Sonya slurped at her drink, leaning against the rail of the patio outside of her beach house. She watched the aspirants enjoy themselves as the sun tio move further and further down. She wished she could have joihem ier herself but a sihought back to the st time she attempted to jump into the water made her pause and frown. She sipped irritably at her drink as the slightly taller womanced over and gave her a teasing look.
“Thinking back to the onball?” Car asked quietly, holding her hand over her mouth to hide her grin.
Sonya slurped a bit louder while Car snickered, narrowing her eyes as a bit of red rose to her ears. It turned out that adding so much density to her muscles, brain, bones, everything, with a otal of twenty-two sub abilities in Deus Ex Maa made her weigh quite a bit more than the average young dy of her height and build. The obvious result of still moving normally despite this, leaping into the air, and ing doeed, meant that the spsh had been rather dramatic. Her eyebrow twitched as the memory of the bnk stares of her close friends watg her from the beach came back. They’d been soaked by the fallout.
She huffed and cracked a grin, Okay it retty funny, she thought with a snicker and leaned fainst the railing. “It's about what… five nht?” She murmured thoughtfully. Of course she had the time on her HUD, but she couldn’t just know the time perfectly off the top of her head,” She set her cup down and brushed her hair back, cheg her wrist watch, “Mhm, five o,” She said, “Look at that,” She gnced over at Car, “Do you think they’ve had enough time to think about their as?”
Car ined her head, “Miss ovna, I think you’re being most le.”
Sonya turo face her, “Aw, you ftter me,” She said and reached up to py with Car’s hair, “Would you like to make them wait a little longer…?” She trailed off as her lip twitched. Car’s did the same and they both trembled from repressed ughter. She cleared her throat, “H-how about until nightfall?” She grabbed her sides, “W-we could–” She burst into ughter, “Oh I ’t do it,” She ughed and waved her hands, “Enough, enough!”
She and Car turned around to rest their backs on the railing, Sonya snatg up her cup. The two of them looked at the group lined up against the exterior of her beach house in narrow bck restraints. Eight aspirants who had gotten it into their heads that they wanted one more childish hurrah before being full heroes. They just so happeo all be people she was signing on with ASTA as well. Not a ce, she thought. She couldn’t bme them, she holy would have dohe same thing. Which was why a three hour time-out was the extent of their punishment. She gri them and tilted her head, “Was it worth it?” She asked pyfully as she held out her hand to Car who dutifully handed her the remote for the restraints Amos had designed. She hit the button and they came loose.
Bck ropes of pseudo-pstic fell down around the feet around the eight young adults. She sed their faces. John cid as always. Greg looked world weary. Alex couldn’t stop grinning. Ollie looked ashamed. Val smirked and shrugged. Lily and Snow were still flushed from the promising way they’d been caught. Then there was Cassiopeia, her little Taurus. She was smiling. She’d had fue the punishment that had e afterward. Sonya met her eyes and gave her a warm smile of her own before looking over the others, she stopped at John, “Good to see you went and had some fun, Johime try not to get into trouble while doing it, okay?” She suggested.
“Mm,” John nodded before blinking and correg himself, “Was worthwhile, it was a beautiful kit.”
“You liked it?” Sonya asked, “Good! Then you work i tonight with the rest of the staff to help prepare for dinner.”
John nodded, “Yes ma’am.”
Sonya cupped her , “What about the rest of you, did you enjoy expl Dr. Carter’s little pyground?” She asked with a grin. “Speaking of which, who’s idea was this?”
“Mine,” Val said holding up his hand, “I got the others in on it and we dragged Greg in,” He said and rubbed his neck.
Sonya nodded, “Thank you for that, Val. I appreciate it,” She said with a smile, “Please join John i tonight.”
Val grinned awkwardly, “That’s fair, yes ma’am.”
She tilted her head and looked over at Cass, “You joihem?” She asked with amusement.
Cass brightened a little, “I overheard them talking about it and well,” She squeezed her hands together, “It sounded like fun, and a challenge, and I wao see so I just went for it,” She flushed and looked down at her hands. “It was fun, I like them.”
The others looked at Cass with surprise, Lily and Ollie the only two that gave her a more normal smile. Sonya felt a little relief wash over her, “Good,” Sonya said, “Very good. You still have to work i tonight though.”
Cass stuck her to a little and scratched her head, “Got it.”
She g Ollie and raised her eyebrow, “You join those three, Ollie. I hope it satisfied your curiosity.”
Ollie looked a bit despo, “I got so swept up… it- I just-” He stammered, “It was so exg.”
She had a feeling it was like that, curiosity was his single driving ford he roo gettied aing carried away. It was in his nature, so she didn’t begrudge him, but she did think he o learn a little restraint. She let out a breath and moved on to Alex and Greg, “Now for Alex, I assume you were the first to hop on the bandwagon with Val? You’re one hell of a hype man.”
