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The party had seemingly exploded into action, and in the same way, it fell into a frightening silence. Normally, Jackson would appreciate a situation like this, but this silence wasn't the sort brought on by something like a walk in the woods or a morning where you wake up an hour early and realize you have more time to sleep. This silence threatened to wreak havoc, as it had, and there was one person still smiling in the center of it all. Gianna. He couldn't help but think of her with a sort of spite. It was clear to see that she had intended all of this to happen. Samantha was a wreck, Avalon and Will would have to apologize for what they did under Gia's pheromones, and he could only imagine how Kayla felt after all of this. It sickened him to see someone rip others apart like that, and Gia did it with such ease. He wasn't too sure what to do. It wasn't like he could just throw away his plans with Gia; that would only say that she didn't mean anything to him in the first place. On the other hand, he wasn't too sure if he could handle it. How can anyone do something like that?

... Well, I suppose I ought to know...

It had been his freshman year at Mayweather, about halfway into the second semester. He had been talking to a senior who had befriended him early on in the year, and they were both outsiders, drawn together by that fact alone. The two were good friends, and Jackson remembered looking up to him. In truth, Jackson couldn't even remember his name now, but he did remember the day that the senior had asked him an important question. "You don't seem like the sort who's here to save the world or protect the innocent or whatever. You've got your own agenda, and if it isn't too personal, I'd like to hear it." Jackson remembered being put off guard by the question, but at the same time, he had spent a lot of time answering the question himself: why was he here at Mayweather? He had taken a deep breath before responding.

"I've never been the sort of guy who people look up to, or the one who protects others, or even the one who fights for what they think is right. To be honest, I've made mistakes, and I've held the weight of those mistakes on my shoulders for almost my entire life. If anyone really knew me, then they would think that I belonged in Delphina, without a doubt. Like you said, I'm not here to save the world for fight evil or anything. I just want to prove that it's okay for people, for heroes, for villains, to make mistakes, because we're all human. No matter who you are or what you've done, I just think that everyone deserves a second chance."

Everyone deserves a second chance. Jackson brought himself from the memory and looked back at Gianna. For the first time, he actually looked at her, studied her expressions and pieced together her feelings. From his perspective, she knew that she had messed with a group of friends, and she had broken through Samantha's armor and stabbed her through the heart. And perhaps she saw that as a victory. Maybe that was her way of keeping control, not just of others, but of herself. "It's a long shot, but even Gia deserves a second chance." he said to himself, deciding on a course of action. He grabbed a napkin from a table and jotted down a quick note on it, before looking up and seeing that Gianna was about to leave the party. Quickly, he stopped time and rushed through the crowd, once again frozen in time, towards her. Taking a look at her dress, he didn't see any pockets, so he simply placed the note in her hand. If she noticed it, she would see that it read:



On the back of the note, he had written his cell phone number. With that done, he left the party and waited until he was back in his own dorm room before starting time again. Was Lucas' side of the room this trashed before? At this rate, he was too drunk and nervous to care, so he laid down on his bed and tried to relax. He knew that she might write him off as one of the many who practically lusted after her, but at least it was out of his hands now.

"I'mlateI'mlateI'mlateI'mlate-" Pieces of clothing went flying in all directions as James dug through his sorry excuse for a wardrobe. He placed a tee shirt against his nose, sniffing it for cleanliness. Spinne gagged and tossed the shirt aside. "Not you. Not you. What the hell is this? Did when I get this shirt? No. No. AGGHHHH!" He grabbed the last thing in the drawer, throwing it into the air with the burning fury of a thousand suns. "I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!" He shouted. Spider-boy turned his head toward the door, where a group of three floating heads were silently observing him. "Don't you have something better to do?!" The curious onlookers made their retreat, leaving Arachnid alone. In a pile of dirty clothes. He checked his watch, despair plain on his face. "Brenna's gonna kill me." He moaned. James buried his head in the laundry; perhaps if he pretended to be an Ostrich, this would all magically fix itself. Ya know, this doesn't smell nearly as bad as it should. The Delphina student brought his head back up, shirt still attached to his face. He pried the thing off and gave it another sniff. "YES! CLEAN!" Overjoyed by this discovery, James immediately removed his filthy, sweat-soaked outfit and covered his perfect washboard abs torso in the black and red garment. Spidey moved as quickly as he could. With one hand, he started to pull on a pair of ragged jeans. With the other, he shot a web out of his spinnerets and pulled a can of spray on deodorant toward him. "Come onnnn- stupid button...there we go!" James dashed out of his room and down the hallway, only to stop halfway there and turn around. "I forgot my shoes!"

The party was taking place on Spinne's roof; which meant he didn't have very far to run. A normal person would've taken the stairs, of course. That sounds like the most efficient way to traverse the interior of a dorm building. Oh, but James wasn't going to go charging up the stairs like a rapid animal. He knew there'd be three heroes there to stop him. Spinne was in the process of scaling the side of Mayweather Old East. An easy task for James, considering he could stick to walls. Based on what looked like a rope ladder laying on the ground below, he wasn't the first one to try this. He imagined the culprit had been successful. Boy, this is going to be fun. I hope. Is there pizza? I bet there's pizza. I love pizza. James allowed his thoughts to wander as he reached the top of the building. With one mighty pull, Arachnid cleared the half wall that kept exceptionally stupid people from accidentally killing themselves. The first thing he noticed was how bright everything was. Literally every decoration screamed happy-happy joy-joy; but what else could one expect from a Mayweather only event? Better than the Delphina only Halloween parties, I guess. James' mood darkened ever so slightly as he vividly recalled October of last year. So much blood...I still don't know if it was fake or not. The music was decent; fast paced, upbeat and exciting. It was your typical party dance music.

Spinne rotated his head from left to right, scanning the roof top for his friends. The mob of party-going Mayweathers made it difficult, however. Unable to find either of the girls, he decided to slip his hand into his pocket and retrieve his cellphone. He was in the process of texting Frosty the Snowwoman when a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, slamming down onto the roof. A roar of thunder followed moments later. I wonder who did that... Everyone's eyes were glued on Gianna and Samantha, James' included. He had no idea what Gia had done to piss off the Mayweather queen so badly; she didn't seem like the type to go starting fights, even with Delphina's top baddie. The two exchanged venomous words, the heat in their voices obvious. Sam definitely meant business. Yet, Gia wasn't worried at all. She had something up her sleeve. Spinne wouldn't be all that surprised if he learned this was part of some grand scheme, orchestrated by his school's elite. A number of students James recognized moved to intercept Sam before she did something she'd regret. Mitch was just there to make jokes and egg Youngblood on. Avalon appeared to be genuinely concerned for her friend-

An unmistakable voice called out to Sam's right hand girl. Brenna! James pushed his way through the crowd, following the sound of her sneering voice. If this whole thing turned sideways and a fight broke out, James wanted to be near Lancaster. To, like, protect her and stuff. His pushing and shoving came to an abrupt halt when Kayla ran right past him to stand between Gianna and her prey. Poor girl. She actually thinks Daniels' is in danger.

Once Kayla was out of the way, Gianna went on the offensive. She struck every nerve she could with her little speech. She didn't just insult her. No, that was below the queen. Gianna used the most painful weapon of all: the truth. She pointed out Hurricane's failures and faults. How she'd broken her precious moral code. How she had risked everyone's lives for the sake of her ego. Things that would dig into a hero's very soul, making them question their every decision. The attack ended in a way James would've never suspected. It was horrible. Heart-wrenching. He wanted to tear his eyes away from the scene, but he found he could not. Gianna had used her pheromones on Will and Avalon, forcing them to...Right in front of Sam. He'd heard rumors about the senior's budding relationship with Blake; and everyone was aware of how inseparable Ava and Will were. In his short time at the academy, James had never seen Gianna go this far before. She wasn't attacking Sam physically. No, Gianna Daniels was ripping her heart asunder. And nobody was doing anything about it. Even the so called heroes were just standing there, watching.

People started to leave. Sam had already run out, leaving them all covered in rain water. "Rained out again." James' joke wasn't taken so well, given the number of middle fingers he received for it. The dispersing of the crowd was enough for Spinne to spot Brenna once more. He made his way over to her, his emotions all over the place. He couldn't explain what he was feeling. His mind was still reeling from the previous display. Mustering all of his self control, James took a step between Lancaster and the exit. His voice was calm and steady as he asked her a simple question, "Did you know- know about all of this? That this was going to happen?"

---

Brenna was surprised to see James step in between her and the exit. She blinked once while looking at him, shock on her face. Truth be told, she'd been a bit preoccupied with the cat fight to even spare a thought for Spider Boy. His question was what really surprised her though. She hadn't been expecting it, and she could tell that her answer was important to him.

She bit her lip, before answering. "No. I didn't know that was going to happen until right before it did. I promise. the raven haired girl said, sincerity in her eyes. However, her answer wasn't complete. But that doesn't mean I'm upset that it did. The Mayweathers have been shitting on us since we got here, hell, tonight was just another example! Sam attacked Gia! That bitch deserves everything she got!," Brenna exclaimed, her voice raising. She could tell that James didn't approve of what Gia did. Not that she cared. Much. What Gia had done was what Sam deserved, nothing more and nothing less. And she'd defend that belief with her life.

She shook her head, realizing her temper had flared. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. It's just, I-I just, I mean all my life, I've gotten shit for who I was. First it was because I had powers, and now it's cause I don't want to help little old ladies cross the street, or take down the big bad guy. I'm just, I'm done with it! If you have a problem with what just happened, then fine! Feel free to keep on being one of the Mayweathers' whipping boys! I however, am done taking their shit!" she shouted, her efforts to curb her temper failing, and only resulting in it flaring up once more. She pushed past James and stormed out of the dorms, her head a mess of emotions.

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For a moment, he was numb. He couldn't feel anything, couldn't even think. And then he felt the rain hitting his skin, pattering on the back of his neck. He could taste Avalon on his lips. His lips. The same lips that should've been kissing Sam. But they hadn't. His hair was wet now, and water was rolling down his face. His eyes were wide with shock. All he could think of was what he'd done. He should've been stronger. He should've fought, but he hadn't. He'd been weak. And he'd lost, and in the process, he'd hurt Sam. He ran a hand through his hair, spreading the rain water through it and clenched his fists, anger coursing through his body.

This was Gia's fault. She'd done this. Her and the rest of the Delphinas. They should've just stayed away from the party. And those dumb ass bouncers, the ones who couldn't keep out anyone. God damn it. He wanted revenge. He needed revenge. But it would have to wait. Because, somewhere, Sam was probably thinking he hated her. He couldn't have that. He'd seen enough movies to know that he needed to chase her. He just had to.

And so he did. Without so much as a goodbye to Avalon, he sprinted off of the roof, down the stairs of the Old East building, and back out into the rain, looking for Sam, frantically searching. He ran around the building, all around the campus, until he finally found her, leaning against a wall, sobbing. His stomach dropped, and his heart hurt, hearing those sobs. He gulped and slowly walked towards her.

