[Rail IC] Academy City

[Rhydeble]

Seeing that Jane didn't seem to be very enthausiastic about going down, Cale thought for a while of what to do. Then he rememberd a nearby arcade that was usually not too crowded. Cale focused his powers to create a downwards slope that would come out there.
"<If you get scared you can sit>" he told Jane in a quasi reassuring voice.
"Try not to fall of!" was what he shouted towards Jirou. Cale was going to make sure the two wouldn't fall of, but there was no reason to tell Jirou that.
To make sure that the other two didn't fall behind and out of the reach of his ability, Cale started forcibly removing parts of his plateau, so that all Three of them started sliding down, washed away by a slope, a slippery surface, and the fact that Cale was shaving away from the top of his surface, and the thick air there wanted to go down as well.
For the first time since he met her, Cale's mind was empty of Jane, stuff like this were almost the only times when he could really let go, he put his right foot in front and bended the knee forward, while keeping left leg far more horizontal for stability, and started to slide down.

[Anyr]

It was amazing how well impending doom could focus the mind. Jirou's long-suffering brain (which usually took it easy on the sidelines) had been working overtime in trying to find anything to help him out of the hole he found himself in. As such, it spotted the staircase's impending collapse a little bit ahead of time, and helpfully informed Jirou about it. This fact now in his possession, Jirou wasted no time in getting down to some serious arm-flailing panic.

"Don't you dare don't you dare don't you daaaargh!"

And then he was falling.

"Never said I really liked the situation. I just stated that-Actually, hold on..."

Giving the girl a suspicious glance, Avery asked...
"So... Provide me some exposition. Why is it that you're asking a person such as me these questions?"

In her mind, Avery already had a few probable scenarios about what this situation is really about, as well as a few improbable ones. Still, she proceeded to give her a questioning look.

The girl took another drag from her cigarette (accompanied by complimentary coughing fit) before replying.

"That's a long story. Basically, this is a job interview. Me and a group of friends are part of a...I don't really know what to call it; Team, I suppose. We got together because we share a common interest in the fate of this city. We don't like the way that this place operates, and we're trying to make things better any way we can. Well, that's the plan, anyway. To be honest, we're more like a comic book b-list squad at the moment; Stopping muggings, foiling criminal Espers and so on. Still, we manage to do some good, and we're working our way up the ladder.

As for why we're after you specifically, you really don't want to know. So anyway, does any of this strike a chord? You should have heard enough by now to know if you're interested. Personally I couldn't care less if you are or not, but it would be nice to know if I'm wasting my time."

[Lillith]

Before Jane knew it the stairs were collapsing and she was sliding towards the ground. At first it looked like Jane would follow Cale's lead and would stand upright, this however was because her body had yet to grasp that she was falling off a slippery slope. With a loud scream she surfed downwards only for her legs to give into her panic and landing her on her behind a quarter of the ride down. Still Jane managed to push her skirt down and make sure non of the onlookers would get a free view, though that was more of a panic reaction then a conscious thought. It wasn't until she would hit the ground that Jane's infamous cat-nails-on-school-board-scream would subside.

[hanzo66]

The girl took another drag from her cigarette (accompanied by complimentary coughing fit) before replying.

"That's a long story. Basically, this is a job interview. Me and a group of friends are part of a...I don't really know what to call it; Team, I suppose. We got together because we share a common interest in the fate of this city. We don't like the way that this place operates, and we're trying to make things better any way we can. Well, that's the plan, anyway. To be honest, we're more like a comic book b-list squad at the moment; Stopping muggings, foiling criminal Espers and so on. Still, we manage to do some good, and we're working our way up the ladder.

As for why we're after you specifically, you really don't want to know. So anyway, does any of this strike a chord? You should have heard enough by now to know if you're interested. Personally I couldn't care less if you are or not, but it would be nice to know if I'm wasting my time."

"I take it you're either new to this smoking thing or you've been doing it for a while now."

