New Grounds (Open)

[Kynthia]

It was truly a beautiful day. The sun was shining but not too harshly and the sky was a perfect blue with a few white, perfectly fluffy clouds floating by to show off the blue more and, occasionally, give a brief moment of shade. The seas were very calm, letting the very large boat go by on top of it smoothly. While many of the passengers were enjoying this weather, one was still hold up in her own room and knowing little to nothing about the great weather outside.

Echidna's left leg continued to shake as she tapped her fingers on the table she was sitting at. The girl was very nervous and anxious about pretty much everything but the and sea. Hailing from Greece, you would have to get use and know what you can about a boat if you wanted to get any were. No...though she normally felt more comfortable on it, what she was most nervous about was what she would face on land.

"We are now nearing the docks, please gather your things and be prepared to enter land." The voice on the P.A system said in a cool voice, professional voice.

"I wonder if they know..." Echidna muttered, then just sighed as she got up and picked up her bag, holding the few possessions she owned, mostly clothes.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Echidna opened the door and stepped out onto the docks. She neared the railing and leaned against it as she looked across to see the quickly nearing island. The girl then looked up at the sky and finally noticed what a good day it was. She could only hope that this was a good omen, though never took much stock in them.

A worker came by to tell everyone to stay away from the railing as they finally came towards the dock and they tied the boat down. Soon after a ramp was placed on the boat and people began to file off, Echidna joining the crowd. When she went onto the doc, the Earth user went off on her own a bit away from the crowd and frowned, not quite remembering what she had to do next. Echidna brought her bag over to her front and opened a side pocket. She started digging though it, frowning as she tried to find the slip of paper with the information she needed on it. She failed to realize that she was quickly becoming the only passenger on the dock.

[Gleam]

"NEW STUDENTS OVER HERE!" A voice bellows, and a grinning blonde saunters up the docklength. Clothed in iridiscent black silk and with a briefcase in one hand, he whistles, sharp and piercing, then strides to one side of the dock. "Have I got y'all's attention yet? Heads up!"

He sets the briefcase down and straightens, gazing over the trio of students that gather in front of him, each twitching a little from nerves. The boy flaps his hand, smiling unreservedly as his eyes twinkle. "Quit fidgeting, I'm just the welcome wagon. Cael Edan Tadgh, tour guide, dragonslayer, and what else have you. YO, IS ANYONE ELSE A FRESHMAN HERE!"

[Kynthia]

The brunette very nearly dropped her bag as she suddenly heard the very loud voice coming not far from where she was standing. She looked up to see a fair haired boy dressed in black calling over the new students. Echidna was able to get her balance and her bag back and she once again turned her eyes over to the boy to see that a few students are already in front of him. She noticed that they looked a bit nervous too.

Well of course they are, Sophia. It's not like you're the only one who's new to this place, not to mention the only one with powers here if what your uncle said was true. Echidna's mind told her, though the brunette hated how she still sometimes thought that her name was Sophia. She had to remind herself every now and then that her name had changed by her own violation.

Still, the girl walked over the fair headed boy and flinched as he called out for more students loudly when she reached them. She gave him a glare but could not hold it for long before she once again lowered her gaze to his chest. Echidna once again glanced at the other students and saw that they were quite annoyed with their guide. She didn't know why they were, other than that he was very loud, but that didn't seem to warrant the looks he was getting...at least in her mind.

Still, the brunette kept quiet as she waited for what the fair headed guide would tell them next.

[Gleam]

"Right, I think this is everyone." Cael said, nodding decisively. He turned to the little group gathered in front of him and rolled his shoulders. "Okay, some base rules for the Academy. Yes this is a place for superpower students - everyone you will meet has them. You can use them pretty much freely on the island, unless you blow things up or set them on fire or summat - if that's true, try not to do it to other people, yeah? And you can ask what other people's powers are, but it's kind of rude to ask outright."

Cael leaned back against a dock post. "There are no chaperones here, so no lights out check or whatever." He paused to let the excited whispers between two identical black boys die down, nodding at them. "Yes, that means you can stay up as late as you want, now, but if you head to class and fall asleep there your classmates will make you miserable, and if you fail out you're sent back to land. Try to sleep somewhat regularly, yeah?"

