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@Heartfillia

Well, now she'd gone and screwed up.

Renard's sigh and the way he got out of bed on the other side, away from her, were proof enough. Freya raised her head, then averted her eyes back to the scattered snacks. Without a word, she gathered them into the bag, sweeping up the crumbs, the burn on her palm twinging with every movement of her fingers. She propped up the packet on the bedside table in case Renard still wanted them, which if he didn't, she wouldn't blame him. He said nothing either, but the silence itself spoke volumes.

When words came to her, they trembled despite the slight smile she put on. A smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Well, uh... Hope you enjoy." She glanced from him to the door, that sinking feeling growing by the second. She'd known this was a mistake. For all Renard's insistence that he was ok, he clearly wasn't, or in any mood to talk. "If... if this isn't the best time though..." Freya stepped back. Then, without finishing the sentence, she hurried from the room.

She kept running along the hallway until pain and fatigue overcame her. With a groan, she doubled over and leaned against the wall, clutching her side. Her bruised ribs clenched, her breathing coming in short, choked gasps. Stupid, stupid, stupid, was all she could think, staring over her shoulder. What a stupid thing to do. It was all too likely Renard would take this the wrong way.

Well, things seemed to be wrapping up now. He felt the boy in his grip turn into a boulder, but didn't pay him much attention any more. His job, like the job of all the villains, was done. Dean's raven skimmed past the boulder and landed on his shoulder, and as he saw the pro heroes begin to fill up the room, he decided to make a hasty exit - and as he heard Noxious' voice coming over his comms, then that sealed his decision to leave. He took one last look at the rock, before his birds all stopped moving, sitting on the floor silently, looking around seemingly aimlessly. Dean took a moment to look over the corpses of all the avian soldiers which had fallen in combat, almost with a twinge of sadness. But what must be done, must be done, and what must be done will always have a few casualties along the, especially in a task such as this.

But as Dean stepped back through the entrance he came from, and picked up space into a brisk jog, the calm ended, and the swarm followed behind him providing a sense of cover just in case he was followed. He did think that he might have heard someone beyond the mass running after him, but that sound soon subsided, and Dean snuck out of the facility through the way he came in. A job well done - they had done everything they came here to do, even with the unwelcome addition of a few petulant students. When Dean had gone far enough, he released all his soldiers from their service, and he watched as they all flew in their directions. It would be a few hours still before Dean got home, feeling somewhat fatigued - but certainly not as much as he imagined the heroes must be feeling. He put his raven back in with the rest, and then the day was done.

---

Dean had woken up thoroughly quite bored, and certainly not in the mood for any villainous activity. So, today, he would simply be a normal civilian, doing normal civilian things. No mask or business suit today. First he went out for lunch, and then he noticed he was passing by the San Francisco zoo, and decided to take a quick visit. As much as Dean despised his parents, he did have some fond memories here, making birds do silly things to amuse the kids who were watching, or scare them - whichever got the best reaction. Paying for his ticket and walking in, it was obvious where Dean would go - the tropical aviary. It was nice to escape from the world of criminality every now and again, and Dean probably preferred the company of birds, anyway.

Without his villain costume, the only thing that stood out about Dean now was his height. It was always weird to just be a normal person. He admired the birds, and then glanced over at a young boy trying to get the attention of a parrot who wasn't interested. Soon enough the parrot hopped over and squawked at the boy, with a little help from Dean of course. Well, that was his nice act for the day, and Dean moved on, past animals that didn't interest him much at all. He then reached some cassowaries. That was pretty cool. If he had an army of those at his disposal, he could certainly do much more damage than scratches - the foot of a cassowary could kill in one kick if aimed in the right area. Maybe he should come here one time - at night - and break some of the more dangerous birds out for later use. He could pitch that to the League, maybe, and he made a mental note of it, as he continued watching the cassowaries do their thing - pecking the floor and walking around, mainly.

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@Zaphander

Hearing her name, Gabriella stopped walking, pulled her eyes off the hospital building and looked forward, seeing Peter approach. He looked...good. That was a relief. She had been so focused on the others she'd never really gotten a look at what his injuries looked like the previous day, so she felt terrible when she found out he was also staying the night at the hospital. It would appear whatever injuries he had sustained were not debilitating in any way.

Her relief passed as she registered the question he'd asked her. She returned only a blank stare for a moment. She wasn't fully familiar with the phrase "pay your respects", but if she recalled correctly, wasn't that normally only used when someone had passed away? Why would Peter think that was a possibility?

She looked down at the armful of boquets, and her eyes widened in realization. "Ah! Yes. Umm...I suppose it is difficult to tell. Hah. Hah hah." Gabriella resumed walking and closed the distance to Peter, mildly embarrassed by how long it took her to answer him. "I am doing the first one. I have a boquet for you, too. Please come with me, so I can find a place to put these down and find the one for you."

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@LuckyBlackCat
With Peter by her side, she felt a bit more confident as they entered the hospital once more. She received directions from a clerk manning the counter in the lobby and headed with Peter toward the rooms her classmates were staying in. Luckily, they were all side-by-side, easy to do in a hospital that was just for students and staff of USJ. Upon rounding the corner to the hallway the rooms were located down, Gabby was pleasantly surprised to find Freya up and about as well, standing outside one of the doors.

Knowing not one but two of her classmates were well enough to be walking around brought a smile to Gabby's face, and as she approached the cat-like girl, she felt inspiration well up inside her. She couldn't walk in being dour and worried, that would help nobody's emotional health. Her smile widened, showing off her sparkling whites. Or, at least, as much as could be seen through the small forest in her arms.

"Freya! It is I, Gabriella! Peter is here, too. May we come in?"

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Sofia's fight didn't end after the factory. There were repercussions that came with a major breach of security of that magnitude, such that couldn't possibly be covered up even if the academy tried. The criminal element had just revealed some of its most fearsome super villains and by apparent coincidence had struck at the hero industry at its most vulnerable roots. To most people, it was an unfortunate trial that nevertheless left the would-be heroes involved all the stronger for it. But for people like Sofia's parents, it was all the excuse they needed.

Her room was closed off to everyone, except of course to her parents, neither of whom wanted anything to do with anyone, their minds made up as to her future. That early Saturday morning was met with a great deal of arguing coming from her hospital room. To anyone curious about her condition, it would be said that she'd make a steady recovery. But any attendant would then immediately reveal that she was being transferred to another hospital by noon and that even after her parents had gone ahead to make arrangements, Sofia herself had denied visitors from coming to see her. The damage was done.

---

It was a quarter to noon when a knock came on Renard's hospital door, which let in a kindly yet very tired man in his low to mid fifties wearing a ruffled, white formal shirt sans tie along with the accompanying dark trousers and shoes. "Mr. Sparks?... Yes... I wished that we would have met under better circumstances. I am Theodore. I've serve the Rousseau family for many years and-um... (sigh), and Miss Sofia wanted you to have this before... her departure. I'm sorry."

The man appeared duly contrite as he handed Renard a thrice folded piece of paper, while he himself was ready to answer that Sofia was going to make a complete recovery in another hospital, and after bidding Renard and anyone else in the room goodbye, the gentleman dismissed himself quietly. He couldn't bring himself to speak more than that.

