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Kaimana stared at the gates to the Academy, trying not to get his hopes up at maybe finding a way to help Paradise. He knew it was selfish to put her through it… but he didn’t want to let her go… But at the very least, she could have some comfort with the Academy, no doubt there healers he hoped might be able to help could ease any suffering she had, either way.

So studying the gates, he didn’t know if he’d come to hate them, or not. He certainly didn’t want his hopes to be crushed… to lose her. He tried to focus on other aspects, like just how large the gates were. Did they expect giants or something? Could they leave freely through them, or when they closed were they stuck each day? He shook his head, deciding that that was thoughts he’d probably never consider even if he did get an answer.

He looked to Paradise, smiling ”You ready?”

The sight of the iron gates looming over them… it was daunting, and made her heart shake lightly within the confines of her chest. Her hand slipping out, Paradise sought to take a gentle hold of his hand, entwining their fingers as she tightened her grip over the handle of the blue and white ukulele case she held by her side, the strap of her guitar case crossed firmly over her body, keeping it rested upon her back. This was it… they were finally here…

Nerves spreading throughout her body, she stepped close to him, the sound of a loud bang sounding out from somewhere beyond the gates causing her to flinch slightly, sending her heart soaring as barking filled the air around them. She wasn’t sure what to make of it… the academy had seemed like a good idea at the beginning; when she had first received the invitation- and from Bruce Wayne himself..! But now…

“..I-... I don’t know…”

Feeling her flinch, Kiamana turned towards her, automatically shifting what he carried to wrap his arms around her, holding her close. He wondered who had thought it was a good idea to unleash fireworks over the Academy while students were arriving with excitable creatures. ”Paras… it’s okay” he said softly, ”We can stay out here a bit if you want” He didn’t want to pressure her into doing anything she didn’t want to.

”We could try to find dad… he might let us inside” he suggested, thinking that might be a good idea until things calmed a bit. He pulled back slightly to meet her gaze and give her a smile.

Shifting her lithe figure slightly against his own muscular one, her eyes closing, Paradise took a moment to herself; doing her best to calm the feverish beating of her heart. Fireworks..? Why were there fireworks..? It was a school- it wasn’t as though she wasn’t a fan of fireworks. They were beautiful… romantic… Watching them from the comfort of Kaimana’s arms, surrounded by the tropical flora she loved more than anything was something she had always enjoyed doing. But this… she didn’t like this...

‘..i-it’s too… it’s too much…”

A warmth flushing across the center of her face, she broke her hand from his, lifting it up enough that she was able to press the tips of her fingers to the skin just above her upper lip. She could feel it… the familiar warmth; the familiar wetness of her blood slowly trickling down, “..K-Kai…”

Kaimana pulled back when her hand slipped from his, watching her with concern. He pulled back just enough to retrieve that packet of tissues he carried with him. He took one out, holding it out trying not to think beyond stopping the nose bleed. He couldn’t think why, or he wouldn’t be able to comfort her. ”Paras… Why don’t we find the gardens… you always like being near plants.” he suggested, thinking she’d be more comfortable away from the crowd, if only for a little bit.

Reaching out, taking the tissue he was offering out to her, Paradise lifted it to her nose, holding it there in an attempt to stop, or at least slow the blood that was trickling down over her fingers, lips and chin. It wasn’t the first time; and it wasn’t going to be the last either. It was just something that she had always had to live with in her life- an unfortunate symptom of her ever degrading health.

Nodding her head lightly, doing her best to be mindful of keeping the tissue held firmly against her nose, she let her gaze wander back through the gates, searching for any sign of the gardens that Kaimana was speaking of- the gardens that his father had told them about. It would be nice… to get away… to separate herself from the crowd, at least for a bit- at least until she had time to clean herself up… Turning her attention back over to him after a moment or two, her soft pink lips parted slightly behind the mess of red and white, she eventually went to answer, her head nodding lightly as she spoke, her voice soft.

“..p-please…”

”Alright!” Kaimana said, before realising that he didn’t actually know where the gardens were. He was sure he had seen a map somewhere of the grounds… but he couldn’t remember. Still… it couldn’t be that hard to find them? He looked towards the gates, wondering if they were a reflection of the school itself… was everything larger than life? The immense size of the school suddenly became apparent, as he looked back to Paradise. He couldn’t drag her all over the school and back searching for the gardens... He hovered in that uncertainty.

”Do… Do you remember where they are?”

“Remember where what are, Kaimana..?” The deep and familiar booming voice sounding from just behind the both of them, Arthur smiled at the sight of his son, and his son’s girlfriend, a slight flicker of hesitation making its way over his features as he caught sight of the bloodied tissue in her hand, though he brushed it aside, his feet carrying him quickly over to where they were standing, “..Paradise… how are you feeling..? I know it was a long trip; did you get enough rest..? Or did my son keep you up by showing off in the surf again..?”

”Dad!” Kaimana said, somehow making it sound a little exasperated even as it was joyful. ”We were thinking of going to the gardens.” he said, realising his father could help them, ”Where it’s a little more peaceful!” He added, trying hard to keep the concern from his voice.

While he did his best to keep it out of his voice, it was clear in his eyes. The concern his son had for the young girl he was dating was overwhelming; and it was the reason that they were both there. Kaimana had followed Paradise across the country without so much as a second thought… someone needed to keep an eye on him to make sure he was going to be okay if things went-... if things went south…

“..I know where they are- follow me, I’ll show you…”

Nodding his head, giving his son the subtle sign that he understood what was going on, Arthur motioned for the both of them to follow after him as he headed forward, and through the gate, keeping his pace slow and steady so that they could both keep up without putting too much strain on the young girl, “So… how are you liking it so far..?”

Following after his father, making sure that Paradise was following as well, Kaimana looked about them as they walked. He couldn’t help but wonder just how the school had been built so fast and in such detail. Even with super abilities it didn’t seem possible. He shook his head, looking back to his father when he spoke. ”Its… very big. The gates are impressive.” He said, knowing that that was a bit lame. ”The cabin was nice though,” he said a bit more eagerly.

“..it was very beautiful…” Pausing a moment, removing the tissue from her nose enough so that she could see how bad the flow of blood was before returning it back to its place against her face, her beautiful gaze lifting as she looked towards the man who had welcomed her so willingly, and happily into the family from the very moment that she had first been introduced to them, “..we really didn’t want to leave…”

“I had a feeling you both might like it.” Chuckling at their responses, Arthur glanced at them both from over his shoulder, his eyes meeting that of his son’s for a moment before he turned away, leading them both past the ever growing crowd of students and towards the path that led towards the vast and lavish gardens.

”Maybe we could stay there, instead of in the dorms?” Kaimana asked, hesitating a moment as his father met his gaze a little unsure. Deciding to ask his father what that was about later, he continued to look about them, making sure that Paradise was okay every so often. He had to admit, he was looking forward to the peace of the gardens as the crowd continued to grow.

”Are you okay?” he asked Paradise, wanting to make sure, not wanting her to exhaust herself if it was too strenuous.

“..y-yeah… I’m fine…” Giving him a gentle smile, her features a little pale, Paradise nodded her head lightly in response, holding his gaze a few moments longer before she looked away once more, her attention drawing down to the path they were walking along, “..just a little tired… that’s all…”

Quirking his brow, his body turning so that he was looking at his son from over his shoulder, Arthur kept his pace, leading them down the path a little longer before eventually, the path was gone, replaced instead by the overgrowth of grass beneath their feet, and a large abundance of plant life surrounding them, “You want to stay there rather than at the dorms..? I mean… it might be doable… I would have to pull some strings with Bruce; but might be able to make it happen…”

Kaimana managed a smile, although he would be happier once they’d reach the gardens and she could rest. ”Just a little longer.” he encouraged her, smiling still although it faded as he considered his father’s words. ”If its too hard we can stay in the dorms.... It was just nice there together.” he said softly, not wanting to make things difficult.

He glanced about them as the scenery changed, the plant life rising around them. He was sure he hadn’t seen half of the plants here, if that. ”This is… it seems so exotic.”

Chuckling softly, a slight twinkle making its way into his weary and worried eyes, Arthur motioned towards the beautiful gardens that surrounded them, urging them to explore it at their own leisure; knowing for a fact that it was one thing that might help to make Paradise feel even the slightest bit better, “..the gardens were both designed and created by Pamela Isley… she, just like you Paradise, has a great love of mother nature; and has an affinity for plant life.”

Smiling softly, slowing to a stop once they drew into a clearing, he turned to look at them both, watching on as the young woman moved over to a large tree, the girl dropping down to sit in its shade, “..and I will talk to Bruce about whether or not you will be allowed to stay at the cabin; don’t think of it as a hassle. If it helps-... I’ll look into it for you.”

Watching Paradise, barely taking his gaze from her, Kaimana nodded gratefully at his father's words, ”Thank you dad… “ he said softly, his gaze never straying from Paradise. As if part of him was afraid that if he looked away too long, she’d be gone. He hesitated a moment, before tearing his gaze from Paradise, to look towards his father.

”But… staying here means there will be help if something happens… I don’t know what to do, dad” he admitted, keeping his voice soft.

Falling silent a moment, his gaze never once leaving his son’s figure standing before him, Arthur let a heavy sigh fall from between his lips. Kaimana had always been one to care with everything he had… it was only natural that his son would then care for Paradise in the exact same way. Kaimana loved her; he had made that fact perfectly clear when he had first introduced her to both his wife and himself...

..he only hoped that she wouldn’t end up being his downfall…

“..we’ll work it out, Kai… you have my word…” Giving his son a small smile, he turned his gaze back over to the young woman sat in front of the tree, watching her for a moment before he made to move, giving Kaimana a comforting pat on the back before he headed back the way he had come, “..I’ll go see if I can have a word with Bruce now… keep faith; she’ll be alright…”

Kaimana nodded, returning his gaze to Paradise once more, ”Okay dad… thanks” he said softly, knowing that his father was right, He watched Paradise a moment longer before he went over to her, giving her a smile ”What do you think?”

“..i-it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before…” Her voice soft, her attention lingering on a rather beautiful flower blooming beside her, Paradise lowered the bloodied tissue down to her lap, her hand reaching out so that she could run the tips of her fingers gently over the petals, her very touch seeming to cause the color to grow just that little bit brighter, “..but-... but i-it’s so much…”

”There’s a lot.” Kaimana agreed, settling himself beside her, ”The whole school seems… larger than life… there’s so much here.” He watched her interacting with the plants, ”They look so different from the ones back home.”

“..that’s because they are…”

Lifting her beautiful gaze, the tissue now lain forgotten in her lap, and the blood that remained now dried and staining her lips a slight crimson, Paradise smiled softly, her skin paled though it was clear that she felt more relaxed surrounded by the thriving plant life making its home within the gardens. It was so peaceful… just like the beach cabin had been; and yet, it was completely different…

Reaching out, she hesitated, her head tilting lightly to the side before she reached out, the tips of her fingers gently brushing over the petals of one of the roses that grew beside her, “..these plants; they aren’t native to our home, not that it means they can’t be grown… it just means that you need to be extra careful, and be sure to give them plenty of love when you do. Like this rose… it’s so pretty… I’ve only really ever seen them before in the flower stores. Yet it’s so different to the hibiscus flowers you see growing all over the islands… Both are so beautiful- share a lot of things in common with one another, and even then…”

Pausing a moment, her gaze falling to a bare patch of grass beside the roses, Paradise let her fingers fall to the ground, the young woman seeming to concentrate a moment before suddenly, a tiny patch of the dirt began to rise, causing the blades of grass to part from one another as a large and colorful hibiscus grew right before their very eyes, “..they are so vastly different. I guess that’s what happens when we grow up where we have… surrounded by so many tropical flora…”

Glad to see that Paradise seemed even a little bit better, watching her as she gently touched the plants and listening as she spoke. He always enjoyed it when she spoke about plants, things she so dearly loved. As she grew a hibiscus, Kaimana couldn’t help but smile. She was so gifted, so talented… She was perfect. And he would do anything for her. ”They’re beautiful… I still like the flowers back home better. Maybe that’s the familiarity of them… but they remind me of you.” he said softly, reaching out to gently brush the back of his fingers along her cheek.

”Colourful and bright, strong and warm… “ He continued softly, keeping his gaze on her ”And beautiful.”

Turning her head, her gaze lifting to meet with his as she felt his gentle and loving touch brushing against her cheek, Paradise couldn’t help the soft and tiniest amount of color that flushed over her features. He thought so highly at her… Lifting her hand from the flower, she reached across her body, her palm resting delicately over his own for a moment before she dropped it down, lightly patting at the patch of grass beside her, urging him to join her in the shade of the tree.

“..you really think I’m beautiful..?”

Kaimana settled himself beside her, nodding. ”Of course… You are truly beautiful… “ he said softly, reaching out to gently take her in his arms, ”I only wish you could see that, but I guess I’ll just have to keep on reminding you.” He said with a smile.

Kaimana… he was just so sweet… so caring… so considerate... Closing her eyes, her body falling against his as she felt his arms wrap around her, Paradise curled gently against his chest, her hand lifting to rest over his collarbone as her head found its natural place nestled lovingly within the crook of his neck, her voice soft as she spoke out loud to him, her warm breath flowing out over his flesh, “..I love you, Kai…”

Holding her close, Kaimana was more than happy to stay were they were. A little bit of peace, before things would get a little hectic. He thought for a moment or two, before saying with a small chuckle ”Think anyone would notice we weren’t there if we stayed here all day?”

“..only your dad…” A small smile working its way onto her lips, her body curling in closer against his, she let out a soft giggle, the sound soon fading away into nothing as she once more spoke, her fingers curling gently over the front of his chest, “..though… I can’t see him dobbing us in… I really don’t think he would mind… not now that we’re here…”

Kaimana smiled, having to admit that she was probably right about that. ”Then lets stay, at least for a little bit.” he said, shifting slightly to kiss her softly.

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Letting his gaze roam over the bifrost, Thracius waited for it to be activated, so they could be sent down to Midgard. The bifrost wasn’t really impressive, at least not to Thracius. He imagined lesser beings would find it truly impressive, but to him it was just a means of getting from point A to point B. After what seemed like an eternity, the bifrost’s guardian, Heimdallr, activated the bifrost, placing a fairly impressive sword into the keyhole, and twisting it. Almost at once, lightening exploded from the top of the bifrost’s mechanism, soon encompassing the entirety of the bifrost’s mechanism. It began to turn, a mechanical clanking echoing around the chamber as it began to spin and settle itself into the right position.

A whirring sound joined the collection of noises, and before them a tunnel of twisting white and blue, the portal opening. Thracius made a move towards it, but the small chuckle from Heimadallr had him glancing back. In that moment, the guardian did something- Thracius couldn’t see what perhaps a slight twist or turn of the sword- and they were sucked through the portal. The tunnel between the two worlds open, they moved between them at a shocking speed the same white blue colour streaking past them and beyond that, space. Details were hard to make out at the speed they were going and as they continued to pick up speed they entered Midgard with a loud crack and a swishing sound.

There was no preparing for a landing, it was simply… crash. Thracius assumed a space had been set aside for the visiting Asgardians to minimise damage but if there hadn’t been he certainly didn’t care. Rising, he glanced about without concern, laying a hand on Fenrir’s back, the large gray wolf growling slightly. ”Not very impressive.” He said, his tone one of disinterest.

”Well, Thracius, it is an empty field.” Loki replied to his son, glancing about them to make sure no one was descending on them.

The pain shooting through her wrist was something she had never before experienced. Eyes shutting tightly at the piercing ache shooting through her arm, her body lain over the ground due to their landing, the tears that had already been flowing grew in intensity, causing Svanna to curl her body over, her arm pulled in tightly against her stomach, the beautiful material (covering only part of her body, and showing the majority) lightly caressing her flesh as she kept her hand pressed close.

It was nothing like she had imagined- was travel through the realms always so… rough..? Painful..? Not even but a whimper coming from the young Goddess, she once again opened her bright eyes, the tears streaming down her face now falling to the ground until a soft though rather familiar nudge against her shoulder caught her attention, causing her to lift head back up, her gaze rising until she was able to see fully the beautiful black stallion that stood protectively at her side. Reaching up, her arm wrapping around the neck of the creature in question, Svanna used his help to slowly bring herself back to her feet, her body once more moving closely in against that of the animal, taking that moment to try and calm her emotions as she shot a glance about the area they had landed in.

This was Midgard..? It seemed… different… more barren than how she had imagined it…

Frowning at his father’s response, Thracius ignored him for the moment turning his gaze to Svanna, seeing that she was hurt. While the landing had been somewhat uncomfortable, but he hadn’t expected any injury. ”Are you okay?” he asked her, stepping towards her, Fenrir turning with him although the wolf sniffed at the air, growling slowly still. Thracius wondered what he could smell but as long as he remained by his side, he wouldn’t be particularly worried.

”There will be healers at the school. I imagine it’s a necessity with the softness of the Midgardians.” Loki said in a condescending manner. ”I believe it’s that way.” Loki waved a hand absently.

Sparing their father a somewhat exasperated glance, Thracius glanced back to Svanna, ”Come on, I’ll help you up.” he said softly to her, ”You can ride in.”

Ride in..?

