Blanc differs from most other girls her age in another way that has nothing to do with being a demigoddess-in-training. She actually likes going to school. She enjoys the relaxed atmosphere and the casualness of the interaction there.
At school, she is rude, because she would never get away with cursing or blowing people off in the rigidly controlled atmosphere at home. She is in love with the ability to make people leave her alone, without consequences beyond being stared at and catching the occasional mean remark. She doesn't mind, she can give as good as she gets after all, and mean her classmates may be, but they are at least willing to show it more-or-less openly.
After 2 years in this school, most have learned to leave the brunette bookworm alone. Most, but not all.
"Hey, Blanc! Pay attention, sleepyhead!"
Blanc has the displeasure of being seated next to the class's other Candidate: the oh-so-esteemed Noire Schwarzherz. And the arrogant brat just loves to get on her nerves.
"I was, until you had to open your big mouth again. It's not my fault you can't tell bored from sleepy. Now shut up."
After delivering her entirely appropriate retort, the brunette shifts her narrow-eyed gaze towards the blackboard again, where Mr. Kolfax is currently going through a simple equation that Blanc probably could solve in her sleep if she wants to.
I'm so far ahead of this slowpoke that I actually could sleep if I wanted to and it wouldn't make any difference. Heh.
She debates whether or not to read through the math book again for something to do, but decides against it. Not only would that be only marginally less boring than watching the old fart totter around by the blackboard, it's also likely to provoke Noire into making a fuss again, and the amusement value of the other Candidate's antics is nowhere near enough to counteract all the unwelcome attention it would draw to them. Again.
An aside glance confirms that the twin tailed bimbo is still watching her instead of paying attention herself.
Of course, little miss perfect has probably also learned everything the old geezer has announced for this year already.
Blanc would probably appreciate her sheer determination and drive, if she weren't such a meddling, arrogant know-it-all who just can't keep her nose out of other people's business.
Whenever the head it's attached to isn't stuck up into the clouds of course.
"Is there something interesting on my face, or why do you keep staring at me?"
She fights back a smirk at the expression on Noire's face, who apparently can't decide whether to be embarrassed or indignant.
"I-I-I…. I am just making sure that you're not slacking off again. The second I look away you're gonna pull out some book again, and that's just not acceptable behaviour!"
What is wrong with that girl? Doesn't she have anything better to do than getting on my nerves? And keeping me from reading.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't make a scene. Again."
The rest of math class goes by under a sort of weary ceasefire between the two Candidates, with Blanc trying to stave off the boredom as best she can without giving Noire an excuse to start screaming, the holier-than-thou crusader of perfect manners and performance watching for any kind of foul play, and both Candidates pretending to pay attention to the teacher.
And that's the fourth day in a row she's condemned me to boredom. Seriously, doesn't she GET that I'm not interested in matching her stupid ideal of Candidate-ness or whatever?
They can't really do much more than glower at each other during class, but the second they step out the door, Blanc looks at Noire, and very pointedly pulls out her novel, buries her nose in it, and starts walking towards the exit, narrowly dodging two chatting students from another class, who probably deserved some kind of punishment down the line for almost ruining her dramatic gesture.
She makes it maybe five steps out the door before the black-haired Candidate practically explodes.
"What is wrong with you? You rude, arrogant shut-in! You never pay attention, you insult people at random, and you don't even look at me when I'm talking to you!"
The shrill yelling makes Blanc come to a halt for a moment, watching the other students' reactions in her peripheral vision without raising her head. While Noire and Blanc fighting isn't really anything special anymore, some apparently still find it interesting enough to stand around, trying (and failing) to look like they aren't watching the two girls.
Like animals at the zoo. Like exhibits in a glass cage. As if I was some kind of fascinating exotic beast. Stupid jerks.
Blanc unconsciously clenches her free hand into a fist. Even at school, she could sometimes feel the bars of a cage enclosing her.
"You can't just walk away!" Noire yells.
"Watch me." She answers over her shoulder. "You're not worth my time."
"Well, maybe you're not worth my time! With your rudeness and your arrogance, you're a disgrace to the title of Candidate!"
The words hit Blanc like a freight train. The book drops from her limp fingers, as her body briefly shuts down at the too familiar words.
"You're a disgrace!" Her mother says in her memories, after an 8-year-old Blanc ran crying from the room during a reception.
"Why won't you do as you're told, you failure of a daughter!" admonishes her father when she refuses to listen to the private teacher he has hired for her.
Before she realizes it she's turned around and started walking.
One step, and the remembered voices reach a crescendo in her head.
Two steps, and her rage floods through her body, breaking any remaining restraints.
Three steps, and it bursts from her mouth in an agonized scream: "SHUT UUUP! Get off your high horse, you arrogant bitch! You have no idea what you're talking about!"
Four steps, and she leaps at the other Candidate, fists flying.
There is no fifth step, as Noire smoothly evades the angry punches, grabs her attacker's arm, twists at the hip and throws Blanc into the wall with enough force to seriously injure a normal human and put a sizeable dent into the cinderblock wall. Even with her supernatural toughness, the brunette takes a moment to shake off the shock from the unexpected impact, which Noire uses to take a combat stance and taunt her some more.
"See what I mean? You can't even fight properly. You do know that a CPU needs to fight monsters, right? If you can't even land a hit on me, you won't survive a minute out there. You really are a failure!"