Peter gave Gabby a bitter sweet smile as she mentioned coming here to visit the others. More guilt. Frankly he didn't feel his jokes were really working even for himself. He just tried his best not to look angry about it. "Yeah of course. And... Thanks." Peter followed Gabby into the hospital to visit the others. Peter was told that they were in rooms near his, and he was meaning to go visit them himself once he had calmed his nerves. But he was still nervous right now. It just hurt his head thinking about what to say or do. How could he convince them to stay strong and keep their chin up when he's barely able to convince himself? He doesn't want them to think he's weak.

Peter followed Gabby silently up to the rooms. The whole time he was trying to think and brainstorm what to say to the others, to try and lift their spirits. Something heroic, something deep and meaningful. He wanted to bust out his cellphone and look up lines, scripts, anything that could help. But words were just going in and out of his head making meaningless phrases that felt plastic and artificial. There wasn't any true emotions behind them just things he felt he was suppose to say because that's what heroes do. And then Peter saw Freya.

Poor Freya. She's had bad luck pretty much for as long as Peter has seen her. He wasn't even sure if he could blame Abby for it, but it certainly didn't help. Peter has heard and seen a lot of embarrassing and disappointing things that happened to her that made him both pity and worry about her. But how she felt must've been worse. She knows how klutzy she's been and how badly it affects her ability as a hero. He could tell from her face that like Peter, she was suffering over her own shortcomings. He understood. Peter didn't know what to do or say as a hero, but he knew what he wanted to do.

Walking over to Freya, Peter gave her a soft, gentle hug around the shoulders. He wished he could say something cool to encourage her, but as soon as he tried he started crying. He gritted his teeth; he didn't want to show weakness. But right now he just wanted show that he cared. "Freya. Thank god you're alive." He didn't have anything else to say. He didn't have an answer to the questions he was asking himself. But ultimately he wanted everyone to be alright. They might be hurting now but they're here and that's all that should matter.

@Nyahahameha@LuckyBlackCat

Renard tried to help, but he didn’t know what to say. His hands stil hurt from the wounds the glass made in them so his fingers were not very helpful with picking up the crumbs or sliding them off into his hand. His voice caught in his in his throat. Unsure what he could say to apologize even more for making her scared of him. He knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but for some reason he felt like a knife stabbed in him the gut. Freya was probably one of his closest friends that he made. He had started driving her too and from school for the passed couple weeks now. He had a sudden worry that she would not want to do that anymore.

Before he could apologize once again she spoke up. He looked to the bag and was going to say thank you once more. But she suddenly stopped, moving away and out of the room quickly. F-Fre…. he tried to call out. Reaching towards her… But she was gone.

Could she really not stand him anymore? Just being nice to be nice? His shoulders slumped and he let out a long sigh. He limped over to the closet and pulled out his bag, which had his change of clothes in it. Slowly changing into them, he suddenly realized after pulling his shirt on, it was slightly discolored and grainy. Remembering the other time he hurt freya. Closing his eyes he brushed his shirt off of the salt and went over to the table with the bag of half crushed chips and slipped it into an outer pocket of his backpack.

He started for his door when he heard a knock, a man introduced himself to Renard, saying he worked for Sofia’s family. Handing him a letter and saying she would fully recover, at a different hospital. Renard sighed with some relief. But confused on why he said sorry. As the man left, he opened the letter slowly.

A mixture of emotion fluttered acrossed renards face, a small smile at her apologizing for her penmanship. Which he didn’t even notice because it was so much better than his normal one. To surprise, anger, worry, and sadness. The fact she told him not to see her, as well as the fact she wouldn’t be coming back to school.

She went on to explain how much she changed, and grew. Something he had seen even in these short few weeks. Something he admired about her, being a ‘Lady’ from a rich family. She was not like any of the other “rich kids” he knew of. He was glad she still had her goal to become a hero despite what happened.

By the time he reached the part where she called them her heros. He started to cry, feeling ashamed of himself. He didn’t feel like a hero, he couldn't protect her, nor freya, nor the others. Despite his training before he came to this school. He didn’t deserve to be called her hero…



He started to cry even more as he heard his mother's voice in his head, he sat down on a chair that was near the door and covered his face with his hands. I’m not a hero…I can't protect anyone. No matter how hard I try.. Everyone I care about just gets hurt....

After a few moments he took a deep breath. And continued to read the last part… as if she almost knew he was doubting himself. He could hear a muffled memory of his mother's voice once again… it reminded him of something...but it was too deep to remember just yet.

He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. Look at him being so pathetic. Being so selfish and focused on himself. His friends were all hurt and he didn’t even attempt to go see them. Just moping in his bed. His mother would be ashamed…

He slapped his cheeks and yelped in pain as his wounded hands and cheek stung extra long and worse. Being an idiot and forgetting about his injuries. He pushed himself up and decided to go find the others. Even if Freya didn’t want to be near him…

He folded the letter and slipped it into his back pocket. He would also have to tell the others about Sofia.Once he would get his phone charged, he would have to call her.

He limped slightly through the halls, his right leg still tight from the muscle seizure from the day before. trying to figure out where Freya would have run off too. Would it have been back to her room? Or someone else's? It took a minute but he finally saw her, along with peter and gabby down at the other end of the hall. Peter hugging Freya.

He felt a slight pang of hurt, wanting to just take his right, and head out the exit. But he couldn’t be that selfish. He slowly made his way down the hall, using the railing to help slightly.

With the sound of a door closing behind him, Oliver was now left in an empty Hospital corridor; alone with himself and his thoughts. What happened during the trip was not foreseeable, but he was left wondering of things could have been different. This was the third time he tried to speak to Sofia's parents, but as she wrote in the letter Hayes knew not the existence of - everything had been decided and set in stone. With a sigh he took off, turning a corner only to run into one particular person.

Mr. Sparks - and alone? Strange indeed as he seemed to be quite popular with his class mates. The thought of what happened came back ina flash, in the teacher's mind. Such an event would be hard to process for such young heroes in training, that much he knew. Parts of the fight had been vicious, people were hurt. To see his student limp forward like this... well, it was a metaphor in itself. Hayes did have a mind to go forward to speak to him. To tell Renard that he did good, as well as the others, to hold off as they did. In the face of real danger and hardship, they used everything they could to protect one another. He couldn't be more proud to have witnessed this - but he did not step forward.

A closer look down the hall, towards where Renard was heading, revealed more of Hayes' students. With a nod and the semblance of a smile, Hayes turned the other way. For the better or worse, they were a team now. He would address them in class.

---

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Later on that Saturday, as the sun was setting on San Francisco, a hooded person was making their way down a busy street near the docks of the city. People were running about, heading for whatever destinations they were bound to reach. The hooded figure's way brought her to a street heading in a poor part of the neighborhood and each steps she took, each corner she turned, seemed like it brought her in increasingly disfavored parts of the city until she entered a large building. The heavy metal doors closed behind her as she stepped in, echoing in the emptiness of this seemingly abandoned storage area. There was a few containers scattered about, left to dust and rust. Past those vestiges, towards the back, was a much larger iron container with a single window straight on top of it, a ray of sunlight aiming down on it; it had no visible openings, and no text written on it. It's large gate was shut tight, but a smaller door allowed entrance on it's side - this was where Noxious headed.

