Winner: Yes.
- Make sure to tell someone so they know where you have gone.
Number of voters: 10
OOC: Made a small error by easily using a power you don't yet have. Changed how it was presented to make it seem more like practice than employment. This is why I don't like plotting/writing down things too far in advance.
After some consideration, you nod. "All right, Quentin. Where are we going?"
"Uh..." He makes a sheepish sort of grimace. "... I'm technically not supposed to tell you. But... it's more important to me that you feel safe about this. You're kinda going out on a limb for me, and I recognize that. So I'll go out on a limb for you; there's an abandoned subway station near 76th street. Real hard to get into. The trains don't even go near it."
"... that's where we're going?"
"That's where we're going."
You nod slowly, trying to pierce his eyes from behind the yellow-orange lenses. "OK. After training."
"Of course! Thank you, Vilina, really. I hope you won't regret it." He finally turns to leave, calling over his shoulder. "I'll meet you guys at the training room. Like... half an hour, right?"
"Yeah," you confirm, and he's gone. The door to the hall hushes shut behind him, and you use your keycard to enter the dorm.
"--fucking cockbiter ass-sandwich." What a weird thing to walk in on Kitty saying. You blink in surprise, then see her sitting on the table, opposite Rage on the sectional. More context follows as he speaks, patiently and with forced calm.
"Next time I get upset at a video game, I will not call the other players a fucking cockbiter ass-sandwich."
"Good. And what will you do next time?"
"I'm gonna count to ten, take a deep breath, and try to find the positive in the situation."
"There you go! Drink some more of your tea, is it making you feel better?"
Elvin nods, and notices you entering the dorm as he sips at a humorously tiny cup of chamomile. "Hey, Vilina. Quentin was lookin' for ya."
"He found me," you dismiss the subject, "hey, I don't know why we didn't do this sooner, but can we all exchange phone numbers? I feel like I've been tracking you guys all over the campus today."
"Oh, good call!" chimes in Roxy, "I wanted someone's opinion on a skirt earlier and realized I had none of your numbers."
You and the rest of the squad all share phone numbers, establish contact IDs, take photos, and so forth. Almost immediately, you text Kitty.
Vilina
Quentin asked me to go with him somewhere after training. It sounds a little sketchy, so I kinda wanted someone to know where I am.
Kitty
I totally get it. I got your back, girl!
Vilina
Thanks, Kitty. He made a big deal about it being a secret, though, so can you keep it quiet unless I don't come back or something?
Kitty
Of course! Your secret is safe with me... unless I get scared. Then I'm totally telling Ms. Morse.
Vilina
Thank you, Kitty! It's an abandoned subway station near 76th street. I'm not sure exactly where it is, but I'll make sure my GPS is on. Just in case we end up somewhere else, too.
Kitty
I've got your back, V!
You feel relieved that someone is going to be watching your back, and Kitty certainly seems like the most trustworthy and responsible person you've met so far. Part of you feels a little bad for almost immediately breaking Kid Omega's trust... but if he hadn't been so shifty and difficult in the first place you wouldn't feel like you had to. Hopefully he'd understand if it all came out. If what he said about your comfort was true and not just him reading your thoughts and trying to play you... then you're sure he'd understand. But still. You'd rather there be no trouble at all. By the time you're all firmly established in each other's phones, it's close enough to 9 PM that you might as well get going.
Finally, you're all together in the power-safe training room. It doesn't look that different from a small school gymnasium, maybe about the size of a street basketball court. But given the thickness of the walls between this room and the gym, you expect there's a lot of hidden protection. There are a number of pads, boffer sticks, and other devices lined up on one wall to employ in any training you might want to engage in... which brings you to a clear and present issue; you really have no idea what to do here. You start to open your mouth to try and organize something, but it seems like the others have already started getting excited.
"Hey, Bling! Get over here and lock up with me. I wanna see which one of us is stronger!"
"You are, Elvin. I'm plenty strong as I am, but you're HUGE and strong."
"Ah, c'mon. You want Robbie to soften me up for ya first?" He grins toward Speedball, who laughs.
"I mean, locking up with you wouldn't do me any good. But if I get some momentum up we could see if I can knock you down!"
"Yeah, let's do it!"
He strips off his white tank top and tosses it aside and... damn is he cut. You've never seen him in the gym. You've never seen him talk about the gym. He just sits on the couch all day and plays video games, or sits in his room listening to music. HOW is he that jacked!? Speedball smirks and then starts running toward the near wall. He bounces off, moving faster, and does the same against the opposite wall. Robbie moves like this for a few seconds before making a lap around the room at lightning speed!
"Get ready, Rage!"
"Come at me, bro!"
Speedball charges toward Elvin and takes a small hop off the floor for a little extra momentum before COLLIDING with Rage's chest and BOUNCING off! He SMASHES into the ceiling and rebounds again, catching himself on the ground and carefully slowing his stride before finally coming to a stop.
"HOLY COW! Did I even BUDGE you!?"
"You rocked me, yeah! If I wasn't ready for ya, you might'a taken me off my feet!"
