---

Homecoming was underway. All the station was lit up, all the occupants were celebrating, all the faculty were attending, all the agents were patrolling - Radvi included.

He’d taken a moment off his assigned ATV route to stop and observe the surroundings from an elevated level. His hands were on the railing as he scanned the vastness of the decorated ring. The absolutely boggling part of all this was that it was fulfilling its intended purpose - getting people to forget about the breakout. Maybe for most, it took a lot less time to pass an event like that from the mind. Maybe most hadn’t suffered any personal tragedies at all during the ordeal - just witnesses to other peoples’ loss, as well as the incompetence of the security force for getting locked up in the spire tubes.

Things were going to shit. And Homecoming was just a brief interlude before people resumed realizing it.

Radvi had the prototype taser fastened to his belt, along with a pack of extra projectiles supplied by Trevor. It didn’t function like a normal taser with wires and all, no current to bother running from point A to point B. But, as stated, it was a prototype. If anything came up, and there were no nullifiers around, maybe he’d get the chance to run the field test his R&D friend wanted so bad. And if Arianna were to show up - even better, despite voiced concerns. But if she did... why would it be tonight? Radvi had to accept the fact that he still knew so little about his suspect - who she was, what she wanted, why she wanted it. But he was still resolute in his belief that she was an enemy to this station, and had to be stopped.

Three. Hundred. Casualties.

Radvi sighed. He turned his head and-

“FUCK-”

D was suddenly there, leaning on the railing to Radvi’s right. Radvi, appropriately, expressed his startled shock and flinched backward. D’s response was just a soft, synthesized chuckle. No one else was in the immediate area to report the scene, thankfully. Too busy elsewhere, celebrating.

“God-… damn it!” Radvi exclaimed, as the jumpiness wore off, “What is with people popping out of nowhere today?”

D shrugged. Radvi sighed.

“Fine, forget it… What are you doing out here? What’s your plan?”

“Do I really look like a guy wi-”

“Okay, okay, nevermind, listen. I need to talk to you - the Chief told me he’s willing to give you a pass, ID and everything, so that security will stop chasing you.”

‘DO GO ON?’ flashed across D’s helmet in bright yellow letters.

“If…” Radvi continued, “You can prove, wholeheartedly, that you aren’t working against us. You’re not an enemy of the station, you don’t have any nefarious plans.”

“Do I really loo-”

“No you don’t look like a guy with a plan!” Radvi interrupted, somewhat irritated at the repeating voice clips, “But the Chief is the one who has to be convinced here. You do that, you’ll have an easier time helping me get this Arianna woman. And that is what you want to do, right?”

Two thumbs up from D, and a little twinkle on his big dumb grin.

“Alright. We’ll work on it. You still have that PSI chip?”

D took his spare chip out of his pocket and held it up with a bit of flourish.

“Keep it plugged into...” Radvi continued, “Whatever device you have on you. If by some ungodly chance she shows up tonight…” He took the taser from his belt and held it up for D to behold. “We’ll be ready.”

D nodded his head. He liked Rad’s confidence. He shared it, even.

Amelia

---

Amelia had been doing her own prep work for the night. She finished applying her black lipstick to compliment her similarly black party dress. Of course, dress or no she was still bringing her trusty leather jacket, and her dress needed to match. The plan was....fairly simple, in retrospect. Track down and drop in on the others, and inform them that she was, in fact, not dead. Except Lynn. Lynn would require some warning if she didn't want to get set ablaze under suspicion of being a snitch.

After that, when everything was winding down, and people started heading home for the night, Amelia had one special surprise planned. Her formerly empty duffle bag was now filled to the brim with spray paint, box cutters, and cardboard. It was as though everything was building up to one hell of a tag. A tag that honestly should have been made weeks ago. "Better late then never..." Amelia muttered to herself. Amelia slipped on her boots, foregoing heels since they weren't quite the best for the rooftop traversal she had planned later. With that, she made her way to the door, sending out a message to Archie, Natalie, and fuck it, lets add Keaton.

"Alright losers, I'm bored with pretending to not exist. Where we all going, I'll meet up with you."

E L I

---

Eli pressed her lips together, her brows furrowed to express her minute annoyance. She was used to seeing that phrase by now, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. On one hand, Eli was upset that there hadn't been a single signature detected once over the course of three days. Nor from any of her other Mystery Inc. buddies. Yet, on the other hand, Eli was comforted by the phrase when she was in her apartment. The last place she'd want to detect this flubber bitch was near her apartment.

With a small huff, Eli locked her phone and stuffed it back into the pocket of her jacket. She'd opted to take the long route to the campgrounds, just in case her phone picked up on any blue goop nearby. Unfortunately this meant that she had to deal with passing through homecoming events. Two months ago, Eli would have been elated to have dance parties strewn across the space boat. She normally enjoyed those kinds of things, but Eli knew what the point of these dances were. They were a distraction. The Promise was just the rich parents gifting their troubled children expensive toys so that they would love them.

She looked at the throngs of parahumans, but she didn't see them dancing or stumbling drunk into the dance parties. She saw them crawling away from ominous figures in blood-orange jumpsuits. The uproars of laughter sounded like the screams of her people on the street below her. Eli shoved her hands into her pockets, gripping her phone tightly. She watched the ground, making sure to weave through the masses without getting too close to anyone.

Without even realizing it, she found herself stopping by a bridge. A few weeks ago, this bridge would have been covered in flowers, notes, candles, and there would have been a picture of a young man in the middle. Eli stared at the spot with an ache in her chest. She probably would have been there for a bit, if a passing boy in a button down hadn't bumped into her.

Waving off the drunk teenager, Eli turned and continued on her way. She ground soon switched from smooth pavement to rough underground. She was heading deeper into the wooded area on The Promise, and towards the peace of the forest. The further she left the sound of the parties behind her, the lighter Eli's chest felt. By the time she heard music and voices growing louder the closer she came to the campground, Eli was excited to drink with her friends. They didn't need a homecoming dance. They just needed some booze and a campfire.

---

Eli stepped into the light of a fire and found herself at the edge of a clearing. Various logs, lawn chairs, and blankets laid out around a bonfire at it's center. At one end of the clearing was a table covered in various bottles of liquor, mixers, plastic cups, 12 packs of beer, and a five gallon beverage cooler. A speaker nearby played music at a chill level.

"Eli!" A rosy-cheeked, redhead shouted as she walked over to greet Eli. The girl appeared to be around Eli's age. "You look amazing!"

Eli embraced her good friend, a wide grin on her face. "Oh, this? I just threw this on." She said with a giggle, her day immediately brightening at the sight of her friend. "It's my homecoming dress. Think my date will like it?" She joked, gesturing to her outfit. In fact, it was nothing close to homecoming-approved. None of the people around the bonfire were formally dressed. Eli's outfit blended right in. Later on there would be people dressed up when the dances were shut down, but for now, it was a casual party. Most of the people there had either outgrown stuff like that, or thought that homecoming dances were a bunch of bullshit.

"Girl, I think you're homecoming queen material."

Eli laughed, the two girls wordlessly making their way to the drinks. Eli took a cup from the stack and poured a good amount of white rum into the cup. She then filled the rest up with whatever jungle juice concoction was inside of the cooler. "Maddy, you have no idea how long it's been since I've had a drink." She said, raising the cup to her mouth and taking a big gulp.

Maddy watched her friend, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. She knew exactly why Eli hadn't been out in a while. She could feel the pain and anger within Eli, something Maddy had never really sensed before in her friend. After all, she was an empath. "Don't worry. We haven't done much without you."" She paused a moment before continuing. "We all needed some time after we found out about Zeke."

There was a heavy silence between the two, but their eyes spoke volumes. Eli nodded, swallowing and clearing her throat. "Well, I've missed you." She raised her cup into the air. "And I've missed this. Let's drink."

The two bumped their cups together and took a celebratory chug before breaking into laughter. They linked arms and headed towards the group that had gathered before the fire. Eli greeted her other friends and the guests that they brought with them. The group eased into their spots on the logs and blankets around.

The warmth of the fire and company lifted Eli's spirits. She took it easy on the alcohol after her first cup, preferring to avoid a blackout on her first night out in weeks. When she felt like it was an appropriate time, she sent a separate message to both Archie and Keaton.

---

If anything, Keaton would say that she was calmer after the Faceless dropped by. While they clearly hadn’t told the entire truth, they’d told their truth, and that was enough for Keaton to work with for the moment. Before them, she wasn’t too sure where she should look or what sources she should tap. After them, she had Arianna and Caroline, knew that long-time ship boarders like Eli didn’t know much else. For now, then, it was waiting until she could figure out a time and place to talk to Caroline, or strike gold and find Arianna before one of her chip-wielding allies. That she ended up coming up with nothing good on Arianna before Homecoming was just testament to the woman’s intelligence, Keaton felt, and there was no way someone so shrewd would try and use the Promise’s own plan against them. Such would be too cliche, too expected because it was unexpected.

So, because Keaton felt that she could count on Arianna to continue laying low until after Homecoming, she also felt that she could loosen up a bit. Just enough to go do some normal things like shopping and watching movies and chatting without planning her questions or paying attention to the time. Eli, while not extremely helpful in terms of providing new information, was proving to be someone Keaton could see herself getting along with in the long run. She was less pent up and more freewheeling, but those were traits Keaton admired in her current world of secrets and unknowns. In an effort to encourage Lynn to loosen up a little too, Keaton had introduced the two under the pretense of food, which seemed to be a pretty good way of getting through to Lynn. Whether or not Keaton was successful on that front remained to be seen, but judging by the text that just popped up on her phone, Keaton figured she’d done alright.

