ic Witchy Woman

[Thunder King]

"Mia, thank you so much. You helped a lot. I owe you a hug. If you ever need a favor, just ask. As long as it's nothing bad of course." 

 

He gave her a grateful smile, and she could see that he was without hair or eyebrows, and that his eyes were yellow.

[Shofet]

Mia held up her hands at the mention of a hug, but then smiled at Adam mischievously. "Nothing bad? Why, I'm an absolute angel. Not a bad bone in my entire body," she said with irony so thick it was palpable. "Eh, I'm sure I'll think of something at some point, but really, she needed the help, I didn't do it for a reward."

 

"Aaaanyway," she said, slowly backing out of the door. "I am just in a t-shirt right now, and like... I have anime to watch and... You know, sleep and stuff."

 

She threw him a peace sign as she walked on out and back to her room, where she promptly retrieved her half-eaten pizza slice from her pocket dimension and woke her computer up to start watching the latest episode of Angsty Bishonen Gaiden.

[Heritage]

Claremont Academy Infirmary. Sunday, September 8th, 2019. 10:08 am

 

Little by little, Lulu woke up, feeling a slight crick in her neck. She was in a hospital gown in a hospital-style bed, but there was also something padded and rather bulky around her neck. She reached up and her fingers grazed a strange collar she was wearing for some-

 

"Oh s###." 

 

It all came back to her: her powers going crazy, Adam showing up, throwing the new girl halfway across the room, Ashley doing something impossible. And now this; she'd worn an inhibitor collar once before, and though not a fan, it was still better than drugs. She lay back in bed and sighed.

 

"Adam," she called out softly. "You around, hon?"

[Avenger Assembled]

The previous night 

 

By the time Ashley made her way back to her dorm room, she'd figured out how to deactivate Lulu's psychic invisibility. A damn good thing, too, because she had not enjoyed the several moments she'd stood there cursing and waving her arms until she'd realized which effect of Lulu's she must have been mimicking. Her fingerprints opened the dorm room door, and she stepped inside to find a nervous Judy waiting for her. "How's Lulu, is she okay? How are-ohmigosh!" 

 

"Ah'm fine," drawled Ashley as she limped in and dropped down on her bed. "Ah just took a few bumps and bruises, that's all..." She pushed off her jacket and found herself staring with great annoyance at the dried blood that matted her left arm, ruining the nice pajamas she'd been wearing. She could feel other injuries too, but that one looked like the worst one. "Well buy me a Cadillac and call me Elvis," she muttered tiredly. "How'd that get there?" 

 

When she looked up, Judy was standing there with the room's emergency medkit in her hand. "Ashley, take off that top," she said firmly. "You are not going to sleep with open wounds while Ah am around." 

 

"Ah'm fine, really-"

 

"No you are not! Now you know Ah am certified in first aid, so you take off your shirt and let me help you. Here, use this towel if you're feelin' modest..." Despite herself, Ashley went along with what her ward had to say, painfully unbuttoning the pajama top to reveal the several deep bruises and small cuts she'd taken from Lulu's telekinetic storm. With a sound that reminded Ashley a little bit of the First Lady, Judy went to work, wiping down open wounds with antiseptic, tightly wrapping with gauze, her hands so warm they helped almost in and of themselves. 

 

"God, Ah am getting caught up on sleep tonight," said Ashley, clutching the towel to her front torso while Judy slapped a big square band-aid on her back. "Stupid to be up all night anyway."  

 

Judy smiled and said, "You sound funny with Lulu's accent. Think you got any of her powers?" 

"Ah tried to dial it back and just put her to sleep - so far it's just been the invisibility thing." 

 

Judy sat next to her on the bed and began putting the kit back together. "Well it's still good you were there, and Ah'm not even gonna mention how Ah could have helped if Ah'd been around." 

 

"Thanks for patching me up," said Ashley, smiling to deflect what had been an argument when she'd gotten the emergency call. 

 

"That's all right." Judy smiled back. "Like you said. We're together till the end of the line." 

