School Life

[wild_child]

The upcoming semester was still some ways away, but the school was rapidly becoming a new place, especially as quite a few early attendees were getting themselves moved in and settled.

Rose had already had a "fight" with about three of them and resisted punching another two in the nose.

Plus all the noise and smells were starting to get to her, especially the various sanitizers and furniture polishes and the like.

She really wasn't supposed to, but she'd be eighteen pretty quickly anyway, she was real good at covering up evidence. Except for telepaths, but that she wasn't worried about.

So she'd found an out of the way corner on the grounds to light up a cigarette and fume.

Comments

[dark_scion]

"No, I don't," he admitted flatly. "Such things do not interest me."

[wild_child]

"Yeah, well, me neither," Rose said. "Can't stand it."

[dark_scion]

"But you are a girl, unless all my biology studies fail me. Why wouldn't you desire to partake in "girl things"?

[wild_child]

"I'd sooner chop m' own hand off," Rose said. "...Course, it'd grow back. But it'd hurt like the dickens."

She puffed on her cigarette some more. "Ain't never been the type. Always been more in ta scrapin' and choppers an' gettin' out in the world than tryin' ta be some pretty princess prettier than all the other princesses."

[dark_scion]

"Hmm, now that you mention it it does sound like a lot of fuss for little benefit," he observed.

[wild_child]

Rose kept up a pretty steady stream of smoke. The cigarettes were the cheap kind, and a bit pungent. But they were useful for occupying some of her super-senses.

"See?" she said. "Ya get it."

She puffed again, then pulled the pack out of her pocket. "Ya want one?"

[dark_scion]

Fred's nose wrinkled back akin to a dog who picked up a bad smell.

"No thank you..I'd rather my lungs remain healthy."

[wild_child]

That got a laugh out of her.

"Good call."

She puffed away some more. "Good thing I got a healin' factor then."

[dark_scion]

"Indeed. Unfortunately that has not been among the seemingly random mutations I've had," he said, sounding somewhat annoyed by that fact.

[wild_child]

She replaced the pack in her pocket.

"How ya settlin' in?"

[dark_scion]

"I have yet to determine if my timing was fortuitous or lamentable," he answered. "Arriving at a time change has its pros and cons."

[wild_child]

"That it does," she agreed. "Course, 'round here, change happens a lot."

[dark_scion]

"Still, so long as it does not affect my presence here, I will adapt," he said with resolve.

[wild_child]

Yeah, you're just oodles of laughs, aren't you? Rose thought, but she decided to keep it to herself. She'd probably be no fun either if she was a clone/genetic experiment on the run from a sadistic geneticist.

"Good on ya," she said instead. "Never thought I'd see th' day when the school was out in the open like this. Reckon that's always been th' goal though."

[dark_scion]

"Staying secret likely would have been the better alternative long-term, but given your situation, becoming a public institution is the pragmatic approach," he surmised.

[wild_child]

"Paints a pretty big target too," Rose admitted. "Lot of people linin' up ta see us fail."

[dark_scion]

"At least you can claim self-defense," Fred said dryly, completely neutral as to whether he was serious or not.

[wild_child]

Rose snickered a bit at that. "Let's see if that works on the giant robots when they show up on our lawn."

[dark_scion]

"Giant robots? Sounds to me you need someone on standby who understands robotics."

[wild_child]

"Sentinels," Rose said. "Giant mutant hunting robots the government likes to uncork every now and then."

[dark_scion]

"I am aware of them. The Dark beast kept information on the machines in his archives."

[wild_child]

"Fortunately," Rose said, "if there's one thing pretty much everyone 'round here is good at, it's smashin' 'em up."

[dark_scion]

"If you say so. I still say some manner of anti-robotics countermeasure would be prudent if this happens so frequently," Fred pointed out.

[wild_child]

"Well, ta be fair, I think Professor Ramsey's probably been workin' on that one. He's the computer egghead."

[dark_scion]

"I would hope so. I would hate to think this institution would not learn from history."