The shortcut was easy enough: John and Evie went down the stairs to the first floor, crossed through the cafeteria to Hall B, then passed through one of the outside walkways, leading them to the hallway of Roland's class.
Evie looked around the hallway, then peeked into the classroom momentarily before turning back to John, confused. "Weird, he's not here."
He hummed. "You sure he didn't skip?" John asked.
Evie shook her head. "Roland's never skipped before. We can't really afford to."
Ah, right. Attending Wellston just through academics must be hard. Here's another moment John found himself grateful for his level.
"Call him, he's probably still around."
Evie nodded, walking along with John as she called Roland to try and hear around for his ringtone. The first two times she tried they couldn't hear it, but thankfully on the third try, they heard it briefly. And if that wasn't enough...
"You think you can ignore me for your damn phone?! Shut that shit off! It's so annoying!" They heard someone order, a girl.
"Oh no," Evie said, her voice filled with worry as she hastened and John followed suit, taking the lead with a grumble.
Here we go again.
They rounded a corner that led to an exit outside and John slammed the door open, making whoever it was that decided to be a bitch today put their attention on him; His glare became directed at a girl with blue hair—styled in pigtails and a fringe—and red eyes that glowed from her activated ability, who turned back to look at whoever made the noise, an annoyed expression on her face.
"Who the hell are you two? Buzz off to somewhere else!" She tried to intimidate.
John's attention shifted to the ones who were on the floor; There was Roland, of course—who somehow looked both relieved and worried at John underneath the scuffs on his face and a nasty bruise on his cheek—as well as a boy whom John hadn't seen before. He had neatly combed hair that almost shined golden-blonde and pecan-brown eyes; He didn't appear much better either.
"Roland! Dylan!" Evie called out as ran forward to help them, but was pushed back by the girl, almost falling back but was able to steady herself.
"You deaf or something, bitch? What's a low-tier like you gonna do?" She taunted, ready to land a backhand on the girl.
Evie shot her hands up to protect her face from the hit, but it was never delivered, and she opened her eyes to see John with his hand gripped onto the other girl's wrist, not allowing it to budge.
She winced, muttering an "Agh" of pain as John continued to pull back her wrist, "Hey, let me go assh—!"
She wasn't able to realize John had let go of her wrist before she felt the back of his fist slam across her face, making her step back in confusion as she placed her palm to her mouth, feeling the iron taste of blood in her mouth.
"Shut up," John said in annoyance. "Now if you're smart, you'll fuck off before things get worse for you." He said while Evie had gone to help up Roland.
To John's surprise, it was Dylan who spoke up. "Y-Yeah, just back off, Clio! That's John! He fought against Seraphina!"
He knows me?
"Oh shut up, pipsqueak! As if someone let that would bother hanging around losers like you!" Clio said, turning her eyes back to John. "You're gonna pay for that!"
John blinked blankly at the girl, inhaling, then exhaling. "Fine." He said, dropping his backpack and beginning to roll up the sleeves of his vest.
Clio looked at him with confusion and annoyance. She would've gone to attack him already, but...there was something about him that began to make her nervous.
"You know, I wonder why I even bother giving people the choice, not a single one of you pricks is smart enough to know when to back off," John muttered, before glaring at the girl as he brought his fists up and lowered his chin.
What's with him? Why hasn't he activated his ability yet?
John gave the girl a smirk, easily catching onto what was going through her mind, "As if I'd need my ability to handle your bitch-ass."
Roland's here, I'd rather not scare him off again, and there's something else too. Plus, a quick hit to the ego is usually enough for these pricks to lose it.
John's prediction was right—judging from the way Clio was fuming and gritting her teeth as she recklessly dashed toward him.
Her ability doesn't seem to be augmentation, she's barely faster than Dad. Is it a mental one? But if she's trying to close the distance, then it must cause an effect through touch.
