Beard Dad

Divided We Stand

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Location: Control Room Arena → Mrs. Lovelace's Office → In the Training Room of the Control Room
Interacting With: Mrs. Lovelace and Eliana _{@lovely complex}
Interacting With: Sends an email out to Minako _{@Thundercrash}, a text to her daughter, Jenivieve, and acknowledges Hugo
Mood: Annoyed → Respectful → Contemplative → Honest → Surprised(yet unsurprised) → Reassuring

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Sylvia Vargas, what an annoyance. After a rather loud and bombastic introduction, coupled by a demeaning tirade and some rather interesting news involving Ellie and Lucas, the meeting finally went underway. Elijah was completely focused, listening to every word out of the professor’s mouth, but couldn’t help but see glances she was giving to the oblivious Eliana who stationed herself right next to him. He had to wonder what would be the cause of it, but considering the woman’s strict nature, it had to be him, why else would Eliana run off so quickly, her embarrassment present as she did so. Elijah would need to speak with the good professor, but also for another reason. Rather than approach the polling stations, he instead approached Mrs. Lovelace, ”Excuse me, Mrs. Lovelace, might we have a moment to speak in private, away from everyone else.” His pose was formal and respectful, he only required the professor's attention and he knew she would give it to him since he asked so politely.

The older woman with a constant resting bitch face kept her arms crossed and her green orbs as chilled as the breath of death. Someone who seemed far more cruel than she actually was. Cecilia Lovelace wasn’t one to often smile, nor would the blind man be affected by the indomitable nature that surrounded her. A teacher, a wife, and a mother. Three words that described her in the simplest of ways - all which required love and attention toward someone: a student, a husband, and a child. Her emotions could manifest her very being into a monster untold. Being passive was not an easy feat to accomplish and yet here she was, unreadable and unnervingly silent. She examined the boy that stood before her. Elijah Masterson. One of her best students in his year, aside from Lucas Farweight. It seems she may have given her daughter too much freedom by allowing her to room on campus. Eliana was involved in petty gossip and conversed with individuals like Avalon Middleton about ‘dates’. Then there was Sylvia, who thought she could get a rise out of her. If only her parents did not raise her to be such… a pain. Yet, her youngest daughter found the insufferable girl to be worth her friendship. Don’t think she didn’t hear that Jenivieve shared personal family information with Sylvia. For now, Cecilia would take it as hearsay. Until proven wrong, she would give Jenivieve the benefit of the doubt.

“Of course.” Turning her body, Mrs. Lovelace led the way to her office which was to the right of the arena’s door, inside the main training area. As she walked, she glanced over Eliana signalling her daughter to come to her office after she was done talking to whomever. It might be time for a mother daughter chat. After entering her office, she sat down in her large office chair and gestured for Elijah to take a seat, “Elijah, if you don’t mind, I need to check my emails. Feel free to express your concerns, I’m listening.” Opening up her computer, she started reading all her emails, while listening to the boy and possible romantic interest to her daughter speak in his eloquent yet monotone voice.

Tch, what a pain that Avalon was, openly announcing his and Eliana’s date. He was sure the ‘hero’ was trying to get a rise out of Mrs. Lovelace, at best embarrass Eliana publicly. He followed the professor and took a seat when offered, intertwining his fingers together as he spoke with the woman privately. ”Considering I can’t read the ballot, I figured speaking with you my choices was the next best option, they are as followed.”

Lucas Farweight - We’ve never truly seen eye to eye, and despite our association with one another as classmates, I feel he would be an even match, besides what better matchup than fire and sun?

Jessica Sterling - I’ve heard she’s strong, I want to see that strength for myself

Sylvia Vargas - Someone with such disrespect needs to be taught a lesson, broken down to the very core, then built back up.

Elijah sat back in his seat and contemplated the aura of the woman before him, he believed now was the best time to address Avalon’s outburst earlier, ”There is another reason why I asked to be seen. I’m sure you’re curious about my outing with your daughter, the brunch was lovely”

To: Ikeda, Minako
Subject: Re: Confirming the rules
Date: Oct 11, 2016 3:43 PM EST

Hello Minako,

Yes. Referees, faculty, and staff will be keeping a close eye on each battle. You won't die, but you could be hospitalized for a week or two. In the Student Handbook, it states that during the year we will test our students physically, mentally, and emotionally. Students will be wounded, but not enough that it will ruin their lives. We are here to give you strength, power, and endurance but most importantly, confidence and control. We want you to succeed, but you cannot succeed until you fall.

In the real world, if you or your peers were to get in a fight with someone, may it be at a bar, or because an individual is robbing a bank, do you think your opponent will play fair? Or use any means in order to achieve their goal? We all have choices to make and sometimes good people may have to do bad things. Outside, where not everyone obeys 'the law', some individuals may choose to make their opponents immobile or dead. The arena will not be too far from reality. If your opponent isn't playing fair, should you? We want to prepare you for these encounters.

Depending on your opponent, you may or may not be allowed a weapon, but not of your choice. If we are allowing weapons in a match, both participants could have access to it or there could only be one that you would have to fight for. Everything depends on who you're fighting and what challenges the arena wants to give you. Of course, there are the exceptions of those students whose abilities rely on their weapons.

Thank you for contacting me.
Have a good day and stay out of trouble.

Mrs. Cecilia Lovelace
Disciplinary & Defense Instructor
Control Room Supervisor

Looking up from her email, Mrs. Lovelace nodded at Elijah’s choices, “I’m sure to see a common theme in people’s choices.” That comment was regarding Sylvia and the scene she had just displayed not too long ago. Leaning back in her chair, she deeply stared at her student, fully aware of the elephant in the room, “A fight with you and Lucas would be worth the watch, especially since it seems you two have a keen interest in my daughter.” Did she believe the rumors? No, not necessarily, but if she could find out more of what her students, especially her daughter, is doing on campus then by all means she would.

”This isn’t about fighting for your daughter’s affections, though considering how much the schools love their gossip, I don’t blame you for viewing it that way. He’s strong, but he’s not that strong and taking him down might send a message.” She was digging, that was for sure, but there was nothing to dig for, so he might as well answer honestly.

Her phone began to vibrate uncontrollably. Glancing over, she saw her youngest daughter’s name. Before she went to check it, Mrs. Lovelace speculated, “I know my daughter. She is fond of you, most likely because of your intelligence, Elijah.” A mother knows best, even if Eliana didn’t always see eye to eye with her. While opening her phone and quickly reviewing her second child’s texts, she replied to the boy in the robe, “As much as I can see a fight with you and Lucas, I have other things in mind. Don’t worry, you will get your chance but maybe not in your first battle.”

Elijah nodded, understanding that the decision was fair and he believed he was capable of making it to round two, just whoever he would be fighting was the real test to that. ”I believe that I’ve shared all I need to for now, thank you for your time ma’am, was there anything else?”

Sighing to herself as she glanced over the words on her phone, Mrs. Lovelace knew this was breaking some kind of line of student and teacher relationship, but she asked, her tone with a hint of worry, “This may be unprofessional of me and I do apologize in advance, but if you’re willing, can you see if my daughter has gotten any sleep lately?”

Was that not obvious? ”No disrespect, but did you not witness her state of duress yourself?” He paused letting the phrase sink in, ”Even I don’t have see it, but it seems her aura is off kilter, stress, anxiety, exhaustion, they’re all there.”

