Another day's drive, and the mentor&protégé had their hotel's dinner buffet on the first floor, double doors at the other end of the room. Serena was eating as unhealthy as Aimee had on the trip to Lanacca.

"At least you're drinking water." murmured Mia.

Serena filled her Blackburn cup with maple syrup, starting to drown her stack of waffles. "Oh man - Mia, they've got one of those chocolate fountains up there -"

" - absolutely not." winced Mia. "Those - can't be sanitary."

The punk shrugged. "…yeah, probably. Besides, I don't need to go up there anyway."

She flicked her cup's lid, and the syrup disappeared. Mia groaned as she saw Blackburn's fog turn to chocolate syrup, and before she could react -

- the double doors burst open, and out from the hallway flooded a titanic wave of water, starting to swallow the room instantly -

" - Worldwide!"

- the two shot to their feet as the water filled the room, and before the liquid could reach them -

- a cloud of fire scarabs vaporized a steaming circle around, Blackburn's fog filling the steam and waving it aside.

"Serena - please -" winced Mia - " - conserve your fog - "

- and the water disappeared as if by magic, leaving only dehydrated corpses of civilians in its wake. The women's eyes shot around, the liquid mysteriously gone, their meals ruined and waterlogged.

"Not again." sighed Serena, starting to step over to one of the corpses. "I want to test something."

"What do you need?" said Mia, stepping over as well, and in the next instant -

- the corpse below turned to dust, and all around them, the civilians' bodies disappeared. Serena gave a vague wave, her test subjects gone; the two rushed across the room to the hallway beyond, and as they veered right -

- a drop of water dripped from the ceiling above, and as their eyes went up -

- fissures and cracks formed in the ceiling, drying a section above to powder, and as the room above threatened to collapse in on them -

" - Black -"

" - Worldwide!"

- the hole filled with ice, and Mia glanced back as she spoke. "I - can fill these, Serena -"

" - Mia, that's not -"

- but the ice filling dissolved to steam, suddenly disappeared, cracks and fissures forming again; and a stream of Blackburn filled it with steel.

"I think it's -"

- the right wall ahead began to rumble, and in the next instant -

- a titanic jet of water burst out from the wall and pierced the opposite wall; and out of the hole shot a woman with a blue dress, her hands flashing back as she flew through the stream and disappeared, droplets of water landing on the two women - and the true assault began then.

Their skin began to crack, features drying and sagging skin, moisture sucked dry; Mia panted as she stumbled back, dousing Serena with Worldwide's scarabs -

- and Blackburn's fog filled Mia's pores with new water, returning the two normal as they staggered away from each other, the wall catching them as they gasped.

"Moisture - suction, then." said Mia, catching the trend quick, and Serena nodded, trying not to show fear in front of her.

"Y-Yeah, just need to -"

- a geyser of water burst up from the floor between the two women, and as it pierced through the ceiling, the water sprinkled around -

" - Worldwide!"

- but a cloud of scarabs formed and vaporized it -

- to steam, and Mia gasped as she felt the steam seeking to dry her face and eyes -

" - Blackburn!"

- and black fog filled the steam with cotton, absorbing the drying vapors in an instant.

A second geyser burst from the floor, curved in mid-air, and as it shot to Serena's chest -

- it blew her back with the strength of a thousand down the hall, wind catching her hair as she flew, floor catching her as she landed and skid, a hundred feet separating her and Mia now.

As she stood, Blackburn's fog filled her moisture anew, her supply nearly gone. Their foe leaped out from another geyser ahead, the speed of water in her step as she rushed after Serena -

- but the next scene was instant.

Serena ripped her jacket off, tanktop on underneath; fog filled her jacket's sleeves, and she turned them inside out as she rushed ahead, holding it high like a shield.

