---

---

There was the urge to roll eyes again, although for the sake of electronics everywhere and not pouring more gas on the fire, Victoria remained stone faced. Which one of us is misunderstanding things again? I do recall saying fencing or what have you. It doesn't matter what the rules are, there being any rules is the problem. Well, let's not agree to disagree, I guess. Let's ignore the fact that someone like Teddy would shatter steel blades and bend these ones into knots with one blow even if he followed tHe RulEs. It's never going to be fair, no matter what you do.

Done with that conversation topic, she decided to humor the asgardian and remounted her blade. That faced her with another problem though. She had no idea how to fight like this. Alright, Tori, pause. Take inventory. Analyze. Improve.
Replaying previous rounds…
Analyzing patterns and trends…
Simulating responses…
Tactical recommendations:
- Use of off-line footwork to obtain a favorable angle of attack
- Avoidance of movement directly toward the opponent
- Extension of the sword arm in a straight line from the shoulder to obtain maximum reach

Analysis time: 0.367 seconds
It wasn't much, but her instructions prevented her from doing much more than that. Not that analyzing a few hours of fencing footage would do her that much good without actual practice.

"Have at thee. Also, flying horse? That I can't wait to see! Sometimes it feels like i'm the only flier here." She smiled, while adjusting her posture. She turned herself profile towards Zari again, only this time with her sword hand forward at maximum extension, intending to move to Zari's right side, block her action while doing so and then attack with a thrust from the side or back.

---

---

---

---

Leah wasn't wrong in her assessment of Andy. Since Andy's key ability was her reflexes she had focused heavily on that while she had lived in Drummond's Gym. Her skill had been unparalleled, at least by anyone that wasn't also a mutant. And since Drummond's Gym was a mutant gym she had had a lot of practice. The fact that it was a mutant gym was supposed to be underground info, but when it got out...Well, it had been burned down with the Drummonds inside. Andy still carried a lot of pain about it. For her, it hadn't even been a full year since that happened. Even though for linear people it had been over 17 years.

Because of her training though, and the fact that Andy had been ready. The first kick of the fight was delt by Leah. A nice roundhouse. It probably would have hurt like a bitch if Andy hadn't just moved perfectly to avoid she'd have been down for the count most likely. And it was a simple back step and swing of her own leg that brought her foot into contact with Leah's jaw.

Leah fell to the floor unconscious before she hit it. Andy dropped her form and dashed to Leah's side, careful to not touch the girl's apparently razor-sharp hair. Thankfully Leah was breathing.

---

---

---

April's hand felt warm in hers as she led the girl towards Agatha's tent to meet with the others. Coulson would be fine. Though it was fascinating how it happened. What other secrets was this girl holding? Either way, April was definitely not fine. Especially as the girl rambled on. She let it all come out, because the flow of thoughts was more telling than any secret admitted. Danny hadn't really spoken about April to her and she wondered why.

Once they got closer and April seemed exhausted from talking, "You know, you are really cute when you don't shut up." Eventually, they made their way over to where Danny and Mai were, though they appeared lost. Before Sabine could chime in that the tent was literally a hop-skip-jump away from them, Dorian came over saying the crisis, whatever the fuck it was, was over. God, this virgin. It was probably some stupid thing he panicked over and Agatha waved a hand and bippity-boppity-boo'd him upright. "Not my choice, he kind of just ran off." Sabine gave Danny a smile to assure the boy she meant no ill will. Mai and him were talking before and she didn't hear what they were saying. She would have to talk to them about that whole business before they ran off. "Well, anyway, we are here and I want my fortune told. Figure I should get first dibs due to my superior arm at the dunk tank so if you all don't mind." With that, she let go of April's hand, but not before assuring the girl was okay. Once she was satisfied, Sabine made her way toward Agatha's tent, mentally preparing herself for what would happen.

April's face was bright red, likely from Sabine's comment about her cuteness. "Th-thanks, you're cute too when you don't shut up - I mean when you talk - and when you don't talk - you're just very cute!" April stammered. But beyond that, she seemed more or less alright. Dorian's revelation that everything was okay - that Agatha Harkness had handled things - seemed to have calmed her down somewhat. The panic that had caused her to accidentally ruin the dunk tanks had subsided.

When Sabine entered the tent, she would find herself in a space far more massive than it appeared - in other words, the tent was bigger on the inside. Crystal balls, tarot cards, runes, crystals, and spell books floated through the air, seemingly obeying the whims of the sorceress sat at a small circular table. Cabinets and trunks, some of them chained and violently shaking, decorated the space haphazardly. The lighting was low, flickering candles - also moving lazily through the air - providing the main source of illumination.

"Miss Bassard - to what do I owe the pleasure?" Agatha asked. She wore her typical purple dress, her grey-white hair done in an updo that had once been very stylish in the Victorian era. A black panther sat by her side, regarding Sabine with interest.

Sabine was taken aback, not so much by the woman in front of her who could have easily been Miss Victorian 1896, but rather by the panther. She had only ever seen one in a zoo and who knows how they were treated there. Cool panther! What is its name?" She was tempted to pet, but it wasn't like a house cat.

Sabine shook it off. "I came to have my fortune read. The online message board was practically blowing up about your fortunes. It definitely grabbed my interest." Sabine took a moment to take in her surroundings. How had Agatha managed to make it seem so big? Then Sabine remembered she was literally going to a school for superheroes. Anything flew here. She waited to see if Agatha would be willing to see her. She didn't want to make this trek for no results.

"Ah, her name is Ebony," Agatha said, her voice tinged with a clear sense of pride. She stroked the panther's head as one might a cat. "You can pet her, if you like - she won't bite... unless I say otherwise." Agatha smirked. She did have fun toying somewhat with students. It was hard not to, when you lived to be her age. "I should hope the young ones are saying only good things about my fortunes, hmm?"

"Today, I am reading tarot cards. You can ask a specific question, or I can do a general reading. Do note that these cards will ultimately be a reflection of who you are - you cannot hide from them, no matter how much you try."

Sabine wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She walked over and pet the panther, being sure to get under her chin and not rub her the wrong way that annoys cats. "So is so precious!" Sabine took a few more pets before she left the beautiful creature to her own devices, facing Agatha again.

Fortune telling was something she knew the basics about. In France, it wasn't as common to see fortune tellers roam the streets like they did in the past. Modern age made their gifts more capitalistic. Agatha didn't seem like that type. "All right, I'm game. I am fine with a general reading and accept my fate." Did she though? Sabine knew who she was ultimately, but even she kept secrets from herself.

One thing for sure, she was glad she was in this tent alone.

Ebony was quite taken with Sabine - so much so, that when she stopped petting her, Ebony transformed into a small black house cat and leapt up into Sabine's lap, purring and clearly demanding that she continue with the pets. "Ebony seems taken with you," Agatha mused, as the tarot cards up in the air began to swirl, shuffling themselves in a maddening storm. It was almost like a dance, the cards going in random directions, until finally three cards plucked themselves out, landing on the table in front of Sabine and Agatha. It was a simple past, present, future spread - the Hanged One, the Wheel of Fortune Reversed, the Tower Reversed. Agatha's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, seeing so many major arcana pop up in this one draw.

"Great forces are at work in your life, young one," Agatha began. She did not say good or bad - merely great. "In your past, I see the Hanged One. This card deals with surrender and new perspective - a sudden change in you, but one that is beneficial. Was there a time in your life where you were forced to make such a choice, Miss Bassard - to let go and redefine yourself?" Agatha asked, although Sabine would have the feeling that Agatha already knew the answer. "Then, your present - the Wheel of Fortune Reversed. Take this card as a warning. There are perilous forces at work in your life, a cycle that must be broken, another change you must make in yourself. If you do not do this, there will be disaster and untold pain and suffering..." she paused, letting this sink in.

