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Morose female Member

✨Krakoan Princess✨

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2 yrs ago
Two 4+ year long RPs completed within 20 days of each other - now THAT'S what we're talking about!
7 likes
2 yrs ago
Congratulations to the cast of the Gifted, we just finished our RP after almost four years! Excelsior!
17 likes
5 yrs ago
It's official - accepted an offer and I am going to grad school next year! :) #DrMorose
19 likes
5 yrs ago
Congratulations to the Gifted for hitting 500 IC posts and to Darke Magyk for completing the RP! Excelsior!
6 likes
5 yrs ago
I graduated from college today~
19 likes

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Most Recent Posts

In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 18 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
April vs Vicky


It was Victoria's fifth day at the C.A.G.E. So far, dare she hope, things were going well. Some people even showed up or promised to later, suggesting she might have even made some actual friends. There was only one snag.

The android laid on the bed in her room, glaring at the ceiling. A while ago, Dorian told her that she was not the only one who was on an extended stay at the facility. April was apparently sent this way as well.

Last time the two of them... Well, 'talk' would be overselling it. Vicky resolved to call that an interaction. Last time they did, things were about as smooth as sand paper. It's not like I didn't mean anything I said. She needs a kick in the arse! You've been given an extraordinary gift, woman, and you squander your time busying over being prom queen or some stuff! she reasoned internally.

But no amount of reasoning, or tossing, turning, and shaking her head would make the awful feeling she had go away.

"...Fine! I could have done it better!" she finally admitted to the walls of her room. It still didn't make her feel better. Sighing, she swung her legs down from the bed and headed out in search of the blonde.

April had figured out Vicky was in C.A.G.E. as well yesterday, on her third day there, not too long after her brothers had left after visiting her. And ever since, she had been going out of her way to avoid the android. Their last interaction had been far from kind and April didn’t need more random venom directed her way as she was trying to get better - trying to get to a more stable place so she could leave and go back home to her friends. Every time she caught sight of another blonde, April jumped behind the nearest thing to obscure her from sight - a potted plant, a couch, another patient, etc.

She didn’t know why Vicky had a problem with her, but she had no intention of finding out. She was currently in one of the lounges, flipping through one of the books Danni and Dorian had brought for her - thankfully not a romance novel, she was still tender from the day before. It had been her choice to initiate the breakup, but it still hurt. She still missed them.

Victoria has deliberately extended her search. She still wasn't quite sure what she even wanted to say to the other woman. Well, she knew what she wanted to convey, but with her lack of eloquence, she wanted to put enough thought into it as to not make the situation worse by accident. She did that where her roommate was concerned enough for an infinite lifespan already.

The slow, precisely timed clicks of her steps on the floor would herald her arrival at the lounge where she spotted her target. It appeared that Vicky was not the only one who thought books may be good to pass time here, albeit hers she considered part of a research for her therapy. She stood to the side of the doorframe as not to appear to block the escape route, her knuckles knocking on the steel. "...Hello, April. I understand if you don't want to talk to me and I'll walk if you don't, but if I may have your ear for a minute, I've come to bury the hatchet."

April shut her book quickly, her stomach oozing with dread. She had managed to avoid Vicky so far - she’d honestly been hoping she’d be able to make it the entire stay without talking to her. It had been so random, so completely out of nowhere - and she didn’t need that toxicity in her life. ”… I didn’t even know we had a hatchet, Vicky,” April sniffled. ”You don't even know me and I don’t know you.” She stood up, hugging her book to her chest like a shield. ”But go ahead. Say what you want to say.”

"I... know. I dug it up." Vicky sighed, "We may not have talked at all, but I know about you. But, that's not the entire point. Whatever I may think of you - and I admit my perspective is probably not entirely normal - You didn't deserve to have it aired like that. Not in front of everyone. And not after what we just were through. That was... beyond arsehood, and cruel of me, and I am very sorry." Vicky said, internally bracing for whatever may come in response.

April's eyes widened as Vicky claimed that she knew about her - what did she mean by that? Did she just mean she'd heard gossip about her at school? And what sort of gossip was that? Good gossip? Well, clearly not, given that it seemed Vicky had a poor opinion of her. Was Vicky stalking her, silently judging her every move? She swallowed slightly, not really sure how to feel about that piece of information. It still didn't make any sense to April why there would have been a hatchet to dig up in the first place - she didn't know this person. And ordinarily, April would have just said it was fine, forced a smile on her face, and then run off to deal with this later/never. But... The entire reason she was here was because she wasn't being emotionally honest with herself.

"Yeah, it really hurt," April said. "And maybe you know about me - whatever that means - but you don't know me. I get that you - that you think I'm stupid or something for the things that I care about - but I'm sure there are things important to you that I would find dumb, too. Like yeah, it was really shitty of you to say those things in front of everyone - but you just told me that you still believe in what you said. Maybe if you spent less time focusing on what you hate about everyone else, you'd be able to figure out whatever is wrong with you." Her heart beat quickened significantly. She didn't know what she was doing. But it felt good - it felt good to say this, even if it might have been wrong. "Like fun fact? I just found out I'm bipolar! I just found out I'm insane like the worst members of my family and now I get to deal with that! So sue me that instead of agonizing over whether I'm going to lose my mind and kill people one day, I instead want to think about winning a contest on a team with my friends! I'm a kid, I'm allowed to care about stupid stuff!" her body shook, and April closed her eyes tightly for a moment, as tears threatened to fall. She tried to concentrate on her breathing, to calm herself down - to step away from whatever emotion this was, whether it was anger or sorrow.

Victoria let April vent. She expected to get sucker punched on the low end, and it would have been deserved. "Would you prefer I lied to you and gave you a dishonest apology?" the android asked, a little confused. "And... I don't think you're stupid, and I don't hate you. I never said either of those." she pouted. Not keen on repeating her previous mistake, she looked around to check they were alone for this, before walking into the lounge and sinking into a bean bag.

"If anything, I'm disappointed. I don't get it. You have such potential to do good for billions! With your powers, there's no shortage of problems too big for regular folks to solve you can be taking a crack at. Oceanic oil spills. The great garbage patch. You want to be a hero? You could do something about any of them, and you'd make world news before you're twenty." her voice was devoid of any emotion, purely analytical.

"You can be the greatest hero of our generation and never have to see a fight, or anything else you might be worried could send you down a dark path. Compared to fighting other kids, for a fleeting chance of being noticed for some big team?" the android shrugged.

