Serena Grimsbane’s eyes widened slightly, as the Conjuration witch realized she hadn’t been nearly as quiet as she’d thought. Both she and her “friend,” an abjuration wizard named Betty Hyong, had been attending Strange Academy since they were young teens, stumbling through their first spells. In a year or so, Serena and Betty would be ready for the Coven system - but for now, they studied in the Wandering Hall, having mastered the basics but not quite yet reached the advanced level needed for a coven.
“Oh, um, hi Cal!” Serena’s face was bright red.
Betty regarded the dragon with a flat, resting expression. She threw up her right hand in a two finger salute.
“And Connie!” Her blush only deepened, and she flinched, as Betty kicked at her under the table.
“Well, um, I heard from… I heard from…” Serena trailed off, confusion flickering across her face. “I… Sorry, I’m blanking on the name. Must be exam stress. Um. But the head is supposed to be in the dungeons still, I don’t think it’s been handled by the professors yet if you want to go and take a look - they said it was… it was… Huh. I know they told me where to find it but it’s… it’s gone. I’m sorry. It was somewhere weird and hard to find but I don’t…” She threw up her hands slightly in frustration.
Betty raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little young for dementia?”
Serena paled. “You think it could be dementia?”
“Probably,” Betty shrugged, before taking a bite of the wellington. “Hm. Beef tastes off.”
Dysphoria let their tendrils trace small, lazy patterns against Finley's skin as the ushered up hot chocolate. The excitement that buzzed through them at the prospect of hot chocolate dulled a moment however as their tongue flickered into the air. Curiosity took its place and Dysphoria flicked their tongue out again and again to try and identify it. “The scent in the kitchens is unusual. I have not tasted this one before.” Dysphoria picked up the wellington, tearing the pastry away and picking out a bit of the meat, tossing it into their mouth and chewing thoroughly.
“Hm. Lean, old, very active. Humans normally like plump, fatty goodness. I do not know what this is.” Dysphoria instead picked up the hot chocolate and sipped eagerly at it, a marshmallow getting stuck on the tip of their tooth as they held the goblet up to Finley for them to drink. “The chocolate though. You will love this, Darling.”
Morning - Sat. January 15th, 2039 - Los Angeles, California
@Trainerblue192@Kirah: Gideon’s jaw dropped, distracted momentarily from the loss of her sword. She thought these kids were just dorky losers, the type who would sit in the stands and mock the jocks on the field out of jealousy, as they doodled in their notebooks about yaoi and anime. And yeah, one of them was from Denmark (note: Gideon believes that Denmark is next to Hawaii), but that wasn’t too weird - people were from places, it was how the world worked. What she didn’t realize though was the dynamic here. This was a liege - what rank was that, a prince? - and his bodyguard.
“Oh my god, it’s like Princess Diaries. You’re Mia. And he’s…” Gideon frowned, trying to recall, “Chris Pine, I think? Fucking hell, govna, what are you doing here? Does Denmark not have a good school for you? Too many beaches for them to build one?” She shook her head. She wasn’t going to understand royals. “Also, it’s not Mount Wonderbar, you’d know that if you listened. It’s Mount Wonka. Like the chocolate factory. Duh.”
She didn’t address the entire stuff about whether Little Ben was hurt or not. Maybe people were weaker in Denmark. He looked like a good shove would break his bones - he looked like the sort of person who would keep bread in a nightstand.
@PatientBean@Blizz: On closer inspection, Marlena and Millie would realize that the groupies really were groupies. All of them were identical, from their moles to their clothes to their voices - and almost impossible to count, as if new ones were continuously popping up. It would take the two of them a moment before they would realize that they were dealing effectively with a self replicating hive mind - a singular entity who could spawn more bodies at all, all of whom shared a singular task and dedication. “Okay!! Can you make them all out to Jessie?” they asked, tugging on their shirts and staring at Millicent with expectation, Marlena already forgotten.
“A hockey team?” the Jessie gestalt asked, all tilting their heads in unison. “Like, working with other people?” Their heads tilted the other direction, before a round of giggles sounded off. “You’re so funny! Why would we ever do that? We’re all we need - unless… you wanna join up? Being part of a collective has its privileges, and we’d love to have you - even fake Katy Perry can join,” they offered.
@Forsythe: see Danni’s last post for a description of the tubing set up!
Percy Novikov
Location: Margaret Carter - Winter Festival Magic Items: Mystery watch from Agatha Harkness, Dorian sex bracelet First Day Fit:Black Hoodie, Jeans, and Vans
The timer on Percy’s phone rang, alerting him that his time sitting on the bench, his knees tucked into his chest, was over. He hit the button to silence it, before checking to see if he had any messages. He expected at least one from his boyfriend, but… there weren’t any beside the one from Chase that he had ignored. He opened that conversation thread up again, his stomach clenching as he skipped the most recent message, scrolling up. The next messages were from almost a year ago - he bit down on the inside of his cheek as he read the last one he’d ever sent to Chase.
Orion -
link to a Merthur fanfic on ao3
I thought you would like this. I hope you’re feeling better.
x Percival
That hadn’t been the message he’d wanted to send then. He scrolled up a little more, finding others - a series of them, all unanswered.
