New Addition [COMPLETE]

[TheAbsurdist]

A brow rose a bit, he didn't mind this, the banal introductions and all of that.  It was better than being told what was right and proper with his powers.  He was still somewhat glad Thaelia didn't report him for his take down tactic.  But the look on her face face...

 

"They aren't serving Ramen today, last time they served that... was May 16th this year.  There are three spots for Ramen in town.  Only been the one near the university.  But they can probably whip you up some miso soup, and put ramen on the menu."  Mr. Socially Awkward Infodump rattled on.  His eyes going back to the table.

 

"People talk about me, huh?  Fair enough, I suppose."  Not really aware how much people heard about him really.  But he wasn't surprised.  

[The Sailor]

Sakurako sighed.

"Well... that changes things." Sakurako said, sitting down at her chair again, wondering exactly what to do now... unless someone else at the table had an idea. "So... any other bright ideas, guys?" She shook her head. "I honestly got nothing better to do with my day for a while... what sort of super-stuff does this place have? I've not been acquainted with the full facility. All I got is the stuff the public knows about the Academy."

"Either that, or at the very least we can tap into whatever sort of amenities are outside of the academy, at least until it gets late enough were getting ready for my classes tomorrow is an issue."

[Heritage]

A tall athletic blonde in red flannel shirt, jeans and hiking boots approached the group; she wore glasses and had her hair up, but there was no denying how beautiful Casey was, since she practically glowed. When she saw her roommate, she grinnned and bowed. "Konnichiwa, Haruko-san! Ii tenki desu ne?" She was still limited to basic phrases, but her accent was noticibly improving.

Then she turned to the less familiar faces and waved. "Hi, I'm Casey!" She held up her tray, which was piled high with double portions of everything. "Can me and my giant pile of food join you?"

Edited November 25, 2014 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako's stomach started to grumble, seeing the newcomer's meal. Turning her consternation into a palatable sound.

"That's some pretty sharp Japanese there, Casey. It's coming along... I had to learn it myself. Yeah, the girl from Japan needing to learn Japanese... I come from lots of different places." And her last remark was apparent with her notably Londoner accent to her English. It was obvious her formative years were probably in the UK, not the US or Japan... She was probably quite cosmopolitan.

Holding out her hand for an offered handshake she smiled as with her other hand she opened her helmet... which was more the suit re-absorbing it's nanites and graphene. "Sakurako Hino. Not sure if you guys operate with call-signs yet, but I've preferred Endeavor over my usual."

She adjusts her suit. "I think what we can do then is just select what we want as we get hungry, guys... would be rude to bail on Casey, after all."

After accepting Casey's hands for a moment, Sakurako hovers off, collecting her meal, and returning. Opting for a salad, something from the vegetarian menu, and strangely enough a plate of spaghetti with real meatballs as well...

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant said nothing more as he idly flipped through the songs on his mp3 player, his head resting in an upturned palm, as he looked at that.  He didn't really need to watch others, his telehaptic sense meant he knew where they were.  Sure in crowds he used to have problems, but not anymore, he was able to track movements across his web.

 

It was after Sakurako returned, and Casey showed up, that he lifted his head up enough for his voice to carry.  "Sub-basements.  Depending."  And a moment later his gaze rested onto Casey for a moment, with that intrusive gaze, dissecting.

[The Sailor]

"Sub-basements? Go on..."

Sakurako was genuinely curious at this point. Having a mystery dropped into her lap was definitely the best bait for her. "To be honest, I'd love to see what you guys do when the capes are on... or in my case, suit."

She started to eat, in small portions. "You know, having some gym time would do me wonders. I'm still trying to keep up with my folks on a lot of different things. Luckily I got my Claremont suit in my bag too... looks good for when wearing this suit is a bit much for more normal school functions in the sub-basements... if that is where the fun really happens. Then again I'm known to ramble endlessly too, I think. More so when I'm bored. You guys got a workshop here?"

Edited November 30, 2014 by The Osprey

[TheAbsurdist]

He sighed a little, and then his attention went to Sakurako, fully.