She leaned against the bag, hypnotizing the ceiling. "As far as being afraid of living long enough to see yourself become a villain goes?" she chuckled mirthlessly, "I guess we have something in common."

"I would have preferred that you be a better person!" April snapped, incredulous at what she was hearing. On some small level, it was comforting - it only confirmed to her that Vicky didn't really know anything about her at all. This was all just the opinion of someone making quick judgments about her from afar - someone who already had an opinion about her that they wanted to uphold. "And this? This is what I am fucking talking about! You don't know shit about me at all! You think I don't care about the environment - that my goal starts and ends at winning the contest? Yeah, it would be amazing to win it, and so cool to have the Avengers want to scout me! That doesn't mean I only think about how to use my powers for fighting! If you really know about me, then you know that I'm in crisis and disaster management courses - because you want to know what superheroes actually spend a lot of time doing, since the Earth isn't being invaded every fucking second? They go out and help people! Namor, Wave, Shark Girl - all of them use their powers to help save the fucking ocean and protect people! Well, when Namor isn't being a villain, but that's beside the point! Also, might not have occurred to you, but if I had the power right now to snap my fingers and clean up every oil spill, save every reef, I would! But I'm not fucking strong enough to do that yet! So that's why I'm here! At a school! To push myself to be able to do things like that! Do you even know how big oil spills are? The one in the Gulf is millions of barrels worth of oil, it stretches for thousands of square miles! It would take me years, decades, to clean that up where I'm at right now! So I'm at school! And do you know how you expand your powers, get better at them? By using them. By being fucking challenged. And sometimes, that looks like fighting other people!"

Listening to April go, Vicky wasn't impressed. She hopped back on her feet, before giving the other girl a rather judging glance. Learn by being challenged? Such old fasioned nonsense. Stumbling in the dark, hoping to find a way to do better on accident? If that's how others go about learning about their powers rather than, I don't know, studying how they work perhaps, no wonder the school is on fire, has busted plumbing or any number of damages so often. Fat load of good such 'training' under Usagi did us! the android compared to her experiences. She chose not to voice those thoughts though, seeing April was growing more agitated by the second. Better to not test the limit on those power dampeners.

"Well, then, I'm looking forward to being proven wrong." she answered, trying to say 'I'll believe it when I see it' in a milder way. "And I'll work on being a better person once I am done learning to be my own person with no puppeteer's strings attached in the first place. I can only do so much at a time." she grunted, turning to walk away. She said what she came here to say, but it was clear the two of them were far from reaching an understanding on... Well, anything really. "Anyway, I'll get out of your hair. Clearly this isn't of benefit to either one of us."

April stared at Vicky's back for a moment. Was this Vicky's pattern then - to show up and tell people everything she didn't like about them, walk away, pretend to apologize, and repeat? April didn't want any part of that. She could feel the judgment radiating off of the other girl. She didn't need that in her life - not now, not ever. "Do both of us a favor. Don't fucking talk to me again."

"Not. A. Problem." Vicky replied as she vacated the premises. When she reached her room, she found out the bad feeling from earlier was gone. She supposed it bothered when she hurt people for something they didn't deserve. Not agreeing on how they conduct themselves? Well, they were all free to not keep each other company. Probably for the best. It wouldn't be the first person in her life, and Victoria doubted she would be the last.
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 19 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Percy and Diana Novikov(a)

It was around three in the afternoon on a Saturday, Diana was in the school's gym she had been working out for the last hour and was just finishing for the day. It was pretty nice and relaxing without having to do go any classes for the rest of the semester Diana grabbed her bag and was getting ready to head out back to her dorm and get changed. Diana made it back to her dorm pretty quickly and started to change into some clean casual clothes.

Percy was not looking forward to speaking to his sister. It seemed like most of the school now had been gossiping about him sleeping with Dorian, and while he couldn't prove that Diana had been gossiping about it, it seemed incredibly likely. Combined with his realization during the session with Dr. Whitehall that his sister had a serious problem with Percy's boyfriend, he wasn't exactly happy with her at the moment. She had been off at school for the past few years - the last time the two of them had seriously lived together, Percy had been barely twelve, having not even hit puberty yet. Things were different now. And they needed to talk.

He knocked three times on her door, and waited. And then, unable to help himself: "this is a good example of how to knock in order to request access to a room, Diana," he called out.

Diana heard the knocks on her door and Percy's voice on the other end, she let out a slight sigh he really wasn't going to let go of her accidentally teleporting herself into Dorian's room she wasn't really looking forward to having this awkward conversation. "It was an accident teleporting into Dorian's room that day." Diana said sighing slightly as she made her way towards the door and opened it letting Percy in.

Percy stepped into the room, his hands in his pants’ pockets. “And was it an accident when you called my boyfriend a slimer?” he countered. He glances around the room, before settling his eyes on his sister. “I didn’t think I would get much out of therapy. But then I realized, you said something to me the night Arcade tried to kill us. You asked me how I could tolerate dating him. So I want to ask you, Diana - what exactly is your problem with my boyfriend?”

Diana went over and sat down on her bed and sighed slightly she did regret being mean and saying those things to Dorian, at times she did find him to be really annoying. She was just a little bit jealous that Percy found someone that he actually cares about, and she hadn't found anyone yet. "I apologize to you for being mean and saying those things to and about Dorian." Diana said as she looked up at her brother. "He is a little bit annoying sometimes, but I don't have any problem with him. I guess I am just a little bit jealous."

Percy raised an eyebrow slightly at his sister’s language. The only people he knew that said I apologize were politicians and Real Housewives stars. However, he nodded in recognition of the apology. ”Why? Because I’m spending time with him?” Percy pressed. ”You essentially moved out two years ago when you started coming here. If it’s an issue of my time, being jealous that I am spending it with Dorian doesn’t make sense. You’ve barely seen me aside from summers and breaks. If it’s the fact that I have a boyfriend and you’re single, then that isn’t anything I can help to you solve.”

He then frowned, before continuing. ”I’m in love with him, Diana. I wish you were happy for me. I would be happy for you.”

Diana looked down for a moment running a hand through her hair slightly she knew that she was in the wrong for treating Dorian Percy's boyfriend wrong and she did want her brother to be happy. "I am happy for you Percy, I really am. You found someone here quicker than I did since coming here." Diana said looking up at her brother.

"Does that matter?" he asked bluntly.

"Of course it does matter to me, you are my brother and I care about you and what makes you happy Percy." Diana said while looking at her brother.

