Sky High [IC Thread]

[Kat]

Grace

Grace nearly ran headfirst into Zenith because she was walking with her head down, trying to avoid attention from her peers.

She was also watching the floor go by her feet, making sure she didn't step on anything since she was so used to floating a few inches off of the ground.

She squeaked and almost toppled backwards, her bag tipping off of her shoulder and the contents spilling onto the floor of the hallway. Grace scrambled to shove her stuff back into the bag while simultaneously apologizing profusely over her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention.. Sorry, sorry sorry..."

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

Zenith wasn’t looking where he was going either and as he entered the history wing he almost walked straight into someone. Narrowly avoiding a collision, he noticed that the person was Grace. She dropped her shoulder bag in surprise and her books and other things tumbled out. As she was busy stuffing the items back into her bag and apologizing to Zenith for nearly crashing into him, he knelt down and helped her with her things.

“Oh, it’s alright. I wasn’t watching where I was walking either. Actually, I had been looking for you. There’s something I would like to discuss with you and get your opinion on.”

After everything had been put back in its proper place, he stood up and offered her a hand so that she could get to her feet.

“Mind if I walk with you to your next class? What I have to say to you shouldn’t take very long.”

[Kat]

Grace

Blushing with shame, Grace took Zenith's proffered hand and stood. She looked at the ground and nodded her assent to being walked to class.

"It's just down the hall.." she muttered quietly, glancing around them to see who was gossiping after her debacle. She sighed and involuntarily squeezed Zenith's hand before realizing she had. She instantly dropped it, not wanting to be seen acting in any way inapropriately with an upperclassman.

"Sorry about that." she murmured softly to the ground.

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

Zenith smiled at the gesture of her squeezing his hand.

“Again, it’s alright. You didn’t mean to nearly bump into me and I didn’t mean to nearly bump into you. And try to ignore those other students; most of them are jerks anyway.”

He shot a quick glare at a few underclassmen that looked like they were whispering to each other about the near collision and they quickly scurried away to their respective classes. Zenith then turned his attention back to Grace.

“Listen, what I’ve been meaning to ask you about is what would you think of having a private, quiet sanctuary again, only this time it wouldn’t be in the library? Rumor has it there are several corridors and classrooms hidden throughout the school that would be a perfect safe haven for you, away from the gossiping and rumors. You could even stock the area with your own private book collection. So, what do you think about this?”

[Kat]

Grace

Grace chanced a glance up at Zenith.

"W- why..? I mean- Not that I don't appreciate the offer, I do but.. Why help me? You're an upperclassman and I'm just a sidekick. I heard you were a pretty nice guy, and I know we have some similar powers but.. I'm sorry," she stammered, staring at the ground again. "I just don't understand."

Grace sighed and stopped in front of her classroom door. "You have to admit Zenith, it sounds too good to be true coming from someone way out of my league and all that. A hero, an upperclassman, offering me sanctuary, even after the mess I made of the cafeteria?" She shook her head, "I feel like there should be a catch."

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

“I want to help you because I don’t want to see you looking so glum after you simultaneously lost your library sanctuary and have been on the receiving end of rumors and gossip ever since that day in the cafeteria. And what’s wrong with an upperclassman helping out a sidekick? If you ask me, it should happen more often, but others seem reluctant to do so. Maybe it’s peer pressure or something, I’m not entirely sure… I think that you’re a good person, Grace. You should be fighting for a quiet, secluded area rather than letting these other students get the best of you.”

He gently took hold of her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

“And as far as the mess itself in the cafeteria goes, I don’t care. You were not yourself that day; not the person I know who enjoys coming to a quiet library, reading books, and socializing with, um, Awa. Sorry, forgot her name for a moment. Anyway, whatever happened that day, I believe that it wasn’t your fault.”

He released her shoulders and smiled at her.

“And there’s no catch. If you’re still interested, come see me and we’ll work something out.”

Zenith then turned around and started walking away from her while waving over his shoulder.

“And good luck with the rest of your classes today.”

[Kat]

Grace

Compulsively, Grace ran and caught up with Zenith to hug his waist from behind.

"Thank you.." she whispered against his back before realizing that she had done something stupid and out of character for the second time that day.

"S- sorry.." she stammered, abruptly stepping back and running to duck into her history classroom, internally berating herself for causing a spectacle.

