Power Training II

Serenity had spent the morning setting up the battle arena for hopefully another large class. Her first class had been going fine all the way up until the point that a student had passed, which made the woman come to the realization that she would have to sort the students in a different way this time. She had also realized that despite how full her attendance sheet was, about half of the students on there hadn't come to the first class. Gritting her teeth as she moved some training dummies around, the woman wore a green cotton jacket today with worn looking black tennis shoes, navy blue shorts and a snug fitting black t-shirt. She suspected that she wasn't going to get too many students today in her class though, since most of the snow in the battle arena hadn't really been moved to the side to allow able walking room.

The only real nice thing about snow for the teacher was that the crunch beneath her shoes replaced the noises that she had to make with her cane which in turn had the woman walking around a lot more easily. It was strange seeing a blind woman do such a thing, but she managed it nonetheless. Adjusting her wristwatch to fit more comfortably, Serenity finally stopped as she felt like the battle arena was finally set up enough for the arrival of her students.

[ooc; Class is an hour long and every single time I post I will be typing at the top how many minutes have passed so that this thread will be able to finish accordingly. Once five or more characters join I will be starting the class.]

Due to obvious reasons, Chase had desired to take this class to further enhance his control over his abilities, for that was his main purpose when enrolling in Foresta Academy. He was anxious to see what this class was like, and if it could truly assist him. If he wasn't able to accomplish this much, then being here would prove to be fruitless. The young man was clad in a simple, gray t-shirt and jeans matched with a pair of brown Vans, and for once, he felt as though he wouldn't have to lose them now. This was a guarded and moderated environment, so there shouldn't be too many issues. And, if the instructor understood werebeasts, there was a slim chance he could learn to fully utilize his bestial form, which would perhaps make the whole transformation process much less of a danger to others. No matter how you looked at it, something positive should result from this.

The boy approached the arena at a deliberate pace, finding that he was a bit early, if anything. His shoes pressed softly against the compacted snow, yet he was very close to a noiseless walk, since his feline attribute often silenced his footsteps. At the woman equipped with a cane, he said in a businesslike tone, "This is the Power Training course, correct?" His icy blue eyes studied her intently, revealing his pointed teeth as he spoke.

--

Iris had also sought out this class, but perhaps for a different purpose. If she could somehow display her energy without hurting others, maybe disabling its harmfulness, she would be able to prove to both potential applicants and everyone else back at the foster home that she wasn't a lethal threat at all. In fact, that would quell most of her worries and could prove to be incredibly helpful, but she would have to consult with the teacher about that. She was adorned in an oversized, light blue sweater this time, leggings and her boots, seeing that this was an outdoor activity. Her hair was affixed in a long braid that reached down to her hip as well, having mastered the art of weaving her locks from Athena. For now, she approached the arena with caution and kept herself presentable, taking out a piece of her wavy hair to accentuate her face a bit.

"U-Um.. I-Is this th-the P-Power Training c-class?" she asked tentatively, noticing a boy and a woman already there. Something about the woman's movements intrigued her, but she decided not to press upon it, focusing only on the ominous, brown-ish hue of the catlike boy and the white colors of the instructor. For now, she simply stood before the two of them, making sure to keep a respectable distance between both of them.

    Fingers skimmed stone and wood, small footsteps echoing through a large, ornate hall. Lost were the efforts of ancient craftsmen on this girl, for Cecilia Vega held no admiration for paintings, lighting, or intricate designs far out of her reach. Only what she could touch mattered. Well, that and music. Here, the sound of footsteps carried in the halls with such exaggeration that she had once determined it near impossible to track. She had been mistaken.
    Certainly, the acoustics of these halls had taken time to adjust to, but she used them to visualize everything around her. The breadth of the walkways and the height of the ceilings. The start of one wall and the opening of a new hall. At last, no one had to hold her hand or tap their foot with that impatient sigh waiting for her to catch up. Within the Academy, between Dormitory and Classrooms, Cecilia knew her way. Not quite the grasp as of home, but how could one truly compare? The only drawback: she had not had enough time to learn the Academy or its grounds in their entirety. Parts of the floor plan were still blind spots, and the most pressing of all happened to be the very one she was in. But, she counted steps carefully, with practice and foreknowledge, so that when her fingers found the dip and hard wood of a heavy door, she knew it would be the right one.
    The door gave way reluctantly, a chill of snow-borne wind rushing through the opening as if a spectre sought warmth within. A shiver passed through Cecilia despite her attire, a tightly wrapped bundle that somehow managed to retain a certain elegance, but she dared not take a step further. Somewhere beyond the threshold a class would be held, but she knew not how far the walk or if she could return as easily. Before her, in her mind's eye, lay only a void of frostbite.


***

    Heavy boots hit frozen mud, a slush of brown spattering from the footfalls to taint the young Cecilia’s winter dress. Adrian Mackenzie paused only to check that she would not begin a fit. The last thing he needed was for some younger student to cry bully and turn the class against him. She appeared young, weak, and, most disdainful, blind. Normally her age alone would drop her below his concern. With a classical high school upbringing, his now obsolete understanding of social hierarchy would forfeit her to the dogs. But the blindness gave him pause. He hardly cared what the other students thought, but word traveled quickly in a place this small. The educators would be on his case quickly if he caused trouble, and that he could not suffer.
    However, in all the time since his approach (and minutes prior) she had not moved. The regally dressed, blind freshman had remained a stoic sentry at the threshold, providing a negligible door service for other students. He doubted that had been her intention. Simply, she dared not venture forth into the arena: the cold unknown. More importantly, she did not notice the frosting mud sticking to the blue fabric of her clothes. Filled with a smug, and misplaced, sense of accomplishment, Adrian continued on without her, across the courtyard and to the battle arena, where the other students were gathered. It seemed, for a moment, that she had been eager to follow the sound of his boots in the snow, yet she failed to take the first step.

