Here you'll be staying for the foreseeable future, taking classes, and learning how to be a hero.  The classes are rumored to be top notch, especially the history class which is taught by someone said to have lived through parts of the topic himself.

There are classes tailor made for you, your issues, and how to use your powers in a beneficial rather than self-serving manner.

Freedom Plaza is built on the ruins of Freedom Tower, destroyed during the battle with OblivAeon.  It is built to encompass Legacy Park which has monuments to the many that died fighting the threat.

The Plaza itself is state of the art, has courts and fields for any sport, and awaits your entrance.

You are not the only class here, but with any luck, you'll be among the top classes.

It's hard to say exactly when the young woman with the violet eyes showed up. She didn't seem to walk into the plaza, or even to fly. She was just there, when before she'd been somewhere else.

Blackwell is standing on the ground now, though, looking thoughtfully at the park. Her lips move, but she makes no sound, and behind the white and violet mask, reading lips isn't easy.

And then she turns to the plaza, and walks forward, fingers twitching through half-formed movements. Tattoos of roses cover the backs of her hands. She smiles softly, looking to the other students arriving. "Hello. I'm Ch-Blackwell. I'm Blackwell. It's nice to meet you."

Kelsie's car ride with her mother to a point within walking distance of Freedom Plaza was quiet, though the silence was awkward rather than hostile. Kelsie had a complicated relationship with both of her parents, and them with each other, and considering where she was going she also had a lot on her mind.

"Okay, have a good first day Kelsie," her mother said with forced good cheer as she pulled up to a curb. Like she was dropping her off at a perfectly normal new high school. "Call us and tell us how it is. If you'll be spending the night, I'll be at the hospital at seven so you can talk to both of us, I'm sure you'll be done by then, right?"

"I hope so," Kelsie replied neutrally. She was neutral a lot lately. "Talk to you later, Mom."

Soon enough, the teen was heading for Freedom Plaza proper, costume and all. Her getup was surprisingly impromptu for someone that had been a "cape" for several years. An oversized black hoodie with black leggings, gloves, and trainers to match, and large black goggles with a cloth mask covering the rest of her face. She looked like she was on her way to paint a house, or maybe burglarize it, considering the color scheme. Wearing her outfit to something like this wasn't her first choice, but she knew better than to just turn up to a supers meeting in a situation where she could be photographed and cross-referenced later.

She looked over when one of the other apparent students spoke to her. "Blackwell" was a curious name, whether given or assumed, but she opted not to bring that up. "Hi, I'm Lefty. Nice to meet you too," she said instead. Rather than comment on the inherent oddity - or maybe absurdity - of the situation, she went for casual. "How's it going?"

Blackwell didn't say a word, just stared at Lefty for a moment

She looks away, shrugs, her smile a little more forced now. "This your first day too?" Her hand twitched, the motion making the roses seem to ripple.

Lefty visibly flinched when she heard Blackwell's voice in her head. The first person she meets here and she's a mind-tweaker, what were the odds? "Please don't do that," she said bluntly. She stared at Blackwell in return for a second, then relaxed back into her earlier, blandly casual manner. If the girl was willing to stop, then Lefty could afford to drop the subject. "Yeah, I have no idea what I'm in for with this. We'll see I guess. Any classes you're hoping to see offered?"

"I believe nobody has any idea what we signed up for. Since Freedom Plaza is a new initiative." said a boy nonchalantly, shifting his gaze from his phone to the newly arrived people. He was wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki pants and had a rather bored facial expression. Well, it was getting pretty boring since he was sitting on this bank for 45 minutes.
"Oh, my aunt was right. I should've wore that fancy spandex suit. I hope I am not the only one in the civilian clothes. Wouldn't want to stand out." The boy shot a sheepish smile, then continued.
"Sorry, where are my manners? I am Alexander, you can call me Alexander, Alex, Lex, or any other variant you fancy."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 23:00, Sat 06 Feb 2021.

Hester arrived in the chauffeured Escalade.  She'd had the conversation twice now with her security.  She was not going to be shadowed, surveilled, or tracked.  She handed over the LoJack beacon that had been placed in her purse.  "Nice try."  The security guy shrugged--he was only doing his job.  But he'd put the call in and had been authorized.  Yay, her parents were going to untie some strings. Weee.

As she exited, she looked the Plaza over and breathed deeply.  Ah, Freedom Plaza.  Aptly named.  She loved her family desperately, but really, they held on too tightly.

Hester was dressed in an outfit that she hadn't bought, but had been assembled for her by her lady's maid.  Just as if she'd been some debutante from a hundred years ago.  Thank god they'd gotten rid of corsets.  She smoothed her dress lines and walked toward the plaza and a group that she assumed were her classmates.

She overheard some names being offered.  "Hester," she added with a winning smile.

Andrew sat quietly in the plain black 4x4 as it drove to the school.
This was the eighth different school he had attended in his short life.  That did not include the year he spent with his father being tutored by him.  He was here because his father had decided to play dead again.  To lay low.  His father had been dragged into the war and played a major part in it.  One of the reasons Andrew was offered his place at this school with no questions asked.
However when you are a man that is meant to be dead becoming a war hero is not the wisest thing to do.

Andrew understood the problem his father had.  He had spend half a day with his mother trying to convince her he did not know where his father was.  Trying to tell her the man in a number of picture she had found was not Andrews father but a look alike or a distant relative.

The driver of the 4x4 was an employee of British Security Protection Limited.  One of a number of companies world wide that his father owned.   The driver stopped the car and got out so he could let Andrew out.

Andrew stood and looked the man in the eyes.
Thank you Paul.  I will keep up my studies and the things you taught me.  Andrews said.
This will be my new home for a while.  I am sure I will be fine.
Andrew extended a hand to the man.  They shook hands.
Yes I am sure you will young Sir.  It has been a pleasure working with you.  I am sure your father would be proud of you if he was still alive.
Andrew nodded sadly.  I am sure he would.  You take care as well. Andrew answered
Then the man was back in the car and was gone.

Andrew walked slowly but purposefully up to the small group that was talking.
He is dress in a set of modern expensive casual clothes.  Some how they seem to be the modern equivalence to the gentleman that would have asked Arcana to dance at the ball she was dress for.
His eyes for a second catching hers.  A look exchanged between the two of them.  One that told them they where people from the same type of background.
The words "My lady, may I have this dance." coming to her mind very quickly as she could see in her minds eye Andrew making a little bow to her.

But in the here and now Andrew stops about 3 feet away from the group.  He turns his head and looks at the first person that is about to speak to him.  Waiting for them to speak.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:28, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

Blackwell flinches at Lefty's response, but straightens quickly. "Sorry. I'll try to remember. It just, it's hard not to slip." She smiles shyly. "My name is Cho, by the way. Blackwell is kind of a nickname I guess."

She glances at Andrew before saying, "I hope they have art classes. And information science."

Lefty turned to look as several new people arrived in rapid succession. She didn't show much of a reaction to Alex beyond an acknowledging nod, but her gaze lingered a little longer on Hester and Andrew as she nodded to them in turn as well. Clothes told a story, and theirs said "money." Old money in Hester's case, from the looks of things.

"Lefty," she offered in turn. "Not sure if I'm supposed to use my real name. Guess the teachers will tell us. Nice to meet you all, anyways." She nodded to Cho/Blackwell after that, briefly unsure of which one to think of her in her head before figuring she might as well go with Cho. "At least art class sounds easy. I think I'd suck at information science. That's computers and things, right?"

It was mildly surprising that nobody had raised the obvious question - what were each of them doing here? - but Lefty didn't plan to be the one to breach that topic. It wasn't one she especially cared to answer once it inevitably looped back to her.

Andrew smiles at Blackwell.  His body relaxed as she speaks to him.
I am pleased to meet you Cho.  I am called Andrew Brandon.  Yes I do.  Most forms but I have a soft spot for 1960's to 1990's pop.  They have both art and science classes.  It is my understanding you can study almost anything here as long as it does not brake the rules and you can find someone to teach you.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

"They can probably teach everything. I am sure there is at least one of those super smart heroes in teaching position here. Question is would they bother?" said Alex while reaching his pocket to get a package of lemon drops. He casually opened the package and offered it to the group before taking one for himself.

Andrew takes the sweet.
Thank you.  He tells Legion.
As for why.  My father said what ever you can think of someone will get pleasure or satisfaction from doing it.  If that is so; the question would then be why not?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:04, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

"You are welcome. Answer to your question is simple. They are heroes. Some dangerous stuff will happen, they will be needed and they will need to go. Although I believe they took precautions to not leave us without a teacher, I don't think it is possible for them offer wide variety of classes unless they heavily encourage self study. I wouldn't mind that though."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

Oh.  I never thought of that.  Andrew answered.
His right hand went up to the chain on his pocket watch.
But when dangerous stuff happens would it not be wise to have some people stay behind.  To protect and help develop the next generation if the current one get decimated.  Would it be even wiser if these great hero where hidden in plain sight.  The ones everybody thinks are useless or have limited power.  Not every hero wishes to be a hero.  Or acts like one.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:19, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

"Information science underlies comp sci, yes. I like it. And I listen to a lot of things, but I mostly play violin." Cho/Blackwell smiles and shrugs. "I suppose we'll see what they prioritize. Teaching is important, but you have to weight the algorithm to also factor in urgency of the threat, importance, applicability of skillsets..." She trails off, perhaps realizing that she's about to go off on a lengthy tangent that the others may not find interesting as she does.

Lefty had no idea what Andrew was suddenly talking about - maybe Cho had said something about music in his head. This was off to a weird start. She held up a gloved hand when Alex offered her the candy package. "I'm good, thank you though." He seemed okay so far, but considering where she was, she'd wait to make sure he wasn't known elsewhere as "The Poisoner" or something.

She followed the discussion between Andrew and Alex without interrupting, then turned back toward Cho. "Violin huh? That's cool. I like music too, but I don't play anything. I like to dance though." She considered. "I wonder who'll be teaching us anyways. Sidekicks, maybe, or retired heroes? Seems like the full-power guys would be too busy to babysit." She suddenly pointed a finger at Cho, a slight smile visible behind her mask. "Who're you hoping for, Cho? Or put another way, who's your favorite hero?"

