Setting
His eyebrow quirked upwards at the scene before him, the burned girl and the air boy had put on quite a surprising display. He hadn't expected the boy to stand up for himself, or walk away like that, he seemed more like the type to let people walk all over him. Apparently, Sunan's first judgement was wrong. His gaze lingered on the burned girl for a moment longer before returning forward. She was something else, temperamental and inexperienced. Damaged people were often interesting, though they were too difficult, he would avoid contact with her. Instead he decided to tune into the continuation of spoken information. His body relaxed when he learned that they would be allowed to leave the auditorium soon. Time was being kind to him, soon he would be able to retire to a state of unconsciousness.
That man, what was his name again? The fire instructor was irritating, Sunan was starting to wish that he would somehow accidentally set himself ablaze. What was he trying to prove? The boy crossed his arms over his chest. His behavior wasn't very impressive at all. The news of being split into groups wasn't thrilling to him either, but it would be tolerable. Unlike this point system, which sounded more like a pain than anything. He didn't want people to nag him to do better, he wasn't a person to care about tests in the first place. If he didn't wish to take the assessment, he simply wouldn't show up.
However, physical activity wasn't something he loathed, he rather enjoyed it. Ever since he returned to America he hadn't been practicing muay Thai too often, but that was because it was difficult to find someone to practice with. Finding people that were on his level were few and far between in the country. Perhaps his knowledge in the sport would assist him in learning how to use and control his element - Earth. To be honest, he still wasn't feeling to sure about this 'superpower' business. Maybe after he cleared his head he'd feel differently, and that's just what physical activity did for him. Sunan's thoughts didn't tangle together when he was fighting, his mind just relaxed, no longer contemplating the mysteries of the world or previous observations. Mediating only ever made him frustrated nowadays, and the world could offer to much to think about sometimes, he was grateful for the opportunity to truly let off some steam.
Team Micnah, it's color was green, it's mascot was a fox and he was apart of it. The journey to it didn't seem bad, he just hoped there were plenty of windows. If he was lucky, one of those would open so he could climb onto the roof and get some air whenever he needed it, he just couldn't be stuffed in doors for so long. The orientation was put to an end, and the auditorium was suddenly bustling with activity as people started to exit towards either their dorms, or the cafeteria. He heard a boy question who he was, but didn't answer, he would find out soon enough and introducing himself like that would be too much of a pain, considering he would have to cut through the sudden crowd of students. No to mention, it would be awkward. Would he really fit in here? Sunan felt foolish for these worries, yet they invaded his mind all the same. Would he find his place here, or would he become an outsider? As much as he liked to avoid complexity, he wasn't a loner, he still desired companionship all the same. Learning and exploring was fun on it's own, but his thoughts truly couldn't flourish without another. After a moment of hesitation, Sunan decided to follow the group heading towards the cafeteria. As much as he wanted to just get away from it all, he couldn't deny that he was hungry, especially after all of this.
Noise buzzed through his head, the chatter of students sounded so much louder here than in the auditorium. The people around him blended together in a blur, he was hardly focusing on the images that painted themselves before him. He just wanted to eat and leave at this point, attempting to shut everything and everyone out as he carried out the task. Sunan found himself with a tray of school food, hardly appetizing and the sight sent a pang of homesickness into his chest. He would miss the lunches his mother would make him, not to forget that variety of dishes she would prepare for other meals.
He'd certainly miss having a breakfast of nam-tao-hu song-crueng, made from tapioca pearls, sweeten soy sauce and grass jelly, or the soup that included ginger and lemon grass, khao tom. Then there was all the other dishes his family would make, all including a variety of different flavors that complimented each other and delicious harmony. Sunan glared at the food before him like it had offended him. A plain looking hamburger, an apple, a pile of corn and a carton of milk. Disgusting. Of course, if he had the means he could cook his own food, though his cooking never measured up to what the other people in his family could do. Even his younger sister, Mayuree, could create better meals.
Sunan sat at the end of one of the tables, quite away from other people, but not far enough. There was still a group not too far away, all mingling with one another to start forming their own little click. The boy wanted to groan when their irritating gossip grew in volume, but held his tongue, lest he create a scene. He picked at his food for a moment before finally giving in and eating it. Sadly, this would have to do.
