[fieldbox="GM post, goldenrod, dashed, 10"]Throughout the rest of the day, everyone talked about the match between Mayra Ruiz and Eduardo Pierce. Much of the discussion was on the topic of who had the upper hand while others focused on their fighting technique. In particular, Mayra’s powers were frequently mentioned, people examining the applications and usefulness in the battle, even ways to go against the girl. Il-Seong took part in the conversations, bragging about being in the same class as Mayra and describing the fight in his own words, often exaggerating the parts of the story for flair.

School ended for the day and Savino drove the students back to the dorms. The dorm cafeteria opened at four to serve dinner, offering a variety of meals to choose from. Students paid for their meals with the cashier scanning their IDs that pulled money from a small meal plan account each student was given. Students were also allowed the option to eat off campus. Any who chose to eat outside was reminded the curfew was at ten and they’d have to provide their own money to whatever store they visited.

Il-Seong managed to gather a small group in the cafeteria, once again relaying the match to those who would listen and using grandiose gestures with a little paper figure running across the table. Ilea was sitting a table away. She listened to the story, shaking her head yet laughing at the boy’s story.

“And right before they were about to land the fatal blow, Ms. Markov jumps in like a ninja. Bam! Mayra was down. Ksh! And so was Eduardo. She called the fight a draw, but it wasn’t over yet. Number 8 wanted to keep going—” the paper figure imitated a person getting up off his knees. “But then Ms. Markov sucker punched him in the head and did some cool trick where she flipped him over and made him land on his face.” The paper figure then fell face first and stopped moving.

Philomela, who had joined the crowd, shook her head. “She didn’t punch him in the head, but she did land a hit to stop Eduardo before he could do anything else.”

“Whatever. It was like an epic—”

The televisions in the room interrupted Il-Seong, the local news station playing their theme song in an urgent tone. Many students turned their attention to any nearby television set as the words “BREAKING NEWS” flashed on screen. The screen then cut to a news anchor with blond hair sitting at a news desk with her palms clasped together.

“Good evening everyone. I am Lois Vale with Breaking News.

“Blackwater Penitentiary, a maximum-security level prison and one of the world’s highest-rated prisons for holding notorious villains, was attacked today in what appears to be a bombing.” The TV then showed a video of a smoking building in the mountainside. Occasionally, something would move in the air from one location to another in the prison; either an employee of Blackwater, or a hero who volunteered their services to assist. “The attack occurred earlier this afternoon, but in a strange twist, nobody was hurt, and no inmates are missing. Unfortunately, we were not able to approach the facility for further questioning, but a representative held a press conference in the Aurora City Capital Hall.” The screen then changed from Lois to a video of a tall woman dressed in blood-red clothing. She stood in front of a podium and raised her hand, calling for silence from the gathered reporters.

“Good evening everyone. I am Tisiphone. At 11:43 am, Blackwater Penitentiary was under attack. All our guards reacted quickly and efficiently to quell the situation. Nobody was hurt, and all inmates are accounted for. As of this moment, we do not know who was responsible for the attack and what their purpose was. We are currently investigating the possibility of an internal breach or any signs of prohibited outside communications from the inmates. As a maximum-security prison, we frequently run drills in preparation for catastrophes like this. Everyone on board handled the situation well and kept both citizens and inmates safe. We will continue to monitor activity, but rest assured you are all safe from harm tonight.”

The screen then switched back to Lois. On the bottom of the screen was a line for the stock market and other news headlines. Some of the titles that flashed by were “First day of school for HSSI students!” and “Merical Dream CORP stock points up by 32%.”

“That was Tisiphone, one of the three wardens of Blackwater,” said Lois. “As you may recall, Blackwater Penitentiary is the prison for a number of dangerous villains, like Jack Rust who was behind the tragedy of the San Francisco bridge two years ago.” Next to Lois on screen was a picture of a man with dark hair, the most current picture of Jack Rust.
Kizamicover-7276.jpg
“It was that same incident where he was successfully stopped by the mysterious weapon Hydrangea. We will be following this story closely and will continue to provide updates. Lois Vale, Aurora City News, signing off.”

Philomela pursed her lips. Ilea stood up and tossed her trash, leaving the cafeteria to go for a walk. Students started to resume business when the next episode of Living in the Wild with Gryll Bears started. “That’s troubling,” said Philomela. “Though I’m glad they were able to get the situation under control.”
“Yeah,” Il-Seong nodded. “Oh, someone in my family once helped take down a villain who was sent to Blackwater! My uncle lives in Seoul and was able to help Capella—the local team—take down the . . .”

“Here we go again,” Philomela groaned as Il-Seong told his new story. [/fieldbox]
 
Mayra Ruiz
Interactions: @Cosmic Penguin, @Ω Angel Ω Mentions: @IceQueen


Of course the rest of the school had different plans. When Mayra walked into art with Cora and Ilea, she was immediately stared down, students whispering to themselves as they watched her take her seat. Mayra tried to ignore them all as she grabbed her supplies out of her bag, gloved fingers clumsy as she tried to focus on the current assignment their teacher had given them.

"Is that her?"

"It has to be!"

"Did you see how hard she went after Pierce?"

"She was a savage!"

"I don't wanna get on her bad side."

"Think that's why she wears gloves?"

"Just imagine if she touched someone!"

"She's not even that good! Pierce totally kicked her ass!"

The teacher, a tall, dark, and curly haired woman named Ms. Rita Lefèrve, cleared her throat and called the class's attention once more. "Settle down, settle down! I know the fight was interesting and new and fun, but that was lunch time. This is Art. For now, keep focusing on your sketching. I want you all to have basic shapes down by the end of the hour." Mayra let out a sigh of relief as the students grumbled and proceeded to get back to drawing shapes. Mayra looked over to Ilea who shot her a friendly smile and a quick thumbs up. Mayra smiled back, sticking close to the girl the whole lesson.

The rest of the day seemed to trudge on. While Mayra took the chance to stick to Ilea and talk a bit more (they both had a pretty deep interest in sculptures, and Ilea was a cute friendly girl), whispers and rumors followed her everywhere. Even with Ilea's admiration for her powers and their chatting, Mayra couldn't help but shrink away from the stares and murmurs. Was this how her whole school year was going to turn out? She shuddered at the thought, slouching and shuffling along. She just had to get through the end of the day. Just get to the end of the day and everyone will have forgotten about it.

