Blizz

Young Justice

Cora wasn’t terribly happy lately, with everything that happened on that last mission. Everyone seemed to be looking for some excuse to tear each other apart as if it was really anyone’s fault that Metamorph did what he did. In her opinion, the only good thing to do was to let it go and fix it when they had a chance. Still, it did suck seeing everyone feeling down.

But she didn’t have time to think about that. She slowly grabbed her gear and a few things from the lab, feeling somewhat better after cooking herself like a crab in a pressure cooker. Cora wasn’t terribly sure how long she’d be gone, but she was sure it’d be at least the whole day filled out. She walked down to the Zeta Tube and told Red Tornado she was ready to go. A quick jump through, and she was somewhere far away.

”I’m here.”

Where she exited seemed to be a HQ of sorts, not too dissimilar from the tech lab on Mt. Justice. The walls and floor were lined with lights that gave the space a slight bluish hue. At her left side, the room seemed to be dedicated to gadgetry; such as staves, metal spheres that appeared to be for throwing, a suspiciously large metal disk, and…some kind of high-tech roller-blades? The center of the large room had a large rectangular island with a metal top. On it were tools and varying robotic body parts for what appeared to be a dinosaur— A velociraptor to be exact.

On the far side of the room from her were varying monitors connected to a super-computer, showing differing areas of a city. To her right was a corridor that led to a closed door. Encased on the walls at the sides were varying costumes displaying a familiar lightning emblem on the chest. Just when it seemed that she might be alone in this space though, the door at the end of the hall opened. Coming through it was a figure clad in a costume that was an interesting amalgamation of what were clearly previous designs.

Upon noticing her, the figure waved.

”Looks like you’re one of the League’s new young talents that Black Lightning told me about.” He called as he approached. As he got nearer, she was met with an ebony man with short dreadlocks that couldn’t have been too much older than she was. He smiled.

”I go by Static, but you’re clearly in on the whole superhero thing. So, if you want, you can call me V.”

”Cora. I go by Stormcaller…” She could not take her eyes off all the shit that was in here. Weapons, a fucking robot dinosaur, were those roller blades motorized?! ”How come Black Lightning never brought me here? I would’ve had a field day poking at all this stuff. Wait- Is that dinosaur thing shielded against interference?”

”Nice to meet ya, Cora, and yeah. Really, everything in here kind of is. Would’ve helped a lot if I had it when I first started doing all this but it is what it is. This is my lil setup, so that’s probably why Black Lightning didn’t just, uh…drop you off here.” V chuckled but gestured further in the room.

”Feel free to look around. I’ll admit, I was kinda surprised when I got the call for some kind of ‘mentor-swap’ thing, but Jeff said it’d be good for us to work together.”

Like a dog off its leash, Cora did, in fact, start looking around. She walked up to the edge of glass cases and peered in like the sun on a cool summer morning. ”Yeah. I haven’t had a chance to pester him about things yet, I think he’s just busy… He did say something about you being a better match for my powers than his, though.”

The elder electrician paced across from her with his hands in his pockets. ”Right, right, he mentioned that you’re actually having some issues with yours. I’m guessing that’s why I’m sensing a bit of feedback radiating from you. Has it always been like this…?”

”Since I got turned into a metahuman, yeah.” She paced around the room and gawked at some of the stuff on the other end of the room. The most she’d gotten up to so far was making that force glove work off her powers… And a gun. ”Ever since, it’s been that way. Black Lightning and I talked about it some, but just a bit. It’s like… It’s just static electricity, basically. Nothin’ life threatening if you hang around me, but phones or TVs or other stuff gets screwed with. I can reel it in, but only when I’m thinking about it, and even then, it’s not perfect. And that’s not even the bad part.”

Static’s head tipped to the side, causing some of the looser dreads to drift over his ear.

”Turned into one, huh…? That seemed to make him reflect, then he thought aloud. ”Somethin’ similar happened to me too. We call ‘em ‘Bang-babies’ around these parts, since our conditions were caused by an explosion of quantum vapor…Hold up, so what’s the bad part?”

”The bad part…” Cora held up two fingers and made an arc of neon blue lightning between them. ”Is that every time I push my luck with this, it slowly kills me. You ever seen someone develop hemolysis before they’re even eighteen? Or fry their nervous system so bad using their superpowers they can’t walk?” She asked. ”Haven’t really told the rest of my team this yet, but they can probably tell it’s doing a number on me with all the stuff I do to work around it.”

His expression took on a more empathetic sort of tone through a corner of his lip raising. Momentarily his eyes scanned the dinosaur, seemingly more so in thought than anything he’d been building.

”I’ve seen a lot of horrible things happen to teens with powers around Dakota. It never gets any easier to hear, but I tried to help them as much as I could. You can bet I’ll do my best to help you out too.” Static promised on looking back up at Stormcaller.

”So, you mentioned that it actually harms you every time you ‘push your luck.’ So is it that your powers overwhelm you really fast? And does electricity from external sources hurt you as well?”

She shrugged. ”You could hook me into an electric chair, and I won’t even feel it. But there’s a point where I don't feel my own powers, and then a point where I feel them a lot. It’s like… If you run for a while, you’re fine. Until you push your luck and your heart collapses.”

”I see…” V took a more contemplative tone and he walked around the table. He raised his hand for the disk that was on the wall to fly to it.

”What that kind of sounds like to me is that there’s a miscommunication between your brain and your pain receptors. There’s a kind of phenomenon that happens in the human body where your brain instinctively limits what you feel like you can do.

It’s a safeguard to keep from hurting yourself by accident. Like with your running analogy right? Your body gets fatigued so you can give your body time to recover so your heart doesn’t collapse. What I think happened is whatever incident that caused your meta-ability, also caused your body’s communication to go out of whack.

The fact that there is a threshold though that you don’t feel pain, tells me that maybe you could retrain it…” He paused, taking a few steps away from the table with the disk in hand. When he was a little bit away, he raised it up.

”To get some specifics, though, I’d like to sense it in action to test something. That is, if you’re comfortable with that? If not, I totally understand.”

”Sure. I brought gear with me in case you wanted to test stuff.” She unzipped a pack hanging on her shoulder and pulled out a modified repulsor glove, something she’d rigged up after she looted it from the bank mission.

”The worst it’s ever been, I spent something like eight hours unable to walk. I damn near overdosed on ibuprofen just to be able to sleep, and I blacked out for a few minutes. You want me to go that far?” That was probably a joke. Probably.

”Let’s try and hold off on any shocking injuries if we can. V chuckled, deciding to play along with the dark humor.

”Nah, I just want you to blast this for just long enough for you to start to feel stinging. As soon as it starts to hurt, cut the circuit. What I’m trying to learn from this is if I can get a feeling of the exact voltage that may start the range for your limit. Simple right?”

Cora nodded. ”Yeah, okay. You might wanna get some eye protection, though. Because this will give you cataracts if you’re not careful.” She held up her hands, and bright sparks started forming between her fingers.

Static smirked and tugged down his goggles with his free hand; raising his thumb. ”Ready when you are.”