”That’s not what I asked. I asked if it mattered - if it mattered that I found someone before you did,” Percy insisted. ”Is it a competition to you?”

Diana shook her head. "No it isn't at all, it was just weird seeing you, well almost naked." Diana said

”We were in Dorian’s room with the door locked,” Percy spat, feeling the anger rise in his chest again. ”If I accidentally teleported into your room while you were half naked, I wouldn’t have screamed at you! I wouldn’t have gone on about how disgusting I found your partner! And I wouldn’t be so painfully obtuse about all of this!” His hands were shaking, and he felt his body getting ready to make a jump. ”You only care about your own feelings, Diana. Have you even stopped to consider how I felt? How Dorian felt? I doubt it. We’re done here. Don’t talk to me.” He stared at her for another moment, before leaving her room and slamming the door behind him.
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 19 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
April Flynn
Location: California Asylum for the Genetically Enhanced
Date: November 30th, 2028 - Evening


April would find herself in her own room at C.A.G.E. The room itself was as cozy as any room in a hospital setting could be with warm colors. April would have her own queen-sized bed, TV, and bathroom. Each room had power dampeners in it and they could be felt. There was a security camera in the main room that was on but could be turned off by staff for 15-minute increments.

Dr. Maeve Whitehall had finished a group counseling session as she made her way to the second floor to see April. She had read up on her file as well as Coulson’s additional notes on why he suggested April be petitioned here. Maeve had agreed that it would be best. April, on paper, seemed fine though there were underlying concerns. Nothing noteworthy and nothing that required additional security measures, but a standard therapy setting wasn’t going to cut it.

April would have been brought here, either voluntarily or not. Maeve was not made aware of that. Hopefully April would be open to discussing it.

Maeve knocked on the door to April’s room and entered. ”Hello April. I am Dr. Maeve Whitehall. I am a clinical therapist here at C.A.G.E. I imagine you have some questions or concerns which I am happy to address. Before we get started, can you tell me how you are feeling or if you are in any pain?”

April hadn’t been having the best of evenings. She had felt fine that morning - terrific, even, filled with energy and motivation - she’d had fun with her girlfriends, grabbed lunch with her besties, and had even spent some time soaking up a bit of winter sun. By the evening though, it was like a switch had flipped in her brain - all of that energy and excitement and joy had soured, turning into something more crippling, an incessant voice in her head reminding her that she was worthless, that she was unloved, that she would never amount to anything worthwhile - that if she became anything at all, it would be as a villain. Not as a hero.

The sorrow had been unbearable, an intense pressure weighing down on her, making it hard to breathe. In her frantic attempt to regain some control, she had gone to the school’s gym, sneaking into the pool. It was after hours, but April knew which door had a bad lock - she came here often when she was stressed, staring into the water - imagining what it would be like to let herself go and vanish beneath its surface. She’d left her phone behind in her dorm room, not a conscious decision to hide from the others, but one to that end nonetheless. Breathing hadn’t come easier at the pool, however - if anything, it was even harder, each inhale like choking down blood.

And as she stared at her reflection in the water, April hadn’t recognized the person looking back at her.

The person wore her face, yes. Her blue eyes, her dirty blonde hair, her glasses - she’d run out of contact solution earlier that day, and she hadn’t found a good moment to go get more. Her clothes, too - comfy sweats and a t-shirt, as she didn’t have to attend classes and wear the uniform anymore. Her skin, lightly freckled in spots with a bit of acne poking through.

But was it her? April didn’t know. It felt more like a mask she wore - a mask to hide something dark and growing within.

She’d been about to inhale a lungful of water when Headmaster Coulson came, alongside Ser Nemo and some others April hadn’t recognized. Her memory of what happened next was blurry, fuzzy - she’d been taken from the school, brought to this facility, without any real understanding of what was happening to her - maybe someone had said something, maybe they hadn’t. All she remembered was sitting in the back of an ambulance, hugging her knees to her chest, and thinking about how everything was so wrong - that none of this was how it was supposed to be.

Once at the facility, the fog that had overtaken her during the ride there had only increased, only spread. She couldn’t sense the water around her - couldn’t feel it gushing through the pipes, roaring through the building. It was like losing one of her primary senses - not being able to see or touch or hear or taste or smell - like losing a limb. April had heard about power dampening devices before - knew the cruelty they’d been used for against mutants… against people like her. But it was different to experience it for the first time - to feel the loss of something so intrinsic to herself.

A small part of her wondered if perhaps her grandfather had been right.

By the time the door opened to her room, April had shut herself in the bathroom, hugging her knees to her chest in the bathtub, fully dressed. The door was closed, but it didn’t lock. She had cried her eyes out, terrified and afraid - of herself, and of this place.

Did Dani and Dorian know where she was? Did her parents? Did Sabine and Leah? Did Mads? Her sister?

”I-I’m fine!” April pleaded, not making a move to leave the tub. ”There’s been some sort of, um, misunderstanding - I th-think. I’m - I’m not supposed to be here. My parents are SHIELD agents, they’re going to come and get me. I don’t know what the school thinks is going on, but I’m totally fine! I’m not… I’m not crazy, I promise. I’m not like - I’m not like the Scarlet Witch or Polaris or Quicksilver or Magneto - I’m - I’m just an ordinary girl. Can I leave now? Are my parents here yet? I think I would feel so much better if I just got to go home a-a-and maybe watch TV with my friends, I’m not… I’m not supposed to be here!”

Maeve expected this. Was prepared for it, though it never got easier. While some came willingly to C.A.G.E, others needed to be brought in, usually against their will.

”April, you and I both know you are not fine. And that isn’t a bad thing. I know it's cliche, but it is okay not to be okay. But you have to admit there’s something wrong if you have any desire to want to be better.”

Maeve moved one of the chairs closer to the door. ”Your parents have been made aware of your committal here. You can see them if you like. Your friends may or may not know. If you want we can inform them. You are allowed visitors during your stay here. Which is not going to be permanent, provided you help me out. So, can we please leave the bathroom and talk out here? We can even go somewhere else and talk, if you want. They have some good snacks in the cafeteria if you’re hungry.”

Admitting something was wrong with her, though… that was something April never wanted to do. It was a point of no return, a line crossed. If she admitted there was something wrong with her, then there would be something wrong with her. Denying it was easier, safer - denying it meant that it didn’t have to be real, that this familial curse didn’t have to be hers. She knew what her perfect life looked like - knew everything she wanted to accomplish, everything she wanted to achieve - she knew the exact sort of person she saw herself as in the next ten years. And this wasn’t part of that story. She didn’t want this to be her story.

