"Thank goodness you're okay. You had me worried there for a bit."
"I had myself worried. I could've really hurt her," Narruk said bitterly, not meeting Melody's eyes. The boy was no worse for wear, though his eyes betrayed just how tired and angry he was. The redhead smiled softly and patted his knee through the thin, white blanket.
"It's okay. This just means we have to try harder in our methods to contain Him. Meditation obviously didn't work, hm… maybe yoga or some other type of exercise around the full moon? Should probably throw in some games that can strengthen your mind. Maybe you could go a few rounds of chess against Oliver?" Narruk chuckled and held up his hands.
"Thanks but I'd rather not lose all of my credibility. He'd wipe the floor with me."
"That's not the point. If it makes you feel better, you could always face Marcus. He plays just as often but isn't anywhere as good. Besides, winning or losing doesn't matter. We have to get your mental stability up," Melody explained, leaning back in her chair and staring at the ceiling. 'Everything we tried over the past month turned out to be utterly useless. This just means I have to try harder. Seeing him lose control today… someone has to help him before 'Alpha' takes over completely.' As she was lost in thought, the brunet shook his head and feigned offense.
"Are you calling me mentally unstable, Melody? And here I was thinking you were my friend." As the redhead opened her mouth to respond, her ears picked up on an odd noise rising above the usual din of the infirmary. It was faint but it sounded like… crying. "Mel?"
"Oh! Sorry, I thought I heard something. Anyway, Lyon's fight is coming up, how do you think he and Andi are gonna do? Out of our class's top five students, only Clara is left. The hierarchy is in shambles. You should be ashamed, losing to those beneath you," Melody chastised, waving her finger in the air. Narruk barked out a laugh.
"I seem to remember you taking out one of those five. As for Lyon, this fight will be difficult for the both of them. They've already had to face the number two in our class and now they're facing the number three in FH1 with only a few hours rest and a badly injured teammate. Lyon is insanely strong and intelligent, but even he has his limits." At that moment, the curtains were swept aside and a haggard-looking Nurse Holl stepped in. She gave one look at Narruk's seated position and frowned. In a flash, the boy flopped back onto his bed and gave the woman an apologetic smile. 'Even Narruk fears the nurse's wrath,' Melody thought sardonically.
"Mr. Mondronen, I'm glad to see you're feeling better. However, there are a few more tests that I need to run before you get a clean bill of health. Don't think I don't see you disobeying my orders either, Ms. Halloway. Bed, now," Leena said firmly. Melody shrank slightly under her disapproving gaze and stood. She said goodbye to Narruk and started walking towards the curtain. 'I don't see why I have to stay in bed any longer. I feel fine. My head doesn't even hurt anymore,' Melody thought, wishing she could be back at the dorms with the rest of her classmates. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't notice that instead of stepping into the main part of the infirmary, she stepped into a cramped hallway, marred by burns. The beeps and general sounds of dismay from machines and fellow inhabitants were replaced by a very eerie silence. Melody was finally brought back to the present by the crunch of wood under her feet and the acrid smell of smoke permeating the air.
"What is this?" She muttered shakily. She quickly turned back to face the way she'd come, only to come face to face with a wall, its ornate wallpaper shriveled and blackened. "Narruk? Mrs. Holl?" There was no answer. A chill ran down her spine as the hallway became more and more familiar. Her breathing quickened and she clenched her fists, her nails pressing tightly into her palms. 'Not again,' she thought. She glanced towards either end of the hallway and gulped. At one end, there was a heavy wooden door, slightly ajar with a thin strip of light emanating from within the room. At the other end… nothing. The ceiling had apparently collapsed, blocking her only other exit. Her feet moved on their own accord, carrying her against her will towards the open door.
The room was exactly as it appeared every night. Like the hallway, the walls were covered in black burns while a heavy layer of ash settled on the carpet, creating small clouds with each step Melody took. Along with the ash, there were several scorched objects lying on the floor, seemingly at random. It wasn't hard to make out the twisted All-Might action figure or the melted remains of a rocking horse. As soon as she took a step inside, her eyes instinctively moved to the closet. 'I don't want to see this. Please,' she thought desperately as her arm reached out and grabbed the handle. With seemingly no control over her actions, Melody watched as the door creaked open, a thick black mist swirling around her feet.
