[center][color=9e0039][h1]Angélique's Week[/h1] [h2]Part 1[/h2][/color][/center] [hider=Monday, September 7th] [hider=Chapter I: Bonding Through Hardships] [center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Fb1UXSA.png[/img] | [img] http://i68.tinypic.com/mhf02b.jpg [/img] [h1][color=9e0039]Angélique[/color] | [color=a187be]Allison[/color][/h1] [color=silver][hr] 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝕊𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕆𝕦𝕥𝕡𝕠𝕤/ / ~𝟙𝟡𝟘𝟘 [hr][/color] [sub]Collab by [@Riffus Maximus] [@Varionus NW][/sub] [/center] Ah, the cracks began to appear on his mask. Seeing Fredric trying to maintain his calm and composed smile, Angélique somewhat enjoyed hearing the guy speak with a tone that betrayed his cool attitude. And that scowl by the end of his speech was the cherry on top of the cake. Sure, she was irritated by his words, calling her 'immature' and 'pampered', but she didn't want to say any more than needed. She didn't need to prove he was right. She knew more than anyone else how hard she worked to get where she had been. She wasn't born with a silver spoon in her hand, and she endured more than her fair share of stress and difficulties. Calling her 'pampered' just showed how much he didn't really know about her, how wrong it was to assume she was yet just another rich and sassy star. Granted, she was rebellious and somewhat immature, but it had always been in her nature to be as open and honest as she could be. Even now, Angélique could remember the words spoken by her manager: [i]"There's a thin line between lacking maturity and being emotionally open. For the sake of your public image, don't cross that line. You can freely express your opinions and your feelings to the world, but do it so with a cool head. You are, after all, someone trying to represent a change of mentality in these dark times. Nobody will want to hear the words of a child throwing a tantrum whenever something isn't to her liking."[/i] And yet there she was, throwing those teachings away. For what reason? She couldn't exactly tell. Maybe after all those years holding back for the sake of maintaining a decent public opinion, she decided to cast it all away now that she had nothing left to cling on. What good would holding it in do anymore? To become someone like Fredric? Just for once, Angel would've liked to see the man lose his calm, to show to everyone he actually was compassionate to his fellow Mages, demonstrate he still had that humanity that bonds humankind together when faced with disasters. Moments later, the room was vacated. Everyone had been escorted to their respective buildings. A strange occurrence had happened on the way though. Screaming and alarms ringing in the air. Whatever was happening there, Angel couldn’t see anything but Rosa pushing through the swarm of guards that circled an area. Hopefully one of her classmates didn't do anything stupid that would warrant a trip to the hospital, again. Soon enough, after hearing someone crying, the distinct voice of Fredric barking out orders to get the students back to their dorms sounded a bit like music to the singer’s ears. Ah, just how enjoyable was it to hear this stupid calm voice of his turning this way. When they had reached the Aberration dorms, Angel seek out her dorm neighbor. When she saw the brunette’s face relatively unscathed, aside from a few specks of blood and dirt, the raven-haired Mage sighed in relief. She quickly made her way through to meet Allison. [color=9e0039]"Thank god we have someone like Christmas around! Are you alright, Alice?"[/color] the young Canadian woman said with a concerned look on her face, her hands reaching out for the girl's shoulders and her concealed eyes scanning her face for any sign of leftover wound or scar. [color=a187be]"Yea, I'm fine."[/color] Allison raised her hand to her eye as she spoke, tenderly touching the flesh around it, as if the wound could reappear at any moment. Once they were able to leave the observation room, Allison had moved as fast as she could back to the dorms. She hadn't expected Angel to come after her, but she was somewhat thankful to have someone to talk to. [color=a187be]"You did great out there."[/color] Allison forced a smile. [color=9e0039]"Ah... uh... thanks. I admit, taking down a Dragon was kind of cool. But... I let my team down afterwards. Shouldn't have taken this risk."[/color] Angel scratched the bandages around her shoulders, a ghostly itching from remembering Chris' claws digging into her skin. There was an awkward pause after Angélique finished speaking. She wanted to return the compliment, but the battle went downhill so fast, there wasn't really much to congratulate about the whole ordeal, except being alive. Even then, if it wasn't for Christmas, Allison probably would've died from the blood loss of this grievous injury. [color=9e0039]"So, feeling hungry? I don't know for you, but it feels like I haven't eaten for a day."[/color] [color=a187be]"Now that you mention it... Yea, I guess I could use something to eat."[/color] After the chaos of the game, it was sort of odd for Allison to notice something that seemed so trivial in comparison. Allison welcomed that triviality, it would hopefully keep her mind on something a bit better than the world around her. There was another awkward pause and Allison hesitated to fill the silence. Something deep down was yelling at her to say something, to tell Angel how much she appreciated talking to her, how great she was, and a myriad of other compliments that she was sure would seem odd, considering how little Allison and Angel had really interacted, and how little they knew about each other. Allison awkwardly motioned for Angel to lead the way. [color=a187be]"You know, we don't really know much about each other, do we?"[/color] Angel nodded affirmatively as she took the lead forward, heading to the cafeteria area. [color=9e0039]"Yes, you're right. I suppose things have been going so fast since our arrival, we barely even have time to stop and get to know everyone."[/color] Indeed. So far, every people she met was by pure coincidence. She interacted with a few of her classmates already, but never really did get to know them at all. It felt just like back in school. At first, one would meet their future friends as they get paired into group projects, then if everything went well, those partners would discover similar passions they share, then would become friends over time. As cruel as this 'school' was, could it be the staff had this kind of plan all along? A tight-knit group of Subnaturals who get along well with each-other surely was more efficient than simply throwing random Subnaturals together against monsters? [color=9e0039]"I'm sure we'll have plenty more chances to catch up. I mean, I'd like to know more about you. You seem to be a likeable quiet person. Maybe it was fate that brought me to cry on your shoulder that night."[/color] Angel chuckled in slight embarrassment. Oh, just how much of a mess she must've looked like that night. Hardly the best of first impressions, she had to admit. [color=a187be]"Yea"[/color] Allison said with a slight chuckle. That night was an odd one, witnessing the deaths of strangers, and then hugging and crying with a stranger over it later. Allison doubted she would be able to forget it, not just for the sight of someone crumpling lifelessly to the floor in front of her, but for how captivating and odd Angel was. The girl who would cry into a stranger's shoulder, and befriend a complete nobody. [color=a187be]"Huh, I don't think I've ever been called quiet before."[/color] Allison smiled. [color=a187be]"And if there's anything you want to know about me, ask any time."[/color] [color=9e0039]"Sure!"[/color] Angel smiled cheerfully in turn. [color=silver][hr][/color] Before they knew it, the Aberration neighbors reached the cafeteria and settled down with their plates of food somewhere not too crowded in the dining hall. Feeling particularly hungry after that much action, Angélique had chosen two slices of juicy steaks, accompanied with a large portion of steam-cooked vegetables. [color=9e0039]"So, did you think about what you'll be doing here, how to use your free week?"[/color] the raven-haired young woman asked after finishing her bite. [color=a187be]"No, not really. Haven't had the time to think about it, I guess. Any idea what you'll be doing?"[/color] Allison shoveled a forkful of rice and chicken into her face as soon as she finished her question. [color=9e0039]"I don't really know either. I've started a routine of morning jogging recently. I might stick to that. Maybe visit the gym afterwards, while I'm still warmed up from jogging? I guess trying to figure out what I can and can't do with my power would be something good to do. I'm still very new to the whole Mage deal, and I haven't got the time since... my awakening... to test how exactly it works."[/color] Angel spoke reluctantly when she came down to the 'awakening' part. Ever since the incident, she barely had the time to stop and think about all this. She was just shoved from one place to another until she arrived at USARILN. [color=9e0039]"Figuring out I might as well try and occupy my thoughts at something. The less I think about this place, the better."[/color] Angélique finished before cutting another slice of meat and shoving it in her mouth. [color=a187be]"That sounds pretty good. Maybe I'll join you for a morning jog or two, if you'll have me, of course."[/color] Allison shoveled more food into her mouth before continuing. [color=a187be]" Other than that, though, hmm... I could get back in to some old hobbies, I could probably find a guitar if I looked around..."[/color] Allison trailed off, her voice quieting to a low mutter as she thought aloud. [color=9e0039]"I'll be glad to."[/color] Angel answered to Allison's proposal. At the mention of her friend thinking aloud about playing guitar being a hobby, the raven-haired musician's eyes beamed with joy. [color=9e0039]"You play the guitar too? Girl, you're just, like, totally awesome!"[/color] Angel giggled excitedly at the possibility of having someone else to play music with. [color=9e0039]"I've bought one when we went on our shopping trip last time. Well, actually, Siena did when she saw me eyeing that limited edition Gibson electric and acoustic guitar hybrid model that just came out this summer. I'm telling you girl, the sound that comes from this thing is exquisite. I still can't believe Siena just gifted it to me as if it was a cheap toy. That guitar is super expensive. Like, totally what the most renowned guitarists can afford."[/color] The sonic Mage explained with an unusual brightness in her cheerful emerald eyes that could be seen from the cracks in her shades. [color=9e0039]"If you feel like it, why not come into my room and give it a try? I'm eager to hear what you play."[/color] [color=a187be]"No, no!"[/color] Allison waved her hands in protest, forcing down a bite of food. [color=a187be]"I barely know anything, and I haven't practiced in a long time."[/color] It had been over a year since Allison had even touched the instrument, and she hadn't been taught much at the time. Allison couldn't recall Tommy ever being a good teacher. Although it came a bit as a downer, Angélique's will remained undeterred towards a potential musician friend. Even though Allison might be a novice, it would be fun to have someone to play with in the future. Who knows, maybe they could even be a duo, playing in class. [color=9e0039]"Well, knowing we're going to be stuck in here for a while, now does seem to be a good time to learn more and get back into it."[/color] Angel chuckled slightly, realizing she was just repeating what the girl in front of her just said. [color=9e0039]"Maybe I could help you get back into it? Have a few evening lessons? I mean, if you want to. That could be pretty fun."[/color] Allison's face lit up at the suggestion. Allison wasn't going to turn down hanging out with Angel, especially when it would give her a chance to get back into playing the guitar and possibly learn more about her friend. [color=a187be]"That sounds great! I guess you're some sort of guitar expert, or something then?"[/color] Allison joked. Midway from cutting what was left of her meal, Angel's silverware trailed off on the plate, letting out an unpleasant screech. As much as the fallen singer tried to keep a low profile on her identity here on the campus, it would seem her outgoing personality did quite the opposite. Already, she was giving out hints of her musical career. First to Brent, now to Allison. Soon, the whole campus would know if this was keeping up like this. The thought of having nosy Mages ask about her and the accident in Montréal was making her more than nervous. Angel chuckled nervously to her friend's joke. [color=9e0039]"M-maybe something like that?"[/color] Angel's response seemed slightly off, but Allison didn't dwell on it. It was nice to know that they shared an interest, even if one of them was just a novice at it. The two of them sat in awkward silence for a moment, Allison picking at the remnants of her food. [color=a187be]"So,"[/color] Allison said, diverting the conversation. [color=a187be]"Anything you want to know about me?"[/color] Nearly finishing up with her vegetables, Angel rose her head up in surprise. That discussion had just way too many awkward silences. Was she pushing too hard in trying to be friend with Allison? She wanted to know a bit more about the girl, but the raven-haired Aberration didn't want to make the brunette feel uncomfortable. [color=9e0039]"Well... hm,... What were you doing before coming here? I mean, were you working as a model or something?"[/color] Bad. This kind of talk was just asking for Allison to return the question right back at Angel. She wasn't ready to tell her she had been a popular singer and guitarist before she ended up killing people with her powers. She had to find something else to ask about, [color=9e0039]"No wait! That's too personal. Probably not something you'd want to discuss right now. How about the things you like? The hobbies you were speaking of earlier?"