 

"Gym is no powers.  Dodgeball with superstrength causes structural issues.  Sub-basements' for those interested in doing more than just controlling and learning their abilities.  There are five levels, I think there is a workshop.  I don't know, I haven't used it.  But Summers will go over it with you more than likely."  Errant's accent was hard to trace, at least for the people at this table, probably.  "Swimming pool, and other amenities too, but those are topside.  And extra classes, depending."  The half sentence was loaded, certainly, but Errant's flat tone left enough space for Sakurako to infer a lot of things, but given his perceived sullen demeanor it was likely that Errant was a bit of a troublemaker, or malcontent.

Edited December 1, 2014 by TheAbsurdist

[Heritage]

Casey frowned as she eyed Errant, and he eyed her; not the social type, apparently. "I look forward to hiting that basement gym; seeing as how I can bench press a few tons, I haven't had a good workout in a while."

It seemed the outdoorsy teen's appetite was truly heroic as she tore into her meal with great gusto. Finally she addressed Sakurako again. "So do you need any help setting up your room? Bookshelves, posters, stuff like that? I do good work and I do it fast; just ask Haruko-san." There was a quick blur of movement, and suddenly the blonde was sporting an adorable pair of pigtails. "I do instant makeovers, too; good for when your date shows up an hour early." She gave the new girl a playful wink.

[The Sailor]

Sakurako smiled, pulling out her EM wand again. "There is a reason why my shelving is ferrous. I can move anything with this as long as it can be moved by magnetism." She blushed. "Although it doesn't work on wood..."

She saw the momentary friction between Casey and Errant... "Pardon for the intrusion, but it seems there is a little bit of... apprehension between you two... anything you wanna talk about?  Sometimes a middle-woman can help straighten things out."

There was an earnest look of wanting to help. She was just as willing to hear a No as a Yes, knowing situations like this when they're to be dropped... to be dropped. "If not... it's cool. I just wanna see my classmates are slogging through this crazy life in relative peace."

She looked at the others. "I'm sure as a team we would work well, at least... if we take up Vonnie's offer for a patrol... I think though that trust is an important resource..."

There she goes, sounding like her mom...

[Heritage]

Casey shrugged as she continued eating. "Never met him before; just don't like people who stare." Then she paused and set her fork down. "Technically we still haven't met-" She leaned to one side to get a better view of the sullen young man, and offered him a hopeful smile. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name earlier; mine's Casey."

At the mention of patrolling, the blonde nodded as she returned to her food. "That would be cool; what's the school policy on that? Would we need to wear a costume of some kind, because I don't have anything like that yet."

Edited December 4, 2014 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

"My cover's blown to Jupiter at this point." Sakurako mournfully said. "Happens when you're saving people from tsunami wreckage and the local media is all over you. Might have been just a blip stateside, but I would be just a Google search away."

"Then again there is a trust-able face that can work to our team's advantage, too. Although... I'm not much of a spokesperson, I just know when to keep my mouth shut." She blushed. "It's just what I gotta say that needs the polishing."

"It's pretty hard to wear a mask with this suit so... I've had to just accept the fact that Sakurako and Endeavor are the same person. Might have to just legally change my name at some point just to illustrate that fact." Putting her head in her hands, it was obvious she was lost in thought. "People sound so much cooler when they take on a single name. Sting... Bono..."

[EternalPhoenix]

Vonnie had been pretty effectively silenced by Hino's comments about working the aftermath of the tsunami. Unable to think of anything to say to that, he instead tucked into his snack. And by snack, it was a full meal by certain standards. An eight inch cheeseburger sub and fries may or not qualify to a grown up, but for a growing teenage boy? Snack. So, so much. Though he did raise an eyebrow at Casey's massive stack, suggesting he had limits to his consumption. At Errant's description of the sub basements, he added "I have been down there, but I get enough of a workout swinging around town." He polished off the fries and began to finish off the sub as others spoke. He swallowed a bite. "Trust is good, yeah. Though I don't know a thing about school policy. I just do it. Got a mask, got my shirt. I'm good. I don't...use my hero name, really. The news back home called me Samaritan. Cause I kept being a good one, you know? Swinging in and saving people out of nowhere."