"In your future then, we have the Tower Reversed. This is another card of transformation, but also speaks of an averted disaster. All of these cards are part of the major arcana, spiritual forces that govern your life. The cards are urging you to examine yourself deeply Sabine, to make a needed change, or you will see yourself consumed by darkness."

Agatha paused again, another card floating down - the Three of Swords. Agatha's face darkened. "I drew this card for you as an extra one, for advice on what change is needed... This is a card of pain and heartbreak, of necessary grief and sorrow. Pain will shape you, Miss Bassard. For better... or for worse."

Sabine continued to pet Ebony as Agatha read her fortune. Sabine didn't know what to expect, but she certainly didn't expect her results. As Adatha spoke about change and her past, Sabine regarded her family, her upbringing. The other two were warnings, in a sense. Change herself or be consumed. Sabine had the urge to call bullshit, but she also knew Agatha, or at least her reputation. This was not a woman who read fortunes for kicks. If the cards were true.....

The Three of Swords. An extra card for her. One that said Sabine would have to face pain. What pain? Unsure. "Wow, I can see why the others were flooding the message boards. That's a doozy of a fortune." As calm as she could be, she knew she couldn't muster the concern she was having and the fight in her mind. What pain? What was she expected to endure?

"Thanks, I suppose. At least knowing what might be coming gives me a chance to be prepared for it. Do...do you mind if I sit for a minute and pet Ebony before I head back out there?" Sabine continued to stroke the cat/panther in her lap, letting the softness of her fur calm Sabine down some. She didn't want to go back out there and look like she got kicked in the gut with a steel-toed boot.

"Of course, dear," Agatha said. "While I am the one reading these fortunes... I would not be too afraid of the future. Destiny has a funny way of finding us all in the end," Agatha counseled. "Take the warning, but then let go. Do not allow yourself to be consumed by the cards or you may find yourself undone." She then studied Sabine for a moment, before snapping her fingers and a Yankees baseball cap appeared in her hands. "I acquired this artifact from a friend of mine - a writer. I would like to gift it to you, Sabine. When you wear it, you will become completely invisible... I hope it will serve you well."

Sabine took the hat. It had to be a Yankees hat? Well, if it was true, no one would see her wearing it anyway. She got up, allowing Ebony to hop off. She waved at Agatha before heading out of the tent to the others. "Well, that was fascinating. What a future to look forward to. And look! I got a cool hat out of it. Who's next?" She glanced at April before turning to Danny and Mei. And Dorian, she supposed.

---

---

Too shy to speak to Mary Sue directly yet too polite to outright ignore the girl, Ardere glanced over to her future roommate with a sideways smile. The redhead forced herself to be more engrossed with this fantastic little creature living in her jar. She wondered if she has to poke air holes in the lid. Do will-o-wisps need fresh air? It's hard to tell what qualifies as a nose and lungs to these bright, floaty beings.

In the awkward silence, Ardere didn't mutter a word when she and Mary Sue arrived at the same destination. Her eyes, however, were on the playing cards that decorated the dorm doors. More tarot? The 14-year-old thought idiotically, despite the card designs clearly not fortune teller cards. Good thing she didn't utter her thoughts out loud to her fellow schoolmate, Ardere would hide behind her mask until the end of days.

"Are you...also staying in this room?" Ardere asks, reading the name on the playing card. "Mary Sue?

“Guuuuuuuuuys, stop pickin on me! We all know I’m directionally challenged!” Danni whined playfully in response to his friends’ teasing. “And in my defense, Mai and I were left unsupervised. Everyone knows I can’t stay still for longer dan two seconds; you should just be glad I didn’t end up in, like, Montana or somet'in. At least I was still at the festival. I feel like I deserve a gold star or somet'in for t'at!” Danni contemplated the face painter’s stall intently, considering getting his face painted. Mai’s tigger paint was super cool, but he wanted something with lots of colors. Maybe they could do a parrot. But how would you paint a parrot? It would be just like beak? Maybe just feathers on the face, like a Mardi Gras mask or something?

Danny snapped out of his thoughts at the mention of the stalker and he jumped on Dee, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Yay! Good old Aggie, dealing with t'e spooks! Cause if anyone gets to wear your skin, it’s me! Only fair after how often you’ve been in mine.” Danny reasoned, watching Sabine finally let go of April’s hand as she took her leave from the group and headed into the tent to determine her destiny. Danni was entirely capable of multi-tasking, continuing to wind himself around Dee until they couldn’t be separated and leveling April with a mischievous smile. “Soooooooooooooooooo, Beanie, huh? We are soooooo talkin about t'is later! Princess and Beanie sittin in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” He sang eagerly. If he hadn’t been so busy contemplating parrots or trying to climb Dee, he would have snapped a picture or gotten a recording of April admitting Beanie was cute but priorities. He hadn’t realized how jittery he was until the squad was back together and the familiar feeling of annoying both of them was settling him out nicely!

“Okay, Mai. Opinions. Parrot, Eagle, or a different bird? I’m feelin’ birdy today so I wanna get bird face paint, but idk what kind of bird.” He mused, returning to stare at the face painter. However, again he was interrupted by Sabine’s return to the group. “Beanie’s back! You got…” Danny peered at the baseball cap. “Uh… that’s not your normal vibe, though. You can rock it, cause you can rock anything, but a baseball cap? Aggie tell you to try out some new fashion? Oh, we can go shopping and do a whole fashion show! Oh, it’ll be so fun!!!!! We can all do it!” Danni untangled himself from Dee, stumbling a little in his excitement, and clapped his hands excitedly.

Wait, the whole reason they were here though! “Since Beanie’s done, I’m gonna go talk with Aggie. You guys start planning where the runway will be!” Danni sang as he skipped off to the now free tent, throwing the flap open wide as he entered with “Hiiiiii, Aggie!”

Mary Sue was slightly put off by the lack of verbal response from her walking companion, and held back a frown at her recent failure to properly start up a relationship with somebody. Maybe talking just wasn't this person's thing? She could understand that, but most of the time people engaged in some form of communication, unless they were totally antisocial. Maybe she was, but Mary Sue was more likely to pin any social difficulties on herself. That way, there was actually something she could do about the situation, rather than assuming that something was a lost cause for no reason other than bad luck.

Her heart dropped a bit when they both arrived at the same room, not only because she wouldn't be given the time to herself that she needed, but also it seemed that she was already on the wrong foot with her roommate. Screaming at herself internally, she gripped onto the wording Ardere used. It felt so... Detached, like she wouldn't be living there, but staying there. Those things were different in Mary Sue's head; one was impersonal, and one was an experience. Mary Sue nodded weakly and just said "Um... Yeah. Ardere." She let her words hang there, having no idea how she should proceed with any form of conversation.

---

---

She found the little bit of banter between the two siblings kind of amusing to say the least. It definitely was a bit of a different dynamic than the one that she had with her own sister. The part that he said about her sister's friends made her a bit curious though, but truthfully she had never seemingly cared about them, and hadn't really gotten to know them over all, so she couldn't say one way or the other how they were. "I've never really gotten to know them, so I don't really know her friends at all."

Zelda followed along after Diana and Percy towards the carnival food line. She was a bit hungry at this point, and was thinking what she wanted from the booth. Though she couldn't help but let out a small laugh, that she stopped almost immediately afterwards, at Percy's comment about the line and all, it was a bit of an amusing comparison in her mind. When they got up towards the front she ended up getting some cotton candy from the booth, before seeing about making her way over towards where Diana was.

---

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Zari wasn't too sure what to expect at this point, whether Victoria was going to want to continue with the slight sparring match. Or if she was going to decide to not fight anymore or something like that. Though she was a bit happy to hear the conversation switch a little bit and get more relaxed, mainly because of the mention of the pegasus that she had and could summon up whenever she wanted to. That was definitely a good thing in general at this point, to get things a bit more relaxed and chill after that brief argument.