It took her close to a good minute to unlock the secured door and step it, closing it back behind her before she finally removed her hood. The inside of the container was nothing like the abandoned outside. It contained a concealed living area; small, but comfortable. The ceiling was a large window, allowing the sunlight in during the day. Everything was tidy to a fault. In the corner was a library full of books, some scattered on the small table close by. There was also a small one-place sofa near the table, in the opposing corner was a small kitchen beside which was the door from which Noxious just entered. To her right, a sleeping area complete with a bed, and a much younger boy laid on it, reading a book. The boy had left his book and sat up when he heard the woman get in.

"I did not expect you before next week?"

Without saying a word, Noxious stepped in the room and dropped a backpack she had been carrying on the small table, pushing the books aside, causing one or two to fall on the ground. From the bag she got some food out along with new books of varied topics; from fantasy to modern politics.

"I was nearby." she said, her purple, jaded eyes aiming down at the boy who was now picking up the books she caused to fall. Calmly, he put them back in the library, then took a look at the new books.

He sat at the Sofa, taking a look at the new books. He seemed to be no more than 15 years old, give or take. The boy had short, pale blonde hair and seemed very thin and weak. Part of it may have been due to bad nutrition, but everything also pointed to him having some sort of condition. "Have you changed the world yet?" He as if it was the most nonchalant thing ever. Noxious chuckled under her mask and she began putting away the food in the kitchen.

"On the day it happens, you'll go free."

"Like you freed our parents?"

If that comment was supposed to faze Noxious in any way, it failed. She finished refilling the kitchen, then headed back to the door, opening it and looking back at the boy before adding; "You know the answer to that." and the massive iron door closed shut on the little boy's existence.

Eira Winters | Antartica

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collab:@KaijuBaragon

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So, Eira didn't get to sit in bed for very long, because she'd been forcibly removed and forcibly taken outside. She was still in an awful mood, and she whined the whole way to the place where fun sibling bonding activities were to take place. Where was that, exactly? The zoo. Nothing like gawking at animals after nearly being mauled by several animal-based quirks.

"Do we have to go? I'll jump out of this car right goddamn now."

"No one asked you to get in to begin with. Quit whining, dipshit." The vast majority of the trip continued in this fashion, only interrupted by the occasional bout of silence, which never lasted for more than a few minutes. Though their words may have been harsh, and the squabbling barely stopped, there wasn't any real aggression in their words. Maybe this would have been hard to see for anyone else, but to the Winters siblings, this was just how it went for them.

Though she didn't want to admit it, Eira was having a pretty good time at the zoo. Her initial sour mood had cleared up pretty fast, replaced by a shy sort of excitement. They went around various enclosures (Aidan's favourite being the bat cave, purely because of how it had always freaked his sister out), minding their own business, until they got to the tropical birds.

Eira liked to keep herself to herself, and in turn, didn't tend to give much though at those she say in public. But there was a man standing in front of the exhibit, and he was so tall that he couldn't even be called that anymore - he was just plain long. As they got even closer, Eira stopped suddenly. Aidan did too, giving her an odd look, but all she did was keep staring ahead with a strange expression.

“Aids. Holy shit, Aids, I think he’s even taller than you are,” she said, sounding much too entertained for something so trivial. Aidan was by no means short, towering over his sister by a good five or six inches, but this guy had to have at least couple of inches on him.

Dean continued to look down into the enclosure, considering where he wanted to go next, when he heard the sound of voices coming his way. He glanced over, not really giving it too much thought. Just a boy and a girl. He went to look back down or walk away, but then something clicked and he glanced back up. He was sure he recognised this girl… and when he remembered from where, he couldn’t help but smirk. What a damn coincidence.

He turned towards the girl as the two drew nearer. “Hey, you attend U.S.J, right?” Dean was sure she hadn’t heard his voice at the factory - he definitely hadn’t said much.

“See, he heard you, idiot,” Aidan muttered to Eira, lightly elbowing her in the ribs. She gave him a dirty look.

“Shut up,” she replied, but there wasn’t any real malice behind it. “And yeah, I do go there. Uh, do I know you?”

If there was one thing Dean was adept at, it was concocting a solid lie. “Ah, no. My brother works at that factory that got hit by those villains. Showed me a bit of security footage from the whole thing - he’s a big fan of the pro-heroes - thought I recognised you from it.” That sounded reasonable enough.

“Oh. Uh, sorry. Is he alright?” Eira replied, a little awkwardly. Her brother said something that sounded suspiciously like, “You’ve got a fan now, huh,” though she opted to ignore it.

Dean turned away from the birds fully. “Oh yeah, he’s fine. Luckily he doesn’t work in the halls, he works up in the security room. Otherwise he wouldn’t have lasted with that shark thing, or all those birds.” He put on a convincing sombre look.

“Those goddamn birds,” Eira scowled. “Well, it’s all over now. Good to hear that he’s ok. Uh, well I think that we’d better be on our way now. Unless you’ve got anything else.”

Dean looked like he was considering for a moment. “No, nothing else. It was nice talking to you - good luck with the whole hero thing - you’ll need it.”

Eira only nodded in reply. “Great to chat,” her brother said, much more cheerfully. “Now, Eira, where are the penguins?” With that, the two walked off, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Dean simply smirked as they walked past him, still totally unaware. So, now he knew Eira had a brother that she was close to. That could come in handy at some point down the line. But back to the birds. He was bored of the cassowaries now, having looked at them for a while. The eagles were nearby. So, off he went to enjoy the rest of his visit.

Honestly, Eira kind of forgot about the guy after that. It was nice to see someone who recognised her (and she would have to get used to it when she inevitably became a pro hero, of course), but she was so caught up in the rest of the trip that it slipped from her mind. The penguins were great, as was the rest of the zoo. Eventually, in a much better mood than the morning, it was time to go home.

"How was that, Elsa? Still want to jump out the car?"

"You're still here, so yeah."

While she didn't explicitly say it, they both know she had a good time. And after the hectic day she'd had before, Eira finally relaxed.

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@Zaphander @Nyahahameha @Heartfillia

Hearing someone approach, Freya raised her head to see Peter, as well as Gabby behind a garden's worth of flowers in her arms. "Hey..." She reached out, wincing slightly as her forearm ached from the previous day's shock, and returned the hug. She needed comfort, more than she deserved it, and hoped she could provide it to at least some people. Even if she'd failed just now.

The thought made her blink back tears, which spilled anyway as a shuddering sob ran through Peter. Despite how much of a wreck she felt, she put on a smile when he expressed relief. "Thank god the two of you are," she replied. As she and her friend unwrapped their arms from each other, she forced a weak laugh. "Yep, don't worry, I've still got eight lives left," she joked, hoping to cheer her classmates up at least a little, not drag them down further.

Such hopes faded when she spotted Renard limping along the hallways. That stab of guilt came back full force. Would he be mad at her, avoid her? Instead of turning away like she expected, he gripped the railing and made his way towards the group.

