Caitria Allen's Story

It was just simply another peaceful, uneventful night at the Descendant Tower, the so-called academy where the succeeding generation of heroes, or villains, train to be the heir to their parents. Well, at least for now, it was as peaceful as it could get. None could ever truly know if merely seconds later, a meteor shower would be raining down on Earth or if armies of extraterrestrial beings from an unknown dimension would be marching on to invade our planet our not. In this universe, nothing is impossible, after all. With just a blink of an eye and then the world will face its' end before anyone could know it, so isn't it better to just enjoy the moment, uncaring of how the future will turn out?

But in the end, it was their job. Their most sacred of duties. To ensure that such scenarios will not be played out. And that the so-called normal people out there can continue to live on in peace, blissfully ignorant of the fact that their lives are always being hung on the balance. It really sounds like a pain, for them, isn't it? But it was of no big matters, each and every one of them simply have come to term with the fact what they were made of, and what they simply have to do.

Xavier was sitting in the center of his meditation room inside his penthouse. For those who are not well-versed with the mystic arts, it will look as if he was only meditating. But in truth, this is merely his body. His astral form has already left and was walking in the astral realm. It is impossible to describe how this plane looked like with just the languages of human, but as long as you are out of your body, all burdens suddenly become nothingness. There was no sadness, no joy, no excitement, no rage. Only tranquility. And true enlightenment.

He keeps walking and walking. It was not really walking, though, since there was no ground under his feet. And he finally encountered a familiar figure just up ahead. The very man who had blessed him with this life. "Yo, dad." Xavier called up to his father, who was standing, gazing into the uncertain distance ahead of them calmly.

"I saw you on TV last night." Stephen spoke up when his son walked up to him, "Looks like you're still doing fine without me kicking you into place, hmm?"

"You're not so bad of an old man now, too." Xavier replied jokingly, "How's mom and Sophie?"

"There's no need to fret about them. They're doing a better job than you, y'know."

"Heh, now you're underestimating your son way too much."

The two of them continued to converse in their nice father-son chitty-chat. Since the four of them are each being in their own separate places now, they have agreed to meet up in the astral plane once in a while to see how each other is holding up. Clea, his stepmother and Sofia, his stepsister, seemed to be busy with something now so they aren't joining the two males of the family. But being able to meet up with his father occasionally for Xavier is already more than enough. His family meant the whole universe to him, and he knows it is normal for him to continue to persevere, to the best of his abilities, to protect them and make them proud. Being a Sorcerer Supreme to him is simple just as that.

Suddenly, he can felt some distortion back in the real world, meaning something or someone is trying to reach out to his main body. "Well, looks like this is it. Hero's duty is always endless, y'know." Xavier said.

"Haha, tell me about it. Just go, son." Stephen replied with a laugh, "And always keep in mind that you're your daddy's pride."

"See ya around." He nodded and and bid farewell to his father before everything flashed up and he let himself being pulled back to his body.

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"-ange? Mr. Strange? Are you there?" An automatic male voice thick in British accent bloomed throughout the whole penthouse after a blaring series of alarm, which was obviously used as a wake-up call for them. A rather rude method but the mentors seemed to have a serious liking for it.

"I'm here, J.A.R.V.I.S." Xavier stretched his arms and stood up from where he sat, "It wasn't morning yet, right?"

"Apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Strange, but the mentors are requesting you and everyone's presence immediately. Sub-level 23 in 15 minutes. They have also specifically stated you come in arms."

"Oh?" Xavier was actually a bit surprised at J.A.R.V.I.S's statement, before his lips curved into a bright smile, "My, my. Are you saying that they are letting me to use my arms outside the Mirror Dimension? I wouldn't recommend it."

"Recommended or not, it is their order. I am merely reporting what they said."

"So they wanted to let the beasts to roam freely and the hurricanes to go wild, hmm? I think I know what they are up to." Xavier said. J.A.R.V.I.S didn't reply because it doesn't get what he meant, "Got it. I'll go and prepare now. Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S, your service is well appreciated."

"You're welcome, Mr. Strange."

With that said, Xavier headed to his bedroom and changed into another attire. Well, he doesn't fancy having a costume like the majority of the other descendants here. His dressing code is simply to impress others, as no matter how verbosely he dresses, it wouldn't affect his spellcasting much. When he is done, Xavier put on his Sling Ring, "Say, J.A.R.V.I.S, is it okay if I open a portal to get there instead of taking the elevator?"

"Be my guest, Mr. Strange, but wasn't you supposed to be armed?"

"I am armed, thank you for your concern." He replied as he traced his arms in a circular motion. A fiery portal was slowly conjured, showing the sub-level 23, where the mentors and some of the other descendants were standing. Of course, this was quite an entrance, so it caught the attention of everyone almost instantly.

"It was a nice evening, wasn't it? My dear mentors." Xavier greeted as he calmly walked through the portal, and it disappeared as quick as it appeared, "I hope you are ready for the whirlwinds to spin."

