School of Power | In-Character

[Space_Candy]

AJ Garcia

The cool air brushed through AJ's clothes, as he watched Maia play one of the games- laughing as the girl was getting frustrated because she had to 'free the plushies'. He turned his head away from her for a moment, hoping to spot Romeski, Ann, or even Tommy. He felt restless, knowing he didn't contribute to the mall incident- the scene ran through his head over and over.

Absent-mindedly, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes; lighting one quickly and sucking in the smoke in hopes of taking the anxiety from his chest. He had more chances to show his use, right?

@Atomic Knight @Crunch @Jeremi
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Maia Drake

"Damn!" She had missed again, Maia quickly pulled more crumpled bills out of her pocket- giving herself more turns at the booth. She looked over to AJ, who was lost in thought- a common occurrence. She took the cigarette from his lips, taking a quick drag and giving it back. She rolled up her sleeves and took a deep breath, hitting all the milk bottles down in one shot.

"Yes!" She cheered, excitedly awaiting her prize.

@Atomic Knight​

 

[Atomic Knight]

@Chaos Sphere

The woman actually smiled. "Good guess," she said with a nod, "I have worked with the New Guard in the past." The woman examined Viktor for a moment.

"Aaliyah Taylor. I started just this year to teach some of the Health Science classes, mostly for the younger students. Though, I think most of our students will become pretty familiar with me, considering I can sense power usage." She put a finger to her nose to indicate that's how she did it.

"I probably won't be teaching you but I will be your new liaison with the New Guard. I didn't really plan to catch any of you guys today but I recognized you from my files." She let that sit for a moment before shrugging. "And don't worry, you're not in trouble or anything. I just happened to catch a whiff of something off of you, but I understand there are some powers that are harder to turn off than others. "

---

Miguel Ángel - Maia/AJ/@Space_Candy

Miguel Ángel Alejandro, more than anything else in the world, loved people. He loved being around people and seeing how they interacted with each other. He felt joy at seeing smiles and delight on the faces of those around him. He felt galvanized by being in a crowd, feeling the energy of dozens of humans connecting and being one with each other. He was the kind of person who believed in the inherent virtue of human beings and wished his power was one that he could use to bring that out in others. He loved people and their possibilities so very much that he sometimes wondered if he was just an idiot.

If only crowds and people didn't scare him most of the time.

For a guy like himself, Miguel found it difficult to engage with others in meaningful ways. He craved human connection but lacked the means to grow those connections. He was a failure of a Courser whose powers meant he could not remain around other Coursers for long periods of time. He loved the energy of the school festivals but found that he could not risk wandering among the other students for long in fear that he would accidentally copy someone's ability and use it in a manner that was dangerous. It had happened before and it would happen again, which left Miguel unable to argue when the faculty insisted on watching him on days like these.

The 18-year-old caught sight of a teacher eyeing him past one of the nearby booths. It wasn't meant to be rude or scary, but Miguel did have to stop and give the teacher a thumbs up to indicate he was still feeling okay. The teacher nodded and went on with observing other students, though Miguel knew it would not be long before some other teacher was checking on him. At the very least, Miguel was still feeling okay today, so he managed a small smile at his good fortune and tried to put those worrying thoughts out of his mind.

Coming upon a shooting gallery, Miguel watched as a girl made a rather impressive shot at some milk bottles, eliciting a cheer from both herself and the older student managing the booth. The shot had been so impressive that Miguel wondered slightly if she had used some kind of Courser ability. After a moment of consideration, he determined that had not been the case, for Miguel always seemed to have a vague sense of what someone's powers were. He believed it was some passive mental affect of his own power but he was so awful at controlling it that it was hard to really determine if was something he just imagined.

Miguel watched as the girl was handed a large stuffed bear wearing an old milk man's costume. It seemed kind of childish, especially for a girl who Miguel felt was dressed kind of cool and who seemed to be friends with the guy nearby who was smoking. A lot of kids back home used to vape but Miguel had observed a lot of American kids liked to smoke old-style cigarettes. Some kind of retro fad or something.

