8:00 AM - Mon. November 29th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute
After the entire mess with Arcade, our intrepid heroes had a much deserved break - a break that went better for some than for others. But no matter the reason, the students of the Margaret Carter Institute returned to Los Angeles before the first bell on the Monday after Thanksgiving break. While most students went off to attend their various classes, such as advanced physics or spaceship piloting lessons or beginner Kree, the qualifying teams for the Contest of Champions were asked to report to Headmaster Coulson's office instead (minus the Young Avengers).
... For somewhat obvious reasons, of course. Of the four teams, one of them no longer had a coach, and was also down a member with Arcade's arrest. Three of the teams were potentially traumatized as well, with only the Young Avengers unaffected by the entire mess for the most part. It wasn't even guaranteed that everyone on the three affected teams would still want to participate in the Contest, after what had happened with the Framework.
One by one, students would file into Coulson's office. There wasn't really enough room for everyone to sit down - Coulson was at his desk chair, Ser Nemo and Lady Nimue at his side, and there were three chairs pulled out in front of the desk for students to use. Gideon Muir immediately flopped into one - she was wearing sunglasses, despite being indoors. ("I have a light sensitivity, assholes," she had grouched the last time someone asked her about it.)
@Forsythe: Vicky would receive a text from Cassie that morning, asking if she would be free to talk after classes that day.
These tricks/treats go into effect when your character returns from Thanksgiving break
Leah - Treat - While everyone else had a parent or guardian that could be contacted, there was no one there to speak for Leah - something that the school, shockingly enough, hadn't even realized. In order to both tie up the legal loose end and ensure the safety of a young child, She-Hulk stepped up and filed the documentation necessary, with Leah's okay, to become her legal guardian. Leah has now been given access to She-Hulk's Los Angeles apartment, where a room has been set up for her, as well as a card giving her access to the West Coast Avengers' mansion. Jen has also gotten a trust fund set up for Leah, where she will now be making regular deposits - being an Avenger doesn't pay well, but being a lawyer as well certainly doesn't hurt.
Mary Sue - Trick - Mary Sue headed back to Cardiff over break, most likely hoping for something relaxing and uneventful. Instead, her grandfather sent his heralds to retrieve her father. The resulting fight was intense and bloody, Oliver ended up in the hospital in critical condition, and a scar across Mary Sue's left eye that rendered her partially blind. Her mother lost an arm, which will soon be replaced with a prosthetic. At least they won the battle. But Thanos is still out there, lurking.
Andy - Trick - Over Thanksgiving break, Andy will have had a hard time sleeping, bouts of insomnia that no medicine or magic seems to be able to dispel. The day before she is due to return to the Margaret Carter Institute, she'll finally get some much needed rest. However, when she wakes up, she finds herself in an abandoned building, a desiccated corpse at her feet, and wounds on her arms - as if someone had tried to fight her off.
Mads - Treat - Over the break, Mads went through a bit of a growth spurt! Her more demonic features came in and settled. She now has fanged teeth, a forked tongue, horns, a tail, and wings like those of a bat. With these wings, she now has the innate ability of flight. Her teeth are able to destroy most materials, save things like vibranium. Her tail is prehensile, so can be used to grab other objects and manipulate them. And her more monstrous form will give her advantage on intimidation checks.
Sabine - Treat - During the break, Sabine was plagued with strange, almost lucid dreams. In these dreams, she watched her mother as a young woman, striding confidently down the halls of a castle on the moon, a sword strapped to her side. She stood a few paces behind a tall man, with dark hair and a dramatic cloak, a crown on his head that indicated his station. Her mother seemed to be his bodyguard, following him wherever he went - from the scene of courtroom dramas to ghastly murders. No matter what Sabine did, no one noticed her in the dream.
Until the last night, right before students were due to return to the Academy, when her mother would look directly at Sabine, and say: "You are not your father's child, Sabine. You're his."
Zari - Trick - Zari and Andy have a great break, catching up with her parents in the alternate universe of Earth-667. Aside from Andy's issues, no trouble rears its head - until they get back to Earth-666, and Zari sees her time traveling device short out, reading a bunch of error messages that more or less amount to one thing... Earth-666, the universe our RP takes place in, is now cordoned off from the rest of the multiverse. No one can leave. No one can enter.
Zelda - Trick - Even before the business with Arcade, Zelda has often felt herself to be invisible, blending in with the surroundings and never truly being noticed. Perhaps that is more true now than ever before, as over the break, she fell ill with a horrible fever. The fever nearly required hospitalization, and when it broke, her body seemed to be fading out of existence. Within a matter of hours, she had become completely invisible - and so far, she hasn't figured out a way to control this power and reappear.
Dorian - Treat - For a living boy, Dorian shares a great deal in common with the dead - a fact that may endear him more to his Uncle Casper, or even his formerly dead father, Ben. Over the break, Dorian will discover another thing he has in common with ghosts - the ability to manipulate electromagnetism. He gains the ability to perform applications at the basic level per powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Electrom…
Danni - During the break, Danni ended up wearing himself out one day, so incredibly tired as he went to sleep. So tired, in fact, that the scent of smoke didn't wake him. In the midst of a nightmare, his powers activated... and burned his house to the ground. No one was injured, thankfully, the adults had been out seeing a show - and while Max would be able to fix the house pretty quickly with magic, the memories don't fade, and the smell lingers.
After a relatively uneventful and peaceful break, filled with the usual family traditions and plenty of time for reading, Percy had returned to an empty dorm room. Teddy had finally withdrawn formally from the Margaret Carter Institute. He had been emailed a notice that a new roommate would be placed with him at the beginning of the spring semester - but for now, the room was his and his alone. It was nice and quiet, and once he had finished thoroughly disinfecting Teddy's side of the room, Percy had allowed himself to reorganize and redecorate some.
He hoped that Dorian would appreciate it.
Despite his texting habits - or lack thereof - Percy had missed his boyfriend over the break. He had done his best to respond to Dorian at least once a day. For the most part, he had been able to meet this goal, replying to messages within 24 hours, sometimes within 12. And while he had been told that he texted like an old man, Percy did his best to try to keep his texts interesting - even sending Dorian photographs of highlighted passages in the books he read.
None of that replaced the real thing, however. Percy's moms had dropped him and Diana back off at campus late the previous evening - the West Coast Avengers' quarters was just around the quarter - so he hadn't been able to see his boyfriend properly yet. A fact that needed to be remedied, much more urgently than whatever Headmaster Coulson had to say about the events with Arcade. As far as Percy was concerned, the likelihood they would be punished was rather low. If anything, breaking into the Framework for extra training ought to be the sort of initiative valued in a hero.
So as soon as it was a reasonable hour, Percy knocked thrice on Danni and Dorian's door, and he waited. Coulson be damned.
April Flynn
Location: Avengers' Academy - Outside the Headmaster's Office Skills: N/A Fit: ~School Uniform, Skirt + Sweater Variant~
It had been strange, going back to Washington D.C. after everything that had happened. April's room back home felt so incredibly empty, without her besties or her girlfriends. Somehow, it had felt even more uncomfortable than the tense quinjet ride back with her parents, when her mother insisted on examining her and Zelda's vitals at least a dozen times. And no matter how much April threw herself into little projects - she made about a dozen pairs of crocheted gloves - she hadn't been able to really relax, to sleep. She'd suffered from extreme insomnia, practically glued to her phone as she texted everyone in her life back too quickly, too rapidly - as she consumed hours upon hours of content - as she spent more time in the family pool than anywhere else, shaping the bitter winter water over and over again.
But even now, back in Los Angeles, back in a place that felt more like home than anything else - April still felt strange. The clothes on her body seemed to almost itch - no, not the clothes, it was her skin. It was like her skin didn't fit quite right. And as she breathed, the air tasted off - so subtle as to almost be imagined, but real enough that she was sure. And as people spoke to her, their voices had distance to them, a soft echo almost like static.