He then glimpsed through the line of attendees that have arrived and greeted those whom he knows well, which includes Wren, Frankie, Ross, T'Chioke, Jaxon, Conrad and Schuyler. He then stood in line, just behind Caitria, someone who, likes him, is not the most trustworthy person around, "Hello, Caitria, my dear. The breezes of the night are calming to you?" He asked her in his usual style of speech. There are still plenty of them who hadn't turned up yet so it's best to converse a bit to keep things from stalling.

The conversation between Xavier and Caitria was cut off abruptly as Mycroft - one of the so-called mentors spoke up and gained the attention of the lots of them. That man is rather notorious for being a rather moody and hard-to-please character, much unlike his father whom Xavier found to be a rather inspiring man. But, it's not like that he hasn't seen all sorts of people out there. An 'old' man like him may not be so young and wild like his seniors around him, but he is quite confident that he is somewhat more seasoned than them in terms of relationships and reading someone, even without his telepathic abilities. He can work fine with just about anyone, if this assignment requires him to, though usually he would stick to himself if no one else is up to teaming up with him.

Xavier stood still with his arms crossed as he took in every word from Mycroft. But this is not something that he didn't expect though. Having been in this Academy longer than almost every other descendants, there's nothing that he hadn't been put to gone through. This mission is quite simple. Infiltrated a simulated Hydra base within the simulation rooms that the mentors have set up - which according to them, strays not an inch from reality itself, meaning everything happens in there will really affect you, be it a small injury or losing a limb, and retrieve an envelope holding some sorts of secretive information that should not be disclosed. As the envelope must not be damaged, obliterate the whole base in one move is not a viable option.

"So, it's just another infiltration session, hmm? I would be lying if I say I didn't expect something more, but I welcome all challenges." Xavier commented.

He is fine with both frontal and stealth tactics, but if he were to take a whole faction head-on, it would benefits him more if the settings are somewhere in the outside air, where he can freely let his magic roams about. But, since this is confined in a base of sorts, sneaking in will be more suitable. With his powers, Xavier can study the structures of the base in matters of minutes, and his presence sensor can warn him of any threats coming up, keeping the number of encounters with the simulated Hydra guards at the minimum. The capability to tamper with memories come in real handy here, since Xavier would have no needs dirty his hand to literally eliminate any threats, though he has no qualms doing so if he must. Walking in like a calm breeze, sneaking out like a graceful wind. That's how he would work.

If he had decided to go the stealth route, going by himself would get him to the designated target faster, as he wouldn't be weighed down. But, Xavier is not that reckless. He needs someone to got his back should he runs into some kind of anti-magic zones, since Hydra would be well-equipped to counter pretty much everything. To have a view of what you are about to face is the first step to lead to success, after all.

Xavier gave an quick glance over the other descendants. While he has no problem working with just about anyone, someone who wouldn't shed a doubt over his abilities and coordinates will with him would be more favorable. Petra and Schuyler are two picks he thought of firstly, since, well, they belonged to magic team. But, since Petra would probably be busy putting her guard over him more than the Hydra guards, and her rather unstable powers might turn out to be a hindrance at the worst moments, she is off the list. Schuyler would make a good teammate, thanks to her cleverness and capability to be tactical, but she seemed to have already found another teammate, so she's also out.

He gave the remaining descendants a thought. So far, those whom he thought to work the best with him have already found their own halves, so he turned his attention to those who are less of a perfect match for him, but can still do a good job if they are willing to listen. Magic really did give one a versatility to fit in any situations, after all. Caitria can be hard to catch up with her speed, but he can teleport so it's not too much of a big deal. The same also goes to Conrad. Tobias is a bit of a wild card. The young man can work well with his capabilities and he is not as overly cautious as Petra is, so the two of them may fit, as tempting it is for Xavier to observe how he acts.

But now when Xavier gives it a second thought, pairing up with someone who is daring enough to gain attention, while he sneaks behind and finish off anything that might come in the way, clearing a path straight to the envelope probably will help them to accomplish their task faster. And, that is when Jaxon came to him, asking him to be his partner. Of course, he would jump at the chance, "Seems like the two pieces of the puzzles fit again this time, my dear Jaxon." He nodded to the younger man with his usual gallant smile, "Let's show them what we've got, shall we? I'm sure you will literally blaze a trail over those simulated guards, and I'd gladly got your back."

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caitria allen


parentage: flash
hex code: #7B7383
outfit: [x]

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Caitria saw a few people consider her as a partner - how nice, she was flattered - but they all seemed to turn her down in their minds. Good thing for Caitria. She wasn't a mind-reader, she didn't know why they stopped considering her, but with her speed, a partner may just slow her down. Of course, there were always a few exceptions. Xavier could possibly keep up with his magic, but Jaxon approached him. Caitria always thought that Doctor Strange was as cool as hell - nothing against her dad, though. But if those few who considered her eliminated her as a choice because they thought they were going to slow her down, then Caitria was sincerely flattered by their thoughtfulness. Not everyone was selfless.

