Monday Spring Quarter 2016 Finals Week

I dropped off my essay, which was our finals for the class, under Professor Rem's door. I noticed Jacque in the distance and called out to him.

"Hey Yuki, turning in your essay?" he pulled out a stapled packet of papers from his backpack.

"Yep, I just finished up a final. How’s it going for you?" I accompanied him after he slid his essay under the door.

"No finals today, just an evaluation for my project. The professor didn't want to show us scores yet. Pretty scared," Jacque answered.

"That sucks. How do you feel after last Friday?" I inquired.

"Not too bad. Didn't really use any powers so pretty sure I'm doing a lot better than you. Tess seemed to like my sketches. Well, she kinda just nodded at me so I’m not sure," Jacque replied.

"She's like that all the time. You got good experience though. Glad your powers are starting to develop," I pointed out.

"Yeah, would have sucked to be eaten by those plants, scared the shit out of me," Jacque agreed.

We split up at the fountain. Jacque headed to the fine arts building, turning in an assignment for another class. Time to go home! Boarding the train, I noticed Felicity pounding away on her phone in the seat behind me.

"Yuki! How are finals going for you?" she asked.

"Alright. What about you?" I reciprocated her question.

"Not too bad, I think I’ll be above the curve! Want to do something after finals? My treat of course! We'll get everyone together and have a good time," Felicity suggested.

"Maybe, I don't know if I'll be busy," I recalled Shan’s weapon retrieval was next.

"How about this weekend? Everyone should be done with finals. Make sure to let everyone know! I’m busy with company stuff so it’s in your hands, Yuki. Pretty please!" Felicity pleaded as she hopped off at her stop.

A get together with Felicity? That sounded fine in principle but things were never that simple with her. Although, I owed her a lot since she hooked me up with those new clothes. She wasn't a bad person but her high energy wore on people. For now, time to focus on my next finals.

Wednesday Spring Quarter 2016 Finals Week

"When do you have finals again?" I stared at the two men.

Zhuyu and Shan responded with blank looks. My final was in three hours so I had time to spare. The math major read a light novel on his phone. The gravity manipulator tabbed back and forth between manga and a complicated diagram containing numbers and charts underneath it.

"Mine’s in two hours. I got tired of looking at my notes so just taking a short break," Zhuyu replied and opened up his notebook.

"Hour and half. I got this, Yuki, even if you don't believe me," Shan replied.

Jacque joined our table thirty minutes later. He carried two paintings and a sculpture. Wait, that wasn't a sculpture, it was a little jack-in-the-box?

"Damn, who did you rob?" Shan asked for permission to touch the jack-in-the-box.

"Nah, just all the shit I turned in, got them all back today with grades. Not too bad. Professor didn't like my fire hydrant photo too much. Fuckin’ makes no sense, didn't even write down why I lost points," Jacque lamented.

Zhuyu checked out the two paintings, flipping over the pieces, and checked the scores. Shan winded up the jack-in-the-box and an intricate dragon popped out.

"I have no idea how this is being graded. But this score isn't too bad, right?" Zhuyu remarked.

"Better than the class average. Still want to know why I lost half a point," Jacque answered.

Zhuyu and Shan studied, chatting with Jacque and me occasionally. The two boys finally left, leaving for their finals, leaving only Jacque. Not too many people in the student lounge right now, made sense since exam times differed for everyone.

"Jacque, there's not much break for you before summer classes begin, huh?" I questioned.

"Yeah, just a one week break after finals and then back to classes. I have so much regret but too late to back out now. And I have to train with you guys too. Fuck my life," Jacque answered, organizing all his art assignments.

"You'll be fine, Jacque. I know it’s a lot but you're getting used to your powers. It took me awhile to adjust," I tried cheering him up.

"You're pretty damn amazing, Yuki. Like seriously amazing. Much better than me. I doubt I can get on your level," Jacque gave a half-hearted laugh.

"Jacque, I told you before you gotta have more confidence!" I encouraged him.

"Yeah, you're right. Good luck on your finals, Yuki. Guess you'll be seeing me in the summer since we'll have to fight," Jacque said as I packed up my things.

"Don't let me down, Jacque!" I gave him a thumbs up and headed to my final.