Stupid, stupid. Pay attention to what you're doing. Keep yourself in check, do you want more attention? They'll hurt you. Wes will find out and he'll hurt you. Eric will try to stop him, but you know Wes is more dominant. Those villains, they'll hurt you, you idiot fool girl.

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

Zenith was pleasantly surprised by the hug from Grace. He didn’t think that what he said would have elicited such a response, but he didn’t mind. As quick as she hugged him though, she pulled away, embarrassment clearly written all over her face. He half-smiled at her as she quickly ran into the classroom just as the bell rang.

“That was a little unexpected, but alright.”

He continued on his way down the hall wondering what to do next. He had managed to find Grace and let her know of the idea between him and Far Sight and he still didn’t have class for another half-hour. Being an upperclassman definitely had its perks.

“Hmm, I wonder if Sig unlocked the rest of the cabinets? I wouldn’t mind experimenting with some gold or mercury until my next class starts.”

[Kat]

Grace

Grace ran into her history class and immediately dropped her head to her desk, wrapping her arms around her head to cover the furious blush creeping over her face.

The students at the desks around her whispered to each other, and someone threw a ball of paper at her head.

She started to cry softly, flames beginning to lick at her cheeks to dry the tears. She choked back the flames and the tears, remembering the last time she let the elements get out of hand.

Someone had noticed the fire and told the teacher. He looked at her and sent her loudly to detention, quietly slipping her a pass to the nurse instead. Grace made her way into the hall.

[TrickyLA]

Awa

Awa didn't know what to do for the rest of her break between classes, already missing her shared classes with Grace. She was worried about her, was she okay?

"I hope you're okay Gigi..."

She mumbled to herself, hugging her hoodie closer to herself. Hopefully she could just blend in until it was time for class again. Hopefully she wouldn't be noticed. She'd done a good job so far, most of the people in her class barely remembering who she was. It was better that way, being the unnoticed friend.

Gigi I hope you're alright, I really do....

[Kat]

Grace

Grace caught a glimpse of Awa down the hall and ran and tackled her best friend, hugging her tightly.

She buried her face in Awa's shoulder, sniffling as her confusion, humiliation, and frustration built up inside of her.

"Awa.. Zen.. Fire.. Teacher said..." Grace babbled into her friend's shoulder, her voice rising and falling between sobs.

She clung to her hero, for once acting the quiet, subordinate sidekick that she was supposed to be.

[TrickyLA]

Awa

Awa stumbled, surprised at the sudden tackle and wondering if she was being attacked until she felt the hug.

The shaking and sniffling.

"...G...Gigi...?"

She whispered quietly, relaxing immediately. Was she okay? Why was she crying? She tried to piece together what she was telling her but it was difficult.

She shifted a little bit, facing her Side-Kick and wrapping her arms around the sobbing girl.

"Shh...Gigi its okay...I'm right here..."

She pet the girl's back gently, kissing her forehead.

"U-Uhm....w-what's wrong Gigi...?"

She was really worried now, seeing her best friend like this.

[Iris]

"Well, well, well. Came a dark silthering voice, "If it isn't visor head, what'cha doing waaaaay out here? Aren't ya suppose to be somewhere on an operating table? Hah-"

"[purple]Well if it isn't scaled-sleezball[/purple]." Far Sight retorted somewhat lazily not bothering to focus on the owner that voice, Far Sight knew that in his opinion -thought he was no looker- the owner's appearence would scar toddlers for life, "[purple]Look Cobra, I'm enjoying my break right now. But if you want me to help skin you again, then keep pushing it[/purple]."
With that he turned to look at the 'villain' named Cobra, it was clear he was a splicer; someone who modified his DNA with that of an animal. Cobra a 4th year villain and was an unimaginetive teen, picking on the weak, conning first years, stealing wallets and the like.

His ugly personality was only matched by his outward appearence after countless splicing his body had degenerated, his skin sagged due to regular molting, his eyes were an exact replica of a snake, he was completely hairless but most importantly were his forked-tongue and teeth. Cobra's teeth had been artifically replaced with dozens of needle-like fangs some of which were hollow and contained a neuro-venom that caused temperary paralysis.

