Teocawki Thread One: Hope Academy

[Arcran]

For a brief moment Serhe panics when the woman talks about losing the ability to see part of the city, before a very obvious thought crosses his mind. Even if I did accidentally shut it down, at no point in the entire trial was I trying to be subtle, Serhe thinks to himself, feeling like an idiot for the thought even crossing his mind.

Still, the question from Mach snaps Serhe out of his thought process. He stumbles for a moment, trying to find the words, before answering. No, it started dissolving almost right after I touched it. Vanished a few seconds later, Serhe says regretfully. I got a pretty good look at it though. It looked like it was made out of pure Void, and showed up right after we got healed by something, as well as Gauntlet and Greaves Serhe adds, hoping that some of these details would mean something to Mach.

[Zelphas]

"Indeed," Doctor Proxy replies to Roy. "The runes which broadcast my consciousness are generally infallible within their limits." There is no arrogance in her tone; she is simply stating a fact.

Connor's comment on "enslaving" elementals garners no reaction from Doctor Proxy, though Mach gives the young terrakinetic a sharp look. He refrains from replying to it for the moment, however, his sharp gaze boring into Serhe as he recounts the feather's disappearance. He exchanges a look with Doctor Proxy, the woman finally showing her first expression of the interview: a spark of interest. "Proof of the Crow, here in the Inner Ring?" she questions.

"It's no enough fer the Council, ye know that; no permanent evidence," Mach replies, his tone uneasy. "'Sides, doesn't fit the rumors; since when have they cared about anythin' non-human?"

"Perhaps their methods have changed... or perhaps they have an accomplice."

"Now that's a frightenin' thought." Mach muses to himself for a moment, before shaking himself and looking at Erica. "Ah, 'tis nothin', lass," he says, smiling. "An old memory, 'tis all."

Spoiler: Erica's Insight (Or Insight DC 5 (Mach's a bad liar))

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He's lying. The feather spooks him badly, but he's ashamed of the fact that he's so concerned about it, so he's keeping it to himself.

Spoiler: Expertise Heroes/Villains DC 25 (nested)

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The black Void feather and the name 'the Crow'... you recognize that. The Crow is a bogeyman of the outer ring, a creature of Void in humanoid form which appears to people with strong powers and sometimes heals there wounds, leaving a black feather of Void as a calling card. If you see the Crow three times, the legend goes, it has marked you for death; in a few days, you will disappear without a trace.

Spoiler: DC 30

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Reading between the lines of the myth, it seems that if the Crow exists, they are likely an exceptionally powerful Water and Void Elementalist, who both heals and hunts powerful or uniquely powered individuals in the Outer Ring. None of the Crow's victims have been recovered, which casts some doubt on whether the Crow actually exists, or whether they are a myth co-opted by more mundane villains to hide some of their crimes or adopted by a hysterical public to explain away disappearances.

Spoiler: DC 35

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The largest amount of Crow sightings occur on Mensae, an Outer Ring Island with a strong Tri-Deism congregation. There is some suspicion that the Crow is actually a member of the extremist Tri-Deism group the Greater Power Association (which is based in Mensae), but there is little proof of that.

"As fer what comes next, Mister Stonesmith," he continues more broadly, looking over the group. "All of ye leave here with a story t'tell t'make all the other examinees jealous, and ye find out what yer points be. If ye've gotten enough, we'll be seein' ye in one week's time at th'first day of class." He attempts to sound serious, but spoils the effect by winking at all of you.

"Meantimes," he says, growing more serious, "We'll be steppin' up our security and keepin' an eye out fer more incidents, and I expect ye'll be doin' the same. Ye find somethin' that seems off to ye, ye come to one of the professors at Hope, and we'll come wit' ye to track it down."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Earlier

Erica gave Connor a kinda blank look. She did know that Elementalists viewed their powers as having a certain sentience to them, of course. That was common knowledge. But she had always figured that was for the actual elementals themselves - like, quasi-humanoid embodiments of the elements or whatever. Or possibly for the power in general. The notion that the tangible stuff of the elements would be ascribed sentience and personality had never really occurred to her, since it was like...mages could manipulate elements just fine without any backtalk, despite the "hatred" the elements were supposed to feel towards them. So presumably any sentience involved had to be in the connection, not the subject.

Now, these weren't things she was actively thinking about at the time. Just general theories she had, influencing her views without conscious consideration. Which all was to explain, then, why her response to Connor's question was a vaguely-confused, "Talk to them...? No. I mean, they're just rocks."

Now

You couldn't just dangle ominous foreshadowing in front of Erica and expect her to ignore it. "Who's 'they', now?"

~And who's this Crow fellow?~ she sent to her brother, who often seemed to be an endless font of knowledge regarding more-or-less anyone who had ever used a superpower in a fight before. Or so it seemed to her, anyway.

[herodofcows]

Earlier

Connor stares at Erica, slightly confused. So, NOT an Elemental-type thing. Good to know, but . . . just rocks?

"Er . . . Aye, sure, they're rocks," he rejoins slowly, "But, like . . . D'ye not get anything from them? No, ye know, presence? Purpose? Er, personality?"

A sudden inkling of realization grips him, and he finds himself blanching a little.

"Ye, er, ye're not regular at the Church of the Allmind, are ye?"

For Connor, the squat wood Church Halls had been a place of perfunctory but necessary weekly commune with True Ashpah's clay even before the AUF had started renting it as a meeting hall. Not believing in the Allmind had just . . . never crossed his mind.

Now

"D'ye . . . The Crow? It's real? No, no it's . . . Is it?"

Connor leans over his cane, staring wide-eyed at the feather.

"Did any of ye see anything?" he babbles to his companions, voice shooting up an octive as he stares around, "Anyone nearby when we put down those two buggers? Like . . . like a man made out o' void or something? Serhe? Ye've got those peepers. Did ye see anything like that? Did, er, did anyone get themselves healed up all sudden-like? Oh, shist . . ."

What in the Allmind's name l have I got myself into???

Spoiler: OOC

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Gonna routine that Insight check, and Connor definitely agrees with the sentiment!

[Arcran]

I saw nothing, but if they were concealed, well, my eyes can only do so much, Serhe says, not wanting to admit too many limits on his powers. I just saw that feather in Gauntlet's cocoon. Whatever put it there can at least hide from me, he adds, running a hand awkwardly through his hair. While he was hardly a people person, even he could tell that something was up about the Crow. Mach was a full-fledged hero, so if this was scaring him, well, it didn't bode well.

And I got healed, right before I spotted the feather. Is that something I should be worried about? Serhe asks, before looking down at himself. His eyes flash a rainbow of colors as he tries to shut down any leftover effects that this Crow had left on him.

[Thokk_Smash]

Earlier...

Roy shakes his head. "Can't say that we are," he says, unable to keep from piping up. For his part, he supposes he has more Tri-Deism leanings--he surely believes in the ideal of humanity rising above the hardships in the world. Perhaps not to the point of divinity, but certainly to the point of a life free from Tribs.

"When one is able to feel an object as you can, it is easier to accept that everything, even things other than the elements you bond with, might have a consciousness. I have always been curious what it might be like to commune with an element, Connor! What is earth like?"

The Present...

Roy's eyes narrow in thought, and through their mental bond Erica can practically feel him straining several muscles in his head trying to remember what he'd heard.

~"Outer Ring bogeyman,"~ he thinks back to Erica after a moment. ~"Void in human form that steals away the strong or powerful that catch its eye--if you see that black feather three times, you're marked for disappearance. According to the myths, at least; there's as much evidence proving the Crow exists as that it's just a persona or hoax enacted by multiple low-level villains looking to hide behind a big name. Biggest thing, though: the sightings are most numerous on Mensae, in the Outer Ring. Between that and targeting powerful individuals, who or whatever this Crow is might be part of Greater Power Association Tri-Deist organization there."~

~"All pure speculation, of course,"~ he finishes with a mental grin and the air of someone hankering for some more info. ~"Just like the prof's speculation that they might be working with someone now. Hard to team up with a fabricated bogeyman, huh?"~

When Serhe mentions being healed, and Connor starts reacting strongly, Roy says, "When I saw the feather I scanned the area. Even with the concealed revealed by my visor, I saw nothing. Doesn't mean there wasn't anything or anyone there, of course--they could've been gone even by that point. If we go by the myths, Serhe's still got two more feathers to see before the Crow'll come for him. And that's if they can get this far again, now that they've revealed their presence."

He grins, voice the picture of confidence and intensity, but his grin levels out into something more serious. "Professors, I know I might be telling you something you already know, but there's a non-trivial possibility the Crow is affiliated with the Tri-Deist extremist group Greater Power Association, on Mensae. With it targeting uniquely powerful individuals, it might be that the GPA is looking to spirit away some promising students."

He says that in a fairly level voice, though there is the fairest hint of indignation in his tone for those listening hard enough (or Erica). The extremities of the Tri-Deist religion disgust him; those who would conduct terrible experiments on innocent people in the name of 'humanity' are anything but human. "Greaves swore by the Helper a few times, too--circumstantial, true, but Tri-Deism is less popular in the Inner Ring than the Allmind."

[Zelphas]

When Serhe switches to his Elementalist nullifying power, he feels for a moment as though his earlier bruises are returning... before whatever lingering Elementalist power reasserts itself and wipes the wounds away once more.

"You have researched Villains prior to entering the Academy, Mister Stonesmith? That was intelligent," Doctor Proxy comments. From the calm, taciturn woman,
this seems like it may be high praise. "According to the World Council, the Crow is a persona crafted by various minor villains as a means of obfuscating their various crimes," she states calmly to Erica. She opens her mouth to speak further but Mach cuts her off. "And until we have concrete evidence of anythin' diff'rent, that's what we be believin' as well," he says gruffly.

