Saturday, 6:02AM
Pulling up to the site, Marks dad turns and yanks the key out of the ignition and turns to Mark who's trying to give him an annoyed look but it falls flat, his tired eyes betraying him. Either way he understands the intent behind it.
"You're here but it wasn't my idea, it was your mothers." His dad confesses, leaning back against his car seat as he unbuckles himself, "She wants me to show you just how much you'd hate doing this."
"Yeah I know, I wish you'd have told me last night. I was only asleep for an hour before you barged in." Mark says as he too unbuckles his seat belt.
"If I had known I would've told you." He pauses for a moment before resuming, "I know this won't change you're mind, you're strong willed and so is your brother but you're not meant for this kind of life. My boys are geniuses and they can do whatever they set their sites on. Set yours higher, please. If not for yourself for your mothers sake."
"I don't know what I want, what is there for me out here?" Mark asks, turning his head away to stare out of the window wanting to escape the conversation entirely.
"There's plenty out there. You could be a tutor, they get paid well.. You could write one of those books you have us buy, you're the perfect person to write one of those." Marks dad finishing with an awkward chuckle, "That's only if we're talking working with abilities."
"Telekinesis tutor is an over saturated market with fewer opportunities because of how varied the power difference is from the floor to ceiling and the tutoring market is the reason books like the ones I have don't get published anymore. It's the reason there's no videos teaching too. It brings in too much money for it to be wasted by something you can watch for free or pick up at a library."
Both open a door on each side of the car and begin to walk through puddled up mud water, "Something else then. You don't need to have everything planned out now, just a rough idea. Preferably one that won't send your mother into a frenzy."
Relenting Mark sighs, "I'll think about what I want but college isn't everything."
"You think I don't know that?" He says through animated laughter, "Me and your mother never went to college and look at us. I'm a site manager and your mother was a pretty successful hair stylist before she took a turn for the worse. Look at it this way, if its not for you it just gives you time to find what is while giving you something useful in return." Sliding his worker verification down a card reader to open the security door to the work site.
"I already told you I'd think about it." Mark says as he looks around the empty site for the first time. "I won't bring it up again, I need to grab something from the office and then we'll get to work." Marks dad responds, signalling for him to wait where he's stood for a moment.
Saturday, 12:32PM
"Sorry I'm late." Alex, putting her hair into a ponytail as she walks into the kitchen of her dad and uncles restaurant, "I thought you said the kids not here today?!" Her uncle shouts to his brother in the mayhem filled kitchen as they both focus intently on cooking, "She's not." Alex's dad proclaims as he carefully displays food on a plate and puts it up on the line ready to be served before approaching her, "You've got yourself a duel coming up and a little extra practice won't hurt." Holding out his phone so she can see a code to a private training facility strictly for awakeners.
"Its not a tutor and its only a day pass but every little helps, right?" He says through a slight smile.
"Are you sure?" Alex asks as she takes the phone into her hand to get a closer look. "You're mother can take you up there and bring you back when you're all done."
Alex smiles gratefully, the two hugging as she thanks him profusely under her breathe so only he can hear.
Saturday, 4:11PM
Outside a boojee café on a crowded street, Freya and Miles talk casually, "What happens when Henry does come back? He's going to have to go through the Top 10 again." Miles asks casually, fiddling with his empty cup.
"If. If is the question, if he comes back I'm not fighting him and I doubt you would either. I'm more worried about her. God forbid she beats Alex, I don't really want to fight either of them but with her I'd be forced into doing it anyway." Freya says, the thought of Valentina causing her to chew lightly on the top of her nail.
"It'd be better to fight her before she develops her Lightning Conjuring any more, if she has at all." Miles responds, pausing his messing around with the cup to gather both his and Freya's cup in the middle of the table, "You don't think she's developed her Lightning? With her backing?" Freya almost scoffing.
"Exactly because of her backing. They need a Lightning adjacent tutor but not only that, one that's powerful enough for an Emperors kid while also willing to drop everything and come to her. If you're going to fight her, sooner is better than later." Miles says to a slyly grinning Freya, "Fight her for me?"
Miles cant help but blush, a smile creeping onto his face. Despite that he declines, Freya already seeing it coming quickly follows up, "Ok, you're buying then." Shooting to her feet and pulling her handbag up onto her shoulder, "I tip heavy."
