[center][h2][color 33ec06]Marcus Howell[/color][/h2][/center]
 
[center][img]http://i65.tinypic.com/21o8tg4.png[/img]
 
[hr][color=silver]𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟘𝟜, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥   / /   𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕜    / /  𝟙𝟘𝟘𝟘[/color][hr][/center]
 
Marcus stood slightly off the track, hood down and huffing slightly. After Brent and Emma had walked off, it had just been himself and the multitude of other people who were currently doing things around the track. He’d jogged a lap, just to clear his mind, but it hadn’t really had the intended effect. Even as he lined himself up on the track and prepped himself for…whatever it was he had done in the battle, his mind was still racing.
 
He pushed it all aside for a moment. Right now, he needed to figure this thing out. His mind retraced the steps that had caused the event: Lily threw a grenade at him, that weird vision that he still wasn’t completely sure actually happened, and then…the world wrinkled; just enough that he could cross the fold and end up out of danger. No, not the world. [i]Something[/i] had wrinkled – something so obvious, yet imperceptible at the same time.
 
He stood in a runner’s stance, and concentrated. He wanted to move, to take great strides without even running. A familiar feeling started to bubble up in his chest, and his ears were filled with the sound of static. Once again, the world folded to meet him – or did he stretch to meet it? In an instant, he had gone from a standstill to sprinting, and he had found himself much closer to his perceived destination than previously.
 
The sudden change caught him by surprise, just as it had on the battlefield. At least he had a better idea of what had happened now; a small bit of comfort as his foot caught nothing and he was sent sprawling to the ground. He hit the ground hard, leading with his left side, and skidded to a full stop. He’d no doubt just wrecked his arm - not that he could tell anymore, but it would definitely stain what was left of his hoodie. His practice would have assuredly ended early if not for the other trick up his now-ruined sleeve: similarly to how he’d focused on going forward, he now focused on going back. Static rang loud in his ears as he slid backwards across the gritted surface, and leaped to his feet, ending where he’d started his run.
 
Oh good, his rewind factored in the jump. That was nifty.
 
The rewind was an ability he’d since grown accustomed to, ever since his dream. He had frequently practiced it in the camp, having nothing better to do than lie in a bed and listen to people frantically sprint around. He looked sullenly at his shredded sleeve and the burnt skin that shown through, the only evidence of his fumble. The blood around the edges indicated that he had in fact shredded his arm as well, a fact which relocated his training to the grass instead of the track.
 
Probably should have started his practice there: would have saved himself a nice hoodie at least.
 
The cooldown of his 'powers' gave Marcus ample time to reflect on the events that had just occurred between him and Callan. Was he in the wrong? Most assuredly.
 
[i]Dash. Trip. Rewind.[/i]
 
He’d brought humor to a situation where it wasn’t appreciated, and had failed to realize that before continuing his characteristic joking like a moron.
 
[i]Dash. Stumble. Rewind.[/i]
 
Moreso, he’d not taken the situation as seriously as Callan had. It was clear that she was afraid of hurting people, and he had (even if indirectly) caused her to do exactly that.
 
[i]Dash. Rewind.[/i]
 
So even if it wasn’t as serious as she’d made it out to be, the fact remained that he’d still not taken her thoughts on the matter into account. Effectively, he probably made her feel that her worries were unwarranted, ridiculous even.
 
[i]Dash. Rewind[/i]
 
Although, he’d apparently asked Emma out by accident, so it wasn’t all bad. Perhaps it would be a bad move to include ‘You totally got me a date by shoving your hand through that girl’ in his apology. Yeah...might leave that one out.
 
[i]Dash.[/i]
 
This introspection would be going a lot easier if he stopped to think about it like a normal human being instead of an emotionless robot.
 
Bottom line: Callan had been worried, hurt, scared, all of the above, and probably a couple things he wasn't accounting for. Now, he’d have to apologize, and rightly so. Marcus sighed to himself; closing his eyes and shaking his head. He pulled his hands out from behind him and sat up, quickly pulling himself to his feet and brushing the grass off his hoodie. He’d messed up, but hopefully he’d be able to fix it.
 
