Aberrant: Mutant High - [ST-Dave] Dante's Inferno

[Hotstreak]

"You do." he looked at Summer. "My opinion of you continues to rise tonight." He shrugged. "A large part of me is content to sit here and not get involved, I don't owe these people anything, and I'm already going to get into enough trouble."

He flashed her an easy smile and nodded. "Still i would also prefer she not harm anyone permanently."

He nodded to Sakurako. "I can heat the whole place easy enough, and I wager blood has already been shed."

he looked to Summer. "If we go that route, would you give me a hand heating this place up abit? Though if you want, we can always continue watching the chaos. I'd just hate to see the same thing happen to you that happened to Autumn."

[Doryoku]

"Well..." She reaches into the pocket of the sweater that was tied around her waist. "...I forgot I had a spare one of these disposable ponchos was a bit embarassed I still had it in the middle of winter, but... now it comes in handy. Set off the sprinklers... I got an idea. Once we get a good sheet of water on the floor, we can get that water frozen. I think people minding their footing might calm things down. Or at least give us a tactical advantage. Once that happens, I could tinker with this fire extinguisher to get a good smoke screen going."

She smiled. "If that plan is a good one... we should get started as soon as possible."

[z020]

Oneca took just enough time to make sure Warren wasn't too badly hurt; at his nod to her concerned look, she looked up from the wreckage, eyes narrowing on her target. The air around her was filled with heat and brimstone, spreading out in waves from the battered and pissed mutant. She pulled deep inside herself, using the techniques Warren had taught her to find the darkest corners of her power and pull it into the world.

And focused all of it on Marble Neanderthal.

To everyone else in the world, nothing happened. Behind the scenes, though, in the places where matter and energy were the same and thoughts moved them both around like pong-balls, everything changed. They gathered around, that which was Destruction in its purest form, and clung invisibly to him, making pathways in time set rigid only to ends of agony and despair. Oneca felt it all swarm into place, like a biblical plague, and turned back to Warren with a wicked smile.

She kissed him and whispered into his ear, "I would really, really love to see you go kick the shit of him." She kissed him again, a promise of rewards if he did what she asked. "And then we should ditch this place and find somewhere....quieter to spend the rest of the night, hmm?"

Subtle, Oneca was not.

[Warren Verona]

Food. Sleep. Sex. These were the pillars of every man's basic needs. Their three basic food groups, if you will. If anything he was a man in every sense of the word. He lacked tact, got by on nothing but bravado and machismo, and intimidation and violence were his diplomacy of choice; the Conan of the mutant generation. So when Oneca teasingly kissed him and made a request that was more than reasonable (since he was going to do it anyway) but laced with promises of her in his arms later doing things teenagers their age are warned not to, his path was a clear one and more than his morale was bolstered.

Swiftly he was on his feet, the dark reflection his opponent, and he stomped forward. "Nice trick." The Marble Moron said with a gravely chuckle. "Never seen a mutie who could do-"

A hard left hook followed a titanic right cross caught his foe off guard and was followed up by Warrens hands gripping the back his head and pulling his face down into his waiting knee. "I didn't say you could talk." Warren said calmly, still walking forward as the giant staggered backwards. The man was a wrestler, but Warren was a brawler. No tact, no finesse, just the means to purely brutalize any opposition his path. The uppercut that slammed into the behemoth's jaw as he tried to regain balance was a testament to his art. Warren gave him time to recover, to stagger back onto his feet but he was about spent.

"Okay, okay... I'm done, bro..." The giant raised his hands to express warrens desire to stop the beating.

"No." Warren touched his chest and a swirl of energy spiralled down his arm and spread itself across his foe's chest. A moment later, while the large man inspected the sudden collections of unstable energy gripping his chest he looked up at Warren with a worried expression on his face. With a sound like a vacuum popping closed (and indeed several people close by felt their ears suddenly pop) the energy extended outward and like a reverse mushroom could swiftly retracted back into the Marble Moron's chest impacting him like a mega-ton punch to the diaphragm that threw several feet backwards where he landed on a few unsuspecting people trying to flee. Warren didn't much care if the people were okay. Oneca knew if the man was made of flesh, he'd be dead after an impact like that, by being stone he was going to wake up wishing he was dead, instead.