[/color] Allison prepared to think on Angel's first question, and she blushed slightly at the question of if she worked as a model, but was somewhat relived when Angel changed her mind. Allison was fine with Angel thinking she was a model before coming here, it sure beat the truth. [color=a187be]"My hobbies, huh?"[/color] Allison leaned her head on her hand, resting her elbow on the table as she contemplated. "Well, I guess it's more like a bunch of things I did a few times before moving onto the next, especially when I was a kid." Her face fell into a frown for a moment with the thought of her childhood. [color=a187be]"I was really into painting for a few years, to the point where my parents had hung up my terrible work on the walls."[/color] Her expression rose into a half-hearted smile. [color=a187be]" After that I was obsessed with writing. I don't do that much anymore, but certainly more than painting."[/color] She let out a slight chuckle. [color=a187be]" My biggest 'hobby' though? Probably dating. Don't know if there was a time in teens when I wasn't dating."[/color] She joked, though immediately contorted into surprise at what she just said, and she swiftly tried to change the subject [color=a187be]"Anyway... anything else you want to know?"[/color] Dating? That was an unusual kind of hobby. Was Allison the type of girl to swing from one guy to another? Well, she does have the looks to get the boys swooning at her feet. Angel wasn't sure what to think of that, but seeing just how Allison was quick to change the subject, the black-haired songstress wouldn't dig any deeper into the subject. Angel pondered over what else there would be to ask about Allison. The more their talk went on, the more it felt like an interview, something Angel had been quite familiar with. [color=9e0039]"You said you learned a bit about playing guitar. What kind of music do you like? What genre made you want to pick up an instrument and play?"[/color] [color=a187be]"I guess I like a bit of everything? I've not got much of a preference. I don't think I was really inspired by a genre. More that it seemed like fun, and I had nothing but time to fill. I guess it helped that my girlfriend at the time was a bit obsessed with the guitar."[/color] Allison let old memories flow through her head for a moment, before realizing what she had said. She kept calm, her face relaxed, though she hoped that Angel wouldn't pry much on that aspect. It took Angelique a bit by surprise to hear Allison had been going out with a girl before, but she looked overall unfazed by the sudden statement. After all, the now-infamous rockstar went to many places and met all kinds of people. In this day and age, homosexuality isn't as frowned upon as in the old days. Angel had her fair share of female fans flirting with her. Not that it bothered her much though, but having a relationship while traveling overseas was a bad idea at the time. Still, the obsidian-haired Mage respected those people for being so open about their sexuality despite all the nay say. Realizing Allison was being this much honest, Angel did feel a bit ashamed to try and hide a lot of herself from her friend. [color=9e0039]"I see. I've been pretty much like that when I was younger. My parents were big music fans, of all genres. I suppose I got their love of music passed down on me." The musician chuckled slightly. "I started out listening, playing and singing about everything I liked. But then my tastes turned out to be a bit more specific as I grew older. Now? I like rock - both modern and classic - metal and a bit of blues and country from time to time."[/color] Angel explained with obvious passion about her musical preferences. Through the cracked lens of her shades, a small glint was shining brightly into her vivid green eyes. Allison listened intently to her friend speak, absorbed by the obvious love she had for the topic. The brunette was almost envious of Angel's passion for music, being so easily absorbed in something. Allison liked music, sure, but not even close to the level that Angel did. Music clearly played a big part in her life, and the joy that seeped out from the girl seemed to crawl across the table and infect Allison a bit. [color=a187be]"Classic rock... That's what my dad used to listen to. And when I say classic, I mean CLASSIC. He wouldn't listen to anything from after the 1980s. He would blare the stuff for hours on end while he worked, to the point where I would bang on the door to his studio until he turned it down."[/color] Allison giggled slightly as she spoke. [color=a187be]"Often, I would wake up to find that I had fallen asleep at the door."[/color] It was a ridiculous set of memories, but some of the few truly fond ones of her father. [color=a187be]"He was an odd man, my father. To this day I still don't know whether I love or hate classic rock."[/color] Her face glistened with fondness, her eyes glowing with nostalgia. [color=a187be]"I guess we're kind of opposites, then? You grew up listening to everything, but ended up liking mostly one genre. I grew up listening to one, and grew to like everything. An interesting coincidence."[/color] In turn, as Allison spoke a bit of her past, Angélique was captivated by the tale. It did sounded like her parents alright. It was fun to have someone... she could relate to? Opposites in style they may be, but that's probably the reason Angel grew ever more interested in knowing about the other Aberration in front of her, this room neighbor of hers. Seeing Allison's face radiating of nostalgic fondness, the young singing woman couldn't help but keep on smiling cheerfully. [color=9e0039]"Tell me about it! I remember my parents always playing the same damn saxophone song all evening long until I fell asleep. The Moment, from Kenny G, I believe it was called? It was something quite soothing to hear. Sometimes I wish I learnt to play the sax just so I could make a cover of this song.[/color]" Angélique paused, giggling to herself from just how close those days seemed to be. And yet, they were from a long time ago, a time Angel didn't think her parents were simply just using her for fame and money. Reflecting upon Allison's words, it was indeed an interesting coincidence. Or was it? [color=9e0039]"Yes... it is. Perhaps not. Who knows? Do you think Dreamcatcher, or whatever gave us these powers, had a plan in mind?"[/color] Allison smiled at Angel's story, and was immediately thrown into thought at her question. Was it all fate, Dreamcatcher hatching some great scheme by giving people powers, by unleashing monsters upon the world, by allowing such a chaotic world to exist? If Dreamcatcher really did have a plan with all of it, it wasn't a great one, at least not for those suffering because of it. Maybe it was better to think that there was no plan, no great design, to allow some faith in Dreamcatcher to remain, rather than solidifying the being as truly and wholly malevolent. Though, if Dreamcatcher really did have a plan with all of this chaos, what could it be? What could justify the suffering and deaths of millions? Was the suffering itself the plan, was Dreamcatcher out to watch man suffer? And what of the nature of the powers? Why were they gained in the way that the were, a single choice determining everything about your curse of an ability. Why did people gain the abilities that they did? Why could Allison summon the shard, why could Angel scream death, why could Chris become a dragon, and Zoe rot flesh? Was it for some greater purpose? Some divine accident out of Dreamcatcher's hands? Were they all just part of some sick game? Allison only had one answer. [color=a187be]"I don't know."[/color] The truth was beyond all of them, as to the nature of the situation. [color=a187be]"We can speculate on the idea of a great plan, on the idea of a grand fate, but it doesn't change that we don't know. It all depends on the nature of Dreamcatcher, I guess."[/color] Allison sat in silence for a moment, sipping from a glass of water. [color=a187be]"Angel,"[/color] She said, most of the previous warmth drained from her contemplative tone. "[color=a187be]Do you believe in good and evil?"[/color] Angel slid her plate aside as she was hearing out Allison's answer, setting her chin onto the back of her two hands. It was strange, to have shifted from memories of the past to speculations of an uncertain future. It had caught the singer by surprise to see her friend becoming so serious all of a sudden. She could feel a chill run down her spine as her name was called, and by the question that followed. The raven-haired X-marked remained silent for a bit, pondering over the question. [color=9e0039]"I don't know for certain, but I believe not everything is black and white. Deeds of kindness against acts of villainy. In the end, those are choices, mostly for one's own benefits or satisfaction. No, I don't think I believe in those concepts."[/color] Angélique paused, taking off her damaged shades and looking at the shadowy reflection of herself into the smoky lenses. Choices. That's what had made her who she was today. Could she say she was evil for having taken the wrong path and becoming an Aberration? Of course not. Beyond the desire to destroy , she had an ulterior motive to the destruction, some noble purpose she tried to convince herself of. [color=9e0039]"Why this question all of a sudden? What do you think about it?"[/color] [color=a187be]"It's just... It's the sort of thing I've been asking myself for a while. Why do people act as they do? What motivates them? What are they working towards? It always comes back to the question of good and evil. I want so badly to believe that there is an ultimate good, that truly good people exist, but..."[/color] Allison paused, staring at the glass of water. She suddenly placed the glass down, shaking her head. [color=a187be]"Sorry, I got carried away there, ruined the mood."[/color] She stared down at the empty plate before her. Angel had quickly stumbled back into a less relaxed state when Allison seemingly loss herself into fervently speaking out her beliefs. In a sense, the ex-musician could understand what the brunette was saying. Who wouldn't wish for an existing greater good? It was an utopic belief, but that was something Angel believed people tried so hard to strive for, for their own moral satisfaction. [color=9e0039]"Please, don't be. It's my fault for having brought up some philosophical discussion to our friendly talk."[/color] Angel looked at Allison, seeing only but a blurred visage with her now-dark forest green eyes before she realized she still had her shades in hands. There was yet another silence that fell onto the two Aberration girls' discussion. After downing her glass of grape juice, the black-haired singer put back her shades in place and coughed slightly. [color=9e0039]"You must be tired, after what you been through today. How about returning to the dorms, to relax?"[/color] [color=a187be]"Sure. No reason to stay in the cafeteria, at least."[/color] Allison said, getting up from her seat. She looked down at her bare feet, still mourning the loss of her shoes. She would need to get those replaced in the morning. Agreeing, Angel nodded and left her tray onto the table. Clerks would just clean that up, right? [color=silver][hr][/color] Soon enough, the two girls would find themselves on the third floor of the Aberration dorms, in-between the two doors that were Allison's and Angel's rooms. [color=9e0039]"So, uh, do you want to call it a night? Or perhaps... we could hang out for a bit in my room, play a little bit of music while it's not too late?"[/color] [color=a187be]"That..."[/color] Allison hesitated for a moment. Half of Allison wanted to run back to her room and scream into a pillow, her emotions churning after the conversation, but the other half didn't want to pass up more time with Angel. [color=a187be]"... Sure, hanging out sounds good."[/color] The brunette followed Angel into her room. For a part of the evening, both girls quietly enjoyed the sound of the guitar playing from the expert hands of the raven-haired musician and a few passable parts from the brunette novice. Most of the discussions the two were having was about how to properly play one part, how to chain certain notes together, finger placements and other small pieces of advices Angélique shared with glee to her friend. After both enjoyed this enchanting musical session, Angel had placed her guitar back into its expensive case and escorted Allison back into the hallway. [color=9e0039]"Thanks for keeping me company tonight. I... needed that, after what happened today. It was fun. we should do that more often, if you enjoyed yourself too."[/color] [color=a187be]"Definitely. Haven't had that much fun in a long time. Thank you."[/color] Allison smiled, looking at her friend, who's expression undoubtedly matched her own. She let silence take over for a moment, that night seemed to be full of moments like that, though this one much more happy than the previous. Allison felt her thoughts creeping up from the back of her mind, she had been holding herself back all night, her stigma gradually returning in strength over time, at least she assumed it was her stigma. She let that silence hang, fighting with herself over what to do. Just turning around and walking away wasn't an option. Allison leaned in to hug her friend. Just as if it was a natural thing to do between friends, Angel reached out for the girl with open arms, embracing her softly. After taking this blissful moment of silence in each other's warmth, Angélique gave a delicate pat on her friend's back. [color=9e0039]"If there's anything bothering you, or just want to talk, my door is always open for you."[/color] Angel whispered, not wanting to break the silence as she was enthralled by how quiet this cherished moment was. Allison savored that moment for as long as she could, taking in every aspect of it. The quiet air, the warmth pressed against her, and the overwhelming happiness of the moment, it almost drowned out the depressing state of their situation. If only that moment could last forever. [color=a187be]"Thank you."[/color] Allison whispered, before letting go. [color=a187be]"Goodnight."