And instead of opening his big mouth, he sat down next to her, just close enough so that their shoulder's touched. He leaned against the wall and sat quietly. He didn't know what to say, and he didn't think she deserved any half-assed apology, so he sat in silence, while the rain fell.

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What had she done? What a stupid question. She knew exactly what she'd done. She'd kissed Will, aka her best friend. And also her other best friend's crush. After her confrontation with Brenna, the realization finally sunk in. Her hand traveled upwards, to cover her mouth which was currently agape. She couldn't believe what she'd done. But she'd done it. She could still smell that disgusting cologne he wore, the kind she'd told him smelled like trash, but that he had insisted on wearing.

She shook her head and took a moment to compose herself. She wasn't going to break down here, in front of all these people. Grandma Levi had always told her, "Crying is for bathrooms and the privacy of your bedroom. No where else." And so, Avalon snatched up the gift Peter had given her and ran downstairs to her room, tears already falling down her face.

Harold hadn't gotten back yet, and her room was still destroyed, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She'd just broken her best friends' hearts and she couldn't even think of a way to apologize. She kicked off her heels in anger, and clenched her fists as electricity danced between her finger tips. She wanted to shriek, and hit someone in the face. She wanted to break something, so, so, so bad. The tears were flowing heavily, streaming down her face now, as she took a seat on her mattress, gift in hand.

What was this gift anyways? The note said to open it with Sam, but that seemed out of the question right now. Hopefully she'd be enough. There was a timer that seemed rigged to keep the ribbon tied. Weird she thought, just as the timer dinged. Confused, she opened up the package, to find a pair of eyes looking at her. And then she got a faceful of skunk. Her shriek pierced the air as the creature scurried out of the package and under her desk, hiding. This day had gone from horrendous, to fucking awful rather quickly, and she knew very well that someone was going to have to pay for this.

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The first couple minutes after leaving the infirmary was as quiet and awkward as Minako had expected. As… stimulating the previous conversation had been, she still didn’t really know who this man was. And it was time to rectify that; he didn’t seem inclined to break the silence himself. ”Um, I don’t think we were properly introduced.” She stopped and gave him a short bow. ”My name is Minako Ikeda, and I am new to Mayweather. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Elijah turned to face the young woman, ”Elijah Masterson, student of Delphina, also new to Mayweather, likewise.” He gave her a respectful bow of his head then continued along their path. He found today to be rather unusual, having to interact with so many individuals was an uncommon occurrence for him. Usually Elijah spent his time alone, away from others, yet the day’s events called him to action, they required attention, observation, interaction. Even now was an interaction worth investigating; like how the new girl met Gianna already. ”I take it you’ve already met Gianna then? Considering your reaction earlier, I’m curious as to how you managed to stumble into her so quickly.”

Minako flushed slightly at the memory, and she turned her head away to hide it. ”That would be… more accurate than you realize. I was looking for the Residence Office, and when I got distracted, I ran into her.” The scarlet colour in her cheeks deepened. ”Literally. Which lead to myself making eye contact with her and… activating my power.” Minako bit her lip. ”Still, she was nice enough to forgive me for my mistake, and even helped me find my dorm.” She decided not to mention the demonstration of her power that she had given the senior. The memory warmed her in ways that still left her confused.

She tried to hide it, but even Elijah could see the flourishing aura within her, the amount of embarrassment and arousal. Was she enraptured with Gianna? What power did she have that could cause such emotion to emit from her? More curious, if Minako had indeed activated a power against Gianna, why wouldn’t she have retaliated? Two possible explanations, either she wasn’t interested enough to deal with it...yet. Or perhaps she had other plans that would benefit her in the end with Minako’s help. Either way, it wasn’t good and unfortunately the girl had walked straight into a trap, right into the siren’s den. ”Unfortunate.” was all he stated, ”Unfortunate that you made your way onto her radar…”

Frowning, Minako looked at the other boy in confusion. Unfortunate? “Um, what do you mean by that?”

”It's only your first day, but you seem quite taken with her, so I'll ask you a question. How well, do you think you know Gianna?”

For a moment, Minako was silent, pondering the question. ”Not at all, really. I haven’t had the chance to get to know her, so I am not sure what you mean when you say that I am “taken” with her. I will admit that I would like to know her better, so that I can make things up to her.”

”Bodies are like open books to me and though you try to hide it, your text is quite visible. That is aside the point though, the real question is, how deep down the rabbit hole will you go? How much do you truly wish to know of the Despot Queen of Delphina?” Gianna was a force to be reckoned with and he felt he should prepare the young woman for the trials ahead of her, but only if she wanted to know. Otherwise, she would be on her own.

The more that Elijah spoke, the less that Minako was certain that she liked him. On the one hand, the manner in which he talked about people seemed to be down right rude. On the other… ”There is something that you must understand.” She stopped, fixing

Elijah was a gaze that was equal parts remorseful and steelly. ”I have already done Gianna great injury. My power allows me to connect with another person’s body and alter their senses. When the connection is made, there is a reciprocal reaction that the other person experiences. In Gianna’s case, I have good reason to believe that she relived the emotions she felt when her boyfriend died.” Minako's expression fell slightly. ”It was entirely an accident, and not my intention to occur. Gianna has since forgiven me, but I cannot allow such an injury to go unredeemed. I need to make it up to her, otherwise I would not be able to face her or or others honourably.” A solid core built in Minako’s chest, and she squared herself a little. ”If there is a way for me to help her, then I must do it.”

”I’ve underestimated your knowledge then, but I must ask, how you intend to rectify such an error?” His gaze was just as cold if he had one, but his presence more than made up for the lack of eyes, ”His death, Vincent’s death, was probably the most traumatic experience she has ever undergone, its changed her in ways I cannot possibly describe and though I have no idea how your power works, you made her relive that experience. How does one make up for experiencing the same death twice?”

At this point droplets of rain began to fall from the heavens, they had an unusual essence about them...sorrow? Tears of an angel lost perhaps? Though Elijah didn’t believe in such fantasies, there was always the possibility. ”Well?”

”In all honesty?” She looked up at the sky as it began to rain, her previous confidence giving way to uncertainty. ”I do not know. There is something that my father has often told me: to be truly successful in business and in life, you do not give people what they want. Find out what they need, and then make yourself the best option from which to get it.” Minako looked again at Elijah. ”That is why I wish to get to know her better, so that I might determine what she truly needs. It is as often as not that we do not even know this ourselves, especially after a loss. Does this answer your question?”

Perhaps, the young woman would be fine on her own, ”Wise words Ms. Ikeda, if you believe yourself strong enough to do such an insurmountable task, then you will receive no qualms from me. However, you interact with Gianna and I made a promise to an old friend, know that I will be watching, and waiting.” Before he could continue he felt something slam into him before a small ‘ooph’ resounded and as he turned to face it another presence had made itself known. Elijah was fairly unfazed by whoever had smashed into him but...there was a slurry of emotions running through this young woman. ”Are you quite alright Miss?”

Rubbing her head, Kayla looked up to find the intimidating presence of a robed man in front of her with some other girl next to him, ”I-I-I-I’m sorry I was, just not…” ’I wasn’t paying attention, I’m upset, I feel betrayed,’ these were the thoughts flying in Kayla’s head. She was about ready to break down and cry.

”There’s no need to be upset, you’re alright,” Elijah extended his hand to the woman, ”What’s your name?”

”K-Kayla,” She timidly reached up for the boy’s hand and he helped lift her up so she was standing upright once again, though somewhat shaking.

”I’m Elijah, this is Minako,” he gestured towards the other girl. Looking in the direction she came from, he was curious and asked, ”Were you just at the party?”

Minako’s eyes flicked over the newcomer, and she gave a quick bow before stepping forward and placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder. Something clearly had her in great distress. ”What happened?”

Kayla’s eyes flickered between the two, ”Y-yes I...I came from there and…” Her eyes started welling up, ”I’m so stupid, it was awful! Gianna and Samantha, they got into a fight and she...she did something, I don’t know what!” The tears started flowing freely now.

Instantly, Minako slipped into “big sister” mode, standing in front of the girl and placing both hands on her shoulders. ”Shhh, it's okay. It's alright. Take a deep breath, let it out. You're alright, let yourself relax.” She kept her voice low and soothing, careful to keep her eyes fixed on the girl’s forehead; the last thing this girl needed was Minako's power possibly making things worse for her.

”I see….” The woman was clearly upset and Gianna was partially the cause of it, though how this girl was involved was beyond his understanding or caring to know. He placed a hand on Minako’s shoulder, Kayla’s sniffling in the background, ”I believe we will have to continue this conversation at a later date, I have some personal business to attend to. For now though, I think Kayla here needs a friend, would you be so kind as to take her home? Thank you.” Without another word, Elijah made his way past the two of them, striding down the pathway towards the dormitories, he and Gianna needed to have a few words with one another.

”Elijah!” stepping away from Kayla for a moment, Minako looked at the departing boy. ”I understand that we have only just met, but I would like to make a request of you.” She paused for a moment. ”Please do not tell her of my intentions. If I am to determine what she needs, I must see how she truly is, not how she wishes me to see her. I would be very grateful, and perhaps, if I am successful, she may be as well.”

’Spare me your pleasantries…’ the boy thought as he disappeared into the night, not another word spoken to either of them.

Minako pursed her lips. There was no indication that he had even heard her. She could only hope that he wouldn't say anything. Shaking her head, she turned back to her new companion, again placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders. ”Now, do you think you will be alright? Which way to your dorm? I assume that you live on campus here?” A part of her very much wanted to know what had happened between Gianna and this “Samantha” person, but the bigger issue was Kayla at the moment.

Kayla regained some of composure and wiped away the tears that dotted her eyes, ”Yea I think I’ll be alright..I live in the Old West Building, Room 3D, I...wait” Kayla squinted her eyes in the darkness to get a better look at Minako, ”Aren’t you that girl...from earlier? The one that bumped into…” It pained her to say the name, but hopefully this girl, Minako, would get the idea.

Flushing slightly as the memory, Minako looked off to the side. Hopefully that wasn't going to be all she was remembered for. She looked at the girl again, and yes, she did look slightly familiar, though Minako had been a little too preoccupied to have gotten a good look at her the first time. ”Ah, yes, that was me. See, you aren't the only person who gets distracted and bumps into people.” It was a poor joke and she knew it, but she had to try something to hopefully put the girl at ease. Putting a little distance between them, she gently tugged at Kayla’s arm. ”Come, we should probably get out the rain before it truly starts coming down. We wouldn't want to get all wet and catch a cold.”