“Mr. Masterson. That was my way of asking to find out the cause without outwardly saying it. I do not… do this often.” She gestured at her and him and how she was asking for a favor because her eldest child feared to tell her anything that bothered her, “My daughter has looked worse even with sleep. Actually, she copes better without being flooded by--” She held her tongue, he didn’t need to know that much, “She seems to trust you more than me. I am not perfect and... I know she won’t tell me anything. If I treated her any differently in front of you all, the school would see that as favoritism and my job would be on the line. Yes. I may be cruel, but I want what’s best for her.”

This was a different side to her, one he was not used to, but understood; a mother worried for her daughter and she wanted his help. ”I’ll do what I can to the best of my ability, but that’s all I can promise” he stood up to see himself out, hand on the door handle he turned and said, ”Your daughter is smart professor, I understand you may want what’s best for her, but some of her decisions you need to trust. Worry can overstress someone after all, I’d rather not see you keel over because of it.” With that he opened the door to find Hugo standing there, a senior, Mayweather. He stepped past him and the hippie walked in.

”Yo professor L! You wanted to see me?” The door closed behind him. Mrs. Lovelace directed Hugo to sit before sending her youngest child a reply:

To: Jenivieve
Only tonight. Don't make this a habit.

“Take a seat, Hugo. Hopefully your colleagues don’t make you wait too long.”

Elijah then looked for Eliana who was waiting outside as well and approached her. ”You seem rather worse for wear, are you alright?” He asked.

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Location: The Control Room Arena → Wesley Cone Building
Interacting With: Sylvia, Amelia _@Legion02 → Leon _{@Viciousmarrow}
Mood: Exhausted → Admiring → Unbelieving (yet totally excited) → Unsure → Embarrassed → Sudden Rush of Anger → Unbelieving (Why’d I do this!?) → Worried then Relieved → Unbelieving (I can’t do this!) → Reassured → Confident
Mood: Calm → Concerned → Humored → Serious → Appreciative

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Kayla eeped when Minako assaulted her from behind with a hug, and waved off both her’s and Amy’s concerns, stating that she was just tired. Then that Sylvia came in and made a ruckus, how dare she disrespect Mrs. Lovelace like that, her fist clenched but she didn’t move an inch. When the meeting began, Kayla tried to focus on all of the professor’s words, but her eyes kept closing and her head lulled a little. When the meeting was finally concluded and everyone made their way to the polls, she heard a rather familiar voice and her face flushed as she turned to see who it was. Leon Fulton, just thinking the name sent her face 50 shades of red, ever since she first laid eyes on him she started to crush on him, but never had the courage to actually ask him out. Why would he even be interested in a powerless little girl like her anyway, plus he obviously had interest in Amelia with the way he’d openly and loudly compliment her on anything and everything. She couldn’t blame him, she was rather beautiful and Kayla...Kayla was just some powerless girl trying to play superhero from Canada; how could she even compare?

Sighing she continued to trudge over to the polls and got a text, reading who it was from she smiled and texted Minako back.

To: Minako
That sounds like a really good idea, I’ll see you outside.

Midway through the text she heard her name called and eeped again, turning to see that Leon wanted to see her….she let that sink in; Leon Fulton, someone she crushed on and thought was a total dreamboat, wanted to see her. Her heart was a flutter, but she had to calm down and think rationally, it was probably something business related or...maybe she was in trouble? She didn’t think she’d done anything but...she texted Minako again.

To: Minako
I’ll see you and Amy later, I have to go do something right after this.

Closing her phone, she hurriedly made her way into the booth and started writing down her choices. She couldn’t think of any reason why she’d want to fight anyone, she didn’t have any reason to, but all the same she at least wrote down names. She really didn’t want to fight anyone she knew and there were a couple who seemed really intimidating, so she tried to write down people opposite to that category.

Avalon Middleton -

Samuel Keats -

Biting on the pen cap she struggled to think of a third name, until she started hearing loud talking from behind her. It was that Sylvia girl and...she was saying she was screwing Leon? Suddenly her face lit up like a tomato and she hurriedly tried to think of someone, anyone’s name. But she kept listening instead and heard...Leon being slandered...a player? A...a manwhore?! No...Leon wasn’t like that, and the red embarrassment on her face suddenly turned into that of anger, this bitch was going down. Disrespecting a professor was one thing, but disrespecting...him...Kayla audibly growled

SYLVIA VARGAS

She didn’t write a reason, but hopefully the way she jaggedly and forcefully scratched the words into the paper would get the message across, but she didn’t want to wait another week, she wanted to do something now. Turning from the poll, she marched herself towards Sylvia who’s back was to her, fists clenched, teeth gritted, she walked up and tapped the spoiled princess on the shoulder. As Sylvia turned, Kayla wound up her fist and with all her strength, landed a solid right hook, straight into that perfect barbie doll face and watched her tumble to the ground.

”Don’t you DARE bad mouth Leon like that!!” She shouted angrily, ”Unless you want more where that came from.”

”Wha-” The crunch of cartilage was clearly audible and throughout the room. Sylvia crumpled like tin foil onto the ground, pain lancing through her nose from Kayla’s sucker punch. She barely registered what just happened, much less her assailant. Stars danced in her eyes, blood trickled down her face, and tears poured down her beautiful face. The redhead was stunned and speechless, only emitting sorry sobs, whimpers, and groans as she lay there helpless on the ground. Nothing like this had ever happened to her, and she didn’t know what to do in response. Her nose was for sure broken, but she was so shaken by the event that she actually forgot about her own healing abilities, cradling the bloody mess that was her face in her hands.

Looking up at Amelia, not even caring that the bitch in front of her was crying and with less force in her voice she stated, ”And don’t you dare believe her…not even for a second” With that she turned on her heel and walked straight out of the control room, ignoring everything and everyone her priority was to find Leon and...oh no...reality started to hit her...what did she just do? The rush of adrenaline subsiding, her face returning to a normal color until it suddenly paled, ”I just hit Sylvia Vargas…”

Leon was where he usually was: in the Wardens’ Office in the Wesley Cone Building, which functioned as the haven for the Public Safety department. Well, he was either here or somewhere else on campus, but this was their main base of operations. It wasn’t really a luxurious room, but it sufficed. There was his desk, a series of security monitors behind him, a crummy looking couch, a TV, and a coffee machine. Thinking about, it actually reminded him a bit of his younger years. Minus the security monitors anyway. He was just about prepared to kick back and relax a little bit when the adorable Kayla entered. ”Ah! There’s the girl I needed to see.” he called out to her and motioned for her to sit in the vacant chair in front of his worn desk. Looking her up and down, she seemed anxious or something. Quirking an eyebrow at her, he asked her, ”What’s the matter, girl? You kill somebody?”

She found her way to Leon’s office, or rather the warden’s off and entered. When she was called in and found her to way a chair, she looked at him and rather dejectedly answered his question, ”I punched Sylvia Vargas in the face…”

Leon blinked exactly thrice at the short blonde, a look of complete confusion on his face. ”Wait. You did what?! God damn.” He was completely astonished by this revelation, and frankly, he wasn’t exactly sure he believed it since it was coming from the normally meek and mild Kayla. ”So when you say you punched Sylvia, do you mean like… you tripped her? Or… you fell on her? Nobody’s punched Sylvia before.” His voice was dead serious.

”She was badmouthing you, calling you a- a manwhore in front of Amelia and I got so angry, I walked towards her, tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned I punched her right in the face...oh god I think I broke her nose…” Kayla paled, what did she even do?!