The alarm bells ringed down the hall as the five minutes were up. The steel simulation doors opened and Caitria immediately felt blizzard winds. She grit her teeth. The cold slowed her down more than any of her peers could in a million years. She had to be fast in more than one way.

Caitria zipped through the cold. She analysed the Hydra building quickly; superhuman speed meant superhuman speed reading and superhuman evaluating. You get the idea.

There were many, many guards. But Caitria could move at the speed of light if she wanted to. Even if the Hydra alarms were that high-tech, Caitria could find the envelope and walk out of the simulation in less than a fraction of a second. The speed of light traveled at 299,792,458 meters per second, or approximately 186,282 miles. Caitria didn't even have to go near that fast to finish this challenge without batting an eye.

No, literally without batting an eye.

Caitria dashed into the building, into the basement, avoiding all the guards and soldiers. The mainframe was locked and sealed by a three-foot thick door made of bulletproof glass. Sure, the blonde could steal a key card, but the guards might notice the door opening. She had a more effective way anyway.

Caitria started vibrating, faster and faster, until the molecules of her body were loose enough to pass through a tangible object. She ran through the door, the guards not noticing a thing. The door was unaffected.

Caitria snatched the manila envelope, shoving it somewhat gracefully in her pocket to avoid it catching fire whilst she ran. The blue-eyed speedster dashed out of the building and out of the simulation, the entire process taking less than even a fraction of a second.

She sauntered into the hall, waving the envelope in the air. "I'm finished, Mycroft! What's my grade?"

If Caitria wasn't the first done, she'd be sorely disappointed.

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andrew mulligan


parentage: toxin
hex code: #ceaa16

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Andrew, who was absentmindedly letting his gaze roam over the assembling pairs while waiting for the five minutes to be up, almost choked when he saw Thaleia Castle approach Tobias.

You couldn't exactly blame him. Thaleia Castle? Well, she was known for being the complete ice queen at the Academy. For her to actually approach someone, especially Tobias Lehnsherr, in attempt to partner up, was enough to blow Andrew's mind.

Andrew almost didn't notice Lilith head towards him, but caught her approaching at just the right moment. "Would you mind if we teamed up?" the blonde asked. Andrew almost did a double-take; he didn't expect anybody to request to be his partner. "No obligation necessary."

Of course, while some of the students were better off than others for this assignment (such as Caitria; Andrew was almost jealous of her ability to just zip into a building at the speed of freakin' light and head out with barely any effort), a partner was a good asset to have.

But Andrew had to wonder, what did Lilith have to offer? Sure, she was the daughter of Poison Ivy, but in the end, this Hydra thing was a simulation.

However, Andrew had to assume that her ability with toxins and poisons would help. Plus, unlike some people, he didn't thing in a purely logical manner. It wasn't exactly easy for him to turn down an offer, especially if it offered no disadvantages.

Andrew grinned, facing Lilith. "Sure," he said. "Why not?"

Abruptly, the alarm bells dinged throughout the hall, the strong winds blowing into Andrew's face as the simulation doors opened, catching him off-guard. He turned to Lilith.

"Ideas?" he asked loudly over the sound of the roaring winds, giving his partner a chance to suggest some things.

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thaleia castle


parentage: punisher
hex code: #49a98a

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Tobias nearly dropped his metal spheres when Thaleia spoke up. He turned his head, glancing over his shoulder. Thaleia had to refrain from laughing; Tobias Lehnsherr was looking like a deer in headlights, and the expression wasn't exactly a natural fit for him. "Hi?" the son of Magneto squeaked out.

"Would you have anything against partnering up with me?"

"I...uh...sure. Why not." Tobias managed to crank out a response as Thaleia raised an eyebrow, not particularly impressed. Then again, she couldn't exactly blame him. Practically no one ever approached a Lehnsherr, much less Thaleia Castle, the daughter of the Punisher who was basically 100% antisocial. Two wrongs make a right, the brunette supposed.

"I didn't really plan on a stealth approach," Tobias continued, regaining his composure. "If we set off the alarms immediately, you could take offense while I keep the fire power away from you. We'd have everyone dead before entering the building." That would work, Thaleia supposed.

Tobias shrugged, sliding his metal balls - good God, that sounded wrong - into his pocket before completely turning to face her. "Unless you had a better plan of attack? ...You're not Steve Rogers or Peter Parker, so I assume you have no issue spilling blood."

Thaleia scoffed. "No one should have a problem spilling simulated blood," she quipped. "But yes, I could kill ten people in a row without batting an eye, as long as it's justified. I don't slaughter the innocent; it's not worth my time."

