Blackstripe

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

February 7th; 1:30 PM
Lycus Dorm, University of Poseidonis, Atlantis

Having shoved the other two from their room, Karen had spent the last three minutes being berated for her gross incompetence in...well, just about everything she'd done since letting Bjorn into his room.

"...I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry, Mal!" said Karen, her eyes lowered to the ground. "I know, I was dumb for not calling you. I haven't really bothered with cellphones for eight months, and so I just didn't think to use it. I promise, I'll call from now on!"

While she had often bickered with Mal about...well, a lot of things, she really didn't like it when they were actually angry with one another. She knew she had messed up, however--normally she wouldn't have been so reckless, not back before her exile to the Rock of Eternity. She had grown accustomed to simply doing whatever she liked without really considering the feelings of others...yet another reason she was thankful now that she was taking a break from Lady Arcana.

"It's just...there might be a group of guys drugging girls from the campus. Ophelia went to a party last night and was given some weird pills, and doesn't half-remember what happened to her," explained Karen, glancing over to the case she had removed. "I'm going to go with her to a party tonight and try to find out what's in those pills."

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

February 7th; 1:26 PM
Lycus Dorm, University of Poseidonis, Atlantis

Karen accepted the duffel bag from Bjorn with a slight grunt, the weight on her arms causing her to quickly turn and place it down onto the bed. The Norwegian was every bit as strong as he looked, standing around six feet and five inches tall. Smiling up at him, she gave a slight wink to the blond boy. "Thanks, big guy. I just need it for some personal business."

Unfortunately, just as she unzipped the bag to retrieve the case, the sound of Mal's voice caused her to freeze dead in her tracks. She knew that tone of voice rather well. It meant that he wasn't terribly pleased with her.

Turning slowly to look at him, she offered her little brother a casual wave of the hand. "Heya, Mal. Uh, they were just helping me find something I needed to borrow."

Lifting the case out of the duffel bag, she held it up for Mal to see. Sealed as it was, there was little chance that either of his two roommates could guess at its true purpose. Still, she was quick to zip the bag up again, just in case one of them decided to take a peak at whatever else was inside it.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

February 7th; 1:24 PM
Lycus Dorm, University of Poseidonis, Atlantis

"Thanks, Bjorn," said Karen, offering him a grateful smile, "but I think I might've found it. You can give me a hand pulling it out, though."

Reaching beneath the bed, she seized hold of the large, black duffel bag. Of course, Malcolm wouldn't just leave the case sitting exposed. She should've figured as much. Given the weight of this thing, there were probably other items inside as well. It really emphasized how much physically stronger Mal was than her, that he could comfortably lug around something like this.

It was a good reminder to train harder in her human form while she was down here. If she got into a fight, she might be in trouble against a big dude, unless she relied on her magic to tip the scales.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

February 7th; 1:23 PM
Lycus Dorm, University of Poseidonis, Atlantis

"It's a black case. Pretty distinct, really," said Karen, now glancing under his bed. She didn't want to just outright tell him that it was a forensics kit, since he would probably wonder why Mal had one...or why she wanted it. She wasn't about to be the one that compromised both of their identities.

Feeling her cheeks grow red as her stomach grumbled, she could easily smell the bagels that Bjorn had bought. Ever since Malcolm had taken her out to eat on her first night here, she had become rather addicted to Atlantean food. For whatever reason, everything they served just seemed to be so much better than anything on the surface. She would really have to learn some of their recipes before she returned.

"It's about suitcase size, but hard plastic," she elaborated.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

February 7th; 1:22 PM
Lycus Dorm, University of Poseidonis, Atlantis

"Here, let me get that for you!" said Karen, stepping in front of Bjorn and his arm full of bagels. Placing her hand in front of the doorknob, she muttered, "Open."

With an audible click, the lock was disengaged and the door swung open. Gesturing for him to go ahead of her, she offered Bjorn a slight grin. "Good thing they haven't Mage-proofed these, huh?"

Inside, Karen was quick to spy Virgil--Mal's other roommate, jamming on his headphones. That was probably why he hadn't heard Bjorn. Offering him a quick wave, she surveyed the room carefully in search of her objective: Mal's forensics kit. Hopefully, wherever he was, he hadn't taken it with him.

"Don't mind me, you two, I just need to borrow something from my little brother," explained Karen, now shifting through Malcolm's stuff. Maybe under the bed, or something? She didn't want to waste too much time here; she still had to go shopping with Ophelia before the party, after all.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

February 1st, 0437 HRS
Lycus Hall, room 312

Malcolm’s nose twitched a little. As he lay there, staring up at the coral-plated ceiling of his bedroom, eyes uncharacteristically glazed over.

Scorched hair.

Burning meat.

A faint, phantom burning in his nostrils, lungs and eyes he’d long since learned to associate spent napalm.

The boy’s eidetic memory was wreaking havoc on his own psyche to the tune of some demented internal clock. Counting down to the exact second a moment it would never allow him to forget, no matter how much time had passed. Forcing into his mind emphatic echoes of some trauma six years past in vivid detail- all the sights, the smells, the sounds… the rage.

A low grunt rattled in the boy’s throat as he forced himself upwards and off his bed, roughly throwing on his clothes and snatching up his gym bag.

Malcolm had been awake for exactly forty seven seconds today, and he was already pissed off.

It was his birthday, after all.

---

Argos Gymnasium, University District, Poseidonis,
February 1st, 0945 HRS

BANG! CACHINK! BANG-BANG! CACHINK!

Gotta love the Atlanteans; they’re an adaptive people.

BANG! CACHINK! BANG!

So quick to realize the merits of a leather sack filled with sand hanging from the ceiling you could beat the hell out of.

BANG! BANG! BANG! CACHINK!