Mia rushed behind their foe, their foe rushed to Serena, Serena rushed to their foe, and as a spray of water from the woman's palm caught her jacket's sleeves -

- it ricocheted off as if reflected, and as a second geyser burst out from the wall, seeking Serena's throat -

- her sleeves blocked it, and as the two drew within range -

- streams of fog filled her foe's nostrils and ears with razorblades - but she was fired to unholy durability. Water sprayed from her eyes as she stumbled back, but was again blocked by Serena's jacket; a second stream of fog filled her throat with scissors, and Serena cursed as she still stood -

" - even if you survive, I'm going to make sure you never have children, you waterlogged fuck!"

Mia winced as she saw black fog hike up the woman's dress -

- and dissolve her body from the inside-out, only a drop of corrosive acid left.

And Serena smiled as Mia ran up, fog filling her jacket's sleeves as she turned it outside-outside. "Man. I never thought I'd actually remember something from biology."

"What - what did you do?" panted Mia. "Are - are you alright?"

The prodigal punk nodded. "Our cells have this weird coating that repels water - but can also absorb it. I figured it was something chemical, so I just covered my bases with a much stronger version." She laughed, and her eyes went down for a second. "… um. See? I can handle myself good, right? You - don't have to worry."

"I… I apologize we were separated." murmured Mia, guilt in her stomach again.

"Um. You… don't have to say sorry." mumbled Serena, and the shyness in her tone deepened Mia's guilt. "Um."

The two stood there for a while. Mia hoped she wasn't forcing Serena to put on another durable act for her, and Serena didn't know how to tell Mia it was starting to bother her.

"We - should meet with the others, before more come." chimed Mia, attempting upbeat.

Serena nodded. "Okay."

◆◆◆

The six met in one hotel room that night. Jeanne was keeping guard outside.

"So, I'm making a decision." muttered Aimee, tapping her tablet on. "Can't stand how many civilian deaths we're - having to…" She frowned with a deep breath. "… sorry. You know how it is. Don't need to remind you. Just want you to know it's not your faults."

"… yeah." mumbled Yuruko, and the rest nodded.

"I'm gonna spend the rest of the night making calls. Might need to sleep in the van tomorrow. Can one of you drive?"

"After the last time someone else drove?" chimed Mia.

"We did win that fight." said Samuel. "I'll drive, Aimee."

She gestured to Schultzy. "Guess I'll get to sleep on your lap, right?"

Mia smiled. "Of course."

"Still - uh - going to make some calls to the cities on our way. See if we can have them evacuate before we get there - probably pretty… tough, on short notice, but…" Aimee sighed. "… ugh. Sorry. Just going to start now. Who knows how many I'll have to make."

"I would say good luck," said Samuel,

" - but I won't insult you." said Mia.

◆◆◆

Aimee almost wished she'd been in battle that day, if for the outrage of bureaucracy. The downswing in the economy had left little funding for emergencies, and she'd made thirty calls. Most mayors had refused to evacuate their cities, but still said they wouldn't be able to meet the six in-person, due to mysteriously flying out of state that morning.

But one town without much business let the heroes stay, and after a sleep on Mia's lap, Aimee & the others arrived in an evacuated Riverside.

They'd kept eyes out, stayed in separate hotels, and Mia's eyes were constant on Serena that day. The punk couldn't sleep much that night, on account of stress and permanent poor sleep habits.

She was still on her phone by the time the moon peaked, trying not to let Mia's protectiveness bother her. What confidence she'd built fighting felt like it was getting hammered back down, & once or twice she had wondered if it was her fault & not Mia's.

'… ugh. Just thinking too much. Maybe I could ask…'

Her & Yuruko had talked frequently over the past few nights, and both had been pleased at getting every reference the other made. Yuruko was about as awkward as her, too, and much cuter. Serena hadn't come out to her yet, but she would wait until after the trip - and if she could do it in a way where Yuruko wouldn't feel pressured or bothered, she might try to ask her on a date. 

She lifted up her head slight.

(Serena) "I can't fall asleep."

(Yuruko) "in a town like this?"

(Yuruko) "Samuel sleeps like he's in the military"

(Serena) "lol"

(Serena) "I know this is kinda risky, but do you wanna meet up somewhere? I'm bored"

(Serena) "plus I mean, it's a whole town to ourselves"

(Yuruko) "risky business MonkaS"

(Yuruko) "I'll call you when I get up, so we'll know if something happens? we'll keep a call going"

(Serena) "sounds good!"