"Renard?" Freya inched forward, catlike eyes widening. Would he ignore her? Was he just here for the others? If so, she wouldn't hold it against him. Nonetheless, she took a deep, shaking breath, and addressed him. "About just now... I'm sorry." For a moment, she lapsed into silence, before continuing in a whisper. "It wasn't your fault."

He needed to see he wasn't to blame. Neither for her stupid reaction, nor for the accident yesterday that had led to it. She was, for having put him in that situation.

Her sister's words echoed in her head. Told you - you don't have what it takes. How could help society if she couldn't even help a friend?

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@Zaphander @Nyahahameha @Heartfillia

Kerianne had thought it couldn't get much worse than missing the combat simulation. She'd been wrong.

"I knew I should have been there," she muttered into the phone as she strode down the hospital hallway, squinting as the lights brought on that lingering trace of a headache. She almost wished her adoptive father were here to manipulate them, dim them a fraction, but she refused to impose on anyone. The concussion had been her own fault, after all. "Seriously, I'm pretty much fine now. But the others... I'll be here a while. I need to see them."

A sigh came down the phone. "Look, Keri, there's no need to beat yourself up," the older, male voice said. "Yes, I know Elaine and I warned you about overtraining, but... that's just it. That's all part of teaching people to use Quirks responsibly. Please give yourself a break from time to time, nobody was asking you to go through with the test just a few days after a fall."

A fall that only happened because I went and pushed too hard to prepare for that very test, Kerianne scolded herself. And she'd thought her days of skipping school were over. Ohh the irony.

"Besides," Alex continued, voice solemn. "Trust me, you really didn't want to be there. I can't tell you how glad I am you weren't."

Kerianne's fingers clenched around the device. "It was that bad, huh?" Her eyes shifted this way and that, full of concern, as she looked for her classmates. The welling nausea probably had nothing to do with the head injury. "I just hope they're ok..."

Her guardian's words brought some comfort. "You know, people don't get onto the course for nothing. I'm sure they'll support each other through this. That's what real heroes do."

The tiniest smile tugged at Kerianne's lips. "Yeah. I-I'll get back to you afterwards, about everything."

"Please do, including about how you are." There it was again, that insistence. As annoying as it could be, it was nice to have people care about her, like her birth family had. "That's important too."

The checkup wasn't even the main reason for her visit, he knew that, but she reassured him nonetheless. "Don't worry, I will," she said, heading in the direction of several voices. "Well, talk to you later... And thanks." She pocketed her phone, a bag swinging in her other hand as her steps clacked faster against the tiles.

Spotting the group, up and about despite their battered state, she gave a sigh of relief. "There you are," she breathed, hurrying over to them. "I heard about what happened... I'm sorry I wasn't there with you." The words, although she kept her tone calm and steady, came out hushed. "Just thought this would be something, at least."

She reached into the bag, pulling out several handmade get well cards and passing one to each person. Art therapy may have been something she'd once scoffed at, but it had proven surprisingly helpful. She could only hope such gestures would prove just as beneficial to others, although merely handing out cards was nowhere near enough. She swept her gaze around the area for any more classmates, then looked to each student present with a worried frown.

"You're all going to be alright, aren't you?" she asked. "And the others... Are they?"

---

@Zaphander@LuckyBlackCat@Heartfillia

Gabriella, arms still full of boquets, could only watch as Peter embraced Freya, who returned the gesture. They both cried to one another, Peter a little more than Freya. Gabby, still smiling, felt her own eyes water as well as the touching scene played out before her. She felt the urge to join in, to wrap her arms around both of them and give them a safe place to connect to one another, the the flowers obstructed her. She looked around to see if there was a place to put them down nearby, and sure enough there was a nurse's station with a nice wide counter, more than enough space.

She relieved herself of her burden, quickly wiped her eyes, and turned back to see her classmates end their embrace as Renard approached from the opposite end of the hall. He was up and about as well, but definitely looked the worst for wear out of all of them, evident by his limp. Gabby didn't let the smile depart from her face just yet.

"Renard! It is good to see you walking as well! And now, Sofia is the only one I have not yet seen," Gabriella commented, taking a brief look behind her to check in case the lady moth happened to be approaching from the other direction. Instead of Sophia, she instead saw another face she recognized. Yes, it was Kerianne, if she remembered correctly. She had been absent the previous day. On one hand, she was lucky to not have had to go through something so traumatic, but on the other, it meant she was now somewhat of an outsider, unable to relate to the rest of them the way they could to one another, so Gabriella couldn't really decide whether it was a good thing or not that she'd missed that day.

Keri handed out some cards, one to each of them. Perfect timing. "Ah, yes, Gabby has presents for you all also!" she announced after receiving her card from Kerianne. She turned to the nurse's station and carefully picked out each boquet, which came with their own get well soon card personalized for each student. She turned and handed them out after Keri was done with her cards. Once she was done with that, she took the card she received from Keri and opened it to read. It was nice to feel cared about, even though she was certain she needed the words written in the card the least out of everyone present. She looked to Keri and gave her a grateful nod of her head, her smile feeling a little less strenuous after reading her card.

Peter felt much better after her wiped away his tears and took a few deep breaths. It was very comforting to just let loose a little instead of letting all of his feelings pent up like that. Maybe not the most "manly" thing to do, but it felt good. Plus he got to hug Freya, so that's a win too. After the two stopped hugging he spotted Renard and waved at him. Peter wanted to banter with him, but he was obviously taking the whole situation badly. He got hurt the worse out of everyone as far as Peter remembered, and as dumb as he was to do the whole "stay behind to let the others go first" shtick, if Peter was in his position he probably would've done the same. "Hey Sparky. Not feeling too shocked are you?" A little pun to help ease the tension.

Another surprised guest appeared, Kerianne Morley. She wasn't here yesterday on account of not feeling well, or at least that's what he was told. Frankly after the disaster training, Peter had completely forgotten about her. But she didn't forget about them, and she even brought cards for them. Peter always thought get-well-soon cards were cheesy, but then again he's never been hospitalized until now either. It was comforting to have. Gabriella also handed out her flowers, which Peter did his best to be gentle with. He never knew what exactly what to do with these but he'll do his best to make sure they live a long life. Peter looked over to Kerianne and gave her a confident nod. "It's... I'm not gunna lie, it's going to be rough. That wasn't exactly the best way to start our careers. But we survived, and while we didn't personally defeat any villains, they didn't take us down either. None of us were in too much danger that we couldn't put up a fight and hold our own. Sure, our abilities need improvement. But that's why we're here, right? This just gives us an idea of where we all need to improve."

Gripping the gifts in his hand a bit tightly, Peter seemed serious again. Doubt still lingered in his heart, but also a new conviction grew. "I know we'll face them again. And I'm almost positive they plan to fight us again too. It can't be a coincidence that on the same day we go to visit that factory, they're also attacking. If it was just a plain robbery they wouldn't have bothered with so many villains all at once. At most they would've have maybe one or two just to cause mayhem and then the rest of their people would break into the vault or whatever and make a getaway. No... Those guys will be back. And we'll be ready for them." Peter stood up straight and seemed more determined than ever. He couldn't help it. Just like in middle school he saw blatant villainy and he couldn't just let himself stand idly by and let it happen just because they happen to be stronger than him. He never backed down from a fight even if he was out of his league. If they were doing wrong, than he will do right.

