Chapter Text
Phoenix rushed forward, running past the long hallways, pushing herself forward she slid nearly falling on her face in the door frame, “Late again I see,” Raiden said slowly looking up from her papers, her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Being an ass again I see.” Phoenix muttered under her breath.
“Well you have detention after class,regardless of your "excuse."
Phoenix nodded, Raiden extended her hand out with a paper slip, slowly walking forward she grabbed the paper. Taking her seat in her chair next to Volta, Phoenix looked over to Volta, seeing that they had no paper slip in hand,What the hell they were both late! Why was she only being punished! What a bitch! How was she already playing favorites they met a day ago?! She hadn't even had a chance to prove she was a failure. Was it because she was late the first day? Is that all it takes to set this bitch off!?
Raiden cleared her throat “ Read pages 108-234 for the entire period, this will be a silent reading period I don't want to hear a peep out of anyone."
The surrounding people all collectively groaned, Raiden whipped her head around "I said silent does that sound like silence to you? I swear these generations get dumber every year." The room's complaints cut off, people opening bags and grabbing the books only the occasional flipping of pages was heard throughout the room. Phoenix opened her book reluctantly, did this teacher even do her stupid job? Why the hell did she even become a teacher if she was going to basically have to teach herself, at least that seemed to be what Phoenix was going to have to do based on her "teaching" style, just great, just great even less time to practice her powers now! Phoenix flipped open the book fluttering it forward until she got to 108 " The Asante war, a very well known genocide in our vast history, While it is heavily debated the reason for the war's start, but it is commonly accepted by many that it was because the Asante’s main kingdom at the time had highly valuable land and resources which caused the attacks. Beginning with very small pillages and raids that eventually escalated when Asante’s attacked the Volkins, which caused all out war from all tribes because of the Volkins alliances with many other tribes and other tribes alliances with one another causing all the tribes to be aligned against the Asante kingdom."
Phoenix's head grew heavy, somehow a brick an effort to lift up, digging her nails into arm the sharp pain managing to lessen the heaviness in her body. Come on Phoenix you cant let your grades drop just cause a teacher sucks, stop being a baby and focus. She turned the next page.
***
As she entered the hall she let out a breath the pressure in her muscles relaxing, That was so weird. What the hell was that teacher so pissed about? Hell why was she so pissed by her being late? She seems like she doesn't even want to be a teacher. So why does she care? Phoenix kept walking, crossing her arms against herself.
Phoenix felt a pressure on her shoulder, ice cold sweat ran down her back.
“Boo.”
“AGHHHH!” Phoenix flinched, jumping half out of her skin,
Volta laughing crumpling over from the effort.“You should have seen your face! Oh my god that was amazing!” They said, wiping tears off their face.
Phoenix rolled her eyes, her shoulders relaxing,
“Am I just that scary?” they asked
Phoenix snorted, “Defiantly. So very scary.”
“Then why did you jump half across the hall?”
“Oh no that's just how I walk, you know keep your enemies on their toes, they never know when you'll attack.”
Volta nudged her shoulder “You're so weird.” They said, smiling.
“So uh do you know why Raiden was so pissed? Like we were late twice and she acted like I personally insulted her bloodline.”
Volta's eyes tilted in a grin “yeah, what the hell was her problem? Maybe she doesn't like teens?”
“Then don't work with teens!” Phoenix crossed her arms tighter around her chest, “UGHHHH my grades are so screwed.”
Volta paused tilted their head slightly “ Wait…isn't that teacher called Miss. Tlali.”
Phoenix snorted loudly “Why should I respect her authority when she doesn't respect me?”
Volta's face split into a giant grin, their eyes lighting up despite the glare of their glasses.“Oh ho ho, I like your style already.”
Phoenix smiled, warmth encompassing her, "I'm just that good I guess.”
“Hey uh do you know what class we have next?” Volta picked up their scroll, scanning it lightly.
“Magic and defense. I think," Phoenix said, glancing vaguely at the paper.
“Oooo Yes I forgot we had that class.” Their sharp teeth glinted in the light, “I can't wait, that class is going to be so much fun.” Volta said,bouncing up and down practically taking up the whole hall with their enthusiasm.
Phoenix flinched slightly, how could someone be so excited about school? hell that excited in general? but not wanting to intrude on their joy she just looked back down at her paper: “Magic and Defence “Miss. Tlali.” Phoenix froze, her whole body went cold. “Raiden isn't the Magic and Defence teacher right?” she said letting out a nervous laugh
“Huh? No what the hell! I met her before she’s a blond lady. They look nothing alike.” They paused. “uh….-well I guess they kinda look similar, but still, they're different enough.”