Purpose of a Hero
"AH!" Melody awoke violently. Her eyes snapped open and she pitched forward, trying to sit up, only for her head to slam into something very dense. In the back of her mind, while the rest tried to adjust to her abrupt awakening, she registered hearing a pained cry from a voice not her own. While her hands immediately went to her forehead, which no doubt would have a new bump after that, she glanced around her arms and saw a flash of pink. Once her mind caught up to her body, she recognized the girl that knelt at her bedside, holding her chin and whimpering in pain. "Shaula?"
"You have a hard head, Halloway!" The girl complained as she massaged her jaw. Upon closer inspection, Melody noticed that the girl, much like herself, was covered in bandages and bruises. Most apparent, however, was the over-sized bandaid on the bulbous head of her scorpion-like tail.
U.S.A.E.I Third Year: Shaula Newton
Her Quirk: Scorpion
Shaula has the tail of a scorpion that she can control like a fifth limb. Watch out for the stinger, though, her poison is very strong!
"Sorry about that," Melody said bashfully. The pinkette blinked before smiling and waving off her concern.
"No, no, no. I shouldn't have been leaning over you like that. You were kinda talking in your sleep and looked pretty spooked. I was a bit worried," Shaula explained. The redhead nodded and glanced around the room, trying to make sure she wasn't still dreaming. Instead of smoke and burning flesh, she smelled antiseptic and Shaula's bubblegum-scented perfume. While the infirmary wasn't completely silent like the hallway, it was much more muted than it had been when she'd first fallen asleep.
"What time is it?" Shaula frowned and pulled out her cellphone, which was guarded by a very vibrant ladybug case. She glanced at the screen for a moment before her expression turned to one of exhaustion.
"It's like… one in the morning. I really~ should get going soon. Why did so many of you girls have to go and get hurt? Thank goodness I don't have to fight again tomorrow," Shaula said, putting her phone away and leaning back in her chair.
"Is everyone else alright? What about Narruk?" Melody asked quickly, remembering how she'd been barred from seeing her friend earlier in the day. Shaula grinned and gave the redhead a thumbs up.
"Everyone should be a-okay! Rune checked on the boys earlier but he fell asleep in one of the empty cots. I swear he's so scatterbrained. I'll never understand how he can flip the switch from complete doofus to utter heartthrob in like, two seconds. Oh… uh, anyway Narruk is fine. Thanks to Mrs. Holl and Merciful he's gonna make a full recovery," Shaula explained, though Melody couldn't help but notice her face had gone slightly redder when she mentioned Rune. 'He's the one Nathan is always complaining about for falling asleep and levitating things, isn't he?' she thought. Then, her eyes widened as she fully processed the other girl's words.
"Merciful as in The Saving Grace Hero? What's he doing here?"
"Well, the Halloween Festival has a reputation for being a bit violent, so the Forge brings in doctors and Heroes from all over the United States for the weekend. Mrs. Holl is still one of the best out there but even she needs help at times. Gauze is the one who wrapped me up after Hector had his bees sting me. Oh? You alright, Halloway?" Shaula asked. The redhead's face, upon mention of the stoic upperclassman, immediately went white and her hands clutched her blanket a little more tightly.
"Y-Yeah, completely fine. No worries here!" She said a little too quickly. Shaula raised an eyebrow at the younger girl's odd behavior but shrugged and reached down for the duffle bag sitting beside her chair.
"Anywho, you're the last one I've gotta see. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, nightmares are never fun after all."
"Wasn't a nightmare," Melody interrupted, though the crack in her voice clearly showed otherwise. Shaula rolled her eyes, muttering something about 'stubborn freshie' as she dug around in the duffle bag.
"Aha! Here you go, sorry if the frosting is messed up. Zuny and Ovol were in charge of the decorating and their styles are a bit conflicting," the pinkette said, handing Melody a cupcake wrapped in saran wrap. Immediately, she could tell what her upperclassman meant about the frosting being messed up. It looked as if there were several layers of the stuff as if the decorators had just put a different layer on top of each previous one. 'Those two are always fighting. They're like more violent versions of Eris and Alex.'
"Thank you, and tell them thanks as well."