A few more texts set the stage for the night: Eli was at the campground party, Lynn and Amelia were looking for a party, and Archie and Natalie were going to one of the official Homecoming dances. The last part was a guess, but Keaton didn’t need her powers to confirm it. The move for her was clear: The campground party, where there wouldn’t be a slew of awkward teens struggling to toe the line between dancing and stepping on each other’s feet, was where the party would be. Though Lynn was technically a high schooler, Keaton couldn’t even imagine herself trying to survive a school Homecoming dance, much less Lynn. Homecoming was a time for friends, classmates, and dates, and Keaton hadn’t bothered much with any of those. Going stag to a dance full of strangers sounded like the opposite of fun, especially when said strangers were likely underage and overly drunk.

Keaton: Campground by the forest. Eli’s waiting

Keaton: Headed to a party at the campground, see you there if you’re in

Keaton: Lynn and I are headed over, and maybe a plus one. Don’t get wasted without us!

With her texts sent, Keaton glanced over her outfit in the mirror again. A loose black tee with some obscure band print on it, tucked in the front into her white jeans that matched her white sneakers, which hadn’t been truly white in a while. To dress up what she would have otherwise called an everyday outfit, she’d thrown on a pair of gold hoops to go with her gold studs and necklace. Hoops were somewhat of a miracle worker for Keaton, dressing outfits up with minimal effort. While she’d be hard-pressed to wear them to class, wearing them out for an evening with friends or to a black tie party were both viable options.

As Keaton pondered her last-minute additions, picking lip gloss over lipstick, she looked back at her closet, hesitating. It’d be chilly tonight, with the breezes in the woods. A denim jacket would suit her well. So, purposely not dwelling too long on it, she pulled the denim jacket from the back of her closet and headed out.

---

While the party seemed to have spread everywhere along the streets, there was a brief moment of calm as Keaton headed towards the forest where the campground was. Soon enough, though, she made out the sound of music and conversation through the trees, and she briefly wondered whether it’d be too late to meet up with Lynn before heading in. It’d been a while since she’d been to a party, especially one of friends, and this was a party of Eli’s friends. How old would the people there be? How hyped, how chill? Based on how Eli was, though, Keaton figured she didn’t have much to worry about, and with a final breath she headed in.

A few lanterns here and there provided minimal light, and Keaton made out the figure of a small crowd by the campfire. Walking over, she waved and smiled at a few strangers, deducing which shadow was Eli and patting her on the shoulder.

“Boo, hey, nice place you got here,” she said, grinning. “So, where’re the drinks?”

LYNN

DENEM: Campground by the forest. Eli’s waiting

Lynn snapped the phone shut, leaning back against the door of her room. Something about her was prickled by that, something she could not fully identify. A part of her thought this might be a set-up - after all, the no cameras of the woods cut both ways, and with the commotion of Homecoming, it would be a while before anyone noticed two missing teenagers. A part of Lynn considered not going, of barring the door shut with her desk chair and enjoying a small lake's reserve of tequila by herself, not risking any mutilation by lizard claws or elbows to the nose or having to blow herself through the wall of a kitchen again.

But the rest of her knew the opposite was true - if she squirreled away and this wasn't a sting, she was going to look like a bitch, especially after she gave her word she'd be there. And looking like a bitch was worse than looking dead. Lynn dropped her bag on the bed and reread the message one more time. Eli - well, Lynn called her Denzel - was alright, but she was a bit confused. Why were they out there? This had to be some kind of party? That tracked. Lynn ran herself through the scenarios and was able to talk herself down from the nerve-jump jitters she'd worked herself up to a moment ago. It's just a party, Lynn told herself. And if it's a sting, you will turn that campground into fucking Nagasaki with all the liquor in your bag.

Lynn took off her work clothes, markedly turning away from the Promise-issued mirror in her room as she did so. Lynn threw the apron, black jeans and t-shirt into the corner, yanking the no-slip tennis shoes off and throwing them still tied to the other side. Lynn went to throw on normal clothes but paused for a moment. Through the window (which Lynn kept shuttered, and slathered with a thin film of vaseline, so as to detect intrusion) she could hear the roaring music of the whole station set to party. The pretty dresses. The make-up. The glimpse of the patrons in the front of house she'd seen had all been dolled up too.

Lynn walked over to her dresser and opened it up with a grunt. Of course they'd given her the one that jammed. It had only been a week and a half ago she had actually put her clothes away in the dresser as opposed to living out of her duffel bag. Excepting the last year and a half of her life, it had been a while since she'd been in one spot long enough to really really settle. Lynn rummaged through her things. "Fuck," she muttered, remembering. The mall. Damn him, she thought, thinking of Archie inviting them, Archie grabbing her, Archie making a butcher's fuckery of the whole afternoon. She'd meant to get clothes and hadn't. She had thought she might...well Keaton was always put together, and...

Lynn kicked the dresser and rubbed at her forehead for a moment. Then she glanced back in and pulled out one of her two pairs of jeans, electing the one which had the most material still intact. She grabbed a t-shirt and turned -

There was a woman in the corner of her room.

"Bitch!" Lynn screamed, cocking back.

She blinked. There was nothing. She walked over, throwing her arms to catch someone invisible. Nothing. No noise. She rubbed at her eyes and looked again, her heart thundering in her ears. It - fuck. It was a shadow. She'd - her hair, it glowed, it cast shadows sometimes, and she'd thought it...it for sure was...

Lynn leaned back against the dresser for a moment, breathing, her hair and skin glowing like the bellows of a forge as she did so. Lynn threw her clothes to the ground and sat down at her backpack, fumbling with the zipper for a full thirty seconds. "Motherfucker," she muttered, finally managing to grasp it firmly and pull it apart. She wasn't going to lose her shit the day she got told the funniest joke of her life. She unscrewed the bottle and took a deep, long pull. The tequila burned running down her throat - one of the few times Lynn had ever felt something burn, and oh if she didn't love it - and gurgle in her empty stomach. She screwed the cap back on tight, not wanting to dowse her bag in Jose Cuervo. Lynn stood back up and grabbed her jeans up off the floor, sliding into them with utter ease, back pointedly to the mirror. She threaded her belt through the loops and cinched it tight before looking back at her other clothes. She had like three workout tanktops, a handful of ratty t-shirts, her hoodie. Lynn elected for the most presentable of the t-shirts - a black and yellow Wu Tang Clan shirt, and wriggled into it, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She left her hoodie on her bed - Lynn had no intention of fighting anyone tonight, and if someone vomited all over it, she'd have to. Lynn walked into the bathroom and washed her mouth out with water and mouthwash for a moment before heading out, hair still bound back in its work-required ponytail. She locked the door behind her and made her way toward the campgrounds.

Lynn kept reminding herself of the Gary news, which was just beautiful, but it seemed like the gold-happy feeling that had filled her up a few minutes ago was shaken. Lynn wasn't sure why, and it was pissing her off. She was just trying to get trashed, and somehow that was proving too complicated. Along the way, Lynn passed a few roaming packs of would-be Homecoming kings and queens, whose photo ops she interrupted with no semblance of remorse. Rich fuckers, Lynn thought. Still, Lynn buried how annoying all their stupid shit was, and when she saw ATVs of cops roll past she buried the cold twisting feeling in her spine she got each time she saw the Promise's security, and when she passed the people sitting on the patios of restaurants she buried how hungry she felt. Lynn had blown her cash on the liquor, and figured that she was going to be hungry regardless, so she might as well be hungry and drunk.

After a few minutes of buoying herself with the mental image of Gary trying to talk his way out of an ultimately fatal ass-beating, Lynn stepped into the trees, letting one hand fall back to her backpack, fingers gripping the zipper. The woods were quiet, and Lynn was all to aware of how close she was to where she'd found the doll. She listened intently. The light was from firelight, something Lynn knew instinctively even before her eyes could pick up on the flickering campfire, and she could hear people talking about schoolwork, which wound her down. "Thank God," Lynn muttered, more relieved she got to just party than relieved it wasn't a set-up. That would've just been a headache. Lynn walked through the trees, the lantern next to her head flaring briefly as she stepped into the campfire. Lynn recognized a grand total of two people there, which was something of a mixed blessing, but it felt a little more mixed than blessing at the moment.

"What's up," Lynn said, reaching into her bag and, for the first time in her life, doing something that was unambiguously going to win people over and make them like her. She pulled out two full handles of tequila. She had limes and salt in her backpack, and even some beers, too. Lynn felt it was discourteous to not have a 40 oz, even if it had been two years since she'd had one. "Who wants tequila?"

Eli and Keaton were both standing next to each other, like some kind of denim Voltron. She was going to need a better nicknaming system. Lynn walked up, getting a read on the group. Eli was grabbing onto her literally and figuratively. Eli looked like she knew everyone here; Keaton knew only Eli. It made Lynn like Keaton a smidge more, but that may have been the warm cloud that was starting to seep into her mind. "'Sup sluts," Lynn said. She blinked. Maybe Eli's friends were squares. Eh. Oh well.

Amelia

---

Amelia got her text back from Keaton, and swore under her breath. "Dammit, I prepped for the wrong style of party." She sighed turning back around in her bedroom, and started to swap out her outfit. "Well, its a good thing I don't have to worry about travel time anymore." Figuring this would be a more casual affair, Amelia began to swap out her dress for a shirt a slightly lighter shade of black, and her nicest jeans. And by nicest jeans, that of course meant the jeans with the least holes in them. Amelia thought about it, and began to determine that a party at the camp grounds was probably in her best interest. It would allow her to reintroduce herself to people after her......absence, she could easily bail between the trees if she needed to. And most importantly, it would give her a better cover for her intended late night escapades.

Amelia thought to herself about the murder she'd been caught in too. It had been a while since she had real spent time with her....friends? They were probably still friends. At least Nat was from their occasional short conversations. Amelia frowned. She should probably find her tonight. She was probably the most worried. Regardless, Amelia wanted to know how things were progressing, and if she was still at risk to be brutally murdered.