Orion -
Do you have my scarf still? I can’t find it.
x Percival
Orion -
link to a video describing a historical chess match
I’d like for you to watch this. You’ll see why at the end.
x Percival
Orion -
Were you feeling ill earlier?
x Percival
Orion -
Do you remember when the permission slips are due for next month’s field trip? I cannot recall.
x Percival
Orion -
I am going to bed now, I will see you at school tomorrow.
x Percival
Orion -
Are you there? Did you fall asleep?
x Percival
Orion -
I am logging on now. Please call me when you are ready to play.
x Percival
Orion -
Are we still playing Final Fantasy tonight? I was hoping to make some progress on leveling my scholar.
x Percival
Orion -
How are you? I have not heard from you today. I hope you are alright. My mother is making matzo ball soup. You are lucky you are not here.
x Percival
He remembered a year ago, he’d wanted nothing more than to see his best friend write a reply. And now that he had one, he didn’t know what to do with it. He was torn between moving forward with Chase and pretending nothing had ever happened, that he had never loved so much and been hurt so deeply. For each part of him that wanted to try, another part was terrified to do so. He didn’t even know why he wanted to try - if it was a genuine urge to repair the friendship, if it was the pressure to redeem a villain, if it was the expectations of the others who had already accepted Chase and decided they liked him to smooth it all over. He swiped back down to the most recent message, his fingers almost frozen as he wrote a reply, agonizingly slowly. He had to retype it half a dozen times, as each time, a different language bubbled to the surface.
Orion Chase -
Can you not go to your own room instead?
I missed you.
I changed my mind. I do not want contact from you.
Enjoy. I do not intend to sleep there.
I feel so weak.
I am not ready yet to have you in my room, both when I am present and when I am not there. I understand the need to have a safe place to have sex, perhaps you can host Ben in your room for now. I need a place where I can feel safe, too. I will request a roommate change so this will not be an issue going forward. I am willing to try to forgive you and to reconnect, but it will take me more than just one conversation over a few minutes to heal these festered wounds. I saw you now, at the end of some altercation, and it terrified me. I am not yet your friend. I am still the boy you shoved into lockers. I am sorry.
Regards, Perseus Novikov
He hit send on the message, and then he muted the conversation. He didn’t want to see if Chase replied - or worse, if he didn’t say anything at all. He put the phone back in his pocket and stood from the bench, drying his puffy eyes on the back of his sleeve. There were a variety of activities he could try to do, but truthfully he had no interest in any of them. He felt numb having sent that, having read through the past.
They were supposed to have gone ice skating, and the rink was visible from his vantage point, so he shuffled off towards it.
April was quiet for a moment, chewing on their thumbnail as they considered Danni’s question with all the seriousness afforded to it. They didn’t talk about it as much as they did the superhero curricula, but they were in a heavy amount of science classes, due to their interest in environmental preservation. These required a good deal of math and one of their teachers was fond of starting class each day with Fermi problems, asking absurd questions and expecting their students to be able to produce an estimate based on what they knew about the world. They had gone snow tubing before, and remembered the rush going down the slope, unaided with any powers - a rush that was beyond fun, and if they had to compare the speed to anything… it would be Space Mountain. And thanks to their Pops and Papa’s obsessions with theme parks, a fact suddenly hit them - that Space Mountain’s top speed was 28 mph. So if ordinary tubing could get up to Space Mountain, and Danni wanted to hit 100 mphs… That was about three Space Mountains of speed.
And of course, since normal tubing wasn’t aided by powers, reaching three times its usual rate seemed more than achievable. “That’s three Space Mountains - I think we can do better!” April affirmed. “People without powers can get one Space Mountain, so with you boosting us with the flames and me making sure we don’t catch on any uneven terrain, I think we could get to like… like 200 mphs!”
Bubbly energy started filling them, too, as they pictured making a ramp at the end - and flying all the way across the carnival, catapulted into the sky. It was a really good thing they weren’t afraid of heights. But with Danni there, what could go wrong? He could fly them out of any trouble. And it wasn’t like the teachers would get mad, right? If anything, they’d just be impressed by the creative use of powers. “Ooo, we are def making a ramp - I can make the ice come up real fast for it, too! I don’t see a scoreboard, but what if you stream us and put us on your socials, so we can document the attempt?” they suggested, bounding up the slope with their brother excitedly. “Amelie is gonna looove this!!”
Location: the Feasting Hall Grimoire: N/A Skills: N/A Wild Magic Build Up: triggers on a 1-5
Jake was positively vibrating with excitement, as he found himself in the Feasting Hall, surrounded by friends he had yet to meet! So much of the school was here and he stared at his fellow classmates with awe, suddenly enamored with the possibilities before him. There were so many people he didn't know, so many types of magic he had yet to see, so many stories that hadn't been told! And had he not been there to spend time with the friends he had made so far, he would have rushed about from table to table, frantically introducing himself until the next person caught his eye, sending him running off again, almost tripping over his own feet. Instead, though, he had a critical job to do. He was brought here to protect and defend, to keep his friends happy and safe and free from harm - and there would be no greater harm than not having a place to sit!
So he had practically materialized in the hall the moment the doors had opened, securing a table with enough spots for all of them - it was large and circular, meaning that everyone could see everyone. He was thrilled! He'd done such a great job! There were pieces of paper with scribbles on them, he didn't know if those were important or not, but he didn't bother with them, instead sitting on the table itself, his feet propped up on a chair, as he watched the entrance with great intensity. Each time he saw someone in the coven system, he waved at them frantically, shouting their name if he knew it - and if he didn't, just going - "Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi!!!!" to get the point across.