"My Pegasus is named Mr. Sparkles and he's a very pretty horse, I can call him whenever I want just by using a horn I have, makes it a bit easier to randomly be able to fly around. Still getting a bit used to mounted combat though, I'm still better overall on the ground. But I am getting better at it!" she said happily, basically having flipped a bit of a switch back in her brain going easily back to her normal self. She tended to have a very short attention span anyway, so this was nice in this instant. When it came to the sparring match, Zari moved her sword and went forward, going for the attack, she managed to land a soft hit on Victoria's wrist, while her opponent was unable to do her potential defensive actions. She whirled around a bit and immediately braced herself for the potential return attack.

As the man before him spoke, Teddy began to relax. He had never taken any courses in Time Travel Studies - it didn’t seem relevant for his interests, to be completely honest - but it was more reassuring to know that it was sanctioned Academy staff knocking at his door rather than a strange old man. Teddy tilted his head, scratching at his beard as he studied Nemo. “Oh, yeah, sure, I can do that.” he answered. Teddy patted his pockets, making sure that he had remembered to grab his phone and wallet, and when satisfied, flashed Ser Nemo a smile. “I’ve got some time now if you’d like to go ahead and knock it out.” he offered.

Teddy tried his best to keep a polite air about him, but there was a part of him that was morbidly curious about the man. Why ask him for help? Sure, he was strong, but there were a few other strength-types about. Teddy would write it off as coincidence if they had just run into each other on the grounds but…why come to knock on his door specifically? For as much respect that Teddy held for his professors, many of them struck him as sneaky. They wanted to help, sure, but they weren’t always the most direct about it. So what did he want?

Maybe he was overthinking it. Probably he was overthinking it. It didn’t matter, really. He asked for help, Teddy would help. It’s just what you do.

“I uh…have no idea where your office is, sorry.” Teddy admitted with a slightly nervous chuckle.

---

When Danny pointed out the facepainting station, Mai turned her attention to it, trying to find the hero that had tiger’d her. They deserved kudos - the hunt had been successful because of the warpaint - it was the only reasonable explanation, because fuck’s sake, she’d never thrown that well in her life.

As Dorian joined the fray, Mai offered him a shit-eating grin. “Yooo, happy birth, bub.” she said, finishing off her food stand treat. “Bruh, it was an adventure. We killed Coulson. Pretty sure we’re wanted fugitives now. Danni got us out. He’s my hero.” she explained dryly. When Sabine announced that she was heading in, Mai shrugged then nodded towards her. Fine by her - she was by no means in any sort of a rush to head into Aggie’s spooky hut. She made a mental note to find a pack of gold star stickers for Danny later.

“Ooo…fuck…uhm…gotta be a parrot, dude. Be extra.” offered the wise sage Mai to the eager apprentice. The way of the warpaint was a perilous path, but she would see him through it, should he choose to undergo the trials.

Spinning on her heels upon Sabine’s return, she offered a thumbs up before elbowing Danni in his side. “Bruh, you’re goofy. The baseball cap’s hot. “Fuck, I want one…” she muttered, looking past Sabine to the tent as Danny began to head in. She had no plans on heading in but…

Fuck it was tempting.

“Ugh…Agatha’s so fucking creepy though…” she complained out loud, debating whether or not she’d be heading it. One the one hand - hat. On the other…possibility to be turned into a toad. It was a very valid fear in her mind, and a likely one, given that the witch would probably smell the fear on Mai the moment she walked in.

“Fuuuuuuuck…” she whined, hanging her head in frustration.

---

---

---

@Kirah@Blizz: Ooof, that must've hurt for poor Leah. She would only be unconscious for about 30 seconds or so, not super long, but still far from ideal. No one besides Andy ran over when she fell - mostly because no one is around. Hmm, shouldn't there be teachers or whatnot around? Maybe someone should look into that. There seems to be a lot of obvious measures that this school just isn't participating in. Andy and Leah (once Leah woke up) would however hear something strange - a strange, playful musical voice was coming from the second floor of the gym... followed by rock music?

@Ever Faithful@Natsu: Boy, things are extra awkward here. It's almost like the universe set up a really terrible roommate situation for the two of you, but that would be very rude of the universe. No one else seems to be around right now, not even the faculty member in charge of this floor, Jack of Hearts. Somehow, god willing, these two girls are going to have to have some sort of a conversation. Maybe Ardere will stop ignoring Mary Sue now? Only time will tell.

@BlueSky44@Forsythe@Nallore:


"Ah, my fair maiden, a moment please!" the King suddenly shouted, seeing that Mads had texted something on her phone and was about to leave. "I would be most honored if you would accept this," the King said, picking up a flower crown from a plastic grocery bag it had been contained in. It was made out of various blue flowers. "It is tradition for the King to bestow upon the fairest maiden of the day the Crown of Flowers," they explained. "And there is none fairer here than you." Mads' phone would then vibrate with a text back from April.

Meanwhile in the fight between Zari and Vicky, Zari seemed to have completely forgiven Vicky for everything. To Vicky, this behavior likely would seem illogical and somewhat abnormal, but then again, Vicky probably felt that way when interacting with most teenagers. Zari whirling around and everything would remind Vicky somewhat of the more fanciful fighting done in Star Wars movies - maybe it was time for Vicky to claim the high ground??? Or maybe even look for a way to exit this fight, since it seems like Zari could - like Captain America - do this all day...

@Ogobrogo: "Oh, thank you very much, young man - it is very much appreciated," Ser Nemo enthused. "Come, follow me, my limbs may be frail but my mind is sharp as ever - I will show you the way." He did not wait to see if Teddy was following him, assuming that the muscular young man was.

He called the elevator and got inside, holding the door until Teddy joined him, before his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, drat! Silly me. My dear boy, there is actually another matter that I require your assistance with. You see, we are trying to pair up freshmen students with senior mentors - and I had been asked to make a match for two young girls starting at the academy. But I realize I had forgotten to do so! Here, come, would you mind showing them around today, making them feel welcome and at home? Oh, of course you will do it, that's a good lad," Ser Nemo said, pressing the button for the fourth floor.

Maybe Teddy was right to be suspicious of his teachers being sneaky.

When the elevator hit the fourth floor, the doors opened up and in the hallway were two freshmen girls, standing almost petrified outside their door. "There they are now! Ladies, might I introduce you to Mr. Thompson? Mr. Thompson, meet Ms. Sullivan and Ms. Terrane."

---

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Percy rolled his eyes at Diana calling him a grumpy little gremlin - although he couldn't quite disagree. He knew that he was somewhat prickly, it was hard not to be aware of that fact, given how silly and happy-go-lucky everyone else in the world seemed to be. Percy didn't understand how other people were not annoyed, angry, or otherwise irritated most of the time. "Yes, and she's a CareBear, ready to obliterate us all with the power of love," Percy said to Zelda, giving his sister the bird as he finished his sentence.

Diana went on ahead, getting herself some wings - Percy knew that she had a soft spot for those. And Zelda got herself cotton candy for lunch, an interesting choice, but Percy wasn't going to judge. He rather liked cotton candy anyways. When it was his turn, he got himself a hot dog and curly fries, before heading off to join his sister and Zelda on the bench. He looked around suspiciously for a moment, waiting for some asshole upperclassmen to show up and ruin his lunch, but none appeared. For the moment, at least.

"So, why are you here at the beloved Margaret Carter Institute, Zelda?" Percy asked somewhat bluntly, before taking a bite into his hot dog. "Are you hoping to save the world? Get on the cover of magazines? What's your motivation?" Some people might've found his probing words to be... well, unwelcoming. But he was genuinely curious as to why Zelda was here - he had his own reasons for being at this school, but he imagined hers differed.

