Private/Closed Our Hero Academia

[Dark Soul]

“Oh, man, that might be a good idea.” Tara said. “I should be all done unpacking, but I haven’t eaten much today apart from some airport snacks. And who knows how much more they’re going to make us do today…” She checked the pockets of her black jeans shorts to make sure she had all of her belongings, then motioned for Robin to follow her outside. The door locked automatically behind them, and Tara made a mental note to never leave her keycard inside.

“By the way, the cotton thing, that’s totally rad.” Tara assured Robin as they made their way over to the elevators, through the white halls that sunlight only streamed into from the far wall. Tara had the impression that this particular building might not have been one of the newer ones on the island. “Do you make your own clothes? Once I manage to get my sewing machine over here, I can start working on my own shirts again, too.” She lifted one wing slightly and pointed a thumb at the closed zipper that ran up from the bottom of her shirt up and around where the wing stuck out from her back.

 

[Tailon]

"It's nu-metal," Chris said over the music, "and I'm only playing it this loud to annoy the guy across the way who was playing loud music."

Chris continued to unpack the remainder of his bags with appendages of shadow, otherwise standing stock still by his bed. "You're a chipper one, aren't you?" he said, face blank.

 

[Satoren]

"Rocket, eh?" Ren mused. "Doesn't sound quite as cool as Greenhorn," he jokingly added. Was that a family nickname, or perhaps his chosen hero alias? Whichever it was, he would find out later in private. Ren then considered that perhaps while they were downstairs, he could run into the other top students and get to know them as well. Though they might not all end up in the same class, he felt it would be invaluable information regardless.

Ren leaned against the doorway with a hand in his pocket, waiting for Rocket to exit first. "You must've been here pretty early. Do you live near here? Or maybe you were excited that you took the earliest flight you could?" he asked, his forced smile softening into a more casual grin.

 

[Rex]

"Well I'm happy to hear you like your name, Greenhorn," Jake grunted.

Maybe he was wrong about this kid. Maybe he had just been sheltered or something, and simply wasn't good at interacting with others. Jake had seen it before, with some of the children of heroes back in New York. Hell, even the increasingly rare Quirkless child might not be all that great at talking to other people, especially as they became an increasing minority, ostracized by their superpowered peers. This similarity of social circumstances between him and them didn't do anything to endear the two groups to one another, however. He was still a villain's child, and they still looked up to the heroes.

He shut off his music, and his ears were immediately assaulted by the noise coming from the room across the hall. Wonderful, he was neighbors with one of those kinds of people. The raccoon made his way out of the room, grumbling to Ren as he passed the taller boy in the door frame, "Some people have no taste in music."

Only then did he remember that the horned kid had said something to him between the time he was turning off his music and immediately focusing on his neighbor's. "I'm from back east, the plane I took was an hour ahead of the time here."

Yes, Jake had been excited to get to NIHA as early as possible. He had practically gone straight to the airport after finishing his morning routine, only having enough time to scarf down a light breakfast. Then he went immediately from the airport to Northerly Island, with no stops in between. Which was why he was so hungry now, he imagined. Not that he was actually going to say any of that to Ren. He had an image to keep, after all.

 

[Shiny Motley]

"Yeah, most of the clothes I own are ones I made," Robin said. "Though a few of the coats and jackets I brought aren't. I'd prefer wool over cotton any day, especially since we're further north than what I'm used to." She glanced at the zipper Tara had pointed at, and then at the wing. "What about you, then? Can you fly with your, um, wings? Those are wings, right?"

 

[Mr.RMA]

"Oh, sorry, I don't really know the nuances of music I guess... More of a movie person myself. Soundtracks and film scores are more my type of music," Gil remarked, attempting to relax some more now that there was some semblance of a conversation going.

"I mean, I like to think I'm pretty chipper, but I guess I'm a bit more excited now than usual. I mean, getting accepted into NIHA of all places... I guess I'm still pretty ecstatic about it," he said, certainly looking a little more prideful at that. "Getting into one of the best hero schools in the country is pretty mind-blowing... but I mean, everyone knows that probably... Ah, but, guess it would make sense to introduce ourselves properly or something, right? Name's Gil. Gil Shannon." Gil gave a wave at that, perhaps a little oblivious by this point of his roommate's apparent disinterest. Admittedly it was a bit tough to notice when he was finding himself somewhat daunted by the quirk on display. Some sort of control over shadows? Certainly very impressive looking... Of course, most of these other students probably had these cooler looking quirks...

