The moment I touched Lilith on the shoulder, she woke up.
"I'm not tired, you're tired!" she declared before noticing me. "Oh. You're Crusader's kid."
"Dr. Armitage told me to wake you, and that you would take me to the girl's dorm."
"Hm, yeah. I guess..." she yawned. "Good speech by the way, reminds me of Armitage's old pep talks."
Was that where I heard it? I've spied on a lot of heroes, so I can't say for certain...
"Oh yeah, the last time I heard it was just before the Hoover Disaster. Ugh, I was still a rookie then, but even I knew it was one of The Engineer's traps. Had to go solo after that crapshow." She yawned. "Where were we going again?"
"The dorms," I say, realizing she wasn't as sleepy as she let on if she heard me. Or maybe she could sleep and maintain consciousness of the world? I'd never heard of that Talent but if there was a candidate for it, she was right in front of me.
"Right. Follow me," she walks us through the side exit, past the park, and right up to the main gate. The moment I realize something's up, I get in front of her and give her a tiny zap. "Huh, wah?"
"You were sleepwalking. I thought the dorms were on campus."
"Oh yeah... they are. I was dreaming about going on patrol again."
"Are you always this tired?"
"Nah, just getting off my winter schedule. I'll be right as rain with some proper sleep. Mm~ maybe after the weekend." She yawns and starts walking diagonally from the gate, cutting across the lawn. "So, what's your story?" she mumbles as I come up beside her.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I mean it's obvious you've got beef with your dad."
"Sorry, that's personal."
"And those bruises on your arms, are those personal too?"
"Yes," I reply, though inside I'm thinking What the fuck?!
"You don't sound surprised how I know. Did you look me up?"
"You're a shadow user, I assume it has something to do with that." I didn't look her up, but I had listened to Kora's fangirling.
"Shadow Life, my Talent, would let me look if I wanted to. But in this case, I got a text from the school nurse. She can feel any injury that occurs nearby."
"So Crusader doesn't know his own strength sometimes. Big deal." I can't afford to go through some sort of song and dance with the Child Protection Corporation, which is where I know this conversation is heading. "I'm used to it. And I've got my mom's durability factor, so it's not that bad."
Lilith frowns at that, but I can see her turning back to the route. "If anything happens, remember the teachers here are your allies."
"Not much you all could do against the 'Great Crusader,'" I say sardonically, "But I appreciate the effort, Lilith."
She opens her mouth as if to say something, then grunts and continues forward. "Call me Ms. Stern."
As the dorms come into sight, I decide to switch to a new topic. "So, how did you get the name Night Woman?"
"Uhh, after losing my internship after Hoover, I decided to try out soloing. Protecting, uh, people who needed it in those dark hours. Then some news report came up and that was it, my new name. Although I would have preferred 'Night Lady' or 'Lady Night,' but it's rude to take legacy names without permission. Especially if some corp bought the rights."
She yawns again as we arrive. "Mmm, good luck with your roommates. That speech wasn't exactly the best foot to put forward..."
"Don't tell me good luck," I tell her.
"Huh?"
"With warriors you say 'Good hunting.'" I grin.
"Hm, that right there sounds like a problem," she narrows her eyes at me. We share a tense moment before she relaxes, shrugs, and turns away. "Eh, whatever. See you in homeroom Friday."
I watch her for a few steps, then turn to the double doors.
"Alright! Time to head to the top of the pecking order!"
The moment I thrust open both, I am greeted by a cacophony of chaos.
Boys are arguing over whose stuff is whose. Girls are jostling to get all their things upstairs. The communal living room is a mess of boxes, mysteriously wrapped up shapes, and arguments.
I spy a box that says "Aislin's Stuff" on it in Asshole's handwriting. Inside are my tools, charts, and a backpack that serves as my Go Bag, complete with a parachute in the event shit hits the fan and I had to flee the skyscraper.
Whether by Asshole's hands or another student's, the power tools on top are crushed. But it's nothing the internet can't replace. Once I turn eighteen, I'm definitely going to access my old bank accounts. I doubted the government could have found all of them.
Lifting my only things, I march up the stairs and look for my room, only to find it's at the very end of the hall next to the fire escape.
A gang of girls watches me with scowls as I approach and pass them.
"Aww, they remembered me!" I giggle at the graffiti, written in lipstick. None of the girls near me are wearing lipstick, so I assume it probably wasn't them. Inside, I find the remains of my utility pack deposited on the desk, along with a note stating the school has confiscated my railgun and knives, and I can retrieve them at the end of the semester.
At least the room is nice. It's about a five-meter cubed space, with a small balcony, a soft-looking bed, a workspace/computer table, and a mini fridge. I frown as I notice there's no chair, which leads me to believe someone jacked mine.
Thirty seconds later, I've ordered an executive swivel chair with self-adjusting ergonomic foam and mood lighting, anti-friction ball rollers, and emergency escape rockets.
Hey, even anti-villains need lumbar support.
And with that, I start unpacking, thinking of all the ways I can make this tiny room into a tiny lair.