Edi could fly. There was no freedom like flying, she felt the wind in her face as she realized, and not for the first time mind you, she could do what few people could, and what people have wanted to since they could look up into the sky at the birds with jealousy. She did not fly with wings or a rocket strapped to her back. No, she flew on a disk she created herself under her feet, a disk of pure light. As she flew she left a long glowing trail behind, like a comet, hence her name sake, Comet Girl.

Even though she had freedom it was not absolute. She wore what the studio demanded, for insurance purposes of course, a parachute and an oxygen mask and bottle like a fighter pilot. She had balked at first, hard, and it had almost cost the whole deal. The studio had called in an expert a costume designer from Hollywood. After a few days brain storming they had come up with a really cool retro look, part WWII pilot and a lot sparkly showgirl it was perfect! Sequins covering a leather bomber's jacket, flight goggles, a turtleneck shirt and khaki cargo pants made up her enesmble.

She had wrapped up filming the season and again the studio snobs had insisted she go to (barf gag barf) school! She hated school, it was a waist of time. She had more than ten million dollars in the bank. She wasn't impressed with anything school had to offer, but she had to be here so make the best of it. She flew above the school and then let the disk vanish, so that she fell. She let herself fall to about a hundred feet above the ground and then recreated the disk. She floated down to the ground and stepped off the disk, causing it to disappear. She saw a bunch of other kids close to her age so she headed for them, with her hand out to shake. "Hello there, I'm Edith Gallo, but people call me Comet Girl and my friends call me Edi. So you are my fellow inmates, huh? I think if we work together we can make a jail break." She laughed, but was at least half serious, "So who are you guys?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:09, Tue 09 Feb 2021.

Just before Comet Girl arrives Hindsight closes his eyes.
Incoming.  What do the waves in time bring us now. 
Andrew seems frozen for most of Comet girls arrival.  He opens his eyes when Comet Girl begins to speak.
He bows slightly to Comet Girl after she finishes speaking.
Welcome to our group Edi.  I am Andrew Turner.  I am from Great Britain.  And I was born with my gifts.  I am a Psychic.
He smiles.  I am less of an inmate more a signed up patron.  This place is less of a prison to me and more of a great library for me to explore and learn from.
Now we are all here let us redo the basic introductions just in case anybody missed anything.  Also to help us understand each other better.  If that is alright with everybody?
Andrew is clearly encouraging everybody to follow his form of introduction.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:01, Tue 09 Feb 2021.

Lefty gave Hindsight a curious look at his words, then Comet Girl made her dramatic appearance. Lefty watched curiously until she landed and made her own introduction. "I'm an inmate," she followed up Andrew's introduction, so deadpan that she might have been making a dry joke of her own. She shook Edith's hand, then said "So you're Comet Girl, I've heard of you. Cool costume. I'm Lefty, waiting for the go-ahead from the higher-ups to give my real name." She gave Edith a more appraising look from behind her goggles, though the slight movement of her head still made clear what she was doing. "How did you end up here?"

"It would depend" interjected Alex. "Assault, battery and trespassing are common charges to be accused for in this business. Though I assume they tweaked those laws years ago to accommodate superheroes. At least I hope that, else everything would go sour after one of the super people annoying the wrong politician." He rambled while doing some signs with his free hand. A second later he was shrouded with a faint glow (similar look to aurora borealis) and was floating towards the Comet Girl. "Hey, It was Edith right? Want some lemon drops?" He shook the candy package in his hand. "Oh, I am probably the inmatest inmate here".

"I like Haraamakhor. She's an Indian hero. Very intelligent, and good with numbers." Cho smiles a little. "I'm an inmate too. We all are, really. My eyelids are the door, my mind is the coffin. It's very nice getting to meet you all. I'm Blackwell. I'm...an unusual case. I interact with conceptual models of Platonic idealized thoughtforms. Mostly tulpas and stochastic probability distributions." She smiles wider. "Also, I play the violin."

Edi nodded at Andrew, "Okay, well I guess that makes you the hostage." She winked so he knew she wasn't serious, at least not completely.

Edi grinned at Lefty, "Thanks, I helped design it. Lefty okay, well you are on team jailbreak." At the question she looked more than a bit cross. "The freakin studio execs figured if I don't go to school till I'm 18 they might be held liable somehow. Stupid but I'm sure other people are here because of lame adults too."

She turned to Legion, "My mom always said never take candy from strange boys." She reached into his bag and took one out and popped it in her mouth. She wiggled her eyebrows as if to say, "I never listened to her anyway."

Finally she looked at Cho, "Blackwell huh? Like the index? Sorry I don't understand 3/4ths of the words you used. I do like the violin though. I'd love to hear you play."

Then she turned and took a napkin out of her pocket, politely putting the candy away. "WOW! That was really sour. How can you eat those? Yuck!"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:36, Thu 11 Feb 2021.

Moments later Heritage flies out of the school, and lands in front of the collected students, "Hello, as many of you no doubt know, I'm Heritage.  I'm your official greeter for this, your first day of school.  I'll lead you on a tour of the facilities, but first, are there any questions?"

Lefty watched as Alex took off, but since Cho was talking to her directly she waited before saying anything. "Hmm, haven't heard of her," she said thoughtfully to Cho. She resisted the urge to follow up with we all prisoners, chicky baby. It was such a perfect opportunity, but if Cho didn't like old-ish movies it would probably just sound like mockery. Instead she said "Can't say I understand much of that."

"Yeah, that's about the size of it," she said to Edith when the topic turned to stupid adults. She looked faintly amused at the idea of Andrew being a hostage, but had to set the conversation aside when an actual hero showed up. "Hi," she said matter-of-factly. "Should we be giving out our real names along with our codenames?"

Hindsight smiles at Comet Girl.
Well if I am going to be captured and become a hostage.  Which I suspect will happen a few times in my life, I would prefer my capture's to be two or maybe three pretty girls.  It is the sort of thing that makes the experience more pleasurable.

He looks across at Blackwell as she was the only one that had not decided which side of the line she was on.

Turning to Heritage.
Good morning Sir.  Thank you for coming to meet us.  I have no questions to ask yet.

Cho smiles. "I'll play for you later," she promises Edi, before nodding to Heritage.

"I have no questions at this time, Maestro." She pulls a string out of her pocket and begins toying with it, weaving it through patterns between her fingers.

Alex was about to defend honour of all things sour when Heritage landed before and greeted the group. "Only one. Do you want some candy?", Alex said and offered the small package in his hand when Heritage asked them if there were any questions.

Edi turned as Heritage came along and told them he was a tour guide. She cocked her head to the side as she imagined him pointing things out.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
"Over there is The Owl's lab. He is out tech guy."

"That is Quinton Longfellow, our janitor."

"This sealed room is where we keep artifacts from evil doers we defeat."

---

As she blinked her fantasy spilled over into reality just a little. "Can we see the vault where you keep all the bad guy stuff? You know, the forbidden stuff?" She went on, "You know like Xerox's harness of duplication? Or how about Iron Hand's Rings of Wrath. Those would be cool!"

She looked around, "Or Meteor Guy's rocks?" She smirked at her own bawdy humor.

That is, if I may say so, a little bit worrying.
A few moments ago Comet Girl was talking about me be a hostage.
Then she wants to visit the vault.  I am thinking I should be very careful.

Andrew has a smile on his face.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Fri 12 Feb 2021.

Edi chuckled at Andrew, "So you don't want to be taken hostage by me and Lefty? What's the matter, we ain't cute enough for ya?"

She made the disk again, this time just enough to stand on and lifted herself a foot or so off the ground. "Ready when you are, Mr. Heritage, Sir."

Heritage turns to Lefty and says, "Whether you give out your real names or not is up to you.  I nevere really had a secret ID so I'd not really be the one to ask, everyone knows the Parsons are the Legacy family."

Heritage then looks at Comet Girl, "It's a little early still to be seeing the vault.  There's a lot of dangerous things down there, some of which can even hurt me."

He then turns and walks into the complex.  He leads you to a large scientific area and says, "This is for Tachyon and her students.  I hear there is things way above what is available outside of here to be found here."

He then leads to what looks like a large empty room with reinforced walls, "This will be the combat training room.  You'll be training with Bunker."

He then leads you down a hallway with normal sized rooms, at the end he turns around and says, "What you just passed are the classrooms.  There you'll learn everything from how to hande your powers to History."

Finally, he leads you up some stairs and points to the left, "Boys' dorms are down that way," he then points to the right, "While Girls' dorms are that way."

Finally he turns to you all again, "We''ve covreed most of the basics, does anyone have any questions now?"

Lefty rolled her eyes slightly at Andrew's words, though the goggles hid it. Presumably he was joking, but it still seemed like he could have phrased it a little less... bluntly. Edi's joke about the two of them taking Andrew hostage prompted a soft chuckle, though.

She was kind of surprised that Heritage wouldn't even have an opinion on the subject of real names. "Right, well, Lefty it is then I guess. In hindsight maybe I should have used my real name and then come up with a different alias." She shrugged slightly, then went along with the tour, duly taking note of everything she could.

When they were asked for questions again, she said "Do we get our own rooms?"

Alex didn't know what to expect but he liked the tour. Except combat training room. "This place is where we put you against people who can lift street lamps as if they are toothpicks." said to himself. He wasn't enthusiastic about that part.

"Don't sweat over aliases. You can always get a new one later. You change your alias and get a new costume with a different colour scheme then BAM, you are basically a new person in the public eye." said Alex, trying to ease her about this alias issue, then faced towards Heritage.

"What is the policy on power use in school grounds?"

Andrew answered Comet Girl as they walking around.
Oh I look forward to being captured by you and the other girls.  In fact I do hope you will have the courtesy of doing it more than once.  The same smile on his face as before.

After they had been show round Andrew waited for the others to ask their questions before asking his own.

Does the school have a library or two.  If so where are they please?  I do also hope we are allowed to have our own room.  Not so much for myself but it has been made clear once or twice in the past that I am a little irritating to live with if you have to share the same rooms with me all the time.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:04, Wed 17 Feb 2021.