The room was flooded with blinding light. The very heavens spilled open, the 90s returned from yesteryear. It was impossible to even see if Cora was hitting the damn disc, but she was.

She elected to simply unload into that disc with every last ounce of power she could pull out, to give Virgil enough to work with. And after roughly twenty seconds, she felt her hand begin to cramp up, so she stopped.

”Ouch. That’s the best I can do, full blast and everything. A little under half a minute, and it’s a lot longer when I’m not doing that nonstop.”

”Good, good… He nodded, holding the saucer down as he processed and calculated in his head. ”Can definitely see why you warned about the eye covering, you could give Venus a run for its money. While you were going, I had to keep some bolts from straying away which may confirm my theory about you letting off a little more energy than you intend to.

It’s still early, but I have some ideas for how you could maybe use the energy you have more efficiently. I could work with you for some tech upgrades to help you limit it while maximizing your versatility.”

At the mention of a planet, she couldn’t help but grin. ”Named myself after a moon for a while. Nobody got it. If you’ve got ideas for tricks I can learn, I’m up for it. I have one where I can just magnetize my skeleton to fly, I’m trying to work on ball lightning, too.”

Virgil smiled more genuinely.

”I’ve got a few moves I can share with ya, ball lightning’s for sure one of them. Have you ever tried manipulating electricity or magnetism outside of yourself? Actually, wait a second; Named after a moon? As blinding as that blast was, it’s totally gotta be Enceladus. Highest reflectivity in the whole solar system.”

”…Do you have any idea how many times I’ve had to explain that to people?”

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

BANG.

POW.

CRACK.

Leah rained holy hell down on an adamantium-lined punching bag, indifferent to the world around her thanks to the thunderous roll of her playlist. Things have been a load of shit lately, between Arcade, April and fucking Vicky going to a psych ward, and her “mother” bending over backwards to get blood from a stone. For the last few days, She Hulk had been trying to get along with Leah and demanded to know every little thing about her. So how did you get into boxing? How’d you and Sabine get together? Who taught you Spanish? So many little tests of boundaries that a woman as intelligent as her should have known were present. It didn’t even make Leah angry, just uncomfortable. Unlike her dad, Leah actually gave more than a microscopic fuck about her mother, before she died.

And she just wanted to unwind, let her problems stop bothering her, and blow off some steam.

But today was not the day she’d get to.

“You have a nice right hook.”

She-Hulk stepped into view, sporting her natural green appearance, her hair tied back into a ponytail. She had on her hero suit, and in her hand was a gym bag, containing her change of clothes for when she’d need to head into court later that day. This, however, was more important. She knew that Leah didn’t have to like her - that she didn’t have to care - but she wanted to do her best by this kid. “Wanna spar?” she offered.

_{”You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”}

Leah would’ve been lying if she said this surprised her. She had been ignoring She Hulk. A lot. And she hadn’t even considered using that access card to the fancy ass mansion, either.

”What are you doing here?” she asked. ”Shouldn’t you be in a courthouse or something?”

“Can’t a gal want to get some exercise in without an inquisition?” She-Hulk asked, laughing slightly. “I don’t have any cases until this afternoon - and even then, odds are it’ll be postponed again. I thought it would be nice to get to know you more. You can tell me to fuck off and leave, that’s fine, but if not… I imagine it’s not often you can spar with someone who can take one of your punches.”

That was true. Vicky was in crazy jail and Teddy was off doing who-knows-what.

”Whatever. Fine. Let’s go.” She reached into her bag at her feet and swiftly wrapped them up. She didn’t need to, since her fists were pretty tough, but it prevented her from dislocating a finger just like anyone else.

She mostly went along with this so She Hulk would piss off for a while.

She-Hulk grinned, wrapping her own hands as well - in purple, of course, to match her fit. “Alright, kid. Show me what you got!”

”Fine.”

Leah stepped forward, falling into a stance. She Hulk had enough reach that she couldn’t lean on that too much, so Leah started circling her and pondering how this woman was going to fight. Fast, slow, maybe both, she was more experienced in terms of years.

Then she snapped forward like a bat out of hell, swinging one fist at She Hulk’s side to test the waters while keeping the other up.

She-Hulk snapped her left arm to the side, knocking Leah’s punch aside in a block. “Is that all you’ve got?” she teased. She-Hulk knew there was more in Leah’s character sheet than just a cautious punch. “C’mon, kid. Put those stats to good use!”

Leah didn’t react. She was a tactician, she didn’t fight mindlessly. She brought her hand back around and swung it low, bringing it up high in an uppercut that meant she had to step close enough that She Hulk could elbow her.

This one, Leah got in - She-Hulk took the uppercut like a champ, stumbling backwards for only a moment. “Good, you hit… slightly harder than Spidey does, I’d say,” she assessed. “How are your reflexes?” she then asked, before bringing her hands together for a thunderous clap, the shockwave of which would hit Leah dead on.

Leah dropped all her weight onto her back foot, not answering the woman’s question. She got the feeling that She Hulk wasn’t taking this seriously. Which was weird since Leah was. Her back foot became her front foot, as she steadied herself.

She swung downwards, aiming a shot at She Hulk’s kidney, or wherever the hell seven foot tall lettuce-skinned women had under their ribcage.

She-Hulk rotated her arm, blocking low this time and knocking Leah down to the ground from the sheer force. “You’re not much of a conversationalist, are you? You should try it. Throws your opponent off their game - and encourages healthy breath work.”

Leah flung her arms upwards, and tumbled feet-over-head to control her fall. She landed on one knee, hands up and ready to fend something off. Like a damn animal that rolled over on its back as part of its defense mechanism.

”We’re fighting. Not having a conversation, She Hulk, fighting. What’s the point?”

“Fighting is a conversation,” She-Hulk argued. “Maybe you aren’t speaking with words, but you are communicating with actions. Just like how when you chat with a friend, it’s very different than when you’re arguing with an enemy. Your energy and intentions are different, and it shows up in every move that you decide to make.”

She stepped forward, holding out a hand to Leah. “Like this, right now? I’m trying to get to know you - I’m not trying to hurt you.”

”Then you’re doing something wrong.”

Seeing a moment where the woman might’ve let her guard down, Leah planted a hand on the ground, and swung her other leg across the ground to strike at She Hulk’s legs in a wide arc.

She-Hulk was forced to jump back, ceding ground to avoid Leah’s attack. She laughed, seeing Leah’s comment as humorous rather than a threat. There was something to this kid, something special. But she wasn’t going to press Leah, it would all be in her own time. “Oh yeah?”

She rushed forward to close the distance between them again, feinting with her left before swinging with her right.

Leah blocked the punch by grabbing it out of the air with her right fist, and pulled She Hulk closer to drive her elbow straight into the woman’s face with as much force as she could manage. She Hulk’s definition of a spar didn’t involve actually hurting someone, and Leah did not understand that. If people weren’t getting hurt, it wasn’t a real fight.

”Yeah. That’s not how a fight fucking works.”

“This isn’t a fight, Leah - we’re sparring,” She-Hulk clarified, even as she stumbled back, her face stinging from Leah’s elbow.