She wanted to go home. She wanted to wake up and for all of this to be a bad dream. But.. it wasn’t a dream. It was real. She bit her lip, staying silent for several beats, before she swallowed, nodding slightly. The only way to convince them that she wasn’t crazy was to leave this room - to show them that they’d made a mistake.

But… as much as she wanted to deny it fully, she couldn’t. April knew, deep down, that she needed help.

She knew it was getting worse.

If this had been one of her friends, she would want them to get help. But it was so hard to say the words, so hard to admit it for herself.

Slowly, April stood up out of the tub, and nudged the bathroom door open with her toe. ”C-can… Can you tell Danni and Dorian?” she asked, avoiding eye contact. And the next request fell from her lips before she could even consider it, a request that surprised even April: ”And um… If my parents come to visit… Do I have to see them? I don’t… I don’t think I want to. N-n-not like this.” She then dried her eyes on the back of her sleeve, still trembling, still tempted to go back and hide.

”I won’t lie to you April. You do not have to see your parents if you do not want to, but as they are your legal guardians we do have to inform them of some of the things going on. That is more for decisions impacting your overall health though. When it comes to conversations like this and future ones, there is privacy. Confidentiality. Even within these walls I am obligated to ensure what we discuss stays between us. I can also inform Danni and Dorian if you would like. I am sure they would like to know where you are and how you are doing. Support like that is as good as any medicine.”

“So, April, can we talk a bit longer then? Do I have your permission to continue.” Maeve glanced up at where the camera was. ”I can also stop the camera from recording us if that would make it easier for you.”

April nodded. She didn’t know why, exactly, she didn’t want to see her parents here - maybe it was shame, fear that they’d be disappointed in her. She knew her mom had been in a place like this before, but her mom had never shared the details - had always changed the subject and avoided talking about those things. The only time mental health was really discussed was in relation to them - the famous villains in the family tree.

People that Danni and Dori didn’t see as villains.

”S-sure, we c-can talk about… about what, ex-exactly?” she stammered, still avoiding eye contact - still looking at everything that wasn’t the therapist. ”Th-th-there’s cameras?

Maeve nodded and stood up. She walked over to a small control panel by the door. She imputed a code and pushed a few buttons before she turned back to April and sat back down. ”There are cameras. For your security, purely, and the safety of everyone within these walls. But as we like to ensure moments like this are private we are, within our discretion, allowed to turn them off. I put it on an hour pause.”

“As for what we can talk about, let’s start with who you are April. I only know a brief bit about you, but perhaps you can tell me more about what makes you you. Or even talk to me about Doran and Danni. They must be very important if you are allowing them to visit compared to your parents.”

April shifted uncomfortably, holding her left arm with her right. She didn’t know if she should keep on standing, or if she ought to sit down - both options seemed wrong. And the question from Maeve, too, it surprised her. She thought Maeve would ask something like why are you crazy? or tell me about your childhood trauma (not that April really felt like she had any). Her family was her family. At the end of the day, they were mostly boring, the small house in the suburbs of Washington DC suffocating every time she had to return to it.

”Um… I…” April bit her lip. Why was this suddenly so hard? She’d talked about herself before - the teachers made them do icebreakers on the first day of class, and she was bubbly, sociable. But the thought of talking about herself to Maeve just made her heart pound faster and faster, like she was taking a quiz and didn’t know any of the answers. ”I-I like to read… and crochet things for my friends… A-and go surfing and hang out at the beach and stuff, c-c-cause I can kinda feel the water vibrating and it’s like one of those spider massage things for your head. I-I really like it at my school - it’s fun, most of the time, and th-that’s how I got to meet Danni and Dori - Danni and I had a class together as freshman, he almost set me on fire but I almost soaked him so it was, like, fair. And then we just kept on hanging out, him and Dori and me, a-and… they’re like brothers to me, y’know? I’m not really close with my sister, she’s really quiet and closed off and just shuts herself in her room, and our parents are super busy, so I would always leave the house and stay out as late as I could before curfew just to like - just to like do something a-and finding Danni and Dori was really great, because they’re so much fun a-and they always know what to do or say if I’m sad a-and they have all these cool stories from trips they go on with their family, Dorian’s dad is like a wizard, so they go to loads of cool places - my dad never lets me go with them though, he’s kinda protective that way - b-but at least I get to see them at school and we finally got through to the Contest of Champions but they aren’t on my team - or they might be they’re changing because of Arcade - but that really really sucked. L-like I wish I could have been on a team with them. Instead my sister got to be on their team and she’s a freshman and it really really sucks to see her get to do things with my friends but…I-is that what you wanted to know?”

Maeve nodded. ”Thank you for sharing April.” Maeve was a bit taken aback at the sheer volume of things April shared, compared to how they started this session. Maeve noted the comment about her sister and parents and could feel the emotions rising off of April. That was a tough subject. She would leave it alone for now.

”That does bring me to another point. The whole situation with Arcade. I know a bit about it, but from what I do know it must have been scary. How did you handle all of that?”

April shifted her weight again. She hadn’t really talked with anyone about what had happened with Arcade - about how she had stupidly put herself and others in danger, just to get some extra practice time in for the contest. They were extremely lucky no one had died - well, someone had died… She flinched, as the vivid memory of Andy dying by Vicky’s hand in the Legend of Zelda game came rushing back to her. And then each time they had ‘lost a life’ in the game, it had felt like agony - the pain had coursed through their bodies, as if they really were dying in that moment. April’s breathing sped up, shaky and unstable as more images, more memories flashed through her mind. The aftermath had been terrible too, Zelda had set her off, a full blown panic attack skyrocketing out of control due to a simple comment, not even one directed at her but rather at Arcade - she hadn’t been able to control her powers, she’d hurt her friends - if it hadn’t been for the Scarlet Witch some of them would have bled out.

Her jaw trembled as the haunting figure from the haunted house returned to her - the psychotic villain that April dreaded she would become. She hadn’t slept much over Thanksgiving break, because every time she closed her eyes, all of that would play over and over again. The deaths of everyone she knew and cared about. The time travel of it all didn’t even begin to factor into it - April didn’t remember a different timeline being erased. But she did remember Arcade nearly slaughtering them all. She remembered her fear. Her body had kept score.

April shook her head vehemently.