Cael jacked a thumb over his shoulder. "The big yellow building is the cafeteria, and there's an automated kitchen there - it'll make pretty much anything you want as long as it's basic. No caviar or sashimi, but most everything else. It's open at all hours, so go there anytime you're hungry."

"Now then." Cael said, perching that hand on his hip, cocked at an angle. "Anyone got any questions before I show y'all where the dorms are and whatnot?"

[Kynthia]

Echidna had to frown as she heard that there were no chaperones on the island. Though this fact might not distress the girl if the boy had not said just a sentence before that students were free to use their powers so long as it didn't hurt anyone or anything. But how were they to enforce these rules and protect the people and the property if they didn't have anyone around to keep an eye on the students? Echidna wanted to think the best of her fellow super humans, but it still didn't change the fact that they were human and that humans were a very destructive species.

As Cael explained about the building behind them, Echidna looked over at her fellow school mates and noticed what seemed to be a pair of black twins and a bored looking East-Indian. Knowing that these people also had powers, she couldn't help but wonder what their was. Would it be more powerful than her own, and in what way. Did it match their personality and/or ethnicity, or just completely random? Of course, not that she was interested in showing off her own powers or even really knowing what their's was for the moment...

Echidna snapped back to attention when the fair headed boy asked if there were any questions. The brunette frowned deeply, there were a million questions she wanted to ask...but she knew that this boy wasn't she should be asking nor was it the right time to ask if it was the right time to ask. So, she racked her brain to try to think of at least one question she could ask that could give her the most amount of information in the least amount of time.

"Where are you from?" was the first thing Echidna asked Cael and then immediately wanted to face palm herself. The looks she got from her fellow students made her want to melt into the Earth.

Nice going there, Echidna, real quick thinking. You may have a tail like a snake, but you sure don't think like one. Echidna thought to herself and would have sighed if she wasn't already reeling from the stupid thing she asked.

[Gleam]

Cael's mouth quirked. "Primarily the Academy, as it's where I've lived for the last three years." he answered. "But if you want to go to before that, which is what I'm presuming, I hail from Falkland Island, just down off the tip of South America. S'technically a British colony, wot wot and all that rot."

"So does that mean you're British?" one of the twins asked, fingering a key habitually. "Or do you hafta take a citizenship course or . . ."

Cael snorted. "Free British citizenship, with an option to apply for an Argentinan passport and birth record thanks to that Falkland War mess. 'Course I've never heard of anyone actually doing that." The senior pointed a finger at the speak. "Introduce yourself, kid. Come into the liiiiiight."

The kid laughed and tugged at a Cardinals ballcap. "'M Dequan La Rey." he introduced, then jerked his head back at his brother, standing behind him and watching everyone else, faintly curious. "That's Barrado. Guessing fair's fair, so we come from Arizona. Just above the border."

Cael raised his eyebrows but just smiled, rather than ask anything else. He turned to the two girls and nodded at them. "Take the dive, ladies, we're in icebreaker hell and the Titanic just sank. How about you, miss Private Eye?"

[Kynthia]

Echidna flinched at Cael's response to her question. Though at least he took it a lot better than how she was afraid he was going to respond with or how he was going to react.

Afraid to say anything else for the time being she simply nodded as the boy explained that he was from the Falklands. Of course living a good chunk of her life on the run and homeless and then onto a vineyard kept the brunette ignorant of just what Cael and Dequan were talking in regards to some war, and colonies. Then again...if he really was from a British colony then why doesn't he have an accent?

When Cael called upon Echidna to give her name she flinched once more and now really wish that she could melt into the Earth at that moment. Well...she could, but that wouldn't help her situation at all. In fact it might make it worse especially if the boy uses it to make fun of her somehow...

"E-Echidna Desdemona," the brunette responded as she held her left arm against her. "I'm originally from Crete, though my current home is in Athens at the moment."

"Manju Aadhishankar, India," said the East-Indian girl and then nothing more, just crossing her arms and staring off into the distance.

"...So, um, what sort of classes do they teach here?" Echidna asked, a bit put off by the other girl's silence and brooding. Oh well, at least this question was slightly better than the one she asked before.

"I mean...I've gotten a quick look at my course schedule but...I'm just curious over what they usually involve or...something like that..." and going downhill fast.