"U-Um... I heard they were getting serious about that stuff," Miguel Ángel said with a Spanish accent, speaking to the girl who had won the bear and her male friend. He nodded to the cigarette. "Kind of bold to be smoking that here, huh?" Miguel looked past them and at the student running the booth, though he seemed to not care they were smoking and was immediately clocked out from listening to this conversation.

 

[Space_Candy]

TWACK!

Maia's throw knocked down the stack of milk jugs in a single feat, AJ gave the woman a smile as she cheered and hugged the oversized prize bear. She was absolutely beaming at her prize. He gave another smirk at her before taking another drag. He jumped slightly as he heard a voice, it was a classmate, younger than them. He got caught smoking on campus- again. But, this boy seemed kind- and well-meaning.

AJ dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, putting it in his pocket quickly.

"Ah, sorry- I kind of did it without thinking," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Maia peered over his shoulder with a smile.

"Hi!" She greeted, the bear almost covering her face.

@Atomic Knight


​

 

[Atomic Knight]

Miguel Ángel - Maia/AJ/@Space_Candy

Miguel watched as AJ stamped out the cigarette and knew he was lying. Miguel didn't have much interest in getting them in trouble so he pretended to buy the excuse. "Hi," he said, sounding a bit flat. He usually didn't do a whole lot of talking with other students for obvious reasons.

"I like your bear."

It was meant as a joke.

Miguel searched his brain for if they were familiar to him but he was coming up with nothing. They might have been in a couple of his academic classes but nothing more. He didn't get to know most of the other students considering he lived off-campus with his uncle. "Are you guys new...? Or are you seniors or something?" Miguel figured they couldn't have been much older than him, though most students considered him pretty young with how short he was. It was hard to tell anyone ages at Arthur Grey's.

 

[Chaos Sphere]

"Duly noted and thank you for the information," Viktor nodded politely, "Since I find it difficult to master voluntarily suppressing my powers one my own, I have decided to settle first with mastering its use. Wearing this attire is the best measure that I could take in keeping it in check," he explained as he adjusted the collar of his coat, "Currently, I've been hoping to enjoy this festival, though there's not much that had taken my attention as of yet." Viktor looked left and right to see any booth that may be worth his interest. Indeed, Viktor had not yet spotted a carnival game of interest as of this moment and is hoping that he would be able to nab a price for himself.

@Atomic Knight

 

[Crunch]

My ass woulda stayed in the grave if I knew there was gonna be days like this.

Hah, nah, not really. The break of the day brought with it many challenges and tribulations, but even then, there was always going to be a point of chill at the end of the heat. What goes up must come down - what heats up must cool down. Something like that. Not a lot of people 'get it' whenever he tried to put that philosophy into words, but it figures they don't really need to. Why ache over a bad scenario when it'll come to an end, eventually? A bad movie has to have an end. A painful dentist appointment has to let you out of the office. A big festival with a lot of people, both cool and uncool, will eventually end in a nice nap.

It all comes down to patience when you're someone who can live forever. Romeski didn't know it, but he was gonna have to be pretty patient from here on out. Somewhere in a dimly lit dormitory room, a young man lazily flopped his body over, eyes peeling open only to be assaulted by the oppressive glow of sunlight staring back at him. He wasn't actually tired - he couldn't be - but he certainly felt like he could be doing anything other than being awake. Roman rubbed his half-lidded eyes with one hand, feeling the area around him until he could make out the familiar shape of his phone lying next to him.

The phone's screen lit up, showing the current time. Romeski blinked. He blinked again, allowing his head to fall back on whatever it was that was holding his body aloft at this present moment.

"Fuuuuck."