Doctor Proxy gives him a level look, and then continues. "The connection with Greater Power Association is possible for this persona, due simply to the similarities between apparent victims. It will be factored into our search, as well as the connection to Mensae."

"Right now, though, I think it's time that all of ye be going out with the rest of the examinees," Mach cuts in again, forcing a smile onto his face. "There's no need to be mentionin' the Crow to the others just yet; we'll make sure all of ye know of the dangers soon enough. Me an' the Doctor will be out soon enough; still need to tally the points." He walks over to the wall and opens it once more, standing aside to let everyone out.

Spoiler: Insight DC 16

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Mach knows, absolutely knows, that the World Council's stance on the Crow is incorrect. However, you get the feeling that this is one subject that he will not talk about, either.

As soon as the wall is open, you can hear the booming baritone of Glory blasting out over the crowd of students, who are clustered close to him. He seems to be telling a story of some sort.

[Arcran]

What do you mean I've got two more feathers before he comes for me? What happens then? Serhe asks, a twinge of panic entering his voice, compounded by him just barely noticing Mach's lie. He did have a power that people would love to get, but how the hell could they know? Was the Crow just watching the trial, trying to spot anybody who was doing anything extraordinary? Or was he just being targeted for his family name?

Either way, Serhe was more than a little shaken. He'd come out of the exam thinking he was on top of the world, but somehow figuring out that a boogeyman that even a professional hero seemed to be scared of was after you put a damper on your day.

Can you at least let me know if I'm safe here? Serhe asks, looking to Doctor Proxy rather than Mach. Just so I can have a little peace of mind?

[Thokk_Smash]

On the one hand, Roy can absolutely understand Serhe's panic. An unknown, apparently powerful villain might be interested in you, and has a history of spiriting those it's interested in away? That's enough to make any teenager afraid. That's way too much to take in all at once.

On the other hand, though...they're here in order to become Heroes. Dealing with villains is going to be their job eventually, and even more than that, fighting freaking Tribs. In the long run, this Crow thing's interest is kinda a compliment...y'know, looking past everything known about it.

Roy doesn't let any of his inner thoughts color his voice as he booms out (in a volume a respectable fraction of Glory's, though still just a fraction), "Relax, my friend, relax! It's a far cry from catching some lunatic's interest to actually being their target!" He laughs a bit and claps a friendly hand on Serhe's shoulder. "I saw the feather same as you--that means I might be a target too, eh? You're not alone in this, mate. Plus, what safer place in the world could there be than the freakin' Hope Academy?"

A slight accent had slipped into his voice near the end there, and still threads his tone as he mutters, "I guess Bol, but at that point it's semantics, and yadda yadda yadda..." The muttering continues.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Earlier

"Nah, nothing like that. I mean, I find them easier to enchant than other objects, but I don't have any sense that they're like...I don't know, more "accepting" of my enchantments, or anything. They're just easier."

As far as the Allmind went...honestly, Erica wasn't particularly religious in general. She put her faith in the human race.

Now

Further information did not appear to be forthcoming. Erica supposed she could understand it; technically, they were still just kids. But it was a conversation she fully planned to revisit once they had graduated. The Crow as Roy described him (her? them?) was an ominous figure, and that they might have attracted his attention was a scary thought, especially given the revelation about Dr. Proxy's sight being obscured.

But she recognized her fear, and swallowed it down. Erica Stonesmith would not give an inch to those who wielded fear as a weapon, be they villain or Trib. "And if he does target you, we've got your back," she told Serhe, her voice stalwart.

[herodofcows]

Earlier

Connor shakes his head in slow wonderment, marveling somewhat at the heathen lives of even the nicest-seeming Inner-Ringers (for so he perceives them, anyway . . .). But then Roy asks about earth and he brightens right back up.

"Och, depends on the earth!" he laughs as they pace along, "For instance, I've brought with me a satchel full of micaceous clay from my homeland. Wry stuff it is, yet plenty of horse-sense to it even if it's not so refined as some of those sands ye get. Now, yer granite here . . . Woof! Well, it's dependable stuff and no question. Bit hard o' hearing and certainly no jokester, but I can't be blaming it for that, seeing as it's been enchanted. Now, the silt around these parts, though . . ."

And so he natters on, and on, and yet further on.

Now

Connor bites his tongue at the assertions of the two adults. To claim that the Crow was but a figment of the imagination seemed . . . well, it seemed like tempting fate, truth to tell. Surely they thought they knew best, and he had too much to learn here to challenge them, but . . . hmm.

His new comrades, on the other hand, knew precisely what to say. He's happy to follow THEIR example:

"Aye! Let it come for you, we'll send it packing down into the depths of the Void from whence it came! It comes for ye, it comes for us all, and we're no measly morsels!" he exclaims, likewise clapping Serhe on the shoulder.

Roy's accent draws his attention as the other boy begins muttering.

From a Magellan, then? Bloody hell, if that's not half-fascinating . . . Well, sure it's no wonder then that they're no regulars in the Church! The things they must've seen . . .

"What say we get out and strut ourselves as befits our exploits, aye comrades?" he booms, as much to distract Serhe as for any kind of eagerness to thumb his nose at any of those giving him dark looks.

[Arcran]

Serhe nods silently as the others promise to do their best to protect him, although it doesn't quite silence the nagging voice in the back of his head. Whoever the Crow was, he'd managed to fool Doctor Proxy's magic with little effort. The others made good points, but Serhe would be watching every shadow with far too much interest for the next week.

I'd like that, Serhe says to Connor, trying to sound more confident than he was. Anyways, we may as well figure out how many points those two were worth, right? he adds a moment later with some false bravado.

[Zelphas]

Doctor Proxy regards Serhe seriously. "You will be as safe as we can make you; Hope Academy is protected by greater powers than my own, both old and new."

"'Course, that's assumin' ye get... aah, I'm kiddin' no one." Mach breaks out into his first genuine smile since the mention of the feather. "We'll be out to give ye the points soon enough. Jes' head on over to Glory an' try not to roll yer eyes too much, and we'll be along." With that, he ushers the four of you out of the wall and seals it behind him.

"...there was no one nearby; the airship had been evacuated and my Cell had the creature on the ropes, so now I could truly let--ah, there are the rest of our examinees!" Clory's voice booms across the square, causing all fifty-odd heads of the other examinees to turn. "I'm certain that our other two examiners will be along shortly as well, then, and we will hear all of your points! Now, where was I..."

As you rejoin the group, the four of your are subjected to various curious stares, although no one seems willing to interrupt Glory's story. Erica sees Nancy look away from the group with a sniff and a toss of her head; by contrast, Bernhard seems to be glaring at Roy with an odd mixture of disgust and open suspicion on his face. Doireann, at Bernhard's side, raises one eyebrow in obvious question towards Serhe, while Connor notices that the hulking boy he spoke to in the airship is currently being held back by a tiny girl with giant fox ears and several tails, who gives him a cheeky smile.

Soon enough, Glory winds down his tale of the battle between his old Cell in the Outer Ring and an odd, draconic, octopus-like Trib that attacked a civilian airship several years ago. ...had quite the Death Throes, this beast; some sort of mental spike. It seemed designed to drive one mad, but the Cell didn't waver, and it fell beneath the mists with the airship still in good enough condition to fly us right back to--ladies and gentleman, it seems that your results are in!" he segues into introducing Mach and Doctor Proxy without breaking stride, gesturing over the heads of the crowd once more.

Doctor Proxy and Mach stand atop the building they had so recently ushered the four of you inside, looking over the crowd of examinees with neutral expressions. "Let me all say first; ye all did well even t'be invited here; though I'm sure yer all tired of hearin' us say that by now," Mach begins in a clear, carrying voice. "Th'other Academies have their entrance exams one week from this date, and participation in this exam gives any of ye an automatic right to enter into any other exam of yer choosin'. If yer not chosen here, this need not be th'end of yer Heroic career." He steps back slightly, making room for Doctor Proxy.

"For the sake of brevity, I will only read out the names and scores of those who qualified to enter into Hope Academy," Doctor Proxy states mechanically. "All other teams may request their scores to be sent to them after the exam. The scores are a sum of the drones that you destroyed as well as the remaining civilian dolls... along with one other factor. Each civilian doll that your team of two were personally responsible for rescuing will be worth double points to your team."

A ripple of murmuring follows Doctor Proxy's words, quickly silenced by her impassive but somehow still vaguely menacing gaze. "Each team will in turn be teamed by the team closest in score to them to form your Cell for the first year. When your names are called, proceed before this structure to meet your Cell, and when the Cell is gathered, proceed to the south side of the square.

"With no further ado: In tenth place, with a score of two hundred and eighty-six points... Nancy Kaeroack and Farhan Macdonald." There is some scattered applause as the crowd seems unsure of what to do; Nancy quickly hides a disgruntled expression behind a dazzling smile as she steps to the front of the square, Farhan walking unconcernedly beside her. "In ninth place, with two hundred and ninety-nine points, Marius Amato and Lucy Norwood." A tall boy with dark hair and eyes and a thin girl with wispy white hair walk forward to the front of the square, and then the new Cell moves over to the left of the square for the next group.