Had Arcade done something to her in the Framework? Or was she losing her mind?
She waited for Mads to be ready before heading over with her to Coulson's office, sending out a flurry of texts as she went -
What do you think Coul wants? It has to be about Arcade, right? â ď¸ He can't kick us out of school for it? Like yes ik we used the Framework after hours but... Shit maybe he is going to kick us out đđđ
Gods I am soooo nervous for what Coulson wants from us... If he kicks us out of school, I'm going to go see if Disney will hire me to be Ariel or smth đđđ
Is anyone else losing their mind over what Coulson wants from us??? No? Just me???
You have to come, just FYI. Or you'll be mega expelled.
"Oh, I haaaate this..." April whined, as she and Mads approached the last hallway to take them to Coulson's office. "If I get kicked out of school, my parents are going to kill me - find a way to raise me from the dead - and then kill me again. And then I'll never be able to win the Contest of Champions, become president of the school, and be scouted by the Avengers and have Namor beg me to join to help him save the fucking ocean."
Leah was not in a good position, right. She was in an okay state, but a bad place.
Ordinarily, she would've just hid in her dorm at the school, barricaded behind all the usual security measures the place had, while hiding underground in the gym where the building could be modified every which way. If these were normal circumstances, she'd just stay like that, entombed in a subterranean environment she'd eventually unmake, for everyone's protection in case dear old dad decided that this would be the day he stopped playing the long game. She had it worked down to a science by now, exactly 15 feet in every direction, 30 feet below the floor and at the furthest left corner from the front doors. Last year, she tried the right but found it a bit inconvenient during Christmas break because couldn't hear jets landing as easily. But alas, this wasn't normal circumstances.
Instead, she was sitting on a bed in She-Hulk's apartment, distracting herself with a playlist she could barely hear through the earbuds used. It was two in the morning, and she just sat there, staring at the door like the Winged Menace himself was just around the corner. They never celebrated Thanksgiving, dad didn't care for it and mom wasn't able to eat that much anyway. They didn't really do holidays in general, unless it was dad leaving for a business trip around December. But the funny thing was that everyone else did, and of course they'd all be off with their families during such a time. The ones they still had.
Leah hated these kinds of things, because it reminded her that she could've actually had something like that if her dad wasn't some fucking international supervillain. If he hadn't shot mom right in front of his daughter, or even if they lived in some twisted world where dad was actually proud of Leah for surviving his "guidance," as he'd put it.
She didn't want to be here, in this woman's home where he could crash in at any second much easier than the school. Anyone else who tried that would be stupid, but dad wasn't stupid. He was smarter than most people, stronger than them, more skilled than them, and he knew where she was. The better option, strategically, as the mansion that She-Hulk had gave her access to, but she was not going there. They'd ask questions about where she came from, because She-Hulk definitely wasn't going to keep that to herself, and Leah doubted that saying they stood a chance against him was anything other than optimistic. He'd probably take Vision to pieces, or kill Hawkeye with his own damn weapons to make it harder on himself, just to say he could.
She was tired, but she was fine enough to deal. Over the break, April wouldn't shut up, and she actually loved that for her. Whenever April texted her in particular, she'd just send something simple back to not to stop April's stream of consciousness. Yeah. I'm alive, or Apparently She-Hulk is my parent now. She was just glad that April was thinking of her, it felt nice. But beyond that, she didn't really initiate conversations. She didn't feel like it, because there was always something in the back of her mind that made this whole mess demand her attention.
"I wish you'd just come out already," Leah whispered. "So I can fucking kill you again."
No one manifested from the darkness, no one popped out and held a gun to her forehead.
"You've waited long enough, haven't you? You know where I am, or did you always know? You could've killed everyone around me to isolate me, but you didn't... So come out already and I'll make it quick. Or maybe I'll make it slower than what you did to mom. You'd deserve that..."
She blinked, slowly.
"You always told me I was a mutant, like you. But you couldn't even be straight with me about that? You stuck machines in me, and I've got fucking magic in my spine or something. That was you. And- I'm wondering just how fucking free of you I really fucking am, you piece of shit."
Leah fell back against the bed, staring up at a dark ceiling. She'd been staying up like this for days, now. "I'd been telling myself you were dead for long enough that I thought I'd get to live. Then she tells me you're not dead- I confessed to her and then she made a move on me. They- You- Fuck you. Come out and fucking fight me if you want. I'll... Kill you. Again." An irrational side of her brain, the parts she hated the most on some days, told her that if she fells asleep now, she might not wake up. But another part was taking over, deciding to knock her out.
After many, many hours straight without rest, she passed out.
Location: Avenger's Academy Skills: N/A
Leah didn't stay at the apartment long enough for She-Hulk to do or say anything parental. None of that "have fun at school" shit or any nonsense about staying here long-term. She just grabbed her things and walked out the front door, deciding to walk to get rid of the nervous energy she was trying to endure. And just in case She-Hulk (She wasn't about to use the woman's real name, they weren't familiar enough) wanted to say otherwise, Leah stuck her earbuds in and cranked the volume.
She walked all the way through Los Angeles, she was familiar enough with the layout of the city from flying on rocks that she got there in about as much time as anyone else could in a car or on a bus. She wore her usual modified version of the school's uniform, the one made to actually last a while with her hair, under her old jacket that really clashed with the aesthetic. Not that she cared about that part.
Leah got to the school itself and then pulled out her phone, walking as she did and not trying too hard to avoid running into someone. Usually, she was a big and stout enough individual that people got out of the way.
He wont kick anyone out for it. Except Arcade.
He knows better. If he does then half of the heroes in north america are going to be on the schools ass for putting people in a position where they *know* their only chance is to cheat. And someone WILL say its cheating.
At that point they have to acknowledge that the nepotism team got an unfair advantage this whole time. That looks bad.
And who the fuck gives a shit about the contest anyway. i never did, I just went along with it because it would be unfair to victoria or the rest of the team im on. no one in this school has a damn thing to prove to a bunch of stuck up, egotistical pricks whose only collective claim to fame is that theyre the kids of the old avengers.
We lose, were still heroes after this Fucking remember that, because i love both of you too much to let you hate yourselves over something like that.
Please.
Minutes later, she turned down the hallway, and walked down it, seeing April there with her friend. Mads tried helping her with the whole magic-machine-bullshit spine thing once, so they were at least cool. Leah looked a bit rough, like she also hadn't been sleeping. But she looked practically bulletproof on most days. Today was the same.
"Hey." She bent down to April's height and kissed her on the forehead. "Bine here yet?"
Location: By the Headmaster's office Skills/Powers/Equipment: N/A
Unlike most others, Victoria has not gone home. In her head, she was calling staying at the school 'Jordaning it out'. Ironic, since Leah has actually gone away, although if Vicky could tell, she did not look as happy as someone who was given a new place to stay when she was leaving for the break. Probably something to do with having to leave her fortress, Vicky thought. And if someone could physically prevent her from coming back on her own volition, a hulk probably qualified.
Unfortunately, there was no time to handle the problems of others. The android had more than enough problems of her own. Vicky has looked up available psychiatrists in the area and found someone who actually had a free slot on such a short notice. Initially, she even felt like a responsible member of society, coming to terms that she had a mental health issue and taking steps to solve it. But, of course, nothing with her was ever so simple.
It didn't help. A week has gone by, she had a session every day and nothing to show for it. The doctor mentioned that it may be a futile effort since she wasn't human and noone could guarantee the same approach that worked for them would work on her. And not only that, but something that had loomed over her ever since she was active took on a new, dark presence in her mind. Her purpose. Vicky thought that she has wanted to do this. That it was her choice, even if she was meant to do this by her creators. And even though she was never sure of it, she was kind of okay with the possibility that that drive was actually hard-coded into her being.