”There’s no difference, where the hell’d you learn to fight if you don’t know how that works?” She asked, as if she wasn’t literally seventeen and attacking a grown ass woman who was probably pushing forty.

Hearing that broke She-Hulk’s heart. Who had hurt this child? “Leah, Leah, let’s stop for a moment, okay? I want you to listen to me. Sparring and fighting are different. When you spar, your goal isn’t to hurt the other person - it’s to learn and improve together. You pull your punches a bit, you don’t go for the kill. When you fight, you need to know why you’re fighting - what you’re fighting for - and sometimes that is a fight to kill… But not every fight can be that.”

Leah lowered her fists, not completely but only somewhat. ”Who said anything about killing anybody?” Asked the child who once did, in fact, try to kill a guy. ”If you can’t hurt someone when you get into a fight with them, you’ve got a pretty bad chance of walking away yourself. If you’re used to pulling your punches, you’re not used to taking it seriously. I don’t understand what the problem is, here.”

She-Hulk bit her lip. She knew there was a lot of trauma in Leah’s character sheet, yes, but that didn’t make this any easier. “Leah… Who taught you that?” she ventured, hoping that maybe this would be an easier angle.

Oh. Shit.

Leah leaned back, wondering for a second if She Hulk was going to swipe at her the same way she’d just tried a moment ago. And when she didn’t, Leah just scrunched up her face.

”My dad. And before you even think about asking where he is or how to find him, dont.” Leah didn’t technically lie to her that night when Arcade went villain on them, about how she was alone. It just wasn’t the whole truth. ”Just don’t.”

She-Hulk paused for a moment, taking this information in. There was a lot of trauma here. And she didn’t want to press, she didn’t want to push too hard. Leah could tell her when she was ready, in her own time. And when she was ready… Jen would be there for her. She-Hulk raised her hands up in front of her, trying to make it clear that she was letting it go. “I won’t. But when - if you’re ready… But Leah… Did he hurt you?”

”Pretty damn hard to hurt somebody like me,” she noted. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth, either. Of course he did. ”...He’s a supervillain. Use your imagination, why would you ask me that?”

“I have a pretty vivid imagination,” She-Hulk admitted. “But… I would rather hear it from you. Leah… I’m so sorry no one was there to help you then. But I want you to know, I will always be there for you. Whatever happened, you don’t have to face it alone.”

Some part of that got under Leah’s skin. And it got under her skin badly.

”I don’t fucking want you to be sorry for me…”

She was getting tired of this. ”You’re not my mom, She Hulk. You think you are, but you’re just a lawyer who signed papers that don’t mean anything to me. It- Letting me stay at your place was nice, but that was a temporary thing. I don’t understand why you keep this up.”

The Avenger sighed, running a hand through her hair. She didn’t know how to get through to Leah - how to help her begin to help herself. And she wanted to, she really did. The world was cruel and harsh, especially for a young girl with the power to break a bus with her bare hands. There hadn’t been anyone there for her, no real examples to look up to - and she wanted to be there now for Leah.

“I know I’m not your mother, Leah. And I’m not trying to be,” She-Hulk sighed. “All I want to do is help you, because you deserve to be safe, to be happy.”

”But those things aren’t your responsibility,” Leah argued. ”They’re mine. They’ve been mine, and they’re going to stay mine. I’m not asking you to do this.”

“A friend of mine once told me - with great power comes great responsibility,” She-Hulk quoted with a grin. “You don’t have to ask me to do this, Leah. Just like no one has to ask to be saved from a burning building, or a car crash, or an alien invasion. I’m doing it because I can - and because I want to.”

It didn’t feel right. Hearing that didn’t feel close to right.

Leah didn’t trust She Hulk. She was just another Avenger to her. An Avenger that went out of her way to do something the rest didn’t, sure, but that’s all she was to Leah. And in some roundabout way that really only made sense to her, but nobody else, that meant She Hulk would make things worse.

But, still, today and the days before were awful. Leah was at the end of her rope with this woman. She didn’t have the patience to keep pushing back right now.

”...Okay. Sure. I guess. Is that what I’m supposed to say here?” She asked.

Jenn chuckled slightly. “There’s no right or wrong response, kid,” she then leaned back into a fighting stance, before adding with a wink, “besides, I’m sure I’ll get to say it to you at least a few more times before it sinks in.”

Even hearing that, She Hulk just accepting what amounted to indifference, it didn’t make a lot of sense. It just didn’t sit right with Leah, it made her throat close up.

But she bent down into a rather unusual stance for a boxer to use, and got ready to go again.

”I’ll… I’ll try not to hurt you too badly.” It sounded like she was being cocky. She wasn’t.

She-Hulk nodded, her smile shifting into a playful smirk. “Same.”

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

It was April’s third day in CAGE, and she was slowly getting used to the routine of it all. Danni and Dorian had brought her lots of books and pictures the day before, and she had been getting more comfortable around one of the other patients, August, who had become her self-appointed tour guide as to life in the facility. Mercifully, she had also managed to avoid Vicky so far - the last time April had seen her, Vicky had insulted her out of nowhere, and it had sent her spiraling. She didn’t doubt that that would be the case again here.

So it wasn’t the facility itself or her circumstances that were causing her stomach to slosh with nervousness as she waited in the visitor’s lounge, having been informed that there were some people here to see her. Not Danni and Dorian - they’d be coming by later, she knew. Zelda hadn’t tried to show, which was typical - they were sisters only by blood, blood that seemed to be running thinner and thinner by the day. And while her parents had tried, April had refused to see them - a decision she was only just beginning to fully grasp why she had made, days after the fact. No, it was her girlfriends here to see her - Sabine and Leah - and as much as she was happy to see them, it also filled her with dread.

Leah shoved the doors to the lounge open and stormed in. Her eyes swiveled around and looked at everything like this place was ready to be destroyed by a bomb. She did not look happy.

”I already don’t like this place,” she decided. ”Looks like a prison in here.”

Sabine hated that she had to hear from Danni and Dorian about April being committed to some psych ward. She knew April would not likely be able to speak to them about it, but it still burned her that Dorian and Danni got to see her first. Sabine bit her tongue though. It would not do her to cause trouble and they needed to be there for April in this moment.

Sabine could also tell Leah was less than thrilled about all of this, even before she opened her mouth. ”Right, because prisons famously have colorful wallpaper, a nice patio, and other amenities. She’s not locked up, she’s being treated. Behave yourself.” Sabine was mainly joking, though she fully expected Leah to make a scene at some point.
Sabine walked up to the front desk to sign in. April should be waiting for them.

”I’m behaving, your majesty,” Leah joked. And it was a joke. She was totally behaving. ”But come on, who names a place like this Cage?”

April was waiting in the visitor’s lounge, doing her best to fix her hair as much as she could. Her friend August had helped her out with some of the tangles that had formed yesterday, but she still couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about it. It felt way too frizzy, and the more she tried to smooth it down, the more it seemed to rebel against her. And the only good alternative to fussing over her hair was to pick at her nails, trying to not let the anxiety overwhelm her as she waited. They’d have to be here soon, right?