She couldn’t breathe she couldn’t breathe she couldn’t breathe.
Maeve moved quickly. She had seen panic attacks before; hell she had a few of them herself. She quickly grabbed both of April’s wrists and moved them in-between her legs. ”April, you are having a panic attack. I need you to lower your head down and take deep breaths. I am going to count to 5 and I want you to inhale for that long, then exhale for 5 as well, ok? You are safe. I’m going to start now. 1….2…..3…..4….5.” She moved her hands, keeping one on April’s shoulder as she faced the girl. Once April breathed in, Maeve counted back from 5. ”Keep this up April, you’re doing good. You are safe, I promise.”

April had no problem moving her head down - all she wanted in that moment was to curl into the tightest little ball imaginable. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, it was beating so quickly it was almost painful. It was a struggle to breathe in for five counts - somehow more challenging than running a marathon, it seemed - as she could just barely make it to three before she felt like her chest was about to burst, that she just needed to get more air in. Gods, she just wanted to be home at school - her mind flickered briefly to the school pool, where she had almost tried to drown herself the night before - and as horrible as it was, at least it would have made things stop. It wasn’t an easy process, but slowly she managed to inhale a little longer through her nose, exhaling a little longer through her mouth - she had no idea how much time had passed, maybe minutes or maybe hours, until the pounding in her chest felt like it had subsided slightly, and the ringing in her ears diminished. ”S-s-s-sorry,” April squeaked out, once she’d found her voice again. ”C-can we not talk about th-that? Th-the Arcade stuff?”

”That’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it now.” Panic attacks were often spontaneous and without warning. Anxiety attacks often had triggers. Once things calmed down, Maeve thought about it. ”I was wrong, also. It was an anxiety attack, not a panic attack. Similar, but I want to make sure I have it right. Does that happen often April?”

She really wanted to say no. April wanted to say that it never happened, that she was perfectly fine, and stuff like this just didn’t happen to her - that it was a fluke, a one-off. But it would have been a lie and she knew it. As much as she tried to pretend that everything was okay with her, that there wasn’t anything wrong, things like this did happen a lot. They happened more over the summers, but still occurred when she was in California for school. Less if Danni and Dorian were around, or her friends or girlfriends. But they happened. ”Y-yeah, um. I-it does. I - I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” April admitted softly, her eyes looking at the floor. ”I-I shouldn’t be like this. M-my life is fine, it’s great, I-I love my school, my friends. M-my girlfriends are so kind and sweet. I-I don’t have any, like, great big traumatic backstory elements to drop. So… I-I don’t kn-know.”

Maeve figured it was something like this. The writing was on the wall and she didn’t need to sense April’s emotions to figure it out. She debated how to play this.

Once she was satisfied April’s breathing was calmer and she was doing better, Maeve scooted herself back into her seat. ”April, can you look at me please?” She would wait until the girl looked up, not necessarily into her eyes, but close to it. ”There is nothing wrong with having anxiety attacks. It doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t mean you are a bad person. It doesn’t mean you aren’t happy or that things in your life are all terrible. Lots of people experience them and it is normal. April, you are not all right and that is not a bad thing and it doesn’t make you a failure and I am sorry if you were ever made to feel otherwise. But from this point on I want you to try, to strongly try to think otherwise. If you have to remind yourself daily, then do so. Until then, I will remind you.”

“Oh and I am no longer accepting apologies for things you should not be apologizing for. Starting now.” Maeve’s words were light and warm. Sometimes clients needed a hard dose of reality, but it didn’t mean you couldn’t inject some heart into it.

It took a moment for April to raise her eyes, and make eye contact with Maeve. Somehow, even just that simple act was incredibly hard for her - like looking at the doctor in the eyes just made everything that was going on all the more real. Hearing what Dr. Whitehall had to say was even harder - it shouldn’t have been, she was saying it all with compassion and April knew that it was true, knew that it was right. It’s what she would have told her friends if they had said this to her, but for some reason, applying that same logic to herself was so much harder. Hell, she even knew her mother had been in a place like this before after her first husband passed away, and it didn’t make her mother any lesser to have needed help. So why couldn’t she apply it to herself? Why was there just this mental block in the way? Where did this need to be perfectly fine and not a bother to anyone else or an inconvenience because of her emotions come from?

”I… I’ll try,” April promised. ”A-a-and sorry - I’ll - agh, sorry, ugh, I will stop apologizing. Starting right now. I mean it. Sorry. Shit. Sorry! Can I swear here?”

Maeve let out a loud, uproarious laughter. ”Yes April, you can swear. I won’t tell anyone. In fact…” Maeve turned to the camera that was still off. ”Fuck you!”

She turned back to April. ”Well, I think we can call it here. I’ll let you get settled. They should be serving dinner soon if you want. I think it’s pizza today. And not that high school cardboard kind, no we sprang for the good stuff.”

“Also April, maybe get to know some of the other kids here. You might be surprised how similar you are to them. I know they would love to meet you. And I’ll let Danni and Dorian know you’re here. But if you need me, just ring for one of the nurses and they’ll come grab me, okay?”

April was completely shocked for a moment, seeing a grown-up with a professional, important job that required years of study turn to the camera and curse. She’d never seen an important, professional adult swear before. None of her teachers swore. Her parents didn’t swear in front of her. Her grandparents (her mom’s parents, of course) didn’t swear in front of her. But as soon as the shock registered, it quickly turned into an honest giggle. ”... Thank you, Dr. Whitehall.” She had a feeling she was going to really like Maeve - and for a brief moment, being here didn’t seem too bad.
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 20 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Blizz@Kirah@Natsu
Late November to Early December, 2038 - Therapy Sessions
Percy Novikov


Dr. Maeve Whitehall took off her glasses and cleaned them as the file lay in front of her. She put them on and resumed reading. She had a full caseload and another one tomorrow before the sweet release of one day of nothing where she could lean back on her new sofa with a good book and a glass of rosé.

Today, though, she had to be on.

Percy Novikov. By the accounts listed, he was egotistical and thought rather highly of himself. Powers include being able to read and understand multiple languages and temporal teleportation.

In her dissertation, she highlighted the connection between a super’s powers and their mental health struggles. This was, of course, outside of the routine trauma they experienced on an almost daily basis. Someone with super strength, say, often struggled with things they could not “hold” as an example. Strong enough to lift a building but not strong enough to process a death in the family.

Maeve closed the file and shut her eyes for a moment. When she got the call from Coulson, after hearing the scuttlebutt around the school regarding the recent events of Arcade, she expected to be rather busy.

These kids would not make it easy.