He shrunk back down to normal, his form becoming flesh and bone once again. Like some B-Movie action star he couldn't' help but run his hand through his long hair, pulling it out of his eyes and offering up some last words. "Now you're done. And don't call me bro."

He turned back to Oneca, ready to claim his prize. Looking up to the balcony where the others were he raised his hand and waved. "Dan! Had a great time, thanks for coming out. You look like you got this under control, we'll see you back at the school." He looked back to Oneca than back up at Dan and smirked. "Don't wait up."

[Doryoku]

Sakurako adjusts her glasses. "So... so much for everyone going the same direction..."

"Suggestions? Or go with my plan?"

[Hotstreak]

"I believe we should follow their general example and leave Sakurako, before the cops show up." He looked to Summer and nodded. "Are you going to come back with me, or are you going to stay here and watch your sister wreck the place?" The other mutants who'd been there with them weren't forgotten, and he nodded to them. "I do appreciate the special invite. Perhaps if I ever get to leave campus again, we can continue that discussion."

He waited to hear Summer's reply, a part of him hoping she said yes, and then realizing he'd said "Come with me", not "come with us." Oh hell I hope she doesn't take it like that... don't I?

[Doryoku]

Sakurako adjusts her glasses. "Right."

She drops everything not her's at that point and while not in perfectly lock-step, she is right behind Daniel.

[Dave ST]

"Actually, Sugar, that might not be a bad idea..." Summer hopped up and over the railing and plummeted to the first floor only to hover back up to level with it after a few moments. "Autumn, let's go. Besides, that Warren guy is over there," She pointed to the front entrance. "We can get him later, but for now let's go." And soon both sisters were flying towards the door.

Warren and Oneca were laughing their collective asses off at the havoc they'd ushered in, giggling like, well, teenagers over the pure percolated chaos they'd brewed within the walls of the night club. Gloating here and there about which one had a good hit, and laughing about they way the guy fell or the look on his face when one of them had punched him. They didn't even notice Daniel, Sakurako, or the Astovik twins soar up behind them and join the posse as the two pushed open the club's front doors.

"Get your hands up! Down on the ground. DOWN ON THE GROUND!" The lights from the patrol cars blinded them as the group found themselves greeted by nearly half of Manhattan's police force all pointing guns at them. Instinctively the Astoviks thought to run, bending low to take off and soar away as fast as they could.

Warren pressed Harder on Autum as she tried to break his grip. "Don't." He said calmly. "They will gun you down, and I know you can't stop that many bullets."

"He's right," Daniel offered. "Going peacefully is our best option, don't do something we'll all regret. Because if you fly, they'll shoot us too. I'm not okay with that."

Oneca turned and smirked at Warren. "Best date ever."

He laughed and proceeded to kneel down and get down on the pavement. "I know right?"

Several hours, a ton of negotiating, a lot of pulled strings, three favors called in and six court side tickets to the Nicks later...

They weren't even given seats. The six of them lined up in the hall like it was boot camp. The Astovik's were bullies and hadn't much to fear on this campus, hell Oneca and Warren topped the twiins' antics daily and feared nothing at all, or so all them would boast. All of them, no matter how hardcore feared one thing in this school:

Drumm.

It wasn't because he was a mean man or because he was a hard ass. Quite the opposite, honestly. Drumm allowed all of them to do as they pleased with the single rule that it didn't encroach on the rights of others. He was like a father, kind and understanding always offering up counsel were it needed or just a friendly face to sit and talk to. No matter what, Drumm was always there for each of the students and fought and defended them like each and everyone was the most precious thing to him; the center of his universe.

Why fear a man like that? Because now here he was, pacing back and forth in front of them. All he'd done thrown back in his face. All he'd given and tried to help them achieve, thrown back in his face. He didn't have to say a word because the disappointment etched into his expression was enough to weigh the collective students down with enough guilt that their children would be born apologizing for this night.

None of them said a word... what could they say?

"I'm not going to preach to you," He finally said, stopping and pivoting on his heel so he faced them (eerily, he was perfectly centered on the six teens). "I could waggle my finger and give all of you the 'you know what you did' speech, I shouldn't have to. Hell, guys, I'm not even really mad at you." That seemed to kindle a spark of hope in their collective hearts, the each stood a little straighter at the thought that they might get out of this and 'awesome dad' would let them off the hook... until he waggled his finger and began to pace again. They all exhaled and the 'oh shit' expression returned to their faces.