”I mean. Yeah, sure, let’s put the people who need help in a cage. When did that ever go wrong?” Sabine’s sass was rubbing off on Leah… Sadly.

Sabine ignored the comment with a lighthearted eye roll before they were given directions to the visitor’s lounge. Sabine led the way and as they entered the room Sabine looked around. It looked like an average living room, just with more seats to fit more people. And there, sitting, waiting, was April.

Sabine fought the urge to run up to her for fear she would be tackled by security. Even though Sabine hadn’t clocked any guards she was sure they were being monitored. The power dampeners could be felt. Sabine walked up and smiled. ”Hey April. How are you doing?”

Leah walked up slowly, keeping an eye on the people around them out of habit. ”Everything okay? I’m guessing they didn’t let you text anybody that you’d come here.” She really wanted to sit down and hug April. Badly.

April’s heartbeat went into double time as Sabine and Leah walked into the room, looking as gorgeous as ever. There was an undercurrent of nervousness in her every action though, as she couldn’t help but wonder what they thought - Danni and Dori had told her that no one in their circle had judged her or thought worse of her for this, but what if they had been lying? What if Sabine and Leah were just weirded out by this entire situation and sick of her? And as Sabine and Leah asked April how she was doing, the same impulse to immediately say she was fine and brush over the entire situation came to her - it would have been so much easier to just pretend nothing was happening.

But that was what had landed her in here. She bit her lip. ”Um… If you mean right now in this minute, I’m okay. This place isn’t too bad. It’s - it’s not as scary as I thought it was going to be. I mean it can definitely be scary, but like - it’s not like in the movies. Um.”

She paused again, trying to force herself to be brave - brave enough to just be honest here. ”If… If you mean in general, then… Things have gotten pretty bad,” she glanced down at her hands.

Leah took a deep breath. ”…If I hugged you, would someone shoot me?” She was trying to be funny. It wasn’t working. ”Are they treating you alright? They- What’s going on? Whatever it is, we’re not going to look at you different. Promise.”

Sabine had been silent about a lot of things. But looking around the facility had reminded her, or rather continued to remind her, of her past. What she had went through, albeit briefly. ”Yeah, more the general one. I imagine they don’t have people in here if everything is going great.” Sabine felt…what was the word for it? Lost? Unsure? She felt like she was floating but she was definitely grounded.

”April, I am so sorry. If I knew how you have been feeling I would have…I wouldn’t have…I would have been better. I’m sorry..”

April shook her head, uncertain as to where to really start. So much of this was things she was really just beginning to understand too. The sessions with Dr. Whitehall had been really helpful, but at the same time overwhelming. Even April hadn’t really realized how bad things had become - she had been so used to just denying it all and pretending it hadn’t happened, and now that she was starting to do the painful work of acknowledging that it had, it felt like trying to scale a mountain. How could she explain to someone else what she still didn’t even understand herself?

”It’s - it’s not your fault. Please don’t think it’s your fault. I - I got really good at lying to other people, and to myself,” April admitted. She bit her lip again, her eyes darting back down from her girlfriends to her hands. It was easier to not look at people. ”Um. So they told me yesterday, after Danni and Dori left that I’m… that I’m bipolar.” She then froze, bracing herself for a reaction.

The reaction she got from Leah was bewilderment. Leah looked off into the middle distance for a moment, wondering something. ”Okay. That doesn’t sound good, but why’d they put you in here for that?” She asked. ”That’s not something they can just give you medicine for, is it?”

April swallowed, having known this conversation was coming, but it wasn’t any easier. ”They…. they put me here because I was going to try to kill myself,” she winced. Her body started shaking, but she forced herself to continue. ”They can give me medicine, but it’s also not just medicine - I… I have a lot of work I need to do. Lot of bad habits to stop. Um. It’s going to be difficult. But… at least I know what’s wrong with me now.”

Sabine heard the words, but couldn’t quite process them. Not yet. Bipolar was such a heightened word. The thing itself brought up scary images, though she knew better that it wasn’t some term to be thrown about loosely. And to hear April had wanted to kill herself? Sabine’s hand flew right to her wrist before she could stop it.

”Share damn it! This is what Dr. Whitehall suggested.”

It wasn’t that easy though. She had opened up in therapy but doing so to her girlfriends was another beast. ”I’m glad you’re getting the help you need April, though I wish you would have told us how much you were hurting. And that’s me being a big hypocrite.”
Sabine paused. Now or never.

”I self-harmed when I was younger. Started with my food intake and formed into cutting myself. And therapy didn’t help me then. But I wish I had someone to talk to about it. My mom was that person but she died when I needed her the most.”

To Leah, it was like hearing words from the other end of a long tunnel. She felt ice cold hearing April say that. Her throat closed up, and for a moment, all she could think about was how she should’ve done something about this. ”Fuck, April- I- You could’ve-” You could’ve told us how you felt. ”I guess the three of us all suck at talking about heavy things, don’t we? I- I don’t know how this feels. If you’re… If you’re getting help, that’s great. Is there anything we can do?”

April didn’t know what to say.

She felt terrible, hearing Leah and Sabine say that they wished she would have told them. Somehow that made April feel more ashamed than the near-attempt had. She hadn’t told them because she hadn’t been able to even admit it to herself - to be honest about how much she was struggling, that the episodes weren’t just one-offs, that it was a recurring issue that had only been getting worse. There was still so much about herself that she still didn’t understand - so much she had pushed deep down to avoid it.

And to hear that Sabine had gone through that pain… April would have never imagined someone so strong and confident ever would have felt that way. ”I… I’m so sorry. I - I should have told you both. I… I didn’t tell anyone, because I didn’t want to admit it was happening,” April began, glancing at the two of them, before looking away again. ”I’m - Sabine, I’m so sorry to hear that - I - you always seem so brave, and put together, and…” April paused for a moment, wiping the tears that were starting to form away. She knew what she needed to say - could feel that it was time - but how was she supposed to say what she needed, when Sabine had just confessed that to them? It felt cruel.

”I didn’t admit that to make either of you feel bad. I know what it’s like and that is why I show confidence, because it’s scary to admit there’s something wrong. So please, if you need something April, tell us.”

”Yeah. We’re here, okay? You’re cared for, you’re still April. Whatever you need, ask us. We want to be here for you.”

”I….” April faltered again, as the tears started gushing out. ”I think I need to break-up with you both. I - I’m so sorry. I - I just… There’s so much stuff that I hid from even myself and I - I don’t think I have it in me to be the girlfriend you both deserve right now. I’ve had so much fun dating you both, a-a-and it isn’t you, it is me - like it really is just me. I… I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.”

If you listened closely, you could hear the sound of a pin dropping in another state.

”April… Why would we be mad at you for that?”

Sabine nearly gripped the table. But she unclenched. Leah sounded…calm?

”I mean…of course. That makes perfect sense. You can’t reasonably be a good partner for someone if you don’t take care of yourself.” Her words did not fully match her eyes. Sabine blinked back tears. She would not do this in front of April, who had it worse than she did.

Sabine looked around the room, anything to avoid eye contact.