Gaze lingering on her brother’s figure a moment, Svanna glanced towards Sleipnir, watching the horse as he shook out his mane. He was magnificent… loyal from the moment her father had first given him to her. Lifting her uninjured hand, she gently placed it against the animal’s nose, her head nodding lightly to let her brother know that not only did she understand… but that she also agreed with what he was saying.

Satisfied, Thracius made a small sound, telling Fenrir to wait as he went to help Svanna onto Sleipnir. He was rather interested to see how the Midgardians would deal with the horse, Musing on that for a moment, he sought the easiest way to help her up. He grabbed her gently around the waist and lifted her atop the horse, not letting go until he was sure she was secure.

Once he was, he stepped back to Fenrir’s side, glancing in the direction their father had vaguely waved. ”Lets go.” May as well get it over with, and go see all the squishy Midgardians. Starting to walk, he lay a hand on the wolfs head.

Both legs resting to one side of the horse, her injured arm pressed in close against her stomach, Svanna let her tear-filled gaze follow the familiar figures of both her father and her brother, watching as they walked off in the direction the academy was supposed to be in before she moved to begin on her way, urging her horse to follow along behind the both of them as they led the way.

Thracius made sure that Svanna was following and that she was as well as could be. He stayed close as they walked towards the Academy over the grassy field. He couldn’t imagine what the Midgardians did with this field. What did they need something so large for? It seemed utterly pointless to him. ”At least there is plenty of room for Fenrir and Sleipnir to roam about.” He said after a few moments walking, gazing ahead for a moment at the buildings appearing, vague shapes for now.

He realised he kept on forgetting that Svanna couldn’t respond to him, and he sighed softly, Going to speak once more, he shook his head closing his mouth. He would have to work fast to free her from the silencer. He stayed silent as they continued to head towards the Academy. So far he wasn’t particularly impressed. It seemed rather basic, despite the large size.

Soon, as the buildings continued to grow more distinct and he could make out people, Thracius was slowing his pace. He already despised this place, and doubted there would be anything interesting for him. He sighed once more, glancing over the other students he could see. Was Soren here already, mingling with the Midgardian’s whose attention he seemed to crave? He really couldn’t see the appeal. They all seemed to be rather… weak.

”Rather unimpressive, don’t you think?”

Her brother’s voice sounded far… muffled, though she knew him to be close by her side. The pain in her wrist refusing to subside, however trying her best to not let it get to her, Svanna let her gaze wander, the sound of her horses hooves a natural thing as she looked about the changing scenery. Perhaps she had been wrong in her judgement when she had first believed the realm to be barren.

Lifting her attention to the buildings before her, she took a moment to look them over. They were imposing in their own way… though nowhere near as impressive as those she had grown up with in Asgard. Tearing her gaze from the buildings, she brought it back around to her brother, her eyes (still rather wet) meeting with his as she lifted her hand up, pointing towards the building in front of them with a questioning look upon her soft and beautiful features.

Thracius glanced to Svanna, once more making sure she was okay and frowning slightly at her questioning look. He glanced towards the building, which appeared to be an elegant but rather unimpressive style, slate gray rendering covering the outside. ”It seems to be. Oddly primitive.” he said in a slightly bored tone. He let his gaze slip from the buildings to those around them more than a little amused. Svanna, even muzzled, would have an effect on the Midgardians. Her natural- and powerful- beauty would no doubt affect the squishy and weak Midgards more so than the Asgardian’s. They wouldn’t be able to resist the allure she gave off without even trying.

It was a small defiance against their Uncle, one Thracius suspected he hadn’t considered. Why would he, when all he saw was the children of his mischievous and defiant brother? Thracius doubted that Thor saw them as individuals, but rather as pawns their father would use to do his bidding, now that the treaty was in effect.

If only he knew.

”Perhaps it won’t be so bad here after all, Svanna. As soon as I break you free of the Silencer, we can definitely have some fun.” Perhaps there would be a way to gain their Uncle’s trust, convince him that Svanna wouldn’t be a threat… or convince whoever he gave the key to that she wasn’t.

”Shall we continue?” He said, looking back to Svanna. ”And find someone to help your arm?” he suggested, wanting to get away from the crowding Midgardian’s that were causing Fenrir to growl deeply in his throat. ”I know it’s hard Svanna… “ He said softly, wanting to be able to break the Silencer now, ”But look! You have an effect on the Midgardian’s anyway!”

Her hand returning to its place against the horses neck, her eyes showing her confusion at his words, Svanna turned her head, her injured hand held delicately against her half-bare stomach as she glanced about at the Midgardian’s mulling around the courtyard around them, meeting their stares, unsure of what her brother meant with his words.

”Oh Svanna.” Thracius said a little exasperated, ”You can’t still be clueless of the effect you have on people. Most people don’t get worshiped wherever they go.” He said, shaking his head and nodding towards a few of the Midgardians, who already seemed to be vying for her attention.

He shook his head at their pathetic attempts, ”Well, leave them.” He said dismissing them completely, turning back to Svanna ”Let’s see who we can get to help you.” he said his tone softer with her, more caring then he had used in reference to the Midgardians.

He turned starting to walk once more, intent of making sure his sister was following, and would be okay. If Midgardian’s got in the way, he simply pushed past them, Fenrir a constant presence at his side.

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Hefting the weight of his backpack to his opposite shoulder, Crispin took in a deep breath and began the short walk to the one place he knew could help to change his life. The academy was supposed to be where people with abilities and talents of all kinds could live together and learn more about themselves. A school. But more than that, a safe haven from the abuse he had endured for the duration of his life. It was finally his escape.

The bus ride there had been... difficult, to say the least. It was his first time interacting with people outside of the prison that was the Penguin's home; the Iceberg Lounge, more specifically. When he had decided to run away, Crispin literally grabbed what clothing he could see laying on his bed, stuffed it into an old, plastic bag, and took off. He didn't even stop to think about the "normal" people he would be encountering in the outside world. Crispin hadn’t met very “normal” people. And he didn't stop to think that in his heightened emotional state, what his powers could do to these “normal” people. It was possible he had simply chosen to block the thought from his mind. He had been traumatized by his own actions. Actions he wanted to forget...

The bus driver had asked him for his money, and Crispin just stood there, blinking his bright blue eyes.. Money he knew - he used it every day working at the Iceberg Lounge. But he never actually needed it for himself. Another thing he had been incredibly unprepared for. The man waiting behind him began to yell and a baby started to cry somewhere nearby. He literally froze - his powers manifesting so quick that he hadn't even realized a protective layer of ice had encased his entire flesh, forcing his clothes to stretch and even rip in a few places. It was when he became aware that things really started to get bad. He panicked. The entire bus began to drop in temperature, and by the time everyone on the bus had realized that something was terribly wrong, it was too late.

Crispin stared on as the entire bus and the occupants inside and immediately outside became a sculpture of ice. The only thing he could do then was to chisel away some of the riders’ personal belongings (such as a backpack and a few purses) and leave before he hurt anyone else. He wasn't sure if he had killed them, or not - he just hoped that the sooner he left, perhaps the quicker the ice would melt, saving them. And now he had some money. So after running a good few blocks (leaving a trail of ice behind him), Crispin took down an alley where he could calm down, get his powers back under control, and tried the next bus.

The trip took a few days, the boy having to change buses four different times before he managed to get to the location he had heard so much about. He kept to himself the entire time, only exchanging words with a woman at a clothing store when he asked for help finding something in his size. It had been the last of the money from the purses (which he had dumped long ago). Everything after that point had to be stolen..

But it was all worth it in the end - he was finally here. He had been standing outside the gate for the better part of three hours, knees trembling and heart racing as the realization of what he had just done began to sink into his mind. No doubt his mother would come looking for him. He just hoped that in this school of heroes and villains, someone would be stronger than her, and hoped to God that they were on his side. And if he was really lucky… she wouldn’t bring the Penguin.

The closer to the school he got, the more populated it seemed to grow. There were so many students of various races, genders, heights, sizes and ages he didn't even know where to begin with his people watching. He could feel the heat around him being absorbed - a trait he simply could not help. He hadn't noticed it in the Iceberg Lounge simply because the Penguin usually kept it at subzero temperatures anyway, but now that he had been on the "outside" for a few days where the sun could shine down on his pale skin, it was something he couldn't help but to notice. He couldn't make contact - even just a bump would make anyone with heat in their bodies feel the sting of cold, so he stuck to the outskirts as much as he possibly could, maneuvering away from people as they came and went around him. Memories of what he had done began to come back to him, making the boy even more careful as to not touch anyone, which he realized would become quite the task in the sea of people starting to form.

Maybe he just needed to sit down. Yes… if he wasn’t moving, then he couldn’t touch anyone. All he would have to worry about was people touching him. So Crispin wandered off a small ways and took up a bench to sit down on, despite having grown rather tired of sitting. He sat his belongings down next to him on the bench, as to occupy the empty seat, and looked around observing all the people as the bustled around.

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Making her way down the path that would ultimately lead her to the school, Jayla couldn't help but to stop every so often and look over her shoulder. Surely her father would have had his motorcycle unhooked by now. It would be safe to return to her car, throw her luggage and the cage back into the car and just take off. But where would she go? There wasn't anywhere she could go that he couldn't find her - her father and Mephisto.

It was tempting. Her fingers were itching to take the keys she had placed into her pocket. But each time she kept turning back around and heading to the school. Why? Why should she stay here? Just to make her father happy? Was that really enough of a reason? It shouldn't have been, and yet, she was getting closer to the school.

No. No she knew what she had been chosen for. Mephisto came to her. Mephisto made her sign the contract, binding her to him for life. She knew her father couldn't do this without him. She may not have been the best Ghost Rider in history - hell she didn't even know how to control turning into the Ghost Rider - but at least she could do something. She cared about her mother just as much as her father did. How dare he take matters into his own hands when the devil himself demanded it otherwise!?

That's it! Balling her hands into fists, Jayla shook her head and planted her feet firmly. No, she wouldn't run away - she would go and find her father and force him to see things her way... somehow.

She turned her body, fully intending (now) to return to her car and return home. But as she turned, a glimpse of red caught her attention. Hesitating, Jayla turned her neck, having to do a double take of what she thought might have stolen her attention.

It couldn't be... here?

Jayla shook her head, closed her eyes and opened them up again.

It was no trick of the mind. Standing not twenty feet away from her, struggling with her luggage, was the one woman she hadn't expected to see again in an entire lifetime.

"Ky?" Setting down her suitcases and the covered bat cage, she crossed the next ten feet towards her. It was definitely her - the girl she had street-raced with in Australia when she and her father had a job there that ended up lasting a few months. Ky' vie was a legend on the roads - they ended up competing almost every night Jayla was there unless her "other self" ended up getting in the way. They even went out afterwards, celebrating either of their victories with drinks, dancing and a good time (much to her father's disapproval). They had built a pretty steady friendship during her short time there - if it hadn't been for Ky' vie, Jayla might have ended up in jail a handful more times than she already had. And then there was that one time they were in there together...

"No fucking way. Really?" A faint smile spread across her lips. "What in the hell are you doing her- WOA-" Just as she was about to reach her, Jayla took a full step backwards, recoiled by the sight of the sleeping child held fast in her arms. "They giving out kids instead of pink slips now? Who's this one belong to? He's a bit small to race..."

---

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“..h-huh..?”

Her attention drawn by the sound of an unfamiliar voice, Adeline stood frozen in place, her soft pink lips parting, her bright blues full of surprise as she stared blankly over towards the direction she could hear it coming from. S-Someone wanted to talk to her..? No… more than that... A boy wanted to talk to her..? Was she dreaming..? No… if that were the case, she would be able to see who it was; even if it was just her subconscious making it up on her.

The sound of what she believed was gunshots, and then a crash filling the air from behind her, she flinched; the quick and tight strain against the leash causing her to stumble as she did everything she could to keep a hold over it. Was… was everything okay..? No one been hurt, right..? Hesitating, until she felt the pull of the leash let up, Adeline eventually and visibly relaxed, a gentle sigh falling from her lips before she broke a single hand from the leash; her touch almost feather light as she ran the tips of her fingers over her forehead, using them to brush some of her long and wavy bubblegum pink locks back, neatly tucking them behind her ear as finally, she responded, her voice barely audible and clearly nervous as she spoke, answering his question.

“..Ce-... Ce-Jay…” Shifting slightly over the spot, she brought her hand back down to the lead, her cheeks taking on a soft tinge of red as she put herself out there, putting herself way out of her comfort zone, “..h-his name is Ce-Jay…”

“Ce-Jay.” Alan repeated,, keeping his eyes on the dog as he continued to rub his ears.

The lab’s ears perked at hearing his name, his head turning to look back at his owner, though the added stimulation of Alan’s attention had his tongue lolling to the side.

“Such a good boy - God I love dogs - then again I’ve never actually owned one. I bet they’re a lot of work. I think the fireworks might have spooked him a bit, but he seems to be doing alright.” Running his hands over the dog he rubbed Ce-Jay’s head a few more times before looking up at the owner and giving her a sheepish smile. It hadn’t occurred to him until just then that what he had done might of come across as rude. They didn’t exactly teach things like proper etiquette in the circus.

“I’m sorry.” He breathed out a laugh and stood himself back up, extending a hand out for her to shake. “I lose myself sometimes around animals. My name is Alan.”

“..Alan…” Repeating the name softly, a small though shy smile playing over her lips, Adeline let her mind focus on that little bit of information for a moment before she continued, this time reacting to what he had said as she shook her head, the action causing her long hair to fly back and forth behind her, the young woman trying her best to reassure him that he had done nothing wrong. At least… he hadn’t done anything wrong in her eyes…

“..o-oh; no, please… it’s okay… you-... you have nothing to be sorry about…” Not really sure why he was apologizing in the first place, though having deemed it necessary, she lifted her hand up, brushing it off before introducing herself, her hand returning back to the lead, “..m-my name is Adeline Wilson… it’s-... it’s very nice to meet you, Alan…”

Wilson? Alan stood up a bit straighter. He knew that last name… he just couldn’t think of why. Smile faltering for just a moment, Alan looked down at his hand, gone untouched by the young girl. He slowly dropped it down back to his side and stuffed it in his pants, his shoulders slouching a bit. It wasn’t until he really began to feel foolish did he look at her; actually look at her. The bubblegum pink hair was obvious - he saw that straight away. But now he was able to see the way her cheeks rounded out, the way her soft pink lips seemed to naturally pout, the dull, glossed-over daze in her eyes.

Oh…

She was blind. Now it all started to make sense - why she didn’t think he needed to apologize for petting her dog, or why she hadn’t shook his hand. She didn’t see any of it.

Alan chanced a look around. Was there anyone here with her, helping her? He looked down at Ce-Jay, who found his privates to be more entertaining than waiting for more pats on the head. There was no way that someone just dropped her off here with a - no… he wouldn’t even call it a seeing eye dog.

“So… are you waiting for anyone here? Could… could I help you to the school?” It was a strange situation. He had only just met the girl and he was already feeling a slight amount of responsibility on his shoulders - or was it protectiveness? He wasn’t entirely sure. He just knew his inner conscious would never allow him to just leave her there, unattended.

He-... He wanted to help..?

Could he help..? Biting down softly upon her lips, the surprise that had been lingering over her features disappearing as she turned her head down, Adeline stared unseeingly at her hands, her fingers picking at the leash held within them. She still wasn’t sure what she wanted… whether she was going to stay and actually go to the academy, or if she wanted to turn around and run… to go back home where her parents were waiting if she changed her mind- where they would welcome her back with open arms…

“..I-I, uh… n-no…” Head shaking, her hold over the leash tightening, she shifted slightly over the spot in which she stood, her stomach once more twisting with nerves; the feeling seeming to worsen with each moment her mind lingered on the thought of what to do, “..n-no one is coming for me… my parents couldn’t make it, and-... and I d-don’t know if I can do this… I-... I-I think I just want to go home…”

Alan’s head tilted slightly, blue eyes looking the young woman over once more. She was clearly feeling uncomfortable, perhaps even unsafe. His heart went out to her. He didn’t even have to change his vision to know that she would have changed from a blue hue to white. He still wasn’t entirely sure what white meant, but usually it meant that he needed to do something for them, that either he needed them or they needed him.

“Is this your first time away from home?”

Was it that obvious..? She supposed it must have been. Keeping her head lowered, her eyes lingering in the direction of her hands, Adeline hesitated in answering. She was all alone… this had never happened before… It was her first time away from her parents- her first time out of San Francisco… They couldn’t be there for her, and while she understood that, she missed them… so, so much already…

Her shoulders curling over, back hitting lightly against the gate behind her, she nodded her head slowly, her voice soft as she spoke, “..y-yes…”

"Hey... no worries. I remember the first time I left home - not all that long ago, either." Alan smiled, not able to help but reminisce his first day at Xavier's school. But more than that… part of him thought he remembered the day his mother dropped him off with the Carnies. "It's a big deal, and everyone reacts differently. I think the Academy is probably the best thing for people like us, now that Xavier's school is no more and the other schools are struggling. A lot of powerful people are putting their time and effort into this place and I'm willing to give it a chance. But if you want... if you really want... I can take you and Ce-Jay back home..." Really quickly, too!