[The Sailor]

Sakurako nodded. "I took the name Endeavor as it is what I try to do in all things. It sure as heck beats "Uncanny Genius Sailor Sakurako" as some of the Japanese press were calling me." She said with a laugh.

She continued eating. "Then again..." She adjusted her sailor collar. "...I guess they go based on your costume, I wager."

 

"I hope I'm not bragging or anything. I'm, well I'm out of my element here. I think that is why I was sent here, maybe to learn how to better interact with people. Although I do have to ask... is this good for a first try, for a suit, everyone?"

She was proud of her design, although it's concept was built more to her needs in being safe than any aesthetics.

Edited December 6, 2014 by The Osprey

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant took no offense to Casey's response to him, he shrugged a bit, "Names unimportant.  Call me Errant."  He was the older guy so he would speak on this, "Wear your Claremont uniform on official school activities and such.  Including patrols.   You can personalize it... a bit.  You can wear your own when you are doing other things.  Keep your communicator on, in case something goes wrong.  Or right, depending on how you look at it."

 

Now he wasn't looking at anyone, Errant was a master of the thousand yard stare.  He also no longer shared about himself, given the reactions he had after he had first gotten here.  He was a known telepath, he also was not the stereotypical, neither a manipulative person, or a kind hearted friend to all.  He was a jerk who ran off and did his own thing often enough.  Or that was the stories.  He had earned the rep with more than one half cocked moment since starting here.

 

Though it was known he was from New Freedom, which explained his strange accent.  Though he did his best to not really let it show, hence why he spoke so low.

[The Sailor]

"Hmm... I'm starting to think having my suit in these colors was a bad idea..." Sakurako said, switching the colors of her suit to the Claremont colors and pattern, her mission vest turning gold. "Although the gold on the suit is rather high-visibility anyways... although I'm sure in certain situations switching to my usual high-visibility suit color scheme and pattern would be wiser."

She smiled, as the sailor collar turned Claremont blue with a gold stripe. "There we go. Now I'm in uniform."

She looked over her suit for a moment. "If only I could figure a way to make this do more complex patterns... I could make a visually obscuring set-up... sometimes it pays not to be seen..."

"Hmm... someday..." She said, massaging her chin.

She decides to switch her suit back to her default colors. "You know, maybe as the Claremont uniform is easy to take off and put on, I might just wear it as something to have under my suit."

Edited December 6, 2014 by The Osprey

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant stopped a moment, and his eyebrow shot up before he shrugged.  "Too much color."  Of course Mr. I'm-a-Wearin'-a-Grey-Hoodie was likely worse off that the colorful Sakurako, especially when it came to the terms of jovial, jocular, or anything related to socializing.  "But I don't all the color in the uniform to begin with."

 

And then he leveled a gaze to Casey, "Don't wear a costume then.  You're going to be stared at.  And you will be stared at outside of it because you are objectively attractive, and at a high school.  It isn't as if powers erase indoctrinated beliefs, or social moires, or hormonal influence.  Right now there are roughly forty...  No, there are forty-one people looking at you.  Seventeen at Sakurako.  And ten at Vonnie."  He pulled out a tangerine from his pocket, and used his fingers to peel the skin off. "Do you want the break down of people who find you all attractive, and by just cursory objective view, or actual visceral reaction?"

 

As usual he launched into that without preamble, or really in relation to the rest of the conversation.  But then he tended to exist in his head entirely for good reason.  Though he left out the stares towards him, or Haruko.  Particularly the wary gazes he inspired.

[Heritage]

Casey nodded with approval at Endeavor's changeable costume. "That's pretty cool; nice to have a lot of options. I haven't given too much thought to a costume, but I had a few ideas. Nothing revealing or weird, but high visibility; I can take a lot of punishment, so I'd rather someone shoot at me than someone less durable."