"At the moment, you get your own rooms.  This is subject to change though dependent on how many teens with powers like yourselves end up taking advantage of our offer.  As is, there's already one other group here.  As to libraries, we have a whole other building dedicated to research.  I could take you to it sometime." Heritage replies to Lefty and Hindsight.

Edi grimaced at the combat room. "But I don't want to hurt anyone." the tour continued and when everyone asked questions she said, "I'm claustrophobic. Can I just get an off campus place?"

"Unfortunately, no.  Via the terms of the agreement to study here, you must live on campus.  It's for your protection." Heritage replied to Comet Girl.

"I suppose that's true," Kenzie said to Alex. "And we're gonna be sharing a dorm? Probably a lost cause to stay that secret. I hope we don't all end up as super-nemeses down the line. Maybe we could all pinky-swear to stay out of each others' turf." Then she looked at Heritage. "Same question about powers, by the way. I'd rather not get hit by any." It seemed odd that he hadn't answered it already, maybe he had some kind of speech prepared and didn't want to get ahead of himself. He could at least acknowledge it though, hence Kenzie backing Alex up.

"I could pencil you in for a 'no witnesses' if that would help," she deadpanned in a mild tone to Andrew. She gave Edi a faintly curious look after that. She was too claustrophobic to spend time in a presumably normal-sized room, by herself? Did she normally live in a hangar? It was only a brief wonderment before she looked back at Heritage. "So if this is a full-time boarding school, is there a cafeteria? Do we have to wear uniforms?"

"You'll be taught combat, mostly by Bunker, that means that you will be hit by powers.  I'm sure he'll pull his punches the best he can, as our intent isn't to harm you.  Should something happen though we have beyond state of the art medical bots that wil be able to help get you back on your feet.  You and the other class are the first two classes that we've had.  As you know OblivAeon wasn't that long ago, and it was after that the Freedom Five decided it was best to train the next generation to be heroes.  There is a Cafeteria, if you follow me, I'll lead you to it.  As you'll see, we have more than a normal school Cafeteria.  Unless you know of any schools in the area that serve lobster."  With that, Heritage begins to walk down the stairs again, leads outside, and into another smaller building.  The smell of food cooking is strong in this place.

"Assuming we are going to do this superhero business after the graduation, you can trespass into my future turf anytime you want. No, actually, you are hereby invited to my future turf to visit to your heart's desire." Alex made a grandiose gesture, pointing everyone in this small gathering including Heritage. He hoped they would take the offer one day. Why deny less work?

"I can give you my word to not interfere with your business though, unless you don't ask or decide to summon an life devouring eldritch abomination to end all life in this universe from another plane of existence. I prefer the former for your information". Alex said with a smile towards Lefty. He was glad she reiterated his question. Sensible girl, that one. One of the few enlightened people who did consider possibility of getting hit by a force equivalent to a maglev train. Not that he didn't trusted heroes, but accidents happen. Well, couldn't be worse then his father's training regimen, he hoped.

Well, no need to worry about things he couldn't change. And this place was cool. And home, well if he could call there home, was awkward to live in despite all accommodations of his aunt. Living in the dorm might help him to sort his thoughts.

"Cafeteria sounds nice. Is the cook also a superperson?"

Edi asked under her breath, "When is my first parole hearing?" She glumly floated along with them.

"The cooks, while some of the best in the city, are not superhumans.  They are under our protection, and paid according to the risk by the city."  He then looked at Comet Girl and said, "Did you say something?"

Andrew giggles.
Oh Edi, I does not mater how many parole board hearing you go to.  Or even if they let you go.  You really should read the comic books.  We only have two option if we are one of first class here.  Do do know what they are don't you?

Andrew giggles even more.

Blackwell, having been silent for some time, speaks up at this. "I think so. Heritage, do you have a computer lab here? I want to study some computational topics. Oh, and an auditorium would be nice as well." She smiles. It looks somehow false - not faked, but like she doesn't quite know how to do it properly.

"Tachyon handles the computer classes, and yes we have an Auditorium.  I can take you there, follow me, I was limiting myself to the areas most expected to be sought after.  I should have known to put the Auditorium on the list, the other group includes a rock singer."  Heritage chuckles as if he was in on a private joke, and then leads you out of the Cafeteria and into an open air stadium that has a covered stage and bleachers surrounding it.

"Oh, this will do nicely," Blackwell says, looking around at the stadium. "Open air is nice for a change of pace, and there's plenty of seating. I think this will work very well for me. Do we have free time tonight for me to play?"

"Yes, tonight it your night.  I don't the other person has it reserved."

"Learning combat is one thing, but I don't want people looking through my clothes or into my mind to figure out anything I'd rather keep secret, are there safeguards against that kind of thing?" Kelsie asked after her question was answered. She looked around the cafeteria, then nodded to Alex. "That's fair. I'll stay off your turf if I'm not wanted too then." She gave Andrew a slight side-eye from behind her goggles after that. It seemed odd to hear a boy giggle so much.

She followed along to the auditorium and looked around there too. This one, she expected to spend as little time in as possible. She supposed she was the opposite of Edith in that regard, she didn't care for big, bright, open spaces. "Going to have a violin recital?" she asked Blackwell, before looking back to Heritage. "A rock singer? Anyone we've heard of?"

To Heritage Edi gave her best innocent face and said, "Who me?" In a way that implied he must be mistaken.

Edi glared at Andrew, whose antics were now becoming annoying. She didn't care anymore about what he had to say and the daggers she threw at him with her eyes told him so.

Then they went to the auditorium. She smiled for the first time on this tour. Racing ahead of the others she expanded her disk for full on flight and took off. She soared hundreds of feet above and began zooming around doing arial tricks like axis rolls, barrel rolls, loops, and high g-force turns. All the time she whooped and laughed, it wasn't an act. Edi belonged in the sky.

Hindsight sigh. 

At the auditorium he turns to Blackwell.  This will be a good place for you to play I hope.  He then takes himself up high and sits with his eyes shut taking in the waves.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:17, Fri 19 Feb 2021.

Alex liked to stargaze. His father's town Isaba, Navarra was so remote it was like gazing into heavens thanks to lack of light pollution. Many nights Alex would watch the stars from the balcony and contemplate. "Where does he belong" would be one of the questions he would ask to himself in those nights.

It felt like too much time passed since from those days. He never managed to find answer to that question, or many others he was asking to himself. However, right now, while he didn't know where he belong, he was as sure as he could be it was not this auditorium, or any other one. There wasn't a single cell in his body capable of art. He could learn to imitate definitely, but creativity was something beyond his reach.

On top of his lack of creativity, he didn't even like live performances. Listening from a record was much more comfortable. You could sit in weird positions in your chair, wearing your pyjamas, listen whatever you want with a volume level at your preference.

Well, no need to be buzzkill though. Some people were obviously enjoying here. Seeing happy people would make him happy. And he liked to play with acoustics. An empty auditorium meant echo. So he slowly flied towards in the middle of the scene and shouted.

"EEEEEEEEECHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Blackwell grins at the question. "I think I will play my violin tonight, then, yes. If anyone wants to listen."

Hindsight smiles.  Would you please play for us Blackwell.  I think it would be good for us.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:24, Sun 21 Feb 2021.

Looking to Lefty he says, "She goes by the handle Rockstar.  Anymore information than that, I suggest you talk to her, otherwise, it'd be like me introductng one of you by your real name to someone without your consent."

As Legion yells for an echo, one is in fact returned to him.

Finally, when Blackwell says that she'll play her violin, Heritage says, "You can count me as part of that audience, and probably other members of the Freedom Five as well if they aren't busy doing heroic things.  You might even get the other group to come, especially Rockstar."

Edi did a fly bye and shouted, "WAHOOO!"

Andrew slowly gets up and walks down to Lefty.  Looking up at the other two.
So can you fly lefty?  I also notice the goggles.  So are you interested in tech.  Or even better do you like steampunk?

His voice was calm and serious with none of the silly jokes it had had before.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:12, Wed 24 Feb 2021.

"That makes sense, thank you. But, are there safeguards against mind-reading and X-ray vision or not?" Lefty said to Heritage. She tried to keep any impatience out of her voice, talking to a legendary hero like him, but what was up with that? Half the questions they asked him seemed to take multiple tries. Maybe he was in some kind of Freedom Five telepathic conference at the same time.

She watched as Edith took off and then swung back again. It was funny that most of the others seemed demonstrative to some degree. Cho included, judging by her willingness to perform. Not that it was a bad thing, just different from her. "Sure, I'll come too," she said to the violinist. She supposed if they were going to be a small group class, it would be good to get along. And it wasn't like she minded violin music.

She looked up as Andrew came down to speak to her. "None of the above," she said mildly. Not trying to shut him down, just giving a bluntly factual answer. "You're interested in steampunk, I take it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:33, Wed 24 Feb 2021.

"The only safeguards we have in place are that there will be an immediate expulsion if someone is spied out without their consent."  Heritage replied.

Andrew smiles.  A friend of mine once said he could not work out if I was a Victorian gentleman trying to live like a modern one.  Or modern gentleman trying to live like a Victorian one.  I enjoy the fun of the dressing up and gadgets.  Also the story telling.  It is fun, especially when you know what is being said is close to the truth than the story teller knows.

I will be straight with you as I feel it is how you like things to be.
I am trying to work out how you fit in.  Comet girl and Legion clearly have active sparkly superpowers.  Both Blackwell and me are mental based.  Give or take one or more people we going to be a team.  I wish my first team to be as big a success as I can make it.  If I do it bodes well for all of us in many ways.
By understanding my team members powers I can use my own to help them succeed.  If I understand better what they can do then I can better understand what can happen.   If I know what can happen I can better make sure it happens for the good of the team.
The past, present and future are not static but are waves to me.

Andrew looks at Lefty.
I am not sure how easy that is to understand.  Most people at this point think I have lost the plot and am a idiot when I tell them to me time is not fixed point but a wave.  I given up trying to explain it to other but here, in this group I hope you will understand.

Heh. Hearing your echo was always fun.

"Oof. Immediate expulsion. Harsh but fair I suppose." Alex reacted after Heritage's statement." Then turned towards Blackwell.