Her outfit properly changed out, she fired off a quick text to Keaton.

"Count to 30. I should be there first."

With another tear opening in reality, Amelia suddenly appeared behind the trees around the campground. Spotting Keaton quickly around a few other people she didn't know, she made her way into the clearing. "Hey Keaton what's up?"

Amelia glanced around at the group, and suddenly had to make an intense effort to not let it fall off her face.

Oh fuck, oh fuck it's Lynn oh fuck.

Amelia wasn't stupid. Of all the people, Lynn probably did not look kindly on her disappearance. Her instincts rapidly tried to come to a decision. Act contrite? No, she hadn't actually done anything wrong, and didn't want Lynn to have any extra reason to think otherwise. Try to avoid her? No that was even worse. Amelia's instincts settled on a plan that she thought was really stupid, but probably the most likely to mend the gap that had definitely formed.

Play fucking dumb.

"Oh hey Lynn! Didn't know you'd be here."

Please don't burn me alive.

Archie

---

Natalie: I'll see you by the front door.

Archie stopped walking and stared at his phone for a while after that message, resisting the urge to write out one last text message trying to explain himself. He figured Nat might get a kick out of his message or maybe insult him some more or even not reply at all, but how flat she sounded makes him… feel really weird. He's never ever felt out of place like this before, so it's strange.

Natalie: And thank you, Archie. I'm glad you're my date for this.

He looks up and sighs, and trudges on. He can still turn this one around, he thinks. As he makes his third step, his phone vibrates in his pocket again. He checks his phone, and he feels his heart jump. A heart monitor fastened to the underside of his wrist begins beeping in slow succession before fading away again. Over the previous few days it had been discovered that his beat of burden reacted to stimulus outside of time, emotion, or danger. It also reacted to automatic reactions in his body- the most commonplace being his heart rate reaching 200bpm. He didn't want to turn just because he got excited, and while the momentary jump hadn't been much to worry about, he didn't want to think about what would happen if he and Natalie-

No, stop right there. His heart monitor beeped again. Archie realized that he hasn't replied, and not one to leave someone on read, he typed out another message that is composed of a bunch of smiley faces and emoticon hearts and sent it without much thought. He breathed as he stepped out outside, and was instantly greeted by the chilly air. One thing he missed about home was how gently and subtly it eases into autumn. The island was mostly tropical year long with buttercup summers and temperate springs. But when fall and winter comes along, the region settles into a cooler sort of warmth, like a stream bathed in golden sun. It's hard to explain, but Archie has missed it nevertheless. The chill in the air of the space station was nice, but it didn't quite feel like the real thing.

He breathes out, and smiles when his breath fogs up and disappears into the air. It sure is something, though. He turns the corner and enters the women's wing. Memory reminds him that Natalie is only one stairwell up, which is nice because he is particularly lazy when it comes to stairs. He finds himself standing in front of Nat's door only a few moments later when his phone pings.

Eli: Hope you make it tonight! There's plenty of booze and firewood. Let me know if you need help finding the campsite.

Archie smiles down at his phone and sends the same shrimp emoji he sent to Natalie in response, followed by a 'See you soon!', and then pockets his phone. He stares at Natalie's door for several long moments. He should probably let her know that he's here. He also thinks that he should run, move to a small island off the coast of Indonesia and begin his new life as a fisherman (or would that be resuming his old life?). It's apparent that his mind isn't the most rational thing when it comes to Natalie. He pulls at his own hair, closes his eyes so tightly that he sees spots when he opens them. Now or never.

He reached out and tentatively knocked twice, a soft rap of his knuckles.

E L I

---

Eli hummed along to the current song, swaying to the rhythm. After the first heavily dosed cup of jungle juice, she was certainly feeling a strong buzz coming on. She felt at peace in front of the fire, and surrounded by good company. This is the way she liked to feel, but she had to admit to herself that it was mostly the alcohol influencing this feeling. It wouldn't last long, but for now Eli just wanted to enjoy it while she could.

Her friend nearby, Beck, had just reached the punchline of his joke when Eli's phone buzzed in her pocket. She laughed along with her friends, simultaneously pulling her phone out to see who had messaged her. To her delight, it was a text from Keaton.


Eli giggled as she read the last sentence. She pocketed her phone once more, figuring that she didn't need to respond. Keaton was smart enough to find her way. It was something Eli respected her for. They'd known each other for all of three days, but Eli felt like Keaton would be a reliable friend. She needed more friends like that. Sure, Maddy was her day one, her closest friend on The Promise. They'd known each other for years, but Eli didn't see her as often anymore. While Eli decided to take a break from classes, Maddy went straight into college courses. Their schedules were just too different now.

Immediately breaking away from that train of thought to avoid further depressing notes, Eli turned to Maddy and began to recall a time when the two had to walk all of the way from the campsite to Maddy's dorm. All because Eli forgot to bring the keycard to her apartment. The two laughed, Maddy turning to tell the rest of the group that Eli had to distract a security guard with an illusion so that they could make it past him. Eli cringed, regrettably recalling that she had seen the same officer at Panda Express a few days ago. "I really hope that guy is okay." She said to the group. She shook her head at the thought of that incident. The group laughed it off while Eli raised her cup to her lips with every intention to take a huge swig of jungle juice. Only to feel a tap on her shoulder.

"Boo, hey, nice place you got here." Eli turned to grin up at Keaton, lowering her cup. "So, where're the drinks?

"Hey! Welcome to our speakeasy." Eli joked as she moved from her log to stand. She held her arms up for balance and successfully stepped over the log to join Keaton on the other side. "Let me show you where they are and then I'll introduce you to everyone." She said with a wide smile. "I'm glad you came ou-"

"Sup, sluts."

Eli turned her head, taking a moment to soak in the sight of Lynn standing before them. She almost wanted to say "Sup, bitch?" back, but given how sensitive Lynn was, Eli wasn't sure. Lynn could either take it as a joke and laugh with it, or take it the wrong way and want to leave. So instead Eli chose to opt for, "It's about time you got here! Keaton and I were about to take shots." She gave Lynn a wide smile before waving them on. "Come on."

The party was slowly growing in size. She noticed a few more regularly dressed people, and a few that had already ditched the homecoming activities for something lowkey and hidden. Were they going to have enough alcohol? Eli, who was already at the drink table at this point, turned back to make sure that Keaton and Lynn had followed her through the crowd. It was then that she noticed another girl had approached the two while Eli walked off. Was it the plus one Keaton had mentioned? With a shrug, Eli grabbed four jello shots for each of them. "Thank you, Beck!" She murmured to herself before turning to head back to the group.

Nicholas

---

"Wow, you look great tonight."

"Oh, you're too much. Besides, you don't look so bad yourself."

"Man, it's so nice that these last few years have been building up to the satisfying emotional climax that tonight presents."

"I know. There's nothing worse in this world than being alone," Nic said to himself in the mirror. With his black sport coat on over his red t-shirt, it occurred to him that he looked like he'd stepped out of a nineties rom-com. He wished he had. "It's high time for my meet-cute. I wonder what everybody's up to."

It had been an unusually lonely couple weeks. Not anyone else's fault. His solitude was basically entirely self imposed. It's just hard to imagine that he's out here with all these parahumans. His dad would have had a heyday. Out of habit, his first inclination was to study everybody but, although it felt right, it felt very wrong. So he mostly walked around, smiling almost ditsily, avoiding eye contact. Even the act of getting to know people, the act of making friends, out of earnest curiosity, felt like a personal betrayal.

He'd literally spent the last forty-five minutes looking at himself in the mirror, thinking. Thinking far too clearly for his own liking. His muscles were wound far too tight. His mind even tighter. Everything felt so crisp. So dry. He felt kinda thirsty. Nope. That's not happening. Not dumping the last 593 days of progress down the drain or, perhaps more accurately, down his throat.

"Y'know what? Fuck it. Tonight I'm gonna dance with somebody and we're gonna fall in love. And they're gonna know all about me implicitly, inferring things. Making unreasonable jumps in logic. And understand and respect me for who I am... Like that means anything. The fuck do I expect? No!" His fists clap down against his bathroom sink. "I just gotta get out of this bedroom before I go stir crazy."

And so, after standing in front of a mirror for almost an hour, he still hadn't done his hair. But he took a few brave steps out into the common area, seeing almost no one dancing, unless their eyes darting back and forth with obvious intent counts as a dance.

And so he did a dance of his own. He did the wallflower, walking in a tight little circle every time the song changed. He saw a girl he wanted to talk to. She looked at him. He thought she wanted to talk. He smiled at her. She smiled at him. Reasoning it would be better not to talk without any idea of what to talk about, he stepped out of the room for a moment. But then he kept going, thinking he'd probably have a better idea by the time he came back if he walked further away.

Soon enough, he found himself stumbling out into the nearby woods. It was dark. Too dark to see. And that was just how he liked it. He couldn't see anything. Not with his eyes nor anyone else's.

But he could hear a helluva lotta noise nearby. So he mosied on over, making his way into a forest party. So he put on a smile and prepared for combat conversation.

Natalie Ellis

---

---

Natalie was waiting in the foyer of the girl's dorm building when she heard the knock at the front door. Opening it, she'd see Archie dressed smartly in a black shirt and dark jeans, which was more surreal than she was prepared for. And he'd see her, in a dress and tights, which wasn't the most classical combination out there. Still, she hoped she looked alright. In fact she hoped that Archie found her beautiful. It's homecoming. She felt like she was allowed to want that today.

Natalie smiled, and stepped out into the open air. It was a little colder than he was expecting and she usually dressed in jeans and cardigans. She involuntarily shivered as she approached Archie. Her nerves were going crazy right now. Unlike Archie, her 'turns' weren't a result of her heart-rate or adrenaline, but of her mental stress and fear. A date shouldn't trigger her into a blood rage or anything. It was weird to even think of this as a date, but there was just not question. It was homecoming. They were dressed up. He was picking her up. This was a date.