 

[Tailon]

After a while, Chris tilted his head, seemingly somehow listening over the din. Seeming satisfied, he reached up and tapped his watch decisively, stopping his music. The music from across the way had stopped, though how Chris had detected the change was anyone's guess.

Having put away most of his things, Chris turned suddenly on his heel and walked toward the door. Before leaving he said, "I'm getting something to eat. If you want to come too I don't super care. My name's Chris Douglas."

 

[Mr.RMA]

"Oh, uh, yeah okay, sounds good, sure," Gil said, shuffling his way after Chris as he made his exit. "The cuisine here must be fantastic, I mean, this is Chicago after all. This city's all about good eating." Some part of his subconscious berated him for still talking when his new roommate made his indifference perfectly clear, but the rest of him was having a tough time listening.
"Nice to meet you by the way, Chris. Y-y'know, your name ah... I thought I recognized it, you scored pretty damn high in the exams huh? Like, right up towards the top! I mean, that's crazy, really, just how many points you guys all racked up. I wonder if the school kept recordings of it, this is the kinda stuff that could make a good documentary, wouldn't be surprised if they already made one from previous classes or something."

 

[Dark Soul]

"Oh, uhm..." Tara stammered a bit at that question, though she tried to keep her demeanor casual, as if the mention of flying hadn't pained her the slightest bit. Robin couldn't be blamed, though. It wasn't as if she could have known.

"They're not so much for flying, it's more like... gliding." She explained as they continued to make their way across the main hall towards the canteen. "I can jump pretty high with them, but sustained flight takes a lot of different things. Low enough weight, enough relative wing surface, flapping speed... I'm not quite there yet." She paused to check out the menu advertised on screens above the canteen counter. "I'm still growing, though, so y'know. I think I'll go for a pork bun and fries... You?"

 

[Satoren]

It seemed like Rocket had no intention of dropping that nickname, much to Ren's chagrin. Maybe he could somehow get him to change his mind about it eventually, but there wasn't much else he could do about it for now. As the raccoon exited their room, he pointed out the loud music coming from a room across from them. "Some people have no taste in music," Rocket commented.

"Well, regardless of what they think music is meant to sound like," Ren replied. "What they're doing is probably against house rules. If its bothering enough people, I suppose we could talk to the staff about it." He then closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it with the house key. As he did so, Rocket continued the conversation they were having.

"I'm from back east, the plane I took was an hour ahead of the time here," he noted. Ren nodded at this, eager to learn more information about his roommate.

"The place I'm staying at isn't actually to far from here; about an hour's drive. That's why I didn't mind coming here as late," he replied back. As they were conversing, Ren then took out his phone. Making sure the phone's screen was facing away from Rocket, he then opened an app with a number pad. After typing out a short passcode and swiping his finger on its screen, the phone beeped to confirm his access. It then proceeded to load a list on-screen labeled as 'devices connected,' with signs to their right that marked the devices as 'active'. With a small but content grin, Ren closed his phone and returned it to his pocket.

 

[Rex]

Speaking of their neighbors, there they went now. The first one, well, he certainly fit the music that was coming from the room. Black hair and clothes, roughly Ren's height by the looks of things. If he noticed Jake or Ren standing in their doorway, he didn't say anything. The raccoon noted the music had been turned off shortly after Jake had shut off his own. Ren recommended complaining to the staff about it, which Jake thought was a stupid idea. Adults never did anything, he'd learned that lesson long ago.

The second student to depart the room across the hall was absolutely massive, a head taller than either Ren or the black haired boy, which meant he absolutely towered over Jake. Despite the size, however, the boy dressed like an absolute dork. Seriously, who under the age of eighty wore a sweater vest in this day and age? Stammered, too. Identified the black haired boy as 'Chris' and pointed out that he'd been a high scorer in the test, 'near the top,' as the taller boy put it. Interesting, so despite dressing like the kind of guy who looked like he was about to break down in tears at any second over any one of life's minor hardships, this Chris was someone he'd have to watch out for.

"Well aren't they a colorful bunch," Jake muttered to Ren as the two neighbor boys reached the end of the hall. The tall dork didn't acknowledge Jake or Ren either. Too busy kissing his roommate's ass, the raccoon supposed. After a quick glance at the device on his arm, Jake looked back at Ren. "Should probably hurry if we want to beat the rush."

 

[Shiny Motley]

Apparently, talking about her quirk made Tara uncomfortable, which was a feeling Robin could relate to herself. Before she could reply, however, the two of them had arrived at the cafeteria. "Hm..." Robin leaned over to glance at the stuff being served, and sighed with relief when she realized that, yes, there was actually food and not "food". There even appeared to be a stir-fry line, which she didn't think any public school would have. Then again, this was supposed to be the best hero school in the country, so having decent lunches shouldn't have been a surprise.