John could've been sleep-deprived with his hands tied behind his back and it still would've been the easiest punch he ever dodged; All he needed was to turn his body to the side, completely side-stepping the overextended attack, before stepping forward, his knee raising.
"Strike one. Try again." He said as he drove his knee into Clio's side.
Clio gasped in pain as she was pushed back, her hand clutching her side as she felt her ribs bruised. To her credit, she pushed past the pain and tried to use the rush of adrenaline to her benefit, attempting another jab at John.
Dumbass, you're telegraphing your attack way too much.
John moved to intercept the attack before she was even halfway through it; He gripped her forearm with his right hand and the back of her head with the other, before he twisted back using both of their motion against her, and slammed her headfirst into the wall. That would definitely leave a mark.
"That's strike two," John said before pushing her away from him, the only reason being to give him enough room and time to deliver a front kick right to her gut, dropping her to the ground on her back. "And that's strike three, for getting strike one and two in the first place."
John didn't give her any room to breathe, hastily pulling her up by her collar and pushing her against the wall. He had something he needed to ask.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay! I'll back off, so just let me go!" Clio said frantically, only making John roll his eyes at the obvious bullshit.
"Answer this question, first. The name Tanner ring a bell?"
Clio regards the name with recognition. "What about him?"
"He's the little ringleader of all you mid-tier assholes, yeah? Frankly, I'm getting sick of this shit. So, tell him that I want to have a talk with him and his gang. Got that through your skull?"
Apprehensively, Clio nodded.
John let her go. "Good, now leave. This better be the only warning I have to give you."
Clio didn't say a thing, just ran away, typical.
I didn't leave her unconscious, so I'd say that went pretty well. John nodded to himself, mentally patting himself on the back. John glanced at his friends to see how they were doing and he was rather surprised to see the astonished looks on their faces.
"Hey, you guys alright?" John asked as he approached them, an eyebrow quirked.
"Oh my god, that was so badass!"
John was startled by Dylan, more so by just how excited he sounded. Two things were clear: Dylan was enthusiastic and, indeed, short, only a couple of inches taller than Evie.
"She couldn't land a single hit on you and you were all 'wham' 'bam' 'pow'!" Dylan said, mimicking John's movements, stopping abruptly as he felt the soreness in his arm come back.
I didn't think my fighting sounded like a comic book.
"Oh, and my name's Dylan! Nice to meet you and thanks for the help!" He said, still with that bright smile.
John gave him a wave, "It's no problem, I'm John." John stopped, scratching the back of his head. "But you already knew that, so..."
"Yeah! Troy told me about you, how you stepped in to help him out the other day!"
John racked his brain for if he recognized the name, "Oh. Spiky purple hair, right?" he asked, and Dylan nodded in confirmation.
"He told me you didn't use your ability then either, but I wasn't sure if I believed him. I'm glad I was wrong!"
"That's the first time I've really seen you fight! That was amazing!" Evie followed.
There's a lot of positivity here that John just wasn't ready to get hit with.
"It's nothing special, really. Anyone can learn, my dad taught me everything I know. Even without an ability, some practice and skill in hand-to-hand can help protect yourself against stronger opponents." John responded.
"Still, I'm sure it's easier said than done." Roland finally said, a small frown on his face, though he wasn't able to say much without the bruise on his cheek acting up, wincing as he brought a hand over it.
Dylan looked back to Roland, "I almost forgot about that! Here, I'll help." Dylan's eyes began to glow and he brought his hand up to Roland, a bright brown glow around it. Very slowly, the darkened bruise began to heal.
"You have a healing ability?" John asked.
"Yeah, but...it's not that good with how weak I am," Dylan said with a sad smile.
John looked sympathetic to Dylan for a moment, before activating his own ability and mirroring Dylan's, accelerating the healing process.
"Woah, you got one too?!" Dylan asked.
John shrugged, "In a sense."