His stomach growled, reminding him of how long he’d been out on this track practicing. He’d swing by the cafeteria first and grab a bite to eat - that’d give him a little more time to figure out exactly how he was gonna approach this. He'd certainly gotten himself into a mess this time. Hopefully he'd be able to patch things up.
[hr]

[center]
[img]http://i65.tinypic.com/21o8tg4.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/xRj8oPR.png[/img] [img]http://i67.tinypic.com/2njvpci.png[/img]
[h2][color=33ec06]Marcus[/color] | [color=a2d9ce]Callan[/color] | [color=ff57ff]Siena[/color][/h2]
[hr][color=silver]𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟘𝟜, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥   / /  𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔸 : 𝕃𝕠𝕓𝕓𝕪   / /  𝟚𝟙𝟛𝟘 [/color][hr]
[sub]Collab with [@Chasers115][@Baklava][@PapiTan][/sub][/center]

[center]"YOU FACE JARAXXUS, EREDAR LORD OF THE BURNING LEGION!"[/center]

Callan's eye twitched. She tapped her finger on the iPad twice.

[center]"I concede to you."[/center]

She rolled over onto her back and rested the iPad on her forehead. God, she was such ass at that game. 

After Callan's date with Kusari, she had decided to get a feel for the campus... and given up halfway through her self-led tour. She'd effectively done little more than test out the best wifi spots in various places. The cafe, the cafeteria, Building B's lounge, the courtyard....

Long walks to clear her head usually ended this way. Now, afraid that Marcus might be upstairs in the dorm, she continued carrying out her ingenious plan to ignore her problems by loitering in the downstairs lounge of Building A-- deservedly getting her ass kicked at Hearthstone. She already knew where all the places she cared about were anyway. And she still had no idea where her classes were going to be-- so what was the point?  She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, shoving her hands in her pockets as her iPad autolocked itself. 

She needed to apologize. Marcus hadn't meant any harm. Even in the moment, she'd known that. She was just... freaked out. Kusari had hit the nail on the head earlier. She'd never punched anyone like that-- not even before she was a mage. Seeing her power in such a destructive light... it was unnerving. She'd felt like a monster, but they-- Marcus and everyone else-- treated her like she wasn't. That was a [i]good[/i] thing, wasn't it?

[i]C'mon, Cal, you aren't usually like this. Just go upstairs, tell him you're sorry, and stop acting like such a huge wimp.[/i]

The mental pep talk might've worked... if she wasn't a 'filthy subnatural' in a school where they cuff all the students-- good and bad-- and send them marching through death's door without batting an eye. But more importantly.... 

Callan set her jaw and lifted the iPad off of her face, staring at her reflection in the blank screen. [i]Wimp.[/i]

[i]'[color=ff57ff]Oh my god, Marcus?![/color]'[/i] 

An instant replay of her interaction with Callan, just with a different name. When Marcus had returned, Siena had been greeted to a scene of annihilated fabric--third time was the charm, right? Her roommates were evidently getting themselves sent halfway to Hell [i]without[/i] fighting monsters...Siena wasn't entirely certain how long Suite 430 would remain whole. Granted, Callan herself hadn't been injured...but that was beside the point. 

Tapping through the screens of her Kindle, Siena was settled comfortably on her bed, a few bags of newly attained items tossed haphazardly by the foot of it. She'd been preoccupied with thoughts of the previous night, especially without the distraction of newfound comrades. On the bright side, she was calming down after heart attack 2.0. Sort of. Cal hadn't been back when Siena returned to the suite, leaving her stomach to knot itself over concern, but certainly Callan could take care of herself...right? 

Marcus sat at his desk in Suite 430. Currently, he was midway through some test about history, and he was not doing very well. History had all but become null when the world exploded, at least in his mind. As had math (none of DC's beasts would be impressed by logarithmic functions) and geography (but he already knew a fair bit of geography, so it wasn't that bad). It was bad enough that they were currently prisoners, despite all the amenities that tried to assure them they weren't. He was a government weapon, and he was stuck at this desk doing [i]homework[/i]! 