"Do you need to do anything for the concert? Does she, Mr Heritage Sir? Preparing the stage, setting up to audio hardware? I've never been to a concert before, but I would like to help if I can" He made a thumbs up sign to Blackwell.

"Lefty knows what's up. No one should be fond of tech. There is barely anything more unreliable and frustrating to work with than tech. Maybe arcane arts, maybe, but I wouldn't be so sure." Well, Andy, no Andrew - he was already forgetting other people's names - talked about perceiving time differently. Maybe it was helping him to deal with madness that is tech.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:49, Thu 25 Feb 2021.

"Normally, Miss Blackwell would have to fill out a sign up sheet in order to reserve the stage, but since I know for a fact that Rockstar isn't going to be using it, she's free to go on this one.  As to sound issues, that I'm unsure of.  I'm sure Miss Blackwell will tell us if there is any preperation that must be done." Heritage replies.

Hindsight openly laughed at what Legion said.
Alex I have a fellow school mate at my last school that said some like that.  Except his words where.  There is nothing more unreliable and frustrating than working with other people.  He also added.  You Andrew even more so.  Now leave me alone.  Get lost.

Hindsight shrugged his shoulders.
So I did.  But going back to working as a group.  You can fly I can see.  Are you happy to let me know what else you can do?

Edi cam zipping bye a second time, pretending it would be another fly bye, but slowed just as she got close to the others she tilted her disk so it wouldn't touch anyone, and reached out to muss Hindsight's hair. "Tag, you're it. Hahahaha. Miss me miss me now you gotta...kiss off." She flew up out of his reach, stuck out her tongue, and joyfully sped back up for more aerobatics.

Hindsight bow first to Lefty and then to Blackwell.
If you will excuse me ladies.  Someone needs to know when, where and how to stick her tongue out at me.

Hindsight take a few steps.  Holds his hands out at 45 degree angle away from his body and looks carefully at Comet girl.  Slowly and carefully he rises into the air.  His movement designed to slowly trap her in a corner of the stadium.

His action would remind anybody of a vampire in a film set in Victorian times.

OOC:
Hindsight uses his flying skill and Precognition to trap the little showoff.

"If you need any help feel free to ask, Blackwell" Alex said before shifting his attention to Andrew.

Andrew's friend sounded rude but that wasn't his business. Back to topic, his abilities, yes. They were going to have combat classes together so might as well he could indulge him.

"Let me think. I've never had to explain what can I do before." Alex gathered his thoughts for a few second.

"I can fly though it is mostly a convenience tool for me. It lets me avoid walking and climbing staircases which were my main motivation to learn this spell. Uh, next, I am well versed in arcane arts, engineering and natural sciences, my aunt thinks so at least. I can channel and manipulate aether and metal in various forms technically but it can get dangerous really fast to freely wield it." No sir, Alex was fun of magical backlash.

"I specialise in conjuring semi-independent automatons with different functionality in various shapes and sizes, made from alchemical alloys. I mostly use them to do my chores though. Have you ever seen a self-operating Orichalcum washing machine?" Alex smiled. That washing machine he conjured was legit though. Not a single stain on his clothes prevailed. It would also collect his dirty clothes and attach itself to plumbing on its own. Truly it was Alex's magnum opus.

"But I digress. My automatons can fight and defend in decent capacity, especially if I have time to conjure more than one. They also act as a conduit for aether and guide aether to someone to boost their abilities. I can also do the same." Alex murmured a bit, thinking if he got everything.

"I think that is pretty much it. Any point do you want me to elabo..." He couldn't finish his sentence since he got distracted by Comet Girl. Then he flied away from Andrew a bit to avoid getting tagged.

"Ehm, what was I saying, oh yes, do you want me to elaborate any part?"

Edi isn't impressed. She has awareness and another thing,  which lets her keep from being cornered. She also thinks three dimensionally, meaning she isn't afraid to go up and over or down and under him. "Pleaaseee. Up here I'm the queen, you're just a tourist." She is very erratic in her movements, keeping him at a fair distance. If he somehow manages to outmatch her, she has a couple of tricks up her sleeve. The oxygen mask isn't just for show, she can use it to fly above breathable atmosphere. She is having fun too, laughing like a maniac. It isn't that she hates Hindsight, he just outed her earlier when she mentioned the parole hearing. Besides he might be her type in some ways - studious for example - but he seemed to like attention as much as she and competing with a dude for attention isn't her thing.

Now Legion, being a bit more shy, is her style. She isn't interested in him either. She likes older men who are of darker complexion, so even if she weren't already dating an older guy she wouldn't be interested in either of the "boys" here. That said she isn't above teasing either of them, mainly for attention. Like right now, Hindsight is giving her exactly what she wants - his attention.

"Sounds reasonable to me," Lefty said to Heritage with a nod. Then she turned her attention back to Anthony. "Hm," was all she said by way of acknowledgment at first. He was an odd duck all right, but at least he seemed harmless enough. "Yeah, directness suits me fine. If that's how you visualize yourself and your powers, you do you I guess." Her tone was noncommittal, but didn't carry any disagreement or judgment to it. It also didn't volunteer anything about herself, though.

She glanced over and gave another acknowledging nod when Alex talked about the fickleness of tech. Andrew's interjection prompted a faint smile behind her mask. "Fair point, between people and tech it's hard to say which is worse." The comment that followed about tongues struck her as... a lot, but maybe the interplay between Edith and Andrew was more flirtatious than she'd realized and she was just in range of it. Certainly she wouldn't just go around touching people without a good reason.

Once it was just her, Alex, and the more withdrawn Cho, she looked back to Alex again. Lefty seemed unfazed by all the flight going on around her, although that could just be because most of her face was covered. "Sounds like you can do a lot. Did you bring the washing machine with you?" For all she knew, it folded up and fit in his pocket or something.

After seeing Andrew making move over Edith ("practice so you don't forget it Alex"), he decided It was safe enough to land and flied back to his previous spot. He was going to watch the dogfight between Edith and Andrew, but Lefty's question took him by surprise. It is nice to see sheer brilliance of that washing machine.

"Oh, no. Carrying it around is too much work. And I like to pack light. I conjure it and any other automatons I have. I had a room filled with handcrafted prototypes in my home, but they were for design purposes. It also allows me to bypass several painful and long alchemical processes since I directly conjure the orichalcum. Now, getting that right was really really hard. If you need one of my washing machines though you can ask for one anytime." Chores were crime against humanity.

Alex reached now half empty pack of lemon drops from his pocket. Put one to his mouth and once again offered people around him.

While Lefty's affect in general seemed pretty muted, she was honestly surprised when Alex finished his explanation with an offer of a washing machine. "Really? Thanks. I actually don't know if we need to do our own laundry here or what, seeing as we won't be cooking our own food."

Since it seemed like Alex was probably on the level at this point, she opted to take a lemon drop from him this time. She gave him an acknowledging nod, then tugged the side of her mask slightly so she could pop it into her mouth. "Hm. Pretty sour all right," she said matter-of-factly, although unlike Edith she didn't make any move to spit it out. "Do you conjure those too, or just keep them on you?"

"You are welcome. I heavily advise you to not put any conjured substance into your mouth, unless it is explicitly stated to do so" Alex grimaced a bit. Lemon drops with hydrochloric acid instead of citric acid. It was a miracle he survived his idiocy. Try to conjure some candies because you felt too lazy to go buy some. What could go wrong?

"No, candies are the real deal. I buy them from a small patisserie managed by a lovely couple in the city. They like to dabble in confectionary a little bit. They also have delightful lemon cheesecake and lemon eclair. Maybe we can go there together. I..." Alex was getting red slightly red. "I mean as a group of all 5 of us together, not you and me together, with responsible adults chaperoning us, yes. I am going to shut up now."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:42, Mon 01 Mar 2021.

"Good to know I suppose. I don't have much experience with the subject." She didn't miss the reason for Alex's embarrassment after that, though she wasn't sure if she should be flattered or he'd honestly given the wrong impression by accident. She also wasn't sure what a patisserie was, but that was probably neither here nor there.

She was quiet for a moment, then gave a muted laugh behind her mask. "If that was intentional, it was a lot smoother than..." She gave a subtle head tilt toward Andrew in midair. "I doubt we're each other's types, but I'd go there, sure." She left ambiguous whether she meant with him, or with the whole group and then some.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:16, Mon 01 Mar 2021.

Was it intentional? Good question. He wanted to say definitely not but he was not sure about the answer himself. His aunt would say maybe it was intention of his subconsciousness but did he even have a subconsciousness? How did that work?

Also such outright rejection would hurt people. Yeap, that was totally it. He was being very polite. Have he heard it right? Was he smooth? How was he smooth? Did she say, type? What type? Why is it getting hot? He didn't even get if she wanted to go there as a group or not. AAAAAAAAAAAA.

Relax Alex. And keep going with ambiguity. All possible roads will end up with lemon eclairs.

"Nice, we can arrange something when class schedules are given."

Andrew slowly speeds up.
If you are the Queen, then I am one of the black jacks.  But which black jack am I to you.  Also no zooming of out of the auditorium.  That is out of bounds.  Three strikes and your IT.

Hindsight pushes Comet girl hard.  If she is only using her flight abilities she is  going to lose.  She is going to have to use more than that.  She maybe quicker than him in the air but he is not slow.  He also has many tricks up his sleeve.  She has three domains to work in.  He as four.  He seems to understand where she is heading way quicker than a normal person.  Maybe even knowing where she is going to end up before she does.

He does not seem to tire very easy and is happy to chase her for long periods of time.  Watching and waiting.  Often doing laps.  Happy to push her and see if she can keep going over long periods of time.

Hindsight looks down and sees Lefty and Legion talking.  He nods.  Good, that seems to have work.  He tells himself.  Leave them time to bond as friends without me interfering.  I can get in the way sometimes.
He also nods to Blackwell. 

OOC:
So what skills and powers does Comet girl use to keep away from Andrew?  Or is she going get tagged?

Edi laughed at him, not with him - at him and blew a razberry. "Really? Please. I'm the Queen here, I make the rules and rule one is, I go where I please. You, dear boy, are a pawn and you only get to move two at first and one from then on." She flew out of the area he had designated on purpose, spinning around so she is flying backwards and gives him a single finger salute.