Phoenix paused, staring back at the paper “But it says “Miss Tlali.” Volta tilted their head, moving closer they looked over the paper, placing their hand under the words. “Weird, maybe they're related?”
Phoenix groaned under her breath “I hope not, if their anything alike I'm going to lose it.”
“Well I did hear a rumor that she might have been a war general at one point. So who knows.” They shrugged seemingly unbothered by this.
Phoenix raised her eyebrow “And she willingly chose to teach teenagers? teenagers?”
Volta dramatically gasped in mock surprise “How dare you!”
Laughing they continued forward, the entrance of the halls became more and more condensed, leading to a double doorway. Phoenix walked forward, the knob warm in her hand as she turned it, the classroom already bustling with students, all sitting within an indentation in the floor filled with a light layer of sand. A chalk board sat in the center of the room.
Phoenix kneeled down on the floor, the texture scratchy and unpleasantly warm. A blond woman that looked to be in her late 30s to early 40s walked to the front of the room.
“Hello and welcome to Magic and Defense, today we’ll just go over how magic functions as some review. Nothing too detailed, just some of the basics.” Turning to the board she picked up the chalk, she paused,staring at the board blankly her eyes glossed over like she had been frozen in time, flinching slightly she continued.
“Alright we have the Volkin, Gail, Isoldne,Lumi,and Asante. Volkin possessing Fire and rock magic and in rare cases lava, they generally have skin tones in shades of warm gray and possess the ability to withstand high temperatures of heat. Gail possessing water magic and generally having skintones of blue,purple or green-blues, and possessing the ability to breathe underwater. Lumi possessing healing, light/heat spells and some being gifted with mindreading abilities, Lumi generally possessing skin tones in shades of purple and warm or cold blues. And the Asante possessing lightning and wind magic, generally possessing skin tones in shades of cool greys.” As Miss.Tlail said this she slid the chalk smoothly across the board creating the sigils of each magic.
She turned to the front of the room clapping her hands together, Phoenix flinched slightly, Miss. Tali's eyes were tired yet kind, but something underneath them was off, they were glazed over, almost empty. Her face covered in several scars across the side of her face and mouth. "All right, so as a basis for all kinds of magic regardless of what you possess, remember that you must absorb an element in order to charge your power. Say you're a Volkin you would charge your magic by absorbing the heat out of say a warm rock. As well please remember to not over exert yourself, magic is a viable tool for fighting. But it's not your only one, which is why we are also learning how to fight without magic.“ Miss.Tali gestured next to her, several items scattered across the floor, "Alright so how about we start by absorbing something.”
***
Phoenix let out a breath, her head heavy, god she was so tired, a force nudged her side, flinching she turned.
“Come on, your soooo slooooww.” Volta said dramatically draping themselves over Phoenix shoulders.
“How are you not tired?” she muttered,
Volta shrugged, “I don’t know, I guess I'm just that amazing. I just got that pizzazz, that energy” Alba continued along the way of the hall in front of them, Volta soon following not too far behind.
As they continued down the hall they approached a double door frame, the doors already opened, it bustled with people, they pushed against one another to get forward, yelling and shouting excitedly at one another. The cacophony of noise and screaming was enough to make Phoenix feel like someone was pushing down on her whole head. Phoenix continued forward, arms brushing against her, each movement forward another thing nudged her, warm air down her back. She pressed gently underneath her ears, the cacophony of noise muffled to a low murmuring.
Phoenix looked up, Alba tilted her head, her eyes creased, “you good?” she motioned.
Phoenix’s chest tightened, now these people are going to know what a baby she was. Overreacting to sound like this. They must think she's crazy, it's not even that loud.
“Uh yeah…” she muttered looking down.
“Hey how about we sit there?” Volta, pointed across the room to a table occupying one other person, Although Phoenix was too far to identify them but something seemed familiar somehow.
Phoenix nodded in response, walking forward she breathed out, she was fine, she was fine, it wasn't that loud she'll be fine. Phoenix lowered her hands, all sound rushing back to her head. Her head pounding, back at full speed. Phoenix lowered herself sitting at the table. She froze. Turning she saw a Gail, the same perpetual scowl, the same outfit in purples and pinks, it was him. Seeing Phoenix he frowned deeper but remained silent.