"I don't know when we'll have to square off against them, but we need to be ready. Work together, understand one another, and grow stronger. If we try to deal with them ourselves they'll just step all over us. But as my dad once told me, teamwork is the greatest quirk. Namean?"

@Heartfillia@LuckyBlackCat@Nyahahameha

As he grew closer to them, peter was the first to wave to him. Already adding puns...and a horrid one at that. He could almost see why Eira hated all the puns he used for her in a moment of clarity. He simply nodded his head as he came closer. He was not anywhere near ready to ‘banter’.

Renard looked over to Freya as she called his name. He noticed how she inched towards him. But still keeping her distance. She then went on to apologize for what happened earlier. How she just ran away… he assumed what she was referring to. Continuing to say it wasn’t his fault.

Clearly it was something he did. The fact she looked skittish when he even moved. He got that no one liked getting shocked, he knew it hurt others. But for some reason he just took it as she didn’t really trust him anymore. He looked down for a moment Trying to push down his hurt. He put on a very weak smile, You’re fine Freya. I get it... he said in a whisper as well. He forced his smile a little more to try and sell it.

He didn’t move from his spot as Gabby then spoke up at which he simply nodded with that weak smile as a silent thanks. But as she mentioned Sofia his smile dropped instantly. Feeling a gut kick as he realized he was going to have to tell them that she didn’t want to see them. And that she was being forced to leave school.

It was at this point Keri came walking quickly towards them. Explaining she just found out and that she came up check up on them. Giving them all cards. He took the one she made for him and said thank you... softly and read it quickly. As much as he loved to razz her for being so serious all the time. And how she always got on his case for goofing off, he appreciated the thought that she came and was worried about all of them. On a normal day he would have capitalized this and joked that this card was proof she ‘cared’ about him and he would frame it for the world to see.

But it wasn’t a normal day. She asked them if they were going to be ok, He said softly, looking away. ”Y-yeah...ill be fine….Sof.... He started to say, when gabby suddenly announced that she had presents for them as well. As if they didn’t notice the forest of flowers in her arms. She then came over and gave him flowers, signed by her and her family. Whom he didn’t even know. He took them, with saying Thank you.. once again, though he didn’t know what to really do with flowers. But she was kind to give them anyway. And he didn’t want to be rude. He held them in the same hand he held Keri’s card, while he leaned on the railing still while allowing his right leg to rest in a bent fashion, the front of his toes resting on the ground.

For not moving for over a day, it had tightened up quite a bit. At the end of the hall he was starting to shake at the pain of the torn and tight muscles, He did well to hide this, but the pain was growing. He should have got some damn crutches

While he thought of this, Peter was answering Keri. While they were friends and all, hearing him talk was frankly pissing him off.

”Are you kidding me? He said flatly. not the best way to start of our Careers? We are not ‘pro’ hero’s yet. making a circle motion with his hand that held the gifts to indicate he was speaking about everyone in their class. He placed his foot down, to use his hand that was holding him up to point at Peter. Wincing and falling over against the wall, but not down. He held his finger out and continued with what he was gonna say.

Why the hell would they be planning to fight us again? Why would they give two shits about some ‘heroes in training’. We just got dealt a shit hand, somehow barely making it out of there alive. We didn’t stand a fucking chance against them, They were toying with us. I’ve been training for seven fucking years for this, and I still had nothing against some nobody villain. His voice was now growing with anger, but he didn’t yell. A flash of a giant man, with bloody claws looming over him. He closed his eyes for a moment as he allowed his hand to fall and prop himself up once more before speaking up once again.

”Of course it was a coincidence! They were only all there for Enterprise, and Mr. Hayes, While they kept them busy, their lackeys made off with a massive truck full of Hero gear and tech. They were not there to beat some high school kids around. Stop trying to turn it into something it’s not.

He stopped himself and sighed. Dropping the rant as he looked away. Deciding to just tell them about sofia. ” I just came over here to tell you guys, Sofia is not coming back to school. She’s being pulled out. And she doesn’t want anyone to see her right now. he used brought up his hand with the gifts to his face to rub his temple/left eye with the base of his palm.

His anger flushed away as he remembered what she wrote and felt sick to his stomach. Again….he definitely wasn’t a hero. He then quietly said, ”she wanted to thank all of you for helping her. That she thinks you’re her hero’s. ” he said clearly distancing himself from what was said. He certainly didn’t deserve it. He should have stayed right by Eira instead of trying to and failing to attract the attention of the other villains. If he was there… he could have taken the hit or had faster reflexes being closer and dodged it completely. She wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and not be forced to leave.

He grew really silent. Before saying quietly. ”I- I’m sorry... before switching the gifts to his right hand and turning around and started limping away with out another word.

---

---

While everyone else was out recuperating from the villain attack, Phoebe was recuperating in her own room. For her own reasons, she always opted to remain on campus even though her home was merely a short drive away. She always said that she lived with her family all of her life, and just needed some space from them. Which wasn't the true reason but it was apart of it. She was merely on her bed, swiping away from article to the next article on her tablet. Usually, she's out playing, or doing something with her life on a freaking Saturday. Right now she couldn't face her friends and classmates after her cowardice at herself during the villain attack. While some part of herself tried to justify it by saying it was out of her hands, she was just a trainee... she heard that people like Renard and Sofia were gravely injured. Probably still in the hospital to this very moment!

You see, Phoebe dozed off on the bus and she figured that nobody wanted to evoke her wrath by waking her up (which kinda sucked because if what happened didn't happen, she would had loved to see what the equipment company had to offer). She was awakened by the explosions, then she noticed all the chaos going on in the place from the birds to the other freaks and... just hid on the bus. She didn't know what was wrong, but she couldn't see herself charging into a shitty situation and turning it into a complete shit storm. She was far too pragmatic for that. The authorities showed up and questioned her about it and she gave her version of the story and she could just feel the heroes faces twisting up at her in contempt.

Because she knew what she did didn't abide by the golden standard set by heroes like Enterprise and All-Might. She knew that well but it wasn't a standard that she wanted to live up to. She was in this for fame and money so she could have everything she wanted out of life. But she still cared about people in some way, especially the ones close to her even if she pushes them away sometimes. She could had saved them, or at least made the blow a little worse. Which was why she was staying in her dorm room for now.

Waiting until she gained the strength to go out and face them.

---

---

@Zaphander @Nyahahameha @Heartfillia

It wasn't fine. Renard's weak smile, his whisper of "I get it" like she'd upset him... That said it all.

"Please..." Freya took a step closer. "Don't blame yourself. For anything."

As someone else approached - Kerianne, who'd been lucky to have missed all that - Freya put on her own faint smile. "Hey..." Holding her stiff, sore hands out, she accepted the gifts from Keri and Gabby. "Thanks... Both of you, thanks." She sniffed the flowers and gently nuzzled them before tucking them into the crook of her elbow, then read the card, her heart warming from the kind gestures. Felicity may not have shown any concern, or bothered to visit, but here were people who cared.