"I'd nibble on you and take you to the boss now but he'd like to give you a warning, he- "
"[purple]Yeah, yeah. I've got x amount of time and y amount of something else. Not the first threat and certainly not the last.[/purple] Far Sight interrupted, taking a twist sense of satisfaction as Cobra's face attempted a frown... but since he had no eyebrows it just looked silly.
"I hope your ready, because if you're not, hehe then-"
"[purple]Bored now. I'm going to head to class... unless you want to become a flying squirrel when you next splice.[/purple]" Far Sight suggest maliciously pointing towards the edge of the school and to Cobra's credit, he was out of sight within the minute.

"[purple]Ah well, there goes my break and quite school year. Perfect.[/purple] Far Sight laughed as he headed back into the school.

[Yetisarge]

Professor Johnson just finished up his inventory lists. 'I might have to go and get some of these materials myself, since I know the school doesn't have the budget at all for any of these.' he thought as he shook his head and poked his head out into the hallway noting that it was pretty empty, always seemed that way to him.

He thought he had heard the sounds of one of the student's crying, but he couldn't see anything, so he decided to just shrug it off and move on with his day for now. He let out a sigh and went back looking over the damage report of one of the first years who thought it would be hilarious to put \Potassium in water, and a very large amount of it at that.

[Kat]

Grace

Grace clung to Awa, hiccuping a little bit as she tried to calm herself down.

Once she was able to speak, she let go of her best friend and attempted to explain everything as best she could.

"I.. I ran into Zenith in the hallway, and- and he said that he wanted to find me someplace in the school to go instead of the library 'til everyone stops going all- all crazy about what happened in the cafeteria.." Grace took a breath, trying to keep from babbling.

"And, and he said something about secret p- passages, but he's being so nice and he's older and I dunno if there's a catch or if he's really that nice and then I was on fire and the teacher sent me to detention except the pass said to the nurse and I don't know what to doooo Awa.." she sniffled, biting her lip to keep it from quivering.

"I'm so confused..."

[TrickyLA]

Awa

Awa hugged Grace a little, blinking slowly as she tried to take in everything her friend was saying. At least she was being a little clearer this time, and Awa was grateful for that.

"....Let's go to the Nurse then for starters?"

Awa suggested, taking control of the situation for once. She gripped Grace's hand tightly and started walking in that direction. What did Zenith mean...secret passages? Fire?

"....Gigi? I thought Zenith was your friend right...so then doesn't it make sense that he's nice and cares about you?" She asked first, then continued. "And....secret passages?"

[Kat]

Grace

"W- well, I mean.." Grace shrugged, holding onto Awa's hand and trotting alongside her friend.

"I know him. I mean, I know who he is, and I see him in the library and wave sometimes but.." she paused, forming the phrase in her head before she said it out loud.

"I mean, he's a hero, and not my hero, and an upperclassman.. So we're not really friends, not like you and I are friends.. We're more like strong acquaintances, you know?"

Grace looked at the floor as she walked, feeling oddly shorter than her best friend because of her lack of breeze.

"So it's weird that he would just.. want to help like that..." she said as they neared the nurse's office, "Is he just that nice, or is there something else..? I just don't believe it. Too good to be true, and all that cliche nonsense." Grace attempted a smile, her joke falling flat.

[TrickyLA]

Awa

Awa blinked a little, thinking it over. Grace was right, Zenith wasn't really her hero and he was an upperclassman to her. Still though, she didn't think that meant they couldn't be friends. Zenith seemed nice enough to her.

"I guess.....but he could still be your friend. I mean..you're a great person and lotsa people should want to be your friend..."

She said shyly, smiling a little. The next part, she wasn't so sure what to say. She wasn't very good at giving advice in....that department.

"O-Oh w-well...I-I mean...I dunno....m-maybe?"

She stuttered out, blushing in embarrassment. It would be really nice if somebody other than her really cared about Gigi though, really nice.

"D-Do you...."

She paused, getting a little redder.

"...do you...want there to be something else...?"

She asked shyly, wondering just what her friend felt for the fourth year.

[Kat]

Grace

"Wh- What? No! I mean, he's nice and all but.."

..but I'm a freak... "...but he's way out of my league, you know? A- and I definitely don't need distractions like that during school." Grace reminded Awa, thinking of her brother's slipping grades and multiple girlfriends, parties, and overall late nights.

