Are We Heroes: Novum Saeculum [IC]

[Lunas Legion]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

Well, that made things slightly better. She watched in silence as the creatures faded out, the only sound of their departure being a barely-audible sigh of a cold breeze. A few green and black particles remained in their place, floating in the newly-emptied space but those too, along with the drool on her own clothes. Mina's own relaxation about the whole thing made far more sense now too, if she could just banish any drool and slobber they left behind.

Mina smiled at her, although it was barely perceptible, but nonetheless there was the ghost of a smile on her face as she quoted someone else while saying that she'd never done anything like this before. Really, she wasn't surprised given the manner of execution. She took a few carefully-measured steps towards her, saying that she'd never seen her 'pretties' as terrifying. Also not surprising; familiarity was one of the easiest ways to eradicate fear.

"Well, you're used to them. To the rest of us, myself included, they look like something out of a horror movie. And yeah, I can teach you to interact. You can teach me how to do your formal thing in return, since I've never been good at it and my parents have always bothered me over it. Anyways." She gestured down the corridor. "Let's go find some food, shall we?"

[Union Princes]

Freak

Delightful! Simply delightfully delicious! Copper thought, wolfing down the last bit of his burger. Wiping his hands, Copper felt someone had just walked into him.

"Sorry about that. I didn't see you. Um, my name's Molly. So since we all have abilities here, what can you do?" said the voice. It sounds of a girl to the ears of Copper. He spun around with the heel of his shoes turning like a swivel. "Hello Molly" greeted Copper, leaning in to reach eye level with her. His green eyes staring deep into hers.

"If you are truly curious..." began Copper, "Then I suppose I tell you that it is lightning strikes." The static on his hair have resumed, though small in frequency. He then made his way towards the bar to get himself a drink and hopefully, some bacon as well. Lemonade, a beverage none better to drink in the bright sunny day and as Copper drank his first cup, a beast of upmost bizarre has appeared.

It appears blind by the lack of eyes or things that could be considered as eyes. It looked like the cryptic Yeti yet its head was all mouth. All mouth and teeth to add to the freakishness. Copper watched in quiet amusement, smiling his brightest smile, as he watched the beast jump into the pool and jumping out, splashing everybody except the people that maintained their distance.

"Truly surprising this school is." said Copper, looking down on his clothes to see them still dry, "Perhaps another round of burgers to sweeten the experience." He pieced together himself another burger, this time with an addition of bacon, cheese, and mustard. Copper began chowing it down with renewed ferocity.

[Auphelia]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

Mina smiled at her, although it was barely perceptible, but nonetheless there was the ghost of a smile on her face as she quoted someone else while saying that she'd never done anything like this before. Really, she wasn't surprised given the manner of execution. She took a few carefully-measured steps towards her, saying that she'd never seen her 'pretties' as terrifying. Also not surprising; familiarity was one of the easiest ways to eradicate fear.

"Well, you're used to them. To the rest of us, myself included, they look like something out of a horror movie. And yeah, I can teach you to interact. You can teach me how to do your formal thing in return, since I've never been good at it and my parents have always bothered me over it. Anyways." She gestured down the corridor. "Let's go find some food, shall we?"

Mi Na

"Indeed. 'Familiarity is a magician that is cruel to beauty but kind to ugliness'. Ouida."

They began to walk down the halls while Mina pondered what Mari had meant by the fact that Mina was formal. She didn't seem that stiff, did she? Her face revealed no emotions but she was a mess on the inside. Perhaps formality wasn't a bad thing, her roommate obviously wanted to learn. Still, it hurt for some reason. They walked out of the hallway, and soon their steps began to sync up, a perfect metronome.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

They reached the pool area, which was a sight to behold. It seemed everyone else had already come down, and the party was in full swing. Well, it would have been except that almost everyone was drenched in water, even those who didn't seem dressed like they had been in the pool. And as for the pool, it seemed almost a third empty, the area around it slick with water. Her pet must have been here. She crisply turned towards Mari.

"What would you like to do first?"

[IOTA Corp]

Nate Peterson, Aka Prophet

The food was really good. Nate had to give it to the Headmaster; he knew how to grill a burger. He was busy sitting and eating his food next to the pool as Sam and Charles jumped in which caused him to summon the void suit and fly up into the air to escape the wave. "10 Points: perfect score," he shouted down to Charles as he surfaced. Instead of coming back down, Nate dispelled most of the energy, only leaving only the stuff on his legs so he ended up sitting cross-legged in the air on a pillow of bright blue energy. "Not showing off at all," Nate muttered to himself.