Head still spinning, both from the blow she took and from the torrent of emotions raging through her soul, Blanc prepares to get up again when something completely unexpected unfolds on the sidelines.
"Nep-Nep, get back!"
"Don't worry, Compa, I got this!"
With two decisive steps, a girl that is about Blanc's height interposes herself between the fighting Candidates. She comes to a stop about two meters in front of where Blanc is still slumped against the wall, blocking line of sight between the two combatants and stands protectively over the smaller Candidate.
Who the hell does she think she is, barging in like that?! I'll-
Blanc's silent tirade is interrupted when the newcomer addresses Noire.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
In that instant, all motion ceases. The entire world may as well have stopped existing for Blanc, as all else beside that voice loses focus.
The words are wrong, but that voice…
"Yeah, whatcha looking at me like that for? Why're you picking on the bookworm so much? Don't you have any friends to annoy?"
As the lilac-haired "Nep-Nep" keeps talking, Blanc can only slump back onto the floor, abandoning her attempts to get up and back into the fight, in favour of just staring at the back of this girl who had the courage to step between two fighting Candidates.
And I still can't see her face. Heh. But she's tearing into Noire real good. I like her spirit.
While Blanc is still contemplating the voice of her saviour, still wrestling with doubt, anticipation and anxiety, the interloper has apparently found a chink in Noire's armour, and she immediately goes back on the attack.
"Ooohhh that's it, isn't it? You don't have any friends, and you are angry that the one with the cool hat doesn't want to be your friend. And that's why you've been making her life so hard."
If everyone's attention wasn't solidly focussed on her so far, it is now.
Suddenly, Noire simply… deflates. It's as if the proud wannabe-goddess Blanc knew and loathed was suddenly gone, and in her place she left a girl that had just had her entire existence ripped out from under her.
When she speaks again, the (self-) righteous indignation is gone, replaced by a quiet anger, interlaced with something Blanc has never actually seen Noire express: genuine hurt.
"Sh-shut up. What do you know?"
The words are so quiet that Blanc wonders for a moment if she actually heard them. In the same way, she wonders if she just imagined the sudden sharp drawing of breath from the lilac-haired voice, or how she briefly seems to tense up at the words.
When she speaks again it isn't a challenge, or a taunt. Her voice is warmer, but still not altogether friendly.
"Well, I know that you're being a bit of a hypocrite. I mean, bullying isn't really appropriate for a Candidate either, isn't it? We're supposed to hold together."
After a few moments of what Blanc assumes to be staring each other down, as she still can't see her unexpected ally's face, Noire huffs, turns dramatically and walks off. Blanc thinks she saw something glittering on her cheek just before she turned away.
Whatever. About time she got some for her hypocrisy. Even if I wanted to be the one to give it to her.
Now that the tension is broken and the tunnel vision lifts from her perception, Blanc is suddenly aware of gentle hands brushing bits of plaster from her hair and clothes, and softly examining her neck and the shoulder that hit the wall first. As she turns her head to look at, and possibly chew out the perpetrator, she looks right into a pair of reddish eyes nestled in a cute, round face that is currently showing a concerned frown.
"Now now, missy, don't move, neck injuries are dangerous. You could make it a lot worse if you're not careful!"
Blanc shrugs, and winces a bit as her injured shoulder pulls a bit.
"I'm a Candidate. I can handle it. My neck's a bit stiff, and the shoulder smarts, but I've had worse."
The peach-haired wannabe-doctor doesn't seem convinced, but once again the voice comes to Blanc's aid.
"Yeah, Compa, she'll be alright. Remember how I fell off the roof that one time? This doesn't look that much worse."
Slowly, almost hesitantly, Blanc turns her head back around towards the source if the voice, finding her head level with a simple blue dress with a zipper running up the front. As her gaze slowly, almost hesitantly, travels upwards she is sure that her hammering heartbeat is audible throughout the entire school.
And then, finally, after years of trying to imagine the face of her soulmate, there it is, in profile, eyes still warily watching the way Noire left just moments ago. Blanc isn't quite sure what she expected from her face before, maybe some cool battle scars, maybe a strong chin and eyes full of determination and fire. Instead, with messy pink hair held back by gray d-pad shaped hairclips, round cheeks and a small button nose, she just looks-
Cute. Oh gods, she is adorable!
As if sensing the attention, Blanc's presumed soulmate gives a relieved sigh, turns fully toward the overheating Candidate and speaks:
"Yikes, that was nasty. You okay?"
Two sentences. Six words. For the second time this day, Blanc's brain just crashes, this time from the sheer joyful warmth that floods through her at finally hearing them with her own ears.
Any lingering doubts she might have held onto are burned away by the steady pulsing of the Mark on her ankle.
After what feels like an eternity, but was probably just a few seconds, she realizes that she's vacantly staring into those gorgeous purple eyes, and that Nep-Nep is looking at her expectantly. Trying to focus through the giddy anticipation, Blanc's mind races to find an appropriate response.
Alright, Blanc, this is it. Your Soulmark quote. Your moment to shine. Don't fuck it up. What was that one thing Vert said?
"Are you sure you fell from a roof and not from heaven?"
Special thanks to Danmaku, who edited this mess and without whom it would not have arrived nearly as quickly, or be nearly as readable. If I was wearing a hat I'd pull it for you, my friend.