Kayla laughed a little, it was a bad joke, but she appreciated those kind of jokes. Minako was right though, it was probably best if they got out of the rain before it really started coming down, though Kayla had a feeling about who had initially caused it. ”Yea, you’re probably right,” she followed her tugging and walked alongside her. The rain was really starting to come down now and she had to wonder how Samantha felt, but at the same time, thinking about it made her sick to her stomach knowing that she was probably partially to blame for her sorrow. Despite all that, she was slightly concerned about the fabric of her dress, it was made out of cotton after all… oh boy this would be awkward if she passed by someone….good thing it was dark enough out.

At first, the pair walked in silence, though every so often Minako would glance at the girl beside her. It was apparent that whatever had happened was still dwelling on her mind. So, she cast about for other subjects. ”So, how long have you been at Mayweather for?”

She looked towards the other girl, a small smile on her lips, ”It’s only my second year here, most of the teachers are nice, the classes are good too, I’ve learned a lot just from being here, though truth be told it’s tough trying to learn how to be a hero…” ’Especially a hero with no powers…’ She fidgeted slightly, unsure if she should tell this new girl about her...lack of abilities. Instead she turned around and asked, ”And what about you? What year are you in?”

”First. I actually only just arrived today, so I am not very familiar with everything that’s happening. Are there any teachers I should prepare myself for?” Minako smiled back, happy to see that the other girl’s mood was improving. She had a rather pretty smile.

”Only Mrs. Lovelace really, she’s harsh and strict, but fair to her students. Outside of that though, she is a nice person and a great teacher.” It was weird, not moments ago she was ready to bawl her eyes out and now she was having a perfectly normal conversation with someone. It was...nice, and very different from her first meeting with GIa. The rain seemed to be coming down harder now and Kayla started picking up the pace, ”Come on, we’re almost there!”

Now smiling broadly, Minako stopped to slip off her heels, before sprinting after Kayla and into the safety of the dorm building. When the pair stopped in the lobby to catch their breath, she couldn't help but giggle to herself. Today had been, by far, the strangest day of her life. If her first day was any indication, that her time at Mayweather certainly wasn't going to be boring.

When she glanced at the other girl, however, her heart thudded against her ribs. Her long hair was now a flat plastered mess around her face, and her dress was so thoroughly soaked that Minako had a very clear view of what lay underneath.

Flushing deeply, Minako whirled around and approached the elevator. ”Um, you said that you were on the third floor?”

”Mhmm,” Kayla starts wringing out her hair, getting rid of any excess water that’s in it, completely oblivious to Minako’s flushing. Her hair now damp, not wet, she slips off her flats and starts walking towards the elevator, pressing the button, ”You’re more than welcome to come up, it’d be nice to have the company, though I understand if you’re tired and want to go to your room instead.”

When the elevator arrived with a soft “ding, Minako gestured for the other girl to enter first, then followed her inside, keeping eyes fixed on glowing number set above the buttons. She could still see Kayla's reflection off the doors in the corner of her vision, and she couldn't help but sneak a look. ”If it isn't too much of an imposition, I think I might try to wait out the rain. I'm in Old East.”

”Who knows when that's going to be Minako, Kayla frowns slightly, her heart sinking, she didn't want to send the poor girl back out into the rain and she didn't want her staying up hours for it to subside. She nodded her head in affirmation, ”I know we just met, but you're more than welcome to spend the night if you want,” she smiled as warmly as she could, ”I don't have another roommate, so it won't be any issue, my room is your room, so to speak.” She giggled to herself at that.

”Let’s see what the weather looks like in a while. Again, I wouldn’t want to impose, but your offer is very generous.” Minako shivered, wrapping her arms tight around herself. ”My own roommate is… interesting, from what little I know of her.”

”It's no imposition at all. Come on, let's get you out of that wet clothing, I'm sure I have something that you can wear.” Kayla led the way to her room as soon as the elevator doors opened. A short walk down the hall and she opened the door to her place, it was nice and quaint just like the other rooms, however instead of a second bed there was a giant metal container that replaced it. The technology looked like something that should have belonged in the control room, but it was actually the case that housed and charged her power armor.

The cold was starting to get to Kayla too so she was eager to start rifling through her drawers, and take off the clinging dress. She grabbed a couple of extra large baggy t-shirts, the kind that was just long enough to cover all her assets, but slightly too big that it slightly drooped down her shoulder. There was something comforting about wearing something so loose and it was a habit she formed as a child when she'd try on her father's shirts. ”I think this should be big enough,” she said, handing the shirt to Minako, ”I don't really have any pants or shorts suitable for sleeping I've…never really liked wearing pants to bed…is that weird?”

Inspecting the room for a moment, Minako took notice of the crate. Hmm. I wonder what is in there. She smiled as she grabbed one of the t-shirts. ”Not at all. My little sister has done it all her life.” Of course, she neglected to mention that Mei usually didn’t bother with the shirt, either. Nor did she, for that matter, but in this case it would be much more appropriate.

Slipping into the bathroom to change, she draped her t-shirt, skirt and bra over the shower curtain rail to dry. She had considered doing the same with her panties as well, until she pulled on the fresh t-shirt and found that it wasn’t quite long enough to completely cover her below the waist. Hopefully she won’t mind. I mean, we are both girls.

Kayla slipped out of her dress while Minako took off to the bathroom, unclasping her bra and taking off her panties she put the t-shirt on and went through her drawers for a clean pair of underwear. Fortunately the shirt was long enough to go down to her upper thigh, but she still felt it appropriate to wear her underwear with a guest in her room. Finding a clean pair she began to pull them on just as Minako walked back into the room.

”Um, it seems that I am just a bit bigger than you.” Minako smiled awkwardly, the hem of the t-shirt ending half-way up her groin.

She turned to look at the girl and smiled, ”It's alright, we're both girls here, hmm, how about...” She started rolling the hem of her shirt a little so that it reached up to halfway up her panties, ”There, now we're both a little big for our shirts,” She laughed.

Minako flushed slightly, but managed to smile. ”Um, thank you I suppose. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable though.” She sat down on the bed, folding her legs beneath her. ”If you don’t mind my asking, what is in the box?”

Kayla fidgeted nervously, unsure if she should answer, but as she looked at Minako a feeling told her ’You can trust her’. ”It's my…my _suit” she said the last part rather quietly before realizing she couldn't say it out loud. She instead opted to show her and walked over to the case, pressing her hand on a panel it scanned her prints and then she placed her eye against a regional scanner; extra security.

The case then unlatched and opened up, revealing a bright silver suit of armor, both sleek and form fitting. ”I never said it earlier…but...I don't have any powers. To make up for it, I use this instead. she stated, her hand lightly touching the metal plating.

Curious, Minako moved to stand beside her, and her eyes widened as she took in the suit. ”Wow…” she whispered with evident awe in her voice. She almost missed the other girl’s words. ”This is yours? Where did you get it?”

”My dad made it for me, he's really good at making stuff like this,” she smiles, re-living the memory of when he unveiled it to her. She remembered being happier about it then, but now, she almost felt ashamed to be using it, like she was cheating at having powers. Her smile slowly faded, ”Not everyone can be so lucky I guess,” she stated, pressing a few buttons to close and lock the case again.

For a moment, Minako was silent, simply absorbing everything. ”If I may ask then, why are you here? What are you hoping to achieve?”

Kayla bit her lip before nervously answering, ”I want to be a hero…isn't that enough?” Her eyes wandered to the floor, ”I know I don't have powers, not like my mom and dad, even my stupid little brother has powers, but...I grew up watching them, my parents I mean, being heroes that the world could rely on, could count on, I want that too, but…I'm just a powerless nobody…who'd want to call on a hero like that?”

Again, Minako remained silent. Then, she did something that surprised Kayla. She turned, gently turned the girl by the shoulders so that they were facing each other, beamed, and trapped her in a tight embrace. ”I think you are the best kind of hero,” she whispered in her ear.

Kayla’s eyes widened, unexpectant of the warmth that suddenly enveloped her, ’I’m the...best kind of hero?’ she thought. A soft smile graced her lips as she hugged Minako back, ”I don’t know if I believe that Minako...but thank you all the same.” She said resting her chin on the taller girl’s shoulder. This was...rather strange, she barely knew this girl, but felt like she could trust her and her judgement, even if she wasn’t willing to believe in herself, at least somebody believed in her and maybe...that wasn’t such a bad thing. Relieving herself from the embrace she smiled at Minako, feeling like maybe, she found a new friend.

Flushing again, Minako rubbed her arm. ”Ah, m-my apologies. That was very forward of me. It is just…” she smiled nervously, ”I think you may actually have it easier than the others at this academy.”

Kayla eyed the girl curiously, ”What do you mean?”

”I mean…” casting about for the right words, Minako bit her lip. ”How do I say… Everyone else here as powers. It is easy to use them to accomplish what we desire. My own powers activate whenever I make eye contact with someone.” She glanced at the girl, careful to keep her eyes at her mouth. ”Because it is so easy to use them, it is easy to so without thinking. We have to make the effort to not use them. I have only had my powers for two years, and I miss being able to look people in the eye without triggering a reaction in them. You, however, cannot do this. In order for you to stand on the same level, you have to make the effort, to think about what it is you wish to achieve and how to do so. You could have made any other choice, I am sure that you had many. But you chose to be here.”

She risked raising her eyes just a little, focusing on Kayla’s nose. ”I think it is very noble of you, and shows greater strength than any other person I have seen thus far.”

Kayla wasn’t sure what to say, she felt...speechless...all the time she had spent here she had been bullied and belittled for her lack of powers and here someone was telling her that, just by her being here, without any powers, she had great power. She wanted to laugh or cry or jump for joy, something, anything. Thinking back on it, she did have other choices, she could have worked her mom’s flower shop, or studied science with her dad, even gone to a normal school, but instead she wanted to be a hero, she chose to be a hero, even if others didn’t see her as one because of her lack of powers, at least someone in the world looked up at her with a smile and cheer in her voice. ”Thank you Minako, really, I mean it.”

Now that Minako had mentioned it, Kayla did notice her gaze constantly shifting everywhere but at her eyes, ”I know it must be hard, not being able to look someone in the eye anymore, but I know you’ll get a hold of your own powers someday and maybe, you’ll be able to look into mine someday too.” A big reassuring smile plastered itself across her face.

Beaming, Minako closed her eyes and smiled. ”I hope so as well. If you don’t mind my asking, who is your father? Perhaps I have heard of him?”

”Dr. Brennan Styles, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t,” she stated, ”His research is extremely reputable, my suit is proof enough itself,” she pointed towards the case, ”I think he’s working on some government project right now, but outside of that I’m not sure what else, why do you ask?”

Minako opened her eyes, staring at the girl’s chin. ”Your...your father, is the head of Plasman Labs?”

”So you have heard of him?”

She hastily nodded. ”He’s a client of ours! I believe the contract was signed about a year ago. It was one of the few deals that was closed rather quickly.” Minako was stunned. What were the odds of encountering somebody linked to her family’s company here?

”Really? I had no idea. That’s pretty cool though, our dad’s know each other, even if it's just through business.”