His attire had changed from earlier in the day, on account of how filthy he had gotten playing with Frankie. He didn't have any other clothes, so he was wearing some of Frankie's - an olive sweater with a white undershirt and dark trousers. His new friend had even let him keep a little bit of the blood on his face, specifically on his cheek - it was something called rogue - or was it rouge? he didn't remember - and it was supposed to make him cute! Jake really liked that. He liked being cute. He hoped Cassie would like it, too! He really liked Cassie. She was one of his favorites. Nicky and Connie and Barty were favorites, too! And everyone else was just a favorite he hadn't gotten to know yet! Frankie was his most favorite, though. His face felt strange and hot around him, and his fingers tingled in a way that didn't make sense, and when he had parted ways from Frankie after their game, something cold had settled in him. It was the same sort of cold he felt when he'd left Nicky earlier that day, but a little stronger, a little more intense. He didn't know what any of it meant, though.
As the first full day of term came to a close, the grand, heavy oak doors to the feasting hall swung open at the stroke of seven, as the room came to life with sudden intensity. The older population of the student body crowded into the expansive room, their idle chatter drowning out any other sound. It was a small mercy that the actual children had supped earlier. There were a variety of seating options, from long banquet tables to more intimate round tables and booths, some even with the privacy of a tapestry that could be drawn around them to avoid wandering eyes. At the head of the room, elevated up above as if on a stage, was a long table dedicated for the professors - a table that rarely saw itself filled, as most members of faculty chose to eat in the faculty lounge and receive a much needed respite from their pupils.
The light in the room was provided by flickering, soft yellow flames, the orbs idly bouncing around the room, drifting from table to table. A protective sphere prevented them from setting the room ablaze, of course. The stone walls were adorned with historical portraits, depicting some of the most famous magical practitioners of the age - including one of the absent headmaster himself, Stephen Strange whose eyes seemed to follow you no matter where you sat.
The food, of course, was enchanted to appear upon request. At each table, a small card indicated the menu for the night - and this early in the school year, the options were more than palatable, the quality having not yet dropped. Drinks were provided by request, with students merely needing to whisper into their goblet what they would like, and the liquid appearing… within reason.
Main: Meat Wellington
Sides:
Frisée salad with poached egg
Creamy mushroom risotto
Roasted asparagus
Dessert: Vanilla panna cotta
While most of the conversations that could be overheard in the feasting hall were repetitive and dull, focusing on newfound crushes, schemes to get out of homework for classes, and newfound conspiracy theories as to just exactly where Prof. Gray had gone off to for the year, one bit of gossip in particular may stand out:
“Did you hear what someone found in the dungeons earlier?” a young Conjuration witch whispered, in between mouthfuls of puff pastry.
“Croan’s sense of humor?”
“No, this is serious, Betty!” her friend protested, even as she herself dipped her spoon into her dessert. “Someone found a head. Like, not one that a professor brought to show off for some freaky lesson, but an actual human head.”
Morning - Sat. January 15th, 2039 - Los Angeles, California
@Trainerblue192@Kirah: Gideon was scowling, having been robbed both of her sword and her shadow. She didn’t care much about the shadow. She didn’t spend much time thinking about the ramifications of that, as the Scarlet Witch left as suddenly as she had appeared, with a final warning glance at Andy. “This fucking blows,” Gideon muttered, kicking at the ground. “Can we go back to the dorm, so I can get my backup sword?” she then asked Andy. She didn’t like the rapier very much, but the combo of a rapier and knuckle blades was better than having nothing. She already felt off balance, as if a limb had been severed. She didn’t care that they’d been in the wrong apparently to attack these two - she would do it again without a single regret.
@PatientBean@Blizz: While the day may have started off hectic and tumultuous, filled with explosive drama, tears, and livestreams, things had finally settled for Sabine and Leah almost peacefully. Jyoti and her friends had been run off, and the rest of the students at the ice skating rink seemed content to mind their own business. No one was rushing up to demand their attention, no ominous prophecies were about to come to light - for a little while, the pair could enjoy their time together and just breathe.
@PatientBean@Blizz@Forsythe: The same, however, could not be said for Millicent, Vicky, and Marlena. No sooner had Bitterfinger left than another screaming child had taken her place - or children, really. A small pack of freshmen girls squealed, pointing at Millicent and gesturing excitedly. “OMG is it really you??? Millicent Broadway!!! Eeeeep!!! Can you sign our faces? Pleeease?” the ringleader of the pack requested, pulling a sharpie out of her bag - a move the rest of the pack followed suit with, as suddenly about twelve sharpies were being thrust in Millie’s direction. “Wait. Shut the front door. Millie Broadway and Katy Perry and Taylor Swift???? This is the best day of our lives!!!” the fan girls looked at Marlena and Vicky with the same admiration, as the number of sharpies somehow tripled. “We need your autographs too!!!!!”
Percy Novikov
Location: Margaret Carter - Winter Festival Magic Items: Mystery watch from Agatha Harkness, Dorian sex bracelet First Day Fit:Black Hoodie, Jeans, and Vans
Percy didn’t know how long he had been sitting on the bench, his knees curled into his chest.
His breaths had gradually begun to slow, the needy gasps turning into steady inhales and measured exhales. Things had felt so different over the break - he had felt so different. He’d started to be honest with himself about who he was, about the things he didn’t want to face but had to do all the same. And he had made friends. He’d promised to help Andy with her reading, he had gone to Jotunheim with Leah, he’d vanquished Fred with Danni. He hadn’t had friends before, not really. Everyone he had called a friend before had left him, some more explosively than others. But already, he found himself sitting alone on a bench again.
Already, his immediate instinct on learning what Danni had done had been to not trust him again, to put the walls back up and defend himself from any future, good or bad. He hadn’t changed at all. It was all the same. New season, same carnival. He wanted to run away from it all, to crawl into his room and barricade the doors, to hide himself away where he couldn’t be found. He’d rather fight Arcade a thousand times than spend another minute here.
But he didn’t want to live like that. He didn’t want to go back to that.