Of course, everyone seemed to love to prove the poor girl wrong. As Mayra slunk into the dining hall for dinner only to be greeted by one of her classmates regaling a tale of just how amazing the fight had been. Mayra quickly edged away from the crowd, moving to grab her dinner when the news turned on, thankfully turning the attention away from her and towards the attack on the state penitentiary. She sighed as she started to walk towards a table. At least nobody escaped. Mayra didn't want to imagine what dealing with a supervillain running around the streets would be like.

Before she could settle at a table, Mayra saw Sam and Will in the dining hall. Gathering up as much courage as she could, she called out to them. "Sam! Will! Hey!" Walking over to the two, Mayra tried to smile as she shifted from one foot to the other. "Do you guys want to eat with me? I know lunch kinda got super weird and we didn't really get to properly eat together so I thought maybe we could eat together now to make up for it?" She stumbled through her words, hoping to the high heavens above that Sam and Will would agree instead of running away or laughing at her.
 
~Yuliya Markov~
Interactions: Nobody
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In her apartment Yuliya's eyes were locked on her TV screen, blood running cold as the warden raised her hand to speak. How could there have been an attack on one of the world’s most secure prisons? The same prison where he was detained? It was impossible to fathom how such an event could happen. At Blackwater Penitentiary of all things. Yet the screen showed an image of the prison building with plumes of smoke billowing out of its corner with helicopters and superheroes flying around the facility. Tisiphone’s words did little to reassure Yuliya. All she could think of was the possibility of Jack Rust being a free man.

Yuliya’s jaw stiffened when the news station proceeded to show a picture of Jack. Lois Vale spoke of Yuliya’s last mission, glossing over the details with the knowledge that anyone listening would remember that day. She stared back at those same deranged eyes from the Golden Gate Bridge, unable to tear herself away.

The news segment ended and Yuliya released fists she didn’t know she was clenching. There were tiny imprints on her palms from her nails and some of them started to bleed. She wiped off the blood and picked up her phone. Dialing a familiar number, she was answered by a woman on the third ring.

“Shaw.”

“Shaw, it’s me, Yuliya Markov.”

There was a pause. Yuliya could hear a chair scraping across the floor and hurried footsteps. “Yuliya, do you know how much trouble we will be in if the higher ups find out you are talking to me on a private line?”

“I know. It’s just—Shaw, Blackwater—”

“Yes, I heard. Everything has been chaotic since we received the alert.”

“And Jack Rust?”

“The warden’s word is official. All inmates have been verified and accounted for.”

“But—”

“Yuliya,” Shaw sighed. Yuliya could picture her former handler rubbing her forehead. “Everything’s okay. It’s covered. If we need help, we’ll call. Just enjoy retirement and that new teaching gig you got.”

Yuliya paused. “Fine. But update me.”

“No can do since you’re not one of us anymore. But we’ll contact you if we need help. That’s why we let you keep your powers and memory. Gotta go. Oh, and don’t call this number again, Yuliya.” Shaw hung up without waiting for Yuliya’s goodbye.

Yuliya stared at her phone. Everything is fine. Nobody got out. Jack Rust is still in prison. Everything will be okay. She should relax and prepare her lesson plan for tomorrow . . .

Except she can’t relax. That news story bothered her too much to let her even sit still. Not to mention the fact that despite such a large scale attack, nobody escaped or was harmed. Perhaps the guards really just were as good as they said they were. But that still didn't answer why. And what were they after? None of it made sense! Her nerves jittery, she wrung her hands as she fidgeted on the couch. Not even opening a book could get her to focus.

She groaned in frustration. It was futile to even try after hearing the news. Investigations were just starting so she'll have to wait before she gets her answer, if any. Yuliya just needed to take her mind off this whole thing. Maybe going to the local dojo would help. Yeah, punch a few bags would get it out of her system. Yuliya grabbed her gym bag and walked out of her apartment, the school dorms looming into view as she made her way to the dojo.
 
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SAM:

The remainder of Sam's school day expired with his will to try and see the best in it. Only after his will was ground to dust did the moment-to-moment happenings start to take it easy on him. Study hall was exactly what it sounded like: Chill, with a sense of purposeless ease to its progression. The teacher, an old, old man named Craw Grimley, pretended as if he couldn't hear the students when they tried to speak up. Most of them thought he was just going deaf, but Sam saw the smirk that came to Mr. Grimley's face every time the students tried to repeat themselves. Only to be expected of the now-retired info-specialist hero, Boggle.

Sam had to bite his lip to keep a smile from his face. He didn't want to ruin the facade, even if it meant waiting to ask about how Mr. Grimley's power worked. After seeing him cameo in so many old comics, the blond had questions to spare. If you can hear anything you see, does that mean you can hear thoughts if you look at a person's head? Does their brain have to be exposed? What about far-away things? Does the sound get fuzzier when the image is far away, or is there a range? What can't you hear? Does it help for you to use binoculars, or would it be better to use a telescope? Do you hear everything in surround-sound? If you close your ears, can you still hear what you see? What if you close your eyes? What if you only close one eye?

Meanwhile, Grimley eyeballed Sam as the boy swam in his thoughts, deciding to leave well-enough alone, to Sam's benefit. It only felt like seconds had passed before the day drew on.

Sam's primary dismay throughout the day came from the constant reminder of Mayra's fight with Eduardo. His memory skewed the story every time it came up, causing the details to sound more gruesome and dramatic as they were repeated. Then he remembered how everyone had to take a stand for him, and how people got hurt, and the list went on. Sam was busy adding to that list when the dining hall televisions tugged him from his thoughts. At first, the news report was simply another case of bad news, but then the blond boy remembered that he was enrolled in a superhero school. Whatever this was, it was probably supposed to be the business of the entire student body. After all, superheroes are supposed to take care of stuff like attacks and break-ins, at least that's how it was in Sam's mind. So, finally given something new to distract himself with, Sam began to dissect little things in the report. Attacked but no escapes? Why? A test? A cover-up? And nobody was hurt at all. Why all the smoke, then? And what about the-

Yet another sound disrupted Sam from his musings. His eyes slowly un-glazed as he looked for the source, and found Mayra hailing him and Will over to her. Him...and...

