a tidal wave tends to do that. "It's not just regular ice cream, it's the best of the best...."

"... You're really eating this up, aren't you Jake?" Gabe said to Jake, at least this time, she spoke out loud. She crossed her arms and had a raised eyebrow poised at Jake.

"Just remember you won't get full off of it. You'll only taste it." Jake told her, "And yes, I can do this long as I can concentrate..." He told Karlie a rather large weakness of his, but that's fine. It's not like miss fashion can use it against him.

Kade stretched and yawned as she lay in her bed, staring up at the roof. After she had taken her shower, she decided that a good nap was in order, that cliff face kicked her ass, or maybe it was being in the inverse for so long, or both. It was a long nap, having gone right through the afternoon and into the evening. The sky was dark and she could hear the telltale sounds of rain hitting the campus grounds. She sighed, the weather immediately having its effect on her. Kade stretched in her bed and looked around her dorm, her room mate was gone, that wasn't a surprise. Kade had once gone two whole weeks without even laying an eye on her room mate.

With a groan, Kade lifted herself from the bed. She was in a pair of gray sweat pants and a white t-shirt that belonged to some guy her room mate smuggled in. It was on Kade's bed so she took advantage of it, making sure it was clean before she had put it on. She was bare footed, and her hair was in a simple pony tail. It was dark in her dorm, save for a color changing lava lamp on her desk that she rarely ever turned off. The speakers that were in the every corner of the dorm were playing a relaxing song for ambiance. The peaceful music helped her sleep. There were clothes and other unmentionables on the floor, her roommate was such a slob.

"Guess I better get my ass in gear... Again..." she mumbled to herself, stretching again and rubbing an eye before she stood up, staggering a bit as she dealt with a head rush.

Minutes later, Kade left her dorm. She looked more presentable now, she had some make up on to hide the obviously exhausted face she had before. Her hair was straightened and fixed after a bad case of bedhead. She kept the clothes on though, she was in a 'take-it-easy-and-don't-give-a-crap' mood. She wore some men's skate shoes (which -were- her's).

As she shuffled down the dorm hallway, she passed by Theresa's dorm. She wasn't sure if Theresa was in or not, she stopped by the infirmary to visit her, but she was out when Kade visited. Kade knocked on the door, "Theresa? You home?" she yawned again right after.

Benjamin Voss

Ben had followed Jago, and had been there when the two boys got into a little quarrel, and he had tried to stay on the sidelines to prevent him getting into another situation of him offering a soda to either of them and then receiving their combined wrath. he might've been bigger than both of them combined but he knew better than to fuck with people when they were angry. Pink and his own wife could double team him in a game of whits and words and turn his big ass into a smear on the floor. And so he let them go about their business, preferring to train a little bit on his own for fun. The first thing he went for was a big wooden staff. He towered over it by several inches, but was overall just fine in length. He smiled his wide and friendly mountain man smile. He attempted to twirl it, succeeding in dropping it with a very loud clang. He blushed in slight embarrassment and scrambled for the staff, picking it up and immediately placing it back where he had found it. He was tempted to go for the nunchucks, but he knew for a fact that with his luck he would manage to nail himself in the groin.

But he chanced it.

Taking the pair, he began spinning it, a huge stupid grin on his face as he did so. He began to to spin it around his body, and when he went to catch it, under his armpit, he undershot the twirl and managed to catch himself cleanly in the nuts. His technique for the strike was perfect, and like the sake of potatoes he was, his whole body crumpled. He lay there for a few moments recollecting himself, and decided weapons really weren't his thing, and so he limped back to the viewing area to watch Jago and Nick spar as to not risk injuring himself even farther.

Henry Olin

Henry had checked himself out of the hospital after Nick had helped him recover, his lack of injuries being his proof. That didn't stop them from prescribing him some pain killers as to help him recover in case he was still sore or in pain even after what Nick did to help, and he was told to return to the hospital immediately if the pain didn't stop or if his jaw began to wither away back to how it had been. Yes, that had apparently happened to some poor kid, who's arm or something had been healed by a fellow student and it had turned out to be only temporary. He couldn't even imagine that. So, like the rule following lawful good person he was, he went to the cafeteria to take at least one of the pills to be safe. As he entered, he came across Theresa and another girl whom he did not recognize.