"Hi," she greeted. A second or two passed. "You look really nice."

---

While Keaton hadn’t thought much of Lynn’s texts, Lynn’s arrival brought them back to mind, especially the word choice in the few lines Keaton had received. She’d assumed that Lynn’s good mood was a result of her looking forward to the night, but suddenly Keaton wasn’t so sure. Rather than looking wary or annoyed upon arrival, Lynn was actively attracting people to her, freely giving up the tequila she’d brought. If Keaton could count on one thing, it was Lynn being possessive over her food, but here Lynn was, being every bit the altruistic party soul. And she looked happy—or, at least, happier than she usually was. Why? Had something happened? A promotion at work? No, but something had happened, something that made Lynn happy enough to want to let completely loose for a night.

Though Keaton was all grins as she shouted a ‘hey’ at Lynn and walked over with Eli, she watched the shorter girl carefully, looking for tells as to what had inspired her good mood. Asking seemed like a bad idea, given how easily Lynn tended to sour up, and Keaton didn’t want to spoil the mood. Whatever it was, Keaton was glad it got Lynn out here.

“These are going to go quick,” she said, admiring the tequila as Eli lead them toward the drinks. “Maybe I should have brought something too. But I figured—”

Cut off as Amelia approached, Keaton opened her mouth to greet the teleporter, only to stop when Amelia’s eyes paused on Lynn. While she did a good job of hiding her nervousness, Keaton didn’t need many tells to start deducing causes and effects, and people being nervous around Lynn was nothing new. Why Amelia might be nervous about Lynn was pretty self-explanatory, though Keaton figured—knew—it wouldn’t matter much. Whatever it was that had Lynn in a partying mood would outweigh the blip Amelia made on her paranoia radar.

“Hey Amelia, it’s been a hot minute huh?” Keaton said, grinning. Then, turning to Lynn, she shrugged. “She texted me looking for a party, and I figured the more the merrier. Now, shots?”

Eli was returning, and Keaton didn’t want Amelia’s arrival to spoil Lynn’s mood. Sure Amelia wasn’t a model conspirator, holing up at the first sign of trouble and all, but to drink with? As long as she breathed and wasn’t an angry drunk, she was fine.

“Jello shots? Give my thanks to the chef,” Keaton said, grinning as Eli delivered the flimsy plastic canisters of multicolored gelatin. Four came her way, prompting her to briefly wonder how many shots she’d need to take. Rule of thumb said four to six, but that depended on the type of alcohol. Tequila, four. Jungle juice, sipped, varied. Jello shots? Also varied, but she’d know when she got a taste. Her power told her—a new realization, but one that made sense. Realizing that things she was good at intuiting were just things her power handled for her was a common occurrence these days, and she’d grown used to realizing that her power defined a good portion of her thoughts, skills, and person.

“Eli, Amelia, Amelia, Eli,” Keaton said, indicating each to the other. “And Lynn, did you wanna leave your tequila at the table or?” she asked, pointing out the picnic table blanketed by bottles of every shape and size. There was a few hundred dollars worth of liquor piled there, and Keaton had to briefly wonder whether Lynn was safe to be around drunk.

Lynn

The warm was coming. It had been a while since Lynn was drunk like this - despite any scientific evidence to the contrary, Lynn was a firm believer that different alcohols induced different drunks. The last time Lynn had been inebriated was in a prison cell, and perhaps owing to that less than illustrious ambiance, it was not the most enjoyable of wine sipping sessions she'd ever had. Tequila had always been a standby, and tequila on an occasion such as this even more so - the fire danced beside her, flickering brighter and bolder with Lynn's arrival, but not dangerously so. The girl's mood was flickering with it, something happy and warm and dancing, and the lanterns almost seemed to pull to her. The sparks of the campfire disproportionately fluttered to her hair rather than the ground or the open air, no matter where Lynn walked in the little clearing. The tequila from earlier was starting to seep in now, like a big fluffiness that dripped from her head down to her words and thoughts.

"Shots!" Lynn said, her teeth flashing. The first time kids have enjoyed shots on this station, huh? Lynn wanted to say, but this was a party, and the disaster was - three hundred dead five of them yours, all yours, all - not what people talked about at parties. Lynn had never really been to a proper party before. She'd been to hangouts, or places where everyone was drinking together, but it wasn't an occasion like this, if that made sense. She was enjoying it. She was vibing it. Had she been noticing the clothes on Eli or Keaton before, the way their jackets hung off the shoulders that stood what felt like half a foot taller than hers? Lynn couldn't remember.

Lynn followed her and Keaton to the table, a slack grin hanging on her face, a stray strand of hair leaning down over her pale forehead. Someone else joined up and it took Lynn a brief moment to remember her. Amelia, Lynn thought. She thought she could see her look afraid for just a minute, but coming up and talking was such an anti-bitch move, a really unexpectedly anti-bitch move coming from her. Lynn stared at her for a second - or maybe five - but Lynn wasn't upset. She would've cattle-branded her with the back of her hand a month ago, but if Amelia had snitched, Gennedy would've put the needle in her weeks ago. He had ample opportunities. No, Amelia had stumbled across something she hadn't, and when things went to hell on the station, she stayed snuggly and cozy in the station. Lynn could understand that. It made Amelia a bit of a coward, but coward was several orders of magnitudes above snitch in the Cordelia Lynn Holmes' caste system. There was a part of Lynn, slithering out from the cracks in her brain loosened apart by liquor, that thought Clarita was probably about Amelia's age by now, and that was about her age by now, and -

"Didn't know I'd be here either," Lynn said, grinning. Was she grinning a lot? Who cared. "People winding up in all sorts of places these days," Lynn said, giggling slightly. Lots of places, all over the place today. I know a guy who's in about a dozen different places right now, and a lady who is too! Gary and Arianna, wouldn't they be a dream...Gary-anna...heh Besides, there were a few people not here that was fine by Lynn. Today was a good day. Nobody was going to fuck that up. Not Amelia, or Gennedy, or the lizard, or nobody. Not nobody at all. "Teleport this shit into your liver," Lynn said, grabbing a jello shot and passing it - possibly warmed - to Amelia. She'd been silly to worry about a set-up or something. There was so much alcohol here nobody would dare try to fuck with her. It felt fun, to be safe. Warm and laughing and it tasted like tequila. Lynn liked it.

"More the merrier!" Lynn said back to Keaton. "Like reindeer." She looked at the edge of the woods where one guy was walking up like a walk-on to the 1976 Saigon chopper gunners b-team. Jesus. He needed some liquor in him. Not super tall. Of course that was relative to Lynn. Big ol' rolex on his wrist. That'd buy a lot more tequila, Lynn thought. Easy mark, too, he came here alone. Lynn frowned. No, she forgot this was the Promise. He could probably see the future or something. Besides, she was already toeing the illegality line with buying liquor under the table and buying Xanax a few dozen feet under where she bought liquor. Lynn blinked, brow furrowing for a brief moment. Had she had some today? She took some to help her sleep, but had that been this morning or the night before?

"I'll leave one on the table," Lynn said in magnanimous compromise. "The other stays with me, under the table." Lynn looked up at Keaton. She was pretty. She wasn't that much taller than Lynn, really, which Lynn found comforting. Older, though. She was skinny but the good kind. Normally these things would've jabbed at Lynn's state of mind like hornets but tonight they were bees and they stung once and snapped off. No more buzz. Lynn was buzzed. Buzzing. Buzz. Keaton was staring at it and Lynn could tell her Sherlock shit was going looney tunes. Didn't she ever not overthink things? Lynn would have to help her with that sometime, she resolved. "Hey, Denim," Lynn said, "Stop trying to do calculus on it and just drink." Lynn ran a pinky along the rim of the jello cup and then squeezed it out into her mouth. "Ah, love jello. Used to have it all the time." Half true, Lynn thought. I always gave it to Megan when it came at lunches, but I guess I did HAVE it. Keaton still looked all wound up, like if somebody had cross-stitched a picture of an angry person with chain mail. I'll get her tipsy, Lynn said. Dead girls oughta have a little fun. But it was hard to remember they were dead tonight - increasingly hard - and Lynn was enjoying it. She looked back to Eli, who was older too. How long had she been on the Promise? How much shit had gone down? A quiet voice wondered how many fights she'd seen, or how many people _{she'd seen die in four years, or four weeks, or four people} or more of these dances. Denzel would know how to shop for stuff, Lynn thought, looking over her for a moment. Or even Amelia, fuck. What was her nickname? I can't call her Amelia. If Denim and Denzel got married their name would be Denzel. Garriana. Heh. Lynn scanned around again, where Beth or whatever Eli's friend was flirting with some dude, which made Lynn frown for a second. Then she looked back and shadow guy was still in the shadows doing shadow shit. If he was like ten feet further back I could have that Rolex, she thought. "Did you guys know fake Rolexes tick?" Lynn said idly to the group, looking around. "And - " she grinned wider, like a shark that's seen a "Fish!" Lynn shouted. "Splish splash your ass over here," she said, spotting the ethnic unicorn prince-prancing over to the treeline. I should make a funny joke about his parents later, Lynn thought. There's so many, Lynn thought, And the best part is he can't get me back. She was absentmindedly swirling the tequila bottle in her hand. If one's cards were entirely on the table, Lynn's would reveal that she was hoping this guy would trip and fall again on the walk over. Or just to mess with him. He seemed pretty reclusive when she'd tried to help him put his teeth back in his mouth on that treadmill. Holing up in his shell. Like a turtle. Turtle fish. Turtle Fish.