"Wuagh!!!" Sam exclaimed, looking to his right only to see Will at his side. He flinched at what, to him, was the two-inch taller girl's sudden appearance, and took a large step away from both of the girls, if only to give him space to adjust. After all, the last time they were together...

"N-No, th-thank you!" Sam called back in a rush before walking towards the dining hall doors. He didn't bother to grab any food to go. After the day he had, Sam didn't have much of an appetite to work with. Instead, he decided to walk straight back to his dorm. Just the thought of it, being alone in a clean room with no noise, made him take a deep and relaxing breath. Maybe he could do some reading! Or perhaps put some thoughts on paper! After all, the news story was starting to drum up interest in Sam's head, and now that he finally had his own laptop, courtesy of his parents as a going-away gift of necessity, he could really get into his own little world. Another deep breath brought Sam comfortably out of his thoughts so he could enjoy the walk back to its fullest. However, a wild Ms. Markov sighting gave the curly blond another idea.

"M-Ms. Markov!" Sam called out after observing a pleasant lack of company other than her in the vicinity. He made a slow, sad jog up to the teacher, stopping a bit further than a respectable distance away from her (about 8 feet or so), and after catching his breath, he began again. "Ms. M-Markov! D-Did you see the, um, the st-story about the jail on the news? It f-feels sorta...I mean, it s-sounds sorta unnatural, how it happened." the blond spoke slowly, more focused on picking and choosing his words than speaking attentively to Yuliya.

"I was w-wondering if..." Sam was about to press further, but lifted his eyes just long enough to see the bag hanging from Yuliya's arm. "...Oh, you were goin' somewhere. S-Sorry..." the boy clicked his tongue in disappointment and turned back towards the dorms, trudging slowly along his way without realizing he hadn't given his teacher the privilege of responding.


Interactions: Will - @Cosmic Penguin , Mayra - @The Writing Owl , Yuliya - @Yuuki_Tatsunohi
 
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Cora Kitonobe
Mentions- @xLarius
Cora had spent most of her day mortified, embarrassed, and just, sad. She didn't want to be here. She didn't even really want to eat much. Sighing, Cora swiped her Id across the bar, following clumsily in her classmates footsteps. She hadn't seen Rei since this morning, he probably didn't want to talk to her anymore.

Looking at whatever was on the menu, not much since the meal plan was pretty basic. Grabbing what little was on the menu for dinner Cora picked a quiet corner of the cafeteria to eat. She sat in relative silence as the tv turned to the station broadcasting the attack on the prison, though no one was missing. A sinking feeling entered Cora's gut, making her think even more about how terrible this could be. She knew her parents probably had something to do with this. She'd only picked up bits and pieces of their mumbling while she was trapped. She didn't know enough. But even then just hearing about it made her want to curl into a ball. Not baring to eat any more Cora took her plate back to the kitchen, her head down as she tugged her beanie back over her head.

Wandering outside, Cora headed for her dorm room, or maybe somewhere where she could be alone. She loved singing as much as it was hard to keep it to herself when things went south. At some point people would know what her powers were but for now, she'd squash them away as hard as she could. Finding a small quiet spot amongst the trees, Cora sat herself down on a rock, pushing her things off her shoulder and to the side. The breeze blew through the small clearing with ease as she began to sing softly under her breath, praying no one would hear her.
 
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~Yuliya Markov and Sam Kulka~
Collab between: @Yuuki_Tatsunohi and @Ω Angel Ω
Interactions: @Ω Angel Ω
Mentions: Nobody

Yuliya stopped in her tracks when someone called her name, looking back to see a familiar face jogging up to her.

"Ah, Sam," she greeted. The boy put a distance between them, talking about the recent news story without meeting her eye. There was hardly a place for her to respond, but she listened to Sam, albeit clutching the straps of her bag tighter as she was once again reminded of the news story. Upon noticing her gym bag, Sam started shrinking back, turning towards the dorms.

"What were—" she began, catching up to him. Yuliya then stopped herself. Likely the question Sam was going to ask would be related to Blackwater and she just didn't want to think about Blackwater for the rest of the day. She didn't even want to think about Blackwater at all. Yuliya shook her head. "Sorry, never mind."

An awkward moment of silence passed before Yuliya said, "You know, I'm going to the local dojo." She pointed her thumb in the direction behind her. "Heroes use it for training, and it's open to HSSI students too. If you want, you can come along and check it out. The instructors will allow you to observe if you don't want to spar either. So, what do you think?"

Sam froze in place at Yuliya's call. Even when she reigned in what she was about to say, the boy remained facing towards the dorms. Was it okay for him to leave now? Did he do something wrong? The questions filled the gap between Ms. Markov's words, and soon Sam was pulled back into a new discussion, listening to his teacher's invitation with a scant amount of dismay. He wanted to hear more about the Blackwater incident, after all.

Then again... thought Sam, turning to face Yuliya with the base of his thumb between his teeth, Maybe there'll be chatter. I can handle being a wallflower for a while longer...

"...wasn't gonna do nuthin, anyways..." Sam mumbled out loud, finalizing his thoughts. Then he gave a look to his teacher, took his thumb away from his mouth, and took a couple steps forward, unsure how else to indicate that he'd follow along.

"U-Um, I'll check it out, m-ma'am. Lead the way."

Yuliya managed to keep a straight face when Sam turned around. Certainly, she was not expecting to see a fifteen-year-old boy sucking his thumb, but Yuliya remained impassive at the sight. It worked too because Sam seemed willing to check out the local dojo. She had to hand it to her former days in the field; even after two years into retirement, she managed to keep ahold of those skills without the need of her powers.

"Awesome." She nodded. Sam might even find it beneficial if he decides to join the dojo. Emphasis on if. Not all supers enjoyed martial arts after all. "Just straight this way past the dorms."
 
Rei Arias
-
Rei rubbed his cheeks, his appearance was disheveled as it was when he had partnered up with Will. After school He took out his phone, checking his message bar slowly deleting a majority of his pictures before he froze at the picture of his family. His mother's piercing gray eyes seemed to stare into his soul with a small smile- Fake, but there despite how plastic and rehearsed it seemed. He let out a groan before ruffling up his hair in frustration. He tucked his phone into his bag before his stomach grumbled. He frowned,he didn't get a picture with that lovely lady- It was such a shame he couldn't make up some sort of cheesy story. He flinched murmuring,

"Speaking of lady...."