She swept out of bed, Mia asleep in the other. She wrote a note and placed it on Mia's nightstand.

(Yuruko) "ready?"

Serena smiled.

(Serena) "Yep."

◆◆◆

Yuruko had given her an address, and Serena stepped in to the parking lot. She laughed as she saw her destination on the other end.

"Is this legal?" she said in to her phone, and she saw Yuruko laughing, heard it twice.

"Watch out. There's some weirdo dressed in all black out."

"And someone with a lab coat."

With a laugh, she went across the parking lot, up beside Yuruko and the entrance to the amusement park. The main avenue started past the row of booths, and they smiled to each other as they went through the turnstiles, starting up the path.

"All the rides are gonna be off, aren't they?" said Serena, going right around the corner. The ferris wheel in the distance blocked the moon, closed food stalls left.

"Probably." chimed Yuruko. "I bet they've got a haunted house or something, though. Get to go through it and see all the animatronics all up close."

Serena coughed in to her sleeve, hoping Yuruko scared easy. "That - sounds good, yeah."

"Lemme check if they've even got a map online…" Yuruko tapped her phone on. "Sorry - pretty bad signal. Gonna have to wait for it to load."

Serena nodded. "Yeah. Um… I know, uh, we - but... can I vent to you about something?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Serena frowned to keep from sighing. "… ugh. I'm not gonna be vague. I don't like being vague. It's just... I'm kinda starting to get annoyed at Mia, and I dunno I should bring it up or not."

"The way she coddles you?" grinned Yuruko, and Serena nodded.

"… yeah. Like - I get why she does it, so I don't wanna feel too mad about it. But… I mean. She's like. Giving me orders, shouting at me and stuff, and I know why, so I shouldn't…"

"Is it like when you get someone yelling at you online?"

Serena laughed. "Yeah. It's like that. You just, um... someone yelling at you to go back and defend instead of uh, pushing or whatever. And it's - I mean, I always just ignore it, 'cuz fuck those guys - but it still throws you off a bit, right?"

"Yeah - and even if you do it, you start getting nervous. That's why I play muted."

"Yeah. Can't blame you. Just screws you up most of the time."

"So Mia's the person on your team yelling." Yuruko grinned.

"She's - she's not that bad, but... ugh. I dunno. She's more experienced, too, so I don't wanna fuck up. I liked fighting with you, though." Serena laughed. "Like - I mean, I dunno. Against Purify, you didn't try to order me around."

"Yeah. I mean, it's your Revenant - so you gotta know how to use it better than me." Yuruko laughed. "Oh man - I never told you what For-Medicinal-Use-Only does, did I? Guess you're not in the same year, so you can't look it up."

"Guess I trusted you to know how to use it better than me." winked Serena.

Yuruko shook her head, put her phone back down and held her left hand out. An empty glass formed in her gloved grip. "It's speeding up chemical reactions, and minor atomic manipulation."

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"Minor?"

"Yeah. Like - removing and adding protons." She kicked her right leg up, and a hackysack launched up from her boot. "That's how I got that bridge of asphalt and stone - turning the air in to stone and asphalt."

"What, uh - what makes it minor, then? Sounds pretty serious."

"I can't really affect biological stuff. There was that guy a few years ago - he had a reaaaal atomic manipulation Revenant. Turning people in to stone men. Like JoJo's." grinned Yuruko, relevantly.

"Right, yeah." laughed Serena, knowing the bizarre adventure anime. "Still - your's sounds pretty cool, too."

"And now, you owe me a soda." chimed Yuruko.

Blackburn's fog filled her a soda, and as she took her first sip -

- the glass burst open, and the shards flew to her as if magnetized, slicing her cheeks and eyes; she stumbled blindly back under the agony -

" - M-Medicinal!" she panted, wiping frantically her eyes, the glass turning to crimson water. A flash of fog filled her wounds, and the women searched with eyes around, Yuruko stumbling back against a nearby food stand - but she had no time to rest.