---

---

April's chest had exploded into a million butterflies and her face was brighter red than an award winning cherry tomato. She couldn't help but stare somewhat as Sabine left her and went into Agatha's tent, no doubt ready to hear about the most amazingly perfect life that awaited her. At least she was somewhat calmer as Dorian and his scary stalker was concerned - it was easier to accept that Agatha had handled it than that some horrible person wanted to wear his skin. That sort of stuff didn't happen to them, they were super powered teens, that stuff just didn't happen to kids!

"OMG nothing happened!!" April protested, as Danni began serenading them with the most embarrassing song of all. "Sh-sh-she just held me hand, that's all - like the guy in that Star Wars movie where he kept holding the girl's hand and it was completely platonic, that's it, we definitely weren't kissing. And if we had been kissing, you know I would've told you first, I can't keep a secret from my besties, so yeah, nothing happened, just normal hand holding like people who know each other through friends tend to do, completely natural, nothing weird at all or anything. Definitely no kissing," April stammered. Not that she didn't want to. Oh, she very much wanted to know what Sabine's lips tasted like, and how her hair would feel tangled up in April's fingers.

Her protestations though didn't last long, as Sabine reemerged from the tent - with a baseball cap? April didn't remember seeing any pictures on social media of Sabine with a baseball cap, it didn't seem like her type of thing. April somehow managed to blush even with her face already being the color of the Kool-Aid Man as Sabine threw a look in her direction. "Uh uh, sure, yeah, we can do that! Baseball caps can be kinda a vibe - are you a Yankees fan? The outfits can be kinda cute. There's this TV show I watched with my mom a while ago, it's a little dated, but it's about all these cute girls who play baseball during WWII or something, when all the dudes are away, and they were called the Peaches and they had the most adorable little outfits and some of them would make out with each other and stuff. Could do something inspired by that, maybe?"

April didn't mind that Danni had gone into the tent. She didn't really know what she was going to ask Agatha - the only thing that came to mind was asking Agatha about true love and stuff, but she was worried the witch would laugh at her and say it was something stupid to look into the future for. She had to come up with something important. Maybe she could ask Agatha who was going to try to destroy the planet next, so she could stop it? That would definitely get the Avengers interested in her! Or maybe she should ask Agatha about the Contest of Champions and what they would need to do to win - maybe even ask who was going to be on her team, so she could start strategizing? She already knew that Danni and Dorian HAD to be on her team - it wouldn't be perfect if they weren't together for it!

She glanced down at her phone, seeing that a text had come in from Mads -



"She isn't too creepy, right?" April asked Dorian, after Mai complained/confessed her feelings about going into Agatha's tent. "Well, no more creepy than the rest of the staff - especially if the rumors are true and Coulson is a Sinister, then he's definitely way more creepy than she is... If you want, we could go in together, Mai? I'll protect you from the creepy witch. My dad actually used to uh... never mind actually! Forget I said anything about him and what he definitely did or did not used to do for a living."

---

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---

Dorian watched as Sabine walked away, passing him as he approached his friends. April's face was bright red, her speech stammered, and he couldn't help but look back over his shoulder and see Sabine as she walked away before turning back to face April. "Smooth, very smooth." he joked with a bit of a grin before almost tumbling back at Danni's' attack. He wrapped his arms around his best friend, squeezing him tight before letting go. "Aggie sure did a numba on whoeva it was. No more stalka to worry about, or at da very least no more creepy ones." He was a bit sad to see Agatha leave, between her and Nemo they had a good pair of adults who actively cared for and watched over the children. Nemo said his day would get better and sure enough it was.

Dorian couldn't help but laugh at Danni's antics. This was why people befriended him over himself. He tried peering through whatever spot he could on Danni to see April's face as he sang along to Danni's mischief. "Yeah! What's dat all about anyhow? I leave for ten minutes and suddenly you have someone to call chère? Das cold April." She protested profusely but before Dorian could ask why her face was all red then, Sabine showed up. No fun. They would definitely have this talk later. Till then, Dorian plastered a smile (not that it was hard to do given the current company) and turned to face Sabine, Danni finally untangling himself from him. "Oooo I have tons of caps back home, and a few here I'm sure. I can try and help you style it if you want, they're all the rage right now anyways." he said trying to make better friends with his friend's friend and potential future bestie girlfriend.

As soon as Danni walked away to go to Agatha's tent, Dorian gave Mai and April a huge hug. "T'anks for the birthday wishes! And I want to hear all about your crazed adventures while I was away…but what I'm about to say cannot be repeated back to Danni under any circumstances until I am ready." He looked around at the group with a serious face before finally taking a breath and speaking. "I sorta got told by the cards dat I've got a cosmically important love comin into my future very soon. Like world savin importance kind of love. Aaaaaaand I may know who it is too. Im so excited and i wanted to tell someone about it but i just know Danni would harsh it real fast." Once he'd gotten that off his chest he backed up a bit raising his eyebrows at Mai.

"Chicken. She's not even dat scary. Her tent is soooo cool with tons of things to look at and her readings are amazin! Plus I got a cool gift at the end, see?" Dorian pulled the silver cord of his necklace up so that the pendant slipped out from under his shirt before letting it fall back down beneath. "Oh I had a bit of a wait too, some girl came out with like…a magical pet, another with some seriously crash Sailor Moon merch. You've not'in' to lose and everythin to gain!"

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Victoria was happy the situation seemed to defuse, even if the matter of perspective remained unresolved. She supposed it was good enough that Zari knew not to pull any punches in an actual fight, and that she could humor her roommate with doing things her way this once, in the name of making an acquaintance. "Yeah, no kidding. I finally got into a flight oriented class this year. I mean I guess it's good to first get us to learn to fight on our feet before teaching us to go airborne, but it feels like throwing away a massive advantage. I wonder who'll end up teaching the class? I hope it's not Phony Stark." Vicky frowned.

She also remembered she instigated this spar for another reason... initially. Time to see if she could get the truth out of this woman. "So, I see Mr. Eyeball, and did I also hear about Mr. Jaws? No space for robo-girls on your crew?" she asked, wondering how blunt was too blunt, although her logic circuits were not throwing out any VEIL warnings just yet. Come oooon, I can't actually ask you if you know I am a robot, help me out here! Said circuits also reminded her of an earlier note she made though: "Oh, if you need tools and a bench to finish the other guy, I have an entire workshop here. I'll show you later!"

That all said, as far as the fight went, she was fighting herself more than her opponent at the moment. Zari landed another blow on her seemingly effortlessly, while Vicky felt like she was moving through molten glass, her reactions slowed down due to inexperience. "I did not think holding back was going to be this hard. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to exploit every opening. Having to think about an action rather than just doing it by feeling stinks, it's like being in freshman year again." she shook her head, as if the motion could help clear her head or deactivate the mannerisms she learned in combat class for, well, all her life up until now. Still, the change in approach seemed to work somewhat - Zari only reached her arms this time, not her body. Theory is good, improve the execution... as much as you can in ten minutes. This time, she tried to fake an downwards diagonal slash from her left, only to change it to an upwards strike at the last moment.

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In no uncertain terms, Leah was promptly laid the fuck out.