The Chief Warden couldn’t help but burst out into a fit of laughter, slapping the desk in front of furiously. The mental image of Sylvia Vargas getting decked in that vain mug of hers, broken nose and all, by the woman in front of him was possibly one of the greatest things he could imagine. ”That.. I can’t believe that. Kayla, you’re my damned hero. Holy hell.” Recovering from the outburst of giggles, he recomposed himself, a bright smile on his face. ”Oh man, she gonna be so mad at you, girl. That’s alright though. Ain’t nothin’ but a thing. You might have to explain this to Headmistress Dunn, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. She likes you. Well, you and your father…” he explained calmly. The situation was still so damn surreal. Internally, he wanted more specifics on how it went down, like if Sylvia was crying or not, but there were more important subjects at hand right now.

”Well, anyway. Enough about Sylvia. Right now, we’re here to talk about you, Ms. Styles.” Shuffling around with some papers on his desk, he pulled up a report made up by one of Dewey brothers last week at a supposed “Hero’s Only” party, which ended getting crashed by some of troublemaking Delphinas. ”Now, it says here that you put yourself between Gianna Daniels and Samantha Youngblood when they started a scene. Says Sam was about to fry Gia’s dumbass. Most people would call your behavior stupid or foolish.” he told her, sternly but there was a hint of admiration in his voice. ”To us, the Wardens, we call that bravery. I mean, I can’t imagine. You ain’t got traditional powers like most people here on campus, and here you go, risking everything for a girl you don’t even know. Given any other circumstances, you probably woulda died. But you did what you thought was the right thing, and damn do I respect the hell out that.” Leon was praising and beaming Kayla with almost every word. His hand slid an unopened envelope to Kayla over the scarred desk, marked with the seal of both Headmasters. Scrawled on the front of the envelope was her full name and underneath were the words “The Order of the Wardens”. It it wasn’t already apparent, this was a full invitation to join their society. ”We need more people like you, Kayla.”

For a minute, Kayla thought she might have been in trouble for punching another student in the face, but instead here Leon was laughing. She blushed at his praises, even though she knew she hadn’t exactly made the best decision. When he finally stopped he got completely serious and again she felt she was in trouble when he brought up the night of those events at the party. Instead, he slid her an envelope, she picked it up and her hand brushed over the wax seals, turning it over it had her name on it, she was speechless, completely unsure of how to act to this sudden invitation. ”Y...you’re asking me to be a warden? I-I-I can’t do that, I don’t even have any powers!”

Leon rolled his eyes at Kayla’s defiant protests. ”It’s not the power that makes a Warden. It’s the spirit. I think people underestimate you, Kayla. You’re capable of more than you think, with or without powers. I’ll be there to support you. Me and the other Wardens. Ultimately, this is your decision though.” he told the adorable blonde. Hopefully she’d come around. Someone like her around would definitely liven up the place, he thought to himself. He could only handle so much of the Dewey brothers, after all.

For some reason, hearing that from Leon...it felt like...it actually mattered and for once Kayla didn’t feel so down about herself. She stared at the letter in her hand, she’d be taking on a huge responsibility, and even though she didn’t believe in herself, Leon did. Besides, if it meant she’d be spending more time with her crush… Gripping it tighter she nodded and looked the man straight in his eyes, ”Alright Leon, I’ll do it. I’ll become a Warden.”

A grand smile graced Leon’s lips, and he got up from his chair, went over to Kayla, and gave her a huge hug. ”I knew you’d accept! I’m hyped to see what you bring to the table, Kay.” the Chief exclaimed before finally putting the tiny girl back down. ”I’ll give you a taste of what’s to come tonight, when it’s usually a little more active. How does 8 work for you?”

Kayla was expecting a handshake, instead she was lifted off the ground, once again giving a tiny eep at the sudden contact. She hugged him back as he exclaimed and she couldn’t help but grin wide (and maybe take a small wiff, he smelled really good). Being put back down she stood up proud, a big smile on her face, ”S-sure, 8 o’clock sounds good, I’ll do the best I can!”

”Great! Hopefully it doesn’t end like the last time I trained someone… Got hit in the damn head by some goons with rocks. That was not a fun experience…” He paused and thought about that night, an annoyed look etched into his facial expression. ”Well, anyway. You’re free to go. I’ll be here if you have any questions though.” Leon spoke before heading back to his chair. He was a bit overwhelmed with work right now, especially since he had missed a few days last week going back for his little brother’s birthday. He still had to have glance at those security tapes from last week…

Even though Kayla should have been worried, she actually wasn’t, ”Don’t worry about any rocks, that’s why I’ve got a helmet on,” she knocked her head with a couple light taps for emphasis, giggling a little. She took out a piece of paper and grabbed a pen from his desk, writing down her number and handing it to him. ”In case you need to contact me,” she started heading for the door, and in a faux serious expression, turned around gave a salute, ”I’m off Chief, see you tonight.” She smiled and exited the room, then building. Pulling out her phone she texted Minako.

To: Minako
Just finished up, I have some incredible news to tell you both! Where are we meeting?

For once since she came here, Kayla walked tall, she was on cloud 9 and even though she punched someone in the face, she didn’t worry about it. For once in her life, she felt really confident about herself.

Divided We Stand

Cara Reaper

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Cara Reaper

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{"Don't play crazy with me. I'm a lot better at it."}
-Joker

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| Full Name |
Elizabeth Cara Reaper

| Nickname |
Goes by Cara, most people don't even know it's not her first name.

| Birth Date |
March 2nd

| Age |
24

| Classification |
Senior

| Gender |
Female

| Sexuality |
Bisexual

| Alias |
Reaper

| Role |
Villian

| Loyalty |
Delphina

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| In Depth Appearance |
Standing at only 5'7" and less than 130 pounds, Cara is wrongly seen by most people as relatively tiny and unthreatening. She has bleached blond shoulder length hair, falling loosely around her stunningly beautiful face. Cara's eyes are bright blue, constantly filled with a crazed look that sets the most even person on edge. Below her face, Cara has a library of scars, tattoos, and piercings. She has at least 8 different piercings in her ears, a small stud in her nose, as well as a piercing through her belly button.

Her tattoos are mostly drunk decisions, including a small heart by her eye. Usually you can see at least a few words or shapes poking out of Cara's clothing on a normal day. Her scars are probably the most extensive art on her body. Her wrists and ankles are rimmed with scars from chains and cuffs, her tongue has a faint scar where she almost bit through it once, her legs and arms are sparsely covered in a network of tiny faded scars. Across her back is a rather large one that stretched from her left shoulder to right hip. Virtually the only place without scars is her face. Despite all these, Cara does not attempt to cover herself up, for she is not ashamed of them.

Generally Cara wears rich clothing which is rather loose and revealing, definitely not the most school appropriate. Most of the clothes she wears are worth fortunes, hand-crafted by the finest craftsmen from all over the world. Of course Cara has systematically gone through each piece and made it her own by tearing it up, and making it feel less pretentious. The messed up rich clothing also adds to her somewhat insane feature and crazed look.

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| Habits | Quirks | Oddities |
tilts her head to the side while thinking
pouting
giggling

| Hobbies |
stealing
fucking with everyone
free-falling (explained later)
gymnastics

| Likes |
violence
stealing
making situations uncomfortable
sex
her power
red bull
mischief
true love
playing innocent

| Dislikes |
super hero costumes
onions
coffee
the "good guys"
jail
rules
Eli

| Fears |
falling
losing her power

| Personality Traits |
relentless, gleeful, crazy, bubbly, egotistical, hateful, tempered, joking, loyal, devilish

| Personality |
Cara's personality is very jaded. It varies from situation to situation, but generally you can find her acting childish and uncaring. She tends to not think about other people, and think solely about her own personal self interest. When Cara does develop connections with people, she doesn't break them no matter what. She is intensely strong and loyal, though she would deny if ever asked.