Unfortunately for him, it seemed the majority of the students leaving the auditorium had the same idea. So naturally, Kael wore a zombie-like expression on his face as he made his way through the slow moving line, but his expression quickly changed when he saw the apples. And there were plenty left! There is a god! he thought happily as he made his way to the delicious crimson fruit. Kael picked the best looking one he could see and placed it on his tray where it seemed to make the rest of the food there look pale and uninteresting.
He held his tray atop his left hand as he held his bag over his shoulder with the other and turned to make his way to a table. There were rows upon rows of tables, and many of them open or with just one or two occupants; but again, the problem of students everywhere was present and Kael had to weave and dart his way through until he got stuck behind some moving down an isle. He moved to turn when he was shoved from the side as someone pushed through the students rather rudely and sat down at a table. Kael's eyes immediately went to his apple as it rolled around on the toppling tray and he moved quickly to stop it from falling off. As the red-covered gold bounced to the air, he quickly bit the air to catch the stem between his teeth.
If that would have fallen, so help me...Kael set it back in its place on his tray and turned toward the table, "Watch where you're going, dude."
Great, should be a fun time.
The guy who was talking to her had already disappeared into the crowd as everyone was dismissed to their dorms or the cafeteria. The promise of food was too appealing to pass up, so Franki flung her bag over her shoulder before exiting the aisle and joining the zombie-like crowd. The cafeteria was a typical cafeteria, long tables lined up in rows. It reminded Franki of the high school she had gone to back home.
She spotted a few people already sitting, chatting about their new school. The other water girl, who had caused the scene earlier, was already sitting at a table, happily chatting with a few others. Franki couldn't help but sneer and quickly moved to a table a safe distance away. There was essentially, nobody in the back of the cafeteria. There was only one other person that she had seen, and he didn't look like he wanted to be disturbed.
Dropped her bag on top of the seat, Franki went to go grab some food, which turned out to look more appealing than she originally imagined. Sitting down at her table, Franki found herself slipping into her favorite past time, people-watching.
The trashcan, luckily, wasn't too far away and Kael dumped his tray after plucking up the apple he had so looked forward to eating. Down the aisle he was going, there were a few other students causing a bit of trouble. He turned and went back the way he came, avoiding looking in the three students' direction as he made his exit. Two or three more steps showed him that this way was blocked for the moment as well. You've got to be kidding... It seemed the girl that caused the ruckus in the Auditorium earlier was playing cards or something with the tough looking youth who had questioned the teachers. The two seemed to be drawing quite a bit of attention at whatever they were doing and currently had quite the audience.
Kael contemplated just shoving his way through the throng when he remembered the apple still in his hand and how he had been a little ticked when someone came shoving through the crowd when he was looking for a seat. Not too far, he hoped he found his respite when he spotted another face he recognized. She was watching the other students as she sat by herself at the table, her bag at her side still.
"I never got a chance to thank you for back in the auditorium. Calming her down I mean," Kael said as he came up to the table. He flicked his head back to indicate the scarred girl with the cards. "I'm Kael. Mind if I join you for a bit?" He gestured to the empty seat in front of her.
It wasn't until a figure passed through her line of sight, that she finally shook out of her transfixed stare.
"I never got a chance to thank you for back in the auditorium. Calming her down I mean,"
Franki recognized the boy, but never got a chance to hear his name. He was in the auditorium when "fire-is-evil" chick went all nutso.
"I'm Kael. Mind if I join you for a bit?"
Kael. Interesting name. She smiled at him and nodded, letting him take the seat across from her. "It's pretty crazy here." She mused. "I hated normal high school. Now, I'm stuck with hormonal teenagers with magical powers."
She looked over at Kael. He seemed to be transfixed on an apple. "So, which element is yours? Wait, let me guess...fire?"
He agreed with her completely. High school was crazy enough, now they had the clash of regular high school and the X-Men thrown together. Kael didn't mind high school much, to him it was just another step until he got out of his hometown. The final step it would seem...but this new experience at least gave him the means to make himself better. And behind him, it seemed some more high school drama was going on but he decided to completely ignore it.
