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[h3][color=palevioletred]Zoe Fletcher[/color], [color=f7976a]Frederic Francisco[/color][/h3]
[sub] [@Lasrever] [@Baklava][/sub][/center]
[hr][center][i]09:00, Sept 8 2020[/i][/center][hr]
Zoe had spent most of her morning walking around campus. Managed to avoid the others as well, so far anyway, which was a stroke of luck. There were some things she needed to resolve before she could speak to her classmates - or at least the ones that wouldn't be trying to stay ten feet away from her at all times. A couple of people had pointed her towards the admin building, and sure enough, she thought she could see the man she was looking for strolling along the path, not too far ahead. Fred, his name was. The staff mage, or one of them at least. It'd do for now.

[color=palevioletred]"Can you slow down for a second?"[/color] Not one to bother wasting time with subtlety, she called out to get his attention, increasing her pace until she was walking alongside him. [color=palevioletred]"I wanted to talk to you."[/color]

The lanky giant of a man stopped long enough for Zoe to catch up, giving her a curious glance through the barrier of bodies that surrounded him before his expression settled back into a smile. [color=f7976a]"Ah, Ms. Fletcher,"[/color] his eyes narrowed down at her.

[color=f7976a]"Give us some privacy, eh?[/color]" he said, addressing the guards that surrounded him. They exchanged looks, hesitant to let this particular subnatural get any closer. 

[color=f7976a]"Go on. It's rude to keep a lady waiting!"[/color] he beamed, shooing them away with his hands. They moved several yards away. As Fredric resumed walking, he motioned for Zoe to join him. The guards followed. [color=f7976a]"Nice day for a stroll, huh? What's on your mind?"[/color]

She sighed. Might as well just get it out of the way. [color=palevioletred]"Yesterday. That 'game'. You must've had an idea of what could happen out there, and it happened anyway. And the rest of it - The training, the classes, sending us out into battle right after we got here."[/color] With a shake of her head, she looked up at the staff mage, challenging him. [color=palevioletred]"I want to know why we've been singled out."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Mm, I see,"[/color] he rubbed his chin. Fredric sighed and glanced over his shoulder, smiling persistently. He lowered his voice ever so slightly, [color=f7976a]"As I'm sure you're aware-- there are ears all over this place. But that's only part of the reason why I can't tell you everything. What I [i]can[/i] say is there's something about you bunch that's different from the other mages. You guys are [b]special[/b]-- and I mean that quite literally."[/color]

 [color=f7976a]"I'm sure you're wondering why, but-- to be honest-- things are pretty unclear right now. Even for us."[/color] 

[color=palevioletred]"Wouldn't wanna upset your boss, right?"[/color] Zoe muttered. The lack of specifics was definitely irritating, but at least there was some kind of reason. She had her suspicions, but that line of questioning clearly wasn't going to go anywhere. At least not right now. If he was lying then he wouldn't tell her more, and if he was telling the truth then he couldn't tell her more. [color=palevioletred]"Better than nothing, I guess. Thanks."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"But that's not the only thing I wanted to talk about."[/color] Her tone became serious, a hint of anger bubbling underneath the surface. [color=palevioletred]"Yesterday- I'm not doing that again. Fighting them like that. I [i]can't[/i] do that again."[/color]

He chuckled humorlessly, smile fading into a partial grimace. [color=f7976a]"Unfortunately that may not be an option, Ms. Fletcher."[/color] He slipped his hands into his pockets and sighed heavily, shoulders slumping beneath some unseen weight. 

[color=f7976a]"Things were run quite differently for Shane's group, but... to make a long story longer, the Director wants you lot to have experience fighting other mages as well as monsters. Sparring with your peers isn't something that's going away any time soon. You'll have to work on your self control sooner or later. Better you learn how while under strict supervision instead of during a crisis. Mr. Halvost will be on standby for healing, as always."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"I'm getting stronger. Hell, you guys have been watching me, you [i]know[/i] that."[/color] Her fists clenched and unclenched at her side, a scowl darkening her features. [color=palevioletred]"If my powers were a little faster back there, Gregory would be dead. I don't think our healers can bring people back from that. Unless you plan on knocking me out as soon as I look at someone wrong, then soon my 'self-control' is gonna be the least of your problems."[/color] 

[color f7976a]"Then might I suggest more frequent trips to Ground Zero? Don't worry about the people there. They're barely real. Some mish-mash of reality and fantasy and everything resets at midnight."[/color]

She glared up at him, [color=palevioletred]"Oh, sure. Just spend all my free time killing people. Fake or not, that's gonna be more than a little unnerving. It's fine for the others- their powers let them destroy property. [i]Things.[/i] I don't really get that choice. Most of them probably think I'm batshit already."[/color] She'd always told herself there wasn't the time. Maybe she'd just wanted to pretend she didn't need it. That she was in control. Couldn't have been more off the mark with that one if she tried.