Now though, she was given a mirror of what she could become in this line of work. That her system was very much vulnerable, albeit under some rather extremely convenient circumstances. And for the first time, she doubted whether this was the best course of action. Perhaps she could do the most good for humans by not actively searching for people who could turn her into another Ultron? And what did she do first with that doubt? Rather than weighing the pros and cons of staying the course or abandoning the superhero path, as logic would dictate, she ran to a psychologist doing her best to remove what she considered an obstacle in her purpose. And for the first time it bugged her: Was that her choice, or was that a program telling her to get back in line? Was she actually free to choose?
And that was only part of it. What has happened to her as of late? Vicky has split her days into three parts. Visit the doctor in the morning, train in the afternoon, and tinker in the evening. And during the last part, she has reviewed her previous plans, and was appalled at her priorities. What the hell? I have started everything I could think of and what have I actually finished? What do we have here? Making the armor more streamlined: Barely an idea. Miniaturizing the MFG? Concept drawings. Repairing my internal antenna? Not. Even. A. Thought. There was even talk of coming up with something to help Diana teleport in one piece, what happened to that, huh? And Leah's implant? You are some friend, van Dyne. Absolute mess!
Vicky forbid herself from starting anything new until she either made tangible progress on anything on that list, or decided to abandon that idea. Which turned out to be easy, since she did not want to repair her antenna until she analyzed how Edward took such a firm grip of her, and streamlining the armor went into the garbage bin immediately as that was far too big of a project than she presently had resources for. Those mini-MFG though? Those required some more attention.
Now though, it was new week, and she has received summons to the headmaster's office. No doubt something concerning the contest. Which can crash and burn as far as I care. On her way there, she replied to Cassandra:
Nuts'n'bolts: Can do. By the big tree in the yard? Yell when you're free.
As she arrived by the hedmaster's office, she noted a couple of familiar faces there already. "Mornin'." Vicky greeted everyone yet noone in particular, leaning on the wall, giving the present company a once-over:
Ew. Get a room. Oh, wow. 'My body has been through some changes recently'. Well you look... Worse off than I am. Broke a nail or somehing?
She decided to stop before she blurted something out loud.
Location: Her room Skills: Enhanced Reflexes (Passive)
Andy sat on the edge of her bed, her hands wrapped around her Everfill mug, her leg bouncing up and down. The perfect coffee, at least according to her, was inside. She sipped at it. Trying to center herself. The last week had been frustrating. The incident with Ardere wasn't weighing on her. Andy had done what was needed in that situation. She also had a strong feeling that killing Ardere was what brought her back to life. She looked at the doll, which was her mother. She hadn't talked about that or what had happened while she was away from the school. Andy knew that both incidences would probably overjoy Selene, and it was the latter that was causing Andy distress. She hadn't even told Zari yet, Andy didn't know who she had killed. Didn't know what the repercussions could be. This hadn't been an issue of fighting someone who was trying to hurt her. This had been out of her control. She hadn't even known she was doing it. That was what scared her.
The nightmares that had once plagued her had stopped with the pillow that Magneto had given her. That pillow didn't stop her from sleepwalking, and she had to sleep for it to work. Could she sleep now? Could she trust herself in this school with students? Killing in the heat of battle was one thing. What if she killed a sleeping student? Those questions plagued her.
Andy didn't think of herself as a villain or a menace or anything like that. She had had issues with that line of thinking prior to meeting Zari, but Zari had by her very nature helped Andy move through that self-loathing. But this new issue was beyond her control. It made her worry again. Was she a danger to others just by existing? She wanted to go to school to learn how to protect her mother from those who might try to free her, but was this the right way? Could she find a safer place? If she did would that mean leaving Zari? Andy didn't think she could do that. Life without Zari didn't seem like something she could ever deal with again.
Finally, Andy stood up and left the room, still clutching her coffee mug. It was a good thing she didn't have a roommate. If Andy did she would be worried for their safety. Something about Zari kept her safe and that was enough for Andy. But no one else was.
Finding her way to Coulson's office Andy took up a place in the growing line of other students. She nodded but didn't say anything. Just sipped the coffee. Maybe she should talk to the school nurse? There had been a time she had taken sleeping pills. Could that help again?
Location: Avenger's Academy, Framework Room. Current Outfit: AA School Uniform Skirt and blazer Skills: N/A Grimoire: N/A
"It's okay April i'm pretty sure that Coulson won't kick us out of school for what happened before break. He probably would have given us all the boot the night we left." Madalyne said to April hoping to calm her friend down, she had her newly formed tail wrapped around her waist as a makeshift belt more or less, she didn't want it to be dragging it across the floor or have someone step on it. Madalyne looked at Leah and nodded to her seeing her coming as well as Victoria and Diana before entering the Headmaster's office. "Hi there." Madalyne said as she found standing. Sitting was still uncomfortable with her wings and tail was something she was still trying to adjust to, her mother said she would give her an enchanted charm at some point to try and hide her appearance but that would take time to make.
During Thanksgiving break Madalayne had gone through a lot of physical changes, she spent it mostly in bed in a lot of pain as the changes happened. First it was her teeth and tongue they were now razor sharp fangs and her tongue became forked like a snakes, then the horns grew in a day later that swept back look over either side of her head. Then the day after that came in her bat like wings which was the most painful out of the changes. And then on the final day was her tail that grew in out of her lower back that she could move freely and touched the ground, after the changes Madalyne had a very long talk with her mother and explained who her father was a demon from Limbo.
After a day of her tail growing in and the pain was gone now, she tried flying for the first time with them which was awkward but she managed to get the hang of it. Madalyne kept in contact with everyone of her friend's though she didn't do any video calls and didn't want to show the others her sudden changes. Only really the members of her team for the Contest of Champions really knew about it and she was comfortable with April showing her changes in a video call. Madalyne spent the remaining day of her Thanksgiving break modifying all of her clothes and school uniforms putting holes big enough for her wings to fit through as well as holes for her tail to come out.
Diana Novikova
Location: Avenger's Academy, Coulson's Office. Current Outfit: AA School Uniform With Skirt & School Blazer Skills: N/A
Diana slowly started to get up and stretch slightly letting out a slight yawn as she got herself changed into her school uniform, she and her brother Percy returned to school the night before. Her dorm was the way she had left it before Thanksgiving break, she looked over at Zelda her roommate. "I'll meet you at the headmasters office." Diana said to Zelda as she got out of her bed and started to head out, she grabbed her school bag as well as her dorm key and headed outside.
Diana had spent most of the break just taking it easy for the most part and occasionally doing some training here and there. Either with archery practice or practicing her teleportation powers. She of course spent Thanksgiving break with her mom's even getting a visit from their Aunt Kristina to which was always great to see her. Diana approached the door to Headmaster Coulson's door seeing that April, Mads, Leah and Vicky were there she noticed the sudden appearance changes to Mads right away to as she passed them.
"Hey how goes it?" She asked looking at them all as she entered the office, seeing Lady Nemue and Ser Nemo there as well to and Gideon from the Huntresses team. She was a little bit nervous and wondered if they were all in trouble or something for what they had did to the Framework because of Arcade's actions.
Location: Kingston-Grey House, New Orleans Skills: Pyrokinesis, Electromagnetism, Astral Projection
It was dark, cramped, cold. The kind of cold that seeped heavy into the skin and stayed there. Awareness came slow to Danni, though he couldn't tell if he woke or not. He blinked, or at least he thought he did. There was no light to tell him. He thought for a second he'd gone blind, but he still saw the fuzzies behind his eyes when he squeezed them shut so he figured that wasn't right. He stretched and frowned as his fingers tapped against something firm, cold, and smooth.
