If somebody were to ask her, Aisha would (hypothetically, of course) say that being a cape is not all it's cracked up to be. At least, not in her case. Her power just won't stay put, ever. It's easier to control now than in the beginning, sure, but it's about as far removed from having a third hand (as the asshats on PHO describe it) as she can imagine. Yeah, using it is easy enough. Thoughtless, even. It's the damn off switch that constantly pops back outta place. The longest she's managed to keep it off so far was something like twenty minutes - but that was in her room, and there are usually a lot more distractions to deal with than back then.
Talking, specifically can get difficult. It's not that it's that hard to start the conversation again once she realizes the other party is no longer paying attention to her, but it sure is annoying. Most people don't say a thing when they realize they suddenly forgot they were having a conversation, whenever she slips up. Bless them and their dumb pride telling them to carry on as if nothing happened.
At least she can talk with Ayano without having to go through all that. Her friend takes the fact they drop in and out of their conversations in stride. Whether it's due to her knowing about her being a parahuman, or because of her being... well, Ayano, remains entirely up for question.
There are definitely perks to her situation, though. She can ride the bus free of charge, take any and all shortcuts she wants and be sure nothing bad will come of it – hell, she's probably one of the safest girls in the city right now. Moreover, she can show up to class, get her attendance marked, and then do whatever she wants for the rest of it. More often than not it means simply sleeping, because if she already shows up for classes, then there's not much point in cutting them. She can stay up at night and not get shit for it when she either sleeps in, or nods off during lessons. When she finally works up the courage to tell Brian, she'll have a solid excuse for pissing all over her marks, too. What does she need a shitty education for if she can use her power to earn her keep? Become a parahuman detective or something.
Not for the first time, Aisha wonders if there's even a point to coming to school at all. She only stuck around for so long because it was a requirement for Brian to get her custody. But really, at this point, she could move in with him and the child services would never even notice. Neither would Brian, nor their mother. Nobody would.
Would she even be able to graduate without being outed? Not likely. How is she supposed to be graded without the teachers remembering she exists? Honestly, she's only still here in absence of any better, more concrete ideas. The day she has an actual plan, she can stop coming. It will also be the day she has to tell Brian.
There's the possibility of him objecting, but screw him, the hypocrite. Aisha suspected he had powers before; her brother's nowhere near as subtle as he likes to imagine he is. What she hadn't known, was that he's also a villain. It's amazing – all the stuff people talk about when they believe to be alone, stuff like planning a robbery and-what-the-shit, Brian! One would think he'd tell her something if he wants her to live at his place, but nooo, lets just leave her to figure out on her own that her big bro is a criminal. Excuse her for not rushing to tell him about her own secrets.
…
So yeah, it kinda sucks. She only received a single phone call ever since getting her power, and that was Ayano making sure she was okay during the time she managed to keep it down. She almost misses having Brian bother her with his overprotectiveness. And damn it, he was right about it, in the end. Some stupid fuck killing a girl in school is bad, sure, but it just kinda - it just felt like an extension of living in Brockton Bay. Same old, same old, just another boundary torn down. Turning on the news and hearing that the suspect is- was a girl she wouldn't normally spare a second look at?
She'd walked the halls for over a year without suspecting anything, and why would she? Big, burly, bald and aggressive Aisha knows to avoid. Small, cute and chipper social butterflies aren't supposed to be the ones to be watch out for, even if they are a bitch. Maybe it's hindsight, but she could see Ayano as the killer – silent, focused and intense. Or Taylor. God knows if anybody had a reason to blow up, it'd be that girl. But if one of the popular kids could be a crazy murderer, then who couldn't?
...It doesn't matter anymore, not to her. Her power makes sure she won't be a target to anyone, nor a friend to invite out, or just- anything. She never thought about it before, but life without others to fill it can be so... boring.
At least, her power also lets her find new ways to amuse herself on her own. Like how she can claim some Nazi-wannabe fucker's lunch tray for herself without anybody being the wiser. She'd stay and watch the fit he's throwing over his food suddenly vanishing from his table, but it kind of lost its charm after the fifth time she'd done it. It's something of a challenge to navigate between the mass of students when nobody can notice her, but she's learned to read people's movement just enough to not constantly crash into them.