Something Malcolm would’ve been immensely thankful for had he the mind for it right now; eyes vacant and face twisted into an unreadable, inhuman expression as he zealously slammed his bloodied fists into the rapidly-ailing sack of animal flesh before him with intensity that hadn’t waned in the slightest in the past four hours.

He should probably be in class, or studying right now.

He was probably going to have to apologize to Ms. Argos, the gym owner later.

...He also probably should’ve ate something today.

But today, at least, Malcolm didn’t give a shit.

Because Malcolm wasn’t there.

Because the lights were on, but no one was home.

”I might have to arrest you for animal abuse at this rate,” said a familiar voice, near the doorway. Karen stood there, a pair of boxing gloves under her arm. She didn’t seem terribly surprised at the small pile of battered punch bags off in the corner. ”You know that those are gym property, right? Zoey didn’t pay for them.”

Stepping towards him, she set her gloves down on a nearby chair. Her movements had become noticeably less awkward than when she had first arrived here, now merely resembling somebody that was dealing with a mild case of post-workout soreness. Claiming another seat beside her gloves, she began to carefully tape up her hands with boxing wraps. It seemed like she still remembered how to do that, at least.

”I’ve been looking for you all morning, you know,” she muttered. ”I should’ve guessed you were here.”

BANG! PFFFSSSSHHH...!

And another bag bit the dust.

”Cassiopeia Argos is a friend of mine. I helped her open this place.” Malcolm replied, perhaps a bit more tersely than necessary as he stared down at a growing pile of sand at his feet for what must have been about the fourth time today. ”I’ll make it up to her.”

Unchaining the now-thoroughly destroyed remnants of the bag from it’s mount and tossing it off to the side with all the others with an uncharacteristic roughness, Mal spoke again, still not facing the blonde behind him as he moved to go find another unfortunate bag to annihilate.

”What do you want?”

Karen had finished taping up her hands by this point, and was now working on lacing up up one of the black boxing gloves she had brought with her. Where she had bought them was unclear, but they appeared to be brand new, given their crisp sheen. ”I thought that exerting myself a little might help me feel a bit more comfortable in this body.”

”Also, I wanted to wish you a ‘happy birthday’, like I always do,” she added, standing from her chair and approaching the clearly strung-out teenager. Raising one of her now-gloved hands, she tilted her head to the side. ”Lace me up, please.”

A raised brow followed that statement, notably absent of the usual humour that went with it. But still, Malcolm complied.

”Not a bad idea.” The boy admitted, voice still cold but at the very least not outright hostile anymore as his hands worked the laces on her glove- apparently not at all hindered by their self-induced harm ”Best way to get used to having a human body again is probably to actually use it.”

Another brow raise followed as he finished, giving the glove a few experimental tugs to make sure it was snugged on just right.

”...Though, had I known you were coming, I might not’ve destroyed so much of the equipment.”

Ah, there it was. Just a slight tinge of the usual Mal.

...Even if it did take about four hours to rear it’s head.

”Thanks,” she said, turning to face the newly hung bag. Placing her glove against it to gauge her distance, she seemed a bit unfamiliar with their weight. Nevertheless, she assumed the ready stance she had learned during her years of training with Ted in Pankration. Aiming for the “body” of the bag, she unloaded a series of hard punches with made a distinct BANG, albeit quieter than Mal’s had been.

She then unloaded a hard kick on it, to far greater effect. Punch, punch, punch, punch, kick—that seemed to be her preferred routine. ”It’s ridiculous, how weak I am right now. I can barely even move this thing.”

”Well, it’d help if you remembered to breathe when you’re throwing a punch.”

Karen immediately exhaled, glancing over at Mal. ”...I keep forgetting. I’m still used to not having to breathe, period.”

A slight twitch of Malcolm’s eye followed that statement as he slowly backed away and undid his soiled handwraps, fishing through his bag for more gauze.

”Well, I guess being empowered by seven Gods will do that to ya.” Mal stated coolly, as he got to work replacing the bandages around his fists and wrists, not sparing a thought about the gummed-up state of his hands ”Make you forget all about the basics.”

Giving his freshly re-wrapped hands a few experimental squeezes, the scarred teen gave his work an affirmative nod of ‘Good enough’... before reaching into his bag again and pulling out a pair of slightly worn-looking leather punch mitts.

”Get in the damned ring.”

Karen quirked her brow for a moment, having clearly noticed his injured hands. She nevertheless complied, ascending the stairs of the boxing ring and pulling down the middle rope to squeeze through. ”It’s been a while since we practiced together.”

”Clearly.”

Came Malcolm’s terse reply as he cast a quick glance around the gym to make sure they were actually alone, before pulling out the capsule for his glow-hiding contacts and removing them from his noggin- it probably wouldn’t end well if Karen inadvertently put a shiner on his face with them in after all- and climbed the stairs to the ring, mitts held in one hand as his other simply clapped down on top of the corner post and heaved the whole of his body over the ropes with his considerable strength and bodily coordination.

”Well, Kare-Bear…” He spoke again, voice still not entirely clear of the sharpness it’d held all day, but somewhat getting there. As he shoved the leather mitts on and got into something resembling a ready-stance, those familiar fiery orange eyes locked onto the blonde for the first time in eight months ”...Let’s see if you’ve still got it.”

Karen immediately raised her fists, looking not too dissimilar to the boxing stance that Mal had been using only moments before. Pankration, after all, represented the ancient origins of what was modern boxing. Her eyes narrowed on his mits, she began to unleash one swift jab after another into them, occasionally throwing a full-on hook in for good effect.

Compared to her movements eight months prior, she was definitely a lot stiffer. There was clearly too much thought given to each attack. Perhaps it was simply due to her lingering unfamiliarity with her human body, or perhaps Lady Arcana was simply so impossibly fast that she seldom had to test her reflexes.

”Do you want me to kick, or no?”