Pausing, realizing just how weird that might have sounded, Alan let out a small laugh and ruffled his fingers through his hair. "I... uh... I fly..." It felt so weird to explain; to so freely be able to tell someone what he could do. Someone, he felt, that wouldn't judge him for it. A year ago he wouldn't have been able to tell her anything about himself. He really owed Xavier a lot.

“..I-I walk through dreams…”

She had always been taught never to speak about her abilities… about what she could do to anyone who asked; but… but this was different, right..? Alan wasn’t some regular person, he was special, like she was; maybe not exactly like her, but they both had powers. Both her parents had always told her that what she could do had to be kept a secret… that in order to be safe, she couldn’t tell anyone… but he had told her what he could do; and it wasn’t like this was a normal school… it-... it was meant to be safe here...

"That's... actually really cool!" Alan tried to think on it. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but really, neither did his color-coded vision. Neither did any ability, really. "How does it work, exactly? Like, you can control your own dreams all the time?"

“..y-yes…” Nodding softly, confirming his thoughts, Adeline took a moment, allowing her mind to focus on her ability and what it was she was actually able to do. It was… hard to explain; not that she had ever truly had to do so in the past… While he was correct in assuming she could control her own dreams, it wasn’t nearly as simple as just that… at least… her father didn’t seem to believe that it was as simple as that, anyway…

“..but-... but I can also control other people’s dreams… not just my own…” Pausing, her gentle features scrunching up slightly, she tried to think of the best way to try and explain it to him without much confusion, “..I, uh… I can walk through them… and talk to people… I can see them… change them… I can help people by giving them really nice dreams, and-... and sometimes I can give them really bad nightmares too…”

"Wow." Alan nodded his approval, though stopped the second he remembered that she wouldn't be able to see it. This was going to take some getting used to.

"So you can, see dreams? Yours and other peoples?" He didn't want to come across sounding insensitive, but his burning curiosity got the better of him. He couldn't imagine - being able to experience all the fantastical things and sights in dreams only to have it taken away in the real world. But then her latter words processed in his mind. She could give people nightmares, too. Her? She seemed too timid and sweet to do something like that - to anyone. Even an older brother that might have picked on her all the time. Well… if she had an older brother...

It was strange… even she knew that. Her own parents couldn’t even really understand what it was she could do; not that they hadn’t tried, and ultimately, it was the fact that the very details of her powers eluded them that had possessed them into allowing her to attend the academy in the first place.

“..i-it doesn’t really make sense… I know, I-...” Frowning, her features seeming to grow more troubled the more she thought on it, Adeline twisted the leash slightly between her hands as she continued, “..I-I’ve never been able to see, but… but when I go into that world, I can… I’m not sure how it works… or why it happened this way, but I-... I guess I’m just used to it…”

"Hey... I've seen and been around a lot of things that don't make sense." Alan told her with a smile. "Sometimes you can figure it out, but most of the time it just stays that way. And you know what? That's okay with me. If everything made sense, well... that would just make for a whole lot of boring, dontcha think?"

“..I-I guess…”

Her voice trailing off, still unsure about a lot of things, Adeline thought over his words. He was right. If they knew everything, then what was the fun in life..? Nothing would ever be special… Shifting over the spot, Adeline turned her head, her unseeing gaze turning over to where she could hear the voices of others; the fear and uncertainty she had been holding back once more crossing over her delicate features as her mind was once again drawn back to the reason they were all there in the first place.

The school… more specifically, the first day at school. She still hadn’t made the decision of whether she was going to be staying, or if she was going to leave and go home. Bringing her head back around, letting it drop as her shoulders curling over, she shut her beautiful cloudy blue eyes tightly; the young girl seeming to try and make herself as small as possible as her nerves once more began to overwhelm her.

Alan seemed to pick up on her hesitation - it hadn’t exactly eased up any since he first found her standing there, unsure of what to do.

“If you need some time, that’s alright. It doesn’t look as though anyone has been let into the school yet. I can sit here with you for a bit if you want…”

Lifting her head, her gaze lingering in the direction she could hear his voice coming from, Adeline stared blankly for a few moments, surprise mixing with the fear and nerves she already felt. Alan had been so caring… so encouraging… He didn’t even know her, and yet he was right there; willing to help, and to sit with her until she was calm enough and ready to make her choice. It-... It was like, for the first time in her life, she had a friend… one that her parents hadn’t chosen out for her…

If she could do that, then maybe… maybe she could do this too...

“..n-no…” Fighting her hesitation, a single hand breaking from the leash, she bit down softly upon her lower lip, chewing on it a moment before she reached out towards him, trying to keep her nerves under control as she sought for his hand, “..I-... I think I might be ready…”

Unable to help the wide grin that spread across his face, Alan wanted so badly to exclaim his happiness at her decision at the top of his lungs, though thought better of it when thinking on what a random shout might do to her. He didn’t know why he was so excited - he barely knew the girl. Perhaps it was simply that she wasn’t giving up, and that in itself gave cause to any sort of celebration.

Reaching his own hand out, Alan took hers (albeit loosely) and made sure Ce-Jay’s leash wasn’t going to get them tangled.

“Alright! Well then we better get going!”

It had been her idea; though it didn’t stop the gentle blush that chose to creep out over her cheeks as she felt the warmth of his hand resting in her own. It felt… nice… calming- it felt natural… Hesitating, allowing herself to wander over the thoughts that seemed to tug at her mind in the moment, Adeline took a single step closer, their sides brushing lightly against one another as she nodded, her features shy… nervous as she made to entwine her fingers in his own, “..okay… l-let’s go..!”

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Out of the frying pan and into the fire. It was just trading one prison for another. Six months with no cel phone, no internet, no shopping or friends… Kallian was pretty sure she was about to go crazy. But no… rehab was all about developing; about fixing things within yourself, detoxing and becoming a better person.

Pfft. She was already a better person. A much better person than she was just a few years ago when she was nothing more than a big, doe-eyed daddy’s girl who did as she was told. God she was naive. Her father blamed High School. Kallian blamed the lifestyle she was born into. More specifically… she blamed the paparazzi. They wanted a bad girl, so she gave them one, much to her father’s chagrin.

But hey… he wasn’t really one to talk. He had kept a secret from her as well. He was the mother-freaking Green Arrow! Defender of Star City! A city she lived her entire life… and never knew it’s deepest secret despite living with the green-clad hero himself. When had her life become so… flipped? She had a lot of time to think about it (what was she supposed to do in her down-time? Knit? Socialize with drug addicts? Please...), and she still couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment everything seemed to change.

All she knew was that when her father picked her up from rehab in one of his fancy-schmancy limos (now who was attracting unwanted attention?), Oliver didn’t even waste a breath on her time in rehab or the conditions that brought him to put her there in the first place, and instead directed his focus to telling her about the Academy.

"I think it will be good for you.”

"Mhhm…” Kallian, resting her chin on her hand while her arm rested on the leather armrest, made a point to stare out of the window as the scenery passed them by to God only knew where, making a point to keep from looking at her father where he sat across the way.

"There will be plenty to do for you to keep you occupied. It will be just like school. You’ll have classes, friends, homework…” He paused, watching his daughter who had been gone from him six entire months… and she didn’t even so much as smile at him when he came to pick her up. He sighed, kneading his suited knee with his fingertips and tapping the toe of his dress shoe on the limo floor. "They’ll teach you how to fight.”

Kallian hesitated before turning her head to look over at her father. He had that look again. He was nervous… unsure… scared, even… which meant that he was telling the truth.

"So what’s changed, then? That’s what I wanted in the first place, remember? I wanted you to teach me!” Kallian snapped.

"I know. And I wasn’t ready. I’m still not. But there’s a handful of teachers there that will. They are specialized in this sort of thing. And this treaty… it will keep you safe. So just keep an open mind, and you call me if you ever feel uncomfortable about something, okay?”

Kallian was ready to snap a comment about how he had taken her phone away before dumping her off at rehab before Oliver held up a hand, signaling for her to wait while his opposite hand reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a phone.

Phone wasn’t even the right word to describe it. It was a fossil. Did they even make phones like that anymore?

"I know it’s not your phone-”

"Dad that thing is ancient!” Kallian reached over and snatched it out of his hand, flipping open the… lid, was it? Her eyes scanned the ancient piece of technology before locating the power button and turned it on. Razor? Whatever. It was a phone.

"You can have your old phone back when you can prove to me that you can handle it. But for now… no internet access, no texting, no messaging, no pictures or phone calls in or out unless it’s my number. I’ve had Felicity block those features so I can make sure-”

"I just texted Eve. Do you think she’ll be at this school? I mean… her mom being the Black Canary, and all?” Kallian asked, innocently. Oliver gave her a questioning look. There was no way that she could have…

"Hangouts. It comes installed on almost every phone, ever. And it was just disabled through the application settings. All I had to do was turn it on and search Eve’s name... Just saying.”

Oliver sighed and reached forward, taking the phone back despite Kallian’s protests before she eventually gave up.

"Piece of junk, anyway. Doesn’t have emojis.” She sunk back in her seat and folded her thin arms over her chest.

"Kallie… I’m being serious. No funny stuff, do you hear me? I need to be able to trust you again. I can’t keep an eye on you all the time. I have a city to run.”

"Yeah… cuz that’s sooooo much more important to you…” Kallian spat, snorting her distaste on the subject - a conversation the two of them had all too often.

Oliver opened his mouth to retort, but the limo slowed and Kallian could see that they had arrived. She quickly threw open the door and hopped out.

"Kallian…” Oliver followed suit, coming around the other side of the limo just as she turned around to face him, albeit already a few feet away. ”Don’t give me a reason…” he warned before he tossed her back the phone. Kallian caught it and gave it a quick look over. It seemed that he had played with the software a bit… but she would figure that out later.

She couldn’t help it. The half smile that had been building since she had initially seen her father for the first time in six months finally broke the surface. She looked up from her phone, let the smile take over, and rushed over to her father before throwing her arms around him in a tight hug and rested the side of her head against his sternum.

"I love you, daddy.”

Oliver returned her affection, stooping his neck low enough to nuzzle the top of her head with his cheek.

"I love you too, my little spitfire.”

Pulling away before either one of them had a moment to start getting emotional, she gave her father one last look before she turned to head towards the school, castle thing.

"What about your things?” Oliver called after her.

"Just send it up!”

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Keeping up her pace, Eve soon found herself in a courtyard, with students milling about. She looked around rather intrigued by them all. Her gaze swept over, seeking people that could be fun. There were the Stark boys, easily recognisable given the publicity around their family. Both rather attractive, but the older seemed more… stocky. Her gaze wondered contentedly for a moment before sighing happily, moving on. A boy she supposed was older then he seemed but didn’t really hold any interest for her. A few girls… that could be fun too.

She debated about who to approach, gaze continuing to search. She decided to approach someone that wasn’t already talking with others, her search taking her towards a girl with a dog that seemed way to stuck up. She didn’t think a dog could be stuck up. How strange.

Walking towards her, Eve twisted the lollipop stick between her teeth, slowing when she neared them. “So is the dog in charge or are you?” She asked cheerfully

Tonic looked at the girl who approached her and smiled. ”He likes to think so. I'm Jocelyn Victoria Beatrice Harmon, I prefer Tonic, by the way. That is … well that's Duke Pennington or just Duke or Penny when he gets too full of himself. Calling him a girls name seems to bring him off his high horse. I'd hold out a hand to shake but they seem to be full of bags at present.” Tonic grinned at Duke as he huffed and looked away when she said Penny. ”Don't be fooled by his appearance he's a softy and he likes attention. Sometimes I think he goes out of his way to get it. So know anything about this place that isn't printed on a cracker Jack box?”

Tonic’s manner is almost a 180 from what she is dressed like. She is very relaxed and friendly. She smiles and is engaging and one can tell it is genuine. She has a slight British accent.

“No idea who you are. Don’t think I’ve heard of your parents” Eve said, a little intrigued. If there was someone she didn’t know whose parents they were, then they must not be well known. “I’m Evelina Lance-vince. But just call me Eve” She said in a friendly tone, “Don’t worry Dukey, I won’t call you Penny” She said, noticing the dog looking away. She grinned, “Is a school… I figure we will learn stuff the mainstream school don’t teach. Like weaponary!” Eve said eagerly.

Tonic chuckled at the line of weaponry and Eve’s eagerness. She seemed to know who she was or at least what she wanted, and it seemed most unconventional and quite frankly refreshing. She and Eve were going to get along splendidly. “I prefer to solve things without violence but at times that doesn't work. I'm a realistic...no idealistic pacifist. Yes that's a better term for it. I won't not defend myself or friends but I will think of a way to render someone unconscious rather than kill them.” Tonic seems to get a far off stare and Duke noses her leg with no reaction from her.

Duke blows out a deep huffing sigh and noses Tonic again. Again not receiving a response he looks over at Eve imploringly and whines softly as if to say help.

Eve grinned, reaching up to take the lollipop stick from between her teeth, taking out another piece of candy and popping it into her mouth sucking on it a moment. Eve kept her relaxed stance, one hand on her hip. She twirled the lollipop stick between her fingers of her free hand, listening as Tonic spoke. ”I prefer more… peaceful methods to fighting too, and more fun.” she said suggestively, grinning, ”But nothing quite comes close to kicking ass.” She added. She tilted her head as Tonic seemed to drift away.

”Your master a little nuts, huh?” She said to the dog, ”Well that’s okay, we’re all a little cuckoo.” She reached out to touch Tonic, giving her a little shake. ”Oi! Could probably get ya dog to lick your face!”

Tonic snapped out of it and looked down at Eve’s hand then at Duke then back up at Eve. ”Sorry. I've been really tired. Driving from Canada was no joke.” She seemed to shake it off and rummaged around in her bag. Taking out a campus map she had highlighted an area that read dorms. She handed the paper over to Eve. “Think we could find this area so I can quit impersonating She-Ra?” She chuckled and shifted her bags to a more comfortable position. “I'd owe you one. And if that means sneaking out to the nearest...I don't know, dance club or just getting off campus for a bit I'm totally fine with it.”

Eve frowned slightly. The girl was clearly somewhat… not all there. Eve wondered if she should be worried. It seemed more than being tired. Had Eve made a mistake approaching this woman? ”Uh, no it’s okay.” She said, quite a quick smile. She glanced at the map and then shook her head, ”I don’t think we can go to the dorms just yet. Gotta do all that orientation crap ya know?” She said with a shrug, ”Don’t think we can access the dorms until we officially enroll. Probably have to wait for a speech from Wayne and what not.” She said ”Sorry, looks like ya gotta stay awake a bit longer.”

Tonic shook her head and looked back over her shoulder and nodded toward at 1969 Stingray. “Guess I can put my stuff back in the trunk. Come on I'll show you my baby.” Tonic tosses her hair at the car and turns with a click of her tongue and Duke stands and follows as if she said heel.

Back over at the Stingray Tonic unlocks the trunk having to put down the duffels. She then loads them back into the trunk. Sighing softly she turns back to Eve. Raising her voice she called back to her. “You think we're going to have clarified what classes we want or need? I mean right away? No adjustment period and all that.” Tonic looked around and indicated all the people in the courtyard walking back and lowering her voice. “Whole lot of people to work around. Assuming that Bruce can work around this.” Tonic pointed out the Stark boys, the girl with lions, the two redheads with vines on luggage, and the Asgardians who were being fawned over like royalty. “So now that we know there is a higher pecking order and we all fall far below it at least in some people's minds.”

Tonic sighed as she watched the girl and horse being lead by the boy and wolf. She focused on the girl. Very pretty and seemingly sad. She wondered why. Looking at the boy and wolf again she hoped it wasn't because of him. Shaking her head she put it out of her mind, other than to mentally note to talk to the girl later. If anything she might need or want a friend to talk to.

Turning back to Eve she smiled. “So where are you from and what brings you here, other than the obvious?”

Eve followed her, if only so this somewhat strange wouldn’t pass out and be trampled on by other students. How had she got stuck babysitting? Even if it was for an okay looking specimen… She frowned at the womans words, glancing to where she had pointed, ”If you start of thinking you’re in a peaking order, then you deserve to be at the bottom. There is no pecking order, just because they have Tony Stark as their father doesn’t mean they are on the same level as him. She might have lions, but maybe there her pets. Who cares? You can reach the top, but not if you think you are at the bottom.”

She shrugged, sucking on her lolly for a moment, ”As for classes, I think we have a few weeks to decide on a permanent schedule. And Bruce? What, you doing him some special favours to be on a first name basis with him?” Eve said, a wicked grin on her features and a suggestive wink, chuckling softly.

”And I’m from Star City. I’m here for a bit of fun.”

Tonic laughs out loud and clear at Eve's statement in summing up the situation. It's a deep unused laugh but fits her and more real than her previous chuckles. Not that they were fake but this just fits her better. Her eyes brighten and she seems happier.

She looks down at Duke who is wagging his tail happily. “Well I needed that. Well made point Eve. As for the Bruce, I don't know him and I was being flippant in not calling him Mr. Wayne. I'm not so arrogant as to say it to his face but it's sometimes more difficult to think...well never mind.” She waves the thought away. “Needless to say I shall watch what I say more carefully. And he's not my type...if I even have one. I have no idea. I've never had a romance so I have nothing to draw from. Sure I've read plenty of novels but it doesn't work like that in real life, from what I can tell.” She smirks.“What about you? Leave a beau back in Star City?”