[/color] Allison walked back to her room, the warmth of the hug still clinging to her as she opened the door. Normal friends didn't hug sentimentally the first few times they hang out, Allison was sure of that. She was happy for that lack of normalcy though, she needed it just as much as she needed the mundane conversation. Though, Allison also needed sleep, which hit her with a wave of tiredness as soon she flopped onto her bed, leaving that night as a memory. [color=9e0039]"Good night"[/color] Angélique replied in kind as she looked back at her friend going back to her room. For a few minutes, Angel stood there, pensive, before going back into her room. Looking at the clock on her phone, it was getting late, although there was still time before the curfew. There were things Angel wanted to do before heading off to sleep. [/hider] [hider=Chapter II: Requests] [center][color=9e0039] [h1] 𝒜𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓆𝓊𝑒 𝐿𝒶𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 [/h1] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Fb1UXSA.png[/img] [/color] [color=silver][hr][center][color=silver]𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕦𝕤 / / 𝟚𝟙𝟘𝟘 [/color][/center][hr][/color][/center] [color=9e0039][i]About time this day’s over…[/i][/color] By now, the aching in her body and the pain were all but gone. Inside her room, the black-haired young woman had removed the bloodied bandages wrapped around her shoulders to reveal smooth but dirtied skin, revealing nothing really out of the ordinary from her body, as if nothing ever happened in the first place. Truly, the healing powers of some of her classmates truly were astonishing. Remembering about the injuries she sustained today, she still hasn’t properly thanked Christmas for bringing her and the others back into shape. Angel took a mental note of thanking him the next time the cross each other. Removing the now lukewarm compresses from her sides, the screamer Mage figured that most of this probably would have been avoided if she had been smart like Brent had been and requested protective like her fellow classmate did. Thankfully, her newly purchased clothes were still intact, if only a bit dirtied from today’s events. However, the same could not be said of her shades, which got damaged from being thrown off her face so often. With a crack in the left lens and the mount askew, they were barely functional now. With that much in mind, Angel left her room to head towards the registrar’s office. Once, again, she was greeted by the same office lady who had taken care of her previous request forms and the letters she had sent to the other members of Green Team. Acknowledging the Subnatural’s presence in front of her desk, the woman raised her head from her paperwork. [color=f7976a]“What would you require today?”[/color] [color=9e0039]“I need to request more gear. Got any more of those papers they gave us?”[/color] Without a word, the office lady opened a drawer next to her, browsing for a few seconds before retrieving a document and handing it to the raven-haired young woman. [color=f7976a]“Bring it back whenever you are done if you want to get your request over earl-“[/color] The secretary cut herself off when Angélique leaned over the desk and grabbed a pen from her metal case. She apparently tried her best to look unfazed by this display of rudeness. She silently watched as the X-marked on the other side of her desk swiftly filled out the request form and handed it back to the registrar staff woman. Looking over what had been requested, she looked towards the late teenager. [color=f7976a]“For the first part of your request, you can expect it to be delivered to your room tomorrow. As for the second part, I can only point you towards the campus’ hospital. We do have an optometrist available, so you’d have to go there and get yourself an appointment. Lastly, expect your last request to be delivered by the end of the week.”[/color] [color=9e0039]“Very well. Thanks.”[/color] Angel nodded and left the registrar’s office. It was getting late, but surely the hospital staff was still around? From what it looked like the first time she was brought in there, infirmaries looked busy at all time. Without hesitating much, the Aberration’s feet brought her to the hospital secretary’s office, located at the entrance of the institute. A blond woman dressed formally for office work simply stood there, looking bored as ever as she watched the mural clock ticking. [color=9e0039]“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”[/color] The secretary almost jumped from her wheeled chair in surprise, spinning it around to face the X-marked that had arrived in front of her desk. [color=f7976a]“No no! I… was just taking a break! Is there something I can help you with?”[/color] [color=9e0039]“Yes, actually. I’ve heard this hospital has an optometrist. I’d like an appointment with them, as soon as possible.”[/color] Angélique emphasized much on the urgency as she took her shades off her face and deposited them on the desk, right in front of the secretary. At first, the blond woman was about to point out that this was no fashion store, until she noticed something peculiar about the sunglasses during her inspection. [color=f7976a]“I see… Well Dr. Spencer isn’t available for the rest of the day. I can however set up an appointment for…”[/color] The hospital office young lady trailed off as she searched through her personnel directory. [color=f7976a]“Tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Would you like to meet him for an eyes check-up at 1 PM tomorrow? ”[/color] [color=9e0039]“If it’s the earliest I can get, yeah.”[/color] [color=f7976a]“Good. Appointment at 1 PM for Dr. Spencer for ocular examination for Miss…?”[/color] [color=9e0039]“Angélique Lachance.”[/color] [color=f7976a]“Miss Lachance it is then. You are one of the newest arrivals, aren’t you? Heard Benediction came personally to heal your group after your first mission. Is he as impressive as the rumors tell?”[/color] Angel sighed and simply turned around after ushering a faint [color=9e0039]“Thanks.”[/color] She wasn’t interested talking about Benedick. She got what she came for, no point in staying around any further. Hospitals were places she’d rather keep her presence short anyways. [/hider] [hider=Chapter III: Taming the Dragon] [center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Fb1UXSA.png[/img] | [img]http://i68.tinypic.com/es3ewn.png[/img] [h1][color=9e0039]Angélique[/color] | [color=red]Christopher[/color][/h1] [color=silver][hr]𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝔸𝕣𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔻𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕤 / / 𝟚𝟙𝟛𝟘 [hr][/color] [sub]Collab by [@Riffus Maximus] [@dragonmancer][/sub] [/center] It had been a long and exhausting day, mentally and physically. Angélique couldn’t, or rather wouldn’t want to remember the last time she attended a full day of classes, not to mention the grueling team battle simulation they went through just about a few hours earlier. Although her body and spirit yearned for some deserved rest at this late hour in the evening, Angel’s mind was still restless, thinking over the discussion she had with Fredric earlier today. His smug smile and his attitude was still getting under her skin, even more so than the blatant refusal of answering her questions about Aaron’s whereabouts. He didn’t attend any of today’s first classes, and he didn’t show up at the ‘game’ either. Hell, she didn’t even see the brown-haired boy at all throughout the day, which was even stranger considering the past few days they always crossed path and he always asked her if they could hang around. This whole situation reeked, and despite the tall overseer’s warning, she needed answers. About an hour before curfew, a time when Subnaturals where pretty much all back into their dorms, Angel’s footsteps led her to the Arbiter dorms, in front of suite 225. Thankfully, everyone’s room and suite numbers were written on the papers she had received this morning, because she was no good with numbers and had forgotten about everyone’s room numbers that she had learnt a few days ago after the shopping trip. But she remembered well Aaron telling her about his roommates, having been Alexis and Chris. While she really didn’t want to talk to the white-haired young man after what had happened this afternoon, Angélique was willing to put her grudge aside for this situation. Right now, Christopher was the only viable source of information who may have actually seen Aaron for the last time. Perhaps he didn’t know anything, but he was the only lead she had so far. Knocking on the door thrice, the black-haired X-marked hoped both Chris and his new roommate were not asleep at this time and would be able to hear her outside. Last thing she wanted before going to her room for the curfew was to spend an hour in front of an unresponsive door. Chris opened the door slowly, his pale arm was the first thing that was visable from within the room, then later his face had partially come into view. A blue eye had focused its gaze on Angelique's. [color=red]"Yes?"[/color]He asked, though it resembled his typical standoffish tone, there was a hint of shaking within his voice. Angel wasn't sure if she had caught Chris at a bad time, considering how... shaky he sounded? Still, she needed answers tonight. [color=9e0039]"I was wondering if you had seen Aaron today. He didn't show up in class, neither did he at the 'game'. Hell, I didn't even see him at all all throughout the day. You're his roomate, right? Surely you must know something."[/color] the Aberration girl's voice seemed insistant, as if she was at wit's end, Chris's face turned utterly white. His stubborn persona shattered which revealed a look of unresting concern and terror. The bags under his eyes had become more noticable. [color=red]"N-no he was just..here one night, but he wasn't here the following morning." [/color]Chris hesitated. [color=red]"If I recall the guards broke in to collect his stuff. I-I didn't ask or anything but..." [/color]His face turned even more grim. "F-first Alexis, then Aaron, and now Rain" There was another pause. [color=red]"Angelique, I..Am I next?"[/color] The raven-haired musician's expression had turned into a frown when she heard about what had happened this morning. So that's what all the commotion was about this morning. Just what were they hiding from everyone about Aaron's whereabouts? Her face however quickly changed to concern as she saw the usually cold and distant Christopher turning into a broken down mess by the disappearance of all of his roomates. Rain? Was that the name of the pink-haired androgynous person that had been sitting with Chris earlier today during the game? Were they the cause of the commotion earlier when they were about to leave Ground Zero? That would explain all the guards, Daisy crying her soul out and Fredric snapping at everyone to leave. Deciding it was not wise to push the matter any further, considering Chris' state, Angel tried to push aside the grudge she had against the silver-haired young man and put a comforting hand onto the shapeshifting Mage's shoulder. [color=9e0039]"Easy there. Relax. It surely must be some sick twist of fate or coincidence."[/color] Angel paused, mustering all the calm and comfort she wanted to inspire, despite her own growing restlessness. [color=9e0039]"As long as you don't do anything stupid in here, cooperate with the others should we go back in battle one day and stay strong, you're not going anywhere. You're one of the strongest people there is in our class."[/color] [color=9e0039]"You just need to remain calm and collected, like your usual self. Although we could make it without you being cold and pushing others away from you."[/color] Angelique chuckled sightly. [color=9e0039]"We don't need to be friends, but that doesn't mean we can't all get along and cooperate. We need to stay together, for everyone's sake."[/color] Chris had taken a moment to absorb the reassurance Angel provided. With a deep breathe, he replied; [color=red] "You're right.." [/color]He paused. [color=red] "I-I'm sorry for acting rude before." [/color] The realization had finally sunk into Chris. His previous strategy of pushing people away was damaging, the loneliness he now felt coupled with the death of his own roommates had caused him to feel terror. The same terror he felt the day he was cursed. It was Angel's reasoning that broke the camel's back. He wanted to survive. [color=red]"I'm done running."[/color] He muttered under his breathe. [color=red] "I won't push you guys away any more."[/color] Chris returned a determined look to Angelique. [color=red]"With that out of the way, is there anything else I can help you with?" [/color] Hearing Chris get back into the right track of mind, Angélique offered a heartfelt smile at the shapeshifting Mage. She was glad he opened himself up like this, and accepted her advices in this way. This resolution, that's what they all needed to survive here, after all. Returning back to the matter for which she came for in the first place, her facial traits turned more a more serious expression, however hinting a softness that wasn't present when she had knocked on Chris' door. [color=9e0039]"Well, you've said they took Aaron's stuff this morning? So something must've happened overnight. Wasn't he in your room that night? Or maybe you know where he went last time you saw him?"[/color] Chris thought for a moment. [color=red]"The memory is a bit fuzzy, he may have left the room by himself that night but I wasn't paying attention, to be honest."[/color] He shrugged. [color=red]"I don't have a clue where he'd go, but I have a hunch he may have tried to escape or something...You asked around with the guards n shit right?" [/color] Angel remained silent, looking pensive. Aaron didn't strike her as someone who would try to escape just like that. The brown-haired boy was level-headed. There's no way he would've just tried to escape with his level of power and all the restrictions put on the students. This hypothesis brought back in mind the conversation she had managed to spark on the Death and Taxes chatroom. The theory that he would've managed to escape had been suggested there as well. And there was this Hector person who seemed to know about something, despite the warning that he liked to rile things up. [color=9e0039]"I directly asked Fredric about it. I had no luck with him. Dickhead just wouldn't want to spill the beans. He knows. They know. But they don't want to say anything about it."