[Gleam]

Cael nodded, pleased. "It's not unusual that we get a lot of pretty exotic students - powers don't develop in large cities often or to a great extent, though there's not much solid research on why that is, yet." He shrugged and gestured the students to follow him, as he turned and started to amble towards land. "'Kay, miss Othello, most of the classes are science-based, as this was originally a laboratory converted into a campus. By extension, there's a deep mathematical focus, but if you're looking for an art studio . . . well, I hope you like painting outdoors." Cael flipped a hand. "C'est la vie."

Dequan perks up a bit. "What about sports?"

Cael snorted amusedly. "Well, there's a lack of opposing teams for obvious reasons, but you can generally start a pick-up game anytime, so long as you explain the rules very carefully. When somebody on the other team can fly, for example, playing point guard gets painful."

[Kynthia]

Echidna followed with the other students as Cael started to show them around, though at a step or two behind the other students. She frowned as the blonde haired boy called her 'Othello', not knowing what he was referencing too. The girl was getting the feeling that there was more she was ignorant of than what she originally thought. Still, hearing that many of the classes where scientific based very much interested Echidna. Maybe she could learn something and then use it to figure out what was going on with her.

The Grecian continued to think about this as Cael explained how sports worked in the school. Not that Echidna would mind a spar or two to keep her abilities up but really had no intention of getting into team sports or anything that involved a lot of people. Especially, again, if there weren't many adults around to supervise.

As they continued to walk Echidna noticed that Dequan kept glancing back at her and Manju. She had a pretty good idea what was going through his head, which was confirmed when he and his twin brother suddenly stopped and Dequan turned to face them.

"Okay, that's it, I've had enough of all this guessing!" Dequan said and pointed at the two girls. "I say we have ourselves here a little game. We each demonstrate our powers and then decide who's is the best! Notta mention this we get to know each other better. What do ya say?"

"...Sure, why not." Manju said as she crossed her arms.

Barrado nodded his head in agreement to the surprise of no one and then everyone looked to Echidna. The girl bit her lip and absently played with the edge of her skirt. She really did not want to show these strangers her powers, but since they were in agreement to do it, she didn't think she really had much of a choice. If she didn't agree, they would think something was up or maybe that she was just a stick in the mud. These might not be the worst things to be known as...but when you were dealing with, possibly, very powerful people the last thing you want to do is make enemies right away.

"...Yes...I guess we could..." Echidna said softly as she looked at the ground.

"Great! I'll go first," Dequan called out as he walked a bit away from the group.

Everyone watched as he took a couple deep breaths before taking in a very deep one. Suddenly, the muscles on his arms bulged and seemed to harden right before their eyes. Still holding onto his breath, Dequan pulls his right arm back and punches the ground, making a good size and very deep crater where the impact landed. The boy then stood up and let go of his breath, causing his muscle to soften and become smaller. Barrado grinned widely and gave his brother a high five while Manju and Echidna clapped their hands, though the former looked very bored with it all.

"Alrighty Barrado, ya might as well show them what ya can do!" Dequan said with a very wide grin.

The twin nodded his head as he held his hands out in front of him and closed his eyes to concentrate. Everyone was still as they waited for something to happen. Barrado's eyes quickly snapped open and his hands closed in around something. Echidna frowned, not understanding what was happening before her until she saw a clear, stream like current ground through the boy's hands. Barrado lowered his right hand and, almost faster than the eye could see, flicked his left wrist. This caused the clear stream to move and let out a powerful 'boom' as the 'tip' hit the ground, causing a line of dirt to fly up into the air. The boy then unclenched his left hand and the stream disappeared.

Echidna blinked in amazement and clapped her hands while Barrado's twin gave a loud 'whoop' of excitement. Manju looked even more bored than before. This angered Dequan when he noticed it and shouted, "Oh, I'm sorry, is this boring the princess? Why don't you show us what you got that's apparently more impressive than what we have!?"

Manju just gave him a dead, even stare like that of a person looking upon a lesser being. She sighed, obviously very annoyed with everyone and the fact that she has to go through with this. The East-Indian girl clapped her hands together and then slowly started to pull them apart. The more they drew away the more light could be seen from between the palms. The students moved so that they could get a good look at what was happening and all of their eyes widen as they saw lightening growing and stretching with the retreating hands. When the hands were about a half a foot apart she suddenly started to rotate the hands around each other, causing the electricity to become a hoop that was growing in diameter. Manju then removed her left hand from the circle and, still spinning all the while, lifted her right arm above her head. She then threw it over the heads of her classmates, causing all of them to duck before the electricity hit the ground seven meters away from them. They heard the hoop hit the ground and saw the charges move across the ground, though luckily nothing reached the ground.

