It was amazing what a few months could do for a person's psyche.

Like many of the students, Kijani was changing. For one thing, she'd grown another two inches and gained about 30 pounds- most of it muscle, in her legs. She'd had to buy herself half a new wardrobe to fit her growing body. To think, she hadn't even hit 18 yet! Who knew how tall she was going to get? Her father was 6 feet tall, and she was already 5'9''. (And 160 pounds, not that she'd confess that to anyone.)

Her skills were improving, growing, and changing. She was working on increasing control over her power, making sure that she could use her powers when she wanted, instead of when she was triggered. Her daily work with the jian left her building muscles sore and weary by the end of the day, but she was truly learning to dance with the blade, to use it as a part of herself. Her newest challenge was combining the three: blade, paper, and dance. Slow going, but she could already feel her confidence in her skills causing wonderful effects. With her newfound free moving battle style, she was learning to relax and let go, to roll with the changes instead of planning every step. At least she was doing this physically. On the mental side of things, she was thinking as much as usual. Planning, plotting, the usual. She was keeping growing data files on many of the students, figuring that they would come in handy sooner or later in life. She was also doing her best to build friendships. While she could be more or less friendly, actually confiding and trusting anyone was still quite foreign to her. She saved the secret-telling for her weekly therapy sessions with Mr. Xavier. They were hit or miss- sometimes she left feeling like she could tackle the world, other times she left and couldn't even bear looking at other people. But she still showed up faithfully every Wednesday, doing her best to tackle her trauma.

All in all, she was truly starting to enjoy the school. Every day meant a new challenge, something new she could learn, or improve upon. She was really going to have to thank her grandmother for coercing her into attending.

Kijani headed down to breakfast, nose in a book full of Chinese literature in the original language. She was getting to be quite the polyglot. It came in handy, and was quite fun- especially when she got upset and started to swear colorfully in multiple languages. Today she was going heavy on the proteins, expecting a physical workout at some point during the day. She headed toward the tables with a plate loaded with eggs and sausage, the book hovering obediently at eye level.