”Do you ask permission in a fight?” Came Mal’s simple, mildly irritated response.

Karen stared at him for only a moment before sending a straight kick right into his left mit. She then continued with her succession of jabs and hooks, now occasionally mixing a hard kick in with the set. It was only after several rounds of this that she proved that to have taken Mal’s words to heart, quickly moving forward to seize the other teen’s arm and throw him down onto the mat with a hip toss.

”...I figured throws were alright, too,” said Karen, breathing audibly.

”Better.”

Mal, to his credit, though he saw that hip toss coming a mile away by reading the nerve-endings and contractions of Karen’s muscles, allowed it to happen… before shifting his body mid-air to land face-down, catching himself on his mitts before immediately spinning around and sweeping at her feet with his heel, not even showing the slightest hint of fatigue from his previous four hours exertion as he shot back to his feet barely a moment afterward.

”But still sloppy. Again.”

Karen landed on her back, staring up at Mal with a modest frown. Pushing herself up off the mat with her elbows, she resumed her boxing stance. ”Well, I’m eight months out of practice, after all.”

Continuing to mix up her strikes, kicks, and throws, Karen’s forehead eventually glistened with tiny jewels of sweat. It seemed the stamina of Karen Hernandez paled in comparison to that of Atlas, as she was panting rather heavily after “only” an hour of practice. A large drop of sweat slithered down her nose, dangling briefly from the tip before falling.

”How do you...keep this up for four hours straight?” she huffed.

At that, Mal’s mitted hand shot forward… and gave Karen a tiny little boop on the nose with the room of his padded palm.

”Practice.” He answered harshly, still remarkably calm and at ease, even through all his exertion ”And motivation.”

Lowering his hands and removing his mitts, the boy gave the exhausted Karen an appraising scan with his unnatural eyes before turning on his heel and heading for the edge of the ring.

”Let’s take five. Despite what all that shounen manga we read as kids taught us, training until you puke isn’t particularly productive.”

”Right,” said Karen, sitting down onto the mat near the edge as well. She had clearly not trained this hard for quite some time. She had always kept up her skills, but was never really pushed to achieve the levels of physical perfection that the Grim family had attained.

After all, she had the power of the Gods instead.

Magically summoning her water bottle to her outstretched hand, Karen took a long drink from the straw. ”I forgot to stretch, I’m now realizing. Ouch.”

A little snort escaped Mal at that, as he got on his belly, reached over the edge of the mat and fished his own drink out of his bag- a local favourite sealed in a magitech self-cooling can- and rolled back on his ass to sit beside his erstwhile training partner.

”Was gonna wait and see how long it took ya to figure that one out.” The scarred teenager explained plainly, just a hint of his usual charm forcing it’s way through the heavy murk of whatever it was that bothered him every year on this day. ”...On a scale of one to ten of hindsight and regret you’re probably around an… eight, am I right?”

Karen nodded, rolling her shoulder with a slight wince. When you didn’t stretch before a workout session, it would often leave you with muscles that felt like they were trying to tie themselves in a knot. A glance at her calve showed that it had assumed a rather unattractive shape in that moment.

”What a terrible feeling,” she noted, flexing her leg. ”I suppose that, too, is just a part of being human again.”

Glancing down at Karen’s leg for a moment and letting out something that almost sounded like a grunt of annoyance, Mal gently seized hold of the very clearly cramping extremity and pulled it over into his lap, spinning the blonde around on her magic little behind as well.

He did, however, have the presence of mind to fix the girl with a mildly mirthful glance before he got to work pressing on the nerves in her calf to ease the tension in her muscles.

”Not a word to Ophelia- We’d never hear the end of it.”

Karen smirked slightly. ”She actually asked about us. She seemed quite relieved to learn that we’re not an ‘item’.”

”Don’t doubt that.” Mal replied with a little smirk of his own even as his hands went about his task ”Call it a blessing or a curse, but I can see people’s brains at work.”

A little hum built in his throat as he shifted his middle finger to apply pressure to another nerve ending on the other side of her calf.

”And Miss Angelo-Blyth was looking miiiiiighty hungry when talking to you.”

Karen gently shook her head at this, scooting back against the corner of the ring. ”I could say the same with you and Hannah, though hers seemed more akin to a schoolgirl crush. She seems rather cloistered.”

They were roommates, after all.

”Should’ve seen the look on her face when she first realized who I was-” Mal mused as he gave Karen’s calf a few last little squeezes and presses before releasing his hold on the extremity. ”-Thought the poor girl was gonna have a heart attack.”

Popping his knuckles as he finished, Mal draped his arms over the ropes and leaned backward, exhaling slightly.

”All done, ya should be good to go now.”

Karen nodded, climbing to her feet and kicking the tip of her toe against the mat several times to test out her leg. ”Want to go another round, and then maybe grab something to eat? I’m guessing you haven’t had anything all morning.”

”Warned you about that Atlantean Cuisine, didn’t I?”

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

January 27th, 12:40 AM
Outside Asterion Dormitory

"No, not really. It's kind of difficult to sleep again, after so long," said Karen, pushing herself off the wall of her dorm. Taking a few steps towards Malcolm, she immediately noticed that his muscles--particular in his arms--were taut against his skin. He had been working out, and rather intensely at that.

...The gym bag and track suit he was wearing also tipped her off.

Like with everything else, it had been some eight months since she had been to a gym or worked out. As her human body had been more or less in stasis, she could still be considered "in-shape". Unfortunately, her muscle memory hadn't benefited from this magical protection. It wasn't just exercise and combat her body had forgotten, either. Every movement on her part took effort. Everything she did felt weighted and unnatural compared to when she was Lady Arcana.

"Seems you're still enthusiastic about your training," said Karen finally, smirking. "And here I thought we were here to get away from all of that."