[/color] Chris shook his head. [color=red]"Well regardless of what happened to him, I don't think he'll be coming back." [/color]He had another pause, it was hard to muster those words.[color=red] "Still, whatever happened it happened because he wandered off on his own for whatever reason." [/color] [color=9e0039]"Still... that's a classmate we are talking about. Just how many disappearances will it take before we stand up to ourselves and act? I'll admit, we're far from being able to fend off for ourselves. Hell, even the Precursors can't escape from their grasp..."[/color] Angel trailed off, realizing her anger against this place was getting the best over her judgement. She should stop, before saying and doing things that she'd regret, end up disappearing like many did already. [color=9e0039]"Sorry... I'm just tired of all this shit. Seeing people disappear one after the other, wondering, like you did earlier, when will it be my turn. The stress of waking up one day and going to battle against monsters we are unprepared for, seeing more people die."[/color] After a pause, Angel realized how much of a downer she was becoming. She just managed to somehow get Chris back up on his moral feet, it would be pointless to have done so if she just started showing weakness into her own resolve. [color=9e0039]"I should go. It's getting late, and I believe I'm not thinking clearly things through."[/color] the Aberration turned, looking somewhat sour. After taking a few steps forward, she stopped in her tracks. [color=9e0039]"Having this talk doesn't make us friends."[/color] She spoke with an exaggerating attempt at imitating Chris during the dinner Angel made for Green Team. [color=9e0039]"If you ever want to talk about something, or get something off your system, my door is open to anyone."[/color] the girl gave a faint hint of a smile before walking away from Christopher's room. Chris understood her worry, but had said nothing more to add to her fustration. However, when she imitated his words from before, the arbiter couldn't help but give a half-smile back to Angelique.[color=red] "Sure, sure, I don't mind being friends though." [/color] He spoke as she walked away. The conversation had lifted a burden Chris had been dragging. Her words had sunk into the fact that he can not continue to survive or be absolved of his sins if he lets himself rot away alone. He looked forward to the next time he'd seen her, while he had slowly closed the door. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Tuesday, September 8th] [hider=Chapter IV: Lose Yourself] [center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Fb1UXSA.png[/img] | [img]http://i68.tinypic.com/63x8xz.jpg[/img] | [img]http://i63.tinypic.com/2ijgg9d.jpg[/img] [h1][color=9e0039]Angélique[/color] | [color=00a99d]Ernest[/color] | [color=B0C4DE]Brent[/color][/h1] [color=silver][hr]𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟠, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕦𝕤 𝔾𝕪𝕞 / / 𝟙𝟘𝟛𝟘 [hr][/color] [sub]Collab by [@Riffus Maximus] [@banjoanjo] [@ERode][/sub] [/center] While it may have been a free day of class for everybody in Experimental Unit B, Angélique had intended to make use of the privilege she had been granted for having won the supposed game of Flag n' Seek. After what she went through yesterday afternoon, she realized that it would be best for her to use a whole week free of classes to train her body and understand her new powers better instead of sitting around uselessly mopping about how her life sucked. For the sake of the new friends she had made, her partners and classmates, and those who had died, she needed to become stronger, both mentally and physically, become someone everyone could rely on and look up to once more so that she could protect them. After taking a thirty minutes break from her jogging routine, Angélique headed towards the gym. While it may seemed quaint to delve into hand-to-hand combat training, considering they were up against monsters that could most likely shrug off such attacks, it had been an activity, like jogging, the raven haired- X-marked had grown fond of doing by force of habits. In the locker room, wrapping bandages around her feet and now bare feet, the young woman Mage remembered how she came to practice kickboxing. [i]It had all happened after one rough day at work. Back then, she had been about 15 years old, at the time she was just about starting giving shows and concerts. She had met her fair share of weirdos, but it never went as badly as that group of young adults who wanted to meet her backstage. She could remember the feeling of being cornered helplessly as they ganged up on her. Fortunately, the head of her security team had been searching for her, and found a crying Angel about to be assaulted by a group of teenagers-just-about-turning-up-adults. In a matter of a minute, the experienced bodyguard had kicked all of their asses in style just before calling the police and bringing the traumatized singer back into her room. [/i] After that incident, Angel had decided to learn about self-defense, so that anything of that sort would happen to herself, or anyone else for that matter. Since that time, her head of security personnel became a good friend and a mentor to her, until the time he had to resign from his position due to internal conflict with the band's management. She had always been grateful for his kindness, the patience to teach a completely newbie to the arts of kickboxing and his years of service in assuring her safety. Now that things had become rough for her again, maybe it was time to return to this old habit of hers. At the back of the gym, there were punching bags and dummies to practice on. Heading there, Angélique readied herself into a fighting stance, before launching vicious strikes at the bags. At first, her strikes seemed dulled by lack of practice, but as time went on, her punches and kicks showed their previous experience, becoming more methodical. It was always the same motion for a while: one punch followed by one kick, always aimed at the same point until it changed into a more complex series of punches and kicks. A mix of hard rock and metal-esque music filled the atmosphere in this part of the gym as the fighting initiate's phone was set up nearby to broadcast her playlist during her training. The gym was a lot fancier than anything West had ever offered. Guess students had to be in tip-top shape, with the constant monster attacks and all. Ernie had just gotten back from handing in his requisition form. [hider=Ernie's Requisitions] Ironing stuff. A nice iron for clothes, and a board. Or just one of those portable mats is fine too. Pencils, pens and all that. Mini fridge. Saw other people getting some. I want one too. New work boots. Leather, non-slip, steel-toed. Buy me a fancy one please. Rock-climbing equipment. Harnesses, carabiners, rope (lots of rope), belays (ascenders/descenders), ice axe. Grappling hook?? I copied all this down from a website so don't expect me to know how to use any of this, haha.[/hider] The office had been easy enough to find, thanks to the map he'd... acquired the day before. After that, he'd decided to explore the campus. If he was going to be living in this prison until a monster splashed his guts, he'd better get familiarized with it. After that mess of a first day, it seemed a good time as any to take a relaxing walk around the school. So he'd entered the building closest to his dorm, lured in by music reminiscent of the radio back in Reno. And wow, if he'd known who he was going to find in there, he would have prepared a speech or something. There was no doubt about her identity now, not like in the classroom yesterday. The video of the first game and a flip through the profile folder had confirmed it. Standing in the gym, expertly throttling a punching bag, was international rock star, Angelique Lachance. Ernie swallowed. Jesus crap, what was he gonna say? [color=00a99d]"Your punches look really cool!"[/color] he blurted. The black-haired girl stopped after delivered a high punch, interrupting her series as soon as she heard someone talking right behind her, amidst the loud music. She turned to her phone to shut pause the surrounding melodic noise to better hear the person standing next to her. When her head came to face the young man who was speaking to her, a slight frown was etched on Angel's face as she realized who her speaker was. It was the guy who had clubbed Allison to the face during the game yesterday. In all honesty, Angélique was still holding a grudge deep inside for having done that to her friend, as much as she tried to put it past them and blame it on the higher-ups for putting so much Aberrations in the same matchup. [color=9e0039]"Sorry, didn't hear you. You were saying?"[/color] Ernie froze up. Was she angry at him? Why was she frowning? Did she usually frown? Resting bitch face was a thing, right? Maybe she didn't like that he interrupted her training. He tried again. [color=00a99d]"Uh, I meant... Your kickboxing is really cool! I didn't know you knew how to do that."[/color] [color=9e0039]“Oh, it’s no biggie. Simply a hobby I picked up from a friend of mine. You know, helps with venting out pent up stress and keep troublesome idiots at bay. Well, not that it would matter against monsters, in our current situation, but who knows. Might come in handy someday. That and it also keeps me in shape.”[/color] Angélique replied openly, although leaving in the dark the real reason behind how she started taking kickboxing lessons from her so-called “friend”. Underneath her shades, her eyes analyzed her Aberration classmate. From the looks of it, he didn’t seem to be the kind of a guy to frequently train in the gym. [color=9e0039]“So, what brings you all the way here… Ernest, was it? Coming to train some more at targeting faces?”[/color] [color=00a99d]"Oh. Just call me Ernie, everyone does that,"[/color] he scratched his head and cringed at her last jab, [color=00a99d]"No, no more face smashings. That was a bad idea."[/color] Only because he got tazed for it. If he were in that same situation with the same amount of information at that time, he would've stabbed her in the gut instead. [color=00a99d]"I didn't really come here to train. I saw you in here and wanted to meet you."[/color] [color=9e0039]"I see..."[/color] Angel didn't really know what to reply to this. Sure, she was eager to meet her classmates and know a bit more about them. But right now, while she was training? It was hard for her to figure out what she could say in the middle of her things. Plus, it would be a lie to say she was looking forward to speak to a guy who bashed her friend's eyes voluntarily with a table leg. Sighing, the sweaty young woman grabbed a water bottle she left behind on a nearby bench and sat on the ground, back against the wall. She might as well take the time to speak to her classmate while taking a deserved break. [color=9e0039]"So, are you new around here? I don't think I saw you of the damned bus ride that led us here."[/color] [color=00a99d]"I only got here yesterday. Got transferred from West,"[/color] Ernie chuckled bitterly, [color=00a99d]"That was one heckuva first day for me."[/color] [color=9e0039]"Transferred from West? Hmm... that's interesting. You wouldn't have heard anything about a boy from our class being transferred to West, would you?"[/color] Ernie's answer made Angel remember someone suggesting the possibility that Aaron might've been transferred in place of a new transfer student. [color=00a99d]"I don't think East would be transferring anyone [i]out[/i]. We only got shipped here cos of a shortage, after all. West has way too many kids to call for a transfer, even if it's only one dude."[/color] Ernie walked around the nearest machines, idly examining the instruction plates. He recalled one person in the folder not being present during the games. [color=00a99d]"The boy from our class. Was it that Aaron guy?"[/color] Angélique once again sighed sadly. Was there really no clue as to where Aaron would've gone to, or what happened to him the night before yesterday? The more she tried to investigate, the more short-comings she was facing. It started to feel like a lost cause at some point. [color=9e0039]"Yeah... I can't seem to find him anywhere anymore. We used to bump into each other every day. Since yesterday, not even his roommate knows where he is. His stuff isn't even in his room anymore."[/color] He'd gotten a few days notice before his transfer. If Aaron was moved to Central or even West, people would have known about it. [color=9e0039]"His stuff got taken? That only happens for dead kids back at West. Not that many people are dumb enough to get themselves killed over there. But who knows? Maybe his powers were super strong and they took him to a top secret facility. For experiments and stuff."[/color] At the mention of the "being dead" part, Angel dropped her bottle of water, splashing the ground beneath her. No, it was impossible. How the hell would Aaron be killed without USARILN noticing it? Maybe they did it? No, that wasn't the case either. Aaron didn't seem to be the type of kid to just try and run away. He was a smart kid; he would've known trying to escape or get into troubles with the authority would have him end up in a terrible state. His powers weren't anything too special either. He was simply summoning clockwork machinery, hardly anything the higher-ups would lock the Arbiter for. The whispers inside Angélique's mind began tormenting her as they called out her friend a liar, a coward, a good-for-nothing, a meaningless piece of human trash, a worthless waste unfit to be worried for. Suffering this mental assault, the raven-haired Aberration clenched her teeth and kept repeating to herself. [color=9e0039]"No... this can't be. This isn't the truth. He's not like that."