He turned back to his food, but suddenly his eyes burst into sapphire flames for a split second as he saw the future. "What the hell?" He yelled a second before the Windigo came bounding outside and jumped through the pool. That time the wave was high enough to soak him and his food. After the strange creature bounded off, Nate landed sat his soggy plate down on an umbrella covered table. "Great." He was about to go get some more food when he saw a Korean girl step outside. She looked familiar, then it clicked; she was the one he saw in his brief vision: she was the one who had been controlling the creature.

"Hey, You!" Nate called as he teleported across the pool and walked out of his portal just a few feet in front of Mi Na. "What the hell was that? Do you get your kicks from launching monsters at people? Someone could have been hurt."

---

---

Whintey Snyder, Aka Cinder

She and Joseph had kept talking, but her eyes suddenly went wide and she gasped at the monster that had just jumped into and out of the pool, grabbing onto Joseph and gave a shriek as she and Joseph were drenched. "What the fuck!" She was soaked and wearing a white shirt, not really a good color to be we in. "I'm soaked. Damn it."

[Lunas Legion]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

Mari simply shrugged as Mina quoted someone else she'd never heard of, walking out of the hallway and down the steps. Their heels gradually began to syncronise, an odd, metronome-like sound, but not one that was unpleasant to the ear. Of course, that left the question of who was syncronising their steps with whom; was Mina disregarding the careful, precise measured steps that were so very her, or was she adopting Mina's own steps? She'd have preferred the latter rather than the former.

They reached the pool area, which was filled with what she guessed to be pretty much everyone else, and they were all drenched, even those not in the pool, the area around it bearing the marks of water that had splashed out of it. Great, just great. Mina turned to her, asking what she'd like to do first, but she wasn't really paying attention, since her eyes were instead drawn to one of the occupants of the pool who looked suspiciously like Jess. She squinted.

Oh. Oh shit. She froze up. That wasn't a lookalike, that was Jess. Jess hated her for some reason; they'd never gotten along, and she'd never figured out why. She didn't hate Jess in return, it was a purely one-way thing. Crap. Did she bail and risk her noticing, since she didn't seem to have realised she was there? Did she play it cool?

Her choice was made for her when a guy stepped out of a portal a few feet in front of them, yelling at Mina about launching her monsters at people and maybe hurting people. She wasn't about to be a bad friend and abandon Mina now.

"She's just a bit of a prankster. A bad one, admittedly." Mari stepped forwards, hands on her waist. Hopefully Jess didn't notice this whole thing. "And no one was hurt, so no harm no foul, but she should probably apologise anyways. Right, Mina?"

[Auphelia]

Nate Peterson, Aka Prophet

"Hey, You!" Nate called as he teleported across the pool and walked out of his portal just a few feet in front of Mi Na. "What the hell was that? Do you get your kicks from launching monsters at people? Someone could have been hurt."

"'It is your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and do not take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humour in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver'. Betty White. My pretty would never harm anyone without my explicit command."

Mina stood tall and straight, a picture of formality and grace. Compared to the boy, who was breathing hard and soaking wet, she was a vision of beauty. Emotionless and without personality, but beauty nonetheless. But this wasn't the only thing that was . . . off, about her. A normal person had minor movements they made, between the rising of their chest when breathing to small gestures with their hands when talking. Mina exhibited none of those, only moving when necessary. A picture of total control.

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

Her choice was made for her when a guy stepped out of a portal a few feet in front of them, yelling at Mina about launching her monsters at people and maybe hurting people. She wasn't about to be a bad friend and abandon Mina now.

"She's just a bit of a prankster. A bad one, admittedly." Mari stepped forwards, hands on her waist. Hopefully Jess didn't notice this whole thing. "And no one was hurt, so no harm no foul, but she should probably apologise anyways. Right, Mina?"

"Of course I apologise for any inconvenience I have caused him, but a word of advice may help," she said calmly, looking at the boy. "'Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us'. Voltaire. As my mother always says, perfection is key and anything less is unacceptable. I have not executed a perfect joke, and therefore I must stop lest I make a fool of myself and others. Now what is your name and why are you here? 'I love meeting new people; I think everyone has a story to tell. We should all listen sometimes'. Kim Smith."