Now, where could Ayano have possibly gone?
Unnoticed by anyone, Aisha slips out of the lunch-hall with the tray still in hands, before making her way up the stairs.
It used to be that Aisha would lose track of her classmate about the time lunch came around. It used to be this fact didn't bother her, but it also used to be that she didn't have a power that made holding conversations a chore. Thankfully, where her power screwed up, it also gave her an out. She might not spend her breaks like she used to, but she also finally managed to figure out where Ayano was wandering off to, all this time.
A little out of breath, she stops before the door she was looking for, the one at the very top of the staircase.
She has to admit, as far as school hideouts go, the rooftop is pretty damn good.
A shiver runs down her spine at the memory of finding Ayano there, alone, her face as expressionless as a doll – exactly like back in that alley. She'd noticed before, it's difficult not to, that Ayano is not a very lively, nor expressive individual, that her smiles often lack - something. But seeing her there, staring out into a void – so, so fucking creepy. Worrying, too, but creepy all the same.
She didn't ask. She's not sure she ever will, but she has her suspicions as to the why. Aisha only saw her wear that mask of a face once before then, and that was not a good moment for either of them. They... haven't really talked about it since that fateful night. It must be weighing on Ayano's mind more than she's letting on around people, and is it any wonder? Aisha didn't even hold the knife, yet still she finds herself feeling sick at times, without other things to occupy her mind but memories. She can only imagine the toll it's taking on the other girl. And as her friend (and accomplice), it's Aisha's duty to lend an ear to talk to, lest the girl went talking to someone less... reliable, instead.
She'd offer a shoulder to lean on, as well, but Ayano already has that much. One bony shoulder, certainly, but her classmate doesn't seem to mind. Aisha's willing to bet that if Ayano wasn't too chickenshit to ask, Taylor would be all-too-happy to lend other parts of her body to lean on, as well. Stupid idiots. It'd be painful to watch them if it also weren't so entertaining. They're fucking hopeless, the both of them. Ayano, at least, is aware of her – crush? Affection? Whatever. Taylor, though? Oh, God. That girl needs an intervention.
What was it that Ayano said? Try as she might to forget it, their conversation stuck in Aisha's head. She's not going to spy on her, and she's fairly certain Ayano and herself are all the people she talks to. Maybe they really should go to a pool...
The young parahuman braces herself for the cold, before pushing the door open. It's the one feature she dislikes about their hideout; snow's gonna suck. But aside from that? Nobody ever comes up here – possibly because of the padlock on the door. Ayano won't say how she got the key to it, and Aisha's just fine with using her imagination, which often involves ninjas, and knives and... Anyway, it's a good spot. As far as she's aware, beside herself, Ayano and Taylor, only the janitor ever comes up here, to clean. But that's only after school ends, and so not a concern.
Regarding the love-birds, there they are - spot on, with Ayano leaning against the precariously balanced desk her definitely-not-girlfriend is eating her lunch by. Neither notice her, obviously. They won't unless she turns her power off, or leaves the door open. As Ayano and her have found - as long as Aisha's no longer involved, people can still see the effects of her actions. That, and remember she's done them if she caps her power. She'd probably be in a load of shit by now if not for the fact everyone will forget about whatever she's done as soon as she stops hanging onto the off switch.
Speaking of.
"Hey guys!"
Taylor doesn't quite jump into the air, but it's only because of the desk restricting her movements. As for Ayano, the girl only turns around, shooting her an indecipherable look.
"Don't - do that!" Their senior wheezes out between the hiccups. "Where the hell – did you come from - anyway?"
It's an effort, but Aisha manages not to laugh as she points at the door with raised eyebrows, she must not be doing such a good job of it, based on the duo's expressions.
"Oh, alright. I was hiding over there. Wanted to get a scare out of you."
"Everything you hoped for?" Yeah, she's not fooling Ayano.