He had lost Cora in the hustle and bustle of the fight. Determined he pinned the bangs out of his face as he brushed some dust off his pants before walking in search of the young lady he had met before. He asked around and student's simply looked at him weirdly, it seemed it wasn't common to approach random people while you look like you conducted some sort of strange experiment. He fiddled with the band aids he had gotten from jabbing his finger too hard with the needle, he skidded to a stop as he saw a familiar back of a blue haired individual. He smelt burning rubber as he frowned staring down at his feet. A burnt mark formed at the bottom of his feet as he slid to the side smiling as if he didn't commit a crime- He followed the voice.

As he approached Cora he kept quiet until she had finished. He cleared his throat before smiling,

"Good evening, m'lady. Have you had dinner yet? I suppose you might have...."

He paused briefly before tapping his chin,

"How about that date? I wasn't kidding around you know..."

Rei said his grin becoming more smug.

"How about a nice sushi place? Not a bad first for us huh?"

He chuckled sheepishly,

"Just kidding, but I've been dying to try the place since my sister thinks she can flaunt it on social media. Sick of it."

His tone slightly became more cold when he was talking about his sister Rei came to realize. A flash of a shocked expression came upon his face, he quickly shook his head a less confident smile coming to his face. Rei once again looked at the smudges all around his arms before sheepishly chucking,

"Ahaha... Perhaps I should as a typical lady says, 'freshen up'. Huh? Oh shoot! You haven't even accepted yet... How about it? Will you do me the honor of humoring a poor bachelor such as I?"

latest

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@IceQueen - Cora​
 
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[fieldbox="GM post, goldenrod, dashed, 10"]
As Mayra and Will ate their dinner, a man dressed in dark gray collared shirt passed by, dragging a mop across the floor. Another pair of students approached in the opposite direction, happily chatting with one another and unaware of their person in their path. One of them collided with the janitor, sending them both tumbling down.

“I’m so sorry!” the boy apologized as his friend helped him up. The janitor shook his head, and then pulled the boy’s wallet from his back pocket, tucking it into his pocket without either student noticing.

“Watch yourself now,” said the janitor, picking up his mop. He wiped a small area next to their feet then grabbed his bucket and moved out of the cafeteria.

Upon Cora’s agreement, a taxi was hailed and drove the pair to the local commercial district of Aurora City. The taxi dropped Rei and Cora in front of Hanako Bistro, a modest restaurant situated between a small clothing store and an electronics store. Green awnings with pink flowers painted on them were on every window, some providing cover for tables on the outside. A few tables were occupied; restaurant goers enjoying the food and the atmosphere of Hanako. A hostess was stationed just inside the door, a maneki-neko on her podium waving its paw back and forth as if beckoning them near.

“Good evening,” the hostess greeted, smiling pleasantly at the pair. She grabbed a pair of menus and led Cora and Rei to a small booth. “Your waiter will be with you shortly, but in the meantime, can I get you anything to drink?”


Sakchai’s Dojo was a small dojo just two blocks away from school dorms. The dojo was built on the first floor of a two story building with the second floor reserved as apartment units. Because the dojo was very close to the dorms, a partnership between the dojo and the school was made to allow students to freely use their facility to either take lessons or polish their skills. A bored looking receptionist sat at the front desk, eyes glued to her phone until Yuliya entered.

“Hey, Yuliya!” the receptionist smiled. “Had a good summer vacation?”

“It was fine. Oh, I brought a student with—” she pointed at Sam. “Could I get a guest pass for him?”

“Sure. Observing perhaps?” The receptionist handed Sam a pen and held out her open palm. “Write your name so I can make the pass.”

After Sam’s name was written down, the letters on her hand warped, stretching across her palm as the surface bulged. After few more seconds, an orange sticker had formed with his name and the word ‘GUEST’ written underneath.

“Thank you. This way, Sam. Yuliya walked through the hallway next to the front desk, passing by rooms where private lessons were held. She reached the end of the hall where it turned into a larger, more spacious room. Punching bags and small fighting rings were everywhere, and tightrope wires crossed from one wall to the next. Several people used various equipment scattered around; there was even a pair sparring with each other using staffs on a tightrope.

“Yuliya,” a tall Chinese man with a shaved head appeared, bowing to the woman.

Yuliya returned the gesture. “Evening, Shen. Shen, this is Sam Kulka. Sam, this is Shen Yan.” She gestured between the two. “Shen’s the gym teacher of HSSI and works here part-time in the evening.”

Shen bowed to the boy. “I assume you’re here to observe. I’m currently judging a sparring match between some students. You are welcome to watch if you so wish.”[/fieldbox]
 
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Cora Kitonobe
Interactions- @xLarius
Cora had just begun to sing as she heard approaching footsteps. Falling silent, Cora turned to find Rei had wandered up to her and reaffirmed their date for that moment. Nodding silently, Cora wandered herself after Rei and into the car. She had barely heard where the man was taking her but she soon found out as they drove up to the restaurant.

"Oh boy." She mumbled under her breath as they approach the hostess. The entire place smelled like seafood. Delicious, delicious sea food. But that brought about a second problem. As much as her taste buds loved it she did not. The thought of eating her brethren was a bit of a touchy subject, yet she couldn't say a word as the hostess walked them to a table. Glancing up at her Cora ducked her head in embarrassment. She was in no kind of clothing to be in this restaurant.

"Just water is fine with me." She said, looking up at the waitress nervously. Her feet couldn't stop tapping quietly on the ground as she looked around. She felt so out of place and boxed in by all the smells. Oh the smells were heavenly. She had to constantly remind herself not to drool on the menu.
 
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Will Washington
Location: Dining Hall
Interactions: @The Writing Owl (Mayra)




Will was so happy the day was over. Partnering with Rei (turns out he was a pretty cool dude) in Home Ec had certainly been exhilarating but the actual task sucked big time. Even with Ms. Flintley's many pointers and unwavering cheerful encouragement, Will still managed to screw up her square. Just when she thought she was getting the hang of it, someone pointed out that she was just making a colorful knot. The thing had looked so sad compared to everyone else's (though it wasn't the worst one, there were enough good ones to make it look terrible) that when the pink haired teacher had told them to leave the squares behind, Will had contemplated 'leaving' hers in the garbage. And as if she had read her mind, Ms. Flintley had planted herself between the trash can and her students, looking both friendly and smug all at once. Will regretted not registering for art. Her mom had even suggested art when it was time to choose classes but in an effort to avoid more calligraphy, Will had begged for Home Ec (At the time she had believed Home Ec to be a cooking class) and her mom agreed because she liked that even more than art.