Eve frowned. Even she knew the difference between being flippant and just… arrogant. But she decided not to argue the point. ”Most people I’ve encountered call him Batman or Mr. Wayne. Don’t get what’s so hard to think of him like that, but to each their own I guess” She said, shrugging, ”Really? Thought he was everyones type. Dark, handsome and rich. Isn’t that most peoples type is?” she chuckled, ”Aw, no experiences? Come on, you must have some! You just go for what ya want, that’s all!”

She let out another laugh, ”Nah, I just like to have fun. What’s the point in being tied to one person? Much more fun to play the field!”

Tonic smirks and pets Duke while looking at Eve. “Not my cup of tea luv. And no. No experience here. Rather a, how to put it, lack of great expectations.”

Eve gave a laugh, ”Well, we’ll have to get you some experiences.” she said, with a rather suggestive wink, grinning wickedly. She chuckled, taking out yet another piece of candy, ”Would you… like some?”

Tonic shrugged and nodded. “Sure why not? Have a green one in there?” Tonic looked interested in the candy.

Eve grinned and nodded, handing Tonic a green candy, and giving her a rather suggestive wink, ”There’s more where that came from… if you’re game to try.” she said, chuckling softly, rather amused that Tonic really didn’t seem to understand what she was saying and doing. Eve realised she could have some fun with her… She grinned, ”What about you, Dukey? Want some candy?”

Duke cocked his head and looked between Eve and Tonic. Tonic looked at Duke and mock frowned. “Sugar? No way. You're gonna make a mess in the room and or in the car. You remember that you're sugar intolerant, Duke.” Tonic stated around the candy in her mouth.

Eve gave a throaty chuckle “Its sugar free. I eat so much of the stuff, has to be” She said, throwing the candy into the air for Duke to catch, ”Go on, Dukey!” She said cheerfully, taking out her phone when it buzzed.

She grinned and let out a small whoop, turning towards the gates she said a hasty ”I gotta go great my main bitch!” before trotting off in the direction of the gates, seeking out Killian. It had been much too long since she had last seen her friend.

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As they approached the small jet Barca frowned softly, watching both Jason and Naevia. Now that he had assured them he wouldn’t be reading their minds- although he might dabble just a bit to learn the language but that was a bare flash of a reading- he had to rely on other cues. While he could have just read their minds anyway, it became a trail to make sure he didn’t let slip that he had read their minds, and he’d rather not waste the effort in case he did slip however slim the chance.

He was rather perturbed by what he saw using those cues. And yet, he wasn’t entirely sure why. His perception shifted slightly. He’d come to the school that morning thinking nothing would be a challenge and suddenly, here was one. Being social. Without the use of his powers. He felt a little helpless, but he’d never backed down from a challenge before. He wasn’t about to start now.

”Seems like that holds more luggage than what you need?”

Jason glanced over as Smalls began to stir before shrugging. ”Well, since it’s got mine, Dad’s, Con’s, and mom’s extra stuff in it, it is a little large.” The small cat mewed and Jason wasted no time in setting the carrier down and letting the calico out.

Deciding that that was probably reasonable, Barca shifted slightly moving Glaber’s cage somewhat, watching the cat. ”Ah. I see.” He wasn’t particularly good at this small talk thing. He searched for another topic, at a bit of a loss. Turning his gaze to Naevia he quickly searched for anything to say, not enjoying his self-imposed restrictions. ”Have you been out of Africa before?”

“..only when I have need.”

A smile playing upon her lips upon catching sight of the familiar feline, her feet moving her closer towards the cat and his owner, Naevia reached out a hand, completely unfazed about whether or not the animal was going to accept her as she ran her fingers gently through his fur, her head tilting ever slightly to the side as she gave a light scratch behind his ear, seeking to give the small creature comfort as she spoke, “..I find the savannah’s of my homeland to be more of a comfort… though I have been welcomed into the house of Stark on more than one occasion...”

Smalls purred as Naevia pet him and Jason smiled. If there was one person who’s opinion he trusted, it was his cat’s, since the animal was a pretty good judge of character. ”Most of the time it was while our dads were off saving the world, but there was the odd visit here and there.” He looked around and noted that two new arrivals had come through the gates and, almost immediately, noticed that one of them, the girl, had a fancy contraption over her mouth. Walking with her was a man that his dear Uncle Thor had been equal parts proud and disappointed in, Loki Laufey, the God of Mischief.

”Suppose it was too much to ask that his kids not be allowed here…”

Barca found himself a little envious. There had been no point sending him to school, and so he hadn’t had much contact with people his own age. The mere fact that others would have close friendships had never occurred to him and he didn’t like it. He’d be starting from scratch with everyone. Well. Nothing was ever too challenging for him. Shifting Glabers cage once more, not trusting the cat,

”Sounds pleasant.” he said, trying to be polite but sure he failed, glancing towards who Jason was speaking of. A quick search of their minds told him who they were and he made a small sound not unlike a scoff. ”Why not? They have every right to be here, just like you. It is a school to teach us control so we don’t destroy the worlds and judging them because of who their father is is a little unfair, don’t you think?” he shook his head, a little disappointed. But he supposed that was to be expected.

”How would you feel if you were told you couldn’t be here because of who your parents were?” he asked both of them after a moments silence, glancing back to them.

Jason shrugged, drawing his sword from its sheath to inspect the edges as he spoke. There was a good chance that he needed to sharpen them again before classes started. ”Suppose I wouldn’t much care personally, though I’d be confused since my parents helped fund the building of this place. Con would take it hard though.” Assuming a stance that would seem familiar for him to the casual observer, he practices a couple of quick jabs. ”I’m here mainly for World Studies and the offered tactical classes, Connor’s here for Ben and to learn how to actually run his suit.”

Barca knew that he could be opinionated, however he found that he disliked this sort of… self importance. Barca imagined if he had asked anyone else that sort of question they might have imagined what it would be like to be in the exact same position. He let his gaze drift a moment, before shaking his head ”Strange that he can’t learn that from you.” he looked away from Jason, to Naevia. ”I’m sorry. We’re leaving you out of the conversation. Let’s turn to different topics. Since classes have been mentioned, what ones are you thinking of taking?”.

Satisfied with the way he had handle it. Perhaps he didn’t need to rely on his mind reading to succeed. That was oddly satisfying. And toying with Jason seemed like it would be fun.

Her gaze having flicked briefly to the object of their attention, an annoyed growl emanating from somewhere deep within her throat at having been ignored, Naevia had long ago taken the cat into her arms, cradling it lovingly against her chest as she stepped away from the two men, and instead closer towards the carrier that had delivered the Stark’s luggage, the larger feline following after her, curiously sniffing about the smaller one held within her arms.

Tearing her attention from the cat’s, both big and small, at the sound of Barca’s voice being directed once more in her direction, Naevia quirked a curious though annoyed brow. So now he believed her to be of some interest to him..? Another growl, though this time issuing out like that of a scoff or chuff, falling from between her lips, she turned away again, giving both men her profile, and the felines both her full attention as she gave her answer, more out of politeness, though it was clear there was a slight bite of bitterness behind her words.

“..zoology and marine biology…”

A little uncertain- an not liking it one bit- Barca tried to think what he had done wrong to deserve that bitterness. He didn’t think asking about classes was a social no no, and he tried to think what he- or rather they- might have done. Here Barca was limited, as he didn’t know Naeva that well. And he found himself unwilling to defer to Jason in this. He could- and would- figure it out for himself.

She had been quiet. Why? Had they offended her in some way? He thought back over the talk so far, but couldn’t see anything that would have caused her to be annoyed. Unless she thought they hadn’t been including her? He was almost tempted to read her mind. If he didn’t think that that would offend her more, he might have risked it.

Talk about a challenge. Watching her a moment, he tried to figure out how he could charm his way out of this. ”If I have annoyed you in anyway, I apologise.” He shifted Glaber’s cage to his other hand the owl stirring slightly but not waking, tucking his head further under his wing. ”I may have gotten distracted, I am use to relying on mind reading for conversations.” he admitted, giving her a smile, ”A challenge sounded like a fine idea, although I wish it hadn’t made you annoyed.” he contemplated a moment, ”I’m sorry, Naevia.” he said, a little surprised at the sincerity in his tone. He normally didn’t let such things slip through.

Jason noted the shift in Naevia’s stance as he and Barca conversed, but also didn’t feel like like she wanted to be bothered by the pair’s nitpicking at each other. He moved in to a vertical slice that moved from the ground up, he paused when he heard the son of Xavier move on to the topic of classes. He’d only shared half of what he wanted to take, mostly because he wanted to know what Naevia wanted to take. Zoology and marine biology huh? That couldn’t be horrible to learn…

The bitterness in her voice when she’d answered though...he had a feeling he knew where it came from, but he wouldn’t ask her here. But if he was honest, the apology from Barca was a surprise, and also probably a good idea. ”I’m sorry as well, Naevia. If what we were talking about is causing undue duress, I’ll drop it.”

So now they saw her; both of them. Dark eyes narrowing, flicking from one to the other as each extended her an apology, Naevia remained stone-faced; her expression giving nothing away as she regarded them both, a flicker of jealousy behind her iris’ the only hint given to what was going on behind her guarded manner.

“..forgiven… though I shall not burden you with my company any longer; not when it is clear that your interest lies elsewhere.”

Arms relaxing, the action causing the calico feline to stir in annoyance before moving from her hold, Naevia turned on her heel, the change in attitude causing the lion still roaming by her side to stiffen, the deep growl slipping from its lips filling the air as she took her leave, the creature following in her step as she moved to put space between her and the two men.

More than a little thrown off balance, Barca had no clue what to do. He’d thought they’d been having a conversation, but apparently not. It didn’t make sense… but he supposed right then it didn’t have to make sense. He started after her, replies rapidly flowing through his mind as his gaze flicked to the lion and back to Naevia as she retreated from them. ”Naevia!” He called, staying just far enough away that he could see if the lion turned towards him, ”Your company is not a burden, and if I wasn’t interested I wouldn’t have approached you to begin with.”

Was there anything in the vast store of information he held that could help? It always seemed to come to him at the most frustrating times, and yet when he wanted access to it, he couldn’t find the answers he wanted. Although he suspected that even all the information he carried wouldn’t unlock the secrets to women. So he would have to figure it out for himself. What was causing such a reaction? The topic of conversation hadn’t really been distressing… As his mind worked on that problem, Barca continued trying to get as close as he could.

Had there been any other cue? He flicked through facial expressions and emotions in his mind, frowning slightly. Seeing that he was now close enough to reach out to her, Barca set Glaber’s cage down, reaching out to grab her arm and stop her. ”Naevia.”

Well that hadn’t been his intention when he mentioned Loki’s children, but then he realized that Loki did have a daughter, which meant that her response was…”Son of a bitch…” He reached out to stop Barca as he went after the Wakandan Princess, but it was already too late. She was angry and that was that, she’d just need some time to calm herself, otherwise someone would end up getting eaten...or at least maimed. Smalls approached and meowed at him and Jason picked up the small calico. ”I know buddy, I know. Think I should try and catch her now?”

Smalls purred a bit before mewling and jumping down, chasing after Naevia. Sighing, the oldest of the two Stark boys followed, though at a much more reserved distance than Barca. He had seen what could happen when the Wakandan Princess was angry or felt spurned and the person responsible hounded her. He’d also learned the lesson the hard way once. Still, he approached her and waited until Barca was done to speak with her.

The threatening and rather animalistic snarl that ripped through the air was deafening. Her iris’ narrowing, becoming more like that of a feline, Naevia turned almost instantly, the sound passing from her causing her lips to part slightly revealing the sharp canines that stood in place of her normal pearly whites. He dare touch her..? Though the reaction was that of her own, the lion remaining dutifully, if not almost completely silent at her side. Did Crixus not deem such action a threat..? Or perhaps it was the boy he believed to be of no harm.

The mere thought causing an annoyed chuff to fall from between her lips, emanating from somewhere within her chest, she tensed, the muscles in her arm growing taut under his hold for what felt like a lifetime before eventually, they relaxed, her voice still holding that hint of venom to it as she spoke, “..what..?”

There were many things in the world that Barca knew he could predict. His own death was not one of them. At Naevia’s reaction Barca quickly ensured that his expression was neutral, even as his heart beat fast. He knew that if she did attack, there would be little he could do. Assured of his own ability to defend himself, Barca had never explored other avenues of doing so.

Perhaps that was an oversight that he should fix. As the silence seemed to stretch a lifetime, Barca began to wonder if it would just continue forever. As she spoke, he relaxed slightly, although he wasn’t foolish enough to believe any sort of danger had past. Keeping his gaze on her, Barca deliberated for a few seconds on what to say, before speaking ”Well, I couldn’t simply let you go. Especially not when you are mistaken. My interest is what brought me over to you to begin with. I’d rather like a chance to prove that.” He kept a hold of her arm, as if unwilling to give her the chance to continue away from him.

Jason watched Barca attempt to talk his way out of the highly dangerous situation he had landed himself in, but noted he hadn’t let go of Naevia. Oh that’s a grand way to get yourself hurt, buddy. The young man approached the pair and carefully removed Barca’s hand from Naevia’s arm, despite the protests of the former. Smalls, during this walked up to the Wakandan Princess and meowed at her before rubbing up against her legs, purring. Jason looked between the pair. ”Naevia, Loki’s kids held my interest in so much as I’d hoped that their dad’s sense of superiority would keep them away from here and I was mentioning it was all.”

He leaned in closer so that Barca couldn’t so easily overhear the next part. ”You know you’re the only person I’ve cared about in that way.” Stepping back, he turned to Barca. ”First rule of calming an angry Wakandan Princess, don’t touch her unless you plan on losing an arm. Trust me, it’s a valuable lesson.”

Barca resented being treated like a child, and he shot a glare at Jason as he was manhandled. He contemplated punching the Son of Stark, decided that Jason would be more skilled in the physical arts, and went with what he was strong with. Smarts and words. He tilted his head, studying the older boy, as if weighing how much he was worth. Then sighed, as if disappointed. ”Just because you are afraid of doing so, Jason, does not mean that everyone has to be.” He paused a moment, thoughtful. ”I’ll fight for what I want, Jason. Perhaps you should learn that lesson… and by doing so, learn to be a man.”

He turned away from Jason, back to Naevia. ”I apologise once more if I insulted you in anyway.”

Jason bit back his seething reply, knowing that the Psion was simply trying to bait a reaction out of him. He instead turned his attention back to Naevia. ”I, uh, need to go take care of some things. Find me in the sparring ring later, OK?” Turning away from the pair, he made his way over to get his stuff, double checking to make sure he didn’t forget anything in the process. After a couple of minutes, he went off to find his dad.

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It was with absolute joy that Phoebe twirled slightly, creating flowers around her not caring what the other students thought of her at that moment. She had never in her life had such freedom to create plants without worries, or fear of discovery. It made her laugh, a clear tinkle of pure happiness. Soon she was surrounded by flowers and was just contemplating forming one of her little plant monsters when she realised what she must look like.

Blushing, Phoebe quickly tried to compose herself reaching up to smooth her hair, which was now filled with flowers and flower petals. She glanced about to see if anyone had noticed a little relieved when no one seemed to be staring at her. She hesitated a moment, glancing about and seeing that several people were grouping up… talking… interacting… which is something she should be doing too. She hesitated, lingering where she was until she saw a girl struggling with her things.

Hurrying over, Phoebe said “Do you need a hand?”

Uná cut her eyes down as the girl that ran past her practically fell on the Stark boy she'd been staring at. He caught her and they seemed to have a moment and she let them have it in private. Startled by a feminine voice at her side asking if she needed help she glanced up blushing. “Yeah I guess I do. I should have had these in by now but I keep getting distracted. I'm Uná O’Brian, pleased to meet you.” Uná held out her hand trying to balance the luggage so that it didn't tip over. It wobbled but stayed upright. ”I have no idea how long it will stay like that. I hope long enough that I can catch it before it topples onto us.” She mock whispered grinning and holding her hand out.

Phoebe smiled, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, ”I’m Phoebe”she said, deciding not to go with the last name she’d been given for now. She didn’t feel like explaining right then why she had been given the name Smith. ”Nice to meet you.” She paused a moment, studying the luggage, she twisted some vines around it steadying the luggage so it wouldn’t fall on them. She smiled, pleased with herself and accepted Una’s hand. ”Shouldn’t fall now” She said cheerfully.

Uná shook Phoebe's hand and her eyes got all sparkly as Phoebe used her powers. “Oh that's so cool!!! I wish I could do that!!!” Uná slumped a little and sighed. “I can't even use my powers consciously. Plus mine are scary...well sometimes. Ugh pathetic!!! But still that was way cool!!! If you don't mind me asking, what else can you do?” She leans in and whispers. “I would love to know if you can grow jade vine. This might be a good climate for it… I sound like a total nerd. Forget that last little bit. Our secret. I'll deny it to my last breath.” She straightens and grins her eyes sparkling like pools of river water with sun on them.