"Not a problem. To be honest, I was expecting to have to do a lot more comforting. I remember how inconsolable I was when I lost in my freshman year. It seems like most of the girls took their defeats or injuries like champs! Even Ena and she was in the worst shape of anyone. She seemed more concerned with Merciful's Quirk than she was about her own loss." Melody froze and looked up from her cupcake, her eyes wide.
"Does that mean… Andi and Lyon lost?"
Purpose of a Hero
"You are completely deranged!"
"Not so loud, please. I'd rather you didn't wake up the whole dorm," Alexander whispered. In all honesty, he should have expected this. His sister never had been the type to react rationally or calmly to any given situation. Eris looked at him as if he'd grown a third head before growling and throwing her hands in the air.
"I don't care! You're an idiot! For once in your life just take a freakin' 'W' and not complain! Do you think anyone else besides you cares that you couldn't move? You outlasted Andi! You beat Lyon! No one else has even come close to doing that this year!" The girl shouted. Alexander sighed and glanced up at the side of the building, noticing that in a few of the still-lit rooms, shadows had begun to appear. 'Great, now we have an audience.'
"Actually, Clara beat him in the relay race."
"That doesn't count! She practically flashed him! Any guy would be thrown off their game by those things!" Eris, crude as ever, retorted. Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
"Look, the fact of the matter is that fight should've been called a draw. Both Andi and I were unable to continue fighting. It doesn't matter that I was still conscious, I was completely paralyzed by her Quirk. As for me beating Lyon, he was at half his normal power. One of his hands was literally shattered in his earlier match, Eris! Andi had broken ribs! There's no reason the snowflake idiot and I should have won that match. The odds were stacked so heavily in our favor it's amazing it came down to a stare-off." He'd been expecting his sister to fire back with another insult or backhanded compliment, they were her specialty after all. Instead, to his surprise, his sister's expression turned soft.
"Alex… you're an idiot." The teen was about to argue but his sister surprised him once again by throwing her arms around him. For a moment, he stood frozen in bemusement before returning the gesture. "We've got a new chance here, away from him. Let yourself take pride in what you've done. I know it's hard, but this is our chance to reinvent ourselves. We can let the past die, be who we want to be. We don't have to deal with him again until summer break and even then we'll spend every other weekend on our internships. Lighten up a bit, okay?"
"Eris…"
Purpose of a Hero
"Texting your boyfriend?" Benji asked gleefully, leaning over Kira's shoulder to get a better look at her phone. The girl scowled and threw her head back, slamming it into his shoulder and making him yelp in pain. 'Whose idea was it to have a party tonight? And in the boy's dorm of all places. Half of these people should be resting for tomorrow, not staying up until three in the morning,' she thought, glancing around the crowded communal area. Every student not in the infirmary had been summoned to the boy's dorm for what the student council president and vice president called a 'school tradition'.
"Piss off pervert," Kira growled, turning off her phone and slipping it into her pocket. Benji seemed to deflate at this and stalked away muttering about how he was a 'lady's man' and not a pervert. The girl sighed and ignored him, instead turning her attention toward the rambunctious crowd. From her isolated corner, she had a pretty good vantage point of her upperclassmen – it looked as if the majority of her year had already retired for the night or followed her lead and scattered to the less densely populated areas of the room – acting as if they'd not just fought one another into submission just hours before. 'It's like they don't even care that there are more fights tomorrow. Seems like an odd tradition to have a party in the middle of the tournament.'
"Standin' all alone, are we? Y'know it's alright to join in the fun. Teachers don't exactly approve but at this point, most of them have decided to turn a blind eye." Kira jumped and fell over at the sudden voice beside her. After getting to her feet, she glared at the much taller boy, who just grinned down at her. "Sorry 'bout that. Hector says I have a bad habit of just appearing outta nowhere like that. Although, this is the first time I've made someone fall over outta fright."
"What do you want?" Kira asked tiredly. The boy grinned at her and shrugged, his long bleached blond hair tucked underneath a felt cowboy hat.
"Looked like you were feelin' a bit left out. Well… not just you. All you freshies are bein' way too tense, loosen up a little. Ain't no better time than the Halloween Party. Would've been better if the council hadn't shot down my costume party idea. I swear, if I had known how annoyin' dealin' with the student council would've been, I'd never have run for president. I'm not one for bureaucratic nonsense and they take it pretty seriously around here," the boy griped. Kira's eyes lit up in recognition and she gasped.