[/color] [color=00a99d]"Woah!"[/color] Ernie jumped back at the sound of Angelique's bottle hitting the ground. He scooped it up immediately and hurriedly made his way to the towel station. Refilled the bottle for good measure too. A towel was used to soak up the spilt liquid while the bottle was tentatively placed beside the singer, who he could only assume was going through some sort of breakdown. Because of him. Crap, he needed to learn to not be so casual about this 'serious' stuff. Ernie had to admit, he was a bit jealous of this Aaron character from getting so much attention from Angelique Lachance. But this wasn't the time for that. [color=00a99d]"Hey c'mon, it might not be that bad! I was just throwing theories around!"[/color] Ernie tried desperately to fix the situation. His brain wasn't offering any alternatives. Having his things taken from the room meant that the authorities at East weren't expecting him to come back. Maybe he needed to change the subject. Ernie pointed to his own X-mark. [color=00a99d]"Is your Stigma okay? You seem a bit..." High-strung. "...upset."[/color] The distressed-looking young woman, who could pass as a schizophrenic lass at this point, looked up to Ernest as he tried to explain himself, obviously just trying to reassure her. But even in those theories, there were truths, things that Angel would like to deny, but her logic mind and the incessant voices in her head tried to take them for granted possibilities. Her head tilted to the side as Ernie pointed out his own X mark. Truly, she had never truly thought much about it before. She had read about Stigma on the Death and Taxes archives, but for something like that to emerge from someone else's mouth was sort of confusing to the sonic wave-creating Mage; it confused her to be asked something like that all of a sudden. [color=9e0039]"I... don't know?"[/color] was all she managed to blurt out in her confused state of mind. [color=00a99d]"Uhh...um..."[/color] Ernie racked his brains furiously, searching for something to say. Reassuring distressed girls was definitely one of his worst skills, if his time at West was anything to go by. Was he supposed to pat her shoulder? Offer a drink? Amidst all the sudden panic, Ernie couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of disdain. Angel was supposed to be a modern-day goddess, an invincible rockstar. Seeing her suddenly so worked up over one guy, so unsure of even her Stigma... What a disappointment. [color=00a99d]"Maybe you should be spending more time at the Release Zone than the gym,"[/color] Ernie worked to keep the cheeriness in his voice. He coaxed her water bottle back into her hands. [color=00a99d]"Smashing windows always helps me loosen up."[/color] [color=9e0039]"Maybe..."[/color] Angel repeated after Ernest. Was it however all there was of it, however? Slowly regaining her composure after hearing out what her classmate was suggesting her, she couldn't help but feel anger directed at herself. Was it who she was doomed to become? Someone who needs to go vent at Ground Zero whenever she feels down by the whispers in her head? Someone too weak-willed to withstand her own issues and let down her classmates because of it? Looking over the mental breakdown she just showed in front of a classmate, a future potential teammate in the battles to come, she felt ashamed of herself. So much for trying to be the one people would look up to. She was instead being patronized by a guy who had smashed a friend's face without second thoughts. Feeling the bottle of water returning to her hands, Angel shook up her head and quickly stood back onto her two feet. [color=9e0039]"No... not maybe. You're wrong. Dead wrong. I don't need to fucking rely on such a place to kick myself back up. I just need to re-center myself, look back to my purpose."[/color] Her stance flared up with some sort of renewed confidence. If only that train of thoughts would apply every time she felt herself being dragged down by her Stigma, she wouldn't look so miserable half the time. Maybe it was her own embarrassment to show that side of her to others that allowed herself to try and look more like a leader. [color=9e0039]"I'm... sorry that you had to see this side of me. Sometimes, my Stigma, the never-ending whispers, are wearing me down. You should know, sharing this burden, however yours affect you."[/color] Angélique sincerely apologized, pointing at her mark. Ernie had been fucking ready to snap back at her with just as much fire. She thought she was better than the Stigma. In a way, it made Ernie feel like she was mocking him for all the ways his Stigma dictated his actions. It really pissed him off. Part of him wanted to yell back and mock her for failing to find Aaron. Part of him wanted to goad her on, see how long she could go before losing it and crawling all the way to Ground Zero. He wanted to see her fail, come face to face with every aspect of her weakness. But then she stood, and Ernie was reminded of all the reasons he'd admired her in the first place. That reassuring confidence. It was like seeing her on stage again. Ernie had only seen a few videos on the internet but those were nothing compared to her presence in real life. His alarm at the sudden switch of her mood didn't matter. Her sincerity blew away any venom in his words. While he didn't agree with her views on Stigmas, he could respect her confidence. [color=00a99d]"Um. Thanks. It's no problem, really. Us Aberrations gotta stick together, yeah? Gotta deal with the nonsense however we can."[/color] [color=9e0039]"Yes, right you are. Not only us Aberrations. Us Subnaturals... no, [i]Mages[/i], got to stick together. Whatever this shitty school, or even Dreamcatcher itself, throws at us, we've got to watch each others' back and endure."[/color] There were some hope in her words. Her days here might have been grim and dark for a few moments, but she had to remember the friends she had made here, those who also strived to protect. She wanted to be part of those people. Seeing Ernie agreeing with her mentality of sticking together made her see him in a new light. Perhaps he was simply misguided by pragmatism, but had a good soul? Who could blame him, living in a world such as theirs? Ernie raised an eyebrow at her comment. Arbiters too? Sure, there were some cool Arbs like Brent out there. But there was a clear difference between the two mage types. The Senators had shown him that quite clearly. So fine, whatever. Ernie would just smile and nod. He didn't want to have to explain himself after spouting his beliefs. [color=00a99d]"Yeah. Yeah, definitely."[/color] Nodding affirmatively, Angel walked back to a training dummy, throwing a few punches aimed at various areas of the dummy's torso, more precisely towards the heart, the lungs and the stomach. [color=9e0039]"How long have you been in USARILN West? You seem to know a lot."[/color] Angel asked in-between two series of punches. [color=00a99d]"Around seven months, I think. Got snagged in February."[/color] Ernie was content to just sit on the bench for now. His eyes went distant at the mention of his past. [color=00a99d]"You've only been here about a week, right? Like the others? The Montreal concert only happened recently, so I guess that makes sense."[/color] At the sudden mention of the concert that changed everything in her life, Angel suddenly stopped. Her last punch had landed on the dummy's throat and stood there, immobilized dead it its track. How the hell did he knew about that? Had news leaked into USARILN about this catastrophe? More importantly, Ernest had made the link between her name, her identity, and her popularity as a previously successful rockstar. And the most burning concern of hers, was he simply someone who had heard of her, or was he an actual fan? The memories of the incident came flooding back into her mind, just like how she sometimes have nightmares at night about the whole gruesome scene. Angélique's face reddened, her body quivered, her teeth were chattering. [color=9e0039]"I... Y-..."[/color] She tried to answer, to no avail. Her words were jammed in her throat from the intensity of the stress. Again, the whispers also came back full force, this time however insulting her with names like [i][color=f7976a]"murderer, butcher, psychopath"[/color][/i] and the likes. [color=B0C4DE]"Morning, Ernie, Angelic,"[/color] Brent called out from across the room, as if he had just noticed them. Wiping the sweat off a bench with a towel, the Arbiter smiled at the familiar faces, [i]ignored[/i] the mounting tension that the raven-haired x-girl was feeling and said, [color=B0C4DE]"How's it going? Didn't think you were the punch-y type and all." "And geez, Ernie, you planning on actually lifting, or are you just going to take up space?"[/color] He'd fucked up again. Ernie stiffened in his seat as he saw Angel visibly quiver. Fuck, why did he say that? He'd heard that the casualty count was alarming but he didn't think it'd be so severe to make her react like this. He made a mental note to never speak of the incident in front of her ever again. However, he couldn't help but feel the strange sense of delight from seeing the impact of just a few words. His Stigma felt better. But his conscience felt so much worse. This was one of his idols he accidentally triggered, after all. [color=00a99d]"Angelique, are you--"[/color] He started, but was thankfully cut off by Brent's arrival. Thank god. He mustered a cheeky grin. [color=00a99d]"Just exploring the school! Then I saw a classmate and wanted to chat. I'm not really a gym kind of guy."[/color] Though he should start soon, considering his performance in the game yesterday. Despite Brent’s arrival, Angélique was both blinded and deafened by her internal struggle. Her mind kept replaying the images of herself screaming a high-pitched note that was supposed to be the climax of her new song, only to watch in horror as the front row all dropping on the floor as if they were shot dead, and the ambient screams that filled the air of the horrified crowd. The silent ushering in the back of her head grew into a cacophonous symphony of accusations and guilt. The once-more distressed Aberration was struggling to keep this all hidden underneath a fragile mask of serenity. Things took a turn for the worse however when she swore the training dummy he was punching on a minute earlier seemed to come to live, taking on the shape of this vaguely familiar figure she keep seeing in her visions, grinning at how miserable she looked. [i][color=f7976a]You poor thing. Still being traumatized at what you did back there? That was only a glimpse of what you are truly capable of.[/color][/i] [color=9e0039]“I didn’t want this kind of thing to happen. I didn’t wish to have any of this.”[/color] [i][color=f7976a]Are you sure? You took that path, Miss Popularity. You are the one who decided to walk down the path of destruction.”[/color][/i] [color=9e0039]“This isn’t true. All I wanted was to make music to gather people together in harmony, bring some more joy to this bleak world.”[/color] [i][color=f7976a]And yet there you are, murderer. You killed those people. This is your calling, killer. You have to live with it, embrace it, become the power. Erase from existence everything that stands in your way.[/color][/i] Denying it, Angel wanted to scream no, but instead it came out as a sonic wave. Everything standing in front of her was blown with a force equivalent to someone punching all the bags and the dummies with great strength. [color=B0C4DE]"Exploring the school? Shoulda dropped me a line,"[/color] the amethyst-eyed youth replied, [color=B0C4DE]"For better or worse, I know a whole bunch of sket..."[/color] His words died in his throat as he realized that this time, Angelic wasn't able to move on and brush it off. Weaker now? Or was the call of her Stigma stronger? No, that didn't make any sense, not after the beating she gave the dragon boy yesterday. Something else, related to her past then, a past that had to do with the 'Montreal concert'. Brent filed that away for later, before giving Ernie a look. A superpowered scream forced all the dummies and sandbags to sway, before they swung back, undamaged. Not one of her murderous screams then. Not that unstable yet. Brent looked around to the rest of the gym, a difficult expression forming. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he asked, [color=B0C4DE]"...you wanna get some fresh air?"[/color] If she was going to scream at him, he'd rather have a hand close enough to slap that mouth sideways. Ernie had fallen off the bench when the scream sent the dummies flying. The talking to herself thing was worrying enough. He didn't think she'd break down that far to cause such damage. [i][color=00a99d]'Dead wrong', my ass.[/color][/i] He should have felt worse. He should have been thinking up an apology, or at least tried to be understanding. But all he could think was how [i]right[/i] he was. He fucking told her. And he was right. When it came to Stigmas, arrogance and 'willpower' were deadly mistakes. Ernie felt a shocked laugh bark its way out from his throat, but clamped his hand over his mouth and feebly tried to hide it with a fake coughing fit. He thought it was hilarious when he did it to other people. He never wanted it to happen to Angelique. Even so, he couldn't stop himself from the giddiness that came from causing a breakdown, nor the shame that came with the high. Ernie stood up and found, to his great shame, that he had instinctively summoned his rope when he fell. A coward all the way, huh? He dissipated it immediately. [color=00a99d]"F-fresh air sounds good,"[/color] Ernie made sure to keep a small distance between him and Angel. He nodded to himself, "Yeah. Sounds good." Angel just realized the grave situation she got herself in as her ankle cuff started beeping loudly. A reassuring hand on her shoulder did little to calm her down, although she was less inclined to scream anymore. The proposition to take some fresh air was tempting, but that would need to be done without the two. Between Brent, whom Angel know for his "too honest for his own good" behavior and Ernest who constantly seems to be pushing her wrong buttons, this was a nightmare just waiting to happen, one that she didn't want to be part of. Embarrassed enough to have mentally broke down twice, especially after giving a speech that she was able to handle it, she couldn't bear to look at her two classmates. She felt ashamed, disgraced even, as Ernie laughed his ass off his bench. She shouted a loud [color=9e0039]"FUCK"[/color] in frustration as she kicked the dummy with about the same intensity her shriek had given off before storming off the gym, never minding her phone and her shoes she left by the benches of the punching bags part of the gym. Brent's gaze tracked Angelic until she left the gym. [color=B0C4DE]"So...how's a guided tour sounding?"