In eighth place with three hundred and twelve points..." And so it went, with Doctor Proxy calling out names and scores to an increasingly smaller, increasingly more tense crowd. Eight place goes to the hulking boy who Connor argued with on the airship and the fox girl, and seventh to a tall, lanky boy with a rune-covered staff in one hand and a nondescript shorter boy with oddly intense green eyes. Doireann and Bernhard are in fifth place; they are paired with the boy in a thick white robe and a black-haired, scarlet-eyed boy that Connor and Serhe guess must have been the strange statue that they saw before in the examination. At first, it seems like the team in fourth place only has one member--the golden-haired glowing girl--but a moment later there is a collective murmur of surprise as everyone notices the grey-haired girl next to her, her hair only barely glowing any longer and her face looking more like a distant cousin of the golden-haired girl. Third place is Elita and the speedster who tore off her mask, the boy grinning smugly at his placement. Finally, the tension is palpable as Doctor Proxy begins to read out the last two teams.

"In second place, with one thousand, five hundred and sixty points..." shocked exclamations come from both the crowd and the already-chosen Cells--this point total is over a thousand points higher than that of third place. Doctor Proxy continues speaking as though she had not been interrupted. "Connor Berg and Serhe Nihilo." There is total silence as Connor and Serhe walk to the front of the courtyard, everyone's gaze intently upon them.

"And in first place, with one thousand, five hundred and eighty-five points..." every eye snaps back to Doctr Proxy. "Erica Stonesmith and Roy Stonesmith."

"WHAT?!?" Nancy shrieks in furious shock, her face beet red. She opens her mouth to say more, but Doctor Proxy's sharp look seems to make her think better of it, though she is obviously still fuming as she shuts her mouth. Meanwhile, Glory leaps from his place behind the students, landing with an impressive BOOM in between Mach and Doctor Proxy.

"Well done, one and all!" Glory announces, beaming over the group of new students and failed examinees alike. "Those who did not gain enough points to enter into Hope Academy this year: I hope to see all of you at one of the other Academies in the following year! Those of you who are now Hope Academy students: Congratulations upon taking your first steps into becoming Heroes!

"Outside the gates are a number of shuttles. The largest shuttle is for those who did not succeed in the examination, to return you to Hope to prepare for your next attempt at heroism." He looks over the disgruntled, despairing, and downcast faces of the losing examinees, his smile turning kindly. "By facing the Hope Academy entrance exam, you have already challenged yourself far more than any other academy exam can, and not every Hero came from Hope. This need not be the end of your story.

"The other five smaller shuttles will take the five successful Cells to your new living quarters for the time being. These are where you will live for one week, after which you will be able to choose your new living arrangements depending upon your performance in the first week of classes. Acquaint yourselves with your new Cell-mates, but be sure to get plenty of rest; your first class starts bright and early tomorrow morning! Once again, congratulations!" With that, Glory leaps once again, cracking the granite beneath him with the force of his jump; he rockets into the air and out of sight.

As soon as Glory leaves, the crowd begins to make its way towards the gates. Nancy turns to face the four of you, her expression murderous; before she can take a step, a thorny vine snags her wrist and drags her towards the gate. Farhan looks at your group with no expression, and then turns towards the gate himself. Bernhard also needs... help heading towards the gate; he is making muffled sounds through a gag made out of clear water, which steams slightly as more streams begin pushing him away from you. Doireann gives Serhe another appraising look, and then nods as though acknowledging a point, her mouth twisted in a small half-smile.

---

A few hours later, the four of you arrive at your new lodging.

It's an absolute mess.

The walls are marked by slashes and gouged, the floor is aged, cracked wood with dirt filling the seams to the brim, and the mold in the kitchen seems to be going through some sort of civil war with itself, complete with battle flags and fungal marching songs. It seems to be structurally sound, and the ceiling has no leaks, but no one in their right mind would want to stay here for any longer than they have to.

Spoiler: Investigation (or Well-Informed) DC 20

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In fact, a slightly closer look tells you that this place has been deliberately made to be unappealing; no student who has enough control over their powers to pass the test you just took should have caused this much damage, and one year's worth of neglect should not have made things this bad. You remember hearing something about Hope Academy's unique dormitory choosing process as well; Hope Academy fosters an atmosphere of friendly competition between its students, and the dorm selection process is apparently the first step in constructing this atmosphere after the entrance exam.

Spoiler: Serhe

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At some time between boarding the shuttle and leaving it, your bruises return. If you had to guess, you'd say they came back about one hour after the fight with Gauntlet and Greaves.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica followed the group out, giving a little smile to the crowd as they all looked in their direction, as if nothing had happened. She listened to Glory's story somewhat distractedly. It was probably a foregone conclusion, but her heart was still pounding with anxiousness, and somewhere along the line she had unconsciously grasped Roy's arm. Getting into Hope Academy was important. It was a stepping stone to everything else they wanted to accomplish.

The announcement that direct rescues counted as double did ease her nervousness some, though. Tinkering with the dolls should have netted them a nice bonus, then.

The names started getting called, and Erica let out a little sigh of relief when the tenth place was announced. Nancy got in, so, like, good for her, I guess. More importantly, it was just under three-hundred points - she and Roy had had well more than that even before counting the villains or any bonus points for the hacked dolls. The point totals rose, but at a steady rate. ~Wow, I think we'll be in the upper ranks even before counting bonuses,~ she sent to her brother at around when fifth place was announced.

Then Connor and Serhe got called - at over fifteen hundred points! Even though Erica had expected that they'd be getting a sizable boost...she was kinda gobsmacked by the sheer number.

And then their names were called. "WOO!" she cheered quietly, quite drowned out by Nancy's disbelieving shout, throwing a hug around Roy. It was sheerest coincidence that the gesture put her in a position to see the look on Nancy's face over Roy's shoulder. Utter, complete coincidence. Was her glasses-enhancement still on? Silly me, must have forgotten to turn it off.

Exact ranking hadn't really been Erica's main priority - getting into Hope was what mattered most - but being in the top Cell...she hadn't expect how much that would mean to her. After a lifetime of being the weakest, the runt, the one who would never be chosen for a team, who would always be talked down to and looked down on...for perhaps the first time in her life, she felt actually, legitimately proud.

And Mists take it, it felt good!

She walked up to the square with a huge smile lighting her face, raising up her hands to give a double-high-five to Connor and Serhe. "Go team go!" she said, a bit breathless with excitement. This would be fun! They had worked well together against the villains, and that was just having been kinda thrown together by happenstance. Who knew where they'd be with a bit of training!

--

Spoiler

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Routining the Investigation check

Erica had been in high spirits for the entire ride to their new, albeit temporary, quarters.

...Seeing where they'd be living brought her a bit back down to earth.

"Seriously?" she asked flatly as they went through the place. At first, she thought that Nancy had somehow found out which place would be theirs and sabotaged it, but that was infeasible, and this wasn't the sort of damage she could have done. Given what she knew about how Hope ran things, though...

"Well. Then I suppose we shall just have to be the top Cell in the first week of classes too," she said, a bit imperiously.

...Was it just her, or did the mold just make a high-pitched trilling noise that sounded awfully like, "Hahahayou'llneverleave!"

...It was totally just her, right?

"So let's see, as I recall, mold thrives in warm, moist conditions..." she remarked off-hand. She had both a cold and a wind crystal in her sword.

"No!Saveus!Saveusss!"

She could only pray it was just hallucinogenic...

[herodofcows]

Connor's eyes dart to Serhe as they're called to second place . . . and then roars out laughing as he hears the first place winners.

"Stonesmith? Yer last name is STONEsmith?" he booms, spinning over to Roy and Erica, "I'd be second to NO one else, tell ye what!"

He accepts Erica's high five, even as stone forms around his other fist and collides with Roy's gauntlet for a truly cartoonish fist-bump.

He chooses not to actively look at or interact with the boy that had tried to antagonize him on the ship . . . but his eyes keep darting over to drink in the boy's glower.

Someone to watch out for, perhaps . . .

He claps Serhe on the back again with his stone-free fist, feeling slightly sheepish inside as he does so. The other boy had been so committed to first place . . .

"Och, cheer up! I was holding ye back, my apologies. Not to worry though, now ye've got the cream o' the crop at yer side! We'll stun them yet, mate, that we will!"

For his own part, he feels a burgeoning sense of excitement and elation. Places be damned, he had EXCELLED today. Visibly. Unquestionably. With help, certainly, but nobody could look at him and say that he didn't deserve to be here. It was a better start than any he could have asked for: instant notoriety AND two villains downed with his help.

Yes sir, he was feeling good about what came next . . .

- - - - - - -

The dorm room certainly brought him back down to earth as well. Luckily, "down to earth" is pretty much his milieu.

"Welllllll, it's not so bad as all that!" he remarks with slightly more cheer than he feels, looking around.

"Let me just say hello to the neighbors . . ."

<It's a pleasure to meet ye, sandy-silty friends! Name's Connor. Now, I wonder if ye could call some of yer friends and do me a few favors here . . . And I'd furthermore love to introduce ye to some friends of mine I brought from my homeland . . .>

The floor begins to ripple as the dirt and dust gives way to solid granite chunks pulling from the earth. His bag of Asphah clay, slumped against the wall, begins shedding its own micaceous load and swirling around the room itself.

<Perhaps ye might patch up some of those holes in the wall? And let's see . . .>

"Taking requests, lads and lass!" he booms cheerily, dirt and sediment swirling about, "Granite flooring sound good to ye? Perhaps compacted clay blocks? Bet ye I could talk the dirt into getting us some cobblestones for the floor if ye'd prefer . . . And maybe some fired sand ceramics for the wall? Yer wish, my command!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Investigation: (1d20+8)[21]

Also Connor will be using his Create abilities to start refitting the dorm into something stone/brick/ceramic-esque and semi-fancy.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Connor's enthusiasm got through to Erica. She started looking at the place from another angle. Sure, it was an absolute hole. But they had not only Connor's earth elementalism, but her artifice and Roy's object enhancements.