Dequan just gave a grunt of very slight approval. Barrado clapped and while his twin gave him a look he didn't stop. Manju grinned widely, happy that she had been able to entertain her audience. With a sigh Dequan looked over to Echidna.

"Well, it's your turn little miss," Dequan said with a smile.

Echidna froze, realizing that she would now have to show these people her powers. She looked at them all and feebly tried to find a way out. However, it was clear that there was none. With a sigh of defeat, the Grecian reached for the back of her skirt, where the Velcro was, and undid it. She then put her hands on either side of the cloth and pulled it away from her body.

"Whoa, whoa hey! What do you-" Dequan began to shout as he saw Echidna begin to undress herself, but then was shocked into silence when, in the blink of an eye, where the girl's legs had been was now a nine foot long and very thick snake's tail that shined a bit in the sunlight.

Barrado was also shocked as his eyes went bug-eyed and his jaw became slack. Even Manju had a look of shock on her as she whispered "Naga" under her breath.

Echidna blushed deeply as she saw the stares she was getting and once again looked down at the ground as the last two feet of her tail started to coil and uncoil unconsciously. She noticed pieces of white fabric right below her waist and sighed mentally. It was a good thing she had brought alot of panties with her.

"T-that's not all..." Echidna muttered as she put her hands against the ground.

Dirt, sand, and rock became to crawl over the girl's arms and tail as she concentrated. When the earth covered to her elbow and a thin layer was on her tail she lifted her upper body up. The earth on her harden, a much thicker layer on her arms with the tips elongated and pointed. She let the harden soil stay on her for a few seconds before it loosened and began to fall back to the ground.

"So...yeah...these are my powers...at least a couple of them..." Echidna said to the continued stares of her peers.

[Gleam]

Cael nodded, pleased. "Good to see a little initiative on all your parts." he praised. "Mind if I give a little bit of advice?"

He nods to Dequan. "Yours looks like - biological manipulation of some sort, multiplying cell counts. Remember that when you throw a punch it starts from your leverage. Pump your legs, which lets you push off the ground. Pump your hips and sides, which lets you swivel into the punch. And then your arm finishes it off. Your fist is just the front end of the train driving your punch, yeah? The caboose at the back - your legs - does the work."

Dequan nodded, musing over that factoid. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. You rumble much with kids here?"

"It's rare." Cael demurred, and turned to Barrado. "You've got some kind of pressure manipulation. See if you can find a way to control it remotely - and even if you have to have a contact with the zone you control, you should learn to puppeteer it, with just a thread connecting it to your hand."

Barrado chewed that over for a moment, then nodded, not breaking his silence.

Cael regarded Manju for a moment. "I think you do have to have contact with the zone you control, otherwise you can't manipulate the flow of electrons. Carry some type of conductive material with you, that will help you jumpstart the current."

Manju frowned a bit. "Using a gimmick would cheapen my skill."

Cael shrugged. "Just a bit of advice."

He turned to Echidna last, and smiled a bit. "Nüwa, goddess and second Great Sovereign of ancient China, the woman-headed snake that made man from clay and repaired the pillars of heaven with colored stone. You seem to fit the mould quite well. Talk to Miss Zee, a teacher on this campus - she's an elemental manipulator like you, and would be able to give you advice on filtering and improving your control."

[Kynthia]

Echidna just continued to look at the ground as Cael started to give advice to all of them. She coiled her tail around and made it so that she was able to 'sit' on top of the mass of tail. The Grecian was picking away at a hang nail on her right thump when she heard Cael address her.

Echidna looked up in surprise when Cael called her Nuwa. She frowned as explained just who Nuwa was and how the name seemed to fit her. The brunette disagreed. No...bearing the name of the Mother of Monsters suited her far better than a creation goddess. After all, it was due to her and her power that her family and first home were burned. Even if she did have control over the Earth, or at least a little bit so, she still didn't see much of a connection. No...she must keep her adopted name. So that she would always remember what they did, and pay them in full.

Still, the snake-girl's tail flipped when she heard that there was another person on the island who had control over the elements. Even if she couldn't find out what she was, Echidna might as well learn more about her powers so that she could defend herself and others more. Maybe then she wouldn't have to lose anything every again.

