forum Fear is just a reason to try harder. // private w/ circe

Started September 06, 2019 by @croccin-champagne

tune

@Dances_with_Shadows-hates-physics-now here we go b

The title's kinda lazy but. So am I so

lmao, same

So uh. Starting. Whom?

Could you? I'm going to be going to bed soon, and I usually have the other person set the scene before introducing characters into an environment where they've never been in before.

Entirely valid, and I will do so. Just need a hot minute

Nathan was going to be hungry.

That was what happened when he used his abilities. He hated using them, but he had to, on the occasions he couldn't get out of. And they ate through his calories and stored fat until he was starving, and tired. Luckily, he hadn't used them yet. Unluckily, he would very much have to, and he couldn't get out of that this time. Even Reizei's loud cheering from the sides of the small enclosure the students called the 'arena' wasn't helping the nausea and apprehension, and the knowledge that the new transfers were late and would be showing up any time made it even worse. New people to see. New people to comment, to know.

"You ready for me to kick your ass, pretty boy?" Kevin called, his eyes sparking wickedly as his arm turned to metal and then back to flesh, showing off his abilities and his strength.

"Calling me pretty? That seems more like a compliment than an insult, Kev." Nathan called back sweetly, blinking innocently at his opponent. That only made the boy mad, which, in hindsight, might have not been the smartest move.

Especially once the fight started.

There were no bones near the surface of the dirt near the school, at least not any that close, so pulling them up took time. Meaning he had to stall. And if there was one thing Kevin hated, it was stalling.

Looks like he'd need to try something else. Focus on the fire. Draw on the fire and not the bones, keep those in the back of your mind and just under the surface. And it worked. The bright blue flames that Nathan summoned distracted Kevin enough for him to wait for an opening.

And when it came, he jumped on it. The bones did literally. The ground opened in fissure-like cracks around the arena, around five skeletons climb out of them to aid Nathan. He was too focused on holding on to them and letting the flames die safely to notice the two new students already there, that had arrived at some point through the fight. The skeletons helped in distracting and slowing Kevin's attacks, and a swift kick to the jaw had the large boy hitting the ground just as the bones collapsed from Nathan's strain of calling them.

God, he was hungry. Hungry and in the mood to throw up and curl up under his blankets for an hour or more.

The students here sure like showing off their capabilities, was all she thought as she did a quick scan of the arena before her eyes landed on the two boys in the middle, fighting each other. A way to boost their ego. Nothing more.

Rasha stopped at a lone spot against the wall, arms crossing over her chest. No one seemed to notice her and Luca's arrival. The spotted boy flicked his ears about, listening to everything going on around them as his tail flicked back and forth. He didn't need to voice his complaints for her to know the noise was getting to him already. Such is the drawback of sensitive hearing.

Rasha fingered the edges of her leather jacket as she watched the fight with an impassive stare. Leather was her go-to clothing material—pants, boots, jackets, gloves—as it blocked the light constantly emitting from her body in indecipherable swirls and symbols. She had a feeling it was some sort of ancient language of the dead, but she had no idea.

The necromancer seemed unwilling to use his powers from the start. His face didn't give away a lot, but she was observant enough thanks to her mother's teachers to know how to read a person's face, even the most stone-like people. As the fight began, he summoned some flames to distract the metal man, but not much harm was delivered. Perhaps the drawbacks were worse than the victory?

"Or he was just stalling," she grumbled as the necromancer attacked with the force of a hundred bones. She had to admit, his control over the dead was better than she expected, but the cost was visible. He was steadily slowing down the longer the fight dragged on.

And then it was over with just a simple kick, and all Rasha had to contribute to the cheering was an indignant snort. "At least put on a show. You're a hero. It's in your nature to be extravagant," she muttered, causing Luca to choke on a laugh-snort—something he did often.

Nathan's offer to help Kevin up was ignored, and the harsh words being grumbled as he stood made the smaller boy wince. He had learned long ago never to lose a fight, and these kids knew that well enough. He couldn't afford to lose, even if the sight of the bones laying on the ground made his skin crawl and the flames made his scars itch. He'd be disappointed in you, whether you won or not. Why not lose? Because if he did, his father wouldn't just be disappointed, he'd be furious. And Wildfire was not a man to mess with angry.