As far as what she uses, I am not giving away all my secrets. She has Agility d10, Vitality d8, Awareness d8, Fitness d8, Flight d8, and she has something else which I will not divulge, but I believe counteracts his seeing the future.

Andrew decides the new game is to keep Comet Girl out of the auditorium.
Oh, Chess not cards I see.  Well I am truly shocked.  I did not think someone of your caliber and background would even know the game existed.  However clearly you have a lot to learn about the pieces.  For I am the one pieces that can make moves in a way your Queen cannot.

"Okay, sounds like a plan," Lefty said. After that, she raised her head again to watch Edith and Andy zoom around above the auditorium. "That's not something you see every day. Flying not your thing either, or just not feeling it?" Normally Lefty would be quieter, but she recognized how odd and awkward it would be for Alex to just be standing here with a totally silent partner. Plus Heritage, which added an interesting dimension but probably made things even more awkward.

With that matter settled, Alex became more relaxed. "I can go from point A to point B flying, but I am not good at high velocity or sharp manoeuvres. My flying would be actually called floating compared to those two up there." He pointed the dogfight. "I've tried to make a pair of rocket boots to increase my speed once, worked for a while,  then I crashed into ocean." Alex giggled a bit. That was a fun memory. "How about you?"

Edi laughed again, spinning back to face the direction she was heading. She called back to him, "Looks like you ahre bahd aht chess too, slowpoke. Queen goes whereveh she pah-leases, pahwns cahn't uhntil they gets they Queen on."

She grinned as she flew low, zipping around between buildings. He, of course, saw this coming and was waiting for her as she banked out of an alleyway. She then did something that would be impossible if not for the simple fact that she was already bending the laws of physics into a pretzel. Without losing any momentum she spun the disk like a record, the same way she had to poke fun at him, and went in the opposite direction. Then she went up at a steep angle, climbing hundreds of feet before stopping in the air. She stood, waiting for him to catch up, letting him almost touch her, "Oh my, whateveh will Ih do?" Then she turned the disk off and plummeted, only to restart it and zip off in another direction. "See yah lateh Pahwn-Boy."

I've added extra "H's" so you guys can read it the way she says it. ;-)

"Is that so? That's still impressive, it puts you way up on the regular non-flying people like me," Lefty said. She gave Blackwell a curious look, wondering if she'd wind up as the sole benchwarmer in flying class, then turned her attention to the dogfight for a few seconds. When Edith made her plummeting escape, she added "Now falling, that I can do like a champ."

She looked back at Alex. "So, first a washing machine and now rocket boots. Are you a super-genius inventor? Or do you conjure things and they just do what you what you want?"

"Lady, you are one of the first students in a school for extraordinary individuals.  You ain't no regular." He wondered what were her abilities. It would be pretty funny if she had something like super strength. Maybe super durability given her comment about falling? Nah, that was probably a joke, but you could never know in here. Though it looked like she didn't want to share her abilities for now, so he wasn't going to probe her for more information.

Alex's attention shifted to air for a moment. He was sure he can't fly like that. He grimaced at their sharp movements. It was like watching a car crash. Thankfully nobody got hurt. He returned his attention to Lefty after a moment.

"Inventor, maybe. Super-genius, absolutely not. Rocket boots I made were much better at going down then going up and my best creation is an overdesigned washing machine." Alex snorted. Maybe he was being harsh but being a harsh critic of himself was what he taught.

"Oh, I wish I could just conjure whatever I wanted. But I need to actually study designs and adapt them to limitations and advantages of my conjuration spell to create working results. Or else only thing I could create would be a wheel, and I am not even sure it would be circular enough to be called one."

Blackwell slipped off at some point - when is not clear, nor how; she simply stopped being there and started being somewhere else, in the dorms. She sits in her room, drops her one backpack and her violin case, and takes out the violin to start tuning it and practicing. Even though she wasn't making a particular effort, the resulting sound was...intense and eerie and strange. It wasn't lovely, but it was distinctive.

OOC: So freaking sorry. I've been delinquent as all hell and I apologize. Got a wedding coming up next month, and a move tomorrow, and between those and other stressors I just....failed to post for way too long.

Lefty's expression turned even more curious when she realized Cho wasn't there to direct her curiosity at. For the moment, she shrugged inwardly and looked back to Alex. "'Lady?' I know my costume is ratty, but does it make me look that old?" Lefty's tone was muted but apparently sincere, and she took a few seconds to look over her outfit. "Maybe one of our classes will have us make new costumes... Although, I haven't been to school in a while, is that something you'd call a teenager now?"

"Well, anyways. You're right about that, but I can fly just as much as a regular person. It sounds to me like you're being humble though. Unless you can just conjure some kind of anti-gravity stone and stick it in a boot and call it a rocket boot. Because I'm pretty sure the regular genius inventors haven't been able to make them."

OOC: Hope things are looking up Blackwell :)

"Ah, sorry. English isn't my first language. I thought starting with girl instead of lady is too informal." And he was rather inexperienced with interacting people around his age but no need to tell that right now. "I can't really tell what you look like under this costume, which I assume is the intention. Only your voice betrays you. So nice work. Also I don't even have a costume yet, (nope, he was not wearing that spandex his aunt gave him, not without a major modification at least)" Alex smiled sheepishly and made a thumbs up sign.

"If it makes you feel better I have never taken an official education before. It was all homeschooling. However, it was a little bit rigorous, hence my capability of making a pair of rocket boots. I am merely standing on the shoulders of giants. And falling spectacularly most of the time."

Out of blue, he started to hear a violin. Oh, Dark, no Blackwell was playing. When did she started? Sound was interesting though? With Andrew's clothes and this eerie violin sound he felt like he was in a Victorian murder mystery.

"I see your point. That would sound strange." Lefty thought that over, but she wasn't sure what term of address would actually work for the situation. She opted to leave it alone. "Your English is very good. I'd ask where you're from, but I guess it's not fair giving you the whole third degree when I'm not keen to talk about myself yet. This whole situation is... very strange for me. I'm coming from a place where people knowing about you is dangerous." She meant "place" in a situational sense, rather than a literal physical locale.

She glanced up when she realized she could hear Blackwell's playing as well. "I guess that must be Blackwell, huh." Then she thought for a moment before saying "Maybe we could get on to less personally identifying topics. What do you do for fun? Do you like music?" It seemed like an easy thing to bring up now that they were listening to some.

"Thanks. Exposure really helps. And don't worry about your questions. If I don't want to answer them I wouldn't, Unless you have power to compel me to do so, and, well, that would be interesting." Alex shot a calm smile to Lefty. "Also government and this school's administration probably knows a lot of stuff about me more than myself at this point, hence striving for privacy is a fool's errand for me. I get that how important can it be to keep some information secret though. I understand if you want to keep things private." His gaze shifted towards horizon for a little moment, looked like he was reminiscing about something, then he refocused his attention. "I would offer my help but that would be counterproductive by the nature of the subject. So, yeah, lighter subjects" He was sounding a little bit apologetic.

"That girl loves her violin. I wish I had a sliver of creativity built into me. Alas, it was not meant to be. I enjoy music though. I like to listen various ethnic music on top of more mainstream stuff. But please don't ask me about favourite songs, I throw whole albums and discographies to playlists so I don't know names of half of my favourite songs."

"I liked to read encyclopaedias when I was a kid. Opening up a random page and searching for interesting stuff was fun. I especially liked to read mythology articles. Sometimes I do same with Wikipedia today. But my true passion is watching cute animal videos." He wondered if he could get a pet here.

"I also like video games and stargazing. It is a shame how light pollution ruins your view though. How about you? What do you do for fun?"

OOC: Wikipedia is a thing, right? And I assume since we are making independent conversations it is ok with not having a turn order right now.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:22, Tue 09 Mar 2021.

"Fair enough. And I don't have that kind of power, don't care for it either." She gave him a considering look. "Thanks for the thought, anyways. Things might be safer now, but I'm getting my footing here."

She moved topics as well after that. "So, you don't think invention is creative? Not that I'm really one to talk. I like music but I don't perform too. Although, I like electronic and rock more - things you can move your body to." There wasn't anything "wrong" with Cho's music as such, even if it had a kind of eerie quality to it, but Lefty would be sitting through the recital as an act of goodwill.

She shrugged slightly. "I don't read or watch videos that much, although cute animals are okay. I like exciting stuff, but I don't like getting hurt, so I don't think I'm going to like going back to class too much... I've been kind of homeschooled the last few years too." She gave a soft laugh behind her mask. "My mom says she thinks I'm going through an emo phase where I act like everything is boring. I guess it's hard to tell if you're the one in it." Even when talking about her own mental state, Lefty seemed to maintain some distance.

A dark blue SUV pulled up at the street flanking the plaza with District of Columbia license plates. The door opened up, and a foot began to emerge before it was pulled back inside. In the interior, a woman with brown hair had Mason clutched tightly in a hug as the young hero warily looked around.

“C’mon, Mom, you’re embarrassing me. This is my first day, I don’t want the others to think I’m some kinda...” his sentence was cut off as the woman, Dr. Betsy Justice, grinned at him.

“Well, you’re just going to have to be embarrassed, you just got home from the academy and you’re already off to school here in Megalopolis. I barely got two weeks to spend time with you.”

Mason sighed, and smiled slightly as he hugged her back, “Thanks, Mom. Thanks for driving me down here. I had fun on our road trip, I’m glad you suggested this instead of me flying. I’m gonna...miss you. I love you.”

“I love you too, my little boy,” Betsy spoke as she released him and leaned back, “You be careful now, listen to your instructors and stay out of trouble.” She knew all too well he wouldn’t be getting into any real trouble, Mason had always been mature beyond his years. “If you need anything at all call your father and I. We’ll be on the next flight.”

“Right, I gotcha,” he spoke, “tell Sue I love her when you get home. She can call me anytime.” His little sister had wanted to come on the trip but his mother had said no, as she was just set to enter high school herself.