Phoebe smiled a little shyly, rather pleased but also a little self conscious. ”I only know the basics of my abilities… I’m not sure even what I can do. I haven’t had much chance to test them, you know? Didn’t want to get caught by anyone… and I didn’t have anyone to guide me.” She said softly, ”I’m sure mine could be scary too, once I was trained up a bit... “ She trailed off, trying not to follow that train of thought. ”Uh. I’d have to see a picture of it, but I don’t see why not. Should be easy enough to do” She hesitated, ”its a tropical plant, right? I could probably grow it here although it would need near constant care for the first few days for it to thrive.” She said before trailing off, realising she might sound a little stuck up, ”S-sorry…. I get carried away with plants.”

Uná practically danced with excitement and grabbed her phone pulling up a Google Image of the vine. Handing over her phone she bounced on her toes and pointed out the turquoise blue hanging vine and grinned. “Isn't it gorgeous? It's the perfect blend of green and blue. It looks like something out of a fairy tale. I've never seen it in real life. It's native to the Philippines and well gorgeous!!!” She blushed and grinned glad she could indulge her guilty pleasure with someone who understood.

Phoebe studied the plant a moment, looking over the image she was a little hesitant to create it, but… she couldn’t not use her powers for fear… she let out a slow breath, stepping away from Una, whose enthusiasm was making it just a little harder to concentrate. Phoebe could appreciate someone being excited about plants… but this was one of the first times she was using her powers freely.
”I can try… “ She licked her lips a little nervously, before she drew in a breath, and began. It seemed a little slow going as Phoebe imaged the plant in her mind, the flower slowly forming between her hands. She kept her eyes on it, still a little hesitant, worried it would come out wrong.

Meanwhile, Lavi Kyle sat not too far away from the two young women, her bum growing numb from sitting on the hard, wooden bench for such a prolonged period of time. Her cat, Leo, lay in her lap, purring as the girl absently stroked his soft, black fur. Lavi simply observed everyone around her, not making a move to introduce herself to any of the other students until the wise words of her nanny popped into her head. “Stop being so anti-social, mija,” the elderly woman had said to her one morning before school, “make friends.” Lavi thought friends were overrated. Nevertheless, she lightly shoved Leo out of her lap and stood, searching for someone to approach. She spotted two girls easily, watching with amusement as they geeked out over... plants?

“Well, isn't this just precious?” Lavi said with a smirk as she walked over, peering at what was forming between the young woman’s hands.

Phoebe looked up as someone else approached, pausing a moment in what she was doing. She couldn’t decide if the girl was being sarcastic or not. A little reserved, not wanting to assume she wasn’t being sarcastic, Phoebe looked back down at the plant she was growing. ”Plants are precious...“ She said, finishing what she was doing and smiling down at it. She gently held it in her hands, ”I’m glad you agree” She said, looking back up, raising an eyebrow ”I’m Phoebe”

Uná looked up at the new arrival and smiled. “Uná O’Brian and you are…?” There certainly wasn't a shortage of beautiful friendly people here. She tucked a strand of hair out of her face so it wouldn't be in her eyes.

Lavi fought the urge to burst into laughter, amused at the fact that the young women had not caught on to her sarcasm. The wise words of her mother easing back into her mind, she simply covered the laugh with a brief cough before plastering a sweet grin onto her face. “Lavi Kyle,” she said, nodding her head slightly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Phoebe tilted her head, watching the stranger. She frowned slightly, sure that this girl had only approached to get a laugh from them. She flicked a glance to Una, a little unsure, before handing her the jade vine. She glanced back to Lavi, ”Are you sure about that? Only you seem a bit… Uncertain about that.” She said mildly.

Uná takes the vine lovingly and looks between Lavi and Phoebe. She was missing something here. Phoebe seemed on edge. What is going on here? What did I miss? Uná decided to observe and see if she could use context clues to fill in what she was missing.

As her grin widened, Lavi tilted her head and let out a chuckle. “Well, of course I'm sure,” she said with a quick glance at Uná, who seemed to be in her own world. Eager to change the subject, Lavi said, “I've been stuck in public school my entire life with a bunch of mouth-breathing regulars. It's refreshing to meet people with abilities. People who aren't... boring.” As the girl spoke, she took a quick glance at the plant that Phoebe had created out of thin air just moments before.

Phoebe, more than a little taken aback at the words, said ”So was I.” She barely stopped herself from saying yet I didn’t come out of it a bitch. ”I enjoyed my time there.” she said instead, she looked down at the jade plant, before back up at Lavi, ”Really? I was under the impression you found this boring.” She shrugging. ”I never really had the freedom to use my abilities.”

Looking to Una, she smiled slightly. The girl seemed to appreciate her creation, and that was enough for Phoebe.

“I wish I was normal.” Uná said softly and sadly with a haunted look. Her lips thinned and she shook her head shaking the memories off. “But no use in crying over spilt milk.”

”Honey, normal is so overrated. Why be normal when you can be extraordinary?” Lavi said as she folded her arms across her chest. Truth be told, Lavi actually liked being normal. She liked blending in with the crowd, pretending to be just like everyone other teenager in Gotham City. It wasn't until word came out about she and her mother’s true identities that she quickly abandoned that way of thinking. “That being said, what exactly can you do, Uná?” Lavi said, curious as to what abilities the other young woman possessed. Hopefully, it would be a lot more hardcore than… plant manifestation?

Phoebe shook her head, sighing softly. ”You shouldn’t underestimate people, you know” she said, ”Although I do agree, normal is overrated.” She was more than sure that she didn’t particularly like Lavi. It would be amusing to put her in her place, but she decided to leave that be, for the moment.

Uná cleared her throat and swallowed hard. “Uh manifestation of interactive illusions...but I haven't been able to produce them consciously. My dreams manifest as well as my nightmares. Which are apparently no joke. I almost killed my parents with a nightmare.” Uná didn't look up just gently stroked the flower petals on the vine. She paled considerably and looked stark white making her freckles stand out more.

“That sounds… intense,” Lavi said with a whistle, “but impressive.” She could only imagine the damage Uná would be able to do with her ability if she could produce these illusions consciously.

Uná looked up at Lavi and Phoebe. “Impressive? Now I sound like a weapon. I just want to either be normal or have control. That's not too much to ask, is it?”

Phoebe gave Una a reassuring smile. ”That’s why we are here, isn’t it? To learn control. Here, we’re normal. And that’s okay. Maybe it’s the rest of the world that’s abnormal.” she said encouragingly.

“She's right,” Lavi said to Uná, “this academy is supposed to help us hone our skills, right? You know, so we don't end up blowing up the planet on accident.”

Uná smiled faintly and nodded at their comments. “Right. So why are you here Lavi? You seem pretty in control, as do you Phoebe.” Uná looked between the two girls and waited for an answer. Lavi seemed to be coming around. She at first seemed like she was going to pick on Phoebe and herself for nerding out. But she hadn't so she turned out pretty cool. Phoebe seemed pretty cool around Lavi but maybe it just took a while normally and Uná was an exception to a rule. They had gotten along like peanut butter and jelly from the get go. Uná liked Lavi; she seemed pretty much all together and pretty sassy too which was fun.

Clearing her throat, Lavi took a quick glance around before she spoke. "When the treaty was signed and everyone found out about my mother's double life, things sort of flipped upside down for us," she said bitterly, "The locals wouldn't stop picking with us, so she decided that a change in scenery would do me some good." As the young woman spoke, she let her arm drop to her side and extended her hand, beckoning Leo to come to her side. He did, as usual, laying at her feet and purring loudly. Lavi did not originally want to speak much about home when she arrived at the academy, so she was surprised at herself, to say the very least. She'd decided on the spot that these were two women she wanted as allies; she viewed it merely as a tactical move towards gaining their trust. "Besides, I'm sure no one has it all together," she said with a shrug, "I know that I can do amazing things, but I also know my limitations. I'm not everything that I could be, and my mom thinks this academy can help with all of that."

Uná smiled at Lavi and nodded. “I'm sorry you went through that but look where it got you. I think it's going to be better for us from now on.” Uná looked down at Leo. “And who is this handsome fellow and may I pet him?”

Phoebe shook her head, ”I never had a chance to practice, so I don’t know the full extent of my abilities. I also have the bare minimum level of control over them. By that I mean I’m no longer influencing plants around me without meaning to anymore” she explained, ”if I didn’t have that… well… “ she gave a small shrug, falling silent.

As if on cue, Leo hopped up from Lavi’s feet and trotted over to Uná, peering up curiously at the young girl. “Sure, whatever,” Lavi said with a wave of her hand, “he’s usually friendly.” As Phoebe spoke, Lavi nodded her head, for she too did not know the full extent of her abilities. “If you didn't have that, we’d have been seeing a lot more of these around the campus, yeah?” As the young woman spoke, she motioned towards the turquoise plant that Phoebe had conjured not too long ago.

Uná crouched down and reached out to let Leo scent her first and then scratched under his chin and behind his ears. She smiled at him and ran her hand from head to tail down his back repeatedly. She cradled the jade vine in her other hand.
Phoebe nodded, looking down at her hands. She had been glad to speak with Una, but Lavi made herself conscious. Like the girls at her old high school. The ones that thought they were superior than everyone else. She wasn’t too sure about her. ”Yes. And while I love plants, I don’t particularly fancy having to fight my way through them every day.”

She glanced around, noting the time ”Should be able to enrol in classes soon. We should go and see” Without waiting for either girl to answer, she once more started towards the main building.

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The hum of the rather flashy motorcycle came to a gradual stop as Deon parked it, not really caring if he was in the right spot or not. The only other vehicles there was some run down, shitty-ass truck and an (admittedly) pretty sexy looking black dodge charger. Shrugging, Deon stepped one leg over his bike and stretched his legs and neck, though to his dismay, was not rewarded by a series of pops. If there was anything he missed about his body before William Stryker had made him better, it was the satisfaction of hearing his bones and joints crack - a relief of pressure that his adamantium skeleton would no longer provide.

The backpack he had slung over both shoulders was practically weightless, holding only a handful of essential items such as his phone charger, bathroom supplies and a few changes of clothes. He traveled light - always had. He wasn't exactly the materialistic sort. Not since becoming Stryker's attack dog. And if he should so happen come into the possession of a few things during his stay at this... school... then so be it.

Deon slipped his right arm from the backpack strap, leaving it hanging loosely on his left shoulder - a much more comfortable way of carrying it around (and definitely less dorky/schoolboy looking). His blue eyes glanced around, feet slowly carrying him as he took in the sights that surrounded him. It was definitely much different than Stryker's island, but not nearly as glamorous or flashy as his time in Tokyo. It would do, but judging by the few glances he got of who would be his company and competition for the next however long, he counted on things getting dull rather quickly.

Within the throng of the crowd (somehow even bypassing the strange collection of tamed animals - were those lions?), a flash of red caught his peripheral. A rather smug smile found it's way to his lips as his head turned to drink in the full view. A redhead had just gathered up her belongings and was headed inside. God only knew why it was redheads specifically that got his blood flowing hot - he loved all (attractive) women equally. But there was just something about redheads...

The twenty-year-old readjusted the grip on his backpack strap and jogged up to close the distance between them, calling out to her once there was only ten or so feet between them.

"So I've come to the conclusion that blondes can be kind of ditzy doodles, and brunettes are a lot like well-behaved, groomed prize poodles... but anyone who doesn't try to meet a gorgeous redhead like you is definitely missing some brainy noodles." Chuckling, he managed to close the distance between them until he was walking in time with the redhead at her side. "Hey, I'm Deon." He extended out his free hand to shake. "This place kind of sucks. You want to look around until we can find something more fun to do with our time?" His quirked eyebrow rose to his hairline, the tilt of his mouth adding to the asymmetrical look he was giving her enough to pass off as being either completely innocent, or completely full of shit.

Despite the fact that he had gone out of his way to ignore the few people who were (possibly?) already talking with the redhead, Deon could feel a pair of eyes on him - a gaze so intense that he felt the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck standing on end.

Daring a sideways glance, Deon's blue eyes met with the soft hazels of his fathers. Logan Howlette stood at the doorway before the school, leaning up against the building with his arms crossed over his broad chest, the seams in his leather jacket threatening to split if he even so much as thought about flexing. It was clear that his father's intention was to scope out the students that he would now be undertaking for the year, but both Logan and Deon knew better - he was waiting for him.

Deon could sense his father the second he drove up on campus. It was likely that Logan could sense the same. The two didn't exactly have the best relationship in the world, as Deon had tried to kill Logan a handful of times in a deal he made with William Stryker. But ever since the treaty, Deon had to hold back his bubbling anger for the man responsible for his mother's death. Accident or not, his father had left him twice, robbed him of a mother, and needed to die. What better way to keep an eye on him, though, than his own school?

The two said absolutely nothing to each other as Deon passed Logan by, but the boy couldn't help but to give his father a quick wink and a sly smile, making it absolutely clear to Logan that perhaps the hatchet hadn't truly been buried (figuratively).

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Dat cutie with the bootie, tho... Kallian's eyes wandered as she headed up the pathway towards the school having spotted a rather good looking young man (who she was fairly confident was Jason Stark) accompanied by a ferret-looking blonde boy chasing after some chick with dark skin and... a lion. Lions. There were lions here, apparently... Maybe this place would be better than rehab. And, to her knowledge, there weren't any classes here that made you talk about your feelings. Feelings sucked.

"O-kay.” Kallian expressed, forcing her eyes away from the lion, to the young man's butt as he passed her by, and back to the school in front of her. But looking forward didn't exactly help her distraction, either. There was a lot of talent here. A lot. A pleasant sort of smile reached her lips. Good she thought, At least I won't be bored here.

”Kaaaalliaan!” Eve practically squealed- although she would adamantly deny that if asked- as she ran towards her best friend, throwing her arms around her, ”You’re here!” she didn’t stop to question why Kallian was there, at the Academy. Right then all that mattered was that she was. Hugging her, Eve grinned before stepping back just enough to look at her friend.

She knew her by the squeal. Not very many people sounded like her best friend when they got overly-excited. It was a trait Kallian absolutely loved about her. She could never lose her in a crowd, that was for sure.

"Evie! I had a feeling you might be here!” She caught her best friend by throwing her arms around Evelina and squeezed the blonde to her, not really caring if she was cutting off her airway for a second or not.

”Course I’d be here, all the top heroes and villains kids are here! All the hotties! A perfect chance!” she said cheerfully, ”Not to mention I’d like to stop making peoples ears bleed! We’re gonna have a blast!” Evelina said cheerfully, before her smile faded slightly. ”Whatca doing here? How’d ya get here?”

"My Dad picked me up from Stankville and dropped me off here with a phone that doesn't do anything." Kallian looked down at the phone in question and frowned. "But whatever. I'm here. You're here. It will be just like high school again."

”Damn right it will be! The terrible duo, back in action! Some fine targets-I mean talent here!” she said, waving her hand around them,

Eve chuckled, following Kallian’s gaze to the phone she had, ”Wow! That’s like, ancient, was it even made before we were born?” She wondered, before shrugging. ”Lots of fun to be had! Should we get started?”

”I already have.” Kallian smirked, taking only half a step back from her friend to discreetly eyeball Jason Stark as he once more walked by them. Was it hot out here? It felt hot. A smile spread over her lips.

Eve grinned at her friend, following her line of sight, chuckling softly. ”Target acquired huh? A fine one! Although he looks like he’ll be too into himself, might have to work hard to get his attention! Plus, Mini Stark He has a reputation for being like his father I hear!”

”If he’s anything like his father, then he plays the game the same way we do.” Kallian commented, ”Hard to get it is, then.” She moved her head on a swivel, looking around her immediate location until her eyes happened upon two blondes - a boy and a girl (muzzled?). Likely siblings. It wasn’t until she saw the God of Mischief and Trickery himself that led her to believe that they belonged to him.

She had heard of Loki a handful of times by her father, though he didn’t think highly of the god. She was supposed to steer clear of him, and anyone like him…

”Excuse me?” Kallian shot her friend a quick smile before bounding off towards the small family, making sure to run as close as she could past Jason in the process. Her eyes caught on the young blonde for a moment before addressing the three of them as she slowed to a stop. ”Hey! Sorry to bother you, but you guys look like you kind of know what’s going on here.” she started. ”My dad kind of just dropped me off here. Busy guy. Anyway, are we supposed to just walk in right now? Or…?”

Not given a chance to answer or respond to Kallian, Eve trotted after her friend. While she knew it was foolish, Eve didn’t want to lose sight of her just yet, as if afraid Kallian would disappear once more.

The brightness in the sky shifted as sudden dark clouds rolled in. The wind picked up at a rate that the girls had never seen before as the clouds above the grounds began to twist and spiral into a near-perfect disc-like void. Looking around quickly, the change in weather seemed to have enveloped the entire grounds. There was an immeasurable crack followed by a flash of lightning; a single bolt that came from the void and touched down on the pathway that led into the school. The ground shook and the earth groaned, though their ears were ringing too harshly for them to have taken note.

Falling into the blonde-haired boy as Kallian reached her hands up to cover her ears, there was another bright flash that rendered the entire world around her white.