"Thank you, Cael, I'll be sure to go visit her," Echidna said with a smile, then frowned as she looked down at her tail and then back at the skirt she dropped to the side after her transformation.

"Um...do you people mind if I stay like this?" The Grecian asked as she picked up the skirt. "It's awkward to change back since...well you know..." she blushed a little bit, "I could go into the bushes, but then my skirt is dirty-"

"Hey, no need to be explaining to us," Dequan said with a wide grin. "Ya might as well just stay as ya are. It's not like we got much to hide on this here island. Will ya get stares, sure, but like us I'm sure they'll get over it."

Echidna frowned as she thought a bit then nodded and just put the skirt on top of her bag as she uncoiled. "Very well. I actually don't mind, I feel a lot more comfortable with my tail out. I'm more connected with the Earth this way."

"Personally I think you should be connected with the water..." Manju said, causing Echidna to blink in confusion. She opened her mouth to ask why the East-Indian girl just turned around and started to walk towards the dorms.

"We should get moving," was her only answer to the unspoken question.

"Geez, how big of a stick did they shove up her ass?" Dequan asked, then smiled at Echidna as he slapped her on the back, making the brunette cry out.

"Ah don't worry about it," the more muscle bound twin said, ignoring the girl's cry of pain, "I'm sure she'll come 'round eventually. Ya just worry about ya'self. Got no time to worry about little bitches like her."

"Yeah...I guess," Echidna said as she rubbed the shoulder Dequan hit. "Still...I wonder what her back story is, why is like she is."

Dequan just grunted. "Meh, I ain't got time for that, and neither do you," he said, then looked back over to Cael. "So, teach, where were you going to take use again?"

[Gleam]

Cael snorted. "Nah, stay like that if you want." he said. "There's one kid here that goes around as a giant blue bear all the time. If we can adjust to the world's largest teletubby, you're no sweat compared to that."

As Manju stalked ahead he added, "In Hinduism, nagas - more snake people - are commonly found inn lakes and rivers. That's what she's probably referring to." The guide raised his voice. "Yo, Manju, heading to the cafeteria?"

Manju didn't bother to turn around, instead simply waving back over her shoulder. Dequan whistles, glancing up at Cael to see how he takes it - the older student shrugs it off, unbothered. "Like I said," he noted, "No chaperones. She hasn't got any need to listen to me. C'mon, we might as well head there too. God knows that it's a long boat ride here from land."

Barrado spoke up for the first time, voice a curious, sweet tenor. "Might be boatsick."

Cael paused to consider this, then chuckled. "That would be apropos." he admitted. "I think I'll go with that as an explanation. C'mon, goof troop, let's hit the cafeteria."

[Kynthia]

Echidna blushed deeply when Cael also confirmed that her current form was just fine. She did take note that there was another person on this island who could shift their form. Of course, there could be even more than that for all the Grecian knew. Heck there might even be one that could also partly turn into a snake who might know what was going on. Echidna did not have much hope for this. Still, she felt more comfortable with her tail out, so she liked that no one minded.

The girl also nodded when Cael explained what Manju had been talking about earlier. A naga, huh? If her powers had anything to do with water, she might have had hope that this would be the answer. Since it wasn't, however, Echidna just had to accept that things were going to be more difficult than what she originally intended. Oh well, she'll find the answer one way or another.

"I don't think it's seasickness," Echidna said as she slithered after her new friends. "I mean...I've seen it quite a bit with the tourists who come visit the islands and they usually don't act like that after getting off, or even while their sick."

Dequan let out a loud laugh and even Barrado gave a wide smile. The girl blinked, not understanding what exactly was going on. The more talkative twin just grinned at her confused expression and said; "Ah, don't ya worry about it there Echid. Maybe being on a boat affected our little ball of light over there differently than others. I think I heard somewhere that water displaces electricity or something like that. In any case, it's a better explanation then just saying she's a bitch."

"I guess..." Echidna muttered before letting out a long sigh, letting everything go for now.

The girl looked over as they neared the cafeteria and heard her stomach grumble. She sighed once again as she heard Dequan laugh. Guess she was pretty hungry after the long boat ride. Picking up speed, Echidna slithered past her school mates and Cael and went to the door. She stopped at the entrance and turned around to wait for the others to catch up. The Grecian would have gone in, but she didn't know where everything was and she didn't want to seem like she was too embarrassed about her comments and actions.