    “Only so many?” Adrian announced his presence as if gracing the world with his mere existence. He stood, despite the cold, in a light jacket and jeans, with boots spaced evenly apart. His stance spoke of confidence and daring. If this were a class on athletic ability, it would not be a lie. He surveyed his, for now, three companions, noting that none of them seemed especially abnormal. He could deal with that. It never ceased to amaze him, for as many students he’d seen wandering the halls, how empty each of his classes had been. Strange phenomenon. Surely, some faceless, ambiguous individuals would pile in soon enough. For all he knew, the two students already here were of that variety. Although the male, Chase, did not strike Adrian as forgettable.
    He turned his attention to the instructor expectantly, noting with a moment of apprehension her blindness. Well, at least he had not made a fuss with the earlier girl. That definitely would have been a problem. “So how does this work, exactly? You tell us to demonstrate our power and go from there? Because, I think that’s going to cause problems pretty quickly.”


***

    Ms. Hikaru, Tucker noted, Serenity. Blind, but not handicapped. He had observed her as a mimic of sorts, but he knew not the limitations or extent of her abilities. Shrewd and impersonal, though.
    He returned his attention to the dossier propped on his knees. He had chosen this location amongst the bleachers of the battle arena to await the next class, to observe the early comers, and to know for certain when to arrive. Gathering friends had not been a difficult task for Tucker at Foresta Academy thus far, but all the same he tried to avoid being the first of few to enter a room. This was a rare opportunity to gauge the size and content of the class, but the price had been at least fifteen more minutes in this cold than required. Except, by now, he had acclimated and no longer shivered or chattered his teeth. Surely, if he had simply arrived to class from the warmth of the Academy he would have been a frigid mess. This had been a rewarding plan, in the end.
    Tucker Avari pulled sleeves over his knuckles as he turned a page, eyes gazing at the wealth of information now appended with medical files he, himself, had submitted to The Headmistress’s care. For the time being, he had decided to keep the remaining two dossiers, which did not pertain to any students at Foresta, within his own possession. It made no sense for them to be out of hand, or in Foresta’s. And ultimately, he still had not fully decided how much to trust this remote institution. So far, no foul play, but there had been signs. Abductions were not the only threat the students faced, and who could tell the source of those, even? It seemed to him that he had arrived at Foresta Academy at an unstable time. He had to wonder if it had ever really been a stable environment to begin with.

    He stole a glance toward the three students now joined around the instructor, who had not yet noticed him, before resuming his read. He had been over his own file countless times. He could likely recite the entirety of it, word for word, at a moment’s notice. Not that he would. It still felt like something had been missing. Like even the combined efforts of Infinity Clinical Labs and Foresta Academy could not nail down the most pertinent of his concerns. No matter how he looked at it, he was a disease. A Plague.
    Martina had encouraged him otherwise. There it was again, the solitary statement. The one thing that he always needed to read for himself, despite knowing that it had been written there since day one:
    “The user can manipulate, sense, cure, cause, and create any affliction or organic infectious agent, terminal or otherwise, at the expense of biological energy.”
    Sense -and- cure. He could, according to this mystical piece of paper, reverse the effects of afflictions he had caused. Somehow. The whole ‘Gifted’ dynamic still lay far beyond his comprehension. So many students he had talked to found it so easy, like second nature. Yet, Tucker still could not wrap his head around even his own gift. At the expense of biological energy? What the hell did that even mean? Sure, he could reason that it had to do with his metabolic rates and stamina levels, but how could he be expected to give that form? To give it purpose. Of course, that would be the reason for taking this Power Training class.
    He stood, folding the dossier file shut before making his way down to the ground floor. Old, worn sneakers crunched icy snow beneath his feet as he approached the class.

Once again, Felix had decided to crash this class. Under his wing jacket, he was wearing a thick, wool, beaver-brown sweater and trousers just a shade darker. The top button (and only button that functioned to close the jacket) was buttoned, leaving the tails free in case he needed to use them. He hadn't needed to do so last class, but that class had been cut remarkably short. He wondered if the fainting girl would show up again or if that had been enough to get her to change classes.

As he walked into the chill of the arena, his red-brown eyes sought her out and found that she wasn't there. Since the dance, his hair had retained a color that was closer to silver than it have ever been before. Felix chalked it down to the uptick in his productivity.

He'd felt an equestrian vibe today, so he wore smart, deep brown boots and his trousers were tucked into those. This also minimized the worst of the chill seeping into his feet. These shoes were augmented only slightly to prevent mud and debris from clinging to them. Overall, Felix felt prepared for another day of shenanigans.

A half-smile graced his elfin features as he went on to take in the rest of those present. He'd passed a slight figure dressed for the weather. He raised an eyebrow at the mass of wavy hair that easily reached her knees. He paused, almost saying something, but decided against it. He'd had pretty bad luck with the younger ladies at this school, even if he'd been (for the most part) completely free of ulterior motives.

So, he'd swaggered into the arena. Sandra wasn't there either, which was also a shame. However, he was more interested by the presence of others who hadn't attended the first class. Had they been enrolled late? Or had they skipped the first lesson? He sidled up next to a tall fellow with red hair and amazing eyes. He'd caught the fellow's question, and flashed a friendly grin, "That was the plan last time, but it backfired and we were let out early."

His eyes lingered on a fellow who looked like he needed a good meal and maybe a hug. Or not, considering the filter mask on his face. It'd be a mistake to hug that particular individual, he decided. A couple other people were present. Another good-looking guy with an edgy air about him and a pretty girl wearing a blue sweater. And the teacher.