"You're the dude from the entrance exam!" Dominick nodded and patted the girl on the back.
"Good to see you haven't stopped fallin' over yourself in the past few months. Though I hear you've caused quite a bit of damage in the girl's dorm. It true you lit the kitchen on fire?" Kira froze and blushed as she remembered the incident from just over a month ago. Why Melody had thought it was a good idea to try and teach her to cook was beyond her. Granted, they'd gotten a look into Melody's personal life which had been nice.
"It was an accident!"
"Don't you worry, I've seen plenty worse. My first year, this room was immaculate! Really expensive furniture, some real artsy vases and paintings, and a good T.V. By the time our first Halloween Festival rolled around, classmate of mine with a real bad case of narcolepsy and some uber strong psychic powers had broken almost everything in his sleep," Dominick said, shaking his head at the memory. He was silent for a moment before he realized Kira was still standing beside him. He coughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Anyway, I've been goin' around tellin' all you freshies to relax a bit. I know this ain't really the best time to have a party when you first think about it but it's been a tradition since before we were even thought of. The whole point of throwin' this thing is to show we're still unified. A really grandiose way of sayin' 'no hard feelings', if that makes any sense."
"But you guys have even more to worry about than we do. The Pros are paying extra attention and scouting you guys for when you graduate. How are you not extremely nervous that you haven't proven yourself or angry that you might've blown your chance?" Kira asked, a hint of desperation leaking into her voice. Frankly, the idea of a party to bring people together when they'd normally be stressing over their next battle or angry at their classmates for beating them made a ton of sense. What vexed her was how carefree her upperclassmen, who were already under far more pressure to perform to the best of their abilities, were able to act so carefree under the circumstances. Dominick seemed to pick up on this and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Being a Professional Hero ain't a cakewalk. I can one hundred percent guarantee you that every person in this room feels some sort of stress over their own results or even resentment towards their classmates over theirs. There's a very good reason that only sixty percent of the Forge's graduates go on to be sidekicks, and only a third of them go on to be independent. This ain't a career for the faint of heart. At some point, you gotta decide if bein' a Hero is right for you," Dominick said seriously, his carefree smile dropping for a brief moment before returning in full force. He shoved Kira out of her corner and winked at her. "Hell, you got more time than most of us. Forget about the stress, forget about losing and just enjoy the night while it lasts. I'm sure Mr. Holl is gonna lay into all of y'all after the tournament's done anyway so better enjoy your time off while you can."
"Dom!" Before Kira could realize what was happening, a tornado of pink swept through the crowd of people and stomped up to Dominick, whose eyes widened and frantically looked around for an escape. Unfortunately for him, he could only take a step towards a nearby window before the stinger of Shaula's tail appeared just inches from his nose. "You weren't going to sneak out before apologizing, were you?"
"Actually, I was sneaking out to go and apologize to you. Look, I'm still masterin' long-distance transportation, I didn't mean to land you in the harbor." Shaula narrowed her eyes at him before harrumphing and lowering her tail. The blond let out the breath he'd been holding and took a step away from his classmate.
"You. Ruined. My. Costume!"
"The support team'll have it fixed in like a week! No big deal. Besides, maybe you should blame Hector for not watchin' your back," Dominick said hastily. Kira stared at the two in bemusement as they went back and forth before she noticed the person standing at the edge of the crowd Shaula had broken through.
"Mel?" The redhead, also apparently having been fixated on the exchange, blinked a few times and then looked over at her with tired eyes. 'Why isn't she in the infirmary?'
"Hey, Kira. Why exactly is there a party going on at two in the morning?" Kira sighed and told her the same explanation Dominick had given to her. After hearing it, Melody shrugged and glanced towards the door longingly. "Makes sense, I suppose. Is this mandatory or can I go back to the dorm and sleep?"
"I second that." As their upperclassmen continued to argue, Kira and Melody pushed their way through the crowd towards the front door. Once there, they nearly walked straight into Alexander as he entered. He gave them a once-over before walking past as if they didn't exist and turning down one of the side hallways, presumably heading off to his room. "He looked sad…"
"Maybe Eris will know why?" Melody suggested with a yawn. The two were silent on the short walk back to the girl's dorm, the sounds of the party slowly fading with every step. As soon as they stepped inside the front hall, they were greeted by the baleful glare of Clara, dressed in a tank top that showed off the extensive bandages from the day's battles. "Aren't you supposed to still be in the infirmary?"