When she is bored, the one thing that always keeps her entertained is by messing with people. Cara has an outgoing and offbeat sense of humor, a little off putting to most people. It is not uncommon to see her cracking a joke at someone else's expense or pulling a childish prank. Imagine putting superpowers in hands of small child and you'd get Cara. Although Cara is seen as somewhat mad, she is actually extremely intelligent and imaginative. She just keeps her facade up because it helps her from developing attachments.

Despite Cara's dislike for attachments she is romantic and strongly driven by her emotions. The one thing she wants more than anything in the world is to find someone to she her life with. She is just too afraid of herself to allow someone to get that close. Instead she uses her ability to act like a devilish cupid, matching making whoever she sees fit. Even though Cara might not want to get close to anyone, don't be surprised if she is cuddling up next to you in your bed during the morning.

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| Abilities |
Teleportation
Cara is a teleporter, meaning she has the ability to instantly transport herslef to any location she can see or has visited before, by imagining the world revolving around her. At first she had difficulty controlling this ability, possessing a limited range, but after long practice with Eli, was able to make vast transcontinental jumps and even transport groups with significantly more effort.

As Cara is rather small and lady-like she is relatively poor at physical fitness or fighting, and relies on her power to a far greater degree in combat. Cara's main tactic in a fight is to either teleport away or use her ability to attack opponents from several angles, in quick succession using a series of bizarre weapons. She has also been known to teleport enemies several hundred meters in the air and simply drop them. She relies heavily on the element of surprise, although she has on occasion given indication of hidden fighting skill.

Her powers can be used in more than just a way of fighting. For example for the majority of her life Cara was a thief, and quite a considerable one. She also enjoys teleporting herself up to height of planes and free falling, only to catch herself by teleporting again just before she hits the ground. This example could also be used to show Cara's insanity, and lack of caution.

| Limitations |
Cara has two major limitations when it comes to her power. The first happens when she is scared or stressed, causing her to loose complete control of her ability. The second occurs when teleporting anything other than herself. It often takes large amounts of concentration and time. When her power doesn't work, as it sometimes does in these cases, Cara breaks down, feeling like she has lost a major part of herself.

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| Place Of Origin |
Unknown

| Family |
Birth-Mother: Astrid Cane (Non-Mutant)
Birth-Father: Fletcher Cane (Non-Mutant)

Adoptive Father: Eli Reaper(Mutant)

| History |
The Cane's were ecstatic about their little six month old child. They had been trying to have a child for a while, and finally they were blessed with a beautiful little daughter. Everything was happy, until one night, in a fit of nightmares, the baby disappeared. The Cane's searched the entire city from top to bottom, but couldn't find her anywhere. The police were virtually no help either, saying that a six month child couldn't just disappear from a crib in the middle of the night.

On the other side of the world, New Zealand to be exact. Laying in the middle of the street, the tiny blond bundle of blankets lay peacefully asleep, unaware how her life was about to drastically change. A dark hand reached out of the night, one hand dripping in blood as the other tucked away a gun. Eli picked up the small child and held it close to his bloody face studying it closely. Cooing softly the baby opened its eyes staring at the man. A drop of blood splashed onto her head, causing her to giggle quietly.

Thirteen years later Elizabeth Cara Reaper sat in a hard wood chair, staring daggers at a stone wall. Behind her Eli prowled, "Try again. Again!" Eli was training her to control her power, just as he had with his own and so many others. His gang was the largest supernatural group in nearly all New Zealand, and certainly the most nefarious gang. But Elisabeth was too unfocused. "Focus. Stop fidgeting and think about it hard." Immediately Elizabeth turned with a playful grin on her face, "Like this?" She stuck her tongue out and made a goofy face.

Eli's hand came down, flying past her without making contact in a wide sweep. Immediately a dozen small cuts appear all over her arms. Crying out in pain, Elizabeth jerked back in shock. Already dozen of cuts were spread across all of her body. All symbolizing a time she displeased Eli. Eli moved quickly to her side, picking up her arm lightly and caringly to examine what he had done. Stroking her hair, he shushed her and buried her face in his stomach as tears dripped down. "It's okay, it's okay. Listen, you go see Annabelle, and go get fixed up, then we'll try again, kay?" A tear streaked Elizabeth pulled back looking at her father and nodded, "Okay... Love you daddy."

As his daughter ran off to find the healer known as Annabelle, Eli sat in the chair with a deep sigh. He might be exceptionally tough on her, but it was necessary. She was... too much. There was no control with her, no restraint. It was a struggle at best to get her to use her power, when she wasn't being so childish. And when it came to dealing with other people, merciless. Elizabeth was supposed to be raised in his image, but she was something much much more.

Years later, Elizabeth had grown in many ways. Having successfully controlled part of her power, she rose through the ranks of her father's gang of criminals. When her father needed something stolen, or broken into she was the perfect person. The gang flourished as she became the right hand to her father. Her success did not some without a price, as many of the members of the gang despised her and her strange ways. Those in the gang often called them the Eli Duo, though many would call them the Reapers behind their backs, especially Elizabeth. It was clear to everyone, even her father that Elizabeth was unhinged. She acted impulsively, without thinking, and people died because of it.

Taking matters into his own hands, Eli used his extensive resources to track down Elizabeth's birth parents. Elizabeth was elated to finally meet them, and her parents were of her as well. They were never informed their daughter or her adoptive father's nefarious activity, but they always had a bad feeling about Eli. Despite their dislike for the man, the Canes changed their whole life around, moving across the world and buying a house. It even had a room for Elizabeth.

The relationship between Eli and Elizabeth grew tense as Elizabeth drifted closer to her birth parents and started living with them. It started to become clear to her, as she was shown how nice parents could be, how much of an abusive relationship she had been raised in. She quickly fell in love with the Canes, until once again her life changed for the worse.

One night when she was sleeping in her parents house a mutant from Eli's gang crept up to her window. His name was Raco, a mutant with the ability to control people and make them forget what they did. He had previously been Eli's right hand man before Elizabeth had pushed him out. Angry at having been replaced, Raco worked his power on Elizabeth. The next thing she knew she was standing outside of a burning house, listening to the screams of her parents.

In a fit of rage, Elizabeth teleported away into Eli's main base of operations. Eli obviously hated the Cane's, it had to have been him. Grabbing a machine gun, Elizabeth shot anything that moved. Some of them tried to fight, but she teleported them into the air to fall to their deaths. By the time she reached Eli's room she was covered in blood, just like the day Eli found her in the streets. Bursting into the room, she found it empty. Eli and several others in his gang, including Raco, had escaped.

For years, Elizabeth had chased Eli around the world, with her mind set on vengeance. She grew to hate him and everything that he made her. He was not her father, just some freak that had used and abused her. She even hated the name she was given, choosing to switch to go by Cara instead. Yet despite being able to teleport, Eli's vast network allowed him to hide from her. Her only choice was to get outside information. Perhaps a school full of villains would know where to find a gang full of villains.

| Extra |
Deadpool, Ironman, Harley Quinn

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@lovely complex

@Wintergrey

So Elijah helped train her? I'm seriously intrigued nwo.

EDIT: I may have misread something, but please inform me so

Divided We Stand

@Wintergrey check out Elijah, Hugo, and Tristram.

Elijah is a pyromancer, but that doesn't mean we can't have another one

Tristram teleports and has other abilities.

Hugo is like the nightcrawler in terms of his abilities.