"Might have a better turn-out. Looks like I'm the only person here from last time.

Despite the fact she was clearly a student of the class, Sandra was unable to attend the session again for a multitude of reasons. The fact that it was held outside during the winter season already wagered in on her leaning toward being absent, but personal issues put the nail in the coffin. She’d explain her absent to her teacher the next time they crossed paths. Though given the lack of returning students, Serenity probably wouldn’t notice too easily.

----

The pitter patter of tiny feet sounding like a horde of stampeding gazelle let loose in the halls was the first warning of their approach. Their light-up sneakers squealed as they turned the next corner, revealing what looked to be a smaller form of the Justice League only if Superman made up the entire team. Sure, Lon didn’t quite look like the man of steel himself but he sure did dress like him minus the tights and reversed underwear. No, a pair of brown cargos replaced that but going that far would only make the army of Lon look silly.

They knew what time it was and they were nearly late, how could they miss one of their favourite classes? It was about time the school curriculum included teaching their students how to fight, it was the one thing he found that was missing from his old school. They all screeched to a halt when they found a skinny dress wearing giant in the door way blocking their exit. They were towered by many, so anything above five foot five would be a monolith in comparison. The six Lons looked at each other in perplexity as they wondered why the girl wouldn’t move and they all knew they were on the same level in thought.

They huddled around each other, to quickly discuss and find a solution without consulting the girl about it at all. They broke after a brief few seconds of muttering ideas at one another. They ended up choosing what they felt best and by that meaning what was best for them to get to class on time. Each of them slowly inched their way around the stiff as board student, their incredibly small size giving them plenty of space away from her.

The first two that passed the gate-like girl, rushed over to where the teacher was, along with a variety of different students. They didn’t remember any of them from their previous class, though one of the boys’ face seemed slightly familiar. Iris was among the group and was quite possibly the only person they could truly recognize. “Woo, we made it” one Lon spoke at ease to the other. “It isn’t a new semester is it? I didn’t think we were that late.”

Hearing the voice of what she assumed to be one of the students in her class, Serenity nodded in Chases's direction. "You're in the right spot." She said to the boy easily. Just as soon as she said this though, Serenity heard shy sounding voice speaking this time and nodded once more - not bothering to verbally affirm a second time that this was indeed her power training class. The woman stood still in one spot then, raising an eyebrow in the direction of Adrian hearing that someone answered his question before she did.

"I'll let you know my plans when class starts." She said to Adrian quite simply - a typical response that most teachers often used. Tapping a fingernail against her watch, just like last class Serenity had set her watch before hand to go off just as it was time for class to start. The crunching of snow near her had the woman guessing that about five students plus two twins. The similarity in the walking made her come to that conclusion at first, but then Serenity found herself remembering that she did have a student in her class with the ability to multiply himself.

---

Constantine had tried as hard as he could to get his sister to come with him to class today, but try as he might the girl did not budge and so he had left her in the court yard. Leaving her there at first had seemed stupid to him, mostly because he guessed that she would be caught playing hooky at any moment. After what had seemed like hours of whining though to be left alone, Constantine had finally done so without feeling any regret on what trouble his little sister may or may not be getting into. Instead now walking into the battle arena, Constantine was spotting a few students that he had not seen last class. The new coming people did not bother him though, the young man was just there to do what he had to do and be done with it. There was only one person that Constantine recognized that he had met out of class, but the meeting was so brief that the young man had trouble even remembering the girls name.

Instead, Constantine looked back briefly to notice that some Lon's stood near a blind girl that appeared to be frozen near the entrance of the battle arena. Having been lost in his own thoughts, the young man had not noticed her initially when had walked in. Despite feeling the momentary urge to go back and help the girl, Constantine instead turned away and focused his attention back onto the teacher waiting for class to start. The Lon's would most likely be helping the blind girl after all, Constantine had reasoned that much out to himself.

---

Getting out of bed had been the start of her bad day, coming to this class? Oh, everything just suddenly became so much worse. She would have avoided the class if it hadn't been for one of the school counselors reminding her and walking her all the way up to the entrance of the battle arena. Clad in thick winter warm tan boots, snug black jeans and a stunningly red ladies overcoat - it was obvious that Stella cared very much for her appearance. The expression the girl had on her face though made it even more obvious that she was not pleased to be walking toward the class. Passing by Felix, Stella paused for a moment to give the young man a curious look before directing her attention elsewhere. With her eyes dancing lightly over the faces of the various students standing near the teacher, Stella's eyes finally landed on a curious looking person that was in the process of walking toward the class. He wore a mask on his face, which made the girl furrow her brows at the young man. Was he sick? Did that have to do with his power?

Suddenly, it seemed as if the dread of being at class had disappeared with the excitement of finding out about a new person. Walking over to the boy, Stella offered up a small wave in greeting - her usual vigor just a bit dampened by the weather. "Hello, why is that you are wearing that mask? Are you ill or does it have to do with some sort of power that you have? My name is Estelle by the way, you can just call me Stella. I run the Newspaper club." The words that Stella spoke to Tucker came out in an almost distinctive flow, but was nonetheless quickly said.

---

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Turning off the alarm that signified the beginning of class, Serenity clapped her hands and made the motion of wanting people to come closer to her. "Everyone gather up please, I will be starting class now."

Chase watched as others joined he and the girl for the class, noting how different in variety they were. With the first boy's excited suggestion, he felt himself involuntarily grow tense, his jawline hardening in discomfort. "I second that notion," he responded, his tone held with professionalism and nothing more. If anything, he didn't want to have to announce to the lot of these students that he was dangerous when using his ability, for he was sick of being alienated because of that fact. The confident air of the other boy irked him, however he chose to remain silenced concerning how others often reacted to his blunt statements, and if it escalated to a truly bothersome point, he wouldn't hesitate to point it out. The boy was forced to distance himself from the anxious girl adorned in the blue sweater beside him, her frantic heartbeat almost seeming to blare in his ears. Instinctively, he curled his lip in an bestial fashion, revealing his finely pointed teeth for a moment before disguising them beneath his lips again, relaxing his facial muscles.