Danni pressed around him and he realized quickly he was in a cylinder of some sort. He tried every surface, his pulse rising as he realized he had barely any room to turn as his shoulders brushed against the sides of wherever he was. He couldn't find an escape, any sort of opening, and panic set in. He kicked and screamed and cried, throwing himself against the walls before awkwardly sliding down and sobbing in his hands as he curled into himself.
âAw, all tuckered out already?â A voice in the dark laughed. A creaking accompanied the voice and a single, swaying light flickered to life. Illuminated by the broken, flickering yellow glow was Arcade. He was slouched lazy in a comfy chair, his laptop propped up on an arm, and the shifting light gave his glasses the cartoon evil glare.
ââCadie! T'ank God you're âere! I don't know what's goinâ on.â Danni shot up as relief flooded him, pressing up against the tank glass. âYou're lookinâ a little like villian you but you're âere ta get me out right? I don't know when I got back in the Framework t'inâ but I don't wanna be âere, please and t'ank You!â
âYou got out? Please, as if you or your amateur friends could have outsmarted me.â Arcade dismissed the notion with a hand wave and a laugh. âCome on Danni. I know you'll have to dust them off but at least try to use some of those brain cells. I can force you to experience anything and you thought I would stop at video games? Come on, this is my debut! Why not have a little fun with it?â
ââCadie, tâis is not âow you make friends. You wanted ta do better! You were sad and upset! T'at was real, right?â Danni asked, his back hitting the glass as he started shaking again. The realization that this wasn't quite a rescue was starting to bring the panic back.
âThat was real, right?â Arcade mocked in a poor impersonation. âPlease, I just made you see what you wanted to see. And it was fun, really fun, knowing that I let you have that little bit of relief before I tore it away. And now, I think it's time for you to die! Which way should we do it? Arcade tapped at his keyboard, dismissing options as he did.
Danni couldn't catch his breath. His lungs burned as they struggled and he couldnât, couldnât get enough air. The room started spinning, things started going hazy, and his heart was hammering in his ears. He reached for his fire but found nothing.
âYeah, I took that away too. Couldnât have you ruining the fun!â Arcade cackled as he finally found what he was looking for. âWell, Daniel. Its been fun but I have a few more to kill so I think it's time to wrap this up. Snakes away!â
The top of the chamber slid open and Danni screamed at the mass of snakes writhing in a ball above him. One by one they drop and it was all Danni could do not to pass out. âPlease, please, please, please Ed! Please help me! I won't tell anyone! I'll do anything, I'll help you escape,I'll work for you, just please let me go!â Danni begged, screamed, through tears. His vision was going as he felt the snakes squirm around him, he felt bile burning the back of his throat, he felt pressure on every side as they glass closed in around himâŚ
Then everything was on fire as he felt the flames tear themselves out of him. Danni couldnât even scream as it consumed him too.
Dorian was laying in his bed, his bedroom door open so that his new pet raptor could come and go as he pleased from his room. He was having a wonderful dream about Percy and him going to visit some ruins in Italy, something he'd have wanted to do during this break if it wasn't for the fact that they were grounded because of the Arcade incident. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as a wave of heat blasted into his room. It quickly spread to make him uncomfortably warm, prompting Dorian to get up and see if his fan had somehow turned off.
At first he hadn't noticed it, too groggy from sleep as he shuffled over to see if the fan had any higher speeds. It wasn't until he noticed a reflection of red dancing across the glass of his PC. He turned to look towards the windows where the reflection would be emanating from and saw the blaze of flames that seemed to press against the panes of Danni's room. Every ounce of tiredness had shaken free from his body as Dorian began to run towards the hallway that conjoined the two houses and coincidentally also their rooms. The closet there always had a fire extinguisher in the event of a Max or Danni mishap.
He grabbed the extinguisher and pulled it's pin as he began to make his way towards Danni's room. The heat from this blaze was unbearable. Dorian tried to squeeze the foam out but it didn't seem to help, and the metal reached began to burn from the intensity around them. The extinguisher dropped to the floor with a clatter as Dorian quickly and reflexively went ghost. He couldn't feel the heat anymore, allowing him to move closer, but he couldn't barely see Danni within the inferno he'd caused. âDanni! Danni! Wake up!â Panic laced his every word, and as much as he wanted to possess him and walk him out of there, he couldn't tell if he was still generating flames or not and moving him could bring more issues.
Dorian was desperate to grab Danni's attention, trying to think of a way that would wake him up. He needed something loud and fast. Searching around the room, he decided the best option was to toss Danni's TV. After all, they could always get another one. He'd meant to reach out with his telekinesis, to toss it onto the floor and cause a loud commotion, but as he reached out towards the TV, it quickly flickered on and static began to screech over the sound of flames. The volume jumped up to the highest it could go and suddenly, for a brief moment, an image of Dorian appeared on the screen, screaming. âDanni Wake Up! C'mon!â
Danni's eyed snapped open and he was screaming, clawing his way out of the burning remains of his blanket and stumbling to the ground. He struggled to catch his breath in the heat. His heart pounded in his ears. He was sticky with sweat and he squinted against the harsh glow. He coughed and swallowed back the bile that threatened at the rancid stretch of burning plastic. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what was happening. Danni shook his head, trying to get the feeling of helplessness out of his head, the feeling of being crushed, trapped, suffocated.
âFuck.â Danni whimpered and pushed himself unsteady to his feet. He took in the fire around him, raging in the wake of his nightmare, and he swallowed heavily, the discontent sitting like lead in his stomach. It would be fine. Danni could get the fire under control, the wierd Dee face in his TV would disappear, Maxie would just snap his wizardy fingers and poof, no problems! Danni reached out and called the fire, urging, begging them to listen and come to him rather than spread and for a moment, the fire stilled and shrunk, slinking back through the halls like a scolded child.
But it took everything in Danni to keep it that way. Fire wanted to grow and consume and spread at all costs and it fought So much kindling, so much fuel, and he was the only thing holding it back. Danni shook with the effort, clawing the flames back to him, but he was suddenly back in the tank, Arcade laughing at him and that feeling of helplessness... Danni screamed as the fire expoled from his control and he barely was able to stay standing.
âDee? Dee?! W'ere are you? Please tell me you're okay.â Danni half sobbed, half coughed, smoke burning his eyes and lungs. Danni bolted out of his room, grabbing the closest thing to him, and nearly tripping over his own feet.
âI'm fine! I'm in the Astral but I can't âelp you from âere. I don't know what to do! I'm not fireproof!â The image said, calling from the TV over the dull background of static and the sound of flames. Dorian just wanted to get them both out of there, but he also didn't want their parents coming back home to a house fire.
Danni barely registered what Dorian said, continuing to stumble his way down the stairs. They felt longer than heâd remembered and in the glow of the fire they seemed to grow two steps for every one he took. His breath came short and the world spun and he all but threw himself down the last few. His knees buckled and he hit the front door hard.
âFuck!â Danni shouted, his wrist throbbing, but he threw the door open anyways and bolted out the front door unsteady. âDee, just get outta t'ere! I- I can't anyt'inâ âbout t'e fire!â Danni shouted hoarsely.