Silence hung heavy, the unspoken anger perpetuating through the air, cold sweat ran down her back. Craning her neck up, Alba and Volta were nowhere to be seen. Shit their probably getting food. Phoenix relaxed back into her seat, tapping her foot, her chest tightening and constricting, the silence loud in her ears despite the volume of the room, it felt like suddenly the shouts and yelling were background murmuring. Her grip tightened on her knees, like any moment they would explode. She froze, feeling a slow anger building in stomach, like a poison, something dangerous and slow. Why should she have to apologize to him!? He was being a dick! And it was an accident she shouldn't have to “fix” things. He's a bitch! Her breath came out agitated and forced looking out to the crowd, still no one……She let out a drawn breath.
“Uh…..i…uh like your outfit.” she muttered
He narrowed his eyes, raising his eyebrows, pausing for a second. Before his face contorted into a deep visceral anger. “If you're going to make fun of me, could you just say it to my face?”
Phoenix paused momentarily stunned, was he just trying to cause problems now! Was he just the kind of person who liked causing fights!? Yeah that had to be it or he wouldn't be such an ass!
“I was just giving you a compliment. But noooo you can't accept any sort of conversation with people can you!”
He scoffed “uh huh.” his already deep voice somehow going lower.
A fire burned in her chest, of course the one time she tries to be the bigger person it doesn't work out! This is why she is never the bigger person because people don't appreciate that! If they want to be an ass that's what they're going to do!
“What is your problem?! Just take the compliment!” Phoenix shouted, clenching her fists closed.
He paused, like he had frozen in place his expression somehow scared? Afraid? Of something but she couldn't tell what.
“Wait….you…uh mean it?”
“Uh yeah.” Phoenix said exasperated, practically about to rip this guy's arms off.
He paused again,turning he looked down at the table, his face frills tilting up, “uh……thanks.” He muttered under his breath.
“And the party has arrived!” Volta shouted as they slid into their chair, Alba laughed the ice spikes along her face ruffling, she softly set down a dish in front of Phoenix.
Phoenix paused, confused, “For you.” Alba signed, putting her own plate down. Warmth flowed through her chest, the giddy warmth almost threatening to explode, “oh…uh thank you.” Phoenix looked down at her food, stunned, what the hell! Why are these people so nice! They’ve known her for what, a day!? what the fuck is this?
“Uh…h-h-h-hi….again.” a soft voice muttered, Phoenix froze, a girl with a long beautiful blue under cut, her glasses glinting in the light,
Eclipse….
“C-C-Can….I sit with you…g-g-g-guys.” Eclipse muttered, looking down.
Volta slowly looked to Alba, her brow raised at Eclipse but thoroughly unbothered. Volta then craned to Phoenix, she scrunched her face up into the most disgusted and fearful face she could think of while remaining subtle. Volta raised their eyebrows in response to this, “uh…..sureeee.”
Phoenix nearly hit her hand on the table, stopping herself just by an inch. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Eclipse nodded, whispering a hurried thank you, sitting directly next to Phoenix. She froze as Eclipse sat down, what was her plan here? Did she come over to expose all her secrets and is playing the im sad and alone act to get to all her secrets?
Phoenix tightened her arms around her chest, digging her nails into her arms. Well she wasn't going to fall for any of them. She was wiser than that! That's right, mindreader. I'm not as stupid as you think! I know exactly what you're planning! And it's not going to happen!
Eclipse flinched curling in on herself, her posture slouching.
“How the hell do you eat if you have no mouth?” Volta said pointing to Alba
The ridges on Alba's face ruffled slightly, her eyes slitting, devious. "I'll show you.” she signed, picking up some kind of meat with a bread coating. Lifting it to her face, the ridges began to split where her mouth should be. Her face slowly splitting and cracking open,the inner part of her “mouth” spitting out dark tendrils each flailing around violently, she moved the bread to one of the tendrils, jerking forward stabbing the bread. Color slowly began to drain from the bread until it was a slate grey. The tendrils then grabbed the lifeless bread and consumed it.
Alba's face began restitching itself back together as though nothing had happened. Her eyes still in a devious grin.
Phoenix sat there stunned, that was certainly……something, she wasn't sure what it had been, but it was currently something that was for sure.
“What was that?” Eclipse muttered to herself, her eyes hilariously wide, Phoenix held her breath barely managing to not snicker.
Volta laughed deep and gutturally. “That’s sick.”
The Gail’s expression somehow remained the same beside a slight crease near his eyes.
Volta relaxed into their chair, turning to the Gail, “Hey, what's your name, I never caught it?” He looked up slowly “Abyss.” his voice monotone void of any emotion, he returned to blankly staring at the table.
Phoenix stabbed her fork into the pink blobish thing on her plate, it looked like a jelly like liquid but still somehow solid. What the hell was that? It couldn't be edible right? Her face instinctively scrunched up, Eugh is this really what people eat on their surface? Popping it into her mouth, Phoenix chewed it it tasting weirdly fluffy like she was eating a pile of fur, at the same time it tasting of sweet fruit. Swallowing fast she coughed, shuddering.