"So, which element is yours? Wait, let me guess...fire?"
Kael immediately stopped himself from wincing. He had a feeling that fire wasn't going to be the most popular of the elements after what occurred earlier. Then again, water probably wouldn't be either...
"Yeah..." He confirmed. "Nothing on the scale of what we saw earlier of course." The apple was still in his hand but tucked it away before he got too distracted. "But who knows, it could be worse. We could've had a normal orientation at a normal school with, well, regular hormonal teenagers..." Imagining that, Kael couldn't help but smile. He was about to say something else when he realized something. "I never caught your name."
"The name's Franki."
I'll have to remember that one. "Ah, finally a name to the face!" There was something he liked about her. She wasn't like the other students Kael had come across so far. She seemed...well...normal. He began to say something else when his pocket started to vibrate. He pulled out his phone again as it buzzed like a handicapped bug while the screen flicked on in a very odd set of colors before flickering out again.
"Gotta' love technology," he said, "it can send people to the moon or help us communicate all over the world, but dive through a tidal wave and it's useless..."
He then sat at the able for some time, head on his hand, elbow on table. He was lonely. He had tried to talk to the water girl, but she obviously didn't want anything to do with him. The redhead had also spurned him. He was actually at a school, surrounded by more people then he'd ever been around before. But he had never been lonelier.
He thought that it was partially his fault. His look. His demeanor. He wouldn't approach himself on the street. Why would anyone else here?
He stood up and took his tray to a trash can. He dumped his trash and threw the tray to the top of the bin, where it sat. He turned around and noticed the girl he had attempted to approach in the Auditorium earlier. She was talking to another boy. He had told himself that he wouldn't approach anyone else today, but he changed his mind, hoping with a different attitude he could actually make a good impression.
He walked up to the table, where he sat down gently next to the boy.
"Hi there. I tried talking to you in the Auditorium and left without saying goodbye. I'm sorry. I've got issues dealing with people. I was hoping I could maybe just talk and get to know some people, instead of....well, acting like a jerk. I'm Atomsk. What are your guys names?"
The tall youth from earlier came over to the table an sat in the seat beside Kael. As he explained his scene earlier when Kael had seen him with Franki in the auditorium, Kael decided he at lest deserved a chance.
"I'm Atomsk. What are your guys names?"
"Kael." He said as he held his hand out to Atomsk. Always greet a woman with a smile and a man with a handshake... He couldn't recall where he'd heard the quote, or its unknown source for that matter. "How's the anti-Hogwarts treatin' ya so far?"
Kael blanched when he heard that. That would make me Ron... The thought didn't exactly sit right in his head. He couldn't exactly picture himself as the goofy and skittish sidekick. Now that the thought crossed his mind, only thing he could think of that he had in common was red hair. Although, the dunce did get the girl in the end...
"Well I certainly have the background to be the bad boy! And a bad boy needs his group of people others don't mess with. Seems like this will work out fine!"
Atomsk's remark brought him away from his thoughts and back to reality. Kael definitely wasn't the bad boy. He had no problem acting like one when he had to, but he was normally way too quick with a smile. That usually shattered the whole 'bad boy' illusion. "Safety in numbers, huh?" Kael said. "Fine with me." Another thought occurred to him at that moment: Franki, if he recalled correctly, had her name called for the Thrull dorm, and Atomsk's for Fayr. Kael himself was in the Micnah dorm. Hm? That's a little interesting... Each of them was from a different dorm than the other. And I bet that's not the only thing...
"Atomsk," He inquired, "Your ability doesn't happen to be Air or Earth does it? That would be a pretty tough combination."
Franki tilted her head to the side, her hair falling around her face. "It's okay," She smiled. "Not everyone here is going to be advanced. I can do a few things, but I'm not a master of water, that's for sure."
She looked around, and noticed a few people experimenting with their powers. Causing gusts of winds, little flames to dance around, raining indoors; it was interesting and strange and so many other things. But not one of them was advanced, many stared up at wonderment, trying to fathom how on earth they were going to be able to do that. "Most of these guys had no idea they had control over an element before coming here. Some probably still don't believe."