Then again, maybe the duties and responsibilities he was leaving behind were weighing on his mind as heavily as her own were right now.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

January 27th, 12:32
Asterion Dormitory, Room Fourteen

Karen had decided to get an early (for her, at least) night's rest after unpacking what little she had brought with her. Being human again after so many months had left her feeling almost sick, and so she welcomed the chance to get acquainted with her new bed. But sleep was difficult after going for so long without the need.

It was difficult to not feel like she was wasting nearly half the day by doing so. Just laying there, letting her soft and inefficient body recover from simply moving for a number of hours. She hated it.

BZZZZZZT

Her eyes shot open at the buzzing of her phone, it's glow having already started pushing back the surrounding darkness. She didn't need to guess who it was. Only one person generally bothered her this late. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to her--of course Malcolm would want to talk.

They hadn't really gotten the chance to speak in private earlier, what with everyone being eager to settle into their new rooms. She honestly had a few things to discuss with him as well. With a soft grunt, she awkwardly rolled her way out of bed and felt around for her trousers. Once she had finished making herself decent again, she used her cellphone's dim glow to navigate her way to their front door.

Stepping out onto the balcony, she almost expected to feel a cool night's breeze against her skin...but of course there was none. While the bioluminescent lights above made for a convincing emulation of starlight, there was no simulated wind in Poseidonis. It remained as temperate as it had been during the day, with any difference being purely aesthetic.

Making her way down the stairs to the street below, Karen folded her arms and leaned back against the wall of her dormitory, patiently waiting for Mal to show himself. Knowing him, he was probably already here.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

University of Poseidonis
Orientation Hall

Orin stepped up onto the stage overlooking the orientation hall. He smiled as he saw the student body milling about and finding their seats. He recognized many of the faces in attendance today, but there were many more that were unfamiliar to him. New students, ones from the surface. People eager to learn and expand their horizons. It was a beautiful sight to him. Slipping on the in-ear microphone, Orin stepped to the front of the stage and held up a hand. Immediately, the Atlantean student body quieted down, sinking into their seats and paying attention to the king. The foreign students took a moment longer, obviously unsure of the customs and traditions, but Orin forgave them that. This was meant to be a learning experience after all. Once everyone had found a seat, Orin smiled and began to speak.

”Well… I must say, I’m very pleased with the turnout this year!” He said, dropping his hand and taking a moment to let the few stragglers begin to pay attention.

”Many of you know me, but I am aware that there is a significant portion of you who have likely never seen me before, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Orin. I am the ruler of Atlantis, the guardian of the seas, and the king of my people. Some of you may know me as Aquaman.” She said, flashing a patented grin as he began to pace the stage.

”It is my genuine honor to welcome you all here, both my native students and our transfers. I will keep this brief, as I know many of you had long trips to get here. I simply want to extend a warm welcome, not just from myself, but from the united people of Atlantis.” That was important. He had to make sure they all knew, Atlantis was not at war with itself. Not anymore. And with any luck, it never would be again.

”For our new students, who come here from far away, I want to extend a special welcome. I’m sure you’ve read about our programs, our culture, our history. But it is another thing entirely to experience it. And believe me, I want you to experience it. This is not simply a school for the gifted. It is a haven for the oppressed of the world. A repository of knowledge. I want this place to be a light to mankind, a new Library of Alexandria.” That had stung, reading about the burning of the great Library. Of course, many of those texts had copies here in the city, but that had gone a long way to explain why the world at large was so set back.

”Let me be clear with all of you. Some of your classmates, roommates, teachers, and staff may be… Different than you might expect. Metahumans, Mages, geniuses, and all other types of gifted individuals have a home here. I want you to know we do not tolerate any kind of discrimination. If you take issue with someone, please ensure it is not simply due to their genetics. But I digress, this is a mission statement, not a syllabus reading.” Orin said with a soft smile before taking a deep breath to categorize his thoughts.

”I believe in the goodness of all mankind. That everyone has a spark inside of them. Everyone wants to save the world. Some may be more capable of that than others, but everybody can save the world. However, and I need you all to listen closely to me; the world looks different to each person. It may be bigger or smaller. Sometimes saving your world can mean saving only one person. And sometimes, that one person may be yourself. This course will be difficult for many of you. Especially those from the surface. The culture shock, the language barriers, the new knowledge and information, it may be altogether too much. If it is… save yourself. Take a break. There is no shame in needing some space. Your teachers and staff will be looking out for you. We are all on your side.”

Orin paused again, smiling kindly at the gathered student body. Time to wrap it up, and give the nice incentive. ”And trust me, I will be keeping an eye on your progress as well, all of you. In fact, I have decided that once per week, I will choose a selection of exemplary students to come to my home and spend a day out of the classrooms, doing whatever they may wish with the Royal amenities. Think of it as a bit of a reward. Well, that’s all I have to say on the matter, except… Good luck, all of you. I look forward to seeing you save the world.”

Karen quickly joined the crowd in applauding for her friend, Orin. They had fought together for more than five years at this point, and she was happy to see that he now felt that Atlantis was stable enough to allow foreign students to freely enter his city.

Still, even though he said that the Atlantean people were united, she had to wonder just how true that statement really was. After such a bitter civil war, there was bound to be resentment lurking beneath the surface—no pun intended.

Virgil went along with the applause only a short distance from Karen. He still had yet to find Mal, but he was sure that he’d be okay for at least a little bit on his own. It wasn’t like Mal was helpless or anything, but it seemed to Virgil that he didn’t like all of the popularity that his family brought him.

He had never seen King Orin in the flesh before, and seeing a real life Justice League member right there in front of him was something to behold. He remembered seeing another League member many years ago, passing by on some important mission, but the memory was distant and vague to Virgil.