She fell backwards, totally asleep for 30 seconds and dreamed more than she normally dreamed. Leah "awoke" in a different place from AA. It wasn't a city, it wasn't a town. It was a forest. The trees, red-brown and towering, stretched into the sky over her head, far enough that she could scarcely see the clouds, or perhaps the leaves were the clouds. She couldn't tell, because everything overhead was gray in some places and pitch black in others. And yet, Leah could see perfectly, though she didn't actually see with her eyes. She just knew where things were instinctually. The ground felt closer to real than it should have. The feeling was indescribable to her senses, it was like this was real life and her experiences at AA were a dream. Wind blew leaves down from the impossibly tall trees, and the leaves were like thin sheets of pure silver as they brushed against Leah's skin. The air felt clear as pristine glass, and when she breathed it in, it felt like the very first time she ever breathed in her life. The air was neither cold nor warm. It was neither light nor heavy, but it felt natural. The breath went to every muscle in her body, and Leah felt a sensation that wasn't quite familiar to her.

The feeling was like she had been asleep, and someone had splashed her with cold water. Some part of her sense of self was called to the surface, some intrinsic, primal pillar of her soul, bearing strain for the first time. It made her feel alive. Leah inhaled a force of nature, and exhaled pale, bone-white smoke. Her throat burned, but it felt right. She felt at peace here, she felt like she belonged here. From somewhere in the trees, Leah could hear what sounded like footsteps. Heavy, measured footsteps coming closer to her, from behind. Leah turned to look in the direction of the sound, but in doing so, she realized her body was shaped differently. She felt taller, but was she actually taller, or was she simply walking on different legs? The more processed things, it felt like the answer was both. By the time she looked to see where the footsteps were coming from, she realized just how quiet the forest around her was. The noise she fixed her ears on was the only thing apart from her breathing and heartbeat that made a sound. Everything was silent.

Something stepped through the trees. Taller than Leah, with the body of something resembling a human, only... Not. It had skin that looked like stone, with broad shoulders covered in thick drapes of moss. Scars decorated the creature's body at every corner. The closer it came, the taller it looked, until it was maybe 100 feet away from Leah, at which point it looked taller than a 3-story building. In the creature's hand, it held an axe that looked just as weathered as its wielder. Upon their head rested curled horns, with what must've been gold and silver draped across like jewelry. Its eyes were animal, but looked at Leah like it was less predator, and more thoughtful. More sentient than that.

It spoke to her, in a slow, almost slurred voice as deep as the greatest rivers and as far-reaching as the oldest mountains.

"Safjel..."

It was a single word that had no meaning to Leah, but just hearing it was less like hearing someone speak and more like feeling something wash over her entire being. The titanic being stood overtop of her with a quiet, peaceful, unthreatening presence despite it being the biggest thing she ever saw. She felt safe. Safe, in the sense that anything could happen, and this creature's presence would guide her to a better place, after the worst things happened, after loss of life, limb, or-

-Or a fight.

Leah woke up on the gym floor with a gasp of breath, like she just had a nightmare. Her heart was suddenly thundering in her chest, and for a moment, she didn't realize where she was. When she saw her sparring partner, it became a little clearer. "Andy? What happened?" Her face was full of exasperation, confusion, and a loss for words for what she just experienced.

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Madalyne felt her phone going off, and she was about to go and check the message when the King quickly caught up to her to get her attention. She looked at the plastic bag that was in his hand and pulled out a flower crown towards her, and she blushed slightly when he called her the fairest maiden of the day and smiled towards him. She definitely wasn't expecting that really as she accepted the crown from him, putting it on. She made a note to hang out with the Academy Knights more, or even join the club at some point this year as she looked at him. "Thank you so much for the opportunity to spar with you guys, I might join the club if you guys don't mind." Madalyne said towards him, as she felt her phone vibrate again for a second time she hadn't checked the text yet her phone tended to do that if she didn't look at her phone.

She took her phone out seeing that it was a reply from April, looks like she had been having a grand time without her already as she looked back at the King. "Uh anyway, thanks again i'll defintely see you around later." Madalyne said as she started to make her way back over towards Agatha's tent, she had already been there earlier she decided to not reply to April and sneak up on her and the others when she got there just to see what her bestie would do.

It didn't take her to long as she spotted the tent and April along with Dorian, Mai, Sabine and Danni as he disappeared into the tent itself she quietly snuck up behind April and gave her a hug and smiled. "Hey roomie you didn't even invite me with you guys so incredibly rude!" She said teasingly gently nudging April after she let go of the hug. "So you mentioned some tea you have to spill now." She said as she looked at the others and smiled. "Hey guys I hope you all are having a good day so far." Madalyne said, she knew Mai, and Dorian pretty well, except for Sabine though.

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Diana looked over at Percy as she rolled her eyes and returned the finger gesture to her brother calling her a Care Bear as she made a slightly gagging motion. "Yeah i'm totally a Care Bear that can totally kick people's asses." Diana said jokingly as she started to take one of the wings and started to bite into it. She finished up the first wing pretty quickly as she licked the buffalo sauce off of her fingers and putting the bone aside. Her attention turned towards Zelda as she joined them seeing that she had gotten some cotton candy, while her brother got himself a hotdog she quickly snatched a few fries off of his plate while he wasn't looking.

Diana's attention was on Zelda as her brother asked her why she was at the school in the first place, Diana knew that she wanted to be here because of her parents. And she also wanted to learn how to control her powers more, and figured that they would be really useful. And she also wanted to make a name for herself as well to. If she got onto a team from participating in the Contest of Champions that would be a plus.

"Hiiii, Aggie!" Danni sang as he threw open the tent and skipped in. "Beanie was just tellin' us all about t'e fashion direction you were suggestin' in t'e whole destiny and fate stuff and 10/10 would recommend, she's goin' to look so good in torn jeans and a denim jacket, I'm already imaginin' it! And den fuckin' up whoevers jealous of Dee's skin, 10/10 round 2! But we all know why I'm really here, where's t'e best baby?" Danni demanded, hands primed for petting.

There were a few students at the Margaret Carter Institute who suffered from a grave, serious curse - one that originated from a Satanic cult, the Chattering Order of St Beryl. Agatha knew there was little she could do for these students with chronic motormouth, and she did not hold it against them. It was not their fault that words flowed from their mouth like garbage tumbling down a trash chute. She frowned slightly, but Ebony did not mirror Agatha's expression. The little cat let out a giant MEOW and practically leapt into Danni's arms, purring like mad and rubbing on him like he were made of catnip.

"...Yes, fashion advice," Agatha said dryly. "That is my expertise."

Danni beamed at Agatha as he caught the cat, supporting the cat with one arm as he pet Ebony. "Aw, aren't you just the cutest baby in the whole world? Yes you are, yes you are!" He cooed at the kitty, sitting down in the process. He took a little time to take in the slightly larger inside, with all sorts of spooks stuff floating around. "At least t'is is cute spooks, you know? De whole skin wearin' thin' with Dee was scary spooks, and scary spooks and I aren't great friends. But he said you wiggled your fingers and made it right as rain! Or did Beanie say t'at?" He frowned, the details of the conversation already gone, but he shrugged.

"Whelp, doesn't matter I guess! What's done is done!" Danni pronounced, continuing to pet Ebony and scritched under the cat's chin. "Dee didn't have a lot deets though! How'd you fix it? Oooh, did you curse the stalker, cause that only seems right when someone wants to wear your skin. Not in like the cutesty, fluffy, fuzzy way I get when Dee's inside me, but like, horror movie, blood and gore kinda way, you know?"

Agatha hadn't actually done anything magical at all about the stalker, besides doing a reading that had allowed her to determine there were two forces at play. Her plan was to contact the Sorcerer Supreme and alert other mystics to the return of the Dark Priestess SELENE! - but she did not want to frighten these children. SELENE! had been around for millennia and had not often attempted to ascend to divinity. If they burned every witch who went mad with power, there wouldn't be many left. So for now, Agatha was concerned - but not frightened.

"I foresaw that the student at the Institute who began leaving those notes will cease their actions imminently," Agatha explained, a white lie, but magical professors were known for telling those. "Now, what question is it that brought you here into my tent? What glimpse at the murky future are you interested in, Mr. Kingston?"