"Go to hell, crybaby. You're supposed to be there too," she snarled before stomping off down the hall.
"At least she wasn't as loud as usual. Poor thing must be tired," Kira said mockingly. Melody noticed Clara tense up and for a moment feared that the entirety of the female student body that wasn't at the party or in the infirmary would be rudely awoken. However, Clara stopped bristling and stalked off towards her room. Once she was out of sight, Kira hummed thoughtfully. "If I didn't know any better I'd say the invincible Clara isn't all that invincible, eh?"
"Probably just tired. Shaula had to beg Mrs. Holl to let me leave even though I'm practically fine. She must've snuck out at some point after I left," Melody replied with a shrug. Deciding to put the mystery of Clara aside, the two girls bid each other goodnight and retreated to their respective rooms. When she collapsed into her small bed, Melody was convinced it had never felt more comfortable. She pulled out her cellphone and checked it for anything important she may have missed during the tournament but other than a few missed calls from her dad, its only real use was setting an alarm for the next morning. Despite her nervousness, Melody only stayed awake another few minutes before she drifted into a pleasant, dreamless sleep.
Purpose of a Hero
"HELLO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Nathan flinched at the loud screech of the speakers as Oddball screamed into his microphone. 'This guy has issues. Don't know why he's Mel's favorite,' he thought to himself, glancing over his shoulder at the redhead who was currently in a conversation with Payton – something that worried him greatly for multiple reasons – and Sirius, who was trying to act normal, which was difficult with Clara leaning against the wall behind him. Further back in the cramped hallway, Alexander, Oliver, and Damien stood silently awaiting the announcement of the first battle. "Oh fine, you take the fun out of everything Derrick. Anyway, welcome folks to day two of this year's Halloween Festival. LOOK AT THIS TURNOUT! EVERYONE WANTS TO SEE SOME ACTION!"
"Does he have to scream? Our ears get damaged enough with loud mouth around," Oliver said dryly. Usually, this would be enough to get a rise out of the hot-headed teen but surprisingly her expression didn't budge.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah fine. Anyway, things are gonna run a lot differently than they did yesterday. Today, we're following my lead! As some of you know, going into the first and second rounds our contestants knew exactly who they were going to be fighting, giving them a week to prepare and gather information on their enemies. THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE IN THE HERO WORLD! You've gotta be able to think on your feet to defeat any enemy that can cross your way! Therefore, today's bracket… will be decided match by match completely at random!" Nathan glanced out from behind the bars at the large video screens positioned above the stands on all four sides of the arena. The monitors were currently displaying headshots of all eight remaining competitors.
"So no matter what we never have any idea who we're fighting?" Melody questioned. Payton shrugged, seemingly unphased by the information.
"Eh, like he said. Heroes don't always know what type of villain they're gonna go up against, so it makes sense. Besides, as the rounds go there'll be less and less of us so we should have a pretty good idea at that point who we're going up against."
"That's assuming you make it that far, weather boy," Nathan taunted, causing Payton to pout and grumble something that sounded suspiciously like 'furball'. Outside of the tunnel, the crowd began to cheer as the pictures of the competitors disappeared and were replaced by two blank squares. "It's starting."
"NOW THEN! Let's get our first fight underway! Who's it gonna be? I can hardly wait!" Oddball announced, his cackling reverberating through the air. When the selection process began, the two boxes became a blur of faces. 'It's like a slot machine. Leave it to the Gambling Hero to make his mark somewhere on the tournament.' There was a loud ding and the first box became outlined in red as the flurry of faces stopped on one.
"Alright!" Nathan exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air and laughing. "We're starting this round on a high note, losers! You get to watch the best member of our year's top three claw someone's eyes out!"
"You're a dork," Melody said bluntly, giving her friend a deadpan stare. This made Nathan deflate slightly and turn to Payton for support. Of course, his friend childishly stuck out his tongue and leaned around him to get a better view of the board. He was tempted to push the boy over out of spite but stopped when Payton's gleeful expression turned to one of surprise and then pity as the two met eyes. "You've got to be joking."