A rumbling began from the windows behind, and as she turned, the windows burst and shattered; the shards flew to her, slashing ferociously again; but her gloves swept aside the projectiles, and as they turned to water -

- the water formed a stream and shot with the speed of liquid to Serena, entering through her ears and burrowing down -

- but a stream of fog filled her ears, boiling to steam the foul liquid, leaving a safe yet pained Serena.

The two women shot their eyes around again, up the corridor and down, ferris wheel ahead, carousel and food stalls flanking them.

"Gotta find the host, gotta find the host…" said Yuruko.

The women rushed back and down the corridor, homing glass projectiles shooting out of the stalls beside, Medicinal turning the glass to water and Blackburn turning the water to steam as they ran.

Ahead was a corner they were helpless to take, and as they hurtled past and around, a line of vending machines left -

- an expected scene met their side-stare. The machines shuddered and rumbled; cans of soda burst out from the machines' slots, and as the sugary beverages hit the back of their skulls -

" - Medicinal!"

- a sweep of her gloves back, and as she readied to turn the cans to water again -

" - wait!" shouted Serena -

- and a stream of fog filled the cans with lead, and they fell limp to the ground, the unexpected weight too heavy for it.

"That - it's magnetization, right?" said Serena, the two backing away, near the entrance now, porta-potties left and a crooked funhouse fifty feet deeper in the park.

"Yeah." nodded Yuruko, seeing the cans roll in place, but never getting any closer, a metaphor for being friendzoned.

"Still haven't found them yet, either." murmured Serena, stepping ahead, and as the two passed the line of portable toilets -

- a groan escaped them as they heard the water within rumble, and in the next instant -

- five streams of tainted water pierced out through the doors, and as Serena readied to fill the streams with heat -

- Yuruko rushed along the holes, her gloves a flurry of movement as she plugged the holes with sponges, absorbing the rest of the watery assault as Serena filled the streams with heat.

"I - oh." laughed Serena. "Uh - sorry. Should've done that too."

"No worries!" said Yuruko, and as she turned -

- a needle pierced through one of the sponges, shooting with the speed of an addict towards her -

- but with the speed of light, Serena caught it in her cup; a flick of the switch, and the needle disintegrated, a second stream of fog repairing the stabbed sponge.

"Why - why would there be a needle in a bathroom?" said Serena, and the two winced a second later.

"Probably good you saved me." chimed Yuruko, and with the assault blunted, they turned to the crooked funhouse a few seconds away.

"Might be a lot of mirrors if we - go in there." winced Serena. "If the magnetization is getting stronger - wait."

She nodded as the two rushed ahead, and they came quick to the closed door. "Uh - you can make me another cup, right?"

"Yep." said Yuruko as they flanked against the walls.

"Don't breathe this." winced Serena, filling her cup with fog; she threw the door open, threw her cup in and shut the door just as quick - " - run!'

The women ran back the way they had come, and as they came close to the field of soda cans from earlier -

- they found more strength than before. The sugary beverages flew to the two again, shattering in to hundreds of plastic shards, and as the lead fell, the sharp plastic sought their throats -

- but a spin of Yuruko's gloves turned the projectiles liquid again, and a stream of Blackburn vaporized the water again.

"Just gotta keep doing that, right?" said Serena.

"Yeah." nodded Yuruko, and the two turned to the funhouse, Serena sighing as she heard no agonized scream.

"I - uh. Mustard gas."

"That's a war crime." chimed Yuruko.

"So's all this." laughed Serena, relevantly -

- and from around the corner behind, began a set of footsteps; with the speed of light the two turned, and as they ran in sudden pursuit around the corner, back down the corridor where the calamity had began -

- they saw a man running through the carousel left hurtling over horses and out of their sight. With no time to waste, the two ran up to the carousel's platform, rushing through the horses and between the mares -

- which began to rumble as they drew close. The horses burst in to shards of wood, encircling like a wooden tornado around; Yuruko stumbled back and against the center metal pole -

- and the entire carousel began to buckle, metal suddenly splitting open, and as the collapsing carousel threatened to bury the two -

" - stay still!" shouted Yuruko, and as the rain of rubble crashed down, throwing them back first to the ground -

- liquid coated Yuruko's gloves and boots, corroding through the rubble, and Serena laid still as Yuruko rose above. A second throw of acid freed the still punk.