Dorian watched as Danni began to leave the house, following behind him in his ghostly form before swooping down and taking over his raptors body to help lead him out to safety. As soon as they'd made it out of the house, he left his pet and a static-y image began to appear before the both of them until Dorian fully materialized, swooping up his little dino into his arms. âIt was gettinâ a little chilly in tâere anyways. At least we âave some warmth now.â
Danni finally registered what he'd grabbed, his dragon egg, and wrapped his other arm around Dee. Danni let his head fall on Dee's shoulder as they watched the house fire from the street. Danni knew it'd be alright in the end. Maxie would snap his fingers and everything would be fine again, but it still feltâŚ
âCan we⌠not tell anyone âbout tâis? Please?â
âYa know, I can't wait âtil Couls congratulates us for puttinâ down a villian! It's time we finally get some recognition for beinâ awesome!â Danni said as he ruffled his hair, turning his head left and right in the mirror to make sure that everything settled just right. âDoes this look natural enough, Dee? When Couls inevitably walks us ta t'e auditorium, I wanna make sure I âave tâe surprise down pat, but stylinâ my âair too much will make him know âe ain't slick. I want t'is ta say âI woke up prettier than youâ, you know?â Danni rambled, picking up his phone at the buzz.
Oh bb, please. He ain't kickin us out. We're on the same level as The Young Avengers now! He'd be crazy to kick us out. He's gunna tell us how âirresponsibleâ we are and then tell us that we did a great job apprehending the baddie and then give us an award right in front of everyone! Nothing to stress about!
âCouls got Princess all stressed out. Gotta âave a spa day soon witâ t'e besties next chance we get!â Danni announced, twirling and snatching up a little baggy that clicked and clicked as it shifted. He held up his phone, snapping a selfie with Dee in the background and uploaded it to the junior year folder he made over break before sending it out.
Your two favorite boys just finished getting ready! On the way!
âOop, I got t'e door! Princess probs swung by ta grab us!â Danni all but jumped to the door and snatched it open, halfway to sweeping April into a hug before he stumbled and caught himself on the door frame when he was greeted by Percy instead.
âWhoops, shit, my b! Deeeeeeee, tâe boyf is âere!â Danni yelled unnecessarily into their dorm. âPercy, we gotta work on t'at uniform. It needs⌠more. Like, a little less box, ya know? Hm⌠Whelp, I'll keep t'inkinâ about it and we can get our nogginâs togetâer at some point and make somet'inâ great!â Danni side stepped past Percy. âBut I'll give some time ta t'e lovebirds. God knows âow âe complained âcause âe missed âis boyf.â Danni teased, throwing a shit eating smirk at Dee.
Danni offered a lazy wave and spun to head out, but instantly turned again with a dramatic gasp. âOmg, I almost forgot! I made you a gift!â Danni dug into the bag and pulled out a handmade black bracelet with red block letters that spelled Percy and slapped it I'm his hand. âSince we're friends, I gotta start gettinâ ya gifts so t'is is our first one! But now, really I'll get out of you âair. Don't do anyt'inâ I wouldn't do!â Danni skipped down the hallway, humming a cheery song despite the little bubble of disappointment it wasn't April or Mads or Beanie.
Location: Bassard Family Home (Lyon, France) Skills: N/A
Normally a girl would be thrilled if her parents took her to France during a break from school. Not Sabine. Feeling more like a punishment than a reward, after her father and step-mother picked her up from school and flew her back to their place in California her step-mother had the 'brilliant' (read: selfish) idea of taking some time during the break "away from it all". Sabine could read between the thinly-veiled lines: her step-mother's original vacation was destroyed and she wanted to go elsewhere and drag Sabine along. Her father gave in because his spine was forcibly removed when the two of them got married.
So Sabine spent a plane ride with her family and was now in their family home in Lyon. All the while Sabine's mind floated back to April and Leah, Danni and Dorian, and everyone else at the school. The future lay uncertain. Would she be allowed to go back or was this it?
Her father continued to work and spent precious little time at home. And the time he was here was spent with his wife as she monopolized him. Sabine gave up quickly of there being any semblance of family-together time. Her step-siblings were spending break elsewhere so there was some positive news. But it meant she was, more often than not, alone at home with her step-mother.
While she usually ignored her, there were a few moments when her step-mother attempted conversation. Usually, it was to ask if she looked fat in whatever outfit she was wearing before she went out shopping to buy more or to make little digs into Sabine's own appearance. "Skin looks blotchy darling, but we'll chalk it up to stress!" was one of her favorites. And anytime Sabine bit back her step-mother ran to her father and whined. Sabine spent most of her time in her room.
Those moments of uncertainty hit. Sabine felt her chest tighten and her breath halt and hitch. Usually, it lasted a few minutes but still tired her out to the point she fell asleep almost instantly.
Sleepless nights were becoming too common but one night in particular shook Sabine's core. She had been having recurring dreams. In them, her mother was dressed impressively with a sword strapped to her person. In the dreams, she could see her mother walk close by to a man. The man was tall and handsome, dressed impressively in each vision, a cloak around his figure and a crown on his head. Each scene was out of a televised drama as her mother would work with this man, or rather for this man, in various scenes. It was clear her mother was a bodyguard and an impressive one at that. Sabien felt like she could walk through her dreams but no one paid her any mind.
The night before she was to return to school and determine her future she had another dream. It started out like before, her mother walking down a decorated corridor along with the royal man. Sabine followed them, anxious and excited to see what new adventure would be had.
Instead her mother stopped. Sabine stopped also. Curious, Sabine waited a beat to see what would happen. It was then her mother turned and faced Sabine, looking directly at her. Sabine turned her head to see if someone or something was behind her as no other dream had behaved like this. But there was nothing. Sabine faced her mother again, who continued to stare at her. It wasn't a cold stare. There was warmth. Understanding. Sabine felt like her mother was actually standing before her.
Before Sabine could speak or reach out, her mother uttered something that shook Sabine. "You are not your father's child, Sabine. You're his." Sabine's mother then glanced at the crowned man before Sabine jutted awake, taking shallow breaths.
Sabine looked around her room, taking it all in slowly to catch herself up. What did that mean? Was it her mind playing tricks on her and causing anxiety? No, it was different. She had been missing her mother so dreams of her would not be uncommon. What was unusual was how clearly she remembered how her mother looked. She had lost her mother fairly early on in her childhood. Pictures didn't do her justice. N the dreams felt more than that.
And if it was true then everything Sabine knew was all lies.
Location: Avenger's Academy, Coulson's Office Skills: N/A Fit of the Day: Pink and Gray
Sabine had gotten ready in advance. The helicopter ride back to school was silent, for once. Her father may have felt the break did her good but Sabine kept finding herself staring at him. If her dream was true, this man who she had called father this whole time was not her real father. If she were being really honest with herself, he never felt like a father after her mother died. Was it because she wasn't actually blood?
She would be remiss to say there wasn't love there. At the beginning the two of them were close. Closer than close. It wasn't until he remarried to that monster that he changed. Threw himself into his work and all but forgetting she existed apart from giving her money or gifts.
Never once realizing all she wanted was her father back. And even now, who held that title?
Sabine checked her phone to see she had been texted. She opened the one from Danni first. She smiled warmly.
"On my way. Can't wait to see everyone! <3
She missed everyone, sure, but her heart wasn't fully in it. Especially when she read her other text thread from her girlfriends. April panicking wasn't new and Leah stepping up to support and acknowledge the broken system. She didn't tell them about her dream. How could she? Compared to the two of them her problems were small potatoes.
"I'm with Leah on this. There's no way we are being kicked out. If anything, we should be rewarded for stepping up and stopping Arcade from literally killing all of us. Compared to having a bunch of kids killed, all of this looks good in comparison.
In fairness, I was looking forward to the contest. I was looking forward to winning, really. Even if the Young Avengers were going to win with or without help, I still wanted a chance to prove myself. Given all that's happened, I don't know if continuing it is in the school's best interest."
Sabine put her phone away as she rounded the corner and saw a few of the others standing there. She walked up and made a line for April, wrapping her in a warm hug and kissing her cheek. Then doing the same to Leah. "Hey you two. How's things?" She gave a passing wave and acknowledging nod to the others, but the reality was she needed her girls first.