_____________________________________________________

When Percy walked into the office he would see it was set up with a couch and two armchairs, both in a dark green color with white accented pillows. The table in front of the seating area was dark wood with a few books on it. Some spoke in therapy terms and others included classical literature. There were two cups, empty, and a carafe of coffee.

Some pictures depicting various Greek mythological scenes were on the walls. Maeve’s degrees were also hung on the walls. A window showed the weather outside as calm, with the sun shining.

Maeve sat in one of the armchairs. ”Hello Percy. My name is Dr. Maeve Whitehall but you can call me Maeve or Dr. Whitehall if you prefer. Please, have a seat where you feel comfortable.”

Percy hesitated on the threshold for a moment, taking in the room. He had not been to therapy before. His expectations for what a therapist’s office should look like came almost solely from books - and perhaps the occasional movie, although he did not watch as many as his boyfriend, Dorian, did. For the most part, the office was as he had assumed it would be, with the exception of the decor on the walls.

“Narcissus,” he noted, cracking a dry smile. He saw Theseus and the Minotaur as well depicted, alongside Pandora. His eyes lingered on the art, before he - somewhat stiffly - took a seat in the second armchair, his posture straight. He didn’t say anything else, uncertain as to how to proceed.

Maeve waited patiently as Percy explored the art in the room. ”Let me know if I need to change anything in here to make you more comfortable. I went in with a basic understanding of some of the things you like, but a piece of paper doesn’t tell me who the real person in front of me is.”

Maeve gestured towards the coffee. ”Also please, help yourself. I know I, personally, am on my third cup of the day. Helps keep me sane. Don’t tell my boss!” She hoped the joke eased things a little.

”Let me first state that, while Coulson may have made it clear that this is mandatory, I am not obligated to hold you here. You can leave whenever you wish. What we talk about here stays in this room, that’s called confidentiality. I will not share anything with Coulson or whoever unless you give me permission. There are some stipulations to confidentiality though that, if they were to occur, I may have to break it - those being if you want to seriously hurt yourself or someone else, if there is any child or vulnerable adult abuse, or if the authorities reuqest my records, though that is a grey area and I would fight them on it. Apart from that, this is your space, your time, and we can go at whatever pace you wish.”

“So, do you have any initial questions for me before we get started?”

His eyes narrowed slightly as Maeve mentioned that she had picked the decor just for him, that there were details about him on a piece of paper. He should have expected that, he supposed, but it didn’t make him any the more comfortable about it. Percy prided himself on his privacy. Had Coulson provided a list of facts about him to Maeve? Had he mentioned how Percy had attacked Ser Nemo with an axe during the audition? Or maybe his mothers had written to her, telling her to entice him with mythological scenes?

No, it couldn’t have been his mothers - none of the scenes on the walls were his favorites. So Coulson was the culprit then.

Percy didn’t reach for the coffee, instead crossing his arms. “I do. What else did they tell you about me?”

Maeve felt the shift. She expected it. Honestly was best. ”Honestly? Not much. I only have a basic understanding of what powers you have as well as other notes on observed interests, but even then I only get a generalization so I have to make do with what’s offered to me. As I said, I can change anything in here, even the entire room if that will help. Even a tiny bit.”

“But honestly, this is your space. Talk to me, don’t talk to me, I can’t make you do anything you do not want to do. But there’s something to be said about having a space of your own to decide what goes on. I don’t think many people realize therapy offers choice and power, to an extent. I may be the therapist, but this isn’t supposed to be a one-sided fight and I can understand if it feels like it. So, please, inform me if I stumble or mess up along the way.”

He considered her for a moment, before loosening some of the tension in his shoulders - his arms still crossed, his back stiff, but ever so slightly relaxed. “No. The room is fine,” he said. Percy then paused for a moment. The lack of guidance in this conversation was… not what he expected. He didn’t know what to speak about, because he didn’t believe that he needed to be here. However, it was one of the conditions of remaining at the academy, so he was fulfilling it.

If anything, he was more tempted to use the quiet to read - but that would likely be seen as a slight against the doctor, someone who had invested time and energy into her education in order to help others. So instead, Percy sat there, uncertain what to do - what to say. “You can ask your questions.”

Maeve nodded, ”All right, let me start with a simple question. How are you feeling today?” Maeve noted the shift in posture again. Good. He still maintained the cross-armed gesture, as if to block out anyone coming inside without his say so. A defiant “I dare you to try” motion. She had seen it before. She also did not blame him. He was, at least, trying. Whether for fear of getting booted (of which she would chew Coulson out later) or genuine interest in what she was here for, she did not know, but could guess.

“Fine,” he answered curtly. It had been a nice day, so far. He had spent time in the library reading, and was looking forward to seeing Dorian later. He had finished a deep clean of his dorm room as well, and freshly reorganized his belongings. There were no classes for him to attend, but he continued to do so for the ones that interested him - such as Nemo’s time travel course and his classics studies.

”That’s good. I heard that your classes have been given passes for all the work you and your classmates did with Arcade. That must take some pressure off and gives you some more freetime. What sorts of thing do you like to do in your freetime?”

It was strange, talking to Maeve - Percy couldn’t quite decide if he enjoyed it or not. There were moments where it almost felt like one of those quizzes Dorian showed him from time to time, where selecting one answer would tell him which Avenger he was - but in others, it was more like being under a microscope, aware that the scientist was searching for something, but not knowing what. Of course, he knew the point of this was to assess his mental health - but he was fine. He would know if he was mentally ill.

”I enjoy reading - primarily ancient texts. The Odyssey reads differently in the original ancient Greek. It doesn’t really compare to any modern translation, I’ve found,” Percy mused. ”I also spend time with Dorian, my boyfriend. He confuses me.”

Maeve smiled warmly. ”Ah yes, the Odyssey. A fantastic read, though I have not read the original Greek. You’ll have to share with me how that differs from the translations. I am glad you have someone like Dorian with you. How does he confuse you?”

Percy nodded. He had been meaning to try to create his own translation of it, as a practice to translate into a way another would understand. He made a mental note to show it to Maeve, if and when he finished.

As to how Dorian confused him… it was probably more accurate if Percy had said that most people confused him, with Dorian being the most confusing of them all. ”He says things sometimes that don’t quite make sense - like he thought I was Irish for a moment, when I offered him his choice of coffee or alcohol. He also carries himself oddly - most people do, I think, but I notice it more with him. It’s like he operates on a different wavelength.”

