[hr][i][h1][color=salmon]Haruka Takashiro[/color], [color=skyblue]Wendy Lucker[/color], & [color=00ff7f]Rori Aherne[/color].[/h1] [sup](Collaboration between [@tsukune], [@Mr Allen J] and [@FernStone])[/sup][/i] [hr][hider=Steven Universe - Alone Together][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkxhlGuqgFY[/youtube][/hider][hr] [b][code]Academy 61, Roseview_[/code][/b] After that disaster at Havenfield, the only thing that Wendy wanted to do was get her ass back to the Academy. Fortunately, she was able to score a ride right to the Havenfield Market, and she managed to get her moped back. Fortunately, it was all in one piece, only with a bit of frost over it. Afterwards, she managed to ride the vehicle all the way back to the Academy. Which wasn't [i]that[/i] far away from Havenfield, being in the same part of the city, after all. Wendy managed to roll up into her parking spot on the Academy, and got off her motorcycle... As she was walking, she just let the stress get to her. "[i]Uuuuugh![/i]" Wendy loudly exclaimed as she put her hands on her face, and threw her head back. Not only was she almost frozen alive, but now DOVE knows that she's a Replicator - a secret she's been holding for years now - and she only barely managed to talk her way out of it. This whole thing was annoying, but she was wondering what the hell happened back there. A Metahuman [i]had[/i] to go out of control there, but DOVE is going to be tight-lipped about that one. She, honestly, couldn't blame them, but some things are so obvious that there's no point in trying to hide it - in fact, not disclosing information is a sure sign of what happened. A sigh escaped her lips. Things are never going to get better for Metahumans. In either case, it was time for Wendy to retreat to her one solace: books. Wendy went straight for the Academy's library. She had already entered the Academy, and she already knew the layout of the place (well, relative to the library) that she could easily make her way there. And after opening one glass door, there it was; shelves, and shelves, of books. It had the look of a classical library, shelves that were high above her head that separated one area from another, plenty of comfy chairs, and tables where students were doing their homework. Wendy herself had already settled everything that she needed to, and merely resigned to finding a book she hadn't read yet, and getting to read it. She wandered the library as she looked for that dream book. Meanwhile, Haruka arrived at the Academy on his bicycle; he could have ridden on his twin's motorbike instead, but he felt that it was [i]unnecessarily[/i] flashy. Besides, he wasn't in a great hurry - why would he be, especially since he was just going to the library? After leaving his bike at the bicycle parking area, he picked up the books from the front basket and turned to walk towards the library building. Although he had graduated from the Academy couple of years ago, he still visited the place from time to time, mainly to use the library. It was good that the library was open to the general public, and the Academy wasn't too far from where he was staying. He felt that the book collections in the local bookstores were rather limited, or that some of the books were quite costly to buy. After he dropped the books he was returning at the front counter and exchanging a few words with the librarian, he finally began what he came for today: To dig for some Metahuman-related resources. ... ... During Wendy's own search for a new book, she got up on her tip-toes, and looked at a specific book... Nothing to write home about; just a book about old cars. Nonetheless, a book was still a book, and it's something that she's willing to read. She used her paper manipulation to pull the book out of it's spot on the shelf, and right into her hand, and she then placed it underneath her arm as she began slowly looking for a place to go have a seat. As Wendy moved through the crowded library, there was a curious sight that made her forget about her book - if only for a moment. Wendy saw Haruka, the young man that helped her much earlier. She didn't get a chance to properly thank him, as she was shifted into the whole RAVEN system, but better late than never.... She shot her book a worried glance, but she can always read it later (unless the Academy got attacked, or the world ended). Removing those anxious thoughts from her mind was easy. "H-Hey!" Wendy called out to him as she walked over, her foot speed was comparable to a sprint. "Sorry for interrupting you... but, I came to personally say thanks." Haruka heard a voice calling out to him; he peeled his eyes away from the shelf reluctantly and turned his head to the source of the voice. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of the teenage girl Reed saved that day at the market. "Uh, hi. You are welcome," he greeted her with a smile. "How are you - are you better from the frostbite now?" "Y-yeah," Wendy said, rather triumphantly. "My power allows me to heal from such wounds if I have enough paper," she said to reassure him. "So, you're a student here at the Academy? Like, are you taking the college courses, or...?" When the girl talked about her power, that perked up his curiosity. [i]Healing with paper? Some form of paper manipulation?[/i] He recalled seeing her using fire back at the market when they first met. This girl was probably the first Metahuman he came face to face with who was capable of manipulating multiple elements - what's more, of opposing types. [i]Interesting...[/i] Then he realized that he was staring at the girl a tad too long; he recollected himself before he replied, "No - I was once a student here, but I graduated two years ago. I assume that you are currently a student of the Academy?" "Yup!" Wendy mouthed the words in response. "I've been attending this Academy for three years now - gonna stay for college." She answered. So she was talking to a graduate! How exciting. She's going to be in his shoes one day, so she wondered if she could get some more information out of him. Like what was he doing now? Was he using his powers for good? Who taught him? [i]How[/i] good was he? So many questions... Haruka nodded, slightly amused at her cheeriness even when she was talking to a complete stranger like him; it took him quite some time to be able to open up to others with more ease. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself - I'm Haruka. Nice to meet you." "[i]Wendy Lucker.[/i]" Wendy cheerfully replied. Haruka was a name she hadn't encountered before - sure, she's been in Courtbridge, where the Asian community is quite strong. Hm... going off her experiences with the Asian community; Haruka was Japanese? She could probably be wrong here, but she wasn't going to get [i]that[/i] ahead of herself. She extended her hand out for a shake. Though, now would be a good time for twenty questions! "So, I wanted to ask..." She trailed off as she looked for a specific question. "...Who was your teacher?" "Lihua," he responded without much thought as he returned the handshake, then he corrected himself. "Uh, Ms. Zhao to you, I guess. Is she teaching you too?" "Oh, yes, yes..." Wendy managed to groan out the words. "She's [i]my[/i] teacher as well, since she trains the elemental types." [i]Okay, he probably knows that.[/i] Haruka chuckled at her groan. "Sounds like she is giving you a hard time. She is strict, but she is a good instructor." He thought about his encounters with her back at Verthaven. Wendy probably could have never imagined that the Lihua now was very different from how she was like at that time... Even he had undergone some changes ever since that disastrous incident. The death of a friend had awakened his power, which was why he's going to put his ability, though weak as it seemed, to good use... so that no one who was important to him would have to die before his eyes again - now that he was no longer the powerless weakling from the past. "Yeah I agree... just that she's a little [i]too[/i] rough with me sometimes." And Wendy knew that those instances were all her fault, since she was either irritating Ms. Zhao, or overstepping her personal boundaries. Didn't really make them all that better. However, she brushed it off with a bout of awkward laughter and scratched the back of her neck. "But, that's a different discussion altogether," Wendy stated. "So, you just come around here to use the library?" Haruka didn't make any comments as Wendy complained about Lihua. While he agreed with her that Lihua could be really harsh with her teaching methods, he still felt grateful that she had spared no mercy with him. The results he had shown speak for themselves - he was able to control and master his power very quickly, and later went on to graduate as one of the top students of his year. ...Speaking of which, he hadn't seen Lihua for some time. Maybe he should call her out for coffee or tea one day. "Yeah," he replied. "I like reading, and it does help that the Academy library is open to the public, giving me access to most of the books here even after I have left the school." He glanced down at the book under Wendy's arm, but he couldn't make out the cover. "So... what do