The thoughts he was dwelling on were interrupted as he stumbled from a hit to his back, Reizei's voice making it obvious the slap had been friendly. "Dude! Watching you fight is always cool as shit! Though, gotta say, the stalling bit was kind of boring man." His friend advised, leading him away from the arena with an arm slung around Nathan's shoulders.

"It's not supposed to be whatever you're expecting it to be." Nathan countered, leaning into Reizei just a bit more than he normally would. Kevin had managed to kick his leg, which didn't feel too good, but he was mostly tired. "Fights aren't supposed to be fun, they're supposed to be used to apprehend a criminal or villain, safely, to keep civilians out of harm's way." As he talked, his eyes caught the unfamiliar students, and he was hit with the realization that they had been there a while, and he had managed not to notice them Nice going. You can't even tell when two obviously new people walk into a room?

"Perhaps," Rasha said with a knowing look, though her lips remained downturned at the corners, differing from Luca's hunched-forward posture and bright eyes, "but the people like a show, and it's a hero's secondary job to provide said show for the masses, else their popularity will plummet." She lifted her chin slightly. "You could be a damn fine hero, apprehending villains and rejects, but if you have nothing else to offer, you will fail to stand out against the competition."

Luca raised his brows at Rasha. "Damn girl. You've been doing your homework. Think mama bear will let me in on her secrets?"

Rasha rolled her eyes with a small exhale. "If you have the balls to ask her, then find out on your own time. I'm not running errands for you."

He grinned, exposing slightly pointed teeth. "Love you too, Queen."

Nathan blinked as the girl spoke, the tips of his ears turning pink at her words. He ducked his chin slightly, shaking his head. "Helping people. That's what's important to me, not the show or popularity." And keeping dad off of my back as much as possible. "Too many people here now are concerned with only the show. Someone has to pick up that slack."

"He's like, the only one here with an actual, honest-to god hero complex." Reizei joked, ruffling Nathan's hair and ignoring the small boy's indignant shout. He turned to the two new students, raising a hand in a lazy but friendly wave, his grin matching his wave. "Hey there. You guys are those transfer students, right? Welcome, and good luck. These kids are assholes." As he said that, a group of boys walked by, and each one high fived him on their way past.

"You say that as if we're not used to it," Rasha said flatly, then glanced over at the spot where there was a pile of bones. Her lips pursed as her eyes seemed to glass over as she stared, head cocked slightly. Her eyes and hair were a stark contrast from her ebony skin, her eyes sporting a brilliant blue and hair a pure white. Most people couldn't help but stare at her as she walked by.

Luca leaned forward, then grinned when he got a look at her face. "Ooooo, I know that face. What's on your mind, Queen?"

Her gaze flicked over to the necromancer. "You control the dead well enough, but you still have to learn how to balance control and limits. Mind if I have a go in there with someone? Just long enough to warm up for the day?" She cocked her head to the side questioningly, though she looked more like a curious predator than a curious girl.

I don't want to control them at all. I want something normal and helpful, like Reizei's light. Nathan just shrugged, slipping out from under his friend's arm and motioning to him. "Take Flashlight here. He needs to get in some sparring anyway. Besides, this whole thing is more a way to test how far we've come with our powers. Like a fitness exam."

"Yeah! I love taking on the new kids!" Reizei pumped his fist in the air excitedly, bouncing in place as he dropped his arm to point at the arena, where another two kids were wrapping up. "C'mon Sunshine, let's dance!" With that, he was already striding off, more of a bounding gait than anything, as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it at a guy standing to the side with a wink.

Luca laughed slightly as he watched Reizei bound around and call Rasha 'Sunshine.' Boy, will people think twice when they see what she could do. Nightmare was a terrifying villain that pushed her child, Rasha, to be the best she could be before some sort of schooling.

Rasha didn't say anything, however, as she trailed after Reizei. She didn't take off her jacket just yet, though, as he did. That would come later when he least expected her to have something up her sleeve. And the necromancer had helped her in one regard—the spirits would be quick to answer her call. It was only a matter of timing.