They could work with this.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" she agreed without commenting on the specifics because she didn't feel competent to speak intelligently on the subject. "I can fly by the market while you're on that, pick up some food that hasn't been...colonized. And some cleaning supplies. I'll whip up a few basic animation programs to handle the cleaning, and make us a proper celebratory meal, because we've earned one!" she said cheerily.

Now, knowing her brother, Roy would come up with dozens of ideas for things to improve. Helping him think of stuff was far from necessary. But, there was one particular use of his powers that she wanted to make absolutely certain didn't get lost in the shuffle. "Oh, hey, and Roy? I'm thinking, enhanced comfiness on all the beds. Because I can only assume they'll need it,
considering the rest of this place." It was all about priorities.

Erica gave a little nod to herself. This could actually work out great. They could probably even earn some brownie points by placing first in the week's classes, getting their pick of lodging, and intentionally keeping this place!

"Yay!Wegettolive!"

First things first though. Gotta clear out all that mold.

"Noooooo!!!!"

[Arcran]

Serhe's face blanched when he heard that the civilian dolls would count for double points. He'd been so focused on taking out drones that he hadn't even thought of protecting the wooden dolls. A few moments later, that sinking fear is confirmed when he hears his place.

Second. Allmind-damned second. He'd stopped an Echnida Moth from crushing himself and three other students, apparently gotten the attention of an incredibly powerful Elementalist and probably taken out more drones than anybody else here, only to end up in second. Sure, tying with his brother would probably make him mad, but there was still somebody better than him. When the Stonesmiths are announced as first place, Serhe claps with the rest, although he isn't quite able to hide the raw jealously in his face.

Still, a slight grin formed on his face when Connor claps him on the back, that grows slightly when he spots Doireann. Maybe all his efforts hadn't been completely for nothing: for the first time ever, Serhe had people that he'd almost be able to call friends and, even though he'd lost to the Stonesmiths, they seemed to be good sports about it. Serhe quickly returns Erica's double high five, before looking around at the others.

Twenty-five points, huh? Serhe says, shaking his head slightly. Next time, Stonesmiths, Serhe says, an honest grin slowly reaching his eyes. Next time, Connor and I are taking first. Right? he says, glancing over at his new friend.

---

As Serhe enters the dorm, his face sinks slightly. He'd grown up relatively wealth, and this new living situation was far from ideal, to say the least. His vision enhanced and zoomed a half dozen times as Serhe tries to get a better look at the walls, until he hears Connor's remarks.

None here, unless there's stone comfy enough for a new mattress, Serhe says, thinking it wise to not inspect his current one too closely, before nodding along with Erica's remarks. I'm afraid I can't help too much, unless... Serhe says, before cycling through his different visions at the mold on the wall, hoping that one of them would work. If not, Serhe picks up a broom and resorts to manual labor.

[Thokk_Smash]

Now, it's been a fair while since the battle and exam had ended. Plenty of time for adrenaline to run its course, plenty of time for Roy to calm down. But as the scores are called, he feels the tension rise once more. This is just the first step. They can't afford to falter here, and even a stumble might spell a severe setback. Despite his intellect and ability to rationalize at great speeds, his mind is a steady static of anxiety, and he grips his sister's arm perhaps a tad too tightly in response.

Granted, the lower-ranked scores ease his tensions immensely. Like, hell, if Nancy can get in then they've got this on lock! He grins in response to Erica's comment but doesn't respond. He doesn't care about first place in and of itself. Like, it'd be deliriously awesome. Beyond words. But he isn't pinning his reputation to coming in first.

Then Serhe and Connor are called as second. And there was no way he and Erica had scored less than the other two that had taken down two Villains. He manages to keep his excitement inside in the seconds before their names are called. After that, though...

"YYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Unconsciously he Enhanced his vocal chords and lets out a cry that is colored with almost as much relief as triumph. Eyes closed tight and head to the sky, his tension dissolves in a full-bodied release of energy. Like I said, just getting admitted would've been enough for him. But getting first place, of all things, after uncountable sleepless nights, endless days spent being taunted, and bullied, with practically no end in sight...

Vindication, of a sort. Gods, does it feel good. He slips his gauntlet on as he approaches Connor, instantly guessing the other boy's intent. His gauntlet's pistons ready, and he smashes his fist into the other boy's rocky fist with all his might. The resounding shockwave is far from trivial but very satisfying. "This is just the start, mates!" he says with glee, pulling in Serhe and Connor with an arm around their shoulders.

He listens to Glory's following speech with half an ear as he scans the other teams. He spots his target quickly: Bernhard. His heart seizes up at the sight of the other boy, but he keeps his gaze steady. He's earned this. There's nowhere to go but up from here!

--------------------

Well...there's always a plateau after a peak, right? Right.

He has to fight a sense of despair. Were they being punished for something? He relaxes when Erica lets him know it's par for the course for Hope Academy, but it's still left him a tad shaken. Connor's energetic response likewise serves to buoy his spirits.

"Between Connor and myself, we can have this place looking inhabitable in no time!" Roy says, taking out various Flux crystals and instruments meant to amplify his Enhancing power. Then he hesitates, remembering Connor's relationship with living stone. "On second thought, I can simply buy us new mattresses," he says, hastily putting away his crystals and whatnot before the Elemental powers can notice them. "Even mediocre beds would feel like heaven once I'm done with them. If anyone has requests for amenities before Erica and I hit the market, speak now, or get it yourself."

Mentally, he thinks to Erica, ~"On our way back we should stop by home and let mom know we made it. She's gonna be so happy!"~

After the long afternoon/day of cleaning and sprucing up, Roy hits his new mattress with a grin that he hasn't been able to shake. He'll sleep like a log tonight!

Spoiler: Spoiler alert: He did not

Show

After the second time waking up from a nightmare in a cold sweat, Roy shakes his head and gets out of bed. Why? He made it into Hope! He'd placed first, mists take it! So why are the nightmares plaguing him now?!

He sighs in frustration and goes to the worktable he'd set up for himself. Enhancing a Flux crystal to diminish sounds around him, he starts on something to soothe his mind: sculpting. He'd asked Connor to get him some clay, and he is very happy to have done so. His hands fly over the clay, molding it, practically bringing it to life...

When the others wake up, Roy is already setting the kitchen table with food. "Good morning, everyone!" he says with a bright grin. He'd prepared a breakfast of sausage links, eggs three ways, toasted bread, freshly squeezed orange juice and sliced apples. "I got a late start on breakfast, so apologies if it's a bit subpar."

Spoiler: A note

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I rejiggered things so Roy has Cooking +16, so perhaps his sense of "subpar" is skewed. To be fair, he and Erica usually work together on a meal, so perhaps he's using the wrong benchmark.

If one were to look at Roy's worktable, they'd see four small figurines. They're a bit bigger than Roy's hand from wrist to middle fingertip, and there's one that's a bit odd-one-out. Three of them are Roy's teammates in various heroic poses, unpainted and a bit rough around the edges. Erica's Flux Prism is held high above her head; Connor's fist is wrapped in stylized stone; and Serhe is in a fighting pose, but it's his eyes that seem to glow even without color.

Put to the side is a figure that is totally and entirely completed: a tall, lanky figure dressed in a pitch-black longcoat, with a formless hat and a mask like a beak protruding from its face. It looks frighteningly realistic. "That's the guy who healed GG, by the way," he says to the room at large if anyone points it out. "Caught him on video on my visor, just for a split second. The Crow, apparently, has terrible taste in fashion."

Spoiler: Insight DC 21, can Team Check with self with Perception; Erica need not roll

Show

The Crow figurine is pristine, and obviously had the most time spent on it, but the quality of the other three figurines actually isn't terrible. Like, they're pretty darned good for self-proclaimed "rough drafts" as he called them. But at this level of quality, he would've absolutely had time to make a figurine of himself. In fact, the absolute absence of even the start of a fifth figurine, one for himself, is notably conspicuous.

Spoiler: Insight DC 26, with Team Check bonus from before

Show

It was a clear decision on Roy's part to not begin a model of himself. Perhaps he intends to start his own later? But why not start a rough draft with the others'? It'd just be simpler to do all of them at once, right?

[Zelphas]

When Serhe switches to his Elemental-nullifying sight, the mold on the wall shrinks measurably; there are still some patches clinging to the faded, discolored wallpaper, but they are nowhere near as large nor as luridly colored.

The ministrations of the four of your quickly bear fruit, and while the apartment is still smaller than you'd like, the walls are still ancient, crumbling wood, and the furniture is still second-rate, by the end of the day the place looks almost livable, and Roy's calls promise to improve the furniture at the very least. You all are able to retire content that you have done well, both in the entrance exam and afterwards, and you fall quickly asleep.

You do not sleep soundly.

Spoiler: Erica

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There are dreams before; there are dreams after. This dream remains in your memory.

It feels like it should be a nightmare, but you aren't afraid. You stand over a map of Teocawki, the mists and islands sprawled out before you, lit by a moon many times too large. Despite the darkness of night, you can see the islands; they are lit up by hundreds and thousands of tiny pinpricks, small lights that shimmer and shift. The lights are people, you know it, but they're also something else. The lights are people, and also oblong circles, and also runes of dizzying complexity. The lights, or circles, or runes, are connected by minuscule threads of light, some thicker, some thinner. Thicker lights stretch, connecting each Outer Island to each other and to the Inner Ring, the Magellans to the Outer Ring and Inner Ring, and the Inner Ring to itself and to Bol.