So instead, he made a compromise with himself, setting a timer on his phone. He could stay here on this bench for a little longer, steady himself, and then he had to go and do something at the carnival. He didn’t know where Dorian was - probably with the others. He couldn’t blame him. He knew he wasn’t fun, not like this at least. He’d just been a burden lately, with the alcoholism and Chase and the divorce.
He pinched his eyes closed again, and inhaled, holding his breath and counting, before exhaling completely.
It was just April and Danni left on the roof now, as Percy and Dorian had slid down the ice slide. They couldn’t help but be a little bit surprised when Danni complimented them on the ice walls - they’d really messed up when it came to helping out with the situation, so much so that Dorian had felt the need to possess them and fix everything. Any pride in the quick construction of the walls had vanished when it resulted in the new kid having a panic attack, and even pulling the walls down hadn’t been great aesthetically. April had only wanted to help - but they probably could have helped more by doing nothing at all.
“Thanks!” April paused for a moment, sniffling slightly. “... I think I just made things worse, though.” They could feel it like a current threatening to catch them - how easy it would be to focus on this emotion, this guilt, and let it drown them. It took effort to avoid its pull, to focus on the compliment over how far along their ice generation and construction had come, rather than fixating on the disaster they’d contributed to.
“Oh, shit, sorry! Dori made this, I didn’t know I could make outfits out of ice tbh, let me take it off though,” they apologized, taking a breath as they flicked their hands down, and the ice melted, falling to the ground in a harmless puddle. “Aww, yeah, let’s go tubing!! Did you wanna fly us over there? I dunno how long the structural integrity of that slide is going to last,” they added somewhat nervously. It had been fine with the last few people who had used it, but Danni ran hot - and with all of the drama that had happened, April felt jittery and didn’t know if their emotions would be enough to send some cracks through the ice. “Also, would mean touching more ice.”
Morning - Sat. January 15th, 2039 - Los Angeles, California
@Trainerblue192@Kirah: “This is a school for heroes - and that is quite enough of that,” a voice admonished them all sharply, without any clear direction that the voice originated from. Instead, the four wayward children would find themselves bound in place, rich tendrils of red and purple, twinkling as if formed from stars, ensnared around them. These tendrils focused on the limbs of the students, loose grips that would tighten as they struggled. And a moment later, their caster stepped into view, the bindings on Ben loosening whereas the ones on the other students remained tight and constrictive.
Dressed in her signature scarlet, her tiara traded for earmuffs, Wanda Maximoff pursed her lips in disapproval. “Andy, I expected more from you than childish squabbles.” She held her sister’s gaze for a moment longer, before her eyes flashed over to Gideon and Chase. “You may have your toys back at the end of day,” she then added, snapping her fingers - and Gideon’s sword, as well as Chase’s shadowy constructs, vanished. “And you will all be serving detention with me Monday evening,” she clarified. “There are flowers that rarely bloom on Mount Wundagore and are said to be best found by newfound friends, so I would be glad of your assistance.”
Gideon’s eyes widened, as her sword dematerialized - the sword she had been carrying around for years, the sword she had trained with, the sword she labored for. “I need that back, now!” she protested. “And these assholes deserved it because… well look at him, he looks evil!” she huffed, pointing at Chase with her thumb.
“I do not want to hear it,” Wanda warned. “Continue to argue and I will take more than just your weapon.”
@PatientBean@Blizz: At the ice skating rink, Jyoti was seething - yet she knew better than to make a scene right now. Sabine might have done a somewhat relevant livestream, yes - but it wouldn’t be enough to stop the inevitable. She’d made her fame and fortune off of ridiculing and bullying others, and the Internet was both forever and a place where nuance went to die. If she wanted to play this game of the reformed villain, then fine. Jyoti would give her some actual sins to be dragged over the coals for.
“If we could all only be as fucking perfect as you,” Jyoti hissed. “Show them your true self, Sabine. I’m sure nothing could go wrong with that. I bet you’re not even really French,” she tossed her hair over her shoulder in a huff, before storming off. She needed to film some content before the Luna Snow concert anyway.
@PatientBean@Blizz@Forsythe: “Aye, thank ye!” Bitterfinger beamed, a soft blush on her face as Marlena complimented her braids. “For the moment, I’m proposin’ that we are in a league with other super schools - let people use their natural powers and show the world what we can do. The school’s claimed there just ain’t enough interest in sports, so the petition is to show them that us lassies, we want to be out there on the ice - we want to put the puck in the net and beat the living crap out of anyone who looks at us wrong when we’re skatin’,” she explained.
“You find anyone else who wants to sign, you send them to ole Bitterfinger, understood?” she then requested. “I’m going to go look for easy marks at the friendship bracelet station. All that rage over those beads, someone is bound to want to blow off some steam,” she mused, as she took the clipboard back once her petition had been signed, and headed off.
Percy Novikov
Location: Margaret Carter - Stark Hall Roof -> Winter Festival Magic Items: Mystery watch from Agatha Harkness, Dorian sex bracelet First Day Fit:Black Hoodie, Jeans, and Vans
Percy took the ice slide down from the roof of Stark Hall, intent on depositing him back at the hot chocolate stand where the disastrous chain of events had begun. His eyes were red and puffy, the texts in his phone having gone unanswered, and his mind kept on running the numbers on how long he’d have to last until the next safe moment - how many minutes until the carnival had ended, how many hours, how many seconds. If he could make it five minutes, then he could do ten - if he could do ten, he could do twenty, and so on and so on until he had almost convinced himself he could last the entire day, that his time back at Margaret Carter hadn’t been a disaster since his moms pulled into the parking garage.
