Dog Days [open]

[Sidra Cotton]

The wave had carried Sidra further into the lake, and while her electric violin had been left on the shore, the damage had been done. There was no telling if the electronics would dry properly or if the silt would even come out. She'd have to research that later, when she was calm and of a decent mind.

Now was not that time.

About to lunge again, a feat made more difficult when wading through knee-high water. She was half way back to him, her own abilities not useful for the fight at hand. It would be easy enough to go intangible and have the waves go through her, but her clothes, hair falls, and fangs would go out in the pond be MOST difficult to find again. OR not be found at all. Even in her anger, Si wasn't willing to lose her stuff. She had that much control at least.

The shrill whistle cut through the air and pierced her ears. Jeez but it was loud.

And effective. Her attention was drawn to the man... no folks on shore. Three by her count, all adults. All security. Crap.

Squaring her shoulders, Sidra tilted her chin up at a particularly obstinate angle and crossed her arms over drenched clothes. Had he just called them kids? So maybe they'd been acting like it, but she'd be damned if that was going to slide. Security or not, she was in an even worse mood than before the unfortunate meeting with the water wielder.

"NOT a kid." Even as she said it Sidra heard the words and knew that they doomed her to be labeled such again. How often had she had that argument with her bother. Her calling him the kid, and he responding in exactly the same way.

[Zaeric Blackwood]

Zaer hadn't seen the man come over, or the others from security staff. He didn't know any of them. There was a small crowd gathering and he bit his lip. Great. Within a few hours it would be all over the place that he and this girl he didn't even know had been in a fight and people would be pestering him about it. He cast a cold glance to wards the girl and made a snarling face. He didn't have any clue what her power was. What was she waiting for anyway, permission? Maybe she had something she couldn't use now, something he couldn't think of. Anyway, Zaer didn't care that much.

The man gave an ear piercing whistle and he turned his cold, unamused glance to him. Kids? How could you call them kids when they were almost adults? It just wasn't going to fly with him, not with the mood he was in.
" I am NOT a kid!" Zaer shouted, almost at the same time as Fang girl yelled something very similar. Well, at least they could agree on one thing. It had taken him forever to get out of the "kid" shadow, one his father had always lorded over him and which he took great offense to. It didn't help it was coming from some authority figure. His mind was weighing the options of what to do here. He could either get out and cave to authority, of which the girl would take advantage of reminding him of in the future, or he could stay. A little voice in his mind whispered stay, stay, stay and today he was very much inclined to listen to it.

Standing in water halfway up his shins Zaer just crossed his arm and raised an eyebrow, turning back to the girl to see what she was going to do. He was in no way going to let this be over just because some adult, even someone from security staff, end this for him.

[Vincent Romanov]

Vincent stood on the shore of the pond, unmoving and unmovable. His whistle had garnered the attention of the two fighting it out, but it seemed that was about all he was going to garner. Neither the boy or girl seemed to be giving ground, standing defiantly in the water, both soaked completely through. The fish, he was sure, were in a frenzy with all the commotion going on and Vincent just prayed that none of them had been killed. Koi weren't exactly cheap or easy to come by and if Hammel's population of them were diminished by this fight, Vincent wouldn't hear the end of it for months. There wasn't nothing like having your superior give you lecture on the cost of exotic fish.

Letting out a sigh, Vincent crossed his arms and looked up at the sky, pondering his next move. He really didn't want to wade out into the pond and drag either one of these kids to his office. Sure, he had a change of clothes in his locker at the security station, but those were for real emergencies, like having a pyrokinetic set your clothes on fire or something. "Listen," he said, lowering his head and his gaze back out to both Sidra and Zaeric, "I'm almost forty years old and unless either one of you can somehow instantly become fifty, you still going to be a kid to me no matter how grown up you think you are," he said sternly, "Now, I'm only going to say this one more time. Out of the pond and over here with me," he said, calmly but the tone in his voice growing more annoyed.

Vincent had sort of a certain image and reputation around Hammel with the students. Those who had had the joy of encountering him during one of the rule breaking escapades, usually never forgot him. Authority was to be respected as long as authority was within its rightful command. If the students here didn't like him, then that was tough. He wasn't here to win some popularity contest nor did he really care what some teenager thought of him. He was here to protect the school and her inhabitants as well as keep the peace within the grounds.

