Metahuman College-Issue one: College bound [IC]

[Calinon]

If there was any chance of Hoshiko speaking up again, it was pretty much gone now. She missed a good deal of the ranting speech with her imperfect grasp of the language, but the anger itself would have been enough indication even if she had no knowledge of English at all. While certain that the instructors had meant for this to be a reassuring get together, it was suddenly far from that, and Hoshi was suddenly more certain that revealing her alter-ego was not something she was going to do in front of any of the student body.

She maintained her death grip on the table, wishing desperately that she was nowhere near the angry teen, while the power of the Black Star bubbled beneath the surface, prepared to defend her if push came to shove. It was a power she fought to keep under control.

 

[Amulet]

The tension in the room seemed totally lost on Rinea. “Teamwork sounds fun! Although the killing bit sounds complicated. There are so many people here, I wouldn’t know who to kill and who not to. Father always made me try to un-kill people after I had killed them. Will that be part of the training too?”

Turning to Marcus, she asks with sincerity, “Who is your friend Francis? I don’t think it is a good idea from him to sneak up on James.”

 

[Nuke261]

Jonn Birkey (Rumble)

"Betcha Tank's group doesn't have this kinda excitement," Marcus said in a false quiet voice to Jonn, hoping the joke would calm him down.

Jonn's' face showed exactly how much he did not care for James. Still, he had to chuckle slightly at Marcus comment. "Yeah, I wonder if it's too late to switch families?" He looked around at the others discomfort at the situation and that only upset him more.

"You know what, man? This is exactly the kind of thing this place is trying to avoid. Some of these people will have a hard time fitting in to normal society and if they can't control their powers it will only be worse. Me, I like who and what I am. If this place can make me better, great! I'm all for it. I was out there in a costume trying to help people and stop bad guys before I cam here and I can't wait to do it again. You have a problem with any of that, then get lost. We don't need you around here anyway." He turned away from James and slid down in his chair a little. He was not happy about this guy and what he said but he was even more unhappy with how easily it made him blow up.

 

[Rybaer]

Mental note: don't talk to that guy telepathically, Cloud thinks to herself as she watches James' outburst in silence.

Sensing that her family was already at risk of falling apart before it could come together, she decides to step up and become an enabler...something she learned from a seminar while on student council back in high school.

"Jonn's exactly right," she says. "We're always going to be different from others and we need to learn how to deal with people who don't like us...as well as learning how to trust those who do. I know we're all a little bit skeptical about what this school is offering us. It's a natural reaction to something that on the surface almost seems too good. If we're resistant and untrusting every step of the way, however, we're only dooming the process to failure.

"Personally, I'm very eager to learn everything they can teach us. I'm also looking forward to getting to know my new family better. I think we cover quite the range of personalities, but that will probably only make us stronger in the long run."

Cloud looks around a little sheepishly at the others in the room. She surprised even herself a bit with her boldness.

"If you want, I could try talking to James...see if I can calm him down a bit. I get a sense that there's something in his past that has made him a lot touchier than the rest of us. I'd rather not lose anyone before we've even started."

 

[Synchronicity]

James Dunbar, HP 5/5

Not acknowledging Marcus or John's words, James leaves the room. The place certainly seems a lot less angrier with him gone. 'Stupid! Can't they see I'm just trying to help them?! Why do you even bother, James?' Glowering angrily, James just walks. Eventually, he ends up outside the building, still angry. Leaning up against the wall, James begins muttering to himself, too caught up in his thoughts to notice he's talking out loud. "Well, that was clever, wasn't it? This was a stupid idea from the start. I've got nothing in common with these people. Whose bright idea was it to try and fit back into society anyway? I'm a freak! An experiment gone wrong. I don't fit in anywhere. Dammit!" James lashes out, hitting the wall hard enough to bruise his knuckles..though the bruises are gone almost as soon as they form. "Now just think for a minute! While I'm here, they're willing to take care of Amelia. If I run off, what happens to her? Does it really matter what these people want me for? There's no such thing as a free lunch, and the only currency I've got is my abilities. If using my abilities for these people keeps Amelia safe, is it really a problem?" 'Amelia might think it depends on what you use them for.' 'Oh, shut up.'