"Good, right?" said Serena, panting with the reaction of relief.

"Yeah." chimed Yuruko, corroding quick the rest, eyes around. "Ugh - shit, we lost him though - can you - get my tablet from my back? Gotta neutralize this. Sodium hydrogen carbonate - eleven, one, six, eight..."

"Um, sure." said Serena, rising to her feet, unclipping Yuruko's tablet from her back. "What do you need?"

"Tap - just tap everyone's name, okay? Red button." She dropped her voice low. "Don't have much left. Might need help."

Serena nodded, tapped the other four's names and clipped it back to Yuruko's coat. The women stepped out to the main corridor, ferris wheel still on the distance and ahead.

"Least these place doesn't have many rides." chimed Serena, and Yuruko laughed.

"Yeah. Gotta be hiding, but - this magnetization is getting stronger, too."

"We haven't checked there." said Serena, gesturing to the ferris wheel, and Yuruko nodded, starting their rush up through the main avenue. A dozen seconds separated them and the ride's entrance, metal barriers zigzagging for a line, and as Yuruko drew within range -

- the metal barriers burst inwards and shattered open; the shards flew to them again, and a spray of acid corroded them again -

- but Yuruko shrieked as the acid formed a stream, beginning to sweep back towards them -

" - Serena - sodium bi- baking soda!"

- and with the speed of fog, Serena filled the acid with baking soda -

- and the streams bubbled and fell limp to the ground, neutralized metaphorically and literally. Yuruko laughed, patting Serena on the back.

"Neutralizes hydrobromic acid. Most corrosive acid around that won't hurt us too bad." she chimed.

And as they stepped closer to the ferris wheel -

- a groan escaped them as they heard the main supports begin to buckle. The supports shattered open in a rain of metal, and as the swarm of hundreds of metal shards threatened to impale them alive -

" - Medicinal." groaned Yuruko, forming a hollow tower shield for the two, and as Serena clutched the handle tight -

" - Blackburn!"

- a stream of fog filled the shield with wood, and Serena held it close as the two huddled behind, metal entering it like living arrows. Ahead, they heard the ferris wheel collapse, a sweep of Yuruko's hands above forming a second shield.

"Like we're Romans." laughed Serena, knowing the legionnaires well.

"'Ave, true to Caesar.'" chimed Yuruko, and Serena laughed, hearing the metal fallout beginning to slow outside.

And Serena peeked her eyes over, finding a man standing in the rubble, laughing as he saw the two, fifty feet separating them and he.

"How touching! Really! You still haven't figured the true trick behind Neodymium, have you?"

"It's magnetization, dickless!"

"Yeah, magnet dipshit! Serena's gonna fill your wrinkly balls with knives!" shouted Yuruko, feeling an odd connection to the punk as they stepped forward.

"Start running, or a free circumcision!" shouted Serena.

"You still haven't figured that it works on -your- touch, Yuruko!"

And Yuruko's blood froze as fissures formed on the punk's face, her skin starting to crack and shatter -

" - Rider!"

- a familiar figure appeared behind the man, and a whirl of her steel sliced his four limbs in four directions; his head turned as his limbs fell -

- and a second whirl of steel carved his head in to three pieces; Serena shrieked, still feeling her skin cracking open -

- and a final slice of Aimee's knife tore his heart in half. The cracks left Serena's skin, and Yuruko panted relief as Serena dropped the shield.

"You got our c-"

"- why the fuck did you two go out at three in the fucking morning?! You know what we're up against!" shouted Aimee, and as Yuruko shrunk back with guilt -

" - because - I can't get a fucking break to do -ANYTHING- away from your girlfriend!" shouted Serena. "Have you seen how she treats me in fights recently?! I can't get a break with her fucking ordering me around! She treats me like I'm her - like I'm her fucking kid!"