[Sidra Cotton]

As far as Sidra was concerned she wasn't the one who had started the fight. Nor was she going to be the one to bend first. Pride was deeply rooted within her, even soggy and dripping as she was, with the eyeliner streaking her unnaturally white face. Her hairfalls clung to her cheeks and neck, some had been washed out leaving her own chemically altered hair tangled and stuck. She looked a mess, but the Hick Boy wasn't any better than she was really. He just hadn't had a fish feeling him up.

Keeping her arms crossed over her chest, the goth didn't budge. Ordered to or not, she would not leave the pond before Zaer. That would be too much like a retreat. A giving of ground. An admittance of defeat. Sure to hear about it later when her father (and subsequently mothers) heard about her fight, the girl silently weighed her options and decided it would be worth it. The exile she'd been forced into when attending Hammel was more than enough punishment. What more could they do to her?

Nothing more.

In for a penny, in for a pound, her Gram used to say. Well, she was well in it, and she might as well see it through to the end. Never. NEVER would she allow herself to be the first to bow to a demand when there was a lesser being there. Especially when said lesser being was currently the focus of her wrath.

Zaer was going to get it. Sooner or later. She'd have her revenge.

[Zaeric Blackwood]

The girl was staying, which meant he was staying too. The Hammel security officer could kiss his ass, even if he was the head of security, because there was no way he was going to move an inch before the ego pumped, deranged goth girl. Just wasn't happening. He was too competitive to even think about it. He let that mindset fall over and line every muscle in his thin body until the determination practically made him look like he was an iceberg.

Zaer thought of ways of using his power defensively so that he wouldn't be breaking any rules. He knew there had to be some kind of rule about attacking staff, so he was going to turn the pond water he stood in to ice to make it so they literally had to drag him out. But that would be a last resort because after that he wouldn't be able to do anything for a long while. A headache was already growing in his head and he knew that was the warning sign that he had gone too far.

A smile curved up in the corner of his mouth and he looked at the security man. His head shook slightly, challenge growing even more in his eyes.
" Sorry, not happening." He said in a sarcastic voice.

[Vincent Romanov]

It was more than painfully clear that neither the boy nor the girl was going to budge from their spot, no matter how uncomfortable they were. It was foolishness really, and the only reason why neither one of them moved was stupid pride. Teenagers and their hormones, what a curse to inflict upon the world. Vincent remembered his youth and how stubborn he could be, but he couldn't remember being this stubborn, which meant he probably was. Both Sidra and Zaeric knew they were neck deep in trouble by now and so they were going to rebel to the fullest. Vincent had been afraid of this, which meant he was going to have to switch tactics if he wanted to get this situation under his control and over with quickly. Clearly, intimidation wasn't going to work, neither was scare tactics. This left a few options open, but those meant more work than was really needed. If these two would just swallow their damn pride then Vincent could get this over with and get back to his other duties.

"So, let me see if I understand something here," he said, rubbing his eyes with his hand, "You two plan on just standing there until I leave and let you off scott free, is that it?," he asked, his hand dropping from his eyes and his gaze back to both Sidra and Zaeric. "Okay, let's play that game and see how it ends then shall we?," he asked, reaching inside his pants pocket, pulling out a PDA. Vincent held the device up, switching the camera function on as he focused the image of Zaeric first. "I've got access to each and every personal record of every student here at Hammel," he said, taking Zaeric's picture and then turning the device toward Sidra and taking her picture. "Now, I can either take the two of you with me now, of your own free will or I can wait until your in your next class and send a security unit to escort you to my office where you'll be assigned weekly sessions with Dr. Neville," he said, smiling now.

Vincent dropped his gaze from the two standing in the pond, lowering his PDA while his fingers moved across the touch screen, bringing up the electronic files of both Zaeric and Sidra. Vincent said nothing else while he looked over Zaeric's file first. He looked at the boy's meta ability first and then skimmed over his school record to see if he had any previous security flags. Sidra was next, Vincent looking over the same information, taking his time as he waited on the two to make their final decision.