"I think I'll take some grilled chicken, and get a side of some steamed veggies." She looked thoughtful for a second, then said, "Maybe I'll get some scrambled eggs, too." All-day breakfast was her favorite, after all. Plus, who could say no to eggs?

More and more people began filing into the cafeteria, so Robin decided to quickly take her place in line before anyone decided to cut in front of them. Deciding to change the subject a little, she asked Tara, "So, where're you from?"

 

[Dark Soul]

Tara smiled, glad that the subject had changed quickly. “Y’know, I’ve been asked before if I feel weird about eating eggs. Or chicken! Can you believe that?” She said, giggling softly at that memory. “You’d think after a few decades people wouldn’t be so ignorant about Quirks anymore.”

As they jumped into the queue and shuffled along, Robin asked about Tara’s origins. “What, can’t you hear the Valley Girl in my voice?” She said with something of a smirk. “I was raised in the Bay Area. I spent most of my time with Mel in the Marina, but I always had my holidays in Yosemite with Archeus.” Tara said, before realizing the first name basis might be confusing for Robin. “They’re my adoptive parents.” She clarified. “So I don’t really know where I was born, but SF is what I call home.”

Tara gave her order to one of the ladies behind the counter, who collected the right ingredients to complete the order with all the speed and grace befitting someone with four arms. Tara gave her thanks and took the tray. “What about you?” Tara asked Robin as she scoured the canteen area for still-empty tables to sit down at.

 

[Satoren]

As Rocket made a snarky comment of their neighbors across the hall, Ren turned over to notice them. One of them, a young man completely clad in black stood by the doorway of their room. His roommate was behind him, a taller, somewhat bulky fellow that was stammering a conversation with his intimidating-looking companion. An interesting dynamic indeed, Ren thought to himself.

Before he could consider greeting the two, Rocket chimed in. "Should probably hurry if we want to beat the rush," he said. Ren looked over to him and nodded. He wanted to at least get to know the students on his floor, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity. His own roommate, however seemed keen on getting some food; and Ren admitted to himself he was being honest about wanting to find some sustenance as well.

"Right; no doubt we'll see quite a lot of faces when we head down," he replied to Rocket. Perhaps their neighbors would follow suit and accompany them by their own volition. For now though, Ren decided to focus on getting on his roommate's good side. "Let's hurry, then," he added.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Gil began fidgeting a little once it became too clear to ignore that he was just rambling incessantly by now. Chris surely didn't care about all this, or at least, he sure as hell didn't show any sign that he cared to discuss it so openly right now. Maybe it'd be better to just say nothing for now... Yeah, keep from being too loud or annoying, especially now that they were out in the halls where anyone could be listening in or passing by.

In fact, there were a couple people across from them at that very moment, apparently headed out to get some lunch as well. One of them had a rather noticeable green horn on his forehead, certainly made him stand out quite a bit by itself, but then there was the shorter fellow... Wait a minute, was that... It totally was!

"ROCKET RACCOON?!" he suddenly blurted out in a bout of excitement before hastily covering his mouth in absolute embarrassment. Just lovely... he was nailing these first impressions today...

 

[Rex]

Did Ren want to eat, or did he want to gawk? His primary concern seemed to be the other students. Sure, Jake was all for sizing up the competition, but they'd have three years together with the students in their grade. The raccoon saw no reason to rush things. All things would come in time. Speaking of the other students, it seemed the dork in the sweater vest had noticed them after all, one he'd taken the time to stop stuttering at the other boy, Chris, and-

Shit. The boy recognized him. Well, not him, but, 'him.' Rocket Raccoon. With the age of the media he was referencing, Jake had thought, no, hoped, that such a thing would never happen. And it had been working out beautifully, too. In the years since he'd taken up the identity, only one person, the supplier for all his comic books, had ever known who Rocket Raccoon really was. And no doubt now that this dweeb blurted it out, Ren would start asking questions. Everything was about to start collapsing around him.

No, he couldn't let that happen. He quickly hid any trace of the surprise he'd allowed to show in his expression. "What's it to ya?"

 

[Tailon]

Finally, something almost interesting. When Gil exclaimed, Chris stopped, then turned on his heel, looking down his nose at their new neighbors.

The kid with the horn failed to impress, no discernible aesthetic and not much in the way of presence, though it was tough to tell whether it was intentional.

The other one, though... Chris guessed he was a Mutant type or shapeshifter of some kind, since animals with Quirks were so rare, and intelligent ones even rarer.