"She - you nearly died your first week! She has a right to - I don't ever want to hear you bitching about her, especially after I had to fucking save -"

" - or what? You'll give me a different mentor? Maybe I would be better off with Y-" - Serena's lips pinched tight, and she shook her head rapid, trying to look composed. "I - I just - look, this -"

"I - stop. Stop. Stop." sighed Aimee, wiping her expression down. "God. Why? Why are we even - I have to fucking deal with all this shit - and I can't even get a fucking normal night's sleep - and - look." She sighed deep, stood up close to Serena. "... look. I - ugh. C'mon. We shouldn't talk about this here. Right? Let's just… both shut up. We're all in this together. Yeah? Six of us." She glanced to Yuruko. "Can you get back to Samuel alright?"

Yuruko nodded, not even touching it. "Uh - yeah. Y-Yeah. I'll call you if something comes up. I'll head out the back way."

She gave a vague wave goodbye, and Serena winced as she walked away. She turned to Yuruko. "Um, sorry for - yelling."

"No worries." said Yuruko, and Serena breathed an inward sigh to see her smile back.

Aimee turned, and Serena with her as the two walked back down the main avenue.

"… Uh. Sorry for yelling, too." mumbled Serena. "Just - got caught up."

"… It's - nah." Aimee sighed around the corner. "…look. I know how you're feeling, too, sorta. Me and Mia have been together nearly a year, and… I haven't been this far away from her in a while." She wiped her eyes. "And - yeah. Let's talk about your stuff, first. What's she doing? Might be easier for me to talk to her about it. Want us to all be good together."

"… yeah." mumbled Serena. "I just - sorry, give me a minute. Just - need to catch my breath."

Aimee gave her a minute. The two came out to the parking lot.

"I guess it's just - she orders me around and -"

- an alarm rung from Serena's phone, and Aimee's a second later. The two pulled them out and checked -

" - a - a - tornado?" sputtered Serena.

" - a - fuck." grunted Aimee, checking the location, only twenty miles south at last update. "- fuck, that showed up way too quick to be -"

- their alarms rang again -

" - hailstorms north? What the fuck?" said Serena.

"I'm not taking this - fucking risk." said Aimee. The two rushed out the lot and on to the sidewalk, another alarm starting then -

" - earthquake east -"

" - can you get the van?" said Aimee, splitting off, Rider's tendrils readying for swift evacuation. "We're leaving this town - now! You get Mia - I'll get everybody else, yeah?"

"G-Got it." nodded Serena, and began her journey away, the two peeling down opposite corners. Few could match Rider's speed, and Aimee was down the street in an instant, rushing down the sidewalk and blinking down.

'Fuck - fuck - fuck. Van is parked with Schultzy - no time to find Yuruko until after - just - need to get her and - ugh - god damnit, Nuiko too.'

Her tendrils went taut, and she was around the curb, searching for her and Jeanne's hotel first.

A few minutes later, Serena came to her and Mia's, the van parked out front, and as she tried the driverside door -

' - uh - right, locked, locked - keys -'

- she pat frantically at her pockets, and found no keys in either. "Shit - shit - shit shit shit shiiiit - is it with - must be with Aimee, but -"

- with a breath of prayer, her fog filled the driverside keyhole -

- with a perfect match. A sweep inside, and as she tried the ignition, the car lulled up.

'Sweet.'

◆◆◆

Ten minutes later, the six drove out of town west. The hailstorms north, the tornado south, and the earthquake east had claimed each region, and what news they received told them the city east was caved in whole, the winds had ripped skyscrapers off their hinges south, and the meteors of ice had split homes in two north.

"Fucking - god." sighed Aimee, on the passenger's side. "Probably a good thing you two went out, honestly. Better to deal with that fucker then."

"So sleepy. Nuiko's okay, though." yawned Jeanne, memories of Dream's comas in her tone.

"You get used to getting woken up in the middle of the night." yawned Samuel, and Yuruko sighed ahead, mid-right.

"Now we're all gonna yawn!"

Mia kept her eyes low, hoping no one would ask why Serena had been out. She blinked and felt three kisses on her cheek.