After a few seconds of silence, she nodded, smiling bitterly. [color=palevioletred]"But you're right. Can't help but think I'll struggle to get them to trust me now, but you're right. I'll do it."[/color] There was still resentment in her voice, but she was trying to keep a handle on it. Picking a fight with a staff member didn't seem like the way to anything good, no matter how tempting it was.

[color=f7976a]"I'm glad to hear it."[/color] Fredric stared ahead. [color=f7976a]"Don't sell yourself short, Ms. Fletcher. You'll get the hang of it. In the meantime-- mind if I offer you a bit of personal advice?"[/color]

Surprised, Zoe nodded. [color=palevioletred]"Uh, go ahead, I guess. Not like I've got anywhere else to be right now."[/color]

He beamed down at her in response. [color=f7976a]"Your ability's a unique one, but your struggle? Not so much. Don't trick yourself into thinking you're all alone. I've been here a long enough to say that's a tough road that doesn't typically end in your favor. I know a thing or two about trust and-- trust me-- your going to need friends just as much as they're going to need you. I think you'll be surprised how understanding some of your peers will be."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"Emphasis on 'some'. Don't think they'll all be as lovely as you're making out. Anyway, I--"[/color] She looked down at her feet, doubt creeping in for a second as she cut herself off before her expression switched back to her usual ever-so-slightly forced smile. [color=palevioletred]"I'll give it some thought, at least. Won't promise more than that for now."[/color] Truth was, the idea of what he'd said made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't quite say why.

[color=f7976a]"I'll take it,"[/color] Fredric chuckled. [color=f7976a]"Anything else you wanted to talk about?"[/color]

Zoe shook her head. [color=palevioletred]"Not unless you can get me out of doing math for the next year. Or you have a way for me to get through a fight without ruining my clothes."[/color] She glanced behind them at the trailing guards. [color=palevioletred]"I should probably get going anyway. I don't get the feeling your buddies like me very much."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Hah, don't take it personally. They're like that with just about everyone. Have a nice day, Ms. Fletcher."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"Right. See you."[/color] She nodded and turned to head back down the path, her smile fading as soon as she made it past the guards. The conversation had bothered her more than she'd let on. She wasn't completely clueless as to what the problem was, but she decided not to try and put words to it yet. She'd never been good at asking for help, but maybe it was time for her to swallow her pride. A little, anyway. She wasn't about to beg anyone for forgiveness - not even close. But maybe clearing things up with a few of them wouldn't be so bad.
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[h3][color=palevioletred]Zoe Fletcher[/color][/h3][/center]
[hr][center][i]18:00, Sept. 13 2020[/i][/center][hr]
Ground Zero. Zoe hadn't noticed any of the others as she'd walked around. Realistically, she didn't care if they were, and didn't plan on going near them either way. This was something she had to do alone.

See, having other people around for training maybe helped with teamwork and all that, but not so much with what she had to work with. She thought back to the evaluations. Self-control. That was it. Self-control once she actually got a hold of someone, to be exact, which was a very different prospect to stopping herself from attacking in the first place. A different kind of strength.

She'd always thrown herself into things. Running away maybe, but nonetheless pushing her energy into something positive. Originally positive, in any case - circumstances changed. And so it seemed to be with this. Her instincts, impulses, white-hot temper. Always found a way to carry herself out, blood on her knuckles and a grin on her face. Strength came from fury, from action. Resolve built from fists and curses and fear.

[i][color=f7976a]"If someone comes at you, make sure they don't do it twice."[/color][/i]

Advice that got her through a lot of trouble. She had the strength for that. 

Resisting the temptation she faced wasn't the kind of strength she had, really. Selfish, but it felt safe, almost right. Like it was where she was meant to be, the heat of the moment, balancing on the knife's edge, win or lose, live or die. Battle wasn't a trial, or a struggle or a pain. It was an art. A beautiful, bloody, desperate art. Reduced everyone to their core. Coward, psychopath, predator, prey.

Zoe had always been fascinated by it. Used to watch documentaries on the TV, old ones. DVDs. Nature films, mostly, from before... Well, before everything went to hell. They'd had an old video player too, for those tapes that you had to wind back to the start every time. But the hunting had always caught her attention. Predators chasing down weaker animals, bringing them down. That was how the world worked. You had to be stronger, faster, more ruthless. There was always someone ready to bring you down.

She glanced at the nearest group. Who was it this time? A woman, almost striking in her lack of any distinguishing features whatsoever. Not real, but no luckier for it as Zoe's fingers dug into her arm. And through. Severed. It was so much easier now - areas that wouldn't have been lethal before posed a risk now. Blood loss was too much. No doubt she'd die on her own. 