It really do be one of those days. Mustering all the effort he could to pull his upper body up to where he could now make out the barely illuminated edges of his messy room, the Courser gifted with the ability of Undeath rose from his death-like sleep, stumbling over a pile of clothes like an idiot until he could make out the faint outline of his mirror.

Oh, man, you look like shit.

Romeski rubbed his eye again and began to pour over his phone, tapping the screen until he made out the icon of AJ's face on his contact list. He pulled open the message tab, scrolling down past a fairly lengthy chat history most consisting of short, stupid messages from one side of the screen and equally short, stupid messages from the other.

----

AJ's phone buzzed in his pocket. At this point, he should know what that means.

bru

*bro

i fuckin

overlset

overlslpet

sleep

fuuuuc


@Space_Candy @Whoever
​

 

[Space_Candy]

Maia Drake

Maia squeezed the bear tightly with a bright smile, even though the new face was being sarcastic, she didn't mind- she liked talking.

"Thank you, I think I'll name him Ted- because of his milkman costume," she started, almost talking over him.

"We're only third years, I'm Maia," she stuck one of her hands out for a handshake, before pointing to AJ with her head.

"That's AJ," the aforementioned man was looking at his phone boredly.

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

AJ Garcia

vrrrrrrrrrrrrrr vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

AJ felt his pocket vibrate rapidly, causing him to tune out, grabbing his phone from his pocket and letting Maia do what she did best- talk. He smirked as he tapped the notifications-

Romeski

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

what's new

you sleep a lot for a dead dude

get over here before maia starts raiding the food booths

;P



@Atomic Knight @Crunch​

 

[Atomic Knight]

Aaliyah - Viktor/@Chaos Sphere

"The right attire can make all the difference," Aaliyah agreed, nodding. "Many Coursers realize perhaps too late that their powers can be affected by what they wear. This can be as practical as aerodynamic clothing for flight or as simple as just one being mindful not to set their own clothes on fire." She then gave Viktor a knowing smile. "Just between you and me, once you become a New Guard member, you get great deals on custom outfits."

Aaliyah then looked around as well, following Viktor's glances. She herself was not a big fan of carnival games, so she was at a loss for what to suggest to this kid. "Do you have any friends?" she asked. "What are they up to?"

 

[Ver]

Ayako paused for a moment as Dakari seemed to actually take her up on her stuffed bear quip, looking away for a brief moment before clearing her throat. "Yes, well, when you don't have a lot of luck on hand, best not to push it too far. Unless you really want to, then... I wouldn't stop you, I guess," she said, seeming to tug at a strand of her own hair for some reason, though one had to wonder if it was the claw game she was talking about in relation to luck.

Ayako wasn't normally such a sociable one, but she couldn't deny that being her last year did seem to bring out that kind of side of her. She couldn't fully explain it; perhaps it was the looming dread of knowing she was no longer a teenager, but rather a young adult, and that she'd have to really act like one sooner or later, and knowing that that meant actually communicating with other people.

Even if it was such a pain most of the time.

"Still, don't you have any other friends to hang out with? I didn't really figure you out of anyone else would be the one to roll up on me out of the blue," she continued.

@Takumi @Anybody

 

[Atomic Knight]

Miguel Ángel - Maia/AJ/@Space_Candy

As Miguel looked at Maia's outstretched hand, a sudden wave of fear filled him. His chest felt tight and his hair stood on end as he considered the social ramifications of ignoring Maia's handshake. He didn't need to be touching someone to copy their abilities but a touch had caused him to use his powers accidentally before. What if Maia's power was something that would cause him to lash out? It only took a second for him to meet her eyes and decide it was worth it.

"My name's..." He took her hand gently, shaking it for the briefest of moments before pulling away. "Miguel Ángel. I'm a third year as well, actually. Just, my powers... I am not so good at controlling them. I doubt we have ever shared a Courser class together."