Still, despite all of this Virgil couldn’t help but glance around every so often. Maybe it was just his experience with most of his old classmates being Bang Babies and having it out for people, but this sort of crowd wasn’t exactly something that Virgil enjoyed. It was too thick, too many people in the event he needed to spring into action.

He sighed. That was behind him now. Well, not completely. He didn’t have to worry about being the only superhero on the block, or even within a hundred feet anymore. Surely if something were to break out, they’d all be able to handle it safely and efficiently.

Bjorn had managed to get a seat near the front of the hall, and had watched Orin’s whole speech in enraptured silence. His elbows often found themselves jabbed into the sides of the students seated next to him as he pointed up at the stage. They would get angry at first, but Bjorn’s pure excitement was infectious.

Well, that and a number of the ladies in the room found themselves paying equal attention to him as to the King.

Of course, he was a foreigner, so he did seem a little taken aback by the overrepresentation of Americans in the building, but that was to be expected, it was America after all. No matter the case, Bjorn’s aura immediately brought a subtle rowdiness to the crowd around him, not a riotous kind, but a more heavily spirited kind, as if they were in the middle of a pep rally.

Virgil, feeling like this was going really well, decided to cheer just a little more for the King of Atlantis. Why not? He clearly put in all of this effort to make everything work, why not appreciate it as much one could? Everyone around him was either dressed to the nines for their first ever day in Atlantis, or bumming around in comfortable clothes to get by on the long trip down. VIrgil was in that second group, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a light button-up t-shirt in his signature purple. A little flare from his costume to bleed into normal life made him feel just a little more super.

As the orientation drew to a close and the King departed, the students began to rise from their seats in droves. Many were still rather shaken by the trip here, it would seem, and so they were eager to find their dorms.

Karen, though she hadn’t taken the submarine, was one of them—she needed to lay down. Her human body still didn’t quite feel right to her. She wanted to fly. She hated how long it took her to get everywhere. All the little random itches and aches she had grown used to doing without.

Pushing her way through the crowds, she glanced at her phone to check the app she’d downloaded—a map of the campus.

Virgil really didn’t want to follow people around the entire time he was there. So far he only knew of Bjorn, Malcolm, and Karen, and with two of them gone and Virgil not wanting to be weird, he set off on his own.

Which didn’t last very long.

He was quick to realize that he had no idea where he was going. He wanted to move into his dorms as quick as possible to meet whoever he’d be sharing the room with, but he had no idea how to get there. Atlantis was completely new and strange to him, and he had little to go on.

He saw Karen again, walking with some amount of purpose. She seemed to know where she was going, and that was good enough for him. Walking up to her, he cleared his throat and tapped her on the shoulder somewhat nervously.

“Hey, I’m sorry I’m bothering you again, but do you know where the dorms are? They didn’t exactly hand out maps at orientation. All I have is the building name and the room number.” He hated asking for help, especially when he had already talked to her before and didn’t really have much of a purpose to again other than she was one of the three people he interacted with down here.

Karen glanced up from her phone, offering him a tired smile. ”Oh, yes. There’s an app—”

”I know that!” Bjorn said. He quickly crossed the crowd without an issue, not even being bumped once. ”What’s your building? They are all in a row along the main road, I am in Lycus Hall, that’s the… east one.”

Bjorn approached quickly, but he stopped in his tracks as soon as he spotted Karen. Immediately his face went from an excited smile to a… something, it was hard to identify, but it was certainly a demonstration of attraction.

”Oh… hello,” he said, clearly nervous. His posture went from a shoulders-back confidence to an almost afraid slouch. ”Who… what’s your name? What course are you taking, what… er never… nevermind.”

Virgil almost yelped in surprise as Bjorn’s sudden appearance, but wasn’t ungrateful for the information. ”Yeah, I’m in… Lycus. Hey, looks like we’re dormmates, crazy, huh?” He fished out the papers with his information on them and took a look at them. He was about to introduce his female friend to Bjorn, but the realization came that she might not want people giving out her name left and right, especially to people as excitable as Bjorn was. Virgil knew a few people somewhat similar to Bjorn back in Dakota, and most of them never ended up all that good.

He patted Bjorn on the shoulder and set his hand back down. “I know she’s pretty, man, don’t need to get worked up.” Virgil flashed him a smile, walking on to where everyone else seemed to be going.

Karen stared at Bjorn, clearly surprised by his sudden outburst. Slowly raising her hand, she waved awkwardly at the excitable foreigner. It seemed like he didn’t know how to talk to girls, but that was understandable—she didn’t much know how to talk to boys, either. ”Erm, my name’s Karen. It’s nice to meet you…”

Yup, sure enough, he had forgotten to give her his name. Oh well, that could happen to anybody, right?

Ophelia Angelo-Blythe left the orientation hall in a daze. She was here, in Atlantis, and her outfit matched fucking perfectly. Her Louis Vuitton red leather ankle boots complimented the gold in the architecture, and in the accents of her Dolce and Gabbana Fall/Winter 2013 Mini dress decorated with a byzantine mosaic pattern. Everything felt regal here. And speaking of regality that King Orin had her too distracted to really pay attention to what he was saying. Did he mention the dorm rooms at all? She must of missed it while she’d been paying too much attention to the pants he’d been wearing. She saw a group of what she assumed to be fellow students up ahead of her in the hall, and quickened her pace to catch up to them, her heels making audibly clicking sounds on the coral floors.

”Hello? Pardon me!” She called as she caught up to them. Two boys and a pretty girl, who’d just introduced herself as Karen, walked together. Looking at them now, they were all rather attractive. ”Sorry to bother you all, but I was just going to ask if you knew which way the dorms were?” She fiddled with a curl as she spoke, twisting it around her finger.

”Hm?” Bjorn looked over at the new arrival. His expression remained unchanged and he quickly looked back towards Karen for a moment. Then he almost annoyedly turned to look at her. ”The dorms are in a line by the street, it is like co-ed, girls only, and the boys’.”