In the dining hall, Will found herself searching the crowd for Mayra. She hadn't seen her since the fight--she'd fallen asleep on the bus--and she wanted to know if the other girl was okay. Plus they'd technically never gotten to finish their lunch thanks to Douchardo. "Aw shit--I hope that jerk doesn't live here too." Will exclaimed, narrowing her gaze and trying to scour the crowd for the bully. She didn't see him though, so she relaxed only to tense up again when she tuned into the news. A prison break in--err out--err...She didn't even know what to call it because it was so freaking...weird. Someone had attacked the prison but no one had escaped? It sounded too good to be true. Then again--Blackwater was one of the best, well guarded prisons run by some of the best. But it also holds some the 'best' villains and none of them escaped...?

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone calling her name. The teen's head snapped up and she grinned widely when she saw that it was Mayra who was calling her. Grabbing her tray, Will all but ran over to the other girl. "Of course!" She responded excitedly, but her smile faded when Sam stepped away from them, then ran away. She stared after him in confusion, her brow furrowing. She let her gaze harden as she stared at his retreating back, then sucked her teeth. What the heck was his problem? After all that happened, he's just gonna treat us like what--freaking lepers or something? Screw him! The confusion caused by Sam's hasty retreat, manifested as anger in Will and she had to clench the hand that wasn't carrying her tray, tightly. Not cool Sam. Not cool. She thought before taking a deep breath and turning to Mayra with a smile. "Let's sit over there!" She pointed at a relatively unoccupied table near the entrance to the dining hall.

As the girls ate, Will did her best to forget what just happened with Sam. She was getting annoyed just thinking about it. They had both stood up for the guy and in return he had just treated them like crap! Her thoughts were once again interrupted but this time by a commotion with the janitor who was--Will's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she whipped back around to face Mayra, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "D-did you see that?! He totally took that guy's wallet!" She gasped staring after the janitor's victim, who hadn't even noticed that his pockets were a little lighter.
 
Mayra Ruiz
Interactions: @Cosmic Penguin Mentions: @Ω Angel Ω

Mayra faltered as Sam ran away from her invitation. Had her fight with Eduardo scared him? Did he not want to be her friend anymore? Did she freak him out? As much as part of her told her this was good-the less attachments the easier it would be to leave-she also wanted to make sure the small boy was okay. At least Will agreed to her request. That perked Mayra right up. The cute (no, no, not cute, friendly) girl lead Mayra to an unoccupied table, thankfully not asking her a million and one questions about the fight. If she never heard about the stupid fight with Eduardo ever again it would be far too soon.

She started her meal, glad to be just hanging out when a janitor caught her attention. She couldn't stop her gaping as the man just plucked a wallet from some poor kid's back pocket. She turned to Will, blinking as the girl gasped over the crime. "Y-yeah... Oh God, what do we do?" Mayra asked, looking back to where the janitor left. "Do we grab an adult? A teacher? Do we go after him ourselves? Would the teachers even believe us? I don't know what to do!" She set her fork down, unsure what exactly to do with the situation at hand.

On the one hand, if they went after the janitor themselves then the problem would (hopefully) be solved quicker. They could get the kid's wallet back, maybe warn the janitor not to do it again, and return to their dinner and maybe get to know each other a little better. On the other hand, if they got an adult or a teacher then they were less likely to get in trouble for going on their own. The janitor would probably get harsher repercussions, and everything would be fine. However, if they went to an adult there was a chance they wouldn't be believed, and the janitor would just get away with stealing some poor kid's wallet. Mayra leaned back, already edging off of her seat as she tried to think of what to do in this situation.
 
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SAM:

Sam followed along obediently, lagging behind a bit to enjoy the quiet space while he had it. It was only when he entered the dojo that Sam remembered why he wanted to follow along at all.

"M-Ms. Yuliya, I-" he tried to squeak out, but the receptionist was already upon him, shoving a pen and her palm in his face. He hesitantly did as he was asked, and had to stifle a gasp as the receptionist's powers went to work. From that moment on, Sam knew very well that he was out of his element. Fighters, workers, movers, the whole shebang, and there was little Sam, trying very, very hard not to shield himself with the sides of Yuliya's frame as they walked. From all sides, the sight, the smell assaulted him, causing him to cringe inward. By the time Shen Yan popped up, Sam had probably shrunk an inch or so from his posture alone.

"S-Sure, I c-can w-watch..." Sam gave a weak reply, grimacing when the sound of his voice barely made it to his own ears, much less Shen's or Yuliya's. Just to make sure, the blond picked his eyes up off the floor and gave a quick nod to the gym teacher. With Blackwater on his mind, Sam pressed himself to suck in his anxious demeanor, if only enough to try and ask a question or two when the moment presented itself. Until then, he'd just have to wait out his very first visit to a public gym...


Interactions: Yuliya / Shen - @Yuuki_Tatsunohi
 
~Yuliya Markov~
Interactions: Sam @Ω Angel Ω
Mentions: None

After hearing Sam’s response, Shen nodded and headed towards a small fighting ring in the center of the room.

“Come on, let’s go,” Yuliya said to Sam, nodding her head in the same direction as Shen. Two students were already in the ring. Neither wore any gear, chatting with each other and laughing at something they were watching on the phone. Shen climbed into the ring, clearing his throat to call their attention. Both students jumped, spinning to face Shen and bowing so fast Yuliya thought their heads would pop off. Shen crossed his arms, staring the students down until one of them returned her phone to her bag. Yuliya shook her head in amusement. Even in this other job, Shen never cut some slack.

Shen started talking to his students, keeping the conversation between the three of them. Yuliya saw this as her chance to leave and find that punching bag. She was about to tell Sam but stopped herself. He was jittery, looking anywhere and everywhere. Just like what happened this morning in homeroom, he shrunk in on himself, shoulders hunched and posture making it look like Sam was being sucked into a hole. The boy’s eyes flicked between the fighting ring and other occupants in the dojo, face scrunched with his thumb halfway to his mouth again.