"I know, usually with my wallet too." Miles says, feigning annoyance with a smile.
Saturday, 5:23PM
Edging forward, what seems like, an inch at a time Mark and his dad sit in traffic on their way back home. "What did you want to do? I'm guessing you didn't skip out on college for construction or to take crazy drugs for money." Mark asks as he wipes at his eyes in a futile effort to keep himself awake.
"I told you that in confidence. This is also in confidence, right?" Mark nods as he leans his head against the seat. "I used to box, all my fights were amateur and I hardly had a winning record but I was passionate."
"What happened?" Mark asks, shifting his body in the seat in an attempt to get comfortable. "Why'd I stop? I met your mother and you know how she is with violence. Sport or not she couldn't stand it so I chose her. Then we made you with only a hand full tries..." Marks dad stopping himself and pausing while trying to think of a not so obvious pivot.
"How was today?" He finally follows up as he takes a piece of gum from the cup holder littered with all sorts of random stuff and chucks it into his mouth. "It was ok. I had no idea what I was doing half the time but everyone was nice and it was lively. I hate when it gets quiet." Mark says, clearly half asleep in his seat.
"Well life can be quiet sometimes, that's just how the dice rolls. No avoiding it. Your mom thinks distraction, distraction, distraction is the way but it only works for so long, she knows that deep down." The car directly in front of the two moves forward slightly and they follow suit, "You cant wave a wand and make it go away but you can help how hard it hits when it comes for you. I've been thinking about it and now you're fully settled in maybe we see if we can get you someone to talk to again, what do you think?" Marks dad finishes, turning to look at his son who's fast asleep with his head up against the window glass.
"You're still the boy I remember, even after all this time" Chuckling to himself gently, "I remember once taking you out to the park and you were just a bundle of energy. You played for over an hour straight and made everyone aware when we were leaving but as soon as we hit the road you were out like a light. Slumped against the booster just like that." He pauses and looks over once again, Mark still slumped over, regret building in his chest, stealing his words out from under him.
Sunday, 12:14PM
Down in the hotels very own training area, Valentina spars with her Weapon Conjuring tutor and is going blow for blow.
"I can use it much more efficiently with my weapons!" Valentina shouts out between ragged pants and swatted away weapons.
"I don't care." The tutor replies, controlling her own breathing and launching into an attack.
Valentina only just managing to dodge uses the opportunity to retreat out of range, "I need the practice."
"I'm a weapon conjuror, I'm not paid to deal with anything related to any other abilities and I don't work for free. Especially not for rich folk." The tutor keeping the last part to herself.
Despite her obvious frustration the two continue, clashing in the middle blade to blade.
Sunday, 6:30PM
Jacob steels his resolve as he knocks firmly on Cages home office door, the only thing on his mind being if his knock was good enough, "Enter." The only word he gets in response.
Opening the hauntingly creaky door, Jacob is greeted by an aged, rustic style office with Cage planted firmly in line with the door as he sits behind his desk.
Jacob hardly hesitates but that is more than enough for Cage to pounce, "If you don't want anything leave."
"I was wondering if you wanted to eat together tonight." Jacob quickly spits out, his focus being directed on his posture far too much now.
"No." Jacob, expecting some kind of elaboration stands in the doorway silently. "If that's all." Cage, not bothering to look up at him once the entire time.
"Yes that's all. Thank you, Sir." Jacob says before retreating, shutting the door behind him.
"That kid..." Cage thinks to himself as he lays the pen down and pinches the bridge of his nose, "He's not worth the hassle. Not in the slightest."
Sunday, 10:12PM
"I'm not talking to you while you're being like this." Valentina says in Russian as she marches past her only real parent and to her room, her mothers provocations chasing her but ultimately landing on deaf ears. Quickly glancing around the ultra sanitized, devoid of any homely personality hotel room, Valentina flicks the light off and leaps into the bed.
Her mind wonders indiscriminately, as if its on autopilot, while she lays in bed until it suddenly snags on someone. Flipping from her side to her back, Valentina raises her hands up as far as they could possibly go and begins to practice her control using the technique Mark had shown her.
"Why him?" She thinks to herself as she moves her hands awkwardly in different directions in order to stress test her lightning. "Why?"
She mentally begins to list off anything remotely awkward about Mark that she can think of but it only results in a rolling of the eyes, a dive back onto her side and the covers being launched over her head.