Christ, if Rolex stood in the dark any longer he was going to buy a trench coat and start flashing them. Wouldn't that be fitting for today. Nice of somebody to invite Gary! Lynn wondered if she should invite him over. No, she thought. I'm bad with people. "Hey," Lynn said, nudging Eli's forearm with the top of her head. She left a faint smudge of ash. "Somebody wth more, whatever, like, charm or shit should go tell tall dark and blandsome to come take a shot and start talking to people." She unscrewed the tequila and took another pull. "Any of you three qualify." Lynn looked at him for a minute longer. This one is a male Spoons, she determined. No eye contact. Military jacket? Not as a para. Probably his grandpa from Vietnam or something. Everybody's grandpa fought in Vietnam. A...Forks. Lynn looked back up. Keaton was watching her a bit, as was Eli. Like they were waiting for something. I'm not the one who PMS'es into a crocodile, damnit, she wanted to say, but talking about him was not what she felt particularly inclined to do right now. She wasn't sure what else they'd be looking at her for. Like, worried, almost. Did they think she couldn't handle her liquor? I was drinking before you bitches went bra shopping, Lynn also contemplated. And before I went bra shopping. Which still hasn't hapened, so, you know. Whatever. Lynn sipped again. "I'm gonna grab a beer," Lynn said, putting the tequila in Deaton's arms before meandering over to the table and searching for anything she recognized. Wine. Who drank wine? She picked up the bottle and examined the label. Malbec. From Argentina. She put it down. There was a long list of things she did not want to think about tonight and they consisted mostly of Lizard Boat, Salamandra, the station, Gennedy, anything that wasn't the alcohol in front of her, and Che. She would accept topical conversation about Fish's latest mile times and estimates on how many shots she could do, which Lynn intended to disprove entirely. The rest of the alcohol was weird. There was hard seltzer, and while Lynn had said she didn't want to fight tonight, she felt vaguely obligated to slap whoever drank that, and there was vodka, which was at least acceptable, and some Jack Daniel's, which was cool.

"Oh, sweet," Lynn thought, seeing Fireball. Lynn grabbed a plastic cup, frowning. "Damnit," she muttered. She searched for a tray of pot brownies someone had brought, grabbing the aluminum foil that covered it and wrapping the base of the cup in it. Then she poured a mix of ice and Coke and Fireball together and swirling it for a moment. "Why the fuck did I bother with ice?" Lynn thought said, turning back to the group. She didn't feel as weird about how many people here she didn't know before. There were boys, too. For a sudden minute a thought smashed through all the dance-happy haze, that thought being that Lynn could kiss anyone here she wanted. She could grab them by the hand and pull them into the forest and forget all the fuck about the Promise tonight. Lynn would've stomped that thought out with a size six and a half steel toed boot any other night. Tonight it was intriguing. Like Fireball.

Lynn walked back. "So, what was everybody's first drink? And when?" Lynn asked. This was how people made conversation, right? She didn't know what to talk about with these people. Delinzel was into Vietnamese food and Keaton sometimes just like thought too much so Lynn didn't know what to say. Why bother, when the other person's just smarter? I should get her dumbfuck drunk, Lynn thought. She blinked, realizing she'd swayed slightly. Heh. Race to the bottom.

Amelia

---

Amelia was holding her breath behind her cautious smile for the few seconds that Lynn seemed to be processing her arrival. When Lynn gave her a hearty, very inebriated greeting, Amelia let the breath out with relief, her grin switching to one more genuine. Apparently, contrary to everything that logic would tell her, Lynn's personality was somehow safer when she was drunk. The likelihood of catching fire was still up in the air, but that was a problem that she could worry about later.

Amelia grinned a little more mischievously as she caught the jello shot from Lynn. "Fuck yeah, now we're talking!" As Keaton grabbed Lynn's attention off her for a moment, she turned to Eli with a smile. "Hey! I'm Amelia. I met these guys when I first got here, but I've been laying low up until recently."

Amelia downed the first jello shot with a speed only a practiced degenerate could muster, and nodded approvingly a few times. "God damn. Its been way too fucking long since I've had some good booze." She was about to go looking for another when Lynn, seemingly out of nowhere, shouted about fish. She caught sight of the guy hanging out on the edge of the party and cocked her head, but quickly focused in on Lynn. Amelia quickly began to reevaluate her thoughts on how save a drunk Lynn actually was, but she blew it off for now. If push came to shove she had a pretty decent escape method. "Jesus Lynn, how hard did you pregame? The party just started."

When Lynn went off to get more alcohol, Amelia quickly turned to Keaton. "Hey Keaton, when you get a chance, I wouldn't mind if you could, you know. Fill me in on what I've missed with everyone." Amelia gave a quick knowing look, one fast enough that most people probably wouldn't catch on, but Keaton probably would. This was a line of conversation, of course, that Amelia dropped the moment Lynn came back. She had a pretty good hunch going down that road was not wise tonight. Least not with her in earshot.

Amelia shrugged at Lynn's question. "Eh, not too long ago, actually. Last year back at home. My friend Kyle was a senior, and managed to sneak us some booze at a house party one night. Pretty mediocre stuff, just some beer, but you gotta start with something."

---

Eli returned to the group as casually as she could, jello shots in tow. She was watching Lynn as she approached. Lynn was smiling-no, grinning. Was this normal? Eli looked at Keaton's expression as she took the shots; the other girl looked relieved by Lynn's change in attitude. For a moment Keaton looked like she was trying to cover up an awkward moment, but she quickly recovered by handing out each of the shots.

She was introduced to the newcomer, and with the buzz of the party humming in Eli's ear she just smiled at her. Amelia. She'd known Lynn and Keaton for a while, from what she said. But why was she lying low? Had she done something wrong? She'd wait until they were on friendlier terms to ask that question. She looked a bit like a rule-breaker. Maybe they could pull a few pranks together later.

"I'm glad you came out tonight!" She managed to say with a wide smile before their attentions were on the jello shots. She squished the plastic cup above her mouth until the jello slid out of it and landed on her tongue. Beck definitely wasn't lying when he said they were strong. If the shots weren't enough for these girls, there was plenty more alcohol. Especially now that Lynn was offering one of her own bottles. Lynn already looked toasted. Literally and figuratively. Eli decided then to slow her own drinking down. Even if these girls could handle their alcohol, Eli wanted to be conscious enough to make sure they enjoyed their night. Plus, there was no telling what shenanigans the drunk parahumans around them might get up to. Eli could count on her friends to be responsible, but at this rate the party would keep growing until the alcohol ran out.

"Stop doing calculus on it and just drink." Lynn said out of nowhere, and Eli had to stop a giggle as she looked at Keaton. "She's so bossy," she teased, looking back at Lynn with a grin. It faltered as she saw the look on Lynn's face. Eli was going to ask her if there was something wrong, but her gaze moved onward to the crowd around them. Her own eyes returned to the other two girls. She smiled, deciding to continue their conversation. "Feel free to grab more jello shots or a drink. We definitely have plenty to go around."

Lynn's rambling brought Eli's attention back to her. How did she get on the topic of rolex-"Fish! Splish splash your ass over here." Eli had to laugh at that one, grinning and shaking her head. This was a different version of Lynn that Eli had never seen. It was bubbly and surprisingly friendly. What had put her in such a mood? It wasn't just the alcohol. Definitely not. She spotted the guy that Lynn was shouting at. He didn't look that happy to be here, but Eli gave him a smile and a wave anyways. He must not be too bad of a guy if Lynn was nice to him. She also wanted to know why Lynn called him "fish." Maybe he just needed friends to get into the party spirit.

"Jesus Lynn, how hard did you pregame? The party just started."

Eli laughed again, giving Amelia and Keaton a knowing grin. "I have to admit, if Keaton hadn't shown up when she did I would be at that level too." She shrugged with an amused look on her face. The two girls seemed rather wary of Lynn in this state, but Eli saw no indication that Lynn was a threat. Maybe if she was in a sour mood she would be, but for now she was like a little ball of energy.

"Hey."

Eli felt something warm touch her forearm. She looked down to see that it was Lynn's hand, and that when she moved it there was a smudge left in it's place. She lifted her arm closer to her face and gently blew the ash off of her arm. It hadn't hurt, but she had to wonder if the ash came from Lynn or from the heat against her skin. "Somebody with more, whatever, like, charm or shit should go tell tall dark and blandsome to come take a shot and start talking to people. All three of you qualify."

Eli pursed her lips, a confused expression on her face before she followed Lynn's gaze to the man at the edge of the light. She couldn't see him super well, but he stood like a security officer. He was too young to be a security officer. Maybe he was just nervous? He had a smile on his face. Like he was trying to look friendly. She glanced back at Amelia and Keaton, but their attention was on each other. Lynn was filling an aluminum foil covered cup with liquor. An amusing way to keep the cup from melting, Eli assumed. "Why the fuck did I bother with ice?" Eli giggled to herself.

It looked like no one else was going to invite the guy over, so Eli decided to take the initiative. She held her hands up to her mouth, as if it made her voice carry farther, but she quickly realized that she could just use her ability to do the same. He was well within her range, so she didn't think twice about it.

"Hey you! Want a shot?" She asked, waving the guy over with a smile. It might have startled him that it sounded like she was right next to him, but Eli hadn't meant to scare him. She'd gotten pretty used to using her ability to carry her voice across a room. It really helped during class presentations in secondary school. She smiled at Lynn as she returned, wondering why she never used her ability on a daily basis. Lynn didn't seem to mind hers being present 24/7, unless she just couldn't control it. She was pretty new to the space boat; each of her new friends were. Eli wasn't expecting them to have their abilities completely under control.

"My first drink was a bottle of whiskey when I was fourteen," she shared with the group after Amelia spoke. A smile lit up her face as she remembered that day. "A friend of a friend brought it to our dorm room and we all shared it. We were lightweights back then, so it really only took a few sips to feel anything. I almost wish we had started with beer instead."