She looked back up at Atomsk, pretzel stick sticking out of her mouth. "We're all connected in some way, so we have to stick together." She smiled at him, heading tilting again. "We have to stick together, right?"
"We have to stick together, right?"
"Of course." Kael said as he laughed inside at the pretzel hanging from Franki's mouth. She really likes those pretzels... "Besides, these teachers or whatever, they've had over a seventeen year head start on us. Can't let them show us up."
"Well," Kael took a breath before he began, "in my opinion, it doesn't matter where you came from. At least not here. Not anymore. Everyone has been given a clean slate once they set foot in that auditorium earlier. Whether you were stuck with all brothers," he gestured to Franki, "on your own," to Atomsk, "or lived were the only guy in your house. We're all on the same level now. At least for the moment..."
Another round of bangs, and soon the doors to the cafeteria had erupted open and a limping figure slowly entered the large space. She couldn't really make out any features, not until he came crashing down onto the ground, a green bowler hat rolling off his round head. Franki watched it with her eyes, as the round object circled around the floor, until finally stopping, falling upside down.
Her eyes shot back to the man, now accompanied by the teachers. She backed up, hands falling to her sides. She didn't know what to do. Helping with a bad headache was as far as her water properties could go when it came to "healing" someone.
One of the teachers had ushered the students away, telling them to head to the dorms, that everything would be okay. As Franki passed by the group, she could see how severe his injuries were. She didn't even know where her dorm room was! But she rushed out of the room, barely uttering a word to Atomsk or Kael, which she kicked herself for later. She liked them, they were cool guys, and she totally just blew them off!
Hopefully, they would understand. There was kind of a lot going on. She vaguely remembered hearing that the Thrull dorm was at the top floor. Hopefully it wasn't too large, so she wouldn't spend most of her night wondering the halls trying to find it. She rounded a stair banister and began her lengthy ascent.
Kael's mind wandered as he made his way to the Micnah dorms. The emergence of the collapsed man clearly had the teachers startled. Come to think of it, it seemed like they had been waiting for someone in the auditorium. He wondered if that might be the man. By the way the teachers reacted, it clearly wasn't the Icarus Whim character they were told about. Hopefully they'd know something soon, there were still too many pieces missing. At least I'm not alone here... Kael thought back to Atomsk and Franki. They both seemed alright. But the way Franki had darted out had him a bit worried. On the other hand, he had a feeling Atomsk would be fine. The tough guy exterior didn't seem like it was just for show. He would just have to wait and see.
Kael climbed the final steps and opened the door to their common room. Once he stepped in, he realized he wasn't exactly alone as there were a few students still around. Two of them caught his eye immediately: a young girl with bright eyes and blonde hair and a guy that appeared to be Thai in origin with his dark skin and hair. He tried to focus on the room and force his mind to quit wandering back to the scene in the cafeteria. But something else snagged at his mind. None of these people seemed to know what happened. He didn't recognize anyone from the cafeteria here.
Kael scratched his head and looked at the guy and girl. "You guys didn't happen to come from the cafeteria did you?"
He tugged on a new, plain black shirt and blue jeans as his stomach growled at him furiously. Kael slipped on his shoes and headed out his dorm and into the common room. There wasn't anyone there at the moment, likely still asleep or out getting something to eat. As he slipped into the hall, he noticed something as the closed. An announcement stuck to the door and read: ALL STUDENTS TO REPORT TO THE AUDITORIUM AT NOON. Hopefully we'll get a few answers about what went on yesterday.
Kael made his way to the cafeteria and grabbed a tray, stacking it as much as he could with pancakes, eggs, toast and bacon. A smile lit up his face with the orange juice. Hopefully it's from Florida. A little piece of home. There were only a few students in the cafeteria, and Kael noticed Atomsk sitting at one of the tables. He wandered over to it and took a seat. He didn't look like he got much sleep, but he look oddly...happy. "Mornin." Something about him was odd. Odd was the wrong word....he was....Elated? Cheerful even. "Is the food really that good?" Kael laughed at how many plates sat before Atomsk.