At Peter's words, she nodded. "Well, I don't think they were going for us personally," she added to his speech, "so let's hope we don't run into any more villains before we become pro heroes. I'm with you on teamwork though."

That was when Renard spoke up, sounding so unlike his usual self, Freya's mouth fell open at his tone. That anger, that self blame, she'd never expected it of someone like him. "No!" she replied as he paused and looked away. "Don't do this to yourself! We all held out. You did great, the jokes, the chair, the..." She closed her eyes, images rushing into her mind like a nightmare. Renard kneeling in blood, shaking, launching a flurry of kicks and punches at the chainsaw woman, his face uncharacteristically contorted with fury...

She hadn't done great, Freya thought, suppressing a shudder. Not if she'd done that to him. Triggered something in him that had destroyed the good cheer his friends knew him for, all because she'd been careless enough to step into a villain's path.

Trying to push away the thoughts, she raised her head, glancing at him, then Gabby, then Peter. "You all did a good job. Teamwork, it really is the greatest Quirk."

Her words weren't enough to lift the mood. Especially when Renard broke the news about Sofia. Freya gasped, slumping her shoulders against the wall as numb disbelief sapped what little strength she still had. "But-But why? How bad was it?" Her voice wavered. "Please tell me she's going to be alright!"

Renard wasn't in the mood to talk any more. He simply turned and started on his painful way down the corridor. "Wait!" Freya hurried a few steps after him, then stopped. She'd already made things a great deal more awkward for him. The last thing he needed was 'help' from her, the person responsible for the mess he was in.

---

---

@Zaphander @Nyahahameha @Heartfillia

Giving out cards almost felt like an insult.

Even as her friends expressed gratitude, Kerianne's doubts weighed on her. She'd had to do something, but what difference could a few simple messages make? Once her hands were empty, she put them in her pockets, casting her eyes down at herself. Her neatly-pressed blouse, hiding scars from brawls. She'd known danger, had to watch her back as she'd kept to the shadows, literally and figuratively. She'd seen friends beaten and bloodied. Yet she'd never experienced anything on this level. And if she hadn't broken away from those crowds, turned from that path... She may well have ended up as one of the people who'd done this to the class.

"Heh... I hope that helps at least a little," she said nonetheless, voice soft. Gabby and Peter seemed in reasonably good spirits, at least, but Freya's shaken state didn't escape her notice, and Renard... Kerianne's eyebrows furrowed. It wasn't just his limp or his heavy bandages that were distressing to see. It was the complete and utter change in his attitude. "No jokes?" she asked. "No teasing that I must have a sentimental side after all? Renard, just how bad did things get?"

At that point, Peter looked over, attempting to rouse people's confidence with a speech. While he put up something of an overconfident tough guy act, Kerianne couldn't exactly fault him for it, given the situation. Somebody, however, did argue back - the last person she'd expected to.

Her normally stern eyes widened a fraction. Then, she stepped closer to Peter and Renard, hands raised, palms up. "Look." She kept calm, yet firm. "Peter, I get what you're saying. Got to say, I agree with Renard that there probably wasn't a reason for them to target the class, but it's good you're using this as motivation. Once you see certain things... It's kind of all you can do."

Falling silent, she cringed. Her words must sound so empty to people who didn't know she was talking from experience. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "And Renard, don't beat yourself up. Like you say, we've only just started on this course. None of you are to blame."

Renard didn't beat himself up any further. Instead, he announced something that stunned Kerianne speechless. Sofia wasn't coming back? The blonde shut her eyes, gritting her teeth. She should have known some people would get pulled out of the school after something like that, no matter how strong their drive to succeed. Still, she shook her head as if trying to deny what she was hearing. "Oh god..." she finally said. "And she was so set on getting through the course..."

It was with a hushed apology that Renard headed away, unusually subdued after that outburst. Not that she blamed him, particularly as he hadn't quite been a bearer of glad tidings just now. Still, as annoying as she found his contant pranks and joking around, the lack of such behaviour was nothing short of disturbing. "Don't be sorry," she called. She lowered her gaze to her feet. "I'm the one who owes everyone an apology. For not having been around."

---

@Zaphander@LuckyBlackCat@Heartfillia

Before Renard could get too far from his classmates, he'd find his path cut off by a large, almost-as-big-as-his-head arm blocking his path as Gabriella forcefully placed her palm against the wall. Her long strides and not-limping gait had allowed her to easily close the distance, and before anyone could do anything about it, she was leaning in close, half-kneeling to bring herself eye level with Renard's face.

"If you are sorry, truly, then do better," she instructed, her body language, furrowed brow, and low tone of voice all betraying how cross she was with him for how he was acting. "If we are heroes, then so are you. If you use a different word for youself, those seven years you spoke of are wasted."

Satisfied with the choice of words she'd come up with for Renard, Gabby's expression softened, though her frown remained on her face out of concern. She pulled her hand off the wall and stepped away from Renard, letting him continue down the hall if he pleased. It seemed the others all had words for him as well. So she wasn't the only one put off by his behavour? It was relieving to know she wasn't alone in how she felt. It wasn't even just how he had blew up at Peter when he was just trying to get everyone motivated, which was bad enough, but she had noticed how he worded his sentences when telling them of Sofia's departure, wording that seemed to purposefully exclude himself.

As upset as she was at him, she knew simply chastising him for what he said wouldn't be enough - she had three younger siblings giving her plenty of experience in that area - so she chose words that she felt he might like to hear. She could only hope that delivering a helpful message in a stern tone would help Renard the same way it helped her little sister that one time she had a big argument with one of her school friends. The same way it had helped Gabriella herself when her mother found out about the bullying she'd been going through when she was her sister's age.

If this had been your regular old anime, the heroes might have used this encounter in some way that it would have strengthened their skills and made them more aware of their shortcomings. The weekend would have been used to make friends, render their bonds as a team stronger. Maybe they did that, in their own way, or on their last day off - but mostly, it seemed, a wave of negativism submerged the group; regrets, guilt, anger and frustration were the name of the game.

Monday's weather seemed to agree with our heroes, as the sky was filled with grey clouds and rain poured down on the city. Despite everything, they were of course expected to show up for their classes once the week began. Unless of course if their injuries were too severe and didn't permit it. The first half of their day was filled with regular academic classes. Even heroes had to learn and pass those, of course. Those teachers were your regular, everyday teachers who focused on the class subject and did their best to avoid mentioning hero work too much. So, the morning would be filled with English, History and Economy and the such.

Time soon came around for the lunch break, and as everyone would be gathering their things the English teacher spoke up



Generally speaking, when they had Hero Training in the afternoon it was split in two parts; Physical then Academic - which meant that the physical part was the one cancelled. Depending on the student, this was either a good or bad new. What was more, it was also true that Mr. Hayes was not known to cancel his classes ever. Which meant this meeting was of some importance.

