[color=GRAY][indent][color=deb887]“Hi! Hello. Again. We're bears now."[/color] Pleased with this turn of events, Lucas made his way over to Ariel with a wide grin on his face as the Ceremony ended and the Houses gathered in their groups to lead the way to the dorms. He was glad that there were people he knew in both his Team and his House, and feeling vaguely proud of himself for stepping up and making decisions, even if, at most, the Team one could only really be called half a decision... [color=deb887]“Switching beds was hard. It's good now, right?"[/color]

Ariel, meanwhile, shared in the comfortable glee of familiarity. The first friend they had made on Dundas Island, and he was back again like a boomerang. Sure, they could swim and survive in unfamiliar waters, but they weren't so obnoxious as to complain when life tossed a lifeboat at them. Their smile was not as wide as Lucas', but it shone truly enough to compensate. 

[color=fde1ef][b]"Dominik! I'm glad we are both bears, even if you're no longer a fiery bird."[/b][/color] Clearly not willing to let the stupid nickname from the camping trip die out, Ariel went to Lucas and wrapped their arm around his shoulder. As his warmth set in, the realization thawed out of them, that the past few hours have been more touchy-feely than Ariel had ever been since the day they had left Truth or Consequences. Contrasting heats between them defrosted a question: had they always been this cold? 

Ariel preferred not to think about it. At least not with Lucas around.

[color=fde1ef][b]"I was surprised, to be honest, when you made the decision to switch teams,"[/b][/color] they said matter-of-factly. [color=fde1ef][b]"Getting to know a whole other clique gets scary at times, so it was brave of you. Good job."[/b][/color] The hand on his shoulder went for a friendly pat. A gesture and a statement—"You're safe with me." And yet it still felt like Ariel was holding back, like a bundle of eggshells was in their arms.

[color=fde1ef][b]"Enough about that, though. Let's go find our rooms!"[/b][/color]

[color=deb887]“All right, thanks. Thank you. Surprised. Yeah. Let’s go.”[/color] Giving their hand on his shoulder a pat in return, Lucas didn’t mind the odd disquiet hanging between them. He just gave them a calmer grin as he worked through the echoes of their words and after another moment of patting their fingers, he set his own arm around their shoulders as they headed off for the dorms. Everyone needed a hug, he thought, but that would make things weird. And he didn’t actually want to hug anyone. This much was all right though. And if it made him feel better, then it might make them feel better, too. 
 
His enthusiasm and grin had faded by the time they arrived, walking separately again but having bounced back to an earlier discussion, Lucas was asking Ariel more questions, and possibly several similar ones, about professional wrestling. He remembered how easily that subject got them talking—the running joke about his name had certainly helped—and was just getting around to asking if there was something they could watch later when they arrived. Staring up at the buildings and already knowing what was coming after the Intake House, Lucas only grimaced and trailed off as he heard someone else mentioning rooms. 
 
[color=deb887]“Rooms again… Do we know them? I’m not listening inside, okay?”[/color]

That kind of worrying was what made Lucas really endearing. Like a doe in distress. Ariel just smiled in that toothy, lopsided way of theirs and grasped his hand, giving him something to ground on before the worrying got worse.

[color=fde1ef][b]"And you won't have to,"[/b][/color] Ariel said, gripping his hand tighter to reassure him. [color=fde1ef][b]"Watch this."[/b][/color] They then turned to the assembled Ursus students and made the call.

[color=fde1ef][b]"Hey, Bears! Me and Lucas are going to be rooming together!"[/b][/color] Ariel called out. This may be the loudest they've ever spoken on this Island, but they had to be loud to get the point across. And to get the attention away from Lucas. [color=fde1ef][b]"Just making it easier for all of us, okaythanksbye!"[/b][/color] And that was that. Ariel went back to Lucas, with another reassuring smile. A wordless "told you".

[color=fde1ef][b]"Now, I don't know about you, Dominik, but I think today has been very exhausting. Let's find our rooms, shall we?[/b][/color]

--

Modest lodgings were what the two got, as modest as a repurposed mansion in a Canadian island could be. This room was already bigger than their entire living room back at T-and-C. Ariel and Lucas wasted no time settling in after what had been a long day, yet something caught the former's eye before they fell asleep. An envelope, pitch black, nestled in the assigned uniforms placed in the room earlier. Hidden enough to be passed over but just visible enough to be noticed. Its color and make reminded them of the House invitation envelopes, but they had already found a House, what else could this be?

Curiosity got the better of Ariel, and they opened up the invitation.

Orcinus? Southern Plateau? The Pod? Had Ariel been selected as part of a secret society? Wasn't this school secret enough as a society? The very idea troubled them, as there were so many unknowns. Who were House Orcinus? What qualities made Ariel qualify for the House? Why all the secrecy? Were they the only one? Ariel needed to be careful. If anything could be a trap for over-ambitious hypes, this was it...

...And yet they could not stop the excitement boiling under their skin. They stuffed the letter into their backpack and set two phone reminders. One for the morning and one for the next full moon.[/indent][/color] 

[CENTER][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1070792705547980842/1117092074760699964/Ariel_Ursus.png?width=1800&height=600[/img][/CENTER]

[indent][sub][COLOR=fde1ef][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Augmented Reality Center[/I] - [I]PRCU, Dundas Island[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=fde1ef][b]First Class #2.96:[/b][/COLOR] [I]A Place for Everything[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][sub][color=fde1ef][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] Lucas in the prelude [@Nemaisare], Adie[@Hound55][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=fde1ef][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Meet the New Team, Same as the Old Team[/I][/right][/SUP][/indent]
[color=GRAY][INDENT]So much had transpired within the confines of Dundas Island that Ariel kind of forgot that they were assigned here in the context of academia. They were supposed to be a student, something they never thought would happen again past high school (first for monetary reasons, then for 'wanted for murder' reasons). The realization came as they were carrying out Community Placement, cleaning out the numerous ponds and fountains that completed the PRCU grounds' old world old money aesthetic. It was hard labor, but the good kind of hard labor. The kind that didn't involve insufferable tourists.