A light, slightly brighter than the others, flares up in the Outer Ring, jumping from island to island with dizzying speed. Wherever it touches, the bonds between itself and the lights grow thicker, as well as the lines connecting island to island. Finally, the light jumps to the Inner Ring. You hear, vaguely, an enormous, subsonic creak, light steel threads stretched just past their breaking point...

As dreams do, the dream shifts away. You have in your hands your masterpiece: a Flux Crystal enchanted to output the texture and taste of chocolate cake...

Spoiler: Connor

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There are dreams before; there are dreams after. This dream remains in your memory.

You are flying over the darkened mists, far away from any island. The moment you realize that you are unsupported, you drop. The mist closes over your head, but you don't feel the tell-tale chill of your power seeping away. The mist steals all sense of direction, swirling and roiling around you in indecipherable eddies and currents. The giant spire of ice comes as a surprise; you cannot tell if you hurtled past it or if it simply grew up around you.

Soon, more spires appear, cutting through the mist in jagged peaks. The spires grow ever closer together, ever larger--and then something picks you up bodily and throws you roughly away. When you land, the dream has changed.

You stand in the mine shaft seconds after a terrible cave-in...

Spoiler: Serhe

Show

There are dreams before; there are dreams after. This dream remains in your memory.

You are standing on your platform of stone in the Entrance exam again, staring down at the sprawled form of Gauntlet and Greaves. Everything is frozen; Erica and Roy are looking in different directions around the square, Connor is double-checking the stone covering Gauntlet, the two other examinees are still out cold. Between one moment and the next, the scene changes.

A shape stands in the center of the square, a black, formless shape only approximately the size of a human being. The shape roils and shifts, the only moving thing in the frozen scene. The impression of a face--or a beak--seems to sniff at the air before turning towards you.

The creature is before you in an instant, all rolling shadow and swelling plumage, the dull gloss of raven's wings glinting under liquid darkness. The voice that issues from it is a dead thing, lifeless and rotting.

"You look ill."

Abruptly, you are in a different dream, a less memorable dream. Annihulus laughs as he holds up a trireme-class airship, which you know you need to get from him...

Spoiler: Roy

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The nightmare plays out as it always does--the screams, the fires, the rampaging Tribs tearing apart everything you knew as home while you are barely able to save anyone with your devices. Time passes in fits and starts, as it does in dreams, and then your father is before you, half of his body gone, telling you not to blame yourself. He turns to face the Tribs--

But he is facing only one form, and this part of the dream is wrong, although you don't realize that it's wrong until you awaken. The one form is huge, shrouded in shadow despite the fires all around, a massive blank shape that is impossible to identify. As your father turns towards it, it bends, and it reaches out--and the appendage it reaches with is a giant and terribly powerful and horribly, awfully human hand.

You wake up for the first time. The nightmare reverts to its "normal" progression when you dream it again a bit later that night.

---

After your breakfast, the four of you leave your apartment to find a small sign posted just outside, giving you directions to your classroom for this first week. The room is in a building not too far from your dorm, and it looks like class is supposed to start in about fifteen minutes.

Heading to the building, you aren't terribly surprised to see that it is one of the smaller and shabbier buildings on Hope Academy's campus, removed slightly from the main buildings and grouped together with the dorm complex and a squat building that might be a cafeteria of some sort. At least the class building seems well-maintained despite its age; the stone walls are clean, the courtyard outside is free of garbage or debris, and the wooden floor as you enter is scrubbed to a polished shine, though the scuffs of generations of feet still mar the surface.

A voice echoes through the halls as you head towards the classroom, seemingly in the midst of a long rant. "...assaulted in the middle of the exam and given nothing but a pat on the head and empty assurances that 'everything's fine', and then that utter sham of the point totals, and then we get to the much-vaunted Hope Academy and our dorms are in execrable cond--"

The door to the classroom opens up, and Farhan MacDonald exits, the boy's face thunderous as the plant around his neck growls and snaps at the air. He sees the four of you and stops for a moment, before walking past you. "Do me a favor?" Farhan growls as he passes. "Call me back in there when she shuts up."

In the classroom, you can see that you are the third group to arrive. Nancy Keroack is obviously inside, along with her two other Cell-mates. The dark haired boy is sitting patiently at a desk, his eyes glazed over as Nancy continues to rant near him; the girl sits to his left, idly doodling on a piece of paper and making no attempt to pretend as though she was listening. On the other side of the room is the boy with scarlet eyes, who is determinedly talking to the other boy in the white robe; near them, Bernhard paces back and forth, his fingers jammed in his ears. Doireann is leaning against the back wall, watching Nancy rant with a half-amused, half-exasperated look.

Sitting behind the large desk in the front of the room is the recipient of Nancy's tirade, and presumably your homeroom teacher. The man is entirely hairless, and his dimensions are... odd. His head is slightly too large for his body, round and swollen like a balloon; his ears are so small as to be almost nonexistent, as is his nose; his eyes are perfectly round, a little too small, and placed far apart on his head; and his mouth is lip-less, currently stretched across his face in a thin smile that still seems too wide and reveals white, blocky teeth. His hands, which look more like flesh-colored gloves than human digits, are folded in front of him on the desk, and he watches Nancy with an unblinking gaze that seems somewhat mocking, though there isn't any clear indication of that.

Spoiler: Expertise: Superheroes (or Well-Informed) DC 30

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The distinctive look of this homeroom teacher tells you that this is Renatus Weiss (Hero name Watchman), a psionic-style Supernaturalist known for his incredible perception skills and ability to manipulate mental energy to deflect, evade, or outright ignore any damage directed at him. A rather young and fairly obscure Hero, it is surprising to see him teaching at Hope Academy so soon.

Spoiler: DC 40

Show

While Watchman is relatively obscure, he does enjoy some limited notoriety in certain circles due to his mysterious past. Renatus began his Hero Work in the Magellans seven years ago; before that time, any information on him is nearly impossible to find. Some conspiracy theorists believe that there is no information to find; Watchman, they think, is an experiment created by the World Council as a support or replacement for Heroes, or a creature from the wilds beyond the Magellans that took on human form, or something even stranger. Their claims are generally ignored.

"--And I'll have several things to say to him when I see-- YOU!" Nancy breaks off her rant when the four of you enter the door, wheeling around and marching right up to Erica. In the moment of silence that follows, at least six sighs of relief/exasperation echo around the room. "I know you cheated to get the points you did; it's painfully obvious. Just admit it and leave, already!" she bursts out, her voice ringing with sudden command.

Spoiler: Erica

Show

Nancy uses Overwhelming Charisma: Will DC 18 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled (Instant Recovery, Limited (Must be able to speak and be heard by the target).

Take a Hero Point for your Nancy Keroack Complication.

The moment Nancy turns away, the teacher suddenly has a newspaper in his hands; he turns the pages leisurely, seemingly ignoring the altercation in front of him.

Spoiler: Insight DC 34

Show

While he is not looking at you or visibly paying attention in any way, the amount of focus that you feel pouring from the teacher is frankly terrifying.

[Thokk_Smash]

Disconcerted as he was by his nightmare--and more specifically the strange turn it had taken--Roy can still appreciate the views of Hope Academy. Granted, the view is barely better than their dorm had been yesterday. But it's Hope Academy! Generations of Heroes have walked these very halls on their journeys to greatness.

Although, he hopes that they hadn't had someone like Nancy Keroack filling the air with drivel. Roy gives Farhan a sympathetic look as he passes them. He couldn't have gotten a partner more different from him if he'd tried.

Taking in the scene in the room at a glance, Roy blinks in curiosity at their apparent homeroom teacher. Roy's seen some odd customers in his life. Some weird Transformers and whatnot. But a man who looks like an egg with human features is an oddity to him. Fascinating--was that a byproduct of his power or some quirk of genetics? He activates his visor to detect any Enhancements or Transformative powers on him.

He is distracted, naturally, by none other than Nancy Keroack. He glares at her steadily while she stomps toward their group as though a child with a temper tantrum. It's nothing new to the twins. The number of Nancy Keroack tantrums thrown could fill a library with their volume and quantity. Roy resolves to just let Erica deal with it, despite his knee-jerk desire to put himself between his sister and her tormentor. Erica's a strong girl, a Hero-in-training. She can fight her own battles.

Then Nancy attacks his sister.

It's only with words, of course. Nancy Keroack would never lay a hand on a fellow classmate, never. Words can never hurt someone, and all that, right? Except Nancy's tone spikes with imperiousness at her final words. Except she probably just used a hostile power on his twin sister. Except she's belittling his entire team by implying they all cheated.

~"Sorry to butt in, sis,"~ he mentally mutters before pushing forward to stand a half-step away from Nancy. He puts on his best crazed glare, scowling down at Nancy with all the enmity he can muster. With a sudden movement he shoves his hand into a pocket and slams the object down onto the nearest desk. Taking his hand back, it's revealed that there's a small, circular Flux crystal on the table.

Roy gives out a small spark of Enhancement energy, and the Flux crystal suddenly projects a light into the air--light that merges and forms into a video. Specifically, a video of the GG fight, from start to finish. And yes, that includes Nancy lying unconscious, helpless on the ground, needing someone to pick her up and move her to safety. That includes Connor fighting through being impaled by several large chunks of stone. That includes Serhe's impressive feat of stopping the Echidna Moth from falling. And with a finger on the crystal, Roy zooms in and focuses on Erica's finishing blows on Greaves. His withering glare never leaves Nancy's face.