A few moments after Thaleia said that sentence, the five minutes were up as an alarm bell dinged throughout the hall. The doors flew open, and Tobias instinctively turned his back towards the wind, blocking himself and Thaleia. The son of Magneto zipped up his jacket and motioned with his hand, allowing Thaleia to go first. She raised an eyebrow, but had no real problem with it as she entered the simulation.

Thaleia trudged through the snow, blocking out the cold. Tobias pointed towards the Hydra building, before looking back at Thaleia. "We could walk, take out a couple on our way...or..."

Tobias hesitated, as if he wasn't sure whether or not to propose his idea. Thaleia gestured for him to continue. She wasn't the most patient person out there. "If you trust me," he started, "I could fly us there...you could pick some off with a silencer, or just blast away like Wren Wilson. I suggest stealth while mid air, it's more difficult to curve bullets and focus on levitating two people." Tobias raised his eyebrows. "But I'll leave that up to you..."

Thaleia shrugged. "Well, last time I checked, it was your dad who's evil, not you," the brunette stated rather bluntly. "No reason not to trust you, and I'm not squeamish." Thaleia directed her gaze to the tall tattooed man. "Knock you socks off. Just don't kill me, and this partnership'll work."

When Jaxon said that the situation was not looking too well for him above, Xavier acknowledged and was about to teleport straight to where his companion is and bring both of them out of the simulation room unscathed as soon as possible, since morning is approaching quite fast and he would rather not missing his precious breakfast and morning news, especially since he had just been to an event last night. It may sound a bit pompous but Xavier still takes career as an actor seriously, and who wouldn't be delighted when they are praised for something they did well? But for short, just like any of his fellow descendants, he too wanted to get out of this as soon as possible.

However, merely moments later, Jaxon suddenly come up with a plan to obliterate everything around him with his nova blast. Wait, Jaxon, we just need to get out of here so there's no need to waste your energy. Xavier reaffirmed, but apparently the younger descendant didn't hear it. He sighed. His partner has been helpful up til now, but the boy needs to pay attention to what others said, otherwise he'll end up doing unnecessary things. Asides from that, they have been working well enough so Xavier is hoping that the mentors will overlook the minor flaws.

Transporting himself to the entrance of the facility, Xavier had just made it right just before the energy within the field is concentrated all in one position. Knowing all too well what is about to happen, he erected a barrier surrounding himself. Jaxon contacted him one last time to warn him to prepare for the outburst. Way ahead of you, my friend. He replied, and a second later, the fiery figure standing not too far away from him literally explode. Everything flashed up violently and Xavier had to cover his eyes as not to blind himself. But the explosion took less than a minute, and when it cleared up, all simulated guards, the Hydra base and the surrounding forest were vaporized. "Quite impressive." Xavier remarked. Jaxon must have used up quite a bit of his energy already, yet the overall damage that the explosion had just caused can match up to that of a nuclear bomb.

When the smoke cleared up for a bit, Xavier casually walked up to Jaxon, who is now lying flatly on the ground, completely drained of all ounces of energy. "I must say, it was quite a bespectacled scene to behold." He said with his usual calm smile, while lowering himself and hovered his hand over Jaxon's chest, transferring a good amount of his own vitality to the younger hero, "But next time, do think more than just one time before you exact something." Xavier straightened himself up and extended his arm, helping Jaxon to stand up.

"Let's go back. I have a feeling we didn't manage to be the first birds, but I think our performance is good enough." He moved his hand in a circular motion as a portal open, revealing the sub-level 23 of the Academy on the other side, just besides where the mentors are standing. Xavier took out the envelope from within his coat and showed them that their mission is accomplished, but apparently they are not ranked and allowed to get back to their chambers until the rest of the descendants return. But it wouldn't hurt waiting a bit more for everyone, so Xavier just made his way to the lounge.

As expected, quite a few others have made it back before them, which includes Caitria, Petra, Ross, Ja’zmyn, Jack and Wren in a little bit of a bad shape. With her speed, there's no doubt that Caitria would be the first to finish. But Wren being injured? That's certainly a sight you don't get to see everyday.

Xavier was about to offer to take care of Wren's wounds, but Caitria just suggested that Petra should do it since she was also a telekinetic user, so he decided to just let the younger descendant to do her job. Instead, he walked to the coffee machine and poured two coffee cups, for himself and for Jaxon. After all, they do need a bit of a refreshment after the exercise earlier. "Here." Xavier offered a cup for the flame boy and took the seat next to him, "We need quite a good job, aren't we? Next time we team up though I could use a bit more of your patience." He commented as he took a sip from his coffee.

"Surely you're not this forgiving to everyone?" Lilith asked - even Andrew could easily pick up the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Not everyone," Andrew attempted to reassure the blonde. "I mean, someone would have to be the best of the best for me to forgive then after they seriously backstab me or something. I'll admit, I can get attached, but I uh, kinda take betrayal really seriously." Andrew beamed at Lilith. "If it's not intentional, then I probably won't hold a grudge."