Reizei bounced into the arena, somehow managing to garner up cheers from the surrounding students who were watching. Full on chanting, actually, alternating between his name and 'Sunshine'. He wasn't one to leave anyone out, apparently.

Nathan sighed, rubbing his face with a hand as he leaned against the wall near the other boy, his stomach growling quietly. "She's going to kick his ass, isn't she?" He asked, watching Reizei exuberantly bounce around the arena. "He's plenty capable, but…he doesn't have the motivation to work to be as powerful as he really could be." Hypocrite.

Luca shrugged, round ears twitching slightly with irritation with the noise. "Possibly. Maybe she'll let him have a moment. Maybe she'll show him up just because she can. Maybe she'll just play around and give him a win once she's bored. Hard to tell with her. Not the most expressive person out there, gotta admit. Gets it from her mom, I think. They both sorta alternate between extreme anger and apathetic."

Rasha walked into the arena, gloved fingers combing through her hair as she watched Reizei bounce around like a toddler. If he kept at it, she figured he'd tire himself out without any work on her part needed. He'd be laying on his back in the middle of the arena just from jumping around.

She sighed and tilted her head to the side, arms crossed. "Are you ready?" she asked, sounding bored already.

"I'd take apathetic over anger any day." Nathan commented, watching the cheering die down a bit as Reizei turned to face Rasha. "I hope he at least gives her a bit of a run for her money. Or something along those lines." His near-black eyes flickered around the room, a sort of intelligence to them that belied him being incredibly analytical.

"I was born ready, Sunshine!" Reizei said, still bouncing on the balls of his feet as he nodded, grinning. He didn't look like much of an opponent, and he was well aware of that. But that was the thing. People tended to underestimate him because of that, which worked in his favor when he wanted it to.

"That's a choice anyone with common sense would make," Luca commented, hunching forward to get a better look at what was about to occur. "And one can only hope. Like I said, she's hard to read, and she doesn't usually do the same thing twice, or at least close enough to be memorable."

Rasha raised an impatient brow as Reizei continued to bounce, arms dropping so her thumbs hooked into the belt loops of her leather pants. "Your move, Kangaroo." She once again moved her arms so they were spread out, making her open and an easy target. "I'll even be nice enough to give you the first shot. Call it a welcoming gift from me to you."

"Interesting. Is that a strategy, or just…something she does? Like a personality trait?" Nathan tugged on the sleeves of his shirt, the long sleeved and slightly baggy sweatshirt an odd choice for fighting in. It covered his scars though, among other things, so he put up with the heat. And besides, he liked his hoodies and sweaters under normal circumstance, so this was just adding to a list of times he could wear them.

"How sweet of you, though aren't welcoming gifts supposed to be from someone like me to someone new, like you?" Reizei asked, bouncing from once side to the other before lashing out with a fist, oddly fast all things considered. He didn't seem to have trouble talking and focusing, which was an entirely new odd subject about the boy.

"Repetitiveness and the mundane tasks irritate her, for some reason. Might because of her mom, who's not one to be ordinary." Luca snorted as he watched the fight. "That woman brings a new meaning to entertainment." Sorta like Nathan, Luca wore baggy clothes. But unlike Nathan, his clothes were loose and exposing, such as tank tops and relatively thin, patterned overcoats, as well as loose cotton pants that had elastic bands at his ankles. He went barefoot at all times.

"Says who?" Rasha inquired right before listing to the side to seemingly dodge the attack. In a matter of seconds, she latched onto Reizei's arm and yanked him towards her. She used his momentum against him as he knee came up and slammed into his gut.

"Huh. Watching her spar should be interesting, then." Nathan mused, tucking himself into his sweatshirt like a turtle would into it's shell. "I wonder how long it'll take her to-holy fuck, she caught him!" His eyes widened as he watched Rasha slam her knee into his best friend's gut, oddly not too concerned about that fact, but more the fact that she had, as he said, caught Reikei.