And then Errant had to go super-creepy; the pretty blonde reflexively wrapped her arms around herself, hunched forward in her seat, and cast furtive looks over her shoulders before giving the older boy a troubled look. "You need to... not say things like that to people; just because a thing is true doesn't mean someone has to hear it. You can filter what you say." Feeling incredibly self-conscious, Casey carefully picked up her tray and stared to head out if the cafeteria. "Excuse me; I'll see you all later."

Edited December 23, 2014 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako gets self concious, and presses a couple icons on the control watch, as the suit turns into more muted blacks and greys. Looking over everyone in the room she started to feel more uncomfortable with Errant than with the others.

"O... of course people were looking at me, I'm new and for a few minutes I had high visibility colors. People notice oranges and reds pretty quickly." She said, quickly trying to brush off her discomfort. It wasn't working. "D... do you always intrude like that?" She eyeballed Errant for a moment, but then decided discretion was the better part of valor. She got up with her half-eaten food and walked away. Where to, she wasn't mentioning. Although she was behind Casey. It seemed her classmate had a good idea.

[TheAbsurdist]

A flicker of Errant's anger got out.  It sparked and spread around him in a rush, a spike of adrenaline and bile.  Before retreating just as suddenly.  Now, Errant was quick for a telepath, while not especially athletic, or really trained in any athleticism, so him getting to his feet, and scrambling onto the table, before jumping off of it was within the realm of possibility.

 

What came next was cheating but then Errant was proficient at skirting the edges of things, as he darted with a surprising burst of speed, as he pushed back with his telekinetic web, and it propelled him forward, ungainly.  He held up his hands towards both Casey and Sakurako.  His eyes not looking at either of them, really.  "To answer your question Sakurako, yes I do.  To answer the retort that comes next, I was raised by wolves.  Or close enough to wolves it doesn't really matter."  Now his eyes fixed on her and Casey.  "However, I am not having a repeat of last time, so I will set the parameters, and make sure you understand some things.  I don't have any malice towards either of you, I don't hate you.  I am not trying to be creepy, I am trying to help.  I am... bad at it.  So I am sorry for that.   And no... I am not reading yours..."  And then he raised his voice to turn around and address the people staring at his display, "Or anyone elses mind.  I don't need to drown in that much... teenage mindset."

[Heritage]

Casey started at Errant's sudden appearance, but she let him speak his piece; as she listened, her body visibly relaxed, though a certain wariness still remained. When he was done, the blonde look him up and down a few times before offering him a little nod.

"Alright, well...apology accepted, then." Then she sighed and lowered her voice a bit. "Look, I'm not an idiot; I know I'm pretty and blonde and in good shape. I know that people stare, especially boys our age. And creepy old men." She rolled her eyes and made a comically-disgusted face. "It was just...the way you said it, like I was a lab specimen or a piece of meat." The blonde powerhouse took a deep breath before continuing. "But I get it now; you're one of those people who's really smart about some things but pretty clueless about other things, right? Like people stuff, social skills." She smiled and shrugged. "Maybe I can help you with that."

She turned around and started to walk back into the cafeteria.

Edited December 31, 2014 by Heritage

[The Sailor]

Sakurako sighed. "And there you go again. Not sure if what I was thinking was broadcasting or not, but you looked. Then you're making demands? This isn't a one way street with me, Errant." She said, setting her tray on a table before walking up to Errant. Her eyes were purposeful, not really threatening, but he could hear one hell of a lecture coming up from her brain being distilled into as few words as possible. But she was intentionally concentrating on what she wanted to say before saying it.

 

"Some people aren't into people who look into their lives at all. You're like some sort of person who watches individuals that interest them publically... it's in the public domain, but such watching is... creepy. The intrusion is the stating of those surface "thoughts" and you're like that creepy guy who likes "people watching". Can you see how I and Casey felt?"

 

She sighed. "I'm not one for confrontations, Errant. It's not me. I know you, I, and everyone here are just getting started on knowing how to use what we got. Forgive me when I say you got a cheat code, and that's what rustles people." There was nothing but truth there... Sakurako was actually starting to change her mind on the spot, thinking about things instead of relying on emotion.