And so, like the average socially adept lizard man, he walked in their direction. He wanted to check on Theresa to make sure that she was alright, as he had not spoken to her since the incident with Jaska. He came over just as Rosette said something about turning into something ridiculous like a clam or something. "Sister," he began. "Trust me when I say that whatever it is you can do is better than going through reptilian puberty in the span of six hours." He said, raising an eye ridge. He looked over to his friend. "Theresa, how have you been holding up?" he questioned, moving around the table and taking a seat across from his friend, next to Rosette. "I just checked out of the hospital. Came to take some pain killers they prescribed. Mind sparing a morsel for me to take a pill with?" he questioned, falling silent for a moment before adding in the most important part of the conversation thus-far. "No, you cannot breath all over me."

Mark

A big frown was scrawled messily across his brow. His power was back in working order and, with hands clasped beneath his chin, he was staring out of his window at the water trickling down the glass. A wet toothpick was on the desk before him. With a deep breath, he shut his eyes.

So, I've learned something interesting. Theres more to my power than simple perception.. And that when I utilize this new development, it becomes very difficult to keep focus.. And as I had a conversation after using it quite a bit, I must of come across as ADHD. Brilliant.

Mark's nose crinkled at the thought, then opened his eyes. His vision rested on the toothpick.

Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. I can continue to test my new power though..

He picked up the small wooden weapon, and opened the window. He began to take in a deep breath, and before his lungs were full, he slowed the world down to a crawl. The rain stopped dead; he would have said it was stationary if he knew any better. With a silent grunt, he broke his arm free of time through a pain that had lost its bite. Then he freed his eyes. He raised the toothpick with a firm grip, and set his sights on a droplet as it crossed a line he had drawn along the top of the glass. The piece of wood chopped it clean in half.

Two.

It slashed again, and those two droplets split again.

Four.

The world began to speed up, as his power began to snap him back to real-time. Each individual fraction of the original was now divided again.

Eight.

The droplets from the droplet were starting to spread out. They were now collectively halfway down the pane.

Sixteen.

They were thoroughly scattered. As deftly as he moved his wrist, he knew he would not be able to cut all sixteen of the droplets now. He made it to the seventh droplet before they began to fall below the window. Determined that water from the heavens should not claim victory over him, he pushed himself to focus on the cascade before him. They slowed again, and Mark continued. His vision began to lose colour, and he could feel his skull beginning to feel heavy, but with a great effort, he swung his arm again, just as it reached the window sill.

His head fell backwards against his chair. Something close to headrush had taken hold and he was leaning heavily against his armrest, struggling to keep balance. The world faded to black and back, and he shook his head vigorously to try and combat the effects. They were diminished at the very least by taking a breath before hand: the immediate oxygen in his lungs seemed to help give him back his eyesight quicker. He paused. A massive grin grew on his lips.

"..Thirty two. Shut the front door."

He shut the window and reached for his pen, scribbling down that magic number down on a notepad, under 16, 23, 27, 26 and 29. He beamed with a pride unusual to him.

"Hehe.. So if I'm right and the raindrop is falling at roughly 25kmph, and I was allowed to cut it for roughly 1m.. I just cut a raindrop 32 times in 0.04 seconds. Roughly. Haha!"

A weary forehead fell into an open palm. The young man closed his eyes and calmed his mind, as he waited for his power to gain it's composure. Next time he will go for 33.

Jago Javuant, Nicholas Raynor, & Ben Voss.

Hm? Jago forgot all about Big-Man here! He turned towards this giant-ass man that had been watching the whole thing - Hopefully. Because if no one watched Jago's mad skills in action, he would be severely disappointed.... Well, he would have liked some half-dressed cheerleaders, but that's for when he hits up the arena, baby! "Big-Man!" Jago shouted, "Tell me you saw that!" Before he trailed off... "Oh shit! Forgot... Just raise ya' hand or something." At least he remembered Big Man was mute.

What the hell was Ben supposed to do. How was raising his hand going to explain how much he saw? He let out a soundless sigh and slapped his face with his hand, and raised his hand. He slowly but surely stood up and walked over a little bit closer from his seat. He gave the thumbs up to both of them, recognizing them as fairly adept fighters. He hadn't watched especially well, he was too busy making an idiot of himself. He also wasn't really interested in fighting as a whole, being a pacifist, which is why he hadn't challeneged anyone thusfar to anything regarding the matter.

"You know it is, Big-Man." Jago smirked smugly, "I wouldn't be standing here if I couldn't kick a lil' ass." He had no idea of what Ben was thinking, he was going off the thumbs up. That, and he wanted to brag a little to get under Nicholas's skin. Because if they're going to spend time together, why not be aggravating as possible? Nicky-boy, while probably a better hand to hand fighter, was still a bitch in Jago's eyes. Fighting's one thing, but if you act like a bitch twenty-four-seven then you're probably a bitch.