”I… I really don’t want to hurt either of you,” April said, forcing herself to look up. She took a breath, wiping her eyes dry on her sleeve. She hated how much she had been crying lately. ”I-I-I just… I just don’t think I can do this a-and do school and focus on t-trying to get better and everything - l-like you don’t deserve anything less than my best, b-because you’re both so incredible and… and yeah.”

”Hey. Stop.” Leah put a hand out and sat it over April’s. ”The best you can do, right now, is help yourself. You- April, when you’re fucking drowning, you can’t do anything more than save yourself. I’m- It really, really worries me that you’re in a place like this. It worries me that you had to come here, and I wish I could make it better so you didn’t have to be here.”

She looked down at the table. ”But I don’t know how to give you that. So… If this is what you need, then I want you to do what’s best for yourself. Okay?”

Sabine hated this. Every moment. On the one hand this felt like giving up. Isn’t that what couples did? When one was struggling the others helped, was there for them, supported them and didn’t run. This felt like running.

But on the other hand, could she say she wouldn’t be in the same boat? Their whole relationship started weird and Sabine hated to admit that.

”What Leah said. If this is what you need then I support it. It’s not like we won’t see each other anyway. We’ll still be friends.” Sabine caught herself trip at the last word, nearly gagging trying to hold down her sobs. She clenched her fists underneath the table. She wanted to break something.

They were both being so nice about this. It almost made it hurt more. ”Yeah, we’ll be friends,” April choked out, doing her best to try to keep the tears to a minimum - to keep them from shaking her body with sorrow. ”I’m - I’m going to be okay. I’m not right now, but I’m going to be okay. You don’t need to worry about me, I promise. I - they have a plan and anything, it’s very thorough. And the doctor here is really nice, Dr. Whitehall. She’s funny, too, you’d like her a lot.”

”We can come see you more. We have a lot less to do after Coulson basically passed us for the year. And the contest isn’t that bad,” Leah said. Her face was showing some sadness, more than she usually let people see. ”You’re still… I know people think people are weird or dangerous and scary when they’re mentally unstable or ill or whatever. But that’s not you. You’re still the person we know, even if you’re- Fuck, I’m not good at this. This- We’re not mad.”

”Mental illness doesn’t make someone a bad person. It’s just something they need to work through. That’s all. And we will get through this. We have a contest to win!” Again, her words didn’t quite meet her eyes. Her mind was swimming. She was tempted to peer into April’s and Leah’s, but she couldn’t even if she was able to, for multiple reasons. ”Dr. Whitehall is cool. I will probably talk to her again.”

”I got a really bad vibe from her, honestly.” It was like this girl had no idea where she was. ”Too nice to somebody she just met. I’m not going back there.”

April sniffled a bit, as Leah said that she was still April - still the person they knew. That meant a lot. She gave Leah’s hand a squeeze, and vowed that she was going to remember that - that she’d remind herself each day she was still April. And Sabine too - she was so grateful that they said that. It was terrible of her, but April had really bought into all the dialogue on mental illnesses - had really accepted that they made people dangerous, violent, wicked. It had made it so much harder to accept what was going on with her - to even admit to herself that she needed help. ”Really? She’s, like, funny - and really nice - when they brought me here my first night, she helped me a lot - got me out of an anxiety attack - and then she screamed fuck you at the cameras to be silly, ‘cause I had asked her if we could swear. You think she’s… you think she’s bad? Like Arcade bad? Or just bad?”

”I don’t know. She just creeps me the fuck out. She could come out and say some crazy shit, like she’s secretly a domestic terrorist giving information to people that kill mutants, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”

Sabine shook her head, but bit her tongue. Of course Leah would see enemies where none were. ”Regardless, if she’s helping April maybe give her the benefit of the doubt. I don’t fully trust her, but I am willing to see where it goes.” Sabine felt jittery in a way she never felt before. ”So what is it like in here, really? Nice rooms? Is the rest of the staff treating you well? Say the word and I’ll go full Karen on someone!”

April’s heart skipped a beat as Leah proposed that maybe, just maybe, Dr. Whitehall was secretly anti-mutant. She bit her lip, trying to shake that idea out of her head. That was one of the things that had really scared her about this place, when they first brought her here - April wasn’t as intense about her mutant identity as Danni and Dorian, but she was a mutant. And she knew enough about what it was like to be a mutant to know that places and people like Leah had described were incredibly possible. ”Um, I… I really hope she isn’t, because I do not want to be murdered,” April squeaked out, nervously rubbing her hands together. ”Th-the rooms are nice, yeah - all have their own bathrooms, so you don’t have to go down the hall like at school. Staff is good, the lady that distributes meds in the morning is a bit cranky, but I think I’m getting used to her? I dunno. It’s kinda exactly what you’d expect but also nothing at all like that? There’s a boy here who, like, kinda decided we were going to be friends so I’ll play games and stuff with him, or read books - Danni and Dori brought me some yesterday - and then there’s like group sessions and individual sessions and stuff. I thought I’d miss my phone more than I do. It’s mostly just super chill here?”

”They took away your phone? Why?”

”Why would she keep her phone? Outside contact is probably not allowed unless vetted. I mean hell, we had to sign in and I guarantee we are being monitored here.” Sabine was happy to hear the place seemed nice, and that April was making friends.

”Also cool it with the anti-mutant shit. If they are like that saying it out loud would probably get us flagged!” Sabine chided Leah with a whisper. Sabine didn’t believe the place was anti-mutant but who knew anymore? She was safe, somewhat, being inhuman, but she figured people didn’t discriminate if they really wanted to hate someone.

That didn’t do much to convince Leah this place wasn’t rancid in ten different ways. ”Yeah, okay. As long as you’re getting the help you need, April, I’m not going to level this place.” That was a joke. She was trying to be humorous and lighthearted, somewhat.

”Y-yeah I think it’s… I think it’s normal, to not have it,” April said uncertainly. ”If it’s not, it might be because I’m technically not here voluntarily? Like… like I’m okay now with being here but when they brought me, it was, like, in an ambulance and everything…”

”...Yeah, I guess that makes sense, actually,” Leah admitted. She could tell Sabine was about to blow the fuck up. ”I don’t really know how places like this usually do things… How long are we allowed to be here for?” She asked.

Sabine shrugged. ”As long as we can, but I imagine there’s sessions and other important things she needs to do.” Sabine felt the walls shift a bit. Was that her imagination? ”Well, hopefully you’ll be out soon, but do you want us to bring you anything else in the meantime? Or do you want us to let anyone else at school know you’re here?”

April paused for a moment. And then she shook her head. Everyone that she wanted to know already knew. She knew Zelda had to know, despite her sister not making a single attempt to come and visit. Mads knew already. As did her boys, and her girls. ”I - I don’t think so. But um. If you see Danni and Dori before I do, you can tell them the diagnosis, I don’t - I don’t want to tell anyone else what it is.” She then paused for a moment. ”I think right now they need to see, like, how I’m responding and stuff but I think I should be able to go back in a few days? Maybe? I’m - I’m not super sure how it all works. Think they need to sign off on some stuff saying I’m not - I’m not a danger to myself anymore?”