---

"How much?" said Mr. Hayes. He was sitting at a long table in the Principal's office along with four other teachers and, instead of Enterprise, the man who had come to their help at the Factory on Saturday. It seemed they were in a conference call with someone over the phone. "Too much." the voice answered.

"With that they stole, they could muster a small army. Or worst."

Silence fell on the table while the information was seeking in. All the gear they stole did not only mean they amassed that much wealth, but it also meant that it most likely would end up on the streets thanks to the black market. In the hands of common thugs. "Troubling news, but nothing that we can do about it - What about their identity and motives? Any news on that part?"

Arthur, as was his, was a tall man and handsome man; short, well kept black hair and a focused and serious look. He almost always wore a vest ontop of his clothing with his arms under it, not in the sleeves. He missed his left arm and always has his cane with the other arm. Arthur was born without an arm only for him and his family to discover way later in his life that this was to be his Quirk. Arthur was also known as Fate's Hand, his hero's name, otherwise known as the 2nd Pro Hero in the country, after Enterprise. He was chosen to replace her as Principal, a position which he accepted.



Mr Hayes would be the one to answer; "Well, for now she's...

...as good as dead." answered Noxious back at her interlocutor.

(No more Rainy Mood)



She was standing, in the room where she and her Villain's League had first met. The room, along with most of the hideout, had been developed and upgraded. From the exterior it still looked like a ruin, but the inside now had rooms for those who might need a place to lay low or stay at. The 'conference' room was now Noxious' quarters. Gone were the crates, power generators and wires. In it stead the floor had been equalized and, in the corner, a personal training area. This was where Noxious was standing, punching and kicking away at a punching bag between her answers. She was in her combat outfit.

The person she spoke to was on screen, although their identity was masked by a dark veil of shadow. Classic. Only a few persons knew that All For One was the one leading the League of Villains. Most thought him dead - this was not All for One. Just like Noxious led this branch of the League, her direct superior led the branch of the League in North America.

"If I had reached her, she would already be dead. I scraped her cheek with one finger. The poison will take hold, but it will take time since the dose was minimal. I do not know how long it will take, just that the result is assured." she said, taking a break and walking away towards the screen, while stretching her arms.

"Leave nothing to chance. You are a professional - act professional. I want to be certain of Enterprise demise - the last vestige of All Might's ideals - before we proceed with the plan. Still, you know what to do. I will trust you with the next steps, do not disappoint us, Miss Araraki."

The purple haired villain did not display the acknowledgement of her superior's order. No nod, no words - just a stare at the screen until it closed and left her alone in a room where, once more, her comrades were supposed to join her shortly. The next part of the plan was bound to be even more exciting.

Renard had said nothing to Kerianne when she brought up the fact he didn’t tease her. Even asking how bad did things get. He didn’t know how to answer that honestly. The subject was rough on on him as it was. He only looked away from her, his hand gripping the flowers and card tighter.

When she then moved between he and peter, saying “...once you see certain things... It’s kinda all you can do.” He instantly saw his mother’s body once more.Letting out a deep breath, trying to remove it from his thoughts. Only to flash to the dead men whom he recently was covered in their blood. The attempt to save someone, only to be tossed aside like a ragdoll. Was that all he could do? Just be a failure, and see his failures?

As he was walking away though, he stopped when Freya asked him to stop. Gabby blocking his path near the same moment. She tried to give him a stern look, to which he simply glared back.

"If you are sorry, truly, then do better," she said, "If we are heroes, then so are you. If you use a different word for yourself, those seven years you spoke of are wasted."

It’s what he tried for seven years. To do better. It was for nothing though, he thought he trained hard… but it was worthless. But while she was trying to help, he only gave her a flat. ”Then it’s wasted.” Before looking back towards freya. Deciding to answer her as well. She’s going to be fine. She will live. Just being forced to leave because of her parents. Her words before about him were lost in the confusion of words. Looking to the others, for only a moment each, he then turned. Limping down the hall towards the exit of the hospital.

---

Renard looked up as he gathered the books he into his leather satchel. His body free of bandages, only fresh scabs were all that were left from what happened on friday. The english teacher explained that they had the first part free to study while Haye’s was busy. He sighed a little sigh of relief. His leg was still slightly bothering him. Enough that it only showed a tiny limp with each step. But enough he could ignore the pain if he needed to. That said, you didn’t see him complain….or say anything….the entire day. Keeping to himself instead of being normally participating in everything.

No bantering with Peter or Yi. No playful teasing, or flirt and a random joke. He just sat there and looked at his books for class. He finished packing his bag and moved towards the next classroom. Seemingly lost in thought.

---

---

Once she'd headed home, Freya could barely bring herself to leave her room. She trudged over to her backpack, which her parents had brought back after their visit, and with a sigh, pulled out her hero costume. Right now, it looked like exactly that - a costume. Wearing it again would feel like playing dress-up. How could she call herself a hero after that? Why should she go back and complete her training if Sofia couldn't? Or face Renard again after what she'd put him through?

Holding up the outfit with one hand, she extended the claws on the other. She'd rip it to shreds, then quit the course. She'd known deep down she should. So why wouldn't her body comply with her mind? Just then, she heard the front door open, followed by footsteps up the stairs. Slumping her shoulders, she dropped the costume in a crumpled heap and sank onto the bed. As she'd expected, a knock sounded at her door.

"Freya? You in there?"

Freya swallowed down the tightness in her throat before replying. "Yeah... Come in."

The door creaked open, and her mother stepped in. Although clearly tired from work, she bore an expression of concern as she sat down next to Freya, hugging her. "Oh sweetie, I'm just so glad you're ok. And that it'll all be ok."

Freya shook her head. "No... No it won't be," she replied, eyes squeezing shut. "It won't be ok. M-Most of them got away with it. People got hurt, badly hurt, s-some of the workers didn't make it... Someone even got taken off the course, it was that bad. And... and Renard, he took the whole thing the worst of all, he just isn't the same any more, and it's all because of me..." The more she babbled, the more frantic her tone grew. "I can't go back. Felicity's right. Dad's right. I'm not meant for this."

Her mother made soft chirruping noises, like a parent cat towards a kitten. "Remember, it's early days yet. Of course it'll take a while for everyone to get through this, but people are pretty resilient. As for Renard, I can't imagine anything keeping him down for long."

A shudder ran through Freya. She'd thought that too, before this.

"Whether you go back or not," her mother continued, "it's your choice. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. If you still want to be the hero I have no doubts you can be, then go for it."

Freya stared in surprise. "But... Didn't I scare you?"

The grip around her tightened. "Of course I was scared," her mom replied. "I won't lie, I worry about you, and about Felicity, every day. But this is what you've both always wanted, and I'm not going to take it away from you." Another chirrup. "If you're not ready to go back on Monday, that's fine, I'm sure they'll understand. Just think it over before you do anything drastic. Because if you don't want to quit, there's no need to."

Sniffling, Freya nodded. "Thanks, Mom. Yeah... I-I'll think about it."


@Heartfillia

Her mind was made up by Monday, even if she didn't know if she'd made the right choice by going back.

To her relief, Renard still arrived to drive her to school, but barely said a word throughout the entire journey. It's early days yet. Freya kept repeating her mother's words in her mind as she stared out at the rain, but her worries still loomed large as the clouds overhead.