But as he was about to reach the bottom of the ice slide, he saw a situation he absolutely could not stomach. It was barely a conscious thought, as blue wisps radiated off of his hands, and he blinked out of existence, appearing on the opposite end of the carnival field. He wasn’t at any station in particular, instead finding himself sitting on a bench, with a perfect vantage point of his classmates as they built snowmen, skated in the makeshift rink, and lobbed snowballs at each other like it was war. He couldn’t see the hot cocoa stand from here but his pulse had still quickened, his breath coming out short and quick. Was this what it was going to be like for the rest of his time at school - constantly running into Chase, constantly faced with reminders of the past?
His stomach churned as he pulled his knees to his chest, trying to count his breaths - trying to focus on his immediate surroundings, rather than let his thoughts run wild. But he couldn’t shake the feelings of danger, of peril - couldn’t stop his mind from going back to Gates, from remembering every locker, every trash scan - every punch, every bruise. Maybe he ought to ask his moms to transfer him after all, maybe the Future Foundation school in New York wasn’t that bad, he could go and live with his mame while she worked at Columbia, and Dorian was about to graduate anyway. He had a few friends now, but that was what letters were for, right? Yes, it was a plan he hated, but he could live with it. He could deal with it. Maybe he’d finally have a chance to develop all of these cold weather skills his boyfriend thought he lacked. Maybe he’d change his name, too - erase any trail that he left behind, make it impossible for Chase to find him. He could dye his hair - try to grow some facial hair. It was insane, he knew, but he was going to go insane if he couldn’t stop - if he couldn’t outrun - if he couldn’t…
He’d seen Chase, dripping in shadows, armed with armor and a sword - and as much as he had told Chase they could try, all he’d seen was how much more dangerous he’d become. All he’d imagined was Chase running him through with that sword, walking away with a laugh as Percy bled out, complaining that he was bored of that old toy, anyway.
He curled into himself a little more, as his body shook. He just wanted to go home.
Did it help to hear from Em and Marco that the boys - that Aster - didn't literally mean water sports? Yes. She didn't know what those were, but she knew enough to feel uncomfortable. As for Demi... she was fairly certain he meant what he said. So as Zeke started tugging her plate towards him, she didn't protest. She didn't begrudge people wanting to talk about these sort of things - they were adults, it was a common interest, she understood. She just didn't want to be part of it herself. And didn't want to think about the things her brother was part of.
She wasn't really one for drinking, either. Her doctor had told her not to have more than a few drinks at a time, if she ever did partake, due to interactions with her seizure medication. But even if she hadn't had the medical excuse, she still just didn't find it interesting. She didn't like having her mind clouded, her senses hazed. And it wasn't lost on her either that the others probably thought she was some sort of boring, stuck up prude. But that was fine. She wasn't here to make friends. She tended to either keep people at arm's length or feel about them intensely and fiercely.
As for the topic of Greek gods and camp names... Nancy shrugged slightly. "I've always liked the Roman gods a little more. Call me whatever you want." She'd always found camp names silly at camps she'd gone to as kids - she remembered a counselor she'd had at one point named Tigger, and another named Pooh. She'd been eight, and even then, it'd felt like a bit much. At Zeke's invitation to go check out the archery range, she nodded, a smile ghosting her lips. She could easily spend hours in the range, getting everything mended and in proper condition - but given the way things were going at camp, they'd be lucky if any of the equipment had simply been stored properly. But passing the hours, mending arrows... she could think of worse things to do.
"Mm, yeah, let's motor," she agreed. "Thanks again, Marco." The food had been good - really good. She didn't doubt either that her brother would be more than ready to have seconds. "Are you coming with us? Have you ever been to a range before?" she asked Demi, crossing her arms. A series of images flashed through her eyes as she left the cabin, the ground crunching under her feet as she headed outside. Demi goofing off, putting an apple on his head, and standing by the targets. Demi putting a blindfold on himself and letting arrows fly. Demi screaming DON'T SHOOT seconds before Zeke was about to loose an arrow, startling him. "If you're coming, you have to stay behind the line. And you can't do anything stupid."
Morning - Sat. January 15th, 2039 - Los Angeles, California
@Trainerblue192@Kirah: For the moment, the two of them had the room on the sixth floor of Stark Hall to themselves. Millie’s side of the room had yet to be unpacked, her belongings sitting in boxes on the bed. Each of them had an identical set of furniture - a bed, a desk and chair, and a dresser. In the middle of the room was a shared mini fridge, with a freezer compartment up top. The window was on Millie’s side of the room, affording a view of the carnival on the field.
On both of their desks, a small welcome kit had been left behind by Firestar. It included a basic first aid-kit, cough drops, a toothbrush and toiletries, a bag of chips and a few candy bars, and other small items that students tended to forget to pack before moving to a new place. A tiny land shark plush from the school gift store, wearing the crimson and white jersey of the Margaret Carter Institute, sat on top of the basket, a card held in its mouth with a ribbon. The card was meant to be kept in a wallet, containing useful contact information on one side - suicide hotlines, campus crisis resources, emergency services, and more - and on the other side, there was a cartoon drawing of three landsharks together, dressed in academy uniforms with graduation caps on their heads. Lastly, a small envelope addressed to the student was included, with a short letter from Firestar on the inside.
Hey, Chase!!
Super excited to have you here at AA!! I’m your faculty-in-residence for the year, Ms. Jones, but please call me Firestar! I’m right next door in room 606. Please come to me for anything you need, no matter what time of day - my job is to make sure you have a fantastic (and safe) time here. Looking forward to meeting you at our hall meeting tonight at 8 pm sharp (after the Luna Snow concert, so cool!).