Alex grinned, “What I say? It was worth it, damn that pce is so freakin’ cool!” He barked out a ugh and leaned back a bit, “I’m mad jealous. I’d love to see it again whehings done.”
“It’s a prototype for my new house,” Sonya said, “I’ll invite you if you get your lise,” Sonya added with a smirk before tilting her head, “You’re still in trouble though. Beach ing.”
He saluted quickly, “You got it!”
“Good,” She ughed and looked over at Greg, “Stand up for yourself more,” She said ftly, “You want to be a logistics specialist and a leader, don’t you?” She asked, “Sometimes that requires being firm.”
He let out a breath and squared his shoulders, looking up at her aing her eyes, “Yes ma’am. I will.”
“Beach ing,” Sonya said and he nodded. She turned finally to the red-faced Snow and Lily. her of them could meet her eyes for a moment so she waited until they squirreled up their nerves and looked back at her. She smirked and held her hand up over her mouth to restrain a bit of ughter, “Girls I-” She snorted, “I want to say you’ve been punished enough,” She started and snickered agaiing a few odd looks from the others, “B-but, I’m gonna need you two to do some beach ing. Uood?”
They both lowered their heads, “Yes ma’am…” They said in unison. It sounded like Snow was getting a little better with her voice timing, at least.
Sonya put her hands on her hips. “Alright, you little sneaks are dismissed. You’ve got an hour to breathe before I put you to work,” She said and waved them off befng at Greg, “Your dy friend was looking for you. I suggest you track her down and expin where you’ve been.”
His eyes bulged and he darted off, “Thank you Miss ovna!” He called back as he hustled out towards the beach. His a seemed to open the flood gates and they all split up, going their separate ways to get a little more fun out of the afternoon before they had to work off their earlier mischief. Sonya watched them go befng at Cassiopeia who stayed behind.
“They’re good people,” Sonya said.
“They are,” Cass nodded and frowned, “I’m sad.”
“That you missed out on a month with them?” Sonya asked.
Cass’ shoulders fell, “Yeah,” She said quietly before looking back at Sonya, “I saw my sister on the s in your office, I froze. I ’t even think when I see her, if it wasn’t for Ollie pulling me away I don’t know what I would have done. I practically bcked out.”
“It’s not time for you to face her,” Sonya said ftly, cheg her surroundings with her seo make sure no one was listening in, “It’s only been a month. You ’t be expected to make that kind of break-through in so little time. You o find your own strength and ce, your own reason to fight that give you the will to stand on your own two feet,” Sonya said and looked towards the retreating distant figures, “People you trust to have your back, for example.”
“I’d feel better with-” Cass started but Sonya held up a hand to forestall her, “-I’m sorry.”
Sonya shook her head, “It’s ready for you, but you aren’t ready for it,” Sonya said, “You’ll know when you’re ready.”
Cass nodded, “I’ll be patient,” She said with a breath before looking up at the beach, “I’m worried about Ollie, I barely know him, but I saw him talking with that man, they’ve been talking a lot retly,” She rubbed her arms, “He helped me.”
Sonya’s lip twitched and rose into a bit of a smile. She gowards the beach herself, “I’ll keep an eye on it as well. You just focus on being a good friend to him, he’s a smart guy, I have a feeling you don’t o worry about him too much,” Sonya said and tilted her head, “Believe it or not, out of all the aspirants at the camp, that young man is one I have a particurly good feeling about.”
Cass rubbed her arms, “If you say so, I just-” She mumbled. Sonya smiled at the poor thing, she developed attats so quickly. It was a strength and a curse.
Sonya rest her hand on her hip to give off a stronger air of fidence, smirking a little. She flipped her hair and winked, “Call it instinct.”
–
Ollie deviated from the path, his mind a swirl of thoughts. There was so much hiddeh the surface ba the beach house. He twisted his fiogether, There was so much there but I still feel guilty, I bent Miss ovna’s trust. That was wrong of me, but it was so exg! He thought breathlessly before reag into his pocket and pulling out his notepad to check his notes. He ran his fingers over the notes and flipped it open, reading carefully. Some of it was so small, little details, little siderations. Lihat didn’t ect. He felt like he was looking at a massive puzzle and was only holding a tenth of the whole thing.
He gnced over his shoulder, She didn’t say a thing, he thought. Miss Mint was right there and she didn’t say a thiher. I’m on probation. One slip up. I got carried away. That should have been it for me. One infra and I would have gone back to priso his lip, her of them said a word. He cleared his throat and closed his notes as he heard footsteps ing through the trees. He stopped and looked towards the source, spotting a pair of glowing blue eyes gleaming from withirees. That was wheepped out.