"That's our team in action, Nan-Nan," he says with his accent in full form, a mocking tone, a prodding tone. "So piss right the hell off."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica nodded in eager agreement with Roy's suggestion, and after getting any requests, flew off with her brother first for the market, then for home for an excited report to Mom, and then back to the dorm with fresh food and cleaning supplies. She placed some simple enchantments on the later to set them working on their own, and then joined Roy for preparing an epic and well-earned victory feast.

--

The next morning, she gave her brother a smile seeing breakfast already on the table, and her eyes lit up at the little figurines. "Ooh! Cute!" she said, more-or-less immediately picking up the miniature her and fake-slashing its Prism Edge at Crow a few times, before tilting her head curiously to the side and looking up at Roy. "Where's you?"

She did bring up her dream over breakfast, mainly to Roy, but not telepathically. Not with any indication of meaning or anything. Just in the idle way one sometimes mentions to one's family when they have a particularly memorable dream.

--

Erica was a little disappointed in the classroom. The dorms were one thing, but she had had higher hopes for the actual classes. Ah well. She gave Farhan a sympathetic smile. Knowing Nancy, he had probably been putting up with this sustained rant since yesterday.

Erica kept a smile on her face when Nancy turned her vitriol on her. Inside her heart was beating a bit fast. She never would have admitted to fear in the face of Nancy Keroack, and certainly not in front of her new Cell-mates, but the fact was that even eight years later, the other girl's anger provoked an instinctive stress response from her. It was just conditioned into her at that point. Her smile turned brittle when Nancy accused them of cheating for their points. Cheating! Of all the nerve!

But she had planned to be cordial with Nancy. It had been nearly a decade since their last meaningful interaction. And while Nancy didn't appear to have grown up much, she had. They were classmates and for all her faults, Nancy was training to be a Hero just like her. She had decided to swallow the bad memories and meet hostility with compassion.

And then Nancy used her power on her.

Oh, how Erica recognized that. How many times when they were kids had Nancy used that very same power upon her. It was just like she remembered, the rest of the world seeming to fade into a blur, everything focused on Nancy's face, her words. The insistent belief that she was right, the driving urge to do what she wanted. Nancy had never physically struck her when they were growing up, but she had used that power to coerce Erica into doing all manner of painful, humiliating, and embarrassing things.

But times had changed. Erica might not have been able to fend off the power on her own, but the wards on her armor - currently in the form of a light, flowing periwinkle dress, but with all its enchantments still fully active - offered protection to her mind, and allowed her to struggle back from the power's hold.

And that's when Erica realized that Nancy was the same vindictive bully she had always been, and no amount of compassion would change that.

New plan.

Erica stared at Nancy in stony silence while Roy played out the display of their battle for her. And once it was finished, just to make sure Nancy was fully aware of who had been in that armor, Erica willed her attire to change. A swift rising shimmer of light later, the gleaming armored figure with the rainbow sword that had struck down Greaves stood before Nancy Keroack, the cold crystal visor staring her down.

"I know your power, Nancy," she followed up when Roy had spoken. "You will not use it on me again," she told her in a voice of imperious command. "We did not cheat. We've just grown."

Spoiler

Show

Swapping to Armor Mode, and then dropping an Intimidation: (1d20+12)[19].

[Arcran]

Serhe awoke in a cold sweat, frantically looking around the room as he came to, the image of The Crow burned into his memory. He half expected to see the same figure in the corner of his room, just waiting for him to awake.

You look ill.

Serhe shudders as he recalls the creature's voice. What the hell did all of this mean? Did The Crow have some sort of vendetta against Anihilus? Or was this all his own doing? Whatever it was, Serhe needed to figure out exactly who (or what) The Crow was. Some stranger stalking him in his dreams wasn't something he looked forward to.

---

After his dream, Serhe didn't sleep well, causing him to show up to the first day of class with slight bags under his eyes. He lets out a small sigh as he sees their building, not surprised in the least that it was in that kind of condition. It seemed to be the trend thus far with Hope Academy, after all. Serhe gives Doireann a small wave as he enters, before glaring at Nancy. After the Stonesmiths lecture the girl, Serhe can't help but grin slightly. He didn't know much about Nancy, but judging from the fact that Serhe hadn't noticed her do anything and Erica had felt something, it somewhat limited the options. Serhe's vision turns a sickly green as he stares at Nancy, focusing as much as possible without giving away his intent. He wasn't all that worried about their strange teacher noticing; after all, it just looked like he was staring at her, right?

Next time, maybe we'll just leave you for the villains, Serhe says as he walks past Nancy, making sure to bump into her ever-so-slightly, before making his way to the back of the room and standing next to Doireann.

How long has she been going on like that?

Spoiler

Show

Serhe is going to use Freak's End!
AoA and PA at max, of course.
AC: (1d20+8)[28]
Nullify: (1d20+13)[33]

[herodofcows]

Connor spends the rest of the evening in a kind of tranced, consumed by the work of making their quarters habitable and, indeed, agreeable places to live. For the rest of the night he is both manic and spacey, often responding to any comments or queries in a semi-distracted fashion as he continues a running conversation with the sediment surrounding him . . .

<Och, delightful! Now, if ye could arrange yerself into square forms across the floor? Aye, ye look lovely, lovely . . . Oh! Octogons? Ye mean to say ye'd prefer EIGHT sides apiece? Well, I don't see why not . . . Och, isn't that divine . . .>

". . . Oh, aye! Mattresses! Sure, whatever ye'd . . . Aye . . ."

<. . . Now about these walls, have ye . . . Let me see all of the sand among ye? Could I get the sand to . . . Yes, hello my dears, hello. Let me ask ye something: have ye ever tried being fired and glazed? Would ye like to? Och, well isn't that adventurous of ye! How many of ye would . . . I seeeeeee . . . Aye, no reason ye couldn't do it in golds and browns, I suppose. And what's this? YE'D like to do octogons as well? Is this the fashion around these parts? Well, I never knew!>

"Nobody minds octogons, do they? Only the sands AND the silt AND the granite seem to think it's the thing to do, ye know? I don't know anything about what's hip or trendy around these parts . . ."

<None of ye have been sculpted before, have ye? Would ye like to be? Maybe? Mostly geometric, aye, but perhaps not so much with the octogons, I don't think . . . Well, sure, sure, fashion is fashion, but . . . Well, what about something less rigid and more flowing? Could ye . . . Well, fine, we'll put a pin in that . . .>

By the time bedtime comes around, Connor has furnished the surfaces with octagonal granite tiles on the floor, octagonal gold-and-brown ceramic tiling along the walls, and has elevated the bed in his room onto a stony slab with fine-grained sand as a mattress pad.

He sleeps the sleep of the dead that night . . . minus a sudden gasping awakening as a dream of falling through mists propels him from his rest.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Any appetite that Roy's breakfast might have roused in him is abruptly crushed as he stares at the figure of the Crow.

"So ye . . . ye saw him, then," he nearly stammers, picking at a sausage he suddenly has no desire to eat, "Ye saw the Crow. None of that "minor league villain syndicate" ****e, ye saw he exists for the whole and the true of it . . ."

His hand shakes as he nearly knocks over his glass of orange juice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connor's face slides into a practiced and ready disdain as his team enters the classroom to find the Inner-Ringer spouting off an endless cacophony of whinging and complaint. Of course: he'd expect no less from some spoiled brat of a Hope City aristocrat, or WHEREVER this one was from. Feigning deafness and clacking his cane a bit louder than necessary, he limps his way over to an available seat and slumps into it . . .

. . . JUST in time to see the Inner-Ringer try to lay something on Erica, and then to hear Erica call her out on it.

<. . . Stone that forms this building, I know we've not yet properly made introductions, but if I could ask ye a favor . . .>

The rock from the walls forms and swirls around him, creating a gargantuan set of slate-stone armor around him as he laboriously rises to his feet. In this guise, he looks a little like some kind of unrelenting golem, and his voice carries an odd echo from within the hollowed rock.

"Aye, perhaps we should have left ye at that," he agrees with Serhe, drawing himself up to his full height, "It's one thing, to my mind, if ye have harsh words for us, but to try to use yer power on one of us, all for yer own flailing ego? Well, might be I've some idea of how such behavior ought to be answered, just as we did when Greaves and Gauntlet had ye laid out on the ground . . ."

Stone thickens around his fist as he speaks, and he takes a single step forward.

Spoiler: OOC Rolls

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Insight from Roy's post! (1d20+8)[12]

Intimidation vs. Nancy! (1d20+16)[31]

[Zelphas]

Nancy falls silent as the video plays, watching it with a bored, impatient expression. The other students stop what they are doing and turn to watch as well with varying expressions of skepticism and interest (and with near-universal relief at Nancy's continued silence). The teacher continues to read his newspaper.

The recording is interrupted once, as another Cell of students arrives at the classroom. The giant of a man who threatened Connor in the airship brushes brusquely by without glancing at the screen, stomping over and taking a seat. The nondescript boy with green eyes glances at the images for a second or two before nodding to himself and moving to a desk near his Cell-mate. The taller boy leans on his staff and watches the battle play out impassively, while the girl with fox ears and several tails bounces excitedly in place, looking from the screen to the standoff between the four of you and Nancy with bright golden eyes. After the viewing ends, the two quickly take their seats, the fox girl accidentally bumping into Connor as she goes.

Spoiler: Connor Only: Perception DC 23

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After the fox girl bumps into you, your rucksack feels suspiciously light.

"What year is this?" Doireann replies sardonically to Serhe, one side of her mouth quirking up in a smile. Near her, the boy in the white robe lets out a noise that sounds like sand falling into a glass bowl; a laugh, maybe?