[IOTA Corp]

Nate Peterson, Aka Prophet

Nate calmed down a bit when he learned it was a wayward prank, but he didn't think it was much of a laughing matter. "Someone could have been hurt though." He replied to Mari, "Whether or not you meant it." Nate finished looking at Mi Na. Nate really didn't like people who used their powers flippantly the way she had to pull a prank that was directed at someone else. He was the cause of his parent's death because he couldn't control his powers, so he didn't want someone to have the same guilt he carried.

"I'm Nate." He said tensely. "And thank you for the wisdom you borrowed. 'Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.' Oscar Wilde." Nate paused for a minute before starting to walk off, but he called over his shoulder, "Did you even come up with that prank yourself or did you copy it off a page just like the rest of your thoughts?"

[Talchyon]

The Cookout
Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")

Freak

Delightful! Simply delightfully delicious! Copper thought, wolfing down the last bit of his burger. Wiping his hands, Copper felt someone had just walked into him.

"Sorry about that. I didn't see you. Um, my name's Molly. So since we all have abilities here, what can you do?" said the voice. It sounds of a girl to the ears of Copper. He spun around with the heel of his shoes turning like a swivel. "Hello Molly" greeted Copper, leaning in to reach eye level with her. His green eyes staring deep into hers.

"If you are truly curious..." began Copper, "Then I suppose I tell you that it is lightning strikes." The static on his hair have resumed, though small in frequency. He then made his way towards the bar to get himself a drink and hopefully, some bacon as well. Lemonade, a beverage none better to drink in the bright sunny day and as Copper drank his first cup, a beast of upmost bizarre has appeared.

It appears blind by the lack of eyes or things that could be considered as eyes. It looked like the cryptic Yeti yet its head was all mouth. All mouth and teeth to add to the freakishness. Copper watched in quiet amusement, smiling his brightest smile, as he watched the beast jump into the pool and jumping out, splashing everybody except the people that maintained their distance.

"Truly surprising this school is." said Copper, looking down on his clothes to see them still dry, "Perhaps another round of burgers to sweeten the experience." He pieced together himself another burger, this time with an addition of bacon, cheese, and mustard. Copper began chowing it down with renewed ferocity.

There are just certain things people shouldn't do. Social rules that are pretty much expected no matter where you go. And the fashion reject Molly was talking to, who was dressed in green and purple with wild unkept hair, was breaking all of them. It was unnerving, how he peered into her eyes as if she was a visitor to the cannibal isles, and now had met the head chef. His manner of speaking - and what he said - didn't reassure her.

"Hello Molly" greeted Copper, leaning in to reach eye level with her. His green eyes staring deep into hers.

"If you are truly curious..." began Copper, "Then I suppose I tell you that it is lightning strikes." The static on his hair have resumed, though small in frequency.

Molly's eyes got wide and her mouth drew into a concerned look with lips slightly parted. They were letting a crazy person like this actually be a registered student? The man needed a straightjacket and a room with rubber walls. Before she could say anything, he just up and left. Which, in retrospect, was good because if she had said something else, it could have gotten this psychologically disturbed person upset. Who knew what would tip a mental patient like him to do something dangerous? She was going to talk to the headmaster about him, just to get some reassurance that he wouldn't be stalking her...

But just then, a mythical creature that was half yeti and half mouth burst onto the scene. It was howling, knocking over some of the cups. Everyone - including Molly - freaked out. "What the...?!" was all she could say, before it lunged into the pool, and then bounded out. The people in the pool were reacting to that, but the creature was quick. Soon after, it ran off into the field. And a little bit after that, it vanished, and in its place appeared several small, floating green and black particles that began to fade.

Molly's outfit was drenched. Her hair - a robin's nest - jutted out in undignified angles. And her shock at the creature was gradually turning to a quiet fury. She wasn't the only one.

At that moment, two girls came out of the building. One was in a swimsuit, somewhat tense but at the same, her muscles were loose, as if she could turn on the combat at any moment. She was white. The other girl was a foreign exchange student from China, what looked like. Maybe South Korea or something. She was prim and proper. And one of the guys charged up and began an argument with the foreign girl. He indicated that she was to blame. And he was right.

Nate Peterson, Aka Prophet

"Hey, You!" Nate called as he teleported across the pool and walked out of his portal just a few feet in front of Mi Na. "What the hell was that? Do you get your kicks from launching monsters at people? Someone could have been hurt."

"'It is your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and do not take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humour in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver'. Betty White. My pretty would never harm anyone without my explicit command."