Strong, fast, durable, and can heal others? John, what is your—
Roland stopped his train of thought. "...Evie, why are you pushing your hand into my face? Your ability doesn't even heal." He asked, closing an eye to protect it from the dim light of the girl's hand.
"I don't wanna be left out!" Evie said, almost pouting.
Roland sighed, bringing his hand up to his cheek once John and Dylan stopped, the skin now back to its normal color instead of purple. "Thanks, you guys." He said with a small smile. Then, he regarded John for a moment.
When I first saw him fight, I couldn't help but feel anxious. How easily he dealt with Mardin and the way he looked when he did it, there was so much animosity in his expression. If that was ever directed at me or Evie—
...No. That wasn't...he wasn't being fair to John. All he's done since he's met them was look out for their safety and just now, he did it again.
He just wanted to protect them.
"John." He says, and when he looks at him, "I'm...sorry about before."
Dylan looked between them with a confused expression and Evie only a bit less so. But John understood and gave him a small, slightly relieved, smile.
"It wasn't needed, but I appreciate it." He said with a nod, then pondered a moment, recalling back to his time with Adrion before he began attending Wellston.
"Something on your mind, John?" Evie asked.
For a moment, John was hesitant, but he could only see it being a benefit, so...
"If you guys feel up for it...how about I teach you?"
Seraphina quickly skimmed through the passage of Hamlot she was working through at the library, making bullet points of the important information within her notebook, words written aligned with the lines of the paper perfectly, akin to the efficiency of a machine.
Her eyes only looked away as they glanced up, hearing the sound of the chair across from her squeak as it moved along the floor. She glanced back at her work as she saw who it was, seeing that the "annoyance" looked rather chipper.
"You're late."
"Hm? Yeah, sorry, something came up, but I'm here now." John said, taking out his own notes. "What happened to not being my teacher?"
"That wasn't a reprimand, I was just hoping that meant I didn't have to deal with you," Seraphina shrugged. "Unfortunately, that wasn't the case."
"I'm a lot of things, miss royalty," John interlocked his fingers as he stretched his arms out. "But a quitter is not one of them. Sorry to say, but you're stuck with me for now." He said with that irritating smile of his.
"And I'm sure I'll dread every moment of it." She said, the smirk on her face seemingly betraying her words.
"Just give me a quick catch-up, then I'll be good to go."
"I suppose. If you need me to slow down so you can actually process anything through that head of yours, just ask." Seraphina remarked, flipping through the book back to the start.
"Why thank you, your majesty. I truly am nothing but a fool with a small brain." John said, sarcasm apparent if the blatant eye roll wasn't enough.
"You've accepted it, good. First step towards recovery."
The playful slights and jabs thrown toward the other had simply come naturally to them; Seraphina hadn't seemed to realize how unusual it was of her to act like this until they had reached the end of their studying for the day and were packing up their things.
She could only suppose that...maybe this was what having an equal was like. Everyone in this school was cautious around her. Fearful of her. Fearful of her strength. Arlo was second only to her, yet she still severely outclassed him—Their fight for the title of Rank One had been decided the moment she landed a single hit on his barrier and shattered it to pieces. He seemed to have some sense of camaraderie with her, but his caution was still clear.
The same couldn't be said for John. There was no fear in him, he simply acted as he wished to act, he said to her whatever he felt the need to say. And, though she was sure he was stronger, Seraphina didn't find herself acting like those weaker than she did.
Was it because she wasn't used to doing so or was it the way John treated her? Looking back on it, there didn't seem much difference in how he conversed with her, and with that...
"Why are you friends with a low-tier?"
John shoved his supplies into his backpack but stopped himself for a moment, then he continued, zipping it closed. "Why does it matter?"
"You do know how unusual that is, right?" She asked, characteristically crossing her arms as she stood up from her chair.