Patting the girl on her back (and joining her in coughing due to secondhand smoke), Avery responded...
"No no no. This is relevant to my interests. Tell me more. I guess I was just afraid that this was going to be some weird government spec-ops or something. A team of crimefighters is another thing entirely. Anyways, we haven't been properly introduced."


Despite the fact that the other girl already knows her name, Avery sticks out one of her hands (the other one still holding the baguette), saying...
"Avery Merryweather Tychus. You?"

[Frozen_Feet]

"Very well."

...actually, if Tsubasa wasn't in this state, she'd be agreeing with him.

Or given what caused it, trying to bash his skull in.

[Winter Wonderland]

An observant reader would have noted that Katsu is way too fast even without his powers to not reply before Tsubasa.

That readers obviously need to pay more attention to the small snow-tower that has been build next to the lovebirds and the speedster taking in the scenery fro the top.

"Bye, TsuHina! I'll keep looking for someone who know about that emotion thing!"

He waves at the two as they leave, already having made a portmanteau couple name for them.

Hinata spaces out for a bit when he notices the snow tower. "When did he...?", he begins, even though his intuition tells him that there's only one logical answer - how would be of much greater concern. Hinata blinks a few times as he watches bemusedly after the younger boy. How did he know my name? I'm not sure I told him it...

Then, he sheds the confusion from his bearing and redons his cheerful exterior. After a few moments, he and Tsubasa arrive at a seedy little restaurant known as Hongakuteki Nihon Ryouri. "Sannin-sama~! I'm ho~ome! <3", Hinata shouts as a greeting as they get in. "I brought a customer too!" Then he turns at Tsubasa.

"How would you like your coffee?"

[horngeek]

"Latte, with full-cream milk, please."

[Frozen_Feet]

"Okay. Find yourself a nice seat, I'll be right back." Hinata skips to the service counter to fetch the drink.

[horngeek]

Tsubasa finds a seat, and sits down, an emotionless look on her face.

[Frozen_Feet]

Hinata returns after a few moments, carrying two steaming cups of coffee with him. "There you go", he says while handing the other cup to Tsubasa - it's exactly as she wanted. Then he sits opposite to her, taking a sip of his own coffee - it's black, no sugar or milk. It's awful, but he feels that's necessary to focus on the situation at hand.

"So... any more relaxed yet?", he asks, somewhat anxiously, eyes fixed on Tsubasa's expressions (or lack there of). "Returning back to normal? Could I touch your hand?"

[13_CBS]

Jason

Meanwhile, at the arcade, a large crowd was gathered around one of the newest and most complicated video game system. There was alot of whispering going on.

-"I've never seen this level before!"

-"No one has seen this level before. The game is the hardest one in here!"

-"I believe he is still on his first quarter. He hasn't gotten a game over once!"

In the center of the crowd is Jason, masterfully using the controls with little effort. The figure neatly dodged one of the boss's attacks, only to deal a hard hitting blow back. The boss's health bar just dropped below Jason's. THe smile playing at his lips only grows at this success.

Kenta

It was in that moment that Kenta walks into the arcade. Spotting the unusually large crowd, he wanders over to investigate.

"Wait a sec, isn't that...no. No way."

The foreign kid was beating his record. The record that he, Kenta, had spent a whole week and an untold number of energy drinks to achieve. From the looks of it, the kid was doing it pretty easily too.

Burning with jealousy and quiet shame, he continues to watch the boy continue to blaze through the game with style.

[Rhydeble]

When Jane landed, she started screaming, again, for the second time in two days. This wasn't very nice for Cale, who absolutely didn't like that sound, and was already a bit stressed from keeping three people up so high. Cale held a hand to his forehead, trying to keep a head-ache from forming. Not entirely waiting for Jirou to be fully on the ground, he started talking.
"Lets formulate the next step of our plan under the pleasure of a more modern game shall we?... oh, and please stop shouting, its not like falling from the sky doesn't draw enough attention..."
Cale started to get ready to go into the arcade, hoping to get a little peace and quiet, and that it would calm Jane down a bit.