"We'll..." Aimee sighed. "… Just try to stay up for about an hour. After that, we can sleep in shifts. Gotta keep moving to avoid it. Serena - just keep going the regular route."

"Hey - uh, Serena." said Yuruko, forming a foam cup. "Can you fill this with coffee? I'll start remaking your cup."

"Er - sure." said Serena, holding her hand back to receive it. "Anything specific?"

"Hmm…" Yuruko tapped her chin, tried her best Aimee impression. "One coffee, black, please."

Five laughs.

"Will that be all?" grinned Serena.

"Yep, that'll be everything -"

" - YOU FUCKING BITCH!" shouted Aimee, and their laughter shook the seats.

Serena handed the black coffee back, and Yuruko laughed as she handed it forward to Aimee. "I already had that soda, so I'm good. I just wanted to do that joke."

"Does anyone else want any?" said Serena, hand out and eyes on road.

"Like you're a drink dispenser." grinned Jeanne. "Uh. Just some peppermint tea, if you can."

"I'll - um. Make sure it isn't filled with dirt, before you drink it." said Serena as Yuruko handed her another foam cup.

"You've uh, still got all of Saya's progress on it, don't you?" said Aimee. "She had it since birth, so."

"Yeah. Um, done." said the drink dispenser, and Yuruko handed the cargo back to Jeanne.

Jeanne took a sip. "… Man, that really does taste like it."

"I'm getting good at it, I guess." laughed Serena, and Aimee nudged her for a second.

"Helps you've got a good mentor, too."

"Yeah." said Serena, glancing to the rearview. "Um. Got a good supply of fog, too, now. Mia - do you want any?"

"I - suppose." murmured Mia. "Thank you, Serena. Will you - can you add cream and sugar in mine?"

"Sure."

"You know, uh." said Yuruko, catching the opportunity. "She's a pretty good fighter on her own, too. I didn't have to, um, order her to do stuff, either, when we were fighting."

Aimee and Serena winced, seeing the unintended humiliation wipe away their previous sincerity. They knew Mia knew.

"Um - not that I…" mumbled Yuruko. She always had difficult picking on social cues.

"I - um - Samuel, do you want any?" said Serena, handing Mia's coffee to Aimee, and Aimee handed it to Mia.

"Sleep's been interrupted plenty of times before. No need." nodded Samuel. "Still. Should keep talking."

"Mmhm." nodded Jeanne, leaning her head against her window. "Someone else talk -"

- she shrieked as the window peeled down -

" - just me." said Serena, flicking the remote windows on the van open. "Uh. Wind might help keep us up, right?"

"Warn me before you - jeez." panted Jeanne, eyes awake now.

"Sorry."

Samuel smirked. "Maybe some more Matoi stories."

"That'll - definitely work, honestly." said Aimee, leaning her head back. "What do you think of her, anyway?"

"She might be president next year." chimed Yuruko, and Aimee gave a vague wave.

"That too, honestly. Chick is at - uh, someone wanna check on their tablet?"

"Rank #11, last I checked." murmured Samuel. "Got a lot of respect for her. Don't think she ever wants to show that she actually likes me - makes me feel like her approval is something worth fighting for."

"She did get nude for you. That's how you tell a girl likes you." said Serena.

"It wasn't that exciting after the first week. I remember - before I hit rank fifty, she told me she wouldn't call me by my hero name until I hit three-star. When I hit three-star - she'll probably refuse to call me it until I'm rank #1."

"You've got stiff competition here for that." said Aimee, turning to tap her Schultzy's hands.

"Uh - I've technically got a year headstart." laughed Jeanne.

"I just started fighting, you know." mumbled Yuruko. "Man. Thinking of a hero name's gonna be hard as shit, though. So much good shiiit."

"Speaking of shit." murmured Samuel, and five groans went through the van. "Actually - no, she never did anything like that. Said she'd do something if I ever fell below rank fifty - and believe me, I got the idea she would've then. Still. You all want to hear some stories?"

"Go ahead." laughed Aimee, alert now.