"What about you, Keaton?" She asked, turning the attention away from herself as quickly as possible. That was also the first day she and Maddy met Zeke. She felt an ebb of anguish in her chest, but she quickly smothered it with another sip of her drink. Not tonight, satan. She thought to herself. Tonight was going great. She could even see Maddy making out with a guy in the corner of her vision. You go, girl! She smiled to herself before focusing on Keaton and waiting for her answer.

Archie and Natalie

---

”Hi... You look really nice.”

All it took was a soft hi and he's abruptly dizzy and his world tilts dangerously, the sound of talking and party goers and celebration in the distance blurring into a whirling ambiance and it's like tunnel vision, he can't seem to focus on anything but her.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but he felt dangerously light on his feet. It was those same silver eyes and shy smile and raven hair and oh. Oh. Natalie looked beautiful. She always looked pretty but tonight she was wearing that black dress and tights that hugged her figure well enough and gave him a nice enough view of her arms and shoulders underneath the semi-transparent fabric that left plenty to the imagination yet the dress showed enough clev- His heart monitor was going off. It had been going off for a moment or two now. He groaned in embarrassment, the damn thing ruined the moment he was having with himself and seemed to be particularly active tonight. He gave Natalie a sheepish grin and whipped his wrist around as if that would silence the gadget. When it finally silenced itself, he looked back up to her.

"Oh hey, uh, Natalie. Hi, Natalie, hey. Hey, Nat," Archie stuttered as she she stood in the doorway. Even if it was totally and absolutely expected since he knocked on her door she still made him jump out of his skin when she answered. He suddenly found his shoes extremely fascinating, and he he started rubbing his neck. He found himself opening his mouth to say something, looking at her, and then finding it difficult to speak. He appraised her outfit and then his own and found himself kicking himself. Here she was, prim and proper and stunning and he was taking her to a bonfire. He should be taking her to dinner and to a dance, where she wouldn’t get her dress dirty and she wouldn’t have to worry about someone yacking on her shoes.

Well, it wasn’t like they couldn’t slip away to a proper dance if they wanted. Even if his jeans weren’t exactly the fanciest clothing to wear to Homecoming. Still, Natalie knew the plan, she was in the group chats and she was smart. She obviously wanted to at least make an appearance at the bonfire, and if he was being honest, he did too.

“You’re- wow.” Was all he managed to say. It wasn’t grandiose or eloquently spoken, but he’s all tanned skin and broad scarred hands. Suddenly becoming articulate and suave now just wasn’t him even if he wanted to badly to be classy for her. He was no James Bond. He wished that he had taken a few etiquette classes, though. Maybe he could have learned to dance so he wouldn’t step on her toes if they danced.

This one out-powered the lizard.

Well, that is true isn’t it? Would she even notice if he stepped on her toes? Well, she probably would given that he’d probably end up tripping over his own feet, but he didn’t think he’d hurt her. Hopefully. Archie offered her his hand. "You, uh, ready to go?"

Natalie had blushed despite her efforts not too when she realized that Archie was stunned by her appearance. It was gratifying to see her efforts pay off, of course, but she also never thought, after everything that had been done to her and the scars they'd left, that she would ever be in this position. When his heart monitor went off, she'd stifled a tiny chuckle, which definitely helped to break the ice. The atmosphere was awkward, but it was a nice awkward. Natalie didn't feel like there was tension. They weren't walking on a ridge of eggshells over a pool of 'ruined Homecoming'. Archie's awkwardness was endearing and only serving to make Natalie relax even more. She was also nervous, and excited, and terrified, but just knowing Archie was the same was a tremendous relief. She wasn't alone. She took his hand and smiled up at him genuinely cheerfully. It wasn't the widest smile but it was most definitely the happiest Archie would have seen the quiet, stoic Natalie.

The two were off shortly after that, walking side by side towards their destination. When Archie found out that the party was in the campgrounds and that they would be going into the woods, he had been hesitant at first. After what happened last time he was there he didn’t know if he was alright with the idea. It had all been traumatic, seeing a body. He knew that he had seen more during the breakout, but he didn’t remember much from the incident. He never did. All he could recall were feelings, flashes of colors, maybe a face or two. It was like recalling a dream that one couldn't quite place, and he didn’t take the reptile to be one concerned with corpses. The closer they got to the woods, the more apprehensive he became. Natalie seemed to pick up that he was nervous for one reason or another, or at least noticed that he was holding her hand abnormally tight. Natalie hadn't been privy to any of the texts sent between the others. She didn't know there was a gathering in the woods. However, after what had happened during the breakout she trusted Archie with her life, and she had assumed from his text that he had some kind of plan. She was admittedly relieved they weren't heading to a dance even though she was dressed for it. Really, she was dressed like this because she didn't know the plan and wanted to cover all bases. On homecoming, you can wear a dress anywhere and nobody will think it strange, but you couldn't go to a dance or a fancy restaurant in jeans and a sweater. Plus this was a date and Natalie wanted to impress Archie. She was still riding the giddy high of having succeeded. Natalie felt Archie's grip get tighter and wondered why, before realizing where exactly they were. She gave his hand a reassuring (controlled) squeeze back. Her smile shrank and she looked up at him. This was a place she couldn't imagine he'd be too thrilled on going back, which meant this wasn't his plan. Which meant they were going to be meeting other acquaintances of theirs here. Eli popped into Natalie's mind straight away.

"Don't worry, Archie," she spoke to him, in what was meant to be both a reassurance and a hint that she hoped he'd pick up. "I know that place has some...memories for the both of us but we won't stay there any longer than you want to."

"You ever feel like you're walking into bear trap?" Archie questioned suddenly, deflecting from his obvious discomfort and Natalie's soothing words as to not admit weakness. He laced his fingers with hers in appreciation instead. "I- I feel like a fish that's about to bite a hook."

"That's probably just nerves," replied Natalie, shrugging. "And even if it's not, you've got me. We made a promise, remember? I'll look out for you if you look out for me. I'm not going to let anything end this night on a bad note as long as you don't let me become the bad note."

There was a momentary reprieve from his discomfort in at her words. It was nice to have a body guard of sorts in that way, even if he was probably not the best fail safe himself. "Y'know it's funny you mention that," he said, halfheartedly kicking a stick that was stuck out of the dirt some out of their way. "Given that you've kicked my ass and all. You could probably pop my head like a grape."

Natalie shivers and grimaces at that mental image, before shaking it away. Archie gives her a smile for her benefit, very obviously not bothered in admitting it. "When you and Keaton were talking about that chip thingy, I was really hoping that you would get it. Y'know, cause I'm not exactly the best when it comes to keepin' my phone and all an-" he sighed. "I thought it would be a great excuse. Gotta stick together for protection and all rather than..." he trailed off, his eyes flashing to their linked hands and then back up to Natalie's eyes. He didn't finish his thought, feeling as though he had said enough of that sentence. Lynn had seemed so angry with him, and given the whole world ending, we're all gonna die attitude that seemed to be dressing most of the group, he didn't want the judgement that came with his desire to just be with someone for a little bit and not focus on the fire falling apart around him. "I don't know if I said this and all yet but... I'm glad you came with me tonight, too. Would, uh, would you mind telling me something?"

"Like what?" Natalie asked.

"Dunno." Archie replied, shrugging himself this time. The conversation was helping him ease his nerves, and he didn't want it to end. "Anything. Something the others don't know. About, ah, about you I mean." He said. Archie had always felt like there were a lot of ways to start a friendship, and some of those ways were pretty vague. Sometimes it was a smile that he didn’t expect and didn’t know he needed. Sometimes it’s been a slow build, sometime’s a chase. But there’s usually a moment where it comes into focus. A pat on the back, and invitation, a secret. Then there it is- he had a friend. He wanted that with Natalie- more than that with her, but he would settle for whatever he could get. There was a time in his life when he would've rather been sick every day than deal with this... this affliction that grew in his chest whenever he met her eyes or saw her smile. This affliction of affection. He had never felt quite this clear about how he felt about a girl before. Maybe it was because she knew about what he was and wasn't bothered. All things considered they were a lot alike in that way. After everything that had happened, it felt nice to have someone just like him without some nasty case of internal debate underlying their thoughts.

"Something the others don't know about me," Natalie repeated, trailing off. There was a pause, and her smile was completely gone now. "There are some big things I don't want to talk about tonight, because I don't want my mascara to run. I'll go back a bit earlier that that. Let's start with this; I'm a Parahuman but my strength wasn't the difference I was born with. It was my bones. They were what was different. My bones are really strong. Almost impossible to break under ordinary conditions. So I could otherwise pass for a normal kid as long as nobody else knew I was a Parahuman. So my childhood was pretty normal, all things considered. Well, I mean by the time I was thirteen my Parahuman status was pretty common knowledge in my school but at least I still kept hold of a small circle of friends. I remember we all hated dolls so used to just play with beanie babies and make them have wars and command armies of little pebbles." She chuckles at this memory as she recalled it. "What about you? You were a farmer, right? Any noteworthy stories from your childhood?"

Archie hummed at Natalie's question, giving her a sly smile but otherwise choosing not to comment on 'big things' that she had mentioned. She'd tell him when she was ready. If she was ready, that is. She really didn't owe him an explanation and there were things that he didn't particularly care for retreading himself. He squeezed her hand in comfort, and breathed in slowly to start his own tale. "You've been listening to Lynn too much," he said looking over and down to her. "My dad was a fisherman- used to make a living that way. The powers that be build a big ol' bridge to the mainland that disturbed the breeding ground, and the fish all moved. Things got harder after that." He looked away staring at his feet. "Mom left, and then dad died. All I had was my brother and Winky. Winky was my dad's boss and he illegally adopted us. I worked for him for a long time as a mechanic. Brother got arrested, and then a few years later I got my... condition. Then Winky left, too. Never saw a parahuman until I came here." Throughout his life Archie had been told that Parahumans were bad things. That they weren't people, no matter how much they looked like them. He had never actually seen or met one, though. Aside from on the news here and there when he got to watch TV. There was a dull light not too far from them now, and he could see the bonfire not too far away. They were getting close now. "Didn't have much in the way of toys or anything, myself. Was just happy to not be homeless."