[horngeek]

"It may take a little longer, but walking to the cafe took some time, so-"

Then she starts. "Oh. Um..."

Then realises what happened. "Oh, god, but there wasn't even a fight!"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hongakuteki Niho Ryouri]

"Tell me about it", Hinata replies, taking another sip of his coffee. He's looking visibly relieved now, smiling sympathetically at her. "You were like a completely other person, too. And it happened so suddenly, I could've just snapped my fingers! I don't like it when I see that in people - it makes me sad."

[horngeek]

"It's happened as long as I've had Esper powers, but it's never happened outside of a fight before..."

Tsubasa looks really shaken.

[Frozen_Feet]

A fair hint of pity appears in Hinata's eyes. Awww, just look at her. She'd need a hug so bad. He leans over the table a bit, not touching Tsubasa but doing his best to look her in the eyes. "I apologize - I think it's my fault. You don't need a real fight to trigger 'fight or flight' response, you know? These things don't follow your reason - they follow your heart. If it races too fast, you'll...", he stops for a moment to find the right word, "... get a fit. Have you talked about it with an adult?"

[horngeek]

She nods. "Some experts. Some of the people studying Espers think it's got something to do with my brain handling my powers, or the growth in them. Heard both theories."

[Frozen_Feet]

Hinata frowns. "Um, don't take offense about this, but I think those 'experts' are stupid", he says. "Ever heard the proverb... uh, how does it go? 'Don't go further than the sea to fish.' It's about not going to unnecessary lenght to achieve a goal."

Hinata lowers his cup on the table and twirl it around a bit, but seems to have utterly lost interest in its contents. "I see people like you all the time where I live... and it's never about ESP or such things. It's about... bad things that happened to them in life." He sounds rather pained to bring the subject up. "You might have a talent, but you're still human... mostly. Humans sometimes break when bad things happen to them, and they never get fixed. You might want to think of that for a while before searching for a more... outlandish explanation."

[horngeek]

"...oh, so what do you think happened, then?"

Tsubasa snaps at Hinata, before sighing. "There isn't anything that could explain it. The only real trauma I've gone through is... well because of that.

Maybe once I've gone as far as I can, it'll stop. Only real hope I have, because I don't think I'd let myself stop trying to get better at this."

[Anyr]

"I take it you're either new to this smoking thing or you've been doing it for a while now."

Patting the girl on her back (and joining her in coughing due to secondhand smoke), Avery responded...
"No no no. This is relevant to my interests. Tell me more. I guess I was just afraid that this was going to be some weird government spec-ops or something. A team of crimefighters is another thing entirely. Anyways, we haven't been properly introduced."


Despite the fact that the other girl already knows her name, Avery sticks out one of her hands (the other one still holding the baguette), saying...
"Avery Merryweather Tychus. You?"

"...Merryweather?"

For the first time since she'd appeared, a slight smile adorned the girl's face. It wasn't at all a cruel one, though; Just an honest bit of mirth. She hesitated a second before taking Avery's hand, eventually reaching out to grasp it awkwardly.

"Ishimaru Moroe. Pleased to meet you, I suppose. Listen, sorry about the attitude I had before; I wasn't expecting you to be so approachable. Most Tokiwadai girls wouldn't give me the time of day, let alone listen."

When Jane landed, she started screaming, again, for the second time in two days. This wasn't very nice for Cale, who absolutely didn't like that sound, and was already a bit stressed from keeping three people up so high. Cale held a hand to his forehead, trying to keep a head-ache from forming. Not entirely waiting for Jirou to be fully on the ground, he started talking.
"Lets formulate the next step of our plan under the pleasure of a more modern game shall we?... oh, and please stop shouting, its not like falling from the sky doesn't draw enough attention..."
Cale started to get ready to go into the arcade, hoping to get a little peace and quiet, and that it would calm Jane down a bit.