John inhaled a sharp breath, trying to give himself a moment to think before saying something. He didn't like what she asked, but how she asked it didn't make him as ticked as it usually did. Surprisingly, she just seemed in disbelief rather than disgusted at the notion of it.
He leaned forward onto the table, strong and determined eyes aimed at Seraphina "I couldn't give a single damn whether it's considered unusual or wrong. Evie and Roland? They're pleasant people I like being around, which is more than I can say about most of the people I've interacted with here."
Then, John stood straight, slinging on his backpack. "Besides, only being friends with people as strong as you is dumb. If I did that, I'd have a pretty damn lonely life."
Seraphina tensed and her fingers gripped onto the fabric of her vest tightly. John's last remark had...felt rather personal.
"So then, same thing tomorrow?" John asked, hoping that was the end of the previous topic.
"...Yes. That'll be sufficient." Seraphina confirmed, recollecting herself.
"Alright," John took his leave, looking back to her with a chill smile and a wave. "See you then."
"Thanks again for the heads up, Isen. You really saved me on that quiz." Remi said, once again appreciative of her sleuth-like friend as they strolled around the campus grounds. It was a nice day, if only a bit more chilly as they transitioned into the lower-temperature months of the year.
"I got your back girl, you know that," Isen responded, sipping from a small carton of juice before a question popped into his head. "I know you're usually pretty chipper, but you seem a bit more so today. Something good happen?"
"Yeah, you could say that! I finally ran into John earlier today, he was with Seraphina at the library." Remi explained.
Isen stumbled mentally for a moment before responding, "Right, yeah, they got partnered up together in English for this project we're working on. Let me tell ya, the air in that room was a little suffocating sometimes."
"Really? I know they had that fight in the cafeteria some days ago, but they seemed rather amiable when I saw them. Guess they were able to forgive and forget, yeah?" Remi concluded.
If she was being honest, she might've thought they were friends, which wasn't something usual when it came to Seraphina. Their Queen always seemed to have some sort of guard up around others and it wasn't one that came down. Believe her, she's tried.
"I suppose. So, what's your thoughts on the guy?" Isen asked, an intent behind his words unnoticed by Remi.
Remi smiled. "He was nice! If he was able to break through Seraphina's icy exterior, there must be something special about him, don't you think?" She joked, though there was some truth to what she said, before exhaling a tired sigh. "Maybe after this schoolwork is done with, we could all try hanging out." She said with hope.
"Honestly, you and Blyke put way too much effort into all that. I'm chilling, honestly." Isen remarked. He knows he could get pretty good grades if he actually tried.
He just didn't want to.
Remi shrugged in return, it was just the mindset her mom instilled in her. 'Always try your best', she told her and Rei as they grew up.
"Well, how are your grades looking, Isen?"
"C's get degrees, that's all I gotta say." Isen said with a closed-eye shrug that Remi could only roll her eyes at.
Isen hummed as his phone buzzed and opened it to see a text, one that made him have a small, but satisfied smile before he suddenly turned in the opposite direction of where he and Remi were walking. "Sorry, Rems, gotta go work on that project with Blyke now!" He announced.
"Oh yeah? What did he have to bribe you with this time?" Remi asked playfully.
Isen turned back with a mocked gasp, hand over his chest as he continued to walk. "I'm not gonna dignify that, but just know that I'm utterly offended by that remark!"
Remi chuckled, before giving him a small wave goodbye. "Good luck on the work, you guys! See you around."
"Yeah, yeah, see you later." Isen said, fondly. As much as Blyke hated it, he knew once he offered to be the little spoon with Isen, there wouldn't be much need to hassle him to work.
With most things, Isen could find a way to get what he wanted. He was the Ace reporter for a reason.
Isen would come to somewhat regret those thoughts a few days later, as he saw a text from someone he'd rather keep his interactions with at a minimum, preferably never again in his life.
Meet me in Room 221. Now. - Arlo
Ah.
...fuck.
A/N: Feedback is always appreciated!