”I briefly met him when the contract was signed. His creations are amazing.” Glancing to the window, Minako frowned. There was definitely no sign of the rain letting up. It would seem that she would be spending the night after all. ”It appears to be getting late. Perhaps we should determine sleeping arrangements?”

”I uh...don’t have another bed, but you’re more than welcome to sleep in mine with me, I don’t mind.” Kayla smiled as she walked over to her bed, pulling down the covers before climbing in. She moved over to the side before patting the spot next to her.

Minako swallowed hard, briefly catching a glimpse of the other girl’s bottom as she clambered in. ”Um, are you sure?”

”It’s alright, I don’t mind, I’d rather have you in my bed than sleeping on the floor or going out into the rain,” she said pointing towards the window.

After a moment, Minako nodded slowly. The other girl seemed genuine in her concern, not appearing to have any other interest other than her guest’s comfort. ”A-alright. As long as you are okay with it.” Calm down, Minako. It’s just like when Mei got woken up by a thunderstorm. Juuust like it. She carefully slipped in beside the girl, pausing to turn off the lights, making sure to keep at least a little space between them.

Kayla pulled the covers over the two of them, ”Do you have enough room? These dorm beds aren’t exactly the most sizable.”

”It is fine.” For a long while, Minako laid on her back, looking up at the ceiling, chewing thoughts over in her mind. ”Kayla?”

”Hm?” Kayla mumbled, shifting slightly on her side.

Hesitating, Minako turned her head to look at the other girl, keeping her gaze high. ”I will understand if you don’t wish to talk about it… but… could you… tell me what happened? At the party?”

Kayla clutched her pillow a little more tightly, and even though it was hard, she felt she could tell Minako about it, ”Did you ever try to defend someone...who really didn’t need to be defended at all?” She started, ”I don’t fully understand why it happened, but...Samantha, she’s a senior here at Mayweather, suddenly attacked Gianna, she looked like she was about ready to tear into her, shred her into a thousand pieces, I stepped in the way to defend her. Gia told me she was going to be alright, but...that I wouldn’t like what she was going to do next. She was sure right about that...” Her eyes closed recalling the memory.

”She did something, used her powers I guess to clear a space so only Sam and a couple of others were there. Then she started talking, saying all these words, the difference between a hero and a villain, I thought maybe, is Gianna going to fight her? She didn’t...she did something much worse. She only talked, but it was like her words were daggers, they tore right through Sam, and then there was this other couple, they kissed each other and it looked like Sam’s heart broke into a thousand pieces...that’s when the rain started…” She turned over so she could look at Minako, ”I still don’t fully understand why any of that happened tonight...but I felt like such an idiot defending someone who could...be so cruel..I’m not sure if I’m deserving of your praise of being noble...I sure don’t feel it right now…”

At first, Minako had no words, all she could do was turn and prop herself up on one arm to look at the girl laying beside her. Was this what Elijah had been about to warn me of? Biting her lip, she laid back down and wrapped one arm around the girl’s midsection, pulling her against her and tucking Kayla’s head under her chin. ”Shhh, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She mulled over the situation for a moment. ”I’m sorry. I’m sure there was a reason behind what happened. There always is. It’s okay.”

Kayla listened to Minako’s heartbeat, the steady sound of her breathing and suddenly, she felt very tired, ”I hope you’re right about that Minako, I really do.” As if on cue, darkness enveloped her, and Kayla was fast asleep in her friend’s embrace.

”How about this. You and I, when we aren’t in classes, will go find Gianna and talk to her, figure out what happened. Okay?” Minako glanced down, and a small smile crossed her face as she took in the now slumbering girl. Just like with Mei. She pressed her lips to Kayla’s hair, then slipped away from her and turned around, letting the smaller girl roll away from her. ”Oyasumi, Kayla.”

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Light crept into the corners of Jessica's vision. Her head felt like there was a jackhammer inside of it. The heroine's stomach churned, threatening to spill what little she'd eaten all over the floor. Sterling's hazel eyes flickered open. There was another student leaning over her, shaking her shoulder. His mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. Jess swung her head back and forth in an attempt to clear it. At first, all she could hear was ringing. But as her hearing started to clear, Jessica caught the tail end of whatever the stranger was saying to her. "-ake up." He repeated. She slapped his hand away with more force than she intended, causing him to wince in pain. "Sorry." She muttered. Her voice was groggy and slurred, as if she was underwater. "You missed the party." The boy grinned, pulling Jess to her feet. Sterling stumbled forward but he managed to catch her before she could fall. Everything after helping Eliana had been a blur. She remembered taking a drink of the punch...But it hadn't tasted right. Was it spiked? She briefly wondered. But that didn't make sense. Plenty of other people had been downing the punch when she arrived earlier, and no one else had passed out. At least, she hadn't seen anyone drop. "Looks like you had a little too much to drink." Another voice, this one more feminine, spoke from beside Jess. "I-I guess..But- I didn't have any beer. And I only had one punc-"

"Shhh. Dawn, would you be and dear and get the door?" The man asked his sister and Jess went silent. "You've had too much to drink." He repeated. "Y-you're probably right. I guess I blacked out. I should be getting back to my dorm. It's late." Dawn returned to Jess's side and the two students each put an arm around Jessica, leading her down the stairs. "Where do you live?" The woman asked. "Uh, Mayweather Old West. Room 1C on the first floor. T-Thanks for helping me. Uh, I don't think..I know you.." At this point, the two of them were practically carrying Jessica. She couldn't stand up straight, led alone walk. "My name's Dawn. And this is Clark." Their names sounded strangely familiar. Yet she couldn't put a finger on who they actually were. She mentally shrugged, allowing her fellow students to drag her back home. The sweet embrace of sleep slowly edged further into her distracted mind. She was glad she'd been found by such nice people. Jess shuddered at the thought of a Delphina finding her in such a vulnerable position. A month ago, Sterling could've fallen asleep anywhere on campus and had nothing to fear; after all, she was surrounded by aspiring heroes and selfless do-gooders. But now that those villain freaks were running around her school, Jess would need to learn to be more careful. No more long nights out. And certainly no more drinking until she dropped.

The three of them stopped as they arrived at Jess's dorm room, soaking wet from the rain. Sterling reached a shaky hand into her pocket and pulled out a key chain. "Here-" Dawn took the key from her and slid it into the locked door, pushing it open. "-you were holding it upside down." She explained. The two led Jessica to her destroyed bed and set her down beside it. They shared confused glances. "Um. What happened?" Clark asked. Jessica dragged the mattress clear of the rest of the bed frame, tossing it down in the middle of the room. "Lucas Farweight happened." She growled, falling face first into the soft fabric of her blankets. Dawn took a tentative seat next to Jessica and placed a hand on her back. "Before we go, I think you're entitled to know what happened before you...passed out. Farweight and Lovelace got into it. There was a lot of yelling...Both of them stormed off and disappeared. It was bad."

"That wasn't even the highlight of the night." Clark jumped in. By now, Jessica had rolled over and been listening rather intently. "Gianna Daniels went after Samantha. Not with her fists, of course. She's too much of a coward for that. No, Daniels went after Youngblood's soul. Suffice to say, that rain pouring out there isn't natural." Jess placed a tired hand on her forehead, sighing. "I'll deal with it in the morning." She declared. "If you would be a dear and meet the two of us in the cafeteria tomorrow for lunch, we know just how to knock Delphina's queen down a few notches." Clark's voice was seasoned with malice when he spoke of that she devil. "Come on, Dawn. Let's leave the lovely lady to her rest." With that, Jessica's heroes melted into the night.

And she was alone once more.

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"I'm starting to think that I've got a problem, staring at my phone this much," Jackson said to himself, as he realized that he had been staring at his cell phone for almost half an hour, hoping that Gianna would text him or call him. "I think that at this rate, I'm gonna start growing extra limbs from all this radiation." After leaving the party, he had eventually changed from his suit from the party into a simple orange t-shirt and a pair of black athletic shorts. If Gianna wanted to meet up with him tonight, he could go out as is, and if she didn't, then he could easily fall asleep in these clothes, no pajamas needed. Saving the earth, one load of laundry at a time, he thought with a smile, trying not to stress out. Between the absolute mess that was his dorm room, the effects of the party punch, and a possible date with one of the so-called "queens of the school," it was fair to say that he was somewhat more nervous than his average day at Mayweather. Of course, the last thing that he had expected was for Gianna to actually show up at his dorm, and that just so happened to be exactly what she did.

Jackson watched silently as she practically ran into the room with an odd look on her face. He was about to ask what she was doing, until he actually stopped and thought for a moment. Okay, so she looks like she was just running for her life, and her back is against my wall. Maybe she's hiding from someone? As much as the behavior didn't seem to suit her, he felt that he was correct when he heard the footsteps walking down the hallway. Whoever was out there walked with purpose; Jackson couldn't even tell who it was before they were gone. Still, as soon as they passed, Gianna's face went slack with relief. He briefly wondered who someone like Gianna would be hiding from, but he put it in the back of his mind as Gianna began to talk. He could almost feel himself finally exhale as she asked him for her favor. In truth, he wasn't too sure how comfortable he was getting intimate with someone he barely even knew, and they were both drunk anyway. Thinking that it would be the best course of action, he told her all of this. "I mean, if that's what you're up for, then I'm up for it too. Besides, I wouldn't doubt that we've both had plenty to drink, so I think I'd prefer to play it safe." To be honest, the pace of the night was already wearing away the effects of the punch, slowly but surely. Eh, I bet I'll still feel it in the morning. As he thought this, he couldn't help but analyze everything that he was seeing from Gianna. So... this seems odd. Gianna hid from whoever was in the hallway, doesn't want to have sex, and it looks like she's been crying, all in the same night. Something's definitely not right. He wasn't sure how she had managed to pull such a complete turnaround in the past half hour, but something had obviously shaken her up massively.

