[hr] [center][h2][color=f9ad81]Flint O'Brien[/color][/h2] Location: Bus, destination New York City [color=f9ad81][i]"The flames of fate kindled..."[/i][/color] [/center] [hr] Mixed among the sounds of quiet chatter and sputtering engines was a constant, steady flickering of metal. Flint opened, ignited and closed the lighter she held in her fist, repeating the three step process over and over. The Zippo brand igniter was among her favorites. It was bright steel, with one side featuring the Great Seal of the United States while the words "Do or Die" were printed on the opposite side. Supposedly, the lighter used to belong to a pilot back in the Second World War. Judging by the pricing, however, Flint could guess that was bullshit made up to sell it. Whatever, that didn't matter; O'Brien thought it looked cool. She'd bought it online a few years back and hadn't regretted the purchase for a moment. Flint's gaze was locked firmly on the roof of the bus, her mind in another place. She was mentally going over the events that had taken place so far. The hero organization had their orientation held in the middle of nowhere, and had the apprentices stay in a grimy, second rate hotel before and after the event. Flint was used to such conditions, but she hadn't expected it from the way the recruiter spoke. O'Brien had kept to herself throughout the trip for the most part. The majority of her peers were plucky, incompetent doofuses that were all heart and no muscle. They wouldn't last a second in the real world. No amount of desire to be a hero could overcome a total lack of skill or natural ability. Orientation was mostly bog standard. She didn't learn much about what she'd be doing aside from the bare basics of it all. It would've been painfully boring, if not for the fight that broke out between two of the tougher looking wannabe sidekicks. They kept the whole thing from being a complete snorefest, thankfully. The boy sitting next to her was among the individuals Flint didn't think would last. Tempest, she believed his name was, was about as tough as a kitten and looked like his bones were made of glass. They briefly spoke earlier, but O'Brien found it difficult to remain cordial, so she dropped the conversation to avoid damaging glass boy's feelings. Flint had never been a people person. People let her down, made fun of her and abused her for being different- people sucked ass, generally speaking. The only person O'Brien could ever rely on was herself. Now that she was going to be a superhero, Flint [i]probably[/i] needed to curb the cynicism. Heart and morality and all that crap were important to heroes. She'd need to cut down on fighting people, too. Beating up other apprentices for being dumbasses would be a good way to get kicked off the program for good. It was then that Tempest started to stir. Flint eyed him suspiciously, wondering what the boy was doing when he stood up and tried to shuffle past her. [color=f9ad81][i]'Where are you goin'?'[/i][/color] She wondered to herself, not bothering to ask him aloud- that required speaking to him again. Without any prior warning, the bus lurched forward. The vehicle rapidly gained speed, forcing Flint back into her seat and knocking Tempest back into his. [color=f9ad81]"Shit-"[/color] She grunted, turning her gaze toward the back of the bus to see what was causing the strange burst in velocity. Lo and behold, O'Brien's eyes fell on an armor-wearing woman pressing against the back. Flint blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. [color=f9ad81]"The hell?"[/color] She muttered beneath her breath. The mechanized flying hero let go of the bus, causing them to violently lurch and bounce a second time. Flint followed the strange woman until she came up along side them. She saluted the students in the bus before flying off at mach twelve billion. Flint tightened her gaze as Tempest once more slid past her and clambered over to a different seat, likely so he could speak to the boy he'd been staring at for way too long. Maybe he was gay. That would explain...a couple of different things, in Flint's narrow mind. She turned her attention away from the boy, deciding to slid into his window seat to get a look at the countryside. New York was a gorgeous state. It sucked that most people only cared about the Big Apple when there was so much more to see outside of it. Maybe it was because she grew up there, but Flint never saw what made it so special. She'd rather live out here, in the rolling green hills, than stuffed inside a tiny, rundown apartment in Harlem. [hider=ping][@Tenma Tendo][/hider]