Sabine glanced over to Leah, wondering if she was going to open mouth, insert foot again. When she didn’t say anything, Sabine continued. ”Of course, we can let them know. And please have Dr. Whitehall or whoever reach out if you need to see us again. And take care of yourself. Obviously.”

”I - I’d like to see you both again, if that’s - if that’s not too weird or anything,” April admitted. She’d never broken up with anyone before - and definitely not in the psych ward. She wouldn’t blame them if it would be too weird or painful to come and visit her again - but she did really hope that they could stay friends.

[coor=ff9a4f]”Why would that be weird?”[/color]

”Of course we’ll come back to see you, you are our friend first and foremost.” Sabine looked over to Leah, hoping she wouldn’t say anything to worry April further. Sabine had to check herself too, lest she say something she would regret.

April was incredibly grateful for Sabine - she did really enjoy spending time with Leah, but right now, every other sentence that came out of Leah’s mouth just gave her a newfound wave of anxiety. ”Um, it might be weird because… because we just broke up?” April said tentatively.

”Nah. That doesn’t make it weird. We’ll be back, promise,” Leah assured her.

”On that note, we should let you rest. But please let us know if you need anything else. And…take care of yourself.” Sabine bit the inside of her cheek. So many words she wanted to say. So many emotions. She hated herself a tiny bit for letting April go, but it was for the best. It had to be.

April nodded. ”I will - I promise,” she said. ”I’m not okay but… but I think I will be.”

”That’s good. It’s okay if you’re not okay now. Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t.” Leah wanted to punch a wall right now. Or something metal, or something alive, she didn’t know. She really hated that she sucked at this sort of thing.

”We’ll… We’ll be back soon.”

Sabine stayed silent but reached over to hold April’s hand, just for a bit. Then she stood up and waited for Leah to join her before she waved goodbye and made her way out of the room. She wondered if she screamed really loud if they would admit her then and there.

It took Leah another fifteen seconds of sitting there, looking at April as if they’d never see each other again, before she got up and hurried out past Sabine.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Dr. Maeve Whitehall took a sip of her coffee as she read over the new file she picked up before the next session. Leah Jordan. Geokinesis and Enhanced Strength. Relationship wise she was a part of a polycule with April Flynn and Sabine Bassard, two other students with files on her desk.

Tough. Headstrong. Refused authority, though it was hardly surprising why. She-Hulk had made a note for her given their recent involvement. ‘Handle with care’. Maeve chuckled inwardly. She trusted that woman’s opinion.

Maeve closed the file and stood up. Preparation was key before sessions but a good therapist was one who was quick to roll with the punches and adjust as needed. She had a feeling Leah would not be pulling punches.

__________________________________________________

As Leah walked into the office she would see a serene waterfall falling into a fountain with koi fish swimming in it and flowers sparingly floating along the top, moving slightly with the ripples. There was a long couch that could comfortably seat 5 people in a light orange color. On the light wooden table in front of the couch there was a stone statuette of what appeared to be a man holding a child in his arms. There was a book on the table with the title “Therapy Is Awkward”. The walls were a light cream color and the carpet was white. There were multiple windows showing a hot, sunny day outside with a sandy beach and waves gently rolling in.

Maeve sat in an orange armchair close to the table but directly across from the couch. “Hello Leah. My name is Dr. Maeve Whitehall but you can call me Maeve or Dr. Whitehall, whichever you prefer. Please, take a seat where you feel most comfortable. I can adjust the seating arrangements as needed.”

There were no words to describe the sheer level of cosmic intervention required to somehow convince Leah to walk in here. So no words would be said.

When she stepped through the door, there was something awfully unsettling about how mellow this space looked. It wasn’t the sort of environment she had any place in, too serene and sterile. Even in an environment that wasn’t dangerous, there was usually sand or rocks or something natural keeping her company; Something that wasn’t this.

With a resting bitch face, she sat down on the couch staring at the woman.

”You have sixty seconds to stop me from leaving. Start talking.”

Maeve smiled. Just as she imagined. ”Well normally I would begin by outlining what we would be doing here and talking about confidentiality and my role in that, but if I have only sixty seconds I better get right into it. First, let me know if this environment is too much or not enough for you. I admit I only had your file to go off of and adjusted what I could but I can always change it up if you feel more relaxed elsewhere. Hell, we don’t even have to be in this room if you want. We can go outside if that’s preferable. Second, I recognize I am an unknown figure and you feel some obligation to fight me and I do not blame you. You are not here under force or duress, even if you feel otherwise. I only want to talk and help, if you’ll let me.”

Maeve pulled out her phone. ”Just under sixty seconds. How’d I do?”

”Funny, that’s not what Coulson said,” Leah wasn’t smiling. ”So yeah, I’m not here willingly. And I don’t plan on doing this regularly. So why should I?”

”Well Coulson isn’t here and over here I am in charge. Or rather, you are. But since we are on that topic let me say that what is said in here, stays in here. Yes, Coulson might have suggested going and have stated it’s mandatory, but I am under no obligation to tell him anything you tell me. There are some stipulations though that, if they come up, I may have to break confidentiality. Such as if you want to seriously hurt yourself or someone else, if there is any child or vulnerable adult abuse, or if you give me permission. But outside of those parameters it’s just me and you in here.”

“So to answer your question on ‘why should you’, because very few people get a space to be themselves in whatever capacity they choose. You can sit there and lie to me and I would have no way of verifying because I can’t ask. I have a file on you with basic information but there’s a blank slate. You can also not stick around and leave at any point and I won’t stop you. All I ask is that you meet me in the middle. And really, not even in the middle, I can meet you closer to where your at.”

“So what is it going to be right now Leah? In here, out there? What would make you more comfortable, even just a little bit?”

It wasn’t hard to clock the fact that Leah didn’t trust this woman. And at the mention of hurting someone else, and a kid being abused, a metaphorical fire was started in her. That feeling of anxiousness and lack of trust bumped up a few notches.

Why hasn’t she walked out already? She was telling herself that it was that people would push their luck if she walked out and played hardball about this. Coulson would keep pretending he was part of any of this, She-Hulk would never let Leah live it down.

Fuck.

She stared the woman down, her face unreadable like stone

”Fine. It’s no one’s business, I’m staying here.”

”I’m happy you are staying. I noticed when I brought up the rules for confidentiality that there was some tension, particularly surrounding child abuse or wanting to hurt someone else. Do you mind if I ask why that impacted you?” Maeve could read emotions very well and it didn’t take her powers to know Leah was feeling a lot. Maeve could appreciate a client who had their emotions on point. It made her job easier, even if they didn’t want to talk.

Leah might have leaned backwards, but then the couch she was sitting on would be shredded and that would take forever to wash out. So she didn’t.

What could she say to this woman that wouldn’t open up absolute chaos?

”Back before I found this school, I tried to kill my dad. Wasn’t until a month or two ago that I found out he survived,” Leah said. ”And that’s not a good thing.”

”Your dad is not the most upstanding of people, I take it? Would it be as bad as you hinted if he found you here?” Maeve clocked in to the emotions again. Happy Leah had opened up, even a crack.