"Disappointed? Yes, I think that;s a good word for how I'm feeling. I'm disappointed. Me, Jericho Drumm, the guy who asks only that you what?" He looked to the six, his eyes bugged wide open in anticipation of a response.

"Think, then act responsibly in all things." The six said in unison.

"Precisely. And you six have somehow managed to sneak out, break curfew, hack the school's security, go out drinking, cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage at a local night club, oh, and here's my favorite..." He stopped and glared at Warren and Oneca who couldn't tuck their heads in their shells far enough. "I get to find some way to ask the state to remove ten counts of felonious assault from a certain pair of student's records." He leaned in closer. "Wonder who that could be?"

He paced back and forth for several more seconds, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "Your off campus privileges are removed until further notice. You will be in your rooms every night by eight PM sharp. You're also all on chore duties, again until further notice. I'll inform the grounds staff to prepare a work schedule for all of you. Now, I suggest you get to your rooms and take a nap, you have class in three hours."

[Doryoku]

"Odd... all I did was break curfew. Other than that I did nothing wrong and I wasn't exactly unlocking that door without external compulsion. If it wasn't for who made me get past security I wouldn't have even went."

She glared at her classmates in the line. "To be honest I don't want to even be associated with the majority of the juvenile delinquents here." She looked at Daniel. "Although Daniel did look after me and was a complete gentleman in this. I admit to breaking curfew and evading security but that is all I am guilty of, I and Daniel."

She looked to Drumm. "I can see the political situation swirling around you now is sticky, but to use such a sledgehammer against all of us is unjust."

[z020]

Oneca snorted indelicately. She was tired and annoyed that a nice hotel room courtesy of the credit card she'd swiped from Sonja and a decidedly unclothed boyfriend was not how her night was ending - That was all. No guilt. None at all. Really. - and now Mouse was trying to wheedle her way out of trouble. And bring Daniel along for the ride, which Oneca did kinda give her points for.

She glanced up at Drumm, but couldn't quite meet his eyes. "She's right....I mean, she did the security for us, but she was just a tag along." She shrugged, letting him take that as he would. It wasn't a compliment from her end, but then she was a delinquent, so Mouse probably didn't want a compliment from her anyways.

I wonder if I can sneak Warren into my room....or maybe Sunshine finally hooked up with someone and we can have his room...Her mind trailed down more pleasant lines, easily distracted from anything she didn't feel like dealing with immediately. I bet Mouse has never even kissed a boy.....or a girl? Hehe....Maybe makeouts or getting laid would loosen the stick a bit and get her to act like a teenager. Hmmm....I wonder if Sunshine is bribable....?

[Doryoku]

Sakurako quirked her eyes at Oneca. Knowing full well what she meant. From a logical standpoint, in Sakurako's mind, Oneca wasn't helping her's or Daniel's case much. Then again, her admission that Sakurako was "just there" is playing in her and Daniel's favor.

Sakurako crossed her arms. She wasn't trying to decieve anyone at this point. She was damned either way. "Well, other than the threat of unceasing unpleasantness if I didn't comply. That is something you ommitted in your admission."

She adjuts her glasses, they had started to slide off from all the sweating she was doing at this point.

[Warren Verona]

"So it's like that it?" Warren chuckled and shook his head. "Go on and save Dan's ass and throw the rest of delinquents under the bus huh?" He thrus his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Look, Drumm, she's right. Neca an I started the fight -and kicked ass, might I add-," Drumm rolled his eyes and rubbed his chin. "But at no point did anyone here force her or Dan to come along. We didn't threaten or imply harm, we asked and the Little Rat did what we asked. No one forced her to go though."

It was Warren's way: to accept the responsibility for his actions. Hell, he was like Oneca, he had no regrets and the night turned out way better than he'd hoped. At this point he was just hoping Alex wasn't in the room so he could try and sneak Oneca in, if she was down for it anyway. "If you wanna throw the book at someone Drumm, throw it at her and I, dude. We did all the damage. Just don't let those two make you think like they're innocent or some shit."

"Duely noted Warren, now please... shut up." Drumm smiled at him and delivered his ire in such a graceful point-of-fact manner that the remaining five students couldn't help but snicker. "The more you speak, the more I feel I braincells committing suicide one by one."

[Dave ST]

"Let me explain how things are Sakurako," He looked to the remaining students to see if they had anything to offer. "If you're all done, of course..."

