[center] [img]http://i68.tinypic.com/33p7a8k.png[/img] [img]http://i65.tinypic.com/21o8tg4.png[/img] [/center] [center][h3][color=662d91]Kusari Bloodworth[/color] and [color 33ec06]Marcus Howell[/color][/h3][/center] [hr][center][color=silver]π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / π•Œπ•Šπ”Έβ„π•€π•ƒβ„• 𝔼𝕒𝕀π•₯ / / 𝕆𝕦π•₯𝕑𝕠𝕀π•₯ π•Šπ•™π• π•¨π•–π•£π•€ / / πŸ™πŸŸπŸ™πŸš [/color][/center][hr] No sooner after had Marcus climbed up than guards started approaching, with the message that his team had come out victorious. He scanned the area, still looking for any sign of the rest of his teammates, but was interrupted by the approach of a man with a large hose. A sight which made Marcus sigh in relief. β€œ[color 33ec06]You sir, you do good work.[/color]” Marcus said gratefully, extending his arms out and accepting the gift of a nice rinse he was being given. He was happy to at least have [i]most[/i] of the sewage off of him, if not be completely clean. When the rest of the people came over and started spraying him with what appeared to be disinfectant, he was a bit surprised. Of all the things that he had worried about, disease wasn’t something that he had even thought about. A mental note to try and keep track of all possible threats, no matter how small. β€œ[color 33ec06]Any chance one of you fellows can lead me to those showers you mentioned? Or at least point me the right way?[/color]” Marcus said, gingerly accepting the towels and clothes, trying to carry them without getting any more filth on them. β€œ[color 33ec06]Guess I’ll see you back in the showroom![/color]” Marcus said to Callan, giving a short wave and walking off in the designated direction. It didn’t take long for him to find the showers; the directions provided to him were more than useful enough for him to find his destination. By the time he got there, he could hear the sound of running water already; so he chose the stall the most opposite he could find. He left his fresh change of clothes nearby, neatly folded and meticulously separated from his current clothes, which he placed in a pile. Those'd be getting thrown away regardless; just as soon as he emptied the pockets. He stepped in and threw the towel over the door, not noticing the wieght of the fabic causing it to move ever so slightly ajar, before beginning the arduous process of scrubbing his skin nearly clean off his body. The broken arm gave him [i]some[/i] trouble, but where he couldn't just wash around, he forced it out of the way with a gasp of pain and clenched teeth. A slight pang of guilt hit him and he washed the refuse from his body; he felt like he hadn’t actually helped out his team that much during that fight. He’d gotten like, 6 points out of 64? But he knew he wasn’t any good as a front-line fighter; so there wasn’t much he was going to be able to do besides exactly what he did. Hit and run tactics – grab a flag and run away before Kusari could hurt him anymore than she had. Yet…he felt like he could do more now. He almost wanted a rematch, just to see what that vision was all about. He needed [i]something[/i] to fall back on when his power was recharging. Hand-to-hand combat was probably the most useful: he already knew how to use a gun (though some extra training wouldn’t hurt), but the added protection would help him when he was recharging and might allow him to do some extra offense with his Leap. He had a whole two weeks ahead of him, so maybe he’d be able to request some training during that time period. The mental image of him flashing out of nowhere and doing sweet roundhouse kicks against a bad guy came to mind – a mental image that he absolutely adored. Kusari watched as water stained red with her blood swirled into the drain at her feet. The fact that she could stand here without a trace of injury was a reminder that she was not normal. She looked at her right leg, and then her right hand. They too were a more obvious reminder. She didn't have it in her to cut off her right arm again and spend another ten minutes reattaching her normal limb. The tentacle had to go for sure, outside of being in combat she didn't think she could stand living with that thing. The sound of someone entering the security outpost's shower room caught her attention for a moment, but she didn't bother seeing who it was. She simply finished washing herself and exited the stall. After drying herself off she grabbed the clothes one of the guards had gotten for her. It was one of the red and black school uniforms she requested. She walked for the exit, but stopped as she passed the in use stall. The door was slightly open, allowing her to see that Marcus was currently using it. Perhaps due to her mental exhaustion, or the fact that she was an individual with little in the way of tact, she didn't immediately see what was wrong with the fact that a guy had been showering so close to her, let alone the fact that she was now peeking at him. From where Kusari was standing, she'd be able to see the extent of Marcus's scarring; the slight burn that sometimes peeked out from his sleeve blossomed and bloomed across the entirety of his arm, even dripping down the left side of his torso a small amount. The marks that were on his face were mirrored in a few spots on his torso, and there was a faint slash that jutted across the right side of his collarbone, as if someone had sliced him with a knife. Fortunately for him, he'd already finished up and begun wrapping the towel around his waist, preventing Kusari from getting an eyefull. She'd noticed Marcus's scars on his face before, but hadn't thought much of them. However, she now saw that he also had scaring from what looked like a fire on one of his arms. Scars were something she envied more than one should. Scars were proof that you've been hurt in some way, sometimes more than simply physically. Scars are proof that someone is human, that they've gone through adversity and come out in one piece. Her body meanwhile was an unnatural blank canvas. There was no proof of the hardships she'd had. She was disgusted with herself. Marcus turned around, and suddenly Kusari realized how awkward this was. She averted her eyes. She needed an excuse, something, anything. thankfully she had something she wanted to say to him. [color=662d91]"You're not holding a grudge, are you? For what I did during the test."