 

[Chaos Sphere]

"I'm satisfied with what I am currently wearing, but a custom outfit for myself is something of interest," Viktor seemed interested in the idea. He could imagine himself wearing a full-body suit of protective armor and wielding high-quality weapons, taking down criminals by himself.
"Friends? I find it difficult to make friends. I do not see myself as sociable and approachable," he sighed, "I still do hope that I can make friends no matter how many. As for my colleagues, they perhaps might be within this area." There's not much that he could recall about making friends during his stay, given his introversion and lone-wolf tendencies.

@Atomic Knight

 

[Jeremi]

Rashida was disappointed in herself. Standing among the crowd in the courtyard her mind was not on the festivities but on the mission that had fallen on them in the mall. She had to have looked like a fool merely standing there waiting on instructions to deal with the situation.

Her powers were mainly offensive ones, which she felt hindered her in dealing with situations. Even when they were just manifesting they made her look menacing yet in a dangerous situation not having them out, put her at risk, and Rashida was anything but a fool. It was hard to deescalate a situation with six massive arms looming behind her.

What a joke. She let out an audible sigh and looked around. She should probably try and act like she was enjoying this, maybe there’s someone around she can hang around and act like she’s doing something.

@Anyone

---

“Did someone say…friends?” Ayako felt a hearty slap on her back and recoil as Ann’s hand returned back to its normal place. Despite the cold, she was still walking around in shorts and a crop top and her other hand was holding three corndogs between her fingers like some pair of tasty deep-fried claws. Her face sported a grin as she took a bite from one of the dogs. “You know I never know if your thing is just a bit or if you’re really like that, and you better not tell because I wanna figure it out by myself!”

@Ver @Takumi

 

[Ver]

"Urk--" Ayako blinked as the private(?) conversation between herself and Dakari was rudely interrupted by Ann. The girl didn't necessarily dislike Ann; perhaps she was the closest she had to a friend, but they were very different in a few inconsolable ways. One of them seemed to be that only one of them had an eye for sensitivities, but then again, Ayako figured she probably shouldn't get too mad about it, lest people start talking about her one way or another...

"Yeah? Get back to me when you do figure it out," the black-haired girl grunted sarcastically, clicking her tongue as she furrowed her brow at Ann, pulling her own head back as though needing to get away from Ann and her greasy corn dogs.

"If nothing else, at least someone's having fun here. I never really know what to do with myself at this kinda shit," she breathed wistfully, holding her own arm as she spoke.

@Jeremi @Takumi

 

[Takumi]

"Then if the opportunity comes up I'll get you a stuffed bear or something! Or at least, I'll try to." Dakari replied easily with a shrug and a chuckle as they moved through the line, getting a cinnamon pretzel for himself and Ayako once at the front. He didn't think to ask if she even liked cinnamon pretzels and hoped so. Though when asked about any friends he could of been hanging out with instead he scratched his cheek almost sheepishly and went to answer before both of them were interrupted by Ann. What a way to enter a conversation.

"Pfft." Covering his mouth as he snickered at their banter, the blonde's shoulders shook in an attempt to keep his chuckles in.

"To answer your earlier question, none of my friends were around and you seemed bored at the time. Figured I'd keep you company." He spoke to Ayako, then giving Ann a wave in greeting before breaking a piece of pretzel and popping it into his mouth.

@Ver @Jeremi

 

[Jeremi]

"What have I told you about not swearing?" Ann waved the corndogs in Ayako's face. "A superhero doesn't use bad language. It's like those lucha libre wrestlers. The mask always stays on!"

Ann reciprocated the wave with one of her own. "And among the youth too, have you no shame?"

@Ver @Takumi

 

[Crunch]

The thought of Maia eating all the food was indeed enough to spur Roman to get himself out of the room. Not that he could even eat the food, let alone taste it, but she needed someone to stop her from spending a ton of money at once. Wouldn't have been the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. Romeski lazily smiled at the messages as they came, shaking his head enough to clear his blurry vision. A reply came to AJ's phone just a few minutes later, Roman slipping his phone into his coat pocket and throwing it on top of his usual attire - a baggy shirt, old jeans, shoes that were falling apart, and that bomb-ass coat. He pulled open the door to his room with a rough tug, exposing himself to the blinding glow of hallway lights.

omw
​

He yawned, a dim smile unfurled, and he made his way onward, as he did the day before and every day before that, and every day after because today was as a good a day as any; a day to be dead. Romeski wouldn't have it any other way.