"And the first match of the Final Eight will be between the Big Cat Hero: Leo and the Ghost Hero: Scarlette Phantom!"
Purpose of a Hero
Next Time on the Purpose of a Hero!
Chapter 41: Til the End of the Line
This week's Q&A: Hazel Camellia Aria
Q: What's your net worth?
Hazel: Why, zero of course! Mama and papa are the ones who are actually working. It wouldn't be proper for me to lay claim on our family's wealth when I haven't worked for it, wouldn't it? The money is not technically mine... Yet. But if you must know... Enough for me to have a more comfortable lifestyle than the average girl, I suppose.
Q: Do you catch yourself doing the ojou-sama laugh?
Hazel: Oh dear, I don't think so? I might have when I was younger. Goodness, that must have been quite annoying,
Q: What's your favorite Sport:
Hazel: I might be biased, but Gymnastics! The floor is the event I look forward to the most. But, there is always something nerve-wracking about the balance beams.
Q: What's your impression of the class? Who do you want to fight? Who do you NOT want to fight?
Hazel: Hmm... I think they're people who have a lot of potential. Each of them are... Interesting, in their own way. I've met more annoying people so I don't really feel negative about them! Of course, I think everyone would like to try their hand at fighting the top of the class. As for someone I do not want to fight... I think Clara. She's a bit too aggressive, and I don' t think she'll hold back even during a friendly spar
Q: Who's your Favorite hero?
Hazel: I do not think I have a favorite. All of them are amazing at their own right. But Mr. Oddball is very amusing to follow.
Q: What's your favourite kind of music?
Hazel: I cannot say that I have a favorite. I usually just listen to a handful of songs from a variety of bands...
But a genre that I always put on as a habit is classical music. Tchaikovsky, Saint-seans, Prokofiev... All of which produce melodies that still stand even today! One I would find myself replaying is definitely Ravel's Bolero"
Oh... Um... But... There's this... ONE song that I like... It's my grandmother's favorite and I listen to it a lot too, it helps calm me down. B-but it's not in English so mentioning it would be... Redundant...
Q: Did you dye your hair or is it natural?
Hazel: Natural! I don't think I'll dye my hair anytime soon. Maybe when I am of age
Q: Who is best girl?
Hazel: Ah, I've heard this concept of" best girl" before. If it is between my classmates... Well, I don't really have an opinion yet. Apologies!
Q: How fast can you go when you use your quirk?
Hazel: My speed...?... Hmm, it depends. The faster my natural speed is, the faster I will be when my quirk activates.
Q: Would you want to start a cult revolving around yourself?
Hazel: Hahaha! That would be funny. The attention would be flattering, but the people can get zealous. So I would probably have to think really really hard to start one.
Q: Are there any hobbies or skills you would like to pick up in your 4 years besides heroics?
Hazel: Well, I'd like to be more capable at self-defense. And be more useful combat wise.
Q: Any Fashion Advice?
Hazel: Something I always feel is important is to dress neatly. And to make sure you make a good first impression! Other than that, it's all about the confidence you pull into your look.
Q: Have you ever been kicked in the groin?
Hazel: Heavens no. And I hope I never will. I heard it can be very painful and damaging...
Q: Is your family Yakuza/Mafia?
Hazel: Goodness gracious no! Both my parents have pretty normal jobs, actually! High paying ones, but normal. I assure you. My extended family also have normal jobs as well.
Q: Hoo? You're approaching me?
Hazel: Well. There's no reason for a tactical retreat right now.
Q: Who is Best Boy?
Hazel: ...I want so say Nathan because I like cats. But it would not be healthy for me
Q: Can you keep a small child alive for a week without direct interference?
Hazel: oh...I probably can't last a week. I don't have much experience in children as is. Maybe overnight before things get stressful. I might be able to go longer if the child has a mild temperament.
Q: It's Karaoke Night, what are you singing?
Hazel: ... Probably something recently popular. I never really gone to those kind of places. Mama always enjoyed me singing some old songs that she used to listen to as a girl... She said it helps my pronunciation to be more natural sounding.
Q: How many in the class call her midget:
Hazel: Well... Quite a few of them did notice my height. But they have not said that in a demeaning way. And I am pretty petite. But that's just a genetic thing.