Not the one to hold judgement against others, he couldn't help but notice the similar traits shared between he and Constantine, but perhaps it was his feline, almost sixth sense that gave him that impression. As for the rest of the students, none of them appeared incredibly interesting or likable, especially the girl that outwardly approached another boy adorned in a mask. Chase may consider himself blatant, but not to the point where he'd ask about something that could potentially be linked to personal subjects. Vague distaste flashed across his features briefly, however, he was forced to rid the emotion from his mind, obliterating it before the beast could even recognize that he could press at the seams of Chase's control over him. He also took note of the youngest boy in the group who appeared to possess the ability of duplicating oneself, having not witnessed a power akin to it before. However, his analysis of those around him came to an abrupt halt as the alarm sounded and pulling up his hoodie ever so slightly as to give his mind a task to focus on, for if he hadn't, he may have released an involuntary but objectionable snarl. He nodded and stepped closer to the instructor at her command, keeping his fair distance from the girl and trying to ignore the plentiful pulses that now encircled him.

--

Within what seemed to be moments, Iris could only view the abundance of students that flocked to the class, discomfort swelling to a lethal level within her. If Minnie hadn't purchased this sweater recently, she would've begun to slice her fingers open right then and there to disperse her anxiety as quickly as possible, however she restrained herself for the moment out of respect for her caretaker. The only other person she recognized in the beginning was Lon, and out of habit, she gravitated towards him (or them), reassured that at least there was one other person she could trust and speak to more comfortably. She nodded to him, before redirecting her gaze to the remainder of the students. Without Iris being completely cognizant of it, after each student spoke, or at least the majority of them did, her mind labeled them with a color, but due to the swiftness of the change of speakers, she wasn't able to completely focus and organize them as efficiently as she might've liked, watching now swirling colors and people merge together dizzily. The young woman shook her head to try and terminate the bewildering effects of this, blinking a few times to further clarify her vision.

As Constantine arrived in the class as well, she intuitively made a point to keep out of his way, having recalled that he wasn't all that happy with her the last time they'd met. Iris was unable to control her trembling body anymore, but due to them being outside, it could've been mistaken for her being extremely cold. It discomforted her to no end that he was present, fearing that she would make an error somewhere to further his dislike for her. But, nonetheless, she knew that she needed to remain here, for learning about her ability was at the top of her list of priorities. Her confidence seemed to stoop to an all-time low as the other boy that had arrived with her spaced himself from her, even when the girl hadn't spoken a word to him. Am I already making a mistake? she wondered, biting her lip apprehensively. At the piercing alarm, Iris habitually raised her hands up and feebly held them before her face, as if she were preparing to take a physical blow of sorts. Of course, she realized the absurdity of the action once the teacher announced that it was time to begin, lowering her arms to her sides and condensing a little closer to her, exhaling slowly to try and alleviate the stress of being so close to others.

    Adrian turned to acknowledge Felix and his commentary, but it was clear that he had not prepared himself for such a distinctive looking fellow. Every trait before him seemed somehow bewildering, yet try as he might, Adrian found no malice in his demeanor. Those critical, green eyes surveyed Felix with suspicion, right down to his choice of clothes. They were an abnormal choice: marked by era, dull of color in comparison to his person, yet stylistically creative, and, most importantly, practical. A smile tugged on the corner of Adrian's lips, for the man before him appeared sociable, fearless, and, albeit distantly, pragmatic. Adrian could not fault him for that.
    It seemed that he found favor in his own concerns with another student and gave brief consideration to Chase for the support, but while Adrian might initially find the were-cat easier to identify with, based on little more than observations of athleticism, apparent normality, and a succinct attitude, his attention had already been occupied.
    "Huh. This is a good turn-out?" He glanced around the arena to take a brief headcount, noting that the young girl he had seen by the door still had not arrived. It reminded him of his dorm, where rooms were marked off as possessed, yet hardly anyone resided. Luckily, this had allowed him to keep his 'affliction' out of mention and without incident up to now. When the alarm called for attention and Serenity demanded congress, Adrian intentionally paced his approach to stand between Chase and Felix, so far the only two reasonable companions to be made of this class.

***

    The chill of the wind could be ignored, or at the very least withstood, but there would be no mistake that Tucker did not possess clothes suited for winter weather. As it happened, the shoes he wore, and even the thin autumn sweater, had been salvaged from lost-and-found. The distinctive dark green of Albion's hospital scrubs peeked out around the collar of the oversized and stretched sweater, since he had kept to wearing such things as underclothes long before his arrival at Foresta. Such thick fabric actually proved quite suitable for insulating him against the winter cold.
    As Tucker found a place to stand, intentionally separating himself from the collecting students, he shoved his hands in his pockets for warmth and observed the others. There were three he recognized: Lon, Adrian, and Felix. Lon and Adrian he knew, both minimally, but he knew that he would prefer Lon’s company over Adrian’s. It seemed clear enough that Adrian held no fond regard for Tucker; however, neither had developed an antagonism that would cause problems. It proved simpler to just avoid each other. Felix, on the other hand, became known to Tucker only because they both resided in the Diamond Dorm. And that knowledge, currently, had been the only thing Tucker had learned of him.
    The rest? Tucker found himself completely at a loss. He knew not their names, assigned dorms, or powers, and in this context could make no reliable observations about any of them. But then, quite suddenly, there appeared Estelle Roux. Unlike Felix’s reputation, which varied so wildly from person to person that Tucker discounted it, Stella’s reputation had been so consistent that Tucker found himself wary of her approach. Then again, how often did anyone seek a conversation with the sickly kid?