Chris didn't offer much in terms of conversation, however, merely giving a scoff and an appraising look.

 

[Satoren]

For better or worse, Ren and his new housemates were now squaring each other off as they were about to head downstairs. The boy clothed in black glanced their way and scoffed; he didn't seem all that interested in them to start a conversation. His roommate however seemed to know Rocket, or know of Rocket at least. Perhaps Rocket had already built up a reputation. In any case, whatever information he might know of the raccoon would be useful, and now was a good opportunity to get to know the three of them better.

"Seems like you have a fan," Ren mused towards his roommate. He then turned over to the two boys and smiled politely. "We were just on our way downstairs to get some lunch, care to join us?"

 

[Mr.RMA]

"Oh my god, you even have the attitude down! Dude, that's amazing, never would've thought I'd see such a flawless portrayal!" he said, having immediately reverted back to fanboy mode at the guy's response. Eventually though, he seemed to catch himself again before he delved any further, what with the two other people standing right there and all, watching as he continually made a fool of himself. "S-sorry... I uh... just don't often see people looking like icons from... I mean... That's ah... cool..." He wished his cap were bigger at that moment so he could hide himself in it. The green-horned kid offered for them to all go get lunch together, which seemed at least like a reasonable thing to respond to in order to steer away from his embarrassing geek-out.

"Sure... yeah... lunch, that's... that's good, we were doing that too... We'll go with you guys, yeah," he said, in a masterful display of diction.

 

[Rex]

"Yeah, because that's exactly what I need," the raccoon grumbled back to Ren.

Jake had to admit, it did feel good to have his impression validated by someone who knew what they were talking about. The physical attributes were easy to master, the acting had been harder. Now if only this idiot wasn't blabbering to everyone within earshot about it. Ren hadn't caught on yet, and too-cool-for-school over there was doing his level best to pretend he was above such base things as conversation, but knowing Jake's luck, neither of these things would stay true forever. Especially since Ren decided to take things one step further and invite the two to share lunch. The raccoon just had to get stuck with someone neighborly. He needed to move things along here, before people started asking questions.

"Then if you're done gawking, some of us intend to eat sometime today," he said, pointedly glaring at the tall boy. He capped this off by proceeding to march down the hallway, tail lashing behind him. It was only then, after he'd finally started to get over the initial shock of the encounter, that Jake realized he'd forgotten something very important. So, he glanced back over his shoulder and called, "And don't call me a raccoon!"

 

[Satoren]

Ren chuckled as Rocket stalked off down the hallway. A portrayal, huh? That comment was an interesting hint towards who Rocket, or rather Jacob really was. His body language as he walked away also indicated it to be a very conscious attempt at emulating a mannerism. Ren also considered that Rocket appearance-wise didn't seem like a human with an animal-mutation Quirk. The odds that he was an actual Raccoon that manifested a Quirk giving him sentience was also remote, though plausible. One other possibility could be...

Ren decided he could reflect on his roommate at a later time. For now, he should instead focus on getting on his new companions' good sides; and dining together would offer many options to do that.He then turned over to the tall boy in a cap. "Well, we better hurry then; don't want to have to wait for a table," he said while maintaining his polite demeanor. Quickly, he made his way over to Rocket, catching up with his roommate's steps.

 

[Mr.RMA]

He was clearly holding back a squee at this Rocket Raccoon impersonator's last remark, so on-point to the portrayal he knew of... Despite all his sheepishness at that point he still found this to be incredibly exciting, and he swiftly went to follow Ren and 'Rocket', though he made sure to look around for Chris to see if he was still heading down in the same direction. He wouldn't have been surprised if he had already made it to the lunch room by now, considering his continuing disinterest, but still, if he'd stuck around, he didn't want to just up and leave his roommate behind. At the very least he could show him a bit of courtesy on their first day... though it definitely appeared there was no guarantee he was going to get much of that in return, to put it lightly.

 

[Tailon]

"Do you have, like, a social competency thing I should know about?" Chris said, bemused, somehow managing to sweep the bottom edge of his hoodie dramatically (possibly with the help of his Quirk) as he turned to follow the other two down the hall, "That kind of thing is probably important to know about a roommate."

 

[Mr.RMA]

"Well, nothing I know of... but then I've never really taken the time to get diagnosed," Gil remarked at that with a shrug. "I mean, some people clearly thought I was a bit weird in my old school but, no one ever referred me to a psychologist or anything, so, I've got that going for me, right?" he added, chuckling somewhat emptily at his own reasoning, as he also made his way down the hall with the rest of the group.
"I mean... what about you? Think that's a two-way street, that question."