Andrew nodded along with what Lilith was saying, relieved when she mentioned that he hadn't ruined any sort of plan she had in mind. The two exchanged parting smiles as Andrew headed over to the lobby while Lilith went to speak with Astrid.

Andrew's gaze roamed around the room - there were multiple clusters of people speaking to each other avidly, even though most would be asleep at the hour. Andrew, unlike some of his peers, actually slept like a normal human, despite not being a normal human himself. However, the simulation had fully awakened him - there would be no going back to bed at this rate.

Andrew made a decision, heading towards Ulrich Zod. To be honest, there were other people in the academy who were closer to Andrew than Ulrich was, but at the moment, Andrew didn't have any problem with the slightly older man. The two could be somewhat similar in certain areas of their personalities - Andrew could appreciate that.

"Hey Ulrich," Andrew approached the man amiably, who was off in his own world. "Let me guess, you went solo?" Andrew grinned in his usual easygoing demeanor. "What do you think's up with this envelope?"

Apparently, Andrew's question was about to be answered. Mycroft cleared his throat loudly, about to speak to the students before Alfred spoke instead, congratulating the descendants for all passing the simulation. And with that, Mycroft and the others explained the envelope and the upcoming events for the descendants.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Wren Wilson shouted indignantly as the group opened the manila envelopes. "We went through all of that...for a fucking ball!?" Although Andrew didn't have as much of a problem with a gala as Wren clearly did, he had to agree with the redhead's opinion on this one.

Eventually, after the mentors finished explaining the upcoming gala, Andrew turned to Ulrich. "Going through that entire simulation was a bit much just for a gala, don't you think?"

As always, Thaleia was near-invisible; no one approached her. In all honesty, the brunette was fine with that. She fiddled with her guns, frowning when she noticed a flaw on one of her bullets.

"Fucking unacceptable," Thaleia muttered to herself, peering at the bullet. She was examining the gun barrel when Mycroft made an annoying loud show of clearing his throat. Thaleia rolled her eyes at the action, but lifted her head to give her attention to the mentors nonetheless.

When the envelope turned out to just be for a fucking pathetic gala, Thaleia Castle narrowed her eyes and shamelessly admitted to herself that she and Wren Wilson were definitely on the same page on this one. A simulation? For a fucking ball? Thaleia absolutely despised social events; she wasn't the conventional definition of charming. Besides, the rather...amoral and anti-heroic methods she and her father used to achieve their goals weren't exactly popular.

When the mentors finally finished up their fucking speech, Thaleia spun around an headed directly to the elevator. She jammed her finger on the button to her floor, practically glaring at the inside of the elevator as the doors closed and the lift started moving.

Thaleia nearly flew out of the elevator, placing her gun back to where she had taken it. Even if she did go to the gala (did she even have a choice?), Thaleia would probably show up in her normal combat attire anyway.

Caitria finally set her solution down, satisfied. She did all she could right now. Caitria would have to wait about two days before it was time to continued her project.

The blonde speedster peeled back her goggles, setting them down in their usual spot as she slipped out of her lab coat. She needed a break. It was early morning, and that meant either a light workout or a whole lot of breakfast. Caitria ate a lot - it wasn't evident in her slight and petite frame, but Caitria used her powers quite often and had metahuman metabolism. She had to consume much more than a normal human or else she would malfunction and her powers would fail her.

Caitria slipped on a decently casual outfit, heading out of her penthouse and impatiently waited for the lift. "Impatient" usually wasn't the first word people thought of when they thought of Caitria, but constantly moving at super speed made everything seem infuriatingly slow. Caitria wondered why she didn't choose to speed up to wherever she wanted to go, but the blonde had to start using her powers sparingly.

Caitria's phone buzzed with a notification as she waited for the lift. She pulled it out, absentmindedly skimming over the text Ross had sent the descendants. Bingo - now she knew where she was going to go. The blonde quickly typed a response as the lift came to her floor.


Caitria entered the elevator, pressing the button for Jack's floor. She and Ross weren't especially close, their parents being enemies and all, but neither judged each other on who their father was. The limited relationship they had was as unbiased as possible.

The lift stopped at Murdock's floor as Caitria zipped out and knocked Jack's door - 'cause she was polite and all. "I'm letting myself in," Caitria called, twisting the doorknob. "Hope you're all decent."

"I guess handing invitations in person or through mail is overrated," Ulrich replied. Andrew shrugged languidly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Andrew commented. "This place was always a bit...unconventional anyway. Besides, Mycroft never had the reputation of making life easy for us."

Just as Andrew said that, the mentors finished up their business with the students and headed their way like nothing happened. "I still don't get people," Ulrich's remark shook Andrew out of his thoughts. The man let out a sigh. "So how about you?" Ulrich changed the topic. "Did you go solo too and how do you feel about the gala?"

"Nah, I teamed up with Lilith," Andrew replied easily. "You know, daughter of Poison Ivy and all that jazz? She's actually pretty nice, as a person and as a partner. I'll admit, things didn't exactly go as planned in there, but it all worked out in the end.

