Hi-Voltage
So far in Tommy Springsteen's vigilante career he'd butt heads with thugs, muggers, murderers, superpowered gangsters, ex-military motorcycle gangs, a supernatural entity of wrath, and the reincarnation of Jack the Ripper. You'd think after all that a man would be pretty much fearless, but no, here he was, palms all sweaty, butterflies going at it in his chest, wondering if it wasn't too late to change his mind.
All because he was going back to school.
That said,The Corrigan School for Advanced Learning and Development would probably give the fears to just about anyone. Tommy had never in his life seen a place like it. The sheer scope of the campus was almost mind blowing, and he'd amused himself since arriving in the wee hours of the morning just by wandering the grounds and admiring the architecture. The money on show was so starkly obvious that he was actually beginning to feel underdressed. I could'a least patched the holes in ma jeans. He half expected someone to point a finger at him, start screaming 'PAUPER ON THE LOOSE' and send for security to escort him from the premises.
Though that was really doing Corrigan's an injustice. No one had done him a bad turn since he'd arrived, and while he really hadn't met anyone outside of Barbara Gordon, the Chancellor, he didn't think underexposure to the locals was the reason he hadn't been lynched yet.
The Chancellor had greeted him sometime after he'd arrived on the grounds. Kept him waiting for near on an hour, actually. Not that I could complain much, I didn't answer their letter of invitation for almost six months. Better late than never though, eh? When he had finally been showed into Gordon's office she had seemed irate and distracted, and for one stomach lurching moment Tommy had feared she was gonna declare that they'd changed their minds, and that he wasn't getting in. She was quick to put him straight though. Apparently something had crashed into the campus a short time before he'd arrived, and dealing with the fallout was giving her an astronomical headache. What exactly something was, she never said, but Tommy got the impression that it wasn't a problem that was gonna go away overnight.
Gordon then went on to explain that Corrigan's wasn't usually in the habit of taking in new students so late in the year, but after reviewing his 'extra-curricular' activities back home, they'd decided to make an exception. There'd be a lotta catching up to do on his part, but she was confidant he'd manage it. Tommy didn't quite share the sentiment, remembering how much he struggled to apply himself back in regular school, but he'd signed up for this, and damn if he wasn't gonna give it his best shot.
The rest of the meeting was just dotting T's and crossing I's. He was taken to an empty dorm room and told him to dump his stuff. Apparently they were gonna see about finding him some bunkmates in the future, but for now he was going to be on his own. Flying solo suits me down tae the ground anyway.. After that he'd been left to his own devices, told to try and get some shut eye. Only problem with that being was that Tommy typically didn't sleep anyway, not since he'd gotten his 'gifts', so they where laughing if they thought he was tripping down the road towards the land of nod on his first in arguably the most unique place he'd ever been in his life.
So he'd amused himself by ambling the grounds, his only company, and the only company he needed, being the muted silence, the cold air, and the bright stars. It had been as near as tranquil as anything had been for him for a long, long time. All up until thon bastard sun had to go and rise, chasing the stars an' waking up the people. Now the world was rousing, the peacefulness of the night nothing more than a fading dream, smoke blowing before the wind.
S'pose that means I better get to getting to. Though he wasn't quite sure where he was anymore. He began to look around for a sign, a landmark, anything to give him an idea of where he was.The sign on the building nearest to him read LAW AND LIBERAL ARTS WINGS, but that didn't help him at all seeing as he didn't even know where that was, so he was back to square one. A normal person might have stopped a passerbye and asked for help at that stage, but Tommy wouldn't even consider it. So engrossed in doing things his way, independant of anyone else, he didn't see the slender boy on his phone come barging out the doors of the Arts Wing, inadvertently fixing on a crash course with Tommy's back. The two collided, and while the unsuspecting Tommy stumbled a step, the other boy hit the dirt face first.
Great, first day here and I've already brained some bam. Shortest student career ever. Luckily the boy didn't seem to hurt, though his forehead was grazed. He even had the good graces to apologize, though Tommy reckoned he was just as to blame for the colloision.
"Nae danger mate, I'm sturdier than I look." The lanky Scot grinned, a touch self-consciously, as he leaned over and waved his index finger in front of the boys face.
"Can ye just follow ma finger with yer eyes then tell me your name?" A touch overly dramatic, perhaps but Tommy knew by experience that head wounds could be funny. What seemed like nothing more than a graze at the time might end up killing a man if not properly treated. No way he was getting that on his record.
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