A part of him felt like asking her about what had happened, but he imagined that it was either personal or, at least, something that she didn't feel comfortable telling him. Jackson slid over in his bed to make room for the both of them, saying, "Well, I would offer you Lucas' bed, but as you can see, it looks like he's taken up a bit of... interesting interior design." He gestured to his roommate's side of the room, which was trashed and still missing its mattress. "I have to say, the entire lack of a door is a nice touch. After all, privacy and all that is definitely going out of style. Just you wait, soon we won't even need walls on buildings or passwords on our phones. We'll just slowly devolve back into living in caves or whatever." he continued, keeping a constant smile on his face. It was almost like he figured that as long as he kept telling jokes, they could both ignore whatever was bothering her. However, eventually he couldn't think of another way to lighten the mood, and he fell into an awkward silence. You know, tonight is definitely making me enjoy silence quite a bit less. Even he knew that the only way to resolve anything was to face the problem head on. He just didn't know what to say! If he could just have a bit of time to think of what to tell her, he-

Well, that was probably the stupidest thing that I've ever thought of, he thought as he fought the urge to facepalm while setting time to a stop. Sliding out of bed, he began pacing the room, trying to think of what he could possibly tell her. "So all I have to do is figure out what could make her feel better, but to do that, I have to know why she's so upset, but to do that, I have to know what she's thinking! Ugh, I wish I had mind reading superpowers or something! You know what? I'll just wing it." He tried to shake his head to clear his mind, with no effect. He crawled back into his own bed, took a deep breath, and resumed time's flow. Looking into Gianna's eyes, he said the first thing that he could think of. "If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that nothing lasts forever. It's sort of like falling off of your bike when you're a kid; you scrape your knees, it hurts, and you get back up and try again. Except it happens with the good experiences we have too. Maybe they're just there to show how much we learn from the bad ones." Realizing that he was starting to ramble, he cleared his head and continued. "Look, my point is, I have no clue what you're going through, and that's fine. Just remember that it will pass, and you'll learn from it, and you'll move on. And moving on might not really mean forgetting. You just need to accept what comes and face it, however you can." Turning over onto his back, suddenly exhausted, he said one final thought of his before lack of sleep and all the alcohol he had had put him under.

"Because the only other choice we have is to give up, and that's the worst thing that we can do."

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The morning sun began to peek through the window curtains, and as its light slowly illuminated the room, so too did consciousness begin to return to Kayla. Inhaling, her eyes fluttered open, feeling rather well rested. The memories from the night before were not on her mind as she took stock of her rather comfortable situation. Truth be told, she felt warm, or rather, her back felt warmer than usual and she couldn’t move all that well either….was there an arm on her? Her hand reached down to find that indeed, there was an arm wrapped around her midsection, and that arm connected to a person behind her, that’s when she remembered that she had invited Minako to spend the night and the young woman was clearly being cuddled upon by her friend behind her.

”M- Minako?” Kayla asked somewhat confused, perhaps the girl had done this in her sleep? Maybe she was still asleep? ”Minako? Are you awake?”

At first, there was no response from the slumbering Asian girl. Then, small movements began; the fingers of her left hand tracing small circles over Kayla's stomach, her arm tightening to draw her closer, her chest pressing more firmly against the girl's back as Minako's leg slid up to hook over Kayla's. The hem of Minako's t-shirt had ridden up to her stomach, allowing the front of her panties to press against Kayla's hip. A soft, indistinct murmuring sound reached the girl's ear as Minako nuzzled her face into Kayla’s hair and neck.

Kayla’s face suddenly flushed red as her slumbering companion made more intimate movements against her. Everything from the soft tracing on her belly to the rather hard points she felt poking against her back. ’Am I b-being...spooned?!’ The affair should have been all the clear to the girl, but she had never been in the same bed with another man, let alone another woman close to her age. ’Maybe she’s having a dream? Oh God, what is she even dreaming about? I-I have to do something…’ and yet Kayla felt frozen in place. Maybe it was just the oddity of the situation, or the fact that she was locked into place by her friend’s arm and now leg, but Kayla couldn’t move, even if she could, what should she do? Minako couldn’t possibly be that heavy of a sleeper? Could she? ”Minako...wake up…” the girl whined, her lips clenched tight, unsure of what to make of her weird morning. ’At least her panties are dry…’

A gust of warm breath cast goosebumps across Kayla’s neck as Minako moaned, drawing herself even tighter against the girl. ”Mmmh, Kayla… you smell so nice… so soft…” she murmured sleepily, nuzzling closer to inhale the faint scent of lilacs that was rousing her from her sleep. Minako had to admit, this dream was particularly nice. Usually they weren’t so vivid, she’d never actually smelt something in them before. Or felt so solid… so nice… like she’s actually here… Slowly, her eyes flicker open, and her lips brushed against the back of Kayla’s neck.

The contact made her freeze, and her eyes snapped open. Wait… Leaning her head back a little, Minako blinked as she took in the blonde tresses in front of her. This… “Kayla?” she asked, notes of uncertainty and fear creeping into her voice.

If Kayla believed the situation couldn’t get any more intimate than it already was, she was absolutely wrong about that. Frozen in place, the moment Minako made mention of her name, instead of replying ’Minako’ which was in her head, the sound of some little pony thing squeaking came out instead.

Horror and self-disgust surged through Minako, and she recoiled away from the girl so fast she actually fell out of the bed. The girl had been nice enough to let her stay the night, welcoming her as a friend, and barely the next morning she was practically groping her! Shit, shit, shit! What is wrong with me! “Kayla! Oh god, I am so, so sorry! I-I-I,” Scrambling onto her knees, Minako clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head, eyes clenched tight as she mentally berated herself. ”Please forgive me, I didn’t know that I had… I didn’t mean to…”

Slowly Kayla rose from her bed, her sheets firmly clasped her like some sort of protective fort armor. She turned around to face Minako, on hands, knees and elbow, apologizing. Her hair displaced itself in front of her face so only one of her eyes was visible. She looked down upon the girl, nothing demeaning, more just questioning what just happened in last couple of minutes. ’I just met this girl, I had..no idea she...does she...like me?’ for some reason the thought made her flush more and made her retreat somewhat further into the comforter. ’I mean...I know I’ve thought of guys as cute...and I’ve thought of some girls as cute but...if she’s interested in me...is that such a bad thing…’ The thoughts were certainly interesting enough and, oddly arousing enough too. On one hand Kayla simply wanted to move past what had happened, that Minako was just a friend who...had a little too intimate a moment with her person. On the other hand...the thought of...doing such intimate things with Minako...made her kind of warm like when the two were pressed together...now she just felt cold. In a way, she wanted to be daring, but right now the girl was clearly distraught and so…

Slowly the girl crawled forward and off the bed right in front of Minako, ”I-its okay...Minako,” Kayla lifted the girl up from her apology bow and wrapped her comforter around the two so that she had better access to a hug.

Eyes widening at the sudden embrace, Minako’s thoughts raced. Is she… really forgiving me? After I almost… Feeling a desperate need to offer up some explanation, she pushed away a little and took a shaky breath. ”I truly am very sorry.” Glancing off to the side to avoid catching the other girl’s gaze, Minako bit her lip. ”W-when we were little, my sister Mei was afraid of thunderstorms. I used to hold her at night so that she could sleep, it seemed to help her. I must have… gone back to that, with you being so close.” Risking looking at Kayla’s chin, she desperately hoped that the other girl would believe her. This entire situation was just a nightmare.

Kayla...wasn’t sure if she could believe whatever Minako was telling her, though such situations were common enough, there was some doubt they involved moaning...or calling the other girl’s name. Still...she looked really apologetic and what kind of friend would Kayla be if she didn’t accept such a sincere apology. She simply shook her head and reassured the girl, ”Don’t worry about it, it’s fine,”, she smiled, wanting to tease her a little though she did say, ”You must of been having a really nice dream though.” she chuckled a little, trying to play the whole thing off as nothing more than an awkward experience between friends.

Minako’s heart thudded to a stop, and she groaned as she bowed her head, pressing her forehead against Kayla’s shoulder. Of course. Of all the ways that this could get any worse, it had to be that way. Just kill me now, please. “I am so very sorry,” she whispered. What did one say in response to that?

Kayla laughed, ”You’re okay, really.” the blonde said, stroking the back of Minako’s hair, ”I forgive you, truly.” She really did seem to feel bad about it, and though she wanted to ask more on her feelings, Kayla felt that maybe in her current state, this probably wasn’t the best time to.

Shaking her head, Minako pulled away, moving until her back was pressed against the armour crate. She wrapped her arms around her knees, an absolutely miserable expression on her face. ”No, it isn’t. I shouldn’t be thinking things like that, certainly not after you’ve been so nice and welcomed me into your dorm. It’s just… she cast about helplessly for the right word. ”I just shouldn’t.”

Minako seemed to be struggling with what had just transpired, even though Kayla had forgiven her for it. She wanted to help her friend, just like she had helped her last night. ”Why shouldn’t you?” Kayla asked scooching over next to the asian girl, pressing her back into the crate as she pulled her knees up and looked questioningly. ”I’m not mad at you...you know, if you...feel the way you do, what’s wrong with it?”

What’s wrong with it? What isn’t wrong with it. A dozen answers rose to her lips. What would her parents think if they found out? Her family? Her sister? What would it mean for her family’s company? She had a legacy to honour, that was the entire reason she was here in the first place. And even never minding the personal issues, her behavior was atrocious and inexcusable. It was like she had no control over herself, ruled by baser emotions that she shouldn’t have had in the first place. ”It’s… it’s very complicated. I can’t have thoughts like that. It was inappropriate, and I have too much to live up to.” It was a pathetic answer and she knew it, which only made her feel worse. ”You have to understand, if my family knew I was like… this,” she very nearly spat the word out, ”It would ruin everything that is expected of me.”

Kayla listened and frowned slightly before lowering her head into her hands, considering how she should respond. ”I guess I can understand...family is important and there are expectations to live up to,” she smiled a little, ”But look at me...I’m a powerless nobody, who grew up with a family filled with supers, even my brother has powers. Despite all that, they still loved me...raised me...let me go to this school even though I don’t have anything other than my family’s reputation to back me up…” Her arms tightened around her legs, ”Maybe I have no place saying this...but any family who isn’t willing to accept their child...no matter what they are, what powers they have or...what their preferences are...I think they’re wrong…”

Resting her head on her knees, Minako sighed miserably. ”That is easy for you to say. You do not have thousands of years of culture going against you, or a family that could completely ruin you. You’ve already been accepted as you are.” She dared to turn her head a little. ”And then, after you’ve been so nice to me, I almost…” She didn’t even want to think about what she had nearly done. ”I’ve been awful. You shouldn’t forgive me.”

”Maybe I shouldn’t...but I do. Sometimes I go against the norm, I’ve certainly proven that by being here…” She turned her head to Minako, giving her a reassuring smile, ”I know it might not be easy, but maybe you should try it sometime.”

For a moment, Minako was silent, considering the girl’s words. ”Thank you, but I am afraid that it is simply impossible.” She smiled wanly. ”But it very nice of you to say so.” Letting her legs slide down, she bent over touched her forehead to Kayla’s shoulder. ”I am very glad to have met you, Kayla. You have made me feel welcome, that I have friends here. For that…” Minako got up and moved to stand in front of the girl, bowing deep at the waist and clasping her hands in front of her, eyes closed. ”If there is ever anything you need, then on my honour, I shall help you to the best of my ability. You have my word.”

Kayla smiled softly, though whatever feelings Minako had still resided, at the very least, she gained a new friend. Someone kind, honest, and someone who Kayla felt she could trust despite what might have happened earlier. Standing up, using her armor crate as support she stepped in front of Minako and wrapped her arms around the girl. ”Thank you Minako, and I’m here if you ever need me too, or just need to talk, I’ll be there, on my honor as a hero, I promise you this.”