"...Good. Now, you might find it 'odd' that all I'm punishing you all equally, but frankly you chose to leave this school as a group. Therefore you are punished as a group. That's right, all of Oneca's and Warren's sins are yours to endure. That's right, Daniel you're just as culpable as Warren is, and Summer, Autumn, all of Sakurako's hacking of security is on your head as well, even though you left separately, you arrived together." He paced again, then finally stopped and leaned against the wall. "Guys, I'll be honest, I don't care about the fight, or the property damage. As I understand it Oneca defended herself and things got out of hand."

He looked to Oneca and Warren, shrugging in a dismissive way. "Things happen, and were I in Warren's shoes I would have defended my girl too. Were I Oneca and had the powers you guys possess, I probably would have ended up in a brawl too. I'm not faulting any of you for getting into teenage hi-jinx, really, I understand how things go, I used to be like you one upon a time."

"You see Sakurako, we all make choices, and when you make choices as a group, the group as a whole will prosper or suffer as a result. Collectively, this evening, allof you made some bad choices. Now I appreciate your attempts to warn me about tonight's antics, but that doesn't exonerate you of any wrong doing."

[Hotstreak]

Daniel nodded, He'd not been given the time to really speak, now he'd be heard. "Yes sir, I made the choices I did, and accept the consequences of those, and my actions." This was going to majorly suck, and he knew Riva would tear him a new asshole in the morning during training. It beat the tether, but not by that much.

Then the other aspect of his mind caught up.

"Wait, you told him we were going out? You seriously told him we were sneaking out?"

The look of incredulous disbelief wasn't a common one for him. "Seriously uncool Sakurako." The tone of his voice betrayed how furious he was with her, though externally, the temperature barely jumped, and his features betrayed none of it beyond a look of disgust on his face, she wasn't a mouse, she was a fucking rat. If ever he got to leave again, she damn sure wouldn't be invited along.

He looked to the others, if they had any further comments, or snark to offer, some way to get them in deeper.

Diana's gonna kill me.

[z020]

Oneca glared at the little snitch, wondering if she could set Mouse's hair on fire without Drumm blaming her - or putting it out. "She should get double duty, just for that," she muttered angrily and crossed her arms.

She faked a yawn and glanced at Warren. "Well, it's late and we have class, remember? So....bedtime?"

[Doryoku]

"Like I want to be here with potential terrorists in training."

Sakurako glared at the group lined up. "You guys are nothing but trouble, you know that, right?"

"Ever thought if we were kidnapped by someone that no one would have known where we were or where we were last?"

"I was there to get us out if something did go wrong. Someone gets hurt or worse... who would have saved our hides?"

Sakurako was trembling in her rage at this point.

[Warren Verona]

"That's a good point, who would have saved our hides? You? Trust me, Squint you're the last person I'd call to bail my ass out of the sling. But," He pointed a finger skyward and suddenly had everyone's attention. "Keep in mind, it's delinquents like me that often stand between Squints like you and an ass beating. I'm the immovable object to the unstoppable force that usually wants to beat up the nerdy types like you. Now, I can handle you hustling us all, in fact, well played squint, you played both sides tonight and we didn't even see it coming. I could almost shake your hand, because what you did took a spine, and I didn't think you had one."

He actually approached her, and they all saw Drumm tense up and stand ready, obviously in case he might have to pull Warren off the student. Even Dutiful Daniel placed a hand on Warren's shoulder in a quiet attempt to calm him down, but the thug kid just jostled it off with a throw of the shoulder. "That was until you had to go and do some stupid shit like insult me. Yes, I'm a delinquent you uppity...," They could all tell he wanted to say 'bitch' but caught his temper just in time, swallowing the word before it crept out by clenching his fists and pursing his lips. Warren was everything Sakurako expected him to be: a muscle flexing, testosterone laden tough-guy who tossed out more machismo than all of the eighties B-action movie her mind could sprint to thought. His reaction was not a surprising one, but that didn't mean it was any less intimidating. Warren was a loose cannon and ther ewas no telling who he'd lash out on. "I don't need you looking out for me!"

"Warren!" Drumm actually raised his voice, something not many students had ever heard him do. "That's enough."

"I was out there on that street saving my ass for years while you sat somewhere nice swishing that silver spoon about your mouth. So don't you dare..."