"I won't lie, I'm not jumping for joy about this gala, but you could say that I don't have as big of a problem with it as Wren Wilson...or the majority of the descendants here. In all honesty, I don't think I'm the best person for all this diplomatic stuff, but you have to admit," Andrew dropped his voice to a whisper. "A lot of us don't fall into Mycroft's definition of 'civilized adults.'" The brunette laughed good-naturedly. "Then again, we're descendants. Superheroes, anti-heroes, villains, whatever - lot's of us don't fall into the picture-perfect mold of Captain American times a thousand or something. Even Astrid. Wren Wilson's the daughter of Deadpool and is almost exactly like him - you can imagine, that won't end well with anybody remotely diplomatic. I have a horrifying beast form that cannot be contained once released -" Andrew grinned, showing that he wasn't upset about it, "- and Thaleia Castle - the Punisher may be a hero of sorts, but anyone who isn't morally flexible won't like her methods. Basically, this gala won't be pretty."

Thaleia took a deep breath, calming down her storm of thoughts. God, this little academy was seriously getting on her nerves.

Thaleia raised her eyebrow ever so slightly when her phone dinged with a notification. No one ever contacted her - which was just lovely - so the brunette almost forgot what a text notification sounded like.

Speaking of no one ever contacting her - who in the Devil's name would text Thaleia Castle of all people? Thaleia didn't have that many good friends.

Thaleia stood up, opening the drawer (which was clearly not soundproof) she placed her phone in (it was a liability in combat). She turned it on hesitantly - it was still at 96% from over a week ago - checking the text she was sent. Ah. Ross sent a text to every descendant at that goddamned simulation. The situation made a lot more sense.


Thaleia wasn't too happy about the gala, but she also didn't give a fuck about McCulloch's "bitchin' about ole cue ball's gala bull shite" business. Like she was going to a cute little breakfast at Murdock's.

Then again, Thaleia wasn't one to hole herself up in her penthouse with her guns...even though she was much better friends with them than she was with any of the descendants. Strangely, Thaleia was fond of heights. She hated to be reminded of it, but the Castle family was merely human. Thaleia had no supreme senses, no powers of any sort, no ability to fly. However, although she wasn't good at team tactics, Thaleia was a rather cunning combatant, and had certain survival habits ingrained in her. Getting a high vantage point - even if there was absolutely no reason to - was one of them. Sometimes, it made absolutely no sense, but Thaleia did certain things to relax her (at times, paranoid) mind.

Thaleia headed into the elevator, pressing the button that would bring her to the roof. When the lift dinged at its arrival, Thaleia sauntered out, greeted by the beginnings of a sunrise. Thaleia grabbed a couple beers from the fridge - she could hold her liquor - popping the cap off of one and taking a big gulp before she turned around to set herself down on the edge of the building.

Unfortunately, Thaleia's attempt at peace was disturbed by a presence she had been beside earlier that morning. "Oh," Thaleia said at Tobias, her tone blunt and not revealing any emotion. "It's you."

When Xavier is back in his own room, he changed his attires into something else that is more informal and suitable for socializing. While most of the time what he prefers are suits and professional choices of wardrobes, it doesn't mean that he is not up to something more fashionable and 'updated'. There's a lot for others to find out about this old man, after all, and it wouldn't be so interesting as to show them all in one go, isn't it? All the chatteries and fussing about how untrustworthy of an individual he is, but if people can truly read his thoughts, they would know that he much enjoys things to be that way.

Glancing at the invitation for the gala, Xavier couldn't helped mustering over what can possibly happen when it actually occurs. It is quite obvious that unlike some of the others, he was born for these kinds of events. This is a known fact even to the mentors that most of the infiltration missions they sent him to before are mostly to be an attendant of these refined activities. And as the saying goes, there is always a party crasher for any parties. It is not entirely a bad thing, in fact, for recently there hasn't been so many occasions where Xavier can stretch his muscles just a little bit more.


Xavier almost chuckled at the message he received from Ross, his all-time favorite drinking buddy. It seemed that others have already started having quite a bit of a get-together in Jack's place, so he figures he should be leaving before he miss all the amusing things that can be already happening there. Usually he would just pop in from thin air and make an entrance but he doesn't feel like doing the same thing twice today, so Xavier summoned a rather exquisite-looking bottle of wine before heading to the literal 'lair of the Devil' in a normal human way.

---

Disembarking the plane that had just arrived at Connecticut with his shades on, Zachary made his way to the parking lot of the airport where he left his car before he left for a trip to Xavier's Institution. He is invited there on behalf of his daddy, who once was a super famous X-Man and a former faculty of the school, to give lectures and teaches lessons for the newly recruited mutants in utilization of their gifts. Well, while a 32-year-old gal like him is still a student spending his days away at the prestigious Descendant Academy, Zachary still takes his pride in his career as a lecturer. So, he enjoys teaching and showing the kids of what wondrous things they can do. A good thing that afterwards he had managed to earn himself a small fanclub.