The buffeting wind… the lightning… the thunder… Eve ducked slightly, knowing that whatever was coming, she couldn’t fight even as her mouth opened slightly. Reason, or maybe fear, had her slamming it shut once more, although she doubted her cry would be heard about the noise.

And then… it was gone...

The wind stopped abruptly, and slowly the dark clouds began to lighten and dissipate, resuming the early, sunny morning everyone had been experiencing not moments ago. Opening her eyes, one at a time (which she hadn’t realized she had closed until then), Kallian spotted two new figures that stood where the lightning had struck, one older man brandishing a mighty hammer in one hand and the other, much younger, looking incredibly embarrassed by the whole ordeal.

They were far enough away that she couldn’t hear what Thor was saying to the younger man, nor did she particularly care. Really? It was supposed to be Loki that was the prick. And already the mighty god of Thunder was proving to be quite the ass. God her head hurt.

Becoming then acutely aware that she was still pressed into the stranger’s body, Kallian chuckled lightly, a light blush crossing over her cheeks as she removed herself from him, flashing an apologetic smile.

”Heh. Sorry. But for what it’s worth, I felt safe the whole time.” Her smile grew a bit more confident.

As the anomaly disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, Eve lifted her head looking about her. The sudden presence of two more figures didn’t terribly worry it. She sought out Kallian, making sure she was okay and deciding that the other girl was just fine in the arms- or just about- of the blonde haired boy.

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”Are ya ready, lad?”

Soren felt a firm, familiar grip on his shoulder, though his eyes wouldn’t move from the spot that was his home. Not just Asgard in general where he had been born and raised for a number of years, but particularly the estate that his mother had her hand in raising him, alone, for many of those mentioned years.

It’s not that his father was a bad one… well, no it pretty much was. His mother never failed to mention it whenever the likes of Thor came up in conversation, either. He was wild, immature and not fit for anything. But that was before he was sent to Earth. Maybe Soren was the only one that saw it, but when his father came back even that first time, Thor was a changed man. Was it even possible for someone to grow so much over such a short period of time?

Soren spent more time with his father after that, mostly training though the two did manage to speak words of wisdom with each other that Soren silently took to heart. Everyone else in Asgard might have had an opinion on his father, but Soren’s was changing. Maybe, if only because he simply needed to see the change for his own sake.

But now was the time to say goodbye - to Asgard, to the home he shared with his mother… everything. He was to go to Earth for the first time and though he was excited beyond measure to see a whole new world, he was also terrified. He knew very little about Midguardians and their culture. What if he made a fool out of himself. And worse yet, what if he put shame on his family’s name? They were gods… and he had a feeling that he would screw it up, somehow.

Soren took in a deep breath and nodded, finally looking back to his father. He clutched onto the burlap sack filled with his things tightly, and nodded a few more times more so to convince himself that he was ready as his eyes began to drift.

”Your mother will be joining shortly. It is her wish we travel together without her.” Thor said, as if reading Soren’s mind.

Sif was to teach World Studies at this new school his parents had jointly enrolled him into. Not only that, but his father would be popping in from time to time, and two of his own cousins would be students there as well. He didn’t know them very well (likely because of their heritage to Loki), but even if for some reason his mother didn’t take the position he wouldn’t be completely alone.

”Goodbye, Mother.” Soren said quietly to himself. He hoped it wouldn’t be for too long. She didn’t seem very keen on the idea of staying on Earth. Not when his father would be popping in and out whenever he wanted.

”I want you to have something.” Thor said, breaking Soren’s thoughts. Curious, Soren turned to face his father completely. Thor considered Soren for a few moments before taking hold of Soren’s hand and placed within it, a key. Raising and eyebrow, Soren raised the key to his eye level, looking over the beautiful (and very random) piece of metal.

”I have a mission for you, son. You’ve become quite the man in years past, and so I entrust you with this.” Thor began. ”This key, son, will secure the safety of the Midguardians while you live your life out on Earth. Misplace it, and the Earth-realm may very well be destroyed. Though fret not. So long as the key remains with you, no harm shall befall the feeble planet. Do you accept your task, Soren Thorson, god of Humility?”

”I do, my King. Father.” Despite the thousands of questions that ambushed his mind at such the outlandish request, Soren did as he had been taught for many years, and bowed to his father, sealing his acceptance. He literally knew nothing about this key - not what it was for or why, exactly, but his father was never very good at giving details.

Thor beamed and clapped Soren on the shoulder before turning himself and his son around, heading to the bifrost where they would be able to travel to Earth.

”Your mother and I are very proud of you, son.”

---

He had been on Earth for the whole of one second and he was already regretting it. Thunder, lightning… could his father have chosen a more flashy entrance? True they were gods to these Midguardians, but that didn’t mean that he had to show off like that. He was sure that these people knew very well who they were without all the flashy theatrics. Soren sighed, already feeling people staring once they arrived. Giving himself something to do, he slipped the key into his pants pocket where he was sure it would burn a hole through with his curiosity by the time the day was over.

”There we are!” Thor said, moving to stand behind his son and grabbed him by both shoulders, shaking him a bit and inhaled deeply. ”Earth! Have you ever smelt anything like it?”

Soren hadn’t noticed it until his father had said anything, but there was definitely an odor. His nose wrinkled.

”It stinks!” Soren blanched, moving his hands to pinch and cover his nose.

Thor bellowed out a laugh and smacked his son across the back, forcing Soren forward a bit from the impact.

”A stench you will come to relish in, I promise!” Thor exclaimed, and as if to prove a point, sucked in another lungfull of Earthen air. ”Go on now, just that way." Thor pointed with his hammer. ”Make friends. Learn things. Bond with the people as I have.” Thor encouraged Soren forward a bit more by pushing the head of his hammer into Soren’s back.

”Okay, okay!” Soren reached behind him and tried swatting away the hammer until Thor finally removed it. ”Don’t have to tell me twice!” It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and yet Soren still found his feet to be cemented to the floor. It was, however, the feeling of being stared at that finally got his feet moving, joining in with the throng of people that either went out of their way to avoid him, or couldn’t stop staring at him.

This was going to be tricky.

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“Here, let me help you. I can take the bags.”

The sound of a new voice catching her ear, causing her gaze to lift up, allowing it to meet with that of the girl that had approached her, Ky’ vie hesitated a moment, her bright red lips parting ever so slightly as she took in what it was that the girl was saying. She… wanted to help..? Shifting her arms around her son’s body cradled lovingly against her own, the toy lain forgotten for the moment, she stood up straight, blinking a few times as she continued to listen as the woman seemed to continue, bending down to pick up the toy that moments ago, she herself couldn’t reach.

“I can take them by the straps so you don’t have to shift the boy… Oh, sorry, I’m Kalinda.”

Ignoring the ever worsening weight that hung upon her shoulder thanks to the bags in question, her beautiful gaze lowering, she stared at the toy being held out towards her; a small though thankful smile making its way over her lips before she reached out, taking it as it was offered. Kalinda..? That was a nice name; perhaps-... perhaps if she ever had a daughter…

“..thanks; don’t think I woulda been able to reach it no matter how hard I tried… heh…” Lifting the toy enough so she was able to hold it in front of her, letting it go only once it was secure in her son’s arms, Ky’ vie took a moment to make sure it wasn’t going to fall again before she turned her attention back to the girl, giving her a grateful nod of thanks before returning her arm to its rightful place around Simon’s small figure, her strong Australian accent making it more than clear that she wasn’t from around the area, “..I’m Ky’ vie by the way; Ky’ vie Jones… though most people just call me Ky. Uh, if you’re still willing… some help’d be great…”

Kalinda gave a small smile, quite self conscious and aware that one slip of her powers could be dangerous to this woman and her child. She didn’t know what had possessed her to approach, except perhaps she couldn’t just let someone with a child barely more than a baby struggle. As the woman took the toy, she was careful to make sure that there was no contact, despite the fact that she wore gloves. Kalinda was going to take every precaution that she could so she didn’t end up hurting anyone. ”You’re welcome.” She said softly.

”Of course I’ll still help… Can’t leave you struggling, especially with such a cutie.” She said, ”What’s his name?” She asked, genuinely curious and for a moment her thoughts drifted to imagine the teachers dealing with a child. It was oddly amusing despite the fact she knew a fair amount of them had had kids. ”Oh. The bag?” she remembered, reaching out but hesitating.

Her arm breaking from her son, moving to the straps of her bags to remove the lighter two of them for the girl to take, Ky dared a glance down at the child curled so perfectly and naturally against her body, the mere sight only helping the smile over her lips to grow, “..Simon- his name is Simon…”

Kalinda took the bags, slinging the straps over her own shoulder. She couldn’t help but feel a little envious of the emotions she sensed, wondering if her own mother had ever looked at her like that. Best not to go down that path. ”Well, he seems like a lovely child.” She said softly, wondering what normal people would do in this situation. She had no idea. She shifted slightly, finding herself moving slightly closer to Ky’ vie and the child but still somewhat distanced, ”I can take more if you want, if worse comes to worse and it’s too heavy, I can levitate it.”

“..you can levitate..?”

Surprise flicking over her gentle features, her eyes holding that of the woman she was talking to, Ky’ vie let her head tilt to the side slightly and out of the way as she shifted her son in her arms, her hand lifting away from his body so that she could quickly run her fingers through his hair, brushing it back and off of his face as she divided her attention between the two of them, “That sounds pretty handy; how does something like that work anyway, I’ve never really understood it…”

Kalinda shook her head, realising that she hadn’t been clear… ”Its… Well, actually, yes I can levitate but it’s more flight… but I have telekinesis.” She explained, sure she was doing a poor job of it, ”For me… I think the levitating is related to the telekinesis but I’m not sure… I haven’t really played around with my powers… emotions make it worse and… um… that’s my whole problem and why I wanted to be here.” She realised that she was rambling a bit and stopped herself. ”Sorry… “

Shaking her head lightly from side to side, inadvertently taking a step closer to her, Ky’ vie chuckled softly at the girl’s apology, seeming to brush it off as though it was nothing, “..no, no… please; don’t be sorry, Kalinda- I mean, you don’t even have anything to be sorry for. I asked remember..? And, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t special in some way… Being who you are, abilities an’ all, is nothing to apologize for. Like, ever.”

Kalinda hesitated another moment, biting her lip. She cleared her throat, ”Seems to be all I’ve ever done is apologise for them. I just can’t seem to help it.” she said, trying not to think about what had happened before… she turned her thoughts well away from that. ”I just want to learn to control the emotions I feel… it’s rather exhausting trying not to hurt others.”

“..everyone has trouble controlling their emotions; it’s something we learn as we grow.” Shrugging both her shoulders, being mindful to not disturb the boy in her arms too much, Ky continued to hold Kalinda’s gaze, her own soft… mother like as she spoke once more, “..when we’re young; we have basic emotions… hungry, sad, angry… we learn to control them as we get older and experience more things. I know I can’t talk- I have quite a hard time controlling them myself, but… maybe it’s something we can work on togeth-...”

Her words cut off as a pain shot through her shoulder, her hand moving instinctually to hold the back of her sons head, she shut her eyes, her face scrunching up in annoyance and frustration, causing flames to flicker out through the length of her long and wavy brilliant red locks as she turned her head, her gaze (now harder than before) searching around before her gaze fell on the woman that smacked into her body, the other girl in question only managing a partial apology before she was gone again, tumbling into another figure just mulling about the courtyard, “..geez; wish people would bloody watch what their doing. He wakes up; she’ll be hearin’ ‘bout it…”

Kalinda went to say something but stopped as someone bumped into Ky’ vie. She hesitated once more, waiting until the girl, frantic, was gone. Wondering what had happened, Kalinda flicked a glance about them, but couldn’t see anything dangerous. There also didn’t seem to be anyone else as frantic, so Kalinda wondered if the girl was just nervous about being at the Academy. She certainly didn’t blame her. ”Are you okay?” she asked, looking back to Ky’ vie, hoping the boy stayed asleep as well. She flinched slightly at the sight of flames, but Ky’ vie didn’t seem worried about it. ”Uh…”

“..fine…”

The frown, while etched into her otherwise soft features, softening somewhat at the knowledge that her son was still (thankfully) sleeping peacefully within the circle of her arms, Ky’ vie let her attention drift back over to Kalinda, the look on the girl’s face causing her to take pause; surprise flickering across the surface of her eyes as she tried to think back on what it was she could have done to warrant such a reaction, “..w-what did I do..?”

Kalinda hesitated a moment, wondering how anyone couldn’t notice they were on fire… but supposed if it was their power, it could be quite easy. She didn’t really have anything to go on there. ”Ah. Well, you’re sorta…. flaming.” She said, ”Just thought you ought to know… I’m not fireproof.” Although she pondered that a moment. If she was on fire, could she go into the shadows to smother it? She decided that wasn’t something she wanted to test. ”Does that happen often?”

“..a-ah… yeah… uhm…” The flames ceasing, her cheeks instead taking on a gentle tinge of red, Ky’ vie broke her arm away from her son’s body, her hand awkwardly rubbing at the back of her neck as she allowed her mind to wander. How was she supposed to explain that it was an almost regular occurance..? Whenever she let her emotions get the better of her-... it was why she’d tried hard to suppress the flames. It was something physical- something that could be seen…

Something that could get her into trouble…

“..yeah… I have pyrokinesis…” Bringing her arm back around, her body shifting slightly in place, more than clearly thinking about things now that her own powers had been brought up, she held her son closer. It was a volatile and unpredictable ability… strong... and the cause of more than one wild fire back home, “..it, uh… it flares up with my emotions… especially when I get angry… I-... I also have technokinesis… heh… weird mix right..?”

Kalinda could well understand the effect emotions had on people. Well. Herself more than others, but she still understood. Nodding thoughtfully, she said ”I see… And its not so weird… I have empathy, flight, telekinesis and shadow manipulation and all except flight scares the crap out of me.” She said with a small smile, ”How does the technokinesis work?”

“..oh… uhm…” It was the first time someone had asked about her powers- it was the first time she had ever actually spoken to someone about her powers. How was she supposed to explain it..? It wasn’t something she had had to do before. Remaining silent, thinking about how to say it in a way that would make sense, and not make her out as some sort of freak, Ky’ vie hesitated before speaking, “..I... I can control technology… make machines and all that out of almost anything; even scrap metal… I can fix them; understand them… probably why I’m so good at racing and being a mechanic to be honest with you… I’ve been able to pull apart and put together an engine on my own since I was about six years old..? Maybe sooner…”

”Wow.” Rather impressed, Kalinda tried to imagine what it would be like to do something like that. All she could see her abilities doing was smashing things up. Or driving people crazy. ”Seems pretty useful.” she said ”Actually, sounds pretty awesome.”

“..yeah, well, I guess you could say it’s definitely useful- I mean, it helps to pay the bills.” Shoulders shrugging at the thought, her gaze flicking about the crowd gathering in the entrance they seemed to be blocking, Ky’ vie lifted her hand, quickly adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. The very sight caused her stomach to twist nervously once again. This was is… they were here… and they couldn’t stay standing in the gateway for the rest of their lives.

Her feet already carrying her, albeit hesitantly, through the gate and a little further into the courtyard, she brought her arm back around, hooking it gently around her son’s body as she searched for a place the three of them could park it until they were able to go inside and settle in, “Come on; we should find somewher-...”

“Ky?”

Slowing her step at the sound of her name being called, her gaze first turning to Kalinda to see if it was her, Ky’ vie turned her head, her bright red lips parting ever slightly from one another as she glanced about, her metallic silver eyes widening as she caught sight of a figure she hadn’t seen in the last two years. There was no way…

“No fucking way. Really? What in the hell are you doing he- WOA-... They giving out kids instead of pink slips now? Who’s this one belong to? He’s a bit small to race…”

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Hearing running footsteps, but attributing them to the other sounds around her, Phoebe was taken aback when someone approached her. Was it Una, or Lavi? No… the footfalls seemed too heavy for either girl, and she looked back just as the guy approached her. The dark haired boy was certainly well built, and seemed sure of himself. A tad arrogant. And maybe more than a tad. Polite as always, Phoebe slowed her step allowing him to catch up to her. She really had no idea why he seemed intent on gaining her attention and she shifted a little nervously. At his words, Phoebe was more than a tad taken aback, but she tried not to let it show.

Gorgeous? She highly doubted that. Maybe he’d hit his head along the way or something. No one had ever called her gorgeous before, so she doubted that it was true. Of course, what did she know? She had limited experience with guys. None at the orphanage or school had ever caught her eye… With a jolt, she suddenly realised that there was more danger here then simply learning about her abilities. Boys. With powers. Like her. And a wider range then her limited experience offered her.

Could she met a guy she could like here? And maybe more than like? Realising that she’d been quiet, Phoebe took his offered hand, studying him a moment. ”I’m Phoebe” she said softly, ”then I must have met more than my fair share of those with missing noodles.” His proposal seemed rather forward, but with her limited experience, what did she know? His look seemed innocent enough, although she suspected he was full of shit, as the saying went. She wasn’t sure what to make of him at all… Although it was oddly flattering to have a guys attention.