[Sidra Cotton]

Her glower deepened when Hick Boy didn't immediately tuck tail and run to shore. He had more of a spine than she'd given him credit for where authority was concerned. Fine. Whatever. It was a hot day, the water was actually more comfortable--even if it was going to be a bitch and a half to get the corset and remainder of her things cleaned properly again.

It deepened again when Security Guy took her picture and explained. Weekly sessions with Sean? She'd just gotten out of those, as would be seen in her file. There wasn't much in the way of disciplinary action. A few detentions. Calls and Emails to parents. A notation that the parents were divorced. Her sessions with Sean, and her bare effort on school work. She hadn't used her abilities against anyone, but had what was considered an 'attitude problem'.

Being dragged out of class wasn't really much of a punishment either, since classes were usually dull and it would liven things up. Really. He'd have to do better.

Push and shove. That's how it worked.

"Find anything interesting?" Sidra snarked at Vincent. Easing her scowl she began to study her fingernails. Man, she really needed to stop biting them. Maybe paint them clear and file them into points. It was appropriately gothy and would serve to add that little bit of extra to her over all look.

That decided Si lifted her eyes to sneak a peek at Vincent.

They were all at a standoff, it seemed.

[Zaeric Blackwood]

Opt for weekly sessions with Doc? Well, he could handle that. He'd seen the man around Campus and had talked to him a few times but had never really had to go see Dr. Neville. Maybe it would be a refresher or something like that. Either way the idea that it would be punishment made his eyes roll. In fact, if they could have rolled any further they just might have rolled out of the back of his head. He didn't usually act like this, but these people weren't his friends and he wasn't going to let them roll him over like he would anyone else. This was the playing field and he figured the ball was on his teams side. If he could call this moment of having the same idea as Sidra a 'team' moment. not likely the thought ran through his head.

The security guard took his picture and Zaer smiled. So what was on that record? He had a sister here, his parents were divorced, his dad was an alcoholic who was hopefully rotting in jail for something stupid. He skipped math class alot and managed pretty good grades in everything else. He was in soccer. Nothing much of interest there. Nothing to go by to say he was even a remotely bad kid. A few fights in the past, similar to this one, and being caught out after curfew. Didn't every teen have a life like that. He was just going to wait for the man to leave so he could hopefully continue to pound the tar out of Sidra with water or ice until he went past his limits and collapsed. Right now he didn't even care that that was what the man was trying to prevent. He wanted to turn around so badly right now and finish what had been started that it wasn't even funny.

" Having fun Mr. Hall Monitor? I'm sure that lovely device can tell you all the wonderful achievements I've made." His voice dripped with heavy sarcasm, which was growing to be more like acid than anything else at the moment.

[Vincent Romanov]

Attitude came in spades with these two. Vincent casually scrolled through the personal file of both students as they continued their smart mouth routine. Spending time with Sean wasn't really a punishment as the man was far too easy on people. However, it was having the humiliation of being escorted like a five year old which would take its toll later on. There wasn't anything like having someone hold your hand from class to class, especially if it was another teacher. Sidra and Zaeric might think it was funny, but when they found themselves the butt of every joke in school, it wouldn't be so funny then. Reputation was everything to people of this age and these two seemed very worried about their reputation right now. Neither was giving ground because they didn't want to lose to the other. It was a matter of principle.

Nothing of interest popped up in Zaeric or Sidra's files. It was the usual for both. A few minor violations and some detentions, but nothing earth shattering. Vincent was dealing with kids and nothing more. He nodded his head as Zaeric spotted of another quip, putting his PDA away back in his pocket. "Nothing more fun than rounding up some kindergarten kids," Vincent said as he sighed and stepped out into the pond to fetch his new friends. The water was cold and his clothes began to stick to body. Vincent hated wet socks, mostly because they were nearly impossible to get off. He moved toward Zaeric as the boy was the one with any real power threat. Sidra had no offensive ability and so she went to the back burner so to speak.