[color=palevioletred][i]Can't go all out.[/i][/color]

But that was how it was, the way of life. These people were weak, and Zoe was strong. It was a crossroads, she thought, smiling as she watched the woman's expression twist in panic and unspeakable horror. She didn't want to hurt the others, but she had to be willing to hurt. Didn't want to lose control, but had to be able to kill. Couldn't fear her power, but couldn't embrace it. Scared to take it as her own. Didn't think of it as her.

It wasn't her, though, she figured. There was Zoe, and then her stigma. Zoe. And the power. The two couldn't be one and the same. Because if they were, then that meant she liked this too, that she was screwed up on some fundamental level below all of it. You weren't meant to enjoy hurting people, weren't meant to revel the fight like she did.

At the same time, she was letting her guard down. Despite herself, despite all of those problems, she'd let herself talk to the others, tried to make up. Attempted to explain herself, accepted their help eventually. Why? It wasn't just because she'd been told to, that wasn't really why Zoe did most things. She'd looked for a way to make things right, opened up despite knowing the danger that came with it. That could hurt them and her if things went wrong.

It felt like she had to decide which one she was going to be. Zoe the person, or Zoe the aberration. Friend or hunter, sister or monster. Humanity or survival - was it all that simple? Was it ever all going to be simple? So many discussions, so many times trying to get her thoughts together and it still didn't make [i]sense[/i]. The others seemed to be fine, seemed to have accepted whatever this place did to them. They were still able to care, so why couldn't [i]she[/i]?

The whole thing pissed her off. Being told repeatedly how much she was fucking up pissed her off. Being treated like she was just being stubborn, like there weren't good reasons to stay away - that pissed her off too. And she kept causing problems for the others as well. Kept pushing away help. Kept blowing up when they pushed too hard. So many little things irritating her, frustrating her.

[color=palevioletred][i]Whine, whine, whine. Have to do something about it.[/i][/color]

Again, she looked for a target, settling on a short, dark-haired man. Slower this time, that was the key. Precision over power. Backing off would help, affecting from a range. That way the heat of the moment couldn't mess with her head as much. It was different when you were grappling with someone, when they were trying to hurt you too, easier to let instinct take over.

A quick shove was enough contact to start working. He turned to run but stumbled a few seconds later, sprawling to the ground. It would be so easy for her to just kill him, melt out his throat and let him choke. But she couldn't let herself, that wasn't what needed practice. Precision, aiming for the right places, that was the key. She should have probably asked for that biology textbook. Maybe next week, after class. Had to go back eventually.

She focused on the backs his heels. Tendons muscles and skin rotted away and with them any hope he had of walking away or even standing whatsoever. That was good. Non-lethal, little chance for escape for the average person. To the man's credit, he was making an attempt to crawl to freedom, but it didn't exactly lend itself to speed. It occurred to Zoe that experimenting on people, even the ones here, with her powers was kind of messed up, but that didn't change the fact that it worked.

Successful or not though, it didn't really feel like a fight. Zoe missed that. Being able to spar with someone and really put some effort into it, take a couple of hits, get her blood pumping. Catching them off guard and landing them on the floor with something to remember you by. Making it through by the skin of your teeth. Losing that sucked, but it all came back around to self-control.

What else needed to be figured out? Dealing with ranged powers? Psychic abilities? Maybe going for the eyes would help, blinding them. But then panic was an issue, if they attacked indiscriminately. Maybe finding a way to knock them out would be ideal, but she couldn't really think of anything that wasn't lethal. Issue for another time, maybe.

The man was screaming. That still unnerved her, but less than it had on Wednesday. Maybe because there weren't as many, maybe because there wasn't anyone else around to be horrified by it. That was always the question for Zoe though. It never seemed to go away - the question that seemed to decide whether she was a monster or just a bitch who'd been dealt a few bad cards.

[color=palevioletred][i]Why am I doing any of this?[/i][/color]

That was enough for today. The sheer difficulty of holding back with someone at her mercy really took it out of her mentally. Deciding to quit for now was a relief for her. Not so much of a relief for the crawling man, who was doing surprisingly well with his escape.

At least he was until she tore his head from his shoulders. It was kinda surprising how much blood was actually in a person now that she thought about it - she frowned, remembering the game. With how the others had reacted to that, she could only imagine the reaction to a full-on decapitation. Might offend their delicate sensibilities, but to her it felt right. Losing herself in all of this.

It almost felt like this was how it was meant to be, where she was meant to be. Predators hunting prey. The strong doing what the weak couldn't. Zoe Fletcher, top of the fucking food chain, doing things that the others wouldn't, couldn't bring themselves to do. Maybe it'd be okay if she focused on that stuff until it felt alright again. Lost herself in the fight until she didn't want to fight anymore. 

With a smile, she turned and started to run at the nearest group, black spreading across her skin. It wasn't a solution, wasn't perfect, but it was something. And if it meant that she wouldn't go off at any of her classmates unprovoked, then that something could be enough for now.
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