”Oh and don’t worry about the furniture. Break it if you want, if it helps.” This was not, necessarily, a challenge, though it would be interesting to see how it was responded with.

”He’s known I’m here for a while now. Probably a month, probably three years,” Leah explained. ”So no, he’s not. Once he’s done with whatever Avengers are in the way, then he’s coming after me. And when that happens, I’m making sure he doesn’t walk away twice.”

”What was your upbringing like? I can hazard a guess if your next interaction with him ends with his death. I can’t imagine he made it easy for you growing up. Also you said you found the school. Were you searching for something like it or did you stumble into it?”

Leah sighed and launched into an explanation.

”My dad’s a supervillain, the kind who only hurts people for money. You could pay him to go and kill every last superhero in America and he’d just send you a bill after he buries them all two days later. He wouldn’t think twice. He wanted me to be his legacy, someone who’d do what he did long after he was gone. After I thought I killed him for good, I jumped on a rock and flew far, far away and the school just happened to be the first place where I could be sure I wouldn’t starve.”

”It’s lucky the school was there then and willing to let you in. It sounds like a lot was put on you from an early age. That can’t have been an easy thing to shoulder. As tough as it is to do in this moment, let’s forget dad for a second. If there was no threat of him coming and finding you, what would you want to do? What do you want for yourself?

”To just go back to the way it was before I found out I didn’t kill him. I was completely fine before then.”

”What was that like. Paint me a picture. What is the world like for Leah without her father in the picture?”

”No one walking into things they have no right to disturb, people hunting me down for reasons that aren’t unusual, if at all,” she said. ”Working up to some contest that has no real meaning for anything, just the way things were a year ago, or a year and a half ago, or two years. That was the world, because I thought I actually pulled it off.” And of course, she hadn’t. He’d crawled out of the not-so-shallow grave like a ghoul under the moon, and let her believe that she’d succeeded in killing a man who’s name was feared by more people than she’d ever been able to count.

”I know your father is dangerous Leah. I don’t need your words to tell me when I can sense the raw emotion emanating within you. A fear like that can consume a person. However, I also do not get a sense it is fully consuming you. If your father does come looking for you, do you have protections in place? People to help? A support system to manage things in the meantime? You do attend a school training the next generation of heroes and there are connections to those who are currently out there doing just that.”

Leah shook her head. ”When he shows up, getting in the way is just going to get someone killed. I wouldn’t count on any of those heroes to last a minute in a fight with him. When I see him at the front door, one of two things is gonna happen: Everyone gets out of the way of us, or people start to die because they tried to stand between us. It’s not their responsibility, it’s mine.”

”Do you think it is the responsibility of the person who’s home is burning to put it out themselves? Do you think it is the responsibility of the victim of a robbery to search for their robber and get their belongings back? I know those are poor comparisons compared to facing a man who could seriously harm people, but there are fire fighters, police officers, heroes that take up that call to help others. Do we fault them for wanting to put themselves in danger to ensure another is unharmed? And do we fault them if they do not live up to that promise? Something to consider. Because despite the fear I sense, I also get love. There’s people in your life you care for and who care for you. Lean on them when you need it. Even the toughest hero needs to be able to take a breath now and then.”]

”It’s not about them. It’s about him. We’re talking about a guy who could be confronted by all the Avengers at once and not break a sweat. I- I can remember being ten years old and him showing me entire books worth of strategies for how to win a fight against just one of them,” she said. ”He’s not a fire or a robbery, he’s a fucking invasion, an atomic bomb falling right on your head. You don’t send cops or firefighters after him, you get out of the way and let someone who knows how he does things sort it out.”

”Then what is keeping you here Leah? If he knows where you are and no amount of help from others will stop him and if you know it’s on your shoulders, what is the point of staying? Your friends will surely not let you face it alone. The school, for what its worth, will not let it slide that you are a target. The Avengers and anyone else will try to stop him too. If the best thing to stop an atomic bomb is to get as many people away as you can, what are you doing to get that started?”

”I know how he fights, and he doesn’t just run up and jump you. He’s a predator, he trips you up and lets you make mistakes before he shows his face at all. If you see him, it’s too late. But I know the warnings, I used to sneak into his lab a lot back when I lived with him, I’ve watched him fight other people. When it gets worse, I’ll know. And then I’m gonna leave.”

She hadn’t told anyone that part. Not April, not Sabine, not Vicky. They didn’t need to worry about it, they would just be in more danger if they did.

”Dealing with him, no matter what it is, it’s like you’re playing chess. You don’t just go from A to B, you get in each other’s heads and make sure you constantly update your plan. Every little thing changes how it goes.”

”Does anyone know about your plan? Your emotional state shifted when you mentioned leaving. And how many times do you think you’ll need to run before he stops, if he stops at all? Isn’t that exhausting?”

”No. They don’t have to, I’ll be back. I’m running off one more time, and when I come back, it’s done. I’m going to make sure he’s dead for good this time.”

”Leah, I encourage you to tell someone about all of this. I acknowledge your father is powerful, dangerous, deadly, but by that logic you are in danger too. And you do not need to face it alone. At least think about it.”

“I think that’s a good place to stop unless you have other questions or concerns. I am happy to answer anything else you might have. And I would very much like to continue working with you, if you want. Otherwise my door is always open. I would also like to send you home with some resources. Read them, shred them, doesn’t matter. Would that be okay?”

Leah sighed. ”What are they?”

”One is a workbook about using mindfulness to help mitigate intense emotions. It’s fairly easy. And then I have a weekly support group that I think you may like that involves opening up and advocating for oneself. Boundaries, relationship dynamics. It’s also anonymous so you can go and not share your name or anything else. It has some other teens. You don’t even have to go weekly, it’s more of a ‘come when you want’ type deal.”

“So, is this a ‘see you next time’ or ‘have a nice day’ end to things?

”No, it’s not. I’m not coming back. The only reason I told you what I did is because I don’t want someone to get on my ass about leaving too soon. I don’t need this. But, sure, give me the things.”

She stood up.

Maeve stood up as well and walked over to the desk, picking up a folder with the papers she had said. She returned and handed them off to Leah. ”Then I hope you have a nice rest of your day Leah. I included my card in here if you need anything in the future. As I said, my door is open.” Once the folder was taken, Maeve would return to her desk, waiting for Leah to leave before she wrote up a note about the session.

”Yeah.”

Leah unceremoniously opened the door and walked out. And she was already regretting telling anybody anything about this. It sucked more than having to actually face him.

✨ Under Black Stars ✨

”These two-“ Jack sidestepped a small golden projectile that Salem tossed his way. ”Are criminals. Let them be caught assaulting two innocents on the streets.” It was hardly Jack’s intent to interrupt his enemies when they made a mistake. He liked to let his enemies be their own downfall from time to time, like the trickster he was.

Serena’s eyes went black, and wings sprouted from her shoulders, forming out of thin air like they were always there, only invisible. It wasn’t quite a full animal transformation, and it was anyone’s guess what the point was. Her blood slicked down to the pavement.