Vincent wasted no time in closing the gap between he and Zaeric. The boy had two very impressive abilities, but the notes in his file showed he wasn't in full control of his abilities. Vincent guessed by the boy's strained look that he was approaching the limit of his control. Cryokinesis was a threatening ability for sure, but Vincent had experience on his side. Stopping just short of Zaeric, Vincent looked down on the boy. He smiled and then laughed as he looked the wet puppy over. "I remember when kids used to have respect for authority. Not a like but a respect. Just another virtue lost in the world today I guess," Vincent said as he laughter died and he settled his gaze on Zaeric. They both stood in the cold water, just staring for a minute. "Let me guess Zaeric, you got some daddy issues or something? Maybe mommy didn't let you suckle long enough? Is that why you got this wanna be tough attitude? That why you like picking on a student who can't fight back? Maybe if you can make little miss Cotton cry, then daddy will come by and give you a hug? That it boy?," he asked, purposely pushing Zaeric into anger. Sure, it wasn't really professional, but in Vincent's line of work, being soft handed netted you empty results.

[Zaeric Blackwood]

The man closed the space between them faster than he would have liked, causing the boy to take a step backward, deeper into the water. That was fine, water he could deal with. A scowl carved across his face as he listened to the man, watched his movements. He could deal with just about everything the man said, except for the things about his dad. He hated his dad, mostly because the man was a meta hating and recently drunk jerk. That the security man suggested he needed a hug from his father and that was why he was picking fights rekindled the flame that the laughter had almost put out. And Miss Cotton? The deranged fang filed goth girls name was Miss Cotton? And she couldn't fight back ? Idiot! She probably has a defensive power! Even so, this guy's pissing me off. I don't care what trouble I get in now. I'm sooo done with this He took another step back and looked back, sending a nonverbal message to Little Miss Gothica Cotton. This is not over.

" If Little Miss Gothica couldn't fight back she shouldn't go picking fights in the first place, jerk." He said, icy cold voice sliding from his mouth.

Inside he let the last reserve of his power loose. He was going to regret it later, but it was the strongest part. He really wish he could make ice shards and so he could stab this guy and be done with it, but he couldn't manage anything but blunt blobs. So he opted for a raised ice wall. Maybe that would give him enough time to do something.

Zaer made a sharp movement and water full of sharp sand splashed towards the mans face. He didn't watch to see if it hit, but took another step back and brought both hands in and pulled them up, freezing the water into a rounded wall. This was going to be more of a game of cat and mouse, and Zaer knew he was probably going to get not only in serious trouble, but in a serious state of pain from going to far. In fact, he had never used his powers this much at one time and it was taking more of a strain on him than he realized. crap what next, what next. Ice marbles? he thought. He could make the little annoying hailstones of water, but as far as he knew they would do too much. In fact, he realized he had never worked on anything truly offensive for his powers.

the first thing I'm going to start working on when I get out of this mess is start working on offensive abilities

[Vincent Romanov]

Vincent's methods of doing things and how he treated the kids could be questioned highly, but he stood by every decision made. Vincent had never raised a hand against a student here, except maybe in an unscheduled boxing match with a few of his favorites. He believed fully in punishment for disobedience, but never an outright beating of a child. Zaeric had been pushing Vincent's buttons enough as it was, and Sidra hadn't been helping. However, upon seeing which one of these kids possessed the more potent power, Vincent began to let Sidra's attitude have a bit more tolerance from him. She wouldn't go unpunished though. Zaeric would be the lucky one of the two and earn the harshest punishment.

Vincent had succeeded in getting under Zaeric's skin with the remarks about his parents. It was low sure, but if Zaeric could stand there and throw insults, then he was big enough to take some teasing back. Vincent couldn't be sure how Zaeric could or would react to Vincent bad mouthing him, but no matter what he did, Vincent was prepared to deal with it. The water which rose and launched itself at him wasn't a surprise, after all, this was part of Zaeric's powers and something he felt comfortable with, which meant it would be the first thing he jumped to in reaction to his hate toward Vincent. Vincent closed his eyes and readied his body for the cold shock of the wave, however it never came. Slowly opening his eyes, Vincent stood there in a bit of awe. Zaeric had managed to create a rounded ice wall to protect himself from Vincent.