Nancy, who had stumbled slightly, seems to shrink as first Roy, then Erica, and finally Connor threaten her with varying degrees of indirectness. She goes pale, her eyes very wide, and her hands tremble ever so slightly as she hunches a bit lower. Then her face reddens, and she straightens herself up; her lips tremble as she opens her mouth--

"Greetings, fellow students, on this wonderful morning!" bursts out a voice like a spotlight to the face right behind you, at the entrance to the classroom. It seems that the final Cell has arrived. "Apologies on our lateness; it took a few moments to... gather ourselves... this fine day."

Artfully framed by the doorway is the girl with glowing golden hair, her shimmery silver dress and hairband accentuating her pale skin and brilliant blue eyes. She smiles brightly, stepping to one side to reveal the rest of her Cell standing uncomfortably behind her. "I know that we all heard each others' names yesterday, but I feel that introductions are still in order! I am Grace Daniels, though I plan to use the pseudonym 'Dawnlight' in my Hero work. And my Cell includes Donald Morgan and Elita Coste!" The speedster boy from the ship and Elita walk into the room, Donald attempting to look cocky but mostly seeming uncomfortable, Elita seeming almost painfully nervous.

There is a slightly awkward pause for a moment, and then Grace blinks, shaking her head. "Oh! And of course, there's also... Jane Doe!" No one walks through the door, but Grace's head moves as though she is watching someone walk in. A few people murmur at this in confusion.

Spoiler: Erica

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You... get the impression that the blank space in the doorway... waved at you before walking inside... despite how that sounds like utter nonsense.

Grace Daniels draws in a deep breath as though to continue her oration, but at that moment an ancient-sounding bell rings somewhere in the building. Farhan MacDonald stumps into the room moments after the last toll, looking much calmer.

"Take your seats, please, class; we will now begin." The classroom teacher has risen to his feet, his newspaper stashed away somewhere within his desk. Everyone moves to find seats; it seems that in the distraction caused by Grace and her Cell's arrival, Nancy had fled to the farthest seat from the door, ensuring that there were at least two other desks between her and any empty seat.

Spoiler: Insight DC 33 (Erica gets +10 on her roll)

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Everything--from the stumble at Serhe's push, to her trembling hands, shaking lips, and reddened face--had been an act. Nancy hadn't been intimidated in the slightest by either Erica or Connor, but it seems that instead of continuing to rant, she had chosen to take a more oblique approach.

Spoiler: If Erica makes the roll

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This is bad news, and you know it. Nancy generally just bulls through with raw charisma to get what she wants, but she is a literal genius at social situations, and she can be incredibly clever when she has to be. When she ran into a teacher who couldn't simply be forced into giving her what she wanted, or when you, fed up with her constant manipulations, had chosen to simply avoid her as much as possible, Nancy got quiet for a little while, and then began systematically destroying their--destroying your--social life, in a way that never found its way back to her. Her backing off now means that you've scored a point, but for her, the war is just beginning.

Once everyone has taken their seats, the teacher speaks again, his too-wide mouth grinning ever wider. "Have any of you wondered why Hope Academy has its entrance exam one week before any of the other schools, and yet their classes officially start at the same time as the rest? The answer is this class. In this class, I will be both testing your aptitude in non-combat scenarios as well as seeing how well you are able to function together as a four-person Cell. In the mornings, we will go over the more mundane aspects of schooling--science, mathematics, history, et cetera." Throughout this spiel, the teacher speaks faster and faster, his tone of voice impossible to pin down. "There will be a test at the end of the week, which will serve as your baseline for the rest of your year here at Hope Academy. In the afternoons, we will move to the extensive woods on the Hope Academy grounds, and I will test your teamwork, survival skills, and practical use of your powers." For some reason, you find it difficult to tell whether he is taking this seriously or not; it feels almost as though he is setting up some sort of prank. "There will be another test at the end of the week over this work as well, serving the same purpose. The cumulative total of these two tests, combined with the totals of the test of your other Cell-mates, will constitute your Cell's total score, which will determine which Cell will choose their permanent lodgings first."

Without noticeably changing posture or expression, the teacher's face suddenly seems both condescending and somehow menacing. His voice loses its indefinable quality, and he delivers his next words in absolute seriousness. At any time within the next week, you are all highly encouraged to attack me. Any Cell that successfully wounds me will immediately gain the right to first choice of permanent apartments, regardless of their total aptitude scores. In the highly unlikely event that more than one Cell manages to harm me, we will default to the scores between them, but they will still choose first and second."

Abruptly, the grin is just a grin once more, though the voice remains serious. "Even after this first year, three mornings of your week will be spent in this classroom, continuing the non-Heroic aspects of your education... provided you pass your aptitude tests. Although you have passed the Entrance Exam into Hope Academy, I have the right to expel any of you who do not meet Hope Academy's standards. There are those who have failed in the first week before; should you be expelled now, you would not be the first. Are there any questions?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Hey now, all that means is that the spooky ol' Crow guy who nobody's entirely sure isn't a myth couldn't even keep himself hidden from my brother's tech for like twelve seconds or whatever it was," Erica told Connor confidently. Okay, sure, realistically, having a stealthy, obviously-powerful villain like that taking an interest in them was...a matter for concern. And having knowledge - indeed, proof - of his existence probably only made the threat that much more significant. But Mists take her if she was gonna show it!

--

Erica's visor tracked Nancy as she withdrew. She knew Nancy well enough to know the fear was feigned. ...Being able to look at her aura didn't hurt either. The feelings that Nancy showed were less about what she actually felt than what she believed would earn her advantage. She knew that any sort of direct challenge would have just made her look silly, after the events of the entrance exam. But that only meant she'd find ways to strike at them indirectly.

Erica remembered how that had gone last time. That stress response was still gnawing at her gut.

But she squashed it down. Times had changed, and if Nancy thought Erica was the same defenseless girl she used to be, she'd learn better soon enough.

"Thanks, you guys," she told Serhe and Connor quietly. She...honestly was not used to having others come to her defense in situations like that, her brother of course aside. That they had just leaped in without question like that...she was kinda touched, honestly.

Erica reverted her armor to clothing as the last Cell arrived. "Heya," she responded to Dawnlight's introduction. And...weirdly, she gave a friendly smile and a little wave to the empty doorway. She found a seat at the professor's request and-

~Sea and sky our teacher is a cartoon character!~ she sent to Roy delightedly as, with Nancy no longer holding her attention, she finally noticed. She tried to keep her amusement of the matter confined to telepathy, but she couldn't keep a bright grin from her face.

His cartooniness in no way caused her to underestimate the difficulty they would face in wounding him.

The certain difficulty in no way kept her from casting her brother a sidelong glance and slender smirk. The simple studs in her ears began glowing with a faint clear light, resonating with the nearest enchanted object - her glasses - as she scanned their teacher for signs of magical or elemental powers.

Not that she didn't plan for their Cell to win this competition the normal way too, of course. Tests had never been something the Stonesmith siblings had ever had a problem with. And while they may have lived in Hope for the past eight years...well, best of luck to a bunch of probably-mostly-Inner-Ringers keeping up with a couple of Magellan-raised children in a challenge of wilderness survival!

Spoiler

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In addition to scanning him for magical (acute analytical) and elemental (basic Detect) powers, Assessment on the homeroom teacher at (1d20+15)[35]. DATAAAAAA!!!!

Also, thinking about it, I think I'mma go ahead and figure Erica to default to her Arcane Resonance slot, since it's probably the most sensible one for day-to-day. And since if I had thought of that before I'd have saved myself a Luck reroll .

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy stuffs a slice of toast in his mouth when Erica asks him where his figurine is. "Oh, thought I was forgetting something," he mumbles through the food in his mouth. And though he's gotten very good at hiding his thoughts over the years, Erica can tell that's not entirely what he was thinking.

"Oh, fer sher," Roy says through a bite of apple after Erica's comment on the Crow. "I only caught 'im for a split second, but th' main takeaway is that there was someone there, and they couldn't keep hidden forevah'. Whoever or whatever this guy is, he isn't infallible. Not even close. And I have faith that the teachers are more than a match for him on their home turf."

He nods with confidence that he feels a respectable margin of himself. Oh, he's worried about it, sure: he'd spent well-on ten minutes staring at the video once he'd found the frame, practically memorizing the figure. But no way would he compromise the others' morale over some spook. "'Sides, it's like you said, Connah--we're no measly morsels, no wilting bluebonnets ourselves. If it comes, we'll send it packing with its beak in its arse."

"Now eat something, man, or I'll assume you live off of dirt and not make portions for you next time," he says with jest in his voice.

-----------------

Roy glares at Nancy with suspicion after she declines to force the issue. That's not what bullies do, much as one might wish it. They don't just give up after being confronted once. Erica's mental buzz only serves to reinforce that. Still, he ignores her in favor of the arrival of the last Cell--the one that had his frienquaintance, Elita. And the douche who stole her mask. He elects to not make a point of that as he hurries over to her.

"A day late, but congratulations!" he whisper-cheers to Elita with a wide grin. He takes a seat next to her, pointedly ignoring Donald except to note his reaction to Roy's presence.

~"He's practically a caricature, I could hardly believe it,"~ he responds to Erica with equal amusement, though his face doesn't show anything different from before. Still, the Stonesmiths know that looks can be deceiving far more intimately than anyone else, and so when the teacher makes his challenge Roy meets it with a crazed smirk and confidence.

"Is there a limit to the number of attempts we get, prof?" he asks without raising his hand. As he watches the teacher answer, he takes in Erica's intel from her specs. As far as he's concerned, scratching the prof is the only thing worth worrying about in the coming week. Between him, his sister, Connor, and Serhe, they've practically got the aptitude tests on lock.