Thus far, each and everyone of their peers were sufferable.

Ariel was finished before they could fully appreciate the work. The ponds were flowing clear and free of scum, but the one that made it so was too deep in their thoughts. The day had just begun and they were already tired. Oh, well. At least there was class to look forward to. Shame it had to be the most physically intensive class up first. [i]Practical Ability[/i]. A bunch of stressed and unstable young adults with world-changing powers flinging those powers at each other. Joy. Fatigue melted into excitement, stirred well and topped with a peel of dread. Start the day off with an anxiety cocktail!

After lightly washing up in the bathroom, Ariel wasted no time convening in the Mess Hall and congregating with the rest of Firebird. They couldn't much read how excited or reluctant their teammates were in displaying their powers. Come to think of it, there were some among Firebird that had really heavy-duty and even destructive powers, Ariel's among them. How were they supposed to practice them in an enclosed environment without collateral, physical, and/or mental damage?

[color=WHITE]"—you’re the first of this year’s Hyperhuman Enforcement Accelerated Training program to use the Augmented Reality Center.”[/color] Oh, never mind. Tricking their brains into unsafe situations in a safe situation. That'll do it.

A man awaited Team Firebird's arrival in the Augmented Reality Center. He was introduced as Aiden Roth, one of the PRCU's originals and part of the batch that made the shoes Ariel and the others were walking a long mile on. Pride twinkled in his eyes as he spoke to the young ones before him. Ariel could hardly fault him for that; they'd be damn proud too if they could survive that long babysitting baby hyperhumans.

[color=#e06666]"Some of you might be aware of how your abilities work. To others, this might be new, but all Hyperhuman abilities rely on the manipulation of high-energy particles, particles which are driven by Earth's electromagnetic spheres. These high-energy particles, or hazies as they’re colloquially referred to, exist all around us, not unlike an active energy field."[/color] Wait, really? [i]That[/i] was how their powers work? The same way gravity works? No way. It was a strange hill to die on, but Ariel felt like there was a more...fantastic explanation in there somewhere. Divine intervention. Anomalies in the fabric of reality. The influence of eldritch powers, anything more exciting than just [i]particles[/i].

[color=#e06666]"But there is a finite limit to them at any given time and the more Hyperhumans localized in one sphere, the weaker they become as there are fewer hazies available to each of them to manipulate. For some of you with abilities normally beyond your control, this makes P.R.C.U. the safest place for you to be.”[/color] That was a good joke. After everything that had happened in the past week, safety was out the window. An orderly and controlled environment, still applicable, but safe? That was a good joke. Ariel almost didn't realize that a laugh escaped their lips. No way that wasn't going unnoticed, but in their defense, it was a really good joke. 

[color=fde1ef][b]"Sorry,"[/b][/color] Ariel said, not looking sorry in the slightest. They turned their attention back to the lecture.

[color=#e06666]“All Hyperhumans are able to suppress the abilities of others by exerting control over the immediate hazies around them. Yes, that includes the stored ions belonging to the Esoteric among you.”[/color] So every hyperhuman had a degree of influence over every other hyperhuman. Interesting. Ariel wondered how much that influence was predicated on the imbalance of power levels, as it were, between two hyperhumans in conflict. Hyperion had so thoroughly suppressed everyone back then, but was that a sign of how powerful the man was or how powerful the man's power was? Was there even a difference?

The itinerary was simple. Know your powers before getting into the ARC. Ariel went up to Mr. Roth and asked what kind of class their water powers fell into. [i]Exoteric, Elemental.[/i] They got their answer in a very terse manner. Maybe he wasn't amused by their giggle back there. They simply shrugged and thanked the ARC's caretaker before suiting up to enter it.

Exoteric. Exo-, outside. To influence the 'without'. Elemental. Dominion over forces of nature. Putting on an ARC suit that accommodated their height, Ariel thought about the theory that came to mind previously. Imbalance of power. It would be ideal to pair up with someone with greater or lesser control over their powers than themself. Yuri, the weather-controlling pretty boy, came to mind almost immediately, as did Tista, who could literally bend gravity. But they instead focused on the techno-wizard, Adie. Judging by the stick up her ass and her self-assured bravado, she'd likely have some sort of confidence in her powers to back that up. Uncertain until they saw her in action. What was certain, though, was that Ariel would have so much fun trying to find which buttons set her off. A reflection of their empathetic affinity to the endearing Lucas. This was like a mad scientist pushing envelopes for nothing beyond insane curiosity.

Ariel walked up to Adrianna, almost shadowing her with the height difference.

[color=fde1ef][b]"Pair up?"[/b][/color] they asked innocently. It wasn't hard to sound clueless, but they knew it'd push her to read between the lines. Ariel wanted to see the gears turn in her head. Adie looked like an overthinker. She and them both. [color=fde1ef][b]"We're both exoteric, right? I think? Kind of? This is all new to me, so let's just see how this works for day one."[/b][/color]

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