“Hey, we can watch the match from here,” she said, leading Sam to one side of the ring. She stood just outside of a small silver line that separated the carpet from the mat of the ring. There was a sign next to them that read ‘PLEASE stay on this side of the ring until your turn.’

“It’s a friendlier match I assure you,” said Yuliya, watching one of the students make a weird pose, causing the other to laugh while Shen raised an eyebrow. “Those two have been coming in ever since winter of last year to improve their technique, so I’m interested in seeing how much they’ve improved.” Yuliya set her bag down. “Watch and tell me what you think.”
 
[fieldbox="GM post, goldenrod, dashed, 10"]
Shen’s students took position on either side of the ring with Shen in the center. “Syd, Deanna. This will be a no-gear spar. No powers allowed either. I want you to use all the skills you’ve learned. One point if you get a hit in the head or chest or a takedown. First to five points wins.”

Syd and Deanna bowed once to each other then took up a fighting stance. After a moment, Shen gave the signal to start and the two fighters circled around each other, bouncing on their toes. Occasionally one would feign coming at the other to see how they react. This pattern repeated for another minute, both sides testing the other.

Then Deanna swung first, her fist aimed for Syd’s head. Syd caught her fist, following with his own aimed at her stomach. Deanna couldn’t evade in time, the wind knocked out of her when she received the punch. Shen took that moment to interfere, pointing at Syd as both students backed away from each other.

“Syd: one point,” said Yuliya.

Again, another bow and Syd came first, a spin kick followed by a series of punches at Deanna’s head, all of which were blocked by her arms. Syd took one step back and Deanna came after him with a kick of her own. Syd managed to block the kick from contacting his face, but the force of the kick was enough to knock him off his feet. Shen awarded that point to Deanna.

“Nice one,” Syd complimented as Deanna helped him up.

“You’re spin kick game is kinda weak,” she teased as they returned to their spots. The match continued, with both sides gaining points until eventually both fighters had four points each. Both were tired, breathing growing heavy with sweat forming on their temples, but they enthusiastically faced the other, fire alight in their eyes.

“Oh, this should be interesting,” said Yuliya, putting one hand on her chin.

At Shen’s signal, both fighters rushed at each other, one fist raised while the other caught the opponent’s fist. They pushed against each other, trying to overtake the other by sheer strength until both sides jumped away. Syd ran towards Deanna who dodged and rammed her shoulder into his stomach, grabbing his shirt to flip him over. Syd managed to catch himself, landing on his feet. Deanna followed up with a round house kick, but her ankle was caught by Syd who proceeded to throw her on the ground.

“Point: Syd!” Shen pointed at the boy. “Match over. Winner is Syd.”

Syd helped his sparring partner to stand up, both sides congratulating the other on the match. They laughed at the other’s move set, sometimes imitating the other for whatever move they pulled in the fighting ring.

“Definite improvement,” said Yuliya, watching as the two fighters jumped off the ring “Before coming to Sakchai’s, that girl couldn’t aim a kick higher than the waist. Goes to show how far you can go if you put in a little time and effort.”

The hostess nodded, placing the menus on either side of the table. She walked away, returning moments later with a glass for Cora. The bell rang once again, and the hostess left the pair to attend to the newcomers.

A few tables down, a group of three were happily chatting with each other, giving a toast before taking a long sip from their drinks. There was a couple in the opposite direction, the man putting chopsticks in his mouth and pretending to be a walrus. His date frowned at him, but it wasn’t long before she started laughing. Music played in the background, adding to the relaxed atmosphere of Hanako. [/fieldbox]
 
Mayra Ruiz & Will Washington
Interactions: @Yuuki_Tatsunohi Mentions: @Yuuki_Tatsunohi

Will shook her head vigorously and leaped to her feet. "No. By the time we get someone else, the dude could be miles away or he could've used the kid's credit card or something!" Assuming the kid even had a credit card. His parents could have given it to him for emergencies or something and that janitor could be on Amazon buying a luxury car or something!

Will was still shocked that this had even happened. She assumed that the school did background checks on their employees or did that only count for instructors? Either way, Will felt it was her duty as a future hero, to stop that guy.

"Look, maybe he doesn't even have any powers. We can follow him, give him a light warning--and by warning I mean threaten to put him through a freaking wall--and then he gives us the wallet! Easy-peezy." Of course there was no way to check if the guy had powers or not, but Will was assuming he didn't because he'd pick-pocketed the kid and not lifted the wallet with his mind or something to that affect.

Mayra felt her heart start to beat harder, jumping up after Will. "R-right!" They slipped through the dining hall, Will already giving a game plan on what to do when they caught the janitor. Mayra chewed on her lip, unsure. "I mean, maybe we shouldn't try to threaten him? We don't know if this guy has powers and if he's stealing kids' wallets then obviously he isn't a good guy... either that or he's really desperate." She opened the door for Will, taking one last look. Had somebody else noticed their rush? Were they implicating themselves as much as they were the janitor? Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Mayra stepped into the hallway after her (friend? fellow student? crush?) acquaintance and looked around for the janitor.

"At the very least we know the janitor's cocky. I mean, pickpocketing in the middle of the street is one thing, but in a dining hall?" Mayra huffed, crossing her arms. "Honestly, that was such an amateur move. If you're gonna steal a wallet you gotta do it when everybody's crossing the halls! That way you have an easy escape and no one's looking at you! And even then, credit cards are kinda useless since those can get cancelled and you can even track some of them. Paper money's the real goal there." Realizing she might be implicating something about herself in front of a possible friend, Mayra quickly shut up and hunched a little. "Ah, I mean..."

As Mayra spoke, Will found herself mesmerized. Not only was Mayra bad ass, but she was certified bad ass. At first Will had thought that she was just one of those people who were naturally gifted with cool vibes, but Mayra's apparent knowledge of theft, begged to differ. Usually Will would frown upon anything that was less than moral like stealing, but maybe Mayra's hotness was blinding her because she didn't give a damn about morals. And then when she tried to cover up her rant! Adorable and sexy. Will grinned and slowed her quickened pace to a saunter. She turned around so that she was facing Mayra as she walked backwards, glancing behind her every once in awhile to avoid obstacles.