”I wouldn’t mind walking around…. But I don’t consider this place as something that sucks” She said, a little unsure whether or not she should have accepted the offer… but knowing that she could always walk away if she grew uncomfortable. She could look after herself. Right? She wasn’t some helpless girl. She was- or would be- a powerful woman. ”I consider it a place where I can learn to kick butt.”

Was accepting getting herself into trouble? It seemed likely, and she glanced around for anyone else. Had Una or Lavi followed her? Flicking a glance back to Deon, she saw that he seemed to be distracted by something. Which was better for her, as she tried to collect her thoughts and understand what was going on here. She doubted she could just walk away- he seemed to be one that expected to get his way, and seemed to want something she didn’t think she wanted to give, nor was ready to give.

So if he was someone who typically got his way… Phoebe would just have to make sure that he didn’t, if he had more than a simple conversation on his mind. She drew in a breath, before she smiled, deciding for the moment that she could go along with it, and noting that Deon seemed to be really intently staring at something, and she followed his gaze to an older man. A teacher? Whatever it was, there seemed to be something going on there. ”Your father?” She asked, figuring that anything that tense had to be family. Of course, she had no idea what that was like… but from what she’d seen, only family could bring about such reactions. And it was something different to think about.

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As a rather excited and loud Midgardian approached them, Thracius stared at them with contempt, unable to figure out why they were approaching in such a manner. Were Midgardians even more mentally deranged then he had been led to believe? About to tell her to stay back, Thracius found himself rather suddenly holding the female. Slightly disgusted and wondering how she dare launch herself at him, Thracius made to push her away, unable to understand just what she wanted, as the weather changed in an instant. Pausing, he let out an exasperated sigh.

All show, loud and attention seeking. Of course it would be his Uncle and cousin. He waited out the theatrics, the female still in his arms. Or more accurately the female was practically laying against his chest. What was he meant to do with… it? As the arrogance that was Thor and Soren faded, Thracius looked down at her, raising an eyebrow as if to demand an answer as to why she decided to lean against him.

The female seemed to be rather enjoying herself, despite the effects he figured the squishy Midgardian felt from his Uncle and cousin’s follies. She had felt safe? Thracius frowned. He wasn’t meant to make anyone feel safe. And definitely not a Midgardian.

”Yes. Well I’m not foolish enough to succumb to my extended families idiocies.”

”Yeah. Buncha jerks...” Kallian honestly agreed, looking over to where she had last seen Thor and the younger man, though the boy seemed to be going off on his own now. Strange.

Shaking her head, she righted her gaze back on the family, though more directly at the blonde boy. She suddenly became very aware that she was standing with gods - the particular hot gaze of Loki on the back of her head becoming more and more apparent the longer she just stood there. Okay… maybe this wasn’t her smartest idea.

”Anyway, I’m sorry. I just wanted some kind of direction here.” she continued. Gods liked feeling superior, right? ”One of you lot has to be in charge or something, yeah? They’d be stupid not to.”

Thracius wasn’t sure what to make of this female… He approved of the comment she had on his Uncle and cousin, but was sure that it wouldn’t last, especially if Soren sucked up to the Midgardians. A pity, really. He flicked a glance to his father, as if for guidance, suddenly unsure. Although he wasn’t sure on the reason for both the glance and the insecurity.

”We only just arrived, I assure you I do not spend my time wondering what Midgardians are doing, nor do I care enough to understand this… direction you seem to need” He replied to the female, still wondering why Midgardian’s always seemed to need direction.

Eve watched her friend talking with the blond, deciding that kallian had this. While the boy seemed arrogant- and really, child of a god, it was to be expected- she was sure that Kallian could wear him down. She flicked a glance to Loki, smirking slightly. If the father could be distracted, Kallian would have a better chance. She nodded towards the girl who seemed to have some sort of binding on her, ”What she do? Speak back one too many times?” .

”Now hold u- Eve!” Kallian’s mouth dropped at the blatant remark that spouted from her friends mouth. Really, she was just going to ignore it. But Eve? Why would she? Of course not. Just wow. But then it dawned on her… what Eve really was doing. She was helping, in her own little Eve way. Kallian’s shocked expression almost turned into a smile.

Eyes widening slightly, the Midgardian’s words catching her off guard, Svanna couldn’t help but to stare at her with a mixture of indignation and distress. Was that what people would think of her..? Her eyes once more growing wet, she dropped her beautiful gaze down to rest upon her injured wrist, her shoulders hunching slightly as though trying to hide herself away from the two girls interacting with her family.

Maybe travelling to Midgard had been a bad idea after all…

Loki, while annoyed, was deciding to take the backseat of things while his son seemed to handle the situation. He would never admit it, but he was rather proud of Thracius for the way he was handling things. But the jibe from the blonde about his daughter had the trickster’s black eyes piercing into Evelina. His nostrils flared and his bony hands tightened into fists. If this was to be how his daughter, a goddess, was to be treated here on Midguard, then perhaps it wasn’t the place for her.

”You dare slip your tongue to your superiors?” Loki asked, threateningly calm. Kallian picked up on his tone straight-away, a tone she had seen politicians use on a daily basis as a sort of warning before shit hit the fan.

”Uh… God. I’m so sorry. Eve… she had an aneurysm recently. Hasn’t been the same since…” Kallian gave Evelina a warning look. ”Evie, I think it’s time for your medicine, honey…”

Thracius frowned, studying the two Midgardians. For a moment, he’d been mildly amused by the females antics. And it seemed she’d just been getting fired up. It would have been amusing to tear her down. At her companions words however, Thracius turned his gaze to her, angered at such an assumption. It seemed however that his father was taking care of it.

As Kallian’s shouted Eve, she grinned. She stood easily, confidence radiated from her, as she addressed the god. ”Oh, I’m sorry Mr Laufey, I didn’t realise you were my superior.” She said, giving a deep and rather exaggerated curtsy, ”When did you conquer earth? I swear I remember learning about failed attempts, but I never really did listen well in school, or to my mothers lectures.” She flashed another grin at Kallian, ”Nah, i took it before.” turning her gaze from them, unconcerned she looked over the silenced girl.

She seemed distressed, uncomfortable, hurt and maybe a little afraid. Evelina didn’t like that, one bit. Was she treated badly? Given all that she knew of Loki, and what she’d seen of his son, he was just the same, it seemed likely that the girl didn’t have all that good a life…

And she was hurt. The way she held her arm… ignoring the others, Eve stepped towards her, saying softly ”I’m sorry if my comment upset you… you’re hurt? I have some medical knowledge… gods know I needed it growing up! Can I have a look? Maybe I can splint it or something.” the thought that a god could get hurt, even a child god was odd to her, but she’d still try and help.

Thracius made a slightly threatening sound as Eve stepped closer to Svanna, which Eve ignored.

Her gaze lifting to watch the girl as she approached; Svanna shifted nervously on the back of the horse. These females were strange; the one brave, or perhaps even foolish enough more so than the other. Unsure of how she was supposed to respond, if at all, she turned her head, her beautiful gaze flicking to meet with that of her father; seeking his guidance in the matter as she cradled her injured wrist closer against her stomach.

Okay. Things were going South very fast. Maybe Eve could be Eve around regular people… but with people who actually believed themselves to be better than them? Well technically they were. Can’t get much higher than a god. Kallian shook her head at her friends expense, her mind desperately trying to think. The two girls were out of sync - that much was clear. It felt as though no time at all had happened when she first saw Eve but now… now the reality was setting in. Time was spent apart. Their chemistry was off.

Loki’s lip twitched. And before he even had a chance to think on things, snapped his hand up, projecting a magical force from his palm to knock Eve back a few steps. Kallian jumped and ran to her friend, using whatever part of her body that she could to keep Eve upright.

”It would be unwise to test my patience, mortal. There are ways around this treaty we’ve a.ll been trapped into. Do not make a point to rush the inevitable.”

The way the girl looked to her father, as if for permission, didn’t sit well with Eve. She was about to say something as she reached towards the girl, seeming to be unperturbed by the horse she was on, despite the fact it had eight legs. Was it a type of spider horse? She didn’t get much further than that before she was pushed back by some force. She stumbled backwards, and would have fallen if not for Kallian.

”No offense, but death is inevitable.” She said as she regained her footing, not getting any further than that as the arrival of Thor interrupted her.

”Brother!” The thundering voice had Kallian’s attention shifting towards the God of Thunder as he casually walked up to their little awkward party. He didn’t seem angered, or even remotely having a clue as to what was going on. He actually seemed rather… happy…

Sighing, Eve once more tried to step towards the girl, intent on helping her. Maybe with the distraction that was Thor, she could do so.

Finally closing the distance, Thor gave his brother a warm, glowing smile followed by a firm clasp on his shoulder. ”How fares thee?”

Loki’s demeanor shifted into something that Kallian could only describe as a0 stealthy, asshole cat waiting to strike. She half expected claws to grow from his fingernails. Though… side by side… Loki always seemed to be big, powerful and imposing. But next to Thor… who was supposed to be the good guy here… the God of Mischief looked like a soggy twig.

”You know exactly how.” Loki hissed, ripping his shoulder out of Thor’s grasp and stalking off, trying to put as much distance between himself and his brother. Thor stood there awkwardly (though maybe not to him), watching Loki disengage from the encounter.

”Same as ever, I see…” Thor put his hands on his hips, looking then to the brother-sister duo. He gave them a brief nod of acknowledgement before heading off after Loki.

Thracius laid a hand on Fenrir’s head, the big wolf growling softly. He glowered at his Uncle, wishing he could do more to the spiteful man. As his father walked off, Thracius contemplated following, but stayed by Svanna’s side, pleased when Thor walked off as well. He doubted he could be civil towards the man responsible for Svanna’s distress. Turning his attention away from that, Thracius turned back towards his sister.

”So…” Kallian shifted her weight. ”Thanksgiving must be fun…”

Thracius had forgotten the Midgardians, and he glanced towards the one that had spoken. They were like annoying little gnats, but he had to give her a grudging respect for still being around. He stared at her a moment, as if waiting for an explanation, ”We do not give thanks for giving…. I do not know why it would be fun.”

Kallian gave the blonde a side-ways glance, judging him for a moment before giving him her full attention.

”There’s food.”

Thracius frowned, the female was making no sense… what did food have to do with giving? He stared at her a moment more, ”So you give food, is that what the thanks is for?”

”Well I don’t know about you, but I’m always thankful for food. Food is life. Me and food? We go waaay back.”

Eve decided not to interrupt Kallian with the blond, instead she focused on the girl, ”I can help you… your wrist right? Make it more comfortable.” she encouraged the girl to accept her help, giving her a smile.

Tearing her gaze from her father’s retreating figure, her attention drawn back to the one speaking to her once more, Svanna froze. What was she to do..? Would the girl only
seek to injure her further..? Hesitant, seeking out her father’s guidance once more, she stared after him, watching for a moment as he seemed to argue with their uncle. He had always made it clear; Midgardian’s weren’t to be trusted… they were to be ruled over. A pathetic race without cause or reason.

The pain in her wrist bringing her thoughts back to the current situation, Svanna shut her eyes, doing her best to wait it out before she opened them, the girl once more in her line of vision. He would not like it- would not approve; at least, he would not approve that she knew of, and her brother-...

Not wishing to burden him as he mingled with the other Midgardian, her body once again shifting where she sat, Svanna reluctantly moved her arm, holding her injured wrist out for the strange woman to look at.

Thracius simply couldn’t understand the meaning of it all... he knew Midgardians were strange, and eccentric, but he hadn’t thought they’d be this confounding. ”So, you give food and you are thankful for it because food is life. You Midgardians worship food?”

Kallian giggled, shifting her weight to the opposite foot once more and stuffed her hands into the back of her jeans narrow pockets.

”Well I don’t speak for all… ‘Midgardians,’ but I most certainly do!”

Thracius frown deepened. ”You worship food… and yet you eat it… isn’t that blasphemy?”

”Hey, I don’t question your religion - or eight-legged horses - don’t question mine.”

As the girl once more seemed to seek permission, Eve frowned. She wanted to tell the girl that it would be alright, but couldn’t help but think that if the girl had been this conditioned, she probably wouldn’t believe mere words. Finally the girl offered her her hand, and Eve gently began to examine it. Having had her fair share of broken bones, she figured she could do something for her.

”Can probably splint it, till the healers can be found.” she said, looking around for anything she could use, ”Didn’t think Gods could get broken bones, but ya learn something every day.” well aware that the girl couldn’t really respond, Eve still spoke, wanting to try and put her at ease.

”Thracius! Svanna!” Loki shouted, keeping his eyes fixated on his brother but addressing his children. ”We’re leaving!” He gave no clue as to whether he meant for good, or just the area, before once more breaking off from Thor in whatever direction came to him first.

Jumping slightly, the mere sound of her father’s voice causing her head to snap back to his figure, Svanna lowered her gaze, her head nodding lightly, the only sign that she had both heard and understood his words. They were leaving… however, whether it was to remove themselves from the Midgardian’s, or to return once more to their homeland was unclear to even her.

Hesitant, clearly torn though knowing that disobeying her father was certainly out of the question, she turned her glance down to the girl holding onto her hand, the young Goddess slowly extracting it from out of her grip, bringing it back against her stomach with sad eyes before she gently nudged her heel into Sleipnir’s side, urging him to move as she made off after her father, leaving the group behind.

”I was merely trying to unders- “ Thracius found himself cut off by his father’s shout, and found himself strangely disappointed- he still did not understand this giving of thanks. And if he was going to conquer the Midgardians, he would need to understand them. That, he knew, had been his father’s mistake. He turned away from the Midgardian, and towards his father, noting his sister was already moving towards him.

”I’ll explain it to you another time, handsome.” Kallian winked.

Eve frowned, wanting to stop the girl from going off- at least to help her with her hand- but she was already gone. Turning to Kallian, she said ”We have to help that girl.”

Looking back to Eve, still a bit annoyed as to how things had gone, her feelings were put aside at her comment.

”Why? You think something janky is going on?”

”Something’s not right… “ Eve said, looking after the girl on her Spider-horse, and deciding she’d do whatever she could to find out what.

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"You never did learn how to play nicely with others."

A lion's roar echoed throughout the courtyard. Kovu, the older lion that had wandered off from Navia, walked in time with it's true owner as Agron stepped from his observing place and began to shorten the distance between himself and his sister. Kovu’s large head easily reached Agron's midsection making the duo appear as giants among men. He nuzzled the plated orange and blue armor that kept Agron safe for many missions across the country, showing a level of affection that most predators did not share with humans..

Agron dropped his hand and ran his fingers through the rough main, scratching the large cat behind its ear where he knew a particular sweet spot to be. Roaring out again, though at half the volume (and it being more than clear now that both cries were out of happiness), Kovu sat himself down on his massive haunches, and began to pur. But Agron's eyes were elsewhere - his sister was just a single touch away. By the Gods, how he had missed her!

A slight smirk crossed over his face, though inside he was screaming. It had been years since he had seen his little sister, though his time away made it feel like lifetimes in one case, and just a few days in another.

He was standing behind her, but even from there, he could tell that she was beautiful, just the way he remembered her. Just the way he left her before moving himself to New York to escape the condescending undertones his step-father would constantly give him - as though it were Agron's fault that he wasn't his son. Even with summer's spent with his real father, T'Challa had always made it clear to him that Agron didn't belong anywhere.

Glancing over his half-sister's shoulder to the snobbish boy she had been talking with (and probably upsetting), Agron raised his eyebrows first, and then nodded his head towards the other boy’s direction that had already taken his leave. Smart kid.

"Don't bother trying. I've got eighteen years of her life on you, kid. So take your losses where they stand and your ego can still be saved. I doubt either of us will remember you in ten minutes anyway to even talk about this later." Agron gave him a wink, and a pleasant smile, despite the circumstances.

He was going to get hell for this - he knew that the moment he decided to come back from the "dead." He had to. When the war got tough, he needed to disappear or H.I.V.E would have ended him before he had a chance to get killed. Sure, he had a chance to come out of hiding after the contract had been signed with all of the supers, but to what end? There was nothing for him. Nothing, until he found out that his father would be a teacher at the new school. He knew then that he could help out - that he could be with his sister again - that he could show T'Challa that while he might not be his heir, that he could still amount to something... by any means necessary.

Looking back to his sister, he gave her a warm smile, very different than the one he gave Barca.

"You look well."

Frozen in place, the familiar though painful voice of her past washing over her, Naevia felt her heart leap within her chest. It couldn’t be… there was no way… This man- this… telepath or whatever he claimed to be had to be playing with her mind; forcing this cruel jest upon her… somehow… he had to be…

Eyes flashing with anger at the mere thought, the makings of a threatening and animalistic growl building deep from within; the sound was cut of. Caught within her throat as the roars of one of her two trusted companions filled the air. Happiness… Kovu was happy… She hadn’t heard him acting like that since-... Steeling herself, her heart quivering lightly, she turned her head; a mixture of shock and pain crossing over her gentle features as the rest of her followed through with the action, her feet carrying her backwards a few steps, causing her body to fall back against Barca’s as she gazed up at the ghost standing before her eyes, her features paling as she spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“..but you are dead…”

Barca had no idea who the stranger was, and keeping with his challenge to not read others minds, at least for the moment, was hard. Barca waited for more information. It appeared that the newcomer knew Naevia. And that she was more than surprised about them suddenly appearing. Going to say something, Barca found the words slipping away as she fell back against him.

