Seymour had spent plenty of time wishing he didn't have to go to this school, and finally seeing it in person didn't help.
The pictures in the brochure had implied he would be studying in shiny buildings filled with state-of-the art equipment. But he had always figured those pictures had probably been taken at one of the schools for people in the richer cities. He couldn't say he was surprised to see that this hidden little place was mostly run down bricks, just like the rest of Skid Row.
He didn't really see the point of this, anyway. He certainly didn't expect he was going to end up a hero, no matter what kind of training they tried to put him through. Most likely, he would be one of those people who flunked out and got told to return to civilian life, and to try and forget about their powers and any dreams of potential. If he was lucky, maybe he'd at least make it through a few classes before that happened. But knowing how things in his life always turned out, he worried he'd end up booted back to the shop again by tomorrow, explaining to a very frustrated Mr. Mushnik that he'd been kicked out after his first day.
According to his boss, they'd consider this more of a success than expected if he could at least learn how to do something useful. Seymour did have to admit, he really couldn't seem to find much practical use for his powers. While he spent enough time reading about plants that he could name and identify a countless number of species, nothing would grow for him except a few simple sprouts and vines.
If he could learn to create even a few types of flowers, it would help provide some of the merchandise they needed to sell. Or if he figured out fruits and vegetables, then at least he could provide something to eat. Or maybe thorns would make his skills a little bit more formidable. Mr. Mushnik did seem to hope he would at least learn enough to help keep the shop safe, even if he also didn't have much faith in Seymour doing real heroics out in the dangerous streets. Seymour wasn't sure if that would matter anyway. He doubted their shop looked like it had enough money for anyone to bother robbing the place.
At the very least, he supposed he should at least try to learn some better control over the powers he did have while he was here. He'd lost count of how many times he'd been sweeping the floor and suddenly found the broom sprouting leaves under his hands. It happened especially often when he was nervous, and he was nervous a lot. Honestly, he was amazed he'd managed to keep his powers hidden from his co-worker.
He stopped walking for a moment, struck by a sharp pang at the thought of Audrey. It might have been debatable whether this place or the shop was better or worse, but wherever she was, that was definitely where he longed to be. It was going to be a long few months until he had a break from classes and got to see her again. Audrey had tried to help him feel optimistic, gushing about how exciting it was that he was planning to further explore his education. She even mentioned that he'd inspired her to try taking a couple classes and further her education herself. Though after hearing that, Mr. Mushnik had grumbled a lot about being left high and dry in the shop, so he wasn't sure if she'd gone through with signing up for anything or if she wound up feeling too guilty.
Of course, he couldn't tell her where he was really going. Audrey thought he was just taking a few courses to try and catch up with the regular schooling he'd never even finished the first time around. It gave him a guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach, knowing that had to hide the truth from her. Audrey had always been someone he could trust with anything he didn't dare to share with anyone else. But this was in a whole other category than the kinds of things friends usually confided each other. And he knew, he knew, he'd read the speech in every letter and pamphlet he'd been getting since he enrolled. All about how secret identities weren't just to protect those with powers. Anyone who knew was at risk of getting used against him. And while he didn't like keeping secrets from Audrey, it would be even worse to put her in danger.
Struggling his way through his first few classes didn't do anything to make him feel more hopeful about his experience here. If these were the entry level classes for new students, he didn't want to know what was coming later.
There had been introduction to gadgets (He could barely work a hot plate well enough to make a grilled cheese. Lasers and grappling hooks really didn't feel like a good idea). There was "field work" training, which seemed to be a fancy word for "gym class" (He already needed to tape his glasses back together again, and he hoped he hadn't wound up with a concussion. Dodgeballs were a force to be feared even when the people on the other end didn't have superpowers). He'd at least been able to get signed up for first aid instead of combat (He didn't love that idea either, he got a bit squeamish around serious injuries, but it was worth it when he didn't trust his odds of surviving any kind of fight).
And finally, at the end of the day, there was the one class he actually thought might not be too bad. Hopefully.
This was the one course where people got sorted based on their powers, instead of all lumped together while they learned the basics. Here, he would be studying with the other new students who had plant-based abilities. This might not be too bad. He did always like being around plants.
He chose a seat in the back of the class, quickly pulling out his textbook and propping it up on his desk as the room filled up. Both to start reading, and to hide behind it. It would probably make this class even better if he could manage to just keep his head down and avoid anyone else noticing him. Because he certainly didn't expect anyone here to end up actually liking him. Not actively picking on him was the goal.
He could hear someone set their things down, and then settle into the seat in front of him. He risked a quick glance up, hoping to see that it wouldn't be anyone much bigger and stronger than him. Thankfully, it didn't look like any of the students he'd encountered in his earlier classes. He might have just given up this school already if it had been the same guy with the dodgeball.
But a moment later, he did a double take.
Though he could only see the back of her head, her hair was a pale blonde color, one he was almost sure he recognized. And he'd seen that sweater before too. She hummed a few notes of a quiet melody as she also began to flip through her book, and he definitely knew that voice, as well as a few snippets of that song he'd heard her distractedly mumble around the shop.
"Audrey?"