[Avenger Assembled]

Adam was not there - at least not at first. But there was Nurse Joy, with calm eyes and reassuring words, and Headmistress Summers not long after that. They reassured Lulu that everything was all right; she wasn't hurt, she hadn't seriously hurt anybody, and she wasn't in any trouble. "This sort of thing happens all the time, deary," said Nurse Joy with a ready smile, "don't worry. We should have you out of that collar in just a week or two, maybe less if everything goes well." In the meantime there were books, and the television, and an institutional breakfast that come to think of it wasn't too different from her regular breakfast. 

 

Just when she was getting ready to ask about her boyfriend, or perhaps her foster parents, there was a little knock on the door of her small private room - and a new face entered. "Hey, Lulu." Ashley looked back to normal, in a leather jacket, white T, and jeans that looked like they'd seen some hard use. She held up a finger, smiling. "Ssh. Don't tell anyone I came, all right?" She stepped in. "I wanted to talk to you." 

[Thunder King]

Adam popped up behind Ashley when he heard her say that. He waved. "I can go." He said. "I heard what the nurse said, you'll be fine, Lulu. I guarantee they've dealt with powers changing and evolving before." 

 

"Do you need me to go, Ashley?" He asked. He was pretty sure she'd be okay, but he was relieved to hear it. He was worried about his own powers, sometimes. He never quite knew if they would evolve, either. 

[Heritage]

Lulu was about to respond to Ashley when Adam poked his head up behind her, and the redheaded psionic had to suppress a chuckle. She then looked at Judy's overprotective sister and shrugged. "Ah mean, this just saves me the trouble of havin' to lie to you; you know ah would have told him anyway." She reached up and put a hand on her boyfriend's arm. "Give us a minute? Ah think this part has to be private."

 

Once he was out of the room, she turned her full attention to Ashley. "So right off the bat, thank you. Seriously. But ah'm thinkin' we have more important things to discuss."

[Avenger Assembled]

Ashley shot Adam a quick smile - then shut the door behind him. Well, she's got a telepath's self-possession, doesn't she? 

 

"It's no problem," she said, taking a chair and moving it closer to the room's small bedside. She knew she'd have to work quickly - Nurse Joy did _not_ like her being in here one bit, Summers' word or not, but this was part of the overall mission and she had to take it seriously. "Just make sure you're there to pass it on to the next person who needs it." She set her hands on her lap and studied Lulu, not even glancing down at the collar. She hesitated a barely discernible moment before she said "What should we discuss?" 

[Heritage]

"Okay, so no offense, but ah know everythin' you do is to protect Judy; you never would have revealed your powers if she wasn't threatened." There was no judgement in the telepath's voice. "You took an oath, or actually a few oaths, ah think. Your story, both yours and Judy's, don't quite add up, but ah don't care. You'd protect her with your dyin' breath...and that ain't even all the oath, that's noble; that's love. Ah want to protect her, too, and whatever story you want me to tell, ah'll tell it, but we'll need to get Adam and Mia onboard, because they're the only other witnesses. Schools in on it, too, right? Nursing staff and Summers, at least, keeping your powers secret?"

 

It was a bit incongruous, seeing Lulu in that ridiculous collar, but her expression was full of empathy, and a firm desire to help.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Contrary to what they say in the girls locker room, we don't actually have to disclose our powers to each other. A lot of students keep things to themselves if they're embarrassed or ashamed. Judy doesn't even like to tell people she can see in the dark." A look crossed her face that Lulu had never seen when Ashley talked about her sister; sadness. "If it gets around I can suck people's powers out by looking at them, that's not so bad." She smiled tightly. "Another reason for people to cross the street when they see the Watchdog coming." 

 

Ashley considered her words for a little while, then said: 

 

"My story goes something like this." She took a breath, looked the psychic in the eye, and told her the truth. "My dad was a cop. He was an Asian guy who walked a beat in a city that was mostly white and black, but he loved every minute of it. He used to say that he was showing the people in the neighborhood that this was where we belonged, that we fit in just as much as anybody who'd been here forever. When I was little, I was the big sister, and I wanted to be just like him." She was silent for a moment or two, then said, "Dad was shot in the back one day by a dealer who thought he'd found his drug stash. He hadn't really, though, he was just checking the building to make sure nobody was hiding in it." She shrugged. "He was wearing his vest but that doesn't always work, and it didn't this time. The guy wasn't even particularly high in the food chain; he was just a low-life who panicked because he was high." Ashley didn't sound sympathetic even so. "It was all just a pointless, random tragedy." 