Nicholas simply took the time while Jago was greeting the larger fellow watching them to get to his feet, holding his right arm in pain after dealing that strong blow. It wasn't like he was going to come out of this unphased...at least, in a temporary sense. It wasn't long before he attempted to stand up and approach Big-man, as it were, according to Jago. "Hey. That -was- some fight. Though...I could definitely use some practice, I'm a bit rusty, ya know?" He stated, before moving to lean against one of the exercise contraptions used nearby. "I don't think I've met you before. Name's Nicholas, and I'm just kind of helping Jago out with his training, since he took an interest in me. Helps me out, too." He stated, smiling at the fellow, hoping for some sort of response.

Ben gave a face akin to that of the poker face meme, and looked over to Jago. He often depended on friends and other people who knew his name to assist him in meeting other people. His wife, Pink, family, and friends helped him at it all the time. Hopefully Jago would be willing to do so too. Ben then proceeded to motion to his much younger and smaller friend.

Riiiight, Nicholas doing his bitch routine. Jago puffed some air out. Before he clenched his shoulder... Jesus, that still hurt a little. Maybe he'll find some foxy lady to kill it and make it better, yes? Though, Ben was mute. Painfully obvious at this point. Gah! Doesn't Nicky-boy have a brain? Pick up on the clues. "... I should let you know you're talking to a mute-guy..." Jago crossed his arms.

Nicholas widened his eyes, quickly taking a step back. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't want to assume, after all. I know some people prefer to do things their own way, but if you're a mute, I can certainly understand. Anyways...its nice to meet you." He stated...he blinked, looking down at his arm. "...Hrm. I could really use a medical kit of some sort right now. Anyone know if one of the staff has an office in this building we could ask, in case they know if one is in this building?"

"... What you could really use is some hair on your D, if you know what I mean." Jago laughed at Nicholas needing medical attention. Like has this kid ever taken a hit before? Jago's shoulder hurt, but it sure as hell was something he could take. "Walk it off, Nicky-boy, because you're going to be feeling that a lot."

Ben sighed, and put both his hands together and rubbing as if he was putting on lotion. He whistled a soundless whislte, and when he was done, a small amount of green pastey substance was in his palm. If Ben could speak, he would explain that it was comprised of simple herbs as to aliviate pain and stop the bleeding. It wouldn't fix the issue, but it would sure make things a bit easier. Ben grabbed Nick by his arm and pulled his arm up to get a better angle, and with his free and smashed the substand on his arm. He knew it would probably hurt that a man his size just about karate choped his arm, but oh well. It would do more good than bad.

OH GOD, that hurt. Nicholas gritted his teeth as he felt the big fellow's substand slammed onto his arm. He struggled not to curse as the broken bones in his right arm, however few, demanded that Nicholas be enraged through a screaming pain jolting through his entire body. -However-, Nicholas managed to resist quite well, closing his eyes tightly without making a sound. And then...the pain began to alleviate. And then grow even less painful as time went on, thanks to the strange paste. Slowly, he looked down at his arm, and then back at Ben, before smiling widely. "Thanks. Em...I'm gonna head back to my room and get some rest. I'll see you guys later." He stated, as if he was in a rush. Maybe something had just slipped his mind, something he had to do? He quickly turned around and rushed out of the training hall, keeping a tight hold on his backpack with his left hand as he did so.

Looks like White-boy here had to bitch out. Eh. Whatever. Looks like neither Codi or Nicholas were cool enough to hang with the great Jago Javuant. Nicky-boy also left his dick behind. Which surprised him since he didn't even know he had one! Hahaha... What a dickhead, but eh, he has his uses. "Looks like it's just me and you, Big-Man..." He looked at Ben's hands, which were still stained with sticky stuff. "... Make sure you never rub any sticky stuff on me.. Because you know I'll shout Stranger-Danger."

Ben looked down at his hands and shrugged, before he slapped Jago across the face (lightly) with the hand that covered in the green paste, leaving a green hand print across one side of Jago's face. Ben smiles, and reabsorbed what was left of the paste on his hand back into his being. He wiggled his eyebrows in a 'Whatcha gonna do about it kind of fashion to Jago. He looked forward to when his face would go numb, as he'd be drooling everywhere and it was generally a funny thing to see. Most people only saw it when taking friends him from the dentist or something, but he could see it whenever he liked! It was one of the more simple pleasures of his power.