He didn’t even introduce himself before he returned to looking at Karen, well, looking sometimes, every other second he’d look at his feet so as not to stare.

”I’m Virgil Hawkins,” Virgil introduced himself and almost introduced both Bjorn and Karen as well. This new beauty was just so much in his eyes he almost lost focus. Like with Bjorn himself, Virgil didn’t want to give out new names to people if they themselves didn’t want to be exposed. “We’re all headed down to the dorms, are you in Lycus Hall too?” He sincerely hoped that she was, or at least nearby.

Karen blinked at Virgil. Did he not understand how dorms worked? Well, that was fine—it was their first time here. There was bound to be stuff he knew that she didn’t as well. ”She wouldn’t be, the dorms are gender segregated.”

She then turned to the girl, offering her a hand. ”I’m Karen, it’s nice to meet you.”

The first boy to speak to Ophelia put her off the group immediately. She wasn’t used to being treated like a bother at all. Initially, she had found him attractive, but now…

Then the pretty black boy spoke introduced himself, and was much more polite. Ophelia decided she liked him instantly. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Virgil.” she said with a charming smile.

And as it turns out, the rude one was wrong anyway. The pretty girl she’d heard introduce herself before as Karen introduced herself again. Ophelia’s smile widened.“Oh, I had heard you introduce yourself as I walked over. That’s a beautiful name, and I have to say, very fitting for such a beautiful girl.” She took Karen’s hand, offering a firm but gentle grip.

“My name is Ophelia Simone Helvetica Angelo-Blythe. And I do believe I’m headed that direction as well. I hope you all won’t mind if I tag along?” She tossed her curls over her shoulder and gave them a winning grin.

Ophelia would begin to hear something. Something nobody else could hear, a staticy screaming noise. It would slowly grow louder and louder, until it became an utter assault on the senses. At the same time, she’d begin to see hallucinations, subtle ones. These all disappeared as soon as she stopped looking at Karen.

”My name is Bjorn, I’m sorry for being rude earlier, I am new to this country and still getting used to everything.” Bjorn smiled widely once again, his former nervousness having gone away apparently.

Ophelia blinked, putting a hand to her temple as she began to hear a screeching static noise. She turned to Bjorn, “Oh, please, don’t apologise, it’s nice to meet you.” She said politely. Something felt off about him, and his dashing smile didn’t take away the sinking feeling he gave her. ”Does anyone else… hear something?”she asked, rubbing her temple.

“Huh?” Virgil tilted his head and looked around, unsure about what Ophelia had been talking about. He didn’t hear anything, but that wasn’t to say that she wasn’t just hearing things in the sense of them being auditory hallucinations. “No, I don’t hear anything. What’s it like?” It didn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities for someone to be playing a trick on one of the prettiest women around to garner attention. Virgil wouldn’t show off his power like that to everyone, especially if he found anyone else with similar powers.

Karen tilted her head to the side, listening carefully to the ambiance around them. She heard plenty—people talking, the sound of marching students, laughter...but nothing that she would consider out of the ordinary. ”I don’t hear anything that shouldn’t be there; are you feeling alright? What dorm are you in, Ophelia?”

”It’s probably nothing.” She said, waving it away with her hand. ”I was just a little dizzy for a spell. Once we get to the dorms I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m in the Asterion dorms, room fourteen, I believe.”

Karen glanced down at her phone again, quirking a brow. ”Asterion? Really? That’s where I’m at. I’m also in room fourteen! Looks like we’re roomies! I think we’ve got one more with us, but I haven’t gotten the chance to meet her yet.”

Virgil happened upon a thought with the revelation that both Karen and Ophelia would be rooming together. ”Hey, Bjorn, what room are you in?” He asked, not quite out of the blue. Maybe they had the same luck as the girls.

”Oh uh… I’m in room 312… I guess just 12,” Bjorn said. He hadn’t paid too close attention it seemed, with excitement levels as high as his it made sense that he’d miss things.

”Crazy!” Virgil almost laughed, pulling out his own papers once more and pointing at the matching room number. How weird was it that one of the only people he had talked to today was also his roommate. Not even that, but the two girls they were with were also roommates. Weird coincidences. ”Looks like you two aren’t the only ones splitting a room.” He smiled at the girls, putting in a little more charm to try and keep up with Ophelia. ”I wonder who our third man is… Oh man, I’m gonna lose it if Mal is joining us in the room, right, man?” He elbowed Bjorn with a smile, laughing internally at how nuts it would be if that was the case.

Karen glanced between them, cupping her chin. She had a strange feeling when she observed this place from the Rock of Eternity, and even after teleporting here in her human form, she could feel something pulling at her through the leylines. ”No...it’s not crazy; it’s magic. I believe someone has cast a spell over the campus—and perhaps the submarine that brought you here—that draws together those who will be sharing a room, and helps them find where they need to go. Rather thoughtful.”

Ophelia laughed, sweet and clear like a bell.”How serendipitous! Well, now I’m excited. I can’t wait to spend the school year with such lovely people. It seems King Orin has thought of everything, doesn’t it?” She mused. The static she’d heard but moments ago a thing of the past as the charm of her new school took its place in her mind.

Which was just as well, because a proverbial record scratch was on its way.

”So, there I was at four in the goddamn morning, ambling through the place like a frickin’ zombie, looking to get myself some goddamn chocolate milk- because what the hell else do you do at four in the morning? So, damn-near sleepwalking and not paying attention, I round the corner finally look up aaaannnd...”

Came a… particularly animated voice from somewhere nearby, growing clearer and seemingly closer as it rambled on. Accompanied by the echoing drum of footsteps against the solid coral floor that grew louder and louder as the seconds passed.