Cale wouldn't get much chance to speak further, due to a sudden interruption. Jirou had just finished picking himself up from the hard ground on which he'd come to rest; His landing had been less than graceful. Still, if there was one thing he was used to it was picking himself up, which he wasted no time in doing. And if there was a second thing he was used to it was shouting at the top of his lungs while attacking someone, which he also proceeded to do.

"OKAY, THAT WAS IT! That was your last chance, you worthless sky pirate! Don't bother running into the arcade to win some extra lives, because there aren't enough 1-ups in the whole of the Mushroom Kingdom to save you from the beating I'm about to hand out!"

With hands balled into fists, Jirou began to advance slowly towards the target of his wrath. The only reason he hadn't already charged was to avoid being tripped by a well-placed invisible bar. Meanwhile his war cry still echoed through the arcade, reaching the ears of all those within. It would leave them in no doubt that a brawl was in the offing...

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

...while in Winter Wonderland, one had already begun. Just after Tsubasa and Hinata had left the scene, the scattered arguments that dotted the area had taken a turn for the worse. Now, ten minutes later, the whole situation had somehow escalated into a full-blown brawl. None of the many combatants quite knew how it had all started, but now that it had none of them seemed in any hurry to end it. Anti-Skill would no doubt be arriving soon to handle the situation, but for now the whole area was in chaos.

And atop a nearby building, a young man with a cup of coffee cradled in his hands looked down on the scene and smiled.

[hanzo66]

"...Merryweather?"

For the first time since she'd appeared, a slight smile adorned the girl's face. It wasn't at all a cruel one, though; Just an honest bit of mirth. She hesitated a second before taking Avery's hand, eventually reaching out to grasp it awkwardly.

"Ishimaru Moroe. Pleased to meet you, I suppose. Listen, sorry about the attitude I had before; I wasn't expecting you to be so approachable. Most Tokiwadai girls wouldn't give me the time of day, let alone listen."

Giving her a friendly smile, Avery tells Moroe...
"Well, I'm different I guess. That and I'm new to the school so they haven't broken me in, I guess. And you know what, I'm up for this. I'm interested in seeing what you've got."

[Rhydeble]

Cale wouldn't get much chance to speak further, due to a sudden interruption. Jirou had just finished picking himself up from the hard ground on which he'd come to rest; His landing had been less than graceful. Still, if there was one thing he was used to it was picking himself up, which he wasted no time in doing. And if there was a second thing he was used to it was shouting at the top of his lungs while attacking someone, which he also proceeded to do.

"OKAY, THAT WAS IT! That was your last chance, you worthless sky pirate! Don't bother running into the arcade to win some extra lives, because there aren't enough 1-ups in the whole of the Mushroom Kingdom to save you from the beating I'm about to hand out!"

With hands balled into fists, Jirou began to advance slowly towards the target of his wrath. The only reason he hadn't already charged was to avoid being tripped by a well-placed invisible bar. Meanwhile his war cry still echoed through the arcade, reaching the ears of all those within. It would leave them in no doubt that a brawl was in the offing...

So it came down to a fight... Cale was starting to get disappointed, and voiced it.
"So this is really all you boil down to huh? I could've known you were just a useless delinquent."
Trying to keep Jirou away from Jane, Cale erected a light barrier between Jirou and the two of them, then, he focused on creating a small but sturdy shield out of air, adding some small sharp spikes to it. it wouldn't hurt anyone just touching it, but Jirou seemed to be the brawling type, and a high-speed fist would certainly hurt itself when smashed on his shield.
The barrier itself was slightly more dense then water, and about one-and-a-half meters deep.
"Don't worry Jane, I'll get him to calm down."

[Frozen_Feet]

"...oh, so what do you think happened, then?"

Tsubasa snaps at Hinata, before sighing. "There isn't anything that could explain it. The only real trauma I've gone through is... well because of that.

Maybe once I've gone as far as I can, it'll stop. Only real hope I have, because I don't think I'd let myself stop trying to get better at this."