Speaking of lecturers, Zachary clearly saw the discontented look on Mycroft's face when he handed his leave of absence notice. He always knew the old man hated it when any of the students take a leave on his many 'precious' lessons, whether for an acceptable reason or not. Of course, he respected him and the other mentors for their abilities and experiences, but just like the others, Zachary found them to be a real hassle, or in a cruder way to put it, a pain in the ass. But having stayed there for the past 6 years, it's the least of things that he is already used to already. They are not the best of teachers in the world but, as a student under them and a fellow lecturer, Zachary acknowledges their efforts, nonetheless.

Striding his Rolls-Royce through the residential streets of Bridgeport, he kept himself low as he enters the suburb area where the Academy situated. Passing through all the security protocols and parking his car where it meant to be, Zachary just casually strolling his way up the escalator to his own room, hoping to have nice day off while planning what should he be doing for the day, until a message popped up in his phone.


Frankie is a good friend of Zachary. He pretty much considers her as a younger sister of sorts and is actually thinking about her, since he brought gifts back from his trip to Xavier's for a handful of people who are his friends and acquaintances, which included the daughter of Spidey. "They just had a practical session or something...?" He ponders over the probable reason why they are having a get-together. Seemed like he missed quite a bit during his absence too, which is actually a pity for someone who enjoys working like him. But at least he doesn't have to think over what he is going to do now, so he texted back.


Upon returning to his penthouse, Zachary unpacked and got changing real quick, bringing with him the gifts for his friends before leaving for Frankie's place.

---

"Hey there, Xavie. Where ya heading to?" Zachary caught sight of the son of Dr. Strange on his way, who is also in his usual informal attires and was heading somewhere, rather than in his usual professional suits. For some reasons he doesn't know the man is walking rather than just teleporting like he does usually.

"Good morning, my dear Zach. It seemed that your trip to Xavier's Institute was uneventful." Xavier turned his head and greeted Zachary, a fellow descendant couple of years younger than him and one of the few friends he had, "I'm heading to the so-called Hell's Kitchen of Jack for breakfast, as I was invited earlier. Looks like a band had already gathered there though. Do you want to tag along?"

"Ah, that sounds good. Murdock's always been a dab hand in the kitchen. Though I'm heading to Frankie's place now, actually. A get-together is also happening there. Seems like everyone just in the mood to chill out, huh? Lemme guess, a practical session just took place this morning while everyone was still wandering in the dreamworld or tending to their owns?"

Xavier nodded, "A simulation session after a Hydra base. I thought we would be trifling with the beasts, but in the end it was not as much as striding through a field." He chuckled, "Still, it was a fun one. We had to recover what the mentors specifically noted as of great importance, but the prize is but merely a gala with all the big boys present that is about to take place in this very humble campus, soon."

"Well, I suppose we're both used to the not-so-surprising exercises already." Zachary grinned, "A pity though, I have always enjoyed simulations. But a gala though? This is too good of an opportunity for oppressors to wreck havoc. No altitudes of security could hope to absolutely prevent that. More so if the 'big boys' are going to be there as you say. Don't we all know that already?"

"That is exactly my thought, dearest Zach. But still, a gala is a gala, nonetheless. It's exactly where both of us are meant to be whereas others just didn't seem to be so enthusiastic. At least we can play tag and see to it while it lasts. I don't think my partner for the simulation earlier is up to it, so do I have the pleasure with you?"

"The pleasure is always mine, Xavie. Now I got another thing to think about." Zachary laughed, "And before I forgot. Here's the 'souvenir' for you. Took me a bit of effort and some persuasion but nothing too hard." He took out a small wooden box carved with sophisticated carvings and handed it to Xavier.

"Reliable as always, Zach. If there's any chances to return the favor, let me know." Xavier took the box from his fellow guardian with a nod, and transporting it to his reservoir. They are about to part ways, "I'll catch you up later before the event then."

"Later it is then, amigos."

---

Standing in front of Jack Murdock's penthouse, Xavier called out to inform others of his presence, "Hope everyone's okay in there, I'm coming in." Doesn't even bother to open the door, the scenery changed in a heartbeat and before anyone knows it, Xavier had already been sitting next to Ross. Gazing around, he saw that quite a handful of individuals are here.

Caitria, Jensen and Riley had already made themselves at home, while Jack and Wren are conversing privately, probably something others would be teasing about. Petra, though, is unexpected for someone who doesn't seem like much of a social animal. After acknowledging all of them, he placed the bottle he brought along on the counter and turned to Ross, "Romanee-Conti DRC 1990?" It's already a little bit over a week ago since they hang out to get drunk, so hopefully Ross wouldn't turn it down.