[Gleam]

Cael quirked an eyebrow at Echidna and pushed the door open to the cafeteria, revealing a wide room full of tables with a bank of machinery taking up the far wall. Most of the kids were getting meals out of the machines, but there was a kitchen cozened into the back corner with a standard layout, and a tall, olive-skinned boy, bare-footed and in loose, airy clothing, was puttering around inside of it.

"Grab whatever you want from the Food Bank, it's got a range of stuff." Cael said with a nod. "You can try to make something in the kitchen, but Khorwah's got a stick up his ass about people invading his kitchen, so I don't advise it."

"That guy?" Dequan said, pointing at the barefooted boy, who was mixing some kind of honeyed spice.

"Yep." Cael said, popping the 'p' sound. "Good enough guy, but starchy as hell."

Manju had already deposited herself at an empty table with a full tray of food, attacking it with focused vigor. Cael could honestly say he'd never seen a girl eat so fast. "Well if she's that hungry I suppose I can't blame her." he said, blinking. Then he ambled over to the Food Bank and ordered up some watermelon in a bowl, offering it to Barrado.

He didn't look amused.

[Kynthia]

Echidna frowned at the quirked eyebrow Cael gave her but decided not to comment on it. It wouldn't be smart to dig herself an even deeper hole...

That thought in mind, the girl followed the fair headed boy into the cafeteria. She blinked a few times as they reached it and she saw how busy it was. Though that really shouldn't be a surprise to her, since they were all probably just as if not more hungry than herself. Naturally the girl herself was getting many stares but none looked hostile at the moment so she just did her best to ignore them.

She looked over as Cael pointed to the olive skinned boy who was very focused on the spice he was making. Echidna titled her head slightly at the chef. He looked like he came from the Mediterranean, but definitely not Greek or Italian. Actually, she couldn't quite make out where he was from. Oh well, maybe she could ask later.

The Grecian frowned as Cael offered the fruit to Barrado and didn't understand why he didn't look happy about. Of course, he was perfectly calm compared to Dequan who looked livid. The twin opened his mouth to say something but Barrado just held out his hand and and shook it. Instead, the calmer twin just walked over to Food Bank and got some pasta. Dequan gave one last glare to Cael before going up and doing the same.

Echidna let out a breath she wasn't aware that she had been holding in as the twins sat down on the table Manju was sitting, though the girl only gave them the barest of nods before she continued to devour her food. The brunette took a look at them before also slithering over to the Food Bank. Not quite knowing what to get and at the same time wanting to know how well the bank could be, Echidna simply asked for a bowl of Fasolada. She had to admit, she was impressed that they actually had it.

The girl had a smile on her face as she went over to the table her friends were sitting at. She positioned herself so that she was sitting on the side, facing away from her peers and did her best to hide most of her tail under the table so that no one would trip or step on it. Echidna also coiled it up as best she could in the limited room she had, though a good foot still stuck out even after she did her best to keep it under. Oh well, at least the soup was good.

[Gleam]

"Odd place already." Dequan commented, as he takes a seat beside his brother. His mouth is still tight from the prankish nature of their student guide, but he made the effort to change the subject. "Friggin' weird - no chaperones at all? Why even bother tryin' to lay down rules then? I'm not seein' it."

"Cameras?" Barrado theorized, and took a bite of his pasta, nodding in satisfaction afterward.

"I'm not seein' any." Dequan replied, as he glanced around the room. "Think they got some superpower stored somewhere that lets 'em know what's going on everywhere? Big Brother the campus, eh."

Manju paused her demolition of her soup. "That's most likely." she stated. "They want to keep an eye on us." She immediately returned to eating, though her pace slowed a bit - she must have missed breakfast to be so hungry. That or her power required calories to activate.

"The school does have a vested interest in making sure you all don't kill each other, yes." Cael commented, plunking himself down in between Manju and Echidna, ignoring the glowers of the twins across the table. "But generally there isn't much interference. You make your own schedules, pick your dorms, find your own clubs. Sounds basic, but if you're going to have superpowers, you definitely need to learn responsibility like this."

[Kynthia]

"Seems like a very hands off approach to teaching us responsibility," Echidna said as she continued to sip away at her soup. "Not that I think that it's an entirely bad thing... but I guess that I don't have a lot of faith in humanity."