Natalie was silent for a while, processing this story. While Natalie's bad memories were extremely dark and traumatic, at least she had sixteen years of a normal, happy, middle-class life beforehand to look back on fondly. Archie didn't even have that. After sharing that, it was only another reason why Natalie didn't want to tell her full story tonight. She looked up at him, and smiled, and gave his hand another slight squeeze. "That story was sad, but things will be better now. At least, after this whole mess gets sorted out. Also it gave me an idea. If you really didn't grow up with TV or games or anything, we should go to see a movie in the week. Would you like to do that?"

Archie shrugged at the 'sad' comment. Yeah, it wasn't exactly the best and living in a washed up boat most of his life hadn't been the best, but it hadn't been traumatic. At least, not until recently. But seeing a movie? That sounded nice. He had seem plenty of older movies on Winky's old TV, but he couldn't remember the last time he had been to an actual movie theater. "That sounds really nice." he said simply, because, well, it did. They were upon the campsite now. People were milling about- and he could pick out the faces of Eli, Keaton, Lynn, and Amelia! "Amelia!" he called, happy to see her after what felt like forever. Not since the breakout almost a month ago. She had texted him, so he knew that she'd be here, but actually seeing the teleporter just about made his night. Eli and Keaton seemed to be fairly occupied getting someone else off to the side over. Lynn? Lynn seemed happy, which was both an alarming and great sight. He waved to the group with his off hand, and with his anxiety at the location almost entirely stifled, he felt the extrovert inside him flare up at the sight of people that he liked. Most importantly though, was the mountain of liquor that seemed to be off to the side. He could absolutely work with that. He cast a look to Natalie, and with a wide grin he just about dragged her over to the table at the end of the clearing.

"Ever had a drink before?" he questioned, looking up to Natalie excitedly as he poured himself a cup of rum and coke that was more Kraken than it was coke. Greeting a group of people at a party with no drink in hand and no excuse when they all had one was a party foul, after all. "No pressure or anything, but this is basically all I could do for fun back home. That and fishing with Winky's shotgun."

---

Lynn’s jab was well-meant, and Keaton half wanted to say that she’d already finished what calculus courses she needed. Instead, she opted to laugh, raising a jello shot in a mock ‘cheers’ before squeezing it into her mouth. Whoever made them had taken liberties with the sugar to alcohol ratio, Keaton realized, swallowing with a grimace. Around four would get her to a good level. Thankfully, that’s exactly the number she had on hand.

Beside her, Lynn was beginning to talk to herself. She was tipsy already—had drank beforehand. When she pointed out someone she’d nicknamed ‘Fish,’ Keaton followed her gaze, giving the boy at the edge of the woods a wave and a smile. He looked rather standoffish, and judging by his expression, he wasn’t expecting to see Lynn here. What he’d done to earn his nickname, Keaton could only guess, though she was surprised Lynn knew him. From what she knew, Lynn tended to keep to herself. If that was changing, though, Keaton welcomed it; Lynn could use a few more friends in the world, even if just superficial ones.

‘Tall, dark, and blandsome,’ on the other hand, was a boy in a black coat, and his smile clashed with Lynn’s description. Was he Lynn’s type, or was Lynn trying to stir the pot and start the party? Given Lynn’s current mood, Keaton put it down to the latter, and she was thankful when Lynn announced that she was getting beer. Taking the tequila bottle, Keaton watched her leave, realizing that Lynn wasn’t a beer sort of person—that though she’d said ‘beer,’ she’d meant just about anything that contained alcohol. Lynn’s small stature had Keaton place her as a lightweight, but Keaton was revising that label on the fly. Lynn drank too much too fast to only be tipsy with her body of skin and bones, unless her metabolism—that was it. Her powers were at work here.

Amelia interrupted Keaton’s thoughts, her eyes sharp as she spoke. She knew Keaton and Lynn were up to something—had guessed it. But she had no proof. Keaton could lie. Throw her off, keep her out of it, safe in ignorance. But, Amelia’s powers were useful. As flighty as she was, being able to teleport was a nifty tool, and there might well be a day Keaton needed her help. But that day wasn’t today. Today, tonight, Keaton wanted to relax and forget about conspiracy theories and her looming demise. Neither the Faceless nor Arianna were here, and—cross that. And that was exactly why Keaton wanted to indulge in the night.

“Sure, let’s meet up—tomorrow. Or whenever you’re free,” she said, grinning and raising another jello shot. “For now, cheers.”

The second jello shot tasted just as bad as the first one, but Keaton knew she’d mind the taste less by the third. If she got all four down and waited around twenty to thirty minutes, she’d have a nice buzz going. Add in some tequila and she might even end up a little woozy and giggly.

Eli piped up with a question, waving at the boy in black, and it took Keaton a moment to connect the dots. She was using her powers to talk to him, allowing her to reach him even at normal volume. It was amazing, really, how versatile her powers were. In many ways, Keaton was envious. So many people aboard The Promise had powers more fascinating, more complex than her own. Hers were useful at times, yes, but she couldn’t do anything with them. All she did was think and know, and whether she’d even be able to do anything with what she realized was uncertain. When it came to fights, she was useless. Beyond useless—a living hindrance whose priority needed to be flight since fight wasn’t an option.

Seeing Lynn come back, Keaton pasted a smile on her face. She had time for anxiety later. For now, it was time to recall when she first drank and compare it with the others’. Amelia was pretty young, so her answer wasn’t surprising, and neither was Eli’s.

“I had mine my sophomore year summer, so fifteen. One of my friends raided her parents’ stores for our sleepover. Rum—I hated it,” she said, laughing. “Thought it was gross and didn’t drink more than half a shot, tops. I didn’t get drunk until my first party, though, which was… not great. Turns out even rich kids get grounded if they throw a party without getting their parents’ permission.”

She paused, briefly lost in her memories. Knowing that she’d likely never see her high school friends again, never get to finish establishing her college friendships made it all the more tragic. She’d done her best not to dwell on what she’d lost, but it was hard when she remembered how much she cherished her memories. How was Abigail doing with her new boyfriend? Had Lindsey finally gotten around to getting that tattoo she’d always wanted? And when was the last time Keaton had called her dad?

“When’d you have your first drink?” Keaton asked, looking to Lynn. New memories—that’s what she needed. She already had new friends and new priorities, so the hard part was done. The easiest part of the hard part, at least.

A familiar voice shouted Amelia’s name, and Keaton turned around to see Archie and Natalie arrive in all their homecoming glory. They were a bit overdressed for the campground, but it worked as a couple. They looked cute, and if Archie went lizard while drunk, at least Natalie would look great knocking him out. ‘More the merrier’ and all that.

---

"Fish! Splish splash your ass over here."

Who was to do what now? The nickname struck a chord of terror through him, and it was with great despair that he turned to face his addresser. Terrible idea, but force of habit practically forced his body around for him. Goddamn Houjou manners.

Ah. Damn his luck.

He plastered a polite smile onto his face, though to anyone else it probably looked like he was holding in a bowel movement, and stiffly obeyed. Better to indulge the thug’s demands than end up as a pile of ash.

Gen felt his lower lip wobble.

Of course Gojira was there. The She-Hulk. Vandal. Two other girls he’d glimpsed in the college area halls from time to time. Why weren’t they running while they had the opportunity? Why wasn’t he?!

“<Goddamn. Houjou. Manners.>” He muttered to himself pleasantly, through aching teeth.

Just one hour. He was supposed to just stand around here, reading, without having to talk to anyone. And now he was—

A lightbulb went off.

There was a way to weasel out of this. He’d still have to talk to them, but that didn’t mean he had to speak with them.

Gen steeled himself as he stood before them.

“He… Hello,” he said, playing up his accent as much as he could.

His speech was hesitant, as if he was double checking every word. Foreign student act was a-go.

“My name is… Gen. My Engli— My English name is Zack. Nice to… meet you.”

He bowed lightly.

LynN

Lynn zoned out for a moment when Amelia was speaking, which was likely a very fortuitous thing, as her inebriated mind may have slipped up and made an uncouth comment about what laying low entailed and perhaps what the ramifications of such a course of action were for others in the group. Instead, she looked at everybody's shoes, and noticed how markedly smaller hers were than everyone else's. Eli and Amelia were introducing themselves, which felt strange to Lynn. It felt like some heavy, cold thing that threatened to rip through the little fragile house of cards Lynn's good mood tap-danced on top of, and she couldn't explain why. Lynn wanted to put herself between Eli and Amelia (yo! Amelia's name already has Eli in it, what the fuck)and ask some questions to disrupt this, whatever it was, but before her mind had formulated a plan to make this happen Amelia had turned things back to Lynn. Fuck, this was more thinking than she wanted tonight. Lynn drank some more. "How hard did I pregame?" Lynn asked. "I just don't drink like a pussy," she said back, grinning. She was joking. Were her jokes good? People liked her more tonight than normal. Maybe they'd like her jokes. Lynn was surprised at her first beverage. She would've figured it was something nicer. As she looked down at her poor man's Jack and Coke, Lynn noticed the edge of the cup was swimming a bit in her vision. About time.