This is so if you wanted you can add your own flare to your character's powers

@lovely complex

Hugo is like if Nightcrawler, Vergil from Devil May Cry, and a rasta came together and formed a person.

Divided We Stand

My body is ready for the match ups

Divided We Stand

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Location: Dorm Room → Control Room Arena
Interacting With: Himself
Mood: Contemplative → Neutral Confidence

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Unlike most people Elijah didn't receive some fancy email through the power of technology, but was rather surprised when a small envelope appeared under his dorm room door one morning; how curious, and written in braille as well. As his hand glided over the raised bumps his gaze became rather contemplative, an invitation to the tournament, his thoughts wandered from the unexpected to the anticipated. Did they finally believe he had enough control? Regardless of whether the professors believed so or not, he felt prepared, and though he didn't know his competition yet, he would find out soon enough.

The one known as Brimstone had gotten up rather early to meditate on the events of the day and the previous weeks. After his endeavor with Eliana he hadn't seen neither hide nor tail of her, and though worry had spread through his core, he suppressed the feeling, not wanting to be seen as some attention seeking dog; far from it. As for the tourney, well the time was nearing and grabbing his cloak he was out the door, his strides long and confident as he found his way to the control room arena. Others had already arrived, some he recognized, others he did not, Lucas in particular stood out to him, Gianna's right hand man, and a tournament of terror champion. If Lucas was in this, then things would definitely get dangerous, if anyone was truly a match for his raw strength though, Elijah felt confident that he would be the one to. As the saying goes, get too close to the sun and you may just burn.

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Location: Dorm Room → Control Room Arena
Interacting With: Hemself
Mood: Meltdown commencing → Exhausted/Unaware

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The young blonde had found herself tangled up in her bed sheets, hyperventilating and completely freaking the actual fuck out. After a really pleasant meeting with Minako and her new friend, Kayla had found herself spending more and more time, particularly with Minako. Now days later, after checking through her emails, she found the one that made her face turn paler than a ghost and she immediately hid herself away, locking herself in her room and trying to ostrich her way into the dirt.

"Whymewhymewhyme~?!" Kayla thought, her stomach turning knots in protest to the amount of stress and anxiety she felt. She wasn't a real super, sure she had her suit, but why choose her for this?! She hadn't even passed that many levels in the control room and yet they were literally throwing her to the wolves, or sharks, or frickin dragons that were the super powers of Mayweather and Delphina. She couldn't handle it, and yet she was absolutely, positively supposed to come to this frickin thing! That night, Silver did not sleep so well.

Exhaustion. It was written plainly on her face, anxiety and self doubt, add in a lack of sleep, equals to suddenly not caring about anything as exhaustion sets in. No sleep, not a single hour, and after this...she might actually have to skip classes, but could she even bring herself to sleep again? Kayla Styles trudged her way towards the control room arena, it was all she could do as auto-pilot suddenly set in as the alarm went off. She had put on clothing, but had done nothing to her hair, no makeup, no freshness, just a completely sad panda.

She entered the building, then the room, if there were others there she didn't register them. She felt like a phantom, a dead man simply waiting for the gallows as she fell in line, lifeless, listless. This was the end for her.

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Location: Dorm Room → White Room
Interacting With: Himself
Mood: Unsure of his warning → Surprised → Content with life

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After having overheard the meeting between the three Delphinas, Hugo had tried to search high and low for Samantha. When he did finally catch her, she was with her friend Avalon, and as Hugo approached, ready to tell her of the secret meeting, something stopped him. At the mere mention of Gianna, Sam's eyes suddenly lit up in an awful way, a similar glaring look of damnation that he had seen from Gianna herself, something sinister. It stopped him, and rather than having nothing to report, he simply played it off as an invitation for her, him and Gianna to get rather...intimate with one another. The glaring daggers and sudden change in wind speed was all the message he needed for him to hop away from mother hurricane; FAR AWAY. Now days later he received a message to join in the winter formal committee, which completely surprised him. Usually he wasn't tasked with such promising events due to his forgetfulness, the fact that he was chosen must of meant they at least wanted his imput and if was that important, he'd have to at least write it down somewhere.

Hugo walked through the halls towards the white room, in jeans, a flannel, barefoot and hair tied up in a man bun. His usual duffel pack was strapped to his back, his sword in one hand, his guitar in the other. As he approached the room he casually grasped the sword in his guitar hand to allow himself entrance to the meeting room. It didn't look like anyone else had arrived and with a big smile and friendly wave he entered inside and seated himself at an appropriate chair close by the window, having set his pack and sword by it, opting to keep his guitar in hand. Kicking his feet up on the table he lightly played his guitar, just strumming a few strings as he waited for the meeting to start.

Out of nowhere a rather handsome Asian made a rather exuberant appearance, spinning in his chair several times before shouting to the world and throwing confetti in the air. Hugo was a dimension hopper, so the fact that someone else could do it didn't really surprise him, even if it may have surprised others. After the young man had made his entrance Hugo raised his hand and waved to the Asian.

"Bonjour." And immediately went back to playing his guitar.

Divided We Stand

Oh yea, Hugo carries around his katana, like usually in his hand, story wise it's been addressed, he just constantly forgets, and the teachers know him well enough to just leave it be at this point. Though i think Mrs Lovelace still scolds him when she sees him with it, albeit he has a confused expression when she does address it.

Divided We Stand

@lovely complexThanks fam

Divided We Stand

@Thundercrash Sorry that I haven't posted, I'm just waiting on the timeskip at this point, but if that's going to take a little longer, I can always post @lovely complex

Divided We Stand

@FacePunch James you son of as bitch XD

Divided We Stand

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Time; Sometime after noon
Location; Fountain → Balthazar Restaurant → Campus
Interacting With; Each other _{(@lovely complex)}; Mentions of Lucas, Gianna, Samantha, Avalon, Brenna

Thoughtful → chivalrous → inquisitive → reassuring → judgmental → recollective/thoughtful → slightly emotional → judgmental → understanding → inquisitive → empathetic → appreciative → reassuring → hopeful
Excited/Nervous/AH → Decisive → Appreciative/Thankful → Conversational → Slightly insecure / pity toward person of topic → Cautiously curious → Honest → Questioning → Indifferent about people of topic → Surprised / unsure → Seeking comfort → Understanding → Embarrassed

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First gather and concentrate energy, what type of energy is up to the user’s choice, though psi is recommended for beginners. Move the energy around your mind and form it into a barrier around the brain, imagine as if the energy is reinforcing your skull. Imagine the energy as molten steel as it pours into the mold, forming a hard metal barrier. This spell is designed to protect against mental penetration and attacks, to make the shield stronger, concentrate the energy consistently and devote a portion of your natural energy to it. This is not recommended to beginners as the constant energy can be quite draining to the user.

Not recommended for beginners...what kind of novice do they take me for? Elijah thought. The spellbook he brought was indeed basic, yet he was more than skilled enough to form and devote his energy towards what he needed to. That being said, he was about to go on his date with Eliana and would rather not waste his energy towards such mental protection. His head turned towards the sky as he looked for the sun, while the orb was blinding to most, it was a rather small flowing sphere in his mind, its aura far away from the earth. Judging by its position, it was nearing noon, close to his meeting time with the Mayweather girl. Closing his book and tucking it away into his cloak he sat back and recollected the last couple of hours. Nothing of interest had come up in regards to last night, the usual gossip and banter about it, the usual threats of I’m going to kill so and so, but nothing important, at least around him. Gianna had created a storm, and even though he didn’t hear anything, he felt that something big was going to come of this.