Firestar
But just as the room itself was quiet, so too was the hallway. Most of their hallmates must have already moved in - or their parents were still huddled around various booths at the carnival, deep in conversation with staff members and teachers alike, their belongings for the year still locked away in cars in the parking garage.
@PatientBean@Blizz: At the skating rink, all eyes were on Sabine and Leah - and not necessarily for the right reasons. Ordinarily, stares followed Sabine wherever she went at school, as the queen bee of the Junior class. Everyone either hated her or wanted to be her - wanted to be her friend or date her or just be noticed by her. And as for Leah, the attention she tended to receive was usually of shock at her stature, or jealousy at her sheer physical prowess - and occasionally, a bit of fear.
But this, this was new. It wasn’t jealousy or envy or admiration or longing. The giggles and the smiles directed their way, the gasps and the phones being whipped out, capturing the footage - they weren’t positive attention. Jyoti Singh, the most popular girl of the sophomore class, shook her head as she gazed at them. “Poor things,” she said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy - as the hyenas surrounding her hung on her every word. “I can’t imagine. The entire world finding out you’re a cuck. It’s so unfair, but I guess not everyone is cut out for the pressure.”
Jyoti sighed. “And it wasn’t like they were handling the stress well during the contest, with Sabine flaking right before victory, and Leah… If there was ever a poster child for a future villainness,” she tsk’ed.
@PatientBean@Blizz: As Millie and Marlena were chatting, the carnival continued to bustle with activity all around them. They were somewhat in the epicenter of it all, able to see the various offerings, from club booths and nervous parents applying to PTA membership to activities that would have been fantastical and bizarre at an average school, but were unexceptional here at Avengers Academy. However, as much as that was a benefit to them, it was also a curse. They were exposed, vulnerable, and the perfect target for dwarven sophomore.
She was approximately four feet tall, with a lengthy blonde beard done into about a dozen braids, about the same length braided as the rest of her hair. Her eyebrows were bushy with a natural scar, and even concealed underneath her Minnesota Frost jersey, her muscles were palpable. In her hand was a clipboard, and her steel grey eyes glinted as she approached her prey.
She cleared her throat, but even that didn’t help her voice, which sounded like it belonged to a smoker. “They always underestimate us, don’t they?” she opened, beginning her sales pitch. “Assume we aren’t capable of shit, just because we’re young, and pretty, and female,” she scoffed. “Doesn’t it make you want to just fucking scream?”
She turned the clipboard around, a pen attached to it. “Name’s Natmokara Bitterfinger. And I’m going to get us a fucking women’s hockey team here at AA if it’s the last thing I do.”
@Forsythe: “Goons?” Abby Smith repeated, their eyes wide for a moment. The rest of the Unity Squad went still, all of them looking at Vicky, processing what she had said. And then, then they started to laugh. Momchil had to fly back down to the ground to maintain his balance.
“You’re hilarious, I don’t know why people say you have the humor of a tin can,” Momchil said, shaking his head as he giggled. “Us? Goons? Incredible.”
“Yeah, if anyone was going to be the goon here, it’d be the one who–” Sveva started to say, only to be elbowed harshly by Rada, “--is named Gideon!” she recovered, her face bright red in embarrassment.
Awkwardness aside, though, Vicky managed to execute her repulsor field, sending the snowballs right back at the Mighty Marvels in groups of three. Her laser eyes, however, needed a bit of work - while she was able to eliminate most of the snowballs coming her way with them, her aim was a little bit off - probably due to the irregular movements and unpredictable nature of her opponents throwing them. The few that she missed, Sveva was able to take care of, and the other girl beamed.
“Hey, you guys wanna check out the tubing set-up?” Abby then asked. “Vicky, wanna come with?” They’d been at the snowball fight for a while, and as fun as it was, they were starting to get pretty tired.
“Quitters,” Arsene scoffed - even though his own cheeks were tinged red, and his team had been thoroughly shut down in their offense.
@Kirah: For about thirty seconds, Gideon tried to leave, rushing off after Andy in slow motion - before suddenly speeding back up, nearly tripping over her own feet as her perception of time stabilized. She almost skidded as she caught back up to Andy, finding the ruins of the hot cocoa station - a few employees looked beyond stressed out, as they fixed up the tables and got the toppings set up once more, and started heating up fresh water for a group of grouchy and entitled freshmen. However, that wasn’t what caught Gideon’s attention.
She licked her finger, before holding it up to the wind. She then sniffed, and closed her eyes, concentrating, before flinging her hand out and pointing at nothing in particular. “Some bullshit happened here,” she concluded seriously.
As if there wasn’t a gigantic ice slide right in front of them that led to the roof.
The Mighty Marvels Arsène Lane (senior) (he/him) - drains people of their energy and can redirect it into himself or allies, and has proposed marriage to Dorian Gray Emily Colter (sophomore) (she/they) - psychic specializing in making you move very slow Paul Feigenbaum (senior) (he/him) - just a boy with a spear Xènia Papadopoulos (senior) (she/her) - siren who loves to make you love her Salah Qadir (sophomore) (they/them) - can scoop up light like its a solid object and eat it to heal themself
The Unity Squad Momchil Angelov (senior) (they/them) - a bird-person, armed with bow and arrows Sveva Akerman (freshman) (she/her) - laser eyes like Cyclops Jyoti Singh (sophomore) (she/her) - the most popular girl of the sophomore class, flight and weather manipulation like Storm Rada Sternberg (freshman) (she/her) - metal form and super strength like Colossus Abby Smith (freshman) (they/them) - eats energy like it’s candy, becomes fucking yoked
April was used to Dorian possessing them - used to him taking over to get them out of a mess they’d made or prevent them from creating one in the first place. So as they felt the familiar vibration settle into their bones as their brother took over, they didn’t fight it. They didn’t protest that Dorian had declared they were in time out, if anything letting out a slight sigh of relief that they didn’t have to make decisions for a while, and could instead just take a back seat and spectate.