"Oh, oh, oh I know exactly what I want to ask!" Danny snapped his fingers excitedly, eyes bright and smile beaming. But the silence stretched, the brightness dimmed, the smile turned upside down as Danni realized he had no idea why he was even in this tent. "I don't even know why I'm in t'is tent." Danny announced instead. "T'is feels kinda like t'ose wierd D.A.R.E. t'ings from history class in school - you know all t'e kids are doing tarot, but you don't have to do it because you aren't defined by your peers but you're like kinda lame if you don't sorta do t'ings." Danni pouted, consoling himself by petting Ebony with both hands now.

"Okay, so maybe I should ask about Sinister? Who is obviously t'e headmaster because t'at's what everyone is sayin', but if everyone is sayin' it, do I need Aggie to tell me it, pretty baby?" He asked Ebony seriously, "Or maybe I should ask how long Beanie and Princess 'ave been sneakin' behind our backs? Why wouldn't she just tell us. Oh Gods!" Danni gasped, clutching at imaginary pearls. "Did t'ey t'ink we wouldn't approve? Did t'ey t'ink we'd try to break t'em apart? I know Dee can be a little anti-social but I love both of t'em! No, no I don't want to know, t'at's too much for me!" Danni practically wailed, working himself up at the thought of April turning him into some monster behind his back.

"Okay, no I don't really 'ave a question I guess." Danni sighed dramatically after a few more moments. "Can I get like... a vibe check on me and t'e universe?"

"A... vibe check?" Agatha pondered. She had no idea what that meant. She was able to usually parse through the slang her students used, but there were so many words coming out of little Danni that she was confused. The best she could tell is that Danni was interested in the cosmic and magical vibrations of the universe, the invisible little bits of energy that would ebb and flow - the closest thing to a concept an old enemy of Agatha's had dubbed the Force. The tarot cards swirled and danced around Danni, surrounding him in a cascading helix, before three of them were suddenly spit out - Three of Wands, Two of Pentacles, and the Knight of Wands.

Ironically, for a reading about cosmic and magical forces, particularly those connecting to Danni Kingston, Agatha did not draw any major arcana cards. There was no cosmic destiny about at all. Peculiar. "The past, you have the Three of Wands. An amusing if not sometimes frightening card, this is a card of journeying to a new land overseas. If I recall correctly, you are Genoshan - the cosmic vibrations of the universe that flow through you speak of this transition."

"In the present, you have the Two of Pentacles. While many think of this suit as dealing with financial matters, as it relates to the Earth, it is also literally about grounding. The cosmic forces of the universe cannot flow through you properly, as you lack balance. You lack balance within yourself - yet you are striving to be better and improve that connection."

"In the future, you have the Knight of Wands - the knight is a person of passion and adventure, of impulse and inspiration. The knight charges off ahead without stopping to ponder. In that sense, the knight is an instrument of the cosmic force of the universe. The universe and its vibrations guide the knight, rather than the other way around... I sense that this knight will be you, one day. Still impulsive, but balanced," Agatha reasoned.

She had no idea if that was what he had been asking.

Danni nodded along as if he really understood anything she was saying . Something about Genosha, something about cosmic energy flowing through him or not flowing through him (which kinda sounded like that hippie dude that chilled on the corner of Bourbon Street), and then being a knight. He perked up at that, understanding what that meant. "T'at means I'm definitely gunna be a hero, because knights are heroes in t'e stories!" Danni leaped to his feet, dancing around with Ebony in delight. "Yay, me! I'm going to start with turning t'e 'eat up on t'ose auditions! You're t'e best, Aggie!"

He paused for a second. "Actually, I do kinda 'ave a question. But you can't tell anyone, okay? Cross your 'eart and hope to die." Danni said seriously. "I know my... control isn't t'e greatest and I get excited real easily and sometimes I kinda, sorta, maybe t'ink t'at maybe I accidentally start fires but never on purpose! I'm going to get t'is down eventually, right? Like, it's not always going to feel like I'm a 'airpin away from t'e next forest fire?"

"I am not going to swear a blood oath," Agatha said matter of factly. "However, I will not tell a soul. What happens in this tent is between you, myself, and destiny." Agatha snapped her fingers and in a sweeping motion, another card descended. This one took her by surprise for a moment. His previous question had given no Major Arcana, no Trumps; but here, the Lovers appeared. Agatha paused, thinking on how to interpret this answer. "The choice will ultimately be yours, whether or not you gain this control. However... I sense that you will need a duality - there is another, equal but opposite, who will strengthen your command over your powers and eliminate the risk you pose to those around you."

"Aside from the cards, I have this advice for you, Danni. You're an omega level mutant. That's a grave and awesome responsibility. There is no force in the universe that can have a greater influence, a greater impact, on flames than you. You will always be a breath away from annihilating everyone and everything you hold dear. That will never end. You must learn to live with that and accept yourself fully, or you will burn the ones you love alive... and no other force will be able to stop you."

"Uuuugh, miss me with t'at gay shit." Danni muttered, followed by an uncomfortable giggle at Aggie's advice. "A breath away from killin' everyone? T'at's uh, a little much right? Like I'm not really just a breath away, right? Should I breathe less? Or maybe like, not deeply? No, no, sorry I'm just... I should 'ave just stopped talkin' after you said I'd be a knight. Really hoped gettin' an answer on t'is would make me feel better, not like everyt'in's goin' to fall apart." But after taking a moment to press the mental block button on the whole annihilation thing, he pondered the first part.

"Well, not gonna lie, didn't like the Lovers right off the bat, but like, it makes sense. I'm always better around people t'an I am by myself anyways. And technically, I've already found someone who is opposite and equal. Dough, I'd say she's better t'an me cause she doesn't burn shit daily, but t'at's besides t'e point! So, one t'ing checked off! Look at that Ebony, I'm ahead of Destiny at all this!" He commented to the cat in his lap. "Gosh, why are you so cute! It should be illegal t'at Aggie gets to keep you all to herself. You sure you don't want to come stay with me?"

"Aaaaanyways, t'ink I'm good on t'e whole lookin into the future stuff. I 'ave a feelin' I'mma hear more stuff I don't want to hear." Danni nodded several times before he stood, still cradling Ebony with the full intent to walk out of the tent with his new friend. "Actually no, one more. Since you're bouncing and all t'at jazz, are t'ere any Sinister clones 'ere at school? Like, you can trust me not to tell anyone you told me. And you're leavin' so you can totally let the secret slip!"

Agatha would have spoken more with Danni about the dangerous yet awesome responsibility of his powers, but his words moved the conversation quickly away from that and onto another matter. However, Agatha did sense that whoever the Lovers were speaking about, things might end in tragedy. But sometimes, it was good to not divulge too much of the future - sometimes, it only would make things worse. "Yes, there is a secret Sinister clone here at the institution - it happens to be the teacher taking over my post, Lady Nimue," Agatha said.

Agatha and Nimue had BEEF. She figured this would be a nice and subtle way to take revenge.

"Now, before I leave this school, I have been giving magical artifacts and whatnot to each person who comes to visit me. And I think I have the perfect thing for you, now you must promise me that you will be very careful with this," Agatha explained. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an egg with red scales. "Ebony... had a rendez-vous with a dragon, if you understand my meaning. And this is the result. I would like to entrust its care to you, Danni."

The comment about how he knew it, how he just knew (he had a sixth sense for these kinds of things) there was a Sinister clone here at the school died on his tongue as Aggie pulled out the egg. It took a moment for him to process that she was handing him a fucking dragon egg and when he did, all he could hear was Pops in the back of his head telling him absolutely not. For a brief moment of honest self reflection, Danni wondered if he could handle taking care of something like a dragon but then Papa popped in too and told him to chuck it in the fuck it bucket and Danni was all on board with that. The moment gone, dead, and buried, Danni set Ebony down gently and carefully accepted the egg from Agatha.