”There’s fucking Karen.” The voice continued, a note of something approaching… legitimate admiration and/or affection on it’s tone, even as it’s owner was clearly building up to a punchline at his subject’s expense. ”Standing there, in her fluffy purple pyjamas and trying and failing to sing into an ice-cream scoop. Loudly.”

It was at that exact moment that a sharp-dressed teenager with scarred knuckles and a girl in a cream-coloured sweater wheeled around the corner, completely oblivious to the quartet of other students they were now sharing a corridor with.

”So there I am, just standing there like a deer in the headlights while she dances about screaming ’OOOOH, OOOOH, OOOOH, BUBBLE POP!’ until she finally noticed I was there, tripped over her own two feet and somehow managed to launch the tub of Oreo Ice-cream she’d been scavenging out of about five feet into the air directly above her, where it promptly came down, squishy-side first, onto her pretty little noggin.”

As the voice grew louder, a smile was brought to Virgil’s face. Mal must have found someone fun to talk to if he was being that loud. It was fortunate that they were all making friends so quickly, magic or otherwise.

“Ay, Mal!” Virgil shouted and waved him over. “Bring your friend!” Virgil for one was excited, ecstatic, almost. This day was going so well after the heartfelt goodbyes with his family, as he was quickly surrounded by friends both old and new.
Karen’s neck nearly snapped as she whirled around at the sound of Malcolm’s voice, his rather loud and obnoxious recounting of one of her more embarrassing moments from the past.

Karen nearly snapped her neck as she twisted around at the sound of Malcolm’s voice, his imitation of her voice pulling her lips into a frown. Who the hell was he telling that story to? And why?

Well, it was Malcolm. He loved to embarrass her. How could she have ever forgotten? It had been about eight months now since he last trolled her, so she had made the mistake of letting her guard down. Folding her arms, she stared down her childhood friend as he approached. ”Mal, good to see you made it; maybe I should share some stories about you with your new friend there?”

Mal’s head snapped forward at the duo of familiar voices to his front, almost looking like someone who’d been taken completely by surprise, if the momentary bit of shock on his face was anything to go by. Though the slight quirk of his brow spoke otherwise.

If nothing else, years spent in front of the cameras had made the Kasimir ward into one hell of an actor.

”Oh, uhh... hey Karen!” The suit-clad teenager started, an uncomfortably embarrassed grin snaking its way onto his scarred face ”I, err… didn’t see you there.

Now that was a blatant lie and she’d damn well know it.

...But after their last conversation, The Wizard had earned herself at least this little ribbing.

”I’m sure,” she said, not believing that it would’ve given him more than a moment’s pause if he had known she was present. ”Well, I’m here now—I kept my promise. You shouldn’t have any complaints, right?”

She still felt really weird, being in this body again. She wanted to go to the gym and work out at some point, just to try and get a feel for moving around as a human again. Sparring with Mal would also probably help with that.

No sooner had the words left her mouth, did Malcolm very abruptly walk right up and pull her into a quick hug.

”None whatsoever.” He answered, the false-embarrassment on his face melting away into a genuine smile that stayed in place even as he released her, giving her shoulders a light squeeze as he went.

Mal was happy to see Karen again- There wasn’t any denying that, even through his constant ribbing. But that was the mushy-feely kind of stuff the boy kept a lid on in public.

So, quirking that Kasimir brow again in his own distinct fashion, the lad cast a glance over the blonde’s shoulder at the trio behind her, deploying his trademarked wry little grin as he did so.

”Sooo…. See you’ve met Bjorn and Virg, care to introduce me to your new friend?” Mal started again, gaze shifting back to Karen with a trickle of humour in his eyes as he cocked his thumb towards the girl in question ”...Or are we just gonna keep staring at each other awkwardly in public?”

Karen didn’t mind the embrace, even though she returned it rather awkwardly. She was happy to hug what was essentially her little brother again, it was just a sensation she had very nearly forgotten. Perhaps that had been his point when he contacted her—human contact itself had become something strange for her.

Glancing over her shoulder at Ophelia, Karen smiled. ”This is Ophelia—she’s my roommate, apparently.”

With a friendly little slap on Karen’s shoulder and a chuckle, Mal walked past his surrogate sister, casually tucking his left hand into his pocket and offering out his right for a shake.

”Name’s Malcolm. Good ta meet’cha.”

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

San Francisco, Herlua Enterprises
January 25th, 11:38 A.M.

”...And how many stories did you say it was, again?” asked Aelia Marcella de Herlua, gazing up at the American branch of Harlow Enterprises from the street. She paid no mind to the slack-jawed expressions of the yanks surrounding her, an overreaction to her use of a simple gateway spell to travel here from her home in Essex. She sincerely hoped that not everyone here would be so melodramatic in the face of their betters.

“Thirty-five, ma’am,” said Charles, her uncle’s valet, shifting awkwardly on his feet.

Aelia sniffed the air in mild disappointment. ”Not quite a skyscraper, is it? Oh well, it’s merely a side branch, after all.”

Proceeding past the crowd—who gave her quite the wide berth—and through the revolving doors, she was lead to a lift. Rather than ascending, however, they were taken below the ground level. Down, down deep below the city. When the doors parted, Aelia found herself within a vast chamber of steel and rock

A field of panels could be seen in the distance even from the lift, devices created not to absorb sunlight, but to draw upon the leylines. It was the company’s current pet project, and her father had sent her here to lend her formidable arcane abilities to Uncle Marcus, the head of their American branch.

Arching her brow at the sound of distance explosions, she shifted her icy blue gaze to Charles.

“Durability testing, ma’am,” he said. “As they are so very expensive to make, your uncle therefore wishes them to be difficult to break.”

Aelia nodded and started in the direction of the distant thunder. It was fortuitous that a company of good moral standing such as Herlua Enterprises was pioneering this technology—far too many corporations would have been all too happy to simply overcharge for easily broken panels in the hopes of turning an additional profit from the frequent replacements.

