Ariel Mustafa had a relatively normal life, their only bits of interest being nonconforming to the gender binary and living in a place called Truth or Consequences. Their single mother, Pamela, brought the household from the urban chaos of Los Angeles to the peace and quiet of T-or-C after her Malaysian husband fled the States to dodge legal issues. To their knowledge, both Mom and Dad lacked the Hype-Gene, so you couldn't blame them for expecting much the same: an uneventful life.

For a while, it was. Ariel's school life went by smoothly enough, apart from the occasional bullying and the stress of confronting their nonbinary identity. With middling grades, they simply remained at T-or-C and found work at the iconic local hot springs. College could come later, they thought, unaware of the capricious laughter of Fate in the distance.

Everything changed in those hot springs. And it was all because of a single obtuse customer. This tourist couple kept hounding Ariel about "75% off holiday coupons" afforded to them by a travel agency. Ariel tried, tried to politely inform the couple that no such promotion existed and this 'travel agency' did not coordinate with the hot springs in the slightest. Still, they were persistent and no amount of patience could withstand the agony of service work. In that moment of emotion, Ariel's hyperhuman abilities manifested and a nearby pool of hot spring water erupted in a scalding torrent. Property damage aside, several people were injured and one of Ariel's coworkers later passed away from third-degree burns.

Ariel killed someone. They were a hyperhuman and they killed someone. Aware of what happened to out-of-control hyperhumans and fearing the inevitable, they made the decision to go off the grid and run away from Truth or Consequences. A terrible thing, a fugitive at 22, jumping from town to town, railroad to railroad just for the opportunity to live free tomorrow. Living on the run forced them to do things they weren't exactly proud of. Robbery, trespassing, fraud, putting truth to what the world thought of hyperhumans: dangerous scoundrels without a moral compass. Though aimless for the first few year, their days spent half-drunk and half-loathing, Ariel began to connect with other hypes. They reached out to those who share the same genes, the same mistakes, the same sins as them. It was with the grace of H.E.L.P, then, that Ariel found out about the PRCU. A sanctuary for people like them, Ariel thought. No more looking over their shoulder to check if they were still being hunted. No more lying, no more cheating, no more stealing.

Okay, maybe a little bit of lying.

After their old hope of 'home' evaporated, it was time to find a new one. Ariel made the long drive to British Columbia and never looked back.

Ariel tries their best to maintain the impression of a calm and friendly individual. Not one to pursue a conversation of their own but never one to deny a conversation either, they socialize adequately enough with their peers. Most would call them pleasant, a bit of a dry joker with their banter, but always willing to pause and try to understand what their friends going through. Of course, this is because of Ariel's adaptable personality. For most, the Ariel you want is the Ariel you get. They've become adept in pleasing others and telling them what they want to hear, because they are water and you are the cup. Call them duplicitous, call them two-faced, Ariel will simply nod and agree.

Ariel's adaptability speaks volumes of their emotional intelligence, in a way. Perhaps out of a profound fear of what happens when their emotions take control of their powers, they strive to always be in control of both and aware of not only their own emotional state but also the emotional state of others. Like a still pond, the surface of Ariel Mustafa is calm and serene, reflecting yourself when you look deep into them.

And look deep enough, you find a person still trying to get used to asking for help, a river flows alone. You find a whirlpool of loathing that blames themself for this...torrent they cannot control. You find an individual that tries their hardest to keep the whirlpool under control by pleasing others because maybe this time, it will be different. Maybe this time, this is home. Maybe this time, no one has to burn.