Oh, no... Oh Big-Man crossed the line now. Jago froze up, shaking in pure anger. He had to try hard to contain it, but it was just too much. Big-Man right here think just because he big and shit that he can do whatever the hell he wants?! Aw hell naw. Because Jago didn't come from some cushy suburbs or backwater-ass farm, he came from the streets! Some bastard like Big-Man swings around there and starts doin' shit like that, and he's going to get murked! "Why you..." Jago knew that he wasn't going to stand by and take this like a bitch. The only bitch here is Nicholass, and it's going to stay that way. The same dark-purple aura surrounded Jago as he started floating up into the air, slightly. Ben wouldn't notice it unless he paid extra attention. That was when he flew up to Ben's level, and swung his leg full-circle towards Ben's cheek. "Motherfucker!"

Ben wasn't fast enough to react to the kick in terms of countering of ducking or any of that fancy stuff, instead he just went wide eyed and stepped backward and out of Jago's kicking range. He raised his hands up like someone was shooting a gun at him. Jeeze, no need to get so offensive about it. This wasn't the street or some shit. It was a lighthearted joke, and he was willing to bet even that Vespera girl wouldn't have reacted like that. Jeez, smear a mystery paste onto someone's face and they try to roundhouse kick you in the face. Edgy.

What the fuck? Seriously, what the fuck? This big ass motherfucker big as all hell, and Jago couldn't hit him? Jago stopped usage of his power, and landed on his feet perfectly. He dropped into a stance, one foot far in front of the other one. There was at least two and a half feet of distance between them. "Big Man," Jago said, extremely annoyed, "Don't do that shit again. Got it? I ain't playin'."

Ben seemed to think for a moment, before shruggign and giving a stupid, shit eating grin to Jago as if he was saying 'No promises'.

That fucking look... That fucking look. Cousin Debs is going to flip her shit when she finds out about this. Jesus. People here never had respect. But that initial anger wore off fast, while it seemed out of character, Jago calmed down. Jago let out a groan of anger, before he whipped around and turned towards the door. Jago began floating a few inches off the ground, and floated right out the door. Almost looking like he was sliding out the room.

Ben kept his smile and followed out after his friend, eager to cause him more general hate and discontent in his life that Jago would eventually come to love.

-

Theresa Sindel Obott.

---

More fishing for pity... Theresa was nearly killed twice today and she's putting on a smile! At least, trying to. This little woman-child was making her regress a little bit. Rosette was getting her down! Killing her mojo! Theresa leaned forward, and started playing around with her food using her fork. She just swished it around, looking at it awkwardly. While this does sound harsh, Theresa didn't come over here to listen to someone's sob story. She wanted fun! Adventure! Personality! Something Rosette just isn't giving her. Yes, as Theresa said, people get shafted by the power stick quite often. Sometimes it's an irritation, sometimes it's something that'll ruin your goddamn life. Theresa can't say too much, but her own power is exactly why she can't go through hormone therapy, and she's living with it, something she's accepted. Though, she's fine with not having a power all together. But she shrugged, she had a comeback to Rosette.

"What 'incredible drawbacks'?" She started off, coy, looking at Rosette with shocked eyes. "Do you get a lot of people on To Catch a Predator?"

Someone was walking up, and Theresa gave them a look that said "Please kill me". But thank God. It's Henry. Henry's here, and actually alive. Okay, maybe that sounded a little morbid, but then again, she just made a pedophile. Furthermore, he was here to save Tess from this droll conservation. Because, honestly, Theresa was considering jumping over the table and bitch slapping some excitement into the girl. Theresa immediately smiled like her day just got brightened, "... Henry! You're alive!" Dammit... I probably sound like an idiot, I should have said something else... Theresa looked to the left for a second before she centered her gaze on the towering lizard-man. She didn't feel comfortable with Henry, since she felt like she abandoned all her friends back there at the hospital. Worst of all, his mere presence reminded her of the incident. Theresa groaned, but cut it off, and awkwardly smiled.

Play it cool, Tess... Play it cool... Theresa had no choice but to play everyone off as being the, forever cheerful, sarcastic chick. What does anyone honestly expect her to do? So, she had to be what everyone expected her to be. "Despite getting my ass handed to me, you should see the other guy!" Good... good... Theresa had to keep it going. She pushed a plate of fried chicken towards Henry, since he asked for some. "And sure, I don't know if you eat food like this...." She looked down, "... It's filling." She said with a wink.