"A- anyway, you want to be as focused as possible on your hero, ready to aid them whenever you can. If I had some kind of crush on anyone, I wouldn't be able to do my job effectively. Relationships can be fine for heroes and villains, but us sidekicks have a duty to our partners." Grace stated proudly, nodding sharply for emphasis.

[TrickyLA]

Awa

Awa frowned a little, suddenly feeling really bad. So it was her fault that Grace didn't want to have any kind of relationship? How was that fair?

"Y-you don't have to hold back for me Gigi....."

She mumbled quietly, grabbing her friend's hand and squeezing it.

"And p-please don't sell yourself short...."

She didn't like hearing Grace say that Zenith was out of her league, why did she think that? She was just as good as anyone else so why did she put herself down like that?

"...We're here.."

She realized, standing in front of the nurse's office.

[Kat]

Grace

Grace shrugged and scuffed the floor with her sandal-clad feet, gazing at the nurse's office.

"I dunno why I have a pass here." she said to her friend, "I think the teacher just wanted me out of the class..." she was about to suggest that they head back to class when a girl smaller than Grace herself came bursting out of a nearby classroom, her body glowing a sickly orange.

She looks even younger than any of the new First years... Grace thought to herself as the youth shoved past them blindly. Grace gasped and leapt back; the girl's aura was hot, radiating from her glowing skin. It took her a minute, but Grace finally placed the girl.

"Awa, do you know her? Isn't that.. Sam..? The Atomic Punk, the girl who's radioactive? She looks really mad..."


Sam

Sam glared ahead of herself, paying no attention to the students she passed in the hall. If they knew what was good for them, they'd stay out of her way.

The reason she was so angry was that Wes, an alumnus of the school, had dropped into her class unannounced and had messed with her physics project. It had all been going perfectly, Sam was working with Alexis, so it couldn't go awry, until Wes had stuck his fingers in and twiddled their wires around.

"Bastard." she grunted, kicking out at the wall. The wall buckled as the radiation in her foot melted some of the steel between the bricks of the inner and outer school walls.

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

After Zenith had performed his experiments with gold and mercury, he still had some free time left before his next class. Having these breaks in between classes fit really well into his schedule, and as he made his way to his locker to retrieve some science books, he couldn't help but think about Grace and the hug she gave him.

"Why exactly did she do that? Was it because I acted like such a good friend to her? I only did what I thought would make her happy."

He opened up his locker and took out a copy of his favorite science book The Elegant Universe and a few other books before closing the small metal door. If everything went according to plan, Grace would have a quiet haven to herself again.

[Kat]

Sam

Sam growled to herself as she stalked through the halls. Her cotton candy-pink hair was sparking with electricity as she stomped into a different hallway. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed Zenith standing near his locker. Then she smirked evilly.

"Hey Zen~" she purred, slowing her gait and transferring all of her radioactive energy to one hand, her electricity to the other. "Whatcha doin around here?" Sam's eyes glowed a dark, sallow green.

She may be a hero, but her classmate had known her long enough to tell when she was aching for a fight.

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

Zenith tucked the books under his arms and was about to head off for a quiet place to read them when he heard a voice to his right, a voice he strongly recognized. Of all the people he had to run into at this time and place, it had to be her. Sighing, Zenith adjusted his books and addressed the girl.

"Hello, Sam. I'm here because my locker's here and I had to get a few things."

He indicated the books tucked under his arm and took notice of her hands. They looked full of energy and not really the productive kind. He rolled his eyes and brushed a hand through his hair.

"You know, this is not exactly a good place or even a good time for a fight, as much as you want one to happen."

[Kat]

Sam

Sam glared at the dark haired boy in front of her. The fact that he knew her so well just pissed her off more... And part of that anger excited her.

The fact that Sam was a hero didn't always keep her from snapping from time to time. Once, Zen had been there to keep her cool, sometimes literally. Now Sam housed a bit of a bitter respect for her classmate. They knew each other's powers well enough that it was hard to not know exactly how the fight would go down - if there was one.

She sighed and closed her fists on the energy, her eyes changing to the hazy teal-grey of the winter sea.

"You know me all too well Zenith.." Sam muttered, stepping closer and gazing up at him, her head barely level with his chin.

"Tell me," she asked quietly "what would you have done if I did fight you?"