"Yeah, it's like that one guy...what was his name again?" Dequan said as she tapped the table. "Oh you know...the one that raised his kids by not doing anything at all? Ah... nevermind, it's not coming to me. But you guys know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Sort of," Manju said when she finally finished eating her tray and got up. "Not that I really care. If there's no one to get in my way of becoming stronger, then that's all the better for me."

The East-Indian girl picked up her tray and walked over to the garbage area. Putting her scraps and trash into the container and placing the tray on top, walked out of the cafeteria.

"Correction, she has an entire tree up her ass," Dequan said causing Barrado to snicker.

Echidna just smiled at the commented and once again put the spoon up to her mouth before she realized that there was no soup left. Uncoiling from under the table, the Grecian 'stood' up as well.

"I'll be right back, I just need to put the dishes away," Echidna said as she went over to where the dirty dishes were placed.

On the way her eyes drifted over to the boy Cael had called 'Khorwah', still cooking away at something. This time, curiosity over rode her normal shyness and she slithered over to where the boy stood.

"That smells good..." the brunette said as she neared him. She was silent for a beat as she thought of what else to say. "Um...well...I hate to be forward but...ah...may I ask where you're from?"

[Gleam]

The olive-skinned boy glanced over. Dark, curly hair swung and settled around his eyes for a moment, before a faint smile crossed his face. "I certainly hope so." he notes, stirring the pot before him. "Avolegomo is, perhaps, a standard course, but there is no reason I cannot make it a joy to eat."

He inclined his head to Echidna. "Pazin, on the Istrian penninsula of Croatia." he answered, unbothered by the question. "A little ways east of northern Italy, if that makes it any easier for you to picture. I take it you are a new student here as well?"

[Kynthia]

"Oh, so that's Avolegomo," Echidna replied as she looked a bit closer at the dish. "I've heard it before but must admit that I've never seen nor tasted it."

When Khorwah told her where he was from, the Grecian couldn't help but smile. Finally, someone she could relate to at least a little bit! Sure she had never been to Croatia herself, but have seen and met a couple people from that area and at least they both came from the same little corner of the world. Not to mention he didn't seem bothered by the question.

"Yes, I just arrived on the boat this morning," Echidna said in response to his question, the end of her tail moving back and forth excitedly. "I'm from Crete, Greece myself. That's why I asked, I could tell that you came from the Mediterranean but couldn't pin point where. Of course...I haven't really travelled much. Around the islands, of course, but no where past Greece itself. So...this is all so new to me! I've tourists of course and..."

The snake girl slowly stopped talking as she realized that she was just rambling on. She fiddled with her fingers as she said, "Sorry about that, guess I just got excited. So, um, how long have you been at the school for?"

[Gleam]

"I am surprised you have not sampled it then, it is a traditional Greek first course." Jacob noted. "But then, Crete may have its own style of cuisine. I am not so deeply studied."

He straightened and turned away from the stove, still stirring it idly with one hand. The smile widened a little at Echidna's enthusiasm, becoming less polite and more honest. "I understand - my home is rather isolated, so coming here is a bit of a shock. I have had the good fortune to sail a great deal, so I have seen much of the Mediterranean. This many children in one place, however? Shah. I feel the need to board up some windows."

The boy tapped the spoon clean on the edge of the pot. "I have been here a little less than two weeks. I was one of the first to arrive, owing to the fact I have my own viable transportation - that being a small boat."

He offered a hand to Echidna, tilting his head in amusement. "Before I forget - I am Jacob Khorwah, miss. I am pleased to meet you."

[Kynthia]

"If what you say is true, then it really is a surprise that I have never tried it before," Echidna said as she frowned in thought, then just shook her head and laughed. "Oh well, I can't why or why not the vineyard workers never did make that meal while I was around. Not that it really matters, I suppose."

The Grecian's smile turned shy as Jacob introduced himself and placed her hand inside of his. "It's a pleasure to meet you too Jacob, my name is Echidna Desdemona," the girl as she shook the hands before letting go.

"Well, I'm glad to know there's at least one person I can talk to," Echidna said as she turned back to look at the cafeteria, seeing a new group of students enter where the old group had left. She noted that Cael and the others were also gone. Oh well, maybe this would be a good chance to explore a bit. Though not at the moment, at least...