[/color] "[color 33ec06]GA-HEH![/color]" Marcus shouted in surprise, seeing Kusari standing there. He nearly slipped in the leftover puddle of water, grabbing the towel around his waist and making sure it was secured tightly; determined not to give her any more of a show than he'd already given her. His face went a little red at the thought, but was quickly mitigated by Kusari talking. Yeah, he was still pretty pissed at her. She'd run up out of nowhere, shattered his arm and then delivered blunt force trauma directly to his skull. He'd be holding that grudge for more than a couple- But it was a combat scenario. Everyone else seemed to have understood that. Callan and Sander had gone at each other without pulling punches, and Angel had nearly shouted Chris's to death. It seemed like he was the only one who didn't get that memo. This was his life now; these kind of things [i]weren't[/i] friendly - and going in under the assumption they were...well, he'd been shown what happened then. A long sigh. "[color 33ec06]No. I'm not. It was a training exercise. I didn't go into it as seriously as I should have, and you took advantage of a clear opening. Not really anything to hold a grudge about.[/color]" He said, crossing his arms defensively. "[color 33ec06]Besides, like I told you; we're even. You have every right to hold a grudge, yourself.[/color]" Kusari frowned, and crossed her arms. [color=662d91]"We aren't even at all, because I'm not holding anything against you."[/color] She took a deep breath, feeling herself losing her temper. [color=662d91]You aren't the one that forced us to compete against each other with the threat of death hanging over our heads. I'm more angry with myself for going along with it so easily."[/color] She glanced at Marcus's broken arm. [color=662d91]"I'm not doing this again. I shouldn't be hurting any of you, regardless of what they tell me. We're allies after all, right?"[/color] "[color 33ec06]I certainly appreciate it.[/color]" Marcus said, looking sheepishly at the ground. It was a nice thought; that they wouldn't be in another situation where they were told to fight each other. But he knew it'd come around one day - either than or he'd be dead before he could actually see it. "[color 33ec06]I don't know if it's that easy though. Even if they didn't have us fight each other again someday; there's a whole nest of people and monsters out there willing to hurt us instead. I guess it makes sense that we practice in controlled situations before we can get seriously injured.[/color]" Controlled. That was the whole difference here. That was the difference between them and the beasts of DC - and in more than one way. "[color 33ec06]So yeah, we're allies. But all we can do is watch out for each other and try not to lose our cool during these kind of games.[/color]" Marcus said, shrugging and looking back to Kusari. Kusari was silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on a non-specific crack in the wall of the shower room. She wanted to say she could look out for him as well, but she didn't believe she could. The only thing she was good at was not getting killed. [color=662d91]"Right... if the worst ever happens, feel free to let me take the fall. I can take the landing."[/color] She let out a sigh. [color=662d91]"I should let you put some clothes on, I'll see you wherever these asshats are taking us."[/color] She said, heading towards the door. Before she left, she stopped at the door and looked back to Marcus. [color=662d91]"Not bad, by the way."[/color] She winked at him, and walked out. "[color 33ec06]Hell, between the amazing regenerating girl, and the fabulous rewinding boy, the two of us can take pretty much any fall we may stumble on![/color]" Marcus said, grinning. His grin quickly faltered however, his entire face immediately exploding into a crimson hue. He watched he walked out, speechless, as his face slowly started to mellow out. Of the million thoughts that were currently running around his head on fire, he was not having a super great time in silencing any of them as he pulled his clothes on. Moreso, he didn't want to elaborate on any of them. He was left in a mental limbo, and he tried to divert his attention by cleaning his filth-covered phone off in the sink. He furiously cleaned out every nook and cranny, the redness of his face periodically increasing every time a new thought came by. A notification on the screen of his phone helped to cut through the slight haze of his overactive imagination: [1 New Message]. He tapped it once, bringing up the mentioned response. [quote Max][color f7976a]Try not to lose this one, you klutz! You know how much I start to worry when my baby brother drops out of contact! I’ll make time tonight, so you’d better be ready to tell me everything! Call me whenevs![/color][/quote] He grinned slightly at the message, before pulling the waterlogged napkin out of his other pocket. It was bled through and nearly illegible, but he could still almost make out the numbers Emma had written down. He [i]might[/i] be able to copy it over correctly, but maybe asking for another would be a better idea. Still, after lunch today, was that a feasible thought anymore? And what the hell had Kusari meant just now? His face flushed again, before he neatly folded up the napkin and gently put it in his pocket. Maybe it'd be easier to focus if he just worried about watching his classmates beat the shit out of each other.