"All right, damn, now I need to get in on this," Roxy takes off her hoodie and ties it around her waist, squaring up with Rage. He grins and obliges, both of them lacing fingers above their heads before they begin trying to force one another to the ground. Elvin has to reset his stance fairly quickly, but the more effort he puts forth, the more he seems to be able to exert. Roxy starts bending backward, but keeping her footing! Eventually she lets go and drops to her back. "Damn!"
"Yeah!" Rage laughs, taking a few steps back. "You're strong, Bling! Probably the strongest person I tussled with."
"Yeah, but you still knocked me down." You notice a coy look on Roxy's face as she gets up. "... but what can you do about this!" Suddenly, glittering diamond-like shards launch out of her body, flying toward Rage! He holds up an arm to protect his face, and the shards strike him and clatter to the ground, leaving barely a scratch. "Damn! You are tough!"
"I told you! I'm the total package!"
"All right, all right," Quentin speaks up, "you're all doing awesome stuff and I'm getting super jealous here. You guys are in luck because you've got the best telepath on your team. If nobody has any objections?" He looks around to all of you, and you and Kitty exchange a look, but nobody protests. "Excellent! So... here's a fun trick... now... we can all communicate telepathically!" It takes you a second to realize that last thing wasn't said out loud... but in your head. You look at everyone else, and they seem just as astonished. It's a bit unnerving how easy it was for him to establish, but now that he's 'in' your head, you can kind of feel it. Or... hear it? It's like a soft buzzing or humming. Just barely perceptible, but... present. A clear hallmark that his powers are in use. You wonder a bit if all your previous paranoia was just that...
"Is this for real?" Kitty asks, without moving her lips or making a sound out loud.
"Super real. Now... it's gonna be kind of sketchy until I get used to the feeling of your minds, so... don't think too hard about anything you don't wanna share with the whole class."
"PENIS," you almost immediately hear echoing through your head in Robbie's voice. "... sorry."
"This is HELLA useful, Quentin," Roxy remarks.
"Yes, I know! Thank you. I told you guys I was the best."
"This doesn't mean you're poking around in our heads, though, right?" asks Kitty.
"Well, I mean, obviously a little bit. But no, while this... uh... network is up I can't deep-dive on somebody. So, keep it from being something you're actively thinking about and your secrets are safe from me."
There's another look of uncertainty, but Mr. Stark insisted on trust... so you give it a shot. The six of you spend the next hour testing out the limits of various powers; Rage gets the bright idea to try throwing Speedball to get his momentum up faster, then bouncing him like a basketball. Then the two begin foot races, which Elvin gets an early lead on, but the more bouncing Robbie does the faster he goes! Elvin eventually stops, laughing. You and Kitty practice using your powers to dodge Roxy's shards; Shadowcat phasing so that they go right through her, and you focusing your luck and watching a few of the shards miss you. Some still hit, but Roxy does a good job of not launching them fast enough to do any more damage than a paintball. That would be a useful thing to be able to do on demand in combat; you've only gotten the power to completely work once before, when your father accidentally let a massive kitchen knife slip from his wet hands while cooking. You were sure it was coming right for you, closed your eyes and hoped that it wouldn't... and when you opened them it only managed to tear a little hole in your sweater.
You all continue to experiment and practice and eventually just goof around until the hour is up. Everyone seems to be in better, brighter spirits, and a lot more calm and casual around one-another. Elvin, Robbie, and Roxy head to the cafeteria for a late-night dinner as they were the ones who undisputedly performed the most physical exertion, and Kitty declares she's returning to the dorm, but not before giving you a meaningful look.
You and Quentin are alone, and he is smiling.
"So, are you ready to go?" He asks, very much out loud. "Or did you wanna grab a shower or something first?"
"No," you shake your head, "I'm fine. Didn't even work up a sweat. My powers aren't exactly... high-activity."
"I get that, obviously. I don't even really get tired... I hear other telepaths do, but it's just never happened to me." It's not quite a #humblebrag, but he's obviously proud of himself. "Anyhow, we should be able to hop a bus outside the Academy gates. That'll get us a lot closer."
The two of you walk in step, board a city bus when it drives up to the relatively nearby stop (which is situated to conveniently obscure the entire school between the trees and the topography of the area) and manage to find seating. It's a few minutes before Omega breaks the silence.
"So, uh... do you mind if we talk... uh... quietly?" He points to his temple, obviously indicating his powers, but keeps the gesture brief. You're in mixed company now, after all, and people who have anti-mutant sentiment always seem to be a dangerous mixture of brash and unpredictable. You give him a once-over, trying to get a better read on him... but there's just something about Quentin that makes it hard to get a bead on. Maybe it's the almost overconfident way he talks. Maybe it's something about how unflappable he is. Maybe it has something to do with his powers... but he's just a hard nut to crack. Still, of all things he mostly seems earnest. Excited, even. You think him using his powers with the whole group earlier loosened him up some, or maybe he's just really looking forward to wherever it is you're going.
What is your answer... ?
[ ] Let Kid Omega use his powers to talk to you silently.
[ ] Don't.