Where before Minako’s heart had stopped in its tracks, now it slammed into full speed, and she met the embrace with her own. Kayla would never know how much her words meant. ”Thank you, Kayla.” Stepping away, she moved to grab her phone from where she had left it on the small table beside the bed. ”I should probably return to my dorm, get myself ready for classes.” Flushing slightly, she nervously glanced at her new friend. ”Um, I would also appreciate it if you didn’t mention to anyone that I had… you know.” Hoping against hope that she wouldn’t have to say it, she bit her lip.

Kayla simply shakes her head and brings her fingers to her lips, pulling across them in a zipper like motion, ”Mums the word, you can trust me.” She walks across the room back towards her bed, picking up her comforter as she goes, ”I actually don’t have classes today so,” the tiny blonde then flops onto the bed, snuggling herself under the covers, ”I’m going to go back to sleep, I don’t suppose we can meet up later and...talk to Gia...could we?” The memory of last night slowly returning to her, Gia needed to answer for what she did, hopefully there was a good reason behind it.

Nodding, Minako pursed her lips. ”Yes, I was hoping to do that as well. I’d like to hear Gianna’s side of what happened from her directly. I’d also like to make sure that she knows about Lucas. I’ll send her a message on my way back, try and set up a time after my classes today.” She turned and headed towards the bathroom, unintentionally giving Kayla a lovely view of her rear.

Kayla turned around in her bed to hear what Minako had to say and nodded in agreement, it seemed they were on the same page. When she headed towards the bathroom though, she was practically eye level with the asian girl’s butt. Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue, considering what happened earlier in the morning though the blue eyed blonde simply flushed red again before quickly turning back around in her bed. ”So we’ll talk later right?” Kayla asked, eyes darting around her wall.

Quickly changing into her clothes from the night before, she slipped her headset around her neck and re-entered the bedroom. ”Of course. Here,” she typed out her own number on her phone, handing it to the other girl, ”I’d also like to just hang out some time. Perhaps you could show me around the campus? I still need to familiarize myself with everything.”

”I’d like that too,” Kayla smiled still blushing a bit, ”And yea, I’ll definitely show you around campus, I know about a couple of cool spots where no one really goes. Its some nice places to just get away from people sometime.” Kayla texted to the newly entered number so that Minako would be able to get her number too.

Minako smiled back, her own cheeks flushing a bit as she took back her phone and fingered her headphones. ”I would like that.” With that, she turned and headed for the door, pausing once to look back. ”And Kayla?”

Turning over in her bed once more she looked at the girl by her door, ”Yea Minako?”

”This,” Her smile broadened, ”this is what I meant last night when I said you were strong.” Unable to help herself, her eyes raked over the other girl. ”I’ll text you later.” With that, Minako turned and left.

Smiling wide, Kayla pulled the covers up further over her, turning in her bed so that her head faced into the pillow. Inhaling somewhat, she smelt a scent that wasn’t her own, ’Hm...cherry blossoms…’ her face flushed again before she closed her eyes to get in a few more hours.

---

Waiting in the elevator as she headed down to the ground floor, Minako beamed for a moment, then drew her phone from her pocket, pulling up Gianna’s number.



Sending off the text, she bit her lip again. She hoped that, now that she had already spoken with the senior once, she would have better control over herself. And that she wouldn’t have more… incidents like this morning.

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Will woke up, sad and a tad hungover. His head was aching and his mouth was dry. After his brief interaction with Sam the night before, he'd come back to his room and fallen asleep, the alcohol from the party taking it's toll. He hadn't even heard Keats come back from wherever the hell he'd been. He got out of bed and dressed himself in sweats and a t-shirt, not interested in looking that presentable today. When he got down to the dining room of the Old East Building, Avalon was sitting at the table, angrily chewing on bacon. Will was just about to open his mouth when she began speaking.

"Okay, well I think I should start off by stating the fact that you're an awful kisser. Seriously, one of the worst I've ever had," she said, earning a chuckle from Will. "Don't laugh! It's a serious issue! You suck!" she said, bursting into laughter herself. "But, in all seriousness, I need your help. Someone attacked me last nig-," Avalon began but was interrupted by Will. "Who?" "Hold on their cowboy. It was that Peter kid, Peter Malliger. Junior. Little skeez gave me a box with a fucking skunk in it. It's through hard work and determination that I do not smell like absolute garbage." Will raised his eyebrows in disbelief before asking her, "So what exactly do you want me to do?"

The redhead smirked as she took another bite from a piece of bacon. "I want you to find out what happened. It makes no sense for him to just fuck me over like that, he's a Mayweather. So, go to him and get my info," she said. Just then her phone buzzed and she ran off, waving a goodbye to Will. As he quickly ate his breakfast, he wondered if it was from Sam, but quickly shook the thought from his mind. It wouldn't do good to dwell.

After a hearty breakfast which consisted of cereal and orange juice, Will headed over to the Old West building, where Peter Malliger resided. He walked up to the second floor and knocked on the door, which was quickly opened up by a half naked Peter Malliger. Will pushed his way in, and fixed the older boy with a long stare. Peter, a mind reader already knew why he was here. "Wait, Will! I know why you're here!" Peter shouted, his voice quavering. Will had a reputation around school as being a hell of a person to fight, and after last night, no one wanted to fuck with him. "I'm here, because someone gave Avalon Middleton a box with a skunk in it last night at the party, and as crazy as that seems, it requires retaliation," Will replied, his humor from this morning gone.

Peter shook his head and began to talk again. "No, dude that wasn't me! I swear dude, I wasn't even at the party!" Will laughed at that one. "Really? Then who gave Avalon that package? And why would they pretend to be you?" Peter looked down at the ground a look of shame on his face, before looking up at Will. "Last night, me and Jan were fucking with some Delphie, a freshman. He was just some little twerp but we let our guard down and somehow he tasered us! We didn't even go to the party after that! I swear!" Will's had a look of disbelief on his face, until he began thinking about the pieces to the puzzle. A Delphina freshman, who produced tasers seemingly out of nowhere, and had a good reason to hate Peter. If someone can just produce tasers, then a skunk in a box might not be too hard. He knew who he was looking for. Allen Hops. He'd seen the kid in the control room, told him his power was cool. Now he was going to have to go fuck him up. He glared at Peter and uttered a warning. "You're a Mayweather. Remember that next time you want to fuck with some freshmen.

After a well placed phonecall to Ms. Rousseu, he found that Allen Hops resided in the Old East building, and so back that way he went. He wasn't positive what he'd do to him. The kid was obviously a victim, but he also had fucked with Avalon. Sighing, he entered Old East and made a beeline for Hops' room. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, ready for whatever the kid pulled on him.

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Avalon had had a rather awful night. Luckily, the internet provided her with a solution to wash the smell away, although it took her around two hours. By the time she fell onto her mattress, she was nearly passed out. The day had worn her all the way down, and she wasn't sure how she'd fare in the next. All she could think about as the darkness claimed her, was how badly she felt.

In the morning however, she was resigned to kick today's ass. She got dressed, did her hair, and made sure she looked hot as hell, before applying a generous amount of perfume, just in case. She ate her breakfast and had her talk with Will, which left her feeling rather energized, and ready for revenge. She knew that if anyone could track down that bastard, it would be Will. However, her kick ass attitude became one of anxiety, as she received a text from Sam. Biting her lip, she shot a reply back.



She was wringing her hands all the way to the roof, nervous for her first talk with Sam after the events that had transpired the night before. Sure, it wasn't really her fault, but she knew if she'd been in Sammie's position, she wouldn't have been so quick to forgive. She took a deep breath as she reached the entrance to the roof, before finally stepping through, and seeing her friend waiting for her. She gave a nervous wave, and said, "Hi," trying not to let her anxiety show.

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As he woke from a deep slumber, Jackson could feel a strong headache coming on, a sure sign that he had been drinking. The headache was definitely the worst thing about waking up after a night out. If anything, Jackson knew that he could trust himself to drink just a little too much and regret it in the morning. Wait... What the hell even happened last night? He groaned as he was met with the second worst thing about waking up after a night out. Generally, it took him a few minutes to gather what had occurred the night before, but in his opinion, nothing was more annoying than not knowing what he did, and not knowing whether he needed to celebrate or break out the old stationary and write an apology letter to someone and their family. Ugh, please don't tell me that I just relived senior prom all over again... he thought, thinking back on the embarrassment of that night after some jackass had spiked the punch. He didn't even want to think about it for as long as he lived. Of course, he was brought out of his reminiscing of past mistakes by his throbbing headache, the sign of a much more recent mistake. "I'm pretty sure that the expression is "butterflies in my stomach," not "wasps in my skull,"" he mumbled to himself as he sat up in his bed. At least, he attempted to until he felt an odd weight on his chest. Opening his eyes for the first time this morning, he saw an arm on his chest that clearly belonged to-

Oh no.

What the hell happened?

Gianna?

He stared at her sleeping figure for a moment, before he realized two very important facts. She was wearing his clothes. He, on the other hand, wore nothing but a pair of boxers. Fighting the urge to scream, he instantly began racking his brain, trying to figure out what could've led to this. Suddenly, bits and pieces came back to him, as if from out of nowhere. Oh, right. There was a party. Gia totally did a number on Samantha. "Second chance," blah, blah, blah, I invited her on a date. She showed up here... But what happened next? Trying to focus through the headache, he pushed through the memories, trying to find anything, but he drew a blank. Knowing that all he had to go on were his surroundings, he looked around at his room and focused on what he saw. Bedsheets covering the door, his lava lamp turned on, his stereo turned on (no music was playing right now), his own person without clothes. Yep, it looked like a sex scene. He couldn't help but say to himself, Seriously? My first time and I don't remember a second of it? Curse you, party punch! The situation felt pretty awkward to him, so he decided that his best bet was to creep out of bed and try and compose himself, before eventually waking up Gianna and asking her about last night.

At least, that was the plan that Jackson had made in theory. In reality, he managed on rolling out of bed and falling onto the floor, thudding off of the hardwood. Now, just in case he hadn't been clumsy enough, he made sure to land directly on the funny bone on his left arm. "Ow! Shit!" he shouted in pain, right before he realized what he had just done. If Gianna wasn't awake before, then she certainly was now. Trying to organize with thoughts with a hangover headache proved to be quite difficult, so rather than saying anything meaningful, or at least slightly of worth, he eventually stammered, "Umm... Hey." Congratulations, genius! Keep it up at this rate, and eventually, you might be able to pull off a dual syllable word! Feeling himself quickly start to blush, he covered his face in his hands and mumbled, "Listen, I like you and all, but not really... in that sort of way. I'm not really sure what we might have done last night, but I'd honestly prefer if we kept it a bit less sexual until we know each other better." His eyes widened in shock as he kept talking. "Wait, I was supposed to ask you if you actually wanted to date me first, wasn't I? Ugh, I'm sorry; I'm just an absolute wreck after I drink." He figured that he should probably just ask her as long as the question was out there. In his opinion, the morning couldn't really get much more awkward than it already was. "I mean, do you want to? You know, dating and all that. With me. I swear, I know English, just trust me on this one."