“I will, you take care now,” Betsy spoke. Mason just nodded, gave her a heartfull smile and stepped out of the SUV, walking to the back. It was already open and the young man grabbed his stuff, a large dark green duffel bag and a messenger bag that he slung over his shoulder and neck before taking hold of the final piece of his belongings. It was a circular shield, a silver metallic color, emblazoned with an eagle on the front- the Aegis Shield. Moving it to his back, it locked in with a magnetic clamp. Picking up the larger bag and closing the hatch, he walked back around and waved, “Love you, Mom.” In response she blew an exaggerated kiss to him, then waved as he closed the door.

Turning, he took a deep breath and looked up at the magnificent structures around him. He was wearing jeans, a plain blue t-shirt, and a leather bomber jacket. Bright, blue eyes regarded Freedom Plaza with hope mixed with a hint of wonder. Brownish-blond hair waved slightly in the breeze and a slight , boyish smile crossed his face. It was finally here. Time to learn to be a hero, to carry on the proud legacy of his ancestor, James Justice- the American Aegis. Time to make his parents proud, it was his time. One step in front of the other he made his way towards his destiny.

While *wooshing* around and laughing and generally making Hindsight miserable, she sees the SUV pulling up. This gets her attention and she did a sharp turntable move to come in close as the SUV left. It took a bit but her Awareness let her see the hunka-a-hunka red hot man meat. She dropped into what would be his sightline, then let her disk go away meaning she fell several hundred feet before bringing it back to slow her fall. She stepped off of it, putting her hand out, "Hehy thereh, Ih'm Edith Gallo, mos' peopleh cahll me Comet Girl, but muh Fri'n's cahll me Edi. Eyou cahn cawl me whuteveh you like, Sugah."

Did Edi have a boyfriend? Yes. Does she care right now? Not in the slightest. This guy was nearly perfect and just plain yummy!

Mason’s keen eyesight caught a flicker of movement and his head snapped up as he saw a woman falling from the sky. Dropping his bag he moved to go into a crouching position ready to leap to try to catch her before impact. Then a bright disk sprang up underneath her feet and she lowered slowly to the ground before stepping off. Blinking, he shook his head slightly- he was going to have to get used to that sort of thing. Standing straight and tall, he smiled slightly at the introduction after the attention gathering entrance. He took the offered hand to shake it, replying, “Mason, Mason Justice. Pleased to meet you, Edi.”

Brow furrowing for a moment he tilted his head slightly, “Say, you’re that girl aren’t you? The one on social media? Edi Gallo... yeah. I recognize you, my little sister is a huge fan.” Sue would be so mad to know he was not five minutes at school and had just met one of her idols, he thought to himself, letting a small chuckle escape.

Andrew continues to fly after Comet Girl.
Off with her head, off with her head.
Is she the white queen, black or red?
If only we could work out how we got here.
Then we would know if she is a queen we must fear.
Tap the table and draw a new card.
Knight to K2, a king to guard.
In all this madness oh to be sane.
How can little miss cute ass, be such a big pain.

He watches her little tricks with a smile on his face.  Studying them as he goes.
Even with all her tricks he is never far behind her.
All of this he does with little signs of him getting tired.

You can run but you'll only die tired.
You can fly away, but a trip to Never land is required.

All the while Andrew is giggling to himself.

Edi grinned as she thought, Oh his eyes are so blue, his hands so warm, and those muscles... She was watching his lips move, his perfect white teeth. "Huh? Aw, yeah, Ih'm famous." She shrugged still holding his hand, still watching those perfect lips. She wondered what it might be like to kiss those lips. "Ya sistah? Wehll, Aht least Ih gotcha family in muh fahn cluhb."

She heard Andrew giggling. She flicked her hand at him behind her, "Thahts Ahndruw, he's kinda a puhtz. Ih beehn mahkin' him chase me 'round so's Ih dihdn' hahve ta lihsten ta his balogney." She is still holding his hand. "So's uh...ya gawt ah gihrfri'n'?" She grinned, "Ah gawt ah bohyfri'n' but he's wahy awt thehre ahn Ih thank Ih'm gohnnah breahk uhp wihth 'im." She is still  holding his hand. "Ih'm gunna neehd ah nehw one."

"I think it is similar to difference between an architect and civil engineer. An architect designs something beautiful and an engineer makes it stand. I believe I can realise some original designs, but my designs are rarely ingenious. They are products of several iterations. A boring process, yet produces reliable results."  Alex watched Comet Girl falling, no not falling, landing towards the main gates.

"I used to think electronic music was trash because computer was doing all the job. I was an idiot. I maybe still am, but at least I am an idiot who enjoys electronic music." Andrew was still managing to follow her, somehow.

"Avoiding getting hurt is a very healthy attitude. That shouldn't be a mere phase for anybody as far as I consider. And going to classes are indeed very boring, of course you are not going to like it. So far you sound very sane to me. No emo vibes at all. There is a commotion around the main gates, do you want to check it out?"

A second blink as the words tumbled out of Edi, then he looked past her at Andrew his other hand raising in greeting, “Andrew, nice to meet you, I’m Mason.” It was hard to concentrate on the other young man considering the intense look the girl was giving him. Then she brought up the subject of girlfriends and boyfriends and he found his face growing warm. “I, uhh, no, no girlfriend.” He wasn’t quite sure how to respond further so he simply looked down at his hand and then cut his eyes up with a slight smile, “Uhh, Edi?”, a pause, “Can I have my hand back?”

Andrew slowed to a reasonable speed so he can land a leisurely run.
With a few strides he comes to a stop in front of Aegis.
He extends a hand to Aegis.
Hello Mason.  It is good you finally got here.  As Little Miss Cute Ass said.  I am Andrew, Andrew Turner.  We will talk more later but I will leave you in Little Miss Cute Ass hands.  So you can get to know each other better.

Andrew then turns and half walks, half flys quickly back towards Legion and Lefty.

Just before he out of ear shot Andrew turns back to Aegis.
Good luck.  He winks at Mason with a big smile on his face.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:43, Tue 09 Mar 2021.

"I see," was all Lefty said about Alex's creativity or lack thereof. Inwardly she thought he was being pretty modest, but why argue the point. She gave another soft chuckle on the topic of music. "I'm not saying electronic music necessarily has any artistic merit, I just like it."

She gave a slow, thoughtful nod at the discussion of her maybe being in a phase, but instead of addressing it she answered his question with "Sure." She glanced at Heritage to make sure they weren't just ditching the tour en masse, but it seemed like they were in a free period at present. So she headed toward the gate along with Alex. She caught enough of the tail end of the conversation to figure she shouldn't interrupt, so she just raised a hand in greeting from the periphery as they approached, and gave the new arrival a curious once-over from behind her goggles.

‘Little Miss Cute Ass?’, Mason thought to himself, raising an eyebrow slightly. Either the two knew each other well, there was a story there, or Andrew had an exceedingly crude way of expression. He was sure that with time, and misfortune, he’d learn. The arrival of the two other students brought a casual wave with his left hand, and he nodded to them. The shorter one appeared to be a girl or a very slight boy, though he wasn’t completely sure seeing as she was cloaked in a hoodie and goggles with a mask covering the remainder of her face.

Yes Wikipedia exists.  Also, as long as it doesn't cause confusion, freestyling the turns is alright as well.

Edi grinned, "Oh ya meahn thihs han'? Ya have two don' ya?" She let his hand go but only with great reluctance. Then she quirked her eyebrow as Andrew made his exit. "Seeh whut Ih meahn, Prihck."

She smiled completely at Mason, "Ya wanna fly? Ih cahn shohw ya tha worhld." She sang the last bit, not perfectly but she had obviously sang it before.

Andrew falls in beside Legion and Lefty.
I am.  Sorry about earlier.  He shakes his head.
I have my reason.  He then falls silent.

He responded casual wave and nod from the new arrival with his own. Guy looked like a renaissance sculpture. Well, no need to get insecure about his own body, he was in a super school, he could probably get a decent body under instructor's guidance. After all, even least physically oriented heroes had a top tier body for some reason. Seriously, why was that a thing? Definitely a good question to be asked to his new teachers.

Then for some reason escaped him, Andrew landed near him and Lefty and apologise. "I don't know if you did anything to be sorry towards me, but sure, I forgive you in my infinite wisdom and benevolence. And I bless you with my heavenly lemon drops" Then he pulled out the small package of lemon drops from his pocket once more and offered Andrew a lemon drop as if this was a religious ritual and he was offering him something sacred. Then he addressed the new guy.

"Welcome. I am Alex. Would you care for some candy?" He extended the package towards the new guy.

Andrew smiles with warmth at Legion.  He nods his head and speaks in a way that compliments the way he is offered the lemon drop.  As if his action was also part of the religious ritual.
I except the kindness of your blessing with your heavenly lemon drop.  Thank you.
Andrew takes the lemon drop and pops it into his mouth.
Then moves aside to allow Legion to talk to Aegis.

Mason glanced past Edi at the retreating Andrew, and half-smiled, half-frowned slightly with a ‘I dunno, but that was odd’ raising of his eyebrows and was about to reply to her offer before Alex approached with a welcome gift. Nodding, Mason reached into the bag, flicking the lemon drop up in the air a few feet, then caught it in his mouth. “Thanks Alex, Mason. Nice to meetcha, man.” Looking over at Lefty he gave her a nod of greeting and a smile. Looking back to Edi he replied, “That’d be great, sounds fun. Just need to figure out where I’m going, get my kit stowed away though.”

He paused as he surveyed the plaza, “So, I think I lucked out and got in Heritage’s class group, if I read the email packet right. What about you guys? Who’s your primary instructor?”

Edi shrugged and made a smaller disk to lift and move her along with the others.

"Likewise. Did they send an e-mail?" He knew should've checked.

"Heritage was official greeter of us today and we were in a middle of tour until these two - pointed Andrew and Edi - decided to dogfight when they saw the stadium. Then third female member of the our group disappeared to who knows where and started to play with her violin. She couldn't be that far though, since we could actually hear her. But I digress. I think Heritage decided to give us a break at that point, so me and Lefty chatted a little bit while these two birds were conquering the skies, then you arrived."