His picked his head up from the desk and looked around. Callan wasn't back yet. He'd really hoped that going to the suite would force them to cross paths again, but he doubted that was the case. He pushed his chair out and stood up - he needed a break from this paperwork, and he at least needed to find Callan and apologize like he intended. He probably wasn't going to get any of this done with his mind elsewhere anyway; so a break was well deserved.

He grabbed his hoodie from where he'd thrown it on the bed, slipping one sleeve on and immediately frowning. All that clothes shopping, and he'd only bought a [i]single[/i] hoodie. He slipped it on anyway; who knows how long he'd be looking for his roomie.

"[color=ff57ff]Are you heading out?[/color]" The question spilled out before Siena could stop it. A pause. She wasn't his mother. Or his sibling. Or...really, not much more than a roommate. Chiding herself, Siena did her best to cover up the nosy concern. "[color=ff57ff]Um...be safe. It's kind of late.[/color]" By the Santana family standards, at least.

"[color 33ec06]Yeah. I was hoping Cal would be back by now, but it looks like I'll have to go hunting for her.[/color]" he said, slipping the other sleeve on and adjusting the hoodie around. "[color 33ec06]I should be fine. But if any monsters show up, it's probably my luck that I'm right in the middle of it.[/color]" he said, half chuckling.

Despite everything, Siena couldn't help but give a soft laugh at Marcus's playful words. "[color=ff57ff]Try to come back in one piece.[/color]" Somehow, Siena wasn't entirely certain whether that statement was a joke.

"[color 33ec06]No guarantees![/color]" he said, stepping out the door.

Apparently he wouldn't be looking very long, as it turned out; a loud exclamation of defeat had drawn his attention to the lounge, and he peaked his head in, spotting the telltale aquamarine hairdo.

"[color 33ec06]You're a hard person to track down, you know that?[/color]" Marcus said, leaning against the doorway of the lounge.

The combination of someone talking at her, in addition to who it was, caused Callan to jump. The iPad slipped from her fingers and smacked her in the face. Thoroughly embarrassed, she sat up quickly, sliding the iPad onto the coffee table and turning to face him.

"[color=a2d9ce]Hey,[/color]" she said, forcing herself not to stammer. 

"[color 33ec06]How're you feeling?[/color]" he asked, not changing his position at the doorway. The words felt awkward coming out of his mouth; as if he was talking to someone who had the flu or a cold or something.

Butterflies. "[color=a2d9ce]Fine,[/color]" she responded, her voice high and unintentionally curt. She genuinely felt like one might flap out of her throat if she said anymore. An obnoxious voice in the back of her head kept badgering her to skip the formalities and apologize already.

Marcus mentally winced as the short answer came out; she was probably still mad at him. "[color 33ec06]Listen, I need to apologize for what happened on the track earlier today. I didn't handle that whole situation as...'tactfully' as I should have. You were genuinely upset, and I was treating the whole thing like a joke. So, I'm sorry.[/color]" he said, the words coming out slowly but smoothly. His mind raced with alternative speeches; things he could have and probably should have said, but those were the words that forced their ways out.

Her heart sank as soon as Marcus mentioned the word 'apologize'. No, no, no-- [i]she[/i] was supposed to be saying she was sorry right now; not the other way around. Callan frowned, unaware that it probably looked like she was still pissed off. She sighed and shoved her hands into her pockets, wringling her fingers nervously.

"[color=a2d9ce]You don't have anything to be sorry for. I was freaking out like an idiot,[/color]" she stared forward at the wall, pausing for a moment, "[color=a2d9ce]I like your jokes.[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]But the point is, you were still freaking out.[/color]" Marcus said, shifting his position slightly. "[color 33ec06]Even if it wasn't a major issue in anybody else's head, it was in yours![/color]" That was not...the best of word choices. He mentally kicked himself, trying to filter his words a little more than not at all, but continued forward nonetheless. "[color 33ec06]That's what matters; and that's why I'm apologizing. You were worried, and I probably made you feel like shit for it. I know I try to be the funny guy and all, but there is certainly a time and place. That, however, was not it.[/color]"