Eliana spent her morning rushing around New York City to find an outfit that wouldn’t embarrass her during her lunch date. Her sister would get in after Ellie and Elijah met at the fountain. Today was a day she would use her money she rarely spent and splurge a little. Okay, maybe a lot. She may have called her personal maid from home to take her to Manhattan so that she could buy an impressionable dress with help from another woman (that wasn’t her mother). Ellie knew the man she was going on a date with was blind, but people would see them together - so perhaps she could make them look like a couple? Other people’s opinions did not matter, she was a (romantic) girl and this would make her feel good about herself.

Nora Lemoine, her darling maid and friend, has been with her for as long as she could remember. Occasionally, Ellie calls and updates her on school and personal business. With Ellie attending college, Nora is now taking care of Jen at home, while keeping the eldest of the Lovelace fortune in the loop of family affairs. One can say Nora is also her assistant. Getting back to the shopping adventure, the young and excited 18 year old purchased a Chanel grey jacket dress, black Jimmy Choo heels, and soft nylon stockings. Once she felt fully satisfied, they returned back to her dorm. Complimenting her ensemble with her heart locket given to her by her late grandmother on her father’s side, she glanced at her friend, who stared at her appreciatively. Nora took the time to curl her darling Eliana’s hair and make sure the girl’s face wasn’t caked with makeup. The results were splendid - Ellie was a lovely woman, it was about time a guy took a chance and asked her out. Before Ellie left her room, she was given a quick pep talk to calm her nerves (you better believe she was nervous).

This was her first, true date with someone outside of her family and friend loop. Of course she had butterflies! Her heels resounded on the stoned sidewalk that led to one of the most known places at Mayweather, the fountain. Gathering herself, she took a deep breath in and tightly held onto her yellow clutch purse. As she exhaled, her chartreuse green orbs fell on the man sitting and waiting for her in his go-to outfit, looking up at the sun. Appearing in front of him, she gave a soft and warm smile, “Where shall we eat? I’m partial to Balthazar in Soho. It would give us options and it’s pretty popular here. Of course, I’m always up for trying something new.”

Lowering his head, broken from his thoughts, he saw the aura of Eliana Lovelace. Absolutely bright and beaming, she was truly excited for their outing, good start. He smiled, a simple gesture meant to instill comfort and a sign of a gratified greeting to reciprocate her own. He stood up as she asked where to go, listing off a restaurant to him. ”I’ve never been before, but if you’re partial to it, I’ll take you up on your recommendation.” Elijah lifted the hood off his head, letting it fall back, he was already an odd character in a pretty bustling place and to the normal humans of the world, he looked even stranger. It was better to expose his face and look at least somewhat normal than to rouse suspicions of a hooded and cloaked man walking the streets of New York City. ”Shall we be off then?” he extended out his arm for her to take, another gentlemanly gesture.

Appreciating his etiquette, Ellie looked up at him and teasingly grinned, “We shall, good sir.” Not afraid to point out her obvious amusement, she gently grabbed onto his arm like a lady would.

~

The walk was simple. They chatted about small things like how breakfast was her favorite meal of the day and finding a book in her hand was not an unusual sight. Anything that could have led to her personal life was directed elsewhere since Ellie wasn’t one to talk about such topics near immediately. As for him, Elijah spoke of how he acquired his rather unusual attire, addressing his father in the process, and spoke of the little bit of magic he himself dabbled in, just the simple spells like creating a light or a knock on the wall.

Once they were seated in a booth by the back mirror, since Ellie was quite particular with where she wanted to be seated and even had an ideal table, she asked for a water with lemon. Ideally, she liked sitting at a booth, an area where she could see the lady’s room, and in a private area so if she were to make a fool of herself, only the person or people she was with would see it.

Looking down at the menu, she glanced at the luxury french cuisine and realized she may have picked a pricey place but based on what he told her already, he could afford it. Not one to have a friend pay for her on the first date (or ever, really), unless he literally tried to race her with his card, she asked while leaving her eyes on the list of food, “Mind if I pay for myself? I would prefer it, if you don’t mind.” Her stomach made a loud growl. Sighing (oddly enough not embarrassed), Ellie pushed a curl strand behind her ear, “I didn’t eat anything because today is Sunday brunch. I love brunch.”

Elijah had removed his cloak, folding it neatly and laying it on the seat beside him. His clothing looked formal, collared, but just as intricate and unusual as his cloak did. He waited patiently for the waitress, asking for a list of teas that were available and requested a Jasmine tea as it was listed. Ellie on the other hand simply order water with lemon while she deeply stared at the menu. His hands folded together he simply stared at the concentrating young woman, who then asked him if she could pay for her own meal. He didn’t mind going dutch, he actually preferred it, not that chivalry was dead, but he knew Eliana could pay for her own meal. It was only the first date anyway, he wouldn’t go out of his way to pay for someone on the first date and judging from the sounds and smell, this place seemed of a higher quality than most restaurants.

”No, I don’t mind at all, I was about to ask the same question myself,” he smirked subtly. ”That being said, I might need your help with the menu, it’d be greatly appreciated if you could recommend me something.”

The next moments were spent with Eliana asking if he had allergies and Elijah telling her anything she recommended he would be glad to try. A gentleman through and through. She ended up ordering Mixed Field Greens in a sherry vinaigrette as an Hors D’Oeuvres for the both of them, she would put it on her check, Apple cinnamon pancakes for herself because yum breakfast, and Steak Frites with maitre d’butter for her lovely date. Money was obviously not an issue. The red haired, freckle faced waitress that served them, whose name was Maybelle, knew Ellie’s face quite well and made sure to say her usual phrase when Ellie had entered earlier, “Ms. Lovelace, we are so delighted you could come today.”

As they waited for their food (their drinks already delivered), the petite brunette grabbed her napkin and gently laid it on her lap. The air around them was silent while everywhere else in the restaurant was filled with chatter. She brushed the wrinkles out of her napkin to make it drape nicely on her dress. Bringing her attention to her date, she gave him a serene smile, her nerves having calmed down the moment he was in her presence (was it weird she felt this comfortable around him?).

“Thank you again for helping me last night.” The incident from the previous night was still a bit surreal for her. She couldn’t fully register the fact that she helped her nemesis out and even took off his pants to wrap his wounds up. But she did it and it was all thanks to Elijah.

”It wasn’t a problem, though I was honestly curious as to why you had decided to help him. Elijah leaned back into the booth, folding his hands over the table, sometimes raising one up as if it was part of his dialogue. ”The gossip that spreads around this school is like wildfire and I always keep an ear to the ground, your relationship with Farweight is of no secret to me, and considering the events that transpired last eve, I believe things only to grow worse.”

Her relationship with Lucas was complicated, she wanted to brush him off like the damn insect he was, but he just somehow kept reminding her of his existence. She wanted to bring him hell but at the same time, she didn’t want to go too overboard. Why did she help him last night? Oh - was it the guilt of seeing him battered and bruised after they had just argued? Did she blame herself for what had happened to him? But why? Why should she care about what he did to himself? Well, he was a person.

Sighing to herself, Ellie reached for her glass of water and absentmindedly twirled it, “Without a doubt things will only escalate and I--” She hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the right words but not really knowing how to explain her feelings, “I don’t know why I helped him. I just did. Our feud is one of the most popular ones on campus. I suppose I’m conflicted, I guess.” Woah. She was being extremely honest with Elijah. Was it because she liked him or was there something more about their relationship?