Mina stood tall and straight, a picture of formality and grace. Compared to the boy, who was breathing hard and soaking wet, she was a vision of beauty. Emotionless and without personality, but beauty nonetheless. But this wasn't the only thing that was . . . off, about her. A normal person had minor movements they made, between the rising of their chest when breathing to small gestures with their hands when talking. Mina exhibited none of those, only moving when necessary. A picture of total control.

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

Her choice was made for her when a guy stepped out of a portal a few feet in front of them, yelling at Mina about launching her monsters at people and maybe hurting people. She wasn't about to be a bad friend and abandon Mina now.

"She's just a bit of a prankster. A bad one, admittedly." Mari stepped forwards, hands on her waist. Hopefully Jess didn't notice this whole thing. "And no one was hurt, so no harm no foul, but she should probably apologise anyways. Right, Mina?"

"Of course I apologise for any inconvenience I have caused him, but a word of advice may help," she said calmly, looking at the boy. "'Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us'. Voltaire. As my mother always says, perfection is key and anything less is unacceptable. I have not executed a perfect joke, and therefore I must stop lest I make a fool of myself and others. Now what is your name and why are you here? 'I love meeting new people; I think everyone has a story to tell. We should all listen sometimes'. Kim Smith."

The argument was going nowhere. Her friend was trying to apologize for her, but she herself didn't seem sorry at all. She seemed unfazed, blowing it off, and saying things that didn't really apply or make sense to the situation. And Molly's anger snapped.

So this Chinese girl didn't seem the least bothered that everyone had gotten scared out of their wits' end, and embarrassed as well by being drenched? Maybe she should join them in the embarrassment then.

And with that, Molly switched the position of the Chinese girl who was unfazed, with the position of one of the other girls in the pool, the one who seemed to have a pet coyote. All of a sudden, the girl who had been up to her neck in water, talking to the coyote, was now standing on dry land, facing a little away from either the friend or the guy who teleported and alerted everyone who had caused all that. And the unfazed Chinese girl? Now she was up to her neck in water, facing towards the deep end, with a suddenly surprised coyote behind her, beginning to growl.

[Union Princes]

Freak

Copper smiled in confusion as he saw who the apparent owner of the abomination and it grew even wider when he heard the explanation. Prank? he thought, walking towards Mi Na like a phantom since his clothes was still dry. Voltaire? Mother? Perfection? Since when are things Lovecraftian be considered perfect?

"If that is what you believe," began Copper when he reached talking distance to Mi Na, "then you are clearly deceived. Perfection don't exist, that's why erasers do. So stop quoting your mother, Voltaire, and Betty White too, for those words lose meaning in winds of actions. So speak for yourself and stop thinking that perfection can be achieved for the only thing that is perfect about this world is the imperfections in it. Besides, your mother is not here and Voltaire is dead. Who are we to judge you as imperfect? So relax and be happy of all the details the world has given you instead of nitpicking it like the scrapes off a plate. Have your mother even met someone like me?"

He smiled his biggest possible smile though his teeth were unclean by the burgers he had eaten.

[Auphelia]

The Cookout
Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")

At that moment, two girls came out of the building. One was in a swimsuit, somewhat tense but at the same, her muscles were loose, as if she could turn on the combat at any moment. She was white. The other girl was a foreign exchange student from China, what looked like. Maybe South Korea or something. She was prim and proper. And one of the guys charged up and began an argument with the foreign girl. He indicated that she was to blame. And he was right.

The argument was going nowhere. Her friend was trying to apologize for her, but she herself didn't seem sorry at all. She seemed unfazed, blowing it off, and saying things that didn't really apply or make sense to the situation. And Molly's anger snapped.

So this Chinese girl didn't seem the least bothered that everyone had gotten scared out of their wits' end, and embarrassed as well by being drenched? Maybe she should join them in the embarrassment then.

And with that, Molly switched the position of the Chinese girl who was unfazed, with the position of one of the other girls in the pool, the one who seemed to have a pet coyote. All of a sudden, the girl who had been up to her neck in water, talking to the coyote, was now standing on dry land, facing a little away from either the friend or the guy who teleported and alerted everyone who had caused all that. And the unfazed Chinese girl? Now she was up to her neck in water, facing towards the deep end, with a suddenly surprised coyote behind her, beginning to growl.