 

[Dark Nemesis]

Siren appeared calm in the face of James’ outburst, and Wes’s only reaction was to narrow his eyes slightly as James stormed out. Both remained silent for a moment as the students talked amongst themselves.

“Teamwork sounds fun! Although the killing bit sounds complicated. There are so many people here, I wouldn’t know who to kill and who not to. Father always made me try to un-kill people after I had killed them. Will that be part of the training too?”

At last, Siren speaks up. “Sorry to… er… disappoint you, child, but we will not be asking you to kill anybody. Though you may have an opportunity to practice any healing powers you might have.”

"If you want, I could try talking to James...see if I can calm him down a bit. I get a sense that there's something in his past that has made him a lot touchier than the rest of us. I'd rather not lose anyone before we've even started."

“Thank you, Cloud. However, I think it would be best if we allowed Mr. Dunbar time to cool off,” Wes replied smoothly. “We have a few more matters to discuss, and after a brief break we will be taking a tour of the campus. Perhaps he will see fit to join us then." Wes paused, and got a faraway look in his eyes. A moment later, he seemed to sna back to reality, before continuing on. "Now, is there anyone here who does not speak English as their primary language?”

 

[Dark Nemesis]

As James storms outside, he draws a few curious looks, but no one approaches him. He makes it to the gardens, where he paces and rants a bit. As he pauses to catch a breath, he hears a soft rustling coming from some nearby bushes. Turning to look, he would see a young green-skinned woman. It appeared she had in the process of gardening, but at the moment, she was looking in his direction.

A moment later, James heard Wes’s voice within his mind. They may tolerate temper tantrums where you come from, but we will not. After you have had your chance to sulk, come back. We will be starting the campus tour in twenty minutes.

 

[Synchronicity]

James Dunbar, HP 5/5

"Argh!" Frustrated by Wes's casual insertion into his mind, and by what the telepath said, James lets out an angry yell and punched the wall again as hard as he can. There's an unpleasant cracking noise and a lance of pain which makes James suck in his breath, but as usual, it doesn't last long as his long-suffering bones are coaxed back into their rightful place. James just looks at his hand for a moment, feeling it knitting back together. He suddenly feels very tired, his anger seemingly burnt out. It's only then that he notices the green-skinned woman looking at him.

James looks for a moment, but can't hold her gaze, and he looks down and away, feeling ashamed. "...Sorry." James's mutter isn't very audible, but it is there. He crosses his arms over his chest, feeling very stupid all of a sudden and looks over the garden, taking care not to look at the woman. Remembering his antics of the past few minutes and realising that the woman almost certainly saw them, James flushes slightly with embarassment and retreats into aloof reserve, trying to ignore her while he gets his head together. 'This is all Wes's fault. Stupid bloody telepaths! Who does he think he is, just walking into people's minds like that?! Like I haven't had enough people trying to make me think what they want me to think! And I bet I'm not wrong, either. This school is too good to be true, and I'm not going to get hurt on account of believing otherwise.'

 

[Keia]

Marcus Stevens (Proton) HPs: 5/5, Unhurt

“We have a few more matters to discuss, and after a brief break we will be taking a tour of the campus. Perhaps he will see fit to join us then."

"Yayy," Marcus sarcastically added quietly.

“Now, is there anyone here who does not speak English as their primary language?”

Marcus paused for a second, wondering if he should should say yes or no to the question . . . sounded like a trick question to him - so he just replied, "English."

 

[Calinon]

"I am from Japan," Hoshiko replies after a moment. "My english is very good," she adds, forcing herself to finally release the hold on her desk, folding her hands into her lap.