Be careful of Amelie with the ice!! they urged as they were still holding the baby dragon, completely side stepping the comment about whether or not they’d taken their current outfit from Dorian’s closet. Ice was swirling around them in a way they’d never tried before, a scene from Frozen playing out in a way that made them feel violently ill for a brief moment, anticipating a dress… only to instead end up in something much more masculine. The dysphoria evaporated away, allowing April to relax once more as their brother manipulated the rest of the snow, doing a better job than they’d been able to and refreshing the winter wonderland.
Thanks, Dori. I owe you.
”Yeah yeah I know. What's a big brot'er for anyway?” Dorian said outloud. It'd been a minute since Percy and Danni had gone off, even longer since Chase and Percy had, and with Dorian's phone being in the Astral at the moment, he couldn't very well check it. So, he'd have to take a page out of Bobby's book. He placed one hand behind him and another out front, creating a platform of ice as he used the frosty jets to propel him forward and upwards until he made it to the schools roof, a massive ice slide now connecting it to the ground below.
”Perce, we good to do Festivities or you need a little more time? “ Even in April's body, Dorian naturally fell to the way he stood when still.
…How long are you possessing me for?
Also you’re only a few months older than me.
Percy glanced up, confused to hear April’s voice, but combined with Dorian’s speech patterns and posture. He was still on the ground holding Danni’s hand, his eyes red and puffy from crying, but the tears had stopped for the most part. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the new outfit and the squirming dragon, until he realized Dorian was just possessing his sister.
“I’m okay,” Percy forced himself up to his feet, still sniffling. “There’s no more surprises, right?” he asked somewhat weakly.
Dorian handed Amélie over to Danni, gently plopping the rambunctious dragon into his lap as he spied the held hands. ”Not t'at I planned. Oh, well your gift of course but t'at's just general birt'day t'ing's.” He stepped off of the ice slide and onto the roof in full, sliding back out of April as he did so, now that Amélie wasnt in his hands.
He managed to keep himself from grimacing as he was informed there was still more birthday things to do. Percy wasn’t surprised to hear that Dorian had gotten him a gift, he’d expected it - he just hated celebrating his birthday and after everything that had happened in the short maybe thirty minutes he’d been on campus, he’d had his fill of birthday fun for the year. He dried his eyes on the sleeve of his hoodie, before remembering the card and picking it up. “Can I put this in your tote?” he asked, handing the card over to Dorian - and then the beanie April had made as well.
Dorian took the beanie and put it on Percy's head, pocketing the card in his tote as asked. ”We can put all your gifts you get today in ‘ere. Make it easy so we aren't carryin’ not'in’ around.” He didn't ask about the card, but God's did he want to.
Percy immediately wanted to take the beanie off. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it - he secretly did - he just didn’t want to walk around with cat ears on at the carnival. His face was flushed and red, and maybe he was just feeling hyper sensitive after seeing Chase again, but he couldn’t help the feeling that he’d be made fun of for wearing it.
“Awww, you look so cute!! Def a femboy,” April beamed, looking on over from where they were giving Amelie some scritches.
“… Do I have to?” he whispered to Dorian, regretting that he hadn’t taken his yamaka from his mother earlier.
Dorian nodded at the question. Of course he'd have to wear it. Besides, it would make his birthday pics that much cuter as they went about the day.
Percy’s shoulders slumped.
”Let's go. I wanna do some ice skatin’ before t'e concert tonight.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know how to ice skate. Are you going to show me how?” His mind conjured up an image of Dorian tugging him around the ice, guiding him with his arms around him. That didn’t sound too bad.
”Perce. You're Russian. What do you mean you don't know?” Dorian shook his head before making his way near the slide. ”Yeah I'll show you.”
Percy hesitated for a moment, about to go join Dorian to go down the ice slide - his nerves were shot from everything that had happened and he didn't actually want to try another jump right now - before looking back at Danni. He didn't like feeling like he was about to abandon him right after they'd had their first fight - first fight as friends, at least. “I do still want to hang out with you today," he said softly. “I hope you're not upset that I'm going to go spend some time with Dorian."
Danni had clocked Chase and Percy in the air and had specifically turned his back so neither Ben nor he would see. Even though he really wanted to see. And listen. Really, he should get best friend points for that! Non-besties would have scooped and Danni didn't do exactly that so he was at least on the best friend charts… right?
Danni landed on the roof Percy was alone on and the big smile and the thousand questions he usually had buzzing behind his teeth faded away, until Danni kicked awkwardly at the ground. He saw a little stack of rocks and knew that was Chase's handiwork so things must not have gone… terribly? “So… um. Am I burnin’ ‘is skateboards up or anyt'in’?” Danni asked quietly, hesitantly. “Am I burnin’ up my… idk, camera? Clothes?
Percy was quiet for a moment, still sitting in the same position he’d been when Chase had been here, the G’raha Tia card in his hand, along with his sobriety chip. He’d meant to teleport back down to the others, but the conversation was weighing heavily on him, and he’d been lost in his thoughts for a moment, only snapping out of them as Danni alighted on the roof.
He shook his head. “He’s not the same person who hurt me,” Percy said, his voice strangely calm - the sort of calm that came after intense emotions and tears. He frowned slightly at Danni’s second question, though. “Why would you be burning your camera and clothes?”