"Hence, we are clueless. I can take you to the dorms, but we don't know which room belongs to who yet so you need to carry yo..." Alex abruptly stopped talking. "I think I forgot my backpack at the park. I hope I forgot it at the park else I have no idea where it is."

May I suggest we go find Legions back pack.  Then find Heritage so he knows that Mason has arrived.  If that alright with everybody.


Andrew is now walking along beside everybody else as if his flying display had never happened.

Right. A mission then. Something he was comfortable with, given his past two years at the junior military academy. Nodding to Hindsight he spoke to Edi, “So, how about that ride? We can can scout from the air, while the others cover the ground. We recover the package, Alex’s backpack, then we head to find our commander. I imagine he’s wondering where the newest class is about now.”

He looked between the others before finally settling on the quiet one, “Sound like a plan...Lefty?” Her name was spoken as a question to make sure he had it right.

Andrew had a reason for addressing Edith like that? He sure was a weird, rude guy. "Doesn't seem like a good way to talk about a person you just met," she observed, though she didn't sound like she had a deep personal investment in the subject. Her voice confirmed she was female, at any rate. The conversation flowed around her for a little while before she chimed in again. "I didn't get an email either, I think we're going to have a variety of instructors but Heritage is leading our tour. He's back at the auditorium."

She nodded to Mason and then Alex, confirming both her name and the plan. "That's me, nice to meet you. All right, let's go."

Andrew looks across at Lefty.  He is thoughtful for a moment.
He opens his month to say something then stops himself.
This was not going well.  But he knew it could have gone a lot worse.
For now he keep quite.  He done and said way to much already.

Edi set down in front of Mason. "If you are ready?" She grinned as she turned and stood in front of him with her back to him. She created her disk, beneath both of them, larger than before to support both their weight. "You might want to hold on." She hovered up slower than normal, giving him time to decide whether he wanted to wrap himself around her or not. She then shot out at her normal speed, and if he isn't holding on he will be in for a bumpy ride.

Let find Heritage.
Andrew suggest trying to say as little as possible now.  He seems happy to walk back with Legion and Lefty instead of flying.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:54, Tue 16 Mar 2021.

Mason stepped up onto the disk, looking left and right over the edge then stomping a foot just to insure his own peace of mind that it was stable for anyone other than Comet Girl. He moved closer, gently placing his hands around the curve of Edi’s waist just to steady himself and serve as an anchor should any high speed maneuvers be attempted. As the disk continued to ascend into the sky, a smile spread across his face as he began to enjoy the view of the city from the climbing altitude.

“This is...amazing. My powers aren’t quite so exciting,” he spoke with a hint of self-deprecating humor.

Alex had a embarrassed expression on his face. "I appreciate the help but we already ditched a teacher, no need to get in trouble for my sake. Now I remember, I had put my phone in the bag before who knows where did that bag go, so if anyone can call me, that would be enough help."

"Not really 'ditching' if he cuts us loose and then watches us go," Lefty said mildly. "Don't know if Lost and Found is his thing either though." She pulled out her phone and looked over at Alex. "What's your number?"

"You can never know with the adults, we might get a detention regardless" Alex said cheerfully before telling his phone number. "I would appreciate if you all can send me a message containing your name or alias later. It would be nice to have your contact info." Alex once again casted his spell and auroras start to shine around him as he ascended. "Ready when you are, Lefty"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:36, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

"Thihs he'eh ain't nuttin, waiht 'till Ih geht goin'." She took his hands and pulled them until they were all the way around her. "Dohn't be shy none naw. Ye gotta hol' ohn tight lihke cuz Ih ain't mahde outa glahss." With that she took off leaving a streak behind and zipping toward the park like a rocket.

"That's a very good point," Lefty said with a slight frown. She might have taken Alex's words a little more seriously than they were intended. It quickly passed back into her usual neutrality as she drew and dialed on her phone and continued "Anyways, the call will be me." She hit send a moment later.

"Thank you Lefty" said Alex and focused on his hearing. It was a perk from his long training in mystic arts. When every move of your body and every inflection of your words were needed to be precise you needed to hone your senses to some degree to understand what you were doing..

"Ah, there you are." he murmured to himself as faint sound of intro of Baba O'Riley reached his ears. He flied towards to voice in leisure pace. It was coming from on top of a tree near the bank he had waited other students to appear. "Appearance of other students must've scared it" Alex thought as he flied top of the tree. His bag jumped on him like he was its saviour.

"There there, It is ok now" Alex patted his very scared backpack as he chanted some words to it. Animation spell broke and lifeless bag stood still in his hands as he landed to ground and checked his wristwatch. Using the phone he pulled out of the bag he sent a message to Lefty.

"Found the bag. Thanks again for the help. Where are you guys now?"

Later he pulled a pen and thick notebook out of it and wrote on a page titled "Experiment 27".

"Failure. All subjects with Aether infused animation with rudimentary intelligence develops personality quirks in 1.08 days on average. Not acceptable for long term usage."

Alex put the pen and notebook in his backpack and pulled the bag over left shoulder. It was time to find rest of the class.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Fri 26 Mar 2021.

Andrew stays with Lefty.  Walk quietly beside her.  Giving her plenty of space.
He seems happy to just look around and take everything in.  He is relaxed and has a contented smile on his face.

The young man was glad Edith had suggested a firmer hold as he felt the acceleration and the wind whipping through his hair as they gained altitude and speed. He marveled at the view, of the academy grounds below and especially the grandeur of the city skyline. And, he admitted to himself, the company was pretty nice too. His keen eyes scanned the ground below but at this velocity it was hard to pick out their fellow classmates, let alone the bag Alex has misplaced. He considered texting Alex to ask if they had found it but he dared not let go at the moment to do so.

Instead, he leaned slightly down and forward so he was beside Comet Girl’s ear and asked in a slightly raised volume to carry over the wind, “So why did you decide to attend the academy? To help your career or are you looking to join the ranks of the heroes full time?”

Edi slowed at the park and made smaller and smaller circles to bleed off inertia Mason had built. Physics might bend for her, but she doubted it would bend for him so easily. when she had reached a more manageable speed she dipped and landed and dismissed her disk. "It looks like we are a bit late and they have already found what was searched."

Lefty was quiet as well, her expression unreadable behind her mask and goggles. She pulled her phone out again when she felt it buzz slightly, and typed a message back to Alex. That's good. Sure. Coming up on you now. Sure enough, it didn't take long for her and Andrew to come into view, and she raised a gloved hand to the boy in the tree in greeting.

Andrew waves to Legion just after Lefty does in a friendly way.
He then places his hands behind his back and carries on looking around.
Taking in everything.  His smile and face relaxed.
He walks beside Lefty as two join Legion (I take it that what is going to happen).

Again the two get the feeling Andrew is about to speak but then thinks better of it.

[I'm letting the scene play out as long as it's going to.  When it seems to die down, I'll take action.]

After watching the group get to know each other better, and play together, Harbinger whistles for them to come back together, ""Good, this is exactly what we want you to do, get to know each other and your surroundings.  You'll be spending a lot of time together here, best to know what you can expect from each other.  Now, I believe the tour is over, maybe it would be best for you all to go unpack your belongings?"  With that, he hands each of you a key card with your name on it and room number.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:25, Fri 16 Apr 2021.

After hearing Harbinger's whistle, Lefty moved over to the hero, presumably along with the others. "Thanks," she said when she was handed her key card. She inspected it briefly, wondering why Cho had gotten hers early. Maybe she wasn't feeling well. Then she looked over at the other students. "So, on to the dorms?" She was heading there next either way, she just figured she'd see if they were going as a group.

Mason shook his head with a smile as they touched down, “We’re not late, they’re early. Plus it was worth it, that was amazing. I can see why so many look up to you...no pun intended.” Mason stepped off the disk, waited for Edi, then made his way over to where the others had assembled. “Sir,” he spoke crisply as he took the keycard, “Thank you sir.”

"Thank you sir" Alex said after he received his key card. He was going to lose the card soon or later, so he thought about how to avoid locked out of his door. A biometric lock would definitely help. Or maybe he can make copies of the card. Flying through the window was also an option. Well that wassomething to think for later.

"On to dorms" He confirmed. It would be nice to have some company, not to mention he already forgot where the dorms were.

Hindsight follows Legion.  Thank you sir.  He answers Harbinger taking his key.  He then looks around at each of the others before adding.  It a a good start sir..

He then turns and catches up with Legion.  To the dorms then.  And, if you two lads don't mind can you swing by my room sometime in next few days.  There is something I like to run by you two as I like to get your input on an idea.

After everyone finds their dorm rooms, and have had a bit to settle in and relax, it comes time for Lefty's violin recital.  Seated font row are some normal teens that you don't know, and one armored one that you don't know.

Lefty had actually spent very little time moving in or relaxing. She always planned for a quick exit, which meant that since she hadn't brought much in the first place that wasn't essential, it just stayed in her suitcase and other luggage. She'd opted to spend some more time exploring the campus on her own instead.

When the time for the violin recital arrived, she headed for the auditorium. She took note of the unfamiliar kids in the front row, figuring they were the other class of supers, then looked around for the rest of her own class. Not seeing any, she figured she must be the first, so she headed to take a seat in the second row. It seemed kind of silly to crowd the other group when the two classes were filling an entire auditorium, but she didn't want to seem like she was distancing herself from the stage in that situation, either. "'lo," she said casually to the other group as she passed behind them.

Blackwell was present. It wasn't entirely obvious when she became present - she didn't walk in the door, but at some point, by some means, she arrived. And now she's here, violin freshly tuned, ready. She shoots a smile at Lefty, flexes her fingers, waits for the rest of the students to arrive.

Mason swung the door open, shield still on his back, took a quick glance around then proceeded to walk down the auditorium row stopping near the students he hadn’t yet met. Smiling, broadly and honestly, he extended his hand, “Hey there, I’m Mason, or Aegis if you prefer. I’m in the class group with Lefty, Legion, Hindsight, and the others. Nice to meet you all.”

Hindsight goes and collects his two suitcases and settles in.  Putting his clothes up and few special items that reminded him of people he had known.
Once he got his room the way he wanted it, he headed back to the auditorium.
He looked around to see where both Blackwell and Lefty are.  Gave them both a wave and thumbs up.  He then moves with a few quick steps.   He moves across the auditorium and sits halfway up and to one side on his own.
Closing his eyes and waiting for the music to begin.