Vincent smiled and stepped back a step from the ice wall. "Impressive," he said, still smiling. Zaeric might have been a hooligan, but he had a pretty good control of his ability. Whoever was training Zaeric was doing a very good job. Reaching out, Vincent ran his large hand over the ice wall, noting how thick the ice was. It wasn't too thick and would be easy to shatter, but had Zaeric had more water to work with, he might have put up something which might force Vincent to seek an alternative around it. With a sigh, Vincent glanced to Sidra, making note of what she was doing and if she was still there. He wouldn't have Zaeric hurting the girl anymore today and vice versa.

Turning his attention back to the ice wall, Vincent formulated a plan through this minor obstacle. Taking a step closer, Vincent struck out at the ice wall with is palm. He focused what little bit of kinetic energy he had into the strike, emitting a concentrated blast of concussive energy from his hand. It was like a shock wave from some sort of explosive. The ice cracked and began to fall apart. Vincent then pushed hard against the wall, putting even more pressure on the weakened structure. It gave way all too easily, crumbling down around Vincent and Zaeric's feet. Vincent gave Zaeric a wink, "I admit kid, you've got some talent. Too bad you waste it by picking on someone who obviously can't compare," Vincent said, feeling his chest tighten up a bit. This sort of attack took its toll on his body, but he couldn't let either one of these students see any sign of weakness in him.

[Sidra Cotton]

That why you like picking on a student who can't fight back? Maybe if you can make little miss Cotton cry, then daddy will come by and give you a hug?

Sidra bristled at the implication that she couldn't, or wouldn't fight back. She'd managed quite well, thank-him-very-much!

"Excuse the hell out of you, Hick Boy," that was directed at both the security officer and the already labeled 'hick boy'. They were in the same pond... so to speak, and thus got painted with the same brush. "I don't have to resort to using abilities to kick your ass."

Big words for a soaking wet girl, but she was pissed. She took Zaer's challenge of 'this isn't over' and flipped him the bird. It either went unnoticed in the boy's action, but Sidra had to grudgingly admit a moderate amount of being impressed. The ice was a nifty trick.

"I admit kid, you've got some talent. Too bad you waste it by picking on someone who obviously can't compare," The Security guard's words stung, and Sidra fought to keep from clenching her teeth. No sense in breaking the custom fang work, it took too long to get them fixed and back. Dude lived in Georgia after all.

Taking a deep breath she concentrated on her molecules, on hardening herself against anything. It felt like it took forever, but in reality took only approximately thirty or so seconds before she was at a diamond intensity. But who to hit first? They had both been insulting. Vincent, then. His back was turned, and it was more or less an easy target, but he's said she couldn't compare. Couldn't stand up. Couldn't fight back.

Well Eff him.

Sidra lunged at him, a fist cocked back and aimed at his shoulder. It would be enough to let him know that she wasn't a helpless damsel in distress.

"Can't compare my ass," she hissed.

[Zaeric Blackwood]

Zaer didn't expect the man to shatter the wall so quickly. It was at least three inches thick, and the ice was...well, ice. Never the less that one punch of whatever the mans power was made cracks in the wall. He watched as it crumbled before him and the mans face was visible once more. But Zaer was ready for him, more so than he had been a moment ago. Fate decided to throw some luck his way when Sidra took offense to Vincents words. True, the 'Hick Boy' seemed to be aimed at both of them but he could ignore it in favor of the help she didn't realize she was giving. Well Mr.Hall Moniter, you didn't think about your words and how they would affect Goth Princess did you? Show's you shouldn't run your damned mouth so much. His acidic thoughts were about all he had left now. The idea of freezing Vincent where he stood wouldn't work if he could shatter three inches of ice the way he just did, which left Zaeric with only a few choices.

He made them quickly, lining up in his head just when his energy would run out and he would end up laying face first in the water, unconscious. He'd rather the man go away before then but he didn't see that happening. So it would most likely they would be dragging a passed out teen up to the Institute once Zaer exhausted himself. The thought that more practice would help in situations like this wryly crossed his mind, but then he realized he was doing as well as could be expected against someone with full control of their powers. All these thoughts flew by in seconds, and Zaer was moving once more.