    Intrusive. Rude. Quick. Pointed. Such was Tucker’s evaluation. Not all bad. Nonetheless, Tucker had involuntarily taken a step back at Estella’s approach, his body language showing a rigidness that he rarely conveyed with others. Normally, he would allow a feint apathy to conceal his reservations and interests, but Estelle Roux had no intention of giving him the chance. Reluctant, but swayed by her formal greeting, he admitted his name, “Tucker,” with a definitive tone. He merely hoped to delay her with a second’s pause, suspecting that she would write anything she learned of him in her school paper and make a mess of things. If a newsletter speaking of a plague-ridden student circulated to the parents, he doubted panic would take long to brew. Especially with how on-edge the Albion townsfolk had been for the past several months.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

    That sound could not have been more welcome than in that moment. It allowed Tucker an escape, through which he apologized for the inconvenience merely by gesture before moving to join the group. But this, too, had been a feint. He had no intention of crowding into a group like this, so the only steps forward he had taken were to prompt Estelle to do as expected. He would stop short, in the hopes that she would continue on without him, while he would remain on the outside of the closing circle of students. He simply could not take the risk of exposing anyone else to harm.

Two figures approached the arena. One walked with strides as long as her attire would allow, coming off as confident and in charge even though she and her charge were of a similar height (at least, before the stilettos added a few inches). The other figure scuffed along, looking both sullen and sheepish at once. The vice-principal was speaking to the other girl in earnest, but inexorable terms.

"One of the agreements you made with your guardian and with the school was that you would attend this class and all of your other classes. You still live here, you are required to invest in your future." The girl glared at her, but it lasted only a second. "You do have a future. Nobody requires you to go over so often. Nobody. You're a sixteen-year-old student, not the savior of every single soul."

They drew near to a girl with very long hair and the administrator said brightly, changing tacks, "Buenos dias, Cecilia. I hope you've been settling in well." The other girl started edging away, but Caroline said coolly, "We can always just give you two detentions instead of one, Lucy. Why don't you accompany Cecilia to class?"

"...o-okay." The voice was quiet and resigned. Lucy wore the same colors she always wore, mostly out of habit and convenience these days. Berry-red peacoat, black jeans, sensible black shoes, and a gray scarf. Her curly brown hair was confined under a black hat. The girl went to stand closer to Cecilia and said, "You w-weren't in class last time. Are y-you new?"

Her thoughts didn't linger on the girl's blindfold, but she did ask, "Do... do you need to take my arm or something?" She shifted her violin case to her other gloved hand, anticipating a potential affirmative.

---

Felix was unused to meeting an eye as critical as his own. He got a distinctly negative impression, which was thankfully mitigated when the other boy deigned to speak. He folded his arms, mostly to preserve core temperature than anything else and replied under his breath. "It's sad to say, but our peers are not all used to regular attendance at school. Many of them are pretty wild in some aspects."

The class was starting, which forestalled any more chitchat. He wondered if the activity scheduled for this class would backfire as spectacularly as the last class's activity. He also wondered when the jig would be up for his unregistered attendance. It could be that he was never noticed or they just didn't care if he was here. Considering the student retention rate, it might serve their purposes to have somebody here who knew what happened in the previous classes.

He realized that the irritating girl from the tabloid was in attendance as well and groaned inwardly. Outwardly, his face barely registered any emotion other than distant interest in the activities at hand.

The two Lons were quick to take note that most of their classmates were high school seniors while they weren’t even high schoolers just yet. Each of them looked to be older than seventeen at least. Well besides the girl that blocked their path earlier, she looked to be around their age range. They were hardly intimidated by this fact in terms of pulling their own weight since they’ve went toe to toe with Miller before and beat him pretty badly with only three clones. Their strength was in numbers. Though on a mental playing field, they were all his superior which was something to be concerned for.

One of the two twisted around after hearing a faintly recognizable tone speaking with some pushy reporter-like girl. It added to the recognisable face count, but three out of nine wasn’t an impressive score, especially considering this wasn’t the first class of the semester. “Hey, it’s the plague guy” he nudged his look-alike.

The other four copies eventually found their way around the post-like girl. One of the four turned back for a moment with brief concern, but another had appeared next to blindfold wearing girl so he felt whatever it was the other girl could handle it. Once the six were re-united once again, the class size nearly double, though half of them were the same person technically.

Their attention was hooked by the sound of the teacher’s watch and each of their pairs of eyes shot directly toward her when she began to speak.

10 MINUTES.

Serenity waited patiently for a few extra minutes until she decided that everyone was close enough to hear her before she decided to start speaking. "Okay, everyone we're splitting into two groups today. From what I can tell there are eight of you so I would like two groups of four." Serenity started to walk then , making quite intentional noise around her so as to 'keep an eye' on how many of the students were still turned toward her. "I don't expect anyone to be using their powers today. Instead we'll be taking a different route, inside this battle arena I've hidden two things. One is a book full of fairytales, the other is a small box that would hold a piece of jewelry. The items are not what is important about this though, what is important is your ability to be able to work with the other people in your group and to be able to decide where to look together."

Serenity stopped then, moving her head in such a manner to make it seem as if she were looking at every student in her class. "When we discover our powers, a mixture of things happen to all of us. I'm not here to listen to how you feel what I am here to do is to help you figure out how to work with your power. Before being able to do that though all of you must understand how to work with the people around you." Taking a moment to let what she said sink in, Serenity then clapped her hands - the sound echoing the battle arena. "Group up! I will be walking by as everyone groups up and listening in on your decisions on where to look."