I felt confident and completed the exam before time was up. On my way to the train station, I saw Bartholomew near the library. He stared down at his phone with a concerned look. Should I just leave him alone? Before I made a decision, Lionel's protégé waved at me.

"Tomo, done with finals already?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I just finished my last one. How about you?" I asked.

"Still have one more tomorrow. I heard Lionel helped Kisai out. Did he, uh.... look okay to you?" he asked, putting his phone away.

“Something wrong with Lionel?" I found his question strange.

"Well.... he's kind of been more reserved than usual. Is he like that with you guys?" Bartholomew wondered.

"Guess he isn't as outgoing as before and more calm. I don't think it's a bad thing," I replied.

"He's been like that for a few months now," Bartholomew revealed.

"I don't think you have to worry about. He seemed fine while fighting. This new attitude made him better," I pointed out.

"I'll have to see for myself. Since Tess split us up, I haven't hung out with Lionel too much," Bartholomew said.

"You're with Ichaival and Champ a lot more, yeah?" I watched a bird land on the library rooftop.

"Tess makes sure all team members train with each other at least twice a week. There are some exemptions but that's the standard," Bartholomew revealed.

"I didn't know that, thought it was just up to you guys. How's it going with Champ? He's kind of weird but not a bad guy," I said.

"Hard to say, he’s pretty quiet around me. I actually talk with Ichaival a lot more," Bartholomew replied.

"How's that going?" I felt my phone vibrate and checked the incoming message.

"Ichaival's a good guy. It really makes me appreciate all the effort he's putting in. I can respect that. Sorry to cut it short, Tomo, but I gotta go. Let's do our best to defeat the Traveler!" Bartholomew dashed off with a wave.

Oh, a request from Tess to head to the training facility. I went home first and dropped off all my stuff. I inserted my key into a nearby door and arrived at the entrance. I headed down the stairs and only saw Zhuyu present.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"No idea. Tess texted me when I just finished my finals," Zhuyu replied.

The zero vector user didn't start a conversation with me and stared up at the ceiling in silence. Fuck, this was always weird. I opened my mouth but someone else arrived.

"Just you two? What were you planning, Long?" Kyoi grinned and locked her arms around his head.

"You know why Tess called us here?" Zhuyu ignored her but didn’t try escaping her hold.

"Not sure, probably just a quick progress check. And letting us know about our summer plans," Kyoi said.

"Shigetzu texted me he can't make it. He has a final later," Zhuyu informed us, glancing at his phone.

Kisai arrived ten minutes later with Ichaival following behind him. Soon, all the other heroes arrived. Shan, Kuan, and Jen couldn't make it. Tess carried a binder and yellow manila folders underneath her right arm when she finally showed up.

"Long, update Shigetzu, Kuan, and Jen about the information discussed. All of the main points are listed on this piece of paper," Tess instructed, handing him a crisp piece of paper.

Like Kyoi predicted, Tess updated us on our progress so far. She also discussed Lilith's team, covering their search for Artifacts and other methods of powering up.

"Shigetzu's weapon retrieval will begin next week after finals end. Kuan, Jen, and Shui will also work on unlocking their true powers as well. Their operations will begin after Shigetzu's weapon retrieval is finished," Tess concluded.

I yawned, tired after finals and listening to Tess talk. I was forgetting something. Oh, that's right. Felicity wanted me to find out about everyone’s availability for an end of quarter celebration.

"Felicity wanted to celebrate the end of spring quarter and I guess the school year too. Are you guys free this weekend?" I broached the subject once the meeting adjourned.

"I'll have to decline, sorry," Zhuyu answered immediately.

"I have work but I'll probably make it if it’s not during my shift," Kisai replied.

"Maybe, depends on what I have to do that day," Ichaival responded.

En declined since he had to look after his younger siblings. Kyoi was going on a trip out of the area so she couldn’t attend. Damn, everyone was busy this weekend. Felicity would have to pick a different date.

"What about you, Tess?" I asked the Gatekeeper.

"I have a prior commitment related to my masters degrees. Please let Fel know," Tess responded.

Zhuyu stayed behind and spoke with Tess. The Gatekeeper trusted him if he maintained the archives and served as liaison for her. There had to be an interesting story there.