"You know, I never really got to learn much about you at lunch earlier. You're kind of a bad ass, aren't you? You even asked Ms. Markov how someone would get kicked out earlier. I thought it was just cause you were curious but...Is that really why?" Will inquired, her gaze intense. She then realized that Mayra might think she was gonna tell on her or something, so she softened her gaze a bit. "Swear, I'm just being curious. I wouldn't say anything to anybody."

Mayra blinked as Will took her little rant a lot better than she expected. She slowed down as Will did, only to nearly trip over herself as Will called her a badass. Her? Bad ass? Mayra could feel her face burning as butterflies burst to life in her stomach. She started to fidget with her gloves-Mrs. Markov's gloves, she needed to remember to bring them back to the woman. Of course the butterflies couldn't last forever as Will went for the jugular, asking about Mayra's strange questions from earlier that day.

Sighing, Mayra tried to figure out how to respond to Will's questioning. She hunched, slouching more than usual to try and hide. Will seemed to notice Mayra's discomfort and comforted her about it, reassuring her that she wouldn't rat her out or talk about what she was going to say. That brought a smile to the frizzy haired girl's face as she tried to come up with some kind of answer. "Ah, well, I wouldn't say I'm a badass... I used to live in a huge city in Ecuador. Pickpocketing's kinda a huge thing in most cities, but it was even worse because I lived in a touristy area. I'd be pretty stupid if I didn't know how to avoid them. That's not why I asked the question though..."

What was she supposed to say? Sure, Will was nice (cute, sweet, attractive), but Mayra'd only known her for a day. She couldn't just go around spilling all of her secrets now. Gnawing on her lip, Mayra tried to find the right words to explain herself without explaining herself. "I... I asked about getting kicked out because I think there was a kind of mistake with me being here, ya know? So I guess... I mean... Ah I was being stupid." She huffed, looking away from Will and focusing back on finding the janitor. She didn't just think it was a mistake she was here, she knew. The day she was shipped off to HSSI was a huge mistake. She didn't belong, and she was going to fix that if it was the last thing she did! She just... needed to find out a way that wouldn't end up with her in jail or dead.
Just as quickly as 'inquisitor Will' appeared, she disappeared. She kind of regretted asking about Mayra's question because the girl looked so...Deflated. It made her nervous. Will wasn't used to dealing with feelings. Feelings were dangerous, they opened you up to things you didn't want. They made you unstable. Feelings were the worst. One part of Will knew that she should try and comfort Mayra but another part of her, a bigger part, was telling her to change the subject. Will always listened to that part of her, even when she didn't want to.

Movement in the corner of her eye halted Will's thoughts abruptly and she nearly whooped when she saw what that movement was. "IT'S HIM!" She whisper yelled at Mayra, pointing at the 'janitor' a few feet down the hall. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, as her gaze locked on the thief.
 
Rei Arias
-
Rei sat in his seat staring straight at his plate- This wasn't his scene, but ladies tend to go goo-goo eyed over any rich bachelor. Of course he wouldn't guess that Cora would be into a arrogant knock head like that. He decided to place a smile on his lips before looking directly into Cora's eyes.

"Have you looked at the menu yet? I still have yet to request they add "a kiss" to the menu."

Rei jested. He watched as the hostess set down the glasses, later Rei had the chance to get limonade poured into his. He enjoyed the raw rich tingly feeling he got when it poured down his throat, after a few seconds regretting it and joking around with his buddies. He resisted the feeling and waited as the bubbles began to simmer down. Rei yawned,

"Wasn't too lonely without me in class for once? Hehe~ Unfortunately I have the delight of being like you, sweet as chocolate- Except eventually you get sick of it."

He waved his hand dismissively,

"I'm kidding. Kidding."

Although the second time he said it he didn't seem to confident in himself. He put his elbow on the table, laying his head against it.

"I'm starting to find joy in small little things like- hrm. These strange squares that are formed from repeating the same thing over and over. That's what we're doing in Home Ec, ya see? We could try it together if you'd like, I'm not sure I'm too good at it though. Kept poking myself- I mean how does that even happen!? Just a jab here a jab there, loopy thing there. Then poof! What a beauty! It so much more satisfying to do by hand but it's so tedious and- Ah. There I go again. My mother's always- Eesh. Urm- Hah! Um. So how about that class?"
latest

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[fieldbox="GM Post, goldenrod, dashed, 10"]
The janitor moved down the hall, pushing his mop and bucket. He was moving so fast water sloshed out of the bucket. Usually he’d pause to wipe the area then move slower to prevent any spills, but he was in such a hurry he didn’t even pay the spilt water much attention. He can always go back and wipe it off later. Right now, he needed to tell them he got access.

Something squeaked behind him. He spun around to see who it was. Or he thought he heard something squeak behind him. There was nobody in the same corridor as him. He narrowed his eyes, before ducking inside the janitor’s office.

He then started sorting through the kid’s wallet. One or two cash cards, way too many business cards, a driver’s permit and some twenties. He pulled out the twenties and stuff them in his pocket. Likely the cash cards would be useless by the time he could ever use them. Then he pulled out what he needed to get. The kid’s student ID which also allowed him access to various parts of the school. The janitor was only limited to the school dorms. In no way could he ever access the school with the employee identification HSSI gave him.

He discarded the wallet and turned on his computer. He pulled out a small black flash drive from his pocket. The flash drive was black in color with two red symbols on its surface. One of the symbols was a half triangle and right below its slanted edge was a circle. Like blade descending on a head.
asflkjasl.png
He plugged in the flash drive and the screen turned black. The same symbol on the flash drive appeared on the screen, blinking twelve times before everything turned white and a silhouette of a person appeared.

“Update,” said the silhouette, the voice warped into a deep, low voice.

“Obtained access to the school. It belongs to a student. Sophomore by the looks of his ID,” said the janitor.

“Mmm,” the silhouette nodded in approval. “I’ll notify the Master then. Continue as you are. In a few hours, you’ll receive orders from the Master to carry on the next step of the plan.”

“Understood.” The screen turned off once again and the janitor pulled out the flash drive. He leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. After a pause, the janitor pulled out a small container of food and picked out a little chicken drumstick and started eating. He walked out of the office, glancing once more down the corridor. Still nothing. He ripped off the last morsel of his meal and discarded the bone, pocketing the stolen ID card and started walking down another hall.