"Warren!" Drumm raised his voice louder than the raging delinquent. For a moment there was an eerie silence and his tone of authority seemed to instantly put all the students 'back in line'. Even Oneca swallowed hard and she didn't intimidate easily. "That's enough! I want you in your room now, we'll talk about this in my office tomorrow."

And just like that, the beast was cowed. Warren glared for a long second at Drumm, almost challenging him silently. Oneca was almost certain he was going to lash out at the Director next, but instead he simply tensed up even more and stormed off like the angry teenager he was. "Fuck this place." They all herd him mumble as he thundered up the steps.

Warren has left the scene.

[Dave ST]

Drumm took a deep breath and sighed. "My apologies for raising my voice, students. Please, Sakurako, forgive Warren, but your appraisal is a bit judgemental. None of you are standing here as angels. Now would be a good time remind all of you though, that some of the student here did come from very unfortunate backgrounds and have been through no less than hell before coming here. Please, try and watch where you're directing your appraisals from now on."

He looked to Sakurako and offered an empathic smile. "Just steer clear of him for a few days, he'll calm down. Summer, Autumn, bed. Daniel, bed. Oneca, you are to go straight to your own bed, no detours to check on Warren." He lowered his head and looked at her. "I'm serious. Leave him alone tonight. Oh!" They all spun about to see what he wanted to add. "I know you all have your cliques and Teenage Codes of Honor and all that, but take a second, when you're not to mad at the young lady over there, and thank her. Had she not done what she did, you all would be in a lot more trouble than you are now. Her warning allowed me to act quickly and defuse a situation before certain elements blew the whole thing out of proportion. If anything, you guy owe Sakurako your gratitude, not your enmity. But, hey, what does an old guy like me know, anyway. Go on, off to bed."

[Hotstreak]

It was a cold anger burning in Daniel's brain. Sakurako's actions may have proven prescient and saved them all from more headaches, it still reeked of betrayal, and that was something that would not be forgotten. He nodded his understanding, but that didn't mean he liked it or would vocally acknowledge it.

[Doryoku]

Sakurako looked over to Daniel, her rage had lessened and to him was a look knowing what she did. She didn't like how everyone took it. To her she didn't understand until Daniel said it wasn't cool. To her dishonesty was anathema, but Daniel....

"I... I'm sorry, Daniel."

She walked over by him. "I would understand if you never spoke to me again. Same with the others here. But you... you would be the only one where such silence would sting." She nodded. "You were a gentleman none the less. Thank you."

"Director Drumm, if my presence is no longer required at this meeting, I must return to my dorm as ordered, I have studying to do and since I probably won't be able to go online to look up the safety sheets on the potential cleaning chemicals I will be inevitably exposed to during my sentence I will have to check on my supply of rubber gloves and make sure my respirator is ready."

Sakurako waited to be dismissed.

[Hotstreak]

He calmly acknowledged her words, but the fact the temperature right next to him was much hotter than a few feet away spoke volumes, as did the look in his eyes. He was not happy, and it would take time to heal this rift.

He looked to Director Drumm. "If there's nothing else sir, I'll be going also."

[Doryoku]

Sakurako could feel that familiar heat... it felt different. It was dry and harsh... it was quite different compared to what she felt at the nightclub.

In a way now... she regretted even saying yes to the whole deal... they could have asked Curtis... then again he probably has had similar dust-ups.

But the increasing friction from the rest of those that are leaving...

"I... I'm..."

She couldn't say it. Not again. It wouldn't do any good at this point other than to keep those feelings by all parties on the surface.

She didn't wait for Drumm's response. She felt if she stayed any further... she risked a reprisal. She made sure it wasn't a sign of disrespect to Drumm to leave unbidden, with a simple nod. Sakurako was quite readible, in fact probably from a conversation or two with Mouse's aunt he's probably already aware of her emotional swings. It would be better to get her away from this stress, and tomorrow she's going to have a lot of work to to.

She heads to her dorm room as otherwise ordered. This... was going to cramp Natalie's style, since lately the two had been starting to take social outings together to local game shops.

"This is a temporary setback." She whispered to herself. As she got to her portion of the room she started going through her protective equipment to find just the right things for being on cleaning duty. Luckily also she got some new winter clothing since she's probably going to do some shoveling one of these days... "Might as well try to make this experience as tolerable as I can..."