Well. Quite surprising, to be sure. Still, she remained calm and unfazed. She summoned her Skulls to be under her, and suddenly she was being held aloft from the water, with her Skulls standing under her, each holding onto one of her feet with their hands, her balanced on top. Synchronised, she commanded them to give her some lift, and they threw her towards the end of the pool. She tucked into a ball and rolled, her training coming into effect. She rolled into a standing position and began to flip towards the side of the house. She stopped when she got to the edge of the concrete, not wanting to twist an ankle between the complex acrobatics, the soft grass, and her heels, so she simply ran. Once around the corner she activated her power, and felt the transformation happen. No eyes were watching her, and it overtook her. Her bones began to grow, reshape and move; her muscles pulled and expanded, creating inhuman configurations under her grey and white coloured skin and fur; her entire body changed until she was a Mouth. Standing there, her fur was damp as her clothes and hair had been from the pool. In this new form, invulnerable to physical objects, she could feel the water come loose. Within minutes she would be dry, but she needed to speed that up. Best not to look like a coward her first day. She began to shake, each limb moving independently yet oddly in sync with the rest, and emitted subsonic waves that sped up the process. Within a ten seconds she was fairly dry, if a bit crusty from chlorine. She turned back into her human form, and brushed off the more noticeable patches of white. At least she was dry. She tested her heels and found they had stood up to her flips, thank goodness. She only had five pairs. She would not let emotion rule her like that. That was the path to ruin, after all.

Through the eyes of the Skulls she could see the coyote whimper and swim away, a natural instinct when faced with such strange creatures. She commanded them, and they launched out of the pool, straight up into the air, before dissipating into thin air. Noticing a small patch of white on the lapel of her jacket, she quickly rubbed it off. Good.
She then waited for their essence to fade and then re-summoned them next to her and calmly and gracefully walked back, her pace measured and precise.

She got back to her roommate, flanked by the two Skulls who towered over her.

"It would appear someone else has decided to make a joke, no? 'Hypocrisy is not a way of getting back to the moral high ground. Pretending you're moral, saying you're moral is not the same as acting morally'. Alan Dershowitz. I would like to find out who has done this, if only to ask them how they did it. Was that humorous? Perhaps I can learn from them."

[Lunas Legion]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

It all happened so damn fast really. One moment Mina had been standing next to her, the next she'd been replaced by some black-haired Native American-looking woman in a coppery bikini, dripping water from the pool.

What.

It only took her a moment to spot where Mina had gotten to; she'd literally teleported out into the middle of the pool and was up to her neck in water, and quite close to Jess. Well shit. Fortunately, it seemed Mina had quite a good head on her shoulders, since she summoned some of her things under her, using them as a platform to lift herself out of the water, throwing her towards the end of the pool. She tucked into a ball and rolled into a standing position and from there into a flip before transitioning into simply running behind the house.

Mari couldn't do anything but stand there. Bloody hell. She could do stuff like that because, well, gymnastics and parkour were fairly close together, and her power was effectively parkour. The things in the pool launched upwards before vanishing as they had last time. Some time passed before Mina returned, her walk as graceful and precise and measured as usual and also with strangely dry clothes, a pair of her things flanking her as she strode back up to her before speaking.

Mari shook her head. "Not really. Jokes that rely on someone else's misfortune unless you're familiar with that person aren't funny, they're just mean." She glanced at the things. "And can you put your... Whatever they are-" She waved a hand at the things. "Back wherever they go? Outside of fights, you... Probably shouldn't keep them around. They're big, scary, get in the way, might damage things or hurt people, all that stuff."

[The Cyberiad Council]

Joseph

When Whitney latched on to Joseph he wasn't sure what to be more startled at. Then he noticed Whitney's shirt was wet and rapidly gaining transparency. He averted his eyes before she caught him looking, and instead focused on the mayhem that was ensuing. "It looks like they're about to get into it. I think I'm going to go get changed before I start short-circuiting," keeping a straight face they didn't betray humor or seriousness.

He stood up, but suddenly a bright golden flash from the grill drew everyone's attention. The Headmaster had summoned his armor and was leaning his bulk on the hilt of a massive sword. "Students, is there a problem?" His voice wasn't harsh, but it was loud and clear that he was serious.

"I take it that you haven't read the school's rules? It's understandable; you've only been here for less than half a day, but that isn't an excuse. You are expected to become Heroes. Let any hostility you have fade, and if you feel the need for 'revenge' for something so petty you don't belong in this school. If you still have a problem come to me or Mr. Smith." His armor faded and he formed a slight smile. "Now then, we have a party to get back to."