[/color] Ernie watched as she left. If he followed now, he and his big mouth would only cause more trouble. Had he always been so conversationally stupid? Or was this what he and his Stigma had wanted all along? Whatever it was, it would be best for everyone if he just left it alone. He turned to Brent with a tired smile. [color=00a99d]"Maybe another day, man. I think I should just... think things through right now."[/color] And now Ernie was going down that hole as well. How did this happen, again, that every person he knew was either moody or x-marked or both? Brent shrugged and smiled. [color=B0C4DE]"Yeah, I get that. See you around then. You coming to the fight review thing tonight?"[/color] [color=00a99d]"Tonight?"[/color] Ernie didn't have any plans besides sightseeing and Ground Zero that afternoon. His night was free. [color=00a99d]"Sounds good. I'll bring snacks then? I have my phone this time so lets just trade numbers. Text me the deets."[/color] As he pulled his phone out, he noticed that Angelique had left her phone and shoes on the bench. [color=00a99d]"Crap. We should get these back to her."[/color] Brent glanced at the misplaced belongings as well, before nodding. [color=B0C4DE]"Wanna patch things up, Ernie?"[/color] Ernie blinked and handed his unlocked phone to Brent. He leant down to pick up Angel's phone and shoes, careful to avoid the sweaty part and potentially dirty soles. [color=00a99d]"Do you think I should?"[/color] [color=B0C4DE]"Well, depends on whether or not you wanna be friends with her."[/color] Or if he just wanted to be immortalized by the screamer's anger. Waiting for an answer, Brent wiped the sweat-stained screen of his phone against his shirt, before tapping it against Ernie's phone. [color=B0C4DE]"I can do it if you think it's too awkward."[/color] [color=00a99d]"Friends?"[/color] Ernie echoed. Wasn't this the whole reason he entered the gym in the first place, to talk to Angelique Lachance? All he needed to do was shove his stupid Stigma aside for two seconds. He had a chance to actually become friends with someone he respected and he'd almost tossed his chance into the gutter with what happened just now. If the guys back at Reno could see him now, they'd be bashing his skull in. Ernie hurriedly pocketed his and Angel's phone and made a beeline to the exit. [color=00a99d]"Nah, nah, I can do it! I'll see you tonight, then?"[/color] [color=B0C4DE]"Yeah, go get em, dude! Give me good news tonight!"[/color] With a laugh, Brent saw Ernie off, grinning all the while. Then, that smile faded. Brent closed his eyes, internalized the facts, and let out a deep breath. The gym was quiet now. Time to work. [hr] Consumed by internal strife, there had been nothing in Angelique's mind but the desire to shut herself inside her room and let it all pass, until she would need to go out for lunch before going to her medical appointment set up for this afternoon. The ball of fury reached her room with a noisy entrance as she slammed her door behind with a lot of strength. Angel paced around, at loss as to what to do to calm down. She never got this riled up before. The urge inside was getting harder to resist. In a fit, Angel punched the walls of her room, remaining undamaged while the knuckles of the angsty young woman grew red, almost bloody. When the pain was unbearable, Angel fell onto her bed, her shades flying off her face onto the mattress. Ernest was right, in the end. She couldn't control it, and apparently the only thing sating her appetite for destruction was giving into violence. So much for being the unshakeable figure she always tried to maintain around others. Once, she had been a confident and successful musician. Now, she was simply a broken Subnatural, marked by past events and terrified of her ability to kill others with the sound of the voice that had brought her success before. Thinking about music, Angel looked defeated towards the black guitar sitting at the corner of her room, next to her bed. Music always had been an important part of her life. It's what brought her to the heights she had achieved in her life, perhaps what caused her downfall too. When in doubt, she played music. When she was happy, she gladly wrote songs. When she was down, she made some more music. Maybe, just maybe, could she find some peace this way, instead of violently lashing out in a release safe one? Grabbing onto the neck of the guitar, Angel sat down on her bed and fiddled with the cords of the instrument. At first, it was some absent-minded notes being played, until those became more focused and less random. A strange melody, unknown yet familiar in the same time. Before she knew it, Angelique was lost into the music, her mind drifted off as she tried to remember what that melody was. Locating the girl had been less of a pain than Ernie had thought it would be. Turned out that shoeless goth Aberrations made quite lasting impressions on passersby. Everyone he asked pointed him towards Building B, then to Floor 3. Now all he had to do was find the specific room she was in. Again, it was a lot easier than expected. He could hear a gentle song playing from the closest room, 300. Ernie pressed his ear to the door. It was strange, but calming. A musician's release? Ernie sat himself by the door, placing Angel's footwear beside him. Useless. That sort of confidence was what had drawn Ernie to Angelique as a performer. But seeing it in real life, and seeing it so uninformed and misguided, made Ernie want to smash his head against a wall. Confidence in the wrong places was just stupidity. Why did she have to be so stubborn to not see it? Even after her outburst in the gym, Angelique refused to do the sensible thing and use the Release Zone. Ernie sighed. Oh, how heroes fell. At least his idolization wasn't distracting him from the truth anymore. Ernie was tempted to just drop her things by the door and leave. But he needed (no, it was only a want sort of situation) to fix this. He had to at least try. So he waited for the song to finish. It sounded like Angelique needed it too. It took not so much time for the musical girl to stop playing. The melody created by her guitar soon stopped just as quickly as it had begun. She had played it unconsciously, by instinct, but this part was now totally unknown to her. Strange, it didn't feel like the song should be stopping right there. And yet, nothing else came into mind. Angélique was brought out from her trance as she heard the quiet rattling behind her door. More interruption? Today was definitively not a quiet day, it would seem. Sighing softly, the X-marked late teen placed the guitar on her mess of a bed and walked over to her door, opening it slowly to see who was standing beyond. Ernest, again. That guy sure is a persistent fucker. Did he follow her all the way to her room to make her feel more miserable? [color=9e0039]"What do you want?"[/color] Crap, busted. He held her shoes and phone out in both hands. She was definitely angry at him. Ernie caught a glimpse of the mess of the room behind her, distaste curling his lip till he shoved the feeling aside. [color=00a99d]"You forgot some things at the gym,"[/color] Start off simple, no problem. Was he supposed to talk about his eavesdropping too? [color=00a99d]"And... your song was nice."[/color] At the mention of her missing stuff, Angélique's frown turned to discernable embarrassment, apologetic too at some point. Now that she was thinking about it, she had indeed stormed off the gym without putting back on her sneakers and pocketing her phone. Annoyed at herself for making those stupid mistakes and give the guy who kept bringing up things that messed her up morally more opportunities to meet her. At least he was diligent enough to bring up her stuff back to her room. She couldn't just take back her belongings and slam the door in his face, could she? Opening the door wider, she sighed and gestured the guy standing in front of her door to get inside. [color=9e0039]"Thanks... Come in. I think you deserve an apology for what happened back there."[/color] [color=00a99d]"Uh, okay. Thanks for letting me in."[/color] Ernie stepped in cautiously. The messed up bed and crooked desk stuck out like sore thumbs to him but he decided to ignore them both. Apparently cleaning people's rooms without permission was 'creepy' and bounds for kicking guests like him out of other people's rooms. Ernie stood by the door. It seemed inappropriate to casually drape himself onto whatever seat he could find in Angelique's place. [color=00a99d]"I guess now would be a good time to talk, huh."[/color] Letting Ernest enter her room, Angélique closed the door behind them before taking a seat onto her pulling out the chair resting beside her desk at the same occasion. She gently took the guitar and put it against the end of her bed, keeping it close without fearing of dropping it. She nodded slowly at the seaweed-haired boy. [color=9e0039]"Yes..."[/color] she trailed off, mustering the courage to be as open as she could be without fucking up once more. [color=9e0039]"Look, I'm really sorry for what happened at the gym. You probably didn't have any ill thoughts. It's just... you know, that incident is still too fresh in my mind. With a stigma like mine, it's hard to let it go. Being reminded everything I have caused every single time of the day: the pain, the grief, the deaths, sometimes I just can't seem to deal with it."[/color] Angel let out a snide, disgusted chuckle at herself. [color=9e0039]"I keep talking big. Tell myself how strong I am, how I can endure all of this without flinching. And yet, I loose myself, like pretty much every Aberration. Hell, I showed this... moment of weakness in front of you two."[/color] She paused, realizing little by little that perhaps the old Angélique Lachance was slowly dying the more she delved deeper into the world of Subnaturals. [color=9e0039]"I'm sorry you had to see this part of me. I don't believe I've always been like that. Perhaps I did, and this unfortunate event brought it out in the open. But sometimes I like to believe I'm still the same Angélique Lachance before becoming a Mage, with the same force of personality and confidence. I... don't want to let myself loose to whatever we Aberrations are fighting. I still want to believe I have freedom over my mind, even if it gets rough at times. That I am as strong and as capable as before."[/color] Ernie's eyes narrowed at that last part. [color=00a99d]" 'As before'. That's exactly the problem here!"[/color] he scowled, [color=00a99d]"You're not a Regular anymore. So stop using their guidelines to judge what you're meant to be, and deal with what you really are right now."[/color] [color=00a99d]"You're the exact same person as you were before. Still international rock star Angelique Lachance. A few weeks with an X-mark isn't going to change that. I'd know that better than anyone else in this class. What's really changed is the rules you have to play by now. If you keep going on about 'endurance' and 'weakness', you're gonna end up hurting a lot more than just a bunch of dummies."[/color] [color=00a99d]"So stop talking about freedom. We don't get that option anymore. Trying to get through your Stigma with just willpower is the kind of shit that ends up hurting you or other people a lot more than whatever you do to sate it in the first place. I've seen way too many Aberrations try that. It's never pretty. Or clean."[/color] He suddenly realized that he was lecturing someone at least three years older than him. He scratched his head, his tone more sheepish than admonishing now. [color=00a99d]"J-just think of it as medication or something. You don't have to like it. Actually, it's probably better if you don't. But it's something we all gotta do. Before stuff like the gym happens again, but worse. That's why they have release zones after all."[/color] He wanted to laugh at his own hypocrisy. He, of all people, was the one lecturing about how to handle a Stigma? What garbage. He finished with a tired sigh. [color=00a99d]"That's just what my advice. I've had my powers for a while, so I'd know a lot more about Stigmas than most people."[/color] There were times Angel would have liked to snap back at Ernest for some of the things he said. But in the end, she kept her mouth shut and took it like a student being lectured by a teacher, or a teen being scolded by her parents. In some way, she felt like she owed him this moment of lecture after her own. What more, it felt actually good to hear him talk this much rather than the opposite. It felt like he actually cared and wasn't just there because of who she was. However, as much as she disliked the whole idea of 'sating her stigma' as if the violent release zones like Ground Zero were medicine, or even the whole deal about still being herself after all that had happened, she felt like there had to be something to be learned from her fellow Aberration's words. He was more experienced than her as a Mage, so of course he'd know more than a two weeks-old Subnatural. Was it all? Accepting her faith and try to keep her shit together by managing through her stigma? Oddly enough, that sounded vaguely something like Lawrence told her before. [color=9e0039]"So what should I do, 'teach'? Just accept the stuff I did back in Canada? Remain the same old me despite that, except I'm stuck coping with this stigma like it's some kind of mental health problem that requires violence to sate it?"