Hinata shrugs. "It's not my place to guess. I'm just saying it isn't necessarily anything to do with your powers." His eyes wander around for a moment, until they fix on a clock with cracked glass hanging from one of the walls. "I have to get changed soon. My shift's about to begin", he says, then turns back at Tsubasa, smiling. "It was fun to meet you. May I ask what's your name?"

[Silverraptor]

The Boss was at the final nick of health left in his bar. This seemed to trigger a video effect of the boss using the ultimate move. A large sphere of light was building above the boss. In an instant, Jason knew two things. One, the sphere would automatically cause a game over if it touched him. Two, he was in a position where it was impossible to dodge. His eyes flashed to the bosses health bar. It was his only chance.

The sphere grew larger and larger. Jason was pounding on the controls as hard as he could to try and get health bar down to zero. The sphere then exceeded its max size. The boss launched it down and it moved in slow motion towards Jason's character. Three seconds. Two. One. Then with a fraction of a second to go, Jason's character dealt its final blow, causing the boss to go to zero health.

The final video interupted the fight, showing the boss dying. The sphere of light had just vanished, thus saving Jason's game. There was some celebratory music of "Congratulations. You won!", as well as him achieveing the top score. He moved the japanese symbols through, only recognizing a handful of them. Then he saw it flash through english letters. Inspired, he placed his name in english over the high score area. After he was done, the list of high scores were displayed. Of all the names, most scores were 10,000 or 100,000 points difference. However, with his name being in first place, the 2nd place person score was 5,000,000 less than his.

Jason smiled, pleased with himself. He turns to leave, walking through the crowd. It wasn't long until there was a bunch of pushing and shoving of everyone trying to get to the game.

[Anyr]

Giving her a friendly smile, Avery tells Moroe...
"Well, I'm different I guess. That and I'm new to the school so they haven't broken me in, I guess. And you know what, I'm up for this. I'm interested in seeing what you've got."

Moroe gave a sympathetic wince and patted Avery on the shoulder in what seemed like genuine commiseration.

"A new inmate, hmm? That explains the coat. Enjoy it while you can, because it'll be gone before you know it. The teachers often don't even have to intervene; Eventually people just realise how stupid their old clothes look with the uniform and decide they're better off without them. It's as if the thing was deliberately designed to look horrible when combined with any expression of individuality."

Her eyes drifted off for a second, as if she was busy pondering this new hypothesis. She snapped out of it with a start when she realised what she'd been doing, shaking her head rapidly as if to clear it.

"Sorry, bad habit. Anyway, glad to hear you're interested. If this were a comic book I'd whisk you off to our secret lair now for the initiation ceremony; Since we're stuck in the real world, though, we'll just have to settle for an exchange of phone numbers. I'll go back and tell the others that you're interested in joining, and we'll be in touch soon.

Bit of an anticlimax, right? If it were me handling this we'd already be hopping across rooftops by now..."

[horngeek]

"...Inoue Tsubasa."

[hanzo66]

Looking at her uniform, Avery shrugged at it. It wasn't all that horrible and she can take it off whenever she feels like it (though now would be a really awkward moment). So now she's almost a part of-wait back up, what's that last part again?
"Roof jumping? Did you say roof jumping? Because I distinctly heard roof jumping."

After a momentary pause, Avery shrugged that one off once again and told her...
"So, you know my number or..."

[Anyr]

Moroe looked somewhat relieved when Avery let the comment about roof hopping slide. Apparently she'd been a little overeager in mentioning it so early. She'd been growing steadily more enthusiastic as the conversation proceeded; The animation and vigour she now showed was in strange contrast to her earlier apathy.

"So, you know my number or..."

"Would it be unsettling if I said 'yes'? Anyway, there's no harm in double-checking; Our elite network of spies might have got a digit or two wrong when they were reading your dreams."

She handed over her number promptly, while presumably taking Avery's in return. After that she rose reluctantly from the bench and brushed herself down. It seemed as if she'd have preferred to stay longer, given the choice.