Maeve smiled knowingly. ”Yes, people can often astound me too in what they do. I think that makes the human experience a tough more colorful though. Everyone has different experiences that show up in those moments. How a person carries themselves, sure. How they react to different situations. Who they include in their life and why. It’s fascinating.”

“So through all of what happened with Arcade, was Dorian someone you looked to? To check in on or to see how he was handling everything? In situations like that people tend to seek out those closest to them, if for no other reason than comfort, but it is a defense mechanism too. Sometimes we seek out how other people react so we know we are reacting accordingly.”

Percy frowned for a moment, recalling everything that had happened with Arcade. For the most part, he had been separated from Dorian. Arcade had placed him in simulations with Danni, Diana, Leah, and Mads. And he had hardly been inspired by the actions his fellow students had taken. For instance, a fake Chi Mai had threatened to kill them all - and the others had been shocked when Percy handled it. But why wouldn’t he do that? He didn’t understand why the others had been so surprised.

”No. He wasn’t there. I was with my sister,” Percy explained. ”My group was rather incompetent - but so was Arcade, and he designed the pairings. But if you mean after things had ended, Dorian’s parents took him home to New Orleans that evening, while my mothers collected my sister and I not too long after.” He was still irritated with Diana - not for her actions with Arcade, but for what she did the first day back at school following break.

”That had to be intense. I do not know what all happened inside but considering what happened after I can only imagine what you all went through. How do you feel about how Arcade is being handled, if you do not mind me asking? I believe he is getting treatment but is still facing some consequences.”

Почему он тебе нравится как твой парень после того, как Аркейд пытался нас убить?

Percy paused for a moment, recalling the immediate aftermath - his chest ached a bit as he recalled the memory. He hadn’t thought about this too much - he’d shoved it aside, getting on with his life. That was what heroes do. But for a moment, it was like he was there again - feeling the relief swelling in his body as his moms showed up, hearing Dorian nobly plea for compassion for Arcade, and his sister’s harsh criticism. It was in this moment of reflection that it really clicked for him. Diana didn’t like his boyfriend. The realization stunned him for a moment. He hadn’t expected to actually put anything together in therapy. And yes, it was petty and small and not some groundbreaking discovery, but… There it was.

”I don’t particularly care what Arcade does, as long as he doesn’t come near any of us again,” Percy said succinctly. ”He can rot in prison, they can execute him, he can be reformed via experimental telepathy - as long as he doesn’t come near any of us again.”

He frowned. ”It just occurred to me, when we caught Arcade, Dorian was advocating for someone to get him help, to reform him - and my sister asked me how I could stand to have him as my boyfriend. A few days ago, she teleported into Dorian’s room when we were about to have sex. Afterwards, instead of apologizing, she compared him to the Slimer from Ghostbusters… I think she hates him.”

”How does that make you feel regarding your sister and your boyfriend?” Maeve let the sex comment slide. She was not Percy’s parent or caregiver. What he did in his own time with his own boyfriend was his and his alone. She had recalled parents before hearing that their children told her that they were doing something similar and getting upset with her. When Maeve pointed out that, perhaps if they had been more involved with their children, then their children would have come to them first, they were naturally quiet.

Angry. Frustrated. Betrayed. Confused.

”It doesn’t make sense to me that she would dislike him,” Percy said instead, skirting the question somewhat. ”Yes, he can be infuriating at first - and extremely annoying and insufferable, acting as if he and his friends can do no wrong - but he’s a good person. He’s thoughtful and amusing and charming. He’s beautiful. So why would anyone dislike him, much less my sister?”

He huffed slightly, getting more agitated the more he thought about this. He found people confusing. But he thought he understood Diana.

”Well I cannot speak for others, but people like and dislike people for varying reasons; some easily explained and some less so. I would encourage speaking to your sister about it, without Dorian present. I recognize that conversation can be awkward, unpleasant, or feel silly or pointless, but you are struggling with having two people in your life, two people you care about, and the dynamic between them being terse and tense. That’s something that can be addressed and the only way to do that is with communication.”

Maeve glanced at her watch. ”I believe this is the time to call it. As I said at the beginning this can be a one and done or we can continue. I would very much like to see you again Percy, but even if you do decide you are done after this my door is open to you whenever. Please, take my card and think about it, at least.”

Maeve pulled out one of her cards and handed it to Percy.

Percy took the card, studying the text for a moment, before he slipped it into his pocket. ”I’ll consider it. Thank you, Dr. Whitehall, for your time,” he said politely, before standing from his seat. He had no intention of coming back here. The experience hadn’t been uncomfortable or strange, but he just didn’t feel that he needed it. Maybe one day he would - but for now, the biggest problem in his life was his sister’s feelings about his boyfriend.
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 20 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Forsythe So these updates I think are okay - it does feel like a somewhat large overhaul, so I'd ask that you edit this as an additional sheet into the post for Vicky - (i.e., preserve the old CS, just in case I realize down the line I fucked up here and missed something I should've caught lol).
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 20 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Natsu: Whenever you finish Mary Sue's CoC CS, please place it here so I can look her over! :) This has a hard deadline of next Sunday, February 9th, at 9 PM Pacific Time.
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 20 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Nallore Add the chaotic tag, otherwise she is good to go!
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 20 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Nallore Diana is now approved!
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 20 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Kirah approved!!
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 24 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Blizz@Kirah@Natsu
9:00 AM - Mon. November 29th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute



@Forsythe: The driver looked back at Vicky through the rearview mirror. He was a middle aged man with strong features and bronzed skin, his hair dark and curly. He wasn't one of the faculty members at the school, nor was he a famous superhero. For all intents and purposes, he was just a guy, as far as Vicky would be able to tell - just one of the asylum's employees. In the shotgun seat was a second worker, a young woman with a side-shave and some scarring on the side of her neck. Both of them wore badges on a lanyard around their neck - the man's read Enrique Galán and the woman's Sharon Thompson.

Sharon turned around, offering Vicky a gentle smile. "We'll be there soon. My name's Sharon - I'll be your caseworker. The school is sending over most of the paperwork, so when we get to the facility, all we need to do is focus on getting you settled in." She then paused. "This is Enrique - one of our drivers - he's a good person to know, if you ever need anything."

Enrique shook his head slightly. "I do what I can to help out."
Once outside of the building, the faculty members responsible for each floor of the dorm room went around making sure they had their students all accounted for. Students who lived on the third floor of Stark Hall (Diana and Zelda) were to meet up with Tigra. Students who lived on the fourth floor of Stark Hall (Mary Sue, Sabine, and Leah) were to meet up with Jack of Harts. Students who lived on the fifth floor of Stark Hall (Andy, Zari, and Vicky) were to meet up with Brunnhilde. Students who lived on the sixth floor of Stark Hall (Percy, Dorian, Danni, April, and Mads) were to meet up with Firestar.