"[color=a2d9ce]You were just trying to made me feel better,[/color] she replied, shaking her head. She looked back at him, feeling a bit more confident now that she'd had a moment to think of what to say. "[color=a2d9ce]I mean... thanks, but I really shouldn't have been toying around with my powers like that to begin with. Thank God I didn't, but I could have easily killed someone. That's on me. Sorry.[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]I mean, I was egging you on pretty hard.[/color]" Marcus said, shrugging and grinning slightly. "[color 33ec06]So that might be at least a [i]little[/i] bit my--[/color]"

"[color=a2d9ce][i]Please[/i] don't take the blame for that, too,[/color]," Callan interrupted, "[color=a2d9ce]I would've punched her even if you weren't there.[/color]" She smiled ruefully, "[color=a2d9ce]I'm still trying to figure out exactly how strong I am.[/color]" She faced the all-too-familiar wall again.

Marcus sighed, walking around the coffee and sitting opposite of her. "[color 33ec06]So you made a mistake. We all do. The only difference is that we have these wierd little marks and some fancy powers to make mistakes with now.[/color]" he said, tapping his own white streak. "[color 33ec06]I don't know exactly what's going on in that aquamarine head of yours, whether you think you have to worry about this stuff all on your own, or you just don't want to bother people with your problems. But we're all trying to figure out how strong we are, in more ways than one. Just don't try to do it all by yourself, okay kiddo?[/color]" Marcus said, smiling warmly.

As Marcus occupied the couch in front of her, Cal was unable to distract herself with the wall behind it anymore. Marcus was always full of advice, wasn't he? She meant that in a good way-- telling people to shove off and not bother her with their opinions simply wasn't how she rolled. Pep talks were a necessary part of kicking life's ass and she appreciated it. Her eyes fell from his mussed up blond hair to the scars on his face, noting the dog tags around his neck. There was probably a reason for it-- a story that probably wasn't meant for her.

Nonetheless, she smiled in response, more natural this time, "[color=a2d9ce]Yeah, alright. I would've had my ass kicked yesterday without you guys, so fair point.[/color]" She winced, remembering that girl who she'd met in the trench-- Emma. "[color=a2d9ce]Hopefully things didn't get too awkward after I stormed off.[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]Nah, that invincible chick ran off immediately after you did.[/color]" he said, noting Callan's smile. What did Emma say that girl's name was? Coos...Queues...Kus...Kusari! "[color 33ec06]Kusari, I think her name was. Which, by the way, I'm pretty sure she grabbed your bag after she chewed me out. Did that ever make it back to you?[/color]" he said. His mind briefly wandered, touching upon a subject he'd already considered. [i][color 33ec06]Perhaps it would be a bad move to include ‘You totally got me a date by shoving your hand through that girl’ in his apology.[/color][/i]. Yeah, he still wasn't gonna bring that one up.

Similarly, Callan opted not to bring up her date with Kusari when she heard the girl's name. She felt a pang of guilt as she did so, like she was betraying her somehow. "[color=a2d9ce]Yeah, she swung by the room,[/color]" she answered simply, a bit of warmth coming to her face as she noted the reason why she was choosing not to bring it up, "[color=a2d9ce]D-did she chew you out? What happened after I left?[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]Well, Kusari yelled at me and Emma for not letting her talk, then she grabbed your bag and sprinted after you.[/color]" Marcus said, putting his finger up to his mouth in a thinking position. "[color 33ec06]Then Emma and Dude McSpineGrab left not too long after that, and it was just me left on the field.[/color]" he said, listing the events off. "[color 33ec06]Then I went back to the dorm hoping you'd be there, and you weren't. And then this. And I think that about brings us to speed![/color]" he said, clapping his hands together. "[color 33ec06]So...are we good then?[/color]" he said, his tone becoming softer and less energetic.

The remark about Kusari made her antsy, but she laughed at the remark about 'Dude McSpineGrab'-- Brent, she remembered. She felt bad to hear that Marcus had basically been ditched by everyone at the track-- and then worse when it suddenly sounded like he might be done chatting. 

"[color=a2d9ce]It's pretty hard to stay mad at you,[/color]" she smirked mirthfully, "[color=a2d9ce]You heading back to the dorm?[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]I try to be as lovable as possible![/color]" Marcus said, standing up. "[color 33ec06]Probably not; I've been working on those stupid homework forms all night. Might take a walk, just to get up and stretch. You gonna stay down here and deal with your Burning Legion?[/color]" he said, grinning down at her.