[/color] Angélique questioned, her mind somewhat confused about the whole 'being herself' and 'accepting all of this'. [color=9e0039]"I get your point. It makes sense on a certain point of view. But to be honest, I'm not too sure about still being the same person. The only thing I had to worry when I was a musician was to make my performances look and sound good. I didn't... killed people before. Now, I got powers, I did horrible things, and I have voices in my head bitching me throughout the day. Just how am I the exact same person?"[/color] [color=00a99d]" 'Teach'?"[/color] Ernie chuckled, [color=00a99d]"You're making me sound a lot smarter than I actually am, Angel."[/color] [color=00a99d]"That's the nice thing about change, right? You can choose how you move forward. You can try to stay the same, if that's easier for you. Or you can let yourself become something better, stronger. Your power's crazy cool. You took down a dragon with it! Think of all the people you can save with that same power."[/color] [color=00a99d]"I don't know anything about moving on from doing something terrible. I'm don't think I'm the person you should be talking to for most of this, really. All I can say is that all you, any of us, can do now is move forward. You hurt people, yeah. But you'll be protecting so many more with what you've become. Saving entire cities if you let your powers grow. I can't say if that'll ever fix what happened. Voices, mistakes, violence are just the trade-ups you'll have to give in exchange. Every Aberration needs to learn to deal with those."[/color] [color=00a99d]"I don't know you well. I don't know how you have or will change because of this transformation. All I wanna say is that [i]you're[/i] the only one who should choose who you are. Plus, the only thing that matters is that you're still trying to be a good person, right? The fact that you're trying to avoid violence is proof of that."[/color] Angélique's mood became progressively better as Ernest better explained his opinions on the matter. While he was rather vague as to what exactly she should be doing, he was actually giving her good guidelines and encouragement to forge her own view upon the whole Mage deal. Hearing his advices, his counsels, his suggestions, Angel couldn't help but nod apprehensively as she brought a hand to her chin in as a thoughtful reflex. [color=9e0039]"That's... actually a lot to take in all at once. I'll definitively give it a lot of thoughts though. Can't guarantee you that it will happen overnight, but I'll try my best to make it better. Even though they are still some things I can't simply shake off right now, you are absolutely right about one thing. I will endeavor my best to strive for the welfare of others. It had always been a purpose and will always be. If it means I have to deal with my stigma to help others, then so be it."[/color] She paused, reflecting on her stance about this whole ordeal. Truthfully, she will always remain the good-hearted person she had always been, and that wasn't something she'd want to change. The only problem was dealing with her stigma, her life here in USARILN, and the guilt of damage she had caused. If only it was that simple to move on just like that. Perhaps time will help healing this wound, and eventually she'll get around with handling her powers and their drawbacks, She could only wish and work to make it happen. Angel reached for her guitar and began strumming its cords a few times. [color=9e0039]"Thank you for giving me counselling about all this, for lending your ear to my confused self. I... really needed to get that out of my chest."[/color] Holy shit, it actually worked. Ernie let out a nervous laugh. He could do some good with his words after all, even if he was just making things up on the spot. Even if he didn't believe any of it. Aberrations, especially ones like him, were doomed to destroy. He'd learned to live with that fact years ago. And he was constantly relearning it, from his first days at West, to even yesterday's game. But ignorance was bliss. Helping newbie Abes like Angel see the bright side of their awakenings was the least he could do. It might not be the best way, but it was definitely the easiest, especially with so many new aspects of themselves to take in. They'd realize the reality of their situation in their own time. Hopefully Ernie wouldn't need to stick around when that time came. [color=00a99d]"Hey, it's no problem! Awakenings are a big deal. If you ever need to talk some more, just hit me up! Do you want my phone number?"[/color] [color=9e0039]"Sure."[/color] The girl replied as she went to her pocket, only to realize it was missing and that was the reason Ernest came to see her in the first place. She retrieved the phone laying on the bed and unlocked it, presenting it over her classmate. Ernie entered his number quickly under the name 'Ernie Mars'. Angelique Lachance had his phone number now. Woah. He could feel childish awe swirl in his system. He needed to leave soon, before he embarrassed himself. The phone was tossed back to Angelique. [color=00a99d]"There's my number. If you've still got questions, just send them my way. Guess I should leave you to your guitar and go then?"[/color] Catching the phone back, Angelique looked at the time. [color=9e0039]"Ah... Yes. Actually, I have an appointment this afternoon. I should go get prepared."[/color] Angel got up from her bed and walked over to the door to open it, by general courtesy of opening the door to guests. [color=9e0039]"I will. Thanks again for bringing my stuff back, and everything else."[/color] [color=00a99d]"Yeah, no prob. It'll be nice working together. See you around!"[/color] Ernie stepped back into the hallway and waved the musician goodbye, before speedwalking down the hall and taking the stairs back down three at a time. He'd really just talked to Angelique Lachcance. He'd really just gotten her phone number. His plans for the day, or lack thereof, were quickly forgotten as he walked aimlessly from Building B. He was going to be seeing his idol almost every day of the week. Even if her mindset was a bit immature, Ernie couldn't wait for the days to come. USARILN East didn't turn out to be so bad after all. [/hider] [hider=Chapter V: Bad Eyesight] [center] [color=9e0039][h1] 𝒜𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓆𝓊𝑒 𝐿𝒶𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 [/h1] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Fb1UXSA.png[/img][/color] [color=silver] [hr] 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟠, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / ℍ𝕠𝕤𝕡𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝 / / 𝟙𝟛𝟘𝟘 [hr] [/color][/center] After Ernie’s visit into her room, Angel figured it was just about time she gets ready for her medical appointment. Just before going there, she took a shower to clean herself off from her morning workout. Dressed in belted pants and a quite revealing strapped tube top, she made a quick stop at the cafeteria to grab something light to eat, to sate her hunger, before going to the hospital. Right on time, Angel met the same blonde secretary from the day before. They were quick to clear up the appointment and soon to be right in front of the doctor’s door, on the third floor of the hospital. The door was open, a graying-haired man in his mid-forties was sitting behind his desk reading a file. Angel cleared up her throat audibly in a fake way, getting her desired response as the busy optometrist raised his head and looked to the doorframe. [color=f7976a]“Ah, Miss Lachance. Please, come in and have a seat.”[/color] Angel nodded and made her way to the doctor’s desk, noticing the file he had been reading just now was actually her apparent medical dossier. She rose an eyebrow, curious about how it came to be here in the first place. She then took a seat in front of Spencer’s desk. [color=f7976a]“You must be wondering about your medical file, I presume. Despite the reputation USARILN East has, we do care about our students’ health. Every institute you Subnaturals had frequented, any private doctor, every bit of data the public sector has, we gather them into a dossier and provide the students’ needs should they arise.”[/color] [color=9e0039]“Such delicate attention from our supposed caretakers. They need their soldiers at their top when sending them to die, huh?"[/color] [color=f7976a]“I can’t argue you guys are going through rough situations. But those are orders from the higher-ups. Plus, whether you like it or not, someone has to defend and protect the world from the monsters, no? The Precursors can’t be everywhere at once, wouldn’t you agree.”[/color] Angel slammed her hands on the desk and was just about to confront the presumably doctor when a nearby guard entered the room and ordered the Aberration to stand down or be shot if not complying. Clicking her tongue behind clenched teeth, Angel dropped back into her chair, glaring at the optometrist through her shades. [color=f7976a]“Sorry if that ticked you off. Anyways, you’re not here to discuss about the philosophy of this campus so we’ll get straight to the point. I’ve read your medical file, and it states that you have a rare case of myopia and photophobia at the same time. Since you haven’t been under any medication that would cause light-sensitivity, I can only deduce that you are a natural photophobic. As for your short-sightedness, I have come to realize you are suffering from degenerative myopia, which will only get worse by the years. Is anything from what I learned true to your case?”[/color] [color=9e0039]“No shit, doc.”[/color] Angel shrugged, removing her pair of shades and tossing them over the desk. [color=9e0039]“I’ve always been light-sensitive. My parents didn’t know why, as a baby, I was always crying. Doctors conducted a series of testing and have come to realize that I was crying due to intense migraines and headaches at best. They tried everything, and then deduced I was photophobic as the only time I stopped crying was after long exposure to a dark environment.”[/color] [color=9e0039]“About my ever-worsening sight, what the fuck can I say? It’s always the same damn thing every time I go for a medical check-up. I keep hearing that my sight is growing worse, and that I might turn blind at some point. Parents were at least smart enough to realize nothing was wrong of that part, as they seemed to catch up that I wasn’t able to see very clearly things far away.”[/color] Throughout her explanation, Doctor Spencer was examining her new patient’s shades, which served, as a matter of fact, as functional glasses to counter myopia and were UV-proof to act as effective sunglasses. The way those shades had been made was clearly done by a specialist, an expert no less. Those had been made so that the patient wouldn’t need to wear a pair of sight-correcting glasses underneath another pair of shades. Ingenious, difficult to replicate and impossible to repair due to the crack in the lens. [color=f7976a]“I see. Well then, you are overdue for a check-up, as your last visit to an optometrist dates from well over a year. Follow me, if you may please.”[/color] The doctor reckoned the young Aberration to follow him with a motion of his hand as he got up and headed to the back of his office. With no shades to shield her eyes, she could already feel the burning bright artificial light going through her eyes, making its way to her brain. The blur made it difficult to navigate through the office without stumbling on anything, but slowly and eventually, she made it to the backroom. The room was vast, much akin to the any true optometrist lab she had seen so far. More furnished, even. [color=f7976a]“You know the drill; sit down behind the machine over there. We’ll start by sight distance test, then cornea examination.”[/color] Angel slowly nodded as she slowly made her way to the seat. Once sit, the tests started. First, she was to tell about the assortments of varying sizes of letters on the wall at the other end of the room. Then, she was to use the machine in front of her to determine correctly certain shapes. Next, use that same machine to find the correct measurement of the lenses needed to be made. Lastly, the optometrist had been testing how her cornea reacted to light. Needless to say, that last part was very painful considering her condition. At some point, her eyes felt like igniting and the pain was so much that her tear ducts seemed to open like a dam. [color=9e0039]“Holy fuck! You done yet? I… can’t see anything!”[/color] [color=f7976a]“Well yes, usually it takes someone normal a few seconds to recover from having light beamed straight into their eyes. In your case, it might take a few minutes to recover. Remain calm and seated while I bring down the numbers to you."[/color] After a few minutes passed, Angel did effectively begin to see back into her glorious blurred state of sight. She searched the room for the Spencer guy, who seemed to have disappeared from the back testing room. She tapped her foot impatiently just as the middle-aged man came back from his office. [color=f7976a]“Bad news, your sight has worsened again, compared to the results of your last examination.”[/color] Angélique only sighed, somehow knowing that this wasn’t going to be for the better. Back into the bright office, the raven-haired X-marked donned her shades back, feeling already more at ease the instant they were put back on. [color=f7976a]“So, I believe we can make you some contact lenses within the week at our labs. I’m pretty sure they will be available just before the weekend. Of course, we can’t replicate your sunglasses’ method into contact lenses, so you’ll have to buy a new pair, or request them, at your discretion.”[/color] “[color=9e0039]Now wait a minute. I don’t want fucking contact lenses anywhere near my eyes. I want something like what I currently have.”[/color] [color=f7976a]“I’m sure you probably don’t want to hear this from me, but listen. You no longer live the life of a rockstar in here anymore. You are a student, one who will see her fair share of battles in the coming months, years if you are lucky. You guys will have it rough, especially physically. Your bodies will suffer through it, and so will your gear and whatever it is you are wearing. That includes your eyewear. Whatever would happen if your glasses were to break or be lost in the middle of a fight? You’ll be fighting blind, and you will be jeopardizing not only your safety, but also the other members of your teams. Do you really want to take that risk by wearing glasses again?”