You are all treated to an excellent concert, Blackwell puts her soul into it, and it's apparent.

Apex, your introductions reveal the other students as Headlong, Rockstar, Muse, Aeon Girl, and Meurto.  Of note is, Aeon Girl seems to be pitch black with white hair, and Meurto is an armored individual.

Lefty returned the greetings that came her way from Cho and Andrew with amiable waves, then settled in to watch the recital. She wound up enjoying it more than she expected. Cho was obviously more talented than some high-school-talent-show level player. When it wrapped up, she applauded along with the others in attendance - at least presumably they applauded as well - then stood up and looked around to see what was next on the agenda.

Alex considered seating with rest of his class when he arrived the concert place, they gave him a pleasant impression before, but he needed some solitude to feel rested. As the recital finished, Alex gave a polite applause before leaving his seat to return his dorm room.  Recital sounded nice to his ears but he couldn't make comment beyond that. He also preferred to listen more orchestral pieces rather than a single instrument. A voice in his head told him that maybe he should've stayed to see if there were any announcements, but this was the first day, he wasn't going to get into trouble for missing something. Or so he hoped.

Mason chatted with the other class for a few minutes, suggesting that the two sections get together sometime and go out to dinner in the city. After all they were all in the same boat, and would likely be fighting beside each other in the future to save the city, country, or even the world. Saying his goodbye as the performance started, he took a seat and after politely clapped.

After that, he checked his phone to see what was on the schedule next before heading over to where Lefty sat, “Not up on my classical music, but that was a good performance.” He noticed Legion slipping out by himself and Hindsight sitting by himself and gave him a friendly nod.

Kelsie hadn't expected to sit by herself, but it suited her fine. Classical music was a contemplative sort of experience, maybe the others were feeling it as well.

She watched Mason approach from behind her opaque goggles, and when he was closer and speaking to her she nodded agreeably. "Same here, on both counts. Mason, right? I'm still going by Lefty for now. What kind of music do you usually listen to?" Kelsie wasn't sure what was next on the agenda, but there didn't seem to be much reason to spend it in awkward silence.

Mason sat down in the row in front of the one Lefty was in turning in his seat to allow for the shield and regarded the other hero, his right arm over the back. “Umm, hmm. To tell you the truth I don’t listen to much modern stuff. I do like old stuff, rock from the 60s, 70s. Pop stuff from the 80s, alternative rock from the 90s. ELO, The Cure, Iron Maiden, Chili Peppers, Blue Oyster Cult- I guess that’s kinda weird though in a way, kinda eclectic.” He smiled slightly then asked her, “How about you? Your tastes more mainstream or?”

"ELO did some good stuff, if I'm thinking of the right group. They did 'Twilight' right?" Kenzie considered Mason's question, her expression hard to read behind her goggles and mask. Her body language suggested openness to conversation at least. "I don't like much modern pop stuff either, but I like music I can move to. Electronic mostly, like rave and trance, but there are a few rock bands I like. AC/DC did some fast-paced songs that flow well for me, do you like them at all?"

“Yes, indeed, Twilight is one of theirs,” he responded with a nod. He tilted his head as Lefty thought over her response.

With a smile he gave an honest attempt at singing though he wasn’t the greatest, “ ‘yes I’m back in black...’ Letting out a slightly awkward laugh, he shook his head with a smile, “Enough of that then.” Thinking for a moment he continued, “To be honest I haven’t had much opportunity to listen to trance or electronic music- or go dancing. The past few years have been kinda packed. I was busy with school and sports, then when my powers emerged, I went off to a military academy. Now here...life seems to be on a pretty set path.” He shrugged slightly and then added, “Maybe if we have a night off sometime, we can get the class group together- go out to a rave or something. Could be fun, and we could get to know each other outside codenames and training exercises.”

Lefty's mask wasn't so all-encompassing as to hide a smile at the corners of her mouth when Mason briefly sung. "Not bad." She nodded. "Yeah, I've been busy too. Kinda homeschooled. But, I did have some time for hobbies. I'd like doing an outing like that sometime. Alex suggested we could go out for dessert sometime, too. I guess I've never really done team-building things like that before, but dancing and eating cheesecake sound good, so." She shrugged slightly. "Seems like the faculty here encourages that kind of thing - isn't that pretty much what we just finished doing? I wonder what's next on the schedule."

The rest of the night goes well.  You all settle into your rooms as best you can, getting to know your roommates.

The next morning, you're awakened at 6am, and escorted by Heritage into the gymnasium.  There Tachyon is waiting for you.

"Hello class.  At 2pm today, you collectively will take Bunker's combat training.  It will be against Bunker himself.  He will at that time inform you of the exact nature of the assignment.  Until then, do try to relax and enjoy your day, because of the nature of the introduction to the school, you will be excused from your other classes.  Do take that time to mentally, and physically, prepare yourselves for the training.  Be assured, this is standard operating procedure, as there is no telling when we may deem you ready for a given assignment in the field."

As the night wound up, Lefty bid farewell to Mason, as well as Cho and Andrew if she had the opportunity to do so. She was a night owl by nature, and stayed up late catching up with her family and doing some web-surfing to study what she could about this school and the heroes working there. Forewarned was forearmed.

As a result, she was tired and kind of grouchy at being woken up so early the next morning. She was also slightly alarmed at being met by Tachyon once they were brought in by Heritage. She didn't think she and the woman had ever met firsthand, but she thought Tachyon and her father might have a small amount of history. Hopefully that wouldn't be held against her. At least she was sure that Bunker didn't, being trained in combat by a family nemesis was a scary thought.

Once she heard the rundown of the day, she decided that most of her preparation would be accomplished by going back to bed. She supposed she should do some actual warming up too, though, so she raised her hand. "We can flex our powers ahead of time, right? Is there anywhere we can warm up in private, or do we have to use the public spaces for that?"

Answering Lefty, Tachyon said, "You may use the gymnasium for powers practice, you'll find we have equipment to handle most any power here."

This... This was pure evil. He wasn't foreign to getting up early. He would get up early regardless of his sleeping time. But best part of getting up early was enjoying some solitude. Places would look very different when nobody was around. What is the point of getting up early if he wasn't going to enjoy some silence.

"AAAAAAAAAAA! It is... It is too early to do anything. How long shall I be denied from peace I so terribly seek?" whined Alex. He was getting a little bit melodramatic, but he might as well have some fun after getting forced to do something this early.

"I am going to conjure some automatons to have a nice relaxing massage. That counts as a power practice right? Does anybody else want it also?"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:31, Sun 23 May 2021.

Hindsight slowly opens his eyes at the end of the music.  Clapping his hands and smiling.  He slowly gets up and joins the other superheros.  Talking quietly often doing more listening than speaking.

He heads back to his room at a good time and gets a good night's rest.
At 6 am who ever comes to wake him, finds Hindsight found him up and getting ready.  He did not seem totally surprised at the morning call.  Answering "I had a feeling that may be the case but I can ever be totally sure."

After being told of his assignment Hindsight sets of to walk the halls of the school.  Going around the place.  Stopping at a number of points and looking at different things.  Clearly making mental notes on what he can see.  If he meets another pupil he stops and talks for few minutes before moving on.
This for some reason is his way of preparing himself for the training to come.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Sun 23 May 2021.

Lefty gave a nod of acknowledgement to Tachyon, then a more amused one to Alex as well. She shared the sentiment about how early it was, even if it wasn't quite how she would have expressed it. Andrew walking off rather than answering Alex's question seemed kind of odd, but then he seemed to have his own way about him. (And judging from his interactions with Edi, that way could be downright rude.) For her part, even if she'd planned on going back to bed, she was intrigued at the possibility of a massage. She didn't recall ever having one before.

"It's not one of those things where it's a projection of your own hands, is it?" she asked Alex. The question was matter-of-fact, as she didn't think Alex was trying to trick them into anything. "If it's not, I'll give it a try. Thanks."

"No no. Does rubbing your own shoulder give you same feeling of somebody else rubbing it? That would totally defeat the purpose." It looked like Alex missed the implications of projecting his hands. "Two massage-omaton coming right up."

Alex starts to murmur the incantations as beams of light shoot through his finger tips and looked like hit to invisible objects. A moment later two massage table with various mechanical arms materialised. Each of the mechanical arms had a wand massager attached on their tip.

"Tadaaaaaa. Behold my arcane powers" Alex made an exaggerated gesture pointing the massage tables then lied on one of them prone. "Start already!" he said to apparently nobody, but wand massagers were activated after his complaint and the mechanical arms started to do their work.

"You can climb to it whenever you want. Shout it to start and stop. For some reason I can't make it to respond to more respectful commands."

Mason arrived a few minutes later, dressed in sweatshorts and a plain white t-shirt- it was partially damp from sweat as he had been on a long morning run as was his habit. He had stopped by his room to pick up his shield and was ready for whatever the faculty had in store. He looked at the two tables dubiously as he walked up to the rest of the class-group then asked the room, “Soooo, uhh, looks like I missed something...interesting.”

"Guess not," Lefty replied to Alex's question, despite recognizing it was at least somewhat rhetorical. She figured it couldn't hurt to agree, even if a more accurate answer on her part might be I wouldn't know. Then she followed up with a sincere "Impressive," when he manifested the tables. She stepped up closer to the free one to look it over. It was indeed impressive, although the resulting multi-wand massage involved looked like... a lot. It seemed like it could get overwhelming easily. "Is there a way to turn the strength of these down?"

She looked up to say "Hi Mason," when the last of their little group arrived. She looked between him and the table, then said "Would you like to try this one?"

"Shouting works if you want to speed up, aaah this is so nice, what was I saying speed up or down, or if you want to it to focus on a specific spot." said Alex and then shouted once again to demonstrate.

"Hey hey hey, take it easy, and focus on my shoulders and calves. NOW!" Effects of his commands were immediate. Half of the arms stopped and rest four started to work on desired spots.

"Good morning Mason. Do you want a tableeeaaaeee too?"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:43, Wed 26 May 2021.