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All was quiet on the school grounds of Mayweather, the usual banter of students that was usually more prominent later in the afternoon, was replaced with the sound of individuals trying to wake up for the day ahead. Tired faces, accompanied by the more than occasional hangover look of 'I wish I weren't alive', was the most prominent thing. As for Hugo Moreau, he couldn't be more than happy to be alive, life was a beautiful thing, something truly worth living for. Whether it was for the hand rolled cigarette currently burning in his mouth, its smoke and ash filling the air, the light tones that played as he strummed his guitar to tune it, or perhaps the rather satisfied couple he left earlier that morning, having spent a more than passionate and intimate night with the two. Yes, love was in the air and everywhere, at least for him. The dew covered ground caused by last nights rain told a different story, as did some of the faces and gossip he'd occasionally hear from students passing by, both Mayweather and Delphina. This however did not discourage the young Frenchman, for whether good or bad, life was still worth living, even if some of his classmates didn't see that.

"Gud mawnin Hugo! How yuh stay mah man?!" A voice called out from below. Looking down, Hugo smiled at the unexpected yet appreciative companion, "Good morning Kymani, everything is beautiful in the world today, and you?" Kymani, a black male from Jamaica, much taller than Hugo, shirtless, but not short less and another student at Mayweather. His power was invisibility, something that can explain itself, he can still turn his clothing or whatever he's touching invisible, but it doesn't drain him nearly as much if he's wearing as little as possible.

"Everting criss man," the Jamaican replied, climbing up the tree to meet his friend, "Da sun is shinin', birds are singin'," the young man reached an adjacent branch and sat down in it. Reaching in his pocket, he tossed a small baggie to Hugo, "Even got some of da gud stuff, jus for ya."

Hugo caught the baggie with ease, pocketing its green contents before someone was any the wiser, "Thank you brother, you do me a kind service." Finishing the tuning of his guitar he stared at the sun, its bright rays peeking through the branches and leaves. "Care to join me? I'm feeling a song coming on."

"Jah know it!" his friend replied, pulling a drum from off his back, ready to play a beat to whatever Hugo wanted to play. Strumming the guitar a few times, he began his song.

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As early as the sun had risen, so too did Elijah, and there was much work to be done. Whether Gianna realized it not, her actions last night had created a lot of enemies for her (not that she didn't have enough already), so it was his job to keep an ear to the ground and if necessary, prevent it or at the very least, make her aware of it. Despite her actions last night and the consequential bruising of his face that came of it, he'd simply pretend that the event didn't happen in front of her, knowing her, she'd likely do the same. Truth be told, he was mostly to blame for cornering her like a caged animal and letting his own feelings out of his own cage. He hated letting his own emotions out, he needed to remain completely neutral, yet somehow that woman kept bringing out both the best and worst in him, she was like a cigarette, completely bad for his health, yet he still kept coming back to her like the addictive drug she was. What exactly did that say about him though?

Banishing the thought, he simply decided to read the book in front of him, which to the occasional passerby was met with questioning looks. How can a blind man read? Especially since he was wearing a blindfold. Where are the sunglasses you might ask? Currently residing in the destroyed woman's bathroom. Was he concerned someone might link it to him? They'd have to be the world's greatest detective to link a generic pair of sunglasses to him, if they weren't already melted from the intense heat and fire anyway. Instead he grabbed a piece of cloth lined with Celtic symbols and braiding, something he used in cases like these. Though there was still much time until he met up with Eliana, he'd at least take this time to continue reading up on blocking out mental projections and intrusive telepathy, while simultaneously listening for any gossip in concern to the Delphina Queen. No one could be trusted at this school unfortunately, and with Gianna's actions, the feud between the two schools would most likely continue to escalate.

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With a jolt Lucas woke up from his dreamless sleep. Strangely enough, he enjoyed the darkness very much. But now his body had pulled him up, as the sun shone brightly in the infirmary. Immediately after he got up, he fell back down on the bed. As almost every muscle in his body cried out in anguish. The usual feelings after a night like that, though they were far more intense. He reckoned that it was because the onslaught on his body was far greater. Only after he consciously made his muscles relax could he push the pain away long enough to realize that he was not, in fact, near the auditorium. He was in the infirmary, which was odd to say the least. “Oh, you’re awake?” he looked up, and saw a much younger girl. He reckoned her to be a freshmen.

Amelia was surprised when she arrived at the infirmary. Truth be told with last night party she expected somewhat of a line of people. Yet the only visitor was one guy already sleeping in a bed. His knuckles and shinbones wrapped in bandages, a glass of water and some hangover pills next to his bed. All done in an incredibly orderly fashion Amelia could only applaud. When he woke up, she was rather surprised. His behavior clearly showed that he was in pain. She also saw the tension on his muscles. “You better stay down for now.” She followed up, as she grabbed a second glass of water.

“How did I get here?” Lucas asked confused. He was getting even more confused when he saw the bandages. Confused and frightened. Had anyone seen him in that state? Someone had to. He didn’t know who would be worse. A Delphina would have taken pics and dumped them on the blog page. Showing the weakness of one of the strongest guys around. It would put a dent in his reputation. Milo and several other Mayweathers would have to suffer for that. Showing weakness among Delphinas is a fast way to the bottom of the ladder. And he had no intend to lounge there. Yet, if it was a Mayweather then Mayweather would know that Lucas got hurt. Would they stop fearing him? Pretty much the same plan would apply, but to a larger extend. Delphinas don’t need much persuasion to believe something they see clear as day. But when sheep stop fearing the wolf, blood had to flow before they are wise enough again to flee at the sight of him.

“No idea.” Answered Amelia, who carefully pricked her own finger and let two drips of her own blood fall into the glass of water. “I’m guessing your girlfriend? You got a good girl there. She bandaged you up good and put a bunch of pills next to your bed you’re going to want to take. You buy that girl a bouquet of flowers when you get out of here.” Amelia always did her best to appear like a ray of sunshine. And right now she really did believe that worked. She also loved teasing. Though she didn’t really realize it was Lucas she was talking to. Despite the swiftly scowly that flashed over his face, she kept on smiling.

Lucas looked over to the glass and pills. Ready in a much too orderly fashion for anyone he knew to have been put there. Never the less he followed up on the nurse girl’s advice. Swallowing a pill with some water, he collapsed deeper into the bed again. He knew he didn’t feel the full extent of the damage the alcohol the previous night had done to his brain. But it would come soon enough. The comment about having a girlfriend didn’t magically make a smile appear on his face. He hadn’t had someone who cared for him like that in a long time. At least with the sole exception of his sister. But he very much doubted she had come by that night. Still, just to evade even the chance of having to answer more questions, he kept silent. Until the girl handed him a glass with a reddish liquid in it. He looked confused at her, but she just pushed it in his hands saying: “Drink up.” He figured it to be some sort of medicine, so he opened his throat and poured it all in.

Amelia chuckled when the guy coughed a little. Clearly, when the first drop of her blood mixed with water hit his tongue he wanted nothing more than to spit it all out. But he kept it in, and swallowed it all. “I need a glass of water.” He quickly said, and she gave him one. “Now stay down for at least half an hour.” He looked as if he wanted to protest, but Amelia cut him off. “You’re staying in that bed. If I have to restrain you or not, that I leave up to you. But one certainty right now is that you’re not getting out of that bed.” Her voice was forcefully caring. She would not accept any protest. And to his merit, he did not. He just laid down in the bed.

---

After an hour that felt like a year he was finally allowed out of the bed, back to his dorm. He got a new pair of pants from the nurse, who for the entire half hour did not shut up. She literally couldn’t be more obnoxiously happy. But whatever the reddish fluid had been, it had done miracles. His wounds were dried up and ready to heal over. She handed him a small bottle of the reddish liquid and told him to just drink from it for the entire day. His wounds would seal in no time if he did so. Eventually he got near his dorm room.

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Keats got the feeling that he'd had a little too much to drink, as he stood up. He couldn't remember much beyond climbing in, looking like an idiot, and heading straight to get a drink. That's what you get for drinking instead of just accepting you made a fool of yourself, Sammy. he berated himself mentally.

Apparently he'd gone back to his room at some point, which was a plus, but he was still in the clothes he'd worn to the party. He looked around, and noticed that Will was gone. He'd actually gotten up before Keats for once, which just showed what a sorry state Keats was in.

Standing up, he walked through to the bathroom, hoping to avoid any loud noises, and glanced into the mirror. For once, he didn't like what he saw. It was a strange and bewildering sensation. The guy in the mirror looked about as good as he felt. That... Was almost impressive. Keats didn't think it was possible for him to not look good. "Miracles really do happen, huh? he grinned.

Hey, at least he could still smile about it. No idea what he'd done at night, but he got the feeling there was something he'd forgotten, some kinda commitment? Nah, wouldn't be anything important. Probably. Hopefully no-one picked a fight with him today - for once, Keats was feeling a little fragile.

Still, trying to make the best of it, he showered, changed into some more comfortable clothes, and headed down the stairs once he was satisfied with how he looked - having freshened up a bit, he felt remarkably better about the whole thing. Well, mostly he just felt tired now, rather than ill. It was an improvement, at the very least.

He didn't feel like trying to cook anything, so just grabbed the first thing he could - in this case a banana - and wolfed it down. Normally this was the point where he'd go for a run, but he again just wasn't feeling up to it, so after finishing his breakfast he headed outside and sat at the front of the dorm.

He didn't feel like going anywhere, but hopefully the fresh air would do him some good. At the very least, it wouldn't cause him any harm, unless something went really wrong. At that point, though, he'd probably have more than a hangover to worry about. It wasn't quite as bad as it had been when he first woke up, although it was still something he could live without to be perfectly honest.

With a scowl, he looked up at the clouds. He didn't even know why he'd gone to the damn thing in the first place. Stupid Mayweathers keeping him awake. It was their fault he was in this state, as well as seemingly everything else that went wrong in the life of Samuel Keats. At least he hadn't spilled anything about his sis - he felt certain that he'd remember if he had done something that stupid.

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Amy had been having a pretty interesting morning, if 'interesting' meant being glared at by grumpy hungover people every two seconds for breathing too loudly, or other aspects of generally existing. Could folk from the States just not handle a drink or something? Either that or the whole party thing had gotten more exciting than expected - Probably a bit of both. Still, dealing with hungover people was a pain, especially when a decent chunk of them were arseholes at the best of times. She didn't want to deal with it for the whole day, that was for sure.

Luckily, growing up in Glasgow - at least the bit she'd been in - gave you some experience dealing with other people's hangovers. And as far as she knew, a decent breakfast seemed to help. Of course, there was no way she was cooking a proper breakfast for an entire dorm, just a few plates of stuff that needed used up anyway. Anything past that, they could sort out for themselves. Luckily, she didn't really need to pay attention to cook well - using a frying pan apparently counted for her power, and she could keep track of the time fine by herself.