The great thing about having a father that could open portals at a whim was that your vacations didn't need to end until the very last second. The bad thing about it was he wasn't willing to send you back early just to see your boyfriend. âYou have all year to see him and only a few holidays to see usâ he'd argue. But now Dorian was back at AA, standing before his own mirror as he tried to adjust his uniform so that it looked perfect. While he always cared about his appearance, he didn't quite care for the need to have a perfectly tied tie or starched collar until he began to date Percy. He wanted his first day back to appear perfect for him.
Meanwhile Danni was fixing his hair behind him, asking about how intentional his hair looked, which was always perfectly messy to a fault but in a stylish way. Dorian hardly had the chance to respond before his phone buzzed twice. It sat folded on his desk, but he tapped the cover screen to preview what the notifications were and saw April and Danni had begun to chat about what Coulson wanted. Danni expected praise (as usual) while April expected doom, which seemed to be a bit more common with her recently. In truth it worried Dorian quite a bit, this whole Arcade business really messed with a lot of them, Danni to the point of burning their house down over break. Dorian shot off a quick text back to the group.
âHe probably just wants to check in on us and see how our mental health is doing. He seems like the kind of guy to do that. Besides didn't a team lose their sponsored coach? They may need to reorganize the groups or something.â
He punctuated the last sentence with a shrug emoji.
âA spa day would be nice. Maybe we can convince t'e rents to let us portal over to Japan and âave an Onsen experience after school one day.â Dorian checked himself over once more as he put his phone down when suddenly he saw Percy's reflection in his mirror. If he wasn't careful, Dorian was liable to have all the metal in the room flying across from the jolt of shock. Danni, ofcourse, only making matters worse as he teased leaving them alone while painting Dorian to be some love sick puppy, which was true but he didn't have to say it.
After Danni left, Dorian went up to Percy and gave him a kiss before pulling him into a hug. âMissed you over break! I kept begginâ my parents to let your family over for t'anksgivinâ but since we were grounded for sneakinâ out it didn't really pan over well. Least we got to text a bit.â
Mary Sue had spent the last few weeks practically wordless. The trauma, new disability, and grief aside, the utter shock at the betrayal of her family in not telling her anything about her paternal grandfather when he was, as she learned, worse than any human who'd ever lived, was something she had no idea how to cope with. She knew her dad didn't believe in her, that he thought she couldn't handle being a superhero, that relationship had already been damaged for months, but she always thought her mom was in her corner. A part of her was left with the feeling that her new blindness was narratively resonant with how it seemed she had always been. Ignorant of what she was, what she could do, and what she could be, it seemed fitting that her world too would now be forever cloudy.
It was hard to be livid at somebody who hadn't been conscious in several days, but god damn it, Mary Sue was finding a way. The horrors Arcade had left on them seemed paltry in comparison. Whatever those monsters were, they were way stronger than anything she'd ever seen before. Why on Earth would they be scared of Oliver Sullivan of all people? Even with the contempt she had for her father at the moment, he wasn't scary. Especially compared to some of the heavy hitters on Earth. She needed to not be here. She needed to be at school, with people who wouldn't know anything about this, she wouldn't ever talk about it. This... happened, but it didn't have to matter. She wouldn't let it.
Mary Sue would file into the headmaster's office, wordless. She had decided that if somebody asked about her eye, she'd tell them to shove it. This was her problem to process, on her own. She figured the teachers already knew, and certainly wouldn't bring it up in front of other students. She hoped they wouldn't see it as an issue, but she also didn't know how well known the circumstances leading up to the attack on her father were known. How many people knew, and kept it from her? Could she trust anybody here? Thoughts like that had a creeping paranoia that she hated, and didn't want to give into, but she was hurt in so many ways right now that it was hard not to.
8:10 AM - Mon. November 29th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute
@Forsythe: Cassie would send a text back quickly, confirming that the tree was a good place to meet, and saying that she'd be free around 2 PM after her combat class ended for the day.
Vicky likely would be able to guess why Cassie wanted to chat - Vicky hadn't gone home for Thanksgiving break, after all. And blood or not, the two of them were sisters.
These tricks/treats go into effect when your character returns from Thanksgiving break
Leah - Treat - While everyone else had a parent or guardian that could be contacted, there was no one there to speak for Leah - something that the school, shockingly enough, hadn't even realized. In order to both tie up the legal loose end and ensure the safety of a young child, She-Hulk stepped up and filed the documentation necessary, with Leah's okay, to become her legal guardian. Leah has now been given access to She-Hulk's Los Angeles apartment, where a room has been set up for her, as well as a card giving her access to the West Coast Avengers' mansion. Jen has also gotten a trust fund set up for Leah, where she will now be making regular deposits - being an Avenger doesn't pay well, but being a lawyer as well certainly doesn't hurt.
Mary Sue - Trick - Mary Sue headed back to Cardiff over break, most likely hoping for something relaxing and uneventful. Instead, her grandfather sent his heralds to retrieve her father. The resulting fight was intense and bloody, Oliver ended up in the hospital in critical condition, and a scar across Mary Sue's left eye that rendered her partially blind. Her mother lost an arm, which will soon be replaced with a prosthetic. At least they won the battle. But Thanos is still out there, lurking.
Andy - Trick - Over Thanksgiving break, Andy will have had a hard time sleeping, bouts of insomnia that no medicine or magic seems to be able to dispel. The day before she is due to return to the Margaret Carter Institute, she'll finally get some much needed rest. However, when she wakes up, she finds herself in an abandoned building, a desiccated corpse at her feet, and wounds on her arms - as if someone had tried to fight her off.
Mads - Treat - Over the break, Mads went through a bit of a growth spurt! Her more demonic features came in and settled. She now has fanged teeth, a forked tongue, horns, a tail, and wings like those of a bat. With these wings, she now has the innate ability of flight. Her teeth are able to destroy most materials, save things like vibranium. Her tail is prehensile, so can be used to grab other objects and manipulate them. And her more monstrous form will give her advantage on intimidation checks.
Sabine - Treat - During the break, Sabine was plagued with strange, almost lucid dreams. In these dreams, she watched her mother as a young woman, striding confidently down the halls of a castle on the moon, a sword strapped to her side. She stood a few paces behind a tall man, with dark hair and a dramatic cloak, a crown on his head that indicated his station. Her mother seemed to be his bodyguard, following him wherever he went - from the scene of courtroom dramas to ghastly murders. No matter what Sabine did, no one noticed her in the dream.
Until the last night, right before students were due to return to the Academy, when her mother would look directly at Sabine, and say: "You are not your father's child, Sabine. You're his."
Zari - Trick - Zari and Andy have a great break, catching up with her parents in the alternate universe of Earth-667. Aside from Andy's issues, no trouble rears its head - until they get back to Earth-666, and Zari sees her time traveling device short out, reading a bunch of error messages that more or less amount to one thing... Earth-666, the universe our RP takes place in, is now cordoned off from the rest of the multiverse. No one can leave. No one can enter.
Zelda - Trick - Even before the business with Arcade, Zelda has often felt herself to be invisible, blending in with the surroundings and never truly being noticed. Perhaps that is more true now than ever before, as over the break, she fell ill with a horrible fever. The fever nearly required hospitalization, and when it broke, her body seemed to be fading out of existence. Within a matter of hours, she had become completely invisible - and so far, she hasn't figured out a way to control this power and reappear.