She wondered what sort of weapon he had chosen to test on them, however. In this age of fake Magi playing dress up, there were simply too many ways for their products to meet an unpleasant end.

Spotting her uncle standing on a platform overlooking the panels, she wasted little time in ascending the steel staircase to greet him. Drawn by the sound of her approaching footsteps, the bespoke-suited Herlua brother waved to his niece.

“Ah, Aelia! Good of you to join us, welcome!” he said jovially, rushing forward to embrace her. “My, you’ve certainly grown, haven’t you?”

”Well, that tends to happen when you never visit, Uncle,” she said, glancing down at the panels. It had been a couple of years since she had seen him, which was rather hurtful considering he could simply step through a portal to see her if he really wanted.

Raising her hands in mock defense, her chuckled. “I’m sorry, Aelia, really—things have been terribly busy over here, new research, you understand, I’m sure.”

”Father did say that you achieved quite the breakthrough while I was attending college. I take it these panels are the fruits of your labour?”

Uncle Marcus grinned eagerly. “They are indeed! These panels will revolutionize how we consume energy. In fact, I dare say that it will bring an end to the race for renewable power.”

”I’ve read the reports—a mere three or four can power an entire city alone indefinitely.”

“Right you are,” said Uncle Marcus briskly. “Herlua Enterprises will be the world’s number one provider of clean, renewable power!”

Another crash of thunder rattled the platform, Aelia now being close enough to see the flash of orchid light. ”...You’re using magic to test their durability?”

“Ah, yes!” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to see if a sudden influx of magical power would overload them. I hired a...well...err, she’s a Mage, of course. She’s been very helpful, for the most part. Lots of fascinating data from that one.”

Aelia nodded. ”May I see her? I would like to know who I’m working with.”

Uncle Marcus shuffled about on the platform for a moment, but ultimately sighed. “I suppose you’ll meet her sooner or later. MISS RUSH! Hurry up and join us on the platform.”

“Ay ay, boss!” Came the vibrant voice from below, followed by the fast pounding of shoes on the metal platform’s stairs only moments later. Emerging at the top, having taken the steps two at a time, the athletic and tanned - plus slightly singed - girl that emerged offered the two a broad, lopsided grin.

“Boss,” She greeted, before turning dark glittering eyes to Aelia. “And ma’am. ‘Sup, doll?”

Aelia wrinkled her nose at the other woman’s dishevelled state, eying her from head-to-toe. When her uncle had spoke of hiring a mage, this was certainly not what she had expected. And did she just refer to her as “doll”? The disrespect!

”I am Aelia de Herlua, niece of your ‘boss’. You shall address me as ‘Miss Herlua’,” she said tersely. ”I understand it that you’re a Mage? From what family?”

The girl just tilted her head, curly dark hair bouncing in her ponytail, before of all things - she laughed. Laughed!

“Haha, whoops!” Was the flippant response, accompanied by another grin. “Sorry ‘bout that, doll - Miss Herlua,” She finally corrected, only to offer a flourishing bow.

It may have been slightly mocking, as well.

“Victoria Rush. Only mage in my family - well, obviously not the only mage, but the only one that can use it to any degree.”

”Dormants, then?” said Aelia, suppressing a sigh. ”Well, so long as you’re useful and show the proper respect, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Uncle Marcus was chewing on the edge of his blond moustache, glancing between them. Aelia hadn’t the slightest clue what he had been thinking when he had hired her—surely there were better options available to him? Or had he simply taken pity on her?

”Tell me, Miss Rush, what exactly is it that you do here?”

“Well, Miss Herlua, I am the Chief Durability Inspector.” Victoria leaned in, her next words a stage whisper. “I try my hardest to blow your Uncle’s machines up to bits.” A laugh bubbled up in her throat, and she waved a hand - what appeared to be orchid lightning dancing just beneath the skin of her arms.

“I don’t have much formal training, but I’m told I have a metric ton of raw power.”

Aelia nodded, observing the sparks dancing up the other woman’s arm. Not bad at all for someone completely untrained. ”And what have the results been thus far? How many have you successfully broken?”

Though, “success” might not be the best word to use, it was ultimately necessary to stress test their product. If it was performing inadequately, it was better to know now then when the inevitable deluge of complaints began flooding their offices.

“Eh, I think about a half dozen?” Seeing the unimpressed look on Aelia’s face, Victoria bristled. “Hey, I used to average a lot more per day, but the whole point is making them stronger!”

“Quite so,” interjected Uncle Marcus. “Our recent improvements have led to a marked increase in their overall durability in the face of kinetic and magical trauma, both of which Miss Rush specializes in unleashing.”

Aelia nodded in understanding. ”I’m glad to hear we’re making progress, then. I suppose you’re already working on the next iteration?”

“That we are! The final one, I’m hoping—I suspect even Miss Rush won’t be able to damage our completed product!” said Uncle Marcus, practically glowing in anticipation.

“Aw, boss, I hope you’re not that eager to get rid of me!” Victoria sighed dramatically, only to shrug and offer a grin. “He’s right though, I’ve only managed to completely destroy one of the panels this time - the others have only been partially damaged. Real sturdy stuff, there, ya should be proud of your family’s work.”

For the first time since had arrived here, Aelia permitted herself to smile. ”Of course. I would expect nothing less from seventeen hundred years of arcane knowledge!”

Aelia turned to stare out over the field of panels, raising a limp wrist to cover her mouth. ”Herlua Enterprises will forever change this world for the better, Miss Rush, have no doubt of that. With the energy crisis solved, hunger and disease are certain to follow! Soon, the entire world will sing the praises of the ancient House of Herlua! OOOHOHOHOHO!”

“... Haha, what the fuck, lady?”