Guidance Counselor's Office, Monday

[electrocynic]

So, last week, Electroclash had handwavily come to her office portal-lagged from a quick trip to London, and promptly slept through her office hour. But there was no need to discuss that further, because she was here today! Some more emails had gone out to random students, and Electroclash was shuffling some paperwork around, half considering actually doing something useful.

Probably not, though.

She was already starting to fold one of the papers into a plane.

[open! mod yer emails.]

Comments

[myownface]

Really, Sparkle had kind of been expecting one of those emails for a while. After all... it wasn't like the fact that he was a bit of a pyromaniac shit-stirrer was some sort of secret.

"Am I finally gettin' busted for something?"

The look on Sparkle's face as he leaned into the doorway suggested that it was probably about time.

[electrocynic]

Electroclash threw the paper plane in his general direction. It flitted harmlessly to the floor near his feet.

"Dunno, are you?"

[myownface]

Really, it was a good question, wasn't it?

"... Not unless the school administration gives a shit about what I do on the mainland, I guess."

He'd pocketed those socks fair and square, damn it. He wouldn't have, either, if the security guards hadn't singled him out the moment he'd stepped into the store.

[electrocynic]

"Then, it's probably a random call for a check-in," Electroclash decided, leaning back (or just slouching even more) in her chair and picking up another paper. "Adminsitration sends those emails out because all you rugrats need counseling after dealing with this bloody island."

[myownface]

"Huh." Sparkle lingered in the doorway for a moment more before shrugging and stepping the rest of the way into the office, stooping down to pick up the airplane at his feet as he went. "You get a lot of Fandom trauma victims in here, then?"

[electrocynic]

"Less than I should, considering the state of the insides of most people's skulls 'round here."

She didn't seem bothered by that, though. Less work!

[myownface]

"Maybe Fandom just has a funny way of attracting people around here that are too fucked up to be... fucked up."

Yeah, that made perfect sense, shut up.

"Worst thing I've had to deal with lately is getting stuck with a freaking badger in my room for like a month."

[electrocynic]

Electroclash looked... mildly interested.

"Student or local wildlife?"

[myownface]

"Student," Sparkle grumbled, wrinkling his nose. "If it was just a normal badger, she probably would have been less spiteful about it."

Those things had claws. Wicked ones. And Zeela had been well aware of that fact.

[electrocynic]

That was probably not something to look amused at.

Tough. She was going to look amused anyway.

"Well, could've been worse," she said. "You could've been a badger for a month. Although I guess you'd be more likely to be a skunk..."

[myownface]

See Sparkle. See Sparkle squint. Squint, Sparkle, squint!

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

And was he allowed to remember that comment if the island ever turned him into a skunk? Because he was totally capable of holding a petty grudge, Electroclash. Seriously.

[electrocynic]

Electroclash scoffed at him, folding the paper in her hands surprisingly neatly.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately, mate?" she asked. "Clearly skunks are the punks of the animal world."

[myownface]

"... Oh."

Look, that wasn't all that skunks were known for, in Sparkle's defence.

"They're also known for smelling like really strong weed. Just making sure you weren't telling me I stink."

[arsenicmauls]

Gert hadn't gotten an email, but she had been told by a certain Avenger before coming here that she was required to attend regular meetings with a counselor. She wasn't sure how regular this was going to be, but by the second week of classes, she figured she at least had to show up.

So. "Hey," Gert said from the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. "I think I'm supposed to see you."

[electrocynic]

"Entirely possible," Electroclash replied magnanimously, looking up from the piece of paper she'd been trying to fold into a crane. Yes, that was part of someone's paperwork. "And you are...?"

[arsenicmauls]

"Gert Yorkes," Gert replied. "...And it figures that I got sent to a school where even the guidance counselor is dressed like a superhero."

[electrocynic]

"Dressed like herself," Electroclash replied with a drawl. "Name's Electroclash. This is what I wear to work."

[arsenicmauls]

"Because a need for spandex comes up so often in counseling teens?" Gert, an objective observer might argue that this was a tactic to avoid being asked about your own life. "Whatever you say."

[electrocynic]

Electroclash rolled her eyes. "It's not spandex, smartarse." And she was so unimpressed with you, Gert. So unimpressed. "And it goes with the name. A cape is a cape."

[arsenicmauls]

"Because the world would end if the impressionable kids at this school didn't get to see all the authority figures around here using their clothes and code names to show off that they have a body count," Gert groused. "Whatever. Can we get to the counseling?"

[electrocynic]

"Shows what you know, I'm barely a fucking authority figure." She was almost proud of that, too. "So who'd send you here?"

She meant her office, not the school.

[arsenicmauls]

"Superhero back home named Captain America," Gert replied. "Apparently he gets to dictate how traumatized me and my friends are and sent us all to therapy. I figured this counts."

Actually no, Gert, Electroclash was not a licensed therapist.

[electrocynic]

Electroclash gave that a one-shoulder shrug. "Well, kids seem to graduate from this fine establishment without any real qualifications, too, so I think this will count as long as they don't come inspect it too closely." She was nothing if not honest. "Captain America? I've heard of him. Vaguely. Why's he so interested in you?"

[arsenicmauls]

"How much time do you have?" Gert grumbled rhetorically. "My friends and I had parents who were supervillains. We found out and ran away, and then all of our parents died a few weeks ago."

That was omitting a bit, but it was a clear enough overview.

[electrocynic]

Electroclash raised her eyebrows a bit, as if that was actually pretty impressive. "Bummer," she said, which was about as much sympathy as she was going to show outwardly. "Where was this?"