---

Constantine frowned as he listened to what Serenity had told them. Really? Looking for random things? The young man beginning to feel like the class was pointless. Nonetheless, Constantine turned to look at the other students in the class - trying to decide on who he should start walking toward. It wasn't like he specifically knew anyone all too well. He only knew Felix thanks to his younger sister and he only knew Iris from the brief interaction they had had in the aquarium. Deciding that Felix was the more interesting of the two, the young man started to gravitate in Felix's direction - trying to make it not completely obvious as to what his intentions were (that was of course being in a group with Felix).

---

Stella nodded briefly as Tucker gave out his name to her, looking just a bit disappointed as the young man tried to egg her on to go listen to the teacher. Stella did so, but only to the extent that there was just a few feet between her and Tucker. Waiting for Serenity to finish, the young woman let out a long sigh as she turned her attention back to Tucker. "We should get out of her, you don't really want to be in this class do you?" Stella then asked Tucker. It was then though that Stella briefly noticed the vice principal that was at the entrance of the battle arena. "Never mind, we can leave after she leaves." Stella then said to Tucker - watching Caroline wearily for a few seconds before turning her full attention back to Tucker. "Just be in a group with me until then." Stella then said, her statement making it so that Tucker didn't have a choice unless he flat out refused.

Unexpectedly enough, someone else actually chose to position himself beside Chase, which was a bewildering occurrence in and of itself. It was usually others who chose to distance himself from him, so for someone to outwardly approach him was.. Unnervingly different. Still, depending on what they needed to do, he fought the urge to create space between them, tolerating the young man as best he could. He glanced at the other male beside this social adolescent, observing how he commented on the wildness of the other students. For a moment, Chase smirked inwardly. You have no idea, he thought, finding the remark humorous due to his abilities' category. Still, this caused him to wonder why others would skip class and act so irrationally if they came to this place to further their understanding on their powers. The whole thing seemed a bit off.

His attention then refocused back upon the teacher as she explained just what would transpire now. Finding objects, in teams of all things? Chase despised having to associate himself with others, however he chose to keep it as detached and professional is he possibly could, taking it as almost a coworker exercise. He didn't see any point in discovering the personalities and perhaps the powers of those that surrounded him, but he wasn't the one to question what his superiors said. Releasing a sigh of defeat, he turned towards the young man that had approached him in the first place and the other guy who stood beside him. Then, out of the corner of his unnaturally sharp vision, Chase spotted another young man approaching them, briefly counting them all in his head and formulating an idea. "Seeing that we're all in a close range of one another," he began, his tone strictly flinty and void of personal attachments as he positioned himself so that the other three could hear him, "Perhaps we should form a group." Although he was not the one to typically instigate social gatherings, he was willing to act as a leader-type figure in order to accomplish tasks such as these.

--

Meanwhile, Iris wasn't playing nearly as much attention to those around her as Chase had. Instead, she tried identifying everyone's colors, so that she would be able to see them at least with this. First, the abrupt girl that had bluntly approached the mask-wearing boy was labelled a neon, overly cheery yellow, if not bordering on obnoxiously bright. It almost strained her eyes to gaze at the girl for too long. And, as for the boy she was interrogating, he was labeled a sickly green, for the girl had received the impression that he wasn't well from both Lon's statement concerning plague and the fact that he needed to be adorned in that mask. Now with those two defined, she felt the dizzying sensation of seeing so many people begin to diminish, and this drove her to continue her observations. She'd already seen the bestial boy from the beginning as a murky brown and the instructor a foggy gray, so she didn't need to focus her attentions upon them. Her gaze redirected itself to the Lon's at her side, and they were clad in a charismatic and excitable green, although it was a much richer hue than Tucker's.

Iris didn't halt there, however. The boy directly beside Chase seemed anxious to converse with others, earning himself an energetic orange, a stark comparison to the werecat's dismal brown. She narrowed her eyes as she noted the other male beside him, who crossed his arm with a cutting-edge attitude, giving him a royal blue hue out of all colors to display that kind of demeanor. Finally, the last individual was the young man with half of his face marred, the person she'd encountered at the aquarium. If she recalled, he had a strong disliking for her, and thus was labeled with a threatening, dark maroon hue, causing her heartbeat to quicken ever so slightly. She would want to avoid confronting him at all costs, for her fear would threaten to overtake her if not. Finally wrenching her gaze from studying each of the students around her, she concentrated upon Serenity as she spoke, her eyes widening at the prospect of having to team up and speak with others. With her persistent speech impediment, introducing herself and socializing in general caused the anxiety that she dreaded. Luckily, she knew one other person, but still, she felt difficulty easing her stress. Already, the brown-tinted male was suggesting that a group of men team up, and already she was now fated with the other three, seeing that nobody had made a move yet. "U-Um... L-Lon, maybe we.. I-I mean, i-if it's all r-right.. W-We could be i-in a group? I-I think th-the other g-guys are s-starting a group a-already, a-and.. A-And those two o-over there s-seem like th-they need someone, b-but I could b-be wrong," she murmured, turning to the forest-green, younger boys. She was just suggesting what they were most likely to do, however Iris didn't wish to speak more than this.

    One after the other, students passed on by and not a single one gave recognition. She felt affronted by the quiet stare and held her tongue against the crowd sweeping past. Left alone in her own despair, Cecilia Vega took a tentative step when the sound of high heels clicked on floor and echoed off walls. She paused, confirming the source when the woman's voice addressed her.
    She turned to face the pair, grateful for their distraction, presence, and the distinct lack of hostility on the part of the Vice-Principal. One foot behind the other, Cecilia dipped into a discreet curtsy, "Buenos dias, Dama." There was little room to truly respond as Caroline vocally pursued Sade, through which the blind one remained silent. With the girl's resignation to go to class, Cecilia offered a serene greeting, "It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lucy."
Holding out her own hand as a signal that she accepted the offer, the young girl responded with clear diction, "Yes, quite new, though well settled within la Academia. ... Nevertheless, I rarely visit the grounds." She need not insinuate her blindness to carry the point.