“You guys really eat this shit?”
The entire table froze, she felt a chill go down her spine. Shit did she already ruin her chance at friends here, shit, shit, shit why was she such a dumb bitch!
Volt burst out laughing “Damn, the disrespect.”
“Aw it can't be that bad.” Alba signed, picking up one of the cubs off Phoenix's tray. Her face opens up the tendrils stabbed into the cube, draining it to a grey color. As Alba's face begins to stitch together her scrunched up disgusted face can be seen as it is reforming.
“HA! YOUR FACE, I got to see it now.” Volta grabbed the cube eating it with zero hesitation. They paused, chewing, they paused again their eyes in deep thought, “Eh it's ok the texture’s a bit weird though.”
“A BIT WEIRD!” she shouted, raising her eyebrow, “IT FEELS LIKE YOUR EATING WET FIBER GLASS!”
“Well maybe I like eating wet fiber glass,” Volta smugly said as they put their hand to their chest.
Phoenix pressed her hand to her nose bridge “There is something deeply wrong with you…”
They smiled in response. "I know."
The gong echoed throughout the room barely being heard through the cacophony of noise of the room, Volta startled slightly then looked up "Where do you guys want to go? Outside?"
Phoenix crossed her arms against her chest, she'd wait to see what the others said she cant make anyone mad, she couldn’t almost screw it up again. She had just barely lucked out.
Alba shrugged, "I don't really care that much.”
Phoenix also shrugged, Abyss didn't look up from where he was, Eclipse nodded to Volta "Yeah I don't really care where we go.”
Volta snorted “well that wasn't helpful. Outside it is then.” Volta got up weaving through the huge crowd easily, Alba and Eclipse following suit. Phoenix continued walking towards them, looking back she saw Abyss still seated where he was. Is he not coming? Whatever not like she cares he was an ass anyways, good riddens. Right as she was about to look away,Abyss finally looked up from the table surveying the room,flinching slightly as he saw something? Someone?, he quickly got up hurriedly walking towards the group.
What the hell was that? What did he see? Phoenix peered into the crowd further,but all she could see were people and no one she recognized. Weird.
***
“Oooo look at that one, doesn't it look like a star.” Eclipse gasped pointing at an oddly shaped flower.
Volta peered down closer to the flower, “Wait… huh that's weird this species doesn't usually grow around here.”
“What species is it?” Phoenix asked.
“A Starling they kinda are opposite of “normal” flowers; they absorb moonlight instead of sunlight.” Eclipse leaned down to the Starling light brushing her hand on the petals “Weird that it's in full bloom despite that.”
Volta nodded their eyes, lighting up “Do you have any more information on this plant?”
“Hmmm, well they aren't actually that sort of galaxyish color you're seeing, the plant's skin” is transparent and it has a liquid inside of it that's that color and the liquid's color shifts based on how much moonlight it's absorbed.”
Volta nodded “fascinating.” Leaning over they poked the plant, its sides squishing inwards.
“Ooo actually at home the Astria kinda have this tradition during festivals of using these plants to make drinks, we just open up the top of the star, put some ingredients inside it and drink it there.” Eclipse head wings flapped up and down as she talked, she grinned ear to ear the first real smile she had seen on Eclipse. Phoenix flinched slightly, her throat closing in, it was fine she was fine. She didn't need to feel bad Eclipse was a mind reader! She shouldn't feel bad! Eclipse was trying to steal all her secrets, Don't feel pity for the bad guy here you dumbass!
“So these are edible?" Volta said, barely surprising a smile.
“I mean yeah but, there still a lot of prep-.”
Volta picked the plant ripping off a portion of the star with their teeth, drinking the contents of the plant.
“VOLTA!” Eclipse gripped her head wings pulling them downwards.
“Ah…..hm pretty good bit bitter tho.” they said grinning smugly
“NO KIDING! THAT'S WHY WE PREPARE IT FIRST!!! What is wrong with you?!” Eclipse said, shaking her hands in front of Volta.
Phoenix felt warmth go through her chest and her shoulders relax, damn what a bunch of fucking dumbasses. Then she had to immediately freeze that feeling and shove it back down AND RIP IT OUT! She had to keep her guard up. She can't get all mushy here while a mindreader was here! Phoenix was already doing an awful job at guarding her thoughts. She did not need another mishap,especially before that leads to all her secrets being spilled on the floor.
Abyss tilted his head, his head frills shifting in confusion, his expression still mostly blank. “Im scared of them.” Phoenix nodded in response.