you like to read?" This was an easy question. Like the easiest question that Wendy had to answer. Ever. "All of them!" Wendy cheerfully answered. "I really like reading books, and [i]any[/i] book is a good book to me." She reached down to the book that was underneath her shoulder. "Yeah," She started off. "This is an automobile book, and I barely even care about cars - but I'm reading it anyway..." "Wendy will continue forever if you let her talk about books." The somewhat ironic statement came from Rori, who had just managed to find their way to the Academy library after flying in to the place as a bird. They'd gotten... A bit lost. They grinned at Wendy and Haruka. "Hi Wendy, H-Wendy's friend!" It dawned on them as they began to speak that though they recognized Haruka from that time, Haruka was hardly going to recognize them. After all they weren't currently a [i]kestrel[/i]. "Oh, Rori?" Wendy stated, honestly a bit surprised that she's here. From what Wendy remembered, Rori was [i]not[/i] a student in the Academy. "You're dropping by?" She asked. "Uh, yeah, I just thought I'd visit the Academy," Rori responded somewhat awkwardly - they knew they'd probably get in a lot of shit if anyone found out they weren't a student here. And they'd only got in cause nobody stopped birds going places. Her eyes drifted over towards Haruka, and realized that they haven't been introduced yet. "Rori, this is Haruka... someone I met today." "Hello," Haruka greeted the newcomer. He could roughly tell that she was a girl, but she had a rather... queer feature - she looked somewhat bird-like. Probably a Metahuman, under the bestial type. He had a vague feeling that he had met her somewhere before... but [i]where[/i]? "Uh, technically we have met before today, Wendy, just that the situation back then was too chaotic for a proper introduction." He then returned his attention back to Rori. "Are you girls friends? Maybe not in the same class - I mean, Lihua specializes in elemental manipulators, after all..." he trailed off, frowning. "Hello Haruka, nice to meet you!" Rori smiled enthusiastically. "And yes, we're friends - we both like art and stuff like that so that helps." They decided not to correct Haru in terms of the classes - not that they knew who Lihua was. It would be better to not tell him they didn't go here, just in case. "Yeeeeeeeeeeah." Wendy said with a smile on her face. "We're both... [i]artistic[/i] minds." She said. "But, Rori doesn't attend the Academy - we met in Faircrest." "I can write some stuff, but I can't draw to save my life," Haruka said sheepishly, regarding the two girls with a look of admiration. "I would really love to see some of your artworks." "Oh, I draw, too." Wendy chimed in... though, she felt like she was fishing for compliments here. "Sure, I'll show you something at some point," Rori grinned. They liked showing off their artwork, even if a lot of it was sketches. Haruka beamed at them; however, on the inside he was a little surprised to hear that Rori wasn't a student of the Academy - she looked like she was around Wendy's age... maybe she didn't have to go to this Metahuman school and attend one of the local institutions instead? But with the rising anti-Metahuman tension, she probably couldn't go to those kind of normal schools anymore, especially not with her obvious... appearance. He raised an eyebrow to hear that the girls met each other in Faircrest, of all places - wasn't that the part of Roseview with miles of farmland surrounded by a thick forest? He wondered how two teenage girls like them wandered into such remote place on their own. "...How do you two met each other there? Isn't that place a bit dangerous for two girls to go all alone by yourselves?" "Well," Wendy stated. "I guess we know what we're doing." She looked between Rori and Haruka for a moment. The world wasn't a safe place, yeah. Wendy understood that. Yet, she wasn't going to let the danger from stopping her from pursuing her dreams. She would rather die than just stay in the house all day and worry about what happens. Wendy... Wendy wanted to be out there, apart of it. "If you know the area it isn't [i]too[/i] dangerous." Rori shrugged. It also helped if you could become one of the creatures that lived in the forest. "There's plenty of safe food to forage in the forest as well - you'd be surprised. I'm sure there are more dangerous areas in more civilised areas." There were so much mysteries around these two. So many questions he wanted to ask them, but he swallowed down that urge to probe further (he only just meet them today, and they weren't exactly