[Auphelia]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

Mari shook her head. "Not really. Jokes that rely on someone else's misfortune unless you're familiar with that person aren't funny, they're just mean." She glanced at the things. "And can you put your... Whatever they are-" She waved a hand at the things. "Back wherever they go? Outside of fights, you... Probably shouldn't keep them around. They're big, scary, get in the way, might damage things or hurt people, all that stuff."

"I see. Are they not harmless? My Skulls have excellent control, you know. Observe, please."

She gave a silent command and suddenly her Skulls came to life, performing a ballet. A routine of grace and class, they narrowly avoided hitting people (yet if one was watching carefully they would see the creatures in complete control) several times, their teeth chattering with joy as they began to dance faster and faster, whirling about. They made their way to the grass, moving so fast they were almost blurs, back flips and pirouettes and leaps and side steps in a dizzying array of styles. It was nothing short of natural beauty at its finest. They eyes left glowing green streaks as an after image and they slowly began to dissolve, slowly fading away.

Mina turned to Mari, a soft smile gracing her face.

"'Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it'. Confucius. Can you see the wonder of these magnificent creatures? They are not just fighters, they are the souls of those who have lived and yet to live. I was born with those two creatures, the Skulls. They are my life, in physical form. My birth and my death, in harmony with each other and me. 'For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one'. Khalil Gibran."

Joseph

He stood up, but suddenly a bright golden flash from the grill drew everyone's attention. The Headmaster had summoned his armor and was leaning his bulk on the hilt of a massive sword. "Students, is there a problem?" His voice wasn't harsh, but it was loud and clear that he was serious.

"I take it that you haven't read the school's rules? It's understandable; you've only been here for less than half a day, but that isn't an excuse. You are expected to become Heroes. Let any hostility you have fade, and if you feel the need for 'revenge' for something so petty you don't belong in this school. If you still have a problem come to me or Mr. Smith." His armor faded and he formed a slight smile. "Now then, we have a party to get back to."

"'Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love'. Martin Luther King, Jr."

[Lunas Legion]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

There wasn't much else she could do but laugh as Mina's things began to dance the ballet of all things. It was one of those things that was so stupid and insane that you had to be there to see it. A mere video or description would be doing it a grave injustice to its sheer strange majesty and odd beauty or just the sheer utter ridiculousness of the entire thing.

She shook her head to stop her laughter as Mina turned to her with a small smile on her face, talking about her creatures and how they were souls, not just mere fighters and a lot of other stuff that sounded poetic but she didn't really understand at all. She did, however, finally give a name to her creatures: Skulls. It... Fit better than things, really.

"Even after that I can't consider them beautiful." Mari shook her head. "A horrifying creature performing a beautiful action remains a horrifying creature at the end of the beautiful action. I can see why you would consider them to be beautiful, however, given your familiarity with them where I'm not. But anyways." She clapped her hands together. "Since I don't think you want another impromptu trip into the pool, and neither of us are dressed for it, let's go get some food?"

[Auphelia]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

"Even after that I can't consider them beautiful." Mari shook her head. "A horrifying creature performing a beautiful action remains a horrifying creature at the end of the beautiful action. I can see why you would consider them to be beautiful, however, given your familiarity with them where I'm not. But anyways." She clapped her hands together. "Since I don't think you want another impromptu trip into the pool, and neither of us are dressed for it, let's go get some food?"

Mina froze. Food. Right. What was she going to do!? Her mother didn't allow her to eat the meat and sugared beverages that were offered here, but complaining would be rude and her mother always told her to never make complaints. She had learned that lesson when she was five, and when her broken arm had healed she learned to not question mother.

"'Food is not just eating energy. It's an experience'. Guy Fieri. So let us go have an experience, yes?"

On the outside she was her usual plain self, but on the inside she was panicking. Perhaps the had lettuce and water somewhere on the table. Or celery. She loved that treat, when mother was in a good mood.

[WhatsamattaU]

Mary Santiago
Windtalker

Chahałheeł was startled. He'd been watching his Mistress getting out of the pool when she disappeared. Now she was on the ground where another person had been standing. This was upsetting. He ran to her side and snarled at the other people, until his Mistress said to be calm.

Mary was startled as well and nearly fell over, but Chahałheeł was there in an instant and she was able to steady herself with his support.

He was in a defensive mode. That wouldn't do, do she calmed him. Then they both took notice of the Headmaster's display of power and his insistence for order. They both recognized "The Alpha".