Third Floor Meet-Up

Tigra's students were over by the supposedly haunted tree. The cat-woman was quickly counting them all off, looking up and down a roster list on a clipboard labeled FIRE PLAN. Most of the students from her hall were present, with a few exceptions. "Novikova? Diana Novikova? Flynn? Zelda Flynn? Ladies, if you are here, I need you to come check in with me!" Tigra called out, before shouting out as well to see if anyone had seen Tommy Maximoff or Eli Bradley.

Billy and Teddy, a.k.a. Wiccan and Hulkling, a.k.a. the Most Popular Couple in School, were very much present. Teddy had his arms wrapped around Billy, and Billy's hands were knotted up in Billy's hair, as the It Couple were deeply engaged in a make-out session, hardly caring that the rest of the school could see them. And why should they care? Everyone else just wished they were them.

Fourth Floor Meet-Up

Jack of Harts, a strangely radioactive man and an ex-boyfriend of She-Hulk, was similarly fussing himself with a clipboard. Several of his students were missing as well. The Young Avengers ladies were all in attendance, and he knew that something was going on with them, given that Cassie Lang was currently sobbing her eyes out as Kate and America tried to calm her down. Another one of his students was missing, but that was because she had died right before Thanksgiving Break - Ardere - and he hadn't removed her yet from the evacuation roster.

"Mary Sue Sullivan? Leah Jordan? Sabine Bassard? If you're here, please raise your hand!"

Fifth Floor Meet-Up

The fifth floor students had met up near the outdoor climbing wall, under Brunnhilde's watchful gaze. The Asgardian frowned a bit, peering at the clipboard in front of her as if it had offended her. It looked liable to snap in half at the slightest breeze with her fearsome grip. "Aye, let us see..." she murmured, before calling off name after name - almost everyone was present, with the exception of a few.

"Zarina? Andy? And Miss Victoria?" Brunnhilde called out, looking around for her charges. She wouldn't find Vicky, of course - Vicky was currently on her way to a secure facility. But given the quickness of the fire alarm, Brunnhilde hadn't had a chance to check her email yet to be notified. "Has anyone seen those young maidens?" she then asked, looking at the rest of her charges.

Sixth Floor Meet-Up

Firestar was pacing back and forth, almost completely through her roster when she realized a good portion of her students were missing. "April, Danni, Dorian, Percy, Mads? Has anyone seen them? Has-" she then turned towards the building, and her jaw dropped. There were her students... with a dragon.

Her students had a dragon.

Her most accident prone students, the ones that regularly caused extreme damage to the building, had a dragon.

"Fuck," Firestar whispered. "There's no way the insurance will cover this..."
April Flynn & Percy Novikov
Location: Avengers' Academy - Outside Danni and Dorian's Room
Skills: N/A
Danni didn't answer April, taking off at a run and quickly leaving her sight. Her newfound energy and drive vanished for a split second, as self-doubt and hurt crept on in. Why hadn't he said anything? Had he not heard her? Yes, that must have been it. That was all it was. A lot of things had just happened at once - Dorian and Percy had fucked!! - and in the noise, Danni hadn't heard her. Everything was fine. He hadn't ignored her. In fact, if she were to run out after him right now, he probably would pull her into a big hug and they'd cry and talk it out and it would all be fine. No, better than fine - everything was going to be perfect. She'd put out the fire so quickly! She felt like she could put out a thousand fires right now! A million, even! A billion!

"Thanks!!" April beamed, as Leah and Mads told her she'd done a good job. She had a lot of practice when it came to putting out Danni's fires. They'd been partnered up in their elemental control classes as freshmen for a reason - definitely had saved the school a small fortune in fire extinguishers, although April's ability to smother out Danni's flames was hit or miss. If he really let loose, she wouldn't be able to do it - he was an omega level mutant, his power didn't have a limit. Hers did. It didn't bother her, though. She didn't need to be an omega to be strong.

However, as the water all around them suddenly vanished... April suddenly felt like her ears had popped from a sudden pressure change, as the area around the group became completely dry. "Woah that... That felt weird, Leah," she said, shaking her head a bit. The weirdness of it left pretty quickly, though, and while they did need to get out of the building, April wasn't going to leave - not without checking on Dorian first. He'd wiped out fully in the foam, and as Mads offered her her hand, April shook her head. "I'm good, thanks - gonna make sure Dori's okay, I'll see you out there."

By the time April had gone over next to Dorian and knelt down next to him, Percy was already on top of it, offering his boyfriend a hand up. He had blatantly ignored Diana for the rest of everything that had happened, and instead was just focusing on Dorian. He'd slipped and fallen in the foam from the extinguisher, and he seemed strangely tired? Was the exhaustion from what they'd been up to finally getting to him? Was it hunger? He knew that Dorian had wanted to get food right away, they'd burned a lot of calories and hadn't grabbed breakfast beforehand.

"Are you alright?" Percy murmured, checking him over quickly. He didn't think Dorian had hit his head, so odds of a concussion seemed low. Maybe he should look into taking a combat first aid class in the new year - it occurred to him that Dorian was somewhat fragile. (Not that Percy himself wasn't, of course). And his friends were rather prone to having explosive breakdowns with their powers. He'd need to think on this more later.

Once Dorian was ready to leave the building, April and Percy headed out with him - April with an arm around Dorian's shoulder, and Percy standing close enough to catch Dorian in case he really had hit his head - or was about to pass out from exhaustion. He really needed to start checking out medical texts from the library, he mused.

Outside of the building, the others were already somewhat clumped up - most of them beginning to gather around Danni, rather than go to their respective zones. However, it was soon clear to Percy as to exactly why. Danni Kingston had a dragon. His eyes widened. A dragon. Percy never would admit it, but the creature was completely adorable, about the size of a small dog. Had that been what the entire fire was actually about? Percy wasn't familiar with dragon-hatching processes, but it wasn't hard to imagine they involved a great deal of fire. He lowered his voice, so only Dorian could hear. "Did he cause the fire on purpose then? To hatch a dragon?"

April, of course, was not nearly as quiet. "OMG Danni!!!!! It's so cute!!!! Does it have a name yet??? It's such an adorable little baby babe!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!"
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