"Right, that's my job well and truly finished. Hopefully we'll be in touch soon. It was surprisingly pleasant to meet you, Avery Tychus. It's not often I get pleasantly surprised these days."

Her departure was as swift as her arrival. Which is to say, not particularly. She walked down the street at an average pace, then turned a corner and was lost to sight. Dramatic exits had never really been her area of expertise.

[Frozen_Feet]

"...Inoue Tsubasa."

"Fujii Hinata", the young man replies as he stands up. "It was nice to meet you, Inoue-chan. I hope your day will continue in a more upbeat manner." He bows deeply to her. "If you want to meet me again, you can find me here. Check the shift list, I... think it's on the kitchen door. I hope we can... get together sometime." He give her a coy wink before vanishing behind a door labeled "Staff only." He proceeds to switch into her waitress attire and harass playfully tease his superior.

"Sannin-sama, why do you keep frowning all the time? A smile would make you look so much better..."

[hanzo66]

"Would it be unsettling if I said 'yes'? Anyway, there's no harm in double-checking; Our elite network of spies might have got a digit or two wrong when they were reading your dreams."

She handed over her number promptly, while presumably taking Avery's in return. After that she rose reluctantly from the bench and brushed herself down. It seemed as if she'd have preferred to stay longer, given the choice.

"Right, that's my job well and truly finished. Hopefully we'll be in touch soon. It was surprisingly pleasant to meet you, Avery Tychus. It's not often I get pleasantly surprised these days."

Her departure was as swift as her arrival. Which is to say, not particularly. She walked down the street at an average pace, then turned a corner and was lost to sight. Dramatic exits had never really been her area of expertise.

Admittedly, it actually was a bit unsettling. Avery decided to leave that info out for now though. As she got Moroe's number, Avery quickly plugged the number in before watching her go off into the street corner.

OK, her first day as a student and she's a member of a group of crime fighters? There's only one thing to say to that...
"YES!"

Getting up from the bench, she proceeded to do a little air guitar with her baguette before realizing that people could see her. Clearing her throat, she gathers her composure and trots her way to somewhere else .

[Anyr]

So it came down to a fight... Cale was starting to get disappointed, and voiced it.
"So this is really all you boil down to huh? I could've known you were just a useless delinquent."
Trying to keep Jirou away from Jane, Cale erected a light barrier between Jirou and the two of them, then, he focused on creating a small but sturdy shield out of air, adding some small sharp spikes to it. it wouldn't hurt anyone just touching it, but Jirou seemed to be the brawling type, and a high-speed fist would certainly hurt itself when smashed on his shield.
The barrier itself was slightly more dense then water, and about one-and-a-half meters deep.
"Don't worry Jane, I'll get him to calm down."

Jirou snorted derisively and took a couple of steps towards Cale.

"That's just typical of guys like you; Always trying to play the hero."

Then another two.

"Never getting your hands dirty, but always taking cheap shots whenever you can get away with it. You push us, needle us and put us down until we're fit to burst."

With one more he reached the barrier that Cale had created. He placed a hand against its surface.

"And then, when we finally snap, you act like you had nothing to do with it. Well let me tell you something: Just because I'm the one throwing the first punch here doesn't make me the bad guy!"

He pushed lightly against the seemingly solid barrier, and the whole thing suddenly began to collapse. A growing circle of dust quickly spread from the point where his palm touched, devouring the wall as it went. Soon enough the structure wouldn't have enough substance left to support itself.

"Did you ever stop to think what would have happened if something had gone wrong with that little stunt of yours? If you'd been a bit too slow in creating the slope? If something had distracted you at the wrong moment? No, of course you didn't. You were too busy showing off."

The rage in Jirou's voice reached its absolute peak. It bombarded Cale like a verbal battering ram, in tandem with the supernatural one which was assailing the barrier.

"Don't you understand how big a deal it is to play with people's lives like that? We could have been killed! She could have been killed! That's right, your precious princess; Dead for the sake of a cheap trick! I won't let that pass. You hear me?! I won't!"