"Though I have to admit...I don't understand the lack of chaperones," Echidna said as she moved some of her hair behind her right ear and let her tail stick out to the side a bit for a more comfortable position. "I'm not weak or anything, but I also don't have a lot of fighting experience. I mostly just run. I know that sounds like I'm a coward, and maybe I am, but I also knew that I couldn't win.

"However..." the brunette added with a sigh as she turned back to look at Jacob, "I guess I better learn. Every one of these kids are stronger than a normal human, and there's so many of them on this small island. There's no way I can run forever. Do you know anyone who could teach me how to fight? Cael already told me about a Miss Zee who could help me with my powers, but how about a person with hand-to-hand combat?"

[Gleam]

Jacob turned back to the soup and stirred it a bit more, then took it off the stove to cool. He promptly moved down to the next stove in line, checking on what looked like mousaka inside of it. "I admit to not understanding it either, though it just seems to be due to lack of staff." Jacob commented. "The island is considerably understaffed. There is a single nurse, for example, for what has to be over two hundred superpowered children." He shrugged and smiled. "I see obvious problems inherent in this."

Jacob looked Echidna over briefly, his brows furrowing in thought. "I do not think anyone here knows terribly much about hand-to-hand fighting, particularly with your physiology. But I admit to a certain -" he grimaced embarassedly - "experience with it, and I could pass some of that onto you, if you would like."

A faint smile slipped across the Mediterranean boy's face. "Though, I admit, it has been some time since I practiced much."

[Kynthia]

Echidna couldn't help but to look down at her tail when Jacob mentioned 'physiology'. The girl had honestly forgotten that she still had her tail. She blushed a bit but quickly got rid of it. There was no point in being embarrassed about it. Clearly no one cared, for Jacob had not mentioned it until now and no one had come up to ask her about it... or worse.

At his offer to teach her, Echidna smiled widely. "No, I wouldn't mind at all if you taught me," she said, "and if it has been a while since you last practice, then maybe this could be a learning experience for the both of us."

The brunette frowned as she once more glanced at her tail. "Though...how would you want to teach me? Despite what you may see, I'm not always like this. I can change my tail into a pair of legs and vice versa in an instant. Although I would like to learn how to fight with my tail more, I don't want to hurt you."

She sighed deeply. "Another problem with running away...I don't know my own strength as well as I should," Echidna said and placed her left head upon a raised portion of her thick, bronze coloured tail. "Regardless...however you want to teach me can wait after you are done cooking, I'm guessing. Unless of course you have something else you need to do, in which case I may be able to help. Since I don't really have anything else to do at the moment."

[Gleam]

Jacob huffed in amusement, sliding a glance to Echidna out of the corner of one eye. "While it might be good for a surprise, you are evidently more comfortable in this form, and so it is the one I will instruct you in. And you have calluses enough to have practiced some with physical labor, so I will trust in your self-control, I think."

He tapped the oven. "I will give it perhaps six minutes to cook, and then I can set it out to cool, and we can go find the gymnasium and feel each other out there." He grinned a little, a wry hint warming his eyes. "If you could give me a hand washing the dishes until then, I will box the food and bring it along for us to eat afterwards."

[Kynthia]

Echidna frowned a bit as she looked down at her hands and turned them over. True, her hands were quite callused. Obviously from all of her years working in the vine yard which turned out to be owned by her uncle. Though they were not as bad as many of the workers in the field, she would not be called for any hand modelling jobs ever.

"It's true that I've dealt in a good deal of physical labour, I got these calluses by working in a vineyard," Echidna explained, then smiled a bit. "While it's true I do have some control, as I was able to pick many a grab without tearing the vine, I also wasn't trying to fight against someone or protect myself. Still, I'll do my best to not disappoint your judgement."

At his suggestion that she help him with the dishes, the brunette smiled widely. "I don't mind that at all! Especially if it means I get to have some real Mediterranean food!" She said and slithered into the kitchen, doing her best to make sure that her tail wasn't in the way of anything or where someone would trip over it.

Echidna made her way over to the washing machine and picked up some of the discarded pots and pans, she also used her tail to wrap around anything that were more than an arm's length away.

"So Jacob," Echidna said as she turned her head to looked at the olive skinned boy, still working to put the dishes away, "do you live on your own? I mean before you came here, of course. You to know a lot and are very mature for a boy your age."