Her face grew all the warmer, hyperaware of the reasons behind why she felt so dissappointed about him leaving. She made up her mind that a walk with Marcus probably wasn't the best idea right now. Not until she figured out how she felt. That hadn't sounded like an invitation, anyway. 

"[color=a2d9ce]You play?[/color] she ventured, leaning forward to grab the iPad and nestling more comfortably into the couch as the screen lit up at her touch.

"[color 33ec06]I don't even know what game it is; so probably not. I just happened to pass by and catch that little snippet.[/color]" he said, fumbling with the zipper of his hoodie.

"[color=a2d9ce]Oh,[/color]" Callan turned the iPad screen side down in her lap, almost feeling even more dissappointed before realizing the golden opportunity this presented her with. The golden opportunity she totally wasn't going to mess with-- nice try. She wasn't about to ask Marcus if he wanted her to show him how to play. That would result in crowded faces around her iPad and she wasn't on that level yet. 

"[color=a2d9ce]It's just a dumb card game. What I wouldn't give for super RNG skills,[/color]" she chuckled a little nervously, "[color=a2d9ce]See ya later.[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]See ya later Cal, try not to fall asleep on the couches out here -- the beds are probably much more comfortable![/color]" Marcus said, zipping his hoodie up halfway and turning towards the door. 

"[color=a2d9ce][i]Whoa,[/i][/color]" Callan said, just before he turned to go. Her eyes fell on Marcus' shredded sleeve-- she didn't remember seeing that this morning. She sat up, leaning over the arm of the couch with a concerned look on her face, "[color=a2d9ce]What happened?[/color]"

Marcus stopped, turning back to Callan with a confused look on his face. He followed her eyes to his sleeve, and nodded when he realized the full extent of the question. He grinned slightly, fluffing the edges of the tear with his free hand. "[color 33ec06]The track is [i]hard[/i].[/color]"

"[color=a2d9ce]Heh.[/color]" she half laughed, but didn't quite smile. A hoodie doesn't typically end up like that without something happening to the arm underneath-- if the half disintegrated hoodie she had at upstairs was any indication. For a moment she considered reaching out to feel the tattered fabric for herself, but decided against it. "[color=33ec06]You're alright?[/color]" she asked, fidgeting. 

"[color 33ec06]Oh yeah, I'm fine![/color]" Marcus said, with a nonchalant hand wave. "[color 33ec06]Remember what I said my power was? I can jump back in time a little bit. Not super useful like yours, but it's good for patching up little scrapes and bruises.[/color]" It seemed like that conversation had been ages ago, when it had actually only been a day, at most.

She looked at him skeptically for a moment until she realized she was actually just looking at him and she still hadn't said anything. "[color=a2d9ce]Ok,[/color]" she answered quickly, sinking back into the couch and holding her iPad up to her burning face. "[color=a2d9ce]Don't sell yourself short,[/color]" she added as the iPad lit up. She idly swiped through her apps, barely looking at them.

"[color 33ec06]Puh-lease[/color]" Marcus said, emulating a sassy highschool girl with an attitude problem. "[color 33ec06]I know [i]I'm[/i] awesome![/color]" it was here that his voice shifted back to his normal tone. "[color 33ec06]If anything, I guess I'm just selling you tall![/color]" he said, chuckling and turning back towards the door.

Callan chuckled. "[color=a2d9ce]Just try not to do anything you can't rewind, okay Miley Cyrus?[/color]" she said without thinking. Her eyes widened and she sat up suddenly, looking back at him. "[color=a2d9ce]Sorry--[/color]" she tried to say quickly, "[color=a2d9ce]I- I didn't mean...[/color]" 

Marcus said nothing, simply chuckling in response. The scars across his face seemed to twinge a bit as she said that, and although Callan hopefully wouldn't be able to see it from her angle, his smile faltered. As he made his way out of the lobby, he paused for a moment; just a brief stutter in his step as a thought scurried through his skull. He shook it off though, and continued out into the crisp, night air.