Slowly he leaned forward as she spoke, his hands risting to rest his chin on the back of them. Her emotions certainly seemed conflicted, yet she was speaking with honesty. ”That certainly sounds like something a hero would do.” He resumed his original position in the booth, ”I don’t believe there is any shame in what you did, most would have left him in his position, both Mayweather and Delphina. Yet you took the time to not only bring your enemy to the infirmary, but care for him too. Even if you may not know the reason why, most heroes simply do good for the sake of good, even if they haven’t the tiniest inkling of why they do what they do. Not every origin story is so black and white after all.”

“Well that’s assuring…” Eliana quietly muttered to herself. She did not know if she was completely heroic but if he thought she was good, then her actions weren’t a complete waste. Her brow furrowed when she realized Lucas was the topic of discussion on her date. Changing the subject, she first brought her glass to her lips, took a sip, and then sighed, “I kind of feel sorry for Gianna.” Letting go of her glass, she wrapped a curl around her pointer finger and allowed the two to dance together, “Weird coming from me since my mom adores Gia and I, not so much, but… the rumors say that Sam attacked her first. Why is this conflict so convoluted yet everyone is pointing the blame at just her?” Leaning back in her seat, her green orbs gazed at the mirror to the side of them, “Don’t get me wrong, Gianna can be… much. Still, even people like her should be forgiven, right?”

Inhaling and letting out a small breath he replied, ”You’re not wrong and I couldn’t agree with you more, it's true that the gossip spreading does point to Samantha being the first to strike, though I’m hearing words about something else maybe causing that…” he couldn’t really go pointing that someone else was the cause of it, but from how Samantha normally seemed to act, her’s were unwarranted and uncalled for, and there were plenty of mind benders around the campus, even Mitch had affected him at one point. ”Still, most of the blame points to Gianna simply because her retaliation was...inexcusable...though not unforgivable, given time and perhaps if there was less tension between both sides. Regardless, Samantha’s actions are also inexcusable, she certainly proved that with her ‘No Villains Allowed’ Party.” He chuckled a little, “For a hero who’s supposedly as smart as she is, she’s quite dense to the outcome her own actions caused. There is certainly a lot of malice flowing within her, for as cheerful as she might appear to others.”

Ellie opened her mouth but nothing came out. Closing it, she decided to choose her words carefully. She was truly curious about this, but it may come off as prying. Staring at Elijah’s face, she brought her hands down and clasped them together on her lap. “Um. This may be a personal inquiry and you do not have to answer but… Gianna’s lover died in the fire, right? I’m not totally oblivious with school gossip.” Playing with her fingers, her eyes trailed to the ceiling, “I’m sure you all lost something or someone of importance that day. It seems like Gia was hurt the most… I may have never lost someone that close to me before but don’t you think people are being a bit careless? Everyone is acting like the fire never happened…” She didn’t know if she was making sense but from what she’s heard, saw, and being a girl who tries to mask her emotions herself, she wondered whether or not people realized how mindless they were being. Surely Gia wasn’t the only one emotionally wounded by the fire, was she?

Eliana had a point and Elijah considered her words carefully, inhaling deeply before responding, ”Vincent...he was a good friend...a valuable ally, and yes, he was Gia’s lover, more than even.” As to the fire...a realization had dawned on him, ”Do you believe they are being careless? Or intentional? I’d like to ask you something,” he leaned forward with intent, ”When was the last time you heard about the fire from anyone? How frequently?” he let her think a moment before continuing, ”Now when was the last time you heard about the school’s feud? How frequently?”

Biting her lip gently, she thought about what he was asking and then replied, “Student body-wise… the night my feud started with Lucas, a month ago. I did a terrible thing to him… I would say he deserved it, but no one deserves what I did to him.” They were interrupted by the waitress who brought their food and asked if they needed anything else. Ellie shook her head ‘no’ and stared at her pancakes before continuing, “Prior to him… offending me, I was in the library and I heard a group of girls talking quietly about the fire, one sobbing.” Grabbing her fork and knife, she slowly carved her pancake to pieces. “Staff wise, I overheard my mom talking to Ms. Petrescue about it a week ago. Little things, I guess.”

Reaching for the syrup she made a puddle on the edge of her plate, since she was one to dip her pancake not drown it. Grumbling when she thought about the school feud, she added, “Feels like everyday kids are talking about their differences with the ‘other’ school.”

”Exactly,” he leaned back into the booth again, grabbing his utensils as he began to delicately cut into the meat. Though he could still see things, he generally tried to be careful with what he was eating. ”Though fresh in our minds, the fire is more of a distant memory than the battles the students wish to wage against one another, and I fear it may only become more distant with what’s happened. Whether we’d like to admit it or not, a war is coming.” he pulled a piece of the steak to his mouth, chewing it and swallowing before resuming, ”We really should be sharing in our similarities, after all, we’re all fucking broken, one way or another.” His voice spoke more emotion than he intended to, but could anyone blame him? He was getting really sick of all this.

Her eyes perked up with the last comment of Elijah’s. More emotion than she was use to hearing from him since he came off as someone mysterious and monotone most of the time. Contemplating on taking a bite, but not wanting to talk with food in her mouth, she simply held her fork and countered, “The fire may be distant but it is still prevalent in Gianna.” Placing her fork down, she shook her head trying to understand the thoughts coursing in her head. Her voice went down an octave, “I’m still trying to get over the fact that Lucas joked about my sister getting roofied. Why do people assume someone like Gianna, who seems like a person who understands love more than anyone else… I mean, come on. She’s called ‘Cupid’s Psyche’ for a reason... Can get over Vincent’s death just like this?” She snapped her finger to emphasize that people expected others to get over their demons a lot faster than they were capable of doing. Her mind was heated with this conversation and her daring questions went loose, “Have you ever lost someone, Elijah?” she let the question settle in before continuing, “Don’t answer that. But take a moment to think about the feud and the fire. The feud has always been there but the fire gave people a reason to act on it. Now let’s look at Gia.”

Her leg moved up and down as she analyzed the situation, “She is the most prominent face of Delphina. She is one of the obvious sides of the feud. But she is also the one who continues to let the fire live on.” Bringing her thumb to her lip, she bit it gently, before continuing, “I don’t know where I’m going with this but… if I was in the same situation as her, I would surely be fighting demons beyond my understanding. I’m sure people like Milo would want me to look at the brightside of things and just get over it, but how is that possible? When everyone is acting like it isn’t a big deal? Like what she’s going through isn’t a big deal? ‘Oh Ellie, just get over it. Your sister had it coming’...” Her voice trailed off to allow him to speak, she just felt like she was rambling now.

He deeply considered her words, ”No..I wouldn’t expect anyone to get over such...feelings or loss so easily. Even now Vincent’s words still haunt me…” he shook his head, attempting to banish the thought, ”That doesn’t excuse the fact that she’s using those negative emotions to lash out at others, she’s being foolish and her actions will only cause more despair to fall on us, ‘my people’.” he emphasized that last point. ”It does make one wonder what that says about ‘your people’ after Samantha’s actions, and I don’t believe she’s lost anyone so dearly in that fire.” He realized the words he was speaking and bowed his head, ”Forgive me, it is easy for the actions of one to cause fingers to point in the actions of the many.” He raised his head up, ”That being said, Gianna is...a difficult individual to deal with in those regards, it’s impossible to make her see the error of her ways...”