[/color] Angel stood silent for a moment. Who would’ve known an eye doctor, working for an institute she despised the most, would open her eyes as to how selfish and diva she still was. What Spencer was saying was the truth, nothing to argue about. If she would be part of a team, hell even lead one herself, she needed to have everything to ensure their survival. With reluctance, she accepted, slowly nodding her head in defeat. In turn, the doctor affirmatively nodded and wrote down something on his notepad. [color=f7976a]“Good. Alternatively, with the current level of technology we have, I could suggest you going through laser eye surgery to completely correct your myopia. But as I said, there’s no telling when you will be called upon the battlefield once more. You’ll have to get a special clearance for this surgery, as it would require you to recover for a week or two.”[/color] [color=f7976a]“In any case, as I said previously, you can expect your contact lenses to be delivered to your room sometime this week.”[/color] [color=9e0039]“Alright… Thanks. And uh… I’m sorry for earlier. I suppose you aren’t completely a dick. I may have gotten riled up for nothing.”[/color] [color=f7976a]“Don’t worry too much about it. We doctors here see our fair share of Subnaturals every day, we’ve somewhat gotten used to dealing with the Xs. Listen, I’m making suggestions based upon the same principles of effectiveness this institute has, but that doesn’t make us less human. If what we suggest can save the life of one or many of you guys, then we’ll be glad to provide. Not because you are weapons, but you are also still humans inside. You’ll soon learn that not everyone in this world sees you guys as you think they are.”[/color] Angel remained speechless. Did she just got lectured by an optometrist? She didn’t know what to feel about all this, but there was one thing she did know about this encounter today. Not everyone appears to be out to simply hate on her and her fellow Mages. Perhaps being a doctor made the middle-aged man care more for his patients, whether Subnaturals or normal humans? Nevertheless, it felt good to know to know this, even if the people sharing this philosophy were numbering only a few. With a silent nod and a wave of her hand, Angélique departed from Dr. Spencer’s office to return to her room, where she found out everything she had requested yesterday evening had been delivered during her appointment. Kevlar vest, knee and elbow pads, camo-styled shockproof clothing, steel-toed boots, shockproof gloves and a trusty helmet. As if on cue with her clothing style, it all came in black color. While that stuff might do no good against an actual monster, it was better than parading around with her skin exposed, as long as this equipment didn’t impair her ability to move around and use her powers. [/hider] [hider=Chapter VI: Meeting with SuperGirl] [center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Fb1UXSA.png[/img] | [img]http://i67.tinypic.com/2qb8wgw.png[/img] [h1][color=9e0039]Angélique[/color] | [color=a2d9ce]Callan[/color][/h1] [color=silver][hr] 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟠, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / ℂ𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕖𝕟 ℂ𝕦𝕝𝕡𝕒𝕖 / / 𝟙𝟞𝟘𝟘 [hr][/color] [sub]Collab by [@Riffus Maximus] [@Baklava][/sub][/center] With the medical appointment out of the way, it was now in the middle of the afternoon. As an X-marked Angel stepped out of the dorms to head towards Ground Zero to further experiment on her powers, the girl couldn’t help but notice how cold and cloudy it was outside. Indeed, it was mid-September, and the temperature had already begun to show signs of autumn coming. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to have bought all those skin-revealing clothes she was so fond of wearing and hasty to fill her new wardrobe with. Deciding Ground Zero training would have to wait as goosebumps and an unpleasant chill ran down her spine, Angélique instead took a bus ride to the nearby town of Crimen Culpae. She would head towards that store she had been shopping with the gang last week, as it had quite a lot of interesting articles of clothing. On her way to the store, she however recognized one of her classmates. Aquamarine hair, dark tone of skin, carrying a plethora of shopping bags in her arms effortlessly as she was absent-mindedly looking at her phone. No mistake, it was the Super Girl of her class, Callan. Decidedly, she was bumping into a lot of her classmates today, which wasn’t a bad thing, in her opinion. Those were the people she had yet to properly meet and introduce herself to. [color=9e0039]“Heyo, Calla~n”[/color] Angel shouted at the superhuman girl on the other side of the street, waving at her cheerfully. Eyes fixed on the screen, Callan's mind was far from what she was looking at. Her parent's lack of reply, her scheduled rematch with Sander that afternoon, lunch options and what she was going to do with all those goddamn pillows when she got home. She looked up from her phone, spotting her classmate, Angelique. Otherwise known as "that chick who can scream down a dragon." Purely out of habit, Callan shifted the weight of her bags to one shoulder and waved. She was certainly quite cheery. Out of the corner of her eye, Callan noticed the number of stares increase but did her best to ignore them. She offered Angel a brief smile. Seeing Callan acknowledging her presence, the raven-haired Mage crossed the street separating the two after making sure no incoming car was heading her way. [color=9e0039]"Coming back from a shopping spree, are you? Shame, I missed my chance to join our resident Wonder Woman for a trip downtown."[/color] Angel chuckled light-heartedly. Truly, she had no idea where she was heading with this small talk, but she hoped those steps would be enough to have the girl open to her a bit more, get to know her. After all, the only time she actually interacted with her was when they were both looking out for Lilianna on her hospital bed, and during yesterday's battle game. F-flattery? Callan laughed along, glancing up at the taller girl before slipping her hands into her pockets. "You didn't miss much," she chuckled modestly, thinking about the contents of her bags. Most of what she'd bought that day had been pillow cases and other bedding items. She doubted Angel was as much of a sleep enthusiast. [color=a2d9ce]"Maybe next time?"[/color] she offered-- a somewhat empty promise since she barely knew anything about the girl. Her eyes flickered to the aberration's outfit, considering what a shopping trip with Angel would be like for the briefest moment. [color=9e0039]"Definitively. Perhaps with Siena and Allison next time, hm? I'm sure a shopping spree between girls would be cool, no?"[/color] Angel suggested, remembering the fun she had with the others. [color=a2d9ce]"Uh, yeah. Totally,"[/color] Callan smiled. She recognized at least one of those names. Who was Allison again? ...blade girl? She'd be lying to say she was thrilled by the suggestion, even if Siena was involved. But it couldn't be all bad. As much as she found clothes shopping for anything but comfy sportswear a dullful waste of time, camaraderie was important. Worst case scenario she comes out with a bangin' outfit that'll collect dusk in her dresser. She waited for Angel to continue. Surely the planning of future shopping sprees wasn't the only reason she'd come over to chat and small talk really wasn't her forte. While Angel was of an enthusiastic nature when meeting new people, she was no blind as to read the mood. Perhaps she caught her at a bad time, or perhaps Callan was not the talkative girl Angel thought she would be? From the answers she kept getting, she had the vibes that she should perhaps not push her luck any further and annoy the green blue-haired Arbiter any more than this. [color=9e0039]"Ah... well... I guess I'll leave you to your things then. Gotta go fetch something to fight this cold temperature coming up, and replacement shades. Yesterday had not been kind to them. Well... it hadn't been for any of us."[/color] She chuckled nervously as she remembered yesterday's events. Confused and slightly disappointed, Callan managed a smile as Angel seemed to admit she didn't have anything more to add. At the mentioning of yesterday, her smile faded.[color=a2d9ce] "Oh,"[/color] she blinked up at her apologetically, [color=a2d9ce]"I'm such an idiot. I completely forgot... are you alright?"[/color] Coupled with Siena, Angel had passed out during the game because of her injuries. [color=a2d9ce]"Sorry about what happened with Chris and--"[/color] a prickling sensation on the back of her neck brought the unwelcome memories of that morning as well as the game rushing back, [color=a2d9ce]"--Kusari. That wasn't supposed to happen."[/color] Angel's face turned to a more serious expression when Callan turned apologetic about what happened during the game. In reply, she thrown her hand up in a dismissive manner. [color=9e0039]"Well, it sure did hurt like a bitch, but hey, at least I'm glad we have someone like Christmas to patch us up, even though his power is a bit... disturbing to say the least."[/color] Angélique flexed her arms and shoulders, remembering the pain she had went through that time. For a game, it sure went completely absurd. Physical injuries healed though, and she had the pride of saying her team won. The same couldn't be said for the other girl though. [color=9e0039]"To be completely honest with you, I'm more concerned about you. Injuries heal, but suffering defeat being blinded by a pair of pants wrapped around your face? Now that's the kind of embarrassment I don't think I could live with without blowing a fuse at the boys."[/color] Angel couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of that situation, after which she apologized, not meaning to being disrespectful or anything like that. Concern quickly melted into complete and total mortification, which manifested itself in the form of a forced smile that resembled more of a grimace. She saw that? Of [i]course[/i] she saw that. Everyone and their mom saw that. [color=a2d9ce]"Yeah,"[/color] Callan forced a laugh, [color=a2d9ce]"That, uh... that was p-pretty, uh... pretty embarrassing... I'll be alright, though."[/color] She slid her hand across her face, which by now was about as hot as it could possibly be without literally being on fire. [color=a2d9ce]"It's not like they recorded it all with cameras from like eight different angles or anything, right?"[/color] she muttered sarcastically, followed by a laugh that was a little more genuine. [color=9e0039]"Don't worry, I'm sure everyone is mature enough to look past it. Last thing you need is to be called "Pants Head" or something like that."[/color] The Aberration laughed in harmony with the Arbiter, feeling somewhat a bit relieved to have this sort of discussion for once. [color=9e0039]"Maybe that'd give you more reason to work double. Impress everyone, make them forget about that."[/color] She chuckled, her expression however turning somber as she recalled what happened earlier. [color=9e0039]"Even I will need to work double to regain the impression and trust I lost..."[/color] [color=a2d9ce]"Oh God,"[/color] Callan lamented, [color=a2d9ce]"If I end up with that as my nickname, I'm going into hiding."[/color] The thought was truly terrifying, but she doubted Director Zhang would ever release the footage of that disaster to the public. Almost as much as she doubted a bunch of high schoolers would be 'mature' about anything. But, then again, she hadn't thought a bunch of high schoolers were capable of being as violent as they were during the Flag and Seek game, so what did she know? [color=a2d9ce]"Well, we've got nothin' but time for now,"[/color] Callan smiled reassuringly, [color=a2d9ce]"I'm sure we'll all make some progress soon enough."[/color] She kept her reassurances vague. X-marks, or, aberrations were a topic she was still unsure about, but she wanted to believe people like Angel and Sander were just as capable of successfully controlling their powers as she was-- or would be. Angel nodded silently in approval. True, the time they had to mingle together was everything they had now, until their next suicide mission. Her sudden shift of mood began leaking, and the Aberration young woman started to acknowledge it. This time though, she won't let it go downhill like this morning with Brent and Ernest. Last thing she needed was to have yet another classmate thinking she had a few loose screws and was unreliable. [color=9e0039]"Well, I won't hold you any further. I'm pretty sure you have things to do. Been fun to actually have some time to speak with you."[/color] Callan offered yet another smile and wave. [color=a2d9ce]"Same,"[/color] she answered rather lamely, [color=a2d9ce]"See ya around."[/color] Angélique nodded, returning the friendly wave before both girls took off in opposite direction. The shopping trip was indeed quite short for the fallen rockstar. She went back to the shop she had previously visited with her newly made friends and indeed found what she was looking for. Comfortable sweaters, T-shirts sporting her favorite bands, warm vests, a leathery trench coat and even a new pair of stylish glasses. By the end of the trip, the cashier told the shopping Subnatural that she had no more money left available to her student ID, and so she had to pay the rest of the expenses with the small amount of money Angel had in her wallet. After returning from her shopping spree, the black haired Angel stayed put in her room after grabbing dinner at the cafeteria. She would remain in her room for the remainder of the evening, trying to put some music she had in her mind to paper, play some more guitar riffs and listen to her playlist before going to sleep. [/hider] [/hider]