Eli called her bossy. That made Lynn grin. Was she bossy? Lynn had never heard that before. She started to say that she didn't talk to enough people to be bossy but someone had changed the subject and the line was gone from Lynn's mind and her mouth at once, forgotten. As Lynn watched Eli speak, her mind was split between the girl's words and everything else about her. Lynn's normal doubts about whether or not a housebroken para like Eli could be really trusted beyond getting dinner together - if Keaton was getting Eli in on the operation so they could stab Lynn in the back - seemed to melt away. Lynn's hair slowly and softly stopped dancing with color and settled down to a dull auburn. To someone not paying close attention, it would seem that she perhaps had some splotchy highlights put in, ones which changed color every few minutes, but far more slowly than they did before. It was messier and unkempt this way, full of split ends and a tangle or two. Lynn's skin lost a bit of its glow, and the radiant heat around the girl dimmed down. Eli invited Rolex over, which was good. Lynn would've butchered it if she'd done it. Eli drank at fourteen? Younger than she was expecting, but Lynn giggled. "Whiskey! That's real shit." She followed Eli's eyes over to two people making out, and the same strange feeling from before seemed to well up in Lynn. I could be doing that, Lynn thought, and in her mind, even her thoughts seemed to slur. No you couldn't, said another, and it wrenched her eyes back to the conversation before the sight of Maddy - _tall - threatened to twist her mood any more than it already had. Lynn turned back and saw something in Eli's face. Lynn was not sure if she could have articulated what she saw, because doing so would have meant having to explain how she saw it. It was what Lynn had just felt, that feeling of trying desperately to stomp out a roach and being afraid to lift up your foot in case it's alive and still scurries away. she had a bad time Lynn thought, staring at Eli has she swayed a bit. i had a bad time too. She used her powers to catch their attention without making a racket and Lynn stared in awe. that's so fucking cool, she thought, looking down at her own hands. she could do anything and nobody would have to know what she was.

Keaton. Denim. Lynn liked Keaton's denim. And Amelia's jacket. And...maybe also Eli's denim. fuck were we wearing denim? She stumbled through the day's events trying to remember if someone had said that or not. No, they hadn't. She'd gone back to her dorm after work after getting the tequila because Cara told her that GARY WAS FUCKING DEAD and there had been no mention of denim not once. Not once at all. Lynn wasn't out of the loop. Unless they said something to each other and didn't say it to her? why would they do that? Lynn thought. Two more people came from the edge of the clearing and Lynn felt the cards all go bust before the house came tipsy-tumbling down. It was Archie and Natalie. "She looks really pretty," Lynn murmured. And heels. And her makeup was fucking perfect. Lynn turned away and finished the rest of her drink, a tinge of blue ink-splotting out messily from the roots of her hair and base of her irises. archie didn't show his other hand Lynn thought, the sort of thought that picked the knocked-down cards off the floor and ripped them apart. There was something sharp and sudden in Lynn's stomach and she thought for a brief, sobering moment she was going to hurl but it passed. I burned Gary's hand too just like Archie's. Lynn tried not to think about Archie. Just don't. Just don't. if he comes over to talk just find a reason to leave go get more liquor or food or just say you have to pee it doesn't matter just get away

Lynn struggled to stack the cards back up before they were all shredded. Keaton. She turned to Keaton who was like a denim fucking anchor right now in Lynn's head. Keaton smiled when she looked at Lynn sometimes. And sometimes, Lynn's alcohol-slogged mind thought, it was the smirk or the condescending smile or all those other ones she'd seen so many times, the we're reviewing your case as fast as we can smile or the we think you'd be a great candidate for the Promise smile, but there were Lucy smiles too, and sometimes like now it was one of those smiles, and that made Lynn smile, and she wondered if Keaton could tell what kind of smiles Lynn had, and if Keaton even understood the difference. "Good drinking," Lynn said instead, watching Keaton crush another jello shot like a champ. Sophomore year? Lynn almost wanted to laugh. She hadn't even made it through that much high school, let alone drinking. if i kissed keaton right now that would be fucking hilarious i bet fish would flip flop out of his own scales And that was only a year ago for Lynn, so it felt funny to imagine. Lynn saw it on Keaton's face too, for a second, something sad. something bad happened sophomore year Lynn realized. She blinked and turned to Eli, the world turning a half second after her eyes did. maybe that's why they're getting along so well because they both had something bad happen Lynn decided she was doing to do something really really nice for Keaton. She didn't know what. But she told it to herself a half dozen times or so, so that in the morning she'd remember and she could do it.

Lynn grinned wide at Keaton's question, too drunk to think through the words that came stumbling out. "Hah! I have all you guys beat by a shitton. My first drink was when I was ten. Whiskey, like Eli." Lynn absentmindedly reached a spare hand to the bridge of her nose, rubbing at the scar across it. "It was 'cause I messed up his - " she blinked. Fish came swimming! Fish had like six names now, though, and Lynn could not remember any of them. She frowned. There was definitely something important about watches she was supposed to have remembered too, but that was long gone. Oh go figure, though. The one time Lynn managed to bring someone into a conversation and they don't speak fucking English. Lynn looked at Gen for a minute and sighed. "Don't worry," she said, reaching into her bag. "I have something for the language barri-" she paused, cocking her head and needing to try once or twice. "berry, bear...barrier, she said, handing Gen the handle. "It's like Mexican sake, Fish," she said. "Zack." She frowned. Why would you choose Zack? You could've been anything. Lynn would've picked a way more badass name, like a big movie star, or a boxer, or _Salamandra. Lynn tensed for a second and looked around the party, but the alcohol seemed to have numbed her enough that by the time the panic had started to set in her brain had confirmed Salamandra wasn't there. _{she's dead like gary and you killed her}. Lynn fumbled into her back pocket, holding her cup between her teeth, and drew out a pack of cigarettes.

"Anybody want one?" she asked, muffled, holding her empty cup in the crook of her arm as she put the cigarette to her teeth. Normally the phoenix was right there, right under the surface, but she thought it had gone to sleep now. Lynn struck her thumbnail against the cigarette like a strike-anywhere match and nothing happened. "Whiskey dick," Lynn muttered quietly, as if she wasn't aware she was speaking at all. The cigarette had her full focus for a few moments, which was the part of alcohol Lynn really liked. There weren't so many thoughts _{tall // Salamandra // four dead // Che // she's so pretty // molotov //} then and it was easier to just focus. "Heh always something to do with whiskey." Lynn finally got the cigarette to light and took a puff, noticing that for once it was burning down at a normal rate. i save so much money when i drink and no buildings have been destroyed today either. i should do this more often

T H E P R O M I S E

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Shhnnk

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Pssh

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Shhnnk

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Pssh

She liked to think that she was a gardener, once. Nothing of the professional variety, of course. No how-to videos or youtube account with a small but avid follower base. At least, none that she was aware of. It had been so long now that she doubted there would be anything left even if something had existed at one point.

But she liked to think it was possible.

She had no sound logic or rationale for her hypothesis, simply an affinity for using a shovel and memories of flowers of varying colors and shapes. Fuzzy and alien, like a dream she remembered but couldn't quite place. With careful hands, she took the wilted flower. The days had taken a toll on the flower, whose petals are now a starved dark red. Curiously, she pinches one of the petals between her thumb and forefinger, velvet in the center but slightly dry at the edges now, and tugs it off before letting it drop into the grass. He loves me, he loves me not...

Of course, this assumption could be entirely misguided. She had spent so much time reading, learning, practicing everything and anything that she could. She wanted to know, needed to know. For a person with nigh infinite hours in a day, the desire to fill the time with something had become all encompassing. She couldn't remember much of anything from before she came to, while some parahumans obtained abilities that made them demigods, she had her mind torn asunder. Rent into tiny pieces and scattered across the floor as if someone had spilled marbles. She had screamed, and cried, and lashed out at anything and everything. She couldn't see, couldn't smell, couldn't hear, she couldn't even really feel and it had all felt so so wrong. She had experienced how dark and silent the world could be. Those pieces of her mind that she had found were small comforts, which turned to curses when she eventually came to.

Waking up in a strange room, filled with pictures of yourself and people you don't recognize was unnerving. She never got over the fact that those people were supposedly her family. She knew she was supposed to feel something, anything for their loss. But she didn't. She didn't know them. Some of those marbles had been lost- down the drain or under a couch so deep that she couldn't reach them. The history of the first seventeen years of her life was a patchwork quilt of guessing and estimation. The people that she was supposed to know better than anyone else in her life were reduced to strangers. Well, parts of strangers.

Within minutes, she carefully dismembered the rest of the flower, one petal at a time, creating a lopsided halo in the grass. Dark angels robed in heavenly white. Like velvet little corpses, she thought with slight morbid fascination.

Presently, a light breeze drifts through the woods, rustling the trees and the grass with soft, invisible fingers. The leaves of the trees lift slightly in the air before falling back to their original position. The un-bloomed dandelion flowers however, young and bright with life, all seem to release their delicate seeds into the wind's embrace; at once, the clearing is filled with tiny white parachutes, and she can almost imagine them calling out—"goodbye!", "goodbye!", "goodbye!"

Shhnnk

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Pssh

The Promise's dirt depth was something like twelve feet, depending on the location- being deepest the further you were from the river. She casts a look to the many garbage bags, diced up and weighty as they were. There's always more blood than you think she reminds herself. The sounds of parties and music and talking carry on the wind and she can only imagine what they're talking about. If she had talked about similar subjects. She drives the shovel into the ground to her left, deep enough so it doesn't fall over, and tosses the first of the dozen or so bags into the hole she had made.

She was here on business after all, and this one had been more helpful than the last giving her a name and a direction. Detmer, and up. So she was feeling particularly thankful tonight, and while an unmarked burial in the middle of the woods was far from respectful it was certainly a step up from being left to rot in the river. That and, she didn't want anyone finding her body for a long, long time. The woman had looked something like her mother had, hazel eyes and blonde hair. She wondered if she got her brown hair from her father, and what he had looked like.

And, in the midst of the flower's farewells, Arianna tosses another bag into the hole and whispers something too— a farewell of her own.

Shhnnk

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Pssh

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Shhnnk

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Pssh