Ollie reactivated his power. He’d told no-one, only Madame Rouge knew, but his ability could remember those it touched. It wasn’t something that had e to him right away, but a month of practid studying his power had brought the fun out. He looked at the man before him and saw hundreds of blood-red threads. Murders. He trolled his face, maintaining as timid aerior as he could. His eyes shifted only microscopically to look down at the man's feet and saw the thick bck thread going down into the earth. Enmity, with the whole world. There was ahick bck thread as well, pointing back at the beach house. Miss ovna. It’s strange, how does he seem so obsessed with earning her favor when their karmic thread is bck? He met the man’s eyes.
Marc swept back his blonde hair and smiled, “Ollie! How was your little adventure?”
Ollie brightened, “It was very informative, Mister Mallory!” He said and cleared his throat, “I-I mean, Marc,” He ged the phrasing when he caught a bit of a stare from Marc. Marc seemed pleased with his shift to submission.
“Do tell,” Marc said with an eager grin.
Ollie pulled out his notes, all misleadingly useful information. All the good stuff was in his head where it belonged. He hahe notepad over. Marc flipped it open and started to read, his smile widening even more. “I really think we’re going to make a good team, Ollie.”
“Call me Riot, sir,” Ollie said. I’ll get close to him. I want to be an iigator after all. Once I get my lise I’ll be off probation, after that, I’ll do whatever it takes to figure this guy out. His gut twisted a little, I just hope I don’t do something I ’t take ba the process.
Marc raised an eyebrow, “And you call me Otis.”
–
Sonya stood in her office beh the beach house, gng thoughtfully at the map of the world that had the carter radar readings on it. The clouds of mana moving over the world were thinning out in pces while thiing in others. It was starting to look more and more like an all-over ce of the phere were still pces that were nearly devoid of the ambient energy. Will it simply form an even coat one day? She thought, I don’t think that happened by the time things e time around, maybe it was because of all the dungeon breaks. She huffed and dismissed the morbid thought. She shifted her eyes and looked at the dot in the northwest Uates. hua will be going to Seattle after the aspirants graduate, she pursed her lips, we o talk before then. Her expression eased into a smile, Though I suppose I say a little tonight, might be fun to embarrass her a little.
She huffed out a breath and walked over to the desk, running her fingers over the domed crystal. She felt it pull a bit of mana out of her body and the air and a vague sense of e to it washed over her. She moved to her seat and rexed as the dework of fractals within the crystal fshed and flickered, lights traveling through them so fast an ordinary eye couldn’t see it. A momehe air was filled with even more ss. It was a new kind of puter, synized with her mana signature and mind. Dehan any type before it and the foundation for a whole new field of teology. Amos’ greatest creation to date and the culmination of his study of pandora-based materials and mana. Unfortuhe prototype was o impossible for a normal human mind to utilize.
She smiled smugly, Good thing I’m not normal.
She waved her hand and everything was anized in front of her; detailed notes on the aspirants at every camp, their abilities, dreams, experience, skills and what panies were signing them. She’d snatched up quite a few for herself. New abilities for the warehouse, she thought and leaned ba her seat, resting her on her knuckles with a small smile.
“So many heroes born in just ten weeks, even with a low graduation rate,” She murmured, The popution of heroes at this time in the previous timeline was barely a tenth of this. More heroes means more dungeons and monsters dealt with iime. More importantly it leaves some to eh vilins to maintain a rivalry between the groups. She hummed, Though I might have to pump up the number of vilins soon. The results have exceeded my expectations. Things are going well. She narrowed her eyes, I should expect problems soon. ever be too careful.
She steepled her fingers aally dismissed the images before pulling up a single proje floating in front of her like a s. Liberty and all her notes on the woman, What are you pnning, Liberty? What’s your move? Another proje appeared of Otis, And you, you were so inpetent when you were young, weren’t you? What ged? When? How? You aren’t the man I remember, not yet. Her gut twisted a little, You will be, though. I feel it. I’m running out of excuses not to sign him. I’ll o do it soon otherwise it will look suspicious. Right now you’re in the palm of my hand, grow up well, you bastard. She thought with a small grin before dismissing the images.
She stretched, scratched her ned gestured casually with her hand, a portal appearing to her left. Two preseepped out and she gnced over to see Marta and Barry standing there in vacationing clothes. She smiled at them brightly and turned, slipping off her chair and hopping to her feet with a chuckle, “How’s South a?” She asked, pulliival of Dionysus out of her warehouse.
“It’s been lovely, Sonya, thank you,” Marta said with a chuckle, reag up to put a hand on Barry’s arm.
“Damn good day, had a nice dinner on the o, looking forward to the rest,” Barry said with a chuckle, “But we got business, don’t we, boss?”
Sonya grinned, “That we do, you’ve worked hard Barry, and now it’s time for your reward,” She said holding out her hand, “I have a feeling it’ll be a doozy, so let's talk sans so you ease into it.”
He took her hand, “Alright, y it on me boss.”
–
Sonya stepped out of the beach house into the dimming light. The aspirants and other instructors were already gathering around a fire pit they’d been w together to make. She brushed her hair back over her ear and rexed, “Marshmallows sound great right now.”