She barely paid attention in class. The nightmares hadn't let up, stealing much of her sleep over the weekend. More than once that morning, she woke to a teacher's scolding, finding herself slumped over the desk. The hours stretched out until lunch break, as well as an unexpected but welcome announcement. Physical training was cancelled.

With a sigh of relief, Freya shuffled from the room, lunch bag in hand. It wasn't just the lingering aches throughout her body that made her reluctant to train. In truth, despite her choice to continue the course, Felicity's taunt kept playing through her head. Told you - you don't have what it takes.

Normally, she'd see extra time as a chance for a good nap. Today, though, there was someone she had to at least try to help. No matter how badly she'd failed on Saturday.

Step by slow step, she made her way down the corridor, approaching Renard. He seemed in better shape physically, nothing left of his injuries but a few cuts and a slight limp. Emotionally, though... That was a different matter. "Hey," she called out, speeding her pace a little. "Just wanted to ask..." Catching up with him, she paused as she looked over his remaining wounds. "You ok there? Your leg, it isn't giving you too much trouble is it? And..."

As her eyes met his, she took a deep breath. It was time to confront him. "Please tell me the truth. How's everything otherwise?"

---

---

Kerianne hadn't slacked off that day. That was what Alex and Elaine had reassured her over and over again. Yet it still felt like she had.

Which was why, after the announcement that physical training was cancelled, she headed to the school gym anyway. Dressed in her sports kit, she dragged various pieces of equipment into the hall, those perpetually wary blue eyes flicking this way and that, noting where shadows fell. U.J provided some security, but she still had to prepare for any possibility. Friday's events were proof of that, as was the sudden cancellation of class. The fact that Mr Hayes of all people had called off the training... It couldn't mean anything good.

And if anything happened again, she wouldn't let her friends down.

Crouching in a shady corner, she set a stopwatch around her neck. In an instant, she dropped, staring ahead and pressing her hand to the planks as if pushing at a door. A lurching sensation jolted through her, black wisps rising where she disappeared. Her immediate surroundings changed like snapshots from different angles as she blinked through shadows cast by apparatus. Reaching the punching bag at the end of the hall, she drew back a wrap-protected fist and launched a jab. She then ducked as if from an enemy's counter strike, activating her Quirk the second she touched the bag's shadow, zipping in and out of portals to her starting point.

As she repeated the process, it wasn't long until the room started spinning. She crouched, ready to warp again despite her wobbling legs, but her guardians' words came back to her. Overtraining wouldn't help. Her sigh echoed through the room as she stood up, staggering to the mat where she'd left her bag. She should rest in between sessions, Elaine had said, wait until the dizziness passed, then start again.

Sipping from a water bottle, she checked the stopwatch and grimaced. Just a few days off sick and she was already out of practice. As much as she wanted to resume training, she set the bottle aside and lay back. As soon as she stopped feeling like she'd stepped off a rollercoaster, she'd continue the session. And she'd do better this time.

Green, downcast eyes stared out the window of their classroom, the quiet cacophony of raindrops and thunder doing very little to keep the young girl's attention away from it. She really should've been paying attention, and she kind of was, but she allowed just this once for her mind to wander a bit more than the norm.

Knowing that she missed such an important field trip, especially when her classmates could've benefited from her being there, did more harm to her already deteriorating psyche and self esteem than Breeze and her father did on a normal basis. The first thought that came to mind was to apologize, but that felt more like belittling them for their efforts. Acting like nothing happened probably wasn't the best idea either, so Breeze kept to herself like always, not wanting to step on anyone's toes, and occasionally jotting down notes with a shaky hand, attention divided between outside and the actual classes.

Before Breeze knew it, it was time for lunch. Again, even though she got to know the others a bit better through classes and the like, the small girl still chose to eat by herself or alone in general. She wasn't even hungry to begin with... Fortunately, some of their afternoon classes would be canceled, which gave the mini arsenal the incentive to get up.

Gripping the straps of her backpack a bit tighter than needed, Breeze shuffled out of the room and made her way to the changing room and eventually the gym. There was so much more she could get done if she went there anyways. Plus, just because the class was cancelled didn't mean she wasn't allow to train a little bit herself, no?

Wearing the training uniform the school provides minus the jacket and instead a white short-sleeved t-shirt, Breeze slowly opened the door to the premises, catching the tail end of one of Keri's drills. Seeing the other relaxing to take what Breeze would assume was a short break, said girl gave the other a shy wave before quietly approaching, sitting a little bit away to give the other some space.

"Y-You're still training too? E-Even though class was cancelled?" Breeze inquired as she reached into her own back and started pulling out weighted wooden blocks, each of different size and color, as well as a textbook to red while she was doing what she needed. The former was a training exercise she always had on her to hopefully strengthen her Quirk and physical abilities. Activating her Quirk with a slight frown, Breeze wasted little time pushing a block at a time onto her skin, said cube forming into a tattoo that would mark her skin until reversed. "M-Makes s-sense...I w-wish things could go back to normal soon..."

It was very conceited wish, the look on her face proved so, but that didn't mean she wouldn't want it to come true. It was worrying, watching everyone be so down and sad, so much different than what she's known and liked them for. Everyone had their reason's, and she couldn't under mind those, but if things kept going at the rate they were, could hey even go back to normal?

Eira Winters | Antartica

---

Eira had spent the last bit of her weekend doing absolutely nothing, which is admittedly what she did most weekends. She'd done her best to stop thinking about the support company incident, partially because she didn't want to feel bad, but mostly because she didn't care enough to mope about it. As far as she knew, nothing particularly devastating had happened as a result, other than injuries, but those would heal. Maybe she'd be proven wrong, eventually, but it was done with and it was time to move on and improve. God, that sounded cheesy.

Nevertheless, Eira came into school on Monday the same as she always was. Physical training was cancelled, due to a meeting Hayes had, which Eira wasn't too pleased with, along with the implications that something bad had or would happen, which was also pretty awful. A lot of the students who had been off the day of the incident were in on that day, and none of them seemed to be particularly positive about the whole situation either. It was quite ironic, that the one student who was always in a bad mood would be the one who was the least bothered about what happened. Or maybe she wasn't bothered to be angry at this particular thing.

She went through classes as she usually did as well, though the atmosphere in them was considerably dampened. Hell, even Renard, poster boy for positivity and shitty puns was acting pretty out of it. Despite him probably being her biggest annoyance and her constant wishing he would shut up, she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by the drastic change in attitude. It felt wrong.

The first half of the afternoon was free, so Eira had planned to 'study', by which she meant sit down on her own and stare holes into a textbook. Instead, she ended up going to the gym, she wasn't in a very studying mood after all. Kerianne and Breeze were in there, the former laying down. She hadn't been there for that, but she did hear a bit of what Breeze said.

"Yeah, it's fucking awful. One bad thing happens and all of a sudden it's the end of the world," she said, opting to ignore her Saturday morning that had largely consisted of feeling like shit. "Christ. It's as if someone's died." Maybe that wasn't the most appropriate thing to say, but it was too late to take it back.