"Eh." She drops her tray on the desk to makes a so-so gesture, and grins her friend's way. "I'll get you one day." It'll be a day to remember for sure. She could, of course, make something up involving Taylor, but that's not among the acceptable sorts of dick moves in Aisha's arsenal. Too easy, as well. It'd be like telling her Brian got into a fight with Lung or – something.
"Good luck with that, then." Damn. This girl could give courses on deadpan delivery. "Although, I'd appreciate it if you didn't jump on us when we're eating. Someone could choke," Ayano quips without looking at her, handing over a water bottle to their hiccuping company.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll behave." She waves her friend's concerns off. The part about choking is true enough though, she supposes, what with Taylor being as skittish as she is. Other time's fair game, though. She can never get a reaction out of the Asian girl, so her girlfriend-what-girlfriend will have to do.
In absence of another chair, Aisha briefly contemplates hopping onto the desk. Hmm. It looks like it'd break.
"What is this thing?" She asks in morbid curiosity, pointing at Taylor's lunch box.
"Uh... chicken salad." Really? She doesn't cound convinced. "I don't- hey!" She cries indignantly when Aisha steals her fork to take a bite. Yeah... it tastes about as good as the looks would imply. What's with this look Ayano's giving her? She steals food from her all the time.
"Oh, chill out. Here, you want any?" She pushes her fries the older girl's way, pointedly ignoring Ayano's sharp glare. She won't finish them all by herself, and besides, she can take pity. Aisha's not sure how the older girl's managing to swallow one bite after another of this... thing in front of her, but it can't be good for her continued health.
"I-" She hesitates. "No, thank you. I already traded, once." Traded? They're not- Oh, ooh. Heh, hehehe. Poor girl. For her sake, she hopes Ayano gets better at cooking. Long term, she could probably poison someone with this.
She shrugs. "Your loss." And it is most certainly a loss. Aisha bets she could do better on her first try. "Ayano?"
Her peer wordlessly points to a rolled up paper-bag near her bag on the ground. Looks like it's the birds who will share with her, then. They do eat potatoes, right? It'll be food for bacteria if not - still a better use for food than letting it be wasted on its initial owner.
"Sho hnywey," She speaks through a mouthful of her burger. "Me and Ayano were thinking-"
"We were?" Shut up Ayano. This is for your own benefit!
"-we should go upgrade your wardrobe. Get you something more, um, fitting."
"Upgrade?" The girl in question asks, warily eyeing Aisha's attire.
"Yeah, just a few things, uh, if you can afford them. I'm thinking, up to a hundred, at most. I know a few places."
"Somehow, that does not fill me with confidence." Fuck you too, Ayano. "She looks great the way she is," her friend states, flashing Taylor a sunny smile.
Holy shit. Love really does make people blind! Aisha understands buttering up – it's even working right now, judging by the pink hue rising in Taylor's cheeks - but please. Surely, there are limits.
"Thanks-" Taylor begins, and Aisha's not sure to whom it is addressed. "I'm not much for shopping or dressing up, though." Neither is Aisha, to be honest, but that is totally beside the point here! She's trying to end all of their suffering, and by God, she will find a way wherever it may lead.
"And when was the last time you did that? Maybe you'll like it now? Me and Ayano would try things on as well." Joy. "Everything's fun in good company, and we're definitely good company, eh? Eh?" She lightly elbows the girl in her shoulder, and gets shoved away in reaction, though not without drawing a rueful smile out of her. One down, Ayano to go."Hey, what do you say we go to a swimming pool, sometime?"
Ayano, for her part, blanks out for a moment, before suddenly perking up.
"Sure. I'd love to." Heh.
"Um." Taylor quietly interrupts. "I-I think my swimming suit might be a bit... small."
All the better. "I'm sure Ayano will be happy to help you pick a new one." Both the girls blush at that, both of them turning away from each other. Jesus Christ, this is exactly why they need an intervention. "So, how about it?"
"I g-guess we could do that." Taylor forces out, accompanied by Ayano's nod of assent.
"It's settled then!" A thought crosses her mind, one she quickly discards as it would be counterproductive to this whole venture. At the same time, it'd be such a waste not to at least tease Ayano with it. "Hey, what do you say we get my brother to come along?"