Mary wasn't sure where Jess was. She scanned the faces of the students and when she saw Jess she waived to her to come join them by the grill.

[Lunas Legion]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

She simply shook her head and giggled lightly as Mina called food an 'experience.' Food was food. It was to be eaten to be enjoyed, but calling food an experience might be a step too far.

"Let's." Mari nodded her agreement, wrapping a hand around Mina's wrist and gently leading her over to one of the snack tables. And, of course, all the food was utterly drenched courtesy of the earlier incidents in the pool. Damp bread was not the most appertising thing in the world, so that left out pretty much everything that involved bread like burgers or hot dogs.

"Looks like a bit of a limited selection." Mari commented as she picked over the remnants of the food. Most of it was wet, unsurprisingly, and pool water did not taste good at all so there was no way she was going to eat any of that. She scowled as she rooted over the food, glancing around for something, anything, that was both edible, dry and tasted good, but it seemed like it was a case of choose one and one only.

Eventually she stood back up, a frown on her face, sighing. "Welp, looks like it's all nice, wet and ruined."

[Eisen]

Charles immediately and instinctually jumped out of the pool and put up his hands aggressively, which quickly became engulfed in flame, as soon as the horrid creature made its presence known, water evaporating off of him from the heat his body produced. But this soon appeared to be unnecessary, as the beast ran off into the forest.

Others made their discontent known to the strange girl who perpetrated this action. She had put plenty of the students at risk, and as soon as she was called out on it, she started acting so high and mighty. Fury etched itself on Charles' face as violent thoughts ran through his mind, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists hard. How dare she put people in danger? How dare she act so superior? He ought to put his fist through her face. But he wouldn't. He remained quiet.

However...

Next time the beastie scare them, he'd rip its head off.

Grunting in anger, Charles walked back into the house, back to his room.

"Charlie!" Sam shouted after him, somewhat disappointed. He could tell that what just happened had put him in a mood. Sam had been scared himself. He doubted that his powers would do much with a creature that could likely bite his head off in an instant. Sam got out of the pool himself, rushing after Charles, but not before giving Mi Na a glare.

"Here's a quote: 'You're an asshole.' Me."

And as such, Sam went to see Charles...

[Auphelia]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

She simply shook her head and giggled lightly as Mina called food an 'experience.' Food was food. It was to be eaten to be enjoyed, but calling food an experience might be a step too far.

"Let's." Mari nodded her agreement, wrapping a hand around Mina's wrist and gently leading her over to one of the snack tables. The food was slightly damp from the various sprays of water out of the pool, but it all seemed quite edible and nice despite that, a nice mix of hot dogs, burgers, loose sausages, various kebabs and other barbecued food.

"Take your pick." Mari said as she grabbed herself a pair of chicken kebabs.

Mina looked over the options, her body completely still save for her head that scanned over the table. Was there a single vegetable? She saw what might have been eggplant, but mother said that eggplant was a fat woman's food. And there wasn't any water, aside from the pool water that had soaked the food. There were sodas and lemonade and a red liquid, but no water. This table was a nightmare. She spoke in a measured tone.

"I will refrain from eating. As mother always says, 'Eating meat is the first step to losing, and you can't afford to lose you miserable brat'. And it would appear that meat and bread are all there is."

Mina wished she could ask someone, perhaps a teacher if they had any water, but she didn't want to be a burden or appear to be a troubled student.

[Lunas Legion]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

"Your mother sounds like a really, really dull and boring individual. Not to mention overly harsh." Mari answered as she picked up a mostly-non-damp chicken kebab, giving it a shake and turning it over. It seemed fine enough, since it'd been near the bottom of the pile.

"Besides, she's not here, and you can't let your mass of quotes dictate everything you do. Where's your free will and all that? Here." She flipped the kebab around in her hand so that she held it by the point, the handle pointing at Mina. "Try something new for once."

She grabbed one of the few remaining cans of lemonade from the table as a drink, since cans wouldn't be affected by the pool water explosion, opening it with the tab and her thumb before taking a gulp from it.

[The Cyberiad Council]

John Smith

"Ms. Kim?" John said behind Mina offering her a bottle of water as if he had read her mind. "I have to say when I read your file I knew there would be some issues with social integration, but I didn't expect you would take to unleashing your familiars on them." He offered a genuine smile, and turned to Mari and spoke in a hushed tone: "I assume you have noticed your Sister is here? Try not to let the situation unfold in a destructive way."