"You know, she's alright. We have a bit in common." Kael didn't want to go around revealing Erin's ability with everyone, though he had a feeling Atomsk would be fine with his reasons. He glanced up at the line, thinking of maybe getting another serving, and spotted Erin on her way over to them. Speak of the devil...
"Can I sit with you guys?" She asked.
"Of course," Kael hopped up to offer her a seat before he had a chance to think. Atomsk had just finished saying he had been scolded by her and that she probably hated him. With an apologetic look to Atomsk, he asked "Right?"
"Do you want to practice before the assembly?" That was Erin's voice.
Kael snapped out of his "oh so observant" state and swallowed the bite he had in his mouth. He had to hand it to Erin, she was straight to the point. Training was why they were here in the first place too. He gave a slight shrug, "Sure, we've got a few hours to kill." He turned his head to Atomsk, "What have you got planned for the day? More dancing?"
He picked up his glass of orange juice and took a sip. "Says the guy waiting for his dancing partner..."
Kael smiled thoughtfully. Atomsk's sense of humor seemed to be on par with his own. A few more of these mocking jabs at each other would make for a pretty fun year.
Franki suddenly appeared in the cafeteria. "Morning guys."
Speak of the devil....again... "Morning Franki."
His dreams consisted of the sounds of birds, buses, laughter and religious chanting. The sky was bright, yet it was painted black, glowing and burning his eyes whenever he looked up. As soon as Sunan awoke it evaporated into the air, only the sensation of new beginnings and anxiety was left, the rest was forgotten in a numb haze. He was more accepting of the new found knowledge when he woke up, thanks to a good nights sleep. He had slept in quite a bit, yesterday must of been more tiring then he had thought, he usually wasn't one to sleep so much.
He had the entire dorm room to himself, not a person in sight, and couldn't say he was unhappy with it. People weren't exactly his preferred company right now, so instead of rushing down to breakfast, he took his time getting ready. A long shower was much appreciated, washing away worries and regrets. Curiosity was starting to replace his previous suspicions, and at one point his hand hovered over a plant in the empty Micnah common room. Yet, no matter how hard he concentrated, nothing happened. No swaying vines or trembling rocks, just a still, stagnant plant and a boy that felt foolish, if anything.
Sunan's clothes for today consisted of blue straight cut jeans, scuffed sneakers and a gray hoodie that was thrown over a navy T-shirt, which peeked out from the bottom of the jacket. Contrasting, or complimenting, the orange writing on the hoodie, faded and dull was the scrawl of; ความลับไม่มีในโลก, which would be pronounced 'kwaam láp mâi mee nai lôhk'. It simply translated to 'There are no secrets in the world', a proverb that he happened to agree with. There were no such thing as secrets, as hard as you try to hide the truth, someone still knew, even if that sole person was you. Plus, there was no point in hiding what can't be hidden.
Again being antisocial, Sunan sat away from the groups of people and located himself at a corner in the cafeteria. He stared at his collection of fried eggs, toast with strawberry jelly, bacon and orange juice. Now that he was feeling less sour he had to admit that this wasn't too bad, he could live with this. He didn't even poke at his food this time, and got right to the point of eating it. Aside for having to go to the auditorium at noon with the rest of the students, he had no plans, nothing to do, his schedule was open and free. This is, what would, no, what could he do? Perhaps he would explore the grounds, and maybe make another attempt at this elemental power business. He would get the hang of it eventually, right?
It wasn't long before she reached the cafeteria and walked in. An aroma of pancaked and bacon filled the air and Yuuki took in a deep breath. She saw the food at a table and started walking towards it with her now natural posture which her parents insisted that she used. She took a tray and placed a plate on it, together with a glass of orange juice. She picked a few pancakes and put them on her plate, pouring some syrup and placing a few blocks of butter on it after. She looked around to find a familiar face in the crowd of students. Many students were sitting with their friends and there were a few eating alone quietly. She recognised two boys at a table in the corner, Sunan and Valdim. She started walking towards them with a smile on her face. She stopped at the table and spoke cheerfully,"Good morning, Sunan and Valdim. May I have a seat?" She gestured to a seat opposite of Sunan.
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