"Okay, yeah, def chill, not totally freaking out over t'is. 'ow do I ever take care of it? Does it need something hot to sit in? Do I need to sit on it? Oh shit, how am I goin' to…" Danni muttered, his brain filling with thoughts faster than he could keep up. He felt a little light headed as he stared at the scaled egg so instead of thinking about it any longer when he wasn't going to have an answer anytime soon, he power walked to the tent flap, paused, turned around, walked back, and gave Ebony a little kiss on the head.

"Make sure you tell me where you end up so Ebony can see t'e baby! Or I'll just ask Maxie! Eit'er way, t'ank you for t'e mildly concernin' advice, t'e cute spooks, and t'e dragon! Bye, Aggie, travel safe!" He wrapped the jacket he'd asked Maxie to make him around the egg, a nice cushioned and warm environment for now, and zipped out of the tent, screaming "Dee, Princess, Beanie!!!!!! I need heeeeelp!"

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As the others spoke amongst themselves over her new fashion accessory, planning group photoshoots and fashion runway walks, all Sabine could think was "Did it have to be a baseball hat?" Sports were not her thing. Never had been. Sure she skied, did some fencing in school, but she would not consider herself an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. And the fact it was for an American sports team was just a slap to the face.

She allowed the others to continue speaking, but she slid the cap on her head. Once it was fastened, to those who were looking at her, she would immediately turn invisible. She took the hat off and popped back into view. "As fun as it would be, I don't think this hat is fit for the runway. It does have other uses, though."

Sabine fought an eye roll as Dorian spoke but her eyes rested on April, who seemed to be out of sorts from the conversation had while she was in the tent. She smiled briefly before she turned her attention to her besties. "She's not that scary. Plus, she has the most adorable panther in there! Super sweet. Plus, like Dorian said, she is giving gifts away." As she spoke, Danny made his way into the tent. Good, the boy deserved some good news and she had no doubt his future would look better than hers. She still felt goosebumps on her arms from Agatha's fortune.

She heard a new voice and turned to see a girl she was not familiar with, but who seemed to know April. God, could she not get a whole day to herself and her close friends? If it wasn't freshmen catching on fire or some rando freshman staring at her, it was this. She ignored the new face and looked back at Dorian and Mai. "Oh yeah, happy birthday Dorian. Any plans for the rest of the day here once everyone gets their fortune told?" As she asked, Danny came back out, crying for her and Mai. Sabine dropped the pretense she actually gave a fuck about Dorian's birthday and ran to meet Danny. "What happened? Who hurt you? Point me in their direction and I will literally make their brain explode."

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"Uh, well I kicked you. And you passed out. So I won this round. I'm glad you're okay." She offered a hand to Leah. Andy looked around trying to figure out where the source of the music was coming from. "Hold on, let me get my stuff. That music started playing randomly after you passed out." Andy ran over to her stuff pulling on her jacket with some regret, then her backpack, and slipped her shoes back on.

"Want to investigate it with me?" She asks, mostly perfunctorily because she starts off in the direction of the music. "Do you know what the Wii is?" She asks, assuming Leah has followed her. She does glance over her shoulder and smiles when she sees that Leah is following her. Leah shakes her head at the question about the Wii.

"It was this gaming system from the early 2000s. Anyway, the music is from Mario Kart. I played it a bunch..." She sort of trails off realizing she doesn't know how to explain why or how she had a working Wii growing up without saying that she grew up in the early 2000s. And was already alive when the Wii was released in 2006. Not that she actually remembered the Wii's release. To her, it was already an old system when she played it in the 2010s. And by the time she traveled to the future...present...The Wii was basically non-existent. Time was dumb.

The music led the two upstairs to the second floor of the gym. There she found a room filled with what looked like Bacta tanks that contained the school's virtual reality training software - the Framework. Andy only knew the name. She looked around the room and saw a young-looking man, probably 17 or 18 standing at the controls, programming in new virtual worlds - one of which seems to be Mario Kart.

"Uh, hi?" She says. Hopefully loudly enough for the guy to hear her.

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"Right. Right." Ardere muttered, attempting the open the door awkwardly with one of her hands full, her head kept looking down on both ends of the hall. It was as if she was worried about getting caught breaking into her own dorm. By some miracle, the redhead didn't slip the jar from her tiny hand when the dorm room was unlocked. "You can take the first bed..." Ardere offered to Mary Sue, letting her roommate enter first.

Ardere glanced at the playing cards and name tag taped onto the door once more, making sure she wasn't imagining things. "Do you do spells too?"The question fumbled out of her mouth unexpectedly. Though, there wasn't much of a chance to hear Mary's response when a new voice entered the hall. Despite the pleasantries, Ardere froze in place before reluctantly turning around to see a faculty staff member and the biggest, brawniest, and heaviest looking boy-man-she has ever seen.

"Hi, Hello...Mr. Thompson, hi..." Biting her lip, the redhead nodded slightly, eyes drawn straight towards Mr. Thompson's biceps. He looked ready to split her older brother in half. Peter sometimes remarks on the kind of muscleheads he encountered at the gym but seeing a truly brawny guy up close, Ardere felt he was understating. It was rather...mesmerizing.

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@Kirah@Blizz: The boy let out a high pitched scream of surprise, practically jumping out of his skin. "What?!?!?! Oh gosh, sorry, you scared the shit out of me," he apologized, clutching his chest. His heart was beating frantically. He had assumed everyone else was going to be off at the Carnival, and that no one else would want some time on the Framework. "I'm, uh, I can wrap up if you guys wanted to take a turn to use this...?"

As this was Andy's first year at the school, she wouldn't know what this was. Leah, however, would recognize it. This was the Framework. It was a virtual reality training program, allowing them to simulate their powers in real fights, without any risk of physical injury. Participants would go inside what looked like bacta tanks from Star Wars and have their minds plugged into the Framework. It was off limits without supervision, mainly because it was old military tech - SHIELD used to train agents with it. The school had it for combat classes, but it was mainly used for training for the Contest of Champions.

"I'm Ed, by the way," he introduced himself nervously. "I think you're in the year below me," he said to Leah. "And... I don't know you, are you new?" he said to Andy.

@BlueSky44@Forsythe: The fight between Zari and Vicky was beginning to go a bit long - Andy and Leah were long gone at this point, and there were still other things at the carnival to go explore and see. There were a few hours left before things would wrap up for the musical performance, so maybe it was time for the two of them to call things a draw, so they could go explore the rest of the activities? After all, there was still fortune telling and face paint and chess and trivia and all sorts of other things to get up to! And it might occur to Zari that her girlfriend might appreciate spending some time with her, rather than spending all of their time at swords.

Vicky did somewhat of a fake out, slashing in one direction only to reverse at the last second - but the abrupt change in momentum caused her to stumble slightly. This would be enough for Zari to harmlessly block the blow.

"What ho! This challenge continues to go on! I see there are no mere fair maidens before me, but maidens of battle and spirit!" the King praised, coming over and taking interest in them. "Methinks perhaps you two might be interested in joining our fair kingdom, the Academy Knights?" the King suggested. They had already gotten Mads down as a new member - and they figured both Vicky and Zari seemed to be really into this.

@Ever Faithful@Natsu: As quickly as he had come, Ser Nemo was gone - leaving poor Teddy behind in his wake. Teddy looked somewhat flustered, as if he hadn't really been anticipating this to happen today, and clearly a bit put on the spot. "Uh, hey!" Teddy greeted. Mary Sue and Ardere would get the sense that, while a bit off guard, he was a genuinely nice and helpful person. "Is there anything you two need help with...? I'm pretty handy with things - or could give you some pointers on where to go, if you're lost?" Teddy offered. It didn't seem like he really knew what they wanted from him. "I'm Teddy, by the way - don't need to call me, uh, Mr. Thompson... I'm not that old. Not yet."