Dorian - Treat - For a living boy, Dorian shares a great deal in common with the dead - a fact that may endear him more to his Uncle Casper, or even his formerly dead father, Ben. Over the break, Dorian will discover another thing he has in common with ghosts - the ability to manipulate electromagnetism. He gains the ability to perform applications at the basic level per powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Electrom…
Danni - During the break, Danni ended up wearing himself out one day, so incredibly tired as he went to sleep. So tired, in fact, that the scent of smoke didn't wake him. In the midst of a nightmare, his powers activated... and burned his house to the ground. No one was injured, thankfully, the adults had been out seeing a show - and while Max would be able to fix the house pretty quickly with magic, the memories don't fade, and the smell lingers.
The door suddenly opened, with Danni - not Dorian - leaping on out, as if going for a hug. Percy deftly took a quick step back, reacting without thinking. He most certainly did not want to be hugged by Danni. He strictly speaking didn't want to be hugged by just about anyone. The skin-to-skin contact and physical proximity seemed strange to him, as it always had. Only with his family - and now his boyfriend - did he tolerate it, even enjoy it at times. Still, a bit of guilt panged through him as he saw Danni stumble, losing his balance from the lack of a person to grab onto.
He frowned, not so much in disappointment or anger but rather in confusion, as Danni went on about needing to change up Percy's uniform. "... It's a uniform, Daniel. It's supposed to be uniform without alterations. Otherwise, what would be the point?" He turned with his entire body to follow Danni as he darted past him, still pondering over this as Danni then suddenly stopped again - why was everything always so sudden with him?? - and gasped, before producing a small red and black bracelet with Percy's name.
His confusion only mounted, but Percy nodded, and said - "thank you." He never understood why people had jewelry with their own names on it. Was a name tag not more efficient and visible for that purpose? Why would he want a bracelet with his own name on it? It would make more sense to him to give the bracelet to Dorian - Dorian perhaps would wish to carry a reminder of his partner. He stared at the bracelet again for a moment, before rationalizing that he could wear it for the day, and then tuck it away neatly in a drawer. He slipped the bracelet on.
And no sooner had Danni left than Dorian appeared, pulling him into a tender kiss and hug. Percy's cheeks flushed crimson. His pulse thumbed a little faster, and his hands felt sweaty, almost clammy. There was something addictive about being close to Dorian Gray, something that made it difficult for Percy to breathe, something that enticed him to want to touch, touch, touch.
His fingers lingered on Dorian's wrist. "I missed you, too." He hesitated. It was strange, how now it didn't feel like they'd been apart at all - as if the short Thanksgiving break had never happened, that they had never left. "Very much."
April Flynn
Location: Avengers' Academy - Outside the Headmaster's Office Skills: N/A Fit: ~School Uniform, Skirt + Sweater Variant~
April nodded, biting her lip for a moment as shame washed over her. She shouldn't have been freaking out right now - Mads was probably freaking out internally, after all of the cosmetic changes she'd gone through. April knew that puberty could act fast, but she had never really thought about how fast. Something similar had happened with Zelda over break, too - her little sister was invisible now, only able to be heard, and not seen. And so far, Zelda hadn't managed to turn herself visible again for more than a flash of a second. April's own problems seemed suddenly so small and childish.
"I like the tail, by the way," April said, offering Mads a smile. "It's cool." She did her best to sound calm and positive, even as she was shaking furiously inside - as a million scenarios where Coulson expelled and/or killed them for everything that had happened ran through her head, and a million more where her life amounted to nothing, that she never achieved the most important things - like being Prom Queen and Class President and Valedictorian.
She glanced down at her phone as it vibrated - the flip phone had been replaced with a smartphone, making texting way easier again - and saw a series of texts come in. From Leah and Sabine. From Danni and Dori. She clicked into the groupchat with her girlfriends first, and for a moment, her heart dropped at Leah's message - she saw first Leah's feelings about the contest, before April's eyes frantically looked throughout the rest of the message, her pounding heart only slowing down slightly as she saw the rest.
And just like with Mads' a moment ago, a sense of selfishness went through her - because April did care about the Contest of Champions. She cared A LOT. Maybe she even cared about it more than being a real hero - no, no, that couldn't be true. But she was afraid that it was. She bit her lip, reading Sabine's message next, and a little more reassurance returned to her. Sabine wanted it too. It couldn't be bad to want the Contest if Sabine also did - right?
Thank you both, I mean it <3 sorry I'm just, like, being a lot right now about this haha. i, like, do super wanna do the contest - i've dreamed of it since i was a little kid - but like you're so right Leah!! i am gonna think about this more <3 <3 see you both in a sec!!
She opened up the messages from Danni and Dori next, her hands feeling as cold as ice. Both of them made similar points, and she let the tension from her shoulders drop a bit. Maybe she was being worried about nothing. Maybe Coulson did just want to tell them what a good job they did - and maybe insist on therapy? She wasn't thrilled about the idea of all of that, but... It was better than expulsion, right?
Gods I've missed my BOYS!! <3 <3 <3 you both know how to calm a girl down. and if it's therapy, i think i need to insist on group therapy - can't do that stuff without a cuddlepile going on!!
As April pressed send, more people were showing up - Vicky, Andy, Diana. Leah. Her girlfriend kissed her on the forehead and April flushed, her mind - as seemed typical these days - swaying rapidly between opposing emotions. "No, I haven't seen Sabine yet - oh, there she is!" she waved at Sabine, spotting her coming down the hallway after Diana. Her other girlfriend kissed her on the cheek, and April gave Sabine and Leah both a kiss on the cheek in return.
"I'm feeling better - I think - less nervous - how are you?"
She caught a glimpse of Mary Sue as she headed into the office, and April's eyes widened. Had that happened during the fight with Arcade, her scar? Had something else happened? She quickly looked away, chastising herself mentally that it was rude to stare. What had happened to Mary Sue?
But they couldn't stay in the hallway forever and chat - they were about to be technically late - so April set her questions aside and headed in, with her girlfriends and her friends, and took a seat - nervously taking in Headmaster Coulson, Ser Nemo, and Lady Nimue. Hopefully it was just that Dorian was right - that they needed to figure out teams...
She then glanced around quickly, realizing that there was no sign of Dorian - or Zelda - or Percy or Zari.
Coulson cleared his throat. "I suppose the others will join us in their own time," he said, smiling somewhat grimly. "I wanted to first offer you all an apology - you were put in an extremely difficult position last week, one you never should have had to face. As the headmaster of this school, the buck stops with me - and evidently, I failed to realize what Arcade had planned."
"Second, I want to offer you my congratulations - and thanks. You stopped a massacre from occurring, and brought a new supervillain to justice. Only a handful of other students here at the school can say the same. What you did was incredible - real Avengers level work. In recognition of your achievements, all of you are receiving A's in your courses this quarter. I've informed your teachers already. No more homework, no more exams. However, you all are expected to attend mandatory counseling sessions each week."
"Which brings me to my next point... the other thing that you all will be preparing for. The Contest of Champions is quickly approaching. We're down a coach, and some of you are down a team member. Each team can have up to seven members, but no fewer than five. The Young Avengers team is already full. I'm happy to send four teams total to the Contest, but the group that worked with Usagi, you'd need to recruit someone to join up. I'd also ask for you to select a faculty member as your coach."
"Alternatively, there are fourteen of you here... We could condense you down into two teams, one coached by Ser Nemo, and the other by Lady Nimue. I'm leaving this choice up to you all."
Lady Nimue: April, Mads, Mary Sue, Andy, Gideon Ser Nemo: Percy, Dorian, Danni, Sabine, Zelda Usagi: Vicky, Leah, Diana, Zari
Location: Headmaster's office Outfit: School uniform Skills/Powers/Equipment: N/A
Victoria made an effort to listen to Coulson without blowing up in his face (Maybe literally and just getting this shit over with?) and absorbed what he said.
"Therapy." She deadpanned, giving Coulson a withering, flat look, folding her arms on her chest.