“Uh, I mean, idk? I didn't t'ink you'd actually want me ta do it but um, you were real upsetti by t'is whole t'in’ and… and its all my fault ‘cause like, I did a Danni and sent everyone stuff ‘bout t'e ‘ot chocolate stand, includin’ t'em, and t'en everyone showed up and I didn't even t'ink ‘bout ‘ow t'at was gunna make a whole t'in’ and I ‘ad a plan and you said you were ‘urt and we're best friends and t'at means I can't ‘urt ya but I did and I just don't wanna lose my bestie.” Danni stumbled and stuttered over the words. “I'm- I'm just scared we're gunna go back ta ‘fore Fred cause I don't want t'at.”
Percy bit his lip. He’d thought by telling Danni he wasn’t mad at him, he’d sidestepped this. He felt emotionally exhausted, worn out from the roller coaster of feeling betrayed and abandoned by Danni, reconciling with Chase, and learning what had happened to him in the aftermath of their friendship. “A month ago, I probably would have,” he admitted, as he stared at the sobriety chip.
And as much as he’d thought he didn’t have tears left to cry, he did, as he took a shuddering breath. “I-I would have ended the friendship before you could do it - before you chose Chase over me. And I-I know that you did it to help, I know, but I can’t… I can’t help this feeling of pain that after I told you everything he did to me, you went behind my back and made friends with him… that I didn’t even get to be a part of the conversation on what would happen between Chase and me, that it was decided for me… I-it hurts the same way it hurt all last semester, knowing that none of you cared about me as a person - that I was just there because Dorian was and if we were to break up, I’d be all alone.”
“Oh, Spicy. But I told ya, we were friends t'oigh? We were friends back t'en too. I don't know why ya t'ought t'at but I can't really fix t'at…” Danni, already on the verge of tears, couldn't hold them back but he did bite his lip to keep from sobbing. He wrapped his arms around himself, doing his best to keep from touching Percy when all he wanted was to hug him. “I… I am so sorry, Spicy. I don't really know what ta do ta ‘elp, ta make up for t'is. I… I didn't want ta ‘urt ya, I just… I saw t'e opp and I took it? It just seemed ta make sense. I'm so, so sorry. Idk what I can do to make it up to you. I didn't mean ta make decisions for you… I just… assumed… you'd want ‘im ta make up for it all…”
“I don’t know what I want from him,” Percy carefully set the card down so it wouldn’t get damaged, tucking it inside the beanie April had made him, before hugging his knees to his chest and resting his head on them. “I don’t know if I want to be his friend or never see him again, if I want to ask Sabine to wipe every memory involving him from my head. I know I want to quickly teleport to the grocery store ten blocks over with the broken lock on their liquor cabinet. But that won’t solve anything. I don’t know if I want to cry or scream.”
The tears were coming out harder now, and for a moment, he couldn’t even form words, until he continued. “I want to be able to hug you right now, to be the kind of friend you need. I want to be normal. I want to be your friend - y-your best friend.”
Danni broke into ugly sobs and he hit the ground next to Percy, still giving him a little space. “Yo-you are my best friend!” Danni sobbed.. “All t'e friendships are different a-and ju- just cause we can't ‘ug do-doesn't mean we cant. I… I just wanna be your friend, Sp-Spicy. No-no ma-matter ‘ow t'at looks Spicy and ‘eyes, at t'e t'e e-end o’ t'e day, I just wanna make ya feel better, okay?”
Percy nodded, his vision blurry. Hearing this from Danni was easing the hurt, easing the pain. And maybe - maybe he’d never be able to hug his friends but… it had taken him time to loosen up around Dorian and that touch didn’t hurt. Maybe he wasn’t ready yet for contact with Chase, but… They had hugged over winter break and it hadn’t hurt. It’d been terrifying but he had done it. Admittedly, it had been following a healing session from James, allowing his body to feel calm and relaxed - and not after a marathon of heartbreaking confessions. He moved his hands off his knees and slowly inched one over to Danni, the hand trembling as he held onto Danni’s hand tightly. The crying became a little harder, the sobs a little thicker - but he forced himself to hold on, doing his best to take calming breaths, to reassure himself that he wasn’t in any danger. He just wanted to make this connection with a friend.
Danni held his breath as Percy scooted his hand over, barely able to believe it - Percy was initiating contact. It was a rare event and Danni didn't want to mess it up so when his friend's hand clasped his, Danni gave him that squeeze back as relief flooded him. Percy wasn't upset enough with him that he wanted to end their friendship, go back to Percy thinking he was just… well, Danni wasn't that so it was good Percy wouldn't think that. Danni fetched out one of his handkerchiefs and offered it to Percy to dry his tears and blow his nose. Tears poured down his face still and as Percy cried harder, he did too. He could feel the headache coming on but it was followed by relief. He sat there, letting his frustrations out as Percy let out his, and quietly fist pumped into the air.
A little while later, once the two of them had begun to calm, Percy pulled out his phone. He saw a text from Trojan Horse and he barely read it before swiping it away. He would answer it later… but not right now, not when he was just starting to feel under control again. Instead, he navigated to his chat with Dorian, and wrote -
Dear Dorian,
I am with Danni on the roof and would love the pleasure of your company. I am sorry that your enjoyment of the carnival thus far has been marred with drama that is partially my own doing. Perhaps you would escort me back to the carnival grounds and we might enjoy it together? I feel fragile and weak, but not so much that I cannot enjoy a day with my beloved.
kittyluna45
Achronum
Scrawl Banditta
Not a Sayan
KazAlkemi
Neziul
Kirah
Blizz
BlueSky44