Spoiler

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Redone Expertise (Superheroes) check, with +5 from Erica's Scan: (1d20+21)[41] Boom!

[Arcran]

Serhe frowns for a moment when he sees that his powers didn't effect Nancy at all. Since he had no idea what exactly her power was, it meant she could be any of the others except perhaps Elementalist. He made a mental note to ask Erica and Roy what her powers were, since it would be very, very useful in the future, although their quick confrontation seems to have deflated her a bit. Serhe grins at his team, before focusing on the new students coming in.

He does his best to guess what everybody was but, without seeing their powers, that was a difficult task at best. Serhe gives a quick chuckle at Doireann's comment, before grinning at the boy in white. When the others arrive, Serhe glances at Dawnlight, a bit surprised that somebody would have already picked their hero name. Still, as far as names go, it wasn't exactly a bad one. It does cause Serhe to wonder for a bit; what the hell would his hero name be? Eyeman?

When the bell rings, Serhe quickly takes his seat, taking one close to Doireann if at all possible as he looks at the strange, almost-featureless, teacher in the front. As he speaks, Serhe's face blanches. Actual coursework? For some reason he'd assumed that wouldn't come into play here. The combat testing wasn't too worrying, but actual books could be an issue.

However, that panic vanishes an instant later. If his Cell managed to hurt the teacher, they won. All he had to do was stare at the teacher all day and eventually his powers would be shut off. It wasn't an exact science, but eventually he'd have to be able to pull it off, right?

With a slight smirk on his face Serhe leans back, staring intently at the professor as his eyes flash a sickly green, starting with the broadest powerset possible, listening to Roy's question as he tries to get Connor's attention.

Spoiler

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Going to Nullify Odd!

AoA, PA
AC: (1d20+8)[24]
Nullify: (1d20+13)[27]

[Zelphas]

"As many times as you like, Mr. Sonesmith," the teacher answers, his smile once more somehow ominous. "Keep in mind that your test scores will be used to determine where your teaching will begin here at Hope Academy, and so disrupting them entirely may not be in your best interests. I will not be your only teacher, and the others will look at your test scores as well as your performance during the entrance exam to see what they should teach you first. If you manage to wound me, that will impress them; however, no Hero should rely on only one plan to succeed."

He stops abruptly, turning his head slightly to look at what seems like an empty desk. "That method would indeed work on most human beings, Miss Doe," the teacher says kindly, his tone gentle ad he addresses the empty air in the desk. "I am able to both see and hear you, however, so it will not work as well on me. Your powers are both a blessing and a curse; you should not rely too much on them any more than you should attempt to refuse them."

Serhe's vision strikes the teacher, and he feels the odd slippery sensation that comes when he attempts to nullify a power that the target doesn't possess. The green flash fades--and the teacher is gone from the front of the room.

"Points for immediate action, Mr. Nihilo," the teacher's voice comes from directly behind him. To his right, Doireann jumps, then attempts to cover the reaction with a cough. "However, I have seen Ms. Proxy's video of the Entrance Exam yesterday, and while they may not have the same power behind them, my eyes are sharper than yours." Serhe feels an odd sensation on his head, and Doireann suddenly looks like she is trying very hard not to laugh. "I would rather not teleport behind you every time that you glance my way, and you will no doubt prefer to keep your chosen hairstyle, so why don't we declare a truce?" A glance at his reflection in the window on the north side of the room tells Serhe what the sensation is on his head: somehow, between the teacher disappearing at the front of the room and appearing at the back, Serhe's hair has been slicked back, curled into loose waves, and tied into pigtails. "You are free to continue testing your power on me in the future; however, each time you do, I will re-style your hair, and perhaps aim for a full makeover."

The teacher appears in the front of the room between one blink and the next, with neither a sign nor a sound marking his sudden shift in location. Serhe feels his hair fall back into place, and a quick look at the window again shows that it is back to how it was when he walked into the room. "That will be the standard punishment for failing to wound me," the teacher says, grinning even more broadly. Around the room, there are various expressions of amusement mingled with embarrassed nervousness as his statement sinks in. "Mr. Nihilo was only temporarily inconvenienced since he did not yet know the rules, but any future punishments will remain in place unless you take steps to fix them."

[herodofcows]

Connor laughs at Roy's raillery, and responds by helping himself with almost unseemly gusto to the meal at hand. He briefly considers telling his teammate that he actually doesn't need to eat or drink . . . but then checks himself, because the breakfast really IS fantastic.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the tension left the situation with Nancy, Connor had sat himself back down with a final punctuating glower.

<Thank ye kindly, stone of the building. My name's Connor Berg, pleasure to meet ye. I surely hope I was not presumptuous there, and if I could help ye with . . . Well, that's right kind of ye, thank ye indeed . . .>

"Grace"'s entrance had left him sitting slack-jawed for a moment. A part of him wanted to laugh or scoff at the wild self-important theatricality of this Inner-Ringer. Another part realized he hadn't thought too much about a codename and had begun running through some painfully inadequate possibilities. Yet a third part had found himself more than a little attentive to the fall of Grace's hair and the sway of her walk . . . and a fourth and fifth part had subsequently declared a truce to gang up on that third part and beat it like an Alchemist Isolationist at an AUF bar.

His teacher's arrival had done little to ameliorate his slack-jawedness (albeit for vastly different reasons) . . . and it was around then that he noticed that the fox girl had apparently been messing with his rucksack.

"Oi . . ." he hisses to her, as an appropriate gap in their instructor's speech presents itself, "Whatever ye took . . . put it back . . . or I'll fekkin' . . . raze yer life . . . an' salt the ground behind me . . .""

Spoiler: OOC

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Roll to Intimidate! Sans bonus.

(1d20+8)[13]

As the teacher lays out the challenge, Connor finds himself trying to tick through ways that he could try and harm this man . . . or ways that he and Serhe could harm this man . . . no, ways that he and Serhe and Roy and Erica could harm this man . . .

. . . and then the trick with Serhe's hair makes him immediately reassess all of these. On instinct, he pats his own head to check that his own shortish wiry hair remains in place. Surely there's nothing that could be done there, right? No, of course not . . . which of course means that it would probably be something equally embarrassing in some OTHER regard . . .

"Oof, rough luck, mate. But sure, ye pulled it off better than most!" he giggles, saluting Serhe, "Sir, are there limits on when we're advised to attack ye? Like, if ye were at home, or off Academy grounds, or in the middle of a situation, or any such thing?"

[Zelphas]

The girl with fox ears looks over at Connor, her eyes wide with shock and fear... before transitioning immediately into a cheeky grin. She reaches up and pulls Connor's jar of Ashpah clay out of one fox-like ear... which shouldn't be possible; sure, her ears are large, but they aren't that large! One mysterious hand motion later, and the jar is gone from her hands... and Connor's rucksack is slightly heavier than moments before. "Are you the husband of the Sea, then?" she asks in a light, high voice that seems perpetually about to transition into a giggle.

Elita looks over at Roy and nods in acknowledgement, her eyes crinkling in what might be a smile. Donald glances over at Roy as well and apparently decide to emulate his example, looking pointedly away as well.

"If you are in a 'situation', Mr. Berg, you may not wish to add another enemy to the mix," the teacher responds in a jovial tone, his grin still widening impossibly. "Other then that, I would prefer that you not follow me to my home, but outside of class is fair game! If you wish to spend your free time to hunt after me, who am I to dissuade you?"

He breaks off and glances to one side, seeming to look through the west wall. "Time is moving without us, and I'm afraid that we have several tests to go through before lunch time." Several papers float up from the desk at the front of the room and separate into thinner sheets, setting down on each desk. "We will begin with a basic history of Teocawki, starting shortly before the Threefold Day and moving--"

"Um..." Elita interrupts hesitantly, her hand raised. "What--what do we call you? You have not given us a name..."

The teacher's smile remains unchanged. "'Sir' or 'teacher' will work for now; after all, I am your target. the more you know about your target, the better you can plan your attack," he says, turning his gaze to look directly at Roy, "And names can tell you quite a bit about someone.

"Now, if you are all ready to begin..."

Spoiler: OOC

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All right, now here's how I'm thinking that the next five days IC will work!

Every day, you'll have three rolls: one for morning classes, one for afternoon classes, and one for either. For morning classes, you can roll raw Intelligence to score well on the tests, or Stealth to sneak answers from others, or anything else you can justify to me in order to get better grades. For afternoon classes, you can roll Acrobatics and Athletics, Expertise: Geography, a certain power, or anything else that you can justify to me in order to do better in survival/wilderness training. For either morning or afternoon, you can choose to forgo trying to do better on the tests in order to roll Perception or Insight; doing so will give you information on your teacher, such as his habits, routine, and possibly weaknesses to exploit. For the sake of brevity, I will probably give you guys two chances to strike at the teacher, but I will let you choose the days that you do so; if you all are fine with it, I would be fine with you attempting one attack every day as well. Your final score at the end of the week will depend upon what you rolled to improve your grades in the morning and afternoon... if you don't manage to harm the teacher first. I will also give roleplay bonuses on any and all of your rolls, if I can, so that you can still scrape up some points on a low roll so long as you come up with a clever idea and describe it well.

For day one, I'm going to have you play through the morning and afternoon, and then we can abstract the other four days. Remember, unless you have telepathy, you can't share knowledge until you meet together again at lunch... unless you can think of some other way to communicate without disrupting your test-taking!

So, what I need from all of you now is one roll each, either to improve your test scores or to learn something new about your teacher.