"Your solution to putting our minds at ease is... therapy. Not a proposal of a vetting process to make sure you have no more imposters on your staff. Not an action plan to make sure you are not just educating more closet villains how to better make people's lives miserable and ruin their future. Not even abandoning that blatant favouritism that led us to do what we did that evening. Just... therapy." She shook her head almost refusing to accept what she was hearing.
"Because I have been in one every day for the past week with no end in sight, as I can't stop thinking about-" she paused briefly. Go on. Be open. You need to say this, and they need to hear it. What is the worst they can do, expel you? Considering the state of this place, not such a great loss, she motivated herself, "-about how I would rather off myself next time, rather than being reduced to a prisoner in my own body, helplessly watching as it is made to kill someone. Do you even realize that you're lucky Ms. Drummond's powers and a fortunate lack of knowledge of them on that freshman's part allowed her to revive in the first place? Does that bother you at all, or is that just 'tuesday' for you? But sure, fixing the aftermath and not the causes of the problems will make me feel better." She gripped one of her wrists with the other hand to stop them from shaking again, although she didn't care to figure out whether they were shaking because of thinking of that again, or from trying to contain rage. Vicky didn't like either as an answer.
"You're right, you are ultimately accountable for this, and frankly from what I'm hearing, even one of us taking your place would fix this place better. Because, honestly, even if we just let all this die by doing absolutely nothing and just letting the finances run out, at this point I'm starting to think that there may be a bigger net benefit in letting this institution die rather than allowing it to continue with how it works now. Okay, I made up my mind, I will be writing to my representative about this." And mic drop. she thought.
"As far as the contest goes, I never cared for it. I don't exactly hide the fact that I think it is one of the many wrong reasons for people to be motivated to attend this place-" Her eyes ticked briefly to April before she could stop herself, "And I am sure at least one member of the team feels the same. Split us, give us someone new, call us off of the roster, I don't care. If the rest of the team wants to continue, I'll stay on for their sake, but my only motivation from now on is to help ourselves improve for our sake alone, noone and nothing else."
Vicky was amazed she made it through all of that without raising her voice, although she had to admit, venting this out to higher places was the first thing that made her feel slightly better all week.
Andy's attention had been caught by both Mads and Mary Sue's changes. She was surprised by them, but it didn't take her long to realize that Mads made sense. She remembered when she had accidentally started draining Mads of her soul. What had happened in that fight matched what Mads looked like now. Interesting. Mary Sue's situation was different. The damage to her eye hadn't happened in the fight with Arcade. Andy knew that since Mary Sue had been magically healed. So this was new. Andy didn't let her attention linger on either of them as they crammed into Coulson's office. A thought did cross her mind that if she had mental wounds to match the physical ones she probably wasn't the only one. The group as a whole needed to process more than just what had happened with Ed.
At least they weren't getting in trouble for murdering Usagi, which was surprising. It's possible they had no idea what happened to Ardere. His giving them all A's for the quarter actually annoyed Andy. She had been putting so much work into trying to pass by the skin of her teeth and here she was being given A's without any effort. Andy wanted to learn. She would continue to go to class and do her work. She probably wouldn't do as much effort as she had been doing up to this point but she still wanted to learn. That's one of the reasons she had come to this school. The primary of course was Zari, who still hadn't joined them.
She did appreciate that they'd be given counseling. However, could she explain everything that was weighing on her to a counselor? There was a whole lot that she had agreed to not talk about. Not to mention the killing of people by eating their souls in her sleep.
Andy didn't say anything. She wanted Zari on her team, but she also didn't even want to be in the contest. To her, the contest wasn't important. Sure she was learning through the experience but that didn't mean she needed it to reach her goals. She liked being on Lady Nimue's team. However, she knew that April was way more gung-ho about winning the contest.
Andy decided she'd let the people who cared about the outcome of the contest decide what to do about the setup, be it recruit a new member and coach, or break up the small team and divey them into the other two teams. So she sipped on her coffee and waited to be dismissed so she could go to class and try to learn still. Even if learning hurt her head.
Andy winced when her name was mentioned. She'd rather not have attention drawn to her at this time. However, she couldn't blame Vicky. She didn't hold a grudge for what happened in the Framework. That hadn't been Vicky's fault. She hadn't been in control of herself. Andy failed to notice how she was freaking out about the death of someone she hadn't had control over the situation for either...but there was one major difference even if she did acknowledge this. Andy might do it again. Vicky likely wouldn't be controlled by a megalomaniac again. Overall she agreed with a lot of what Vicky said. The only thing she didn't agree with was the need for therapy. That was needed.
She'd have to make sure to find time to chat with Zari. They needed to agree on what a counselor could know. Andy had experienced counseling at Northwood and that hadn't been a good time. She hoped that this more open future would be willing to talk about accidental deaths without threatening to lock someone up forever.
"Not mad at you or anything about that by the way." She said leaning toward Vicky. Sure in general she didn't super care for Vicky but she didn't hate her and certainly didn't hold a grudge against her. Though she would have much rather just have everyone believe that Arcade hadn't been as good at his craft as he thought he was and Andy hadn't died but had survived the whole thing by chance. Missing freshman aside.
See, nothing to worry about. Danni may have just skidded in at the last second before Couls started all this, but everything he heard was a win. Thank you for being awesome and amazing (minus the big award. Def points off for coolness Couls.), no more homework or classes for the semester with A's in everything, and their choice of teams?! His solid C average would have a cushy bump and they got to go to the Contest of Champions with a team of their own choice?! Clearly they needed to deal with supervillains more often!
Danni was going to say as much, but Vicky let loose on Couls and Danni took a step back at the intensity in Vickyâs words.. âWell, daaaamn girl. Go get tâem!â Danni whistled as he shook it off, sauntering up to Coulsonâs desk and hopping up to sit on it before realizing he wasnât where he wanted to be. âBut I am def uncomfy witâ tâe energy in tâe office so Iâmma jus-â Danni scooched across the desk so he was on the opposite corner. âTâere! Now you can stick it ta tâe man witâout gettinâ distracted by my pretty face and I can talk about tâe more excitinâ stuff âcause I am violently uncomfy witâ tâe energy youâre brinâinâ!â Danni gave her a thumbs up, dug around in his bag, and tossed her the Vicky bracelet he made with her name in blue block letters. âAnd a friendship bracelet! I made them for everyone, even Poisson-Pas! Nothinâ says friends forever like surviving a murder attempt!â
âNow, while Vicky is kickinâ ass and takinâ names, weâre tots redoinâ tâe teams right? Princess, Dee, and me are gonna be on a team âcause, like, itâs only been our dream since we got âere. And then-â Danni blinked a few times as he came to a grinding halt, even his active avoidance of therapy taking a back seat to Mads. Heâd plucked out Aprilâs bracelet and was holding it out, but he just stared for a few moments.
âO.M.G. âow did you not tell me âbout tâis! Like, tâis glow up is insane. Great look, 10/10 would recommend. I was just tâinkinâ we need a spa day just ta chill witâ everyone and now I am dyinâ ta âave one âcause I âave sooooo many questions. Like, horn piercinâs? Yes, no? I tâink itâd look great or like, oh! A tail bracelet, like an anklet but more of a⌠taiclet? Tanklet? Tail cuff, like an ear cuff? Jeez, âow do people name tâinâs, everytâinâ just sounds awkward. Poisson-Pas, you know what itâs called? You seem like one of tâose people tâat loves trivia nights.â The bracelet clinked as he turned to face, catching his attention.
âOh, shoot. Teams right, right!â Danni hopped off the desk and started handing his friendship bracelets out. âSo yeah. Princess, Dorian, me, def Beanie, which means Leah and Percy âcause yâall are in tâat honeymoon era and tâen def Mads âcause sheâs got wicked cool magic tâat can do a little bit of everyâinâ!â