Reikei let out an oof as her knee made contact with his gut, but unlike most people would have, he didn't try to straighten or get away. He rolled forward. Not really, it was more like her launched himself off the ground with a trick only someone with experience would know, tucking in and flipping forward. That wrenched his arm from her grip, and he landed, on his feet, with a slightly wet cough. And then he rolled and fell. He had landed in one of the pile of bones, stepping directly onto one of the bones and slipping, falling straight onto his back.

Luca grinned at Nathan's reaction to Rasha's move. Yes, she was fast as well, however lazy she might seem. The both of them down there were fast, it would seem, which made for an interesting pairing. "Faster than you thought?" he asked Nathan, still grinning madly.

Rasha didn't look too concerned as she lost her grip on Reikei. In fact, the move might've been indiscernible to the audience, but as she lost her grip on Reikei, she didn't miss a beat and pulled off her glove. Not much, but just enough. She heard the rattle and crunch of bone, and didn't turn around as she wiggled her fingers, the hazy green wrapping around her skin glowing tremendously as the bones were reanimated, trapping Reikei in their undead grip. Still not looking, she began to walk away, tugging off the other glove and dropping it to the ground. This fight wasn't over.

"Reikei's the fastest person I've ever met. His energy helps him move as fast as his mind." Nathan murmured, loud enough for Luca to hear, eyes still focused intently on the fight. They got even wider when the bones moved, a flurry of mixed and confusing emotions flickering over his features. Another Necromancer. What were the chances of that? "Holy fucking shit." He leaned forward a bit, fiddling with his own gloves as he watched. "He wont be able to get up, if there even is a way to. He's fast, but once he's trapped, he's reduced to thrashing. I don't know why, but…." I have my suspicions. He commented, and he was right.

Reikei was, in fact, reduced to thrashing. Almost violently, not quite frantic but nearing that if you knew what to look for. Fuck fuck fuck fuck need out- "How the fuck-?" Was what was voiced, oddly casual considering his thrashing. "Dude, damn."

Luca listened as he watched, ears twisting and twitching all over the place. "Rasha is quick on her feet and has an even quicker mind. You'd be surprised what she can process within a few seconds, then act on it."

Rasha flicked her fingers, and the bones released Reikei as she turned around to face him, now walking backwards. "Your turn," she said, raising a brow at him. She unzipped her jacket, dropping it to the ground as well and stepping over it as she backed away. Her skin shone a ghostly green, the ancient patterns lighting her eyes and casting an eerie glow around her. Her impassive stare didn't waver as she finally came to a stop.

"Interesting." Nathan mused, his eyes never leaving the fight. Part of him was worried for Reikei, but he hoped the girl would stop before seriously hurting him, or worse. Besides, his friend was tougher than he looked.

Reikei scrambled to his feet, blinking at the sight of her markings, but staying alert. They looked familiar, somehow, and felt like he should remember them. Shaking his head, he grinned, his eyes glinting almost wickedly, but not quite. "How generous, Sunshine. Never fought someone so chivalrous." He held out a hand, open and palm up, concentrating his abilities. Then he closed his hand, tightening it into a fist, and most of the lights around them went out with the movement. The light flooded his palm, crawling down his arm and over part of his shoulder, creeping up his neck, skin glowing. "C'mon, ain't no way I'm making the first move again."

Luca fell silent, curious to see what Rasha would do now.

Rasha watched impassively as the lights flickered and almost completely went out, moving and concentrating around Reikei. "You say that as if I planned on knocking you on your ass," she said blankly, then huffed to herself and stripped off her tank top, leaving her in just her sports bra, pants, and boots. The patterns over her body glowed brilliantly, and her pure white hair seemed to flow on an invisible wind as her eyes seemed to glow as well. "Very well, I'll go first," she said, voice almost disembodied. She lifted her hands, and the wind picked up.

There was a lingering haze of Reikei's fear and negative emotions, and she latched onto that, twisting the feeling into a call. A sickly green and ghostly skeleton appeared behind her with a haunting scream, darting around her without any directions so far. Its screams continued to ring through the room, bouncing off walls and sinking into the bones of the spectators. Luca shivered, despite having been exposed to her power before.