Shrugging, Ellie picked up her fork again, obeying her stomach’s yells for food, while saying, “You can talk about Sam however you like, I could careless about her.” She brought a piece of pancake to her lips and chomped on it gleefully. Smiling happily, her mood briefly changing with glee, she covered her mouth while chewing, “This is so good!” Ellie did love breakfast food. Once she finished a couple of pieces of pancake, hoping Elijah didn’t mind the brief pause in conversation, Ellie tilted her head, “Lashing out usually happens if the person feels antagonized or threatened. I’m not trying to excuse Gia, like how I shouldn’t be excused for some of my past actions, but people have a tendency to bring out the worst in us, wouldn’t you agree?”

Elijah’s hand went up to the bruise on his face, rubbing it gently, ”I suppose...I can’t argue with that…” he put his hand back down and went back to his own food, eating it somewhat slowly before speaking again, ”It becomes even more antagonizing when both sides believe they are right in what they believe…”

“Right, wrong, black, white, your people, my people. Humans are quite foolish.” She reached for her water and lifted it in the air, her eyes looking through the glass and to Elijah’s face, “I suppose it’s all about perspective. Sometimes I feel right, but I could be wrong. Sometimes I may do wrong, but it feels right.” Placing her glass back down, she thought outloud, “I guess we all just need to learn to listen to each other.”

Once again Elijah leaned forward with intent, her words were interesting and her aura fell under many shades...he wondered. ”Where do you stand Eliana? I’m not asking about the feud, I’m asking where you feel you personally stand. Your morals seem...conflicted with one another.” He leaned back, taking another bite of his food with him, ”I suppose what I’m really asking is, do you feel you are a hero? Or not?”

A puzzled look fell on Ellie’s face. Not expecting a question like that to come to surface at a date that turned into an intellectual discussion with someone she was growing to respect as a friend. She stood silent. What should she say? Did she feel like a hero? Or was she simply doing it because she was in a family of heroes? Her father wasn’t even fully heroic since his hotel chain was a safe haven for hero and villain alike -- or does that make him more heroic because he wasn’t as bitter toward villains as people like Samantha and Avalon were? Millennium was the one place where supers could push their differences aside and hideout under highly surveillanced protection and enjoy the many amenities it had to offer - the casino and cabaret attachment being the guest favorite. There were more evils out in the world than the obvious villains seeking world domination or some other cliché. Her mother had a rather tough upbringing and it didn’t help that her emotions manifested her into monsters. It always seemed that her family was treading the lines of good and evil. Now her mother demands her daughter to truly test herself and grow into her full capability (for the sake of Eliana carrying out the Lovelace legacy). The way Ellie interpreted her mother’s lessons were control was key. Her family may be labeled as heroes but were they really? Her head was spinning with all these questions she didn’t know how to answer.

Finally, after a long silence, Ellie hesitantly answered, “I stand for…” What do you stand for? “I can’t say entirely myself. Nor can I say entirely for others. All I know is… I want to get better. No, I need to get better. I can’t let--” She cut her words short, and shook her head, “I don’t know, Elijah.”

He could tell his question may have riled her up a little, but he further pressed the question only because he felt...no he knew what she had wanted to say, ”You struggle with something deep within you don’t you? That’s what you don’t just want to get better, you need to.” he paused briefly before commenting, ”Perhaps it is all just speculation on my part, but it goes back to something you said earlier, we all have our demons to struggle with, some, more than others.” He leans back his expression rather serious, ”I can relate, literally.” He felt the surge of power that flowed within him, that spirit that was imprisoned in his own body, the one that gave him his power.

“Do you ever feel like you may forget who you are if you allow yourself to be… careless?” She asked, seeking some sort of comfort. Ellie didn’t know if she was wording her question properly but if Elijah truly understood, she would love to hear how he dealt with it.

Elijah breathed in deeply, looking at his hand, clenching and unclenching it, ”All the time…” he spoke softly. ”There is a reason why I don’t show emotion, why I keep myself collected and calm all the time, why even the slightest slip up, could result in something like Delphina’s destruction happening again. You said you were privy to the campus and its wonderful tales, I’m sure you’ve heard the stories rumors about me.” He lowered his head, taking another bite of his steak before sipping the tea, ”To me, control over my powers is everything, I train, I meditate, I study, and most importantly I don’t let my emotions take control over me, otherwise...I fear for what might come out.”

Nodding to his mention of people pointing the blame on him, she kept quiet and listened to everything he had to say. Once he concluded his statement, she frowned, “It looks like we found another thing in common. Fear of unleashing our full potential.” Eating one more piece of pancake before feeling satisfied, she sighed, “You’re innocent until proven guilty. I do not believe the pyromancer burnt down the entire Delphina campus, killing off someone I can tell both you and Gianna deeply cared about. Yet, that is one easy scapegoat.” The waitress came by to check up on them, Ellie requested boxes and the two checks, though she didn’t necessarily want to leave now. She simply wanted to have everything ready so when they were ready to leave - they could leave without having to wait.

A small smile graced his lips and nodded in appreciation, ”A rather mature statement, one much appreciated. Most of the students would rather burn me at the stake…” Realizing what he just said he frowned slightly and shrugged, ”I don’t actually believe that would be possible though.” He thought for a moment, ”You know, I’ve heard some rather interesting rumors about you, though from the conversation we’re having, I don’t believe the young woman to be sitting before me lives up to the reputation she’s acquired. As you’ve said though, innocent until proven guilty, though I don’t believe the guilty to be possible.”

“Rumors about me?” She inquired, wondering if Lucas leaked information about her diary already.

”Eliana the deviant...those kind of rumors don’t just stay in high school after all. Alas, I believe them to be rather...false, after all deviants don’t tend to show quite the charm you do.”

Her face beamed red. Why was her past catching up with her like this? The feeling of bitterness toward Brenna flooded her but also the torture she went through because of high school. The words. Everyone’s words, rushed through her mind. With a faux smile, she acted like this didn’t hold any importance to her, “Oh that old stuff. That wasn’t a big deal. Nothing for you to be too concerned about. You’re the first guy I’ve ever been on a date with!” Her face dropped. Did she just fucking say that out loud?! Shooting up, she grabbed the checks and quickly murmured, “I’m just going to pay for this at the counter!” Eliana tried to retreat from Elijah, feeling utterly stupid.

The more he watched her flush, the more a smile crept up on his lips, as she attempted to retreat towards the counter, he firmly but gently grabbed her arm. ”I hope you’re not going to pay for everything, like we agreed on, wait a moment...will you?” He reached into his cloak, pulling out a small leather wallet, one of the few modern items he carried and pulled out his portion of the bill, tip included. ”Don’t worry, I was never worried,” he opened her hand, placing the money in it before gently closing it, ”You’re my first date too.” he allowed himself to give her a comforting smile and leaned back in his seat, ”I’ll be waiting.”

As much as his words did comfort her, it also made her blush even more. I’M HIS FIRST?! Holding the money tight in her hand, she walked to the counter, her heart literally dying. She was dying. Oh dear lord. Someone call an ambulance because her heart was racing.

~

Just as enjoyable as the walk from campus to restaurant was, the walk back was just as enjoyable. It was...an interesting feeling, to speak with this girl, she didn’t seem nearly as reserved as some of the rumor let on, in fact she seemed like a perfectly normal girl, aside from her powers. More small talk ensued, just minor babbling between the two, and yet for as normal as it sounded, he thoroughly listened to her words, commenting where he felt it necessary or reacting to it as needed. Their journey once again brought them back to the fountain, he simply stood before her, quiet and contemplative.

”I think brunch was...enjoyable, I appreciated your company.” He smiled softly before asking, ”Will I get to see you again?”

Her heart fluttered when he wanted to see her again. The wind blew her curls slightly to the side, as she nodded with a serene smile, “I’d like that.”