It was actually pretty fun, cooking, and making something for people to eat that wasn't just cafeteria food might help tempers a little bit. Alright, so bacon and eggs wouldn't exactly lead to world peace, but it was a start. Maybe they'd make it to midday without someone being assaulted. A girl could dream.

Once she'd finished cooking up a fairly decent selection of breakfast foods, she grabbed some bacon, made herself a roll, took her bag and set off across the campus, taking bites out of her breakfast as she went. Normally she'd stick around a little longer, but she seriously couldn't be bothered dealing with the mood in the dorms. Something surely had to have happened for the atmosphere to be this miserable. Amy was pretty glad she hadn't gone to the party, seeing the state of everyone.

She found her thoughts drifting as she walked along the path. Wonder what went on at that thing... Everybody's going about looking like someone kicked their cat. Was there some sort of catastrophe? Cat-astrophe? she snickered, finding herself funnier than most other people would. With a spring in her step, she kept walking down the path, not really going anywhere in particular.

There was a bit of time before she was due to be in class, so she decided she'd go for a bit of a wander around campus. Amy always appreciated it being sunny outside so often in the morning - the novelty of that wasn't wearing off quite yet. Maybe she'd bump into someone, maybe not. Either way, Amy found that she was in a pretty good mood.

It was all a little elaborate. But Benny had to be sure it would work. If anyone could ensure a foolproof plan, it was Magic Hat. After the knock at the door he stopped arc welding. Okay, maybe this was way too elaborate. But who the hell cares because it’s my party now.

Days had gone by since Benny had seen his roommate. He had developed a few theories as to why the room was all his own these days. Maybe the speedy man had become so fast he accidentally phased out of existence. Or better yet… It was the illuminati. They had taken him, just like they would take everyone else at this breeding ground for super soldiers called “Mayweather”. Just to up his paranoia game, Benny had a LOT of traps now. Somewhat fortunately for whoever was going to walk through his door next, the only one he had rigged up was the non-lethal grenades. Not those flamethrowers near the bed side... Or the rigged shotguns full of salt rounds poking up slightly from the floorboards. He was basically giving whoever attacked his fortifications first a free pass to their bodily integrity. Lucky them, right?

Beneath his arc welding clothes Benny was wearing a disguise, so that he completely resembled the M.I.A. Terrence O’Brien. I never thought I would say this… He thought to himself. But… Thanks, illuminati. Whoever had disappeared his roommate had done him an immense favor for the time being, since now he was free to pretend to be Mr. Dash McQuick himself. Aside from the moving quickly part.

As for the arc welder, well there were some wires in this room attached to switches on his makeshift arc welding table. And the switches weren’t anything to do with welding. They would drop primed flash grenades from Benny’s ceiling, immediately blinding anyone not wearing say… A welding mask. For over three hours. An effective “oh crap” button, if I do say so myself. Benny thought. To himself. He took off his heatproof gloves and revealed the person attacking he and Terrence’s door, looking into Will’s face with the eyes of a true hero, and reflecting them back at him with a nonchalant luster, as if he really were the quickest guy in Mayweather. ”Oh shit you look pissed. What happened?” Benny recalled Terrence’s tutor, Will. Of course… He must have talked to Peter already. Hopefully guile wins this round, but we’ll see, he thought to himself, sizing up Will. ”Hey, tell me about it in one second okay? Maybe three tops.” Benny decided Terrence was a bit of a hilarious jerk, for the sake of the moment. Also texting might throw off any telepathy that Will… Could possibly have. He wasn’t sure who the hell could see directly into his thoughts in this building and ruin everything right off that bat for him.

Minako frowned as she looked over the schedule she had logged into her phone. Most of her classes were things that she would expect of any university or post-education academy, though there were a couple mandatory classes that looked to be… unique. And sure enough, she had Ms. Lovelace as her last class of the day. That class in particular had her somewhat concerned; the class description had explicitly stated that students would be using their powers. Minako wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing she had that last.

Unfortunately, she was once again lost, which was… frustrating. Casting about, she spied a dark haired girl who looked to be in a better mood than most others she had seen since leaving her dorm (Emilia had still been asleep when she had arrived, which was… merciful). Taking a breath, Minako approached the girl. ”Um, excuse me,” she gave the girl a short bow, ”Could you help me locate B Wing please? I have not had a chance to familiarise myself with the campus yet.”

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Waking up from her calm, enjoyable slumber, Gianna opened her eyes gradually after hearing a loud *thump* to the ground. Jackson's voice was simply background noise as she allowed herself to comprehend the world. A dreamless night. How wonderful. Perhaps, she should get that drunk more often. Her melting chocolate orbs stared at the ceiling for a brief moment. Her head was pounding but nothing she couldn't bare. Sitting up, her bronze skin looked smooth like silk, especially in the red tinted light and her light brown hair with blonde highlights wildly draped on the right side of her head. Although she did have morning hair, she still carried that sex goddess allure - a beautiful, hot mess. Her gaze met with the nervous boy's stare. A blush fell on his face while he covered his mouth with his hands. Gia couldn't help but respond with a soft smile. He was embarrassed, but why? Was she that intimidating even when she slept?

Looking around the room, she thought to herself, 'Oh, that's right.... so he thinks he had sex with me.' Her phone vibrated but she didn't want to be rude. She simply listened to the cute boy ramble and show his obvious disarray. To lighten the mood, and hopefully ease his tension, she let out a cute giggle, "You're something else, Jackson."

Once she was done stretching her long, slender body, not feeling nearly as awkward as him, Gia stood up and approached the hero at a leisurely pace, so that she could get a better look at his face before replying. "Why don't you take me out to dinner tonight?" She let that question settle in before continuing, "Then I'll fill you in on our late night adventure." She tilted her head, whilst giving an impish wink. Her captivating stare never looked away from his soft blue eyes, "This will give you most of the day to truly consider the question you just asked me. But also." She leaned in by his ear and whispered with her seductive, red wine voice, "You'll have the chance to ask me whatever you want."

Walking passed him, Gia went to his desk and scribbled her number on a random piece of paper. Turning to him, leaving her number behind, she genuinely smiled, "I'll return your clothes after I wash them. Text me if you still want to follow through, with the time and place. If I don't receive a text, I'll know your answer." She took the next moments to collect her things.

Going to him once more, Gia gently planted her warm lips on his cheek, "I'd love to stay but I have dance class."

After she gave the boy a moment to react, she dismissed herself, leaving him in his room to contemplate what he should do. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to go on a date with her. Even Gia can admit she wasn't an easy woman to be with. Walking in the opposite direction of Lucas, yes, still very much in Jackson's clothes, she continued her way to her bedroom on the third floor. After sauntering her way back to her room, she responded to the texts she received throughout the morning. 'My, my. Aren't I popular.'

To: Fresh Meat
If u want to talk, come with me to dance class. Fountain in an hr.

If one hadn't noticed, Gia wasn't someone who gave information out for free. If you gave her something that intrigued her or even just amused her, maybe she would give you a bone but until then, not many people were able to get her to talk.

Unless said person was an exception. Her gaze narrowed at the text from Mitch.

To: The Privileged
If ur not gonna pull your mind games on me, u know where my room is. U may walk in on me changing. I leave in an hr.

Before she set her phone down so that she may get ready for her day, she sent a quick text to Lucas.

To: My Pup
U missed a bit. Where did u run off to last nite?

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Piano music resounded in the library. Her head resting on a table and face on a book, Ellie's phone rang throughout the building that had no one but her in it. Shooting her head up, having only gotten an hour and a half of sleep, she tiredly and hurriedly grabbed her phone and answered it with a tiny yawn. The piano ringtone seized. Wiping the sleep off her face, having not checked who called, the brunette muttered, "Hello? Eliana Lovelace speaking."

"Did you not take your pills again?" A happy, kiddish, honeyed coated voice was on the other line. She sounded like she was chewing gum too (like a damn cow) - what time was it?

"I didn't want to... why are you calling? Are you alright?"

An almost appalled chuckle came out of the other girl's voice as she listened to her sleepy sister, "If I remember correctly, you needed me. Something about bringing you clothes. Does that ring any bells?"

Finally grasping reality, Ellie glanced up at the clock. Her green eyes widened, "Wait today? What time? I-uh... what time?"

"OH-MY-GOD. Something happened last night, didn't it?!" The excitement was building up in the other girl's voice. There was no doubt she had confidence in knowing what Ellie was going through.

Bewildered, the hero alone in the library hesitated before responding, "I may have a date... in a couple of hours. Around lunch time."

"NO FUCKING WAY!" There was a brief pause while the other girl had a short freak out of happiness, "Don't you dare bail on this guy. Go and come back, and tell me all about it! Your spare key is in our spot, yeah?"

"Jenna, you didn't even tell me what time you--" Ellie was cut off by her younger sister before she could even finish her sentence.

"Don't worry about it! You better dress fine. I'm ready to meet a damn guy of your's. You need to get laid! I'll be waiting in your room when you're back~ Bye bye now."

"Wai-" The other line went dead. Ellie sat in her seat, frozen for an instant. Her sister was so goddamn hyper in the morning. Taking a deep inhale in, she breathed out heavily. 'You'll be fine. Today is going to be a good day.' Glancing at her phone, she noticed a text from Benny. Sighing to herself, the brunette silently replied to him.

To: Benny Hops
Lunch engagement and sister visit. Nothing to complain about. And you?

Glancing down at the book, it seemed like she had chosen to continue reading Wuthering Heights, but with an undamaged copy. She'd have to pay the librarian back for that even though Lucas was the one who ruined it. Cleaning up, Ellie gathered her things and left the building. Strolling out of the library, she walked through the Gardens to get to the East Dorms. She stopped in her tracks to watch Hugo and his friend jam out. Ellie didn't talk to Hugo much but she could appreciate him for being a fellow musician. The bags under her eyes were apparent, but she didn't care. Today was going to be a great day. She had a date with Elijah! And music was always a good sign that today would be better than yesterday. If Ellie wasn't as reserved, she would sing along, but, of course, that wasn't in her nature. She would simply stand and watch from a far.

They met eyes briefly. In response, she gave him a kind wave, which was her way of complimenting him. Once that was all said and done, she went on her merry way to get ready for her day. Her date! There was no way in hell she would allow Lucas to slip on her mind. No. She had a date with an intellectual man and it was going to be fantastic!

Approaching her dorm, Dream Catcher noticed sitting in front of it staring at the clouds... Keats. 'Oh brother'. Jess and her had yet to pay their respects to him for helping Lucas. For now, Ellie would (attempt) to continue on her lovely business. Approaching him, she faintly said, "Excuse me." and made her way passed him (maybe?) - ideally she wanted to enter the dorm without an interaction.