Shen followed jumped off the ring after the previous pair, walking up to a small board on one column and flipping the hanging sign from ‘in use’ to ‘free.’ Yuliya moved from one foot to the next, unsure of what to say next.

“Are you going to use this ring next?” Shen asked Yuliya.

“Oh. Uh, well, I was hoping to get a few punches on the punching bag, though,” she eyed Sam, not wanting to leave the boy, yet also yearning to get to find that punching bag.

Shen also looked at Sam. “Do you want to observe another fight?” he asked, causing Yuliya raised her eyebrows at him. “Or do you want to have your own match?[/fieldbox]
 
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SAM:

Blackwater. Blackwater. Blackwater...Black...

Sam had been on pace, reminding himself to ask Yuliya more about the whole prison-thing, but then Yuliya was guiding him along, and Shen was being all teacher-y, and his students seemed like they were at least sorta-happy...

"Why are grudge-matches allowed in a school for heroes?" The question sort of just...popped out, while the fight was going on. He hadn't directed it at anyone, but seeing Yuliya as invested as she was in the spar, he wish he had. She'd probably have a good answer. Being angry isn't very heroic... With a sniffle, Sam returned his attention to the two in the ring. The first point earned made the blond feel queasy, clutching his own gut as he witnessed the impact. Before he knew it, he was just as sucked in as Yuliya, standing to his feet in awe at the last point earned. Sam would've cheered, but he quickly remembered where he was, and who he was with, and settled for sucking in air through his teeth as he slowly sat down again.

If Sam were being honest with himself, observing the fight with Yuliya felt like going to the movies with his mom, so watching another sounded like a perfectly okay idea...a perfectly okay idea dashed away by his teacher's affirmed desire to do her own thing. He could feel her eyes on him. Pity. Reluctance. He knew the look all too well; like leaving a puppy at the shelter after playing with it for a few minutes, and looking back at it just to make sure it still existed. Justifying other people's guilt...that's apparently all he was good for. Unfair...

"I-I want to get s-stronger!" Sam startled himself with his volume, standing up with the exclamation only to shrink at the realization of doing so. Even then, he continued, "...I w-want to get st-stronger. H-How do I d-do th-that?" The blond pointed the question at Shen, hoping to make some kind of statement to himself, if not to Yuliya. Sam may not be the fight-y type. He may not be rough and mean like that Ed-guy, or a killer-instinct wielding fighter like Mayra...heck, he honestly didn't know a thing. Sam was never that sort, but he could become it. If it means doing some good for once, I'll do it. If it means that other people don't have to get in trouble for me, I'll do it! I can do it! I can do it!!!

So Sam lost sight of Blackwater, and turned his shivering gaze to Shen, afraid of change, but desperate to make something in himself work for once.


Interactions: Yuliya & Shen - @Yuuki_Tatsunohi
 
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~Yuliya Markov~
Interactions: @Ω Angel Ω
Mentions: None
Yuliya gave her fellow coworker a look when he asked Sam if he wanted to fight. Observing another fight was okay. She wasn’t sure where Shen would find two people who would fight, but she was willing to leave Sam with Shen to let the boy observe again (she had a feeling Shen would choose her to go in the ring though). Going into a fight of his own, however, that was another matter. It had only been the first day of class but Yuliya already knew the boy’s combat skills were lacking. Given his history and personality, it just wasn’t right to push him to spar when he would have no idea what he was doing.

Yuliya opened her mouth to suggest an alternative when Sam beat her to it. Both adults turned to the young boy as he declared his wishes to the tall monk. Just like homeroom introductions, he shrunk back on himself as if trying to disappear. Only this time, he turned to both adults and didn’t look away

Shen spoke first. “You can take lessons here at Sakchai’s. As a student, it’s completely free.”

Yuliya blinked, looking between Shen and Sam. Lessons? But it was only the first day and she worried the Freshman might not be able to handle it in addition to the workload of school. It didn’t seem like Sam was truly ready. Maybe if he decided—she stopped her train of thought when she looked at Sam once again. No, Sam wants to do this. He may be shaking as he stared up at the monk, but he was determined. And as his teacher, she shouldn’t discourage him from this. She should be helping him.

“Yes. Sakchai has excellent training programs,” she added. “Deanna and Syd’s skills are a result of those programs. And there are others who can vouch for that.” Then, she said, “Shen, I’d like to teach Sam.”

“I do believe he was asking me,” said Shen matter-of-factly.

“Perhaps, but as his homeroom teacher, I would like to be involved. Of course, that is if Sam would be okay with that.” She turned to the blond in question, waiting to hear his answer. It wouldn’t be a problem if Sam had two teachers. Yuliya had fighting techniques honed from her years in the field and Shen had his own as well. Two teachers, two different perspectives, thus a broader view. The final decision rested on Sam, so it was up to him to choose to have two teachers to train him or have one.
 
SAM:

It worked?

Sam had a hard time holding in his shock as Shen answered him matter-of-factly. He had expected at least a bit of tug on the other end. Maybe a, "are you sure you can handle it?" or a, "let's give it some time, and see where we're at," sort of thing. He knew every bit in the book, and was almost willing to list them all off himself, if only to satisfy the part of him that really didn't want to be there in the first place. But no. Shen just kinda...and that was that.

Sam wanted to at least sift out his response to Shen proper, but then Yuliya chimed in, and once again the blond swallowed a pill of surprise. Suppressing his expression with a sniff, Sam listened to his teacher simultaneously praise the dojo's training programs, and butt in to Shen's initial intents for said training programs, with an eager ear. Finally, it felt like he had her attention. Someone's attention. Real, actual, not-pity-attention attention. Sam felt his shoulders relax with relief as the two teachers bickered a bit, glad to know he would at least be trained by homely fellows as much as respectable staff. Turning to Yuliya, Sam tried to muster up a smile. It wasn't the best showing, but it was as natural for Sam as it would come. It'd have to do.

"I-I'd be okay w-with that." He nodded before addressing both of his teachers again, "Um...wh-when does it s-start? Th-The class, I mean." Sam scratched his cheek and nearly began gnawing on his thumb, but thought better of it after taking another look at his audience.

Interactions: Yuliya & Shen - @Yuuki_Tatsunohi
 
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