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Zelda really did seem to be quite shy. She didn't seem to have an immediate answer to Percy's question - although it also might have just been that her mouth was full and she didn't want to be rude. "I guess I can go first," Percy offered. It was only fair. He had asked her something personal - maybe she needed him to give his own answer, giving her time to think and/or chew - whichever the issue was. "I've been fascinated by Greek myths since, well, since I can remember. I've always idolized Odysseus. He wasn't a demigod - although Hermes was in his family tree - just a man. A man who could go anywhere and do just about anything thanks to the strength of his mind."

"People today obsess over the Avengers, but Odysseus? He's the real deal. A true hero. I can understand any language, given enough time to process it, and jump through space-time." Percy did not mention that he lacked control, only able to displace himself spatially along small distances. He hadn't tried any dramatic time travel events, due to the warnings of his moms that he might end up trapped in some distant apocalypse. That didn't mean he wasn't curious though. And maybe one day, that warning wouldn't be enough to stop him.

"I'll never be Iron Man or Captain America. But I don't want to be. I want to be Odysseus," Percy stated. "I want to go places no one has ever gone before and come back alive against all odds. I want to speak with the gods and fight monsters and create my own myth. So that's why I'm here. Training to become the Greek ideal of heroism, not the American one." If his sister teased him for that, he was fully prepared to kick her in the shins.

---

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April and Mai returned Dorian's hug, the three of them squeezing together into one squishy blob right in front of Sabine. "We won't say a word, cross our hearts and hope to die, no resurrection bullshit either!" April swore. Her heart was hammering still, probably from the fact that Sabine was right there. But she focused instead on Dorian, on the birthday boy. His stalker situation had been settled, but clearly there was something, something that not even Danni could be told. Whatever it was, it had to be gravely serious...

Chi Mai nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly. "You got it, bb!" she swore, doing a bit of a military salute.

April gasped, her eyes widening as Dorian revealed that his true love was on their way. April couldn't help but be so incredibly excited for him, even though she knew it would mean that they'd be spending less time together as a trio. She was already mentally making plans to make those hats that look like bushes, so that way Danni and her (and Mai too, maybe?) could spy on Dorian during these cosmically important dates - to make sure nothing went wrong, of course! People did it on TV all the time, so it had to be totally normal, and if no one else did it, well, it still seemed like a brilliant idea to her. "Oh my gosh you're going to be the star of your own YA!! Ugh, I'm so jealous! And happy for you! Do you know what they look like - they have to be cute, right? What if they don't like the same shows we do? Or if they have like totally backwards politics? But never mind, I'm sure they're going to be perfect because you're perfect and you deserve it!"

"Bruh, you gotta spill - who is it?" Mai insisted.

"Yes, yes, you have to tell us who it is!" April added. She had gotten so excited and overwhelmed thinking about Dorian's love that she had almost forgotten the most juicy part - that Dorian already knew who it was. Maybe. Her eyes kept on darting over towards Sabine. She had a brief fantasy about walking into the tent and getting a similar reading from Agatha, where Agatha would tell her that the blonde with the sports cap was her cosmically important love, and that their sapphic vibes would one day free the galaxy... April sighed slightly. A girl could dream.

She watched as Sabine blipped in and out of existence, gasping slightly, only to then receive another shock as...

April screamed in surprise, as someone hugged her from behind - Mads! "Girl you scared me!!" April exclaimed. She turned slightly red at Mads complaining she hadn't invited her - which was correct. April hadn't. Because it was Dorian's birthday. And while she loved Mads, Dorian was like her brother. She wanted him to feel special on this day - and she'd have tons of time to catch up with Mads as they lived together.

Luckily, she didn't get a chance to answer - as Danny came out of the tent screaming that he needed help. "Damn, I gotta bounce - I'll see you all later," Mai said, before Tiger Mai disappeared into the crowds of students, off to do whatever it was she needed to do.

"Danny, what happened?" April asked, her chest tightening. She couldn't help but feel terrified. They had finally gotten back into a happy, chill space and now, someone was crying again. She saw that Danny had in his hands the jacket he had made for that asshole freshman, but nothing else seemed to be wrong. "Are you okay? What can I do to help you? Did Agatha tell you something bad? Is something bad going to happen? As long as we know, we can stop it - unless that makes it happen because we try to keep it from not happening..." April bit her lip, her heart hammering - she really wanted to know immediately what was going on so they could fix it. She hated the suspense. Even just a few seconds was too long of a wait.

---

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---

Dorian hadn't noticed as Sabine disappeared and reappeared into view. Save for the small chat of fashion advice he hardly spoke to her or even paid her much mind when they typically were in the same room together. He was Danni's best friend, and she was Danni's friend, but the similarities seemed to end there. If ever they occupied the same space together he usually tried to be as cordial as possible, but it always seemed to feel (at least to him that is) that one of them was the odd man out. Either he stood awkwardly to the side as she seemingly hogged all the attention, or he took the reins and felt her judgemental cold stare just outside his periphery. His focus had solely been on Mai and April, hoping Sabine would either tune him out or simply choose not to tell Danni what he was about to say.

Of course he hadn't thought about Mai and April's reactions, as each of them bombarded him with questions about the reading just before Mads came out of the woodwork and scared them all half to death, shortly after he finished his little tale of his adventures with Agatha. He liked the little witch, but he'd need a mystical promise from her with a binding oath before he revealed things like that. Saved by the spell He thought as She immediately took away Mai and April's attention just before Danni could once more. Dorian whipped around to see what Danni needed, both glad and heartbroken that his conversation with Sabine was cut short before he could even respond.

"Oh come on D, she's not t'at scary." He said just before he noticed how strangely he was holding Percy's jacket. "Why are you holdin' t'at jacket like it's a fragile baby?" Regardless of how long they've known each other, and how often they could essentially read each other's thoughts, even Dorian didn't know what it was that Danni would ask Agatha. He wasn't interested in relationships, and most every question they had they'd already asked back in New Orleans throughout the years. A tinge of anxiety shot through him as he wondered if he'd asked about the school year and maybe he'd gotten a rotten reading, but surely Aggie could fix it right?

"Deep breathes. Why don't we slow down a bit and you tell us what 'appened back t'ere?" Dorian tried to be as reassuring as possible, making his way to Danni's side and wrapping his arm around his waist. He hoped that Danni hadn't tried to meddle into his love life, having seen the fortune Dorian got and now is inadvertently trying to keep it from happening. But, Danni wouldn't do that. They were best friends and surely he understood that Dorian wanted to have a relationship right?

Mary Sue was less than enthralled about the way this conversation has gone. Sure, she was getting first pick of the bed, which hopefully meant that her new roommate would be pleasant on the whole, but now she had to make a choice, bed on the left or right side. She had to make an active effort not to overthink it, but went with the bed on the right, furthest from the door. Her hope was that the further she was from the hall, the easier it would be to sleep at night. Awkwardly, she set her stuff down beside it, not wanting to necessarily unpack in the moment now. Instead, she sat gently on the bed, and turned her head at the question of spells.

Like... Magic? No, that wasn't at all in Mary Sue's wheelhouse at all, and she shook her head. "No, is that your thing? Magic has always sounded really cool, I'd love to hear about it." A lot of what went through her head was wanting to give her roommate a thing she liked to talk about. That, and, Mary Sue was worried about questions about herself. She... still felt lesser, and didn't want to advertise her power because of that. Mary Sue held off a look at Ardere as she addressed Teddy, and just gave a small wave, saying "I'm Mary Sue, it's nice to meet you Teddy." She said politely.