 

"This was long before I even knew what a Grue was, you understand." She gave Lulu a serious look. "So if I'm ever...too protective of Judy, which maybe I am sometimes, it's because I know what happens when people let their guard down, and I don't want that to happen to anyone else I care about." 

[Heritage]

Lulu sat and digested Ashley's words for a while, as they'd raised even more questions, but she was quick to shut such thoughts down, as dwelling on them was totally missing the point.  This was truth the older Smith was willing to offer (and Lulu knew it was true), and it needed to be respected.

 

"Ah'm sorry you lost your daddy; ah'm sure he'd be proud as hell at how you watch out for Judy. Ah'm sure there's a lot of him in you, and that you honor him everyday." She sighed and looked down at her hands. "Mah daddy's a piece of s###, and the world would be better off without 'im; ah like to think every good thing ah do is givin' him the finger."

 

Shifting gears, Lulu looked back up at Ashley. "So. What can ah do to help?"

Edited October 20, 2019 by Heritage

[Avenger Assembled]

"You don't have to do anything," said Ashley with a small smile. "Just make sure nobody goes sniffing around Judy who doesn't belong." She took a moment to contemplate asking Lulu to make Leroy think he and Judy has broken up, or possibly that he needed to go punch Claude on her behalf. Quiet, you. Don't get in the habit of thinking that around her. She's not gonna have the collar forever.  "Judy had it tougher than I did as a kid, growing up the way she had to, and I want  to make sure her last couple of years here at Claremont go well. Judy's already had a chance to talk to Mia and Adam, they didn't really ask her anything. They mostly were worried about you; and speaking of, I think I'd better let him back in before he starts banging on the door..." 

[Shofet]

Mia had been pretty concerned about Lulu, all things considered. She didn't really know the girl very well, but what had happened last night would be frightening for anyone. Knowing that Ashley was okay as well was a blessing. The girl had just seemed to disappear, but thanks to Judy she knew that things were fine. Or as fine as they could be, given the circumstances.

 

Heading down to the nurse's office, she carried with her a small basket of goods and a balloon that said "get well soon!". Gently, she knocked on the door, seeing Adam. "Hey, man," she said to him. "Hope you got some sleep last night. I know it was probably scary for you."

 

She sighed, staring at the door. "I figured I'd... Make some stuff and then I had some stuff in my pocket dimension... Just a little care package." She shifted uncomfortably. "I... Uh... I'm not great with this sort of stuff."

[Thunder King]

Adam shrugged and smiled. "I'll be fine. I can get by with less if I need to. I promise I'll catch up later." He nodded.

 

"Concern and sympathy can go a long way, Mia. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your assistance. If you ever need a favor, do not hesitate to ask. I'm in your debt." He motioned to the door. "I think I can be let back in. Ashley wanted to talk to Lulu alone." 

 

He walked toward the door and sighed. Lulu would be okay. She wasn't the first person to have evolving powers, after all. He opened the door and stepped inside.

Edited November 19, 2019 by Thunder King

[Heritage]

As the door opened , Lulu shifted around to look up at Adam and Mia (stupid collar!) and smiled. "Hey, y'all! Ashley and ah were just finishin' up." Noticing Mia's handful of offerings, her smile got even bigger. "Why thank you, Mia! Just put them on the nightstand over here." She let her head fall back on the stack of pillows and sighed. "It's so quiet now, without everyone's thoughts floatin' around up here." She pointed at the side of her head. "If they can make somethin' a bit less bulky, ah'd sure as hell take one; don't mind a little peace and quiet now and then."

 

The redheaded telepath sighed, then looked over at Mia.apologetically. "Ah'm sorry we had to meet like that, but ah'm grateful for your help; ah couldn't have done it without you." Then she held her hands up and laughed weakly. "'Welcome to Claremont!'"