    With every step crunching into snow, Cecilia could only paint an impermanent clearing in her mind's eye, unable to tell where a paved walkway or grassy yard might begin. Once the blind youth felt that she and her new companion would be far enough from Caroline to avoid being overheard, she spoke again, "I apologize for this inconvenience, I understand you had no interest in being tied to this class, much less by my hand." She suspected that Lucy would be attending the class regardless, thanks to Caroline's supposedly hawk eye'd over watch and insistence, but wanted no ill will towards herself over such an uncontrollable outcome.

    Finally, the pair arrived where other students had already begun to separate into groups. Not wishing to announce her tardiness, or specifically the reason for such, Cecilia decided to avoid asking any questions and instead directed herself towards the closest group, which happened to be made up of the older boys. Although Lucy remained in hand, Cecilia loosened her grasp to indicate that if the girl wished to separate, or change their path, then she could.

***

    "Huh," Adrian muttered with a dry tone, "First, Coexistence and now, this?" Fine, he could play team sports. He turned his attention to Chase and Felix, already at his sides by intention, and regarded the taller's suggestion amiably. Adrian had not even been aware of Constantine's presence in the class until that moment and spent a short second evaluating the man.
    Clean. Well dressed. Fit. Tepid.
    Scar will do nicely.
    Quick to accept the fellow student into their fold, but not too quick as to appear desperate or eager, Adrian re-positioned himself so that Scar would find a place in the four-man circle easily. For someone as undetermined in their approach as him, this gesture became a clear invitation. They would have their four man group. All reasonably acceptable fellows, by what little Adrian could judge them on.
    Still...
    He glanced to the other, meandering group of students, recognizing that Stella had been much more interested in the sickly, frail kid than himself. Not worth his time, then, if she were going to fawn over some reject like that. His frown creased his brow with agitation, but he turned his attention back to the group with a played out sigh, followed by a wry smirk, "Multiplier kid would've been handy."
    Seeing that the groups had virtually been decided, Adrian Mackenzie led the four man assembly into introductions, giving nothing short of his full name. He had been particular about the content, straying far from any mention of their powers intentionally. He neither wanted to know their's or tell them of his own.

    At last, the blind girl approached the class. She had even found a friend! Nonexistent guilt cleared away, but there was a problem. The pair were headed for him and his men. Age aside, she was blind. The other girl might be cute, but she looked like a young, lost doe, and too young at that. If they continued on their path, they'd assimilate themselves into the group.
    What the hell am I supposed to do with that?
    We already have four! No... They already have four, too. And that damned multiplier. He had no valid excuse.
    "This is ridiculous," His agitation would be obvious in his tone, though what it might be aimed at would be ambiguous dependent on how well the others were paying attention. Not wanting to wait for the likeliest outcome, he turned to the others, making sure to catch eye contact with Constantine, Chase, and Felix, in order, "Let's do points of interest. Announcer's box will have a better overview of the arena and we can split up to search the bleachers on the way." He gestured with his left hand to indicate the four nearest stairways that ascended into the stands. Although he'd wait for some agreement, he would be quick to get moving with the slightest confirmation.

***

    Groups of four.
    The fact that Serenity could count the students in attendance did not, at this point, surprise him, but he found it amazing that she did not count Lon's clones. How perceptible could a person be to extrapolate such information without their eyes? Could that be a trick he could learn? Would he ever need to?

    No powers.
    Estelle's suggestion to skip class seemed almost reasonable all of a sudden. He had no business here if he was not going to be learning how to restrict the side-effects of his ability. Could he do more in his own time? He had not made much progress since arriving at this school in the fall, and he had been armed with the details of his power for about as long. If he could not even tap a hint of the intangible, there would be no way for him to manipulate his power. Too much of a leap. His world too real. His identity too rooted in disease than power.

    Scavenger Hunt? Cooperation.
    He immediately found himself glancing around the battle arena. He'd been sitting in the bleachers for more than a quarter of an hour before class and had not noticed Serenity placing anything up there. But he had not noticed her skulking about the arena, either. Either she placed it well before, or the practice was a rouse. He stared hard at Serenity with scrutiny. It seemed possible that she might not even have hidden anything in the arena. She would not care about the students' complaints by the end of the hour. The only evaluation is our communication.

    Work with our power?
    That could be a significant difficulty for him, but did demonstrating his ability to work well with others really do anything to further his understanding? Maybe in the wrong subjects. It did not make sense to him, but then, Serenity had been teaching this class long before his arrival. At least, he assumed so. It must have been met with some success, but still, he remained suspicious that it might merely be a ploy to keep some of the more volatile or independent students from becoming social outcasts. Ah, he thought, as if he had found the truth, But I have little interest in... He faltered, unable to decide just how far his apathy went, or if he were really all that indifferent to begin with.

    I might not be so good at working with others.
    The blank realization turned his mind to the task at hand, recognizing that Stella had not left his side. She seemed to be talking, but he became distracted.

    Three.
    A group of larger boys, Adrian and Felix included, had mingled together even before any group assignment had been established. They were already friendly enough, with some notable hesitation on multiple parts. They seemed well aware of each other's reluctance to do this task.