”You always were a smug motherfucker, Hawthorne-“

Salem’s shadow stretched around him and he fell through it. A portal above Serena’s head split open, causing Salem to crash down onto his daughter like a rock.

”When will you learn that I am the one person in the cosmos that you should not consider stealing from?” Jack taunted. ”Annika, I apologize for this. If I had any idea these two would be here, we might’ve end to Boston instead… I suppose now is a good chance to practice your magic.”

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

---

Location: Yes
Skills:

"Yeah, we're right here." Leah didn't raise her hand. Sabine and April went off already. The fire was already put out, there wasn't really any need to do this. She didn't even know who this guy really was, honestly. He looked like he'd been getting ready for a costume party, and got interrupted for this halfway through. It was honestly kind of an ugly superhero look. Today was fucking awful, and she really wanted to just take up refuge in the damn gym already, or take a walk through town, or do nothing while April and Sabine were around her. That would've been nice, just sitting in the same room and not worrying about anything.

"The fire's already been put out. It didn't get a chance to spread, the hallways are fine." She was wondering if she could pull something like that off again. Leah didn't actively think about it, she just did it. Was it a thing like boxing where you just got better with time? From what she could figure out over the break, people had a tendency to just be born for magic, and not everyone could learn to cast spells. And yet, over the break, she got nothing to work, and she did something cool twice today.

Wasn't there supposed to be seven of them? No, six. Or was it five?

SPIRITUM

---

"I knew it."

His connection to his magic was severed. And a flashbang had been dropped in, and a soldier was thrown over it. This must've been a coup by the Empire. Where the others had sprung into action immediately, Morden was the picture of stillness. Calm, collected, waiting for an opening before jumping in. When he squad got ready, that was when the giant WARDEN among them stepped in.

His left foot pushed downwards, sending him spiraling upwards, and his right foot went into the air to snap the neck of a Spook that hadn't been paying attention to him. Morden didn't need the Astral Mist to beat the living shit out of people, a byproduct of his particularly brutal training with it meant he was taller and sturdier than most before filling his lungs with that power. When he landed, he grabbed the submachine gun that the poor bastard had been carrying.

Safety off. It was fully loaded.

"Stay behind me," He warned, walking up to the door and bringing the full might of his kick down on the doorknob. It was a common tactic for kicking down doors. He flung it open, and stepped to the side without walking through. That was rudimentary cover on nine, and the angle he held was cover from twelve. He aimed and fired a few quick shots at the first Spook he saw.

"On my signal, move," Morden rumbled, planting one foot on the guy who was sitting face-first on the ground, with a flashbang underneath him.

✨ Under Black Stars ✨

The girl that had just crashed into Annika tumbled over and growled at her. She used animal magic to take on the traits of some feline predator, and though she was more ferocious than Annika was right now, Annika had tricks of her own. And Jack knew this so he turned his attention to Salem.

The man whipped his hands around and flicked a golden sword into existence. Jack made a motion with both hands, and a scythe appeared, black as night and sharp as a razor. The lower end of its haft met the blade, and Jack curved it over, bringing it down low in a circular motion that flung Salem off balance. This made the blade move between them, and Jack moved thrust it upwards like a spear. The dull side of the blade smacked Salem across the face, knocking him back.

"Annika, use your advantages against her," He said, cryptically. Annika knew what he meant.

Salem rolled over and onto his feet. His hands started to glow gold, as a chain launched towards Jack, which had a blade at the end. He sidestepped it, and threw his scythe at the chain. The scythe fell inwards and became a shadowy hand that yanked Salem towards Jack.

And he teleported, seeing that coming.

A flash of yellow light, and Salem was behind Jack, swinging a fist. Jack stumbled and spun around, lashing out at the man with his shadowy arm that spooled out like an anchor chain. It swept the man's feet out from under him.

And people were pointing phones at the four of them, from across the street.

Recollections: Primal Sinister

Raven's Rest

---

The Manse went down, that thing went tumbling, and shots started whispering out. Not just ringing out, whispering. Hollywood-quiet.

Time often got fuzzy in the Manse, but an important thing when using chronomancy was to trust that others outside your influence could be counted on. So Varnan ducked down and slipped away from the line of fire. He noticed, before switching places with the others, that the monster wasn't totally stuck in place and inched closer by millimeters, but seemed to be building up a tolerance to his time magic. On one hand, that was dreadful to think about on top of the sheer sturdiness it had demonstrated. On the other... Varnan wondered if it could work up an immunity to good old fashioned brass and steel. If he had brought a gun...

Another time, maybe.

In a small town like this, there wasn't much stopping the police or the local news from catching this. He'd been deployed to places like this before, where it was easier for word to spread. Varnan didn't want to stick around and make this worse by being a stranger when that happen. But then, he couldn't just flee. He came here for answers, and Bill had been turned into this or kill by this.

So he shifted around, keeping out of the way of the shots being fired. Varnan knew what he could do after they took that thing down.

"If you can kill or seal that thing... I'll deal with the police," Varnan offered. "It'll buy everyone time to get away from here, and I'll take a look at what happened before we arrived- I have magic for that." It looked like they were about to wrap this up, so Varnan opened up his watch, and a circular screen of coral energy started to form above the face.

This was going to be a long night.

Young Justice

”Maybe after. Thanks,” She told Pei, before Will started yapping.

Cora looked at Will, then lazily looked over at the others. Then back at Will.

On any other day, she might have been putting up with this shit for longer. But if she were being completely honest with herself, she wanted nothing more than to curl up under a blanket and cram half a bottle of ibuprofen into her mouth. Will was testing her patience saying this shit.

Kassy was right, and Cora had this weird, knee-jerk feeling someone was going to give her shit for what she’d just said.

”…Oooookay… Lemme fuckin’ tell you somethin’…”

Cora took in a deep, shaky breath and started floating again. Her skin and flesh were too devoid of red blood cells for her to feel the sting on top of the pain she was already in. Veins under her skin started to glow the same neon blue that her eyes always has going on, something that Cora hadn’t ever seen her powers cause thus far. She drifted closer until she was right in front of Will and used her powers to levitate her shaky, jittery hand. She pointed a finger at him.

”Metamorph might be fucked up, traumatized or just plain mentally ill. Maybe. Maybe all of the above, or maybe somethin’ else.” Deep breath out. Deep breath in. ”But he is not a fuckin’ villain. Apparently you-“ Cough ”Left. Cool. You missed everything the others did before I came here. This team’s like a family for them. Viktor. Kassy. Kila and Ja and Daphne. They all fucking love each other.”

Breathe out. Breathe in.

”What happened? Yeah. That’s fucked. But you’re shittier about it than he was- Then. By a lot. I talked to him after- After everyone left, I talked to him. You weren’t-“ Cough ”There when I asked if he’d ate the day after that, and he said he didn’t. It fucking hurt him, okay?”

The lights in the room were starting to flicker. ”You… Can be an ass for longer. Or you can do something about it. What. Are. You. Doing. About. It?”

She took a bigger breath and then looked away from him.

”Bad things happen. Don’t… Don’t make it worse for anyone.”