Meanwhile, Zachary had just also made it to Frankie's penthouse. Knocking on the door, he informed whoever inside of his presence, "Frankie, I'm coming in." He opened the door to the place and allowed himself in. Upon entering, he saw both Frankie and Nathaniel seemingly enjoying themselves. He is friends with Frankie but isn't particularly too close with the son of Bane, as he usually keeps to himself most of the time. But he also strikes him as someone who is not only a walking tower, but also a respectable genius as well. And it also occurs to Zachary that Nathaniel is seemingly what they would call 'a hunk with a heart of gold'.

"Glad to see you, little Spidey. Same to you, Nate. How's the simulation been for both of you? Too bad I miss it though." Zachary was quick to make himself comfortable as he approached the two. It was nice to have some moments to chill out before the grandeur, after all.

Caitria raised an eyebrow at the silence that followed her arrival. Jack looked like he didn't have a clue what was going on or why the blonde just strutted into his penthouse. Suddenly, Caitria caught a flicker of realization on Murdock's face. "What did you do now, McCulloch?" he groaned. Ross probably invited the entire academy to Jack's penthouse, Caitria realized. How did Jack not predict that out of Ross McCulloch?

Caitria caught sight of a familiar ginger as Jack started a short little spiel. "This isn't IHop, Ross! You can't just expect me to prepare breakfast for the whole academy! I have no qualms with more guests, but you should've asked before-"

Caitria winced as Wren spoke up, which resulted with Jack slamming into refrigerator. He quickly attempted to gather his composure. "Heyyyyy..." Caitria realized what was happening, praying that this would work out for Murdock and hopefully, he would have his ass brutally rejected.

Caitria snatched up one of the eggs benedict, spearing her fork through the egg and English muffin. The blonde heard the door open as someone new arrived. She turned around, stealing a glance at the newcomer. Caitria wasn't going to lie, she was definitely surprised when she saw Petra walk into the penthouse next. "Hey, Petra," she greeted. Caitria thought it was a bit awkward; she and Petra didn't talk to each other much.

"Yeah, that sounds like an understatement," Ulrich agreed.

There was a short moment of silence before Ulrich brought up a topic that Andrew, in all honesty, was expecting. "So this beast form of yours...is it insatiable for blood and destruction? I don't know much about this other form of yours. I kind of only have myths to go off so sorry if it seems...." Ulrich paused for a moment, "...intrusive? And is it really true there's no way to call you back? That once this other thing takes over, Andrew as we know him is gone?"

Andrew sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's a bit difficult to explain," Andrew told the other man, "but I can try. I can't blame you for being curious.

"My father is Patrick Mulligan, but at the same time, my father is Toxin. Patrick Mulligan and Toxin are two different beings, but that does not mean I have two fathers; I only have one. Patrick Mulligan is a host for Toxin, but since both are my one father, it doesn't work like that for me. My body isn't a host for another being. When my beast form is triggered, I'm not in the right mind, but I'm still Andrew Mulligan. Unfortunately, I can't control myself when my beast form is activated. I've always wanted to learn how to control it, but that takes trial and error, and that process...well, I'm not going to lie, it does kind of freak me out. I have to trigger my beast form with absolutely no control over it, in order to train for having control over my beast form." Andrew laughed. "That's a big contradiction."

Ulrich stayed silent for a couple seconds before changing the topic. "So what's on your agenda? Are you going to Jack's breakfast thing? I think he's having an open breakfast club thing. I'll go if you go. But if you don't go, I might look like less of a pretentious jerk." Ulrich flashed a smile.

Andrew chuckled. "You bet I'm gonna go," he said. "I have a feeling that McCulloch invited everybody to Jack's place without him knowing. It's too late to take that message back, though. Half the academy is probably already flocking to Murdock's penthouse as we speak."

"And me," Thaleia furrowed her brows with displeasure at Zoltar Zatara's energetic smile. "Good evening-morning Thaleia."

"It's just morning," Thaleia deadpanned. She disdainfully watched Zozo clear the liquid out of his waterlogged phone with a spell, a faint scowl on her lips. She wasn't too fond of people who constantly used their magic or superpowers; Thaleia felt that it made them either lazy, flippant, or both. Thaleia nursed her beer as Zozo checked his device.

"OH MY GOD WHAT THERE'S A PARTY AT MURDOCK'S!" Thaleia cringed at the volume. "What else happened while I was asleep? Why is everyone up so goddamn early this morning?"

Thaleia raised an eyebrow, scoffing slightly. How could Zozo not know what happened?

Just as Thaleia thought that, realization flickered over Zatara's face. "Wait. Don't tell me," he slapped his forehead. "There was a simulation wasn't there? And I missed it..." the brunette man groaned, sinking beneath the water.

Thaleia took a swig of her beer before staring down at where wisps of Zozo's brown hair floated to the surface of the pool. "How could you not know about the simulation?" she commented dryly. "JARVIS was the messenger...and you know. Computer systems."