    Two.
    The young woman, whom Tucker had never seen nor heard of before, had approached Lon with a curious hesitation. He noticed a slight lingering glance that she gave to each student, but he did not feel that it held significant pauses to suggest that she might truly be analyzing people like he did. Nonetheless, something about her struck Tucker on a personal note. She identified, or sought out, Lon quickly, which went against his expectations that she would seek to identify with another female student her own age. Then again, and he turned his head to observe Estelle at this moment in his thought processes, what other options did the girl have? But no, there still lay something else that he could not quite pin down. Fear. Social pain. Tense as a scared rabbit. A stray thought occurred to him, A ploy to deal with volatile students...
    "How dangerous are we?"

    One... had joined Three, and became Four. The Two remained.
    He turned his full attention to Estelle to hear her last comment, deciding quickly that he could not ask, 'Until when?' Despite her insistence, it would be rude of him to refuse her. Not to mention illogical. There would be no escape from this one.
    "Come, Stella, we have work to do." The class assignment, for now, remained far from Tucker's mind as he made the approach. Due to Iris's apparent nervousness, he focused on Lon and positioned himself so that Estelle would not be too close to Iris. He could endure the attention for the time being. "Hey Lon, I see you're in full force today."

Lucy most certainly did not bear any grudges against the new girl, especially since it had been her own stupidity that had gotten her caught. That, and the vigilance of the vice-principal. The woman had it out for her and Lucy was feeling the pressure from all sides these days.

Lucy listened to the other girl talk, registering it on a level below most of her mental processes. Her mind was elsewhere, as usual. She went through the motions and asked, "H-How long have you been here?"

She glanced at the blind girl when she offered an apology out of the blue. Quietly, she replied, "I t-technically have an agreement with the school. Ms. Harlequin caught me trying to skip. I'd b-be here even if you hadn't been in the doorway."

The number of students present was cause for concern, but the boy who she'd partnered up with last time wasn't there. That was good. Furthermore, aside from the clone-guy, there wasn't any over display of powers going on. She let Cecilia determine their course, despite the other girl's loosened grip. Could she let go now, or would the other girl bump into somebody by accident?

From the looks of things, people were splitting up into groups. In order for the groups to be even, she'd need to split off from Cecilia. Did it matter? What was the class doing? Even as she wondered these things, she refused to voice them since the very idea made her skin itch with unease. The group that Cecilia had chosen was definitely the more intimidating of the two and she leaned close and asked the girl under her breath, "D-Do you really want to work with these g-g-guys? They're... uhhh... all kind of intense. Mostly." Maybe not the boots-guy who kept sneezing. The other guys, though...

Meanwhile, she let her eyes glance away from the group for a second as she placed the teacher's location. Hopefully, the teacher wouldn't say anything about their late arrival.

---o0o---


Felix let out four intense sneezes in a row, the last of which bringing tears to his eyes. His nose went from being easy to breathe through to congested in a matter of minutes. He looked around and discovered that Constantine had shown up to be in their group. The stuff-enchanter shook his head and said, "You can't stand near m-muh-muh-chhhhmph!" He sneezed again at the end of the sentence, and his attempt to muffle it was only marginally effective.

"Multiplier kid would have been handy," Adrian said at some point and Felix agreed with him for a moment, then frowned and shook his head.

"No powers, right? I wonder if the teacher will crack down on them for that."

He let Adrian take the lead, his attention otherwise occupied. He'd missed when the fainting girl from last time arrived, but he looked up when she and a blindfolded girl approached. They could use the extra pair of eyes, but the fainting girl's charge couldn't possibly be of any use for their search.

Felix took his chance and distanced himself from Constantine, getting closer to Chase instead. And sneezing anyways. He frowned at Chase and asked, "You don't own a cat, do you?"

Adrian had commented on the activity (or so Felix thought) and he shrugged. "Better than trust-falls. Or group reports. If we take the bleachers one there, one there, one there, and one there, we can fan in towards the announcers box." He pointed at the bleachers in turn, trying to contribute something to the task at hand by adding further specificity to the plan Adrian had proposed. He didn't give extra task slots just in case they weren't saddled with the newcomers.

Each variation of Lon listened closely to the rules that Ms. Hikaru laid out for the day’s assignment. A simple hunt? Lon didn’t even need a team, he had his own group already made up. The teacher had said powers weren’t allowed, but Lon wasn’t using his powers. Lon’s ability was to make clones of himself and he had already done so later in the day way before the assignment was given. To make all his clones form back into one would be using his power however, so Lon found his own little loop hole in the rules. It wasn’t that he wanted to cheat, but the rules regarding him were pretty vague.

The bunch of older boys had joined forces almost instantly after Serenity had announced the aspect of teams. A good majority of them seemed fairly fit and were no doubt stronger than the people who were left to choose from, so it only seemed fair that Lon could keep his clones in this instance. The activity may not call for strength, but a ton of energy would be required to cover all the ground around the stadium.

Iris finally approached them and provided an offer, even though she made it seem more like a meekly request. Each of them starred directly at her and an odd number of them gave her an answer, while the others kept quiet thinking that at least one of the other clones would give her an answer. “Yeah, we could do that.”

Half of them turned over to acknowledge Tucker, while the other half kept their gaze at Iris. “Always come prepared for this class” two of them answered in sync. He supposed that meant that the two were going to also be a part of their team. Lon wasn’t really sure what Tucker’s physical capabilities were, but given he constantly seemed as though he was sick with some sort of plague, he assumed it wasn’t going to be all that impressive.

“No need to worry though, we can do all of the work” the one Lon said as he turned to the rest of his cloned peers. “You guys just scramble everywhere, search the stands first, lots of place to hide stuff up there” he ordered the other five. With his command every Lon ran off in five different directions besides the main one giving out orders. Each one of them scurried to the closest wall separating the arena from the countless number of seats and began to slowly, but assuredly climb their way up.

“They’ll find it in no time” he stated in a lax tone.