He nodded. "So I suppose - I've got a few that come to mind, now. Lots of yarn that sticks about her - as I said, I've got a lot of respect for her but. I was set to join the military - well, had dreams of it - when I was out of highschool. Recruiters set up their booths, and they know how to prey on young men."

"Young women, too, y'know." laughed Aimee. "I remember. Urasaria or military."

"Or removal." said Yuruko.

"We haven't gone to a total hellhole yet, so at least you get to choose - but if you ask me, I think every government's just got a glove hiding an iron fist." He shook his head. "But. Almost everyone chooses Urasaria. Get to stay home relatively, since it's not a good environment. All those other countries got their own professional heroes. Can't expect taking a fresh eighteen year old and putting them against that's going to be a mighty attractive proposition. But myself - I had a change of heart with a too-strict drill instructor."

He paused, and the five laughed.

"You can see where that got me. I remember - I told Matoi about that, my first week - and she tells me 'I'm going to make you wish you chose Afghanistan.'"

"Sounds like her." said Aimee.

"Very much so. It set the tone of that first semester quite nicely. I was begging for swap week by the time it was about to come around, dreading the end of it. I remember - I remember, was a - pardon the male proclivity, here - was a very unattractive woman I had for swap week. I gave her these eyes at the end, and asked -" - he laughed - " - 'is there a way I could get you as a mentor instead'? And she got this look on her face like she'd never been complimented before."

"She thought you were hitting on her?" said Jeanne.

"She very well might've - because I think that 'no' she gave me was pretty deep. Like she was real twisting it in. I remember Matoi and I always had a spot we'd meet at, one of the siderooms in the second-year building. I'd always sort of - like to imagine I really was in the military then - because I'd have a helluva time trying to weave between those buildings whenever I left my house. I never wanted her to find out where I lived."

He shook his head.

"But I remember. Finished up my training with that woman - she was in one of the siderooms, too - and - I suppose - I passed by the poor soul that had Matoi for swap week. He must've known who I was, because he stopped and said - "good luck, that bitch is crazy."

The five laughed.

"And I remember - I got this sort of odd anger in me, hearing someone insult her and I thought he was weak. He looked weak - I mean, scrawny. And it made me think - I remember thinking - I don't wanna be that man. I realized as I was walking back - Matoi isn't the type to just insult for no benefit. Guess some've her must've slipped in me for those first few weeks. So no matter how bad it got - no matter how odd it got - I knew she wasn't doing it for a power trip."

"What do you mean?" said Mia.

"She definitely had some weird tricks over the year - some of it cruel, some of it unusual. The way she -" - he laughed - " - I can laugh now, but - she asked me if Outcast could - the left gauntlet - if it could manipulate liquids. We'd trained solids the whole year, but I told her I wasn't sure, as I never tried before. She got this look in her eyes like she'd just thought of something, but we went out to fight a Revenant right after."

"Is this how you learned to grab liquids?" said Yuruko, and Samuel nodded.

"She - god, when was it. Believe it was about February - before - you, Mia, when you and her trained for that month. Guessing she didn't tell you about her, uh, bathroom habits then."

"She did not." laughed Mia.

"I come back to her - April 1st - and we go to our side room to train, and - god, I remember the smell -"

" - wait, -that's- why the second-year building stunk so bad last April?" panted Jeanne, and Samuel laughed.

" - she had a full hose, filled with it -'

- the six had a long groan and laugh, Aimee shaking her head and hand down -

" - and I'll tell you, I got to know very well how to redirect liquids that day." He laughed and shook his head.

"But that was what made her such an unusual mentor - a good one, as odd as it sounds. She'd always explain her reasoning behind it. Her logic went - it could've been water, but you won't panic about getting sprayed with water. She said some day it might be acid, and I'd be panicked then, too, if I didn't have the preparation."

"She explained her choices to me as well - though not as odd as that." laughed Mia. "When the benefit wasn't obvious."

"She was tough - but I never got stronger unless I was seriously, really being challenged. I didn't want to break. I couldn't stand the thought of being like that guy. And that's why we'll survive this trip, or we'll break."