For a moment, Barca had no idea what to do and merely reacted. He reached up, steadying her by wrapping an arm around her to prevent her from falling to the ground and his right foot stepped back to steady himself so they wouldn’t fall to the ground. Once sure that she was alright, or at least not going to fall, Barca opened his mouth to speak once more. ”If your memory is so poor that you will forget an event which happened in ten minutes, it would be wise to get that checked out, Sir.” the words slipped out smoothly, and rather than wait for a response, Barca continued ”And if everyone took that attitude, nothing would ever get done. I don’t tend to give up easy, Sir.” He looked down at Naevia, somewhat concerned. Whoever this was, it had unnerved her, and that seemed like an achievement. ”Naevia?”

The annoying buzzing sound of words leaving the pale blonde's lips fell upon deaf ears. Agron paid him no heed. His sister was there - flesh and bone right in front of him; breathing. Alive. He took a tentative step forward, watching her look up at him with those beautiful brown eyes he never thought he would see again. Giving Naevia a soft smile, Agron raised his hand to tuck a strand of her brown hair back and behind her ear, his fingertips gently grazing back against her cheek as he pulled it back to his person.

“I’ve missed you, Malaika.”

A shiver running down the length of her spine; Naevia’s eyes fluttered to a close at the familiar warmth of his touch upon her face. He was there… truly there... this was no trick of the eye. Regaining her sense of mind, if only slightly, she turned her head, pulling herself from his touch as pain once more filled her features. He was right there- alive and well… so then, “..why..?”

”H.I.V.E.” Agron answered quickly, knowing that her question extended much further than just why he missed her., He felt a slight sting when she pulled away from his touch., though he remained physically calm. ”They would have come for you. I had to protect what is important to me.”

No… no, that wasn’t good enough of an answer. Shaking her head quickly from side to side, the familiar sting of tears hitting them, Naevia brought her gaze back to her brother, only able to stand looking at him a few moments before she tore it away once more, dropping it to the ground between them, “..all this time… you let me believe you dead…”

”If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Kovu, who hadn’t left Agron’s hip since he came on campus, pushed his big head forward to lick at Naevia’s hand before nudging it to run her fingers through his matted mane.

Her attention drawn towards the lion, her fingers curling gently within its mane, Naevia was silent, tears silently rolling over her cheeks as the pain and torment she had felt over the years after word had come of her brother’s death hit her all over again, “..so you instead chose to have me mourn the loss of beloved brother…”

”To see you again, yes.” Seeing that they were simply going in circles, Agron sighed before stepping forward and taking Naevia’s wrist in his hand, pulling her out of the pale boy’s hold and into his arms. He wrapped them around her, settling one hand behind her head, his fingertips trickling through the beautiful raven hair he knew so well. ”I will never leave your side again. This I swear.” he practically whispered into her ear.

Barca followed the conversation, seemingly unaware that he was still holding Naevia as he sought to understand what was going on. Why had he decided to refrain from reading minds? It was too late to back out on that, especially when he’d already said he wouldn’t read Naevia’s mind at the very least. As she was taken from his arms, Barca blinked in surprise, letting his arms fall to his sides once more.

He frowned, feeling the absence and wondering why it seemed bothersome. After a moment he said ”So… you let her suffer without knowing fully that they wouldn’t go after her? You could not be sure that H.I.V.E would not have still tried.”

Agron’s eyes snapped up at the boy that addressed him so callously.

”I don’t recall asking you, kid.” He took a moment to size the blonde up and down for a moment, considering him. He had seen more meat on a chicken than him. ”An intelligent person would have surmised by now that this is a private matter. One that does not concern you. Now kindly turn sideways and disappear, twig.”

Barca watched the older man, mildly amused as he saw him sizing him up, and dismissing him. It was oddly amusing to be underestimated so quickly. Unconcerned, Barca turned just enough to retrieve Glaber’s cage, before he said ”Well, in a public place nothing is private. And I’m more than content in my own intelligence, one does however worry about your own, given that an opinion doesn’t need a question” He said in an even tone, as if he were just discussing the weather.

Shutting her eyes tightly, her body stiffening at the sudden feeling of his arms wrapped around her body as they once used to be, Naevia lifted her arms, pressing them between them and against his chest, keeping herself from being held flush to his chest. This-... This wasn’t right…

“..things-... things are not as they once were… they cannot be…”

Agron moved his arms, shifting them a bit to ensure that she would stay safely within them without being too overbearing, opting now to ignore the boy.

”But they can. I’ve come home to you, Malaika. I love you.”

He loved her… how long had it been since she had last heard those words pass through his lips..? Heart quivering lightly within the confines of his chest, torn desperately between that which had been and that which should be, Naevia shut her eyes tighter than before, turning her head away as she pressed her arms harder against his chest. No… things had changed far too much for them to be able to return to what was, “..but they cannot… father-...”

”T’Challa means nothing!” Agron interjected, his hands moving to hold her upper arms tightly as she continued to struggle against him.. He was losing her attention. T’Challa had always been a factor. Never a step-father - only a dictator in Agron’s life. Knowing that there was one sure way to bring her back fully to him, Agron let go of her arms, placing his hands on either side of her face and pressed his lips firmly to hers.

Her heart leapt, body frozen in place, Naevia’s dark eyes widened for a moment before eventually, they closed, her lips pressing softly back against his own. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be… not anymore… Her father had made it clear that she was to forget her brother- that he was nothing in her life. But she couldn’t… never completely. He was as much a part of her as her mother and father were; perhaps more.

Body shaking lightly; she felt herself melting at his touch- relaxing visibly against him as the seconds ticked by one by one, making her feel helpless and at his mercy.

It wasn’t being ignored that Barca minded, it was how long it seemed to go on. As he watched the situation unfolding, Barca found himself growing angrier. This man was manipulating Naevia, and she either couldn’t see it, or was just taking it as her due. Either way, something just didn’t sit right.

As things seemed to escalate, and Naevia’s resistance disappeared, Barca flicked through options in his mind on what he could do. To him, as he sought to understand, this was a wrong situation. Yet what could he do, when someone who seemed strong like Naevia, be unable to resist, even after she had tried?

”Naevia.”

There was that annoying, mosquito-like buzzing he had heard earlier again. Taking his time withdrawing his lips from his half-sisters, Agron slowly turned his head to face the boy, dropping his hands to hold Naevia’s waist close to his body..

”Still here, gnat?”

Ah. So interrupt him like that, and he responded. Such an animalistic trait. Barca gave a shrug, ”You really should get that memory problem checked. I’ve already stated I do not give up easily. And you know us gnats, we do like to pester.”

”And have an incredibly short life-span.” Dropping one hand from Naevia’s waist, Agron reached behind him, his hand finding the hilt of one of the swords strapped to his back.

“N-No..!” Lifting up onto the balls of her feet, her heart racing wildly within the confines of her chest, Naevia’s touch was gentle as she reached over, following the line of his arm til she could place her hand over that of her brother’s, her eyes pleading and meeting with his as she called for his attention, “..I-... I beg of you… leave him be…”

His dark eyes looked between his sister’s and the blonde runt, and then back to his sister’s again. Her hand, so soft to the touch, attempting to stay his arm. He could toss her aside with the sweep of his arm - he had done so before - but she was begging him. How could he refuse such a sweet request?

Staying his breathing, Agron swallowed before sheathing the inch or two of sword he had managed to pull before dropping his hand to hold his sister’s waist again, eyes now once more narrowing on Barca.

“She protects you this time. Do not force my hand into disobeying her wishes, runt.”

Barca pondered his options for a moment, mulling the situation over in his mind. He set his owl down behind him, to make it perfectly clear he wasn’t going to be chased away. Barca had been prepared to protect himself, yet hadn’t moved from where he was standing- no doubt it wouldn’t have mattered if he had moved or not.

As it seemed to blow over, or rather as he was stopped by Naevia, Barca shifted only enough to make sure he was still in front of his owl, just in case he needed to protect them both still.

He didn’t look away, and was sure that Argon’s words were meant to humiliate him, but Barca was more than content in his own abilities, and words had always just been words. Even if he was sometimes swamped by them. Should he reply? He contemplated his responses very carefully, weighing each option. ”Very well.” he said carefully, ”I wouldn’t want to scuff your shiny boots, anyway.”

Dropping her head down, Naevia buried it sweetly against her brother’s chest; the gentle and unmistakable sound of her giggle, though muffled against his skin, slipping through her lips to fill the air at the other man’s words.

Despite her attempt to hide, Agron could feel her amusement towards the boy’s words, and couldn’t help but to roll his eyes before looking back to Barca. He jerked his head to the left, a nonverbal signal for him to be on his way, his hold tightening on his sister just a little more.

Barca once more thought on the wisest course of action, deciding that he could take that as a win. Still, he didn’t hurry as he retrieved Glaber’s cage once more, the owl still sleeping despite the faded danger around them. Turning back, he quite calmly said ”Well, this has been pleasant. Until next time, Naevia?”

“Kid…” Agron stared him down, his dark eyes narrowing. “There won’t be a next time.”

His words cutting her off before she even had the chance to speak her response, Naevia hesitated. It was more than clear that her brother wanted her to have nothing to do with Barca… or anyone else for that matter. Though things had changed… hadn’t they..? She had been forced, by his own hand no less, to survive and live without his guidance; and she had, after time, thrived… at least… she believed she had...

Turning her attention over to where the other man stood, doing her best to ignore the feel of her brother’s eyes baring into her, she nodded her head lightly, her voice soft as she chose to give her own answer, “..yes… till next we meet... Barca…”

Barca smiled, and satisfied ensured he had everything before he started to walk off, checking on the owl as he did so.

“..forgive me…” Waiting until he was gone before she spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper, Naevia kept her gaze lowered. She’d gone against him- against what he wanted; she had undermined him completely in front of a courtyard of others, and whether they were watching or not, she knew full well that her disobedience of his wishes was something that wasn’t about to go unpunished…

Moving his hands so that he was taking hold of both her wrists firmly, pressing them between their chests, his eyes bore down into her, his hold tightening when she didn’t meet his gaze.

”Look at me.”

Wincing slightly as pain shot through her wrists, the tone of his voice causing her body to shake lightly against his, Naevia hesitated, her head slowly lifting until she was able to meet with his gaze, her soft lips parting slightly.

”I can forgive everything from the time you believed me dead until this very moment.” he started, keeping his voice low. ”But I have returned, and things will be as they once were. Understand?”

“..but I-... I-...”

His hold on her wrists tightened even further, the possibility of light bruising teetering on the threshold of pressure he was applying.

”They will!” he hissed. ”Don’t you want our happiness once more, Malaika? Don’t you want us again?”

“..I-I-... y-yes, brother…” Pain clear upon her features, her body bending oddly as she tried to ease the pressure he was placing upon her wrists, even just slightly, Naevia stared up at him from her place in front of him, her head nodding quickly as if to push her answer.

”I thought so.” He released his hold on her wrists, turning his hands over to hold hers from underneath, pulling her wrists up to him where he placed a kiss on the injured flesh - one kiss each wrist - before he allowed her arms to fall back to her sides.

”I love you, little sister.”

Arlic Aarvack

TWO DAYS EARLIER

Arlic sat in his seat with an almost death-like stillness. With his gaze out towards what was beyond his window he thought nothing and said nothing. The only thing he wanted at this moment in time was to be able to start his new life at this new academy and to take advantage of all of its resources. The thought of having to deal with so many people made Arlic shudder when he thought of it, but nothing could shake his determination. At times on this grayhound ride he would take a second to reflect on his life and how sudden everything had changed for him since his birthday. When his powers emerged he thought for a second how terrified he should be, and how unreal it was. Well...the latter happened. But even though he went through a life changing and possibly traumatic event he did feel scared about the changes he was literally going through at the time. These new powers were suprising and while Arlic was not scared his mind did race with all the new possibilities.

After a few moments of reflecting Arlic pulled himself out of his own mind and coughed softly into his hand. He stood up slowly and stretched his legs. He had been on the grayhound bus for a few hours now, but it was a two day trip to the Wayne Academy in the middle of nowhere Verginia. If he had better control over his powers Arlic would have just tried to travel by himself without use of transportation but using his powers were very taxing as of late. Arlic open his hand just in front of his chest, open palm upwards, and willed a surge of energy into his palm. In that moment a green light, small in nature and while not very bright it surged with shiny energy, appeared in his palm doing nothing but circulating within itself in an orb shape. After a few seconds Arlic closed his hand into a fist and the energy dissipated into thin air. Arlic grinned then sat back down.

"Dammit this is taking so long", Arlic said sighing to himself ,"The sooner I get off this bus the better."

A bulb went off inside his head and with another surge of willpower Alric hovered himself off his seat and ground, then turned incorporeal. He levitated himself upwards but hit head against the ceiling with a loud smack. Crashing back into his seat with a slur of cuss words streaming from his month Arlic straightened himself out as a female attendant walked over, opened the door to his section, and smiled as she spoke.

"Sir this is the third time we have had to remind you not to use your powers on the bus. Cerberus Gray grayhounds are all updated and equipped with power cancelling equipment built into the walls and roof so no powers can break the walls or ceiling. Please stop or we will need to move you to a more...watched over section."

After the attendant closed the door and walked away Arlic sighed and pulled out his phone. Bored and can't use his powers? Arlic thought to himself how even though these new grayhounds were completely different in so many ways he hated using public transportation.

PRESENT DAY

With a grunt and a shudder the grayhound pull up to the academy and at a complete stop. Arlic stepped out of his section and off the bus, rubbing his shoulder in anticipation.

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Uná glanced up from petting the cat and stood as Phoebe walked away only to see a man come sliding up to Phoebe and chatter at her about blondes, brunettes and redheads and how if guys pass one up then they're pretty much stupid. He was pretty good looking and all but still ignoring both her and Lavi was really rude. California guys were smoother in her opinion. Surfers were so underrated and unless she only knew the smart ones they were painted as dumb guys by all of Hollywood. Besides they knew you don't ignore three hot girls. This guy looked like he was pretty confident but it bothered her that he singled one girl out and ignored the others. Just plain rude...

Uná raises an eyebrow at the guy and narrowed her eyes in his direction. Well then I guess that makes you pretty stupid you just passed up chatting up two rather than one. Males. She turned her attention back to Phoebe deciding that she was going to help a girlfriend out before asked. After all they guy seemed to come on a little strong especially in singling Phoebe out since she had just walked off before Uná
could catch up to her.

Clearing her throat loudly to get Phoebe's attention, hopefully, she called out. "Hey Phoebe? I don't want to rip out the vines it might hurt them. I'm pretty sure I can handle my luggage if you want to release it." Uná looked down at Lavi's cat and muttered. "You better move buddy just in case this all comes tumbling down." Uná then looked at Lavi out of the corner of her eye to make sure she was watching her cat and could dive for him if things went south with the luggage.

Uná then gave her full attention to Phoebe and ignored the guy she was with and tucked the jade vine into a loop in her cream tunic cable knit sweater. She braced her chocolate velvet jegging covered knees against her luggage and grabbed the lighter luggage handles, careful not to pull on the vines and tear or rip anything. Then smiled winningly at Phoebe ignoring the guy completely. Take that jerk. No acknowledgement what-so-ever for you either. Two can play that game.

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Rembrandt stepped off the bus after the dark haired boy who had been a pain in the drivers le cul. He smirked as he shifted the duffel that he pulled off the carry on. All his worldly possessions within it...meaning his two other pairs of cargo pants. His long sleeved shirts button down one in every color of the rainbow. His undershirts one of almost every color an a couple of extras in both white and black. A pair of black and white tank tops and a couple of sweaters. Plus the normal toiletries and whatnot. His duffel was pretty stuffed.

Rembrandt picked up his carrier for Jacques and nodded to the driver and grinned as he looked around the front courtyard. Now dis...dis is bien. All dem chers jus' waitin' for a good cajun. Well gotta give et to dem. Looking around he saw two redheads off the bat, a pretty little creole looking girl making him think of home, a platinum blonde a bit farther off with a massive dog, another with a couple of lions and seemingly like she was about plastered to a male that looked a lot like her but defiantly older. All in all a lot of pretty hot women.

Jacques poked his head out of the trench coat pocket that Rembrandt had put him in and squeaked at him. Rembrandt looked down at the pocket and grinned. "Eh mon amie? You come ou' now? You jus' kno' der is som' chers 'ere dat will love you. Dats why you wan's ou'." Rembrandt reaches into the pocket and gently takes out a sable ferret and places it on his shoulder. He gives the ferret a loving stroke and the ferret chitters happily and winds around Rembrandt's neck. Rembrandt chuckles as Jacques' fur tickles. He scratches behind Jacques' ears and along his neck.

Rembrandt walks around to face the dark haired boy who got off the bus before him and says jokingly in a thick cajun acccent. "So dem bus drivers ain't no joke? Dey sometin else, eh mon amie? Bu' who am I to judge? Rembrandt LeBeau all de wey fro' Loosiana." Rembrandt points to the ferret. "Dis is Jacques. He a troubl' maker. Wha' 'bou' you, mon amie? You no cajun bu' you sem' okay."

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