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

Zenith stared at her and raised an eyebrow, trying to gauge her reaction to his statement. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Sam could be very unpredictable, sometimes to the point of going berserk and attacking at random. And when that happened, it was bad for everyone. He stood his ground when she approached him and looked directly in her eyes. He knew how to deal with her. The object of the situation was to be gentle, but firm.

"If you had chosen to fight me, it's likely that I would have challenged you as well, even though laying a hand on a girl is morally and culturally frowned upon. I would have to defend myself and I'm not about to let you beat me so easily."

He smirked and shifted the books to his other arm.

"You are a really great fighter though. Probably one of the best this school has ever witnessed."

[Kat]

Sam

Sam glowered up at Zenith, searching his face for any hint of sarcasm or mockery. She knew better, though. Zen wasn't the kind of guy to say something like that out of spite. In fact, he wasn't the kind of guy to do anything out of spite.

She smiled sweetly, mischief glinting in her eyes as she brought a hand up to pat her classmate on the cheek.

"Ain't that sweet..." she grinned, bringing her hand down roughly on Zen's books - a childish bookcheck - before stalking away down the hall.

[TheTimeSweeper]

Zenith

Zenith remained calm, but wary. He didn't trust the smile she gave him and silently thought it best if she would leave. Whether she could read minds or was just taking a hint, she grinned at him and continued on her way. He had a good grip on his books so they didn't fall to the floor when she smacked them. He watched her leave and rubbed his cheek where she patted it.

"Heh, didn't expect that to happen. At least she wasn't in a terribly bad mood, compared to other days..."

He rolled his eyes and checked a clock in the hallway. He didn't have as much time as he wanted to do his reading and it was nearly time for his next class. Sighing, he checked his surroundings and walked to the English wing of the school.

[TrickyLA]

Awa

Awa stared at the nurses office as well, but was listening to what her friend was saying. Even if it was just some excuse, relaxing in the nurse's office still could be a good idea in her mind. Afterall, the bullies couldn't possibly harass Gigi in there could they? She glanced back over at Grace and was about to say something when some orange-y girl came barreling through then. Awa yelped at how hot even the air around the girl was and quickly moved out of the way. Once the girl had passed, she heard Grace speaking to her once again.

"A-Atomic....."

Something in Awa's brain clicked, and the girl paled noticeably. It wasn't that the girl was cruel to her, she doubted if the girl even remembered her sometimes, but there was something about her that just scared Awa. Especially since she was a whole grade higher.

"O-Oh....u-uhm isn't that one of those fifth y-years? S-She's frightening...."


Awa flushed, becoming more and more frustrated by her trembling voice. Maybe if she didn't talk at all, then it wouldn't be such a problem. She glanced up at the nurse's office for a moment before hearing the door to the classroom that Sam had come out of open again.

Another girl, who looked about her age, had swung the classroom door open and was now scowling as she made her way through the hallway. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she look very ticked off altogether. When she stared walking in their direction, Awa flinched a little bit and slid a little closer to Grace.

Alex(is)

Alexis hadn't realized that she'd looked so pissed off until she saw a fellow classmate of her's flinch and hide at the sight of her. That action was enough to calm the girl down, just a little bit. She put on a winning smile and carefully approached the two girls idling in the hallway.

"Excuse me, have either of you two seen a small, angry, orange glowing girl around here?"

When she asked the question she sounded pleasant enough, she didn't want to take her anger out on these two girls. One of them pointed her the way and she smiled and thanked them both before heading in that direction.

The moment that she was out of their sight though, her annoyed expression returned. The reason for her anger was simple, her precious project had been ruined was one part of it, and the other part of it was the behavior that her best friend had exhibited as a result of it. Storming out of classrooms like that, endangering the students with her powers flaring out of control, honestly. She shook her head and held tightly to the two hall passes that she'd been given. She needed to find Sam and she needed to do it fast.

[Kat]

Sam c<

Sam skipped down the halls of the school, electricty snaking through her hair and zapping out the lights as she went. When she reached the gymnasium, however, she decided to stop and have a little fun.

The gym was empty, but that didn't stop Sam's grand entrance. Her whole body was glowing as she kicked open the doors (built to withstand blasts and super-strengthened hits) and stalked onto the open court. She grinned maliciously.

The only thing that would make this even better, she thought, would be someone to rough up.