He turned back to Mina and continued. "If you ever need to talk, my door is on the second floor and open any time day or night."

[Forest State]

Jessamyn Margaryan

Truth

The time in the pool with Mary was nice. Jess learned about swimming, and more importantly than that, she learned about her roommate. Her touch revealed some things about Mary that she assumed came from her body language: her roommate was surprised that she was swimming in her underwear, but she wasn’t annoyed by Jess’s personality so far. She was happy to be making a friend, and that was something she shared with Jess. She didn’t seem to read into Jess’s own anxiety about the subject and about other things. And she had no idea that Jess was a criminal that was here to turn he life around and lose her record.

Those things were better left in the pass, although Jess was surprised that Mary hadn’t seen her arrest on TV. Apparently, it was a national story, and in a way it made sense that it was one. The daughter of a superhero jacking a car and getting in an hours long chase with police before crashing and being arrested was the kind of thing that happened in movies, but for her, it wasn’t a movie or a TV show. That was her life, and that was what she was here to move past. She wondered if anyone else would recognize her, and if that did happen, she didn’t know what she would say.

But all good things came to an end, and before she could get out of the pool, water was sent everywhere and she was nearly sent flying by someone’s idea of a prank. She wasn’t hurt by it, but the experience was pretty terrifying nonetheless. And she wasn’t happy about it. “Son of a bitch!” she shouted, climbing out of the pool. “Will someone tell me who the asshole who thought that was funny is?” she asked, but she slowly made her way to the grill as she looked everyone else over, taking a spot next to Mary and standing silently.

She kept looking for the person who had done the prank, but that was when she noticed a girl with pinkish hair, also standing around the pool area. “What…” she started, speaking slowly as her voice trailed. “The fuck?” she finished, before looking to Mary. “Oh, look at the time… I think I actually have to go right now.”

[Auphelia]

Mariam ‘Mari’ Margaryan (Trailblazer)

"Your mother sounds like a really, really dull and boring individual. Not to mention overly harsh." Mari answered as she picked up a mostly-non-damp chicken kebab, giving it a shake and turning it over. It seemed fine enough, since it'd been near the bottom of the pile.

"Besides, she's not here, and you can't let your mass of quotes dictate everything you do. Where's your free will and all that? Here." She flipped the kebab around in her hand so that she held it by the point, the handle pointing at Mina. "Try something new for once."

She grabbed one of the few remaining cans of lemonade from the table as a drink, since cans wouldn't be affected by the pool water explosion, opening it with the tab and her thumb before taking a gulp from it.

"My mother did her best, you do not know her. She made me who I am today, an Olympic champion, and proud of it. And no, I will not eat meat. Mother forbids it. To speak poorly of my mother is to speak poorly of me."

Mina turned away without a sound and stalked away, her movements as measured and precise as always, her face a mask of emotionlessness. Her heels clack against the concrete as she goes to stand by the wall of the manor. She stares at the students, so free to do what they want. Jealously rose up within her, but she pushed it down. Mari's words had stung. Not because they weren't true, but because they had come from someone else. Mina, no, Mi Na was allowed to think poorly of her mother, but it wasn't the same when others did it. Because she was her mother. Just as perfect. Just as graceful. Just as flat. She had been broken down and reforged into her mother's image of what she should be, and she would never be free of those scars. Even when given the opportunity to be free, to cast aside that role set for her, she refused. She couldn't change. She would always be Mi Na, her mother's daughter. Her mother's creation.

She looked back at Mari, with her chicken kebabs and normal clothes. Her normal life. Then again, what even counted as normal on this island?

[WhatsamattaU]

Clearly, thought Mary, something was upsetting Jess.

She and Chahałheeł hadn't yet gotten any food, but this was probably more important.

"Would you like us to come with you," said Mary with obvious concern in here voice.

[Arkeyana]

One minute everything was chill, next minute there was a Yeti-Venus Flytrap hybrid jumping in the pool. Apparently some sort of "Prank." Prank The Leviathan's bloody Arse He thought. The person responsible was being called out for it though, so at least something was being done. Then some more things from the girl were summoned and started doing a ballet... a bit ridiculous. When everything calmed down, he realized that the Water from his canteen was floating in a sphere. He quickly returned it to the canteen and took another swig. He also took the liberty of moving the amassed puddles of water back into the pool, refilling it somewhat. Feeling hunger pangs, he walked over to the grill and began piecing a burger together.