He took control of the water, trying to get it to do what he wanted. Even now control was chancy at best and if he wasn't careful possibly deadly at worst. The water collected as he moved, finding motion helped direct his energies. Maybe in the future he could do all this and not move a muscle but that would be a long ways off. The boys fingers twitched and danced as he tried to think of the ice crystals as needles, going back to his original wish. This guy was going to be turned into a frosty pincushion. It would seem much like he had been attacked by a porcupine made of ice. At least, thats what he intended. Whether that would happen was still up in the air.

The crystals formed along with a few glittering marbles of ice and Zaer sent them moving on thier way, at very high speeds. About half of them were sharp crystals, some of them just sort of imitators that were more like the blunt blobs he was used to. Maybe anger had helped fuel the extreme sharpness of the crystals.

He had done his best to make sure they wouldn't hit Sidra, not knowing that at the moment it wouldn't really matter since she was diamond hard. The boy staggered, feeling his own strength was quickly coming to an end. He wasn't going to be able to put up with this much longer, if any longer at all. The sun that had made him so irritable beat down on him and only made him weaker since he wasn't consciously fighting the heat it brought. He could already see the black of fatigue causing spots to dance at the corner of his vision and grimaced. So it would more likely end that way. Great. If he went down Little Miss Gothica was never going to leave him alone. Which meant there were going to be lots of fights like this in the future. Probably every time he saw Sidra they would fight. Fun

I hope this ends soon. I'd like to send this guy packing before I keel over and Bat Brat gets the last laugh.

[Vincent Romanov]

Squaring off against these two wasn't much of a challenge for someone such as Vincent. An ability which made him invincible to almost any physical attack, not to mention combat training from one of the best military training facilities in the world. Vincent had to admit though, he was impressed with both Sidra and Zaeric, even if they were rather childish and still a bit green. Vincent hadn't counted on Sidra being able to harden her body to the strength of a diamond, nor had he counted on Zaeric to push himself this hard. Still though, neither stood a chance against Vincent.

Sidra was the first to hit Vincent, even though her aim was at his shoulder and not anywhere where it might have actually done some harm....if it were possible to begin with. There was a great deal of strength in the hit, enough to make Vincent take notice, his eyes leaving Zaeric, a rookie mistake which he knew better than to make. Even veterans made mistakes from time to time, good thing it was just a couple of kids he was facing off against. "Easy, girl," Vincent said with a scrunched up face as he addressed Sidra. His attention was misplaced as Zaeric was taking full advantage of the opportunity Sidra gave him. The boy had a few tricks up his sleeve it seemed before he gave out for the next thing which Vincent knew, he was being pelted by something sharp and frozen.

Zaeric's attack only fueled Vincent more, both physically and in rage as well. Smarting off to the head of security was one thing, but physically assaulting him was another. Vincent had been prepared to let these two go with a stern talk and then a warning, but now, it was going to be forced to take more action. "Enough!," he bellowed, quickly looking from Zaeric to Sidra and then back again, this time noticing the strained look on Zaeric's face. "Take it easy boy, your gonna push yourself too far," he said, giving Sidra a side glance quickly, making sure she wasn't going to try and hit him again. "We've all had our fun, but now its time to turn it in and pay the piper here."

[Sidra Cotton]

"Maybe you shouldn't come into a situation and insult the people you're trying to get to stop fighting? You kinda suck at this whole truant officer thing. Or whatever your title is." Sidra glared, not that she did much else. "We were FINE before you showed up." That wasn't true, but she wasn't about to give this adult who thought he could just stroll in and more or less call her "lesser" because her powers weren't as flashy as the water boys.

She was far from weak. Sidra figured if anything she was superior. So he could spray water around. Awesome. Lovely. Could even throw ice balls and pikes at people. Useful. IF his aim was good enough to land any o fit. Dork.

The security guy was another story. He seemed to be able to handle whatever was thrown at him, but no one was invincible. Everyone had a weakness. Everyone.

She'd find his, and either use it immediately, or bide her time until the impact was worth more. Wasn't it bad enough she had been more or less stolen from her family (read: not given the option of declining the 'privileged' of going to a private school far away and having her parents pay for it because she was 'special'.) No, no bitterness there. But of course they had to throw in people like the guy before her now. Insulting, degrading, and in a position of power.

Not okay. And it simply wasn't going to be ignored. Sidra just had to be patient.