She picks up her tray again. "I'm coming, Casey... I'm behind you."

 

She looked back to Errant. He knew there wasn't pity. Suddenly there was a... curiosity. "You know... I take that back... I don't see it as a cheat code, Errant... You got something pretty damn awesome when you learn how to really put it to use."

Endeavor heads back to the cafeteria, smiling.

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant looked like he was almost about to say something to Casey's comment about his inability to socialize, but then he shrugged.  "You are right.  More or less.  I am not good at teamwork.  Or talking.  I am pretty aware of it.  I generally try not to talk because... I don't have patience for the social niceties, and it makes people angry, and that is always like a punch to the gut."  His tone was pretty self-deprecating, given he was flat out saying it was his own dumb fault.

 

Then... Sakurako poked him, perhaps she didn't realize it, but she poked him hard.

 

"You... are wrong."  His voice went soft, though it was sonorous and low normally... it sounded a lot more brittle now.  "I didn't touch your mind.  I don't need too.  I am not like you.  This isn't a new gift.  My powers have been there as long as I can remember.  But to read people, to see them?  Their intentions?  Your subtle gestures are firebombs going off in the dead of night to me.  The words you leave out scream at me.  And I don't get to forget any of it."

 

He took a step back and shrugged again, looking away, off to a spot on the wall, so he wouldn't have focus on any one person.  "Yeah... I know how you felt.  I know how you will feel.  I know how everyone feels.  Simple gift of clarity, oh what was god up to..."  He snorts, and smirks a little, the first real expression playing on his face.  "Here I go, having a conversation I said I wasn't going to have here, because it amounts to nothing.  So I am going to stop.  Because, this isn't a hill to die on."  He lifted his hands and then turned to move away.

[The Sailor]

Sakurako turned around. "You don't have to think of it like that, Errant. To be honest, I think I'm the only person here in your presence that to be honest is curious and wanting to understand. We got our own noises in our collective brains. Yours from without, mine from within. The quieter it gets, the more calm it gets, the more my mind starts to try to fill that void with equations and designs. You want to shut thoughts out, to only have your internal monologue. I'd just like a moment's peace myself. A quiet Saturday Morning turns into a Sunday night as I'm slaving over some equation on what amounts to energy drinks and so-called food that has probably shaved six months off my life. All because I was chasing dragons."

 

She sighed. "Trust me, Errant... listen to the gears in my head, they don't know the meaning of the word 'stop'."

 

"I see why you like being alone... it's like being in a factory, you want to get away from that noise and the ringing. I want to be around people for the same reason. I need a distraction, and there's only two ways I know to get it. Either being with people, or sticking an iPod into my ears and listening to music."

 

"I doubt there is no Weird Al discology enough to be your shield." She said with a smile. "To be honest, I hate being the genius, but that is me. Who do you see yourself to be?"

Edited January 1, 2015 by The Osprey

[Heritage]

Casey was quiet as she listened to both Errant and Sakurako talk about the insides of their heads, frowning slightly; by comparison, she guessed the inside of hers was a fairly tranquil place. Unlike her, it didn't sound like Errant particularly enjoyed his powers, and she felt a sharp twinge of sympathy for the boy.

"Well for the record, I don't believe in lost causes; I think there's hope for everyone." She shrugged and started to return to her seat. "I'm a pretty good listener, and I'm not all that complicated; let me know if you ever want to talk."

[The Sailor]

Sakurako sat down, looking over everyone. "So, guys, any ideas as to what to do this evening? I've got nothing to do as I've got no classes tomorrow, and I'm really just interested in the entire school." She looked at the campus map. "Sad there's no indoor pool. A swim would be fun about now. If there was some who wouldn't mind being with me, I'm not the best swimmer." She said, blushing. "Unless someone wouldn't mind taking me on a tour away from the standard tourist traps."

 

She smiled as she continued her meal. "Unless there's a plan for some more heroic efforts tonight? Or perhaps something else..."

 

"Although I'd like to hear some ideas from you guys, too!"