friends... yet) and chose to go with, "The Academy hasn't changed much since I graduated. Maybe tighter security - well, just slightly - but the campus is still the same as before. Have you attempted any arena battle so far?" Haruka posted the last question to Wendy. He personally didn't like the arena matches much - it wasn't about winning or losing, but during his time it could get pretty... brutal at times. It even became a 'rule' for a period of time where the battle would go on until one side sustained a broken limb or rib bone. By the time stricter regulations was set in place he was about to graduate... Well, better late than never. "Oh? Oh yeah." Wendy said... clearly less interested in talking about arena fighting than her creative, artistic, side. Some people took the arena fights [i]very[/i] seriously, but Wendy was more lighthearted about it. "I did one fight today - just as practice - and won! I plan on doing a few more." She said. "...Just as, you know, practice." Wendy probably didn't want to come off as one of the obsessive meat heads out there. She just wanted to practice, just in case she got into an [i]actual[/i] fight. She looked off to the side - like Haruka said, the world [i]is[/i] dangerous. She didn't know what would pop up next. "What are arena battles?" Rori inserted themselves into a conversation they clearly had no idea about, strange yellow-brown eyes wide and curious. "Oh?" Wendy wondered the best way to go about explaining arena battles... then realized that she could do it in a few words. "Well, they're like sparring matches, but with super powers. " That was the simple answer, but she knew that she could go a little more in detail. "You like... go into this big metal arena, and you do this little play fight with another person... and you, well, try not to get your face smashed in. Heh." She said in a rather joking tone. "Sometimes they're really fun - but I just use them as practice more than anything." She realized that she was never the sporty type. "Sounds... scary," Rori made a slight face at it. "I would be [i]atrocious[/i] at that." They'd have to scratch someone's face as a bird. "Hey, hey, it's not [i]that[/i] bad." Wendy tried to reassure her. "But, I don't think it's for... [i]everyone,[/i] yeah." As Wendy was explaining about the arena battle to Rori, Haruka thought back about the things they had been talking about throughout this conversation. There was something that kept replaying in his mind... Things that Rori had said, and her bird-like feature--- [i]A bird.[/i] It was too much of a coincidence, and he wasn't hundred-percent sure... "Sorry to interrupt the conversation, but... have we meet before?" he finally asked Rori, frowning at her. Rori turned their head to look at Haruka, before smiling. "Yeah we have. Didn't want to bring it up cause it might have seemed a bit weird 'cause, y'know, I was a kestrel at the time." "Ah!" Haruka exclaimed - earning himself disapproving looks from the people who passed by the shelves the trio were at - and he continued to stare at her. Then he lowered his voice, "So that is your power? You can transform into birds?" This was not what he had expected to meet the kestrel again - or rather, the person who could become that kestrel. "Yeah, that's it! Quite a few different types of birds - also the whole feather thing and weird eyes. All bird related," Rori smiled. "That's... interesting," Haruka said, still looking at Rori. "And I have to apologize to you for messing up your flight route back then." Going back to powers, that made him remembered what he was here for. "Ah, I think I should get back to find the books I need. I enjoyed chatting with you girls. Maybe we can continue some other time - I do drop by the library at least once a week." "It's fine, I didn't mind!" Rori smiled. "Good luck finding the books - it was nice chatting to you." They should really head home, just in case Max was miraculously there and worried (like that would be the case). "Yeah." Wendy stated, nodding her head. "It was great meeting you Haruka - I hope to meet you again, as well." She stated, realizing that everyone was going their separate ways, that she should do the same. She held the book tightly in her hands as she turned around and broke off into a sudden sprint as she went straight to her dormroom. Rori gave a small wave to Haruka, and Wendy's back, before heading out of the library. Time to go bird mode again and fly home. Haruka watched the disappearing backs of his two new friends with a small smile before turning his attention back to the shelf, continuing to search for his books.