The walk to the main festival grounds would normally a short distance from where Roman lived. Of course, Romeski has a reputation for taking his sweet ass time to get from point A to point B. The most pressing thought on his mind was thinking if he, AJ, and Maia could defend a supermarket from subsequent waves of chimpanzees. Because he could do it if he had enough prep time, but if the chimpanzees were led by a gorilla? No way.

Eventually, Romeski was snapped out of his daydream by the natural sounds of a festival. Wew, he made it. By sheer luck alone he managed to stumble his way through the busy crowds, lazily nodding and waving to the few students who recognized him. AJ, Maia, and Miguel could hear the sounds of slow, scraping footsteps behind them.

"Huuuuh. This really does feel like a blender. But with... -yawn- people. Mm," the one and only said tiredly in the general direction of where he thought his friends were standing, rubbing his eyes. He stopped, turning himself around until he realized he was standing right next to the people he was looking for. "... Oh. Ooooh. Hey."

He really was like a walking corpse.

@Space_Candy @Atomic Knight

 

[Space_Candy]

Maia smiled as he took her hand briefly, sensing his unease she stepped back slightly.

"Nice to meet you, and don't worry about your powers, AJ isn't super great with his either," she beamed in response, knowing AJ's incoming glare.

"Keep talking like that and I'm not charing your phone for you anymore" AJ quipped, before realizing Romeski was now beside him.

"That was fast, especially for you," he smirked, putting his fist out for his friend- but was cut off by Maia rushing to hug the other man.

@Atomic Knight @Crunch

 

[Lucky]

Morgan Ryan Jones

Morgan was really hoping that standing in a spot where a person could bump into him, he would be able to take someone to help him use his slide of hand magic on. Sure, it was probably a stupid idea, but it wasn't like he could get into much trouble. Probably, maybe. There were certainly to use your powers before the carnival to have fun during the carnival. Was he sure that Chris wouldn't be happy or see things his way? Yeah, he had a pretty good hunch about that. He was so busy looking forward that he didn't notice somebody coming from his side. Sure, he was a stupid way to be bumped into, but it was whatever. He honestly didn't mind. Of course, that changed when he noticed that some of the cards he had been holding had slide from his hand. He wasn't too bitter about it... well mostly.

" Hey, you were the one who bumped into me. Made me drop my deck of cards as well, I'm just looking for someone to practice my new slide of hand deck on..... but now I'm going to need to pick them up." He really wasn't sure what they were actually going to be, so picking them up was going to be interesting.

Morgan would look up as he said that. Names- damn, he wished he was better with names, but he was sure that he had classes with. It took him a few moments to fully remember his name. It was...damn, it was on the tip of his tongue. Well, he certainly had the intimidatitng tough guy look down, but seeing as Morgan was also a little built. He considered being macho back but then decided against it. He had no clue what he was he like. " Would you at least like to help me pick them up?

@Atomic Knight​

 

[Ver]

"Bad language?" Ayako snorted incredulously at Ann's persistent virtuous personality. "Sorry about that. I guess I just fuck up all the time," she said flatly with a self-satisfied smirk. Her sharp demeanor quickly faded away however as Dakari went and came back with some pretzels. With a grateful nod, she took one from him and took a bite out of it, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Cinnamon, huh? You're lucky that happens to be my favorite," she said to him with a smirk in a droll manner, resting a free hand on her hip as she looked over at Ann in the meantime. "And what about you? I figured you'd be too much of a health nut to indulge in these kinda snacks."

@Jeremi @Takumi